Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-05-23
LORDS VINEYARD.
Work Of Those Who Are Trying
to Save Souls.
PREsBYTER1AHs ANDYoUHG FOLK.

Report Of . Committee on the Societies and
the Salient Points Thereof-Matter Of
the Control Of seminaries- I'm
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Reflect DR.. Buckley
Editor Of the New York Advocate
Charge Against Two bishops.
SARATOGA, n. Y, May 23.-The Presby-
terian general assembly broke up at 5
o'clock yesterday afternoon in confusion
in the midst Of a vote on resolutions of
the special committee on the relations of
young peoples societies to the church.
Resolutions had been adopted directing
that q statement Of relations be sent to
the separate societies to, be read by them,
and reaffirming the action Of the assembly
Of 1893. The former Recommendation was
reached only after a long discussion and
under the operation Of the previous ques-
ton. Just at the hour of adjournment a
motion was made to strike out the other
Recommendations of the committee and to
discharge it. Action on this motion was
only preyented by the abrupt announce
ment Of the vice moderator, DR.. Benjamin
l.. Agncw, of Philadelphia, that the hour
Of the session had expired and that tho
assembly stood adjourned.
Relation of Societies to the Church.
The most important portion of the spe-
cial committees report was a statement Of
the relations between these individual So
cietics and the church in which it was as
serted: "This assembly recognizes as un-
der the jurisdiction of the church all
young peoples religious organizations Of
every name which are to he found within
its churches or composed of the members
of its churches. The assembly
deems 1t unnecessary to prescribe any
specific form Of organization for individual
societies, while it expects them to conform
to certain acknowledged principles, both
general and particular. as follows:
Church Has Particular Oversight.
I'm general these sOcities SS-e to he or
ganized and to work in conSrmity with
the historic portion Of the church as ex-
pressed by her standards and interpreted
by her courts. The particular relations
of all societies to the church are sustained,
in the first instance, to the session of a
particular church and thence through the
session to the church-at-large. Each such
society is under the immediate direction,
control and oversight of the session of that
church in which it is formed and that over
sight is not merely general but applies to
the constitution of the society, the sched-
ule of it's services, the election of its officers
and the distribution of its funds"
The Vital Recommendation.
1t was recommended that this statement
Of relations be adopted las setting forth
the sense in which the church expects her
young people to be loyal" and that it be
sent to the presbyteries to be read to indi-
~-sl ~, =
ton was that the present committee be
continued and that it be directed to get
statistics and other information and on
the basis of the same ito submit to the
next assembly, if the way be clear, plan
based on this information which will
unite our societies along the line of our
historic views of Christian doctrine and
worship" Particular attack was made
upon the resolution containing this pro-
posal, but it was carried.
Then followed n motion to strike out
the remaining recommendations and to
discharge the committee. Pending this
motion the hour Of adjournment arrived
and further discussion was chOked off
The project went over as unfinished bust
ness.
The Report on Seminaries Goes Over.
The report of the committee of confer
ence with the theological seminaries was
put over also. 1t was reported that they
will request to be discharged from further
duty, but this Is considered doubtful. No
satisfactory results have been achieved in
the effort to bring the seminarics into
closer union with the general assembly
and the attempt may now be abandoned
This report is anticipated with keen in
tcrest.
Declined to 1ndOrse Polygamy.
The report on the admission of polyga-
nous converts IN baptism and the church
came up on an overture from the synod of
India, which asked that the decision he
rclcgatcd to the synod for decision in each
case. The report of the special committee
was presented. 1t stated that the request
could not he granted. and this view was
adopted by the assembly by formal vote.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE METHODISTs.
DIR. Buckley Reelected Editor Of the New
York Advocate-Comm Work.
CLEVELAND, May 23.-The Methodist
general conference occupied itself in elect.
ing editors of church papers and sccrc-
tarics Of church societies. Very little re-
mains now in the way of elections. When
Rev. DIR. J. NJ. Buckley was overwhclm-