The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-05-18
ACENTURY CELEBRATED
SESSION OF GENERAL AssEM- ELY IN PHILADELPHIA.
Distinguished Men Deliver Addresses on Various Topics-John Wana- maker Presided Last Night.
 Financial Showing.

| Philadelphia, May 17.--Although it
 has been for years the custom of the
 Presbyterian General Assembly to be- gin the real business sessions of the meetings oh the Friday following the | opening day, an innovation was in-
 troduced this year in the form of a
 Twentieth Century celebration in the
 Academy of Music. Today was de- voted exclusively to a proper observ- ance of the occasion and prominent
 ministers and laymen from all sections
 of the country participated in the ex- ercises incident to the celebration. The Twentieth Century meeting was | in pursuance of Q resolution adopted by the General Assembly at St.. Louis last year. The program was laid down in the resolution of the As- sembly. The first session began at | s:30 o'clock. Long before that hour the parquet circle and galleries were | crowded with an eager audience. The parquet was reserved for the commis-
 sioners and alternates and on the stage
 were seated the speakers and specially invited guests. A prayer and praise service occupied the greater portion. of the morning session. A feature of this ceremony was a choir of 300 voices selected from the various Pres
 byterian Churches in Philadelphia. John H.. Converse. IL. D., of this city, presided. The celebration began
 with the singing of the long meter doxology, Praise God from Whom All
 Blessings Flow" which was followed by an invocation by Rev. Dr. Minter. the new Moderator.
 Addresses were made by Rev. Willis G. Craig, D. D. IL. D., of Chicago, who presented a review of the nine teenth century, and Rev. Henry c. McCook, D. D., S. c. D., of this city. on Progress of the Presbyterian Church in the Ninteenth Century"
 During the course of his remarks. Dr. Craig said the worldwide problem of universal evangelization could only be solved when nations were brought into contact with each other. We must annihilate distance" he said. We must subjugate nature and come face to face with the people whom we expect to convert"
 Rev. Dr. McCook's address was prin- cipally a history of the Presbyterian Church. In speaking of the doctrine of predestination he referred touchingly to Mrs. Mckinley. He stated that President Mckinley, on meeting a member of the Revision Committee, re- marked to the latter: 'So you are going to revise your confession of faith7" to which the committeeman replied: We are going to consider the question:"
 Well" responded the President, T hope you won't revise out of 1t the doctrine of predestination."
 Let us hope said Dr. McCook. "that as our beloved President sits by the bedside ofsthe noble woman whom he welded in 8 Buckeye Presbyterian Church, this goodly doctrine may be comfort to him whatever the issue, and he may say with resignation, Not my will, but Thine be done.
 The speakers at the afternoon session
 were the newly elected Moderator, Rev. Dr. H. c. Minton; Rev. Dr. George T. Purves of New York and Robert E. Speer of New York City. Dr. Minton spoke on The Divine Purpose Devel. oped in the Progress of Time" The address of Dr. Purves on "The Prob lens of the Twentieth Century" was an intelligent presentation of the con- ditions now confronting the Christian church with practicable suggestions as to their solution.
 MT. Speer's topic was "The Speedy Bringing of the World to Christ"
 John Wanamaker occupied the chair at tonights session. The principal speaker was Rev. Samuel J. Nicolls, D. D., IL. D., or oI. LOUIS, Who uSiiNSieu an address on '"The Opportunity and Duty of the Presbyterian Church in the Twentieth Century :"
 Rev. Dr. W. H. Roberts, Treasurer Of the fund presented a report showing receipts up to noon today as follows: For boards of the church. $106,o3s; for colleges and academies, $330.642; for seminaries. $110.767; for hos- pitals. $61, ,659; for Young Mems Chris tian Association. $117464; miscellan- eous. $30,00O; for local debts on church es, $L0s1. .654; for improvements in To- cal churches and building new church es. $l, 1913. Total, $3.397. .0S1.
 This amount has been contributed by one thousand of the 7,S00 Presbyterian churches in the country. Dr. Roberts stated that he had today been informed that in St. Louis subscriptions aMount- ing to $1S0,000 had been received and had not been included in the report. He was also informed, he said, that one- l half of the amount required to remove | the mortgage on the Presbyterian | building in New York had been raised. | This was not included in his report.