The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-13
GENERAL ASSEMBLY O F PRESbYTER|ANS
 ID MEET THURSDAY
Entire South to Be Repre- sented at Meeting Here. Moderator to Be Chosen
 Opening Day
By MAMIE BAYS

The fifty-seventh general assembly of the Southern Presbyterian church, which will convene in South Highlands Presby terian church Thursday morning, repre- sents 1861 ministers, 3437 churches, 11,S22 ruling elders, 12,211 deacons and more than 35000O communicants. The latest figures available show that last year there were in this church 4S9 candidates for the ministry and 36 lcentiates that 19 min isters were received from other churches and 15 were dismissed to other churches; that 53 new churches were organized and B churches were dissolved; that 10,021 adults and 6091 infants were baptized; that 21. .SO4 members were added to the church on profession of faith and 15,126 mem- bers were added by certificate: and the total number enrolled in the Sabbath schools was 32S.252.
 Five years ago the Southern Presbyte- rian church gave to the cause of for egn missions S50l,412; to assemblys home missions $11s,747; to Christian education and ministerial relief. $1Ol,74s; to pub lication and Sababth school work. $32, ,S27 whereas, the reports to he submitted to the assembly at Birmingham this week will show that during the year just closed the contributions to foreign missions amounted to $570, ,S56; to assembly's home missions, S193363 to Christian education and ministerial relief, s2S5.465; to pub lication and Sabbath school work, $40, 0S9.
 ELECTION OF MODERATOR
 The feature of outstanding interest on the first day of the assembly will be the election of moderator but It Is probable | thiS al uri1 no fok bo afternoon session, as the time of the morning session will be occupied with the sermon by the retiring moderator, the Rev. c. w. Grafton, D. D., of Union Church, Miss, and the sacrament of the Lords Supper which will follow the ser mon.
 The first feature of the afternoon ses- sion will be the announcement of the names of the commissioners that have been enrolled and the name of the pres bytery which each represents. This an- nouncement will be made by the Rev. Thomas H. Law, D. D., of Spartanburg, s. O., stated clerk of the assembly. Nom- ina ations for moderator will then be made and it Is probable that not less than four commissioners will be placed in nomination for this highest honor that can be bestowed by the Southern Presby- terian church. The moderator may be a minister or ruling elder; each mod orator IS elected TOT one assembly only and at no time can he occupy this posi- ton again. Only four times in the his tory of this church has ruling elder been elected moderator, this honor all most always being bestowed upon a min ister.
 TO ELECT ONE SECRETARY The stated clerk who is also the treas urer of the assembly, and the perma : nent clerk succeed themselves in office from year tc year. In it's entire his- tory the assembly has had only four stated clerks and only five permanent clerks Dr. Law, the present stated clerk has sustained this relation to the assembly since 1910 and the present per- manent clerk, the Rev. J. D. Leslie, D. D., was elected at the same time. The secretaries of the four executive committees foreign missions, home mis- sions, Christian education and minis terial relief, and publication and Sab- bath school worl-are elected for pe- riod of three years each and they may succeed themselves from term to term if the assembly so desires. The term ot office of only one secretary expires at this assembly, that of the Rev. Egbert w. Smith D. D.. secretary of the execu- tive committee. of foreign missions