Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-07-14

have lrnu convenient TO "hush IL up, but
th. Standing Of the professor as man Of
scientific attainments and unusual ability, and
a. "a gentleman, was too high for the 'hush
up system to prevail. and, after the lapse OF
"a month, a reply to the professor s communi
cation appears IN the Nashville ChristiGH Id
r5cate Of July 18Th. The letter Of the pro-
tcssor was such as became man Of mis- char
a1ter and position 10 write; it was direct in
u, statements and frank in It's explanations.
Neither drectnsss nor frankness marks the
Vanderbilt university reply. 1t has the
smoothly expressed irritation Of the
polite big boy who has been
ought. but who Is determined not TO
confess, and is too wei cornered to be able
70 explain away The let YOUR yea be yea,
and your nay be nay Of christian converse
tio1. Is not IN 1t. Pref. Winchell, put in
q position where he must defend himself,
cites expressions OF commentator he had re-
c-ived from the managers Of the university.
The reply calls this citation Of witnesses to
professional character, an attempt to set 1.-THE
faculty by the ears" 10y the publication Of
private conversations. A subtle way OF turn
ing the tables upon him who mas suffered
wrong, such a. we ind some instances of in
Fox's Book Of Martyrs, when the early Prot
estants were under examination. We 90 the
writer Of the reply, as well as the professor,
the justice to state that the former acknowl-
edges that "the university derived benefit
general 3 from his Prof. Wiuchell'sI labors
and reputation But, says the AdU0cate
writer, his development OF evolution and
p5'ygeni,m became so prom unced in the last
year As 70 raise and press the question, Is
Prof. Winchell's connection with the uni
versity beneficial 20 it?'" AS the professor
was filling lectureshlp, and was deprived
Of ms position as lecturer,
it appears as if polygeuism and
evolution becoming so pronounced the last
year in those lectures, was the. reason why
the professor was deprived of his position.
1t Is only appearance, however, an ingenious
way Of leading the reader to an inference the
writer has not expressed. Of insinuating what
has not been said. Plain men, vino call
things by their names, term this way Of COW
erty conveying an untruth-iesuitism. In
his statement, Prof. Winchell says: Il have
always taken pains in my lectures at Nash
vile to avoid the utterance Of opinions which
supposed were disapproved by the officers
Of the university" This statement his re-
spondent does not venture to deny or to ques-
ton. Thereupon tie "heresy" of Prof.
Winchell consisted in his having opinions
that were not the opinions of the university
officials, and Of expressing them, though
never In connection with his duties as
university lecturer. The next charge OF the
respondent TO the professors card is that she
claims, Ike another Calico. to have been the
victim of ecclesiastical prescription" The
professor letter does not claim the Calico
honor, the ouly mention OF that martyr
to truth occurs in conversation
between the professor and Bishop
M'Tyeire, as related by Prot.
Winchell, IN which the bishop said to him
1--WE do not propose to treat you as the in-
QUESTION treated Calico To term this
word in the mouth of the bishop claim on
the part of the professor, was "a mastery
stroke, and worthy Of the Peter Dens logic
of writer whose sagacity in the use of words
is admirable The writer next objects to
Prof. Winchell's theories, as, of course, he
has as much right to do as the professor has
to object TO his. But the way to meet an err
roneous theory is not to get rid of him who
entertains 1t by a little quiet, indirect maneu-
yer, such as the university officials resorted
! to. They did not openly and straightfor-
wardly dismiss the professor; they abolished
! the lectureship, and so left him out of office
without being put out. The AdrOcate writer
turns from Prof. Winchell, for moment, to
complain Of "a certain class of editors" who
| have blamed the prosecuting spirit manifest
ed by the university officials. A lit
tie theological billingsgate is let loose
/ upon this class-atheistic, materials
tic, anti-ohurch, especially anti-Methodist
Never did church dignitaries abuse their po-
sition without stigmatiziBg those who de-
nouuced their Injustice, their enmiiy to truth,
and their dictatorial arrogance, as men war
ring against God, and opposers of religion.
L'etat c'est moi! Oppose me and you oppose
| God. Christ, Paul Martin Luther, ali had
this odiuBi theologieHo, poured out upon theii
/ heads; bat 1t has lost its power Ia our day,
and the Vanderbilt university people are only
| raising smile where they desire to plant a
terror. They have, say what thy please,
taken the part of Galileo's prosecutors. True,
as the New Orleans Presbyterian says, the
| professor was not treated to imprisonment
and other attentions such as the inquisit;cn
showed towards Calico. But the modern
and the ancient prosecutors were alike in this
the inquistors behaved toward Calico as
bad as it was in their power to do, and the
Vanderbilt university officials behaved toward
| Prof. Winchell as bad as they had it in then
| power to do. His opinions disagreed with
nothing in the first chapter Of Genesis
/ but they were not the same sc those
of the Adrocafe writer and the universlt,
officials, 30, as far as was in their power, they
! crushed him. Such treatment from such a
/ quarter is leading the public to view educa
tional institutions, when connected with re-
! hgion, as biased by prejudice against the fan
consideration by which truth is established
and therefore as behind the age and unfit fol
/ the instruction Of youth. IL this way the In
terests Of religion are injured and its sacred
truths robbed Of their due influence. W.
! say again, as we said month ago 6yoE thi
subject, Those who love religion as Chris
taught it, and as the early christians practiced
it, undimmed 10y piiasty hate, pure from per
secullon for conscience sake, can view suct
proceedings as the dismissal or Prof
WinchslI from the Vanderbilt university Al
/ Nashville only with sorrow, and with prayers
that God may send a purer belief and
meeker spirit among the heads of hi
church.n
EHE IBESH CATTOLICS AND THE
TWELFTH OF july.
The causes Of Ifish Catholic opposition to