IM 



!:YTI:KIAN cnri;cii PUKSCOTT. 



York city, lS.1]-.'>- II. then resigned on account of 

 ill health, and spent two years in Europe. Alter his 

 return lie was pastor of tin- Church of tl 

 New York, until l>7.'i. when he became professor of 

 pastoral theology in I'nion TheuloKic.il Seminary. Bc- 

 Milea ermons he ha* published uicnioirs of his brother 

 ami hi* wife. 



wife, EUZAHCTII PAVSON PIIKXTIBS (1818- 



waatne daughter of Kev. Edward Payson (</.'-.), 

 and i-xliil)ite<l the same amiable disposition and I. r 

 vent piety. She was born at Portland, Maine, Oct. 

 ml in early life was a teacher. She was 

 married in 1st.'), and after the early death of her chil- 

 ilivti l>egan to write for publication. Alter sonic honks 

 lor children, she gained a wider circle of readers by 



M-iri'i anil Mr UN-US). IJut the most marked 

 product ot her |>en was iSy-'/i/"".'/ //""""' 'A/ (l>r.',i), 

 which has been tr.m-lated into several languages. 1 l< r 

 other books were iloinf ill lini/!fk (\*!i'<); J'nini- 

 gui'i/ (1S77). She died at Morsel. Vt.. Am;. 13. ls7S. 

 II.- brotbor, SKIIUKANT S.MIIU Piu:.vnss (Isns- 



noteil as an orator. was born at Portland. Me., 



Alter graduating at Bowdoin I 



in 1S26. he went to Mississippi as a teacher, and there 

 studied law. and was admitted to the bar in Is2'.i. 

 1 1 is cl<x]uencc gave him success from the start. In 

 1 v;2 lie moved to Vicksburg and won a suit involving 

 title to the most valuable part of the city. The ground 

 which he obtained as his fee made him one of tin; 

 Wealthiest men of Mississippi. He \v;is elected to 

 L'.ure in IN;;.I. and was Whig candidate, 

 for Congress in is:;". His rival. Col. Claiborne. ob- 

 tained the certificate of election, but Premiss carried 

 the contest to Washington, and in support of his claim 

 delivered a remarkable sp< ech belore tl.e House of 

 Piepri Hy the eastiiifr vote of the Speaker, 



James K. Polk, the case was deeiiled against him. 

 Picntiss then returned to Mississippi and entered upon 

 an earnest canvass, after which he was returned to 

 the House by an overwhelming vote. lie was, how- 

 ever, embarrassed by the financial troubles of ]s:;7, 

 and served but one term in Congress. After Missis- 

 sippi repudiated h-T State bonds, Premiss, who had 

 earnestly opposed this act ion, removed to New Orleans 

 in is 1.1. There he was leader of the bar, and promi- 

 nent in philanthropic work. He died at 1/omrwood, 



-.ir Natchez. July I, 1S;10. See Memoir nf ,v. 



. 1'i-entus, by his brother (2 vok, 1855; new ed., 

 1879). 



PllESHYTElilAN ClirUCII. The Exrvn..,- 



IVEDIA liltlTANN'ICA gives not only a 



i 6" t iu<M '"" <Iat ''""'" t "f the M stem ot Christian 



JLOI' Kxf) faith and church government known ns 



Pre-sbyterianisin, and a history of its 



progress in Europe, but also an excellent sketch of its 



introduction and growth in America. The latter part 



of the article was prepared by Prof. Charles A. Briggs, 



D.D., and nerds only such additions as may bring its 



statements down to the present time. 



"Tlie Presbyterian Church in the United States of 

 America" i.s the ohVial title of the largest body hold- 

 in. i: this system of church government. Its present or 

 lion dates from Nov. 1U, Ist'i'J, when the two 

 .vhiel- huil been known as tin: " Old School " 

 and " New School" since 1837 accepted a plan of 

 union "on '.he doctrinal and ecclesiastical basis of our 

 common Mindards." This reunion was the outcome of 

 fraternal feeling, revived and nurtured by joint evan- 

 gelistic Ubors during the civil war, especially in the 

 work of the U. S. Christian Commission (q. v.). The 

 MreiiL'th and tendency of this feeling were plainly ex- 

 liihilcd at St. Ixiuis in 18CC, where the two Assemblies 

 participated in the sacrament of the lord's Supper. 

 In I si, 7 a further Step Was taken when :i national I'res 

 bsli-ii.m convention was held in Philadelphia, over 

 which Mr. (ieorge H. Stuart (</. r.). who had been 

 president of the I'. S. Christ inn Commission. w:is culled 

 to preside. Although this convention failed of its i 



'grander purpose the union of all American 

 ,ns it was the tit>t practical movement to- 

 wards the reunion a mplUlic'i two y.-irs later. The 



outcome nf the friendly discussions of the joint con- 

 vention needed only to IM- formulated to be accepted 

 by the churches ;it larre. When this waa accomplished 

 the popular rejoicing over the reunion was mat; 

 in raising a memorial fund amounting to - 

 This fund was chiefly cxjicndcd in paying church debts 

 and building new churches. In 1>71 the Assembly. 

 under the leadership of Kev. Dr. Jam, - M. ( . -h. uii- 

 dertook a scheme of ministerial suslencitioii lor (he 

 of incrcasim; tin- salaries of pa-tors to$l(KKl 

 INT annum, but in a ' this work was 



fcnvd to the Hoard ot Home M \ committee! 



on Systematic BeMfoMMM was appointed in 1S7'. 1 . and 

 a committee on Temperance in Is* I. A lioanl of Aid 

 fbrouUegea udaeadeuiiei was establisheilin lss:j. The 



other Hoards through which most of the benevolent 

 and missionary work of the church is transacted are 

 of older date, as follows: Hoard of Home M 

 organised in isit; ; Kdueation. isl'.i; Foreign M 

 1837 ; Pnblieation. 183s ; Church Kn-ction, 1S-14; Min- 

 isterial Uelief, 1S.1.1; Freedmen, 1- 



The reports made to the General Assembly in May, 

 1888, for the year preceding, give the following statis- 

 tics : Synods, iv, ; Presbyteries, 202 ; ministers. 5789 ; 

 churches, C,o 13 ; elders. L'12.4:;) ; deacons, 721 1) ; com- 

 municants, "L'2,071 ; Sunday-school membership, 

 7'J.;. )4'J. The receipts for home missions were 

 vH.o'.>; ; foreign missions, $743.495; oilier general 

 objects. j-c,ii2.44l ; ministerial relief, $525,555; the 

 contributions to the last named being intended as a 

 centennial thank-offering. The total receipts for all 

 purposes were 1 L'.Sl 7.7s:i. 



"The Presbyterian Church in the United States " 

 is the official title of the body commonly distinguished 

 as the. Southern Presbyterian Church, being composed 

 chieflyofministersand churches in the Southern Slates. 

 Its organization was effected in 1861, and was due to 

 iration produced by (he civil war. It took ita 

 present, name in lsi',.1, and in ISMi celebrated its 

 quarter-centennial. The reports made to itsli 

 Assembly in May. Isss, for the year preceding, gave 

 the following statistics: Synods. 13; P 

 dS ; ministers. 111".); churches, LlLNi; cl.lers.' 71 Id; 

 deacons. Til'L'S ; communicants. IM.lM'.l: Sunday- 

 school membership, I l.'i.'.Hil. The receipts for I 

 missions were $73.389 ; education, $35,226; and the 

 total for all purposes, $1.463,473. 



These two (ieneral Assemblies, distinguished as 

 Northern and Southern, established a system of eorre- 

 spondenec in Iss'J, and in the next year appointed fra- 

 ternal.! -each other. In 1 S1 C. they iiL-reed upon 

 a joint celebration of the centennial of the original I ien- 

 eral Assembly, which was accordingly held with 

 enthusiasm on May 24, 1SSS. in Philadelphia. The .!/- 

 dresses delivered at the several ses-ions of this celebra- 

 tion by distinguished representatives of both chuivheji 

 ha\c been pilblishecl. 



Committees were appointed by both Assemblies in 

 ISS7 to report on the practicability of reunion betwd n 

 .dies holding a common faith and polity. The 

 report, however, when presented to the Assemblies, 

 enconni opposition, especially ill the Soul hem 



church. 



For other Presbyterian churches in America sec their 



i i ! l. I 



PRESCOTT, WIT.TIAM (1726-1 79.1). cokmel, was 

 born at (irotou. Mass., Feb. L'n, 1726. He was of the 

 fourth generation Ironi .John Preseott. a native of 

 Mncoli laml, whosettleil at Lancaster. Mass. 



\Villi:im's first military service was at the capture of 

 Cape Hreton in 1754. and his next in the expedition 

 againsl Aca.li.i in 17.1C,. He had large (states a' 

 pcrell. Mass., and held l(M-al offices. In 1774 he was 

 appointed colonel of inimite-men. and in the following 

 April he led lii.Nrv.giuii.-iii to Lexington and then joined 



