New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-03-27
THE CHURCH CONFERENCE
RESULTS OF THE sGCREr SESSION, rr,
IFor Day Session See Seoo"' f''

desirable in order that there may DO the u'iiio''
Freedom in the expression of opinion. Nnen .N'
Council is small it is usual for each member 10 ue
clare his views. With body numbering huhuIou
and forty this will be impossible. After the hia"ei
has been sufficiently debated Committee is
APPOINTED to embody the sense OF lhe Ooun-
oil in a series of resolutions. Ihese arc
yecorted TO the Council for discussion ana amend
ment Sometimes the whole report Is rejected and
a new committee is chosen which may better ex-
nress the sense of the body In the great Council
convened at the First Congregational Church In
Washington, d. c., when the action of the Rev. DIR.
Bovpton. former Chaplain to Congress was
nnder discussion, the delegates met on Wednes-
day morning and did not adjourn till Saturday After
,he secret session commenced the Rev. DR.. X. s.
Storrs was one of Committee which sat from
O'Clock in the afternoon until midnight before they
were able to complete satisfactory series of resolu
tons How long the present Council Will remain in
secret session is purely a matter of conjecture,
though it is the opinion of members that
it will adjourn at noon to-day. If they
attempt to give advice upon the seven
questions presented no fOresee when the de-
bate will close. One clergyman announced his in
tention of making half hour speech. When one
considers the points of order which may arise, the
wide diversity of opinion among the delegates the
be brought to throw light upon this case and the dis
Inclination of many to acknowledge any precedents
as of binding authority he concludes that the ses-
sion might he terminated only by the limits of
physical endurance, and by the feeling, already
manifesting itself among the members, that other
pressing duties must hasten their verdict. 1t is to
be supposed that most ministers begin to feel their
Bermons for the coming Sunday pressing heavily
when Friday comes. No unanimity is required in
councils. simple majority vote expresses their
verdict, although strong minority might bring in
minority report After the decision, arrived at in
secret session, Is made public, the Council Will adj
journ without any further debate The Rev. DR..
Storrs expressed his opinion yesterday that the YER
dot would not be announced until this afternoon.
OUTLINE OF THE PROCEEDINGS.
The secret sessions of the Council began in the
Sunday-school room of the Clinton-ave. Congrega-
tona Church, but. owing to the large number pres
ent the members adjourned to the body
OF the church. where the public sessions
had been held Little business was effected before
the afternoon session. which opened at 3 o'clock.
Then much informal talk was INDUCED in. The
resolution of the Rev. William Is. Brown the oldest
OF the Congregational pastors Of New-Jersey,
which offered in open council and
given THE TRIBUNE's account of the morn
ing session. was again presented by Mr.. Brown with
some preliminary remarks, but did not meet with
muchsuppOrt and was laid upon the table imme-
diately without discussion and by decided vote.
This was followed by the necessary conclusion that
the Council was advisory and nothing else.
This was a point gained upon which the
Council had spent an evening and an entire fore
noon in the attempt to determine. Committee
was appointed by the Moderator to present basis
for al answer to be given to the questions asked of
the Council. This Committee consisted of the
Rev. President Chaplin of Belot College. the
Rev. DR.. j. NJ. Manning of Boston, the Rev.
DR.. William II. Lord of Montpelier, the Hon.
A. c. BarstOw of Providence and the Hon. G.. G.
Hammond of Chicago. The authority delegated to
this Committee was slight 1t was appointed sim
ply to lay out the work for the Convention, and to
concentrate the opinions of the members.
The members met for twenty minutes at the close
Of the afternoon session. and presented resolutions
In the evening which were, however, laid upon the
table. From the composition of this Committee no
inference can be drawn in regard to the feeling of
the Council on the main questions involved. since it
was not elected by the delegates but simply named
by the Moderator The disposition throughout the
day and evening was evidently to dis
cover the average opinion of the dele
gates, and to fix upon some b&sis which might
receive support as nearly as possible unani-
NOUS No actual vote therefore taken upon
any one of the questions before tue Council, but
the expression of views more general In the
meeting than in the public sessions, while the lee
ture-roOm was in constant for caucusng pur-
poses and the advocates of every shade of opinion
compared notes.
THE COMMITTEES REPORT.
IL was stated that the resolution reported by the
Committee was to the effect that all the questions
be voted on both those relating to discipline and
those relating to fellowship. 1t stated that the
appointment of the Committee was premature, as
1t was impossible for the views of $50 delegates to
have been gathered from the speeches of only few
The discussion which followed on the general sub
jects before the Council purely informal, in
Committee of the Whole the object being to gather
an opinion Of the real will of the delegates
Among those who took the most prominent part in
the debate of the evening were Thomas r. Russell
of Boston President Stearns of Amherst College.
Prof III. N Day and Calvin Day of New-Haven, the
Rev. Leonard Bacon, who left the chair for the
purpose of participating in the debate, and others
The powerful speech of DR.. Storrs seemed to have
had a very marked effect on many of the members,
and several did not hesitate to express the opinion
that the majority in favor Of sustaining the
action of the churches of Drs. Storrs and Buding-
ton The session lasted from until nearly II p m.
It was hoped that some decided action would
have been reached by the Council, but the length
of the discussion and the number of persons taking
part in the debate prevented 1t.
The Council adjourned until o'clock this morn
ing 1t is believed that by noon decisive vote
will be taken which will indicate the
decision of tho Council on the
main questions. 1t is believed by many
that willie the action Of the churches of Drs. StoTs
and Burlington will be sustained in the main the
decision will be such not to seriously reflect on