Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-14
WILL STAND By BRIaa&
/ Union Seminary Feels Sore Over the Action
OF the New York Presbytery.

Union Seminary Feels Sore Over the Action
of New York Presbytery.
n. Y. Cor. Philadelphia Ledger.l
The Union Theological Seminary will Ger.
rainly stand by Prof. Briggs, whatever may
he the action of the General Assembly OF
the Church at Portland The action OF the
New York Presbytery in electing an anti.
Briggs delegation to the Assembly, while
terribly disappointing to the faculty and
friends of Union Seminary. will not move
them an inch from the position they have
taken in this matter,
write from personal knowledge whom
say that Professor Briggs colleagues in the
faculty OF Union Seminary are fully as "ad.
vanced" as he is in their opinions of the sub
jects in controversy in the church. They
may not adopt his peculiar and original
methods Of giving expression to his views,
but they are in entire sympathy with him.
The honor OF Union Seminary is in
volved in the controversy and it
will not recede from what it believes
to be its standard of duty, even
II it has to leave the Presbyterian
Church and become an institution inde-
pendent of denominatfonal lines. The
Union Seminary professors are men Of wide
culture. Of matured powers and Of no ordi-
nary intellectual gifts. Whatever may be
thought of their doctTinal views and Of
their advocacy Of the higher criticism, there
is no question OF their sincerity. Such men
are not apt to surrender. I happen to know
that some of them fear that the present con-
troversy in the church in regard to doc
trfnal points will result in a division Of the
denomination.
other outcome of the contest. That the
seminary should be defeated in the very
city in which it stands, in the place whore,
of all others, 1t should be strongest, is a bit
ter disappointment, especially as the cleo
tion of yesterday reverses the action of the
Presbytery in its vote last year on the
charges against Professor Briggs. Tho
seminary desired particularly that Profes-
sor Brown should be elected as q delegate,
in order that he might represent It before
the Assembly, but he received only 35 out of
143 votes cast This seems like cruel treat
ment OF the seminary. which certainly
the Assembly.
President Hastings, OF the seminary, said
to-day that he considered the defeat of Prof.
His defeat leaves the seminary, whose fate
is to be decided at the General Assembly in
May, without any one to speak for it on the
floor. The seminary, he said, would GER
such a state Of affairs. Even II the
again of Prof. Briggs appoint.
ments to the Chair of Systematic
Theology in the Union Seminary, the officers
of that Institution would not consider them
selves bound to respect such a decision. 1t
is to be feared, however. that the Assembly
will not content itself with q mere disap-
proval, but will, in another way, administer
another blow at DR.. Briggs and all his fol-
lowers. In such q case 1t might happen that
the seminary would return to the independ-
ence from ecclesiastical supervision which
the Union Seminary enjoyed prior to 1870.
As affairs now stand, said DR.. Hastings. the
Assembly will listen to the appeal of the
anti-Briggs men against the decision of tho
New York Presbytery, and the delegation
from that Presbytery will be found standing
with the appellants. This predicament, he
thought, was unparalleled in the annals Of
Presbyterian Church history. am told that
the friends of Union Seminary believe that
whatever it may lose from being driven out
by the Presbyterian Church will be more
than made up in the accession of strong,
able, courageous young men who, desirous
of becoming clergymen, will. they say, be at
tracted to it by its independent and ad-
vanced scholarship.