The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-08-08
ruE srArE% nNIyERsIrY.
Card From Professor a. L. Parinton, o
P.rIersburg-H Chairman Berkie!

| Park rsbuFk-h Wtnhirhnn oeEhAeJ
.Conressed" Him. ,
10 The BditOr Of he hateligeneer'
SIR: About three weeks ago there ap'
peared in the Wheeling Register a card
from Professor R. 9. Berkeley, Chairman
OF the Faculty OF the West Virginia Uni
yersity which would seem to demand some
attention at my hands. l have given it
none hitherto because, first, l have been
out rusticating in the mountains, and did
not care TO be annoyed with such matter,
and secondly, until yesterday had not
concluded my visit TO my brother, whom
the Chairman has 80 chivalrously attempt
| ed to destroy on my account, n lest any
further remarks from me might cause him
and all that he has to be brought without
Inc sacred precinct and burnt with fire for
hayipgtolerated the accused thing within
his tent. I have torborne. Now, however,
mat Tam no longer under his roof, l may,
perhaps, be allowed the common rights oil
other citizens OF West Virginia, and pro-
coed to speak for myself. .,.
The chairman's card relatest to an articlein
the State Journal, cri,icising him, which he
STYLES "abusive,"' and whose authorship he
attributes 10 me, saying that he has con.
fronted me, charged me with 1t and / have
confessed 1t" On! terrible, isn't il? Let us
see. The article in question reached Nor.
pantown on Friday afternoon. The next
morning Professor Berkeley met me at q
store, asked a few words with me, produced
the article, and said he would like=to ask Il
/ wrote 1t. promptly told him that l DID.
| was not aware, however, thai ! was lying
under any fearful charge or Thai l had been
brought to any damaging confession. lie
proceeded then to call attention to a certain
statement contained in the article and
asked my authority for it. l told him
would give It to him in two or three days,
which he said would be satisfactory. But
the next morning, Sunday before l had
started to SUNDAY School, | received Q
message from him upon the subject, and
during the same Sunday he honored me
with another message and two personal
interviews, in one Of which he indicated
that be was hunting some n to KNOCK
down." q most refined and cultured sent-
ment. from the Chairman OF q University
Faculty. Finding however that hc could
not intimidate me, he turned his remarks
noon the article, and there even he seemed
to be able 10 find only two things against
which he could object, and both Of those,
as l think, matters OF very minor import
ance. First be demanded that l retract
my statement that Mrs. Berkeley had re-
marked that her son was going to the Uni
yersity Of Virginia to be educated with
gentlemen's sons. But as l had made that
Statement upon the authority Of a lady in
Morgantown whose word is simply unques
tiouable, and as / had, with her consent,
furnished him her name, / saw no reason
whatever for retracting, and OF csurse l re:
fused TODD It. He then wanted to know II
I would state that Mrs. Berkeley denied
making reinstatement. / think he had not
the slightest rightto any such notice at my
hands, but that1 might be not only lust
but generous to him, and seeing nothing
whatever involved in the matter, l gave q
place in q subsequent article to the said
denial.
His other objection was that injustice
might be done him, By inference, from my
intimation in regard to the textbook mat
ter. There again | think 1t was his bust
ness to make his own explanation, II he
| wanted any. But SUI, 70 HVolu auy PoSl
bic direct or indireci injustice, gladly
made 1t for him. >,
I mention these things to show with
what Injustice the Chairman has actually
been treated, and to what extent l have
"abused" him.
One other point ] wish to notice. In one
of those remarkable Sunday interviews
the Chairman suggested that by writing
the article in question l would
ipjure my brother, w%hereupon l told him
plainly that 80 far from having had any
hand in the matter my brother had done
ali he could to dissuade me from writing
when he imagined that l had any such in.
tention. In the face Of that information
the Chairman declared in his card that sit
Is fair to suppose that in the said article !
was .iaided and abetted" by my brother. l
had published my opinion Of Prof. Berke.
lev, that he was . man Of naturally
honorable impulses. In the light Of these
DEVELOPMENTS I fear that / must aeknowl-
edge TO myself that l have somewhat mis-
apprehended him.
With SO much comment | leave the
astute and brilliant card to its own well.
earned distinction. A. L. PuRIroN.
PARKERsBuRo, August 0.