The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1877-06-13


ally incurred.
AS to our Committee in Richmond, the
elergymen Of the city who are members Of 1t,
need say nothing of them but our treas
urer is Mr.. Charles Gennet, an old citizen on
whose honor there never was the shadow Of
a spot. The present members Of the Com
mittee (leayiug out the ministers) are Judge
Wexford; Judge Fitzhugh; Judge Robert
Ould, once Commissioner of Exchsuge tor
the Confederate Government, and MIR. VIM.
+. Taylor, first Auditor Of the State OF Vir-
GINA. l am chairman elected to fill the place
of one of the nObles5 spirits our Church has
known, Thomas Vernon Moore. When his
name is mentioned, l cannot forget his devo-
ton to the interests of the Publication cause ::
how much time, work and affection ne gave
to it, and how much he did to shape It's early
policy. And if our young brother from North
Carolina thinks that any man here desires TO
handle him roughly, l viii say that would
be the last to lay my hands on him, save
gently in the way Of kindness, to help and
not TO hart. As to providing for demttlng
the Office OF the members Of our Committee,
would say that We are the humble servants
Of the Church, appointed only from year to
year, having no authority except IShat Is sub
mitsed TO Us, and the Chugea nteds 70 pro-
vide no door for Us to 90 oct. There Is not
one OF that Committee that WOuS ceSsent to
stay one hour longer on 1t than Is needed 20
serve the Church.
Well, sir, there are many times in the his
tory of the Church when the very air seems
filed with menace; but, after a little while,
all clears away, and men once at variance
again see eye to eye, and the evils that seem
ed about to disintegrate prove to be bonds OF
union. Il was so at Savannah, when the very
questions that, in the apprehension Of some,
threatened the unity Of the Church were the
very ones upon which the voice of the AS
sembly was most unanimous. believe It
will be so here.
The only hesitaney that brethren have
about coming to our help is one that does
them credit. At Nashville 1 had an OppOr-
tunity of laying the difficulties Of our Com
mittee before number Of gentlemen con-
nected with our Presbyterian churches there,
and at that time land, also, since l came
here) was assured By letter that, when the
exact state of our embarrassment was aseer-
tanned, the churches of that city would bear
their full proportion of the burden.
Of course, there's an inventory Of the stock
taken in the regular way, and another has
been made by a gentleman not connected
with our business but some things about the
situation cannot be made entirely plain. DIR.
Baird himself cannot fully explain all of MS
own transactions; but by two methods OF
calculation the same conclusion was virtually
arrived at-Within few hundred dollars.
MIR. Black, of the Philadelphia Board Of
Publication, to whom We were indebted, came
on to look after his own business. lie TOOK
an estimate of our stock. he did not know
the value of our building, and so he went on
the street and gOtresl estate agents to value
it. He thought it was clear case that VIC
were in condition to keep on, and that, i
We tided over the present difficulties, w
ought to succeed, as We would have no rlVa
house between the Potomac and the Gulf Of
Mexico.
One thing l do know: We got our printing
done at the lowest rates We could; and IN
other is, that We .aeger undertook to managt
8 pringog See. browne. grts or 2 tEP'
in the.Sopld. Dr. Baird dld own printing
presses on his own responsibility, and VIZ
made contracts with Dr. Bard, and he print
ed and bound our books well. We did Il
sll BY contract.
But DR.. Woodrow should get up and say
"Do you think your Committee have man
aged this work in the best way possible !!
would answer, No, doctor"
Why not? Because we trusted too much
to single man, and grieVously have We sui
fered for it. We had man whom we be-
heved was thoroughly devoted to this work.
and in trusting TOO much We erred. But,
sir, we learned great lesson. We all of US
have to learn in the school Of adversely, and
our desire in coming to you was to ask you
to put sll proper guards and checks upon
our business, so as to prevent disaster IN fu-
ture.
When 1 came here, did not exactly like
the complexion of the Standing Committee
not because believed them opposed to the
publication cause, but because l faneied there
seemed to be a preponderanoe Of influential
men on the Committee who we're disposed TO
unfriendly criticism of our management OF
it. thought we had fallen into rather Sc
we're hands. But when 1 went into the Com
mittee, the only object they seemed 30 have
was to elicit informstion-to ascertain what
is true and to do what is right-and l have
learned to have the greatest personal regard
for them, although have met some OF chem
only in that Committee room. 1 60 home
encouraged, for instead Of that radical over
turning which some anticipated, L ind de-
sire to build 10 rather than TO destroy, and
instead of laying the axe at the root Of the
tree, they say: You have had gEeat diSas-
ter, and you have our sympathles, and we
will help you. Instead of proposing to dis
band our Committee, they say: We will sus-
tain you. More, they give Us their common
datiOn and call upon the Church to come up
to the help of this great cause.
wish to say another thing very frankly
If you Judge US merely Oh q commercial ba-
sis, I suppose We would 20 to the vail, and l
don't care If we Go. / don't regard this
Publication work only as a commercial In.
stitution. If that 10 TO be the test, and II It
is pronounced a failure on that ground, chen
say that every theological seminary and
college in the Church is a failure. We give
largely to endow them, yet We have seen Jour
professors getting comfortable salaries some
times to teach dozen or sw0 pupils. That
is the commercial view Of the value Of the
ministry of reconciliation.
wish 10 say to my OEosasr from North
Carolina, thas while his statement Of tho bus
mess is made by calculations derived from
our report, if the chairman Of our Executive
Committee were present, I an sure be could