THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES. In May, 1861, the General Assembly, meeting in Philadelphia, adopted a paper in reference to the Civil War, which asserted the loyalty of the Church to the Union and promised the support of all its churches and ministers to the Federal Government. The Southern Presby terians, feeling that the Church had exceeded her rights in pronouncing on a political question. "concluded that a separation from the General Assembly aforesaid was imperatively demanded. Not in the spirit of schism, but for the sake of peace and for the protection of the liberty with which Christ had made them free." Accordingly the representatives of 47 presbyteries commis sioned for that purpose met in Augusta, Ga., on December 4, 1861, and organized a new Assembly, designated as the Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States of America. After the war, however, the word United was substituted for Confederate, and of America was dropped. The Southern Presbyterian Church disavows all con nection with political matters, and emphasises its purely ecclesiastical mission. The words of the Rev. Dr. B. N. Palmer, in 1886, voice the sentiment of the Church: "The simple fact re mains that we were separated from the Church of our fathers upon a strictly political issue, which a spiritual court had no authority, either human or divine, to adjudicate. Whether we ourselves fully comprehended or not the sig,nificance of our withdrawal, the logic of the case constituted us the asserters and guardians of this vital truth, the non-secular and non-political character of the Church of Jesus Christ, and whether we will or no, we must preach to the world this Gospel of the Kingdom." At the time of its organiza
tion the Southern Church included 10 synods, 47 presbyteries, about 700 ministers, and 75,000 communicants. of whom 10,000 were of the Afri can race. The missionary work of the Church is conducted by permanent committees, and is carried on in many foreign lands, as well as in our own country. The interests of Publication and Colored Evangelization are also conducted by efficient committees. The standards of the Church are: The Westminster Confession 'of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, the Form of Government and Diieetory for Worship, somewhat altered to suit the circumstances of the Chureh. Every Church officer is required to adopt them.
This Church has theological seminaries at Rich mond, Va. (Union Theological Seminary), and Columbia, S. C. (Columbia Theological Semi nary). The seminary at Louisville and Danville Seminary have been united and the seminary is now at Louisville, Ky. There are also theological departments in connection with the University of Texas and the Southwestern Presbyterian Univer sity at Clarksville, Tenn.