New-York tribune., 1902-05-14
DIR. RICHEY WON'T GET OUT
GENERAL THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY TRUS-
TEES ASK HIM TO RESIGN.
PROFESSOR OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY
REFUSES A PENSION OF HALF
HIS 5000 SALARY

Bishop worthington. of Nebraska; Bishop
Doane. of Albany; the Rev. DR.. Morgan Dix. of
Trinity Church; Dean Hoffman Bishop Sey-
mour. OF Springfield. ILL.,. and thirty other
Bishops and prominent dignitaries of the Epis-
copal Church. forming the board of trustees Of
the General Theological Seminary. met in the
seminary yesterday. and for four hours tried TO
devise means of getting the Rev. DIR. Thomas
Richey out of the chair of ecclesiastical his
tory. They failed. and had TO adjourn finally
after unanimously requesting the minister to re-
sign on a pension of half his salary, before Sep
tennber 1. He receives $4,000 year and says
he has no intention of resignng.
1t was the annual meeting of the board of
trustees. Bishop Worthington presided. The
trustees at once took up the question of getting
DR.. Richey out. They had made the attempt
before and have been at it for several months
There is a clause in the seminary constitution
providing for granting pensions to professors at
the age of seventy years. This law did not
make it obligatory on a professor to resign at
that age until a few years ago. when the trus-
tees made 1t read that way. DR.. Richey, who is
seventy years old, has been connected with the
institution for over a quarter of century, and
the terms under which he became the occupant
of the chair of ecclesiastical history seem to
give him the option of relinquishing it at his
will.
IL was with these obstacles before tnem Ihat
some time ago the board formulated charges
against DR. Richey. He was charged with re-
naming away from lectures. with not occupy
ing his place for weeks at a time and with
being too aged and infirm TO attend properly to
the momentous duties devolving professor
called upon to impart a knowledge or &c
cesiastcal history young seminarians These
charges were made known TO the minister after
he had been asked to resign, and had refused
He wrote letter to the board, which was read
at yesterdays meeting. In it he said; L Will
not get out"
DR.. Richey stated in the letter that he had
not been absent from lectures for any great
length of time or for any period which could
be construed as interfering with his conduct OF
the professorship He denied that he had alb
sented himself from lectures so often as TO
hinder the progress of the students. He denied
that his faculties in the slightest measure
impaired and declared he felt bound 10 carry
on the work of his professorship for the good of
the students.
DR.. Richey sent the letter because he was i'll
al his home otherwise il was said he would
have appeared in person TO defend himself.
The Rev. DR. Harris. Of Scarborough, y. Y.
secretary of the board. when asked by a re-
porter what would be done if Dr. RChey per
sisted in refusing TO resign, said that the board
did not cross any bridges until IL came 10 them
A member of the board of trustees last night
said that the action taken by the board was for
the purpose of extending the privilege OF re-
firing from active work on pension TO Dr.
Richey who could not properly claim such a
right because the provision had not been IN
effect when he was made professor. Dr Rlchey
letter will not be made a matter OF record
The Rev Dr Herbert NJ Denslow rector of
ST. Johns Church, Lafayette. IND, was elected
professor Of pastoral theology in the seminary
He was nominated by Bishop Han or YER
mont DR. Denslow was born in Lynn, Mass,
and was graduated from Yale in 1875