New-York tribune., 1876-05-18


with the Congregationa GenerM % Was.e,n
ConnecucIt and to declare the syuOds OF the Neso,n
ncrt n IRIS az ,be PRESBYTERIAN Church. The Ameri-
can Edu alton ard Home Missionary SOclets Nery io'
Quesed 10 cease taxing uiVhs % OF the
and these interests were pidctu unei u ~ rid the
Assembly The Old School men IN their elorta 80 ~ e
Church OF the Nsw-Engand element adlI9hlsh,eu Iva a
other synOds TO purge themselves o. teTv OF
practice, and dissolved the lHru Ire'Dy y,nr.ccs,cd 80
against these proceedings violent aud uncOhs,ltu
tona They held meeting at Auburn the SANE gc's, a.,
semby Of 1898 from the 80 pesby sdenied
excluded synOds. These commissioners were uSnu eia
dephia Accordingly they elected , Ise 70 Mr.
clerks and adjourned from the floor OF the Iouse o W
nOuuced tho Objectionable proeeedlhgs o. Iii tno I iJ
Assembly OF 1897 10 be unconstitutiOnai, n' biy anu
Each party claimed & TO DS to in uf the courts to test
tie question. The result was the virtual triumph Vi
Great confusion naturally attended the process OF
division in churches, preshyteries and synod. nus was
especially trlIe OF the West where the New Sch0o party
very strong. There was lar Tess dsoruer ~ % i
SOuth, the churches were nearly al .nSe, -
themselves 10 one pary tie other II Was found tai tDe
Old school Assembly had clear m9DIly Oi -ovo 80, y
memb RS it had over 12GOJO OF 21sl ministers, i5-l
aud OF 1873 churches 1868, leaving 10 me Ne" StIoo
Assembly 10000 morbcrs, 200 mhlslrrs anu i'''
The New School Assembly adopted tho Confession
without modification but with the consent OF the prssA
teie5 the basis OF representation was chinE'u III oIo
the svnods were made courts oi Ultimate ar'''l ,u ~
tricanal instead OF annual meetings Were foNiteu Or
Assembly. In 1S49-5O, however the on system vi
The Ney SrhonI Church advanced hut slowly. II was
composed OF Two clements-those who inclined u Con
srcgtOnasin ana those who were attached 10 te fc'
byteran system. Its General Assembly returned 70 fe
byteriau order and led gradually to assume INC care
OF home missions and ministerial education. rms h9Vr
meDt caused many 10 leave the ch,Teh ana JON
the Congregational denomination Iurthe more Ei.iHy
81 the churches in the West were missionary 9FtanIa
tioHs and consequently weak; wIlc the Oid senooi
Church had only the strongest and WcLthtSt con
- fhe ly'r" guestion forced itself upon the General
AZ-a rtNl u
norcd ana the declaration Of this body That the hoiais
OF slaves equld not be permanently toieratrd ~ % ,,o
slaveEOldpt totates Of six synOds, embracing twenty
ono press MS and $4,000 mrmhera Sot%ilis andlhi
bis los. tssy tho dictrS the Church had to contend
with, t1~a -.d in 1899 l3sVOD nemocrs; an Increase
ANA was withai very vigorous body. Tue gam an
ohurches was below 200; in ministers, ABOUT 800.
strong nj the beginning oustrpprd the other branch in
growth lis average yearly increase OF mcmhclh from
7sioin 1S5o MAS SO0O-i6ug times rs large as that o.
tno New school Church The unmbcr of ministers ana
churches was doubled. II was soon, however 10 lose IL
snurches in The SOUTH Is me New school 939y E1d ~
In May, SOL just aflcr the civil war had bfoheh out
was attended by only 10 Commissioners irom
the south. Tho belief appeared to be general anonS
Southern Prrsbytcrisns mat "a disruption ntst i'"c
place. Therefore, when the Genera! Assembly pass"
resolutions protesting loyalty to the Federal Govern
mcnt declaring that the Union ought to be preserved
ard recommending day oI plAyGf' u son'ne.n @
they organized Gcucr'l Assembly IN The tchItLftF
states. and subsequently united VITA he chu'c's "n.'n
hnd withdrawn from tho New School Assembly. Tne
secession caused loss to the Old school Assembly OF 10
synods, 45 prcsbyt"ries, 7Il ministers lJt chrrhs,
and about 5000 members. In 1866 there was another
secession from the Church M KENTUCKY anu nl,'ouIl'
embracing about 10000 members. In 1863, however,
these Losses had bren partly covered by gains In hat
year there were 23S1 ministers, 2,1io churches, ana
2Js 9O3 mcmbcs-a decrease since ls19 OF 3OOOO 1rn
bcrs 7lO minister, aud 200 churches The New School
Church The same year reported l,siS ministers, lOjl
churches, aud l72,jGO members
REUNIoS or TIE ASSEMBLIES.
After the close OF the war; during which both Churches
Al 90 th.. a.sl4H al l.4.N-
ernmcni and had approached each other with frltena
courtsirs an unnstakabc feeling in favor OF reunion
was manifested a generation had come into the
Assemblies since SJ7 aad the causes which led to The
di,rlption aud the animo5ltcs which accompanied IL
had almost entirely disappeared. In 1866 tho two As
scmblies met mot undcsgncdlyl simultaneously at
ST. Louis They exchanged cordial greeting, both ex-
,,d an "cancs desire FOR early reunion, aud
they agreed to appoint committees to arrange basis.
The Assemblies Of sg7 decided TO publish the terms Of
reunion as agreed upon by the joint Committee and de
fer further action another year. In lsGS the bass with
.o,ns mod fcaons was sent down to the PrcsbyiercS
bnt owing to an objection to or misunderstanding Of It's
held their meetings I'm Nrw-N0rE when icy acceptrdh
rcyIsni basis and adjourned 10 meet IN Pittsburgh IN
Noycmbcr the year 10 receive hnd compare re-
ports 0f the action Of the Prcsbyienes upon ~ Ihe
Uncat which the PresbytcrIes were rcqui.e 10 vote
the ducTinll aud ecclesiastical basis "t our common
stnaJs the scriptures OF the Old an New fesiMnruis
sGn b. ac know ect the Inspired . ord oi God and
the only ualb rule of faith and practice; tEe comics
sion of Faith thal continue to be sincerely r"csNcd ANA
ndotcd a. containing tnc system II dortrnc taught "a
the Holy scriptures; and the Eo'Cr'icnt ana uI-,'phe
OF the Presbytcran Church the United safes shall 1e
approved a. containing the principles aud tdlrn oil our
a. the adjourned meeting at Pit sburch It was found
tt All of the 3 u tire New School aud Is out + tie
Ia Old school lrsby y;ciies had ratified tni, basis II
as then declared IN each AEsenbi, 10 he oI binding
force" and Tho tro bodies were dissolved The Ii,-
union was celebrated with great fcIuich-- The trO
Assemblies issuing IN their respective PLACES Of meet
iuz met and mingled IN street and marched uuGc the
Lad Of thcr Mpdrratyrs to the Ihir, Pgc,Hl icrnn
Church uirre three hDuI, were Sprut IN oogrl l"a uia
aud tAank.giyug The New school Moderator, Dr Fow-
ler made the opening Spe ch, ud wls followed ~ it
Oli srhooi Moderator. -. Jacobus, aud by several
others Thus accomplished after 81 ycarH separd-
lvn on Gt these t"n -icht iIesoy aH b'd 60
one Df the most significant religious c'cIta oI Tie present
,cutar, In this country.
Tac rst General Assembly o. the reunited Church met
Al PnIlirpHu. May 10, 1870, the Rev. j. TTumlul
,ohus Nas Moderator AMI one Of he interesting
features OF the session was dispatch oi GENERALIZATION
from tnc venerable David Elliott, tue Moderation Of the
i.t Assembly before Tie division. The work uf
.ructiOn occupied con deruir ppli"n uI the session.
II was decided form 81 ou ol ihc u synodS al! Leave
- r,, I,cIt OF INC bytrIir- - the new y runst
tutcd synod The result that the nanbero oi csIy-
tcrirs wac reduced Ju 80 - lGJ. Tie iWO home ms
sIon organizois consolidated were also those
OF publication, odncuun, and church erection. Tho cpE-
trDutiois oi tnr " school Church 10 lie American
Board were nov ~ cOur~" given O. r Assembly : Bpd'd
Of Foroi-n Missions Satisfactory lSem"nis Tere
alro made cOG0crins the Theological hcmEarics, ana
sinus tnc OI recon ,uaCtOh NIs bSeGr, earned O,
and completed win harmony ahI ,AilJ4tliun
The reunited Church coudneI, IN 1870, 4,2J5 minis
tefs $50 ehurrhes ana 4iB,J6l mrmDcr-a gain since
the year the disruption lsJ7l Of 2O9s minister,
bGl churches and 226.DUi IN snOcr. The AtrDaEh OF
lie Church wa. irrc.orr doubled In the period Uf the
seiaration. Tue cutHUsLism attending thc cDasunImn-
non OF the reunion led cordial expression Of good
will toward other Presbyterian bodies IN the United
states and of desire Tor closer relations with tncm.
Committees wcrC appointed 10 ms en bui the heSoi-
lOns opened and carried have beul thus TAR iruites
Harmony has prevailed IN tho Church ,ncc tho reunion,
and n an indication VI its hOmUgenrity 10 may be sta ed
That change has been peacefully tnaCcd
by = hch rung elders may bo elected 10. limited III
stead of life term II might nave been eAocted that
.ucb a radical measure would meet with tbs uncOu-
promising opposition Of the conservative portion OF the
Church. bat it has carried INTO operation without
any serious consequences.
since SO the Cdurch has cnyei steady prosperity.
p,jnng 4iS minister's, 11J CnrCntB and %, i73 mem
Lrrs iu 1879 tho totals I,TUG ministers, 1899
gburchcs and 500 O3I members The money risrd for
a purpnsr, amounted TO over f0JOUOOO. Tho ndmbcr
j. nf "A * and India