Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-12-31
THE TRIAL or THE PROFESSORS


upNef tohtfONcrsN.
Prof. Theodore Dwight. of the Columbia
Law school, opened for the respondents
He referred to the extraordinary nature
of the charges, which, he said. bore
evidence of studied duplcity. The cases
under which II professor can he re-
moved by the board of visitors. ACCORDING
to the articles of foundation, are four
Misdeneanor, heterodOXy, insincerty and
neglect of the duties of the office. ONLY
one of those, that of heterodoXv, can be
touched by the compainants, and vet the
opposing counsel, Judge lIoar, had said
that they do not claim heresy. "Now :"
continued Prof. Dwight, unless there he
some hairtspitting distinction between
heresy and heterodoXy which cannot
comprehend, they do not claim betero
doXy, Then where is their case. II falls
toy thelr own confession. "IIetprOdoXV -
Prof. Dwight SAID, "waS a Disbursements
with general opinions, but the only timing
which could possibly he charged here was
diversion from the special creed of the
founders. To bride profe- surs to teach
doctrines they do not believe in was
uOnStrouS. II professor who has
gwen his best years to an institution and
II now m ne Serc and yellow leaf of life l.
t. bc turned urtt To make way for DIN
thc nauuer oi their accession, teach doe
iriucs set before them, whether they be-
ucNe them or not The teacher Is piu:s-
gllated aud the scholar becomes one
sided and dwaried. "ln the name of tn,.
public Of this land, he continued 81 nro.
test against the fastening OF iron ,hac>lr.
ON education. The present creed. ugldlv
interpreted, is clog upon instruction. II
Wlthholds instructions in the truth
protest against TINS binding of men to AN
Iron-cIad Greet. II checks are useful nj
Andover why not at Harvard and else
where Inc holding and teaching of this
creed !. open to the charge of misleading
youth"
In summing up Prof Dwight said: az
nave cited these facts to show that the
AudoNer seminary WAS founded ON what
the founders believed to be liberal princi-
pies The chief aim of the seminary was
to teach the great end and business OF liv
my. Great stress was laid on discreet
selection OF the principal INSTRUCTOR The
dta OF tolerance, according to the ideas
hcld at That time, pcrvades all the early
documents Of the seminary. The creed,
Therefore are to he approached from lib
cral point Of view.
II come now to the charges themselves
Ihe citations do not bear out the speclh-
cations. shall refer only to specification,
II and II The nth refers to the fact that
Prof Smythe has inculcatpd a belief In "A
definitely reject Christ in tins life" In
closing Prot Dwight deprecated the ac-
ton OF the men who had brought this ac
ton, as being prejudicial to the interests
of Christianity.
Prot. Smythe then made his statement.
He SAID: II am charged with heterodoNv
on almost all the doctrines of the Christian
religion. | am charged with DENYING
the doctrlue OF the Trinity by one who
signs himself as and is a trustee of
the seminary, who has heard time and
again my views on that doctrine and who
knows or is culpaOle IN not knowing. that
his charge Is false | am glad that DO
not have TO account for the conduct OF this
man, minister of Christian religion
We shall see that the COmplaInauts make
the Apostle Peter Il hereto, and long be-
fore him, the Apostle Paul. claim thar
the Andover creed does not blnd the sem
mary TO antiquated belief In closing
Prot. Smythe said Il believe that the
fundamental principles of orthodoxy are
to be found in the AndOver creed and that
we have right, nay, that we are taithless
to our duty, If we do not Interpret the
creed according to those doctrines"