644 



PRESBYTERIANS. 



consideration the subject of establishing an 

 institute for the education of colored preach- 

 ers, with instructions, if they deem it expe- 

 dient and practicable, to digest a plan for the 

 organization, management, and support of such 

 a school, and report to the next Assembly. 



III. UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF 

 NORTH AMERICA. The following is a general 

 summary of the statistics of this Church as 

 they were reported to the General Assembly 

 in May : Number of synods, 8 ; of presbyteries, 

 56; of ministers, 611; of licentiates, 74; of 

 congregations, 777; of mission-stations, 34; of 

 members, 76,063 ; of adults baptized, 500 ; of 

 infants baptized, 3,961 ; of Sunday-schools, 636; 

 of officers and teachers in the same, 6,311 ; of 

 Sunday-school scholars, 53,232 ; amount of con- 

 tributions by Sunday-schools, $24,234. 



Contributions: For salaries of pastor's, 

 $451,695 ; for congregational expenses, $255,- 

 525 ; to the boards, $103,025 ; general contri- 

 butions, $62,313; total contributions, $872,- 

 758 ; legacies, $21,237 ; average amount of con- 

 tribution per member, $12.31 ; average salary 

 of pastors, $1,012. 



The total receipts of the Board of Educa- 

 tion were reported to have been for the year 

 $10,457.38 ; and its expenditures, $9,484.52. 

 Twenty-eight students had received aid from 

 the funds of the Church through this board, of 

 whom thirteen were students of theology. The 

 Board of Publication reported that their total 

 assets were $119,874.90 ; of which $49,147.49 

 were in the shape of real estate, and $3,411.32 

 cash. Their liabilities were $25,265.43. The 

 board had a capital stock of $94,609.47. The 

 sales had been $23,103.17. 



The General Assembly of the United Pres- 

 byterian Church of North America met at 

 Wooster, Ohio, May 26th. The Rev. W. W. 

 Barr, D. D., was chosen moderator. Each 

 Synod under the care of the Assembly was di- 

 rected to spend at least one session in each 

 year in conference on the subject of Sunday- 

 schools. Special services of prayer and preach- 

 ing, in which the laymen should be encouraged 

 to participate, were recommended to the con- 

 gregations to be held at convenient times 

 throughout the year. The Benevolent Boards 

 of the Church had heretofore filled all vacancies 

 in their number by nominations made by them- 

 selves. It was found that under this system one 

 person was often chosen to serve in two or 

 more boards at the same time. In order to 

 obviate this difficulty, the Assembly created a 

 standing committee on nominations whose duty 

 it should be to nominate persons to fill the va- 

 cancies occurring in all the boards each year. 

 The Assembly presented the following as an 

 outline of what should be the educational policy 

 of the Church : 



1. So to equip and endow her existing col- 

 leges as to fit them for doing their work as 

 efficiently as possible. 



2. Not to establish any additional colle'ges 

 until this work has been fully accomplished, 



and until the Church is able and willing to 

 make the new enterprise successful. 



3. To make all its institutions thoroughly 

 Christian in both form and fact. The Board 

 of Freedmen's Missions were directed to pro- 

 ceed immediately to erect the necessary build- 

 ings for a mission training-school among the 

 freedmen, and to open the school as soon as 

 possible. The Associate Reformed Synod of 

 the South was invited to cooperate in this 

 work. The resolution of the Associate Re- 

 formed Synod of the South to cooperate with 

 the General Assembly in its mission-work was 

 acknowledged, and the hope was expressed that 

 "the time is approaching when more intimate 

 relations (between the two bodies) may be es- 

 tablished." The Assembly again adopted reso- 

 lutions against the manufacture and sale of in- 

 toxicating liquors. 



The committee appointed by the previous 

 General Assembly on the subject of confedera- 

 tion of Presbyterian Churches reported that it 

 had met with the committees of the other 

 churches which had approved of the move- 

 ment, and had arranged a plan of confederation, 

 and had participated in the call for a council 

 to be held in London, in July, 1875. The ac- 

 tion of the committee was approved. 



The following resolutions bearing on this 

 subject were adopted: 



Whereas, Several churches adhering to Presbyte- 

 rian polity and Calvinistic doctrine are, on conscien- 

 tious grounds, opposed to the use of uninspired 

 hymns in the worship of God: and 



Whereas, The inspired Book of Psalms has been 

 acknowledged by every branch of the Church of 

 Christ, at least by every Presbyterian one, to con- 

 tain matter suitable for praise in the service of song ; 

 and 



Whereas, The exclusive use of the hymns em- 

 braced in this sacred collection by the proposed con- 

 federation in its meetings would not only evince a 

 generous regard for the cherished convictions of 

 many Presbyterians, but also, it is believed, tend to 

 prove and promote the unity of the Church of Christ : 

 therefore 



Resolved, That this Assembly, respectfully but 

 earnestly, asks thaf, in the particular referred to, 

 the "consensus of the Reformed Churches" be re- 

 spected by the confederation in its devotional exer- 

 cises, and that a specific guarantee to this effect 

 be incorporated in the constitution which may be 

 adopted. 



Mesol/oed, Further, that our committee be directed 

 to urge this matter, by letter or otherwise, in the 

 convention about to be held in London. 



IV. ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN- 

 CHURCH. The Associate Reformed Synod of 

 the South met at Due West, S. C., September 

 23d. The Rev. James A. Lowry was chosen 

 moderator. An arrangement for cooperation 

 in missionary work had been effected with the 

 Board of Missions of the United Presbyterian 

 Church, under which Miss Mary E. Galloway 

 had joined the mission of that Church in Egypt, 

 to be supported by the Synod. A report was 

 made of the action of the Conference held at 

 London in July, for the formation of an Alliance 

 of the Presbyterian Churches of the world. 

 The Synod of the year before had given a gen- 



