Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1910-06-03
ASSEMBLY STANDS
FOR PROHIBITION

Lewisburg, W. Va May %. Stand
ing by the Presbytery of North Ala
bama in its declaration for the prohi.
bition amendment to the state consti
tuition, sending down to the presby-
teries for approval new expression
on infant salvation, and in transact
ing a large amount of other business,
the general assembly of the Southern
Presbyterian church today made great
headway. The rapid progress practi-
cally assures adjournment tomorrow.
Only by the shrewdest management
did the assembly escape what would
probably have been bitter debate on
the complaint of the Rev. w. l. Sim
not against the Presbytery of North
Alabama for approving Prohibition
amendment at issue in political
campaign. The commission recorded
that the presbytery acted on the be-
lief that it was placed in prejudicial
light by the p.ess of the state an
nouncing that Mr.. Sinnott, its stated
clerk, was opposed to prohibition.
Your commission in voting not
to sustain, " said the majority report
signed by fourteen members, ''did
not mean to recede from or comprO-
mise the principal of nom intrusion
into civil affairs or affairs that con-
cerned the commonwealth, but to
leave our courts free as to the mode of
dealing with gigantic moral evil,
which mode, in this case, was the
urging upon our people in the State
OF Alabama to vote for constitutional
prohibition
"On the other hand" the majority
report concluded, the commission
condemned the action, language aud
spirit of the complainant as higly IN
becoming a minister OF the gospel .
The minority, signed by seven, held,
that the presbytery should have been
content merely with disavowing Mr..
Sinnott's views. The majority report
was approved.
There was feeling of intense in
terest in the assembly when the re-
port of the judicial committee was
presented. It seems that Mr.. Sim
not had written a number of articles
for newspapers and made several
speeches in which in very strong
terms, he denounced the principles Of
prohibition.
Mr.. Sinnott complained, upon the
ground that it was against the prin
ciples of the Presbyterian church or
any of its courts to pass judgment
upon any civil or political Question.
The presbytery reported it's position
by the claim that the prohibition
was moral issue and
was outside of politics.
Lewisburg, W. Va, May 26.-Wild-
cat evangelism was denounced today
At the closing session of the General
Assembly Of the Southern Presbyter-
ian church. The denunciation was
uttered by DR.. Charles R. Nesbet, of
Nashville Tenn, chairman Of the as
sembly's committee on evangelical
tion, when he was called up to re.
port on that work.
What is needed said he, is a
sane evangelism. There is a great
deal of evangelism today that is an
swerable to no church; it is a wildcat
evangelism. 1t is doing more to pre-
judice this arm of the service than
any two things at work in this
land. -
The attitude of the church toward
women came up in the hurry of ad-
journment. The query was from the
Lafayette church, of New Orleans, as
to whether the church still objected
to women addressing mixed assem-
blies of men and women.
"There has been no change in the
settled policy of our denomination
in this matter,'' was the reply the as
sembly made.
The bothersome question of fixing
the organization of missionary unions
of presbyteries On a constitutional
basis was preferred to an ad interim
committee to report at the next as
sembly.
The assembly closed its meeting
this afternoon, after one of the busiest
dox,c in ;tc ubo1o b;c<orx,