Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1876-06-29
The Presbyterians and MethOdists.

j. T. GoUcHER. oecs'
The Presbyterians and MethOdists.
The salutary influences of the Cen
tennial year seems to be at worl
among the churches, the past montl
having witnessed the establishment
OF closer relations between the North
ern and Southern Presbyterian
churchs, and great advance in the
same direction by the Northern anC
Southern Methodists. The Presby
terians and Methodists of the Nortf
were outspoken on the subject Of
slavery, and subsequently became
firm supporters of the Union cause
during the civil war. The stand thus
taken lost them the sympathy ol
their Southern connection, and are
vented, until lately, any approach tC
reunion.
The disruption Of the Presbyterians
began in 1857, but the Methodist sep
aration occurred in 1914. In the
former year the New School Presby-
terian Assembly declared that the
holding of slaves could not be "per-
manently tolerated by the Presbyteri-
an Church." Thereupon $4,000 mem
bers in the slave-holding States with
drew their allegiance to it. Again, in
1861, resolutions were in like manner
agreed to which favored the preser-
vation Of the Union, and in conse-
quence 10000 more Of the members
in the Southern Church severed their
connection. During the war the New
School and Old School factions in
the South united and formed the
present Southern Presbyterian
Church. After the great reuniN at
Pittsburgh, in 1869, overtures for the
establishment Of a closer friendship
were made by the Assembly in the
North. Negotiations followed, and ia
January. 1875, committees of the two
bodies met at Baltimore to confer.
The Southern committee demanded,
as a preliminary condition, that the
Northern Assembly should disavow
all acts of the Old and New School
Assemblies made during the war, and
which reflected on the Southern
Church. The Northern committee
replied that their Assembly had no
power to meddle with deliverances
made prior to the reunion, and that it
had already expressed its confidence
in the christian character OF the
Southern brethren. The Southern
committee insisted that this was in
sufficient, and both Assemblies met
last month and approved what their
respective committees had done. In
course of the discussion which fol-
lowed it became apparent that there
were serious obstacles TO be over
come before friendly intercourse could
be established, so that when the
Northern Assembly met in Brooklyn
on May Is, and the Southern assem-
bled at Augusta, Ga, on the same
day, there were few, doubtless, who
believed, although many hoped, that
any success would be attained. The
interchange of messages of mutual
esteem and good will was, however,
productive of better feeling
A resolution arrived at by the
Southern Assembly was so satisfac-
tory that the meeting at Brooklyn at
once signified approval of it, and no.
titled the Southern Assembly of their
acceptance of its terms as basis up
on which to act. Since the negotia-
tons were begun in 1873 there has
been no immediate cause of contro-
versy, and whatever bitterness may
have been shown on either side has
been due to memories of events that
occurred during the civil war;
The folly of fighting over the past
has been well exemplified by the
Methodists. In 1874 the slavery
question caused separation in the
Methodist Episcopal Church, and al
though more than thirty years have
passed. with all their changes, since
then, the "plan OF separation" is still
a subject of controversy. But many
on both sides now conclude that the
establishment of fraternal relations
ought to be delayed no longer, and
they have accordingly been trying to
induce their brethren TO forget the
"plan of separation" and the records
of the past, and to enter at once upon
more friendly action. Much good is
from the proceedings of
the Baltimore General Conference,
which has now appointed a commits
siou to meet a delegation from the
Church, for the purpose of
upon settlement of "all
differences, whether real
or imaginary With the Methodists
as with the Presbyterians, individual
members have in many in stances met
and fraternized, and this personal in
tercourse has been one of the chief
agents in annihilating prejudices and
amity. No one who re-
members how important part the
pulpit played in the great events of
the past century will fail to rejoice
that alterations made by war between
kindred churches are about to be
healed in peace.-N. Y. Times.