New-York tribune., 1880-01-07
DIR. VAy DYKE REPLIES no DR. SPEAR

AN IMPERFECT REPORT OF THE TESTIMONY AT rtp
TALMAGE TRIAL-REAsoNs WHY THE cUupcu
SHOULD NOT LET THE TALMAGE MATTER pRop
In reply to the long letter of the Rev. DIR
Spear the substance Of which printed IN The rsu
yesterday. the Rev. Dr. Van Dyke has written an
other letter. He refuses to let the issues OF the aag
trial He declares that the questions Mt issue ara
not matters OF courtesy and TASTE and the Church must
vndicate her sandered ministers or the world Will
render more righteous judgment. Tae letter IL az
follows:
To the Rev. 8. T. SPEAR. u. d. 40"
SIR 10 your long letter OF yesterday have brief
to make. Your excuse for Omliting the words
square out from the sentence In Mr. PeaTsas tesil
mOny upon which you base the charge against me Of
dishonest quotation is that yon quoted from the col
umns OF The Brooklyn Eagle. and not from the sworn
stenogIapc REPORT wncn was INC oelai @ record Of the
the oc al record OF the testimony not printed ln
mean by this to intimate that you access 70 nsI
record before 1t was prntrdt Let me remind
own vote, many months before the meeting
OF the Synod, that Official record was de-
posted In convenient place, with the
vowed purpose OF giving all parties full opportunity 10
consult it, When you turned away from the only record
it quite possible that you aware of the glsr
ing inaccuracy Of Its reports IN the interest OF the
speech before the Synod only selected portions of which
delivered before that BODY, owing TO the Limitation
which you depended were not altogether correct Of
which fact the slip containing ist OF erraia" attached
TO the printed slip is clear proof Why did YOU ex
tend your comparisons and enendatos to the passage
in which, by the quotation OF single sentence you
dertake prove eO-Presbyter guilty OF handling the
testimony deceitfulIy And now, when your error ia
pointed out you, why do yOp not frankly acknowledge
III
As to your astounding assertion that the cues.
tion, why not rent the pews means the same thing
as the question: " why not rent the pews square
out q, have no response 10 make Ia surely
does not require the acuteuess of lawyer.
OF n minister to see the essential difference.
Nor Is this difference Obliterated-t only intensified
by the whole context Take, for exampea Few sentences
DR.. Tamage know that you were managing the peHs 10
this way ~ "He did," - How do yOu know he didP
~ told him So" More than oncel" "Often." And
yet the sole ground on which you sl accuse NE 0f s
representing Mr. PearsaPs testimony Is the assertion
that did not believe and did not say m the witness
stand that Dr. Talmage vas aware That the pews were
virtually cOYerty rented, though not rented square
out. Yuu think dlscOurieous IN calling your aten
ton this matter in open letter. and intimate that
ought first have consulted you IN private IL not
your printed speech open leterl Did yOu consult
about nat part which relates to Inc before you pub
lshed ~
with the whole subject. and you go beyond the
question in hand 10 indicate what the Pfesbytery
OF Brooklyn ought 10 DO with the case IA the
new posture which IL is likely 10 be presented Let
remind that the questions at issue are not a,-
ters OF mere courtesy aud taste, nor can they
settled 10 the way you propose. When you know that
Dr. Tamage has used The pulpit and the communion IA.
bic to propagate accusations OF moral rotenness against
whose good name quite as dear 10 the Church as
yeur own and when you know by PROOF presentd IN
court some. dc least, OF these accusations are en-
trely false, you hardly suppose thai your sneers
a, ainst judicial investigation will your ell
n from the opportunity 10 prove what ne mas asserted
According to the law vi the Presbyterian Cnufcn sucn
judicial investigation IA the nde easibe right OF "a
sandered individual" And the Church traDp'e upon
her OWE law and refuse vindicate her own honor IN
the person OF her ministers the world to whom tne ap
peal must then be made. viii render more righteous
Judgment Yours for truth and righteousness,
HENRY j. VAN DYKE.