16. The Records should be Fair: Corrections may not be Made after their Review by the Assembly. The Committee on the records of the Synod of Atlantic presented the following report, which was adopted: The Committee respectfully report to the General Assembly: That the Record-Book of the Synod of Atlantic placed in their hands has been found to contain eight and one-half pages of printed matter which professedly set forth the transactions of this Synod during a session held in December, 1877; at the end of which printed matter a name appears as that of the stated clerk, as "Attest," but in print only. No written account of the proceedings or of any part of them is found. In the judgment of your Committee, therefore, the record required by our Form of Government (see chap. xi., sec. vi.) has not been sent up for review by the Assembly; what appears to be a copy of their transactions has been placed in the Record-Book. Your Committee could not feel justified if they should recommend the approval of this copy, although on learning from other sources that the printed matter is a copy, they have not questioned its correctness, and have examined carefully what has been sent up in this form. If the transactions of this session of the Synod of Atlantic had been found recorded, your Committee would have recommended their approval with the following important exception: on p. 98 of the Record-Book appears the statement that the minutes, approved by the Assembly of 1876, were, after that endorsement, corrected by the Synod themselves at this session of 1877. Nor are the corrections specified or indicated. Under a sense of the great importance of accuracy in the records of our church judicatories, and of their preservation in written form intact after their examination and endorsement by the Assembly, your Committee, while commending the excellent spirit of devotion and labor apparent in the matter offered for review by this Synod as regards their efforts for the Church and for the elevation of their race, respectfully recommend to the Assembly the adoption of the following resolutions: 1. That the Synod of Atlantic be and hereby are directed to record the minutes of the session of December, 1877, and submit the record to the next General Assembly. 2. That this Synod report to the next Assembly the corrections appearing to have been made to their minutes after their review by the previous Assembly of 1877.-1878, p. 52; anté, p. 196, 2, a. 17. Records should be Kept in Handwriting. The records of the Synod of Iowa were presented in a printed form, and were approved, but the Synod was advised hereafter to keep the same in handwriting.-1883, p. 688. 18. Permission to Present Printed Records: Conditions Prescribed. Overtures from the Synod of Iowa, requesting permission to keep its records hereafter in printed instead of written form; and from the stated clerks of several of the Synods, presenting a similar request, and asking that some uniform plan be adopted for the guidance of the Synods in this matter. The Committee recommends that any Synod, which shall so elect, be authorized to keep its minutes in printed form, and to dispense with written records; provided (1) That such printed minutes be complete and accurate in all details. (2) That they be uniform as to size of page with the minutes of the Assembly. (3) That the copy submitted by each Synod to the Assembly for review be attested by the certificate of the stated clerk of the Synod in writing; and that blank pages be left at the end for recording any exceptions that may be taken. (4) That at least two additional copies of each and every issue be transmitted to the stated clerk of the Assembly, and two deposited in the Library of the Presbyterian Historical Society.-Adopted 1884, p. 75. 19. Absentees must be Recorded. The records of the Synod of Missouri approved, except that there is no record of absentees from the last meeting of the Synod. (See Moore's Digest, p. 199.)-1882, p. 94. 20. The Record must State the Character of a Complaint, and whether Due Notice was given: Papers Adopted must be Recorded. a. The records of the Synod of the Columbia were approved, with the following exceptions: 1. There is no evidence on pp. 216, 218, 221, 224, 243, 264 and 265 that the several sessions were closed with prayer; and on pp. 224 and 265 that they were opened with prayer. 2. That a complaint was received and issued against the Presbytery of Oregon in the usual form, without statement in regard to the character of said complaint. 3. That the records do not show whether notice of said complaint was given to the Presbytery of Oregon, either before its rising or within ten days thereafter. 4. That a report was recommitted to the Committee of Bills and Overtures, and no record is made of its further disposition (p. 261). 5. That the report of the Committee on Home Missions, Indian Affairs, and Church Erection, with recommendations, was adopted, and no record is made of the recommendations, or even upon which, if any, of the three different parts the report was made.-1883, p. 688; anté, p. 195. b. Papers Adopted must be Recorded. The minutes of the Synod of Minnesota were approved, with the following exception: In several instances the written minutes merely state that reports are made, which reports were received and adopted, while the minutes show that such reports contained important recommendations or resolutions.-1884, p. 116. c. Where a Report is Recorded, Record must be Made of the Action taken. The records of the Synod of Missouri were approved, with this exception, to wit: The report of the Standing Committee on Schools and Colleges is entered in full upon the records, pp. 333 to 335, but no action of the Synod with respect to this report is recorded.-1883, p. 688. 21. The Record must be Fair, and without Abbreviations. The records of the Synod of Texas were approved, with this exception, to wit: There are too many abbreviations used in the record of proceedings.— 1883, p. 688. 22. The Minutes should be Read and Approved before Adjournment. a. Exception (to the records of the Synod of Cincinnati) in not approving the minutes of the last day of the meeting of the Synod, held at Cincinnati, Feb. 14, 1878, before their adjournment.-1878, p. 118; ante, p. 198. b. Exception to the records of the Synod of Minnesota: Synod adjourned without the reading and approval of the minutes of the last day of the session.-1884, p. 116. CHAPTER XII. OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. I. THE General Assembly is the highest judicatory of the Presbyterian Church. It shall represent, in one body, all the particular churches of this denomination; and shall bear the title of THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. [See anté, pp. 200-211.] 11. Organization of the Assembly. a. The Rule of 1871 Amended. The Committee recommend that Rule II. of the General Rules for Judicatories be amended by inserting the words "being a commissioner," after the words "the last moderator present," so that it shall read: “If a quorum be assembled at the hour appointed, and the moderator be absent, the last moderator present, being a commissioner, or, if there be none, the senior member present, shall be requested to take his place without delay, until a new election."-Adopted 1880, p. 45; anté, p. 201. b. Standing Orders. 1. The General Assembly meets invariably on the third Thursday of May, annually, at 11 o'clock A. M. 2. The credentials of Commissioners and Delegates are to be presented at a previous hour of the same day, or of the preceding day, according to public notice, to the stated and permanent clerks, acting as a Permanent Committee on Commissions. 3. The Lord's Supper is to be celebrated by the Assembly on the evening of Thursday, the first day of its sessions." 4. The evenings of the days of session are assigned to popular meetings in the following order: The evening of Friday, the second day, to the Sabbath-school interests of the Church. The evening of Monday, the fourth day, to Missions among the Freed men. The evening of Tuesday, the fifth day, to the Home-Mission Work. The evening of Wednesday, the sixth day, to the Foreign-Mission Work. The evening of Friday, the eighth day, to the cause of Temperance. 5. The reports of the standing committees shall be considered at the times herein designated, viz.: Ministerial Relief, Saturday, at 10 o'clock A. M. Home Missions, Tuesday, at 10 o'clock A. M. Aid for Colleges and Academies, Tuesday, at 3 o'clock P. M. Foreign Missions, Wednesday, at 10 o'clock A. M. Publication, Wednesday, at 3 o'clock P. M. Education, second Thursday, at 10 o'clock A. M. 6. That the Standing Committees on Home Missions and Foreign Missions have each two and a half hours; and those on Education, Publication, Church Erection, Ministerial Relief, Freedmen, Temperance and Aid for Colleges, have each one and a half hours. That the secretaries and the chairmen of the standing and special committees be requested to make their statements within the limits of half an hour. 7. The stated clerk shall receive all memorials, overtures and other papers addressed to the General Assembly, shall make record of the same, and then deliver them for distribution or reference to the Standing Committee on Bills and Overtures. 8. All special committees appointed by one General Assembly to report to the next Assembly, shall be ready to present their reports on the second day of the session.-1885, p. 841. 12. General Rules for Judicatories. As amended: Rule ii., 1880, p. 45; Rules vii., xi., xx., xxvi., xxviii., xxix. and xliii., 1885, p. 590. (See also Digest of 1873, pp. 205-208.) I. The moderator shall take the chair precisely at the hour to which the judicatory stands adjourned, and shall immediately call the members to order, and on the appearance of a quorum shall open the session with prayer. II. If a quorum be assembled at the hour appointed, and the moderator be absent, the last moderator present, being a commissioner, or, if there be none, the senior member present, shall be requested to take his place without delay, until a new election. III. If a quorum be not assembled at the hour appointed, any two members shall be competent to adjourn from time to time, that an opportunity may be given for a quorum to assemble. IV. It shall be the duty of the moderator, at all times, to preserve order, and to endeavor to conduct all business before the judicatory to a speedy and proper result. V. It shall be the duty of the moderator carefully to keep notes of the several articles of business which may be assigned for particular days, and to call them up at the time appointed. VI. The moderator may speak to points of order in preference to other members, rising from his seat for that purpose, and shall decide questions of order subject to an appeal to the judicatory by any two members. VII. The moderator shall appoint all committees, except in those cases in which the judicatory shall decide otherwise. In appointing the standing committees, the moderator may appoint a vice-moderator, who may occupy the chair at his request, and otherwise assist him in the discharge of his duties. VIII. When a vote is taken by ballot in any judicatory, the moderator shall vote with the other members; but he shall not vote in any other case, unless the judicatory be equally divided; when, if he do not choose to vote, the question shall be lost. IX. The person first named on any committee shall be considered as the chairman thereof, whose duty it shall be to convene the committee; and in case of his absence or inability to act, the second named member shall take his place and perform his duties. X. It shall be the duty of the clerk, as soon as possible after the commencement of the sessions of every judicatory, to form a complete roll of the members present, and put the same into the hands of the moderator. And it shall also be the duty of the clerk, whenever any additional members take their seats, to add their names, in their proper places, to the said roll. in XI. It shall be the duty of the clerk immediately to file all papers, the order in which they have been read, with proper endorsements, and to keep them in perfect order. The stated clerk shall receive all overtures, memorials and miscellaneous papers addressed to the judicatory; shall make record of the same and deliver them to the Committee on Bills and Overtures for appropriate disposition or reference. This Committee shall have the floor on the reassembling of the judicatory after each adjournment, to report its recommendations as to orders of business or reference of papers, and this right of the committee shall take precedence of the orders of the day. XII. The minutes of the last meeting of the judicatory shall be presented at the commencement of its sessions, and, if requisite, read and corrected. XIII. Business left unfinished at the last sitting is ordinarily to be taken up first. XIV. A motion made must be seconded, and afterward repeated by the moderator, or read aloud, before it is debated; and every motion shall be reduced to writing, if the moderator or any member require it. XV. Any member who shall have made a motion shall have liberty to withdraw it, with the consent of his second, before any debate has taken place thereon; but not afterward, without the leave of the judicatory. XVI. If a motion under debate contain several parts, any two members may have it divided, and a question taken on each part. XVII. When various motions are made with respect to the filling of blanks, with particular numbers or times, the question shall always be first taken on the highest numbers and the longest time. XVIII. Motions to lay on the table, to take up business, to adjourn. and the call for the previous question, shall be put without debate. On questions of order, postponement or commitment, no member shall speak more than once. On all other questions, each member may speak twice, but not oftener, without express leave of the judicatory. XIX. When a question is under debate, no motion shall be received, unless to adjourn, to lay on the table, to postpone indefinitely, to postpone to a day certain, to commit or to amend, which several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they are herein arranged; and the motion for adjournment shall be always in order. XX. An amendment, and also an amendment to an amendment, may De moved on any motion, but a motion to amend an amendment to an amendment, shall not be in order. Action on amendments shall precede action on the original motion. A substitute shall be treated as an amendment. XXI. A distinction shall be observed between a motion to lay on the |