PRESBYTERIANS. 



677 



gence during its sacred hours; that we call upon all 

 the friends of the Sabbath to use their influence in 

 every lawful way to prevent such legislation as 

 would weaken civil enactments passed with a view 

 to protect the Christian Sabbath as a day of rest and 

 worship. 



The Committee on Church Comity was abol- 

 ished. A protest against appropriations by the 

 Government to sectarian institutions was ordered 

 sent to every member of Congress and to the 

 Constitutional Convention of New York. 



II. Presbyterian Church in the United 

 States. The general summary of the statistics 

 of this Church returned to the General Assembly 

 in May, 1894, furnishes the following figures: 

 Number of synods, 13 ; of presbyteries, 73 ; of 

 ministers, 1,319; of licentiates, 79; of candi- 

 dates, 445; of churches, 2,713; of communi- 

 cants, 199,167; of baptized noncommunicants, 

 37,780 ; of teachers in Sunday schools and Bible 

 classes, 17,750 ; of pupils in Sunday schools and 

 Bible classes, 134,848; of ruling elders, 8,221; 

 of deacons, 6,646. Number of licensures during 

 the year, 70; of ordinations, 71 ; of installations, 

 170; of churches organized, 73; of members 

 added on examination, 14,098 ; of baptisms, 5,245 

 of adults and 4,888 of infants. Amount of con- 

 tributions : For sustentation, $53,406 ; for evan- 

 gelistic work, $84.249 ; for the invalid fund, 

 $12,906; for foreign missions, $120,141; for 

 education, $65,027; for publication, $8,316; for 

 colored evangelization, $10,470 ; for church erec- 

 tion, $14.380; for the Bible cause, $4.363; for 

 presbyterial purposes, $14,891 ; for pastors' sal- 

 aries," $788,181 : for congregational purposes, 

 $610,102: miscellaneous contributions, $102,367; 

 total, $1,888,799. 



The Executive Committee of Publication re- 

 ported a decided increase of sales from the pub- 

 lishing house and in the circulation of Sunday- 

 school literature, notwithstanding the financial 

 depression. A larger force of colporteurs had 

 been engaged than in the previous year. The net 

 assets of the committee amounted to $102,937. 



Between $8,000 and $9,000 had been con- 

 tributed for the Home and School for Mis- 

 sionaries and the Orphans of Ministers at Fred- 

 ericksburg, Va., and, besides real estate, the insti- 

 tution had about $9,000 invested. The school 

 had 5 resident pupils, with 30 applications pend- 

 ing. It was largely sustained by the tuition 

 fees of pupils attending from the city. 



The receipts for foreign missions from all 

 sources had amounted to $143,774, or $9,874 

 more than in the previous year. The mission- 

 ary force had grown during the year from 106 to 

 130, and the number of native laborers in the 

 employ of the committee from 87 to 135. Thir- 

 ty-seven new missionaries had been sent out, 4 

 had died, and 5 had returned to the United 

 States. The sum of $9,551 had been raised to- 

 ward building a boat for the Congo mission. 



The thirty-fourth General Assembly met at 

 Nashville, Tenn., May 17. The Rev. j. R. Gra- 

 ham, D. D., was chosen moderator. A telegraphic 

 dispatch was received from the Northern Gen- 

 eral Assembly at Saratoga Springs, N. Y., an- 

 nouncing the appointment of a committee to 

 meet and confer with a similar committee of this 

 Assembly, if appointed, on the whole question of 

 the organic union of the two bodies on the basis 

 of the common standards. Overtures on the 



same subject had been received from 3 presby- 

 teries and referred to a special committee. Upon 

 the report of this committee the Assembly de- 

 clined to reopen the question of organic union 

 by the appointment of a committee of conference 

 on the following grounds : 



1. The historic difference between the two assem- 

 blies as to the relation of the Church of Christ to civil 

 government. 



2. To enter into organic union with the Northern 

 Presbyterian Church involves the surrender of the 

 plan of an independent negro church, which this 

 Assembly regards as essential alike to the religious 

 and social welfare of both races. 



3. The essential difference between the two assem- 

 blies as to woman's sphere and work in the Church 

 of Christ. 



4. God's blessing has manifestly rested upon our 

 Church in its separate existence and work, and to 

 spring the divisive question of organic union we be- 

 lieve will bring upon us needless agitation and hurt- 

 ful disturbance. 



5. Should such organic union take place, the prop- 

 erty interests of the Southern Church under the de- 

 cision of the Supreme Court of the United States 

 would be seriously jeopardized in the event of any 

 subsequent changes in our relations. 



In view of the foregoing recommendations of an 

 answer to the overtures of the presbyteries, the com- 

 mittee recommends that the following reply be sent 

 to the telegram of the General Assembly of the Pres- 

 byterian Church in the United States of America : 



" The blessing of God having rested upon our 

 Church in her separate existence and work, the Gen- 

 eral Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the 

 United States, in session at Nashville, with affection- 

 ate fraternal greetings to the General Assembly of 

 the Presbyterian Church in the United States of 

 America, in session at Saratoga, and wishing them 

 Godspeed in every good word and work, regards it as 

 unwise to reopen the question of organic union." 



A protest, signed by 20 members of the As- 

 sembly, was presented against this action. To an 

 overture asking the appointment of a committee 

 to present to the Associate Reformed Synod the 

 Assembly's desire of closer relations with that 

 Church, the Assembly replied that it had made 

 an offer of union and amity to the synod in 1861, 

 which resulted in negotiations that were termi- 

 nated by the synod in 1865. It, however, re- 

 affirmed its desire of closer relations with the 

 Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, and 

 expressed its readiness to renew negotiations on 

 the subject in any form agreeable to the synod. 



The Executive Committee on Colored Evan- 

 gelistic Work presented a report of a conference 

 held with the Board for Freedmen of the North- 

 ern Presbyterian Church and Birmingham, Ala., 

 and the plan of co-operation which it was agreed 

 to present to the two general assemblies. 



The committee represented that in its judg- 

 ment this plan was the only one now practicable. 

 The report said : 



The committee has no imprudent advocacy to 

 offer in its behalf. If the Church does not favor it, 

 what better reason could there be for its rejection ? 

 If it were adopted by the Assembly with a large or 

 influential opposition, it could not be put into effect- 

 ive action. 



A special committee, to which the subject was 

 referred, reported that, 



Being persuaded that the Church "does not favor 

 the plan," but that it meets with large and influential 

 opposition, and can not be put into effective operation, 

 we would recommend that the Assembly decline to 



