Evening journal., 1916-05-24
Vote
TO UPHOLD MERGER
Refuse TO Dissolve ConSoli-
dation of Education and
College Board
DEFER ALLEGED
HERESY CHARGES


three hours yesterday a verbal battle
ragged in the Presbyterian General As
sembly over the merger Of the Board
OF Education and the College Board.
Decided favorably by the General As
sembly at Rochester a year ago. the
whole question was reopened by a
substitute resolution offered by the
Rev. DR.. Robert Watson, of New York,
this substitute deeming the merger
"inadvisable. owing to legal doubts
and difficulties and rejecting the re-
port Of the Executive Commission,
which presented a plan OF merger.
After stirring debate, in which the
Rev. DR.. J. Ross Stevenson, chairman
OF the Executive Commission. and DR..
John Willis Baer. president OF Occi-
dental College. led the defenders of
the merger Dr. Watsons substitute
was defeated by a large majority, and
the commissions plan Of merger for
establishing a new board. known as
! the General Board Of Education OF
the Presbyterian Church. was adopt
ed. Eminent lawyers from many cities
Of the country figured in the debate.
and the legal profession received
some hard hits.
The Presbyterian Board OF Educa-
tion has its headquarters in the with
erspoon Building. Philadelphia. and
its secretary, the Rev. Dr. Joseph
Wilson Cochran. may become secre-
tary of the consolidated board. The
college board has its headquarters in
New York. Many think that the new
board OF Christian Education will
have its headquarters in Philadelphia
Those troublesome overtures at
tacking the New York Presbytery ap-
parently are being held back for last
hour consideration. The leaders of
the assembly are giving the "heresy'
agitation time TO peter out: the COM
m.ttee on bills and overtures DELAYS
t2p-ltng on the New York P~csby-
tfry Overtures from day 10 day. the
effect OF whicl may be having he
sui 'ect considered at the last mo-
ment when the commissioners will be
thinking about going home and will
not have time to become heresy hunt
ers. Then a resolution may be adopt
ed. appointing a committee to investi-
gate the New York Presbytery's meth
cd Of licensing candidates for the min.
istry. with instructions to report to
the general assembly of 1917.
In the meantime. the agitators are
"on the job" In defiance of the mod
orators statement on Saturday that
, Il is against the rules of the assembly
TO distribute circulars or petitions
= bearing upon controversial subjects
while those subjects are before the
assembly. copies Of one Of the
Rev. DR.. John Fox's pronuncia-
mentos we're openly distributed Ia
| commissioners yesterday on the Steel
! Pier. Doctor Fox, who is secretary
) OF the American Bible Society and
a member of the New York Preshy
Z terry, charges the Presbytery and
b Union Seminary with being hostile
to supernatural Christianity" In
the circular he accuses the New York
2 Presbytery of adhering TO a theology
that was made i'm Germany" He
q writes:
/ Not an original idea. so far as
know. ever appeared in the Presby-
b terry Of New York; it is all made in
= Germany or in Europe. This is moi
said in disparagement Of the learning
or culture OF the professors Of the
Union Seminary but IL is a simple
, matter OF fact that Ritschl and Har.
mack and other German teachers have
shaped the thinking OF some Of them
! Doctor Fox says that Of two dozer
: Union Seminary students licensed by
2 the New York Presbytery during the
last five or six years only one "helt
to the old theology" He accuses th'
Z Rev. Dr. Henry Sloane Coffin Of say
ing in rgard to this candidate: 81 az
q free 20 say am very sorry he is 81
I orthodox"