Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-12
THEY SUSTAINEDHlM,
A Missionary Charged With Preach
ing Wrong Doctrines.
HELD TO PROBATION AFTER DEATH.
Discussion Before Board of Foreign
Missions.
OTHER TELEGRAPHIC NEWS

WORCESTER, Mass. Oct 12-There was
an attendance of 1850 persons when the
meeting of the American Board of Foreign
Missions was called to order by President
Storrs at 3 a. m, and the audience increased
as the morning advanced until the hall was
crowded
The fight over Missionary Noyes soon
came UP.
Chairman Henry D. d. Hyde reported as
follows for the committee of fifteen:
Resolved. That this board, in response to
the expressed wish of its missionaries in
Japan. and in recognition of the successful
labors of Rev. VIM. H. Noyes in that en-
pire, requests the prudential committee to
oner to him an appointment as missionary
of the board
to be understood as ia any way modifying
Its former utterance on this subject Of
future probation.
Rev. DR.. Fisher spoke in explanation of
this resolution. and said that it was per-
fectly proper for the board to amend or
modify the instructions contained therein.
He believed the course a just one. Though
personally he thd not believe in the senti-
ment embodied, he did not believe that the
issue should be settled by this case.
Rev. DIR. Bartlett reinforced DR.. Fisher,
and said the Noyes case was discussed
thoroughly. and ii was the chief argument
tirely confused and Illogical He did fall
actually on account of those things, but
for the sake of harmony he thought 1t best
to let the matter drop. The man himself
Is not worth fighting over.
Dr. VIM. f. Parks offered a resolution,
signed by Edward Goodwin. W. E. Nash,
Geo. q. Magoun, j. E. Rankin. Jos. Cook
John X. Thurston. s. j. Humphrey and a
appointment of Rev. Mr., Noyes as a mis-
sionary to Japan means a great deal more
than Is apparent on the surface and in
wolves final and permanent change in the
theology of the board, and that he holds
to the doctrine of probation after DEATH
which is attended with a looseness of view
in the Interpretation of the Scripture and
recommended that Mr.. Noyes be not ap-
pointed.
Rev. Mr.. Meredith spoke at length in
favor of MIR. Noyes. He criticised the board
as body. which has almost outlived it's use
fuiness, and said the board was useful to
the congregational churches only so far as
the churches could use the machinery of the
board in its work of foreign missions but
ne did not care anything about the ma
chinery, and would break it IL he could.
The people cannot go wrong in this matter.
They do not bother and bubble over trif1es,
but are earnest in the interest of Christ
DIR. Noyes has been held up to the public
gaze for ten years. He Is Endorsed by a
church count and TIE Japan mission wants
him. and Yet the board hesitates. Mr. Noyes
Is understood by the people and the
churches and by everybody except the COM
mittee of this board. Mr.. Noyes says he
does not understand this unless it is because
the committee Considers of paramount I'M
portance something which he thinks very
little of. Where is there any one who thinks
anything about probation after death ex-
cept the American board? What ioes 1t
amount to? The teaching that the heather
goes from this earth into eternal darkness
is libel on God. In conclusion Mr. Mere
dith offered resolution favorable to Mr.
Noyes.
Rev. DIR. Behrend, said Mr. Noyes, is en-
titled to the disclaimer that he never was as
radical as some men say he was, and he
proposed to vote for Noyes and for $50 more
just like him. He eloquently urged the
meeting not to try to decide the future life.
but to spread the good work and help the
Rev.Dr. Joseph Cook, the famous lecturer
rose and attempted to read a section of the
statement of DIR. Noyes as taken from the
records of the board.
DIR. Meredith made point of order that
the record was not accepted by Mr.. Noyes
and the president ruled the reading of the
statement was out of order.
DIR. Cook spoke at some length In an anti
Noyes strain. The appointment of Mr.
Noyes, he said, had been twice declined
from views that have been UNCHANGED His
case could not be treated as an exceptional
one. because the point in dispute is doc
trinal one. II Mr.. Noyes is appointed he
said the board would find itself abandoned
by some of its members.
The vote on the NOyes resolution was log
in favor of adoption and "a against The
resolution was then adopted unanimously.