The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-05-23

making 1t simply advisory and would
require the consent of all the churches
before any amendment might De
made.
Rev. Neal L. Anderson of Montgomery,
Ala. surprised the assembly by Wig
orously attacking such q plan and
just as adjournment was ordered for
the afternoon w. r. Dobyns of st.
Joseph, NO.. gave notice Of an amend
ment to the substitute as follows:
Resolved that the assembly adopt
the articles of agreement and enter
this council and at the same time in
struct her commissioners to use all
honorable means to have the amend
ments made to the articles of agree
ment which are mentioned in the sub
stitute."
He explained that the difference be-
tween this amendment and the sub
stitute is that while the substitute pro-
vides that the articles be adopted and
the representatives of the assembly
be authorized to enroll as members
of the council as soon as the council
shall approve Of the amendments, DIR.
Dobyn's amendment provides that the
articles be adopted and the represen-
tatives enroll before the amendments
are approved an attmept to secure their
approval
UotPVne u
Rev. DR.. William NJ. McPheeters, of
Columbia, Tetn., also gave notice of
an amendment to the substitute by
which the Presbyteries would be over
tured by the General Assembly res
ommending a change in the constitu-
tfon OF the church giving the Assem-
bly, the power to form an alliance by
articles of agreement for the purpose
of arbitration and spiritual unity, and
that the PraShvfa vi
lures on the subject at the next meet
Ing of the assembly, thus postpoing
action year in order to satisfy the
constitutional objections to the adop-
ton of articles Disagreement.
After the general mix-up in the dis
cussion of the articles of agreement,
caused by substitutes and amendments
at the afternoon session of the Gener-
al Assembly tonight the substitute for
the majority and minority reports,
presented by the Rev. j. S. Lyons,
was tabled and the general discussion
of the minority and majority reports
was again taken - as TO whether the
artiles shall be adopted.
The hour of IL o'clock tomorrow
was set for the time of final vote on
the whole question. The PROBABILITY
is that an amendment will be offered
tomorrow by Rev. DR.. w. M. McPhee-
tiers of Columbia, Tenn, to the report
of the minority.
The feature of the night session was
the forty minute discussion of the con-
stitutional question and the declara-
lions made by Allen G. Hall, ruling
elder and dean of the law department
at Vanderbilt University. In closing
he said
I am a Iayman and live in an age
of throbbing Industrial development,
in the current of life and am therefore
anxious to see the Presbyterian
Church, South, go into some agreement
which will help take 1t out of its iso-
lation, get 1t into the busting cur
dormant sleep.
"Tbe PRESBYTERIAN Church, South, Is
not doing what it ought to do. 1t has
been steadily retrograding these lasf
years This great church of ours once
had control of all this broad Southland,
it owned vast educational institutions,
and had the possibility of claiming the
whole country.
Now we are retrograding. We have
allowed perfect strangers to come In
and outstrip us in every kind Of
church work, while we have allowed
our institutions to go to ruin
These are plain facts. You can't
stick your head in the sand and say 1t
| is not so, because we are isolated, sit
ting on to ourselves ana declining "
get into the activities meant for us
by God. We are sitting on the side
| walk watching the procession go by,
neither swelling its ranks nor applaud
ing its progress. l say this because l
| believe the time has come when men
| who live in libraries and cloisters can
not direct the current of our church,
but they must be put in the hands OF
| men who live in the world, and I hope
this is the start of grand work to
carry out the purpose for which God
| intended this church"
Reports of Committees.
Rev. NJ. Men. MacKay made a report
| for the Committee on Sabbath Observ-
ance and Family Worship. in which it
was recommended that a permanent
| committee to take charge of this work
be appointed to consist of Rev. W. l..
Lingle, Rev. r. o. Finn, j. g. Patten,
Hoke Smith and M. A. Gambler.
DR.. j. B. Mack reported for the Com
mittee on Assembly Home and School
at Fredericksburg. Va, and DIR. Neal
l.. Anderson reported for the Commit
| tee on Publication, Sabbath School
Work and Young Peoples Societies.
The Committee on Bills and Overtures
made partial report through F. d.
| Daniel.