The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-05-21
SEMINARY CONTROL
The Subject of Debate To-
day at the Presbyterian
General Assembly.
REPORT ON THE SMITH HERRSY CASE.
Procedure Of Debate Decided On
Hearing Will Commence Thurs
day Morning.

SARATOGA, May 81, 1s94. Theological
seminary control was the order fixed for to-
days session of the General Assembly.
The debate began at ten o'clock with Dr.
Willis G. Craig, of Mccormack Theological
Seminary, on the Hoor. Mr. Craig support
ed the majority report, which recommends
the amendment of seminary charters so as
to give the Assembly the right to approve or
disapprove directors and professors of semi
naries and the right of control over their
endowments
Before the debate began Chairman Card
ner presented the Judicial Committees re-
port ON the Smith heresy case. The report
as already outlined in the United States des-
patches finds the Smith case in order.
The committee reported that it had ex-
arnined Professor Smith and the prosecuting
committee. The report follows the formal
language of the similar report of the Briggs
case. 1t is recommended that the appeal
be entertained. The parties having
waived the right of argument oa the ques-
tion of entertainment. provided the As
semblv decides at once TO entertain, the
second recommendation Of the committee IS
that each party be given four hours to be
heard on the merits of the case; that two
hours be given TO the Synod of Ohio. and
JDaC alGer tne p2rLeS are nearu, bhe Sonl-
missiorers be allowed two hours, no person
being allowed more than five minutes
The report of the committee as to the
mode Of procedure was adopted without
division.
The case was set for Thursday morning at
ten o'clock, and win proceed without inter-
ruption until closed. According to the mode
Of procedure, the case viii occupy the whole
of Thursdays and Fridays session.
THE RECoEMENDATIoHS.
Resolved firstN That the General Assem-
bly, finds that due notice Of the appeal IN the
case has been given, and that the appeal and
specification OF the errors alleged have been
fled in due time, and that the appeal is in
order in accordance with the book of discip-
line
Resolved, Second That after the Judgment
and notice of appeal and the appeal and
specifications of errors alleged have been
read, the Assembly shall by its vote de-
tern1ine whether the appeal shall be enter
| tanned
| Resolved, Third That the General As.
sembly, having first decided and entertained
the appeal the appellant shall have three
| hours to present his case and that the
appellee be allowed four hours to present
| the case Of tho appellee, and that the ap-
| pellant be allowed one hour to reply to the
| appellee, and that one hour be given to the
| Synod of Ohio, the judicatory appealed
| from, and that the members of the Gem
eraI Assembly be then heard for two
hours, NO speaker being allowed more than
| five minutes, and due regard being had to
l the hearing Of both sides alternately.
| No speaker shall speak more than once un-
| less the Assembly shall otherwise order, and
/ that thereafter the vote shall be taken upon
such specification Of errer alleged, the form
| of the question being:-6han this specihca-
| ton of error be slstafne6a
DR.. Craig yielded the floor 20 Elder Nc
| Dougall to give answer to certain legal
! questions concerning the report.
DR.. oRAJe'6 CONVENTIONS.
| that the Mccormack Board had passed a
resolution to the effect that they had
not the slightest objection on princi-
Assembly of its affairs; that as soon
| as these principles were formulated, the
| trustees would meet committee from the
closer supervision. He declared that, now
that the plan had been formulated
| by the majority, he would give
it as his opinion that when
the plan should be presented to Mccormack
for adoption the trustees would express
| their surprise that the committee had not de.
vised firrner and closer method of control.
DR.. Craig defined the theory of the Presby-
terian church to be that the various congre-
cations constitute one church, and these
churches collectively gathered into one body
are regulated by one great nRity. The
/ smaller part is governed by the larger part
and the larger part is governed by the whole.
This is managed by series OF tribunals
4 which culminate in the General Assembly.
/ On this principle he held that the General
| Assembly represented the church. Under
this system he had no fear of entruSting the
control of the theological instruction Of the
church to the hands OF the General Assem-
bly,: -,
l'Who ever thought" said he ''that it was
an act Of tyranny for this great court, which
presents the unity of the church. to go down
and exercise its supervision over the agencies
it uses in the educational and benevolent
work of the church. 1t has the right now to
visit any of It's boards and to attend to
them and no one disputes that right He
did not think the Assembly could be stopped
in the exercise of the same right in the case
of theological seninRrie5. But the strange
| anomaly has occurred that when tha corF'a
advances with its rightful visltorial powesk
it is stopped at the precincts of every theo,
logical seminary In the country. He res
ferred to the protest of Lane Seminary as an
instance
MUCH OPPOSITION.
The Rev. B. Galloway OF Paterson op-
posed the majority report. He held thai the
moral right on the question forbids the
changing Of the conditions by the General
Assembly of the seminaries, under whom the
latter held their epdowments. He warned
| the Assembly that the adopnon OF the reporu
would bring untold troubles into the church,
DR.. Paul r Sutphen Of Newark proposed
as a substitute for the majority report that
the whole subject be laid on the table until
the next Assembly.
1 Dr. Young moved 10 table this substitute,
and the motion was carried by a vote Of 10
to l.
/ DR.. John Fox Of Brooklyn offered SUBJ
stitute to the effect that the committee be
continued one year with instructions to con1-
iuunicate the resolutions to the several
seminaries for further consideration ana
conference, the seninaries to make er1o4.
cisms and suggestions in regard to the reso-
lutions.
Elder Sterry of New York moved to lay
this on the table
Dr. Fox attempted to speak on the substi-
tute Cries of 'sordern were heard, and the
Moderator attempted to put the motion to
table.
More cries Of 'order" were heard from the
other side. and dispute arose between the
Moderator and the Assembly, as to whether
DIR. Fox had yielded the floor before Elder
Sterry arose to make his motion.
MATTERS OF FACT
| IF vou ara trOuble6 with indipestfon try