The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1878-07-19
Vanderbilt University ana the idsaAs7
Extract from Communic cation I'm the Cbri ..
81 tIan AdFoeate.4 ~ WGHFl.a

HanoerDHt VnlYersny ana tne AVr1ue1
Extract from Communlcati in the CbTi
- - tIan AdFdeate.4 YsHFla
Prof. NVincl1eIl fs.tletern5uetl tom a
martyr. He appeals TO the publ {
against what he calls medieval pro-
scription for opinions sake,v ntl e
heel of priestly authority "disniiS-
sal from office on account Of heresy, -
c.,.etc.
The history of the case is this: The
School of Natural History and Geolo-
gy had been divided between Pro-.
Stafford and Prof Winchell, since tbs
Organization of the University. Tn,
principal work fell upon the former.
who is resident. Both were able apd
willing laboEers;-but thethrsc months
lectureship was found not TO fit iIL
well; it jostlcd the schedule; and in
order To secure Prof. Winchcll such Il.
hearing as he deserved, classes and
students were thrown somewhat out
of joint. But the University derived
benefit generally from his labors and
reputation. lie was popular with the
Trustees, Faculty, students, and peo-
pie; and, Notwithstanding hisr "Pro~
| fesSOrship" was felt To be; sort Of fifth
wheel, the interests of tie University,
all things considered, juailic,l its cons
tinuance through the second aud third
year. His develOpmeut-SE evolution
and pOlygenism, became 50 pro-
nounced, in the last year. a. TO raise
and press the question, Is Prof Win
chell's connection with the University
beneficial to it?
| That question was met by abolish
ing the lectureship, and devolviEg all
| its duties upon the other Joint Pro-
! feSsOr, whose time had not before been
fully occupied in that Department.
The Board of Trust were enabled thus
to make practical and needed advan-
ces in other departments of insiruc-
| tion-and, at the same time, To dis
connect the University from any pfc-
l'spOnsibility for the Professors dogma.
This statement may be worth sDme-
! thing to the candid and hasty. critics
who profess to see indIscrction in tlfe
Trustees. "Why not" say they, ''dis~
miss or refuse to reappoint him, or
vacate his chair; instead of resOning
to the preteXt of abolishing his chair"
Because they meant to get rid OC both,
and took the shortest and least Oflen-
sivc, because impersonal, course.
Professor Winchell's attack on Van
derbilt University has given the Op,
portunity never neglected 10y a certain
class of editors. Let the incumbent Of
an evangelical pulpit turn Universal
ist or Unitarian, and when the Church
authorities give him the privilege of
holding forth elsewhere-in a word,
dismiss him-thcse gentlemen of the
press raise hue and cry about pcrse-
cutiOn and gagging conscience. The
atheistic, materialistic, anti-Church,
and especially anti .HcfhOdit elements
have been forward in offering their
sympathy for his grievances under the
'heel Ofpricstly authority ....
For the comfort of these gentlemen
we say: First, the Board of Trustees
is made up of twenty-cight persons
half of whom are laymcn-farmers,
doctors, lawyers, iudges-duly repre-
senting their class.
Secondly, their evident wish and
effort to damage the University give
its friends not the least concern. The
peolpe-''Our pcOpIe'-have no 0b'ec-
ton TO orthodoxy. Parents who have
SONS to educate prefer the safety Of that
to gentecl infidclity. let
anti Methodist critics ragc-Nander-
bilt University is safe. No other in
stitutiOn of learning i'm America, at
the end OF three years, ever stood 80
high and so strong. Those who are i'm
charge of il know what thcyare about.
Some of these editors inform the
public that Vanderbilt University has
abolished the chair Of Natural Sci
ence! \ former unsuccessful appli-
cant for position in it publishes a
piece in which he gravCly SAYS that
science can do better without the VAN
,lerbilt than the Vanderbilt can do
science,
These and all others are informed
that no institution in The land is bet
ter prepared with men and apparatus
To teach natural science than Wander
bilt University. II il almost a spe-
cialty, so full and strong i'm that de-
partment. Professor Winchcll him
self testilics concerning the Faculty
which he has left behind in the literary
and scientific Department.: 81 regard
them, without exception, as rare and
accomplished scholars, worthy of
chairs in the first universities of the
and.U
The Vanderbilt is great trust for
the Church and the country, for the
present and the future; and all right
minded men will feel more assured Of
Is mission when they see that it is
firmly and without re-
'pect to persons. While wrong is
lone no man, the interests of the Uni
'ersity are first TO bc considered. The
people will appreciate such g,aran-
ees. Prof w. patheticalUy lamcnts:
THE great Lame which the Universi-
y bears is concerned in the gross per-
version ofa sacred trust"
To do that name honor, none are
more concerned than the gentlemen
who administer this "sacrcd trust -
II was the COmmOdOre's plan to build
Ip the safest and best lines Of trans
)OrtatiOn. Patronage was the inevita-
Die result, No man, in bis day, WAS
more abused by IA certain class Of crit
cs, and no man cared for them less.
The Trustees propose To conduct the
University on that line. \ broad,
borough, sound and cheap education
; what the people want. Mr.. Van
leTbilt was seldom mistaken i'm his
,hOice of agents; but wheD ne found
le had the wrong man, he got rid OF
lim-and therein Was one secret Of
lis success.