Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-05-20

Afternoon and Eyening-Our Sol
dfers in Porto Rico Roasted for
Drunkenness.
PHILADELPHIA, May 19-The GUS
tom of having visiting commissioners
fill the Presbyterian pulpits on Sunday
in the city where the General Assem-
bly, is being held. was strictly adhered
to to-day. There probably was not Z
Presbyterian church in the city that
did not have one or more of the visitors
at its services. Many of the commits
sioners filed pulpits in the suburban
churches, and in Camden, N. j.. across
the river. The weather was chilly
and threatening throughout the day
The Mecca of most of the lay COM
missioners was Calvary church, where
the Assembly is sitting and where the
moderator the Rev. DR.. Henry c. Min
ton, of California, preached his first
sermon as the presiding officer of the
Assembly. The services were conduc--
ed by the Rev. ]. Sparhawk Jones, pas
tor of the church, and he was assisted
by the hev. s. ]. Niccolls, of st. Louis.
Dr. Minton took for his subject the
parable of Christ restoring sight to
blind man, emphasizing that the mir
aele was effected gradually.
I'VE are born blind" ne said, "for a
cataract of sin covers our eyes. Multi
tudes have received the first touch, but
want the second. This is a day when
the church of God should be on guard
against the intelligence of her faith.
We believe in creeds, of course; but
we Presbyterians forget that creeds are
by no means ALL We boast of our in
telligence, but We should be wary lest
our glory become our shame.
1.-The mystic element is needed to give
tenderness to the soul, but Christianity,
like Mohammedism, has its whirling
line of sincere purpose and ethical en-
deavor 1t is not enough to be sincere;
one must be right
The moderator, in dealing with the
eyangelization, said that men must not
only be sought, but redeemed to
present career of honor. The church
must teach, train and develop her sons.
In education there must be character
building and conservation. The mod
orator sounded a note of warning re-
garding the public schools.
"Ged forbid" he said, that | should
say an Ill word against our public
school system, the safeguard of our
nation, but is the educational machin-
cry subsidiary tC the only worthy end
of fashioning character? Have, so
morbidly AFRAID of uniting church with
State, gone so far as to disunite God
from the State? This is a most serious
question. The faith Of our sons and
daughters is involved, and the j<ingdo'a
OF God in our country is involved. 1t
is not an organized skepticism that
threatens but a God-forgotten secular
ism
There were three popular meetings
scheduled for this afternoon and this
evening. The largest of these gather
ings was at the Witnerspoon building,
where meeting in the interest ~ the
Wonan's Board of Home Missions was
held. The Rev. d. Stuart Dodge, D. D,
n
D. d.. now stationed in Havana, but
formerly or San Juan, Porto Rico,
where he organized Presbyterian mis-
sions, created a profound sensation by
severely criticising the alleged immoral
conduct of the United States soldiers in
Porto Rico Or. Greene addressed the
meeting on the conditions existing in
that island. He said the conduct of the
United States soldiers there was a dis
grace to humanity. Twenty drunken
soldiers. he said, could be seen on the
streets to one drunken native. The
lawlessness of the soldiers, he contin-
ued, is proverbial. He attacked the
present system under which chaplains
of the army work, and some one ought
TO appeal to the United States govern
ment for a system by which the spir-
itual welfare of our soldiers could be
better looked after
The other speakers at this meeting
Were the Rev. H. R. Marsh, NJ D., of
Point Barrow, Alaska; the Rev. James
Hayes, Nez Perces, Indian Mission.
Arizona; ',le Rev. S. ]. McCleneghan,
Afheville, n. c., and the Rev. D. J.
Sanders. d. D.. president of the Biddle
University, Charlotte, n. C.
The other two meetings were held
tonight. One, in the interest of home
and foreign missions. held in Tenth
church, and the other took place at
Northminster church and was in the
interest of Sabbath observance.
The great question before the Presby-