Evening star., 1901-05-27
Presbyterian General Assembly
Adopts Majority Report Today
AFTER SLIGHT AMENDMENTS
The Final Vote on Question Was
Almost Unanimous.
OTHER WORK OF TO-DAY

tnefe appeared to be disposition on the
part of the commissioners to bring the
debate on creed revision to an end as soon
as possible The majority OF the delegates
are impatient to settle the question: so far
as this assembly is concerned There is
still considerable other business of i'm
portance to be transacted, and some of
the subjects are expected to arouse much
discussion.
Among these are the establishment Of an
ecclesiastical supreme court, the oversight
and direction of the collecting and dis
tributing of benevolent offerings the plan
of vacancy and supply for unemployed
ministers and churches without pastors and
a plan of oversight of the young peoples
societies.
Before proceeding to the further cCnsid-
Grafton of the question of revision the as
sembly adopted the report Of the committee
on the next place of meeting, which select
ed the Fifth Avenue PRESBYTERIAN Church
New York, as the meeting pace of the gen
eral assembly of 1902. An amendment was
offered substituting Los Angeles for New
nounced that the condition Of the assem-
blys funds would not warrant such a Sc
lectlon, and the amendment was lost In
vltat1ons were also received from Denver
milwaukee, and Saratoga Springs
The, committee recommended to the next
assembly the selection Of Los Angeles for
the assembly of 1903.
Moderator Advises Against Haste.
When the order of the day-the revision
of the confession Of faith-was reached. the
moderator made a few remarks advising
against any hasty action today He said
there was tendency to rush the matter SO
that the assembly could adjourn, and he
hoped the commissioners would not get into
a panlcky condition and do something which
they might regret. He suggested, however.
that all speeches be limited and a motion
to limit them to ten minutes was unani-
mously carried.
James d. Moffatt DID,, president of
Washington and jefferson University, who
on Saturday gave notice that he would offer
an amendment to the majority report was
then recognized by the moderator.
DIR. Motfatt explained that he was moved
to offer the amendment 'to recommended
ton because of the small majority
which on Saturday voted 20 retain the
recommendation In the revision committees
report. Objection had been made, he said,
to the original recommendation because Of
ambiguity in certain portions and his OBJ
ject in amendment was to render the vote
of the assembly unanimous on whatever ac-
ton might be taken.
Il hoped to amend recommendation B."
continued DR.. Moffatt, Ito meet all OBJ
jections and to give it new wording. Many
good men who opposed the original form
were alarmed by the word summary l
nave maze d SlInple cHdnSe: StElklllS out
the word summary ana substituting
statement which expresses just what we
have in view. Again, there is nothing IN
the original report as to what shall be
done with the summary. ] wish to le-
move all ambiguity and have 1t stated
plainly that the committee to be appointed
will be required to report to the next as
stmbly and that recommendation be
made to the next assembly to submit the
entire subject to the presbyteries."
Text of the Amendment.
DIR. Moffatts amendment is as follows:
I'VE recommend that this committee be
instructed to prepare and to submit to the
next general assembly for such disposition
as may be judged to be wise, brief state
ment of the reformed faith. expressed, as
far as possible, in untechnical terms. The
said statement is to be prepared with
view to it's being employed to give infornla-
ton and better understanding of our
doctrinal beliefs, and not with a view to its
becoming substitute for or an alternative
Of our confession Of faith.'
DR.. Niccols Of st. Louis. a leader Of the
minority party, in brief speech, heartily
drew forth considerable applause. Other
seconding speeches were made by DR.. Her
rick Johnson Of Chicago; Former Modera-
tor Charles A. Dickey, Philadelphia; DR..
Baker, Philadelphia; DR.. VIM. c. Roberts,
Pennsylvania, Ky; Dr. w. H. w. Boyle,
Pueblo, Col; Dr. d. J. Saunders, president
Of Biddle University, Charlotte, N. c.; DR..
David A. Cunningham, Washington, Pa,
and DR.. David S. Kennedy, Allegheny, Pa.
AS each Of the above commissioners, who
represented all shades of opinion in the
sembly, rose to speak for the amendment
a wave or applause swept over the vast
aSSemblage.
The amendment was adopted by a viva
voce vote, not one voice being raised in
opposition to 1t.
Amended Majority Report Adopted.
The question was then on the adoption Of
the majority report, and Dr. Johnson moved
that the three recommendations contained
in the report be taken up seriatim, and the
motion was carried.
Recommendation A. which calls for the
appointment Of revision committee, was
adopted with only a few voices against it.
Recommendation b, as amended. went
through without sign of opposition.
Recommendation c. on motion of Dr. Ba-
ker of Philadelphia, was amended so that
the amendments to be prepared by the
committee for several chapters of the con-
fession of faith shall be made ''either by
modlhcation OF the text OF by declaratory
statement, but so far as possible by declar-
atory statement This Recommendation
was also adopted with but little opposition
The question then recurred to the adop-
ton OF the report as a whole. The mod
orator put the question, and then there was
one great roar of Aye" Instantly the as
sembly rose en- masse and sang the Dox-
ology. The moderator then led in prayer
The end to the great discussion which had
continued into the fourth day came so
quickly that it took every one by surprise
Dr. Mofratt, who introduced the harmonic
ing amendment to recommendation B, was
surrounded by crowd. which congratu-
iated MIN on his success in bringing the
matter to such satisfactory issue.
After the assembly had again settled
down Dr. Baker offered resolution that
the present revision committee be contin-
ued, that the committee be increased to
twenty-one, that Moderator Minton be a
member thereof and that he appoint the
acditlonal members. This was also adopted
On motion Of DR.. 1Nckey the assembly
decided to continue as secretary Of the re-
VISION COMMITTEES DR.. W. III. Roberts Of
phiiadelphia, who is also the stated clerk
of the assembly.
Text of the RecommendatiOns,
The recommendations as amended and
finally adopted by the general assembly
and which will be the guiding star for
the revision COMMITTEES in its work of re-
vising the confession Of faith are as fol-
lows:
"A We recommend that a committee as
provided for by the form Of government.