748 



PRESBYTERIANS. 



The income of the Foreign Mission fund for 

 the year had been 33,229. One hundred and 

 seventeen trained agents were employed in the 

 mission fields, of whom 54 were ordained Eu- 

 ropean missionaries. The 96 congregations re- 

 turned an aggregate membership of 14,899, with 

 2,755 candidates for admission. The average 

 annual increase of members in the native 

 churches since 1880 had been 549. A report 

 was submitted relative to the educational work 

 in India. On inquiring of the missionaries at 

 Rajputana, the board found their unanimous 

 testimony to be that the educational work had 

 proved a most valuable agency ; that care had 

 been taken all along to give special and system- 

 atic scriptural instruction to the native teachers ; 

 and that with one or two exceptions in the 

 initial stages of the mission the non-Christian 

 teachers had not been known to exercise over 

 the children any influence adverse to Christian- 

 ity. Most of them were themselves inquirers 

 after the truth and friends of the mission. 



The Synod met in Edinburgh, May 5. The 

 Rev. James Fleming was chosen moderator. 

 The most important subject of discussion rose 

 upon an overture asking for an examination into 

 the teaching in the Theological College. A 

 committee was appointed to go over the whole 

 question brought up by the overtures, to inquire 

 into the present condition and working of the 

 college, and report as to their findings to the 

 next Assembly, with recommendations. 



The report on disestablishment, which was 

 approved by an overwhelming majority of the 

 Synod, affirmed that marked progress had been 

 made on the subject during the year. Politicians 

 recognized in it a question which could no longer 

 be omitted from their councils, and the Presby- 

 terians of Scotland, alive to the nearness of the 

 crisis, were preparing for dealing with it. The 

 long and faithful testimony of the United Pres- 

 byterian Church in favor of voluntaryism had 

 its reward in the present advanced position of 

 the question. A resolution favoring the abolition 

 of state teaching of theology, declared that it 

 would be dangerous for the Church to sanction 

 the idea that under chairs in the national uni- 

 versities theology should be taught in an undog- 

 matic way, because under the guise of undog- 

 matic teaching things detrimental might be 

 introduced. An overture in favor of cultivating 

 closer relations with the Free Church was grate- 

 fully received, and the Home Board was author- 

 ized to meet with a committee of that Church 

 for the consideration of plans of co-operation. 



XI. Presbyterian Church in Ireland. 

 The General Assembly of this body comprises 

 557 congregations and 637 ministers. The in- 

 come of the Sustentation fund was returned at 

 22,811. The General Assembly met in Belfast, 

 July 6. The Rev. William Park was chosen 

 moderator. The principal feature of the meet- 

 ing was the celebration of the jubilee of the 

 Church, July 9. Addresses were delivered by 

 the Rev. Dr. Wilson ; by the Rev. Dr. Killen, on 

 the " Story of the Union'' : by the Rev. Dr. John' 

 Hall, of New York, on " Irish Presbyterians in 

 other Lands." Deputies were received from the 

 Reformed Presbyterian Church, and a commit- 

 tee was appointed to confer with sister churches 

 on the subject of union. 



XII. Presbyterian Church in England. 



The statistical reports of this Church, made to 

 the Synod in May, showed that the number of 

 members was 65,055. The income of the Church 

 for the year had been 234,664. The Sustenta- 

 tion fund had been sufficient for the division 

 among its beneficiaries of a surplus beyond the 

 200 equal dividend. The number of pupils in 

 Sabbath-schools was 78,490, and of teachers in 

 the same 7,340. The income for missions had 

 been 20,654. The mission in China returned 

 20 European ordained missionaries, 10 medical 

 missionaries, 16 women, 8 native pastors, 108 na- 

 tive evangelists, 41 theological students, 43 or- 

 ganized congregations, 87 preaching stations, 

 and 3,572 communicants. The English Presby- 

 terian Church was the most visible Church in 

 southern China. 



The Synod met in Liverpool, April 29. The 

 Rev. John Thompson was chosen moderator. 

 The committee appointed at the last meeting to 

 respond to the overtures of the Anglican bishops 

 on Christian union reported the correspondence 

 it had had with the Archbishop of Canterbury. 

 The committee, while expressing gratification 

 that the Presbyterians found themselves in ac- 

 cord with the Episcopalians in everything which 

 was deemed essential in regard to faith and 

 worship, did not regard the suggested basis of 

 union as going so far in the definition of doc- 

 trine as was desirable, while the article dealing 

 with the " historic episcopate " called for fuller 

 explanation. The archbishop had replied court- 

 eously to this letter, and promised to lay the 

 matter before the English bishops at their next 

 meeting. Deputations were received from the 

 Free Church and the United Presbyterian Church 

 of Scotland under the newly established federal 

 relations with these churches as members of the 

 court. The moderator said that the Synod recog- 

 nized this federation as a step toward the federa- 

 tion of all the churches in the north. They had 

 all wished to see one Presbyterian Church for the 

 three kingdoms, if not for the whole of the Brit- 

 ish Empire. The new articles of faith (see " An- 

 nual Cyclopaedia " for 1888) having been favorably 

 passed upon by the presbyteries, were approved 

 by the Synod as a statement of the fundamental 

 doctrines held and taught by the Church, and 

 were authorized to be published in such form as 

 might be found useful. The Synod renewed its 

 instructions to the committee to consider whether 

 any change should be made, and, if so, what 

 change, in the present relations of the Church 

 or of its office bearers to the subordinate stand- 

 ards, and to report to the next Synod. It was 

 also instructed to continue the preparation of 

 the proposed appendix to the articles. As meas- 

 ures for maintaining the efficiency of ministers, 

 the Synod recommended visitation of congrega- 

 tions in behalf of presbyteries. An overture re- 

 lating to the tendency to introduce questionable 

 amusements in connection with the Church was 

 referred to the presbyteries. 



XIII. The Welsh Calvinistic Methodist 

 Church. There were returned of this Church 

 at the meeting of the General Assembly in May, 

 1,258 congregations, 1,474 churches. 542 school- 

 rooms, 99 manses, 673 ministers, 4,833 elders, 

 134,239 communicants, and 283,629 adherents, 

 with 187,393 members of Sunday-schools. The 



