704 



PRESBYTERIANS. 



od, to bo called after the name of the State, 

 was adopted. The Synod of the Pacific, in- 

 cluding the State of California, was, however, 

 allowed to retain its name. A committee 

 which had been appointed to inquire into the 

 causes of the existence at the same time of 

 more than one thousand vacant churches and 

 about four hundred unemployed ministers in 

 the denomination and suggest a remedy, re- 

 ported that among the principal reasons were 

 the want of an adequate support for the minis- 

 try, and a want of system in bringing those 

 who are able and willing to work and the va- 

 cant churches together, and proposed for meet- 

 ing the second cause a scheme by which each 

 presbytery (orsynod, if a synodal system should 

 be anywhere preferred) shall keep a list of the 

 vacant churches and unemployed ministers 

 within its bounds, and provide for the system- 

 atic stated supply of the former by the latter, 

 in rotation. A " Permanent Committee on the 

 Presbyterian Alliance," to consist of three min- 

 isters and two elders, was appointed to serve 

 as a medium of correspondence with the Coun- 

 cil of the Alliance. A committee which had 

 been appointed by the previous General As- 

 sembly to present a memorial to the officers of 

 the national Government having the interest 

 of the Indians in charge, recommending as the 

 best ways to elevate the Indians the providing 

 of them with fixed homes in fee simple, the 

 protection of the laws and responsibility to 

 them, education, and religious liberty, reported 

 that they had performed the duty imposed upon 

 them, and recommended the continuance of a 

 committee on the subject. A permanent com- 

 mittee was appointed to promote the interests 

 ot' Indian civilization and methodical work in 

 behalf of it. Reports were adopted condemn- 

 ing the opium trade with China and approving 

 the treaty of the United States with that coun- 

 try for its suppression, and urging effective 

 governmental action against polygamy. To an 

 overture from a presbytery respecting the use 

 of unfermented wine in the administration of 

 the Lord's Supper, the Assembly answered that 

 it was to the Church sessions to decide what 

 is bread and what is wine, and that no new 

 legislation was needed in the matter. The 

 Standing Committee on Systematic Benevo- 

 lence reported that its plan had been adopted 

 by all but seven out of the thirty-eight synods, 

 and all but two out of one hundred and seven- 

 ty-five presbyteries, and that the contributions 

 to the treasuries of the several boards of the 

 Church had been increased by amounts ranging 

 from about $3,000 to $50,000 each. A " Per- 

 manent Committee on Education in the "West " 

 was appointed, to have charge of the establish- 

 ment and endowment of new institutions of 

 learning in places where they may be needed, 

 " with special reference to the supply of mis- 

 sionaries and teachers for the frontier." The 

 establishment of a theological college at Alla- 

 habad, India, by the Presbyterian Alliance of 

 that country was approved. 



II. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE UNITED 

 STATES. The following is the summary of the 

 statistics of this Church, as published in con- 

 nection with the "Journal of the Proceedings 

 of the General Assemby for 1881." The statis- 

 tics for 1880 are added for comparison : 



The committee having in charge the schemes 

 of the Church reported to the General Assem- 

 bly concerning the condition of the same, in 

 substance as follows : 



The Committee on Education had received 

 $10,333, and had aided eighty students. 



The Publication Committee reported that 

 its receipts had been $8,009. The accounts of 

 the Publication House showed that it had as- 

 sets amounting to $56,710, and its total liabili- 

 ties were $36,966. 



The Committee on Home Missions had re- 

 ceived $46,302 for all the funds under its 

 charge, including $18,526 for sustentation, 

 $10,858 for evangelistic work, $597 for the 

 Colored Evangelistic Fund, $10,428 for the 

 Invalid Fund, $5,971 for the Relief Fund. 

 Thirty -six evangelists had been employed in 

 their special departments of work ; twenty-five 

 colored churches, or seven more than in the 

 previous year, had been under the care of the 

 presbyteries, with sixteen ministers and licen- 

 tiates, seven candidates, and thirty-seven Sun- 

 day-schools. Twenty-nine aged and infirm 

 ministers, and seventy-six families of deceased 

 ministers, had been aided from the Invalid 

 Fund. Annuities had been paid from the 

 Relief Fund to the families of eight deceased 

 ministers. 



The Directors of Columbia Theological Semi- 

 nary reported that more than $30,000 had 

 been contributed toward the endowment of 

 the institution, and that its present income 

 was about $8,000. 



