(9) The Period of Reunion. The first step towards the reunion of the "Old School" and "New School" was taken in 1862 by the establish ment of fraternal correspondence between the two Assemblies. A second step was the organization by the "New School" in 1863 of its own Home Mission Work. In 1866, committees of confer ence with a view to union, were appointed, and on Nov. 12, 1869, at Pittsburgh, Pa., reunion was consummated on the basis of the "Standards pure and simple." In connection with the movement, a memorial fund was raised, which amounted to $7,883,983. From the year 1870 the Church has made steady progress along all lines, and its har mony has been seriously broken only by the con troversy (1891-1894) as to the "authority and credibility of Holy Scripture," as a consequence of which Prof. Charles A. Briggs of Union Theo logical Seminary, New York City, and Prof. Henry P. Smith, of Lane Theological Semi nary, Cincinnati, Ohio, were suspended from the ministry, after formal process in Presby tery and final judgment by the General As sembly. Despite this controversy, the Church has doubled membership during the past thirty years, and numbers now nearly one million com municants. Its contributions for all purposes for the year ending March 31, 1898, were $13,938, 561, of which the sum of $3,158,991 was contrib uted for missionary and benevolent work. The
organised work of the Church is conducted through eight Boards: Home Missions, Foreign Missions, Education, Publication and Sabbath school work, Ministerial Relief, Missions for Freedmen, Church Erection, and Aid for Colleges and Academies.
There have been established two Women's Mis sionary organizations, the one for Home, the other for Foreign missions, which have been greatly prospered. There are also thirteen The ological Seminaries, located in different parts of the country, and under the supervision of the General Assembly. The future of the Church, judging from the past, will be one of constant progress, and of enlarging membership, influence, resources, and missionary activity.
The Church reports (19m) seven thousand three hundred and eighty-six ministers and nine hun dred and sixty-one thousand three hundred and thirty-four communicants.
The denomination stands for great and abiding theological truths, for the rights of the people in church government, and for that true catholicity, which cheerfully accords to others, whatever opinions they may cherish, their full rights of conscience. It illustrates the fact that strength of conviction and true liberality are co-ordinate, not antagonistic things ; and that Calvinism is a living power in Christendom. W. H. R.