The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-05-31
THE EyANGEL OF EVOLUTION.
DIR. Woodrow Before the General Assem-
bly,.

DR.. Woodrow Before the General Assem-
bly,.
BALTIMORE, May 21.-The General
Assembly of the Southern Presbyterian
Church reassembled this morning and
was largely attended.
The case of the Rev. DR.. James
Woodrow, complaining of the action of
the Synod of Georgia condenniDg his
utterance on evolution, was taken up.
A protracted discussion took place as
to the length of time to be granted. 1t
was finally agreed to grant four hours to
each side. The Moderator then charged
the members of the Assembly to remain
in their places during the trial, as required
by the law Of the Church. Prayer was
then offered for Divine guidance.
The record of the case from the Synod
of Georgia was read, covering the entire
proceedings of condemnation, in all about
10000 words.
Mr.. Woodrow then presented his case
before the General Assembly, first stating
the nature of the offence charged against
him.
The testimony of DR.. Adams, his
prosecutor, he said, showed Adams to be
deeply interested in his conviction, so as
to remove him from his position in the
Theological Seminary, while Adams
remained there as director. Adams was
not prompted by his sincerity for the
good of the Church, but solely to eject
the speaker. He, Woodrow, was good
enough to preach to people, but not to
remain in the Seminary. he was willing
to permit any views to be held by the
speaker outside of the Seminary, but he
must not remain there as teacher. The
views of DR.. Adams were different when
thinking and speaking. He then took
up the Indictment, declaring it was
deficient. Under the old Law it might
hold good, but not under the new. The
offence charged had no place under the
present law. The charge was violating
the standards of the Church because of
views on evolution having a dangerous
tendency to the Church. He charged
Adams with having had an emissary to
90 from lobby to lobby in Church bodies
to encompass the ruin of the accused.
he denounced such conduct as unworthy
of any true believer in the Bible. MIR.
Woodrow then read the judgment of the
Synod of Georgia and gave the verdict of
the Presbytery of Augusta, which had
acquitted him, aud began his opening
statement. He said be had been charged
with holding doctrines which he abhorred.
At this stage of the proceedings, and
before Mr.. Woodrow had more than
inferred upon his address to the General
Assembly an adjournment was taken
until $50 to morrow morning, when he
will resume.
He will be allowed two hours for his
first address. The respondents will have
four hours, and Mr.. Woodrow will have
two hours for his closing argument.
BALTIMORE, May 22.-The General
Assembly of the Southern Presbyterian
Church resumed business at $50 o'clock
to-day. Tq!hte--gEeeettirg'-ef The the General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church
North was received and ordered on the
minutes.
The case of the Rev. DR.. Woodrow was
resumed, and he spoke until II 80, COM
pleting the presentation of his case.
DR.. Adams, of Augusta, occupied the
remainder of the forenoon session and all
of the afternoon session in the argument
of the case for the prosecution.
The church was we'll filled before the
gavel of the Moderator fell, so great is
the interest manifested in the case of DR..
Woodrow. For some time after DR..
Woodrow began to speak he was inter-
rupted by technical objections regarding
the record of the case. He then took up
the record and explained his views Of the
phenomena of science as not inconsistent
with the Bible, and said in substance:
DIR. wooDRow's ADDRESS.
He had no right to say that the Scrip
lures are contradicted by evolution. He
insisted that the control of God is para.
mount, and to which all muat submit,
but beyond that they should submit to no
control. He had been charged with
subordinating Scriptures to science.
That was not true. He had never spoken
or written word which could bear any
such construction. He never had taught
a word that would throw doubt upon the
headship of Adam without regard to the
manner in which, or the matter of which,
God formed his body. He quoted from
his writing regarding the evolution Of
higher from lower animal life. He had
never said word abou: sic, and noh.
keys, as had so often been asserted. He
believed that Adam was miraculous
creation. He held all his beliefs to the
teaching of Holy Scriptures and to
nothing else. So he holds his opinion
as to the formation of Adams body.
Upon any subject on which the Scriptures
are silent he accepts natural history as
his guide, but only on such subjects, and
the Church Court, and the General
Assembly had nothing to do with his
views outside the teachings of the Bible.
All it has TO do is to discover if his
teachings conflict with the Scriptures,
and if they DO not then the case must
end The law of gravitation informs us
that man in water will sink, and yet the
Bible said in one place that ''iron did
SWIM" That instance did not make the
law of gravitation inconsistent with the
Scripture. He then quoted the Scripture
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