Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-17
DIR. BRIGGS TO REMAIN AT UNION.
The Action Of the Seminary Directors De-
Gliding to Retain Him.

The Action Of the Seminary Directors De-
Gliding to Retain Him.
At meeting Of the board of directors Of
Union Theological Seminary held last Tuesday
it was decided by unanimous vote that the
Rev. DIR. Charles A. Briggs should continue his
work in the department of Biblical history
hitherto. 1t was also stated by DR.. Ezra NJ
Kingsley, secretary Of the seminary, that the
directors decided to make special provision
that none of the students of Union Seminary
shall suffer from the restrictions which have
been put upon the Presbyterian board of educa-
ton by the general assembly. DIR. kingley was
asked if he would make any further statement
Of the plans and purposes of the directors. DIR.
Kingsley is reported by the New York Times as
saying:
"No; We feel that our best policy now is
silence Let others talk if they desire. The
action OF the directors was unanimous and spir-
tied and the meeting was unusually well
attended, considering the time OF year. But
beyond the mere statement Of the fact that DR..
Briggs is to keep his chair of instruction in the
seminary, notwithstanding the decision of the
general assembly in his case, we agreed to say
nothing whatever touching this matter At
this meeting the formal acceptance by the Rev.
DR.. Arthur c. McGiffert of the Washburn pro-
fessorship of church history was received, and
Brown of his appointment as instructor in sys-
tematic theology"
WHAT AN ANTI-BRIdGs MAN SAID.
The Rev. Dr. Charles S. Robinson. who has
always been notable figure in the New York
presbytery as an opponent of DIR. Briggs and
his followers said to a reporter of the Times
concerning the action of the presbytery on
Monday:
''Since this Briggs embodiment has come on,
for the last three years or SO, Union Seminary
has cast off its allegiance to the highest govern
ing body in the church and has tried hard to
drag the presbytery OF New York into it's re-
bellion. This spirit was shown in its latest and
most strenuous development at the last meet
ing Of the presbytery. held last Monday, by an
effort made by DR.. Francis Brown of Union to
induce the presbytery to refuse to accept the
decision handed down in the Briggs case by the
general assembly
The real venom and animus of Dr. Browns
action was not clearly brought out in any
printed report which l have seen of the pro-
ceedings at that meeting. In the first place,
the Briggs party had made an effort to PACK
the meeting. The Rev. Geo. S. Webster. who
il associate pastor with the Rev. DR.. McIlvaine
OF the Church of the Covenant, had previously
sent letter around among his own party say
ing that very important business was to come
before the presbytery at tfat meeting and urg-
ing everybody to attend. Now. a copy of this
letter fell into the wrong hands. Sam Alex
| ander-the stated clerk of presbytery, you
know, who isn't Briggs man by any means
| got one OF these valuable documents, and he
read it aloud to the presbytery on question Of
| privilege Mr.. Webster was there and he felt
very uncomfortable. He much embar
! raised and grew very red, but then it very
hot weather, and l suppose he suffered from
| the heat of the room
| Anyhow. they got out their cohorts and
| they had a majority sure enough. But the mi
l N nrft ont thap, ~
We held to be principle we dared not disre-
! gard. What it was proposed to do fiat re-
bellion against our highest court DIR. Brown
| lntroduced'a great, long memorial to the gem
erai assembly. and-here is the vital point--a
| little clause was tackled on worded this way:
| That in the meantime. in view of the consider
atoms which have been adduced. this presby-
| terry defer the entering upon its record of the
| judgments of the assembly,
Now, what was the 'meantimeT Why. q
whole year. This memorial could not reach
| the general assembly until It's next annual
session, and meantime the presbvtery of New
! York was to refuse to receive the judgments OF
the church's highest cour. ard enter them on
its record. DIR. Briggs would have remained in
| full possession of all his ministerial powers for
whole year 70 come. in open defiance Of the
| decision against him. which We had no right 70
refuse to receive. He could have taken his
seat at the next meeting of the presbytery
! That was the proceeding which DR.. Briggs
| friends undertook to foist upon the presbyterv
i'll meeting to which they had rallied all the
men they could get. They tried to do this
and they failed.
There has been no trial of ANYBODY for
| heresy-in spite of what the newspapers have
said. Or. Briggs was tried for immortality in
! that he broke his ordination vow not to preach
| doctrines contrary to the accepted standards Of
| the Presbyterian Church. The decision of the
! general assembly says distinctly that because
| he has violated his ministerial obligation Dr.
| Briggs MAJ not act as an accredited minister of
! the Presbyterian Church until he repent ofthat
/ violation. He may believe what lie chooses
ard preach and teach it anywhere oxcep: in a
Presbyterian pulpit