PRESBYTERIAN-ASSEMBLY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 654, 3 November 1909, Page 8

PRESBYTERIAN-ASSEMBLY.

.' :. IBj ■T«l«reph,—PrM«V4m>el»Menlii" :,■'.'■■. 'jl ■ : 'Chrlstchurch, .NoTemßer. 2; .'' ■The sessions of the Presbyterian' General■;,'•;!. Assembly were continued toJayV- The>Modera»' ; tor, (the Eev. I. Jolly, M;A.), presddirigiv ■ . . ; ., The Eev. -W. J. Comrie announced 'that tht •:-.' oommittee 'of standing committees had decided - ; ~ to recommend the assembly' to- meet in Auofc> : ' ■land, on Wednesday, November ,9,! 1910.;! .• ; ' The'debate' on' 1 the report'of the Bible-in»,'. ; Schools Committee was. ■ ■' '"' ":'■:■ \\ ■-■" The Eev. : lfr'. White (Waihi) and-Mr. G::J, > • Garland , '(Auckland) supported'the Nelson .ej*>' w , . tern, and.oriticised the attitude of , the ; Auck-j .' lantt Board and: school'inspectors., towards the'- ..' movement.' : ■ '' ' .-' ; - '- ;.■'. • - ' " The Eev.'P.'B. Fraser (Clutha) \ eaid that '■; -r ;. men like Mr: Gai'land, : who were doing wotfc .. :- were'not supported as they should be by mem> ■>'. bers o(:the'Church; ; The Church should also'.i take mbre- inteMst. in the teauhers,,who _were ; -':■;. as honourable, religibue, moral, and Christian'a '/-"■!■ body'pf people as any. in the Dominion;; Their '■ infiuettceon the children was incalculable. Suon % should ; encourage Christian; young men •to take ■ ■ ; ,up"the.'teaching profession.-' It ehbuld. be' om>• v phasised that the proposal of the committee; a.would -not interfere; in any way with the je-; ligious Busceptibilitiea or creed , ; of ■. anyone • : la • ' '■; the' Bchools. ; • -■ '" '•■■'" ■■ ~■ '' '• V ; .. -..'" ;. TlieJEev. A. Miller (Edendale) eaid that'tlie 'Auckland''appHcation\was , /_;' board had in iis possession while.'.'the 'de'pu- ," ; . tation'was'waiting on a unanimous report •' •' to the'effect that twenty-five: ■'.••:-. quired for; secular instruction. .'%>' . '•■'■■ - '\M- ■ - The Ker. E. W.- Jackson, (SouthbridgeKsaS: that it was a matter of extreme difficulty, to get elders; to' go to' the election of school'coni« mittees. V'The ministers, were 'all-right," but' We-elders were all wrong. /■'Eresbyferians,"-.'he" said, "could,, if they, chobse,.:elect''every-'-board; and committee.',, In' the district where liwas; they, 'children' one 'hour's, instruc-' tiott'-.per.-'week diirihg school hours, from 11 aim', till npon,\ and '.they ._ consulted■■ no; , .intra. If they. < were interfered with by a contingent, of police,' , the ihinisters'.'wopld; ydthdraw , the; children" from' the schools- and .'instruct' them'." • The Eev. A; White,: ./Havolpck): eloqninUy pleaded for the daily instruction, of .the. cbildron.. -.:In. His' district; ministers to .'the .schools daily and had the daily. , ,help',of • the. teachers.' ' : "- " ■> ~ ;. ::■;■■ '■ ', ■.■>

The report, which. jCommencled , ' the 'Nelson system to the people," was adopted. . ■ v' : . The report' of ..the beneficiary -funds; com« mittee stated:that.the combihed capital; of tha aged and infirm ministers' fund had been ini creased by J89427 6s. 6d.v during the year. ; The balance now! stood at is., an inoreasa of J87918 Bs." 2d. : ,.The sum of J82920. Us/ 3d. had been added to the combined'capital'of the widows and; orphans ifuhd,' ; and : the balance; nojT-.stood->t iC30,376._ '.:;!/', ■■..,,'

Speaking at a meetineof the General Assam-:: "... bly to-day, the Rev/ W. J. Cotririe', coSyeoor',.- ■■. of the etanding committee, drew' attention'. , ,t0,:.; the .fact., that .the expenses v of the ■.Assembly. , '."' .meetings; .were mounting up very' seriously,,. :■ This year the Assembly had.paid the;travel-;."•■ ling • expenses of 19.4 members of the -\Assein< '•. , bly,; compared with only 131." last ;ye'ar... T]i.-s h ■' inight be a testimony.as to. the .popularity .o! I '' Christcliuveh, but it also'indicated how exv.' , '' penses' were,' mounting up. '". 1n... fega'rd' , -to ,, ', local expenses, .the committee■iwished him 1 -to• ■■ " Y say that the brethren in Auckland (where the ■"."; Assembly will meet next year) .would not,vba\ex'pected tb : provide , ,for. the ■.entertainment,'of \■ '. the Assembly in .the way of '.banquets, lun> "' cheons, and other;, ways in;'which a' large "■' amount of money was expended.' The expenses'v ' must bo kept dqwi', unless th'e Assembly was; to become' a eerioUs;Burden oii'. the.places'' • where the Ass'e'mbly'.jwas held. |t waeonly fail ; that .'no representation, on 'jtwa , subject had ' : been mado 'by, Ghristchuroh , ?iCo'j)l e)i who had: entertained the Ae&nibly. , righVaroyaHy. .• "•' place on the botikij. of Tiiymnr' in use in tho church in Now Zealand,,tho niat. ' 5 ter being introduced by. an overture from the '"'' Wellington Prosbytcry., Tho overture pbinttd ' out that there wore, three different hymn-books ' in use—"Churcli Praise," "Church Hymnary," •■" and a new edition.of "Chnrch ; Praise/' ' use of ttoeo having been authorised.'by tho A» ' sembly at different times. In tho. interests'""- 1 ' of tho solidarity of tho church, the' assembly *fc was requested to adoi>t:ono';book as the praisa' ■ " : book of,: tho church. The assembly decided ti '" adopt tho new edition of "Church Praise" a( : r v interim, as tho - recognisod book/ and that tin' ■' question of its;.fitia\. adoption shbuld bo eenj ■■' down to.tho.prcsbytorice to report-to the nex' '- .assembly. ~: .'.■. . '. ■-.,• > ■■•: ■■:-■■'■ ;. ;; :.-' ■\-\': : ■ ■■V-' , - ..Tho position of the; "OuUtiok"; was-''die cussed, and'it wasdecided; to. appoint acom« ' mitteo- to -take.:;: tho. affairs .of tho'paper Srita'- I '"' • consideration, and report'td'-next', assttobly,-'■>'■ ■■