Prof. Frederick Julius Steen

FREDERICK JULIUS STEEN
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Frederick Julius Steen was born in the city of New York on September 7, 1867.
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When their son was still a child, the Steens came to Canada and settled in Toronto, where Frederick was educated in the Toronto Grammar School--now the Jarvis Collegiate Institute--and in the University of Toronto, which he entered in 1884.During his Arts course he took honours in Modern Languages and Mathematics, and was awarded two scholarships for general proficiency.One of his fellow-students says of him:

He was a very able student, and during his undergraduate career took part in the debates, public and regular, of the University College Literary Society.He had a deep, clear, carrying voice and never said unnecessary words.He would build up a logical statement of his case, nor in debate did he ever suffer fools gladly.

He took his B.A. in 1888 and his M.A. in 1896.Shortly after his graduation he taught for a time in Woodstock College--a preparatory boys' school--where he made the acquaintance of the Reverend J. C. Farthing, Rector of St. Paul's Church, Woodstock, and afterwards Bishop of Montreal--an acquaintance which deepened into a lifelong friendship, based on mutual esteem.

On the opening in September, 1889, of Ridley College, St. Catharines, Ontario, Steen was engaged as teacher of Modern Languages, which post he occupied for three years, winning recognition as an excellent teacher and a strict disciplinarian.The Headmaster wrote this regarding him:

He was one of the best teachers I ever saw in a classroom, wonderfully clear in exposition, patient and hardworking to a most unusual degree.Devotion to duty was the keynote of his life as a Master.

It was during his teaching years at Ridley that he decided to take Holy Orders.Having done no Greek in his university course, he began the study at a summer school at Chatauqua, N.Y. With this beginning, he carried on the study of Greek by himself during the remainder of his time at Ridley.

In the autumn of 1892 he entered Wycliffe College, Toronto, and covered the whole Theological course in a single year, receiving his Diploma in 1893.
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In 1896, Steen resigned his charge in Berlin to accept the chair of Apologetics and Ecclesiastical History in the Montreal Diocesan Theological College.He began his duties in September of that year and in the following May was appointed Special Preacher at Christ Church Cathedral.Within about a month after Steen's arrival in Montreal, Dr. Henderson, Principal of the College, died, and for the next two years the duties of Acting Principal devolved upon Professor Steen.
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To these influences and their effects Frederick Steen was fully alive.And he fearlessly taught them, while at the same time holding firmly to the Faith as this Church has received the same.Today, if he had lived and had not grown--as of course, however, he must have done--with the growing light, he would have been considered quite conservative.

But in November, 1900, the storm which had been threatening, burst upon him, and he became the protagonist in one of the most painful tragedies in the history of the Canadian Church.One would fain pass over the months of bitter controversy and recrimination which followed.But that cannot be.If Steen's memory is to be vindicated, the truth must be told, albeit in charity and with a sincere desire to be fair to all concerned.

The trouble started, it is generally understood, with an answer given in an examination which seemed to deny the uniqueness of the inspiration of the Bible.The statement in question Professor Steen said he had no recollection of having made.Interrogated at a meeting of a committee appointed by the Board on January 17, 1901, he gave a full exposition of his views on Revelation and Inspiration which satisfied the committee as being perfectly sound.His method of instruction, however, as well as the content of his teaching as it appeared in a student's note book supplied for their inspection, the notes in which were accepted by the Professor as substantially correct, did not seem to the members of the committee to be satisfactory.

They objected to the amount of attention given to German theologians, Schliermacher in particular, also the content and method of his general presentation of the subject of Apologetics.As a matter of fact, the methods and arguments of the older Apologists had already fallen into disuse, and Professor Steen's treatment of the subject was of the kind adopted in contemporary Apologetic works.In the process of the enquiry, the Professor declared that he was not only surprised but amazed that the Committee should take exception to anything in the notes which they had read.

But the Committee held to its opinion and Steen was advised to tender his resignation to the Board of Governors, which he did in a letter dated January 24th.The resignation was accepted at a meeting of the Board held on February 1st, with an expression of regret and of the hope that Professor Steen would, if possible, arrange his plans to remain on to the end of the Session.There was also an expression of appreciation of his ability and of the faithfulness, energy and enthusiasm which he had displayed in the discharge of his duties as lecturer and Dean of Residence.

Toward the end of April, Mr. Steen left the College and on the 21st of that month he preached what he believed to be his last sermon at the Cathedral, negotiations having failed to alter the determination of the Bishop not to permit him to continue as special preacher there.

Meanwhile his friends in the congregation had been busy in his behalf.
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On April 16th, Mr. Steen was invited to have an interview with the Archbishop, who at the interview stated that he thought Mr. Steen would be happier and under less restraint if he were to leave Montreal and that his departure would make for harmony in the Diocese.Subsequently he announced that he was prepared to make a public statement of his reasons for refusing to allow Mr. Steen to continue serving at the Cathedral if Mr. Steen would consent, which he readily did.The promised statement was made in a letter to Archdeacon Norton under date of May 4th.It was in the main a summary of the evidence submitted to him by the Committee of the Board of Governors of the Diocesan College upon their examination of the student note-book.The Archbishop then demanded the return of Steen's licence, which he, on advice, refused to surrender.The Archbishop forthwith inhibited him from preaching or officiating in the Diocese of Montreal.

Thereupon a number of Mr. Steen's friends in the Cathedral, who had already made arrangements to finance a trial either in the Ecclesiastical or secular Courts, decided on taking the latter course.

On June 10th, a suit in civil action was issued and served on the Archbishop.Before it came to court, however, an amicable arrangement was made whereby Mr. Steen and his friends consented not to proceed with the suit, on the understanding that the Archbishop would withdraw the inhibition and restore to Mr. Steen his standing in the Diocese.

Soon after, on the nomination of Archdeacon Norton, and with the consent of the Archbishop, Steen was appointed Senior Assistant Minister of Christ Church Cathedral, and later on, in February, 1902, was made Vicar, the Rector agreeing to leave under his direction all matters relating to the congregation and parochial services, while he himself retained his authority as Rector in other respects.

Thus finally did Frederick Steen receive his vindication.
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After long and bitter controversy Steen had won.The point at issue, as Bishop Farthing has pointed out, was "liberty of expression within the broad lines of the Church of England.Had Steen."he continues, "been silenced, liberty would have been curtailed and the history of the Canadian Church would have been vastly different."Steen won a victory not only for himself, but for the Church.After this settlement, there could not have been another "Steen Case" in Canada.

Shortly after his appointment as Vicar, Mr. Steen took a two months holiday in Bermuda and then resumed his duties at the Cathedral.
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Dr. H. J. Cody, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Toronto, besides giving information relating to his fellow-student's life in the University and at Wycliffe College, writes thus regarding Frederick Steen:
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I look upon Frederick J. Steen as one of the best minds I have met, particularly of the thoughtful kind.He had not a great me