The sun., 1898-05-15

Ponatbttity of ENpienien nt phs NeaFAS
Fresbytsrian Meetiag.
So far ne previous plans may govern, the
Presbyterian General Assembly about 10 open
at winona Camp Grounds In northern Indiana,
is 10 be lovo feast, period Of rejoicing over
the completion Of $50 years since the adoption OF
the Westminster standards. But In the over
turos 10 be presented to II there is moro OF what
may prove TO bo explosive material than has
reached a Presbyterian General Assembly In
many years. Tho situation IL more complicated
than It was just before the Portland Assembly
Then tho worst was known. Now IL II not
Now all is suspicion.
There arc mnny minor questions 10 bo pre-
sented. Some may como up. Some may not.
Each succeeding Assembly 10 mado up OF an
almost wholly now set OF mon. What newmen
may do even they do not know. But there are
four matters practically certain to come be-
fore the Assembly, any ono Of which, II con-
ditions DO right. possesses explosives enough Tor
one year at least Two of these matters are
closely allied and affe6t the administration of
homo missions. Tho third Is the McGinert case.
and the fourth the Princeton Inn matter. There
| is a fifth question, which may or may not OBJ
trudo itself. II It does. tho story Of the change
from three secretaries to ono in the Homo Board
may come out.
The McGiffert overture, first passed by the
Presbytery Of Pittsburg. 10 a very strong one.
|
| Presbytery to which Prof. McGiffort belongs.
II was drafted only after extended correspon-
denoe with somo conservatives Of the New York
Presbytery. 1t was adopted by, Pittsburg be-
cause surest OF getting through there without
diyi,ion, which fact 10 relied upon to offset the
| other fact that It comes from but one or two
| Presbyter out of q total of 229. But the
General Assembly cannot ignore the case. That
order the New York Presbytery to cite the
Union professor before Il for trial Conecrys-
IN Qns
most appoint committee to report next year.
This. however. as perhaps the liberals do not
by another year there may be two counts instead
ne po.bsS Of another
trial They Sufn e are hSt DO 10 not
TRIAL but Prof. IeGiiifoFt ST has apparently " no
monthE before :" A History Of the Church in the
takably that the prospects OF q trial are rather
agreeable to him than otherwise.
Meantime not only are members OF the pres
ent Union graduating class unable TO get calls.
but old graduates of Union, who have records Of
be out Of positions. are finding it impossible TO
get opportunities TO preach as candidates, much
their condition that some arc trying to get into
Congregational and Protestant Episcopal
The Briggs Incident hurt the prospects of Union
graduates; the McGihert incident sent to ruin
bucn snare OF tnOSo prospects nB was Ieft.
Some Presbyterians profess to see In tho
prineeton H ton Inn nm matter case Of larger W dimen;
is % to on nhS Ss h
base their predictions Tho question is so very
not ocs o SrS csT
tain. 1t would seem, to condemn the acts which
tho overture calls into question. The declina-
tion OF President Patton and other Princeton
mon TO go as Commlssioners this year is not re-
garded as significant The Assembly will it is
believed, make conservative but plain state
mont. taking the only one side possible namely,
the temperance, and that will end the matter.
There are not the explosive possibilities In the
| rinceton Inn matter that somo people profess
to believe there are. and almost all of what
there was has been exploded.
tho Home % Board from % New York @ will depend not OF
in by the committee appointed to recommend
the best plan for the conduct of home mission
Rev. DR.. john L. Withrow Of Chicago. and
other members of 1t include the Rev. Dr. Samuel
Of WiHona, tho Rev. DR.. John Dixon Of Trenton,
the Rev. Or; John r; Davies Of New York. the
Rev. DIR. William H. Logan of Baltimore. the
Rev. Dr. George L. Spinning OF Orange, Gov.
The extremes which these men are expected to
bring together are l ths plan now % in use In In. In
the Home Board. The former is for churches to
conduct their own missions within their synodi-
o in TO
This Is the plan long followed by the CongEegs,;; e;
70
ali mission work through that board, with
to he former Of hf sard Is
:! mended by this committee and adopted by
the Assembly, the Home Board will be greatly
crippled in its operations, since it will have only
| the dependent synods to administer. These
synods are. with few exceptions. in the West.
the beadqasPtePs rs % On the '1 oheT S hand, A Il tRe
committee report In favor OF the present method.
and since it is within the field whence comes
three.foprths Of all financial support; A church
With Win two " such c U %eD as %ithiow and Kane
that the committee will favor the present plan.
! A compromise recommendation, embodying the
the Indiana plan is fnr moro likely to be favored.
! DR.. Withrow has long bcen identified with it.
the committee, is the, new, secretary Of the
Winone Summer School: itself part OF the In.
| diana plan. Members OF this committee decline
to tell what will be tho color of the report. but
! Presbyterians in the East expect it to favor tho
the headquarters OF the Home Board from New
/ York to Chicago or st. Louis will have a strong
The Chicago men. who caught the Eastern
| commissioners mapping last year and took the
Assembly to Winona again this year when tho
| that 1t would go back to Saratoga or to Philn'
deP6a 6d are e, lust us IN, ysry very Gnist
| OF tears from the eyes of the Foreign Board were
SG of The Hone Board
about going back to the old rooms at Fifth av-
enuc and Eleventh street. which have not been
sold, and leaving for rental the advantageous
! floors in the Presbyterian building now
cupied by them. which floors are worth $24, 900
year. II the Home Board were in Chicago or
| ST. Louis. there would be more room left In the
| old quarters for the Foreign Board. The Pres
| byterian building does not pay as an invest
ment, though II is doing better than formerly.
| Why the great Presbyterian Homo Board.
which handles nearly 81 900, 900 year. comes
! TO have just now only one secretary 10 an in
teresting story. and 1t has never yet been in
print. II IL should be told in the Assembly next
week 1t might bring on one of those mild erDlo-
sions which that body is expected to furnish.
| At the instigation of some men known to be
identified with tho Indiana plan already referred
to. the General Assembly Of two years ago. the
! committee TO look into the affairs OF the Home
Board. The reasons given were the hard times
| and tho board debt, but some said tho real rea-
son was the desire OF the Western men TO bring
| about radical change OF Presbyterian home
| Anlu ThAc tfaah haha Nhar 9t,a