PEESBYTBEIAN& 



condemned in must unequivocal terms the 

 publication and reading of Sunday newspapers, 

 and having earnotly advised all its people not 

 ton-ad newspapers publishing Sunday editions, 

 it reaflirnied the former deliverance. The As- 

 sembly declared that while the usage of the 

 Church was to grant letters of dismission to 

 members in good and regular standing to 

 churches not connected with the Assembly, such 

 letters could not be demanded as a matter of 

 riu'ht. An ad interim committee was appointed 

 to consider and report to the next General As- 

 sembly concerning the advisability of making 

 such changes in the requirements for licensure 

 as may be necessary to correct what seemed to be 

 a growing irregularity (in presbyteries permit- 

 ting candidates to try their gifts in preaching 

 before licensure). A deliverance formerly adopted 

 was reiterated that, in the opinion of the Assem- 

 bly, the Scriptural wine to be used in the Lord's 

 Supper is the fermented grape juice. The As- 

 sembly addressed a request to Congress to repeal 

 the " Geary Chinese Exclusion act," because 

 " it is fraught with great danger to the interest 

 and lives of Chinese Christians in America, and 

 of American Christians and missionaries in 

 China." 



On the subject of dancing the Assembly ad- 

 vised the sessions to proceed in the case of mem- 

 bers indulging in the amusement by faithful and 

 affectionate instruction from the pulpit, as well 

 as in private by admonition and other suitable 

 measures ; " but, when all other means fail, then 

 ... to such methods of discipline as shall sepa- 

 rate from the Church those who love the world 

 and practice conformity thereto rather than to 

 the law of Christ." It further enjoined "the 

 absolute necessity of enforcing 'the discipline 

 provided by our constitution against offenses,' 

 under the word offenses including attendance by 

 members upon theatrical exhibitions and per- 

 formances and promiscuous dancing." 



III. United Presbyterian Church in 

 North America. The following is a summary 

 of the statistics of this Church as they were 

 reported to the General Assembly in May, 1893: 

 Number of synods, 10 ; of presbyteries. 62 ; of 

 ministers, 805; of congregations, 985: of pas- 

 toral charges, 759; of members, 111,119; of 

 Sabbath schools, 1,116, with 11.115 officers and 

 teachers and 96,908 pupils ; of young people's 

 societies, 654, with 28,092 members. Number of 

 ministers ordained during the year, 32 ; of mem- 

 bers received on profession, 7,174 ; of baptisms, 

 1.518 of adults and 3,911 of infants. Number of 

 mission stations, 207, of which 33 were formed 

 during the year. Amount of contributions: 

 For salaries of ministers. $563,020; for congre- 

 gational purposes, $437,550 : for the boards, 

 $290.826: for general purposes, $108,094 ; total, 

 $1,400,090; average per member, $14.17; aver- 

 age salaries of pastors, $1,033. 



The Board of Home Missions returned its 

 total receipts for the year as $49,321. Two hun- 

 dred and nine stations had received aid, and re- 

 turned 13,179 communicants, with an average 

 attendance at divine service of 16.871, an in- 

 crease by profession of 1,228. and a net gain of 

 14,163, or 10-4 per cent. The aided stations 

 had contributed $16.825 to the boards and $60,- 

 01 1 for salaries. 



The total receipts of the Hoard of Missions 

 to the Freedmeii were $45,246, and itn total ex- 

 penditun-s were $46,044. The Woman's Auxili- 

 ary Hoard had assisted by paying the salaries of 

 all industrial teachers and I'.ible readers, to the 

 amount of $3,616. Seven stations were occu- 

 pied, with 5 congregations, 9 Sabbath schools, 

 4 IN communicants, 2,(>?8 pupils in Sabbath 

 schools, (i ordained ministers, 1 licentiate, 47 

 other missionaries no of the missionaries col- 

 ored), and a total enrollment in schools of 2,810. 



The receipts of the Board of Foreign Mis- 

 sions for the year had been $115,893. It re- 

 ported of the missions in Egypt and India : 

 Number of foreign missionaries, including wom- 

 en and medical missionaries, 82 ; of native work- 

 ers, including ordained ministers, licentiates. 

 and students, etc., 580; of churches, 41, with 

 10,641 communicants; of additions during the 

 year by profession of faith, 929 ; of baptisms, 

 107 ; of schools, 264, with 12,068 pupils: of Sab- 

 bath schools, 238, with 6,760 pupils. Total 

 amount of contributions by the two missions, 

 $37,197. The present was the fiftieth year of 

 the foreign mission work of the Church. 



The General Assembly met at Monmouth, 111.. 

 May 24. The Rev. James Bruce was chosen 

 moderator. A fraternal delegate was received 

 from the Holland Reformed Church, and the 

 proposition for union with that body was made 

 the subject of a report. The Church mentioned 

 originated in a secession from the state Church 

 of Holland. A number of people connected 

 with it came to the United States in 1847, and 

 they now have 110 churches, 64 ministers, and a 

 theological seminary with 4 professors and 54 

 students. The denomination is in harmony 

 with the United Presbyterian Church in many 

 points. It is Calvinistic, having separated from 

 the state Church on questions of doctrinal restric- 

 tion ; rejects the singing of hymns ; and holds 

 an extreme position in opposition to secret soci- 

 eties. The General Assembly declared that it 

 was not prepared to accept the plan which had 

 been proposed for the federation of the Churches, 

 for the reasons, among others : 



1. Because we do not believe it is proper to accept 

 any plan of federation which woula exclude other 

 evangelical churches, although they do not hold to 

 the .Presbyterian system of church government. 



2. Because that provision in the plan designed to 

 "prevent the multiplication of weak and antagonize 

 organizations " would impose restraint UJH>H us in 

 our work of home evangelization which we can not 

 accept. 



3. Because we have no guarantee in the proposed 

 plan of federation that the position of our Church on 

 the imixirtant subject of praise in divine worship 

 would be respected in the meetings of the federal 

 council. 



4. Because the ends proposed can be sufficiently se- 

 cured by the alliance of the Reformed Churches." 



The committee on the subject was continued, 

 with instructions to be guided in further nego- 

 tiations by these directions. The report on edu- 

 cation contained a proposition for the institu- 

 tion of a uniform course of study, which the 

 Assembly voted down, and a declaration con- 

 cerning the control of the theological seminaries 

 that 



The existing theological seminaries nre entirely un- 

 der the control of the synods. These synods have 



