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The Princeton Seminary Bulletin

Published Quarterly by the Trustees of the Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church.

Entered as second class matter , May 1, 1907 , at the post office at Princeton, N. J.,
under the Act of Congress of July 16, 189 It.

Vol. XXVIII PRINCETON, N. J., NOVEMBER, 1934 No. 2

The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church

President J. Ross Stevenson, D.D., LL.D.

The first institution in America for
the training of Presbyterian ministers
was the "Log College” at Neshaminy,
Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This
was founded by William Tennent in
1726, when there was a great spiritual
awakening and a crying need of min-
isters for destitute congregations.
Hitherto the church depended upon the
mother country or upon the New Eng-
land colleges for its leaders. The Log
College, as the first literary institution
of the Presbyterian Church above the
public schools, definitely contemplated
the education of ministers, and its
graduates were accepted for licensure
and ordination. Among these were
eminent men; e.g., Gilbert Tennent,
Samuel Blair, John Blair, called to
teach Theology in the College of New
Jersey, and Samuel Finley, the fifth
President of the same college.

Following the death of William
Tennent, in 1746, the Log College was
abandoned, and it fell to the lot of
Jonathan Dickinson, at Elizabethtown,
who in his own home instructed certain
candidates for the ministry in their
theological studies, to continue the suc-
cession. Desiring that more ample
provision should be made for the in-
tellectual and religious culture of

youth, and more especially for the thor-
ough training of such as were called
to the Christian ministry, Messrs.
Dickinson, Pierson, Pemberton and
Burr, with others in their Presbytery of
New York, turned their thoughts to
the erection of a college. A charter
was obtained and in 1747 the College
of New Jersey began its career in the
home of Jonathan Dickinson, its first
President.

Like his immediate successors, his
paramount interest was in religion, and
in his first, class of the College, number-
ing six men, five were candidates for
the ministry. Provision was made for
instruction not only in moral philoso-
phy, but in theology. This continued
until 1811, when by "terms of agree-
ment” entered into between the Trus-
tees of the College and the Trustees
of the General Assembly, the task of
teaching theology was turned over to
the Seminary.

In a very real sense the Seminary is
an outgrowth of the College. For
many years after its establishment, as
stated by Dr. Henry J. VanDyke, the
connection of the Seminary with the
College was formally recognized. The
professors of the one institution gave
occasional instruction in the other.

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THE PRINCETON SEMINARY BULLETIN

The students of both worshipped on
the Sabbath in the College Chapel, the
professors of both took regular turns
in preaching, and for a time many of
the townspeople sat under the same
ministry.

In the revival of 1814 which swept
through the College, its leaders were
Ashbel Green, President of the Col-
lege, and Drs. Alexander and Miller
of the Seminary; at that time Charles
Hodge, a student in the College, re-
ceived the spiritual vision with
which his long and honored career in
the Church began. However, the Col-
lege and the Seminary have never had
any organic connection, the one being
an independent institution under a self-
perpetuating Board of Trustees, and
the other being established and con-
trolled by the General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church.

In order to secure for candidates for
the ministry more extensive and effi-
cient theological instruction than they
had hitherto enjoyed, the General
Assembly of 1810 decided to organize
a Seminary. Three propositions had
been under consideration — to establish
a Seminary in each one of the seven
Synods, to establish two Seminaries one
in the North and the other in the
South, or to establish one great school
in some convenient place near the cen-
ter of the bounds of the Presbyterian
Church. The advantages of this last
proposal were that it would be fur-
nished with larger funds and, there-
fore, with a more extensive library and
a greater number of professors. The
system of education pursued in it would
therefore be more extensive and more
perfect; the youths educated in it would
also be more united in the same views

and contract an early and lasting
friendship for each other, circumstances
which could not fail of promoting har-
mony and prosperity in the Church.

This plan of having one central Sem-
inary was adopted by the Assembly,
and a committee was appointed to
digest and prepare a plan of a Theo-
logical Seminary embracing in detail
the fundamental principles of the in-
stitution together with regulations for
guiding the conduct of the instructors
and the students. This committee was
composed of seven members, five of
whom were Trustees of the College of
New Jersey; Dr. Ashbel Green, who in
1812 became President of the College,
serving as chairman. The plan as
adopted by the Assembly of 1811
designated the new institution conse-
crated solely to the education of men
for the gospel ministry as The Theolog-
ical Seminary of the Presbyterian
Church in the United States of Amer-
ica. The Trustees of the College of
New Jersey, desiring to bring the pro-
posed Seminary to Princeton, appointed
a committee to confer with a corres-
ponding committee of the General
Assembly, "to frame the plan of a con-
stitution for the Theological Seminary
containing the fundamental principle
of union with the Trustees of that Col-
lege and the Seminary already estab-
lished which shall never be changed
or altered without the mutual consent
of both parties, provided that it should
be deemed proper to locate the Assem-
bly’s Seminary at the same place with
that of the College.”

The terms of agreement between the
General Assembly and the Trustees of
the College of New Jersey, carefully
drawn by a joint committee, were

ALEXANDER HALL

THE PRINCETON SEMINARY BULLETIN

3

adopted in 1812, and in 1813 the
Assembly took action as follows: "Re-
solved, that the permanent location of
the theological seminary be in the bor-
ough of Princeton, New Jersey, in con-
formity with the agreement with the
Trustees of the College.” Dr. Archi-
bald Alexander, pastor of the Third
Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia,
was elected the first professor and,
taking up his residence in Princeton, the
classes were held at first in his house.
In the following year, Dr. Samuel
Miller, associate pastor of the First
Presbyterian Church of New York City,
was elected the second professor of
the growing institution, which with its
increased number of students found it
necessary to hold the lectures and reci-
tations in the College rooms.

From these beginnings, the Seminary
has had a continuous and ever-expand-
ing career of life and service. Thirty-
three professors all told have been in-
augurated as members of the Faculty.
Dr. Charles Hodge has the distinction
of having given instruction in the Sem-
inary for a period of fifty-six years.
Next in line of service is Dr. William
Henry Green, who was a member of
the Faculty for forty-nine years. Dur-
ing the past one hundred and twenty-
two years, seven thousand seven hun-
dred and twenty-nine students have
been enrolled; nine buildings have
been erected, and eleven residences for
professors acquired. The total value
of lands and buildings is $1,048,258.99,
and the total value of all other Sem-
inary holdings, $4,147,699-94. The
Library has grown from the books used
by Dr. Alexander, in whose house the
Seminary began its life in Princeton,
to a choice collection of 187,168 vol-

umes. There is a competent staff,
headed by the Librarian and an Assist-
ant Librarian.

Some of the achievements of the
Seminary in the service of the Church
at home and abroad are briefly re-
counted in the following pages and in
subsequent issues of the Bulletin to
be published during the present
academic year.

The Present Financial Condition
of the Seminary

During the past year a very careful
survey of the Seminary property and
of all Seminary holdings has been
made. The endowments of the Sem-
inary, largely invested in guaranteed
mortgages and gilt-edge securities, are
yielding an income which has been
greatly reduced during the past year or
two. Interest payments have not been
met and in some instances taxes have
not been paid, which makes it neces-
sary for the Seminary not only to pay
the taxes but to take proceedings lead-
ing to foreclosure. Although expenses
have been reduced to the lowest point
and salaries and wages have been cut
15%, there is a deficit of $20,000,
which has to be met in order to balance
the budget. This amount must be
secured within the next four or five
months, otherwise it may be necessary
for the Board of Trustees to limit the
service of the institution, and this at a
time when the training of a competent
leadership for the Church is impera-
tively needed.

The expenses of the Seminary in
recent years have not been increased
except in the way of providing pen-
sions; this has added to the budget
$12,000 annually. There should be

4

THE PRINCETON SEMINARY BULLETIN

subscribed a fund of $250,000 to cover
this yearly expense. Furthermore, we
shall need additional endowment for
professors’ chairs only partially en-
dowed amounting to $250,000. For
necessary repairs and the upkeep of the
buildings, it is estimated that we need
$61,000.

Just now we are appealing for the
$20,000 which we must have if the
Seminary is to go forward with its
present staff. The Executive Commit-
tee of the Alumni Association appeals
to the Alumni to secure what they can
toward raising this amount. In case an
Alumnus cannot make a personal sub-
scription, he may be able to secure
something from members of his con-
gregation. A subscription card is sent
herewith, which we urge each Alumnus
to fill out promptly.

Historic Appeal for Funds

Alumni will be interested in an
appeal sent to the graduates of the
Seminary a hundred years ago:

Philadelphia, Pa., Dec. 3d, 1833.
Dear Brethren,

The Association of the Alumni
of the Theological Seminary, or-
ganized during the Sessions of the
last General Assembly, appointed
us a standing committee for the
purpose of aiding in carrying into
effect the important objects for
which it was formed. We, there-
fore, the members of that commit-
tee, beg leave to address you on
the subject of the present pecun-
iary embarrassment of our Alma
Mater. The report made to the
General Assembly by the trustees
of the G. A. on the state of its
funds, and more recently the
address of “the committee ap-
pointed by the General Assembly
to procure from the churches a
sufficient sum to meet the neces-
sary expenses to the Seminary”,
etc., have sufficiently informed you

of the very depressing state of
these funds.

Without some additional aid, this
venerable institution must materi-
ally suffer, and large portions of
the Professors’ salaries be left un-
paid. In the spirit, therefore, of
our Association, and in accordance
with one of its resolutions, we
venture to address this circular
to you; and do hereby earnestly
solicit your early cooperation in
effecting so important an end.

If every Alumnus will give, or
secure not less than ten dollars
per annum for five years, with
particular reference to the salaries
of the Professors, ample provision
will be made for the wants of the
Seminary during that time; and
leisure be afforded for making
more permanent arrangements.

You will find on the other page
a form which embraces the above
plan. Do us the favour to return
this sheet, as soon as practicable,
addressed to the office of the Board
of Education, No. 29 Sansom
Street, if you find it consistent
with your duty to unite with us.

If not, you need not return it.

We act under the sanction of the
Committee of the General Assem-
bly.

All monies to be remitted to the
Treasurer of the Trustees of the
General Assembly, or paid to his
authorized agent.

In Christian affection we remain,
very truly yours,

Albert Barnes,

Samuel G. Winchester,
John L. Grant,

John Breckinridge.

The Plan of the Seminary

The Rev. A. W. Blackwood, D.D.

The Seminary operates under the
Charter and Plan adopted by the Gen-
eral Assembly in 1811 and amended by
subsequent General Assemblies. This
Plan sets forth the design of the Sem-
inary in part as follows:

"It is to form men for the gospel
ministry, who shall truly believe, and
cordially love, and therefore endeavor
to propagate and defend, in its gen-

THE PRINCETON SEMINARY BULLETIN

5

uineness, simplicity, and fulness, that
system of religious belief and practice
which is set forth in the Confession of
Faith, Catechisms, and Plan of Govern-
ment and Discipline of the Presbyter-
ian Church; and thus to perpetuate and
extend the influence of true evangelical
piety, and gospel order.” ( Charter and
Plan , January, 1931, p. 24.)

Under this Charter and Plan the
General Assembly commits the man-
agement of the Seminary to the Board
of Trustees, consisting of thirty-three
persons, not more than eighteen of
whom are to be ministers and not more
than fifteen of whom are to be ruling
elders. All of the trustees must belong
to the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A.,
and must be elected by the General
Assembly. Before taking office each
Trustee must subscribe the following
formula, which is probably more exact-
ing than in any corresponding institu-
tion:

"Believing the Scriptures of the Old
and New Testaments to be the Word
of God, the only infallible rule of faith
and practice; sincerely receiving and
adopting the Confession of Faith of
this Church as containing the system
of doctrine taught in the Holy Scrip-
tures; approving the government and
discipline of the Presbyterian Church
in the United States of America; prom-
ising to study the peace, unity and
purity of the Church; and approving
the Plan of the Theological Seminary
of the Presbyterian Church in the
United States of America, I solemnly
declare and promise, in the presence of
God and of this Board, that I will
faithfully endeavor to carry into effect
all the articles and provisions of said
Plan, and to promote the great design

of the Seminary.” ( Charter and Plan,

p. 28.)

When the present Board assumed
control it became responsible for large
trust funds, some of the most important
of which are legally available only for
the maintenance of an institution in
keeping with the historic doctrinal
position of the Seminary. At the first
meeting of the Board, on June 14,
1929, it took the following corporate
action by unanimous vote. This action
still stands, and will continue to stand,
as the official program of the govern-
ing Board:

"In the one hundred and seventeen
years of its history, Princeton Seminary
has stood with firm steadfastness for
the propagation at home and abroad,
and for the scholarly defense of evan-
gelical Christianity as formulated in the
Standards of the Presbyterian Church.
In taking up the duties assigned to it
by the General Assembly the tempor-
ary Board of Directors feels that it has
a solemn mandate from the General
Assembly to continue unchanged the
historic policy of the Seminary and to
do nothing whatever to alter the dis-
tinctive traditional position which the
Seminary has maintained throughout
its entire history.”

In pursuance of this program the
new Board has constituted the present
Faculty, in which every chair is filled.
Since assuming control the Board has
elected six professors, each of whom
has voluntarily signed the following
formula, which for more than a hun-
dred years has safeguarded the ortho-
doxy of the institution:

"In the presence of God, and of the
Trustees of this Seminary, I do solemn-
ly, and ex ammo, adopt, receive, and

6

THE PRINCETON SEMINARY BULLETIN

subscribe the Confession of Faith and
Catechisms of the Presbyterian Church
in the United States of America, as the
confession of my faith; or as a sum-
mary and just exhibition of that system
of doctrine and religious belief which
is contained in holy Scripture, and
therein revealed by God to man for his
salvation: And I do solemnly, ex

ammo, profess to receive the Form of
Government of said Church, as agree-
able to the inspired oracles. And I do
solemnly promise and engage not to
inculcate, teach, or insinuate anything
which appear to me to contradict, or
contravene, either directly or impliedly,
anything taught in the said Confession
of Faith, or Catechisms: nor to oppose
any of the fundamental principles of
Presbyterian Church government, while
I shall continue a professor in this
Seminary.” ( Charter and Plan, p. 31.)

This inaugural pledge commits every
professor to the acceptance and the
teaching of all the doctrines of the
Reformed faith, such as, the Sovereign-
ty of God, the Inspiration of the Scrip-
tures, the Deity of Christ, the Virgin
Birth, the Atonement, the Resurrection
and the Final Return of our Lord — as
these doctrines are interpreted in the
Standards of the Presbyterian Church.
To this solemn pledge every member
of the Faculty is unswervingly true.

In keeping with the design of the
Seminary and with her traditions for
sound learning the members of the
Faculty cherish a high regard for schol-
arship. They seek to train strong
young men who will be masters of
Biblical exegesis and church history, of
Christian doctrine and ethics, and of
the other theological disciplines; men
who will know how to justify their

beliefs in the presence of current
scientific discoveries and philosophic
theories, and how to employ their
knowledge in meeting the spiritual
needs of men and women, as well as
boys and girls; men who will become
able preachers and leaders in the wor-
ship, the teaching and the practical
affairs of the Presbyterian Church and
of other evangelical Churches, both at
home and in the foreign field. In
pursuance of this program the Semin-
ary has matriculated seven thousand,
seven hundred and twenty-nine stu-
dents. Five hundred and sixty-one of
these have served as missionaries in
thirty different countries. Six hundred
and forty-one came from churches
representing thirty-nine foreign lands.
One thousand and sixty-nine have
served as ministers in denominations
other than the Presbyterian.

Such a widely representative institu-
tion for the training of evangelical
ministers is probably more needed
today than at any time in the history
of the Seminary. In a day when some
seminaries are turning away from the
Bible as "the only infallible rule of
faith and practice”, and when some
conservative institutions are in danger
of becoming reactionary in outlook and
in method, the Trustees and the Fac-
ulty of this Seminary are determined
that there shall continue to be at
Princeton a strong, aggressive, forward-
looking seminary committed to the
apostolic faith, loyal to the Presbyter-
ian Church, U. S. A., open on equal
terms to young men of promise from
every evangelical Church, and employ-
ing the most approved educational
methods.

To Presbyterian congregations and

MILLER CHAPEL

Erected in 1834. Renovated in 1874. Relocated and enlarged in 1933.

THE PRINCETON SEMINARY BULLETIN

7

individuals, as well as to other Chris-
tians who share these ideals, the Trus-
tees and the Faculty appeal for prayers
and for gifts, whether large or small,
to aid in keeping the Seminary true to
her loftiest ideals and in making her
even more of a power in the Kingdom
of God.

The Seminary Alumni and
Present Enrollment

The Rev. E. H. Roberts, Registrar

From a study of the Biographical
Catalogue issued in 1932 and of the
subsequent annual catalogues one finds
that seven thousand seven hundred and
twenty-nine students have matriculated
in Princeton Theological Seminary.
They have come from every state in the
union and from thirty-nine different
countries. Canada has sent over two
hundred men; Ireland, one hundred
and twenty-four. The far east has
been well represented by Japan, China
and Korea. In recent years there has
been a steady stream of men from
South Africa. These last, of course,
have been affiliated with the Dutch
Reformed Church, but Princeton has
always had an open door policy to-
wards those of other denominations.
More than a thousand of her students,
representing over a score of denomina-
tions, have been members of other
churches. Men who have gone from
her halls have served Christian groups
of varied types, such as Friends, Epis-
copalians, Baptists, Moravians, Metho-
dists. The great majority of Princeton
men have been Presbyterians, of course,
but men of other folds seeking an in-
stitution that gives scholarly training
and is consistently loyal to the faith

have knocked at the doors of the
Seminary.

It kindles the imagination to see the
new recruits each year affixing their
signatures to the pledge in the Book
of Matriculation. To read through the
pages of this book and to discover
scores and scores of names that have
become household words in the Chris-
tian world impresses one with the
potentialities latent in every class. But
an institution’s contribution is not to
be measured merely by its galaxy of
shining lights. There is the measure-
less influence which has been exerted
by that huge but unostentatious army
of men who have worked quietly, faith-
fully but most effectively in compara-
tively obscure posts. Some idea of
their cumulative efforts comes to us in
a recent communication from an alum-
nus. He finds that the men who grad-
uated with his class have already given
in the aggregate more than fifteen cen-
turies to the preaching of the Gospel;
that in addition to this more than two
centuries of foreign missionary work
has been contributed and more than
three of educational activity. Of them
it may truly be said, "Their line is gone
out through all the earth, and their
words to the end of the world.”

But what shall we say of the men
now in the Seminary? In the current
year, 1934-35, one hundred and ninety
are in attendance, distributed among
the various classes as follows: Graduate
Students eighteen; Seniors fifty-seven;
Middlers fifty-four; Juniors fifty-nine;
Partials two. Compared with the pre-
vious year this is a decrease of twenty-
one students. This is not due to a
smaller number of applicants for ad-
mission, but to the adoption by the

8

THE PRINCETON SEMINARY BULLETIN

Seminary of the policy of limiting the
enrollment. The number of applica-
tions declined was practically equal to
the number accepted. One reason for
this policy of limitation is the desire
to raise the standard of scholarship;
only men of high quality are admitted
and more personal instruction can be
given by the Faculty. Another reason
is the financial stringency which has
reduced the amount available for schol-
arship funds, and the desire to expend
these funds upon men who give the
greater promise of usefulness in the
ministry. A third reason is that, just
at present, there are fewer openings
for service at home and abroad than
in other years.

In the fall of 1932 eighty-two men
were admitted to the Junior Class.
The following year the selective policy
went into effect and only fifty-seven of
the many applicants were allowed to
matriculate. The intention this year
was to restrict the number still further,
but so many well qualified men applied
that the figure went two above that of
1933. It is an exceedingly difficult and
responsible task to refuse anyone ad-
mittance when he evinces an earnest
desire to be trained for the Christian
ministry. All that the Credentials
Committee of the Faculty can do is to
consider the evidence, — the applicant’s
answers to a long questionnaire, his
complete college record, the testimony
of his pastor, his Presbytery, his pro-
fessors, his friends. In addition to this
a personal interview is arranged, if that
is possible. Where that is impractic-
able a nearby alumnus is asked to give
us a frank estimate of the candidate.
The Committee does the best it can
with the evidence before it, relying

upon a God who works through means.

It is a pleasure to report to the
Alumni that there is on the campus a
strong student body, devoted to the
Word, spiritually alive. Of them we
expect great things.

Princeton Seminary and Its Alumni
in Theological Education

William Hallock Johnson,
D.D., LL.D.

Princeton Theological Seminary,
founded in 1812, while not the oldest
seminary in the country is the oldest
seminary of the Presbyterian Church.
In the number of graduates, in the
galaxy of brilliant scholars and preach-
ers and teachers who have served in
its faculty, and in its influence upon
the life and thought of the Protestant
churches at home and abroad it
deserves to be called the leading theo-
logical school in America.

Princeton Seminary is the mother
seminary of the Presbyterian Church.
As the pioneer she has blazed the path
which others have followed. In the
South, the Union Seminary of Rich-
mond was founded soon after Prince-
ton by men from the Log College, and
the founders of Columbia Seminary
set before them the goal of making
that institution "the Princeton of the
South”; while in the North, such in-
stitutions as McCormick, Western,
Lane, Danville, Lincoln and San Fran-
cisco were founded by Princeton men
or had Princeton men among their
earliest instructors. Princeton cannot
be jealous of these or other younger
institutions, because they are in large
measure her own offspring.

Of its graduates now serving on the

THE PRINCETON SEMINARY BULLETIN

9

faculty of our theological seminaries,
Princeton Seminary has nine men in
Princeton itself, one in Auburn, one in
Western, four in Louisville, three in
Chicago, one in San Francisco, two in
Bloomfield, five in Lincoln, one in
Omaha and one in Puerto Rico. A
total of 128 Princeton graduates have
been teachers in Presbyterian semin-
aries. Twenty of the Seminary’s alum-
ni are now serving as college presi-
dents, five of the number in Presby-
terian colleges. It is estimated that
317 graduates have been college or
seminary professors, and that about 400
others have taught in schools and acad-
emies or have been engaged in educa-
tional work of the boards. It is not-
able that of the four boards of the
Presbyterian Church a Princeton grad-
uate holds the position of executive or
senior secretary in three of them, while
Princeton men have important posi-
tions on the staff of all four of the
boards. The influence of the Semin-
ary in the life and leadership of the
Church is shown by the fact that
Princeton has trained fifty Moderators
of the General Assembly and four
Stated Clerks including the present
incumbent of this important office. It
may be noted also that six bishops of
the Protestant Episcopal Church owe
to Princeton in whole or in part their
theological training.

Princeton not only is the oldest
Seminary of the Presbyterian Church,
she is in the number of her graduates
and former students the largest school
for theological education in America.
Some available figures, giving the num-
ber of graduates and former students
unless otherwise stated, are given for
comparison.

Princeton Theological Seminary 7,729
Southern Baptist Theological

New York 7,23 4

Union Theological Seminary,

New York, 5,697

Andover Theological Seminary 4,175
General Theological Seminary

(Episcopal) 3,898

Presbyterian Theological Semin-
ary (McCormick) Chicago
(graduates and former
students living) 3,696

Drew Theological Seminary 3,503
Yale Divinity School 2,114

But numbers alone do not tell the
secret of Princeton’s influence. It is
rather to be found in the personality
and scholarly endowments of Prince-
ton’s teachers, which have marked them
as leaders in the exposition and defense
of the reformed theology and of evan-
gelical truth. The history of Princeton
is the record of her great teachers, of
the patriarchs and prophets who laid
the foundations of the Seminary, and
of those who so skillfully and devoted-
ly have built upon these foundations.
Young men are attracted to Princeton
by her conservatism and her scholar-
ship, and the record which her grad-
uates have made in the pulpit at home
and on the mission field bears testimony
to the thoroughness and practical
effectiveness of her training.

For some years Dr. David Tully of
the class of 1850 was the oldest living
graduate of the Seminary. He used to
say that he "passed the dead line with-
out knowing it”, and he was active in
founding churches nearly to the time of
his death in 1916 at the age of ninety-
eight. Dr. Tully knew the fathers and
founders of the Seminary well, and he
has described them in picturesque and

10

THE PRINCETON SEMINARY BULLETIN

incisive words. Dr. Archibald Alex-
ander had "the keeness of a Kentucky
rifle-man in his insight into spiritual
experience"; Dr. Addison Alexander
was "a whirlwind as a teacher and a
preacher"; Dr. Samuel Miller was "a
prince in church history and the Ches-
terfield of the Presbyterian Church";
and Dr. Charles Hodge was "the great-
est analytical mind that this country has
produced, certainly since the days of
Jonathan Edwards." Dr. Tully added
that he never knew any group of men
who could "state the truth so clearly
and defend it so ably.”

Dr. Charles Hodge, whether meas-
ured by the number of students that
he taught, by the years of his service,
the impress of his personality upon
thought and character, and the persis-
tence of his influence through the use
of his published works as textbooks,
may justly be considered the foremost
teacher in the history of theological
education in America. Dr. Hodge in
theology has had able and worthy suc-
cessors in Dr. A. A. Hodge, Dr. War-
field and Dr. C. W. Hodge. The suc-
cession in Old Testament scholarship
and teaching has been maintained with
great distinction by Dr. William Henry
Green, Dr. Davis and Dr. Robert Dick
Wilson; in the New Testament field by
Dr. Caspar Wistar Hodge, Dr. Purves,
Dr. Armstrong and Dr. Machen; and
in Church History by Dr. Moffatt, Dr.
DeWitt and Dr. Loetscher. The schol-
arly and inspiring teachers who have
been recently called to the Faculty are
enriching the life of the Seminary and
of the Church. Princeton’s faculty has
often been recruited from men of
prominence in the pastorate and pulpit.
From the pastorate of the First Pres-

byterian Church, New York, were
taken Dr. Samuel Miller and Dr. Wil-
liam M. Paxton, both famous as models
of pulpit eloquence. Two Princeton
professors have been called to the pul-
pit of the Fifth Avenue Church of New
York, Dr. J. W. Alexander and Dr.
Purves, while Dr. J. Ross Stevenson,
who has been president of the Seminary
for twenty years, was a former pastor
of this church.

To unfold the rich treasures of the
Scripture through exegesis is often its
best defense. The commentaries of
Drs. Charles Hodge and Addison Alex-
ander have been widely used for many
years and may still be studied with
great profit, while Dr. Charles R. Erd-
man has made an important contribu-
tion in his popular but scholarly ex-
positions of the books of the New
Testament. In the controversy aroused
by the publication of Re -T Linking Mis-
sions, it is interesting to note that the
most effective voices in defense of the
evangelical position have come from
the Princeton family, from Dr. Robert
E. Speer in his articles and addresses
and in his masterly volume of Stone
lectures, The Finality of Jesus Christ,
and from Dr. Samuel M. Zwemer in
his Thinking Missions with Christ.
The publications of Princeton men in
their books and in their articles in the
Princeton Theological Review and else-
where have carried the name and fame
of Princeton to the ends of the earth,
while the cream of conservative schol-
arship at home and abroad has been
represented by the lecturers upon the
L. P. Stone and missionary foundations.
The list includes such names as those
of Drs. Storrs and Mark Hopkins of
America; of Drs. Flint and Orr, and

PAYNE HALL

Contains twelve apartments for the use of missionaries on furlough.
Erected in 1922 by Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Payne of Titusville, Pennsylvania.

THE PRINCETON SEMINARY BULLETIN

11

Sir William M. Ramsay of Scotland;
and Drs. Kuyper and Bavinck of Hol-
land; together with many names not-
able in the world of missionary litera-
ture. It is interesting to notice that
25 out of 59 Stone Lecturers and 18
out of 40 Students’ Lecturers on Mis-
sions have been Princeton men.

The two poles of Princeton’s
thought and teaching have been the
Bible as the word of God and the
Reformed system of doctrine as setting
forth the truths of the Bible. Memory
recalls in Seminary days those two bril-
liant stars in the theological sky, Dr.
Benjamin B. Warfield and Dr. Francis
L. Patton, both of whom influenced
profoundly by their teaching and by
their spoken and written word the
religious thought of their time. Dr.
Warfield, profound Biblical scholar
and the leading exponent in his gen-
eration in America of the Augustinian
or Calvinistic system of doctrine, and
Dr. Patton, the outstanding theistic
philosopher of his day. Dr. Warfield
stoutly defended the Christian faith
whether the attack was made from the
side of the Old Testament, the New
Testament or the doctrines of grace.
He showed that the effort of the New
Testament criticism to eliminate the
supernatural element from the Gospels
resulted not in an historical Jesus but
in a "Christless Christianity”. He saw
in Calvinism, with its doctrine of a
sovereign will guiding the affairs of
the universe and unfettered by man-
made laws, ''theism come to its rights”.
He saw in Calvinism ''the religious
relation” (defined as an attitude of
absolute dependence) ''in its purest
expression”. He saw in Calvinism
"evangelical religion” (with its de-

pendence on the grace and saving
power of God) in its "logical exposi-
tion”. A recent writer has said that
Calvin Coolidge was "the last of the
Calvinists”, but as is shown by recent
movements in European religious
thought there is still a very influential
remnant according to the election of
grace.

Dr. Patton with his keen dialectic
and his superb rhetoric was the com-
manding figure upon the religious plat-
form of his day. With the barbed
arrows of his logic, "shot”— in his own
words — "from the tense bowstring of
conviction”, he fought the battles of
theistic faith and of an imperative
morality when both were becoming
unpopular in academic circles. Dr.
Patton understood the tendencies of his
age. He foresaw and foretold the
decline in religion and morals which
has overtaken our civilization today.
But he saw beyond this. He predicted
the turn of the tide. One could almost
hear the swish of the waves and the
pounding of the surf on the beach as
he described the wave of faith, "its
crepitant recession, its thundering re-
bound”. Christian people everywhere
are longing and praying for the thun-
dering rebound.

But where can the Church look for
confident and dynamic leadership in the
spiritual crisis of the hour? It can
scarcely look to what is called the lib-
eral theology when some of its leading
advocates admit that this school of
theology has ceased paying dividends
and is in danger of bankruptcy. It
cannot look with any confidence to
social and political experimentation.
The Reformed faith is indeed in its
very essence, as has been demonstrated

12

THE PRINCETON SEMINARY BULLETIN

on the field of history, a reforming
faith; but a social Gospel is powerless
unless it recognizes the spiritual needs
of the individual and brings him into
touch with supernatural redemptive
power. Princeton Seminary with its
able and devoted faculty and its band
of young men whose hearts God has
touched, coming from our Presbyterian
homes and manses, is in a favorable
position, in humble dependence upon
the word and the Spirit of God, to
supply the leadership needed by the
Church amid the confusions and uncer-
tainties of the day. The Church looks
to Princeton for leadership because the
Seminary stands not only for the great
principles of the sovereignty of Scrip-
ture and the supremacy of the doctrines
of grace so well set forth in our Pres-
byterian standards, but for that mis-
sionary enthusiasm which has thrust
forth so large a proportion of her grad-
uates into the harvest fields in foreign
lands, and for an aggressive spirit of
evangelism which alone can hope to
save the world or even the Church
itself.

Cicero in one of his orations says,
"Great is the labor of oratory, as is its
field, its dignity and its reward.” If
instead of the word dicendi (oratory)
Cicero had said praedicendi (preach-
ing) he would have described perfectly
the work of the preacher. How shall
they preach except they be sent? And
how shall they preach except they be
trained in the art of preaching? But
if the work of preaching is the highest
and holiest of occupations and the
supreme privilege vouchsafed to man,
the work of preparing young men to
preach is a labor and a privilege which,
while entrusted to men of like passions

as we are, is one that angels might
well covet.

We are told that Princeton Seminary
has serious needs on the financial and
material sides. To supply those needs
is to equip for larger service an institu-
tion which has been greatly used of
God in the extension of His Kingdom.

The Alumni Association

The Rev. Hugh B. McCrone, D.D.,

President of the Executive Council

Close to three hundred graduates of
the Seminary were gathered together
on the campus last September thir-
teenth and fourteenth in attendance
upon the Fifth Annual Autumn Con-
ference— just at the outset of the fall
and winter work in the churches.
These five Conferences for personal
spiritual quickening, sponsored by the
Executive Council of the general
Alumni Association, have been beauti-
ful in spirit and far-reaching in influ-
ence. Starting five years ago with an
attendance of ninety, they have grown
in numbers until in each of the last
three Conferences nearly three hundred
were registered. These gatherings
have been guided in their thinking by
Dr. Sizoo, of Washington, D. C., Dr.
Goddell, of New York, Professor Don-
ald Mackenzie, of the Seminary, Dr.
Hugh T. Kerr, of Pittsburgh, Dr. J.
Harry Cotton, of Columbus, Ohio,
President J. Ross Stevenson, and other
members of the Faculty. In addition,
the Conferences of 1933 and 1934 had
the pleasure of stirring opening mes-
sages from the Moderators of the Gen-
eral Assembly for those years, Dr. John
McDowell and Dr. William C. Covert.
A decidedly helpful feature in every

THE PRINCETON SEMINARY BULLETIN

13

Conference has been the music under
the direction of Dr. Williamson of the
Westminster Choir School.

The sponsors of these autumn gath-
erings record their deep appreciation to
those who have assisted in making
them so helpful, and especially to the
Board of Trustees for their interest and
cooperation. It may be truly said that
the comradeship of these meetings has
strongly cemented the bond between
the Alumni who have had the joy and
privilege of attending and their Theo-
logical Alma Mater.

The Alumni Association is well or-
ganized for assisting the Seminary in
every manner which may be deemed
advisable. The President, Secretary
and Treasurer are elected annually at
the time of the Commencement; and
in addition there is an Executive Coun-
cil, the members of which are also
elected by the Association. This Coun-
cil meets three or four times during the
year and attends to matters of impor-
tance in the interim between the annual
meetings of the Association. In the
five years of the life of the Council,
it has fostered the five annual confer-
ences, formed a number of local
Alumni Associations over the country,
assisted in contacting certain pastorates
for Seniors, arranged for the annual
Alumni and General Assembly dinners,
and at present is uniting with the Board
of Trustees and President Stevenson in
trying to gather needful funds for the
Seminary in these days of stress.
Annual reports are submitted to the
Board of Trustees and the Alumni
Association. Until the present time
the activities of the Council have been
carried forward without an Alumni

treasury. When we realize the cour-
tesies of the Seminary to its Alumni,
one can well recognize our debt to the
Board of Trustees.

The Council cherishes the desire that
the Alumni everywhere may share the
richest blessing in personal life and
service of the Christ whom we love.

* * * *

In connection with this statement the
following will be of interest, presented by
Dr. John Muyskens of Jenkintown, Penn-
sylvania, President of the Philadelphia
Alumni Association.

The Princeton Alumni of Philadel-
phia and Vicinity, deeply conscious of
the needs of their beloved Seminary,
are planning to share with all of its
living alumni, which number over
three thousand, in a very substantial
way. There are nearly one hundred
Princeton Alumni living in Philadel-
phia and environs. A Committee of
Fifteen have been appointed, of which
the President, Dr. Muyskens, was made
Chairman. Each member of the Asso-
ciation is informed by special letter as
to the exact situation in the Seminary,
with an urgent appeal for financial aid
in proportion to the ability of each
graduate. Besides this, it is earnestly
hoped and expected that the various
pulpits will be made available for
President Stevenson, during these win-
ter months, in order that he may per-
sonally present the needs of the institu-
tion which we love. It is the general
opinion of the Association that the
people of the church should be more
fully informed as to the needs of the
institution as well as the place that it
holds in the history and life of our
great church.

14

THE PRINCETON SEMINARY BULLETIN

A Student s View of Princeton

Wilson Bennett

With a faculty of international repu-
tation all zealous for the advancement
of the kingdom of Christ, and with a
carefully selected student body of un-
usual promise, eager to know and to
do the Lord’s will, Princeton is justly
proud of her theological school. And
the student is proud of his theological
ahna mater.

More than adequate preparation for
the important positions her graduates
assume — from superintendency of a
mission station in Chile, or pastorate
of a small church in Alaska, or pro-
fessorship in a Christian university in
Persia, or evangelist in Tibet, to the
multitudinous duties of metropolitan
pulpits — is furnished by the Church’s
oldest Seminary.

The student body is housed in three
dormitory Halls, namely, Alexander,
Hodge, and Brown. Furloughed mis-
sionaries, some of whom take a regular
course of study in the Seminary, live
in Payne Hall Apartments. A few
married students reside in town.

Each man belongs to one of the four
eating clubs on the campus, Benham,
Calvin, Friar, Warfield. After a
period of club visiting at the opening
of the Seminary term the first-year man
indicates his club preference on a bal-
lot, and by a system of preferential
voting the clubs also make their choice
of members. As far as possible this
system eliminates those arch-foes of a
corporate Christian helpfulness, caste
snobbishness and political intrigue, so
frequently inherent in fraternity bid-
ding. But these organizations are
more than mere eating clubs. Their

various alumni associations are always
active, holding at least one general con-
vocation yearly. Usually the night
preceding the annual Commencement
provides the occasion; the spirit of
reunion dominates and the clans gather.

Princeton men believe in prayer, and
practice it. Each class holds a weekly
prayer meeting, with a member of the
class, or of the faculty conducting.
Each club, depending upon the individ-
ual arrangement, holds either a weekly,
a bi-monthly, or a monthly prayer
hour. Then there are numerous small-
er dormitory gatherings which often
perpetuate spiritual allegiances formed
in collegiate days. The experiences of
these various morning and evening
watches at the feet of a common Lord,
together with the consequent formation
of “the ties that ever bind the heart’’,
are unforgettable and highly cherished
memories.

The Student Association is composed
of all who are regularly and duly
matriculated; government is vested in
the Cabinet. President, Secretary, and
Treasurer are elected from the student
body at large, whereas the class presi-
dents are members ex-officio. Chair-
men for the different committees, Stu-
dent Meetings, Deputations, Missions,
Sports, and Social, are appointive offi-
cers. The committee on Student Meet-
ings arranges for prominent speakers
to address the Seminary on Tuesday
evenings. Such men as the following
have appeared before us in the course
of a year: The Rt. Rev. Lord Bishop of
Exeter, Drs. Melvin Grove Kyle,
Daniel A. Poling, Lynn Harold Hough,
Charles Reynolds Brown, and Mark
A. Matthews, Governor Arthur H.
Moore, Drs. Visser ’t Hooft, Sam

LENOX REFERENCE LIBRARY
Erected in 1843 by James Lenox, LL.D., of New York City.

THE PRINCETON SEMINARY BULLETIN

15

Higginbottom, J. Harry Cotton, and
many others of equal eminence. The
meeting of the first Tuesday evening
of each month is the concert of prayer
for missions, and is under the direction
of the faculty.

Receiving requests from pastors and
churches both near and far, the Depu-
tation Committee sponsors an exceed-
ingly energetic and attractive program
whereby soloists, instrumentalists, quar-
tets, and lecturers are supplied to meet
varied needs, even on immediate notice.
Opportunities for active usefulness and
observation of pastoral life are afforded
in Princeton and its vicinity. A large
number of students regularly engage
in the conduct of religious meetings,
in Sunday School instruction, in city
mission and jail-work, and in other
types of Christian activity.

Facilities for recreation at Princeton
are as numerous as they are diverse.
In the autumn the several clubs, each
represented by an association football
team and a soccer eleven, participate in
a series of games to determine the Sem-
inary championship in these sports.
The "varsity” soccer team plays three
or four games every season. Then,
too, a fall tennis tournament, open to
all students, is held on the four courts
of the Seminary with some small
mementoes going to the victors in
singles and doubles. In the winter a
basketball five competes against nearby
colleges and theological schools. Fenc-
ing, wrestling, handball, and skating
when the weather permits, are other
popular winter sports. A baseball
round-robin, quite analogous to the
football and soccer tournaments, is the
chief attraction in the spring. The
competition and rivalry among the

clubs is always wholesomely keen.
These last three years have seen Prince-
ton represented by a creditable cricket
team largely composed of Seminarians
and University graduate students, and
a cricket tradition seems to be flourish-
ing— Yale University, the Ardmore
Cricket Club, and Haverford College
were met on the green crease during
the nineteen thirty-four season. The
University Rugby fifteen also enlists the
services of a few Seminary men, es-
pecially those from England, Scotland,
Ireland, and South Africa. Having a
cosmopolitan student group our sport
interests are legion.

Another wholly unique feature of
Princeton life is provided by the intim-
ate association existing between the
Seminary and the Westminster Choir
School. This organization under the
direction of Dr. John Finley William-
son— world-famous because of its radio
broadcasts and European tours — was
established to promote a trained "min-
istry of music” for Protestant churches,
particularly those of the Reformed
persuasion, and thus to raise the stan-
dard of musical appreciation and musi-
cal rendition among our people and in
our houses of worship. The Seminary
Choir is under the direct supervision
of the founder of Westminster Choir
School and two of his teaching assist-
ants. In addition to daily chapel
appearances, our choir makes frequent
trips to sing in neighboring churches.

Much as Dr. Williamson and his
corps of instructors serve as musical
advisers to the Seminary, so the Sem-
inary professors serve as spiritual and
intellectual councillors to their stu-
dents. Upon entering the Seminary

16

THE PRINCETON SEMINARY BULLETIN

each man is assigned to a faculty mem-
ber with whom he may consult at any
time during the year concerning any
problem. This fosters a spirit of cam-
araderie and of mutual esteem which
could not be so thoroughly effected
merely through the medium of the
class room.

The Seminary enjoys felicitous affil-
iations with the University and her
undergraduates. Privileges of the Uni-
versity Library are granted to Seminary
students, and upon recommendation of
our faculty men in the honors divisions
of the two upper classes may study for
the M.A. degree conferred by Prince-
ton University. Opportunities to hear
public addresses by the members of the
University Faculty and other distin-
guished lecturers, and to attend the
concerts and musical recitals given
under the auspices of the University

are additional advantages that benefit
the Seminary man.

Fully equipped, having on the breast-
plate of righteousness, shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace, tak-
ing the shield of faith, the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit,
with an impressive graduation and
Communion service Princeton sends a
man forth to stand on his own and
proclaim the truth in love as it is in
Jesus Christ. Princeton men love and
honor their alma mater. We are con-
vinced that those who disparage Prince-
ton’s fair and noble name can in no
fashion harm her wonderful heritage,
rather are they wounding their own
spirits. Moreover, for the future we
are resolved that through the grace of
God

"the altar fires our fathers lit
shall still more brightly glow.”

*

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