Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-04
BY REV. G. NJ. CUMMINGS.


SAN FRANCISCO, Calf, May 30
The trip to the General Assembly of
the PRESBYTERIAN Church. in session
here, on the special train, Commits
sioner, by. the Washington, ID. c.,
delegation was uneventful. The Ma
t'~nal Capital delegation was accom-
panied by others from the East
numbering several hundred. The first
stop for any length Of time was at
Colorado Springs, where they re-
manned from midday until the next
morning. Various sightseeing trips
were taken by members of the party.
There was a stop-over at Salt Lake
City, the delegates attending church
services in the morning with some OF
them preaching. In the afternoon
they attended the services at the
Mormon Tabernacle, where a cholr
of 500 voices was heard. a Mormon
elder preached a sermon prepared es-
pecially for the Presbyterian visitors.
JTnon arrival at Oakland the party
boarded a ferry TO bring them to this
city. Special attention of the dele
gates was attracted to the safety
zones" established here. Instead OF
having them marked with paint, as
in Washington, there are line OF
iron plates inserted in concrete. An
other feature was that the names OF
streets are not only on lamp posts
but cut in the stone sidewalks.
Reminded of Washington.
The setting of the assembly remind
ed the delegates of Washington.
There are four beautiful buildings
together, one City HalD is very much
like our Capitol; the other three. Pub
lie Library, state Building and the
Auditorium in which the assembly
IS meeting resemble in a marked de-
gree the Pan American, Red Cross
and D. A. II. Buildings. There are
q Presbyterian churches here, Is of
which were erected in the last six
years.
The delegates and visitors are dis
GUESSING the Mississippi flood and the
New York Paris flight of Lindbergh,
A matter of great interest concerns
the report on the subject of divorce.
A committee of 90 clergymen and lay
men struggled with this problem for
an entire morning, but were unable to
solve it. The present law of the
church recognizes two grounds for
diyorce-adultery and desertion. The
question in the minds of the commit
tee was whether they should recon-
mend to the assembly the elimination
of the latter as legitimate reason for
divorce, and forbidding ministers to
remarry persons divorced for this
cause.
Among the subjects discussed in
formally is that of the unusual num-
Der of recent suicides among students
throughout the country. One of the
features of the pre-assembly confer
ences was an address on Evangelism,
by Rev. J. II. Russell, colored CON-
missioner. of Durham, \. c.
Rev. Dr. Wallace Radcliffe, pastor
emeritus of the New York Avenue
Presbyterian Church of Washington
and moderator of the General AS
sembly, 80 years ago. together with
Mrs. Radcliffe, were invited by the as
sembly to be its guests next year.
At a pre-assembly conference on
Christian education there was a large
gathering of experts on education
presidents of colleges, professors of
theological seminaries and members
of the Board of Christian Education.
Speer Made Moderator.
Robert +. Speer. secretary of the
Foreign Mission Board, was elected
moderator of the assembly. The va
rieus sections went into session, and
thu Synod of Baltimore, comprising
the presbyteries of Baltimore, New
Castle and Washington city, elected
as its chairman Rev. A. Brown Clad
well, stated clerk of Baltimore Presby
terry. He also was elected member
of the committee on foreign missions.
Other members of this synod who
were honored are Rev. DIR. John c.
Palmer, pastor of the Washington
Heights Presbyterian Church, elected
to the committee on bills and over
lures: Elder Chester r. Smith of Sher-
wood Church, elected member of the
national missions committee; Rev.
Charles F. Laber of Baltimore, Chris
tan education committee; Rev. James
Cattanach of Baltimore and Elder j.
w. Townsend of Kensington, Md,