662 



PRESBYTERIANS. 



to the Assembly's demand. The directors of the 

 seminaries were instructed to report to the General 

 Assembly concerning the giving of instruction in 

 the English Bible and the training of students in 

 evangelistic work. The overture defining the rights 

 of the Assembly over the theological seminaries, 

 sent down by the previous General Assembly, had 

 been passed upon favorably in the voting of the 

 presbyteries, and was adopted by an almost unani- 

 mous vote. A plan of co-operation with the Asso- 

 ciate Reformed Synod of the South in the work of 

 home misssons and Church extension was adopted. 

 Co-operation had already been of practical effect in 

 the erection of a church at Atlanta, Ga. The report 

 on Young People's work showed that the member- 

 ship of the societies had increased by 2,803, and 

 that the whole amount of their contributions had 

 been $35,310. The average contribution of each 

 society was $55.78. The number of junior socie- 

 ties had increased from 211 to 238, and of their 

 members from 5,451 to 8,1)0:2, with an increase of 

 $1,00? in the contributions. Concerning the affilia- 

 tion of these societies with the United Societies of 

 Christian Endeavor, a committee was appointed to 

 confer with the officers of the latter organization 

 and ascertain what relation, if any, can be estab- 

 lished between the two organizations. Appropria- 

 tions were made for the ensuing year: To foreign 

 missions, $108.000; to home missions. $100,000; to 

 freedmen's missions, $50,000; for Church extension, 

 $50,000; for ministerial relief, $8,000; for educa- 

 tion, regular work, $10,000; for colleges and semi- 

 naries, $20,000 ; and to the Assembly's fund. $3.00:. 

 The Board of Home Missions was directed to set 

 apart 5 per cent, of the contributions for the 

 restoration of the reserve fund. A report was 

 adopted embodying a number of petitions and 

 recommendations for the promotion of temperance 

 and moral reforms. 



IV. Reformed Presbyterian Church in 

 North America. Synod. The statistics of this 

 body, as reported to the synod in June, give it 13 

 presbyteries (the Syrian Presbytery having been 

 added during the year), 115 congregations, 115 min- 

 isters, 67 pastors, 42 unsettled pastors, 11 licen- 

 tiates, 17 students, and 9,910 members. The total 

 contributions for the year were $163,447. 



The synod met in Cincinnati in May. The Rev. 

 J. C. Smith was chosen moderator. The case of an 

 appeal from the action of the Presbytery of Pitts- 

 burg, which had been a source of division in the 

 Pittsburg Presbytery and the synod, was brought 

 to a final decision. All the collateral questions of 

 the case were set aside, and the action of the synod 

 was based on the simple principle that a body of 

 45 church members not attached to any specific 

 society, who were willing to provide themselves a 

 house of worship and support the ordinances, were 

 entitled to recognition and organization. The or- 

 ganization was granted. The position of the synod 

 as supporting national reform and as to testimony 

 bearing was reaffirmed. The national reform move- 

 ment is defined as being intended to unite all those 

 who believe that the Government of the United 

 States should be made distinctively Christian, what- 

 ever may be their Church relations or their views 

 with reference to the exercise of the right of suf- 

 frage. Its strongest supporters are among the 

 members of this Church. Testimony bearing re- 

 lates to the duty insisted upon by this Church of 

 refusing to take the oath to support the Constitu- 

 tion of the United States or to participate in any 

 political or other action under that statute while it 

 contains no direct recognition of God. The explicit 

 testimony of the Church against secret societies of 

 all kinds was reiterated, and the action of the synod 

 on the subject was ordered published in tract form 



for general distribution. A committee was appoint- 

 ed to prepare and publish a book of selections from 

 the Psalms with appropriate music for Sabbath and 

 mission schools. 



V. Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The 

 statistical reports of this Church for 1890 give it 

 1.017 ministers. 2.807 churches, 105,847 communi- 

 cants, 15 synods, and 121 presbyteries. The tallies 

 show an apparent decrease in the principal items, 

 which, however, is only apparent, being occasioned 

 wholly by dropping from the rolls churches which 

 have not reported, estimates of the numbers of 

 which have been included in the tabulations of 

 previous years. 



The total contributions for the year for the work 

 of the Board of Education were ^12,- r )60, again of 

 SL'. 1 (18 over those of the previous year ; the expendi- 

 tures were S12.90S. The whole number of proba- 

 tioners was 600. The fact that only 30 young men 

 had been ordained during the year was regarded as 

 indicating that the presbyteries were demanding 

 he! I ei' preparation before they consented to the 

 laying on of hands. The total amount of perma- 

 nent funds invested for the education of young 

 minii-ier- wa< S20.743. having increased $8,302 dur- 

 ing the past twelve months. Eighteen seminaries 

 and colleges returned 168 instructors, 3,254 stu- 

 dents. $621,500 of college property, $333,793 of 

 productive and $130,000 of nonproductive endow- 

 ment, and 200 probationers for the ministry. It 

 was mentioned in the report of the board as a .sub- 

 ject for congratulation that the motto "Education 

 before ordination" had been accepted throughout 

 the denomination. Two years' experience under 

 the policy of combining education and ministerial 

 relief was represented as having been satisfactory. 



The receipts of the Board of Ministerial Relief, 

 $11,303, were slightly in excess of those of the prt- 

 vinns year. Twenty new names had been added to 

 the list of beneficiaries, and the present number 

 was 107 45 of whom were ministers and 62 widows 

 or families, or orphan children of ministers the 

 whole number of dependents being about 300. The 

 success of Thornton Home had been demonstrated, 

 and it had now a permanent fund of $16,628 for its 

 support, all safely invested. 



The Board of Publication reported that the sales 

 of books for the year amounted to $12,716; that the 

 net profits of the concern were $7,650 ; and that 

 reductions had been made in both the bonded and 

 the bank indebtedness. 



Nine hundred and twenty-five Christian Endeavor 

 societies returned 25.600 members. Eighty new 

 societies had been formed. The societies had un- 

 dertaker, to build a church in Portland, Ore., and 

 were enjoying an encouraging prospect of success. 



The Board of Missions reported that it had re- 

 ceived during the year $44,256, viz.: $14.825 for 

 foreign missions, increased by the contributions 

 through the Woman's Board to $24,768 ; $13,894 for 

 home missions; and $4,593 for other objects. Add- 

 ing to these amounts church-erection loans re- 

 turned, the cash balance at the begi lining of the 

 year, and contributions received and applied with- 

 out being sent to the office of the board, the whole 

 amount available for missionary work and church 

 erection was $85,574. The home missions included 

 23 churches, 16 of which were supplied with pastors 

 whose salaries were in part paid by the board. The 

 foreign mission, in Japan, returned 15 preaching 

 stations, with 624 communicants, an average attend- 

 ance of 215. $4,599 contributions from the mission 

 stations, and church property valued at $4,517. 



The receipts of the Woman's Board for the year 

 ending April 15, 1896, were $16,546, or more than 

 $1,000 above the receipts of the preceding year. 



The General Assembly met in Birmingham, Ala., 



