The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1906-05-31
NORTHERN PRESBYTERIANS
AND CUNBERLbNDs UNITE
Most Important Ecclesiastical
Event of This Generation.
SEPARATED NINETY-sIx YEARS
Assembly Also Agrees to Join Ma
tionaI Federation OF Evangelical
Churches For Charitable and
Humane Work.

Su9E@uGS -
Humane Work.
Des Moines, Iowa.-One of the most
generation is the unioh. which is for
mally announced. or the Presbyterian
Church in the United States OF Amer
lea (the Northern church, end the
Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Il
is important in itself because of the ex-
tent of the two communions; it is i'm
portant as a political sign, for it uDites
| a Northern church with a church which
is prepondera ingly Southern.
The Mort ern Presbyterians have Z
! 100 churche4 and 1,C69.17O communi-
cants; tn -LmnerlaDd Presbyterians
T! have 1886 churches and 1SG.104 COM
municants.
The announcement of the reunion
was received with great rejoicing at
the assemblies of the two churches at
Des Moines and at Decatur. III.
ST do solemnly declare and here pub
liely that the basis of eun
ion and union is now in full force and
effect and that the Cumberland Presby-
terrain Church is now reunited with the
Presbyterian Church in ne 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
iect 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 a telegram
from the Cumberland Assembly at De-
catur announcing the adoption of the
Joint resolution authorizing the union
il became necessary for the Presbyter-
ian assembly to take similar action.
Moderator Corbett put the question,
which was in the form of a resolution,
and called for an Affirmative vote, TO
be expressed by the commissioners ris-
ing. In an instant the assembly hall
was converted into a stamping, cheer
} ing crowd. AS the hand-clappiLg 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
} please rise"
!, A laugh went around the hall. for il
. was believed the request was a mere
! formality and would meet with no re
7 Sponse. To the establishment of all
( present two commissioners arose. Pan
demonium broke loose. and it was
9 feared for an instant that indignity
t would be offered the lonely men who
q opposed the union. One of the mel
was DIR. William Laurie. of Bellefonte
= Pa, and the other Rev. Roger f. Ores
y. sey. of Jacksonville, Ill.
The former was a stalwart Scotch
q man, and his personality dominated
= the convention as he said:
Greatly as l dislike to record m!
vote againt this union. and deeply as
feel the pain of being forced to dis
agree with my fathers and brothers
vet I cannot con~scientiously vote TO
n this union. 1t is purely a question be
? tween me and my God. I have to OF
n pose it."
u Rev. Mr.. Cressey said: "This is
l. matter of conscience with me. l car
ID not honestly vote for the union"
8 A motion was made that the nega
t, tive votes be recorded. Cries of mo!
r. were raised. DR.. Laurie was on hi
b, feet Immediately, declaring: Il desir
r. that the negative votes be recorded.
NJ never yet was ashamed to stand by m
convictions"
The record was duly made.
10 The proposed federation Of the eTal
ID gelical churcnes of the country fl
e. charitable and humane work was al
Id proved by the General Assembly. II
n report of the committee recommendin
ct that the Presbyterian Church go in
the federation was unanimously adop
ed. The preamble to the agreemel
adopted declaring that all church,
ne which believe in the divine Lord al
Saviour should unite in the work. II
Unitarians, disclaiming the divinity
Christ, are thereby excluded.
The branches of work upon which
is agreed to unite were marriage al
of divorce. Sabbath dc ccrat:On soci
m evils, child labor, the relation Of lab
to capital, problems that are created
90 foreign immigration, the lettering
re- the conditions of the laboring classt
the moral and religious training of t
M young, etc.