ile mean Sreskvfa&M New Series, YoL V", !N"o. 24. $3 00 By Mail. $3 50 By Carrier. 1 50cts Additional after three Months. J framtau Jiwrttjfam THURSDAY, JUNE 11,1868. THE ASSEMBLY AT GETTYSBURG. Harrisburg, May 29, 1868. Amid the gravest and most important dis cussions which have ever occupied the at tention of the Assembly of our branch, re minding one of 1857, but involving even greater interests than at that troublous pe riod, a day of relaxation and refreshment was. wisbly interposed—such relaxation' and refreshment as a visit to the scene of the grandest victory of our late war alone could give. About3Bo persons, including a num ber of ladies, made up the company. The presence of our loyal Presbyterian Gover nor, one of the heroes and lanrel-crowned victors Of the combat, was a feature of un common interest. The rain, which seemed to follow us along nearly the whole route, ceased before we entered the limits of the town. After alighting from tho cars, the company filed around the Diamond, in the centre of the town, occupying morethan half of a circle, with the Governor, the Modera tor of the Assembly and the Committee of arrangements in the centre. Here, the ne cessary directions, for getting a satisfactory view of the battle-field, and the arrange ments made by the good people of Gettys burg for entertaining the Assembly, were announced and received with cheers, The whole body; under the lead of the Governor and Moderator, moved toward the scene of the first day’s disastrous fight on Seminary Ridge. Here the important localities were pointed out by the Governor, Prof. Hay and J, B. McCreary, Esq. We easily saw where the First Corps, under Reynolds, met Bu ford’s dismounted men, back of the Semina ry, drove them back, notwithstanding, the loss of their brave commander, and eaptnred some hundreds ini a rail-road cutting; l —the smooth open plain, where the unfortunate Eleventh Corps meeting Ewell, just return ed from York, broke and fell back in melan choly confusion, surging through -ihe town toward Seminary Hill; and thus bringing the victorious First Corps between two fires, and compelling them to retreat, with the loss of many men captured by the rebels in another rail-road cutting, close by that in which the rebels had surrendered early in the day. These points were easily made out from the Seminary Bidge; and like onr own discomfited troops, the fatigued mem bers of the party havihg completed this part of their inquiry, began to fall back to the town. Iu the large Hall attached .to the Agricultural grounds, ample provision had been made by the hospitable people, among whom is not a church of our branch, and perhaps not a single member of our Church, but who entertained our Assembly as liber ally as if we had had at least as much claim upon them as upon the Harrisburg congre gation itself. The presence of the Chief Magistrate and brave soldier of Gettysburg, at the head of the party, may have had some thing to do with the abundance of. their friendly demonstrations, but we know that the good people take pride in making visi tors, whom they respect, feel welcome to the town. The stream of their generous and self-denying hospitality, set flowing by the tremendous demands of the battle con verting every public and almost every pri vate house into a hospital, has see'med to have almost forgotten how to resume its wonted channels. The thanks of the As sembly was immediately voted to the ladies and gentlemen of Gettysburg, with some brilliant ooruscations of patriotism, poetry, Latinity, and heart-felt piety from Dr. Cox, when the. line of march was resumed to the scenes of the second and third day’s fight. The greater part of the crowd soon found themselves upon the corner-stone of the monument, in the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. Here prayer was offered by Dr. Skinner; and the incomparable address of Mr. Lincoln, in the fall of 1863, in laying the corner-stone, was read by General Gea ry. Seldom did fitter, weightier words fall from human lips than were those ten short, simple sentences, from, tho Rpß m o s t universally loved, and most bitterly mourn ed of American citizens of this century. Prom this commanding point and from another in the rear of the Cemetery, the chief features of the battle ground were easily pointed out. The main interost, how ever, centered ini the portions of the field connected with General Geary’s personal reminiscences. With soldier-like frankness and directness and genuine modesty, the brave man showed us, how, as he came upon the field, on the morning of Thursday, he ventured to disregard the ipsissima verba of his instructions, which, as he showed us on the spot, would have left Little Bound Top and Bound Top to the enemy, and ex posed our whole line to the rebel fire from those commanding eminences. He pointed out his line of march across the wooded country, the scene of his encounter with the rebel skirmishers, already seeking to make a lodgment on those important positions; told how he drove them out and seized and held the hills his men, and how, when his numbers insufficient to complete the line frodipHnd Top to Cemetery Hill, he threw out pickets in front of tho unoccu pied parts of the line, and so amused the rebels, until his commanding officer was in formed of his movements, sent his approval of the change he had ventured to make, and filled the gap yet unoccupied by our forces with newly arrived troops. Much amuse ment was created by a series of lively ques tionings addressed to Governor Geary at this point, in which we believe Dr. Nelson took the initiative, and in which the Gener al’s liberal “mode of vie wing, stating, explain ing and illustrating” his orders, was shrewd ly brought into comparison with the terms of the basis of Reunion under discussion in the General Assembly. It was asserted, however, that his construction had been en dorsed by the loyal people of Pennsylvania, when they made him Governor in 1866; and alluding to his subsequent connection with the Presbyterian Church, it was finally con cluded that ho was “ not inconsistent with the Reformed or Galvinistic sense.” - Most, stirring,' thrilling, and. beyond the possibility of adequate reporting, was the Governor’s account.of his final repulse,and; 24,ooomen from thepoeition into which they had- broken, on Culp’s hill, on the evening of Thursday, while the General and many of his men of tho Second Division of .the Twelfth Corps, were engaged as reinforcements in repell ing an attack at Bound Top. Standing upon the very spot where the battle raged, and where the dead and dying lay, welter ing around him, he showed ns how his new line had been formed at right angles with the original one; how all night of Thursday, the two hostile lines lay within hearing of each other’s voices; ho w prisoners captured from the enemy, warned him one after another, of Ewell’s purpose to sacrifice any number of men necessary { to carry his new position, and break our right wing and so overwhelm our whole extended position; how through the night, he passed from man to man along the works, charging them to resist the assault if it cost them their lives; how, precisely ten minutes before the time fixed for the assault by the rebels, he* unexpectedly opened upon them; how seven diatinct times the obstinate, desperate, unflinching enemy beat like an infernal storm agalmt his breastworks, each renewed over rows and rows of their fallen Ifflßßes; and how, many of his own little but six thousand in number, went down in the storm of fire and blood. Beckless of personal danger, feeling that in such a fearful crisis a General’s true place was in every spot where he could direct and encourage his troops, and seeing that the attempt must be made to dislodge the enemy from the ■ strong positions he de scribed, he had formed his famous “ White Star Brigade” consisting of his own 28th Pennsylvania, a New York and an Ohio regiment, and placing himself at their head, in spite of the remonstrances of his brother officers, and putting his trust in God, he had led them in a charge, which swept the enemy from the crest and drove him out from the bloody gorge “ the way he came.” Twelve hundred of Ewell’s men lay dead before those stubbornly guarded defences. Had they been yielded, tho last dikes of liberty would almost certainly have gone down, and the triumphant tide of rebellion would have swept over the , whole of that field of supreme trial to our cause. As the General paused in his unadorned account of that great victory, the whole company broke out into tremendous ap plause, three cheers were given,.the ladies joined in the demonstration, and all hearts overflowed with unspeakable gratitude for the deliverance which God, by true and PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 1868. loyal hand's, had wrought for us that day. Enough, enough, we felt; what of .exulta tion the heart could well contain had been experienced; a raised sentiment of devout patriotism had been kindled which would perhaps never quite pass away. Supper, and the return to the cam soon followed, and*without a mishap of the most trivial kind; .without a drop of rain,,and with only an occasional gleam of over ivarm sunshine, tho Assembly was borne swiftly back to the hospitable homes of Harrisburg and to the serious duties of a deliberative body, engaged on the most seriousibusiness of its whole history. \' Commencement. at Lincoln IJniver sity, Tuesday and’ Wednesdays! next week THE FIRST CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA. This mother of churches, irnheri one hundred and seventieth year, is renewing-her youth. The great changes in population njhich have been going on in the city, the ratio of which has great ly increased: in later years, have |left the venera ble pile so far from the centre, that it has seemed at times as if nothing was left to! the people but to dispose of the old estate and to follow in the wake of the colonies they had soprequently sent out. Yet few were aware what q-breakwater in the way of this movement of thjjl population the very existence of-the old church w aB - 'Not only did families, who moved away ffom the. neigh borhoo'd, retain their connection With the church with' a tenacity which passed a proverb, but many resisted temptations'to remove to more de sirable'localities on account of jheir . unwilling ness-to'yield their. privileges as jojembers: of the old church. Still, so great was the process of .depletion, that few were preparea.tp witness the signs of animation and rejuvenescence, which have .'attended- the induction of .tljjkpastor tf>' his : place by theside of the veinerated Albert B.k-nes. ' ,I,;':'' ; - ■ \ On Tuesday eviming-. of last-w»Sk; a welcome’ -was,given to Dr, Johnson' and his estimable lady, in the large ante-room or vestibule and.adjoining apartments of’ the Church. ■ This great space, large enough by itself for amedium-sized church, was adorned in the most tasteful and profuse style, with flowers and evergreens. An immense mirror filled up the central window in the front of the house, which was skilfully surrounded with rare blooming plants^-in front of which Dr. Johnson and his lady received the congratulations of their friends. Upon one of the walls was the motto,-in large evergreen letters: “Th'e church saluteth you;” upon the opposite wall the pastor emeritus might read,“ Love to the end.” For several hours, the ‘rooms were thronged with happy faces, beaming welcome to the new pastor ,and gratitude to the old, who also formed a con spicuous-and genial part of the company. The elegant refreshments, bountifully provided by the ladies, were evidently appreciated by the crowd, and the new portrait of- Mr. Barnes, sus pended between the two portraits of Dr. James P. Wilson, in the study, received a due measure of attention. The occasion was as well honored and enjoyed by the congregation and their friends, as from its rarity and significance, it deserved to be. , . • On Thursday evening, June 4th, the Instal lation services were duly; performed by the Fourth ■ Presbytery. Rev.; Stephen W. Dana, pastor-elect of the Walnut street church, presi ded with great dignity; prayer was offered' by Dr.'S, if. Cox, whose presence was a feature of .uncommon interest; the sermon vras preached by Dr. Zephaniah M. Humphrey, of Calvary church, on Romans i. 16: “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.” It was an acute and time ly presentation of the current temptations to un dervalue the Gospel of Christ. The preacher took occasion to allude to the contest between the friends and opponents of liberality within ortho dox limits in the Church, and gave voice to the indignation of Christendom at the persecution and suspension of a distinguished and honored broth er for the crime of hymn-singing. He also refer red,, in suitable and eloquent terms, to the honor and responsibility of the position about to be Alli ed by the pastor elect of this ancient church. The constitutional questions having been put by Mr. Dana and properly answered by Dr. Johnson and the people, the pastoral relation was declared duly consummated. .After a suita ble anthem by the choir—“ Cast thy burden on the Lord,” the charge to the Pastor was de livered by Mr. Barnes; of which we can only say that it was universally felt to be worthy of the man and of the occasion—a fittings touching,, deeply wise, historically rich address—the mature, mellow fruit, and in some respects, the embodi ment of the life. ahd : character of the man—such ' as we might expect from Albert,Baines at one of the supi have thi readers haps toi late hoi kept out gation, encouraging them to maintain their an cient and honorable position. The Doxology was then sung and the benediction pronounced by Dr., Johnson, with a voice full .of emotion. Afterwards the customary greetings.were given by the congregation,, in which the old pastor shared, without distinction,-in the cordial demon' stations tendered to the new. Many also crowd ed,around. Dr. Gojr, and welcomed the venerably and handsome patriarchy with:affectionate andjS spectful Cordiality. 'ln the great congregation, counted, altogether, nearly a score of ministelH one,of-whom 'pressed forward to grasp Mr. Barn™ by "the hand, saying that’he was an aged Episco palian minister, who wished to thank the author of the Commentaries for the great benefit he had gained from his- works. , •. In such a manner these interesting and novel services were brought to a close. "We mubt'. not omit to add that the rich and mellow tones of the organ and the services of organist and choir- contributed not a little to swetteri the memories of the occasion. The. consummation ; so devoutly wished has thus, in God’s good providence, been brought to pass. The First church, with its needs, its aims, and its .associations—all so unusual—is supplied w.ith a pastor, who' wastheir first and only choice; who, with one consent, is recognized as God’s gift to them, -in and for their peculiar circumstances, and who, it is joyfully believed, will be the means -of maintaining and extending the usefulness and reputation' of this' honored seat and nursery of American Presbyterianism. CENTENARY OF FINE STREET CHURCH. Friday,' May 29th, was a marked day in the history of - old Pine street church. For with it closed the' first hundred years of its existence. The most elaborate jjrtphratibns hacl been, made to celebrate the centennial worthily. The. morn ing was showery; and betokened disappointment to the participants in the privileges of the occa sion. Approaching the church,! we behold it gaily, decorated with "flags—emblematic of the staunch loyalty which has characterized this ancient : church during its whole existence. Fussing, in' by one of the small gates,, in, com pany with others, we first wend our way to the grave of Dr. Brainerd. This spot loving hands had beautifully ornamented. The grave itself was streWn With flowers. In the centre was placed a cross of white immortelles. The whole was canopied by an arch of evergreeD, sur mounted by a star, enclosing, the letter B in a wreath of flowers. Upon this arch the last text of Dr. Brainerd was inscribed: “Abide with us.” The thought at once occurred, as we stood by the final resting place of the beloved dead, with what pleasure had be looked forward to partici pation in the joys of this occasion; but God willed it otherwise. We;next,enter the lecture room. Over the pulpit the following motto meets the eyes: “And they did eat and drink before the Lord, on that day, with great glad ness.” The appropriateness of the text was .perceptible, when the long tables are observed with their preparation for the evening banquet. The pillars and walls of the room were adorned with wreaths and flags. Over the tablet of D|. Duffield was a flag, upon which was written: “On the tent of General Washington, on the surrender of General Cornwallis at Yorktown, in 1781.” The portraits of the Rev. PhiUMMille doler, D.D., Rev. Ezra Stiles Ely, Djfllßev. Thomas Brainerd, D.D., and FergJ»j|pM|®jl waines, a former elder and trustee of tffiPmgß), hung upon the walls. We. proceed now to the main ber. Near the principal entrance stands a table for offerings—a mute appeal to the affec tion of both old and new members of the church. Above the tablet, upon vrhich the names of the ‘young men from the congregation who fell during the rebellion are enrolled, are seen tro phies of ancient ymor. Over the door this motto was inscribed: “Old Pine street Church welcomes her children.” Glancing within, a tropical scene breaks upon the view. On each side of the pulpit is a century plant. The pil lars are wreathed with evergreens and decked with flowers. Beautiful hanging baskets are in termingled with stationary plants. Over the pulpit, encircled with a wreath of evergreen, are the words 100 YEARS. On each side are dis played two beautiful American flags. Beneath hangs a star of white lilies. Upon the pillars are two standards, with the following words: “May 30th, 1768”—“May 30th, 1868.” On the walls, near the pulpit, are two banners, with the names of the pastors of the church, as fol lows : “George Duffield, D.D., Pastor from 1771 to 1790; John B. Smith, D.D., 1791 to 1799; Philip Milledoler, D.D., 1800 to 1805 ; Archi bald Alexander, D.D., 1806 to 1812; .Ezra Btiles t Ely, D.D., 1811 -to 1835; Thomas Brainerd, D.D., 1837 to 1866.” The galleries are festooned with evergreens, interspersed with small American flags In front of the organ.- is the following passage: “The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers.” Immediately above is a beautiful star. ; * --i - Genesee Evangelist. ISTo. 1151. itence. We shall of giving it to our The exercises commenced with an invocation by the Rev. Z. ,M. Humphrey, D.D. The long meter doxology was then sung. After which prayer was offered by the Rev. Albert Barnes,' and the Scriptures were read by Rev. Dr. Wis well. Next followed an address by the Pastor, Hev. ?■. Allen, in which a warm welcome was extended to all present. He said, “a hun dred years in the history of a church must, ne cessarily, develop many things which become in tensely interesting, to those who are now living, although they may have been considered of small rnmnwA-at the time they occurred. Not only 'fears, the joys and sorrows, by their fathers in or |snizingi and, up this time-honored tmjirch, deeply interesting to them now, but relic ofthose time-honored days, though it a soiled letter, a fragment of a sermon, a the wood whieh composed the first pew, ■Bathing, no matter wha,t, so it comes to us from We years of ancient times, is preserved and guarded as a sacred treasure.” ,He referred to the church as it appeared one hundred years ago r when. it was considered one of the finest in the whole country; and also to the: improvement made last summer, when it was- remodelled and beautified at a. large expense, which at once placed her' among, the most beautiful temples of Divine worship in our great city. . At the con clusion of the; address, the centennial hymn, ex pressly written for the .occasion, was sung. A response was then made by the Rev. Geo. Duf field, D.D., a grandson of the first pastor of the church. At the close of his remarks, he pre sented an offering—a tattered document —in which was recorded the caff of the first pastor, in 1771. . Thereupon, the Rev. Samuel-D. Alex ander, D.D., the son of, the fourth pastor, made an address. The exercises of the morning closed with the benediction, by the Rev; J. H. A, Bom berger, D.D. In the afternoon, the congregation assembled at 3 o’clock. The invocation was offered by the Rey. A.Culver. After which, the,hymn: ‘‘Be fore iJehovah’s Awful Throne" was sung. An appropriate prayer was offered by the Rev. Peter Stryker, 7 D.D. The Hon. W. C. Alexander, of New York, was then introduced; He was, like wise, a son of the fourth pastor. His remarks were; chaste and, beautiful. Many reminiscences were brought up, and he, too, proffered an offer ing. acalLfor the..;paataral services .of. his father I 'Pine-streefr Chnrch. - * ’ ■ spherd, with per- the people to a not often to be .rged the congre- The ‘Rev. S. W. Duflield, the great —great grandson of the first pastor, read a spicy poem. Key. Drs. Wiswell and Newton, likewise, made addresses.' The last alluded touchingly to his pleasant intercourse with the sainted Brainerd. He spoke of the prevalence of his humor, which was indulged always in entire consistency with his Christian and ministerial character. The services of the afternoon concluded with the benediction. In the evening, a crowded au dience participated in the pleasures of the occa sion. The exercises commenced at 7i o’clock. Prayer was offered by Bev. M. P. Jones. An address upon “Beminiscences” of the church was made by the Bev. John McLeod. This was a thorough compilation, from old documents and authorities, of interesting facts in the history of the church. It contained more than the re miniscences of old Pine street, as it gave a de scription of the city and its contiguous churches one. hundred years ago. * After the address, the congregation, by divi sions of about three hundred at a time, was invited into the leeture-room, where a bountiful supply of elegant refreshments had been pro vided. During the banquet, addresses were made to those who remained in the audience chamber of the church. One of the leading features of this occasion, was the music. Some of the grandest old an thems were rendered in a maimer that reflected great credit on the accomplished singers com posing the choir. In the morning and afternoon, we noticed that Mr: John Zeblev, Jr., presided at the organ; and have learned that the names of those assisting him were Mrs. Beardsley, Mrs. Branson, Miss Kate Chandler, Mrs. David Cra ven, Mrs. Karcher, Mrs. B. H. Allen, Mr. Mil ler, Mr. W. Simmons, Mr. A. B. Paul, Mr. Dutcher, and Mr. Wm. Ivins. The. pieces selected were appropriate for the occasion. Where all did so well, it is difficult to make any distinction; but the solo of Miss Chandler, in “ 6, Be Joyful in the Lord,” and of Mrs. Branson, in “Jehovah’s Praise,” were both worthy of high commendation. In the afternoon, “The Marvellous Work,” by Mrs. Beardsley, was exquisitely rendered; as were , also the tenor solo,, by Mr. Miller, in the quartette, “ Guide me,’ 0 Thou Great Jehovah,” and that grand chorus, by Mozart, “ Glory be to God on high.” , In the evening we enjoyed a musical treat from another choir, conducted by Mr. F. ■Mitchell, and .composed of Mrs. Tudor, Miss M. C. Springer, Miss Kromer, Miss Mitchell, Mr. A. Strang, Mr. Cbipman, Mr. Tudor, and Mr. Moore. A chorus, arranged by Mr. Mitchell from Verdi, containing a bass solo by Mr. Strang, and a beautiful soprano part, by Mrs. Tudor, was the opening piece. It was universally admired. The evening hymn, by Mrs. Tudor and Miss.M. C. Springer, was very sweet and plaintive. Lloyd’s “ Jubilate,” a grand and soul stirring anthein, ended the music by the choir. . It was conceded by all, that the old organ, never sounded better, and the walls of Old Pine jtreet Church never - rang with such music - .before. Too much, praise cannot be bestowed upon the: various committees for the creditable manner in. which the whole affair was conducted. f Ministers $2.50 H. Miss. $2.00. I Address:—l334 Chestnut Street.
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