The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-05-28
STATE OF RELIGION
is SOMEWHAT OFF
PRESBYTERIANS' REPORTS
SHOW SOME SECTIONS HAVE MOI
PROPER INTERESTS.

SHORTCOMINGS Reported to the
iasss ssasIfe r'a asfsSessnasRy- The Southern
Church at MObiIe-Majority ana
Minority Reports Important
Questions, and the Majority Was
SustHined-Case of DIR. Chester.
Mobile, Ala, May 27.-At to-days
session of the general assembly of the
Presbyterian Church of the United
States the report of the Committee on
Church and Christian Education and
the Twentieth Century Fund was sub
mitted by DR.. ]. w. Flynn of Column
bia, S. c. More funds are needed for
the work -'>
Rev. S. H. Chester of Nashville, sec
retary of the Committee on Foreign
Missions, who was not named for re-
election in the majority report, but
was retained in the minority report,
addressed the assembly. He said he
would never again be a candidate fo,.
me position of secretary of the COM
mUee. He said he had been greatly
INUNDATED by the discussion of the re-
port in which he was concerned He
mas been secretary of the commit ee
Tor ten years and had done the best
ne could, but he is ready to resign If
the assembly can find man to take
up the work on new and advanced
methods.
Rev. w. M. Morrison, member of
the committee, criticised the work of
DR.. Chester, and said he did not show
the proper interest in his work
DR.. Boggs Of Jacksonville, Fla, Of
fered substitute report, recommend
ing the appointment of two coordinate
secretaries, Rev. E. w. Smith of North
Carolina, for secretary-in- chief and DR..
Chester to have charge Of the office
work. The substitute was adopted, SO
TO 50.
The Committee on Foreign Corre-
spondenoe recommended for adoption
several resolutions suggested by the
Western section of the Alliance of Re
formed Churches, the most important
Of which is that relating to marriage
and divorce, enjoining ministers to re-
fuse to unite in marriage any person
or persons whose marriage such minis
tiers have good reason to believe IS
forbidden by the laws of the church
in which either party seeking to be
married holds membership.
Made Two Reports.
In the afternoon session there were
two reports made tby the joint Com
mittee for the Education of the Min
lstry and Ministerial Relief on the
Overtures of the Synod of Missouri
and the West Hanover Presbytery, ask
ing for a consolidation of these two
Executive Committees, SO that there
shall be but one secretary and one set
Of officers. The majority report of
the joint committee takes the ground
that each cause is sufficiently impor-
tant to justify the present scale of
expenses and even more, if necessary,
to secure a proper success for each
cause. The majority therefore, report
adversely on the granting of the over
tures
The minority report, signed by w.
W. Ewahg, j. n. H, Summerell, w. A.
Cleveland. G. c. Taliaferro and G. l..
Bitter, takes the ground that from
tae records of the Committee for the
Education of the Ministry, presented
Tor an inspection, there Is not now,
nor will there be for years a sufti-
cient scope for the activities of this
committee to warrant the independent
machinery now used to carry 1T on,
ana involving an expense of nearly
ll.5 per cent. of the total income, and
feeling fuuther that there is a real
unity between the causes of education
Tor the ministry and ministerial relief,
ana believing that their consolidation
under one committee and one secretary
would not interfere with the efficient
work of either, recomnaADd thsr the
oVertures be granted.
After some discussion OF one matter
me assembly adopted the majority re-
port
state of Religion.
The Committee on the state OF Re-
A&lon submitted narrative on the