The sun., 1891-06-11
Is 1t Fair Play?

Last Sunday President PATTON Of Prince
ton College preached the baccalaureate ser
mon, as 1t is called. It is sermon to the
graduating class OF the college. and Its
delivery Is peculiarly American custom
The purpose OF the preacher Is to say some.
thing which will remain In the memories oil
the young men guiding thought and conduct
President PATTON. accordingly. closed his
sermon by exhorting the boys to go into
the battles of life with the fatth courage.
persistenoy. and eelf-conhdence which they
carried into the baseball field on the day be.
q FORE. 1t was very good advice. for that
= = was fair fight bravely contested and hand
somery and honestly won. But what force
could sach words have for these young men
r whom they came from q man who had only
just returned from a contest In which he
had won for his college a victory by means
: and methods that would not honor but dis.
= grace a base hall nine?
The most important and most delicate
business before the General Assembly at
Detroit was the case OF DR.. BRIGGS, a pro.
i fessor in theological seminary with which
Princeton has always been a competitor.
It represents different school OF thought,
and hence the two institutions have
carried on a contest to determine which
shall be dominant in the Presbyterian
Church. The fight against DR.. BRIGGS
was substantially a fight between Union
and Princeton, the one representing pro-
Rresslvc theology and the other conserva-
tive. Whatever Union lost, Princeton would
-. gain. II students were driven away from
sUnioR. tho sominary to which they would
go would be ut Princeton. II Union was
discre!itcd with the Presbyterians Prince
ton would be vindlcated, and its power
would b, strengthened and enlarged.
Princeton, accordingly. was profoundly
Interested In the contest which the General
/, Assembly was expected to decide. Practical
ly. 1t was ono Of the two competitors In the
intercollegiate theological game. How did
Princeton manage the contest2 1t made
one o: It's professors the Moderator Of the
General Assembly, and this Moderator made
President PATTON OF Princeton the Chair
man OF tho committee TO deal with the
case OF DIR. BRIGGS. putting on 1t also
no member representing the views Of
the competing Union Seminary, to ex-
plain and protect its interests. Princeton,
therefore. had everything Its own way. It
was both contestant and umpire; for
WHHSS"E wan TeTOTbou Uy IH0 COIuLIIIoo OI
which the President Of Princston was the
head Was sure to be adopted by an As
ssmb y that had elected Princeton pro-
fessor as It's Moderator. Princeton was
sure To win.
And how did 1t win Z? President PATTON
reported against Prof. BRIGGS without hav-
ing given him chance ~ be heard in his
own defence, without even examining his
views or expressing an opinion on them. He
wanted to turn him out OF his professorship
and put him under stigma as hereto, aud
yet at tho same time escape from tho neoes-
sity Of oontrovertinR his opinions. His ex-
cuse was that the General Assembly could
not properly try cs,e which was to come
before the Nov York Presbytery. and on
future appeal to the General Assembly itself.
But he could not turn him out without such
prejudGiEent. and without assailing the
Union Seminary, which had sustained DR..
BRIGas In his teachings.
:, Incidentally DR.. PATTON argued that the
Detroit General Assembly alone was able to
veto the appointment OF DR.. BRIaos. as the
meeting to which the matter was first re-
fsrrsd. But. whatsoever tho consequences,
Christian mon must treat with absolute
fairness Q brother minister and theologtau