PRESBYTEEIANS. 



C59 



on the one hand, and students seeking t<> enter the 

 ministry of tlie Chtirch. on tlie other hand, in the 

 relation they sustain, <>r seek to sustain. ti> the 

 Church. As to ministers from other denominations, 

 tlie General Assembly, having liad no rare <>r super- 

 vision of tlioir theological instruction. i-ei|iiires an 

 examination .-is to their changes and reasons there- 

 for, of conviction in doctrinal belief and in the 

 form of church government, and of their approval 

 and Miiceiv acceptance <if the standards of the 

 Church. On the other hand, students seeking to 

 come under the care of presbyteries as candidates 

 for the Gospel ministry have no presbyterial or 



-iastical status save what is implied in Church 

 membership: but, having a purpose to qualify 

 themselves in doctrinal belief for the Gospel minis- 

 try, ir is indispensable for the purity of the Church 

 in doctrine and polity that presbyteries in receiving 

 them under their care so direct them in all 

 when necessary, and. if need be, require them to 

 pursue their theological studies under some ap- 

 proved divine, or in institutions or seminaries 

 which have not been disapproved by the Church, 

 that their instruction may be in all respects in ac- 

 cord with the doctrine and polity of the Church into 

 whose ministry they are seeking to enter. 3. While 

 fully recognizing the constitutional rights of pres- 

 byteries in the matter of licensing candidates for 

 the ministry (see Form of Gov., chap, xviu we 

 are nevertheless urgent that presbyteries have spe- 

 cial care of their examinations in subjects required 

 by the Form of Government, chapter xiv and sec- 

 tion 4. and that due respect be given to the deliver- 

 ances of the General Assembly in the matter of the 

 education of students for the Gospel ministry. 4. 

 We are equally urgent that the same care be taken 

 by presbyteries in their examinations of ministers 

 coming from foreign bodies that is urged upon 

 them in the licensure of candidates already under 

 the care of presbyteries." A special committee was 

 appointed to prepare a "constitution, rule, or such 

 other action as may seem best to them." regulative 

 of the power of the General Assembly and of the 

 presbyteries to superintend the education and care 

 of candidates for the ministry, which should report 

 to the next General Assembly. 



The Board of Home Missions was advised to 

 make certain changes in its method of doing busi- 

 ness, intended to secure a stricter accountability and 

 promote a stronger sense of responsibility in the 

 presbyteries and churches asking aid : and a com- 

 mittee of three ministers and six laymen was ap- 

 pointed to confer with the board regarding its 

 methods of general administration and suggest 

 such changes therein as may seem advisable ; to 

 examine the office expenditures and the books and 

 accounts of the board, with the view of ascertaining 

 what reductions are practicable and changes desir- 

 able ; to ascertain the cause of the present indebt- 

 edness and seek means for removing it and of pre- 

 venting the recurrence of deficits: and to advise 

 the churches and the General Assembly of the re- 

 sults of their investigation and of their conclusions. 

 The moderator was authorized also to issue a pas- 

 toral letter on the subject. Resolutions were 



:ed concerning protection to American citi- 

 zens (particularly missionaries and teachers) in 

 Turkey: approving international arbitration, and 

 suggesting an arrangement between the United 

 States and Great Britain to be made as the begin- 

 ning of a uniform system. The judgment of the 

 A'-embly was expressed that while the Church 

 should use every agency in its power, moral, edu- 

 cational, and legal, to accomplish the suppression 

 of intemperance, the mightiest weapon that could 

 be employed is the Gospel. The sessions of the 

 churches were therefore advised each to appoint a 



permanent committee on temperance to 

 ways and means for uniting and din 



_v of the Church against intemperance; and 

 appeals to COM 

 the best method of operation. 



II. Presbyterian Church in the United 

 States. The following is tlie summary at 

 statistics of this Churchas they were report, 

 The General Assembly in May: Number of -\nods. 

 13; of presbyteries. 7<> ; of church. -s. 2.7> x *: of min- 

 isters. 1,349; of licentiates, 85 ; of candidates. -}< _' ; 

 of ruling elders. 8.606 : of deacons. 7. 072 ; of com- 

 municants. 210.539 ; of licensures during the y.-ar. 

 ?'.: of ordinations. 61; of churches organized. 55 : 

 of members added on examination. 11>74: of bap- 

 tisms, 4.857 of adults and 5.304 of infants: of 

 baptized noncommunicants. 37.031 ; of teachers in 

 Sunday schools, 19,223: of pupils in the same, 

 138.735. Amounts of contributions: For Assem- 

 bly's home missions. 826.648 : for local evangeli.-tie 

 purposes. $104,461 ; for the Invalid fund, $ 13.0'ir, : 

 for foreign missions, $110.737: for education. 

 $48,764: for publication. $7.748; for colored evan- 

 gelization. $10,468: for the Bible cause. $4,221 : for 

 presbyterial purposes. sl5.!i3">; for pastors' salaries. 

 $798,106; for congregational purposes. $607.3!i3 ; 

 miscellaneous contributions, $108,938; total 

 tributions. $1.856.515. 



The sales of the publication house $28,190 had 

 been about S5.000 less than those of the previous 

 year, and the donations granted from the book 

 department $4.242 were also less. The whole 

 amount appropriated to benevolent work was 

 <7.-'.t4, or si. 267 more than the collections for the 

 cause. Among the donations were 817 Bibles given 

 as prizes for perfect recitation of the Shorter Cate- 

 chism and 901 Testaments for the perfect recitation 

 of the Introduction to the Shorter Catechism. 

 Twenty-two new books had been published. A 

 volume of "Practical Sermons" by ministers of 

 the Church was about to be published. 



The receipts of the Executive Committee of Home 

 Missions for the fiscal year 1895-'96 were in the 

 several departments respectively: For home mis- 

 sions. 833,779: for the Invalid "fund, $15,175: for 

 the William A. M< ore Loan fund. 82.504. From 

 the regular Loan fund. $6,730 had been loaned to 

 48 white congregations and $255 to 5 colored con- 

 gregations. The entire gross receipts of the com- 

 mittee were $4.026 more than in the previous year, 

 and the clear gain in receipts was 83.151. Eighty 

 missionaries had been employed, besides whom 11 

 teachers had served in 8 schools in the Indian Ter- 

 ritory. Thirty-eight aged or infirm ministers. 108 

 widows of ministers, and 4 cases of orphan children 

 of ministers had been aided to the total amount of 

 $10.086 from the Invalid fund. 



The report of the General Assembly's Home and 

 School at Fredericksburg, Va.. represents that the 

 property is valued at S42.850 825.250 above the 

 indebtedness. It consists of a home for the benefici- 

 ary orphan girls and the building of the Collegiate 

 Institute, accommodating 250 pupils. Forty bene- 

 ficiaries orphans of deceased ministers and chil- 

 dren of missionaries are maintained in the home 

 and taught in the Collegiate Institute. The latter 

 institution is chiefly maintained by the tuition fees 

 of the pay pupils. 



The Louisville Theological Seminary returned 60 

 students, among whom much activity prevailed in 

 mission work through the city. Columbia Theo- 

 logical Seminary had 27 students, an endowment of 

 8237.445, and an income of $11.500 a year, which 

 was. however. 8200 short of the expenditure. The 

 Southwestern Presbyterian University had 33 stu- 

 dents in the divinity school. 13 of whom were ready 

 to enter upon active missionary work. 



