The herald., 1893-05-20
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
Proceedings of the Great
Presbyterian Body.
The Reports of Various Church
Boards Received.
A Decidedly Anti-Briggs Judiciary
Committee Appointed.
The Delegates Visit the white House
and Are Accorded q Reception
by President and Mrs.
Cleveland.
By the Associated press.]

BY the Associated Press,l
WASHINGTON, May 19.-The second
days session ofthe Presbyterian general
assembly opened with devotional exer-
ciees.
DR.. Harsha of Nebraska moved the
appointment of committee to forma
late an expression of opinion on the
Chinese exclusion act, as it affects for
eign missionary work. Adopted.
Rev. DR.. Duncan of the Episcopal
church was introduced. He is MEM
ber of the joint committee on church
unity. He said the committee had been
in session two days. There were four
points the Episcopal church deemed es
sential to basis of union. On three of
these they practically agreed, and the
fourth involved largely difference in
terms. He prophesied, therefore, THAI
unity was in the distant future.
THE REPORT ON sEMINARIEs.
After routine business WAS disposed
of, ex- Moderator Young projected into
the proceedings the first of the inn
portant questions before the assembly,
the report of the committee upon the
relation of the assembly and the theo-
logical seminaries. The committee says:
1T was evidenced at the time of the
formation of the first theological SEM
mary of the Presbyterian church, that
it was the purpose of the church to
maintain, direct and completely control
by its general assembly, the teachings
and property of its theological sen1ina-
ries. AS the church is great in numbers,
with the growth of the country other
seminariea and schools were formed,
some of them on substantially the same
plan as Princeton. The seminaries or
ganlzed Hubstantially under this plan
were Princeton, Western, Mccormick,
Dansville and Omaha. Other sem
inaries, organized under different plans,
became connected with the church The
Union and Lane are typical OF two
classes; Auburn and San Francisco OF
other classes. While the Union and
Lane are regarded as in connection With
tho Prc55y uerian church, the church has
no control of any kind over the teach
ing or property of these seminaries, and
can 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 certain Presbyteries and San Fran
cisco by certain synods."
The commlttee says it has come
to no conclusion as to what
method should be adopted by the
church, either by securing more ef-
fective control over the property and
teachings OF existing seminaries, or se-
curing control of the teachings and prop
erty OF future seminaries.
Elder Thomas McDougall of Cincin-
natl, who largely drafted the report,
said he believed the time had come, in
the matter of the control of theological
seminaries, when the genius OF the Pres
byterian church should be at least equal
to the executive ability displayed in or
dinary business, and if any teacher en-
ployed for a specific purpose at a specific
salary should, for any reason, become
unfit to discharge his duties, way
might be found to dispense with his
services without splitting up the church.
[Applause,]
The report was approved and the COM
mittee continued.
JUDICIAL COMMISSIONS.
Rev. Charles A Dickey, chairman of
the special committee on judicial COM
missions, reported in favor OF sending
an overture down to the presbyteries for
a change in chapter l3, section ll8, so
as to provide that the general assembly
of each synod and presbytery shall have
the power to appoint judicial commits
sions from their respective bodies of not
less than l8 from the general assembly,
IL from any synod and from any pres
by cry; all judicial cases to be submit
ted to such commissions, and their
decisions to be subject to reversal only
by the superior judiciary, except in |
matters of law. which shall be referred /
to the appointing judiciary for adjudica-
tlon, and also all matters of constitution |
and doctrine to be revised in the ap-
pointing body and by the superior ju.
dietary.
The assembly adopted the report and
ordered the overtures sent down.
THE REPORT ON CHURCH UNITY.
Rev DR.. Smith, chairman of the COM
mittee on church unity, repo rted that it
had been deemed best to drop for the
present the discussion of differences be-
tween the two churches, and leaving to
the future the work of securing the
organic external union desired. The
correspondence between the COMMITTEES
and the Episcopal commission in the
past year was read, to the great interest
of the assembly.
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 an
evangelical organization.
GALL AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
Without action upon the reports, the
general assembly adjourned till tomor-
row morning and proceeded in BODY
to call at the White House. President
and Mrs Cleveland received the visitors
IN the east room. DR. Craig, the moder-
atcr, was presented to the president hy
DIR. Bartlett, chairman OF the committee
on arrangements and made brief, felic-
itous address, closing with an invitation
to the president to attend the assembly.
President Cleveland said in rasnonsa.