New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-03-22
RENEFTCIAL ENDOWMENTS.
an, r,rv . uErp OR A HINDRANCEi

4 SQUARE ANSWER AND SOME FoNoHNi SoHeiioNo
FOR THE PRESIDENT OF HAhVAhp-A eEMl-
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
rv. have received from the Secretary to the Pres
Avter;an Board Of Education the following reply
a. tha remarks of President Eliot of Harvard Col
10. and the comments thereon in The TRIBUNE.
II .eems to have been prepared for the purpose OF
ratification in some official organ of the Board a
week Or 50 hence but is courteously offered first to
The TRIBUNE.-Edl
Once more an assault made the policy OF aiding
students in their OF education especially such as
ssS 10 IN TOE rHr MI Of
based the public declaration Of PresaenI Gp p
Harvard Club His language is: We have before us an
ssDP injured great SS 1SSs
clerical professions profession In whlca .nee Is '
re- other
in the country" These are pretty STRONG Tb eaitor
follows them up with several more OF ike TENOR
PRESIDENT ELIOT NOT COMPETENT AUTHORITY.
Now, TO begin we challenge President Eliots compe-
Unitarian institution. and belongs TO a denomination
which almost the ef IN missionary operations either
al home or abroad. He therefore necessarily speaks
from his pont of observation alike the facts to
the needs of the ministry, and as to what constitutes
"great men" in it, His testimony therefore may De vao
for ntarians and TO limited degree for Others but we
certainly cannot admit him as competent witness for
the state of things among Presbyterians And over
against his ps dirt would put in the first place,
The opinions and statements the presidents and pro-
lessons of all Presbyterian colleges from end OF
conversant with nearly all of Them and discussed the
subject with large number and we 40 not not know O
have had an abundance OF direct testimony from
81 so far testimony goes theirs
good and for Us certainly better than MIS- On this
point il will be fair to adduee the strong evidence et
as in the will of late, widely lamented William f.
Dodge man as much noted for MS pracucal sagacly
ae S and in private way been aiding students in
their course OF education Some mistakes in his lndg
$4,000 q fund for the continuance of the work which
he had begun he has furnished conclusive highly yalu
lived long enough to the results on his own field
COMPARING THE PROFESSIONS.
Again. as TO statement of there being in the minis
try the greatest dearth OF great mem This may be true
rectly under President Elots purview, but SO
to say that in proportion to The numbers
tering the several professions OF diy.ty law ana meu
OF the other and far fewer failures In our seven
ouly 14l year. and with very few exceptions we hnd
them all at once actively engaged IN the oneros NOT OF
two sermons week aud ministeriug IN hundred ways
TO the moral and spiritual cultivation the communl-
regions and spreading the gospel in far-od lands
more aborious set o. men we know moi Aha II great
these men, have known Them are not 10 be dis
paraged They are not judged by purely literary
standards It's not the entcng words OF mans wis
DOM that they hidden to cultivate but rather such
qualities IA. though not apt to be considered great IN
the estimation OF men, yet often the mighty
and onfound the wise But setting aside this fact
hesitate affirm that in the matter OF eoquence ana
learning and power the ministry OF the present day
stands a very favorable comparison with the members
of other professions On public occasions where p0pu-
lar addresses made by men OF distinction the
speeches delivered by ministers have certainly not oeen
and sometimes we have been vain enough TO deem them
rule little superior The debates Of our General
Assemblies have been again ana again amrlned 10 ne
vigorous in argument aud rhetoric than those OF
sembled Aud when you take the small towns scattered
through the country. Is not generally trne that the
proporton to their numbe- statistics viii show that
among educated ministry there is larger proportion
of the eight classes we personally were with
on on tse Sc S became ministers This may be
proved by reference TO the trenntal catalogue And
professor in one of our largest colleges told the other
day that in proportion the number candidates for
the ministry on the whole as many are 10 De fonnd
profession The present scarcity ministers due
to the system of aid but to the low pey In the ehurche
THE BENEFIcIARIEs NOT INFERIOR.
word further about the effect which the scholarship
endowments have upon those who avail themselves OF
them 1t said that such aid destroys the msnness OF
those aided and Introduce INTO the sacred Office
a large number of inferior neunbents Now We cannot
say how is IN regard to the attached 70 IN
fault lies with the presidents and professors who
P PrSs snf Board Of Education strictly
guarded is possible in q world Ike TINS. None
s sre iS sehoarhp and give evidence Of true
Christian spirit The EXCEPTIONS are few The reports
examined, and are rendered three times year. We
by the Board We know who they are and What service
they are rendering Our testimony on this point IS
ACCORDINGLY we are ready to show that gOodly number
OF those aided are among the conspicuous ents III ou
these chargesOand THE TRlB0SE too give 1t credit
for such honor-woud be ready to beg PARTON Tor having
sixty and seventy of these are foreign missionaries
Over four hundred Of them are home
Ieanness or lack OF naniness ON the contrary IDey
oien sean9y paid services the fun value of what has
been put into them In this respect they are no whit
Point or Annapolis No strange as IL may SEEM
it ia fonnd by that less portion OF those marked
those who have paid their way been supported
by their parents Such are the facts
ASKING HARD QUESTIONS
Now we have a few questions ask our directors,
and would like 10 have them answered by PRESIDENT
Eliot, or by any other person. ...,o,,,. os.,...,
l. why should young man who Is partially assisted
his studies or f. only partial assistance t tnIt rs
ever rendered. prove M @ TO S borne os lin
p Why should young man. aided by the Church for
her vice. feel manly for this than young man
wholly by the country at its military AMI naval
schools -
since the sons Of the wel-todo classes do not en-
list sufficient numbers fol- the needs OF the ministry Is
IL better that the hurch and the country should suhtr
lack Of ministers than that those ho are IN
able bear their 9e out
Of the welltodo classes Does not the ChnIcn need
with ton and privaon, and have learned TO endure
hardness in the school OF poverty
strength eas w so his way through his
tion unaded will please To show how this can be
done as a general thing-how youhg man can earn |
$500 year find time and energy TO study too as ne
ought This is the problem we would IKE 10 nave |
solved One of President Eliots best students, now
under care Of the Board energetcay set about solving
a. but failed. And point him TO several who ala
GREETING that they foolish as to make the at
tempt. . ..., 4. A..
unworthy, admit but is not that liability attend
Ing upon all Senevocnce all assistance rendered TO
churches In supporting their ministers and building their
eifoes ali relief given TO the aged ministers or 70 the
widows and orphans OF those who have served the
Church. ali help to the struggling and the needy There
is sweep TO argument winch would cut broad ana
deep into thousand charities that are now blessing the
world. =. |
q In case aid be refused TO the needy young man VINO
gives nroof of gifts for the ministry Is there not danger
that many would be received into the ministry while