Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-05-18
GREATISSUEFIRST.
Presbyterian Assembly Meets
the Seminary Question.
COMMITTEE REPORT ON THE TOPIC.

Replies OF the Colleges to the Proposals oe
1s94-PrincetoI willing, but . Lingsrs,
Launch Away"-Others in Pretty Much
the Same State OF 1GInd-Reoemmenda
tion Of the Committee.
PITTsBURG, May 1S.-First in order was
first in importance in the Presbyterian
General Assembly, for no sooner had the
daily preliminaries been attended 20
when the committee Of conference with
the theological seminaries, appointed by
the general assembly Of 1894. presented
its report The committee held two
meetings, one at Saratoga, N. Y, in Au.
gust, 1894, and one at Pittsburg, Pa, May
IA and 10, 1895. By sub-committees it
held conferences with the following SEM
inaries: Two with the Princeton boards,
two with the Mccormick boards and one
with each Of the following: Auburn,
Western. Lane, Danville, San Francisco,
Newark and Lincoln universities. At
these conference the committee stated in
plain terms what the general assembly
wanted, which Is in brief that the ma
tional representative body control the
theological training schools as to what
those schools shall teach OF cogmat;c
theology.
Interpreted by the Committee.
The committee interpreted the assem-
bly's desire by saying that the proposed
action involved no change OF title, OWL
ership, management, or disposition OF the
property held by tho various scminar.cs;
conferred no trust, :itle, ownership, C:
power Oh the genera, assembly, directly
or indirectly, or to any of its agencies,
and conferred no riSf of control, man
agenient, OF interference in any way, di-
rectly or Indirectly, with any of the said
seminaries. 1t was simply a declaration
of the use and purpose for which tine
funds and property We're held by the re-
spective civil corporations holding the
came; and its adoption WAS TO make plain
that the funds aad property o. the respec.
tive civil corporations were held by them,
and them alone and exclusively. for no
other purpose than for theological educa-
| ton according to the standards of the
Presby tcrian church Ill the United States
of America"
Nub &C the Recommend ,t.oas.
| desired the sem,inaries to agree to was
| the following: The election, appoint.
ment or transfer of all professors and
| teachers in all seninaries shall BIZ sub.
| mitted to the succeeding general assem-.
| bly, for its approval, and that no such cleo.
| ton, appointment or transfer shall take
| effect, nor shall any professor or teacher
| be indicted into Office until his election,
| appointment or transf,r shall have been
| approved by the said genera! assembly;
| failure of the general assembly, to which
| the said elections. appointments or trans
| fers are reported Tor approval, to act
| thereon shall be regarded as approval
| thereof, and all of said professors and
teachers shat! be either ministers or men,
bers in good standing of the Presby terrain
church in the United States OF America"
| The committee holds that this is in sub.
stance and in effect what is known as the
agreement o; 1870 ;others held that neither
the scIninaries nor the assembly had power
| to make that agreement.
| Princeton's Reply to the Proposals.
In view of the answers of the semi.
| naries the committee reports that Omaha
and Dubuque have adopted oil of the
| recommendations of the general Assem-.
bly, The directors an trustees of Prince
ton declare that they do not antagonize
but on the contrary cordially acquiesce in
and are in the fullest sympathy with the
sentiment of the resolutions contained in
the report of the general assembly's com
| mittee of conference with the theological
seminaricS made to the general assembly
| at its session in 1871 The directors and
trustees further say that they are advised
by counsel learned in the law, and be-
lieve that the charter Of the seminary
Y Ill Ill ~ -