PRESBYTERIANS. 



735 



ment declining to send down the overture. The 

 motion as adopted also recommended the reap- 

 pointment of the Committee on Union, with in- 

 junctions to prepare the uniting act for submis- 

 sion, if possible, to the next Assembly. A memo- 

 rial, signed by 16 members of the Assembly, 

 was filed disputing the competency of the Church 

 to accept the resolution, and declaring that they 

 would not be bound by the Assembly's decision 

 in favor of it. Among the specific recommenda- 

 tions incorporated by the joint committee in the 

 plan of union were the recognition of three col- 

 leges at Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen, 

 with six chairs at Edinburgh and at Glasgow, 

 and 5 at Aberdeen; a theological curriculum of 

 four sessions; a union of the scholarships into 

 one scheme for the entire Church and all the 

 Scottish universities, and one examination for 

 them; that the General Assembly consist of an 

 equal number of ministers and elders elected by 

 the presbyteries, in a proportion equivalent to one 

 third of the charges within their bounds; mis- 

 sion presbyteries to have no representatives, but 

 missionaries ordained in Scotland to have, when 

 at home on furlough, seats as corresponding 

 members; the congregations to be organized into 

 61 presbyteries and 10 synods; the property and 

 agents of the two churches in the foreign mission 

 fields to be amalgamated, and the whole work to 

 be managed by one administrative body. Rules 

 and forms of procedure were left to be dealt with 

 after union has taken place. A resolution in 

 favor of the separation of Church and state was 

 carried " almost unanimously." A commission 

 was instituted and empowered to decide finally 

 any appeals that might be made in carrying out 

 the provisions of the inefficiency act. The opin- 

 ion of the Assembly was expressed that ministers 

 of the nonestablished Presbyterian churches at 

 all military stations in Scotland should have 

 equal opportunities to those at present secured 

 to ministers of the Established Church. The As- 

 sembly decided to support the action to be taken 

 by the Established Church on the , position of 

 Presbyterian chaplains in India. Concerning lot- 

 teries at church fairs, a resolution was approved 

 reminding the people of the Free Church that 

 lotteries were illegal and open to grave moral 

 objections, and expressing the hope that the prac- 

 tice of holding them might cease. The Assembly 

 recorded its profound thankfulness that a Peace 

 Conference had been called, and the hope that 

 beneficial results might follow its meetings. 



IX. United Presbyterian Church of Scot- 

 land. The statistical report presented to the 

 Synod of this Church showed that the number of 

 members was 197,476, an increase for the year of 

 1845. The membership in the foreign field showed 

 an increase of 3,472. Returns were made of 589 

 congregations and 35 home mission stations, and 

 of 835 Sunday schools and 816 Bible classes, with 

 :i combined total of 142,136 scholars. The sal- 

 aried home mission agents numbered 144. 



The accounts of the Synod treasurer showed 

 that the total income for 1898 had been 423,106, 

 representing an increase of 24,792. The con- 

 tributions by the presbyteries, however, amount- 

 ing to 43,989, exhibited a decrease of 1,344. 

 Among the amounts contributed for special funds 

 were: For the Jubilee thanksgiving fund for for- 

 eign missions, 15,000; and for the Jubilee 

 thanksgiving fund for the extension of the 

 Church at home, 15,217. The legacies for the 

 year reached 8,081, an increase of more than 

 4,000. The funds invested amounted to 211,- 

 025. The staff in the foreign missions comprised 

 157 fully trained agents, of whom 62 were or- 



dained European missionaries, 16 medical mis- 

 sionaries, 21 native pastors, 15 evangelists, and 

 43 zenana missionaries. One hundred and four- 

 teen mission congregations returned 26,971 mem- 

 bers, and 20,146 children were enrolled in the 

 day schools. 



The Synod met in Edinburgh, May 8. The Rev. 

 John Robson, of Aberdeen, was chosen moder- 

 ator. The report of the Committee on Union 

 with the Free Church of Scotland was presented. 

 All the presbyteries had expressed themselves in 

 favor of union. Four of them reserved final ap- 

 proval until a complete scheme should be laid 

 before them. Of 539 sessions from which returns, 

 had been received, 509 had expressed themselves 

 in favor of union, 15 disapproved, and 15 re- 

 turned a qualified answer. The procedure of the 

 committee as related in the report was approved 

 by a very large majority, and its recommenda- 

 tions were ordered sent down to the presbyteries 

 and sessions for their action. The expression of 

 the desire of the Synod for disestablishment was 

 reiterated. The Temperance Committee were in- 

 structed to petition' against the measure desig- 

 nated " Threefold Option." The Committee on 

 the Jubilee Thanksgiving Fund presented its final 

 report, showing that the total amount of 36,- 

 247 had been raised on account of the fund. The- 

 treasurer of the fund had in the previous year 

 paid 30,000 to the moderator for home and for- 

 eign missions; and it was arranged that after 

 allocating 2,000 for the reduction of the debt 

 on the Synod buildings, the available balance 

 should be divided, one half for church exten- 

 sion abroad and the other half for the same 

 purpose at home. The report on Church life 

 and work represented that the increase of sub- 

 stantial comfort which the commercial and in- 

 dustrial progress of the time had brought to 

 almost all classes had its influence in adding 

 to the difficulties of the Church and lessen- 

 ing its power to overcome them. The growing 

 facilities for pleasure excursions, week-end visits, 

 and holiday traveling were making inroads upon 

 the regular habits of family life, the continuous 

 church attendance, and the prosecution of sys- 

 tematic Christian work, and were helping not a 

 little to break down Scottish use and wont in 

 relation to family religion, Sabbath keeping, and 

 the ministry of the Word. The report on Sunday 

 observance described pleasure and money making 

 as the chief enemies of the day of rest. A debate 

 on the subject of marriage with a deceased wife's 

 sister was closed by the adoption of a motion de- 

 claring it inexpedient, in view of the present posi- 

 tion of the union negotiations, to proceed further 

 with the matter. 



X. Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The 

 statistical report of this Church, presented to the 

 General Assembly in June, showed that there 

 were in connection with the body 662 ministers, 

 including missionaries, 52 retired ministers, 3& 

 assistants, 29 licentiates, 128 students a de- 

 crease of 37 from the previous year; 2,042 elders, 

 571 congregations, 84,379 families, 106,424 com- 

 municants, 479 manses, and 1,098 Sabbath 

 schools, with 9,216 teachers and 105,046 pupils. 

 The Assembly's Temperance Association had on 

 its roll 348 ministers and 564 elders. The number 

 of families in the Church had increased during 

 the year by 522. The income of the Church from 

 all sources had been 261,135, an increase of 

 13,478 over that of the previous year. The in- 

 come of the Sustentation fund was returned at 

 39350, of which the congregational contribu- 

 tions amounted to 23,449, against 23,743 in 

 1898. The supplementary dividend had been de- 



