Evening star., 1901-11-23
REVISION OF CREED
Work Of Committee Representing the
Presbyterian Church.
SECTION 70 MEET NEXT WEDNESDAY
Special Attention to Be Given to
Preparation of New Statement.
THE CONFESSION OF FAITH

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| An event of considerable moment will be
| the coming together in this city next month
of the committee appointed by the general
| assembly of the Presbyterian Church to
| consider the revision of the Westminster
| confession of faith, and the preparation Of
| a new statement Owing to the Importance
| Of the duty that has been laid upon this
| body of men, as well as their representative
character in the Presbyterian denomination
! and their prominence in the communities
where they live, their sessions are likely to
create an interest that will extend beyond
denominational lines. Since the meeting
last summer of the general assembly which
| brought this committee into existence,
| two sessions have been held, one In New
| York and another September last in Sara
| toga.
Acting upon the instructions received
| from the general assembly to report to
| that body at it's meeting next year upon
| those phases which the question of revision
| has assumed, the committee Of twenty-one
was divided into three sections. These
| subcommittee, or sections, of seven mem-
bers EACH have as chairmen Rev. DR.. Her
! rick Johnson Of Mccormick Theological
Seminary. Chicago; Rev. DR.. Charles A
Dickey of Philadelphia, and Rev. DR.. 8. ].
| Niccolls of st. Louis
One section is considering a plan for the
| elimination from the confession of the OBJ
| jectionable matter Another takes up the
| subject of preparing statements to be in
| serted in the confession, concerning the
| love of God; concerning the Holy Spirit and
| concerning missions, while to third Sec
| tion is assigned the duty OF preparing a
new statement, brief and simple, for popu-
lar use,
| Section to Meet Wednesday Next.
When the committee adjourned last Sep
| tember, after it's session in Saratoga, 1t
was to meet in this city December 4. How
ever, one week before that date. next
Wednesday, the 9th instant. one Of the
| sections will begin it's meetings here, and
will assemble, as will be the case with the
general committee, in the chapel of the
| Church of the Covenant, Connecticut ave-
nue. and 18th street By good many 1t Is
considered that the preparation Of new
| statement of faith is the most difficult
problem before the committee, and as that
part Of the work has been assigned to the
| section that will begin its sessions here
next Wednesday it is evidently regarded
| by the members. At any rate, they are to
| have an additional week for the preparation
of report which will be submitted to the
general committee 1t is probable that
large portion of the time Of the sessions Of
the whole committee, which begins the 4th
Of December. and will last ten days two
weeks, will be devoted to the consideration
| Of the proposed new statement.
At the head of the section which will be-
gin It's sessions here next Wednesday is
Rev. DR.. Herrick Johnson Of Chicago, and
iated with him are Rev. John De Witt,
Stewart, DID, Auburn, N. Y: Rev H. c.
Minton, p;Dsq philadelphia; Rev. S. p
John NJ. Harlan, Washington. D. c.. and
Mr.. C. T. Thompson, Minneapolis, MINI.
The headquarters of the members of this
will be the Arlington Hotel Arrangements
have been made under the direction of
Rev. Dr. sIamlin. pastor of the Church OF
the Covenant for the meetings to be held
in the Sunday school room of the church.
Personnel of the Committee.
The members of the entire committee are
as follows:
Revision committee-Henry C. Minton,
DID,, and Chas A. Dickey, ID. Phila-
delphia, Pa; Herrick Johnson, DID, Chi
cago, ILL.,; s. ]. Niccolls, DID,, st. Louis,
Mo-; D. W. Fisher, ID, Hanover, Ind.
VIM McKibbin. DID, Cincinnati; George
B. Stewart ID, Auburn, n. Y; 8. p
Van Dyke, D. D., Princeton, N j.; ]. Ross
fat. ID, Fort Wayne, Ind; s. B. McCor-
mick, ID, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Justice
John M. Harlan and John. w: Foster
WashiRgt0n, Vas M;nn 2, G g Daniel r. Noyes st.
vile, Ky; DR.. VIM. R. Crabbe, Pittsburg
Pa. John E. Parsons, New York city; Eli
sha A. Fraser, Detroit, Mich; Chas. T.
Thompson, Minneapolis, Mimi, and John
Dewitt, DID,, Princeton. N. ].
The clerk of the general assembly, W. H
Roberts, DID, will act secretary of the
committee. Rev. DR.. Minton is the mod
orator of the assembly, and as such be-
came chairman Of the whole committee
of revision, taking the place of Rev. Dr.
Dickey, who was the moderator Of the as
sembly of 1900. and was chairman of the
revision committee of fifteen, appointed by
that assembly. AS will be recalled, that
committee reached no definite conclusion
except that it was made plain, from the
reports received through majority Of the
presbyteries, that the church desired
some change, either by revision of the con-
fession the adoption of a new statement
The committee, increased to twenty-one
members, was reappointed and instructed,
as above stated.
Desire for Definite Conclusion.
1t Is the desire to have some definite con-
clusion to report at the next meeting Of the
general assembly. That body will then
submit the recommendation to the pres
! byteries. and the action of the latter will be
reported to the following assembly In the
| event that a change Is decided upon by the
| general committee On revision it Is esti-
mated that some four years will elapse be-
fore 1t will be possible to make a change
| in the law of the church
| During the stay of the revision commit
! tee in this city the members, individually
and collectively, VIII be the recipients Of
much social attention. The Mems Society
Of the Church Of the Covenant viii give
dinner in honor of the committee, and the
members will be entertained at dinner and
Rev. DIR. Wallace Radcliffe intends to have
the visitors as his guests at a luncheon.
and other hospitalities are contemplated.
AMcKin1ey carnationv conte.t.
A dispatch from Kansas City last night
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