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14 THE
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PROOF TEXT REVISION.
Recent editorial remarks in the Presbyterian
of the South, in regard to this
subject, suggest some explanatory statemonta
It is not expected that the Presbyteries
will vote on the question submitted to
them by the General Assembly at their
tall meeting this year. It was impracticable
to get the whole work before
them in time tor this. All that the Presbyteries
can do at these meetings is to
appoint committees ad interim to examine
the work at their leisure and report
to the next spring meetings. The names
of the chairmen of these committees
should be reported to the Committee of
Publication at Richmond.
The General Assembly neglected to express
Its will as to the version to be
used. Hence the Old Version will be
used in the revised citations. The American
Revision has been followed as the
standard with respect to genuineness, interpretation
and relevancy. This is in
accordance with Rule X, reported to the
General Assembly at the beginning of its
committee's work and not objected to.
For example, Rom. 8: 4 is used instead
vi o. i, iu ausiaiu onuner ^aicnism
question No. 35: "We . . . are enabled
more and more to die unto sin and live
unto righteousness," because the words
"who walk not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit," do not appear in verse 1, according
to American Revised Version.
The approval of this work by the Presbyteries
and its use in future editions of
the Standards involve no change whatever
in the Standards themselves. The
committee, with a very good degree of
unanimity, have expressed the opinion
that the new citations are, as a whole,
better than the old, and have recommended
their use in the future rather than
the old. The last General Assembly, after
making a single amendment, approved
of the work, evidently In the same way
that their committee approved oi it. In
order to forestall endless criticism and
discussion, the General Assembly directed
the work to be sent to the Presbyteries
"for their answers as to its adoption." "As
to Its adoption" evidently means adoption
for the use of the proposed citations
in future editions of the Standards;
a use corresponding to the use hitherto
made of such citations.
a uiu vuuut uigu ua tu iuc auuui at'/ ui
this view of the action of the General Assembly
after correspondence with the
Rev. Doctor P. P. Flournoy, who was the
chairman of the special committee whose
recommendations in the premises the
Assembly adopted.
In order to give the presbyterlai com.
mittees the best opportunity to examine
the new citations with the least trouble,
the text of the Standards will be printed
with the citations Just as they will appear
In new editlops, If "adopted." I hope
that the Shorter Catechism Is now in the
hands of the Presbyteries, or their offl
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOUT
cers. The remainder of the work will be
printed and distributed in ample time
lor the presbyterial committees to examine
it carefully and report at the spring
meetings.
I have been called on to nrenare tht>
"copy" and to read the "proofs." It is
human to err. I, tnerefore, beg that any
clerical or other errors that may be detected
by the presbyterlal committees or
other persons be reported to me at their
early convenience.
E. C. Gordon,
Chairman.
Lexington, Missouri
PROOF TEXTS.
The following letter has been addressed
to the Presbyteries, and explains itself:
The last General Assembly approved,
with a single amendment, the work of
its committee ad interim on the revision
of the citation of proof-texts to our doctrinal
Standards. It also directed the
Committee of Publication "to print a sufficient
number of copies of the report thus
amended, for distribution among the Presbyteries,"
and to send the report down to
the Presbyteries "for their answers as
to its adoption." See Minutes for 1909,
pp. 28, 29.
The report contains the changes suggested
as well as the results of the
changes. To print the whole report for
the sake; of one or two hundred copies
would be very expensive and needless.
The object of the General Assembly in
sending the reports to the Presbyteries is
"o give them an opportunity, after examimation,
to adopt or reject the results as
these will appear in a new edition of the
Standards. Moreover, the Presbyteries
will find it much easier and more satisfactory
to examine these results if they
are presented to them in connection with
the text of the Standards.
Hence the Committee of Publication
proposes to print, together, the text and
revised citations and to hold the type
forms until the action of the Presbyteries,
when, if the revision is approved,
?m u- * ?-> - -
mc ?uir win ut- oi'ii-ui..yp*?u ana a new
edition printed.
It will be impracticable to get the
whole of this work in the hands of the
Presbyteries at the approaching fall meeting.
It may be that the Shorter Catechism
can be so placed. In view of the
situation all around, and in order to prevent
useless expense and delay, I beg
leave to suggest that you appoint at your
fall meeting a committee ad interim to
examine this work and report to the
spring meeting.
If your Stated Clerk will send the name
of the chairman of this committee to the
vyuuimui.ee or fUDiicauon at Kicnmona,
Va., with the number composing the committee,
copies of the work will be sent
to your committee in time for them to
examine it and report to you at your
next stated meeting.
E. C. Gordon,
Chairman Proof-Text Committee.
I never regard anything as personal except
that which is complimentary.
H. Sept. 22, 1909.
TO THE PRESBYTERIANS OF
GEORGIA.
The Presbyterian Hospital and Training
School is now under the control of
Trustees and Advisory Board elected by
tne Presbyterians of Georgia, and the institution
is now yours. This adoption of
tne institution by the Presbyterians was
undertaken after the fullest discussion
possible and the Executive Committee of
the Board of Trustees counts confidently
upon the support of our people in the
work now being done and proposed to be
done in the future. The Executive Committee
is carefully discussing plans for
the building of a hospital and training
school to cost not less than $100,000. To
do this requires the support of our peo
pie in every pari or tne State and in due
time every Presbyterian, man, woman and
child, in the State will be given an opportunity
of contributing to this cause.
But in the meanwhile the present work
must not be allowed to languish. The responsibility
on us is a great one. We are
already maintaining a training school for
nurses in which are being trained about
twenty young women as Christian nurses.
By help of the good women of the
Ladies Auxiliary we are doing as much
charity work as we cawi possibly afford,
but the demand on us for this kind of
work is greater than we can possibly
meet. Prom every part of the State we
are being called on to receive into the
hospital some sick man or woman or
child, who sorely needs hospital treatment,
but can not afford the expense. In
the meanwhile we have a fixed expense
in the rental, salaries and the maintainence
of the work in general which has to
ue 11^1 prompny, aaiiy, weeKiy, and
monthly. The hospital must be kept efficient
at all hazards. We can not afford to
take the sick Into the hospital and give
them anything else than the best professional
attention.
To do this requires even on* the moderate
scale in which we are now operating,
over and above what we are receiving
lrom pay patients, at least six hundred
dollars per month. To carry on this work
WA must hovo thn holn ?"v"
? ? ? - ..Mtv vuv y ui x^okvjxi. UX J'UU.
Will you not respond to this call by sending
at once, to our treasurer, Clyde L.
King, your check for as large an amount
as you can afford? If you can not send
check, let us hear from you at once as to
what we may expect of you in the near
future. Let us count on a subscription
from you payable at your earliest convenience.
We can not maintain the institution
without your help. We can not
make "bricks without straw." It is useless
for your trustees to undertake the
laiBci wuin. uiiiu we nave secured your
cooperation in tne support of the present
work.
The Jews, the Catholics, the Baptists,
and the Methodists of ^Georgia are each |
supporting instiutions of this kind. Will
the Presbyterians of Georgia do less in
proportion to their numbers and ability i
to give? i
In response to this appeal we hope to 1
hear from many individuals, men, women
and children of the Synod, and trust that A
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