Omaha daily bee., 1893-05-14
|ALVINISM At THE CAPITAL
igh Government Officials Who Are Wor-
shippers in that Faith.
rs A PRESBYTERIAN ADMINISTRATION
Where the President and Members OF His
Cabinet Attend Divine serv,ce-Com-
Ing Meeting of the Presbyterian
General Assembly.

oucerning the religious beliefs held by the
|,everal candidates for the highest Offices,
spd IL was said that whichever candidate
vas successful IL would DC n Presbyterian
administration. While that was true, it is
{1ardly possible that there would have been
o. 90 many Presbyterians IN the cabinet had
either Of the other parties won. Mr., Cleve-
and Is Presbyterian by birth, training and
marriage, II not BY profession, for his
father was Presbyterian minister,
brother is a pastor OF a Presbyterian church,
sister has been foreign missionary and
Mrs Cleveland Is also member OF that de-
domination. In addition to that Vice Presi-
dent Stevenson and his family worship at
the New York Avenue church, as do also
the secretary of war and his wife. Mrs.
lamont is a member Of the Presbyterian
1church, her husand Is not, but his usual
fquiet remark is, "My uncle was q deacon"in
Ia Presbyterian church, so go there" The
secretary Of state ana Mrs. Greshom, and
the sectary of the interior and his family at
tend the New York Avenue church. The
postmaster general secretary of agriculture
and the secretary of the navy, with their
families, go to the Episcopal church, and
Secretary Carlisle's family attends the
Methodist church. This arrangement gives
the Presbyterians the president, the vice
president and three members of the cabinet,
in addition to several members OF the judi
ciary and q number Of senators and repre-
sentatives.
Whore Harrison worshiped.
President Harrison worshiped in the
Church Of the Covenant, also Presbyterian,
| and DIR. Hamlin was known for four years
much to his annoyance, as the presidents
| pastor. During the present administration
DR. Sunderland of the First church enjoys
that honor, il IL be one. But Is said that it
is not an honor coveted by the Washington
pastors-least of all by the outspoken pastor
of the First church, who has recently cele-
brated his fortieth anniversary. 1t is said
That DR.. Sunderland was strongly opposed
to Mr.. Clevelands first election. and after
the Inauguration, he objected to having his
church known the presl 1ent's church
under democratic administra tion. His be-
coming the presidents pastor was due to Mr..
Ceveland's sisters remembering that their
mother had n pastor in Batavia, N. Y,
named Sutherland, and they desired to go
to his church in Washington. The plucky
parson who had preached abolition from his
pulpit at the risk OF his life, said that he
would not take back n word but he not only
became the pastor of the administration. but
married the present occupants of the white
house.
1t is eminently fitting, therefore, that the
general assembly of the Presbyterian church
should meet in Washington this year, and
preparations for their coming have been
made with n lavishness seldom equalled and
q glance at the several committees will show
the character of the men who are to assist
In welcoming the followers of Calvin to the
Capital city The finance committee is per-
haps the most important, for without money
hospitality is hampered. John w. Thompson
is chairman of this committee and has with
him such men as John w. Foster, eX-secre-
tary of state; Senator Calvin S. Brice
Colonel George L, Lemon. Colonel John Hay,
President Lincolns biographer; II. IL.
Warner. William B. Gurley, James L. Nor
ris, William Ballantyne, Charles f.. Foster,
James f.. Fitch, William Thompson, Fl. H.
Wells, Captain Il. w. Cuyler and Frederick
Pilling.
Chnirmen of the Committees.
The chairmen of the several committees
are as follows Finance, John w. Thomp.
son; reception, Justice William Strong
social entertainment, Rev. DR. Byron Sun
derlaAd; hospitality, Sardis L. Crissey; ex-
cursions, Rev. DR. Teunis S. Hamlin; lnfor-
nation, Rev. Charles b. Ramsdell; music,
Rev. T. S. Wynkoop: meetings and assem-
blies, Rev w. s. Miller; pulpits Rev. b. F.
Bittinger; preparation of the church, trus-
tees of the New York Avenue church; trans
portation, Rev. Dr. William III. Roberts,
stated clerk of the general assembly; press
and printing, Beria wilkins of the Washing
ton Post; ushers and assistants, Philip +.
Larner; executive, Rev. Dr. William A.
Bartlett; with DR.. Bartlett are j. r. Van
Mater, secretary; Governor II. II. Wells,
liam b. Gurley and John ID. McChesney.
The assembly will open on Thursday morn
/ ing of next week, with sermon by the re
firing moderator, DIR. William c. Young
president of Center college, Danville, Ky
In the afternoon the election of moderate
will take place; in the evening the commun-
ion will be observed, and on Friday the
special committees, of which there are
fifteen, will begin to report There are
many topics under the head of routine bust
ness to come before the assembly, such as
tho work of the eight boards of the church
(which have received and expended during
the year between a, 600, 900 and S5, 000, 900 il
yae way of beneyolences, In addition to the
ouch larger sum contributed by the church
for congregational expenses.
An Important Matter.
In addition to this work, which, in itself
y would occupy the time allotted for tn,
assembly, the great question of revising thu
confession of faith is to come before thu
body for final consideration probably. F'o
two or three years the revision question ha
Lnbeen uppermCst, but after an able committe,
had spent two years of patient work, usins
all the light shed upon the subject by mor'
than POO presbyteries, it has sent down
4 report TO the prosbyteries which meets tn,
4 approval of neither the revisionistS nor tn,
anti-rey lsonsts. The result is Zoo con
servative for the first class and too liberia
4 for the second. OF 1863 presbyterie
u whose action on the revision question
has been noted, twenty-four have faile,
TO take action, thirty.four approve,
the entire report fifty-one disapproved the
entire report, sixty approve in part anC
sixty-six desire new creed. This leave
the revision n failure, for under the nev
rules two-thirds must approve change il
the constitution of the church, and as NOR,
than one-third have failed TO express ap
proval, the work of two years Is parti
thrown away The question now arises
shall u new creed be prepared
The subject, however, which transcend
NIL others this year is the appeal from tn
New York presbytery, or rather from tn
prosecuting committee of the presbytery, il
the case of Prof Briggs of Union seminary
who has been on trial for heresy for tw
years. Dr. Parkhurst OF New York, in
recent sermon protested against the presen
attitude OF the Presbyterian church. a
voiced In the last two general assemblies
on the ground that IL has crowded out o
sight and out OF right "the one evangelica
truth that can make either this church o
any other church n redemptiye power in tn
world and that it is spending in theologlca
speculation aud in matters of ecces siastica
politics time and power that are designed o
God TO be spent in converting the heathe
at home and abroad"
Efforts for Harmony.