The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-06-11
Published by Request
An Explanation,
Erom the !%uthern Iresbytc,i..u

touching the proceedings of the Board Of
Dir ectors Of the Columbia Seminary at
their late meeting, it has appeared that
on several questions of great Importance,
two members cast their votes in opposi-
tion 10 the meanures passed by the ma.
jority. The undersigned are the two
members to whom allusion has been
made. And we deem it due 10 those for
| the management Of whose Institution ne
are in part responsible, and to ourselves
also, that we submit brief statement of
the reasons which induced US, under a
sense Of duty, TO assume the position that
| We did in respect to some Of the matters
referred TO.
l. AS to the election Of Mr.. Vos. We
knew nothing whatever against this
young brother; on the contrary, were
led to form high opinion Of his native
ability, his scholarly attainnents, and
his Christian character. by the very
strong concentrations OF his instructor,
it seemed to us very unwise and unsafe
to place in q professorship in our Semi
nary, the very fountain of theological
instruction and training for our rising
ministry, and that in the most important
and difficult chair of biblical Litera.
ture and Exegesis of Scripture" man
| 30 young and inexperienced rs Mr.. Vos,
who had but the week before been grad.
uated at Princeton Seminary Of whose
capacity to teach, we had no testimony
whatever; who is o foreigner, writes his
sermons in foreign tongue and holds
membership in q foreign Church and of
whose requisite qualifications for the
chair we had almost no knowledge, DR..
Green's letters containing all the infor-
| nation that we had concerning him.
Besides, we regard him as ineligible to
the Office undor the Constitution of the
Seminary, which requires that the Pro.
fessors shall be ordained ministers OF the
gospel (see Section 8, Art. p; which
difficulty the calling of Mr.. Vos "Pro.
visional Instructor" does not relieve,
! since he will be expected to discharge ali
the duties of the chair, and the Board
has 40 authority in the Constitution to
elect any Professor except as contained
in that article, the appointment of "a
tutor of the Hebr language" belonging
to the Faculty Use, ), Art. ~. In view
of these facts we felt that we could not
vote for Mr.. Vos, while there are good
| and able and experienced men in our
Church whom we know, and who we are
persuaded are more competent to fill that
chair.
2. As to the filling of the Perkins
Chair. The Constitution (Section 8,
Articles and ny expressly provides in
the case of the Boards removal of
be reported to the Synods and be subject
| to their approya"; and ''if approved by
majority of the Synods, or # the Syn.
ods fail to act, 1t shall be regarded as
complete" And as the n. noval of Pro.
fessor Woodrow has not yet been report.
ed to or acted upon by the controlling
Synods, that chair in our judgment is
not yet vacant, and the Board has no
right under the Constitution to elect
| another person to it at the present stage
Of the case. When, therefore, the ma
jority had overruled our objection and
proceeded to 60 into an election for that
chair, we could not conscientiously take
any part in the proceeding and asked to
be excused from voting. With regard to
DR.. Hersman, the nominee for the posi-.
ton, Of whom we had never heard before
and knew nothing whatever, we said
nothing for or against.
Upon several Of the points mentioned
above, other members of the Board
expressed themselves as agreeing with
us, but on the general questions voted
with tho majority.
8. AS to the continuance of the finan-
cial agency of DR.. Mack for the year
1886. We opposed this simply upon
business principles, carefully avoiding
any and every thing personal with regard
to the incumbent. The Treasurer's
report for the last year shows shat the
expense of the agency was 90 per cent.
Of the amount actually collected, and we
believe it TO be wrong to the Church
and bad business policy to continue an
agency that costs 80 large proportion
Of i's receipts. And after the motion to
CO .inue the agency for another year
was carried over US, we presented the
following paper, which we respectfully
asked to have recorded, as stating the rea.
sons OF our opposing vote; but after con-
siderable discussion our request was
refused:
"The underaigned respectfully request
that their vote against the reappointment
of Financial Agent for another year be
recorded, together with the following, as
reason that should forbid their 80 doing.
During tho last year the Financial Agent
has COLLECTED in cash only $2,9S9.42; and
| In subscriptions only $4,000, and this at
q cost of 81 ,43B.33. This expense of col.
lection being out Of all proportion to the
receipts Of the agency, on purelJo busi-
ness principles they believe that 1t is
unwiss and iuexpedient to reappoint q
Financial Agent at this time to serve
from January lst, 1885, to January 1st,
1887"
4. In reference to the balance of 1888,
due on the ealary of Professor Boggs for
the present scholastic year, we called the
attention Of the Board to the matter and
urged payment as measure Of Justice
and financial obligation. DR.. Bogg's
salary had been fixed at $4,000 per
annum, for the eight months service
included In the Seminary session he
had rendered these, services fully; the
o:her professors received their full sala.
ries for the Same service; aud IL waa an
arrangement of che Board in setting Sep.
tember as the time for the beginning of his
pay therefore we argued The. J. vas
morally. and legally duo 70 him. But
the motion to instruct tho Treasurer to
pay Mr.. Boggs the balance was laid upon
the table.
It Is proper to add that Directors 4. B.
Fraser of South Carolina and III. l..
McIlee of Alabama, were not present at
this meeting, and that Mr. James Hemp.
hill, President, was In the chair, and
took no part IN the discussions.
And now, In this statement, We make
no complaints and bring no charges
against our brethren who voted In the
majority : whose actions speak for them.
selves. We cheerfuily allow .hem the
i ~g,S IL, hAf- AAf~ 81 4