Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-17
TO MEET TOMORROW
Commissioners to the Great Presby
terian Assembly Arriving.
WHAT THE BODY WILL DO
The Program of the Opening Week-When
the Briggs Case VIII Be Reached-The Ar
rangements at the Church-Arrival of the
Stated Clerk.

tuo TresOyterlan Snurcn IN tne UnlVeu Statee
will begin tomorrow morning in the New York
Avenue Church. The opening session will be
a religious service, beginning at II O'Clock. The
sermon will be delivered by the moderator.
Rev. DR.. VIM. c. Young of Danville, Ky.
The second session will begin at 8 In, when
the roll of the commissioners will be presented.
Nominations for the position Of moderator will
then be in order. After the election Of mod
orator and the election of temporary clerks the
report Of the committee of arrangements will
be made.
In the evening the communion of the Lords
supper will be celebrated, the retiring modera-
tor, DR.. Young, presiding.
THE COMMISSIONERS ARRIVING.
The commissioners to the great Presbyterian
gathering have q lready begun to arrive. The
arrangements for their comfort and reception
have been so carefully carried out that as
are taken in charge by members Of
the hospitality committee, who are on hand to
see that they are properly started toward the
places to which they have been assigned for
accommodation during the fortnight of their
stay in Washington. Elsewhere in this issue of
commissioners and their locations in WASH
ington.
Once more Washington is proving its ability
to take care of large incoming crowds and the
experience gathered from previous occasions
OF this sort now comes in invaluable in
the work of looking after the well
fare Of strangers. During the day some
where between 100 and 200 commissioners came
In, but by far the larger majority of the m are
expected to arrive this evening and on the
early trains tomorrow morning. The men,
bers OF the hospitality committee are di-
vided up between the two railroad stations,
and they take turns today and tomorrow wait
ing the arrival of all trains that come
in as late IL o'clock at night. They
all wear distinguishing badges of red silk,
suitably inscribed, and whenever a train
comes in they are ready at once to step for
ward and extend cordial welcome to the dele
gates. The assignment Of the committeeman
for service at the stations is as follows:
Tam. to IL a.m.-Messrs. A. W. Pentland,
Ros. A. Fish. VIM. Montgomery and A. Car
hart.
liam. to 3p.m-Gen. Joseph c. Breckin-
ridge, Messrs. j. ID. McChesney. Daniel McFar-
Ian, J. r. Dodge, Thomas Wilson and Alan o.
Clephane.
SPIN. to 7p.m.-Messrs Walter c. Clephane
Charles Lyman. Frederick L. Moore, c. H. Mer-
win. C. McClelland. F. B. Dalrymple and W. D.
Hughes.
Charles E. Mott, L. S. Emery. A. r. Quaiffe, W.
B. Robinson, W. r. Speare, H. s. Burbank, G.
C. Leidy, E. D. Edmonston, J. A. Graham, r.
P. Torbsrt and W. K. MendenhaIl.
FIVE HUNDRED QuARrrnEp.
OF the $50 commissioners to the general as
sembly nearly 500 have secured quarters at the
various hotels and boarding houses through
out the city through the agency Of
the local committees. They have been
informed of the arrangements that have
been made for them and all that is necessary
for them to do is to tell the members of the
committee at the station where they have been
assigned and they are at once started off in
the right direction. When the great gath
ering is called to order tomorrow there
are not likely to be many vacant seats among
those that are to be assigned to the commits
siorRrs. In the first place. it is considered a
great privilege and honor to be sent to the
general assembly, and with the meeting in
Washington in the lovely month Of May the
assignment is considered to be all the more
desirable. Then for every commissioner an
alternate is elected at the same time SO that
in the comparatively small number of
instances where the original appointee has
been unable for any reason to come on there
has always been man ready and willing to
step into the breach. The commissioners re-
ceiye from the assembly their mileage and an
allowance sufficient to cover the simple ex-
penses Of living during their stay, SO that none
of them have been compelled to stav away
on account Oh tue expense lnNOlNeu In the trip.
In very many cases the committees have re-
ceived word that the commissioners would
bring their wives or other members of their
family with them and have been asked to secure
accommodations accordingly.
THE CASE OF DIR. BRIGGS.
Among the prominent arrivals today was that
Of Prof. Brown Of Union Seminary, who has
taken such an active part in the defense Of DIR.
Briggs, whose case comes up for
action at this meeting Of the general
assembly. Prof. Brown is quartered
at the Cochran. where DIR. Briggs, who is ex-
pected to reach here tomorrow, is also to stay
until after his case has been disposed
of by the assembly. Prof Brown is
commissioner to the assembly and is
both ready and able to take up the
cudgels on behalf Of his colleague on the fac
uty of Union il 1t should seem advisable that
he should do so. 1t is more likely, however.
that Dr. Briggs will do as he did last wear in
Portland if the case should come to trial, and
do practically all the talking himself
TO COME Up NEXT THURSDAY.
The papers in the appeal in the case Of DR..
Briggs to the general assembly are now in the
hands Of the stated clerk, DR.. ". H. Roberts,
who arrived here thi morning. On
Thursday Of next week these papers
will probably be reported from the judicial
committee This committee will make its re-
port on the question whether or not the as
sembly can properly entertain the appeal. II
the report Is in favor of entertaining the
appeal then the case will be taken up
for trial. either by the assembly itself or by a
commission. The first great debate on
the subject will probably come up next Thurs
day this report of the committee, and will
be carritS on by DIR. Briggs on the one side
and by me members of the committee on
the other. The members are as follows: Geo.
W. f. Birch, Joseph ]. Lampe. Robt +. Sample
John ]. Stevenson and John j. McCook 1t is
probable that the Briggs people will endeayor
to have the whole matter postponed by having
the case referred back to the synod of New
York for action.
THE REVISION QUESTION.
Outside Of the current business which will
come before the assembly and which, of
course, is important to the church at large,
there will be several questions of
interest that are likely to claim the
attention Of the commissioners. IL
is not thought the revision matter
relating to proposed changes in the confession
OF faith will occupy much time. for the reason
tnat the proposed revision reported to the hast
assembly and sent down to the various presbv-
teries for their action has not received the ap-
proval of the necessary number of presbyteries
The action of the presbyteries has been re-
ported to the stated clerk. and on FRIDAY the
result will be laid before the assembly. 1t
is probable that a committee of canvass will
be appointed who will examine the returns,
and if they show that the proposed revision
has not been approyed il said 10 ba tn, co..