To The People Of Michigan

Li lbo Detroit Evening News of the ■JOfi lust. there was published a copy of a peiition purported to have been adopted by the Detroit Ministerial Union, and designe by them to be ciruulated for signatures with a view of presenting it to the Board oi Regenta. It is difüeult to cuuceiye hovv a body of men, laying any i;la:iii to rt spectability, coulü have adoptei thia petition founded as it is ï'pon falsehoods, and falsehoods that have so lately been corrected by the a!most unanimous Voififï of the mprllcfll i'líí Tïnh rnaonna. ble time having elapsed and no disclaimer having been published by any member of the Union, it is íair to infer that the paper was prepared and adopted by them as published. It therefore becomes my duty to state to the people of this commonwealtli, that this petition, so cunningly worded, is a covert, abe, and iruilicious personal attack upon rae, and the Detroit Ministerial Union has allowed itself to be used through the influence of some personal enomies of oí ruine, í'or that purpose. 8o far as T knon-, T am ihe only teacher nt present in the Médieal Department tsf Umvemty aga'mst whoiü uch charges l:nc hnciv been made, andl desire to sai that thty nrefnhe. 1 have nevcr assailed tnie Christianity, as [ understand it, ur hnve I Lone out of my way to attack the ministerial profession. nor have I ever referred to tlx'in in the leoturo room except in the legitímate discussion of the subject which I tcacli in t)ie T'niversity. The oharijes late]}' made by one Kev. G. F. G. Morgón have been preved false by the overwhelming testimony ol the medical dase. Sornr extraofa of n lecture delivered by me in 1870 have been publiahed, giving a garbled and fa!se inipression as to the whole tenor of the discour. I have to say that (liat leoture was not dehvered in inv capacity of teacher in the University, bnt by invitatio'i before the Senior Medical Lyceum, at a time when numerous elergymen were making a most nnjust and abusivo aitack npon the reputation and character of Prof. Tyndal, forsome of his soientific views, and when in the Univevsitv, the profe8sorof physiology had been __.l i 1 é ■ éi i'i n # f i l ai . 1 t i J n , , ■ v r h i it f ment Urgely because he liad expressed v'njws favoring Darwinistn, and was theref'ore charged with atbeistn. The lectnre delivered by me was a criticism of the blind zeal thai bas led the majority of clerpymen to Qppoge scientifie discoveries, bat line Cliristianity was spoken of with a reverence, and coinmpndatiDii that ought to satisfy ihe mist devout. In conclusión I v ill say that I nave no desire to retain my position in the Univeisity.against the wish of a maority of the peoplp who support it, but I feel it tnydu'y under these aggravatiDg circmusftiuees to announr-e to the people of the state that sinee I have bee.i in it at-tempts have been made to intimídate me iu the honest and dignified discharge of my lu'y as a teacher. Men whose views accord with (he eommonly accepted theological dogma have full liberty in the class room and out of it to express their vipws but nnon all others a restraint is J _ .-- L imposed. Thoge wbo dissent from the popular creeds have no rights or feeiings that are considered woithy of respect. In my opinión it would be wiser i' r the people to petilion tfieRegents to elimínate all sectariauism from the Uoiversity, than to invite thein to persecute an individual inember of tlie medical faculty fur dsriflg to express his honest and well-founded oonvictions upon subject connected with his profession. I have no appeal to make mysulf, but I callupon all lovers of truth and fair play to investígate thoroughly the workings of the Universtty and see whether the views of a majonty of tax-payers are respected or ouly the views of a fanaücal minority. The ppople who own the University have a rieht to decide this queotion and to thetn I leave it. G. E. Frothinoham. Ann Arbor, Mich., Jan. 31, 18So.