IMJKSBYTERIAXS. 



663 



May 21. The Rev. A. \V. Hawkins was chosen 

 moderator. The subject tliat attracted the im-st 

 attention ami gave occasion for the largest discus- 

 sion was the course oi' the Board of Trustees of 

 Cumberland University in electing a professor to a 

 new professorship in the theological seminary with- 

 out consulting the Hoard of \ isitors and without 

 any of the members of the faculty being present. 

 as they claimed they had a right to be. under the 

 charter of the institution. At a subsequent meet- 

 ing of the trustees, when the visitors and the fac- 

 ulty were present, this action was modified; the 

 resolution creating the new professorship was re- 

 pealed, and the name of the Rev. B. G. Mitchell, 

 the proposed professor, was recommended to the 

 General Assembly as an additional member of the 

 faculty, whose specific duties were to be determined 

 by the faculty on consultation with the Board of 

 Trustees. The Board of Visitors reported to the 

 General Assembly concerning the earlier action of 

 the trustees, which was related, and recommended 

 that the election of Mr. Mitchell as professor, while 

 no reflection was intended upon his ability or de- 

 nominational views, be not confirmed. The Assem- 

 bly's Committee on Theological Seminaries also re- 

 viewed the case, and regarded the whole action of 

 the Board of Trustees as irregular, and something 

 the consequences of which the General Assembly 

 should not be made to suffer : and assumed that the 

 As-embly could not take cognizance of anything 

 that was done at their meetings, or that grew out 

 of it. Hence their elections could not be confirmed, 

 and the situation of the theological seminary re- 

 mained precisely as it was one year before. The 

 Assembly therefore should reaffirm its deliverance 

 of one year before on the subject, and distinctly 

 declare that no proposition of the Board of Trn- 

 regarding the faculty of the theological school 

 could be entertained by it unless it carried with it 

 the evidence of the concurrence of the faculty and 

 the Board of Visitors, as the law required. This 

 report and the action it contemplated were adopted. 

 Subsequently a resolution was passed, declaring it 

 to be the sense of the body that " if it should be the 

 pleasure of the Board of Trustees of Cumberland 

 University to hold a joint meeting of the board 

 and the 'theological faculty and the Assembly's 

 Board of Visitors, or the hitter's consent be obtained 

 by correspondence, and an agreement be reached, 

 aiid the board shall see fit to transfer Dr. K. V. 

 Foster to the chair of Systematic Theology, and 

 shall elect the Rev. B. G. Mitchell to a chair in 

 the seminary, such action will be in full accord 

 with the views and purposes of this body.'' The 

 result of the whole proceeding is regarded as being 

 a demonstration of the authority of the General 

 Assembly over the theological seminary. In a 

 case brought up on appeal where a synod had cen- 

 sured a presbytery for ordaining a minister who 

 fell short of the required standard of educational 

 qualification, the minority report of the judiciary 

 committee was adopted, to the effect that, the pres- 

 bytery being the sole authority in such cases, the 

 minister was constitutionally ordained, and the 

 action of the synod was irregular and unconstitu- 

 tional. In the case of Mrs. Bixby. who had taken 

 the full course of the theological seminary with 

 her husband, and had been refused a degree, the 

 nibly decided, adopting the minority report of 

 the committee, that since the lady had been allowed 

 to take the course, she should not be denied her de- 

 gree, and added, " but the adoption of this report 

 does not commit the Assembly for or against the 

 ordination of women, or authorize the same on the 

 part of any presbytery." The secretary of the Edu- 

 cational Society was authorized to confer with the 

 Colored Cumberland Presbyterian Church and seek 



to make arrangements for the establishment of a 

 school for the education of young men preparing 

 for the ministry in that Church. The .-ul.j. 

 purchasing a site for an orphans' home, co 

 which conflicting questions of location had arisen, 

 was referred to a committee, who were authorized 

 to advertise and receive bids, and report to the next 

 General Assembly. Overtures asking for a declara- 

 tion on the doctrine of sanctification were referred 

 to a committee to report to the next (leiieral As- 

 sembly. The question of rotation in the eldership 

 and a memorial asking that on questions not al: 

 ing doctrine or the constitution of the Church the 

 synod be the highest court of appeal, were referred 

 to the next General Assembly. The resolutions on 

 temperance declared that while charity should pre- 

 vail among brethren as to party methods, every 

 Christian man should regard his ballot as a sacred 

 trust, and cast it for the prohibition of the liquor 

 traffic. The report on Sabbath observance included 

 a reference to the bicycle as "becoming a foe to 

 church attendance," and deprecated such use of it 

 as tended in that direction. 



The Colored Cumberland Prexljytrriun Church 

 returned in the census of 1890 40U ministers, 250 

 churches, and 13,250 members. 



VI. Presbyterian Church in Canada. The 

 statistical reports of this Church, made to the Gen- 

 eral Assembly in June, gave the numbers of church- 

 es and stations constituting charges as 2.412. with 

 sitting accommodation for 510,722 persons ; of fami- 

 lies, 9(5.581 ; of single persons. 27.209: of communi- 

 cants, 188.180; whole number under pastoral over- 

 sight. 224.806 ; number of baptisms during the year, 

 10.653 of infants and 1,306 of adults ; number re- 

 ceived on profession of faith. 12,102 ; number in 

 Sabbath schools and Bible classes, 153,064. 



Amount of contributions : For home missions, 

 $65,152; for augmentation, $30.929; for French 

 evangelization. $23.202 : for foreign missions. $5,493 

 from congregations and $50.546 from the Woman's 

 Foreign Mission Society ; payments to the Aged and 

 Infirm Ministers' fund. $8,718; to the Aged and 

 Infirm Ministers' Endowment fund. $3,585 ; to the 

 Widows' and Orphans' fund. $5.759; to the As- 

 sembly Expense fund, $3,980. The total of contri- 

 butions to the schemes of the Church for the year 

 wa> $279.494, or $15,945 less then in the previous 

 year. Sabbath schools and Bible classes and Chris- 

 tian Endeavor societies raised $13,720 toward one 

 or more schemes of the Church, or $10,865 less 

 than in 1894. Amount received from stipends from 

 all sources, $906,781 ; expenditures on Church or 

 manse. $424.820; on other strictly congregational 

 objects. $484.304: amount of income for colleges, 

 $32,283. The tables show an increase from the pre- 

 vious year of 73 charges and 8,601 communicants. 

 In the financial reports the item of congregational 

 expenditure, stipends, and contributions for home 

 mis-ions show increase, the others decrease. 



The entire revenue of the Widows' and Orphans' 

 fund was $30.082. while the contributions from 

 congregations were $1.224 less than in 1894. 



The Board of the Church and Manse Building 

 fund for Manitoba and the Northwest Territories 

 had helped erect 21 new churches and 2 manses. 

 Seventeen grants had been made, amounting to 

 si. 655. on buildings valued at $11.660, and 9 loans, 

 amounting to $4.250, on buildings valued at $17.- 

 500. The advances, therefore, were $5.905 on build- 

 ings valued at S28.100. Since 1882 the board had 

 helped erect 269 churches and 56 manses, or 325 

 buildings in all, valued at $459,000. The rent 

 ; by manses on which only about one fifth of 

 the money intrusted to the board had been ex- 

 pended would pay interest at 9 per cent, on all the 

 capital that had come into its hands. 



