National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1880-09-28
THE PRESBYTERIANS.
Interesting Proceedings of the General
Alliance Yesterday.
Presby at Home ana Abroad In
Its Different Phases Freely Dis
cusscd In Council.
Afternoon and Evening Session.

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 27.---At the afternoon
session held in the academy of music Rev. Dr.
Roberts Of Utica, N Y, presided aud opened
the meeting with prayer. Rev. Principal
kinross of Sydney read n paper on the coudi
tion of religion In New South Wales. Ho
stated that of tho total population of that
colony (about 100000 not one.tenth arc pres.
byterians, and not one.thrd attend any place
of public worship. He described the school
system as one that is uusectarian, but not cx.
actly secular portions of the scriptures being
committed TO the teachers to instruct the
pupils In, no pupil whose parents object being
compelled to attend tLat instruction.
sylvester Il. Scovel, esq, Of Pttsburg, Pa,
followed with paper on the relation that
presbyterianism bears to civil and religious
liberty. Next to loyalty TO Christ, he said,
there is nothing of which presby should
he prouder than they should be of their
identification with civil and religious freedom.
The last paper of the afternoon was one on
the subject of Religion and Politics, /" by Rov.
Professor Lyman X. Atwater of Princeton.
who argued that man Is In every capacity re.
duired to do all for Almighty God and that n
statesman or politician eau no more get out
Of this than he can got out of himself The
state, he said, should not undertake to en-.
force inward recttude or its outward mani
fcstations, but should educate the people to
higher moral standards by Its own adherence
to them. There are constitutions that are
stronger than written constitutions, aud how.
over desirable it might be to have the consti.
tuition of the country expressly declare al.
legance to God, there are many things that
mark II pre.eminehtly us n christian country.
He concluded by remarkng that il is the
province of religion to enter politics. BY in.
yitation, Rev. DIR. DUFF gave tho delegates u
description of Tasmania and brief account
ofthe church work thus far done Ia that colony
Adjourned until 1880 u. III.
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 27.--The evening
session was convened in the academy, with
Rev. DR.. Francis Brown Douglass of Elm.
burgh, Scotland, who opened the meeting
with prayer. The papers of the evening had
for their common general topic that of the
"Catholcty of Presbytcranisn."
Rev. Dr. George G. Hutton Of Paisley dis
cussed presbyteranism in the mission field
the object of his essay being to show how
churches working in the mission field could
cooperate SO as 10 secure tho best possible re-
suits. Tho speaker thought that large
systematzed union should be formed for tho
common purposes of all evangelical mission
enterprises. With such plan in force ho
argued, missions would cease to be what thoy
too often now seem, rival camps, aud would
march as under the stars and stripes OF COM
mon evangelical flag, OF as the rose thistle
and shamrock ofa glorious christian standard.
Rev. Principal d. II. MacYickar LII. d.,
of Montreal, read the second paper on tho same
subject. lie defined the term catholicity as
that spirit which 10 opposed to sectarianism
and exercises liberality Of tone and view
toward all tho churches of God In the course
OF his discussion the speaker said that Roman
catholics ana protestant ritualists had attached
such supersttious importance TO their rites aud
ordinances that they had narrowed down the
channels of grace to those which flow through
their hands consigniug to ruin all those vino
do not avail themselves of their services.
Tho presbyterian church, more truly Catho-
lie, declares that Christ died not for one class
or denomination, but that ho had redeemed all
and that all who call in his name are his.
Rev. William Ii. Campbell, D. d., of New
Brunswick, n. j., read the final paper, In
which presby yterian cathoicity was considered
from the standpoint Of the present. Dr.
Campbell, In tho course of his remarks oh.
jected to tho practice of applauding, which
had been frequent during the several sessions,
insisting that tho place where tho council met
became the temple Of God aud that outbursts
Of applause with hands and feet wero un.
scemly. Ho suggested that the methodist
custom Of crying out "Amen" aud GLORY be
to God" be adopted when tho council and au-
dience desired TO express their approval. This
advice evoked a round of particularly stroug
applause, mixed with suppressed laughter. At
the close of DIR. Csmpbel's address the meet
ing was dismissed with the bencdiction, pro.
nounc by Rev, DIR. Beattys Of Stcubeuvillc,
Ohio.