Omaha daily bee., 1906-04-12

be special delegates from many other GEN
eral Assemblies because of the special oc-
casion in celebration of the 2O0th ami
versary. DR.. Patterson, a professor in
Edinburgh university, delegate from the
Scottish General Assembly, and one OF the
foremost OF the thinkers OF the Presby-
terrain church. is one OF these special dele
gates. There will be others from the
Canadian General Assembly and still others
from tire European countries. Some of
these are yet to be named, but 1t is known
that the foremost men of these countries
will be selected as these special delegates
because OF the fact that they will be ex-
pected to take a leading part in the speech
making and deliberations.
The General Assembly is made up of
one minister and one lay delegate from
every twenty-four churches of a presby-
terry or major fraction thereof. This makes
about 700 delegates or commissioners and
the secretaries, clerks. superintendent and
regular officials of the Presbyterian church
who have an official capacity in attending
the General Assembly bring the total num-
Der officially in attendance up to 1000.
There will, including the visitors and all
in attendance from outside of the city. be
about 1900 or 5000 in attendance Last
year at Winona Lake, Ind. there was about
5000 in attendance. With this such a spe-
cial occasion it is expected there will be
at least that many, as the Presbyterians
are much stronger in Iowa than in Indiana.
Present Secretaries of Boards.
The secretaries of the eight agencies or
boards are: Home missions, Charles L.
Thompson of New York; Foreign missions.
Arthur J. Brown, Robert f. Spear and A.
Woodruff Halsey, all of New York: Edu-
cational, DIR. Edward b. Hodge of Phila-
delphia; Sabbath School, Dr. James A.
Worden of Philadelphia; Ministerial Relief,
DR.. Benjamin L. Agnew of Philadelphia;
Freedmans Aid, Henry T. McClelland,
Pittsburg; College, DR.. James Stuart Dixon
of New York These men will be the
leaders in the conduct of the affairs of
the General Assembly. Some of them have
put in years along the line they are now
engaged in.
The first meetings to select delegates for
the General Assembly were announced 10
be held the last of March. and not till these
are held will the names of the delegates be
known The delegates Of course make up
the complexion of the General Assembly.
At the same time certain leading men of
the denomination are always present. The
moderator at the last meeting was DIT.
James d. Moffat, president of Washington
and Jefferson University. He will be
present this year 10 open the General As
sembly and preside till the selection of his
successor. The moderator is always a
minister. but the position of vice moderator
is frequently as an honor conferred upon
some layman of great prominence. For the
ONCE Of moderator DR.. A. b. Marshall Of
Minneapolis, formerly the pastor OF the
Central church here. is being talked of and
DR.. ]. NJ. Barley Of Detroit and Dr. James
G. Mcclure Of Mccormick Seminary Of Chi
cago are also mentioned for the position
1t has been intimated that William Jen-
nings Bryan will attend the General As
sembly and il is not at all improbable that
he may be selected for the position OF vice
moderator. At previous convention,
Justice Harlan Of the supreme court OF the
United States advocated the plan Of erecting
at Washington. ID. c., a great denom-
national university. and offered to resign
his position on the supreme bench and de-
vote his life TO the work The plan did not
take at FIRST, but is is understood that
Justice Harlan will attend the meeting in
Des Moines and will be heard further on
the plan.
Ritual for Presbyterian Services.
Al the General Assembly DIR. Henry Van
Dyke, professor OF English literature in
Princeton University, and formerly pastor
OF the Brick Church in New York. was
appointed on a committee as the chairman
to devise a uniform order OF worship. The
Presbyterian church In its early history
was quite Titualistic. In later years Il got
considerably away from this. but the east
ern churches are now more tending to that
direction than the western churches At