The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-03-31
An Extraordinary Court.

There was great laughter at one point OF
the TALMAGE trial on its opening day, Mon
day OF last week. We do not like to tell
what it was that the Presbyterian clergy
men laughed at. Had they laughed their
loudest at TALMAGE. it would have been
comprehensive. Had they laughed
grimly at each other. there might
have been reason for it. Had they
laughed obstreperously at some of
the testimony. It would have been proper.
Had they laughed at the queer language
that some OF the clergymen applied to each
other, 1t would have shown their forgiving
spirit But, at the moment referred to,
their great laughter was at the title given
to the court which they were then holding;
and the sound Of their laughter was calcu-
lated to raise thought among outsiders,
even IL il was not followed by thinking
among themselves.
The Rev. DR.. VAN DYKE had fallen into a
dispute with the Moderator, or presiding
officer, the Rev. DR.. LUDLOW, about the au-
thority Of the Chair, and the Rev. DR.. LUD-
Low was charged by the Rev. DR.. VAN DYKE
with usurpation of power. II object" ex-
claimed the Rev. DR.. VAN DYKE
II object to the nnalogies whi,h have been drawn
between this Presbytcry which Is the court u
Christ, ANA the civil courts. You not Presiding
Judge, sir. We OF US judges The word is not
used In book.
" The Moderator-T beg your pardon. The book says,
judges OF the Court Of Jesu, Christ" Great laughter
This, then, was the point at which the
great laughter Of the Presbyterian clergy
men came in. What was there to laugh at
In the remark OF the Moderator 1t seems
to us remayk Of gravity, not OF humor-a
remark TO raise feelings OF awe and solcm-
nifty. not OF fun. If the body before which
TALMAGE now stands for trial is
the Court Of Jesus Christ" and IL the
members OF the body are Judges Of the
Court of Jesus Christ" what a court IL
must be, and what manner OF men must
they be. With what n spirit must this
court be characterized, and how pure and
elevated must be its conduct. Its members
must be imbued with justice, truth, and
holy desire They must be serene
in temper, fair in language and kindly
disposed toward one another. They must
look with indescribable emotion upon the
erring brother of the pulpit whose common
fame has brought him to their bar They
must, in all their proceedings. offer such an
example to the world as will lead even I'M
believers to cxclaim, Behold that court
behold these judges
Was it because the court and the judges
had suspicion that this description was
not entirely and properly applicable to
them in every respect, that they gave vent
TO great laughter at the moment referred
to- We do not suppose they would answer
the question in the affirmative.
Il would thunder with ten thousand thun-
ders." cried one reverend Judge Of the sacred
court when his choler was up. "Surrep-
ttlous, clandestinc, and undetermined
work. was the way in which one
| judicial brother described the conduct OF
another judicial brother. The judges
have, day after day accused one an
other OF browbeating, trickery, and
! devitry, OF indulging in innuendoes, skulk-
ing behind technicalities, making offensive
and ungontlemanly displays, distorting the
facts and avoiding the truth. They lave
shown themselves possessed of qualities
that even unholy men ought TO be ashamed
or They have resorted to devices, in the
course Of the trial, that unconverted lawyers
would blush 10 initiate. They have, in
short, made it possible for sconers TO un.
| htl0Ndhu why why SaNo way W SAth1
laughter among themselves, on the opening
day Of the trial, when the Moderator gave
the court and the judges that remarkable
title by which they are enthusiastically
known.
The TALMAGE court will resume its bust
ness to-day, and we shall find out in the
course Of the week, what effect these obser
vations have had upon its judges.