New-York tribune., 1876-05-18

harmony having been restored PresL yterian Churcn
date ~i75s-nesriy 100 ministers, more than many
congregations, college at Princeton hJ' ana Scnoo'
ia PennsylYanh
The REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
AT the beginning of the Revolutionary War there were
Presby;eres In connection with the Synod ana lo3
ministers Missionaries extending the Church. anu
had already crossed the Aeghanies into the West Han
Presbytery, which had been formed III virginia III
1759 had several congregations in North Carolina, ana
organized 1770 into the Presbytery OF
Orange which reached as far South as Georgia I'D
South Carolina there also independent Presbyley
constituted in 1929 earlier which continued To man
tain Its isolated position until 1911 Applications ior NH
listers came from all quarters. and were more numerous
than could be supplied but system OF aid TO students
had been adopted which, it hoped would increase
the number OF candidates large proportion OF the
ministers then in service had educated and ordained
within the bounds of the prebyteries and there had oGen
valuable accessiOns from abroad, among Whoh was bi'
| WIthCTspOpn of Scotland.
In the Revolution the Presbyterans were s'anch sup
pcrters the colonies. and one OF the lead
aI men in the church, Dr. WitherspOon was sgner
tile Declaration of Independence and member OF the
Continental Congress six years Inc close VI Ie war
found the denomination severely crippled. fHy OF
church buildings had been destroyed congregations
had beon broken and scattered, and teaching IN the
College of NewIcrscy had been sTspenied The @ w"Tk & o.
progress of recovery was encouraging WINE tno olu
congregations being gathered again aud new houses
worship put up PTeSby did not neglect to ener
into fields They planted taelr religion IN kentuchJ
In 1888 and ,hrce years Presbytery formed
there with six ministers and u conversations In IKE
manner the Church was extended in southwestern VII
giua and introduced into Tennessee.
The synod now covered large territory that it was
impossible for all the ministers to attend It's yearly meet
mgS ana tEe cnange when the ttvOlutlOn hd ,ieCtuo
in the government Of the colonies made necessary some
alterations IN those parts OF tbo Westminster slln.fos
relating 10 evil affairs Tor these reasons the o. hou o
1875 ted 10 appoint committee To prepare consti
tuition for the Church with view to tho division ot the
synod ana the formation OF a Eeltll AssenPS' 4It
alterations made IN tho standards Wcfo put st;hi. ~
De constituted The constitution having been duly rat
Hed, the General Assembly was organized at PhIlade
Sermon, AMI Dr. John Rogers was elected Moderator
One OF The rt acts OF lho General Assembly was u pre-
address to Washington. expressing hiSh a.ie
probation OF his services to the country and great sa
faction with his election 10 Che Presidency.
Under tire of Tie General Assembly, at the time
OF lis organization, there were 10 pcSbyt9reS oHg o
wnicn synods constituted-Ncw-lor and New
jersey, Philadelphia Virginia and the C'rolinas; The
fTs synod embraced four prenOyteFes the second h.c
the third fOuF ana the fourth three. The General As
semby composed OF delegates from the pfesby tees
in the proportion OF one minister ana one elder 10! every
six members of each prcsbytery The synods entered
with zc5 upon plans for missionary work. and though
the CLOSING decade of the century was mHhgd ny gen
ea decline OF religion and increase OF luhdeity, they
able 1900 TO report the organization OF 10 new
In i7G6 the Prcsbyterans had established intimate
relations with the ConEreSIonal General Association OF
Connecticut the each body meeting together
in annual convention Tor mutual bcheht anu to rree
yatOn tie liberties Of the churches These cOHHeH-
conTse Was renewed and delegates FROM the General
Association sat IN the General Assembly and NOteI WIN
the momDers. The Congregational ASSOCIATION Oi YER
1902 thai OF w-lialnsiro IA lslO and tlat OF Mass
to sit in tho Assembly until 1877
INCREASE OF THE CHURCH.
The number Of ministers under the Of the General
Assembly in 1902 about two hundred. and OF congro
cations four hundred. Half OF the ministers ana nearly
half OF the churches were be found in NewJerscy and
Pennsylvania which the stronghods OF the Church
PreSbyefiausm was yet weak in Maryland but in Vir-
pinia the Caronas and Kentucky. it was rapidly be-
coming strong. In 1900 of the lS3 ministers then re-
ported 20 were connected with the Synod OF the Caro-
linas and 22 in Kentucky. In Ohio, there were
from 16 70 20 ministers with twice many congrega
tions; and churches were growing up in Central aLd
Western New-YOrk.
At the opening Of the present century the missionary
enterprise of the Church quickcncd In 1901 the
General Assembly united with the Congregational Gen
eral Association Of Cnncctcut in plan OF cooperation
for the planting churches. the result OF which Is SAID
tn have been nnre favorable to the Prcsby than
the COuT gatiOnGStS. The irnitS Ot sPccdi n''
AIRY efforts were be seen Ia the reports of lSl1, when
tbrc were fl Prcsby toric j29 ministers, 500 curc,o,
and 80 $50 mcmbefs. The increase OF mthbofs Tor to
preceding five years was about u 600 Inc great ms
siunary field was in the West where iinnigr1'n n
was rapidly increasing the population aud "hcro the
denomination had already mel WIN haGccsa AZ tiis
time were lOl charches IN western fslnsyNhni''
~ n'resbytcrlan and Cnngrcg cgatOnaO IN ONO, II In
Western Virginia 81 IN AshHeAy' ~ ID lsDhe'ee, ~
Mississippi, and in Indiana. \ thtOlJ-ltal seminary
had been opened III connection VIZ IInc,tOn Iol.se
IsI ~ and was successful operou aud provision for
Inc ala rous students designing TO enter the ministry
ucs the supply Of ministers cCG4t DC more lIidy III
INC Ser,od from 1913 to 1925 presents an almost
| caualed example OF church growth The mnis,griai
force enlarged emisil from Nr@i siai,d .lutd
spread ana harmony aud united cnort contributed To the
General prosperity. lho number O prcSbyteuos was ~
Tins period nearly doubled there ing in 1879 81 Lhc
Increase OF mn sers was $40, OI churches over loo'
ana III members $4,000 800 pei cent. som. "f tins IN
crease was due nom the synod OF the As
| sociate EcfoGncd CnHch which hai been c"ls'i,
tutol ~ 1904 by ulion Of the Associate ara Reformed
PrrsyytcIia.s. minority refused 10 De bound ~ lht
Terms OF uion with the General Assembly III ls2, ani
continued an independent existence AunD.T o. niihis
ter, aGd churches we're as" received during ils Pgu
from tie Associated Prs yieie0 whirh hdoSinaea IN
1879 secession from lAe Ne. Ofh tioHp'eI! q -
cob Green and i5ar chgi mai5ieT d asy, q, Ps'1
| TIE Old AND THE NEW SCHOOL
Tie remarkable growth in the ten years succeeding
1918 continued through the next decade, the advance
being ab NJ hy per cent The prosperity Of the Church
then 1881 received sudden check mainly from con
troycrsy which years later divided the Church This
controversy $50, and involved theological and
ecclesiastical differences not unlike those which consu-
tntrd and separated Old side and New Side parties
i'm the middle OF the previous century The Old SchCOl
party con;euded the Old Side had DONE Tor an unrc-
| served acceptance OF the Westminster stIndnds, and
condemned the doctrines held aS they alleged by
the New soaool men. They did not believe that "any
mart OF the substance Of the Gospel has
/ lain hidden in the Scripture TIL modern
| times :" ani 1t was the boast OF their
Quotry Rer'sg that It. had new never GxpresSed an
charged with deserving CsIvnistic ground aud rejecting
the doctrine OF limited aonemeni but IT'S members
profe,sed attachment 10 the STANDARDS accepting 'ths
ibe as the only mlahDle rule of faith and practice
ana the Confession %! Faith as containing the system OF
dOctriuc taught in the Holy Scripturcs Beyond this
they refused 70 give pledges, demanding reason
| able liberty" =, - -.
! The ecclesiastical questions in dispute were more
| prominent than the doclrnal inc O!h school party
made out o list Of grievances aRainst the other wing
OF the Church The denomination hat, u was acGed
not ouIy received "new divinity" with its New En-
land clement but system OF COngrcs csatOnaiisin also
! Jbe aucstOn most warmly debated was whether tho
mission education interests should be lnrl'ted To
voluntary associations bo under ihe cont O Oi mo
General Assembly This body had organized Board or
| Nissins in 1876 and Board OF Education QSl5 to
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