Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-05-31

SABBATH SCHOOLS.
Tho committee on Sabbath Schools reporte
as foliows:-
No. Presbyteries in 1881 1881 $3.50. q
:. 1880 So
Scnools 1891 $500. I ~
:: Teachers Is! !s ssS -: -: ssss
Scholars 1 1ssd . .nsSs
No. Teachers added to the Church in IssI :. 2
Total contributions for 1881 1881 s: g S. sss5s
No. oolored Schools in I 1880 ...,s
One hundred and ninety -eight schools hav
furnished no statistics.
The committee recommended that all tn
sabbath Schools be conduct. under the con
troll Of Session and that the Presbyterian pub
locations be used. Report adop. ed.
CASE OF W. 8. TURNER.
This case is an appeal from q Judicial decie
ion of the Synod Of Georgia. which in enec
sustained the Session below The Commute
to which the case was referred reporied tina
the Assembly is Of opinion that judicial admo
milton is censure the legal force of whicl
terminates with its infection; that Mr.. w.
Turner was Lot under judicial censure when b
.
was in good and regular standing and was en-
titled to letter Of dismission to anothe
church under the control Of this Assembly
and finally that q member of this church ma,
ask Pa letter Of dismission to another de
nomination as matter Of courtesy but not as
matter Of right.
Rev. DR.. Armstrong moved to amend b.
striking out the clause as to admonition
Most Of those who had voted to sustain the ap
peal put it on the ground that it was not a ju
dicial decision. The first clause, he thought
did not express the opinion of the members Q
the court He did not believe that the force Q
judicial admonition ended when the admo
milton had been inflicted.
MAJ. j. M. Buford, Ala, said that this is
court Of last resort and 1t ought to expount
the law. II 1t is true that the sdm0niti0n sud
ed with its its infection. 1t should be 20 de
clared. In no sense. he claimed, can admoni
ton continue of abiding force.
Rev. D. W. Shanks maintained that admoni
ton is executed and suspended when once in
fiicted. Suspension and accommodation ar,
of an entirely different nature from admoni
ton, for they are. in their very nature. contin
uing.
DR.. Armstrong moved to amend the minut,
by striking out the clause shat judicial admo
milton is a censure whose legal force terminate,
when it is inflicted The motion to amend
was lost. and the paper as presented by thu
committee was adopted.
HOME MISSIONS
The order of the 2ay was taken up and dis.
cussed as to the best method Of raising funds
for the Evangelical fund, whether by separate
collections or Jointly with the Collections fol
Sustentation.
DR.. Sanderson, of Tuscaloosa, said that In
stitute would go down If the collections were
combined.
The report was afterwards SO amended and
adopted that the white and colored Evangelist
ic Fund is thrown into one, and special col
lection for the Tuscaloosa Institute will be
taken up the first Sunday in December
In reply to an overture from from ST. Johns
Presbytery the Assembly responded that no
change would be made in the mode of collect
ing the Commissioners and the Contingent
Fund.
The Presbytery Of Texas in reply to its over
ture as to the right of private Judgment was
referred to the Book of Church Order chap. 5.
%, and the Confession of Faith, chap. 81, IS.
PLACE OF NEXT MEETING.
Montgomery. Ala, and Atlanta, Ga, were
placed in nomination for the next meeting OF
the Assembly. and Atlanta was chosen by q
large majority.
NIGHT SESSION.
Debate limited to minutes, and 90 member
to speak more than once on same subject.
DIR. Mutually read the recommendations OF
the Publ cation Committee. They were that
the discretion given the general committee in
reference to the sales of the Publishing House
be renewed; that 1t is not expedient to incur
the expense OF new stereotype plates tor the
Hy mn Book that the periodical publications
of the publication house be sustained by the
Churches and Sunday schools; that the COM
mittee he authG rized to use ten or fifteen per
cent Of .ecetpts for sustentation +; and th..t the
old com :nittee be re appointed.
Objection was made to that portion OF the re-
port recommending the mortgage to be allow
ed to remain on the Publishing House,
The report was adopted.
On motion of DR.. HAGEN, the Treasurer of the
General Assembly was ordered to pay for the
publication of the majority and minority re-
ports on RetrenchM emit and Reform
The report of the Committee on the Evan
gelist was adopted without debate.
DIR. Adger from the committee on cores
pondence reported an overture from Hoiston
Presbytery asking that the appointment Of
delegates to the General Presby terrain Council
be distributed among and committed to the
Synods. DR.. Adger recommended the answer
that the Assembly has no such power, which
was adopted.
An overture from the Synod of Texas asking
the appointment Of q committee to correspond
with a similar committee from the Northern
Assembly look ing toa prevention of collision
in the work in Texas, was answered by tue re-
commentator that the matter be referred
to the Presbyteries.
The report was adopted without debate.
DR.. Pryor was compelled to ask leave of abb
sence because of the death of the Oldest officer
of his church OF which he had just learned. II
was the first time that he had asked leave OF
absence In his attendance on five Assemblies.
His eavetaking was eloquent and affecting.
In answer to the overture from the Synod OF
South Carolina in reference to just and neces-
sary references DR.. Palmer submitted an an
swer as a substitute for the answer of the COM
mittee which had been debated. His answer
was in effect that in the nature of the case just
and necessary consequences form a part OF ev-
cry proposition. but that neither the law nor
the consequences h ye any binding influence
saveso far as they are ordained by Gods word.
Rev. D. w. Shanks moved that the report OF
the committee with the substitute offered by
DIR. Palmer be docketed and left for the consid-
Grafton OF the next General Assembly. The
motion was defeated.
The vote was then taken on the substitute
offered by DR.. Palmer and \ was adopted and
made part of the report in place of the an
swer submitted by the committee.
Adjourned with PRAYER
NINTH DAY-SATJRDAY.
Assembly met at 9 a. M, and was opened
with prayer by Rev. w. B. Bingham Of Missis.
sippi. The minutes of the previous day were
read and approved.
The committee on
PREsBYTERIAL ASSESSMENTS
reported in favor Of reducing the assessment
as the expenses Of the Assembly are not over
81 500, and the present assessment yields $1,000
The committeefixed the rateat u cent on each
member of the Presbytery, and the report wa.
adopted,
GOOD AND NECESSARY CONSEQUENCES.
The overture from South Carolina again came
to the front and was subject to much hair-split
ting. but yet earnest debate. In order that on,
readers may get some idea of the subject
which occupied SO much time of the Assem-
bly,, we give the various papers offered on tn,
subject notwithstanding we think tho rvb,,.