Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-12-17
THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY.


The board of directors of the Columbia
Theological Seminary held protracted
session in Columbia last Thursday, all the
members being present: The meeting last,
ed till long after midnight. The principal
subject considered was the relation of Drs.
Woodrow and Girardeau to the institution,
and it will be seen that while DR.. Girar-
deau's connection with the Seminary as a
Professor has been finally severed, the re-
markable action of the board leaves that Of
DR.. Woodrow in a more embarrassing situa-
tiOn than ever.
On Thursday morning, soon after assem-
bling, the board reached the conclusion
that the action of the board of year ago
declaring the Perkins ProfessQrship va
cant, not having been approved by two
Synods constituting majority of the con-
trolling Synods, the chair was not vacated.
A committee consisting of Rev. T. H.
Law and Rev. w. j. Mckay, was instruct
ed to communicate this action of the board
to DR.. Woodrow, and at the same time to
call his attention to the action of the Syn
ods expressing their desire that the doc
trine of evolution should not hereafter be
taught from that chair, and asking Dr.
Woodrow if he would accede to the wishes
of the Synod as thus expressed.
The committee waited on DR.. Woodrow
in person with the foregoing communica-
tion, to which he replied that he fully rec
ognized the right of the Synods to pre-
scribe what subjects should be taught in the
Seminary, and expressed unhesitatingly his
readiness to comply with their require
ments in this respect.
The report of the committee to the board
of the result of their interview with DR..
Woodrow seems not to have been conclus-
i've of the controversy as was expected, for
at midnight another committee, consisting
of DR.. w. H. Dodge and Mr.. w. S. Mckay,
called on DR.. Woodrow with a paper from
the board in which he was asked, with a
view to put stop to further agitation in
the church, to resign.
TO this request DIR. Woodrow replied that
he was not prepared to answer at present,
and the committee returned to the board
with this reply.
On this a number OF resolutions were
offered in the board, intended to effect his
removal, all of which were voted down by
the original vote of I to 6.
Toa reporter of the Register DIR. Woodrow
confirmed the foregoing statement of facts
without being able to account for the final
action of the board in asking his resigna-
tion. He was frank in the statement of his
intention to accept the responsibility which
the action of the Synods and the board had
imposed upon him, and would shortly re-
sumo the duties of his professorship, which
had been so long interrupted by the delay
of the board in reaching the conclusion
communicated to him on Thursday morn
ing. He said he would regard the second
communication, asking his resignation, in
which he understood two Of his supporters
in the board joined solely on the ground OF
allaying agitation in the church, as address
ed to his Individual judgment and conscious
ness of right, that he would give to it the
same weight which he would give to SINH
equal Judgment, but that he could not
recognize it as of any official authority
whatsoever.
This new episode OF the unfortunate histo-