The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-23
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,.
Causes of It's Northern and southern Divi-
sion and Prospects of Reunion.

Causes of It's Northern and Southern Diyi-
sion and Prospects of Reunion.
To THE EDrToR OF THE SUN-Sir. 1.-THE
Presbyterian Church in the United States >" and
THE Presbyterian Church in tho United
States OF America" famiiiarly known as the
Northern" and Southern" Presbyterian
Churches. are two great wings OF American
Presbyterianism. They hold tho same type Of
doctrine and are governed by the same
polity, which. by the way. is the only form of
American Church government in strict alli-
ance with our republican form Of government.
These two wings have been kept apart since
1851 by tho "old guard" Of the Southern F"
Church. who controlled the policies of the vari-
Gus assemblies. The Northern Church has
been and is now willing to consider tho qucs-
ton OF " organic union.' The Rev. DR.. Vance
OF tho Southern Church expresses the senti-
ments OF a large number of the rank and file
North" and South as Indicative OF any
Lapsiey Of. Admission. in Alabama, have been
households Of faith to dwell under the same
In every graduating class Of Mccormick.
there are Southern men. and there are other
Influences emanating from other citadels of
therefore, the union OF the two Churches must
occur and will occur, As | have given the sub
JtNN SOlho llDhknl' L NuH = u EIONl lE btIlll-
mentof reciprocation on the part of the South
OF overtures to that end from the, North. Be.
cause of the passing away OF the "old guard"
of the Southern Church, tho jealous and sin
cere advocates, Of certain fallaeious theories
which have initiated against organic union;
younger leaders arise. they think differently
from the older men. who to a great extent were
influenced In their ecclesiastical deliberations
by the lingering memories OF the lost cause
The, real causes that have kept the two
Churches separate for the past thirty-four
years have been these:
~, While the PresGytSrians at large hold to
few Of the old guard, such as the late Rev.
i: l.. pabney, D. d., did not favor the ordina-
t 1I%n p %l mHfr thst al The i"' nesra !mi nFfslriSora, on On
the White man ma II, the negroes We're or.
dainod they would be on an ecclesiastical
to set in their church Jurisdictions. deciding on
cases that came up from sessions Of churches.
the wives and daughters Of the White' people;
were concerned, Hence. it was distasteful to
OF a race which they believed the Almighty
made superior.
III II; P p Iois.s At ISaTg g i hold i to r the doc,
over 10000 colored brethren of the Northern
Presbyterian Church in the South. and. by the
%Wn m 1hsi $ tersf and chu re sas s saG i5S@. 81 % during ring
the past year The black members Of the house
and is rearing have been the only barrier in
the way Of uniting in sweet marTiage, %relatiops
Northern Church, which is doing a grand and
noble work among the freedmen. is not willing
to let the brother in black" shift for himself.
If it had done with the negro as did Abraham
to Hagar when he cast her out | believe the or
ganiZations would have united ten years ago.
These and other minor differences are recon
cilable to the younger nicn H. the, Southern
Church, led by the Hon. Judge Lapsley OF Ala
bama tthe only layman who has ever moder-
ated a General Assembly in either the North
ern or Southern Churchesl. And there Is a
growing sentiment in the great ecclesiastical
organization OF the South IN favor of coming to
union with the North, notwithstanding the
policy OF tho Northern Church toward the
negro. as is indicated in the following from the
Presbyterian Herald:
The Presbyterian Church in the United States Of
America. or the Northern Presbyterian Church. Is
doing an excellent work among the AfrO-AmrriCans.
They meet together in Presbytery. synod. and As
scmblv. The AfrO-AmericRn Commissioners are
elected to SYNOD and Assembly not because they are
black, but because they are men. educated men.
fully competent to represent the Presbytery. From
the great Presbytery Of New York the Rev. Horace
Il. Miller (Colored) was elected Commissioner to tho
General Assembly last May, and the Rev. 2. Butler
Thompkins tcoloredl was a representative OF the
same Presbytery to the Synod OF New York which
met in Utica October a year ago.
Doctrinal affinity is bound to draw the two
branches together. Sectionalism in Church as
we'll as State is bound to be obliterated in time.
Troy. Jan. II. j. NJ. Is.