Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-20
HEARING REPORTS,



during the past year. The COM
mittee recommended resolutions urging the
churches to more general and more generous
contributions to this cause and that the ruling
elders be asked to inform the people as to the
operations and needs Of the board. The COM
mittee also recommended that Rev Dr. John A.
Ieggett, Rev. DR.. J. Henry Sharpe,
Robert c. Ogden and John Scott, whose terms
have expired, be reelected.
MINISTERIAL RELIIF
Rev. DIR. John Cattell. the secretary Of the
board of ministerial relief, was inyited to
speak, and made an address explaining the
needs Of the board. He spoke of the
pitiful need in some OF the families
who depended for relief upon the board
and whose needs were but inadeduatelv pro-
vided for by the small sums which the board
able to appropriate These homes, he
said. were the homes of scholarly men who had
given their lives TO the work of the Master.
said. represented more than an eele-
mosynary agency. II was the agency
through which the church discharged
its duty to its ministers. There were many
ministers whose salaries would not permit
them to Law up anything for their old age.
Some OF the pastors in feeble churches did not
receive salaries equal to the wages OF the day
laborer. yet their position imposed upon
them greater living expenses. The work
the board was doing was the endesvorirs
These old ministers had right to claim the
annuity of the board. Speaking OF the men
on the roll he said the average age was seventy
eight. and the average period of service In the
ministry was within Of being fifty years
a half century of service, so poorly paid that
there was no margin from which thew could
save any thing 10 provide for their declining
years
DIR. Catten sroke of the death at the Minis
ters' House st Perth Anbov. \. j.. during the
vea- OF a minister in his hundredth wear. who
mad o1tlived all his family. There. in the
Ministers House. be had passed his closing
days Five o: the men reached their eightieth
year in 1892 and they had touching and in
:eres.IrC birthday celebration There was but
little said or thought there of the tolls and
prayer and every address was Of the JOY of the
Masters service.
DIR. Catteiis address was applauded-
HOME IN The WEST.
DR.. Thomson spoke o; the Dosne- Homs o,
Milwaukee. which he said. was supported by
benevolent citizen. and which was doing work
like ;ba: done at Perth Am5oy and was under
Pre-bvIerlan control. though not under the dl e
rection OF the board OF ministerial relief He
urged again the elders o. the church TO take M
the matter OF securing more generous contri-
buttons TO the fund.
Eey. d.. Ie.tUich Of Baltimore spoke, he
laid rs a disabled minister whose noble people
had paced him. he hoped. beyond the need OF
applying to the board OF relief. he said that
ne understood that the maximum sum
given was $500 year. Three hun
,Ired dollars wear to a family meant cold
hearthstones in winter. rags for ralment
and crusss to eat. There were some. he said.
who believed that this whole matter OF reiiet
Tor disabled ministers called for revision IL
should be taken of from the ground OF senti-
msnt and founded on the bed rock of
eternal Justice. He said that the case OF an
aged minister. worn out In the service o: the
church called Eos for relief. but for an ade-
quate and comfortable support. de spoke
earnestly in favor of placing the bureau Of
caring fo- aged ministers of the church on
proper basis.
Elder Eudaiy of Cincinnati spoke briefly but
forcibly on the subject. He appealed to the
elders. He trusted that every presbytery rep
resented here would hear OF this matter when
they returned hcme. They belonged to the
class among whom it was not considerable dis
honorable to make money and il was their duty
to raise tine money required.
A SPECIAL COMMITTEE.
DIR. Hsrsha offered as amendment to the
report a resolution providing this general as
sembly appoint a special committee to take this
matter into consideration. with the view to
placing it on the ground where Improperly be-
ionged-justice. not charity.
The report aud DR.. Harshs's resolution were
adopted
Church TemporalitieS.
Rev. John Fox D. D., chairman OF the special
committee to consider the management of
church temporalit:es, made report. ove-tures,
he said. from thirty-two churches had reached
the last assembly asking that an inquiry
be made into the prevalent methods
OF managing the temporal affairs
OF churches and suggesting amendments il
found necessary. He said that the overtures
indicated that there was general impression
that the system Of trusteeship needed revision
and that there are defects in the mode Of Sd
miuistering congregational finances.
Hurtful misundersiandings frequently arise
between trustees and sessions and between the
trustees and deacons, marring the harmony
of the church. These Observation-Disclosures, he
believed. arose from the lack OF any provision
in the organic law regulating the re-
lations OF the trustees to the church.
Tie various decisions Of the general assembly
and OF the civil courts had done much to correct
the evils but theE had not entirely prevented
MISUNDERSTANDING definition of these rela-
tons and duties could not be made matbems:-
icaily exact, but something bad to be left to
Christian tact. The chairman OF the committee
he said. had made some suggestions
which had not been acted upon bv
the committee. These suggestions embodied
an overture to the presoyteries proposing
amendments to the form of government which
il was thought would more clearly define the
duties of officers In charge OF finances. Inc
faults he said, lay not in the trustees or the
administrators of the system. but the sys-
tenn itself. The chairman also suggested
q return to the deaconal government. giving to
the deacons the control Of financial matters.
The committees report recommended that the
committee be continued with power to have
prepared collation. Of state laws bearing on
the relations OF church trustees. the commit
Tee also proposed deliverance as follows:
1.-THE general assembly take notice that the
exclusive authority Of the session over the wor-
ship Of the church, including not only the
times and places of preaching the word, but
also the music and the Of the church
buildings, is not sufficiently appreciated by the
church at large, and that there are frequent
complaints that trustees Of congregations
assume powers and authority. especially over
music and the use of church buildings, which are
not warranted BY but in conflict with the con-
stitution Of the church The assembly eujoius
upon the churches Ioyal adherence 70 our form
Of government. which provides that the
suthority Of the session over all matters OF
worship is paramount and at the same time
recommends that all such questions be treated
by the session with Christian tact and courtesy
in the spirit of love and forbearance-"
DR.. Fox asked that the commissioners take
up these matters in their presbyterIes.
Judge Wells of Gettysburg said that this was
practical question. He thought it impracti-
cal that this assanblv could formulate a sys-