Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-05-18
A CRANK In COUNCIL.
BXCITING SCENE IN THR PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH ASSEMBLY.
The First Working Day Of the Session Important
Committee Reports The Question Of Organic
Union Dsloanesd-The Church
IN the South.

/ NEW YORK, May l7.-MOderato Roberts
called the second days session of the Pres
byterian General Assembly to order short
ly after O'Clock this morning. The church
was partly filed with delegates at the time.
The first half hour was spent in service of
song and prayer. The business session
then began. The old rules for the govern
ment of the Assembly were adopted. ].
T. Dafield, D. D., OF New Brunswick, ex-
tended an invitation 20 the Assembly from
Princeton College and Seminary to visit
that place week from next Saturday.
The invitation WAS accepted, and on that
day the session Of the Assembly will close
at II o'clock.
The Moderator then announced tue
standing committees for the session. Upon
the invitation OF the Union Theological
Seminary tine Assembly will visit that in
stitutiOn Immediately upon adjournment
on Monday The report OF the committee
on extinct churches was then re d. In the
opinion OF this committee Church Prop
erty Committee should be appointed, to
whom all cases OF defunct churches should
be referred. The report was adopted.
THE CONDITION OF CHURCH WORK.
Rev. DIR. Morris, the chairman of the
educational committee, read the report of
that committee. The report showed that
at present there were more than 500
churches with membership of from one
to twenty-five members without pastors
because OF lack of funds. This lack of
ministerial help, the report said, was a
serious question, and one that should he
squarely met. The rate OF dissolution
was last year 30 per cent the largest in the
history OF the Presbyterian Church. The
cause ui the dissolution, though psrhaps due
to the migratory habits of the people, Is pin
cipally 10 be attributed to the need OF
money. The chairman said that work
among the eOlored population needed at
tentiOn which IL would be wise to give it.
The constant dimunition Of the ministerial
force by reason of old age and disease also
required attention.
In conclusion he said the church must
have paid and ordained ministers to meet
this growing demand for ministerial aid.
1t was vital to church interests and re-
quired prompt and vigorous action.
THE GOOD COLONEL WAS THERE
report OF the Committee on Sabbath OBJ
servance. In 1t ne found several subjects
| for cOngrstulation, among them the closing
of the liquor saloons in Cincinnati, and
I the decrease in the circulation OF Sunday
newspapers. The Committee had also in
view the stoppage of the transportation Of
mails on Sundays and the decrease Of in
terstate traffic. Col Shepard recommend
ell the plan OF the American Sabbath
/ Union for carrying out these thin g. A
/ motion was made and carried to the effect
/ that the report he accepted.
! Rev. Joseph Y. Smith, OF Baltimore,
read a report on cooperation in missionary
work-home and foreign publication, and
| the education OF freedmen.
MISSIONS FOR FREEDMEN.
The report of the special committee on
/ missions, submitted by DR.. Charles A.
Dickey, of Philadelphia, recommended
that the Board of Missions for freedmen, as
now constituted and located, be con
tinued that it should control the entire
work among the freedmen, and not de
pend upon the constitution OF the church
to other boards, but that If assistance be
needed it's appeals should be approved OF.
The Board of Home Missions and Board OF
Missions for Freedmen were recommended
10 confer at least once year on questions
of mutual interest. The report was sp-
proved.
At the afternoon session, Rev. J. +.
Smith continued his paper on union IN
mission work with the Southern Church.
He pIefaced his remarks by pointing out
the necessity of evaDgelizing the cOlOred
portion of the population, and said that
the Southern Church recognized that the
status Of the cOlOred people was the same
as that of the white people. The negroes,
he said, look forward 20 separate African
Church. That may come about, said the
speaker. While the question OF organic
union between the church in the North and
| in the South lies in abeyance we must
content ourselves with uniting on lees I'M
portant questions.
Judge Samuel NJ. Breckenridge, OF st.
Louis. presented majority report stating
| that nothing less than organic union be
/ tween both churches would prove satisfac-
tory. Both reports will be printed and
/ laid before the Assembly. At this point
| in the proceedings, man Jumped mp from
/ one of the front benches, and standing at
| the head of the middle aisle, and shaking
his fist in the air yelled; Men and breth-
rem. YOU are slaves, you are stupifed with
/ the ooiate Of the worlds" put HIM
out - yelled score Of voices.
/ Get a policeman" shouted DR.:
I Crosby. but the man continued
10 veil. and beat the air with his fists, and
some one thoughtfully began to sing old
/ Hundred, " to drown his voice. Mr.. NC
Nair. Of st. Panl, however, caught him by
the neck and hustled him ont on the
double quick. He threw tracts about him
as he was leaving the church, signed by
IS ]. Hickey, Station i. Brooklyn, TINS
being presumably his name.
DR.. Dickey's report of the Special Com
mittee on the Board OF Missions for Freed
men was then discussed. DR.. T. ). Ham
/ lin of Washington, protested against its
adoption by the Assembly on the ground
that the Washington Synod had volun-
teered information while they were SOM
nilipe their report, which information
thew refused TO accept. The report was
finally adopted, with the exception oil
that clause which gives the further man
agement Of the questions to the Board oil
( Missions for Freedmen, and this will he
furtbe. discussed on Monday.
THE SOUTHERN BROTHERS.