PRESBYTERIANS. 



658 



to a select committee and that motion was lost. The 

 synod then on the recommendation of its committee 

 decided to adopt the petition aud forward it to the 

 proper parties. The complaint of Dr. McPheeters, 

 maintaining that the action of the synod was un- 

 scriptural and unconstitutional, prayed the Assem- 

 bly to reverse it. After a full debate of the question 

 the General Assembly by a vote of 92 to 47 refused 

 to sustain the complaint, on the ground that the 

 action complained of was based upon chanter 

 xxxi, section 4, of the Confession of Faith. The 

 Assembly having been notified of the organization 

 of the colored Presbyterian synod, accepted the act 

 as in accord with its long-cherished plans, and wel- 

 comed the new synod as a body of like faith and 

 order with its own to the relation of fraternal cor- 

 respondence with it ; and, in view of the fact that it 

 had encouraged the movement by promises of ma- 

 terial assistance, engaged it to aid the synod with 

 all moral and financial support within its power. A 

 communication had been received from colored Pres- 

 byterians asking that the organization of this body 

 be deferred, for the reasons among others that the 

 colored church organization was not in a position 

 of self-support, and that not many colored Presby- 

 terian churches were yet informed of such a prop- 

 osition. This subject was referred to the Executive 

 Committee on Colored Evangelization, with power 

 to act. The purchase of a property called the 

 Eochrouse homestead, immediately adjoining the 

 city of Tuscaloosa, to serve as the permanent quar- 

 ters of the Stillman Institute, was approved ; and 

 the Assembly hoped that arrangements might be 

 made at once for a thorough academic as well as 

 theological training there. The report of the Per- 

 manent Committee on the Sabbath included ac- 

 counts from 50 of the 77 presbyteries, and these 

 testified to a growing disregard of the day by the 

 people of the country. The encouraging feature of 

 them was that the people of the Presbyterian 

 Church were holding fairly well the customs of 

 the fathers in Sabbath observance. A resolution 

 was unanimously adopted. as pertinent to the pre- 

 vailing war excitement and anxiety for news, call- 

 ing the attention of the ministers to the historic 

 position .of the Church in all such matters : " That 

 while ministers and people, in public and private, 

 should pray for our rulers, and for the officers and 

 men of the army and navy, and that peace with 

 honor may soon be established, yet it is the duty 

 of ministers to proclaim from their pulpits at all 

 times nothing but 'the glorious . Gospel of the 

 blessed God.' . . . We urge also upon all our 

 people that they abstain on Sabbath from such 

 reading and conversation as may be inconsistent 

 with the holy resting of the Lord's Day, devoting 

 its sacred hours wholly to the public and private 

 exercises of God's worship, ' except so much as is 

 to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.' " 

 The Assembly's Sabbath resolutions advised that 

 ministers preach at an early day on the subject, read- 

 ing in connection with the service the reports and reso- 

 lutions of the Assembly ; commended the literature 

 of the American Sabbath Union, and appointed 

 representatives to act with that body ; and in re- 

 gard to the communication addressed to the Post- 

 master-General (referred to above), deemed it " un- 

 wise and inexpedient thus to petition the civil 

 authorities, and would rather urge upon our people 

 to enforce the observance of this sacred ordinance 

 by precept and example." To an o'verture asking 

 w'hether a ruling elder has a right to give a charge 

 to pastor or people in an installation service, the 

 Assembly replied that a ruling elder may be ap- 

 pointed to give a charge to the people. In reply 

 to an overture on the subject the Assembly explained 

 that the use of the words " system of doctrine " in 



the terms of subscription " precludes the idea of 

 the necessary acceptance of every statement in tin- 

 standards by the subscriber, but involves as much 

 as is vital to the system as a whole. Differences of 

 opinion as to whether any divergences are or are 

 not vital to the system, where of sufficient impor- 

 tance, should be determined by the proper consti- 

 tutional courts." The report on Young People's 

 Societies represented that the committee had found 

 evidence of great zeal and activity on the part of 

 many that deserve to be fostered and encouraged 

 by ministers and church sessions, and urged the 

 importance of giving the young people help in the 

 organization of societies calculated to train and 

 develop them in every good work; "and in all 

 cases where societies have been organized antago- 

 nistic or in any way unfriendly to our system of 

 doctrine or government, we recommend, not the 

 destruction of such organizations, but an earnest 

 effort to bring them into active sympathy with the 

 true spirit of Presbyterianism." A committee was 

 appointed to consider the subject of Christian edu- 

 cation in schools under Presbyterian control. A 

 committee was appointed to address a pastoral 

 letter to the ministers and people of the (lunch, 

 affectionately warning them against all errors, and 

 urging them to steadfastness in the faith. 



III. Colored Presbyterian Synod of the 

 United States and Canada. Simultaneously with 

 the meeting of the Southern Presbyterian General 

 Assembly at New Orleans, May 19, a convention of 

 representatives of the colored Presbyterians of the 

 Southern States was held. The Rev. E. W. Williams, 

 of South Carolina, was chosen moderator. Resolu- 

 tions were adopted reciting the facts that a con- 

 vention had been called by the independent pres- 

 bytery within the bounds of the General Assembly 

 of the Southern Presbyterian Church, through the 

 agency of its Executive Committee on Colored 

 Evangelization, of which this meeting was a result ; 

 that it was the purpose of the presbyteries creating 

 the present convention to organize a separate col- 

 ored Presbyterian church in the United States and 

 Canada, and to establish, when the way may be 

 made clear, a separate and self-governing colored 

 Presbyterian General Assembly. It was therefore 

 resolved that until the way is clear to establish a 

 General Assembly, the body shall be known as the 

 Separate, Self-governing Colored Presbyterian Synod 

 of the United States and Canada. The standard of 

 doctrine of the Presbyterian Church in the United 

 States was adopted ; gratitude was expressed to the 

 Southern Presbyterian Church for its sympathy, 

 co-operation, and financial support; the presby- 

 teries represented in the convention were advised, 

 as far as practicable, to seek the advice, counsel, 

 and co-operation of their white brethren in the exe- 

 cution of their work. Standing executive commit- 

 tees were constituted on Foreign Missions, Home 

 Missions, Education, and Sabbath Schools. The 

 thanks of the convention were returned to the Gen- 

 eral Assembly's Executive Committee on Colored 

 Evangelizatio'n, with the request that it continue 

 its work in the interest of the colored people. 



The Colored Presbyterian Church is estimated by 

 the Rev. Dr. E. Guersat, in the "Christian Observer." 

 Louisville, Ky., to include 56 churches, with IHO 

 ruling elder, 1.556 communicants, and 1.903 pupils 

 in Sunday schools; besides 6 parochial sch(x>ls, with 

 497 pupils, and 18 Sunday-scnools taught by white 

 teachers, with 860 pupils. 



The number of colored Presbyterian members 

 in the Southern States is estimated bv the " Chris- 

 tian Observer," Louisville, Ky.. to be, including 

 special colored organizations and colored members 

 in the Northern, Southern, and Cumberland Pres- 

 byterian Churches, about 25,000. As there were 



