Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1890-12-10
CHURCH MATTERS.


Meeting OF baltimore Presbytery.
The presbytery ofBaltimore with which
the Annapolis Church is connected, be-
gan is December meeting yesterday
morning at the Second Presbyterian
Church with Rev W. L. Austin. of the
Church of the Covenant moderator The
venerable DR. J p. Carter, who for
great many years has been the stated
clerk Of the presbytery. and whose in
variable insistence upon orderly proce-
dure in the transaction of business has
gained for him the reputation of being
the "iiy-wheel Of the presbytcry." was i'll
and was unable TO be present 1t was
but the second time in 3 long series Of
years that he had not been st his post,
and be was missed by all and much sym
pathY was expressed for him
The morning work Of the pres5ytery
consisted largely Of considering the re.
ports Of committees. Rev. Henry Branch
Of Eilicoti City, reported for the commit
tee on bills and oyertures that il had con-
sidered the overture sent down from the
General Assembly submitting "a plan
for ministerial adjustment"
A large part of the afternoon session
was taken up with aconference on min
isterial education. The conference was
opened by the Rev Robt II Williams,
Of this city, chairman of the committee,
who said that "in other days our minis
tiers obtained their preparation for their
work either through their own efforts or
through the help of parents or guardians
but in 1875 nearly three fourths of the
candidates we're receiving aid from the
board OF education While the church
members in our colleges have increased
in number the number OF students for
ministry has not increased. Sixteen col
leges In 1889 reported .444 students, on
ly 1913 of whom were studying for the
ministry. This condition of affairs has
continued for some time, and the reason
why we have not felt IL before is because
ofthe / 1882 ministers who have come TO
us since the reunion, from other denomi-
nations DR. Williams recommended a
more careful observance of the times APP
pointed by the church for prayer for the
ministry. the presentation of this subject
in the elleges by the sblest ministers and
a change In the mode of assisting young
men
The boy should come early under our
care" he said, and in order that he may
be assisted in his preparatory studies our
academies should be endowed as well as
colleges. Then all our students for
the ministry should come under the care
of the board of education, and we should
have what the government has for supply
of its army and navy, the cadet or free
system. The government could never
furnish itself with officers IL 1t did not
have education entirely in its own hands
According TO its system the application
for these places are four times as great
as its needs. The adoption of this plan
on a scale adapted to our financial re-
sources would obivate . great many OBJ
jections, all our candidates being on equal
footing before the church. The expense
would not be much greater, while we be-
lieve the revenues to this fund would be
greatly increased. Objections might be
raised that this would necessitate pen
sion at the other end of the line. In
our judgment the prospects of a pension
at the age of sixty-fve, or a period of
disability, would cheer many weary
soldier of Christ. and bring many ex
cellent recruits now in college te study
for the ministry"
The discussion took wide range,
some opposing. some advocai ing the ca
Diet system, and many not referring to
the system at all, but deploring the false
idea of the ministry, that causes many to
think, not Of the duty of preaching and
the extension of Gods Kingdom, but
of big churches and influential congre-
cations for themselves. Nearly every
one present took part in the conference