The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-06-12
Tits IN a PREsBYTERY.
The Report of n Committee Starts n
Lively Discussion.

BALTIMORE. June 12--The report Of
the committee on the Improvement Of so
cial conditions precipiJated a lively de
bate Yesterday at the June meeting of
the Fresbytery Of Baltimore, which was
held in the First Presbyterian Church at
Sparrows Point Sharp things were said
during the discussion. and the PTeSbyjeTE
refused to endorse the principal portions
of the report Of the committee which was
made by Rev E. Z. Weaver, the chair
man. The committees report urged
strong declaration on the divorce evil and
stated that there Is but one ground for
divorce: that certain portions of the Bi-
bic which exalt the love Of felIow-man be
read in the public schools. and that the
Presbytery again declare itself strongly
in favor of & strict observance Of Sunday
Rev. Mr.. Weaver supplemented his re
port with an address, in which he urged
the adoption OF the three portions Of the
report He dweIt at some length on that
portion referring to divorce saying that
many ministers are ignorant Of the doc
trines of the church on that subject and
one minister did not Kuown that there is
but one ground for divorce
This brought the Rev. Frank E. Will
Jams 10 his feet Mr.. Williams resented
the charge of ignorance on the part OF the
ed that if there is any ignorance on the
subject it is with the committee on social
conditions He quoted the Confession of
Faith OF the subject of divorce and de-
CIared that the church had always taught
that wiIIfuI deseTtiou was q just ground
The Rev. j. 5. Malone spoke along the
same line and the Presbytery voted TO
strike out a large portion Of the report
on the question Of divorce, so that the
adopted report read;
Realizing that marriage in the Lord
and the Christian home are among the
human sources for the difusing OF the
love of Christ among men, we cannot
view without adherence any attempt to
diminish their sanctity OF 10 extend be-
yond the clear warrant of the Holy Scrip
lures the grounds OF divorce as inteTpre-
ted in the standards OF the church
A portion of the report which the Pres
bytery refused to adopt was as follows:
We declare that persons divorced by
civil courts for other reasons than aduI-
terry should not be married again. nor
should the guilty party in any suit for d.
vorce for adultery be married again
The Presbytery then turned its attention
to the second part Of the report, which
read as follows:
In order that our young people be i'm
this love from their earliest infancy. we
urge all Christian parents, guardians,
teachers. and pastors that certain times
be set apart in our homes. Sunday
schools, young peoples meetings, and
churches for prayer, counsel and instruc-
ton upon this theme in all their relations
with their feIlowmen. We also urge the
reading Of such portions of the Bible
which exalt this love Of our feIowmen in
our public schools"
Elder Samuel Rankin took exception to
| this section of the report. He held that
any request on the part Of the Presbytery
for the reading of the Bible in the public
schools would be fraUght with dangers,
as il would awaken the old controversy
Of the Bible and religion IN the schools
The Presbytery agreed with ar. Rankin
TO such an extent that this section Of the
report was voted down by a large ma
iority.
Mr.. Weaver was not pleased with the
/ treatment SO far accorded to his report
but he had pinned his faith on that sec
tiOn Of the report referring TO Sunday
But here, too, the PTesbytery cid not
look with favor on the report. and it was
finally decided that The committee should
reconsider the question and report at the
October meeting