The life and letters of Robert Lewis Dabney . were made to move Dr. Dab-ney North. The first was to the Fifth Avenue PresbyterianChurch, in New York City; the second was to Princeton Semi-nary. In July, 1859, ^^- James W. Alexander, pastor of thegreat Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, the greatest churchthen, and, perhaps, now, in the communions of i\merican Pres-byterians, had died. His people had begun to cast about for asuccessor. In the spring of i860, Mr. Thomas R. Price, awell-known Richmond merchant, and cousin of Dr. Dabneys,was in New York buying goods. He was approached by anofficer
The life and letters of Robert Lewis Dabney . were made to move Dr. Dab-ney North. The first was to the Fifth Avenue PresbyterianChurch, in New York City; the second was to Princeton Semi-nary. In July, 1859, ^^- James W. Alexander, pastor of thegreat Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, the greatest churchthen, and, perhaps, now, in the communions of i\merican Pres-byterians, had died. His people had begun to cast about for asuccessor. In the spring of i860, Mr. Thomas R. Price, awell-known Richmond merchant, and cousin of Dr. Dabneys,was in New York buying goods. He was approached by anofficer of the Fifth Avenue Church, with a view to opening acorrespondence with Dr. Dabney. Later Dr. Dabney received aletter, and perhaps letters, from officers in that church, urginghim to allow them to make him a candidate for the pastorate,and expressing the opinion that he would be elected; but hedeclined, and stopped the movement. In January, i860, Dr. Joseph Addison Alexander, the mostlearned man on the continent, died. This was a great blow. First Years in the Chair of Theology. 199 to Princeton. Dr. Charles Hodge proposed a certain reorgani-zation of the curriculum, and that Dr. Dabney should becarried to Princeton, and put into the chair of EcclesiasticalHistory. The correspondence on the subject, which has beenpreserved in full, is of great interest, being thoroughly charac-teristic of these great men. Dr. Hodge, opening up his plans to his distinguished young-brother in Virginia, writes: Princeton, March 24, i860. Reverend and Dear Sir : You can well understand what an over-whelming blow the unexpected death of Dr. Addison Alexander was toall connected with this Seminary. He was our dependence, our delightand our glory. And I doubt not you have deeply sympathized with usin our affliction. Since his death our minds have been much and anxiously exercisedas to the methods of filling up the breach which his departure hasoccasioned. Recognizing fully the sole right of the Assemb
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