Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-05-26

D the southern church has had wide dis
g cussiOn since the failufe Of the confer
4 ence at Baltimore last JanuRfy. The
= comments of the denOminatiOnal press,
g at first somewhat sharp, have become
2 milder, and the spirit shown on both
I sides leads to hope that a recOncilia-
D ton may yet take place. The point of
: difference between the committees,
r which ended the conference 80 unsatis-
fsctOrily, appears from the following ex-
| tract from the address of the southern to
2 the northern committee:
"All that we desire is that the imputa-
J tions (of heresy, schism and blasphemy)
which we conceive to be resting upon
our church by the acts OF your assent bly,,
shall be removed; we cara not In what
terms, so they directly cover the case.
You, brethren, have not the
, authority to do what the assembly only
can do. But surely your authority is
ample to recommend to it whatever in
your judgment may be proper to settle
these troubles. II your assembly could
see its way clear to say in few plain
words to that effect, that the obnoxiO
things were said and done in times of
high excitement; that they are to be re-
gretted, and that now in q calm review
the imputations cast upon the southern
church are disproved, that would end
the difficulty at once. We would be far
from disposition to contend for mere
punctilio."
The northern committee replied:
"Were iistrue that we regard you as "a
church org aKized in the interests OF re-
bellion, ana to conserve and perpetuate
the interests Of slavery did we believe
that you held opinions heretical and
blasphemous, there would indeed be an
inseparable barrier to closer relations.
The self-respect of the venerable body
We represent would have prevented the
| appointment of our cOmmitte.
But we know that all such actions con-
| cerning your church had been in the
most positive and comprehensive Ian
| guage declared null and void, and there
fore Of no binding effect. They (the |
| declarations complained of were made |
| In peculiar times and under strange cir |
| cumstances, when the passions and feel |
| ings Of men were profoundly moved. |
They now belong to history, and it is |
idle to talk of erasing them. But we |
are authorized to assure you that these |
are not now law, rule, or precedent in |
our church; and in giving this assurance
we cannot present it in a stronger way
than to record the acts of our assembly |
through series of years."
The course of each committee appears
to be approved by the church. Repre-
sentative journals and men of the south
ern church declare that all they require
as condition precedent to the opening
of friendly relations is an act from the
northern assembly approving and de-
claring what the northern committee
admitted at Baltimore. The northern
view generally Is that the southern COM
mittee asked too much. The committee
are to report to their respective assem-
blies, and it will then be decided Wheth-
er negotiations are to be continued.
Several presbyteries in the north have
adopted overtures to the Cleveland as
sembly respecting the subject. The
presbyteries Of Platte, Missouri; OF New
castle, Indiana; of Usage Missouri, and
some others ask the assembly to sccede
to the demands OF the southern church.
The presbytery of New York urges the
assembly to CONTINUE to labor for bet
ter understanding between the two
churches by the appointment Of new
committee, who snail be ready to meet
any committee of the southern assem-
bly, that may be appointed, or by adopt.
ing such means prOmOtive OF harmony
as its wisdom may dictate"
The eldership question promises to
occupy q considerable share OF atten-
ton. The last assembly sent down to
the presbyteries for ratification the fol-
lowing overture:
"If any particular church, by a vote
of members in full communion, shall
prefer to elect ruling elders for limited
time i'll the exercise of their functions,
this may be done; provided the full time
be not less than three years, and the ses-
sion DE made to consist of three classes, |
~ w, oh Nz,Iry oholl ha ole foI |
year; and provided that elders once or
dained shall not be divested Of the office
when they are not rejected, but shall be
entitled to represe 1t that particular
church in the higher judicatories, when
appointed by the session Of the pTesby-
terry"
Returns have been received Of the vote
of one hundred and three presby teries on
thss overture; seventy-five vote yea,
twenty-five nay, and three cast "tie''
votes. Other presbyteries are yet to be
heard from, but it is not probable that
their votes will defeat the ratification. ,
After the presbyteries have ratified the ,
overture, the assembly must again ap-
prove it before it can become operative.
Some who have scrutinized the vote
carefully say that the nays come from
those presbyteries situated on the border
of Mason and Dixon's line, and which !
represent the conservative elements of
Presbyterianism. 1t is contended by
them that it will be dangerous, in view
of the strength of this sectional opposi- '
ton, for the assembly to insist upon the
immediate passage of the overture
Fears are expressed that another schism
may be forced by the suddenness with !
which q constitutional change is pro-
posed to be effected after the reunion.
The Monmouth presbytery takes this d,
view Of the question, and has adopted an !
overture to the assembly asking it to :
suspend its sanction. Among the prom :
inent commissioners to the mbly are :
Rev. Drs. John G. Lord, OF Buffalo, r. 9
kin, of the presbytery OF Chester, 8. II. =
Wilson, OF the presbytery of Hunting- i;
ton, and M. 8. Goodale, of Albany. =
The Presbytery OF New York will be :
represented in the assembly as follows: /;
Ministers-Rev. Messrs. George II. l
Wells, G. F. Mingins, E. P. Payson, w. :
w. Page, w. W. Atterbury, r. r. 9
Booth. Elders-R. Carter, Benjamin :
Lyman, J. E. Parsons, Henry Day, 1
Charles Collins, Z. F. Hyde. The as :
sembly usually sits two weeks or more. !
The condition of Ghe various church
boards is represented as follows: Home
MlsSl0nS--hece1pCS Did, UUO IN advance OF
last year; the debt of the board is $24,. t
372. The relief fund has received about b
the same as last year. The board of ed il
ucation has fallen off in its receipts, but V
is not so much embarrassed as it was q
last year. The receipts of the church a
erection fund are 10000 in advance OF y
the receipts Of last year. The sustenta- 8
ton fund received more than so, 900 in r
the month of March. Its actual debt is d
somewhat over $4,000. Foreign Mis- q
sions-Receipts, $466,7OO; expenses, t
S495, 900. q
The Southern Presbyterian church 4
the elements of the old and r
new school churches in the south. The G
schism in the new school assembly Oc- O
Cured previous to the old school as C
sembly during the war. Two orgsniza- r
tons were formed, which united, taking
at the close of the war the name Of the
Presbyterian Church in the United a
States.V This church has now about P
100, 900 communicates. t
The Southern Assembly is the only a
Presbyterian body in this country that Il
has not approved and become party to n
the confederation scheme. 1t is expect Il
ed that at its present session in st. Il