RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1617, 7 December 1912, Page 9

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN UNION. CHANCES OF SUCCESS DOUBTFUL. Tho Scottish correspondent of' tho "Manchester Guardian," in a letter published on October 15, says:— The conference between the Committees of the Established and United Free Churches (numbering 200 members), with 'a view towards Scottish Presbyterian union have bren resumed, and at a meeting to be held early- in November tho crux of the negotiations will be reached. That is to'say, that.both sides will lmve to bo prepared .with their 'irreducible minimum in regard to the question of disestablishment. and the disposal of the endowments of the Church of Scotland. The memorandum drafted by the Church of Scotland in the form of a Parliamentary Bill,' and submitted in May last as a basis of discussion, provided that tho churches should agree on a concordat as to their future constitution, and that tho Church of Scotland should apply for Parliamentary sanction .to this agreement in tho form of a Bill." Tho proposed constitution was to safeguard the nosition of tho United Free Church, as to spiritual independence, and also the elaiin of the future- Church to lie the National Church of Scotland. •' The Church of Scotland also stipulated that her endowments must be conserved' for spiritual purposes in the. hands of tho, reunited Chur.ch, and that they must not be secularised.

Thero has been much kindliness and genuine good feeling manifested between ' the Churches during the negotiations, but as time has gone on during the summer the question has been discussed in all its bearings, and several things have becomo apparent which to a candid looker-on do not augur hopefully for the outcome of the negotiations. In the first place, it has become clear that, stripped of all flowery phraseology, the proposal of tho Church of Scotland means reunion on the basis of an Established Church. In the next place, it.is clear that there is a considerable section of the United Free Church which will not have reunion. on such a basis. They would willinglv unite on the basis of disestablishment, and though there are differences of opinion as to tho disposal of the endowments I do not think these would bo an insuperable barrier to a settlcmeut. It is not yet clear what tho size of the "irreconcilable" section is, but it contains several leaders of influence in the United Church, and they do not all belong to the United Presbyterian .section. Then as tho summer and autumn have passed it has become quite'clear that'on questions of burning public interest the two Churches'are'at'the opposite poles. One of these questions is Home Rule and the other is Welsh Disestablishment. At the meetings of Established presbyteries resolutions have been passed expressing sympathy with Irish Presbyterians, and in many cases urging that active stens he taken to defeat the Homo Rule Bill. At tho United Free Church presbyteries, on the other hand, while sympathy was expressed with the Irish' Protestants in their alarm, no anti-Homo Rule resolutions .were passed. Instead, the hope was: expressed that the outcome would prove that their fears had been groundless. Again, while Established presbyteries have passed resolutions opposing Weish Disesiablisnment the United Free preshytwies ha y e equally made it clearer that the Church as a whole is in' favour of Bill. There is not the slightest, doubt that there is a strong body of opinion in Scotland in favour of trying to arrive at a settlement favourable to union, but in the opinion of those well able to judge! tho trend of things we are not yet ready for it. i Meantime tho delay and uncertainty is not working out favourably to the United Free Church,'and I am certain that there _will.be pressure for having the.negotiations brought, to a definite issue in time for the General Assemblies next May.