The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1889-04-03
EXCESSIVE APPORTION-
MENTS.

conducted by Jhe Oeneral Assembly
has been highly commendable, and
great credit is, we think, due to those
who have had the management of
these enterprises. The Committees of
Home Missions, Foreign Missions, Edu-
cation, and Publication, have shown
much zeal and practical wisdom in con
Quoting the work entrusted to them
But funds for doing all that was desired
have never been contributed, even
when the churches have most gladly
and literally responded to the calls
made on them. The work is so great
and the means so limited that the As
sembly has been embarrassed every
year, and our Christian people have
been appealed to with more and more
urgency to enlarge their contributions.
Some years ago the Assembly adopt
ed the plan of Recommending" fixed
su m to be raised for each enterprise,
and instructing the Committees to APP
portion the amount equitably among
the Presbyteries and to ask the Pres.
byteries to apportion their respective
quotas among the churches.
This plan has, no doubt, in the main,
worked well, but there have grown out
of it some evils by which the churches
have been greatly harassed, These
evils arise from the fact that the
amounts recommended by the Assem-
bly, are far beyond what the churches
are likely to give, and beyond what
they are, probably, able to give. If
the churches do not contribute the
amount of their apportionment (and
the most of them do mott, they are re-
garded as delinquent and are likely to
be harassed with appeals to make up
the deficiency" as it is called.
If any one will take the pains to ex-
anime the Minutes of the Assembly,
and the reports of the Executive Com
mittees, he will find that the appor-
tionments have been made, and the re
suits have been, as here represented
In 1887 the Assembly urged the Pres
byteries to raise $4,000 for the Com
mite Of Education" during the year
At the next meeting of the Assembly
(1888) the Committee reported that
the "entire receipts during the year
have been SIS, 879.32," which was less
than two-thirds of the amount of the
apportionment. Yet in the face of
that fact the Assembly proceeds to
''urge upon the Presbyteries to make
an earnest effort to raise the sum of
$50, 600 for the cause during the cur
rent yea" an amount about tlOice as
great as they had been enabled, by
Gan earnest effort" to raise the year
before, The same method of increas
ing the apportionments was adopted
with reference to the other Committees.
The Committee of Home Missions
for the same year (1888) reported
that the receipts for Sustentation
for the preceding year were S29,260.-
80. The Assembly instructed the Com
mittee to call for $50, 600 the next year.
For Evangelistic work the whole re-
ceipts were S14,767; an apportionment
of S25, 900 was directed. The total
contributions for the Invalid Fund
were S15,117; an earnest effort" to
raise $4,000 was directed. The
amount contributed for the Colored
Evangelistic Fund was Sc, 500; the As.
sembly recommended that this be in
creased to $4,000.
Besides all this separate collection
was appointed for Church Erection
which had hitherto been connected
with Sustentation. The Committee of
Foreign Missions reported the amount
received from the churches as S41, 573.-
70, which, when supplemented by the
aid Of Sabbath Schools" Missionary
Societies" "Individuals within the
Church" miscellaneous Sources Out
side" and "Legacies" made an aggre.
gate of $4,000 80. The Assembly
urged that our Church shall endeavor
to raise at least 100000 for this OBJ.
ject."
1t will be seen that these apportion-
ments we're very largely in excess Gn
some cases almost double) of the