The New York herald., 1922-07-04
ACCUSES STRATON
OF CRIMINAL,LIBEL
Head of Baptist Social Service
Denounces His Calling
Educators Infidels.

Special Dispatch to THE NEW YORK HERALD.
PHILADELPHIA. July 3.--"Dr. John
Roach Straton is guilty Of criminal
libel,' said the Rev. DR.. Samuel Zane
Batten, head of the Baptist department
Of social service to-day, as he COM
mented upon the attack made by the
pastor Of Calvary Baptist Church, New
York. upon Prof. Henry G. Vedder and
two other members or the faculty Of
Grocer Theological Seminary.
1T Is nothing less than criminal libel
for, DIR. Straton to compare these Bap-
tist educators to Tom Paine. Voltaire
and Bob Ingersoll. and /, for one, would
like to see him brought to book.
"Dr. Straton has accused thees three
Grocer professors and a dozen other
Baptist educators of being infidels. and
tie definition of an infidel in the die
tionary does not apply to any one OF
them. John Roach Straton has gone
too far. There are certain amenities
which should be preserved among gen.
Va
theological subjects.
Personally, 1 would like to see these
educators go into court and sue Dr.
Straton for damages. I believe they
would win their case. 1t is a slander
to call such men infidels, and this sort
Of talk ought to be stopped"
Prof Henry c. Vedder, Prof. Fra X
G.. Lewis and Prof Spe Ger Byron
Meeser, all of Grocer Seminary. were
relegated to the 'inf1del' class by DIR.
Straton in sermon in Calvary Baptist
Church, New York, last Sunday night.
The professors were absent from the city
to-day. but DR. t;atten and other friends
spoke for them.
Really" DR.. Batten continued. DR..
Straton should not be taken seriously.
Even the fundamentalsts do not take
him seriously. They kept him In the
background at Indianapolis.
Among other educators whom he ac-
cused of being infidels is Prof. William
F. Babe Of Berkeley Divinity School.
DR.. Straton evidently does not know
that Prof Bade is not Baptist. There
are two divinity schools in Berkeley
The Rev DIR. Carter Helm Jones.
pastor of the First Baptist Church, said
there would be widespread regret
throughout the Baptist churches at DR..
Straton's attack upon the educators.
THE voice of the Northern Baptist
convention was set unmista kably against
such outlaw attacks upon our college
professors said DR.. Jones. II feel out
ragged that men of such piety and
scholarly standing should be character
ized as infidels. One Of the men he
called infidel is Prof. William Newton
Clark, formerly of Colgate Seminary,
who is now in heaven. He has been
there several years, and the other edu-
Gators attacked by DR.. Straton are on
their way
Leading funda mentalists Of this city
also were out of town to-day.
Special Dispatch to THE New YORK HERALD
PROVIDENCE, r. l., July 3-President
William H p. Faunce of Brown Uni
versity, one Of the several Baptist relig-
ious leaders assailed last Sunday night
as .infidels" by the Rev. John Roach
Straton of New York, in a telegram re-
ceived this afternoon by the Providence
Journal tersely replied to the charge
saying: "Dr. Roach Straton attacking
great Christian leaders. now dead. de-
serves no answer from living men," DR.
Faunce's telegram came from Lake
Mohonk, New York. where he is spend
ing part OF the summer vacation.
Two other Baptist leaders included ir
DIR. Stratons charge, DR.. Frank G. Lewis
librarian of Crozier Theological Semin-
ary, Chester Pa, and DIR. Spencer Byron
|. .MeeseT professor OF systematic theology
at Crozier, are men who hold degrees
from Brown University. DR.. Lewis !.
| Brown graduate OF the class OF '93
while DIR. Meeser holds the honorary
degree of doctor of divinity. bestowed