The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-10-16
THE AMERICAN BOARD.
Rev. DIR. Fem Tells His Congregation
About the Final Settlement of the
Andover Controversy.

ABOUT the E1nal Settleinoh1 u oo
Andover Controversy.
AT the High street Congregatlohal
church last evening the pastor, Rev. Or.
Fem, gave a very candid and interesting
account of the most important proceed
ings of the recent meeting of the Amerl-
can Board of at Worcester. He began by
saying that little more than eleven
years ago in consequence of quarrel IN
the faculty at Andover, two distinguished
professors were brought into collision.
In consequence one of them lost his
position as professor of Theology. His
victorious rival (Prof. Smyth) was I'M
wise enough to seek the rejected pro-
fessor's place for his brother. Conse-
quently that brother became an object of
criticism and attack. He was a dis
tinguished man and had written book
in which were some advancedsviews,s such
as were held by the eminent:G erman phil
osopher Bonn (?) There was one passage
relating to the future probation of the
heather. This passage was eagerly seized
upon by the partisans of the rejected
professor. One of these partisans, a dis
tinguished theologian, also an athlete
and politician, put the book in his carpet
bag, and went over Massachusetts, show
ing the particular passage far and wide.
As was to be expected storm was
created; and that storm burst in this
city at the meeting of the American
Board of Commissioners, held down in
City hail.
DR.. Fem then went on to say that the
beginning of the controversy was in the
nature of a blow aimed at Andover. In
deed, it was publicly boosted before the
Portland meeting that storm was to
arise which would be the end of Andover.
This boast was made by.a brother-in-law
of the secretary of the American Board.
Dr.Fenn then said that it should be re-
membered that all the.political work was
not on one side. The manipulation of
committees was not all on one side. Art
was met by art, sometimes not in the
spirit we should like.
The truth is that thewhole controversy
arises.from assquabble between two pro-
fessors at Andover. But it conferred
around the appointment of Mr.. Noyes to
the Japan mission. As student at
Andover, Mr.. Noyes come out with the
hypothesis that God would not deal with
heathens who had not heard of Christ. It
was only hypothesis with him. When
he came to be ordained as an assistant at
Berkeley Temple, Boston, he did not lay
any stress upon this hypothesis
In due time Mr.. Noyes came forward as
ascandidate for missionary to Japan. He
was lovely young man, and among his
supporters was DR.. Dexter of the Congre-
gationalists But when it came to arrange
with the American Board, Dr.Alden and
others of the conservative party stepped
forward and prevented it on account of
Mr.. Noyes's Andover views.
At Worcester this question of Mr..
Noyes's appointment was the main
question. = There was an effort to pre-
vent its discussion on the floor
It was arranged that a committee of
fifteen should be appointed to take it in
to consideration. There had been some
objections among the liberal element,
who feared that the committee would be
largely conservative. DR.. Storrs took
time for the appointment of his commit
tee, which had seven conservatives, five
liberals and two doubtful.
It was not intended that the matter
should be discussed on the floor at all;
but one Of the lay members, Southern
Vermont lawyer, brought the whole
question up by arising to represent the
churches of the Vermont Conference.
Those churches insisted that they wanted
no more of the Andover quarrel and that
Mr.. Noyes was satisfactory. Ex-Govern-
or Robinson, for the Connecticut
churches spoke forcibly to the same SUBJ
ject
These representations on the floor seem
to have had an effect on the committee
of fifteen, for to the surprise of every one
it brought in an unanimous report, to
the effect that the missionaries in the
field having called for Mr.. Noyes's, reten-
tion, it was the opinion of the committee
that all objections should be waived and
that he should be regularly accepted by
the Board. The resolution concluded by
declaring that this action was to be in
no way construed as modifying the pre-
vious utterances OF the board on the sub
ject of future probation.
After this resolution had been read
Professor Fisher of Yale, leader of the
liberal element, and ex-President Bart
lett of Dartmouth, staunch conserva-
tive, addressed the convention, in expla-
nation of the compromise.
1t seems that when the committee met
DR.. Bartlett crossed the room to Professor,
Fisher, and taking him by the hand,
said: "This must cease; the churches
must come together. l believe that the.
desire of the churches is that it should
cease" Then those present sang the
Doxology.
The report was accepted by a vote of
106 to "a. A large. body of conservatives
were among those in it's favor.