PRESBYTERIANS. 



C79 



The Board of Publication reported a net in- 

 crease in the year's business of $059, the whole 

 amount in the book and periodical departments 

 being $76,964. The Sunday schools are under 

 the charge of this board. Reports were received 

 from 758 schools, with a total enrollment of 90,- 

 131 officers, teachers, and pupils. The total con- 

 tributions of the Sunday schools amounted to 

 $75,643. 



The ordinary receipts bf the Board of Home 

 Missions for the year were $61,095, or $7,128 

 more than the year before. Yet the greater 

 outlay required by increased appropriations the 

 total expenditures amounting to $73,302 left a 

 deficiency of $12,207, which was met by a draft 

 upon the reserve fund, reducing that fund to 

 $9,232. The board had aided 225 stations, which 

 returned 14,671 communicants, a total average 

 attendance of 18,608, an increase by profession 

 of 1,459, a net gain of 1,623 members, and 1,591 

 teachers and 18,047 pupils in Sunday schools; 

 while the contributions of the stations to the 

 boards amounted to $15.685. Applications had 

 been entered for the coming year for aid to the 

 amount of nearly $89,000, of 'which more than 

 $10,000 were asked for new work. 



The receipts of the Board of Missions to Freed- 

 men were $46,155, and its expenditures were 

 $53,684. The Woman's Board contributed $4,- 

 910. Seven congregations were returned, with 

 443 members of church ; 9 Sabbath schools, with 

 2,947 pupils enrolled ; 66 missionaries, 16 of whom 

 were colored ; 2,971 pupils enrolled in day schools ; 

 284 former and present students of schools now 

 teaching. The schools are at Knoxville, Tenn., 

 Miller's Ferry, Ala., Athens, Tenn., Prairie 

 Bluff, Ala., Chase City, Va., Bluestone, Va., 

 Henderson, N. C., and Norfolk, Va. 



The Board of Foreign Missions had received 

 $116,989, or $1,097 more than in the previous 

 year. The mission in India returned 35 foreign 

 and 212 native laborers of the various classes, 11 

 organized congregations with 6,960 members, 

 showing an increase of 210 members, 283 received 

 on profession, 14'5 day schools with 5,860 pupils, 

 2 training schools, and 131 Sunday schools with 

 3,162 pupils. The mission in Egypt: 38 foreign 

 missionaries, 325 native laborers, 32 organized 

 congregations, 157 stations, with services con- 

 ducted at 99 other places, 4,095 members, 368 

 added on profession, 107 Sunday schools with 

 297 teachers and 6,132 pupils, and 242 day, train- 

 ing, village, and congregational schools with 

 15,303 pupils. The contributions of the India 

 missions were $400, and those of the mission in 

 Egypt (for congregational and Sunday-school 

 purposes) were $13,055. 



The thirty-sixth General Assembly met in 

 Albany, Ore., May 23. The Rev. John A. Wil- 

 son, D. D., w,as chosen moderator. The Commit- 

 tee on Correspondence reported approving of co- 

 operation with the Associate Reformed Synod of 

 the South in mission work, recommending the 

 reappointment of the committee on union, and 

 expressing strong desire for union. The Com- 

 mittee of Correspondence with the Christian Re- 

 formed Church of Holland was reappointed to 

 meet a similar committee in the preparation of 

 a basis of union. The plan of federation of 

 Churches of the Presbyterian faith was approved, 

 and representatives of this Church were appoint- 



ed to co-operate in the carrying out of such 

 measure. Co-operation with "other bodies was 

 also recommended in measures to promote the 

 religious interests of the army and navy. The 

 report on national reform embodied a protest 

 against the appropriation of Government funds 

 in aid of sectarian schools among the Indians; 

 advised more careful observance of the sanctity 

 of the Sabbath by the people of the Church ; 

 urged the passage by Congress of the Blair Sun- 

 day Rest bill ; commended the work of the 

 National Reform Association; expressed sym- 

 pathy with the worthy poor who have been 

 brought to distress by the financial depression ; 

 and declared that " no Christian can be held in- 

 nocent of wrongdoing who, when a moral ques- 

 tion is at issue, so votes as to be counted against 

 the side of righteousness." *A resolution against 

 the exemption of church property from taxation 

 was referred to a committee to report to the next 

 General Assembly. The report on young peo- 

 ple's work recommended the formation of a 

 junior league in each congregation, and approved 

 uniform topics for prayer meetings, which, how- 

 ever, should not follow the Sunday-school les- 

 sons. The committee having the subject in 

 charge reported that on the informal overture 

 sent down by the previous General Assembly on 

 the relation of the Assembly to the theological 

 seminaries, and its power over them, only 18 

 presbyteries had expressed an opinion, of which 

 12 favored giving the Assembly power to veto the 

 election of professors and 6 opposed it. An- 

 other overture was adopted to be submitted to 

 the presbyteries, embracing the two questions : 



Shall the General Assembly have the veto power in 

 the election of professors in our theological assemblies ? 

 and shall the General Assembly have the power to 

 remove a professor for unsoundness in the faith ? 



The report on narrative and state of religion 

 mentioned, as items showing advance, genuine 

 revivals with large accessions, especially from 

 the world, the number of adult baptisms having 

 been nrnch increased; an augmenting measure 

 of liberality; greater efficiency on the part of 

 missionary societies; and a large increase in 

 the membership of the young people's societies. 



A committee was appointed on the subject of 

 a union of the psalm-singing churches. 



A general financial secretary was appointed to 

 give his whole time to the advancement of the 

 work of the boards, who should be chairman of 

 the Assembly's Committee on Ways and Means. 



IV. Reformed Presbyterian Church in 

 North America. Synod. The statistical re- 

 port of this body, made at its annual meeting for 

 1894, embraced returns from 12 presbyteries, with 

 119 congregations. 109 ministers, and 9,787 com- 

 municants. One hundred and sixty-five students 

 were attending the collegiate department of 

 Geneva College, and 80 the other departments. 



The synod met in its sixty-fifth session, in 

 Philadel phia, May 30. The Rev. J. C. McFeeters 

 was chosen moderator. The reports of the boards 

 and committees for the year represented their 

 work as prospering. Majority and minority re- 

 ports were presented on the plan for the federa- 

 tion of churches ; but in order that they might 

 receive more thorough consideration, they were 

 referred back to the committee to report at the 

 next meeting. A " Testimony Bearing " Com- 



