National Republican., 1888-05-23
TIE rRrsnYTERLANs.
Interesting Historical Facts Called Up
by the Meetings in Baltimore and
Philadelphia.

Interesting Historical Facts Called Up
by the Meetings in Baltimore and
Philadelphia.
EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN: The
proceedings of the Presbyterian general
assemblies now In session I'm Philadelphia
and Baltimore, of which bodies you are Civ
ing the daily dispatches, are invested with
q special historic interest, outside of their
religious character. The church IN which
the northern assembly meets has record
running back Of the last ccntury-the pres.
cnt cdifce stands near to old Independence
Hall. In its predecessor the first Prcsby-
terry IN the Cnited States met 1906, and
doubled its numbers IN the first ten years.
The largest early additions were In the
rcigns Of Queen Anne and George |, caused
by the intolerance Of the high church party
in England, which brought thousands Of
the Ulster men TO us, proving u vcritable
gain not only to the church, but to the
manufacturing and trading interests Of
America. sin 1T13 and its five preceding
years the north Of Ireland lost by these emf.
gratiOns Onc-fourth of It's members So we
are largely indebted to our Irish as well US
our Scotch brethren, and continue so most
gratclully-tO St. Patrick as well as knOX's
land.
Another strong historic point is in the
support so early and vigorously given by
this church to the cause Of our national in
dependence There can be no question of
this, and Of its being IN advance Of that
given by the members of other churches.
single citation is in point. DR.. lnglis, n
tory rector of New York, wrote In October,
liSG, "l do not know one Presbyterian min
ister, nor, after strict inquiry, have / been
able to hear Of one, who has not by preach.
ing and every effort III his power promoted
oil g.I tal
The truth Is, that II can be justly said that
the McCklcnhurg declaration by the Prcsby-
tcrians Of North Carolina Of May 20 and 81,
and this support by their fellow members in
Philadelphia did much toward the very
formation of the Jeffersonian declaration Of
July, iiI6. In an elaborate article in
.lOlnson's Encyclopedia, prepared from ma
terial furnished hy the late W. A. Graham,
former governor of the state, 1t is shown
that tho Mecklcnburg resolutions and
declarations were sent to the continental
congress by special messengers. us well as
shown TO Richard Henry Lee and other
members. Their spirit passed into "the
declaration of the congress- of which DIR.
John WetherspOon, president of Princeton,
was u member, and the only minister of
any church who sigued that immortal
paper.
Without loasting, then, but truthfully, It
has gone down to the pages ofhistory ''thut
while other denominations were at least
inactive for independence, the Congrcgd-
tionalists aud Presbyterians from Long
Island to Georgia gave to the cause OF the
colonies. all they could give of the sanction
Of religion"
Philadelphia has been privileged to he the
place of many meetings of the General AS
sembly, forty-tive in all out of the fifty from
1IS9 to 1881 the year of separation into the
o. S, and n. s. branches; seventeen meet
ings by tie two separate branches up to the
year 1870, and in that year the happy re.
union meeting, full notice of which last ap-
pearcd in the columns of the REPUBLICAN.
Recently the great west has claimed its ses-
siOns, In Cleveland, Detroit, Madison,
Minneapolis, and Omaha. The costs of
mileage and entertainment of SO large q body
us 500 delegates from the United States and
foreign lands Is large, but it has been cheer
fully and fully met; the entertainment, even
| in the new cities of the west, and the trans
poltation expenses by assessments on the
churches. Philadelphia has opened purse,
arms, and heart The entertainment of 1870
alone cost her 100000. This year 1t must
| be still more.
For, in the exercise of the most sincere
fraternal feeling, transportation aud enter
tanment for the 200 attendants on the
southern general assembly have been for
warded to Baltimore for the united com
| memoration of Thursday next Of the first
meeting. Would that the centennial year
witnessed also the full union Of north and
south.
And why should the two bodies longer
stay apart? Our military fraternize, Rich.
mond soldiers entertain a northern regi-
ment, our politicians largely fraternize,
Wade Hampton and Butler travelling cozily
with Cameron, and the masses largely fra
| ternize.
Thus far of the nearly 81 900, 900 annually
raised by the northern church for help to
the needy people at home, the bulk goes to
the great west, and as far as Alaska, in
place of swelling the $4,000 home mission
fund of the southern church.
But this is by far the lesser point of i'm
portance. What is wanted is 4 full hearty
forgetfulness of past separations and COM
mon full sharing of work for the kingdom.
Religious feeling is q most potent factor in ce
menting national union. In 1915 Henry Clay
urged the Southern Methodist Church mot to
divide. John c. Calhoun urged the separa-
ton. The color line is said to be to-day the
great bar to the Presbyterian union. II is
also troubling the Episcopal Church. But
1t will disappear. The Providence which
saved the state will unite in full heart the
southern and northern churches when the
hour comes. j. T.. y.