The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-05-20
SERMON BY DR.. NNTON
PULPITS OF PHILADELPHIA FILL
ED YESTERDAY BY GENERAL
ASSEMBLY DLVINES
NEW MODERAToR's ADDRESS
CHRIST'S PARABLE OF RESTORING
SIGHT TO THE BLIND SUP
PLIES THEME
CRITICIsE FEDERAL SOLDIERS

PHILADELPHIA, May 19.-The Gus
| tom of having visiting commissioners I'll
the Presbyterian puIpits on Sunday in
| the city where the general assembly is
! being he'd was strictly adhered to today.
| There probably was not a Presbyterian
church in the city that did not have one
or more of the visitors at it's services
| Many Of the commissioners filed pull
| pits in the suburban churches and in
Camden, n. J., across the river Tho
weather was chilly and threatening
! throughout the day. The mecca of most
Of the lay commissioners was Calvary
church, where the assembly is sitting
and where the moderator, the Rev Ut.
Henry c. Minton of California, preached
his first sermon as the presiding officer
Of the assembly. The services were con-
Quoted by the Rev. ]. Sparhawk Jones,
! pastor of the church. and he was as
sisted by the Rev. S. J. Niccolls, of st.
| Louis. DR.. Milton took for his sub
ject, "The Parable of Christ Restoring
Sight to Blind Man" emphasizing that
the miracle was effected gradually.
I'VE are born blind" he 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
! Presby forget that creeds are by
no means all. We boast Of intelligence.
! but We should be wary lest our glory
| become our shame. Tht mystic element
! is needed to give tenderness to the soul
! but Christianity, like Mohammedism
| has it's whirling dervishes. Some see out
! along the line Of sincere purpose and
| ethical endeaVOr. 1t is not enough to be
| sincere; one must not only be sought, but
redeemed to a present career of honor.
The church must teach, train and de-
Velop her sons In education there must
be character-building and conservation.
| The moderator sounded a note of warn
ing regarding the public schools. God
forbid" he said that 1 should say an
i'll word against our public school sys-
tenn the safeguard of our nation, but
is the educational machinery subsidiary
to the only worthy end of fashionlng
character; have We 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 in
volved, and the kingdom of God in our
country is involved. 1t is not an organ
lied scepticism that threatens, but a
God-fOrgotten secularism.'
There were three popular meetings
scheduled for this afternoon and even
ing. The largest of these gatherings
was at the Witherspoon building, where
meeting in the interest Of the Women's
Board of Home Missions was held. The
Rev. D. Stuart Dodge, D. D., presided.
The Rev J. Milton Greene, D. D., now
stationed in Havana, but formerly of
San Juan, Porto Rico, where he organ
lied Presbyterian missions created
profound sensation by severely CRITICS.
ing the alleged immoral conduct of
United States soldiers in Porto Rico. DR..
Greene addressed the meeting on the
conditions existing in that island. He
said the conduct of the United States
soldiers there WAS a disgrace to humani-
ty Twenty drunken soldiers, he Said,
could be seen on the streets to one
drunken native.
The Iawlessness OF the soldiers, he con-
tinued, is proverbial. He attacked the
present system under which chaplains of
the army work and some ought to ap-
peal to the United States government
for system by which the spiritual well
ware Of our soldiers could be better
! looked after.
The other speakers at this meeting
were the Rev. H. R. Marsh, M. D., Of
Point Barrow, Alaska; the Rev. James
Hayes Nez Perces Indian mission, Ari-
| IONA; the Rev. s. J. McClenaghan, Ashe-
| Vile n. c.. and the Rev. D. ]. Sanders,
! D. D., president Of Biddle university,
| Charlotte, N. c. The other two meet
| ings were held tonight. One was 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.
DISCUSS REVISION THURSDAY.
The great question before the Presby-
terrain church for years-the revision Of
the confession of faith-will be taken
up by the assembly on Thursday. The
hearing and the consideration of the
report Of the committees upon the re-
vision Of the credal statements of the
church, appointed at st. Louis last year,
was made a special order for that day,
and the matter will remain before the as
sembly until it is disposed of. At this
time it is impossible to forecast the &C
| ton of the commissioners. The commit
| tee, in its report, recommends the ap-
| poiltment of committee, as provided
for in the form of a government, and
| that this committee be instructed to pre-
pare q brief summary of the reformed
faith,' bearing the same relation to the
| confession which the shorter catechism
bears to the catechism, and formed on
the general model of the concensus of
creed prepared for the assembly Of 1896,
or the %articles Of faith" of the Presby-
terrain church of England.
There is a considerable number Of COM
! missioners who believe such q commit
tee will be appointed, but many of them
will not venture an opinion as to what
will be the character of the instructions
to be given the new committee. There
are seven or eight factions, and each
one will contend that the committee
| ought to be given instructions along the
| line of its belief.
| After the credential question Is out
| Of the way the matter of judicial COM
mittee will be the order Of business, and
will be considered until disposed Of.
Tomorrow Tuesday and Wednesday
| will be given up entirely to reports of
committees and the reports of several
| boards of the church.
DEDICATE THE CHURCH.