National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1883-04-05

pen6ix separately. The former and the first
proposition of the latter were accepted. Tho
second proposition of the appendix was sent
UP to the general assembly.
The discussion that cnsiicd upon this report
wac nm intrrrstinp mo and brought ont the
individual characteristics Of the members, as
| well MS the spirit of Presbyterianism that
animated ALL This prosbytery is n charac-
teristica1lv representative body of the church.
| and fully bears out, in appearance, the ira
ditions of that organization. As YOU care
| fully scanned tho assembly you noticed that
the majority had firm square Jaws and thin
Inns and although several of them had mild
and gentle beamng of the eye which indi-
Gated a peaceful disposition, vet all, without
execution. seemed alert, prompt and ready
fora death graphic with theological opposition.
The spirit of Prcsbyterianism imprcsses it's
attributes on the faces us we'll us the chaiac-
ters of its clergy. In all matters affecting the
relations between man and his God 10 pro-
duces an aggressive, wide awake nature,
sense of responsibility to Jehovah too deep
and strong to admit of compromise. It dis
dams the insinuating arts of diplomacy, and
wears q blunt courtesy that wastes neither
time nor language in useless action or super
fluous words. The Presbyterian is thoroughly
equipped for the contest with error His
armOr is rock ribbcd and his blade Of match
less temper. Tho creed suits men whose
mental action Is acute, and whose iortitude
no shock can startle no terror shake. Hence
il is the religion for lowand SCotchmcn. for
the Hollandsche Dutch, for the Bungundian
FrenChman for the Saxon Euglishman and
his American descendant. And it is among
these races that Prcsbytcriansm thrivos best.
Among the presbytcry there was n notice.
able absence of mere adipose tissue. As u
rule thought and fat are incompatible. A
rigid muscularity of form was prominent.
The moderators plump checks and full habit
were signs that he was not troubled with dys-
pcpsia but he had the square jaw and the as
sertiVe nose of Roman lcgiOnary as proof he
would never become Corpulent. Not those of
fat man were his keen, penetrating eyes,
which, were he soldier, would in battle
flash and sparkle with all that gdudid certdmi-
mis- which made the BcrsHrk mad. Particu-
larly noticeable was tho denominational look
OF both clergy and elders. A few
very few-might be mistaken for
ministers of other creeds. Kelly,
Noble, Smith. Little, for example, look as If
they might be Episcopalians, but Episcopal
ians of the low church, from whose theological
sanctuaries no road would ever lead either to
ritualism or to Rome. But the Presbyterian
visage is the birthright Of most of these men.
Bittengcr is the picture Of one of those old
Scottish covenantcrs, CAMPBELL a Douglas,
or u Balfour, who carried into his religion
the mildness and the gentlencss of hereditary
culture, but also the tenacious, never yielding
grip of his race, such rs Black Margaret
showed when she bOltcd the Stuarts
door with her own white arm against
the Lindsay, and neither shivered nor
moaned when the white flesh tore asundor
and the living tendons snapped in twain
against the fierce rush OF the savage baron.
Robinson Is a soitened copy of the popular
portrait of Calvin or of Knox, tall, slender.
dark Drowned, hollow checked, as if furrowed
with tears over the fate of the non -elect not
an ounce of superfiu0us flesh, but brain in
abundance and to spare; Il man of thought,
whose vigils have taken away the flesh and
left the hard compact muscle behind. And
Sunderland, the poet-preacher, n little bundle
of brain and nerve, whose innate poetry and
intense appreciation of the beautiful only
serves to itensify the stern, practical earnest
ness of his faith and his theology. Sunder-
land has visage not less distinctively Pres
byterian than his brethren.
You noticed that there was n grim humor
about these men which sometimes relaxed the
compressed lips and played in frosty light
under the straight eyebrows, but you never
saw any sign of unseemly levity. They were
too earnest to be mirthful, too full of respon-
sibility for laughter.
A remarkable physiognomical feature was
the Jagged and irregular eyebrows of which
nearly every member was thu owner. What
especially struck you withholding at the
presbytcry was that all of them were mature
men. Neither youth nor old age was there.
There were fresh, smooth checks and eyes
beeming with the radiance of youthful hopes,
yet youth was not written on those faces
There were wrinlSled brows and snow white
boards, and in the contempativc eve the fur
off look of many years, AS if the inner gaze
was bent on the "lovely land unseen," but
age had not stamped its seal ON those pale
brows. 1t was all mature manhood in
that congregation. In the Presbyterian heart
is always sense of the vast and
awful responsibility he bears to his God and
his fellows. He rightly judges that more or
less his neghbor is mixed up in that per-
sonal responsibility. lie feels that to q great
extent he is truly his brothers keeper In
his mind is an irrcvoCable determination to
meet that responsibility to its fullest extent.
He marks for himself the highest standard
and necessarily demands from his neighbor n
somewhat similar aim When he proposes
any change in the tradition of his church, il
is with the sole idea of enabling him to
meet his responsibilities more fully. When
he opposes such changes il is not from any
sentimental conservatism, but for the same
practical common sense reason that promnts
him to seek the change.
This prOmptness and directncss was speci-
ally noticed in the manner of speech during
the discussion OH the disciple revision report,
No words were wasted. There was no un.
necessary yerbiage They went straight TO
the core of the subject at once and presented
its bare palpitating heart to your gaze with
not shred of flesh or drop of blood to dis
tract your attention from the central thought
In arpument the prpsbyterian trnyplS arnuud