The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-18

the moderator's chair. He is conserva-
tive of the conservatives. His family
name is enough to settle the faintest sug-
gestion of doubt on that score.
Personally, as editor of the Herald and
Presbyter. his influence has been constant
and unceasing on the side of the old order
OF theological belief and Biblical study.
He has been through the thick of the
fight at Cincinnati in the Smith case. The
New York conservatives would be satisfied
to rest their trouble with DR.. Briggs and
the Union Seminary in his hands.
But there is another conservative above
the horizon-Dr. David E. R. Breed of he
First Church, Pittsburg. DR.. Breed will
not abate one jot or title of the strictes,
orthodoxy in pulpit or seminary He
stood as a forlorn hope of the conserya-
tiyes two wears ago, amid the almost solid
liberal delegation from Chicago, in the
desperate fight On the Theological Semi
nary question at Saratoga. DR.. Breed.
moreover. is man of great strength of
character and fine personal appearance, af-
fable, agreeable and popular. Being a pas
Tor and not an editor would give him ad-
vantage over DR.. Montfort in such a con.
test, for the ministers of the PRESBYTERIAN
church are not overload of their Editors.
One factor in the contest is the strength
of the Western home missionaries, who
come in force to the assemblies. The can
eral side have been men of strong mission
ary spirit, and this vote has been cast usu-
ally on their side. With two such men as
DR.. Montfort and DR.. Breed to divide the
conservatives. there is much ground for
the hopeful view of DR.. Withrow S chances
INDUCED in by the liberals.
The attitude of the New York Presby-
terry toward the General Assembly is sure
to awaken a bitter contest at Saratoga.
That attitude can best be described as de-
faint The Pittsburg Assem- bly, ordered
the New York Presbytery and, in truth,
all presbyteries to not receive students edu-
Gated at the Union Theological Seminary,
because that institution persisted in its
contumacious treatment of the assembly.
The New York Presbytery as well
as other presbyteries not only dis
regarded this order, but they criticized
and condemned the action of the assem- bly
in issuing the order as unwarranted and
unconstitutional. The conservatives are
prepared to view this act of the presby-
terry with fiery eyes when they reach Sara
toga.
The New York delegation, which is
almost solidly arrayed against the New
York Presbytery in this action, is greatly
discouraged at the outlook. They expect
bitter fight and they anticipate a losing
fight as well. "a reverse may strengthen
us'-the words of one of the leading New
Yorkers-is their only consolation.
Equally important with the selection of
a moderator will be the consideration of
the low financial status of the great benev-
client boards OF the church. The home
and foreign mission boards are practically
bankrupt, and such has been their con-
dition for two years. They came before
the bly, last year with the enormous
debt of half million of dollars.
To raise this sum the boards had nv.
pothecated every scrap of stocks and bonds
in their possession, the accumulations
from legacies of many years. Beyond this
their real estate possessions on Fifth ave-
nue. were weighted with heavy mortgages,
executed to raise money to build the great
Presbyterian palace on that thoroughfare.
Not cent of credit was available to either
board, and plain statement to that effect
was made by the treasurers at the Pitts
burg assem- bly,. grand committee as
appointed to raise $1,000,000 memorial
fund for the benefit of the boards This
committee has been at work the past year
and the result of its labors will be made
known.
The theological seminary control project
also comes up again, having been re.
submitted 10 the seminary boards for
further action. Such action has been
taken, and the committee VIII assem- BILE
tomorrow at the Adelphi House, Sara
toga, to digest and prepare report. The
report cannot be foreshadowed at this
writing, but ii will be in line with the pre-
vious action on the same subject, recon-
mending further supervision and contro
by the assembly of the temporal and
spiritual affairs of the Presbyterian thee
logical sem inaries.