Newspaper Page Text
May 26, 1909. THI
and, moreover, the advertisement thus given
to many of the documents mentioned would
he productive of more harm than good. The
object of the Assembly to promote among
our people an intelligent study of our history
and the principles tor which we stand can,
in the judgment of the Committee, be better
secured by a new edition of the Digest.
Acting, therefore, under the directlonary
power with which the Committee was apparently
clothed by the Assembly, we respectfully
recommend thut the Stated Clerk, Uev. \V. A.
Alexander, I). D., be requested to revise and
re-publish the Digest of the Assembly, of
which lie is the author, bringitig it down to
ilntt^ and that the Committee or' Publication
he Instructed to Issue an edition of 1,000
copies which shall lie put on sale at a price
as near to the cost of publication us possible,
ltespectfully submitted,
KlssELl. t urn..
("HAS. It. IIKM I'll ILL,
J NO. F. CANNON,
W. A. ALEXANDER,
It. C. HEED.
The report of the Assembly's committee
on marriage and divorce, was referred
to a speoial committee, .consisting of
Messrs. Holliday, Fraser and Henderson.
Overtures from Lexington Presbytery,
were read and referred relative to colit
ir.n.s in statistical tables, blanks for
Sunday school reports, and reporting salaries
of home missionaries.
A report was received of the meeting
of the Council of the Reformed Churches
at New Orleans, and referred to the
committee on foreign correspondence.
. Reports were received from committees
on Family Religion, Women's Societies,
Minutes of the Assembly, and the Narrative.
These were referred to the appropriate
committees.
The report of the committee on the
revision of proof texts, was received and
referred to a special committee, consisting
of Dr. Flournoy, Dr. Tliacker, Rev.
D. N. Yarbro, and Rev. D. McQueen.
Dr. Greene presented the report of the
action of the Synod of Kentucky relative
to '.he case of the Kentucky University,
in which it is started that the university
lias passed beyond the control of the
Synod. This paper was placed on the
docket.
Rev. J. E. Thacker, submitted a partial
report from the committee on Foreign
Correspondence:
Dr. C. W. Grafton, presented a partial
report from the Judicial Committee, the
recommendations being adopted, except
that the recommendation relative to the
complaint against the Synod of Kentncky,
was deferred for consideration to the
hour of 4 p. m., Monday.
Dr. A. M. Fraser gave reasons for recording
his vote against the action of the
Assembly, In the case of petitioning tho
Federal government in behalf of Messrs.
Morrison and Sheppard. This statement
Iwas admitted to record and the signature
of Dr. R. C. Reed was added. The statement
is as follows:
The Assembly having granted nie the privilege
of recording my vote against the action
taken oil yesterday touching the troubles of
our Missionaries In Africa, and also of explaining
that vote, I would state the part of
the action to which 1 objected was the appeal
It contained for the Intervention of the civil
government.
I am opposed to that, because, from my
point of view. It seems contrarv to the his
Itorlc position of our Church, contrary to the
spirit of our standards and contrary to the
Scriptures which touch us that Christ's Kingdom
Is "not of this world" and that "the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal but
nighty to the pulling down of stronghold."
A. M. ERASER.
R. C. REED.
k It was ordered that during next week,
cssions of the Assembly bo held each
Afternoon in addition to the periods previously
appointed.
E PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOU'
At 12 m., a scholarly and able address
was delivered by Dr. James Orr, of Glasgow,
Scotland, on "Calvin's Contribution
to the Exegesis of Scripture."
Dr. King, of the Synod ol Texas, offered
a resolution, explanatory of the action
of the Assembly in petitioning the United
States government. The resolution was
adopted and is as follows:
RESOLVED, That the action of the Assembly
in tbe transmission <>f the telegram to the
Government at Washington about the protection
of its Missionaries, Rev. \V. M. Morrison
and Rev. w. li. Sheppard, in a trial to
which they are about to lie subjected, should
not be construed as a violation of the historic
position of the Church hearing upon the relation
of tlu- church to tiie state. Inasmuch as it
was considered and declared to lie an extraordinary
case and an humble petition.
Announcement was made of an excursion
by steamer in the afternoon, down
'the river to the sea.
Recess was taken until 8.30 p. m.
i vui ill L/ajr mvnud/ mui limy.
The Assembly re-assembled and engaged
in devotional exercises led by Rev.
B. B. Knapp. Minutes adopted. Greeting
from Northern Assembly:
"The General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church, U. S. A., in session in Denver,
Colo., send cordial fraternal greetings
and bids you God speed in all your
work for the extension of the kingdom of
God."
Communication received from J. M.
Barkley, moderator, Dr. Lambeth, cf the
Board of Missions of the M. hi. Church,
South, expressing sympathy in the case
of Drs. Morrisou and Shoppard.
Communication read describing the formal
organization of the Presbyterian
Church in Korea.
Papers on women's societies, narrative,
POVfiri'intprQ anil limthorhnnih tyoro ro.
ferre^l "to committees.
An address was delivered by Rev.
Frank Foster, of the American tract
society and reply.
The Second Church, Louisville, Ky., and
First Churub, Lewisburg, W. Va., wero
nominated for next meeting.
At 12 in., an address was delivered by
Dr. A. M. Fraser, of Staunton, Va., on
"The Adaptation of Calvin's Teachings to
Modern Conditions."
RESOLUTIONS.
Resolved 1. That the General Assembly
in session at Savannah, Ga. would hereby
assure Rev. Dr. W. M. Morrison and Rev.
Dr. W. H. Sheppard, our Missionaries
in tihe Congo Independent State of its
profound and heartfelt sympathy with
them on the trial they are about ' to
undergo before a court of that state on
a charge of Calumnious .Denunciations
of the officers of the company Kassai,
and also of the approval and admiration
of liheir brethren at home of their course
in reporting to the world the atrocities
perpetrated on the native people by the
agents of that company and by others.
Resolved 2. That In view of the fact
that the trial of these missionaries is to
be -held at LeopoldvtWe on May 25, the
Assembly hereby requests that on next
Sabbath morning. May 23rd, special
prayer be offered in all our churches and
at the family altar in ail Christian homes
for their deliverance from any miscarriage
of justice under the forms of
law. And also for deliverance of the
people of the Congo Independent State
from the hand of the owressor.
Resolved 3. Inasmuch as our missionaries
who are American citizens,
Messrs. Morrison and Sheppard, in the
rH. 23
Congo Free State, are to be brought to
trial on the 25, day of May, 1909, at 9
IoopoldvUlev upon charges, which.
are informed are groundless; and will
be tried under great disadvantages, we
tile General Assembly, of the Presbyterian
Church in the United States, 9
petition ami urgently-request the Presl
dent of the United States through the
state department to use his influence
with the Belgian Government to have
said trial i>ostponed to some future day
and then to see that our missionaries are
projierly represented
Resolved i. That we heartily thank
the state department for what it baa I
already so kindly done for us.
Resolved 5. That the stated clerk
wire this action to the President.
REPORT of the COMMITTEE AI? INTERIM I
on the REVISION OF ITiE CITATION of
PROOF TEXTS
The first part of the work herewith submitted
was presented to the General Assembly
which met in UirmiiiKhatn In 11HJ7. The
remainder, the revised citations for the catechisms,
was presented to the General Assem
lily which met In Greensboro in 11K>8. That
Assembly rcimiiuled the whole work to the
committee in order thnt. If possible, the committee
might reach substantial agreement at*
to some points it reported a difference of
opinion among its members.
The whole work Is now again presented to
the General Assembly with the ussurauce that
the committee has reached that practical unanimity
which the lust General Assembly desired.
The chief point of difference concerned the
use of "notes" in the case of statements not
directly sustained by texts, but which are
inferences from the statement of texts, or
from other statements which are directly sustained
by texts. This point of difference has
been removed by the use of a General Note
to be prefixed to the citations of the Confession
of Faith and the barge Catechism, to
which reference will he innde In most of the
cases referred to above. In n few cases particular
notes have been retnlned. These are
themselves of the nature of genernl notes or
are of such a character as not to be well
Included unaer the Genernl Note. Here should t
be mentioned two or three'notes which are
among the old cltntlons and which the committee
has retained.
If the Genernl Assembly should approve our
work nnd order It to be used in future editions
of the Standards, we respectfully suggest
thnt the Executive Committee of Publication
be directed to adopt a uniform system of
reference. In our work on the Shorter Catechism
we have followed a recent edition Inwhich
the method of reference Is different
from tnnt used in the Confession of Faittk
nnd Larger Catechism, and is not convenientAccompanying
this report is a copy of thla
edition of the Shorter Catechism.
In case our work is used, the General Assembly
should also direct which version of
the Scriptures should be used. Under our
Hule 10, when there has been any difference
between the old and the new version, we have
followed the American Revised Version aa to
genuineness. Interpretation and relevancy.
Respectfully submitted by order of the committee;
W. II. Marquess, O. It. Hemphill..
William Cumming, F. T. McFadden, W. M.
McPheeters, H. A. White, 8. C. Byrd, R. K.
Vinson. E. II. Brown, M. C. Huttou, J. K.
Cannon.
E. C. (lORDON,
Chairman and Secretary.
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