The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1871-05-24

with safety after the summers absence. On
the other hand, in the more northern Sec
tons of the Church, the prevalence of fall
rains much interferes with the attendance of
our people on public services, and of course
collections are not full.
No remedy for these difficulties, which are
Of constant and periodical occurrence can
be suggested which does not affect the whole
system of operations devised by the Assem-
bly, in 1866, and which still is in operation.
The inconvenience of the present plan
which some then anticipated have been fully
realized; but the Committee hesitates to
make any specific recommendation. If any
remedy can be devised, however, justice to
our young brethren who are led to look to
the Church for aid, demands that it should
be attempted. Not only is the time for the
annual collection for this cause unsuitable,
as experience shows, for obtaining full sue
cess in eliciting the liberality tf the Church
but it is placed at 50 ssss . P liodip asSs.
legiate year that our students suffer 8 a6
hardship from the pecuniary embarrassments,
even if the collections were ample. The
Colleges and Seminaries open in September,
usually, though some open in August, and
others October 1st. On the present plan no
disbursement of funds is possible before the
1st of December, whereas these institutions,
nearly all, require more or less advance pay
ments.
2. Another cause of the small returns
from the annual collection in November was
the special collection ordered by several of
the Synods last fall, to meet the necessities
of the Executive Committee for Foreign
Missions. The appeal which that Commit
tee sent forth to the brethren to come to its
rescue touched the heart of the Church, and
the money needed was given with alacrity
But, in many instances, it was done by post
poning the collection for Education to sub
sequent day. So that the receipts for For
eign Missions in November and December
exceeded by far the receipts for Education.
g. The funds raised for Education, do not,
in all parts of the Church, reach the treas
ury of this Committee; because other objects
pertaining to ministerial education, demand
the attention and secure the liberality of the
people. For example, the support of the
venerable Theological Seminary at Colum-
bia, has fallen in part on the contiguous
Synods, because of the great losses which
that institution sustained in connection with
the fall of the late Confederacy; and there
is official information that the assessments
made by the Synods for that object are in
many instances subtracted from the collec-
ton for Education, and only the surplus is
sent to our treasury. The assessments are
becoming less, year by year; and from the
statement of the Board of Directors made
to the last Assembly, it is believed that the
increase of endowment, and the appreciation
of investments will soon enable that ancient
and cherished Seminary to become self-sus-
tanning.
4. Another cause of the stringency of the
treasury is the steady increase of the amount
of the appropriations requested. They are
larger, on an average, this year, than on any
previous year; and are far in excess of the
average appropriations made to candidates
by those Boards with which this Church for
merly co0perated. This subject was sub
mitted for the consideration of the last As
sembly, but no action was taken for the guild
ance of the Committee in its future course.
The limit which we have made to our appro-
priations is $3.50. Every application made
by the Presbyteries, within this limit, has
been granted; and some have been made
even higher than this, when special funds
have been given for the purpose. In the
Northern Church, to College students at pre-
sent the grant is 500, and to Theological
students, $3.50, though in exceptional cases
these sums may be increased $50.
1t is very manifest that one of these plans
is defective. 1t is probable that both are.
The accepted principle on which the Church
has always acted is, that the students are
not to be Supported, but aided. If it is the
purpose to change this policy, and adopt
that of supporting the students, then the
present allowances are inadequate for that
object. If it is designed to persevere in the
old policy of extending aid only to the
candidates, so as to encourage them to aid
themselves, then there is but little doubt the
Church is now attempting too much. The
subject demands fresh consideration at the
hands of the Assembly, in view of the fact
that there has been found difficulty in OBJ
tanning the requisite funds to meet the pre-
sent scale of appropriations; and also, be-
cause there is every prospect of large in
crease of candidates requiring aid during
the next year, which will make the claims
on this treasury so much the greater. The
danger is that by attempting too much, the
whole work may become embarrassed, the
students become involved in debt, and the
Church discouraged. 1t is, therefore, re-
spectfully submitted to the General Assem-
bly, whether it is not advisable that the limit
of appropriations be placed at 5000 for
Theological students, and at $3.50 for Col
lege students. This would give our students
larger sum than is ever allowed by the
Northern Board, according to their published
rules; of course there would still be excep-
tional cases, where special funds would be
appropriated; and others, the reasons for
which would be fully spread on the records
for examination by the standing Committee
of the Assembly.
In considering the best method of eliciting
liberal response to the claims of this cause,
and of the other great causes represented by
the four Executive Committees, it is impor-
tant to remember that the Church is in a
transition state, from the old system of
agencies to the plan of systematic benevo-
lence under ecclesiastical supervision. While
the agency system was an excrescence which
the Church has wisely abandoned, it had the
great advantage that it brought the needed
information within the reach of all who
wished it; and thus their minds became in