The record-union., 1898-05-26
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
PROCEEDING OF THE GEN
ERAL ASSEMBLY.
Reports Of the Board of Foreign
Missions, Board of Publication
and Sunday-Schoo1s Read.

! WINONA LAKE Qnd.), May 20.-The
Presbyterian General Assembly to-day
adopted a resolution expressing the cor
dial sympathy of the General Assem-
| bly, with the National Relief Commis-
sion, sanitary association having in
view the welfare of the soldiers, sail
ors and marines engaged in the pres
| ent war
The regular order of the day was for
| elgn missions. DR.. G. F. Pentecost Of
Yonkers, New York, Chairman OF the
standing committee. presented4a a report
and addressed the assembly.
The report contained the following:
| The fiscal year began with a debt of
! S97, ,454, but this and all other obli-
! cations had been met. Appropriations
had been reduced 100000, and thus
the debt which had existed in varying
amounts since 1893 had been extin-
| guished. The gifts to the Board from
the Womens Board had increased by
tWenty-eight, but there had been thirty
| deaths or designations. Reports from
all the fields were encouraging, in
| spite of the fact that retrenchment had
told very heavily upon the schools,
some of which had been closed.
S242, ,622; Women's Board, $312371;
Sunday schools, $38, POS; young peo-
pies societies, $10,O13; legacies. S75,-
$40; miscellaneous donations, $72610;
interest on investments, etc, S97 ,613;
contributions to meet the debt of 1897,
| $40, 73S; total, 1919, ,125. The disburse-
ments were 1864, ,702, of which $56,051
was for office expenses, part of them at
/ - = e 4 Acc n "
Following the report made, Robert E.
Speer, Secretary of the board, presented
the scope Of the work of the church
in foreign lands. At the close the
| speaker was greeted with much ap-
! plause.
The foreign missionaries who are
! commissioners to the assembly were
called upon the platform. About twen-
| ty responded and representatives from
India, Persia, Japan and Korea occu-
pied considerable time.
| The report of the Board of Publica-
ton and Sabbath-schools was also pre-
sented, representing two interests, the
one missionary and the other CONNER
! cial. The Publication Board reported
net profits of $31 ,047 on sales aggre-
eating $121, ,755 of books and tracts and
$257, ,25S for periodicals. The active
| capital of the concern is now S190,-
| 624. The board reported the publica-
ton of 1,900,S75 copies of books and
tracts and 4,513,S16 copies Of periodi-
Gals. The missionary branch of the
| board received a total Of $114,S40, of
which $51 ,976 was given by the Sun
day-schools and $50, sos represents two
thirds of the net profits of the business
| department The board reported de-
crease of s., ,S91 in it's income. Work
| ing under the board are siXty-seven
missionaries, who have organized 1,02S
new Sunday-schools.
| The report also gave a statement in
regard to the Witherspoon building in
! Philadelphia, which has a total rental
value of $123, 900, or exclusive of the
floors occupied by the board, Of $780,
| 600. At present the rental receipts are
| S24, 600. The cost Of it was $995, ,962.
For furniture there was needed $50, ,264,
and SAT 200 is still due on contract ac-
counts. To meet these accounts and to
reduce the half million mortgage now
on the building the board has S1OS, 400
| cash in hand. It was anticipated that
the mortgage will be extinguished in
| twelve or fifteen years of normal pros
| perity.
| At the afternoon session the report
of the Committee on Church Mission
ary Periodicals was received. The re-
| port recommended a single publication,
with editorial offices in New York under
the management of Rev. VIM. H. Hub
bard of Auburn, N. Y, and under the
supervision of a committee of five,
headed by Rev. DR.. George w. Knox
of New York. The report was adopted
! after brief debate.
Westminster Church, Minneapolis,
was then chosen as the meeting place
| for next years assembly.
The report of the Committee on Bills
and Overtures in the McGiffert case
! came Unexpectedly before the close of
| the afternoon session
| The evening session was devoted to
addresses by foreign missionaries.