The evening times., 1899-09-25

vines Who VIII BE in Attendance.
Delegates to the Presbyterian Alli-
ance, which begins a ten days session in
Washington Wednesday,, will begin arriv-
ing in force tomorrow, about fifty of the
most prominent delegates from abroad,
coming from Philadelphia, where they were
entertained yesterday and today, and will
be given a banquet tonight The Alliance
may be said to date back over 800 years.
John Calvin has himself defined the scope
and purpose of the Alliance. Writing to
Archbishop Cramner in 1852 he referred to
purpose ito unite the sentiments of all
good and learned msn, and so, according to
the rule Of the Scripture, to bring the sepa-
rate churches into one" In such an effort,
he added, neither labor nor trouble of any
kind should be spared How completely his
aim would be realized by his followers the
great reformer could have had little idea
Today finds united in the Alliance eighty
six different denominationai or national
churches, worshipers from all five conti-
nents, and a Presbyterian constituency of
about % ZOO, 900.
These have come together, according to
the constitution OF the assembly, mot to
change their fraternal relations with other
churches, but. heretofore. to join them
in Christian fellowship and in advancing
the cause of the Redeemer, on the general
principle maintained and taught in the Re-
formed Confessions" Thus as far as
Presbyterians could effect such an alliance
the separated churches" are brought into
one. A glance at the Alliance programme
indicates that the council has also united
the sentiments of many good and learn
| ed men"
This session will be the seventh in the
/ history of the Presbyterian Church. The
! movement toward a union of energy and
method found expression early as 1918,
when the States General of Holland called
a meeting at Dort The Westminster As
sembly at London, in 1643, also took on
| somewhat the form of an ecclesiastical
| council of English speaking Christians. But
il was not until the middle of the nine
teenth century that the purpose to create a
general organization 10 include all Reform
| ed Churches wherever found, assumed the
aspect of a practical, feasible undertaking.
| Chief among the leaders of the move
ment were an American and a Scotchman
I%Rev. James McCosh, ID. D., Ii. D..
president of Princeton University, and
NV W bidhlc. ~ IL, ILL.,
d., of the Free Church College, Edin
burgh, Scotland. There was much TO ar
range, many preliminary meetings were to
be held, and number of conferences had
| TO take place between the leaders OF the
several church organizations. DR.. Nc
Gosh, Prof. Blake, Rev. John Hal, of
New York, and Rev. G. D. Matthews, d.
D., Of Quebec, now general secretary OF the
Alliance. accomplished all this, however,
L., .l-, ,..,I
| should be held at Edinburgh in 1876. This
date conflicted with our national oelebra-
| tion, the Centennial Exposition, and was
changed to 1877. At that session forty
| three churches were represented ty 220
| delegates. The subsequent meetings have
| been held at Philadelphia, in 1886; at Bel
fast, Ireland, in 1854; at London. in 1888;
at Toronto, Canada, in 1892. and at Glas
gov, Scotland, in 1896.
In results these meetings have more
than justified themselves. They have
brought about, in many places, greatly
desired unifcation of foreign mission
| work. A ma 5ority of the Presbyterian and
Reformed organizations have been induce /
| 10 adopt plan of cooperation in Home
| Missions. Influences in the interest of hui
manity and peace have been brought to
bear on civil governments in various parts
CT the world, guiding the regulation by
dHu iIltIiGd Vi lHC IlqUOE
traffic in the Western Pacific and further
ing the cause of arbitration among all
countries in which Presbyterian5 infiuen se
is marked. The Alliance has practically
united certain churches hitherto isolated
from English and American inffuencs-the :
Bohemian Church. the Reformed Churcl of
Hungary, the Presbyterian Churches in
South Africa and the Federated Churches
of Australia.
rr~.-
America is, of course, Dr. j. Marshall
Lang. of Glasgow, Scotland. the pastor of
the Barrony Church-the old mother con-
gregatien of all Scotland-and president OF
| the Alliance. In his church John Knox
worshiped, the assembly of 1888 held its
session. and Alexander Henderson prSach-
/ ed. Its affairs are now directed by the
most prominent figure of the Presbyterian
Church. man of tremendous force, not
withstanding his sixty-five years, and one
of the most eloquent opponents OF Calvin
ism the church has ever known. rs Life
Worth the Living?" cne of DR.. Lang S
many books, found its way into many
American homes. Besides the exceptional
labor of directing the Barrony Church, of
writing many books, and Of hurrying here,
there and everywhere in the United King
dom to deliver talks, Dr. Lang finds time
( to conduct the DUFF Lectureship on Mis-
Alliance.
Two delegates who will attract much at
tention are Rev. DR.. James Stewart and
Rev Dr. H. S. Bosnian, both from South
Africa Dr. Stewart penetrated the Dark
Continent with the explorer Livingstone
and has spent most of his life directing
large mission at Lovedale. He is a
champion of England in the Trasvaal con-
troversy. while DR.. Bosnian, like his faith
er and grandfather, was born and reared q
Dutch African and sides with the Beers
He gave an interesting talk last night al
the New York Avenue Presbyterian
Church on the Boer side of the contro-
versy.
Samuel Smith, of London, and j. Her
! bert Roberts, of Abergeie, North Wales
both members of the British Parliament
and brilliant men, are also delegates.
The Free Church is to be represented by
| Rev. Charles A. Salmond Of Edinburgh
Dr. Salmond is the principal of Aberdeen
Theological Seminary, and will speak fol
Great Britain in the series of addresses
on "Calvinistic Forces in the Formation
, of National Life Italy's representative il
, Rev. Theophile Gay, D. D.. of the Walden