The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-05-23
THE HEGENERAL ASSEMBLY
PROCEEDINGS OF YESTERDAY'S
SESSION.
he Committee on Foreign Missions
Make IA RepOrt-OperatiOu in
All Parts of the World
The Evening ses-
sion.
Correspondence of the Register.
prTTsRr-pcu Nav %

At the session of the General Assem-
bly, this morning, after the ususl prelim-
mary services and referring of overtures,
the report of the Committee on Foreign
Missiens was read by the Rev. DR.. Nor
rls of Cincinnati. The Rev. DR.. Lowrie,
Secretary of the Board, then addressed the
Assembly on the subject in the course of
his remarks referring to the sad falling
of in contributions, which leaves the
amount collected $4,000 less than dur
Ing the year before, and
ssid the question now to be
determined is whether or not the Board
is to 90 on with its work, being $4,000
in debt snG coming $4,000 short in its
annual collections.
At the conclusion of this speech, the
Moderator read the telegram OF greeting
which he was about to send to the Gen
eral Assembly OF the Cumberland Pres
byterian Church, at Nashville Tenn.
The Rev. DR.. Elenwood then took the
platform and spoke OF the foreign mis-
sion work, and of Pittsburgh as the place
Of its originstion. This work was found
ed in the Cslvinistic idea of human rum,
and on this subject the orator tackled the
modern Interpretation of deprsvity and
punishment, saying that in 1872 Dean
Stanley preached in Westminster Abbey
q sermon IN which he congratulated
the world upon the passing away OF the
ancient notion of eternal punishment, and
it has taken the Dean but six years -
reach the logical end Of his teaching and
become Universslist.
While the mission field is bOundless,
the Beard now asks for only means
enough TO sustain the societies planted.
A tew years ago Mr.. AtheringtOn, of
England, offered the Board $4,000 with
which to begin operations in Central
Africa, but the offer was refused for the
reason that had it been accepted, and the
designated work begun, it would have
required a continual outlay, which the
Board could not afford. The Board is
not visionary and led away by brilliant
schemes, and it should be suItslRed, be-
cause the pIighted faith OF the Church
has been given it. That faith has nth
erto been kept, and in consequence it has
a better credit in the banks o. India than
any moneyed house OF New York. This
credit is prize which the Church dare
not allow TO slip from its grasp.
The Rev. Mr.. Dodge, of China here
took the platform, and began his address
by saying that the PresbyterIans have
sb out twenty missionaries in the Celes-
tial Empire, proportion of mission
laborers TO that land such as the placing
of three or four ministers in PnIIsdelphia,
the same number in New York, and go
on until twenty were placed in the lead
inglcities of the cosst, would be TO the
whole territory of the United States. As
to the difficulties of mission work in
China, he spoke of the various
barriers which heaLhenism offers,
and said that the Presbytery which
he Joined when going there, con-
sisted of four missionaries and two native
elders, but now it has between five hun
dred and six hundred members. But the
growth of the work will never bo what
IL should be until the church sustsins 1t
with q less niggard spirit. and he sharply
criticized the report for showing a fall
ing of OF $4,000.
The vote on the report seristIm was
then called, and the various recommends
tions were adopted, with one exception.
DR.. K. Nj. Patterson, of PhilsdeIphia,
Chairman of the Comm ittee on Reduced
Representation, presented their report.
Alter rehcsrsing the numerous plans tor
q reduced membership of the Assembly
which had been submitted TO and cOnsid-
cred by the committee, the report con-
cludes as follows: After q careful inves-
tigstion Of the whole subject OF reduc-
tlon and free interchange of views, the
with hearty unanImity, re-
that the General Assembly
adopt the following overture for trans
mission TO PresbyteriCs Shall chapter
Xii section of the form of government
be so amended as TO read as
follows: The General Assembly shall
consist of commissioners, bishops,
and elders as nearly as possible equal in
number to those elected by the Presby-
teries. The basis of representation shall
be the number of ministers and
combined, as given in the
annual statistical reports msde TO the
General Assembly, and the frs. ratio OF
under this rule shall be
one commissioner from each Presbytery
containing not more than 5000 minis
ters and communicates combined; and
each Presbytcry containing more than
3. 900 and not more than 5000 minis
ters and cCmmuuiCalts, shall send two
aud each Presbytery
mo:c than COCO and not
more than 5000 ministers and COM
shall send four com
mlssioaers, and in the proportion
of two additional commissioners tor each
and every additional 5000 ministers and
or fraction thereof and
when the number of commissioners
would on the existing ratio exceed $50,
the General Assembly msy change the
ratio so a. TO reduce the size OF the body.
Each Presbytery in existence on the l6.h
day of May, 1873 shall be entItltd 10 at
least one commissioner, but the Presby~
teries that may thereafter be constituted
containing less than 500 ministers and
commuricanls shall no: be enti.
tied 10 commissioner until
their ministerial and communion
ratios shsll have grown to thst num-
Der. Escb synod sns!l st It's sisted meet
ing ascertain from the ststistics! reports
made to the Genera Assembly, the
number OF Commissioners 20 which It's
several PresbyterIes VIII be entitled Oh
the established ratio, sid in the cases
o, the Presby;eries entitled to but
one commissioner, each shall declare
which shall elect minister, and
which sn elder, alternating them
rs far as possible, from year 10 year. Be.
tween the stated meetings o! the Synods
sud the meeting Of the General Assem-
bly to which the con- nmissioners are to,5e
appointed the Presbyteries shall elect
according to the number OF their minis
ters snd communicates, and according 70
the arrangements by their Synods as
herein provided.
DR., Patterson spoke at some length
upon the report reviewing what hGs been
done heretofore il the matter and sll
the plans presented, snd urging the ap.
provsl OF the overture proposed 5y the