Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-05-22
REV. DR.. GRANT
IS CHARGED WITH
BEING UNITARIAN
Presbyterian Assembly Is Told
That Presbytery Excluded
Sermons at Trial.
PAPER BY DIVINE ON
CRUCIFIXION INVOLVED
Bias by Member of PresbyteriaI
Court One of Appeal
Grounds.
BY REV. A. N. STUBBLEBINE.
Especial to the Newark Start

Especial to the Newark Star.1
ATLANTIC CITY, May 21-No de.
cislon has been reached in The case Of
the Rev. William D. Grant, of the
Northumberland presbytery, upon
whose action an appeal was taken {,
his assembly.
The permanent judicial commission
met this morning at he Hotel Chal-
fonte /. sift the volrinous data that
have been submitted to i.
SO far the case of DR.. Grant has not
caused as much as a ripple on the floor
of the assembly, and the commissioners
seem to be very little concerned n
What the assembly will dc The Rev.
Robert Hunter, secretary for he ju-
dicial commission, said: 1T will b.
impossible for us to reach any dect'
sion today and several more sittings
win be necessary"
To Try the Case on Its Merits.
The commission decided to try the
appeal on it's merits. The commits
sion has been influenced in this de-
clsion by reason of the refusal of the
Northumberland presbytery refusing to
admit as evidence the paper of DR..
Grant entitled Capital Crime" dealing
with the crucifixion.
The second Specification of error
was the action of the presbyterial court
in sustaining DR.. Grants objection to
producing two sermons alleged to con-
tain heretical utterances. Tie minis
ter said that he merely a fragmen-
tary notes of these discourses. A third
alleged error of the presbytery work
5 the failure to hold the minister re-
s1onsible for his 1ermon, Easter
Echoes" Finally the finding of the
lower court was +.tacked on e ground
that til Rev. Nj. Hogue, who was a
member of it, was unduly prejudiced In
ia or of DIR. Grant.
Prominent attorneys are on the judi
cial commission, which is composed of
the following members; Minister'S
The Rev. DR.. J. F. II. Hendy, Jefferson
City, Mo-; the Rev. DR.. E. B. New
comb, Keokuk, Ia; the Rev. DR.. Robert
Hunter, Philadelphia, Pa; the Rev. DR..
Frank O.. Ballard, of Indianapolis; the
Rev. DR.. w. M. Human, C~hillicothe,
o.; the Rev. DR.. W. H. Landon, San
Ansclmo, Cal; the Rev. DR.. K. Spen-
Ger, Iona, Mich; the Rev. DR.. j. C.
Bruce.
Elders-Chief Justice L. E. Settle,
Bo Wing Green, KY; Judge j. M. Gaut,
Nashville, Tenn; c. S. Cavins, Mime
.2oli~; = f.. Chapman, Hanson, Tex;
Judge Frank Il iilton, Bloom iston,
Ill; Rush Taggart, New York.
Your correspondent attended the
: meeting Of tie judicial commission this
morning while the case of DR.. Grant
was being heard. The full membership
OF fifteen members was present.
400 Pages of Testimony.
The morning session was given over
to the reading of the evidence of near
ly 400 pages. 1t was ordered to begin
at page Is, the first part of the evil
dence given concerning the way by
which the case came before the pres
bytery.
1t was shown by the judicial COM
mittee of the Northumberland Presby-
terry that there was sufficient digres-
sion from Presbyterian standards for
the presbytery to take notice,
Exhibit A of the evidence is to the
effect that DR.. Grant, having been
charged with being Unitarian in doc
trines. replied: II preach Unitarian
doctrine as my breathren preach it.
idl oOClIl IL 10 lQtilliCdi win
Presbyterian doctrine In part. Take
the sermon on the mount as an exam
pie. | would be false to Christ If I
did not"
The counsel for DR.. Grant are John
G.. Reading, Viiliamsport, Pa; the
Rev. William Charles Hogg, the Rev.
Henry c. Sperbeck. Watsontown, Pa;
the Rev. DR.. T. G. Boulton, Philadel-
phia, Pa.
Counsel for the p~resbytery are ex-
Rev. J. U. Kirk and the Rev. S. c.
Dickinson, of Bloomsbury, Pa.
DIR. Grant says the person who stands
behind this appeal and charges OF
heresy is. or was, an elder of his own
church, who has been the means of
getting rid of several former pastors.
He is out, I am still pastor, and he
cannot understand why" said DIR.
Grant.
The case of the Rev. Francis Brown
and the Rev.. William Adams Brown
came up this morning on the report of
the committee on bills and overtures.
An unexpected turn was given to this
prominent case by the recommendation
that this overture be referred back 10
the committee on bills and overtures,
instead OF to the judicial commission
This committee will take action and
make a recommendation. The Rev DR.,
George William Knox. of Union Sem
mary. is a member of that committee.
Jack Rather Than Stnrve Diyines.
Rev. DIR. w. f. Irwin. of Louisville,
KY. speaking of the hope of relief for