The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-11-05
U N I t E D.

CnurChs
The reunion of the two leading branches of
the Presbyterian Church in the United States
is now practically an accomplished fact The
negotiations which have been pending be-
tween the General Assemblies of the two
parts, ever since their providential meeting
in st. Louis in 1866, having at last been
brought to a satisfactory termination, have
now been acted upon by the lower judicato-
ries. The proposal made was simply that the
reunion be effected upon the basis of the
Holy Scriptures and the original, unchanged
standards of doctrinal government of the
PRESBYTERIAN Church. This has been for
mally submitted to the Presbyteries, Just as a
constitutional amendment is sent down to the
State Legislatures; and although it was not
constitutionally necessary that there should
be more than majority of Presbyteries in
its favor, the requisition by the Assemblies
that two-thirds of the Presbyteries should
ratify has been more than satisfied. The
chief opposition has been in the Old School,
the votes, so far as received, being as fol-
!. lows:-
PresJyterfes Voting Against tile Proposed
4 Basis Of ReuaioR.-West Lexington, for, 3
i against; Brazil, 2-3; Hudson, 12-19.
Presdytertes Yottng for tile Basis, but no
| Unanimously iy-Northumber al; Po
tomac, 12-4; West jersey 2S-6; Baltimore,
23-12; Burlington, IS; Raritan, 22-1;
Donegal, 20-2; New Castle, 27-9; Hunting
don, 3S--23 Carlisle, 44-6; North River, Is
.; Lafayette, 12-3; Potosi, S-1 Newton,
13-4; Concord 2-1; Rock River, 14-6;
Warren 1916; Steubenville, 42-1; Chicago,
33-4; GAINESVILLE, Pill; Bloomington, 81
z; Luzerne, 26-3; Fairfield, 26-3; Long
Island 29-2; Vincennes, 12-5; Lewes, Z
g. Sangamon, 20-2; Louisville, S-6; Mis-
souri, River, 14-2; Des Moines, 21-1; Fort
Wayne, 17-3; Indianapolis, 15-1 Susque-
hanna, 14-2; Palmyra, III; Philadelphia,
21--4; New York, all but one in favor; New
Orleans, G-1; Dubuque, 21-7; w. Reserve,
81; Pennsylvania, 12-6; Schuyler, 21--1.
P,esbyteries Voting Unanimously in Fd00r.
West Virginia, Philadelphia Second, Con-
necticut, Elizabethtown, Maumee, Yinton,
Redstone, Paducah, st. Clairsville, Neosho,
New York Second, Columbus, Nashville, To
/ peka, Iowa, New Albany, Muncie, Franklin,
Wooster, Logansport, California, st. Paul,
\ fordsville Findlay, Washington, Genesee
River Londonderry, Oxford, Holston, Mil
waukee, Lake, Peoria.
This makes a total of so out of the 143
Presbyteries; but later information warrants
the assurance that the full two-thirds have
positively ratified the basis.
The spirit with which the two bodies ap-
proach each other is, of course, only partially
displayed in these votes. There has been a
pretty strong opposition, during the discus
sion of plans of reunion, now thrown aside,
among most of the Northwestern pastors in
the New School; but it is positively under
stood that that opposition is entirely with
drawn, and that the attitude of the Old
| School, as shown in the General Assembly
last May, will give general satisfaction to
those parties. So far as ascertained now
only five Presbyteries remaining to be heard
from-there have been but two votes cast on
the New School side Zone in Albany, one in
the District of Columbia) against the reunion,
but not otherwise a single voice uplifted,
either in Assembly or Presbyteries, against
reunion on the present basis. In the Old
School, as the votes show, there is still very
different sentiment, but many of these are to
4 be explained. For example, there are several
of the professors in Princeton Seminary (the
chief bulwark of Old School orthodoxy, who
vote in the negative for the sake of consis-
tency with their previous declarations, but
who will not only not stand in the way of the
settlement of affairs, but will sincerely and
heartily aid it. This will be the disposition
u lit is believed by those who should know of
most of the Old School leaders who have been
prominent in their opposition to the bases OF
1867 and 1865
The Breckinridges do not come into the
new dispensation kindly. The venerable
Doctor, Robert j., has resigned his professor
ship at Danville in a characteristic letter, in
which he declares his intention not to sur
render, as a Director of the institution, his
power of dissent from any action which a
General Assembly ''whose term of existence
has been prolonged in so extraordinary a
manner" may force, OF endeavor to force,
upon that school. The fire of animosity
which the Pampresbyterian Convention
philadelphia, 1860 kindled in the patriarch's
breast does not seem to be even smoulderlng;
but he is the only man who has taken a stand
of unconditional hostility against reunion.
DR.. William Breckenridge, at last accounts,
was preaching against the movements but
he has retired from his late prominent posi-
ton in council. The redoubtable Stuart
Robinson, who is anti-everything, is of course
vigorous in his enmity to the work of love
but he has found cause to bring his IRE
Christian Commonwealth to an end (havinG
sold it to THe Christian Observer of Rich
7mond), and has changed editorial for per
sonal cares, being now in the Northwes
seeking health.
The most curious phase of opposition t.
the reunion of the Presbyterians comes iron
The Chap'ch Union, which deprecated the re
suits of the May Assemblies as indicating al
exclusive preference for Calvinism owe
general Christian charity, and feared an IN
creasing tendency in such directon: b9
as this seems to call up the whole subject /
NAV be remarked that there is very wide
spread feeling that this is but the first stel
towards Christian reunion; that the EN-
sought by the Pampresbyterlan Convention
by the recent Evangelical Council IN NeN
York. and by all the ''Christian Conventions
which in the last two or three years have beel
tbe expression of an evangelical catholic
feeling. is nearer, by reason of this reunion
of the New and Old School Presbyterians