New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-06-01
OLD.sCuOOL PRRsBYTERIANs.

CLD.SCNOOL PRBsBHTER1ANs.
We give yesterday tue final action of the Old
School Presby terrain Assembly on the present.
condition of national affairs. 1t has taken that
body about week to reach tho conclusion that
it is desirable to "promote aud perpctuate tho
" integrity of the United States and 10 strength
SEQ, uphold aud encourage the Federal Govern
" ment in the Just exercise Of oil its functions
" under our noble Constitution" 1t has taken
many hundreds, no doubt many Thousands, of
young lay Presbyterisns much less time 10 ar
range their worldly affairs. shoulder their mus
kets and march forth to fight the battles Of their
country, asking tho prayers Of fathers and
mothers, prayers freely given, and trusting in
thu blessing of God in the performance of that
duty, at Whatever cost. II should be comfort
TO them to know that the Church has at length,
consented to give It's approval, as there must
otherwise painful question have arsen-whether
the Church was untrue to her own prln-
ciples, or these young disciples bad for
gotten the teachings that from their youth
upward they had drank in from Sunday
School and Pulpit. Indeed, after weeks dis
cus,On it seems not ~ have been altogether plain
TO the Presbyterian mind whether duty to the
Church aud duty to ones country could be re-
conclled; whether patriotism aud picty had not
q divided allegiance; whether the devotion to
the cause of Liberty and the rights of man shown
by 80 many Presbyterlaps, aud which 50 many,
doubtless, will seal with their blood, can meet
the approval of the Church in General Assembly.
Ill, ia II hp TO. Inf
offered by Dr. Spring which we published yes
terday, TO l5i for them. These % included, OF
course, the ~ Delegates from the Southern States,
but the rest must have been from the North.
The clerical mind is usually ingenious and capa-
bic of logical and plausible statements, but we
think it will puzzle these ior'!-t@o Northefners
&, satisfy, Oh their return homc, those whom
they represented at Philadelphia, OF the reasOn
nLcness Of this condemnation Of Dlnefy.nMe
Lundrc.hs Of their fellow citizens OF the North.
Nor we're they Satisfied with assuming
merely negative position. Inc moment the as
semby adjourned another meeting was called,
whereat a protest was adopted, signed fret by
about forty members, and afterward by more. 1t
is a very long, verbose and heavy document, al
together too loug to copy IN these times when
matters Of great interest 50 crowd upon us that
We have not tenth Of the room Ne want, and
wien even we'll. written trcasounbo documents
are abundant. The gst OF 1t, however, Is
simply this: that whrroas there are brethren in
the Southern States who brheye their first allie
glance is to their own State, these Old-School
Irrsbyterians are not willing to avOw, as q
church, thu. they owe allegiance and de-
y,,tion 10 the Union aud the Constitution. In
other words, az there are members OF the church
who are trnitors to the coultry, Il Is not for
the interest vi the church to deD0unce treason
As such was the fountain whrnce sprung
the opposition which delayed the action OF the
church 10 long, We think tho sol
d.rrs in the camp who sleep with
Bibles in the koapsacks under their beads
and there are iuauy OF then-inay take comiort,
aud dismiss the doubts, il any bad arsen as 10
the entire consistency of their resrnt position
aud their cherished convictions. We observe
tnat the Rev. DR.. Hodge tho President Of the
SEMINARY at Princeton, where so many Southern
youths arc educated, III abiding to this protest
Of tho minority, spoke Of 1t as " n struggle 10
'preserse the UNITY of the Presbyterian Churcb."
To cue from the heart Of the Jerseys, il is
strange that II should net have occurred whether
the unity OF the Church was worth purchasing
at the expense of the Union Of the States, over
thrown by treason, its rum contaminated aud
the Constellation destroyed by violence aud civil
war, only that Human Slavery might grow
checked La the ca ifse Of the debate the real
spirit Of this opposition. led by DIR. Hodge, was
shown by the remark OF a Mr. Mathews Of Ken
tucky, that it was net go much tho Federal
Union they objected 10, bat the Union under
its present Administration. This was frank con-
fesslon Of the very animus Of treason: while they
ruled they were coutented to hold the Government,
bu, it was u be- overthrow when passing from
their hands The majority did we'll to put the
seal OF Reproduction on such sentiments Us these,
and clear their own skirts from guilt when they
had once been uttered.