The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-05-29
NORTHERN PRESBYTERIANS
and CUNBERLANDS UNITE
Most important Ecclesiastical
Event Of This Generation.
SEPARATED NINETY-SIx YEARS
Assembly Also Agrees TO Join Ma
tionaI Fedevation Of Evangelical
Churches For Charitable and
Humane Work.

Des Moines. Iowa.-One Of the most
important ecclesiastical events Of this
generation is the union, which is for
mally announced, Of the Presbyterian
Church in the United States of Amer
lea 1.-THE Northern church, and the
Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 1t
is important in itself because of the ex-
tent of the two communions: it is i'm
portant as political sign, for it unites
Northern church with church which
is overwhelmingly Southern.
The Nort2ern Presbyterians have Z.
| 729 churches and 1,O69,17O communi.
cants; the Cumberland Presbyterians
have 1886 churches and 1S5.1O4 COM
municants.
The announcement Of the reunion
| was received with great rejoicing al
the assemblies Of the two churches at
Des Moines and at Decatur, Ill
Il do solemnly declare and here pub
licly announce that the basis of reun.
ion and union is now in fall force and
effect and that the Cumberland Presby.
terrain Church is now reunited with the
Presbyterian Church in the United
| States in America as one church,
AS with these words Moderator Hun
ter Corbett officially established the
union of the two branches of the great
denomination, which had been an OBJ
ject of labor and prayer for many
years, the vast ecclesiastical assem-
blage at the general assembly here
burst into a storm of rejoicing Hand
clapping, cheering and waving Of hand
kerchiefs continued for many minutes.
Following the receipt of d telegram
from the Cumberland Assembly at De.
catur announcing the adoption of the
| joint resolution authorizing the union
it became necessary for the Presbyter.
ian assembly to take similar action
| Moderator Corbett put the question,
which was in the form OF a resolution,
I and called for an affirmative vote, to
be expressed by the commissioners ris-
ing. In an instant the assembly hall
was converted into stamping, cheer.
ing crowd. AS the hand-clapping and
| cheering died down and the commits.
sioners took their seats, the Moderator
said: All who are Of the opinion that
the motion should not prevail will
plCdSS- lISc.
A laugh went around the hall, for ii
was believed the request was mere
formality and would meet with no re.
Spouse. To the establishment of all
present two commissioners arose. Pan
demonium broke loose, and it was
feared for an instant that indignity
would be offered the lonely men who
opposed the union. One Of the men
was DR.. William Laurie. Of Bellefonte,
Pa, and the other Rev Roger r. Cres-
sey, of Jacksonville, III.
The former was a stalwart Scotch
man, and his personality dominated
the convention as he said:
Greatly as | dislike to record my
vote againt this union. and deeply as !
feel the pain Of being forced to dis
agree with my fathers and brothers
yet ! cannot eonscientiously vote fol
this union. 1t is purely a question be-
tween me and my God. have to OPP
pose it.v
Rev Mr.. Cressey said "This is a
matter of conscience with me. / can
not honestly vote for the union"
A motion was made that the mega
tive votes be recorded. Cries Of Nor
were raised. DIR. Laurie was on his
feet Immediately, declaring: Il desire
that the negative votes be recorded. /
never vet was ashamed to stand by my
convictions"
The record was duly made.
The proposed federation of the evan
gelical churcnes of the country for
charitable and humane work was APP
proved by the General Assembly. The
report Of the committee recommending
that the Presbyterian Church go into
the federation was unanimously adopt
ed. The preamble to the agreement
adopted declaring that all churches
which believe in the divine Lord and
Saviour should unite in the work. The
Unitarians, disclaiming the divinity OF
Christ are thereby excluded
The branches of work upon which ii
is agreed to unite were marriage and
divorce, Sabbath decoration social
evils, child labor, the relation Of labor
to capital, problems that are created by
foreign immigration, the lettering OF
the conditions of the laboring classes,
the moral and religious training of the