Newspaper Page Text
May 29, 1912] X H E 1
The Assembly
THE CLOSE OF THE SECOND DAY.
The evening was devoted to a popular meeting in
t'ie interest of the Bi'ble cause. Dr. T. "H. Law, of the
Assembly's Permanent Committee, presented a report,
after which Dr. John Fox, of New York, so favorably
known of late amongst us for his stalwart
defence of orthodoxy against the overwhelming majority
of his own Presbytery, made an address on
the work, needs, and claims of the American Bible
Society. A rising vote of thanks was given Dr. Fox.
A telegraphic greeting was received from the Cumberland
Presbyterian General Assembly. As iB most
common, there was some uncertainty as to its scriptural
reference, but as two passages cited read precisely
alike the Assembly could choose as it pleased.
Saturday, the Third Buy.
The Assembly having closed its sessions with the
Systematic Beneficence Committee's Report hanging
in the air, the members could hardly wait until the
' morning call" was completed. Nevertheless, it
managed to get through the devotional exercises,
through the reading of the minutes, and a part of the
way into reports of Ad Interim Committees, Treasurer
and Board of Trustees.
The Treasurer's Report showed all payments made
and $750.42 on hand. It gave as items the cost to
our church of the Pan-Presbyiterian Alliance as $380
for the year, and of the Coruncil of Reformed
churches, for assessment and travelling expenses
$263. The Trustees reported receipts of $36,084, and
invested funds and securities now amounting to $60,106.
The Board this year received the larger part
of the legacy of the late Miss 'Susan D. Adger, for the
support of one or more missionaries in China.
The Ad Interim Committee on the basis of Representation
in the Assembly and the Term of Office of
Church Officers recommended' the adoption of Enoree
Presbytery's overture of last year, making the representation
in the Assembly one minister and one ruling
elder for each Presbytery, and an additional minister
and ruling elder if the number of communicants
and ministers exceed 4,000, and in like proportion for
every 4,000 communicants and ministers. The Committee
reported unfavorably as to the overture of
Panhandle Presbytery, looking in the direction of
limited tenure of church officers, or the so-called
"rotary system." The report was docketed' for future
POn ol<l A J ? ?
wiio lut; itt w 1UII
The Ad Interim Committee on a Presbyterian University
in Atlanta or elsewhere gave an unfavorable
report. It had found no considerable demand for
such an institution. As to the need for such an Institution,
not the feasibility of establishing it, the
committee recommended that the queston be referred
to the Executive Commitee of Christian Education
and IRilur * *-*? -
- >v?ci. ino ?.BBeuii>iy approved ttie report.
The Ad Interim Committee on a Pastoral Letter
Concerning Worldliness reported that 1t had performed
the duty assigned to It.
The Ad Interim Committee on Marriage and Divorce
presented majority and minority reports. The
minority report, presented by Dr. R. A. Webb for
himself and four others, was a master-piece of clear
statement and analysis, and recommended that the
Assembly reply in fhe negative to certain overtures
touching divorce and adhere to the present confessional
stamement on the subject, while the majority
report recommended the sending down of an overture
asking the Presbyteries whether any confessionel
change is thought to be needful. The report was
docketed for consideration on Monday.
One Secretary for Each Committee.
Then came the great matter. The Assembly was
'?d in special prayer by Rev. S. tF. Tenney. It then
"" k up the recommendations of the Committee of
Systematic Beneficence. Matters ran along smoothly
enough, with a few objections here and there, growing
out of the unwillingness of some to recognize
the Ijaymen's Movement, as a kind of co-ordinate
brunch or arm of the church, until the point was
reached where the Committee recommended that
each Executive Committee have but one Secretary.
A" evtended "explanation" was made by X>r. Flinn,
Secretary of the Committee, and the speeches were
made by Rev. C. D. Waller, Drs. Jas. I. Vance, Egbert
Smith, S. "Li. \forrls, W. R. Dobyns, J. G. Snede?>r,
s. H. Chester, and a few others. The recommendation
of the Committee was amended on motion
?f r>r. Vance, seconded by Dr. Dobyna, and as adopted
by practically a unanimous vote, reading, as adopted,
"That one Executive Secretary be elected for each
cause, to have general supervision and direction of
'be entire work of the Committee, and that the Executive
Committees elect all the Department Superln
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SO
at Bristol?Whe
tendents, Field and other Secretaries or Assistants
that are needed." Happy speeches were made, especially
by Drs. Chester, Vance and Snedecor, showing
that all personal association feeling was entirely
eliminated from the discussion and that only the good
of the church was sought.
The Laymen's Movement.
The recognition of the Laymen's Missionary Movement
by the Committee of Systematic Beneficence,
and thereby th^ Assembly, -was full and cordial. Its
power for good is seen and appreciated. Since the
broadening of its scope so as to embrace all the
benevolences of the church it has won still greater
favor. A few men in the Assembly voiced the feeling
of some that it might be thought that the church
is erecting it into a position co-ordinate with the executive
committees, or even as a rival to the church
ionlf Knf 4-Ulo H * *
wen, uui uuib Buseesuuu seemea 10 receive little
sympathy. These expressions grew out of the words,
"That our four Executive "Committees, with the help
of the laymen's Missionary Movement, take in hand,"
etc. The Assembly declined to amend this expression
of the Systematic Beneficence Committee.
The Church's Beneficence Goal.
A million and a 'half dollars for beneficences, besides
half a million as a special equipment fund, was
set as the Assembly's goal for next year. The proposal
is that of this or whatever part of it be raised,
sixty per cent, shall be for Foreign Missions, twentyon?
per cent, for Home Missions, fifteen per cent, for
Christian Education and Ministerial Relief, and four
per cent, for Publication and Sunday School Work.
The One Secretaryship Discussion.
u/iianuie was supposed to oe under tnis matter.
It was approached very carefully. There was manifest
desire to handle it wisely. The interest was intense
and the silence became almost painful. Special
prayer was made that the Assembly have the Divine
guidance. Tbe recommendation to reduce the number
of Secretaries to one for each Committee, already
given in full, was supposed to be designed for the
purpose of setting aside some of the faithful workers
of the church. It was in the air that there had
been systematic effort in this direction in at least
one case. Two members of the Systematic Beneficence
Committee made a minority report, excepting
the application of the reduction in the case of Foreign
Missions, or Fllnn, for the "Committee, explained
that it was affected only by a desire for perfecting
the business policy of the church and not by any
personal considerations whatever. Dr. Chester, who
has been for nearly nineteen years the able and very
efficient and successful Senior Secretary, and
whose removal from the position the recommendation,
seen in the light of the nomination further m
in the report, was to accomplish, rose and made a
calm, quiet, straight-forward address that went direct
to the hearts of all and showed the heart of the
man. He showed how he could feel no humiliation,
that he could not be humiliated even if there were
intention to do this, that the estimate of his work
stood on the record, not on any committee's estimate,
and thait his record would be the beet heritage of his
children; that wherever he was assigned work he
would be found ready to serve with the same love and
faithfulness as in the responsible place he had held
all these years, and that were his two f riends of the
minority here, Major Hardie and Dr. Bachman, he
would ask them to withdraw their report. Following
Dr. Chester came a little episode which lent an
unpleasant taste to the proceedings, in an indignant
m il lit i uy Hiiudier secretary or certain rumors which
had been heard of, Dr. Vance then moved the adoption
cf the Committee's recommendation, with certain
amendments which he first proposed and which were
adopted, speaking most eloquently and feelingly as a
friend of Dr. Chester, and as the outcome of a prayerful
conference held till a late hour the night hefore
by some who loved the cause and loved the men
associated with Its administration.
An Afternoon's Recess.
The Assembly gave "Saturday afternoon to Its committees.
This was a wise act. It resulted In the
preparation of much work for the following week.
The evening was taken up by a meeting In the Interest
of Schools and Colleges, an interesting address
being delivered by the Secretary, Dr. William E.
Hoggs, followed by a principal address of the evening,
by Dr. A. D. P. Dilmore, of Chester, S. C., on The
Place and Power of the Denominational College.
Fourth Day and Back to Work.
The Assembly's Sunday was a splendid "dies non,"
so far as "ecclesiasticatlng" was conoerned. Noble
u T H '585) 5
it It Has Done
and notable sermons were preached In Bristol and
neighboring towns in Tennessee and Virginia. The
key-note of all of them was the Gospel, and the testimony
to their strength and acceptability was universal.
Refreshed by their rest and strengthened by the
strong meat on which they had been fed, the commissioners
re-assembled promptly Monday morning.
Rev. D. O. Byers, of Louisiana, led the devotional exercises.
The Systematic Beneficence Committee's report
was taken up again. The Committee's reguest
for further time to consider the establishment of a
Bureau of Education and Information was granted.
Its recommendation that the pastors' salaries promised
to be the basis of assessments for the Assembly's
contingent and mileage found was changed
and the per capita basis was substituted. Its wnm
mendations that the per capita basis be adopted in apportioning
the total amount called for in the Assembly's
work among the Synods, and that the Synods
and Presbyteries in the further distribution be left
to their own discretion, that monthly reports by Execuive
Committees be directed and that church treasurers
have their attention called to the importance
of monthly remittances, that the Prayer Calendars
heretofore issued separately be combined and include
the work of the four Committees, that the minimum
amounts recommended for the benevolent work
of the church for 1912-13 be for Foreign Missions,
$560,000; Home Missions, $190,000; Christian Education
and Ministerial Relief, $129,000; Sabbath School
and Extension and Publication, $30,000; American
Bible Society, $10,000, that in addition to these minimum
amounts the attention of all be asked to the
pressing debt of $104,000 on Foreign Missions, the
semi-centennial fund of $100,000 for Home Missions.
the $163,000 still needed to properly endow Ministerial
Relief, were all adopted. A schedule of appointment
to the several Synods was approved. The
nomination of Executive Secretaries and members of
the several Committees was approved. According to
this, Dr. E. W. 'Smith was made Secretary of Foreign
Missions; Dr. S. L. Morris of Heme Missions; Dr. W.
Sweets of Christian Education and Ministerial Relief,
and Mr. Magill of 'Publication and Sunday
School Work. Various miscellaneous recommendations
as to the printing of the Committee's report, the
assignm nt of months to the causes for educational
purposes, etc., were adojrted. Among these was a
prov'V ,*i 'b-.i cf'er this veir oi.r Assembly's M'nutes
shall Include an alphabetical index of the
churches as well as of the ministers. A special committee
was appointed to nominate members to fill
vacancies occuring from expiration.
Personal Statements.
Dr. E. W. Smith expressed regret that in the remarks
of Saturday certain words had been used. Dr.
\ nesxer expressed to the Assembly his thanks for
its action and said that he felt as if he were walking
on air. Everybody knows that he will not for that
reason abate an iota of his diligent, faithful work
for the cause that lies so near his heart.
Marriage and Divorce.
This most interesting and important matter was
taken up agan. The minority report (given in full on
page 17), made by Drs. Webb, Cecil, White and Fleming,
was substituted for the report of the majority,
Drs. Bcggs, Strickler, Sampson and Joplin and was
adopted by an overwhelming vote. The discussion
ran on through parts of the morning and afternoon
sessions, with sundry interruptions. Dr. Boggs was
the advocate of the majority report, making a most
elaborate and scholarly presentation of his views,
arguing especially against the retention of desertion
as a ground of divorce and against the right of that
class of divorcees to re-marriage.
lTiii<?n With the United Presbyterians.
The Assembly appointed a Committee, Dr. Reed,
Dr. "Morris, Dr. Cannon, Hon. Allen Q. Hall, and Hon.
W. F. Stevenson, to confer with a similar committee,
whioh It trusts may be appointed by the United Presbyterian
Assembly, to ascertain whether a basis of
union of the two churches is practicable, and if so
to report the 8hid basis to their respective Assemblies
for their consideration "and action thereon.
The Woman Secretary Question.
The report of the Standing Committee on Church
Societies, Dr. Grier, Chairman, to which were referred
all the papers referring to the appointment of a
Secetary for Women's Work, was adopted. Its recommendation
on the much discussed question was as
follows: "The four Executive Committees be directed
to select a woman possessing suitable gifts,
(Continued on page 11.)