PRESBYTERIANS. 



553 



churches in evangelistic work, to consider the 

 methods of such work and its conduct in relation 

 to the churches. The report on Theological Semi- 

 naries, as adopted, sanctioned the union of the 

 colleges and the theological seminaries in Ken- 

 tucky into a single college and a single theolog- 

 ical seminary, respectively, as had been agreed 

 upon by the local boards and judicatories having 

 charge of the several institutions. Permission 

 was given to the three presbyteries in Mexico to 

 unite with the Southern Presbyterian presbytery 

 there in the erection of the Synod of Mexico. 



II. Presbyterian Church in the United 

 States. The following is a summary of the sta- 

 tistics of this Church reported to the General As- 

 sembly in May, 1901: Number of synods, 13; of 

 presbyteries, 79; of ministers, 1,485, with 280 can- 

 didates and 04 licentiates: of churches, 2,991; of 

 ruling elders, 9,234; of deacons, 7,870; of commu- 

 nicants, 227,991; of baptized non-communicants, 

 41,030; of members added on examination during 

 the year, 8,319; of baptisms, 3,168 of adults and 

 4,590 of infants; of teachers in Sabbath-schools, 

 20,091; of pupils in Sabbath-schools, 149,567. 

 Amount of contributions: For home missions 

 (Assembly), $26,317; evangelistic (local), $124,- 

 872; for the Invalid fund, $14,941; for foreign 

 missions, $134,745; for education, $87,553; for 

 publication, $8,273; for colored evangelization, 

 $11,327; for the Bible cause, $4,789; presbyterial, 

 $17,451; for pastors' salaries, $814,308; for con- 

 gregational purposes, $795,510; miscellaneous con- 

 tributions, $125,593. 



Small increases appear in most of the more im- 

 portant items. 



The Executive Committee of Education reported 

 that 75 of the 77 presbyteries were cooperating 

 with it. One hundred and sixty-six beneficiaries 

 had been enrolled and aided, in comparison with 

 195 in the previous year. The committee had re- 

 ceived $20,228 during the year, and had expended 

 $15,045. 



The Assembly's home and school at Fredericks- 

 burg, Va., reported 37 orphans receiving instruc- 

 tion. 



The year's accounts of the Executive Com- 

 mittee of Publication were balanced at $46,980, 

 while the assets were valued at $117,185. Ten 

 new books had been issued. The business of the 

 publishing house had not equaled that of the pre- 

 vious year, which was, however, 25 per cent, larger 

 than the average. Seven colporteurs had been in 

 the field, and 10 young men had been employed 

 during the summer months in Sabbath-school mis- 

 sions, and reported 49 Sabbath-schools organized, 

 with 52 teachers and 891 pupils. The sum of $5,- 

 171 had been appropriated for grants to needy 

 Sabbath-schools, churches, and mission fields. 



The Executive Committee of Colored Evangeli- 

 zation reported four evangelists engaged in the 

 direct work of preaching to destitute colored 

 people, and 40 mission schools for negroes, with 

 194 teachers and 2,321 pupils. The committee had 

 aided iR the building of 2 churches, had made ap- 

 propriations for the erection of 4 others, had as- 

 sisted a number of churches in making repairs, 

 and had expended $3,366 in keeping the churches 

 under its care supplied with stated preaching. 

 Four hundred and twenty students had been en- 

 rolled in the four schools of higher and academic 

 grade. The committee had received $7,460 on the 

 General fund of colored evangelization, and $3,009 

 on the Special Improvement fund of Stillman In- 

 stitute; and had a balance of $1,919 to the credit 

 of the General fund. 



The year's receipts of the General Assembly's 

 Home Mission and Invalid fund had been $55,- 



liad been, 



I'loi' 



II. in 

 la. 



356. The receipts for home ini.-.-u 



$20,910. Six missionaries h ;i .| i )( . ( 



among Mexicans, 75 in mist ei-, in 



Arkansas, 8 in Indian Ten-it ,i 



and 8 in the Indian schools. "|-' f ,i 



fund $14,590 had been received, ;uni fi<'in ii .-'l:',,- 



233 had been appropriated to IN l>en"lii-ijnie.- j u 



51 presbyteries, aiding 32 aged and iniinri n.iius* 



ters and 109 widows and orphans of de< 



isters. Reports were made of work in 1 he 1 



Territory, Indian schools, the Mexican \voik in 



Texas, and work in New Mexico. 



The Executive Committee of Foreign Missions 

 had closed its year with a small balance over all 

 liabilities. Its receipts from all sources had been 

 $103,050, or $1,885 more than the receipts of the 

 previous year. The sum of $2,939 had been given 

 for the Congo Boat fund. The total disburse- 

 ments for the year, including the amount invested, 

 had been $173,053. One hundred and sixty-six 

 missionaries had been employed. The number of 

 additions to the native churches had been 642, an 

 increase of 119 over the number reported in the 

 previous year or in any year in the history of the 

 board, and showing an average of more than 10 

 additions to each ordained missionary. A tabular 

 statement was offered by the committee showing 

 the growth of the missionary work and its cost 

 during the past ten years, from which it appeared 

 that the missionary force had increased from 85 

 in 1891 to 163 in 1900, and the total receipts from 

 $112,950 to $161,162. The average cost of the 

 work per missionary during the past five years 

 had been between $950 and $1,000. This included 

 the expense for home administration outfit, travel, 

 and salaries of missionaries, house-building, and 

 property purchased or rented, school and medical 

 work, pay of native assistants, and all incidental 

 expenses. 



The General Assembly met at Little Rock, Ark., 

 May 16. The Rev. Neander M. Woods, D. D., was 

 chosen moderator. The ad interim committee 

 appointed by the previous General Assembly to 

 prepare amendments to the Book of Church Order 

 on the subject of commissions presented majority 

 and minority reports. The minority report was 

 adopted and ordered sent down to the presbyteries 

 for their approval. It defines a commission as " a 

 body of presbyters to which an ecclesiastical 

 court entrusts special powers for the performance 

 of specific business. It differs from a committee 

 in that it provisionally stands for and repre- 

 sents the court itself, and is empowered not only 

 to examine and report, but also to deliberate 

 upon, decide, and conclude the business submitted 

 to it, its judgment on all issues submitted to 

 it being in force from the time of the finding, and 

 subject to the review of the court appointing it. 

 Such review to be confined to errors of law and 

 doctrine, unless by reason of newly discovered 

 evidence it may be manifest that injustice will 

 be done. To this end full records of the proceed- 

 ings shall be submitted to the court, and if ap- 

 proved the judgment shall be entered on the rec- 

 ords of that court as its final judgment. Com- 

 mittees are the executive agents of the Church 

 and its courts, for the transaction of such busi- 

 ness and the performance of such duties as may be 

 entrusted to them. Every court of the Church 

 has power to act by a commission, and to it may 

 be properly committed the ordination of proba- 

 tioners for the ministry, the visitation of portions 

 of the Church for the correction of disorders, the 

 organization of churches, including the ordination 

 of officers, the trial of judicial causes and similar 

 cases requiring the exercise of authority and the 

 judgment of the court. No judicial case, however, 



