The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-06-01
BACK FROM MEET
THAT WAS PEPPY
Rev. 7. R. Paden Relates
Story of Assembly
BUSY SESSION HELD
Missions Again Furnish Prob
lem For Delegates To
Indianapolis

given for missions and education
and the number Of foreign mission
aries the Presbyterian denomination
is larger than ever before. This wore
is brought home by Rev. T. Ross Pa
den of the First Presbyterian church
who has just returned from Indian
apolis, Ind, where for ten days the
| general assembly of the Presbyter-
ian church, u. S. A, has been hold
ing its annual session. This highest
legislative body of the church is rep
resentative of all the 10000 Congre-
cations in this country and was at
tended by more than $50 commits
sioners, half ministers and half lay.
men, together with hundreds of 9th
er Presbyterians. There were sixty
foreign missionaries and half as
many home missionaries present out
of the force Of 5000 missionaries
which the church has in this and
other lands.
The 10000 congregations gave to
all church purposes about $4,000,
900. This included expenses of local
congregations, which jumped So,
0O0,0 for the year, and all mission
and educational work.
| missions Are HFODIem
Although more money was given
TO missions than before, the expenses
have been larger, and the board OF
receiving as much cash as it eX-
peCted, was faced with the possibil
ity Of dismissing 100 of the 611 home
missionaries which it helps to sup
port. Action taken on the floor OF
assembly by representatives of GER
tain synods assured the board addi
tional money so that it is probab BILE
that the proposed cut in this end OF
the work will be avoided. 1t was
also announced that the debt OF
$4,000 which the home board re
ported a year ago has been paid in
addition to gifts to current expenses
| OF this amount one man gave more
than $4,000. Contribution of $50
from a small Indian church, the
members of which gave up coffee
drinking, and similar small sums
! made up to the total.
! Interest in the indianapolis meet
! ing was large because Of the com
| pletion of the work of recognizing
, sixteen benevolent and educational
boards of the church into four or
| CARNATIONS. The announced inten
| S4OA VI " lll1dIu OSuuluSS oEydn 10
run for the office of moderator of as
sembly together with certain doc
trinal matters scheduled for discus
sion attracted large attention to the
gathering. DR.. Charles F. Wishart OF
Wooster College, Wooster. Ohio, was
elected moderator by vote of 451 to
427 for Mr.. Bryan.
| The denomination has entrusted
| its promotional work to general
| council of twenty seven men which
absorbs the work previously done by
the New Era Movement and the exc
cutiVe commission of the church
During the four years the New Era
Movement has been in active oper-
alton the expenses of congregations
of the church have increased from
twenty one millions to thirty five
and one half million dollars, mission
gifts have increased in almost the
same ratio and the growth in mem
bership has been marked.
| Bryan Was There.
After more than two hours de-
bate, participated in to a large ex-
tent by Mr.. Bryan, the assembly
adopted instead of a resolution by
Mr.. Bryan, a paper proposed by John
Willis Baer. a banker of Pasadena,
Calf, which read as follows:
| That Synods and Presbyteries
within whose bounds Presbyterian
supported academies, colleges and
training schools are located are
hereby instructed to exercise careful
oversight over the instruction given
in such institutions and that Synods
and Presbyteries withhold their off :
cial approval from such academies.
colleges and training schools where
any teaching or instruction is given
which seeks to establish a mater
ialistic evolutionary philosophy of
life or which disregards or attempts
to discredit the Christian faith.
The assembly adopted enthusi-
astically a resolution proposed by
Mr.: Bryan urging pastors, officers
and members and college professors
and students to pledge total abstin
ence from alcoholic liquor as a bev-
erage. The church believes that the
cultivation OF sentiment in favor
of abstinence will be a big aid in
enforcing the prohibition laws.
Many churches in different parts of
the country sent their pastors to the
assembly paying their expenses, SO
they might gather some of the in :
SEPARATION and facts which ALWAYS
make these UNCONVENTIONAL gather.
ings helpful.
Reports by the boards of the
church showed that last year the
church paid to ministers widows
and orphans a total of $64O,00O as
pensions and expects to increase this
amount each year. Steps were TAX
en- through a committee of promi
nent laymen to raise a large sum OF
money as endowment for the Board
of Ministerial Relief and Sustenta
ton, pension agent Of the denomin
alton. Will H. Hays, former post
master general, is one of the prom
inent men of all sections of the
country on this campaign commit
tee.
The assembly announced that no
educational funds of the church NAV
go to any college which has an in :.
structor who is not a member of the
Christian church. Strong resolutions
were adopted looking to the enforce :
ment of the prohibition laws.
The assembly next year will meet
at Grand Rapids. Mich.