The morning call., 1893-05-20
ON SHAKY GROUND.
The Assembly and the
Seminaries.
REMINISCENT OF DIR. BRIGGS.
A Report Lightly Gotten Over, but
the Matter Will Shortly
Crop Up Again.
Special to THE MORNING CALI.

WASHINGTON, May 19.-The second
days session of the Presbyterian General
Assembly opened with devotional exer-
cises. DR.. Harsha of Nebraska moved the
appointment of committee to formulate
an expression OF opinion on the Chinese
exclusion act, as 1t affects foreign mission
ary work. Adopted.
Rev. DR.. Duncan OF the Episcopal church
was introduced. He is a member of the
joint committee on church unity. He said
the committee had been In session two
days. There were four points the Episco-
pal church deemed essential to a basis of
union. On three of these they were prac-
tically agreed. and the fourth involved
largely difference in terms. He proph-
esied, therefore, unity in the not distant
future.
After the routine business had been dis
posed of ex-Moderator Young projected
into the proceedings the first of the i'm
pOrtant questions to come before the as
sembly. namely. the report of the COM
mittee upon the relation Of the assembly
and the theological seminaries. The COM
mittee says: 'It was evidenced at the
time of the formation of the. first theologi-
cal seminary of the Presby byterian church
that 1t was the purpose of the church to
maintain, direct and completely control by
its General Assembly the teachings and
property Of its theological seminares. As
the church grew In number with the
growth OF the country other seminaries
and schools were formed. some OF them on
substantially the same plan as Princeton.
"The seminaries organized substantially
under this plan were Princeton, Western,
Mccormick, Dansvile and Omaha. Other
semin aries. organized under different plans,
had also become connected with the church.
The Union and Lane were typical Of two
classes, aud those of Auburn and San
Francisco of yet other classes. While
Union and Lane are regarded as in copnec-
ton with the Presbyterian church, the
church has no control of any kind over the
teaching or property of these seminaries,
and cant afford the donors of funds to them
no protection in the matter of applying
their gifts to the purposes for which they
were made. Auburn is controlled by GER
tain presbyteries and the San Francisco
University by certain synods."
The committee says 1t has come to no
conclusion to what method should be
adopted by the church. either for securing
more effective control over the property
and teachings of existing seminaries or for
securing control of the teachings and prop
ertv of future seminaries.
Elder Thomas McDougall of Cincinnati,
who largely drafted the report, saidahat
he believed the time had come, in the mat
ter of the control of theological seminaries.
when the genius of the Presby terian churc h
should be at least equal to the executive
ability displayed in ordinary business, and
If any teacher employed for a specific pur-
pose at specific salary should, for any
reason, become unfit for the discharge of
his duties. way might be found 20 dis
pense with his services without splitting
up the church [Applause.]
The report was approved and the COM
mitee continued.
Rev. Charles A. Dckey. chairman of
the special committee on judicial commits
sions. reported in favor of sending an
overture down to the presbyteries for a
change In chapter Is. section 11S, so as to
provide that the General Assembly and
each synod and presbytery will haze
power TO appoint judicial commissions
from their respective bodies in numbers
not less than 13 from the General AS
sembly, IL from any synod and 7 from
any presbytery, all judicial cases to be
submitted to such commissions, and heir
decisions to be subject to reversal only by
o superior judicatory except in matters
OF law. which shall be referred to the ap.
pointing judicatory for adjudication; and
also that all matters OF constitution and
doctrine may be reviewed in the appoint
Ing body and by the superior judicatory
The assembly adopted the report and
ordered the overtures sent down.
Rev. DR.. Smith, chairman of the com
mlttee of church unity, reported that it
had been deemed best to drop for the
present the discussion OF the differences
between the two churches, leaving TO the
future the work of securing the organic
external union desired. The correspon.
dence had between the committee and the
Episcopal commission during the past year
was read. to the great interest of the as
sembly.
Rev. Charles l.. Thompson, chairman OF
the committee on cooperation with other
churches. recommended that no church be
established in field fully occupied and
properly cared for by another evangelical
organization.
Without action upon the reports the
General Assembly adjourned till to-mor-
row morning and proceeded in a body to
call at the White House. The President
and Mrs. Cleveland received the visitors
In the east room. DR.. Craig, the mod
orator, was presented to the President by
Dr. Bartlett chairman of the committee of
arrangements, and made brief. felicitous
address, closing with an invitation to the
President to attend the assembly.
President Cleveland said in response ::
Il assure yon that it affords me much per-
sonal qualification to meet, on this occasion,
the representatives of that great religious
denomination which has done so much to
make our people better and happier, and
which is associated with so many tender
and pleasing incidents in my Individual ex-
perience. We still profess TO be Chris
tian people. This means that 10 public
offices Of high or low degree should be un-
mindful of the restraints of religious sen.
timent. 1t means that the religious teach
iDgs of our people should exact from those
who make and execute the laws recogni-
tion Of these restraints. You. therefore,
will. hope, permit me to say that though
you do well to insist upon the conscientious
discharge of official obligations, and
though you ought never to shrink from the
exposura of official shortco n mjnoe tho oo,,