The times., 1899-10-06

The seventh general council of the Pan
Presbyterian Alliance will come to close
today. business session will be held
at 10 O'Clock, discussions will be in order
at ?, and in the evening there will be
addresses by prominent delegates. Presi-
dent Lang will express on behalf of the
visiting delegates their appreciation of the
entertainment rendered TO them while here,
and the Rev. DR.. Sunderland win respond.
/ The whole church will be thrown open to
the public, and it is the intention TO make
the last meeting a gathering somewhat in
the nature of the opening service. Three
meetings of the council were held yester-
day. The attendance of the public was not
large at any of them, and the space re-
served for the delegates was not filed,
many of them having left for their homes.
The programme of the council was made
the subject OF severe criticism at yesterday
mornings session. In fact, the greater
part of that meeting was spent in this
manner. Many delegates expressed them
selves in no uncertain terms They de-
clared that the filling up of a programme
for ten days meeting in advance, with
six or eight long papers day on subjects
of ancient history and unimportant topics,
I " lLC GACluo8Ou VI Stutldl uASCucSA0liS oil
questions of the hour, of vital Importance
to the Church, was threatening the life of
the alliance. The opening sermon by Pref.
! John De Witt against higher criticism, .
was declared TO be in bad taste, and esPe-
| eially as there had been no time allowed
/ for reviewing the other side Of the ques-
/ tion. Papers extoIing the virtues of Calvin
were spoken against Not in way to dis
| credit the virtues of that great reformer,
but, as stated, his beatitudes were well
Known among gathering of Presbyterian
dignitaries, and no benefit commensurate
with the cost in time and money neeessi-
tated to effect the coming together Of de-
egates from all over the world, was derived
by spending the time in this way.
More spontaneity Needed.
The method of referring all important
matters TO the business committee and
thus placing the action Of the alliance in
/ the hands of a few men, was also depre-
Gated. It was urged by all who took part
/ in the discussion that there should be
more spontaneity in the proceedings, and
a wider outlook towards the horizon OF
current questions. This discussion came
regularly before the council under the
head OF means for making the alliance
more efficient. 1t was preceded by the
report OF the business committee on sew
eraI matters on which conclusions had
| been reached.
Gen. John Eaton took an early oppor-
/ tunity to offer two resolutions, and have
/ them referred 20 the business committee.
One condemning the assumption OF the
Mormon Church that they had a diVinely
/ inspired Bible which pretensions had been
renewed, the resolution stated, since Utah
had been admitted into the Union as a
| State The followers of Mormonism were
declared to have no fellowship with Chris
tian churches. The second resolution was
a recommendation to directors of Chris
tian institutions of learning TO include
the Bible in all courses Of study.
| With these matters the time of the
morning session was consumed without
reaching Prof. Patterson's paper on ar
bitration in the Light of Christianity the
reading OF which began Immediately after
the converting of the afternoon session.
Following the paper there was some
discussion on the subject Of arbitration, in
| which the Transvaal trouble was men
| toned, but no further effort was made TO
have action taken by the alliance. Rev.
( DR. J. G. P. Miering, Of South Africa.
whose letter Of withdrawal caused such
a commotion in the council on Wednesday.
| addressed the meeting in defence of the at
titude of the Church in his country, with
reference TO their treatment OF mission
aries. He denied the seemingly popular
| belief that the efforts of missionary So
cieties of Europe and this country in South
/ Africa were discouraged by his Church
His testimony was that the Beers were
jealous in all Christian work.
The Evening Session.
The evening session was presided over
| by the president-elect OF the alliance, the
Rev Principal Cayen. The former presi-
dent, Rev. DR.. Lang, took occasion to refer
to DR.. Caven in very complimentary way
DR.. Caven leaves for his home this morn
/ ing, and rising vote of confidence in hin
| as president was taken. DR.. Cayen re.
| sponded by paying tribute to the retiring
president, and reviewing briefly the worl
of the alliance, with which he has bseI
connected for a quarter of a century. Hi
did not think much of theological discus
sion in the councils. The province OF the
alliance was 10 bring more closely together
the churches holding the Reformed system
and at the same time bearing no enmity
toward other Christian Churches. He was
longing 10 see the time when the great
Episcopal Church should have been thor
oughly purged of sacradotal elements and
take her place with the ranks of Reformed
Churches.
Rev DR.. Fullerton, of st. Louis read the
first paper of the evening on Young Pee-
PIES Work" The present century is real
ly the age of the young man, declared tht
speaker. The age is sureharged with hope