PRESBYTERIANS. 



681 



The report on Sunday schools showed that 

 there were 1,670 Sunday schools in 2,920 con- 

 gregations, and that the membership of those 

 schools had doubled between 1890 and 1893. 



The Board of Missions reported that its total 

 receipts for the year had been $51,160, and that 

 its liabilities exceeded its assets by $14,580. The 

 receipts for foreign missions had been $992 less 

 than in the previous year. Twenty-two city 

 missions were reported as under the care of the 

 board. The work of the Indian mission had 

 been advanced by the gift of a school-building 

 by Mrs. Martha Thompson, of Kiowa, Indian 

 Territory. The school was self-supporting. The 

 missions in Japan and Mexico were growing but 

 slowly, on account of the small number of mis- 

 sionaries. 



The Woman's Board of Missions returned its 

 total receipts (including $4,804 balance from the 

 previous year) as $17,917, and its disbursements 

 as $14,499. Reports were received from schools 

 and evangelistic work in Tsu, Ise, Tenabe, Osaka, 

 and Yokkaichi, Japan, and La Luz, Mexico. 



The General Assembly met in Eugene, Ore., 

 May 17. The Rev. P. B. Earle, D. D., of Ar- 

 kansas, was chosen moderator. A question arose 

 at once concerning the eligibility of a woman 

 Mrs. I. M. Woosley to a seat in the Assembly as 

 a minister. An appeal was also received from 

 Nolin Presbytery concerning the action of the 

 Synod of Kentucky relative to the licensure and 

 ordination of Mrs. Woosley to the work of the 

 ministry, the presbytery having ordained Mrs. 

 Woosley and elected her a commissioner to the 

 Assembly, and the synod having denied its right 

 to do so and declared the election null and void. 

 The Assembly decided that no provision was 

 made in the rules and discipline of the Church 

 for the licensure and ordination of women ; that 

 there is no authority in Scripture for their licen- 

 sure and ordination; that the action of the 

 Nolin Presbytery in ordaining Mrs. Woosley was 

 without authority, and her ordination was null 

 and void ; and that the action of the Synod of 

 Kentucky in declaring the ordination without 

 authority from the Confession of Faith or the 

 Holv Scriptures was and is right and correct. 

 The order of the Synod of Kentucky in directing 

 the withdrawal of Mrs. Woosley's name from the 

 list of ministers was affirmed, and the appeal 

 was dismissed, and Mrs. Woosley was denied 

 a seat in the Assembly "for the reason that 

 she is not a regularly ordained minister of the 

 Cumberland Presbyterian Church." She was, 

 however, approved as a lay evangelist whose 

 efforts the Lord had blessed. The reports of the 

 votes by presbyteries on the proposed amend- 

 ments relative to woman's eligibility to the office 

 of ruling elder showed that of 100 presbyteries 

 making returns, 32 had voted for what was known 

 as the first series of amendments (to make 

 women eligible to those offices) ; 15 had voted 

 for the second series of amendments (to exclude 

 them from the right to be elders and deacons) ; 

 53 had voted against any change ; and 26 pres- 

 byteries had not been heard from. The Assembly 

 directed that no further action be taken at this 

 time on the subject. A minute was unanimously 

 adopted declaring against any change in the 

 name of the Church. A recommendation by the 

 Committee on Theological Seminaries that the 



faculty of the seminary make a distinction in 

 favor of students who are college graduates 

 caused active discussion. A substitute for the 

 recommendation was adopted, approving the 

 action of the faculty in refusing to admit students 

 who are not prepared to take the regular theo- 

 logical course. The Boards of Education and 

 Ministerial Relief were instructed to employ 1 

 secretary for the joint boards, who should have 

 his office at Evansville, Ind. The report on 

 temperance embodied a protest against the 

 Federal tax on intoxicating liquors as involving 

 the Government and every citizen in partnership 

 with the liquor business, and declared as the 

 solemn conviction of the General Assembly that 

 no man or party that refuses or fails to assume 

 an attitude of uncompromising hostility toward 

 the liquor traffic should expect or receive the 

 vote of any Christian citizen. The report on 

 Sabbath observance committed the Assembly to 

 discourage in every way possible everything that 

 tends to militate against the sacredness of the 

 day, " such as railroad traffic and travel ; excur- 

 sions, boat rides or buggy rides for mere amuse- 

 ment and pleasure ; all unnecessary visiting, and 

 the buying and reading of Sunday newspapers " ; 

 and more especially to discourage the patronizing 

 of business nouses that are opened on that day. 

 A permanent committee on Christian Endeavor 

 was constituted, and the Assembly recom- 

 mended that a Christian Endeavor address be 

 delivered annually and that strictly denomina- 

 tional instead of union societies be organized 

 wherever possible. The subject of Presbyterian 

 federation was referred to a committee. 



VI. Presbyterian Church in Canada. The 

 Committee on Statistics of this body reported to 

 the General Assembly, in June, that the number 

 of churches or stations supplied by pastors had 

 increased during the year by 108. An increase 

 appeared in the number of families of 2,151, the 

 whole present number being 91,638, an increase of 

 1,875 communicants, and a decrease of 958 in the 

 number added on profession of faith. Baptism 

 had been administered to 10.093-infants and 896 

 adults. The whole number of members was 

 about 200,000, and the total amount of contribu- 

 tions more than $2,000.000. 



The report on Sunday schools gave the num- 

 ber of pupils in them as 143,162. and the amount 

 of their contributions during the year for re- 

 ligious and benevolent objects as $41,867. The 

 Committee of Home Missions reported that 418 

 fields had been supplied under its direction, with 

 1,237 preaching stations, having 17,767 communi- 

 cants ; and that these stations had raised $87,832 

 for self-support and had received help to the 

 amount of $63, 019. In addition to these were 209 

 weak pastoral charges, with 18.882 communicants, 

 raising $116,868 for self-support, contributing 

 $11.983 to the schemes of the Church, and receiv- 

 ing help from the Augmentation fund to the 

 amount of $28,177. The problem of supplying 

 mission fields in winter was being solved by the 

 provision of a summer session in Manitoba Col- 

 lege. The Augmentation fund reported a grow- 

 ing deficit now amounting to $4,500 : and a com- 

 mittee was appointed by the General Assembly to 

 recommend changes in' the regulations necessary 

 to commend the fund more fully to popular 

 support. The receipts during 1893 for both 



