The herald., 1897-05-22
Is Given the Presbyterian
Moderator
aFIRsT THINGS" TYpIFlED
AND xUANINos EXPLAINED By
Y GEN. HARRISON
ThA,Day Spent In Listening to Reports
Of Committee on the New
York Building
As,ociat.dr Press Special wire.

.AlD0Gl0IeQ Fre88 6peCldl WlEes
EAGLE LAKE. Ind. May 21.-This 10
regarded as one Of the most important
days Of the session Of the general as
sembly. 1t was opened by the presenta-
ton of gavel to the moderator by Gen
eral Harrison. The gavel was COM
posed of oak. poplar, black walnut,
birch and maple. The oak, heeaid, rep
resented the Calvinpstic framework Of
the church; the poplar, the free civil
government fostered by the church; the
black walnut, not painted nor hidden,
stood for the churchs love Of finish or
individualism; the birch, with dropping
branches and olinging leaves, typified
the sheltering church for the lambs Of
God, and the maple, with its image Of
sweetness stood for the retiring mod
orator and his sermon. The various
pieces of wood were all historic. The
oak was from the first church in In
diana and in Hanover Theological SEM
mary, the mother OF Mccormick semi
nary, Chicago. The black walnut was
from the first church of Indianapolis.
All parts represented first things.
An enthusiastic delegate inquired at
the end OF the speech in a loud tone:
whats the matter with Harrison?"
and was answered by the usual response.
Before proceeding to business the
chairmen of committees were announced
as follows:
Vice moderator, John Wanamaker,
Philadelphia; bills and overtures, John
L. Withrow, Chicago; judicial business,
DR.. Henry c. Minton, San Francisco;
church policy, DR.. Robert F. Sample,
New York; home missions. Dr. John D..
Hewitt, Emporia; foreign missions; DR..
j. Wilbur Chapman, Philadelphia; edu-
cation, DR.. Stephen w. Dana. Phifadel-
phia; public attention and Sabbath
school work, Elder James Yereane, New
York; church erection, DR.. George w.
Whitworth, Seattle; theological semi
naree. DR.. J. Clark iTIll, Chicago; min
isterial relief, Hon. James A. Mount,
Indiana; freedmen, DR.. Thomas Law
renee, Asheville; aid for colleges DR..
George l.. Spinning, Orange; CORES
pondence, Dr. Byron Sunderland, Wash
ington; benevolence. DR.. Clifton, New
York; temperance, Dr. A. o. Olney,
West Troy, N. Y; leave of absence,
David r. Moore; mileage, Elder e. w.
Fisk, Philadelphia; finance, Elder j. w.
Hall, Brooklyn.
The report of the committee of eleven
on the Presbyterian building in New
York was read by DR.. Withrow, chair
man, as follows:
"Your committee held it's first meeting
In New York on July 1S and 10, 1896 An
extended conference was held with the
boards Of home and foreign missions,
and a statement was given to the public
the next week. Ir-
"The committee held eecond meeting
in the city of New York on March II
and 18, 1897, all the members being pres
ent, except General Harrison and Mr..
Williams, and adopted the following,
viz: In view of the action taken by the
Assembly of 1894, prior to the letting of
the contract for the building as shown
by its minutes hereinbefore given, we
conceive our only duty to be- to confer
with the two Boards and to advise as to
the course to be pursued in connection
with the new Presbyterian house. The
committee finds that there is no pending
offer from any one to buy the property;
nor has there been since the first meet
ing Of this committee.
whether the property on Twentiet tn
street and Fifth avenue, as we'll as thai
on Fifth avenue and Twelfth street,
should be sold or not, are matters which,
under existing conditions, may be prop
erly ard safely left to the determination
Of the two Boards
"The application of the money derived
from the Stuart estate toward the erec-
ton OF the new building was not an IL
legal use of such money.
The committee advises urgent appeals
xA oil t1a ,1,, q
to make not only the ordinary but in
creased contributions for home and for
eign missionary operations, in the full
confidence that under no circumstances
will money given for current work be
applied to the account of the new build
iEs, but that the debt thereon must be
provided by other contributions for that
purpose. In view of these facts your
committee offers for adoption the fol-
lowing resolutions:
FirstAThat the disposition of the two
properties in question shall now be left
to the boards of home. and foreign mis-
sions as agents of our church.
Second-That the general assembly
hereby expresses it's cordial appreciation
OF the laborious services, the sacrifices
OF time and as well the contributions of
DOar0S
and others also in the conduct of these
enterprises
Third-That the general assembly an
proves Of the action of the committee
and herewith discharges that committee
Of eleven.
(Signed) J. L. WITHROW,
BENJAMIN HARRISON.
JOHN WANAMAKER,
JOHN M. HARLAN,
JAMES A. BEAVER,
THOMAS EWING,
SAMUEL B. HURT,
-, III. B. SILLIMAN,
ALEX MDONALD,
1859 ROBT. s. WILLIAMS"
The committee was appointed year
ago and has made partial reports sew
,eral times in the interval. It's conclu-
sions have been awaited with interest.
The assembly listened with eagerness
through the reading of about sixty oc
tavo pages and showed desire to hear
the whole case. The applause which
greeted the speakers was indicative of
an agreement with the conclusion of the
committee and, adverse to the long re-
port of the minority of one, which was
presented by Elder McDougall of Gin
cinnati. The speech of General Harri-