The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-05-19
Recommendation S tir S
Southern Pre- byterian
General Assembly.
SMITH DENOUNCES
RU vi 0 r OF DEAL
Denies Any Connection With
Proposed Change in Work Of
Foreign Mission Committee.
Amendment Proposed by
DR.. Vance Adopted-Scv-
cral Reports Made.
IspeeIal o Thc rIlnes.i,Isra,nh. !

Special TO Tho Times Dispatch
Bristol. Va. May is.-it was ex-
poctcd that the recommendation, of
. tho committee OF Systematic ,,cuo.
hccnee would prccipitatc animated dis
cussion aud debate. hut all mat an
Sued attcr those rccommcndstiou were
presented was hardly expected and Il;
is probable that the scene witnessed
on the noor Of tho General hss.mhlv
of the Southern rreshytcrlnu Churcn
. In this connection was ono that has
not had counterpart in this BODY.
1T least not during recent years.
The report az the committee was
taken UP as the special order carly
In tho morning session Tho priyi-
lego OF the floor WAS again granted to
Rcv. Il. .. Flynn. secretary Of the
committee in order that he might read
the report. The centre of the great
est discussion was with reference 10
the recommendation regarding AN
overture presented to the assembly
last year. requesting the assent ls'
To reduce the number Of secretaries
TO minimum" referring TO tho sec
f. retaries OF the four executive COM
, mittces of tho assembly.
Recommendation Of Committee.
] Tho recommendation OF the com :
j mttcc In this connection WAS "a fol-
lows:
I'm regard TO this overture VIC re-
commend that one secretary be elect
ed for each cause. to have general SUI
! peryision and direction OF the entire
work OF the committee, and that the
executive committees elect all the de-
partmcnt superinteudcnts. field score
tarIes or assistants that arc needed.
: The secretary shalt be q member OF
; the executive committee.
f, Two members OF the committee pre-
scented a minority report TO this item
sTar mt ss a u
minority report read as follows
. TO tie Genera! Assembly.
The undersigned members 81 your
! committee OF Systematic bonchctnct
I would bag leave 10 report TINT thty
differ with their brethren of the ma
jority in regard - one sscr"ur% FOR
The foreign mission work. and they
would respectfully ask the asst mbiy 20
make no change in the sacre;ar!a! OF
lice of foreign missions
! - ". BACHMAN.
~ VI. r. IIAHDlE."
! DR. Flynn stated he desired TO make
an explanation regarding the motiEu
OF the committee OF systematic hen Ill
cence In making the rccomn endation
IL had made in the report regarding
the reduction OF the sccrctarlal force.
He said that the committee Was al
fectcd only by the desire for the per-
fecting OF policy. and not from any
personal consideration whatever. Fur
thcr on In the report The co"m!ttce
made the recommendation OF only on
secretary for each OF the four >Xecu-
i tive committees. and nominated Rev
Egbert w. Smith az secretary of the
executive committee OF foreign mis-
sions.
/ No Reference 10 Chester.
1t is Well known. not only through
out the Southern Presbyterian Church
but in all other churches, that Rev. s.
H. Chester has been the senior secre-
tary OF the executive committee of for
cign missions OF this church FOR more
than eighteen years crnsecutively
Their, has been rumor that has been
rather current throughout the past
year that DR.. Chester would not DO
recommended for continuation in this
relation at this assembly. Neverthe
| less, the fact that no mention of hin,
) appeared in the recommendation Of the
committee did not come wholly with
! gu, surprise TO some OF the commits
sioners. During the past year DR.
Chester and DR. Smith have been the
two secretaries OF the foreign mission
committee. Dr. Smith being in the field
much of the time and DR.. Chester being
recognized especially as office secre-
tnry, directing the foreign correspond
cnce and other important details OF
the work OF tho cflicc.
After tie reading of the rccommen-
dalton and the explanation OF Or.
! Flynn. Or. Chester addressed the as
sembly.
II have" he said mo sense of liu-
: initiation on account OF the fact that
In this recommendation Of secretary
OF tho foreign mission commit
toe the name otemy colleague has been
recommended and not my own. IT is
not conceivable to mo that tho com
t,Gittee of systematic bencGcence could
have taken this action for thu pur
pose of huniliatinE me. Even were
il conceivable that the committee could
have acted with this motive. it would
not have been possible to humIliate
me. The estimate OF my work stands
not on the estimate of this commit :
tee. hut on my record for the pa st
eighteen and one-half years. have
&! given my best thought and best eff.
fort to this cause. and expect to con-
! tinue to do SO. whether as official or
lnonofticial 1t is not the work of the
Office that have held during these
years past that creates the burden.
but the burden is the Responsibilities.
i am perfectly willing to be disasso-
ciatcd with official position in the
work OF the foreign mission commit :
tee and tn work where / can he ro-
lievcd of responsibility. If my good
d friends. DR. Bachman and Ma ior
: IIardie. were hero. would ask that
they withdraw the minority repor,
they offered and. as they are not here,
u VI ask myself that 1t he withdrawn"
Smith Dcnounces Rumor.
AS soon as DIR. Chester had taken
7 his seat. DR.. Smith spoke to the as
seinbly. lie said: IT never have been
so astonished and never have been