New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-23
RELIGIOUS CONVENTIONS.
PRESBYTERIAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

IhEoD1 ASoEhDLi'
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF FOREIGN MISSIONS
THE WORK OF CHURCH ERECTIoN-PLAN FOR
REDUCING MEMBERSHIP IN THE ASSEMBLY
PITTsBURG, Penn, May OH Presbyterian
General Assembly met at o'clock this morning The
Moderator announced the Committee on Correspond
dence with the Church OF Scotland follows: the Rev.
L. +. Hatfield, ID. d. the Rev. WIN. n. Paxton, ID. d.,
aud Elder Belknap
The order OF the day. viz the reception Of the report
OF the Committee Foreign Missions. was here intro
duced The report read by the Rev. Dr. E. d. Morris
Of Cincinnati, The chairman. II shows the receipts of
the board from all to have been si63,35l &C.
Expenditures Sj1l $50 o. including the debt OF s43,
O32 %, at the end Of last year. Early In this
year tho Gift OF $4,000 by Mrs. John c. Green
exunguished the debt and left nearly $1,000
toward tho current expenses. Knowing that the coun
try WIS stll in depressed pecunary condition. which
ikoy affect seriously the income OF the board all
its expenses home and abroad carefully scruti
nIze aud its whole work conducted as "a guard
against the OF another debt II is therefore,
with regret that the board has report def
cheney al the end OF the yeGr OF 81 ,S20 30.
The Rev. DIR. Lowry said the most important question
TO be considered is one OF policy Slall the board 20
forward, or shal! ii retreat! In the face of
debt OF $1,000, deficit Of $4,000 in the con
tTibdlions and the depression all over The country,
what ought TO b. donel There IS ground to Gncpatc
that better tines are coming, the ability
Of the Church to give 70 all bsnccent purposts viii be
correspondence Increased While 27o9 churches con.
tribute 10 the cause S%3 each. MT less
than 235l, or 40 per cent Tie wno.c number made
contributions. II the churches would add Only 10
per cent TO the present receipts no reduction ia the
work would required II they wyuld add 20 cont,
the entire debt i've paid and the great "ofK VIII go
without cinbar
Immediately after the Assembly convened in the after
noon the report Of the Committee on Church Erection
was read by the charman the Rev. John MEG. holmes
d. d. From the rcpoT; appears that applications for did
have been made by 2iS chufches' asking FOR
anpropriations TO the amount Of $4,000. The lack
fuuds las compelled the boar TO refuse large NUN,
Der OF these requests bat h3s nevertheless granted
liberal aid It9 churches under the carvo ciELycYrn
PrcsbytrrS, AID scattered over tWcho-eislt ,'E'a
and Territories Ada IA these the ioTty-riRhl chchs
fiscal year. aud it VIII be seen mat zoe 1911 800.
has helped IN The erection Of 1874 churches sipce
year only . 100 Churches bnyc gwen ans hing
10 the church. ension funds, having 5000 chu'chfs
raef twelve inonts were less by over 500 the
reported year ago. The report OF The conrnitcc
adopted.
DR.. Il. N. Patterson OF Philadelphia chairman OF the
Committee Reduced Representation, presented the
port OF the committee After rrhearsng the numerous
plans FOR reduced membership OF the Assembly which
had been submitted and considered Dy the committee
the report concluded as follows:
After a careful Investigation Of the whole subject of
reduction ana free interchange OF Views, III" commit
with hearty unAuimity rcc3mcud mat the General
Assembly adopt the following overture Tor transmission
IL tie freaby tcricS:
-, =. l.
amended rs 20 rcau = foiuws The General Assembly
shall cons.st Ok Commissioners. Bishops and FL
ders, ns nearly n possible equal IN numbers,
elected b. ne PTe,hytcrics The basis Of ruprc-cu-
taton shall he the number OF ministers ant
communicates combined, given Ia tue
annual statistical reports iuSdc 70 the General Assem-
bIy The rst ratio of rspr.rniatipn uuder this rule
shall Do one commissioner from each frrsiytrry con-
tanning than 5000 ministers and cOnmuu
Giants combined and each Prrshyicry containing more
tInn 5000 aud not more thnn G,OrO ministers
and COMMITMENTS snail send two commissioners: eaon
PrrsbytcrV containing moro than GoDD and not more
than 5000 ministers ami Communicates shall send
four commissioners, and In the proportion OF Two
additional commissioners Tor each ana every
additional 5000 ministers aud Communicates, or trac-
ton thereof aud when tue number 81 commissioners
would, tie existing ratio, exceed 800. the General
size OF the body. Eacn Prcsbyiery ia existence
the 10th uuy 81 May 1873, shall bc entitled % az
east commits sunrr bul fICsy tcres that may bo
thereafter cuu-i tuted containing less Than JoO ministers
mis- Toner until their ministerial and communion
roll, SHALL have grown 81 that numb5r. Each synod
shall at it's stated meeting ascertain from the
statistical reports made To tho General Assem-
bly, thc number of commissioners To which
It's several Pr,sbytcries Will be entitled on
the established ratio and IN the cases OF
each shall declare (which shall elect MIN
lister and which elder. alternating them NJ
far as possible from year 10 year Eotwcon the stated
in,cilngs OF the synod aud the meeting Of the General
uuuted the PrC,by tCri.s shall eject according 10 the
humber OF their ministers and commuucanis, and ac
cUr!nR the gcncnt5 VI their sJnods Us Eercin
provided.
DR. Patterson spoke at some length upon tho report,
reviewing what has been done heretofore IN the matter
all the plans presented and urging tho approval OF the
overture proposed by the committee. motion wns
made aud carried 10 mako She consideration Of the
port the special order for 10 o'clock saturday.