The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-28
ITS WORK COMPLETED
THE MOBILE PRESBYTERIAN As-
 sEMBLY ADJOURNS SINE DIE.
Some Criticism of Dr. Chester, secre- tary of the Committee on Foreign Missions--Report on State
 of Religion.

Mobile, Ala, May 27.-The eighth days session of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the Uni ted States was begun with devotional exercises conducted by Rev. w. M.
 Morrison. an African missionary.
 The report of the standing commit tee on homes and schools was read by the Chairman. Rev. B. M. shiye. It
 states that the school educates chill | dren of deceased ministers and of mis- | sionaries in foreign lands. and was
 supported solely by contributions The 1 debt has been diminished e1.900. but l there Is yet due the sum of $2.750. Twelve presbyteries have not paid
 anything on the debt. The report was | adopted.
 The report of the committee on
 church and Christian education and the
 twentieth century fund. was submit | ted by Dr. ]. W. Film of Columbia
 s. C. More funds are needed for the work.
 The report of the standing commit tee on systematic benehcence was read
 by Rev. J. W. Siler and adopted. l. Dr. J. S. Lyons of Louisville read the I report of the committee on foreign cor
 respondence and 1t evoked some dis cussion regarding the appropriation for the western section of the alliance.
 which is represented by the churches ] of Canada, Brazil and the United | States. The report was adopted. Rev W. T. Palmer submitted the | report of the standing committee on publication and Sabbath work. It rec ommends that the publication of books l by the committee be dispensed with. The report was docketed.
 Rev. J. D. Leslie of Texas, stated ha enaria1 com rnitfaa An rnY,a mi
 sions was unable to report as tho com mittee could not agree.
 Rev. S. Archer of Greenville, Miss, | read the report of the committee on | Sabbath observance, and it was ordered 1 docketed.
 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. was granted the privilege of address
 ing the assembly. He said he would
 never again be a candidate for the position of secretary of the committee.
 He said he had been greatly humiliated by the discussion of the report in
 which he was concerned. He suggest ed that testimony as to his Christian character be taken from the people of
 Nashville, who knew him. He has been secretary of the committee ten years
 and had done the best he could, but
 he Is ready to resign if the assembly
 can find a man to take up the work on
 new and advanced methods. pr. Ches- ter was earnestly defended by his
 friends in the assembly.
 Rev. W. M. Morrison, an African mis- sionary and a member of the commit tee, criticised the work of Dr. Ches- ter, and said he did not show the prop CT interest in his work. Dr. Boggs of Jacksonville, Fla, of- fered a substitute report, recommend ing the appointment of two co-ordi- | nate secretaries, Rev E. W. Smith of | North Carolina, of secretary in chief, | and Dr. Chester to have charge of the office work. The substitute was adop- | ted S3 to 53.
 The Committee on Foreign Corre-
 spondenee 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 ministers
 have good reason to believe is forbid
 den by the laws of the church in
 which either party seeking to be mar
 ried holds membership.
 In the afternoon session there were
 two reports made by the joint commit tee for the education of the ministry
 and ministerial relief on the overtures
 of the Synod of Missouri and the Weat
 Hanover Presbytery. asking for con-
 solidation of these two executive com
 rnittees, 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
 suficiently important 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 overtures.
 The minority report. signed by w w. Elwang. J. N. H. Summerell, W. A.
 Cleveland, c. c. Taliaferro and G L.
 Mitzer, takes the ground that from
 the records of the committee for the education of the ministry presented for
 an inspection there is not now nor will
 there be for years a sufficient scope
 for the activities of this committee to
 warrant the independent machinery
 now used to carry 1t on. and involving
 an expense of nearly 11.15 per cent of the total income, and feeling further that there is a real unity between the causes of education for the ministry
 and ministerial relief. and believing that their consolidation under one com
 mittee and one secretary would not in terefere with the efficient work of eiaher. recommend that the overtures be granted. After some discussion of the matter, the assembly adopted the majority report.
 The committee on the state of relig- ion submitted a narrative on the state of religion, which was adopted. The committee had under consideration narratives from seventy eight out of the eighty-two presbyterIes. Of these seventy-three report attendance upon services good; thirteen very good; sew enteen poor As to the observance of family worship seventy-five report sad neglect and nine report some improve ment Forty-one churches are given as generally observing family worship and eleven churches are noted as being without one family altar. Sixty-seven presbyteries report favorable observ- ance of the Lords Day nine more or less favorable and seven note desecra- tion. Thirty-six report home training of children and youth as good. while forty report it as greatly neglected; seventy-two report Sabbath School training well done. As to spiritual growth thirty-seven report it general in their churches. seven report large accessions and thirty-one report no evidence of spiritual growth As to evangelistic work seven report large work twenty-five some little. thirty five very little and two none. The Ir~ea praotar