

PRESBYTERIANS. 



583 



precedence as wanting in courtesy and foreign to 

 the genius of the country, and of taking steps 

 toward a fair and adequate recognition of all the 

 churches in Canada. The Assembly advised that 

 every legitimate effort be made for the retention 

 of the Lord's Day as a day of rest, and for the 

 right use of it by members and adherents of the 

 Church. It further invited " all to whom its 

 words come with authority to help in defending 

 the day. It commends simplicity of family life, 

 free from pleasure gatherings and such like, the 

 abstaining from late Saturday trading, and in 

 general such prayerful emphasis upon the purpose 

 of the day as will secure by precept and example 

 its wise fulfilment." Total abstinence was held 

 up as a Christian privilege and every effort was 

 advised to be put forth to educate the people, and 

 especially the young, in temperance practise and 

 principles; with advantage to be taken of every 

 opportunity by which the use of intoxicating 

 liquors may be lessened and sobriety advanced. 

 Another recommendation by the Assembly was 

 that the duty of exercising the powers and oppor- 

 tunities of citizenship conscientiously be urged 

 upon all the people. 



VIII. Church, of Scotland. The accounts of 

 the committees for 1901 showed a satisfactory 

 increase of income over the previous year, which 

 in turn had shown an increase over 1899. The 

 total income had been 220,492, as against 

 208,228 in 1900. A decrease of 480 in legacies 

 was returned. Increase was shown of 490 in 

 the foreign mission income; 1,683 in that for 

 the colonies; 520 in that for the Highlands and 

 islands; 87 in the Aged and Infirm Ministers' 

 fund; and 699 in the fund for Christian Life 

 and Work. The Woman's Associations had also 

 contributed to the increase. The reports con- 

 cerning the Christian liberality of the Church 

 during 1901 showed an increase from 515,432 

 in 1900 to 545,789 in 1901. 



The Committee on Small and Diminished Liv- 

 ings reported that 9,863 had been allocated 

 among 321 parishes, an increase of 901, as com- 

 pared with the previous year. There were still 

 261 livings under the unit aimed at 200 a year. 

 During 1901 10 home mission grants had been 

 made toward the cost of building, enlarging, or 

 acquiring places of worship. 



The report of the Foreign Mission Committee 

 showed that the Church had 130 Europeans in 

 the mission field, more than 11,000 baptized na- 

 tiv^s, 3,000 communicants, about 15,000 pupils 

 in mission schools, and 14 zenana pupils. The 

 number of baptisms during the year, 1,281, was 

 435 above the average. The native Christian as- 

 sistants were estimated to number 624, 10 of 

 whom were ordained, while 135 catechists or 

 preachers and nearly 300 teachers were included. 

 The combined income had been 49,136, or 

 1,400 short of the required amount. The in- 

 come at home had steadily decreased for three 

 years. 



The General Assembly met in Edinburgh, May 

 20. The Rev. Dr. J. C. Russell, of Campbelltown, 

 was chosen moderator. In the King's letter, com- 

 municated as usual to the Assembly, his Majesty 

 affirmed his determination to maintain the Pres- 

 byterian form of religion as represented by the 

 Church, and to safeguard the Church in the pos- 

 session of its rights and privileges. The custom- 

 ary royal gift of 2,000 for the propagation 

 of religious truth in the Highlands and islands 

 was intimated. A motion by the Colonial Com- 

 mittee to appoint a delegate to proceed to South 

 Africa after peace was proclaimed and consult 

 with the authorities of the Dutch Reformed 



Church and of the Presbyterian Church as to 

 the best means of furthering the interests of re- 

 ligion in South Africa and of promoting the 

 union of the two churches was remitted to the 

 favorable consideration of the committee. An 

 appeal was presented charging Principal Story, 

 of Glasgow University, with heterodoxy and un- 

 soundness of doctrine in signing, in his official 

 capacity, a letter to the Pope on the occasion of 

 the four hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the 

 foundation of the university. It was dismissed 

 on the ground that no relevant case requiring 

 further procedure had been stated. The report of 

 the Church Interests Committee represented that 

 the Church was wishful for the continuance of 

 the present state of quiescence on the subject of 

 disestablishment. The churches were growing to- 

 gether, and the spirit of conciliation affected both 

 clergy and laymen. In the case against the Rev. 

 T. N. Adamson, of Barnhill, Broughton Ferry, 

 who had admitted to his presbytery that he had 

 introduced into his church certain objects and 

 forms of service which were usually associated 

 with ritualistic practises, the Assembly found 

 that the documents disclosed very serious inno- 

 vations, and enjoined the Presbytery of Dundee 

 to visit the parish with a view of bringing the 

 internal equipment of the church, the forms of 

 worship, and the arrangements for administer- 

 ing the Lord's Supper into conformity with the 

 general usage and practise of the Church. The 

 Foreign Missions Committee was empowered to 

 bring up a report to the next Assembly as to 

 the prevention of increase of debt. During the 

 consideration of the report of the Committee on 

 the Highlands and Islands it was represented 

 that members of the old Free Church in the High- 

 lands had been taking advantage of some of the 

 opportunities for worship given them by the Es- 

 tablished Church, and were aware of the sym- 

 pathy of that Church. An overture in favor of 

 the use in the Assembly's daily service of praise 

 of the organ which had been placed in the Assem- 

 bly hall was negatived. The Assembly directed 

 inquiry to be made as to whether presbyteries 

 and kirk sessions had any desire for the revision 

 of the hymnal or the provision of an appendix. 

 The report on Sabbath observance in Scotland 

 dealt with the various phases of Sunday labor in 

 Scotland, the question of workmen's clubs, and 

 the growing evil of Sunday trading. The com- 

 mittee did not ask for legislative restriction of 

 Sunday labor, but suggested that the Assembly 

 should use its influence in the direction of regu- 

 lating ice-cream shops and workmen's clubs. In 

 his address closing the Assembly the moderator 

 urged the desirability, in view of ultimate union 

 of the churches in Scotland, of cooperation with 

 other churches in local Christian enterprises for 

 the common good. 



IX. United Free Church in Scotland. The 

 report on statistics made to the General Assem- 

 bly of this Church in May gave the number of 

 members as 495,259, as against 492,964 in the 

 previous year. The loss of members through the 

 union was estimated to be 4,170, and as the mem- 

 bership showed a net increase after meeting the 

 losses, especially in the Highlands, it was be- 

 lieved that bottom had been touched, and the 

 Church would now go on increasing. 



The report on the Widows' and Orphans' fund 

 showed an increase of 15,000, the total being 

 447,000, as compared with 432,000 in the pre- 

 ceding year. 



The report on the Sustentation and Augmenta- 

 tion funds showed a decrease in the Sustentation 

 fund of 1,680, the total being 176,778, while 



