New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-01-27

the change. as they had not yet had official
notice OF the Boards action. and members Of
the Board themselves were equally inclined to
reticence.
The Board Of Home Missions at the time Of
the meeting of the last General Assembly was
composed Of the following mem The Rev. Drs.
Thomas S Hastings Charles D. Thompson.
James s Ramsay. Thomas A Nelson. James
NJ Ludlow George l. Spinning. John Hall, Ly
man W. Allen Wilson Phraner and d. Stuart
Dodge and John Crosby Brown. William II.
Corbin Walter NJ. Altman. Robert Henderson.
! Noel Brakeman. John +. Parsons Henry f.
Rowland Charles f. Green, George r. Lock
wood Titus B. Meigs and George II. Southard.
The Rev. DR.. John Hall is president Of the
Board and Harvey c. DIN treasurer. One OF
the members. Mr.. Green, died few months ago.
The Board last June turned over the report
Of the General Assembly's special committee,
already referred TO. to q committee OF its own
body. comprising the Rev. DIS Hall, Hastings
and Nelson. the Rev. y. Stuart Dodge. Messrs.
w VI. Aikman John +. Parsons. George Il.
Lockwood and one or two others. The delay OF
this committee in making its report and thus
enabling the Board to &C; is said to have been
due 10 a difference Of opinion among IT'S mem
bers regarding certain points. In addition to
directing that henceforth there should be a
single secretary. the report adopted by the Gen
eral Assembly contained various minor recon-
mendations among them that il should be the
policy Of the Board OF Home Missions 10 avoid
debt; that the Board should outline its work
each year upon the basis Of the probable rather
than the possible income and that methods OF
promoting harmony and cooperation between
the Board and presbyreries and synods desiring
"a support and control their own work should be
devised.
GROWING DEFICIT.
There il annually received for the Home Mis-
sion work o. the Presbyterian Church. from
church collections legacies and all other sources
about 100000 4 few years ago, before the
hard times set in. the receipts were even larger
The mission field is as wide the country; the
work is capable Of indefinite expansion, but con
traction is pretty difficult So in the last three
or four years il IS said deficit has been APP
pearing and getting bigger and bigger. until
now it amounts to something like S30O,OOO.
There have long been rumors Of alleged loose
MANAGEMENT Of the Mission Board, and no one
Interested in the Presbyterian Church has yet
forgotten the vigorous onslaught made IN the
last General Assembly upon the business meth
DDS Of the church boards in the Presbyterian
building Of this city. The attack made 10y the
Rev James Knowles upon Or Roberts. the
Boards senior see rttarA. VIII t4So '' -
called Mr.. Knowless charge was that Or
Roberts was getting Two salaries ''r
his work az secretary. ono Of 5000 year from
the Board - Home Missions and one OF me
same amount from John :. Kennedy. This as
sertiOn made by Mr.. Knowles III the course OF
an earnest speech on the necessity fci retrench-
nent by the several Presbyterian boards was
fatty denied ny the Rev. Or. Phraner OF the
Home Mission Board. speaking for Or. Roberts
The latter. himself. in an Interview after" ara
admitted that he had occasionally received pres,
EMS from Mr.. Kennedy, but denied that ne had
ever taken a dollar from Mr. Kennedy as salary
m Roberts had been connected with the Home |
Mission Board here in the SOS resSning 10 |
become president of Lake Forest University |
near Chicago In 1892. after he had been at the |
head Of the University for hve Years, ne was
urged 10 connect himself again with the Home
Mission Board. The affairs Of which we're In |
critical condition. He said 70 Mr.. Kennedy !
who had been hi. parish.oner and for many |
rea~s his friend that he was getting 5000 "A
year salary At Lake Forest ald could no; AFFORD |
Ia live in Ncw-York on the >oirD salary pa'd |
,scrs.ar- Of the Board Of Home Missions. Mr. |
Kennedy. added Or. Roberts IN ne interview |
-efnrred 20. said to him: The Board needs You. !
Come back and never mind the financial mat |
tor So Or Roberts came back and has been !
{, charge Of the Home Mission work ever since. |
one of the things sought 10 be accomplished |
iar tho new system is the consolidation Of all |
am, hnritv In q single man and the consequent |
aytnc Of responsibility, II being the opinion OF
IN, BOARD that two-headed secretaryship pre- /
sents practically the same dihiculties az 10 To-
eating accountability for a given act as does a |
artisan Police Board Then. too, under Or. |
THOMPSON II h. shall accept the offered post |
The work OF clearing off the debt viii be ener- |
retically entered upon; and. following the sug- |
TesfIons laid down in the special committees |
-, adonfcd by the General Assembly for !
Inc government Of the Board II Home Missions. J
,he greatest care will De taken 10 avoid the /
accumulation Of fresh debt In future
WORK OF THE SECRETARY.
A close friend Of the present secretaries said |
Yesterday that the change in the Boards policy /
vas a mistake and would not work we'll in prac-
tice The labor OF the secretary ship. he declared /
was enormous II taxed the energies II two |
men at pres -n; and he did not believe one man !