LLO The American Geologist. February, 1892 
university and of Nashville, and the same day the Board of Trust — 
abolished his chair. Bishop MeTyeire, in transmitting notice of 
this action, employed terms expressive of kind feeling, appreci- 
ation and even of regret. It was evidently the intention of the 
authorities of the university that this should be a case of decapi- 
tation within the walls of the inquisition; but the victim resolved 
that the public should have the opportunity to pass sentence. He 
accordingly drew up a true and literal account of the interview 
with bishop MeTyeire, and published it in the Nushrile American 
of June 16, 1878. This opened the door for a unanimous and 
outspoken condemnation of the act of the Board of Trust, from 
the press of the South and the country at large, and from repre- 
sentative individuals of every shade of religious opinion.¢ No 
word of approval rose from any source, except a few, feeble and 
perverting misstatements from the organs of the M. E. Church 
South. The best of reasons existed for the belief that the officials 
of the university very soon began to regret their action, and that 
within a few months they were ashamed of it. It was not long before 
the action was attributed by some of the officials, covertly, to 
grounds of economy. The impossibility of this is evident enough 
when it is known that Prof. Winchell’s work was simply transferred 
to Prof. Satford (who had been on half duty) and Prof. Winchell’s 
silary with it, Learning that this subterfuge was being set up 
by parties in correspondence with Dr. A. EK. Foote, of Philadel- 
phia, Prof Winchell wrote a crisp and peremptory denial of such 
statements which Dr. Foote published in his periodical, The 
Naturalists Leisure Hour, January, 1880, p. 5. 
So far as Prof. Winchell’s standing and reputation were 
concerned these events were far from disastrous. He received 
new sympathy and appreciation from every intelligent man and 
woman and from many who otherwise would perhaps have remained 
in ignorance of his existence. Kx-President Andrew D. White, 
once Dr. Winchell’s colleague at Ann Arbor, made use of this 
incident in one of his chapters on the ‘‘Warfare of Science,” * 
characterizing the action of Vanderbilt University in the following 
words: 
It is pleasing to know that while an institution calling itself a univer- 
sity thus violated the fundamental principles on which any institution 
worthy of the name must be based, another * * * recalled Dr. Winchell 
+ The events of this episode are all preserved in elaborate clippings 
from newspapers which fill two large scrap books. 
