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1 1 ARLKSTOX Assembly has passed into
vy history. There was nothing spectacular
; ? nit its proceedings or radical in its actions,
it was a ImkIv of men who did their own think
ng. There was no leader who gathered al?oiit
? : 1 1 1 a following which he could carry with
mi. because of his personal iiitluciiec. The
? ports of the executive and ad interim ?*- n u
uittees were given careful consideration. The
? ports of the standing committees were can
, silly prepared, and in most cases they were
i idly discussed. Most of the actions of the
\-senihly will meet with the hearty approval
t the great majority of the Church.
RK.Y. Dir. R. C. It KKD, "t lie grand old
man," as souk one dared to call him,
hail many warm t'rien Is of longstanding among
the mcmltcrs of the Assembly, and hy the time
die ltody had adjourned he had won the ad
miration and esteem of all who sat under his
rule, llis courtesy, gentleness, fairness and
impartiality were all that could he desired. So
tar as we can recall his decisions were never
ijiiest ioned, l?nt once, and then he was sus
tained by an overwhelming majority. No olio
'jiiestioned his judgment iu the appointment
"f committees, and he did much to facilitate
lie work of the Assembly bv the way in which
he handled its business.
THERE was a touch of sadness in the hearts
of iii any of those who have attend the As
sembly on previous occasions in recent years.
\ hen it was found that because of failing
health. Rev. Dr. T. 11. Law, for some years the
-t.ited <?!? rk, would not lie present and that he
iad sent his resignation ot that otlice. lie and
is faithful wife, who always accompanied him
nd aided him in his work will be very much
aiissed. The Assembly was exceedingly for
iinate in having a man who for some years
mis lieen Dr. Law's assistant, as permanent
Icrk. In this position Rev. Dr. .1. I >. Leslie
ad had a training which especially titled him
or the office to which he was elected, as suc
essor to Dr. Law. The work under his guid
nee moved along as smoothly as if no change
? f officer had lieen made. May he have many
ears in which to serve the Church in this im
portant position.
C- LOSER relations with other churches was
S a matter which claimed the attention
?f the Commissioners before they left home
and after they reached the Assembly, as it did
? lie Church at large. The commit tee appointed
ast year to confer with other Presbyterian
?'uid Reformed churches, reported that it bad
met with the committees of several other
??liu relics, and had proposed to them a plan of
'??deration. This was acceptable to some of
'lie other churches, but the committee of the
Northern Church said that their church would
nit be satisfied with anything less than out
:? ?id out. organic union. Our committee recom
mended that the whole matter be dropped. Rut
the Assembly adopted the Constitution for the
1'cderal Council, which our committee had pre
pared, and practically said to the other
? iinrches, "This is our plan for closer relarions.
'l you want closer relations with us you must
sidopf our plan, or else propose some better
plan. but wo do not care to mushier organic
union. "
ON K fact wliicli a large pari of our Church
M't'iiis to have overlooked is that we. as a
Church, are already in ;i toleration ol the
I 'reshvteria n an<l Ketoruied Churches. This
federation is known as the (leueral < "ouneil of
the I 're-div terian and Keforined ('hurehes in
America. It is composed of our Church, the
Northern and I'nitcd I'resyleriau (hurehes. 1 1n*
hutch and the Ccrinati lieformed Churches, the
Southern Synod of the Associate I {e formed
I 'reshvteria ii Church and the ( 'olored < iiniber
land Presbyterian Church. This is an organ -
i/atioii which h:is done very little more than to
attempt lo cultivate good will among the
churches of which it is composed. At a meet
ing held last March amendments to the Con
stitution of this Council were declared adopted,
which give the Council the authority to take
over and conduct any part of the work of the
constituent churches, which may he committed
to it. That is. if two or more of the churches
want to unite in mission or any other kind of
work, 'he ('ouneil will act as their agent in
carrying it out. Whether anything will come
of this remains to he seen.
MONTUKAT is to he tin* pi ace tor the
meeting of the next Asspinhlv. This is
a dream which lias tilled the mind of the man
agement < t mat attractive place lor some time,
hut il has never seemed practicable to have the
liicetim: there helore. Now that the wonderful
new auditorium has hecn completed, it will
furnish an ideal place for the sessions of the
Assembly. The hotels will furnish all the
rooms that arc needed and will provide the
meals. And no doiiht some of the private
cott ages will he opened by their owners, who
will want to att< ml I lie meeting of the Assem
bly. This arrangement will give the Commis
sioners a chance t-? ^et better acquainted with
each other than they can when scattered over
a whole c?ty. The late spring weather and
mountain scenery will make this a most at
tractive place for the gathering of the reprc
senlat ives of the < 'hurcli.
RK POUTS from the churches showed that
the general work of the 1 'hurcli is in bet
ter condition than it has ever been. The con
tributions to some of the causes were not ipiite
cipia I to those of the preceding year, but the
Mai for all causes was greater than ever be
fore.
JIMP IN. CKNKliAL ASSKM liLY. was the
legend seen on III." windshileds of many
automobiles on the si reels of ( 'harh'sl on, especi
ally about the church where the Assembly met.
That meant that any member of the Assem
bly might gel into any such car and lie would
be carried anywhere he wanted to go. That
was typical of the attitude of the pastor and
his people. They asked the Assembly to jump
into the church with all ot its wonderful equip
ment. which provided for every want of the
members. They threw wide open their hearts
and their homes and said to their visitors.
"?lump iii." and tlicy found a gracious and
cordial welcome 1 1 i:it left nothing more to bo
desired. The pastor. the eominittoes ami 1 1 n.?
members of tin? church were always on hand
to r? -i i? 1? >r any service possible. I ho ladies
each day served delightful lunehes with a grace
and eordialit v thai made the members ol the
Assembly sil ways eager to go to the dining room
when 1 it ik-Ii time came. Former (iovernor \Y.
A. Mae( 'orkle. an honored elder ol the lio-t
rlnnvli. and liis charming wife lluvw open
their magnificent mansion and invited the
whole Assembly t.? take luiieh with them olio
? lay. and nothing that oeeiirrod ?rave the uieiii
I m *rs ?il l lie As>eiiiblv more pleasure.
RKijl MSTS eaine from the hi \ men of the
( hurcli. that they he organized in con
ned ion with the Assembly along some plan
similar to that of the Woman's Auxiliary. Of
eourse t here were some, who said that siteh an
organization is not needed, that the ('liurcli is
all the organization that is needed. lint the
large majority of the Assenihlv was of the opin
ion. that it the men eould he so organized and
Would t.d?e hold ol the work of the ('liurcli with
the same energy and zeal which the women
have shown, tl.e ( 'hiireli would make ~n?-ii
growth in all of its activities, as has never Urn
known. Steps were taken looking to the ac
complishment in the near future of the desired
end.
RKIMIKSKXTATIVKS of the oh ii relies
seemed to he in a more hopeful condition
than they have hcen lor some time. Much less
\\a- heard about hard times ami busiiies- de
pression than was heard last year. All seemed
to realize the needs of 'lie work in its various
depart III 'ills, and there was present an e\ i
dent determination to take hold of the great
work ol the ( 'liureh in earnest and with /eal
and energv.
AN'KW ( >111. MANS secular paper make- :t
inosl happy suggestion. It is that we
have a> soon as practicable, a '".No Observance
of Anything Week." The setting aside ol
"weeks" to definite objects, the calling ot the
< liurcli to use its Sundays for specific mention
and unfolding of schemes, enterprises, move
ments. a majority of them by no means con
nected with the great objects of the ('huri'li's
life and organization, has become so common
that in many cases it has become almost a inu
ance and has defeated it- own end. Were all
ihe demands, most of them troni outside of the
( liurcli. responded to. there would be no time
left for her normal work. And as if they have
the right to commandeer the lime and service
of the ('liurcli and to designate days and ask
for their observance and lor special sermons
on special topics on special days, the projectors
of the enterprises concerned, most of which are
of a secular or semi-seeular nature, most
sharply criticize and Iterate the Church when
she declines to yield to their wishes and sa\s
that she must reserve a little time for her own
object- and business. The ( 'liurcli should be
f i ri ii iu her reservation of her time for her own
ends and in deeliniiig to allow herself to be
used for outside purposes.