The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-05-31

In this matter He did not know that
the possession Of gray hairs was crime
At first he was disposed to strike out the
reasons, but since the debate has taken
such wide range he had changed his
views. 1t is now too late to strike out.
The whole question must now be met.
Church councils were fallible, but decis-
ions judicially reached must be carefully
dealt with. To send delegates to Spring
seld now would be confession of wrong
on our part. The Northern Church
charged us with schism. We ask them
for retraction, and they refuse to give
it, and the charge still stands against us.
Their refusal to acquit us of this charge
was greeted with cheers and the waving
of handkerchiefs, showing the popular
approval of deliberate act declaring us
schismatics. To go before them now I'M
asked would be confession.
DIR. Pitzer--At the Baltimore Assem-
bly, in 1878 it was declared that all &C
ton touching the Southern Assembly is
declared null and void, and we have con-
fidence in their Christian character?"
Does that admit of two conclusions?
DIR. Girardcau-What did they mean
by those words? If We were schismatics
in the past, are we not schismatics now
And would not the same censure apply
to us now as then? They called us her.
etics and blasphemers" because our doc
trines toward slavery were in consonance
to Bible teachings and the Old School
standards.
Mr.. Bittinger-Was that declaration
of the Northern Assembly not made after
b1,, h.
mission to be to conserve" slavery, and
as an answer to it?
DR.. Pitzer-By DR.. Girardeau's per-
mission I will answer that question, as I
desire to get the matter correctly before
the house. The charge of blasphemy
was never made against the Southern AS
sembly. Referring to previous action
Of the Southern Assembly at Columbus,
Georgia, the system of negro slavery in
the South is a divine institution-an ordi-
nance of God-and that it is the peculiar
duty of the Southern churches to con-
serve the institution of slavery" the
! Northern Assembly declared such " doc
trine" to be not heresy but blasphemy
1t was never applied to the people or to
the Assembly.
DIR. Lefevre-And the author of that
declaration is now himself minister of
the northern church. His name is Wills.
DIR. Graham-When first charged that
such declaration was on our records the
people refused to believe it, and it was
disavowed as soon as it was possible to do
so.
DR.. Brown also gave history of the
paper and its subsequent disavowal
DIR. Girardeau resumed-We have been
constrained by brute force to give up the
institution of slavery, but are we to give
up the doctrine because of that? They
pronounced us traitors who deserved to
be hanged. Dead our confederacy may
be, but are we prepared to stand upon
the graves Of our dead boys and admit
that they were traitors?
A voice-Never
DIR. Girardeau-The principles of 1861
1--WE hold now as then. Our present char
acter is our past. If we send delegates
north they will take it as an indication
! that we are ready to be engulfed in
northern sentiment. 1t has been said
that politicians are shaking hands over
the bloody chasm-why not the church?
| VIII the church be the last to Weld in
/ OHC iiSHU' 1A0 COHISuSIdCy Is uedU, ana
men will not stand up for dead issue
there are living causes to attend to. Is
our church dead? Is the cause of our
church, too, lost cause Are we to act
asif she had nolife ? When I was in prison
with DR.. Farris, together with 1000 con-
iederate officers, while there was man in
the field to uphold the confederacy we re-
fused to take the oath of allegiance. One
officer who did so was kicked from one
end of the prison to the other. But when
at last the last flag was furled in defeat
we debated still whether we should take
the oath or still refuse and die. 1t was
decided that we owed duties to the liv.
ing. 1t was a dead government. But
here is living church. If it were ques-
ton of organic union I would fight to the
last ditch. Fraternal relations will be
used as lever for organic union, and
before ten years that question will be
before this Assembly as this one now is.
DR.. Lane, Of Athens, had great respect
for his venerable brethren, Drs. Brown
and Girardeau, nevertheless he did not
share their fears or views. The report
did not 90 far enough for him. He was
fully and unequivocally in favor Of fra
ternal relations. Bury the discussions of
the past so deep that the hand of resur-
rection cannot reach them. Are we by
being citizens Of the United States cast