PRESBYTERIANS. 



G33 



The number of presbyteries is 55 ; of licen- 

 tiates, 52 ; of candidates, 184 ; of admissions 

 on examination, 5,302; on certificate, 3,173; 

 of adult baptisms, 1,628 ; of infant baptisms, 

 3,971 ; churches not reporting members, 98 ; 

 contributions to sustentation and presbyterial 

 missions, $51,101 ; foreign missions, $22,386 ; 

 education, $39,404; publication, $9,626; fund 

 for disabled ministers, $6,200 ; congregational 

 purposes, $474,143; salaries, $357,778; mis- 

 cellaneous, $73,852 ; tptal,$l,039,299 ; churches 

 not reporting the number of their members, 98. 



The General Assembly met at Huntsville, 

 Ala., May 18th. The Rev. W. S. Plumer, D. D., 

 was elected moderator. The delegate (Rev. 

 D. H. Cummins) appointed by the previous 

 General Assembly to visit the Associate Re- 

 formed Synod of the South reported the result 

 of his visit to that body. He thought the 

 desire for organic union with this Church ap- 

 peared to be on the increase among its mem- 

 bers. At a subsequent stage in the session of 

 the General Assembly, the Rev. Mr. Sloan, 

 fraternal delegate from the Associate Reformed 

 Church, expressed the opinion that the dis- 

 tinctive peculiarities of that Church are of suffi- 

 cient importance to justify continuance as a 

 separate organization, "especially when one 

 of them amounts to nothing more nor less than 

 one of the crown rights of our Redeemer." 



The Rev. B. M. Paris, D. D., appeared as a 

 fraternal delegate from the Old-School Synod 

 of Missouri. This body was impelled, in 1866, 

 by circumstances which occurred during the 

 late civil war, to assume an independent po- 

 sition. Dr. Paris reported that this Synod had 

 90 ministers at work, of whom eight were li- 

 centiates ; 120 churches, with 8,000 commu- 

 nicants; Westminster College, with about 80 

 students, and an endowment of $100,000 ; and 

 a theological class of six students under the 

 care of Dr. N. L. Rice. The Synod had almost 

 unanimously voted at its last meeting to remain 

 separate. 



An educational meeting, at which the whole 

 Southern Presbyterian Church was represent- 

 ed, met at Huntsville, just before the meeting 

 of the General Assembly. It resolved that it 

 would not be expedient to attempt the estab- 

 lishment of a university at present, but that 

 strong efforts should be made to sustain those 

 Presbyterian colleges already in operation, 

 and thus prepare the way and lay the surest 

 foundations for a higher university. The Gen- 

 eral Assembly adopted the report of the con- 

 vention, and recommended that provision be 

 made for inviting gifts to a prospective uni- 

 versity. 



The Board of Foreign Missions reported 

 receipts amounting to $27,295.72 a small ad- 

 vance over those of the previous year -and a 

 debt of more than $5,000. The missions are 

 in China, Brazil, the United States of Colom- 

 bia, Italy, and among the Choctaws, Chicka- 

 saws, Creeks, and Cherokees, of the United 

 States. The missionary force consists of twelve 



ordained missionaries, three being natives of 

 the countries in which they live, seven female 

 assistants, and eight native helpers twenty- 

 eight in all. A proposition was entertained 

 to organize a presbytery in Brazil. 



The Board of Publication reported a total 

 of receipts of $42,438.54, and an increase dur- 

 ing the year of $3,624.33 in its business. It 

 had published 301,520 volumes, and 213,000 

 tracts. The Columbia Theological Seminary 

 reported 35 students, and the Union Theo- 

 logical Seminary 46 students. 



III. UNITED PBESBYTEEIAN CHURCH. The 

 following are the statistics of this Church : 



The number of presbyteries is 8 ; one pres- 

 bytery was dissolved during the year. The 

 number of licentiates is 58 ; members received 

 on profession, 3,895 ; on certificate, 4,093 ; 

 number of Sunday-school scholars, 46,765 ; 

 contributions to home missions, $24,239 ; to 

 foreign missions, $35,892. 



The thirteenth General Assembly met at 

 Xenia, Ohio, May 24th. The Rev. R. A. Mc- 

 Ayeal was chosen moderator. The members 

 of the Joint Committee on Union with the 

 Presbyterian Church, appointed by the previous 

 General Assembly, reported the result of their 

 conferences (see PEESBYTEBIAN CHTJECH IN THE 

 UNITED STATES, NOETH). Their action was ap- 

 proved, and gratification was expressed at the 

 advance toward union which had been made 

 although " the result of the negotiations is such 

 as to show that the Churches are not prepared 

 for organic union." " Since the basis presented 

 by the Presbyterian committee," a resolution 

 of the Assembly declared, "is of such a charac- 

 ter as to encourage the belief that organic 

 union is ultimately possible," a committee, 

 consisting of the Rev. D. R. Kerr, D. D., Rev. 

 W. J. Reid, Rev. J. G. Brown, D. D., and 

 Messrs. W. M. Gormley and George Reid, 'was 

 appointed to continue the negotiations. 



The question whether "papal baptism" 

 should be regarded as valid came before the 

 Assembly; by reason of more than four-fifths 

 of the presbyteries having voted in the nega- 

 tive upon it. Objections were offered to pro- 

 nouncing a decisive and binding opinion on 

 the question. The Assembly decided to leave 

 the subject to the discretion of the several 

 sessions. The question, " Does a divorce, 

 secured on the ground of wilful desertion, 

 leave the deserted party at liberty to marry 

 again ? " was decided in the affirmative. The 



