The record-union., 1897-05-23
One Member Accuses Another of Utter
ing False Statement.
Results in a Parliamentary Tangle,
in Which the ModeratOr's Decision
Was Overruled-The Report of the
Board of Ministerial Relief Pre-
Sented - John Wanamaker Ad-
dresses the Assembly.

EAGLE LAKE Qnd), MAY o.
There is no truth in that statement"
These were the words that greeted
an assertion made on the floor of the
Presbyterian General Assembly this af-
ternoon. They We're uttered by DR..
Wilson Phraner, a member OF the
Board of Home Missions of New York
and were directed against the allega-
ton of Rev. j. F. Knowles of Mount
Carmel, who has STYLED himself Eli
sha's successor"
The statement denied was TO the eff
feet that one of the Secretaries of the
Home Mission Board in New York was
receiving two salaries-one from the
board and one from a friend. The de-
nial was explicit, alleging that the
statement never was true, and is not
now true.
over the offer of the original speaker
to Nve his authority, there came the
first serious parliamentary tangle of
the session. The Moderator ruled the
offer to give authority for the state
ment out of order. Appeals from this
decision were taken and sustained The
authority was then stated to be mem
ber of the committee from the Synod of
Illinois and Indiana, who went to New
York to confer with the Board of Home
Missions upon the work of the board
but his name was withheld.
After adjournment considerable in
dignation was expressed by various
Commissioners that such a mountain
should have been made of so small a
mole HILL and one at least expressed a
wish for just such a friend
The first General Assembly to-day
took up the report of the Board of Min
isterial Relief, of which The following
is an abstract:
The receipts last year were S160. 500
and the expenditures S1S2, ,264 While
the permanent fund is now large
amounting to 81. .551, 1913. it was still the
judgment of the board that it should
be very largely increased and the contri-
buttons from churches and individuals
should also be greatly increased from
year to year, for there was a steady in
crease in the number of applications for
aid, and the aid granted should in
many cases be much larger than the
amounts now given for the support of
those under the care of the board 1t
centennial fund was raised in 1888 the
collections from the churches and Sab
bath-schools had been gradually fall
ing off. In 1SS1SS they raised $685.
922, and in 1861 only $74 .O91, a de-
crease of S24, ,S31 in nine years. Many
of the church sessions think that be-
cause the board had large permanent
fund it did not need annual collections
proved this to be the too prevalent
opinion. The showing was all the
worse, since in 1888 there We're reported
but I'D, 611 communicates, and in 1896
there We're 943, 116. While the church
was more than one-fourth larger than
nine years ago, the collections We're
more than one-fourth less. And what
made the showing appear still worse
was that in 1886 but 364 families were
under the care of the board and last
year they had S3J. The average gifts
of communicates had fallen from 13
cents to about ~ cents each.
The entire cash receipts from all
sources. including interest, was S197.-
go, a little less than per cent. of the
sum being used for the expense of ad-
ministration. The board was compelled
TO report an Indebtedness of 29,911
due to the permanent fund"
The committee on the subject of min
isterial relief commended the approval
of change in the rule by which lega-
cies be expended for the current work
instead of being invested in permanent
funds.
The selection of DR.. Benjamin L. Ag-
new of Philadelphia as Secretary of the
board was approved
Consideration of the report on the
Presbyterian building at New York oc-
cupied the remainder of the morning
session, and the sole speech was made
by Hon. John Wanamaker After
speaking of the reasons leading to the
appointment of the committee he went
on to give the results reached These
We're that there was no evidence found
that the boards had done ANYTHING be-
.yond the authority given by a former
General Assembly; that the men in
charge of the boards were men sue
cessful in great business enterprises in
New York; that there was no reason to
expect a miracle for the special benefit
of the Presbyterian Church to relieve it
from the difficulties which beset the
whole business world
The committee recognized the good
business ability and sagacity of those
in charge, and the speaker expressed
the conviction that the boards ought TO
have moved five years ago. and assert
that the building is one worthy of the
Presbyterian Church.
The remainder of the speech was di-
rected against the minority report.
stating that ii dwelt with question
settled by previous assemblies. and
that they cannot now be reopened.
At the close of the session unsuccess-
full attempts were made to close the
debate and take a vote immediatelv
Notice was given that many commits
sioners wished to be heard, and a pro-
test was made against gag rule. The
assembly was declared adjourned till
afternoon.
The afternoon session was opened by
the appointment of a commission TO
try the judicial case of the SYNOD of
Missouri against Rev. W. j. Lee. a sus-
pended member of the Presbytery Of
st. Louis. 1t was decided to continue
the discussion of the question of the
i