The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1878-03-20
FoR THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
FROM REV. DR.. VAN DYKE.

Reu. William Broooa d. d.:
Rev. and Dear Sir,-The Central Presbyterian
of February 27th which has just come TO M hand,
contains some well-deserved Communications of the
Rev. Dr. John Hall, for his general excellence, and
especially for the kind feeling he has uniformly
manifested towards the South You hold up his
example as a rebuke to 1.-THE raneour which ap
pears in the records of his Assembly and IN the
acts and speeches Of many of its leading ministers
And then from the thousands of ministers connect
ed with our Assembly you select me as specimen
of that rancour. | do not propose to discuss with
you the general justice of this contrast. During
the war out of which so much ecclesiastical strife
has grown, il my sensibiities did not become hard
eued at least learned the lesson Of patience under
undeserved not to say ungenerOus abuse My
present object is not controversy but simply the
correction of some gross mlsstatements In your ar
tice which if left unoontradlced might grleve the
hearts of Christian friends whose ali 3ctOn and COD
fdence would not willingly forfeit. You express
surprise at the strange delusion" in Dr. Halls
mind in regard to the near prospect OF union be-
tween the Northern and Southern Presbyterian
Churches; and you suggest that his impressions are
received from such sources as the lively prophe-
Gle 8 of the Net0 York Observer, the Rev. DIR. Van
Dixie and Others" No one has better opportunity
than YOU to know the gross injustice of the use OF
nv name in such connection. Not that the re-
union Of Northern and Southern Presbyterisns
would be such bad thing that it is wrongto pre-
dict it, but in view of my ecclesiastical record your
statement impeaches my sincerity. For L have
declared in your presence and in Dr. Halls pre-
scnce-and wherever the subject was under discus
sion, and especially in the General Assembly, that
in nv Judgment the reunion of the Churches, under
present circumstances, is neither practicable nor
desirable. You never saw nor heard any such
Lively prophesies" from me as you refer to-.
Let me call your attention to the following state
ments ia your article:
"Dr. Van Dyke alleged in his speech that our
Assembly had made as Objectionable declarations
concerning theirs, and the minute adopted intl-
mates that good relations, II established must De
upon terms of equality and reciprocity.
Bnt neither the Committee in Baltimore, nor any
of their Assemblies has ever ventured to point out
sny instance in which our Assembly has made dis
hOnoring imputations upon the other body. Their
papers and certain persons have done SO. DR.. Van
D Ike, who would not venture upon the task In his
official character, did so upon the door OF their AS
sembly, when his friends cut of DR.. Marquis from
all opportunity of exposing bis amazing porVerslon
OF the real facts 10 the case.
What passed between my associates and myself
in the Baltimore CONFERENCE.-THE what task was
willing to venture upon in my official capacity can
not now be properly reviewed, But on the floor
of our Assembly l did say, and now repeat, with
the same sadness that the fact has always awakened
in my mind, that when the Assembly of 1870 at
Philadelphia sent a committee to the Assembly at
Louisville, asking for a conference with view to
the settlement of existing difficulties, the Southern
Assembly responded with accusations as bad, and
worse than any the Northern Assembly had ever
preferred against them | read the proof OF this
from your records, and | argued then, as L believe
and repeat now that if apologies are to be made on
either side, they ought to be made on both sides.
But argued still further, and this was my main
objection to DR.. Marquis report that the truly
Christian way, and the only practicable way to set
tie such controversy, is, not to make apologies at
ALL but inst to let bygOnes be by gcnes' This is the
method pursued by the Episcopal and Methodist
Churches, and in my judgment it is the only way
in which the Northern and Southern Presbyterian
Churches will ever be brought into more frsterna
relations.
That speech of mine about which you have said
so many hard things, would not fill half the space
in your paper which you have occupied in charac
terizing it. Why then do you not publish it, to-
gether with the quotation from the records OF the
Assembly at Louisville, that your readers may judge
for themselves whether its spirit is 50 ranCorous
IF you hare ever published it, take back and apO
ogise for this question.
Your statements that DR.. Marquis " was cut off
from all opportunity of exposing its amazing per
versions of the real facts and that this done
BY mn friends, are both incorrect. DR.. Marquis
was not restricted in any way, or by any body from
the fullest opportunity to express his views. He
was heard, as | have always believed, till he was
satisfied. No Assembly was ever more willing to
hear both sides of question. No debate was ever
conducted with greater fairness and courtesy on
both sides. So far from being unwilling to hear
DIR. Marquis or any other man, representing your
side Of the question, the Assembly, after my speech
was delivered, formally invited DR.. Plumer, a
member of your Assembly, to speak on the subject
He was received with enthusiasm and heard with
the utmost respect, and if he had come with the
authority of corresponding delegate from your
Assembly, he would have been received with still
GARNER welcome. This is the simple truth in the
case Bat suppose Dr.. Marquis had been cut off
from being heard why do you say my friends did
it? That fling is as unworthy of yourself, as it is
unfair to me, Because l am painfully constrained
to differ with you on great question of eCclesias
teal poity, do you mean to hold me responsible
for everything that has been done, or which you
suppose to have been done, by every body else who
differs with you? Ga one point there seems to DO
a very general agreement both North and South
that the question of fraterna relations is indefinite
" postponed If you will do me the justice to pub
fish this note, whatever you may find in your heart
to say about it, you will be troubled with nothing
further from me on the subject
Yours in Christ, HENRY j. VAN DYKE ]