Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-23
To Celebrate Bicentennial.

The assembly voted to select a special
committee to arrange for a celebration dur
ing May of next year of the two hundredth
anniversary of the formation of the first
presbytery in Philadelphia. 1t is under
stood this celebration will be held In Phil
adelphia.
The proposition to allow separate presby-
teries in the boundaries of old presbyteries
was adopted with but one dissenting voice.
This is to allow separate presbyteries for
negroes and foreigners.
Discussing the report freedmen DIR.
r. d. Breed of Philadelphia said the peril
before the negro is that he will not rise
to his racial rights, Abut will be content to
be an appendage to the white race. 1t is
possible he said, for the negro to rise in
attainment until the race will be the peer
of the whites Rev. w. A. Alexander col
ored of Brooklyn, spoke on the alleged
criminal tendency Of the negro. He said
when disturbances arise in the south the
negroes who have no local attachment to
a community begin to move. 1t is largely
this class which goes into the north. Much
of the criminality among negroes, he said
is due to taking them into police courts
and prisons for trivial offenses The
negro race is growing In its power to de-
liberate. He said the negroes are against
separate presby teries.
Opposed by Justice Harlan.
Justice John NJ. Harlan said it is the glib
talk about growing criminality among ne
groes which comes from people who want
| 10 Keep up race III pTOpOiliOU
to numbers, he said, there are no more
negro criminals than white. Let Us find
nowhere in the reports of deliberations of
the general assembly anything of the GRIM
| inality of the negro, he said. The resolu-
tons of the committee were adopted with
no reference to negro criminality.
The resolutions In the committee report
| on marriage and divorce were spoken to
| by former Moderator DIR. Charles Dickey
Of Philadelphia. Fourteen denominations
are united in the movement to have
preachers refuse to perform marriage
ceremonies of divorced people unless they
were divorced On Scriptural grounds. "Di-
vorce, said he, is question of state
which churches have the right to take up.
| The taking Of government census on d.
vorces will show that an alarming condition
exists"
He commended the divorce reform ideas
of the American Bar Association, and said
churches could we'll follow these ideas. as
| they showed great possibilities of reform.
A new point in the resolutions prevents the
remarriage of an innocent party to a d.
vorce until a year has passed, and he urged
| Its adoption advance step In the
divorce movement. He said when men and
women rushed from the divorce court to
the marriage altar they were not innocent.
The resolutions were adopted.
The general evangelistic committee or
ganized by electing John H. Converse,
Philadelphia. president; DR.. ]. Wilbur
Chapman, New York, recording secretary,
and Farley hartman, treasurer. Head
quarters will be opened in New York
October L. The committee will give
months revival to Boston and to New
Jersey. An advisory committee of thirty
two preachers and laymen from northern
cities has been named to support the COM
mittee in it's efforts.
A dispatch from Fresno. Cal, last night
eral assembly is in the midst of long de-
bate over union with the Presbyterian
church. Two reports on union were pre-
scented this afternoon. A majority report.
signed by Drs. Templeton and Wigginton
and Judge Beard, gave a complete list OF
the presbyteries which had voted for
against union, and declared that the union
had been constitutionally agreed to by
majority of the presbyteries in the Cum
berland church. Elders McClelland and
Young submitted minority report, adj
hitting the vote, except one presbytery, but
asserting that the church has no constitu-
tional right to unite with another church.
and that therefore the union has not been
constitutionally agreed to. 1t further at
firms that the Presbyterian church has not
compiled with terms OF agreement with
reference to separate presbyteries.
After the reading of the reports tele-
gram was received from Winona Lake,
Ind, announcing that the Presbyterian
assembly had declared the union proposal
carried as far as that church was con-
cerned, and that all the conditions had
been complied with. A member then read
Bryan OF Chicago, contradicting the first
dispatch and declaring that the Presby-
terrain assembly had indefinitely postponed
the subject. Both messages were received
with great applause.
On a motion to substitute the minority
for the majority report. DR.. Templeton
of Texas opened the discussion. He was
| followed by other speakers, the debate
| lasting many hours. 1t is expected to
continue throughout most of tomorrow
The unionists see no need OF discussing
the matter at all, but have acceded to the
demands of the anti-unionists that there
shall be full debate.