Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-05-14
Now York Commercial Advertiser.

New York Commercial Advertiser.
This is the "gladdest merriest month
OF all the year, for religious confer
ences, assemblies and anniversaries.
Then many of the controversies, agita,
tions, divisions and other difficulties
which have germinated and grown I'M
,reolesiustical gardens during the pre- |
yious year have their blossoming and
their fruitage, too. All the branchesI
Of the Presbyterian Church, the North
and the South. the United Preabyf
terian. the Reformed Presbyterian and
the rest, have their general assemblies
in May. Then. too, the great anniyer-
earieH of the Baptist Church are held,
and this year the General Conference,
quadrennial gathering, the highest
court of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, will have their Meeting. The
General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church North will meet for debate and
legislation in favor of Saratoga The
Baptists will draw as near as possible
to their favorable element at Asbury
Park for their season of renewings and
reioicings, and the Methodists will have
their grand round up of issues" and
"problems'' by the quiet waters OF
1Hh6 flrlb dL OloNbldntls Onib.
1t has been said that the Prosby-
terians have no "burning questions"
up this year. There will be no lack of
questions, an however, although thore
may not be as much fire in them q
usual. The controversy over "Semi.
nary control" almost burned itself out
last year, but there is danger that the
embers may be raked over in May.
The Union Seminary difficulty is at the
bottom of this controversy, and that
brand has not been extinguished yet
by any means. Prof. Briggs and his
associates have larger body of friends
and sympathizers in the Presbyterian
Church than some people imagine.
They will not be set aside, either, by
such action as that on the seminary
question at Pittsburg year ago, The
action of some of the presbyterians
during the past year in the matter OF
receiving candidates for tho ministry
shows this
| In addition TO probability Of tho
Briggs question in some phase, the
General Assembly will also be called
upon to consider the relations OF young
peoples societies to the church, the
policy and management of the AS
sembly Herald, and the financial diff
| culties of the church boards. There
ara elements IN some of these questions
which will be certain TO engender a
large amount of heat unless the bIeth-
| rem exercise more of the spirit of mod
Grafton and forbearance than they have
done in recent assemblies. Many are
strongly opposed to the proposition to
withdraw the Presbyterian young peo.
pie from the Christian Endeavor move
ment and set up purely denomina-
tional society for their benefits; and
certain things have happened in con
nection with the Assembly Herald,
tho official organ of the church boards,
in the past few months which may giyo
rise to "a painful controversy.
And in the matter of finances, tho
Assembly at Saratoga will probably
| have to face some bitter disappoint-
ments. The Million Dollar Anniver.
sary Fund, started with such high hopes
at Pittsburg, has not been raised The
committee in charge Of the fund havo
done their duty we'll and nobly, but the
churches have not responded to tho
call. Enough has been raised, how
ever, to clear away much if not all OF
the existing debts OF the church
boards, and that will be cause of rejoir.
ing anyway. But it was all planned to
do more than this, and the good has
not been reached.
As for the Baptists, the only spectre
at their feast by the sea will be the
spectre which has troubled great
many other feasts in recent years, that
of debt. IL is because of straitened
purse that the Baptists hold their May
anniversaries this year at Asblry Park
instead of at Portland, Ore, as origi-
nally intended. A the denominational
boards are located at this end of the
country, and that trip to the Pacific
coast would have entailed many extra
expenses; therefore it was decided to
give it up. Beyond this item of debt
there is no cloud in all tho Baptist sky,
unless the recent accession of DIR. Pier
son to the denomination may be- re-
garded in that light.