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ton and Lee University, on "Calvin's Contribution
to Educational Progress." The
thanks of the assembly were extended to
Dr. Denny by a rising vote.
Rev. Dr. Lumpkin made a report ou
Theological Seminaries, which was received
and adopted.
Dr. M. W. Moore, chairman, made a
partial report from the Committee on
Bills and Overtures, as follows:
The Committee on Bills and Overtures respectfully
sulmiits the following report:
1. Overtures from the Synod of Ixuilsinun
nnd the Presbytery of Mississippi asking the
General Assembly to transfer the churches of
Idberty. Kose 11 ill. Centervlllc, Woodvllle,
Hoyt Memorial. Unity and Bethany, all in
the State of Mississippi, together with the
territory embraced in the counties of Amite
nnd Wilkinson, in the State of Mississippi,
from the Synod of Louisiana to the Synod of
Mississippi, so that the boundaries of the
Synods may coincide with the boundaries of
Irtie States.
Answer: The Assembly hereby transfers
the churches named and the territory de..
. . .. ?I.I. I
scrioen, lUKi'iurr nuu iuc m
and the candidates from these churches from
the Synod of Ixniisiaun to the Synod of Mississippi.
2. Overtures from the Presbytery of
ltoanoke. asking the Assembly to send down
t'? the Presbyteries for their approval nnd
amendment to Chap. XV, See. II of onr Itules
of Discipline as follows: Strike out the words
"he required" In the eighth and ninth lines
of said Sec. II.. so that the clause shall read,
* "the Court whose bounds he has left shnll
. transfer them."
Reply: The Assembly answers In the negatlve.
3. Overture from tlm Presbytery of Atlanta.
asking the Assembly to Internret Book
of Church Order, paragraph 1:1, with speclflc
reference as to whether the installation
of a pastor may with propriety and with
fidelity to the constitution be executed by n
committee.
Reply: This Assembly nnswers. as did the
Assembly of 1KSK5. that the Form of Government
(Chap. V, Sec. 7. pars. 92 and 93) requires
that a pastor should be installed only
by the Presbytery or by a Commission of the
Presbytery.
4. The Piesbytery of Ashevllle overtures
the Assembly "to amend the Book of Church
Order, Chap. V, See. 6, par. 2, by adding the
follow'ii jr wordS: 'The Moderator of each
Assembly shall be a member ex officio of the
next succeeding Oeneral Assembly, representing
the Church *nt l**-irc. and bis iic-escnry
expenses shall be paid by the Assembly."
Answer: The Assembly lias no [lower to
do what It Is here .requested to do. .
5. Overture from Washburn Presbytery,
touchlnir the employment of non-uilnisterial
members of the church In the work of collecting
and disbursing the money that is required
for the conduct of nil the work of our
Assembly.
Answer: Since the Assembly has at present
financial and executive agents who are not
preachers, and Is committed to the policy of
selecting from its general membership, eldership*
or diaconate. available and efficient
men t* conduct Its financial affairs (see
printed Minutes of 1908, p. 33), no further action
Is necessary.
fl. Overtures from the Presbytery of Charleston.
from the Presbytery of Chesapeake,
hnd from certain individual ministers asking
the anointment of nn nd Interim committee
of not Ipku tliAii Hv<? monilkoru fmomlioruhlno
on the same to be preferably Riven to professors
of theology In our seminaries'*?
Charleston) to consider the whole matter of
the reception of pol.vgamlsts Into the Church,
and to report to the Assembly of 1010: and
overtures from the Presbytery, of Missouri,
asking the Assembly to take steps to so
alter the Confession of Faith In Chap.
XXIV, pars. 5 and 6, as to harmonise their
teachings as to what are lawful grounds of
divorce, and from the Presbytery of Knoxvllle,
asking the appointment of an ad Interim
committee to investigate the teaching
of the Scriptures touching divorce and remarriage
for the purpose of. ascertaining
whether or not the Confession of Fnlth
(chapter XXIV) Is In accord with the Word
of flod. and to report the result of their Investigation
to the General Assembly of 1910.
Answer: The Assembly, through Its Moderator,
appoints an ad Interim committee of
Ave to consider the matters referred to, and
to report to toe Assembly of 1910.
7. Overture from the Presbytery of Winchester.
asking the Assembly to make a deliverance
In regard to the doctrine of Christian
Science, warning the Church against the evil,
L
y
l PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOU1
subversive character or snlil doctrine to the
Christian religion.
Reply: The Assembly relying upon the
positive teaching of the great principles of our
faith as the best protection of our people
against vagaries of the kind referred to, does
not think such a deliverance necessary.
X. Overtures from the Synod of North Carolina,
asking the Assembly to send down to the
Presbyteries for their adoption certain
changes in our form of government having in
view the making of a Synod a Court In regular
graduation.
Answer: Your committee, at the suggestion
and request of representatives of the Synod
of North Carolina present in the Assembly,
recommends that the Assembly, through its
Moderator, appoint an ad interim committee
to consider ail the matters referred to in this
o>ertnre and report to the Assembly of 1010.?
l>r. Johnson, Chmn.
0. Overture from tae Presbytery of Mobile,
asking the Assembly "to make such change
In chapter III, See. Ill of our Confession of
Faith as will eliminate the appearance of
fatalism, and thus enable us the more successfully
to commend our doctrine to the
favorable consideration of our fellow men."
Answer: The Assembly declines to propose
the change suggested, for the reason that the
section referred to. when rend in connection
with the other parts of the Confession, furnishes
no ground for the charge that it has
even the "aunearance of fatalism-"
10. Overture from tlio Presbytery of Eiioree
touching the validity of Itoiuan Catholic baptism.
The Assembly answers, that In view of the
repeated deliverances of the Assembly in
1K4.-.. 1S71 and lKS-1, further action is deemed
unnecessary.
11. Overture from the Presbytery of Memphis,
asking the Assembly to define the sphere
and limits of women's work in the Sabbath
school and in Synodical and General Assembly
Sabbath school institutes.
Answer: In the judgment of the Assembly,
such a deliverance is not necessary.
12. Overtures from the Presbyteries of Eust
Vt??isslnni. 1'pper Missouri anil Mangum,
asking the Assembly to take such action as
will allow each* and every congregation
throughout its hounds, by their own vote, to
adopt the rotary system of Church officers:
a communication from the Presbytery of
Parl?. reporting Its refusal to Join In said
overtures: and an overture from the Presbytery
of Central Mississippi, nsklng the Assem
my imii to invor sued overtures, should they
lie sent.
Answer: The Assembly (let-lines to take any
netion looking to the adoption of the rotary
system of Church officers.
Adjourned with prayer until tomorrow,
at 9:30 a. m.
Sixth Day?Wednesday Morning.
. The devotional exercises were conducted
by Rev. Donald McQueen.
'the minutes of yesterday's meeting
were read and adopted.
The report on the narrative was read
by Rev. J. N. Holliday.
The Foreign Mission report was read
. by the chairman. Dr. R. C. Reed. It was
placed on the docket for consideration
at 10:30 tomorrow.
. . . . It Is brought to our notice In the
Executive Committee's report that the missionaries
In the field, while deeply Impressed
with the neeu of more workers, are at the
same time deeply Impressed with the Importance
of a high standard of qualification for
the workers. They believe, and It would
seem reasonably that the last place for weakening
Is on the foreign field. There are complex
problems of all kinds, and pressing for
solution. Where foundations are being laid,
whpfp fiolirioB nro liwlncr nlnnnwil
tn k ch In the present will tell disastrously
upon the Indefinite future, the prime need Ih
for men of sagnclous judgment, of fine administrative
ability, of statesmanlike qualities
of leadership.
It la hIko gratifying to note that the Exeeutlve
Committee are purposing, with" the
approval of the Assembly, to ralae the standard
of qualification, and thus secure for our
foreign work choice and winnowed workers.
Thev lay down the following rules to be
rigidly adhered to, except In extraordinary
cases:
"First. In the appointment of ordained
missionaries, physicians and male teachers,
the coinmluee will endeavor to be even more
careful than heretofore In maintaining the
high standard of qualification reqalred In our
Manual.
"Secondly. No single lady, other than a
rH. June 2, 1909.
trained nurse, will be appointed who has not
had the equivalent of an A. B. or B. S. degree
from a reputable college and also. In addition
to that, at least one year of special
training for the special line of work for
which she is appointed."
Your committee are persuaded that the
Assembly will not only approve of these rules
and their rigid euforceiueiit. but would furiher
approve of the Executive Committee
ddoptlng an age Unlit, especially for femnle
' pplUauls, refusing, except In very extraordinary
circumstances, to give an appointment to
au applicant who Is over thirty-live years of
age.
The Executive Committee have had the
valuable service of Itev. D. Clay Lilly for the
past two years without any expense to the
committee's treasury. Ills salary has been
provided for a year to come, and It Is recommended
that the Assemble hereby express Its
approval oi the committee's continued employment
of I>r. Clay Lilly during the next
twelve mouths.
The complaint of II. C. Ilultose against the
Executive Committee for approving the action
of the Mid-China Mission in uniting In
certain school work with the Central China .
Mission has been carefully read by your committee.
While conceding to I)r. DnRose the
lu.t .....1 ?OH ?- -
... >-i ... uii'inrn mill nilllllK 111 IIIIUW IUII
weight to his ninny objections to the notion
of his fellow-workers In the inntter couiplnlned
of. It seems to your committee thnt without
n fuller knowledge of nil the Interests Involved.
and the way In which these Interests
are to he nfTected by the notion of the MidChlnn
Mission, it would not lie wise for us to
not ns judges. We would recommend, therefore.
that the Assembly decline to sustain *.he
oomplnint of Dr. Duliose
The letter from Rev. Messrs. Geo. Hudson.
W. II. Hudson nnd others of the Mid China
Mission reveals the fact thnt our -missionaries
And great difficulty nnd suffer much
anxiety about semiring for their children the
opportunities of educntiou. Good schools on
mission territory are few nnd very expensive.
The same may he snid of good governesses?
they arc few nnd very expensive. It seems
a necessity thnt the missionaries. If they are
to educate their children at all. must send
them nt a tender age to tills country. Here
ngnln the expense is very great, and the concern
of parental hearts for their children so
far rnniAvotl frnni tholn nnronfnl stow lo
- I """ - " 'CIJ
keen. Your coin ml t too fool that the condition
of our missionaries In respect to this
matter merits the sympathy of the Assembly,
and that the Assembly should show a readiness
to do all that It can to relieve the situation.
Your committee, therefore, recommend
that the Assembly appoint an ad Interim
committee of three to canvass thoroughly
the whole sulijeet of the education of the
children of our missionaries with a view to
ascertain precisely what our Church Is doing,
whether It -can and ought to do more, what
other churches are doing In this line; In a
word, to Inform themselves fully on every
aspect of the subject, and report to the next
Assembly.
Arrangements are being made for a world
missionary conference to be held In Edinburgh.
Scotland. June 14-24, 1010. The pur|w>se
of tills conference will be to promote
in every way the enterprise of world evangelization.
Our Church Is entitled, according
to the bnsls of representation laid down by
those who have the arrangements In charge,
to seventeen delegates. Your committee nominates
the following persons to attend this
conference, the delegates to pay their own
Ministers?Principals: Kcv, W. R. Dobyns.
D D., Rev. W. W. Moore, I). D., Rev. J. M.
Wells, D. D.. Rev. A. B. Curry. D. D., Rev.
Thornton Whaling, D. D. Alternates: Rev.
8 M. Neel, D. i3.. Rev. W. H. Marquess. D.
D? Rev. R. O. Kllun, Rev. J. H. Taylor^ Rev.
Robert Vinson.
Laymen?Principals: James Sprunt, C.
K. Graham, C. A. Rowland, A. J. A. Alexander,
M. McH. Hull. Alternates: W. D.
McKowen. Jackson. La.: J. L. Howe, Lexington,
Vs.; H. W. Malloy, Wilmington, N.
H. C. Ostrum, C. H. Pratt.
Missionaries?Principals: Rev. P. F. Price.
Rev. W. D. Reynolds, Rev. R. E. McAlplne.
Alternates: Rev. H. C. DtiBose, Dr. T. H.
Daniels, H. P. Fulton.
Women?Principals: Mrs. Elisabeth p.
Allen. Charlotte, N. C.; Mrs. Jno. D. Knox.
Annlston, Ala.; Mrs. Champ Clark. Washington.
D. C. Alternates: Mrs. J. C. Htewart.
Richmond, Va.: Mrs. R. L Hlckmnn, Texar
Anna. mm. j. i;. I IIT1H, IJUliPft, Kill.
Executive Committee?8. H. CheateY.
Your committee recommend that the Assembly
Instruct Ita Executive Committee to
have prepared from plctnrea on hand, and to
be aeon red from the various fields In which
our Church is at work, stereoptlcon slides,
to be loaned to pastors and Preshyterlal
chairmen for their missions, for use In Illustrating
missionary addresses; that the committee
endeavor to induce Presbytertal chairmen
to secure good lonterns and to system