The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-21

Lords while speaking the education bill H
feared he may not recover.
statements of faith. The new creed had to
be submitted to presbyteries, and thus far
all have adopted it unanimously, or very
nearly so. The brief statement is a short
working creed, and was not submitted to
presbyteries. The change in doctrinal
standards, while Ii was expected to be lib
eral and was fostered by the liberal ele-
ment. is held TO be conservative, and some
conservatives in the Presbyterian body are
rot only claiming credit for it. but are
showing themselves better pleased with 1T
than are some old-time liberals.
Another event that will make the year
now ending historic is the naming by the
Vatican of the pontifcal commission on
modern questions concerning holy writ. This
is recognition by the Church of Rome that
there are modern questions affecting the
Scriptures. Encyclicals issued since the
naming of the commission have somewhat
narrowed the scope of the inquiry. The
commission is headed by the aged Cardinal
Parrochi. and has upon it the Very Rev. DIR.
Charles p. Grammar, for ten years professor
of Sacred Scriptures at the Catholic Uni
versity in Washington. The only other
English-speaking member is the Rev. DIR.
Robert F. Clark, of the archdiocese of
Westminster, England. and the Rev. David
Fleming, the Irish scholar and superior
general of the Franciscan Order.
The year developed several things unique
in church history. One of these was the
| trial of the famous Pious fund case. This
| related to money held in trust by the Mex
lean government for Roman Catholic mis-
sion work in what used to be Mexico, but
1 is now southern California. and it may be
some adjacent territory. Mexico had not
| paid anything for many years. and trib-
unal sitting abroad, decided 1t must begin
to pay forthwith. Another Roman Catholic
! thing that is new is an effort to get out
| from under control of the Propaganda. In
Roman Catholic affairs the United States
| Is a missionary Jurisdiction, controlled not
| through the Curia, but by the missionary
society of the Roman Church, called the
! Propaganda. American Catholics think
themselves strong enough to stand on the
same footing as France, Austria and Eng
land, but no very positive declaration has
| as yet been made to this effect. Lutherans
are divided into nineteen independent
bodies. movement is on foot not to
bring them together, but to cultivate
friendly relations, for many of them have
been unfriendly. The second of two meet
| ings to further this end was held during
the year.
ACTION OF QUAKERS.
Even more unique was the organization
last October of the Five-Year Meeting of
| Othodox Quakers. There Hickstite
Quakers, very small Unitarian body. and
not evangelical. The Orthodox branch has
hitherto been divided into eleven Yearly
Meetings, each independent This year all
| save two came together in general meet
ing that Is TO meet every five years. and
which is to manage the affairs of all meet
ings I'm so far those affairs general,
| as foreign missions, education, etc. An
other odd thing was the organization of a
sort of benevolent trust-something that
| gives information about all benevolent
causes. and receives and administers benev-
client funds. Mr.. Rockefeller Mr.. Morgan
Mr.. Carnegie and other large givers en-
ploy each his own men to make inquiries
about appeals. All men and women who
want to give are not, able to employ their
own experts, hence the combination
Finally, there has come a new occupation
for bright young men. and as an occupa-
1t is professional promoting. and consists
in arousing interest i'm certain projects. tc
the end that money for those objects may
come in direct. or through the promoters
1t is a growing business, and pays fail
salaries.
Missionary societies. especially of Bap
fist and Congregational bodies. have beer
trying to see how they might federate. CO.
operate. perhaps combine, to the saving
of administrative cost. The movement ha.
been under way for some years. but dur
ing the last twelvemonth the tendenc,
seems TO have spent itself Methodists hel(
the first general missionary conference
and have instituted what they call al
open door fund. which they made perma
nent during the year. Methodist progress
in the City of Rome. almosl under tn,
Vatican. has been so marked that the Pope
has twice called attention to il in oper
letters Episcopalans tried last year al
apportionment plan which netted an addi
tional 100000 I'm receipts and doubled tn
number of parishes contributing. Disciples
OF Christ held the largest missionary rail-,
OF their history at Omaha, and Presby
terians put the Mexican Presbyterian
Church upon an autonomous basis. Domin
leans and Paulists laid the foundations o
two houses of study at Brooklyn, ada
cent to the Catholic University. The Amer
lean board entered the Philippines. and tn
Congregational Home Missionary Societ,
adjusted its organization to bring II int
closer touch with the churches.
A distinguishing feature of the year wa
the lay development. II was some year
ago that the Presbyterion Foreign Boar,
! elected lay secretary in Mr.. Robert Z