New-York tribune., 1878-11-21
THE COMMODORE AND THE BISHOP.

MORALITY IN THE CLERGY AND IN The LAii1-
SHARP CRosS-EXAMINATION OF 1HE WITNESS
BY JUDGE BLACK.
The cross-examinatiOn of Bishop McTyeire
was resumed by Mr. Lord yesterday morning III the
Vanderbilt will The purpose OF the couhse ap
pearec to be to show the inu Of Mira Crawford ana
Mrs Vanderbilt upon the Commodore In leading him TO
endow the University of Nashville 1enn and also that
the Commodore was led by the persuasions OF the
witness The Bishop sad that the subject vas Ire
Quently introduced the COmmOdurcs table, or IN Ills
parlOr before the Commodore offered the endowment;
the witness never recommended or urged the DONATION
When the offer was made in March, 1873, 1t was CRATE
full surprise when Commodore told the witness to
"trIs in Providence" for future funds he did not limit
the amount for which he was to trust The Commodore
was very much excted when he complained OF the Uni
ycrsity paying 10 per cent interest. Commodore van
derDilt gave all to tie University, F990o3l 40 VIII
ham II. Vanderbilt gave $1,000 for the library III
1870 and 81 900 for the same purpose TINS year
The witness said he received telegram to come to New
York Oh Monday OF last week. The telegram SAID thaI
nv he would be passed the Lake Shore and
Michigan Railroad. took" he continued an
Old pass signed by the Commodore, and put win II thls
te egam and got through them after reaching Ceve
land They didn't about the telegram but When
sbowed them the old pass that sufficient" Laugh
teri The Bishop said that the endowment was PAID III
second mortgage bonds Of the Lake Shore and Michigan
southern Railroad. He did rot know what they were
worth, but they always got fun interest
WIlnam H. Vanderbilt remarked audibly to his coun-
sci that the bonds worth LOG.
In March, 1873. the witness was taking dinner Win
the Commodore when Cornelius j. Vanderbilt came III
he WAS asked to take a seat the table" but the witness
remembered nothing that happened lot indicated any
U,-,cujng on the part Of the Commodore toward Cor
nclius j.
After recess Judge Black undertook the croSs-exan-
inaton Of the witness-thc first examination he has
made The intellectual encounter between him ana the
witness tnat followed unusually Interesting Both
arc very large men aud very deliberate in their utter
auces aud the counsel asked the questions that avow
edIy he would have put only very intelligent Wit
ness and win ch amos mejaph steal IN their char
actcr the spectaatcrs leaned forward in their chairs 10
catch the welcunsilcrcd The frequent olJcc
tiu that were made exaspcratod J1dac Black to such
an extent that nc SAID ne finally desstcd from further
examination TO get rid Of the annoyance
judge Back-Do you know whether the disposition
that s mace OF this case this Court will make any d
ference with the endowment Of the Unyrrsityl Al
understand that il VIII make no different .
O.-Are you not aware that your Judgment as 10 the
raionaty Of the Commcd"r"'s conduct which y@d have
that YOU were a beneficiary Of his bounvi Al AIN
not cuI scous of any such influence.
Q-DO yOu think yourself an exception to the ancient
and general rule that gf "pcrverteth the judgment OF
the righteOus"i Excluded.
al did 1t not enable IL to do much more good A-les
''6-was there not implied in the contract FOR the en-
do ment Of theological school with the Others, an Oh
legation 70 bhns ny al pGro0n' tI'rS t
that tat our intention but II was not part OF the
0Wrud YOU not have broken the spirit OF the
tract II YOU had educated them IN any Other way *
c.pug according TO the code Of the Ne" Testament
JaGee Back with emphas II question like this
10 witness lIkc tins j. excluded, II - pitly near an
end Of ali fair examinatl"ns-pTetiy near
DISCUSSION ~ METAPHYSICS.
Then. laughIngly, Juagc Black added: They think
there is something very dreadful about th-, ana they
are scared. NOw Bishop you say that the conduct Of
the Commodore rational DO you think II was ra-
t,onal because It was right Al think 1t was rational
and II was right would take 1t either way: 1t was
rational because 1t right and 1t was Ight because II
was rational.
O-That Ia reasoning in a circle. I want 10 know
or the nationality does not depend upon the recti
tndc of tho TRANSACTIONS Al would want time 10
su The text Of nv books meuta and moral phiioso-
ply before l could answer that question.
fO-Do YOU mean to say that yOu, Bishop or tho
C1rc ueed time consider whether the Righteousness
of the net proves the rcasOnabonc-s " dong 1t aud
W rn Won have undertaken TO That Commodore Van
tcibi exhibited rational Ulind didn't you base that
opinion tact mat he was rnR9g"d IN The perform
gnce of moral duty Al believe the act WAS RATIONAL
because IT according TO right and was pursued IN
oepose he had established University for the
coHrag Of gambling prort,luion or some other
vice injurious 10 society and sought oul nd insisted on
roNr esSstance would you have thought that rational
or Irraonall Al answer, such proposition made u
me by him would not be q r. tiondl one.
OECan you imagine Bishop II TIE Church South and
a Sew.York millionaire combining together for such an
iniquty without considering them both TO be madt
Judge COmstOck-We object. How long Is This to be
Jndre Black-Long enough TO get at little truth.
Image ComstOck-We, I've got something else TO do.
Judgc Black-Oh! well, 20 and do 1t.
Judge COmstOck-No sir. Pm going To stay ana watch
yOu d., a., .o. ,,.h ., I, r
slould imagine the Bishop 10 be mad"
O-Why would you think 10 would make any differ
ence between 4 Bishop and mi lOnarei "A BISHOP
10 brcOae a party such an enterprise, would break
/ l.l hi. AIll y
travagani way 10 indicate his madness.
O-Isut layrndn hound by rules Of ordinary morality
a. Nuurh as u Bishop A.-Ihc question OF obcying
laws OF morality not alone involved. A Bishop Is
under additional ooigalohs ana FoW- a isyinan Is
bound by The laws oil Cod equally win another man.
but he is under no such VOWS. Bishop would be
called TO account tor such acts iayinan would not
O-1hr question thCn depends nor upOn It's tui pitude,
but unon " whether u csn nc done with impuDty
To balaLce unusual events on each sde Judge Com
stock took the examination o. tc Witness upon some
new points that the Bishop had told him at lunch In
Wer 10 questions witness SAID that IN 1873 In
ersI conversations the Commodore spoke oi his
William H., and told how hr was first introduced to the
railroad business Staten Island where he had gone
on a farm Ho said that williams wife was noble
Christian woman and was raising upa line set OF chill
drpu; OF the Cornelius he raid that hc was very
smart-could write letter good enough for
Queen Victoria He spoke. continued the wit
ness OF Cornelius j. being source OF great
sorrow and modification; he said that sOme
OF his friends had produced cOldnrss between them
selves and him by lending Cornelius j. money, but they
noyauce was becoming lesscned He sdd that II Cor
neius had little more sense he might De nj FOR bust
II little less he could be put into lunac asy-
properly belonged The Commodore spoke sadly Of him,
and thought he not fully responsible for bis actions
He said that hs attention was fret attracted % the
cuiarites OF Cornelius j. by his (ihe COmmOdOre's)
mother, whom he spoke OF as woman OF great good
sense One day, many years before, looking at lad
thing wrong about the boy thereP
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