The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-05-20
SERMON By DR.. N|NTON
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

N4S4AAO4SG Z GGOGhhA SOLOlEhS
! PHILADELPHIA, May 19-The GUS
| tom of having visiting commissioners I'll
| the Presbyterian pulpits on Sunday in
| the city where the general assembly is
! being held was strictly adhered to today.
| There probably was not 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. fhe
weather was chilly and theatening
! 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. Dr.
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, 1.-THE Parable of Christ Restoring
Sight to a 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
Presbyterians 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 DEt
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 charact ter-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 ollr
country is involved. 1t is not an organ
lied scepticism that threatens, but a
Cod-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
a meeting in the interest Of the Women 8
Board of Home Missions was held. The
Rev D. Stuart Dodge, D. D., presided.
The Rev. J. Milton Greene, .. D., now
stationed in Havana, but formerly of
San Juan, Porto Rico, where he organ
lied Presbyterian missions, created q
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 WIS a disgrace to humanl-
ty. Twenty drunken soldiers. he said.
could be seen on the streets to one
/ drunken native.
The lawIessness 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 a 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, N6Z P6rCeS 1uufdu IulSSlollB al l.
| Zona; the Rev. s. ]. 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-
terian 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 special order Tor 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 ac'
| ton of the commissioners. The commit
| tee in its report, recommends the ap-
| pointment of q committee, as provided
| for in the form of a government, ant
! that this committee be instructed to pre-
| pare O. brief summary of the reformed
faith" bearing the same relation to the
| confession which the shorter catechisn
| bears to the catechisn, and formed or
| the general model of the concensus OF
creed prepared for the assembly of 1896
or the %articles Of faith of the Presby
terian church of England.
There is a considerable number Of com
missioners who believe such a commit
tee will be appointed, but many of then
will not venture an opinion as to what
will be the character of the instruction.
to be given the new committee. There
are seven or eight factions, and eaci
one will contend that the committee
| ought to be given instructions along thu
line of its belief.
After the credential question Is ou
Of the way the matter of judicial com
mittee will be the order of business anC
will be considered until disposed of.
| Tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday
will be given up entirely to reports O.
committees and the reports of severa
| boards of the church.
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DEDICATE THE CHURCH.
| limited RrefTlrRn T1artAyn ON, ovS, Z, ~,