Morning journal and courier., 1893-01-18
THE OLD SOUTH,S PROTEST

sn9ltieu 10 may never D9 uennltely Bn0Wn, even by the American Board, but the gen eral feeling among many good natured and we'll disposed people is that they are enti- tied to ''a fair show" Such people want then to have that. and so they do not fa- vor what has been called the "quarantine of the gospel" by the executive officers of the Board. They are not sure that the officers know certainly what is best for the heathen, and they do feel that if a kindly, liberal gospel is good for "white folks" it will do for the heathen.
 The protest which has been made by the Old South church of Boston will revive the controversy which has long been waged between the American Board, which has decided that the heathen must be "saved" according to its rigid rules, and those Christians who think it important that heather should be saved, even if their salvation is not strictly according to the rules of the Board. This protest is a wig orous one, and as 1t is accompanied by a tention. It charges the Board with sev- eral deeds which it has undoubtedly done. For instance: It has framed theological formulsries, for use in its cor respondence with candidates for foreign appointments, to which not only the &C., cepted statements of these churches, but the recognized creeds of Ckrietendom, are treated as subordinates. It has fixed standard of belief for missionaries in the foreign field altogether different from that to which ministers and missionaries at homo are expected to conform, and which would deprive many of the latter of the privilege of foreign service, including pastors of churches to which the Board looks for support. It has worried conse- crated young men and women-csndidates eager and full of enthusiasm for the for eign missionary work-with tedious cross- examinations, and with vexatious investi- gations into their private opinions, theories and hopes. It has interposed itself as barrier between many of these young people and the work upon which their hearts were set, and it must have kept many more from subjectipg themselves to the possibility, if not probability, of refusal.
 This is 8 fair indictment The question is, has the Board done right in doing this, and has 1t acted wisely. We don't know how anybody can tell whether it has done right or not unless he knows just how many probations the heather are going to have. Whether it has done wisely or not is question easier to deal with. It has been pretty severe and relentless in carry ing out it's policy, which Is not wise unless it is strong enough to cIuah all opposition. It isn't. It has set itself against the lib eral tendency in the churches, and has | assumed to know better than the | churches. As things go nowadays this is not very wise performance. This | is time when both thought and speech | are very free. It has succeeded in excit- | ing against itself a good deal of dislike | and distrust. And the Old South's protest says "Instead of recognizing, and con- | 6nirg itself to, it's proper functions as the executive agency of the churches of the I Congregational order for the oversight and direction of their work in foreign lande, the American Board has become an eccle- siasticsl institution, and as such 1t assumes to be independent of the representative councils of these churches and superior 10 them" This is certainly not wise.
 | There is nothing in this world meaner or more bitter than religious quarrel. This particular quarrel has been pretty savage one, especially on the part of the American Board, which has been fighting for itself as well ss for its way of saving the poor, benighted heather. We are not expert in theology, and have very little concern about the methods by which the heather are saved, so long as they are saved. But we have watched this curious fight with interest, and have wondered why the churches didn't get to- gether and tell the American Board what they want done instead of allowing the Board to "boss" them and the world, both Christian and heathen. Perhaps some &C., tion will be taken now that such an i'm portant and representative church as the Old South has spoken out in meeting. The
 Old South says that it is its judgment tha,
 "this governing body should be changed
 at the next annual meeting, and that those
 who are chiefly responsible for the diff
 culties and dangers into which the society
 has been brought, whether members of tn,
 prudential committee or secretaries, should
 at that time give place to others"
 Possibly some of the "one-probation'
 men and partisans of the American Boart
 in this region will think that we have n,
 business to freely discuss this matter. w
 have noticed that such men are never back
 ward about giving their opinions concern
 ing the way newspapers should be run
 We will therefore give our opinion tina
 the American Board should so conduct il
 self as to give the heather all the chanc
 of salvation there is for them; that l
 should not "worry consecrated men an
 women" and discourage them from tryin
 to do good; and that 1t should not try t ''boss" the churches from which 1t derive its support.