The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-06-29
For the Central Presbyterian.
The General Assembly of 1881

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the acts and doings, Eyes, and about the
things not done,) by the Assembly which
met in Staunton, Va. 1t is customary
to write an account of the Assembly for
a Quarterly Review. This is read by
the ministers who take the ReuieaU, and
by but few others But if we can place
the subject before hundred fold larger
number of readers, we shall be better
contented than if we wrote one long and
labored article for the Southern Pfesbv-
terrain Reuiev.
Passing over the matter Of the compo-
sition and personnel of the Assembly,
with the single remark that it rose above
the average CT our Assemblies, in the age,
the experience, and conservatism of its
members, we must insist that it deserved
as it actually received, the soubriouet.
1.-The Most Patient Assembly"
1t was not afflicted with that malady
cacoethes loquendi" While no subject
was acted upon in perfunctory manner,
and everything was supported by strong
and able advocacy, there was no DISPOSE
ton shown to have and hold the floor !;
and | suppose there never was an As
sembly in which there was so little effort
at Rhetorical Fireworks" Nor was
there any disposition evinced to struggle
for glctory IN debate.
There were several subjects up
which, it was feared by the lovers of
peace, would provoke severe and acri-
monlous debate and a struggle for mas
terry. But the whole ten days of debate
passed away in harmony of feeling and
without ripple of luminosity. This was
owing, | think, to two facts 1st. The
Assembly was made up, not of aggres-
sives, but of conservatives; and End, the
evident fairness and business of the manly
and polite Moderator, who ruled the AS
sembly in love; ana who (although he
said he knew nothing of parliamentary
law presided for ten days without one
appeal from his decision.
The subjects before the Assembly were
of the gravest Importance. They were
patiently and fully heard, and never but
once was the question" called, until the
whole body seemed to feel that discus
sion should end and action be had at
once. Five days elapsed before the body
came to vote on any of the grave ques-
lions before it. Ninety hours of hard
and patient labor, enough to exhaust any
body of men, passed and the body dis
solved. | saw a returned commissioner
yesterday who said he had not yet recoy-
cred his equilibrium.
The subject of Retrenchment and Re-
form, which had been ventilated in the
papers, was felt by many to be the great
subject of this Assembly. The writer,
who noted silently and carefully the re-
lation and the correlation of the several
subjects introduced, and those not acted
on as well as those disposed of, does not
think that Retrenchment and Reform"
are the bottom, but that they are rather
only the superfcies of the matter which
lies deeper down. But the ar & R" was
certainly laid on the shelf. The able
writers of the Majority and Minority
Reports were both members of the AS
sembly, and both had the amplest time
and liberty in discussing their reports,
and the whole subject in all It's bearings.
10 say that it was an able and exhaus-
tive discussion would be the verdict Of
every one who was present. Some said
it was also erhau8tamgi After these two
champions We're done, | think dozen or
more members of the Assembly gave us
speeches Of small longitude and great
latitude. The result of the vote was
most satisfactory and showed the Rs to
be in lean minority: to 12O. I ought
not to close reference to this debate with
out saying that Rev. A c. Hopkins and
Rev. S. T. Martin deserve the highest
commentator of their brethren for the
excellent Christian courtesy which they
evinced, thoroughly and throughout.
But IS Reform deadP Mr.. Martin
thinks not. He closed by stating that
agitation was not dead; that it would 90
on and ON until the doctrines of the Nj
nority should prevail 1t was honest
and manly in Mr.. Martin to say so. He
has liberty in the Presbyterian Church
to free fight and full discussion. But
when he casts forth this apparent threat,
Presbyterians will take note of it, and
until these agitations are ended, they
will send prudent and conservative com
missioners to the Assembly. Beneath
all this, there seems to be tendency in
the Church to new departure towards
an ecclesiasticism that will land us on
the High Church platform.
L point to the German Reformed
Church and the great DR.. Nevin, of that
Church, to show what fools PRESBYTERIAN
Christians become when they get upon
that platform. When Presbyterians do
get wrong, they get aorongest of all men