The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-05-25
The Presbyterian General Assembly.

During this week and the next, four
General Assemblies Of the Presbyterian
Church OF this country will be in session.
representing an aggregate of 90O, ,lS6
members, lO,93S churches and s. 1927 min.
isters. or this number the Northern
Presbyterian Church, which meets Mt
Springfield, illinois, in the State house.
and is formally welcomed by the State
authorities, has 5S1, ,40l members. 5598
churches, 5,0S6 ministers the Southern
Presbyterian Church, represented in the
General Assembly at Atlanta, Ga. has
lZl,9l5 members, 1857 churches. .O6I
ministers; the Cumberland Presbyterian
Church, convened at Huntsville. Ala.
furnishes 1898 members, 2,57O
churches. 1856 ministers; and the Uni
ted Presbyterian Church, whose Assembly
will be held at Monmouth, Illinois. next
week.. consists Of 82,937 memben. SI4
churches, 704 ministers.
These bodies are the courts of final an
peal In the church which they represent
the supreme judicatures, where the de-
cislons of Church sessions, Presbyteries
and Synods may be carried for review and
authoritative decision, after having pass.
ed in turn through these subordinate
courts. The General Assembly has full
legislative authority in the church, sub
lect only to the revealed will of God.
lhe ratio OF representation is numerical.
and the basis of enumeration is the mum.
Der OF ministers in each Presbytery. al.
though the clerical aud lay elements are
equally represented in the General AS.
sembly. Presbyteries having not more
than twenty-four ministers upon their
roll are entitled to send one commissioner
from the ministery and one from the
eidershsp OF the church The number
OF commissioners from Presbytery in.
creases with the number of ministers be-
yond twenty-four. Each Presbytery
defrays the expenses of its own commits.
sloners, who are required to give formal
reports rs to the faithful discharge of
their duties. Upon tho floor of the Gen
eral Assemblies of the Presbyterian
Church some of the most eminent men
OF the country, jurists, statesmen and
scholars, are annually to be heard. Civ
ing the counsel of their practical wisdom
to the determination of poi ats of doc..in-
al statement and the decislon of questions
Of ecclesiastical law.
Ihe Southern General Assembly, which
convenes this week at Atlanta. Ga. wes
separated from its sisters of the North by
the war. In full sympathy with what had
been known as the "Old School Presbv-
terianism," which had sternly eschewed
all political or sectional questions up to
the war, when that organization so far
violated its conservative traditions as to
make bitter deliverances upon the mat
ters about which the country was divided
there wac seemingly no alternative for
the Southern Church but separation and
independent existence. Every consider
alton of principle and selfrespect de-
manded that they should withdraw from
a relation in which they were regarded as
sinful and criminal.
In 1861 the ministers and elders of the
various Presbyteries in the then Confede-
rate States, organized at Augusta, Ga,
The General Assembly of the Presbyte.
rian Church in the Confederate States of
America" with constituency of 811
ministers and licentiates, and 72,677
communicates. Of this Assembly the
Rev. DR.. B. N. Palmer, of New Orleans,
but. native of South Carolina, was
me orator. Since then the General As.
semoly has met annually as follows Jn
1852, at Montgomery, Ala, DR.. J, L..
kirkpatrick, moderator. in 1863, at Co.
lumbia, s. O., DR.. J. a. Lynon. moderator ::
in 1864, at Charlotte, N. c., DR.. J. s..
Wilson, moderator; in 1865, at Macon,
Ga, DR.. George Howe, moderator in
1866, at Memphis, DR.. A. II. Kerr, mod.
orator; in 1867, at Nashville, DR.. J. v.
Moore, moderator; in 1868, at Baltimore,
DIR. j. n. Waddel, moderator; in 1869.
at Mobile, DR.. Stuart Robinson, modera.
tor; in 1870, at Louisville, DR.. r. L. Dab.
ney, moderator in 1871, az Huntsville.
Ala, DIR. w. S. Piumer, moderator; in
1872, at Richmond, DR.. T. r. Welch.
moderator; in 1873, at Little Rock, DIR.
d. M: Smith, moderator; in 1874; at
Columbus, DR.. ]. L. Girardeau, modera.
tor; in 1875, at st. Louis, NJ D. Hoge,
moderator; in 1876, at Savannah, DR.. B.
M. Smith, moderator in 1877, at New
Orleans, DIR. G. A. Stillman, moderator !:
in 1873, at Knoxville, DR.. Thomas f.
Peck, moderator; in 1879, at Louisville,
Or. Joseph K. Wilson, moderator: in
1880. at Charleston, S. c., DR.. Thomas A.
Hoyt. moderator; in 1881, at Staunton.
Va, Rev. Robert p. Farris, d. D., mod
orator.
Since its organization in 1861 the
Southef, Presbyterian Church has great.
ly increased in membership and influence.
amid all adverse circumstances. It's Sll
ministers are now 1,06l its 72, 900 com.
municants, now l2l 900. At the present
session at Columbus, number of dis
tinguished ministers and laymen will be-
present. There are no questions of spe.
cial interest expected, although the mat
ter of the revision Of the DIRECTORY Of
Worhip" will probably elicit warm dis
cussion.