Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 75, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 May 1907 — TWO CHURCHES MEET. [ARTICLE]

TWO CHURCHES MEET.

rhe Presbyterian General Assembly Worlds Toward Union. There were two features of the opening sessions of the 119th general assembly of the Presbyterian church, which bus, Ohio. One was the annual sermon by Rev. Dr. Ira Lnndrith of Nashville, moderator of thedast Cumberland Presbyterian assembly, which took place in the afternoon. More than 900 delegates answered the first roll call, and several thousand visitors looked on at the opening sessions. The election of a moderator was reduced to a formality $ the withdrawal of all the candidates except Rev. William H. Roberts of Philadelphia, who was chosen by acclamation. The keynote of Dr. Landrith’s sermon at the devotional service In the morning was an appeal for concerted effort toward the complete union of the church. In his plea for extension erf the church work, Dr. Landrlth expressed the' hope that the church ultimately would be united with the Southern Presbyterian church. “The war is over,” said Dr. Landrith, “Southern Presbyterianism, without our co-operation, can never overtake the Presbyterian possibilities and demands of the South in general and the Southwest in particular. The southern church will welcome our cooperation, and it will hasten the consummation so devoutly to be wished — the ultimate union of the two churches.”

Touching upon the race problem in the South, Dr. Landrith said: “The certain remedy for all racial Ills lies in the direction of good schools and churches—good but racially separate schools—iu which children are taught the dignity and as far as possible, the arts of honest toil, and good, but —for the best Interests of all concerned —racially separate congregations, in which Christianity, and not the murderous prejudices of racial and sectional hatred, are preached.” The forty-seventh annual general assembly of the Presbyterian church in the United States (Southern Presbyterians) opened at Birmingham, Ala. Dr. Allen G. Hall of Nashville called the assembly to order. Dr. J. R. Howerton of Montreal, N. C., was elected moderator. He delivered the opening sermon.

A quorum of commissioners of the general assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian church went from Dickson, Tenn., to Bethlehem church, which stands on the site of the old McAdow log cabin, the birthplace of the church, and there formally constituted the sev-enty-seventh session of the general assembly. Rev. J. L. Hudgins, retiring moderator, preached a brief sermon. On returning to Dickson the general assembly was constituted and Mr. Hudgins delivered the opening sermon. He made a most vigorous aud caustic arraignment of the leaders responsible for the union of the eliurch with the Presbyterian church.