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INCORPORATED 1831.
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Assets $1,611,088.00
W. H. PALMER, President,
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11:4k P.M. Dally Limited for all polnta
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THE PRESBYTER!/
Synodical Conjere
Un
By Mrs. 1L G. Yarn
In this age of religious activity, of
opportunity and of need, system and
economy have a vital place. In a recent
issue of the church papers Mrs. J.
Calvin Stewart published an article advocating
synodical unions of the women's
societies in preference to synodical
inferences. Having been for several
ears actively at work in the Synod
jf Virginia, holding the presidency of
he Lexington Presbyterlal Union, and
having been in touch with state work
since I gave up that office, I feel that I
am situated to answer Mrs. Stewart's
article. In discussing this subject 1 desire
to be charitable, frank and accurate.
1 will first Btate the difference be
tween a synodical "union" and a synodical
"conference" bo that both sides
may be more easily understood. A
synodical union is an organization of
delegates from all the Presbyterlal
unions within the Synod, and its work is
to read papeiB, to hear reports, to tabulate
statistics, to discuss questions, to
have devotional exercises, and with an
audience from the outside to listen to
popular inspirational addresses. The
synodical union differs from a presbyterlal
union only in the way it is composed,
the synodical union being composed
of delegates from presbyterlal
unions, while the presbyterlal unions
are composed of delegates from the
societies of the local churches. A
synodical conference, on the other
uanu, jo tx giiiaeiiug 01 rne principal
officers of the Presbyterlal unions, and
its work is to hear reports, to tabulate
statistics, to pray, to consult as to the
best methods of work, and to arrange
for such a concert of action among the
Presbyterlal unions as will provide each
of these unions with the best speakers
at the smallest cost.
The difference, then, between the
Conference and the Union is, first, that
the conference is for business chiefly,
while the union Is for Inspirational
public addresses also. Second, that the
conference arranges to have the Presbyterlal
Unions meet, one Immediately
after another, in quick succession, so
that the speakers can go from one to
another till all are reached In turn, and
with the least expense, while the union
makes no such arrangement, and each
Presbyterlal union is left to provide a
program for itself at a greater cost.
I feel conscious that the difference of
opinion as to the two plans comes from
a lack of clear understanding of a
synodlcal conference, and not from any
defect in organization. In reality, the
synodlcal conference is but the outgrowth
of a synodlcal union, and an improvement
upon It, embracing the best
points of the union, eliminating what is
weak in lack of system and economy,
and broadening the horizon of woman's
knowledge of our church causes, including
the study of other causes than
Home and Foreign Missions. Why
should there be opposition to, rather
than a study of, this conference plan?
Ctmnlir Ka/>o iiOa if Vtoa honn rooontl v
oiuip i j uctauoc iw UOD uctu icvoubij
launched. This is an age of discovery In
the scientific world. Each day's work
reveals that some organization has been
more fully perfected. Why should not
experience reveal In the same way
greater light for the management of
our woman's state work, and when we
are planning this work, why should not
the matter of harmony with existing
agencies of the men of our chnrch be
kept constantly In mind?
I shall now endeavor to answer Mrs.
Stewart's arguments point by point.
1. Mrs. Stewart says: "There are now
lN of the south
nee vs. Synodical
ion
re, Waynesboro, Va.
five synodical organizations, four of
which are unions." In reality there are
only three synodical unions, Alabama,
Missouri and Virginia. Georgia, Kentucky
and Texas have conferences, the
latter state having changed from a
union to a conference after the Assembly
of 1910 endorsed conferences. One
of the leaders of the Texas work says,
"Why do you suppose Mrs. Stewart has
taken Buch a view of a conference as
she sets forth in her article of December
6th? Surely our Texas conference
is not such. Every one of the reasons
set forth does not tally with our
method."
2. Mrs. Stewart says: "The union
embraces all that a conference doeB,
and vastly more." I differ from this
view. The union does not embrace the
business consultation that the conference
does, nor the systematic and
economical arrangement of consecutive
meetings for the Presbyterial unions.
That is a deficiency of great practical
Importance. The conference does
lack the large inspirational meetings,
but these are no longer needed after
splendid meetings of this kind have
just been held in each of the Presbyterial
unions.
3. She says: "The work as conducted
by the synodlcal union is along the
same lines as the work carried on by
the women of all other denominations
for over twenty-five years, and with
wonderful success." She argues that
woman's work has been successfully
haudled by Bimilar state organizations
in other denominations, and that we
ought not to be different from them, and
that unless we conform to what other
churches are doing, we will throw our
work back at least ten years. I reply
that Presbyterians are not accustomed
to doing things merely because other
churches do them. They are always
willing to borrow what is good from
others, but It must first be proven to
them that It is good. They try to "prove
all things and hold fast that which Is
good." They think for themselves, and
are generally in the lead. They have a
Bible system of church government to
guide them. This conference is more
in harmouy with our church government
and it is the most practical and
useful. We do not wish to go back ten
years and pick up the plans that were
devised then, but adopt something better.
The Southern Methodists have recently
abandoned this plan of separate
management of women's work, and
abolished the woman's board, thus giving
evidence of the fact that their
methods of woman's work did not prove
satisfactory* Leaders in our mission
work have been congratulated by a man
of international reputation as a manager
of mission work that our woman's
work is not under separate management.
4. Synodical unions give the only
means for securing of information and
the gathering of statistics. Article 10
or roe ueorgia constitution, wnicn constitution
has been advocated by the executive
office at Nashville, goes to prove
that statistical reports are received and
tabulated. It says: "Each Presbyterlal
union shall be requested to send
to the secretary of the conference a
duplicate of Its report to Its Presbyetry,
and also statements concerning
any vital matters needing the advice
end prayers of this conference." The
confusion as to the beeping of statistical
reports by the conferences has
arisen from a statement made is a
leaflet issued some time ago called. "A
7
March 6, 1912]
Suggestive Platform." That platrorm
as not been advocated by the Nashville
oflice since the organization of the
Georgia state work, and the formulation
of their constitution.
As to the point that the organization <
of. Presbyterial unions is the direct result
of a synodical union, a glance at
other states will refute this. Take for i
instance North and South Carolina,
Georgia and Florida, with every Presby- i
tery organized without the aid of a ?
synodical union. . *
6. The statement that "the conference
is without organization or organized
agencies for the development and ex. ,
tehsion of the work," is a mistake. Let
me quote from article IV of the
Georgia constitution: "The officers of
this conference shall be a President, a
Recording Secretary, a Treasurer, and
five Vice-Presidents. First a Foreign
Mission Vice-President; second, an Assembly's
Home M'ssion Vice-President;
third, a synodical Vice-President;
fourth, a young people's Vice-President; ?
fifth, an organization and institutional
work Vice-President. One can see from
this that all phases of religious work
endorsed by our General Assembly have
careful consideration.
6. As to the statement that the church
and community in which the conference
is held gains no inspiration or Informaton
from its meeting, we would answer
that the Georgia constution calls for the
synodical conference to follow immediately
upon and in the same town with
the last Presbyterlal union in the consecutive
route. The conference thus
reaches every Presbyterlal union once
in six years. When a synodical conference
arranges to have the Presbyterlal
unions meet one after another in
rapid succession, and prepares a program
of the highest order to be presented
to e&ch of these unions, the result
is that a delegation from every
church in the Synod has the privilege of
hearing the best speakers to be had at
some one of these consecutive meetings;
whereas, at a synolcal union the fine a
program is heard by only the few delegates
from the Presbyterlal unions and
by the local audience.
7. It is claimed that the expense of a
conference Is as great as a union. Let
us investigate the accuracy of this
statement. The expense of the synodical ?,
meeting of Virginia at Williamsburg
last November was reported as $89.00,
this amount not Including the printing
of the minutes and other small expenses
which raised this fund to $150.00. Add
to this the traveling expenses of two
delegates from each Presbyterlal union
Some of the unions pay, too. the traveling
expense of their president
"A resolution presented by Mrs. x
Howlson, at the Williamsburg meeting,
and adopted by the union, provides for
*