The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-05-15
BIG PRESBYTERIAN
:CONCLAVE TO OPEN
In IOWA THURSDAY
General Assembly Will
Be i'm Session From
May Is to Is.
REFORMS PLANNED
Committee to Reconstruct
Agencies of Church viii
Make Report.

NEW YORK. May 1.-THE 134th
general assembly Of the Presbyte-
rian Church in the U. S. A. (official
title of the Presbyterian Church
North. will open in Des Moines. Ia,
Thursday evening, May IS.
This general assembly is the an
nual congress of the Northern
Presbyterian Church, composed of
commissioners representing the 302
presbyteries in the United States
These presbyteries are grouped
Into forty-six synods. The COM
missioners will number between 900
and 1000. In addition there will be
present secretaries of boards and
agencies and other leading Presby-
terians of the country. bringing the
total national attendance up to
about 1000. representative OF tn"
more than 100000 commune.
members and more than l.40O.r'J
Sunday school members Of the de-
nominations
Important Reports Scheduled.
Chief among the scheduled items
of business is to be the report of
the committee on reorganization
and consolidation of assembly
agencies. This committee was ap-
pointed by the general assembly of
1920. charged with the duty Of per-
fecting q plan for the reconstruc-
tion Of the boards and agencies of
the church. The chairman of this
committee, who will present the
report to general assembly Monday
afternoon. May %. is Dr. John Tim
othy Stone, whose church. the
Fourth Presbyterian. Of Chicago, is
one of the most notable examples
IN the country Of religious institu-
lions allied with community well
fare work. other members of the
committee on reorganization are:
Ministers-br. Alexander Mac
Coll. OF Philadelphia: Dr. william
Henry Black. Of Marshall. Mo; Or.
Robert ]. MacAlpine. Of Buffalo. y.
Y: DR.. William R Taylor. of Ro-
chester. N V; DR.. Leon d. Young.
Of Dallas. Tex: DR.. Frederick W.
Hinitt. Of IndiOna. Pa: Dr. William
o. Thompson. Of Columbus, o.
Laymen-Andrew Timberman, CO.
funbus. o.: Attorney John II. De-
Witt. Nashville. Tenn: Attorney
Prof. Bernard C Steiner, Baltimore.
Md; George n Conrad. New York
City; Ralph W. HARRISON. Pitts
burCh. Pa.
Conservatives to Figare.
The committees report purposes
radical reduction in the number OF
boards and the setting up of a sort
OF superboard designed to take the
place Of the executive commission
and the New Era movement for eX-
ecutive and promotional jurisdic-
tiOn between the sessions of gen.
eral assembly. The REORGANIZATION
Of the boards is designed to re-es-
tabIish the denomination aIons
modern and progressive lines.
The more conservative element in
the church is expected to oppose
any radical changes. To many
PTesbyterians the idea Of a super
authority is repuEnant
Among the names conspicuousIy
mentioned for moderator are those
Of DR.. Cleland Boyd McAfee. profess
sor Of systematic theology at Nc
Cormick Theological Seminary. Chi
csCn: Dr. Hugh T. Kerr. pastor Of
Shadyside Presbyterian Church
Pittsburgh. and president Of the
Presbyterian General Board Of Ed
ucatiOn: DR.. e. G HAYS. pastor OF
the First Presbyterian Church of
Jamestown. Pa: DR.. John r. Laird
pastor Of frankfort Presbyterian
Church. Philadelphia: and DR.. w
Beatty Jennings pastor Of the First
Presbyterian Church, Germantown
Philadelphia.
win Hays May Talk.
Among the PRESBYTERIAN laymer
who may he heard at general as
sembly. although not commits
sioner. is Will II. Hays. recently
Postmaster General. and now at the
head of the motion picture produc.
ers Of the country.
The women have no official place
in general assembly. hut the two
great women's boards associated
with the work Of foreign and homt
missions are To have their own I'M
official popular meetings.
One NJ the noted foreigners to hi
heard nv general assembly is the
Rev. Mahahisa Uemura. known a,
the greatest native Christian Of ia.
pan. who will bring greetings from
the Church Of Christ in that coun.
try. now celebrating its fiftieth an
niversary
The PRESBYTERIAN executive com.
mission will hold a pre-assembly
meeting at Des MOines. Tuesday