Proposals Regarding N Vi & Constitutional Changes Affecting Committees and Their Functions AND The Incorporation of % the Committee of Reference and Counsel COMMITTEE REPORTS AND DISCUSSION^ v AT GARDEN CITY, NEW YORKX^ 1 ^ £ T, V' *- FOREIGN MISSIONS CONFERENCE OF NORTH AMERICA 25 Madison Avenue, New York v. '\ ) CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES AFFECTING COMMITTEES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS REPORT OF COMMITTEE REV. CORNELIUS H. PATTON, D.D., CHAIRMAN Wednesday Afternoon, January 12, 1916 Mr. Chairman and Brethren : The Committee sent to all the Boards, a few weeks ago, a printed notice of certain amendments to the constitution af¬ fecting our committee system. I hold a copy in my hand. Copies have been placed at the end of each row of seats, and there are additional copies here on the table, if any of you wish for them. To the Boards Represented in the Foreign Missions Conference of North America Boston, Mass., November 29, 1915. Dear Brethren .—At the last Foreign Missions Conference, held in January, 1915, the following action was taken: Resolved, That the question of making any changes in the powers and duties of the Committee on the Home Base and the Committee of Reference and Counsel and in the relation of either or both of them to each other and to the other com¬ mittees of the Conference, be referred to a special commit¬ tee consisting of Dr. Cornelius H. Patton, Dr. Charles R. Watson, Dr. Fred P. Haggard, Dr. John R. Mott, Mr. Harry Wade Hicks and Dr. Arthur J. Brown, this committee to choose its own chairman and to report to the next annual Con¬ ference, advance copies of its report to be mailed to all the Boards represented in the Conference at least six weeks prior to the annual meeting. The Committee appointed to consider this matter has made a careful study of the committee system of the Conference and has reached the conclusion that it will be advantageous to have a General Committee with executive functions, in which not only Reference and Counsel but all other permanent com¬ mittees and Boards of the Conference shall have representa¬ tion, and in which there shall be certain members representing the Conference at large. Some of the considerations leading to this suggestion are as follows: 1. The Reference and Counsel Committee, as standing for 3 the work on the foreign field, is carrying too heavy a load of work, and needs some lightening of its burdens. 2. Through the increase in the number of committees, problems of overlapping and of co-ordination are constantly arising, calling for a committee which shall keep in view the work of the Conference as a whole. 3. Inadequacy of the present plan in view of the expansion of the Conference through the Board of Missionary Prepara¬ tion, and the probability that other Boards and Commissions will arise as we develop the co-operative principle. 4. The desirability of having the program for the annual meeting of the Conference arranged by a committee in touch with the work of all the committees throughout the year. The changes in the constitution which we suggest herewith provide for such a General Committee by adding one para¬ graph to the constitution, and by making certain minor omis¬ sions and alterations in other paragraphs. On account of the number of these minor changes it has been found convenient to rewrite all the sections of the Constitution relating to com¬ mittees. Your Committee on Revision has also considered whether in the development of the Conference the time has not come when we should have the services of a paid secretary who shall devote practically his whole time to the affairs of the Con¬ ference and of its committees. Some believe that the task of co-ordinating and supervising the various functions of the Conference would be greatly facilitated by such an official, and that such an arrangement could be financiered on our pres¬ ent budget. Such a step would not require a change in the constitution but only a new interpretation of the office of sec¬ retary. If however, it is thought best to incorporate the idea in the constitution, it could be done by a slight verbal change in the article on officers, stating that the secretary is to be a salaried executive officer to serve the Conference or its com¬ mittees under the direction of the General Committee. The committee makes no recommendation at present, but in case the Conference desires to take such a step your committee would like to have this statement regarded as a notice of amendment. Fraternally yours, Cornelius H. Patton. Charles R. Watson, Fred P. Haggard, John R. Mott, Harry Wade Hicks, Arthur J. Brown. 4 NOTICE OF AMENDMENT ,1' Notice is hereby given that at the meeting of the Foreign Missions Conference of North America to be held January 11-14, 1916, a resolution will be introduced looking to the amending of the Constitution in the following manner:— For the sections entitled, “Committees,” “Duties of Per¬ manent Committees,” “Committee Reports,” substitute the fol¬ lowing : COMMITTEES The principal work of the Conference shall be done through Committees, whose members shall be chosen, except when ap¬ pointed for temporary service, in three classes, in such a way that the term of one-third of the members shall expire each year. All permanent Committees shall be chosen upon nom¬ ination by the Committee on Nominations, excepting the Com¬ mittee on Nominations itself, which shall be nominated by the Business Committee. The membership of the following permanent Committees shall be as stated: The Committee of Reference and Counsel, 16 members, of whom three shall be laymen; Committee on Home Base, 12; Finance Committee, 5; Committee on Religious Needs of Anglo-American Communities on the Mission Field, 6; Com¬ mittee on Nominations and Credentials, 9. In each case the first person named shall be the convener of the committee but each committee shall elect its own offi¬ cers. Committees shall have the right to fill vacancies ad interim. No member of the Conference shall be eligible for service upon any one of these permanent Committees for more than two full terms, without at least one year’s retirement, reckon¬ ing to begin from the adoption of this measure. Exception may be made to this rule by the unanimous recommendation of the Nominating Committee, unanimously endorsed by the Conference. In addition to the above Committees there shall be a General Committee composed of not less than eighteen members, which shall be regarded as the Executive Committee of the Confer¬ ence. It shall be composed of the- Chairman and Secretary of the Committee of Reference and Counsel, the Chairman and Secretary of the Committee on Home Base, the Chairmen of the Finance Committee, the Committee on the Religious Needs of Anglo-American Communities on the Mission Field, the Committee on Nominations and Credentials, also the Chair- 5 man of the Board of Missionary Preparation, and the Treas¬ urer of the Conference; together with nine other members at large. The Chairmen of any permanent Committees appoint¬ ed by the Conference in the future shall be members of the General Committee. This Committee shall have regular monthly meetings, except during the summer and in those months, when, in the opinion of the Chairman and Secretary, the business does not warrant calling a meeting. Any Chair¬ man of a sub-committee serving on the General Committee when prevented from attending the meetings of the General Committee, may designate as his substitute some other mem¬ ber of his sub-committee, who shall participate in the meeting without vote. The Business Committee of each annual Conference, con¬ sisting of five persons, shall be appointed at the opening ses¬ sion on nomination of the General Committee. Other Com¬ mittees may be appointed from time to time either for per¬ manent or temporary service, as the Conference may direct. DUTIES OF PERMANENT COMMITTEES The duties of the Committee of Reference and Counsel shall relate, in the main, to work on the foreign field and shall include such features as, (a) suggestions in regard to urn occupied fields; (b) negotiations with governments; (c) con¬ sideration of questions arising on the mission field between the missions of different Boards, as they may be referred to it; (d) such other questions as may be referred to it from time to time; (e) original action in cases requiring immedi¬ ate attention and not involving questions of policy regarding which there might be essential differences of opinion. The Committee on Home Base shall consider questions re¬ lating to the cultivation of the home Churches and the rela¬ tions of mission Boards represented in the Conference to in¬ terdenominational agencies, in so far as these agencies concern the home base. The Finance Committee, of which the Treasurer shall be a member, shall submit to the Conference the annual budget and shall be responsible, under the General Committee, for secur¬ ing and disbursing the funds. The Committee on Religious Needs of Anglo-American Communities in Mission Fields shall study the moral and re¬ ligious conditions of such communities in foreign mission lands, report to the Conference the result of their studies, and render in the name of the Conference whatever assistance may be possible in securing and supporting suitable pastors, 6 ) providing appropriate church buildings and in creating a wholesome and intelligent religious life among these com¬ munities. The Committee on Nominations and Credentials shall pre¬ sent annually lists of nominees to fill vacancies in all of the permanent committees except its own, and make nominations in all cases referred to it by the Conference or General Com¬ mittee. It shall also make up the roll of the Conference and consider all questions relating to membership of the same. The General Committee shall act for the Conference in the oversight of the executive officers, in maintaining suitable headquarters, in arranging for the annual meeting, in co¬ ordinating the work of the various sub-committees, and in the consideration of such larger policies and measures as do not fall within the province of any other Committee. The Gen¬ eral Committee shall also act for the Conference ad interim in all matters calling for executive action, in so far as definite authority and power may not have been committed to other regular or special committees. COMMITTEE REPORTS The reports of the permanent Committees, and also of im¬ portant temporary Committees, shall be presented in printed form to all the Boards and Societies that have membership in the Conference, at least four weeks before the assembling of the annual Conference. In preparing its report, each Committee shall consider sep¬ arate topics by themselves, concluding each topic with what¬ ever finding or recommendation it desires to propose. Each topic with resolution or recommendation shall be discussed and disposed of by the Conference before the following topic of the same report is considered, except as may be called for by the Conference. Ample opportunity shall be given for dis¬ cussion, a member of the Conference having a second privilege of the floor upon a single topic only when no other member desires to speak. Every member shall have equal opportunity to speak upon each separate resolution. Cornelius H. Patton, Charles R. Watson, Fred P. Haggard, John R. Mott, Harry Wade Hicks, Arthur J. Brown, Committee. 7 Before asking for action on these amendments, the Com¬ mittee desires me to read a general statement of explanation as to the course we have followed and the reasons leading up thereto. GENERAL STATEMENT OF COMMITTEE It should be borne in mind that the Committee on Revision is acting under definite instructions of the Conference, which instructions were issued after considerable discussion at Gar¬ den City last year. It will be recalled that this question was taken up in a committee meeting and later in a representative group in connection with a luncheon, with the result that the Conference was asked to make the Chairman of the Home Base Committee ex officio a member of Reference and Coun¬ sel ; but, in recognition of the fact that this was not likely to prove adequate, the Conference was further asked to appoint a committee on Revision to report in 1916. It is clear that the Conference expects not only to revise its Constitution, but to do so in a somewhat radical way. Your Revision Commit¬ tee, while realizing this fact, yet sought to suggest changes no more radical than the circumstances warranted. Possibly in the notice sent to the boards they have leaned too far in the direction of conservatism. They discussed the various plans for securing a more representative Executive Committee and favored the plan proposed as on the whole the one most likely to give satisfaction. The printed plan, which we will call the New Plan, is based upon the idea of maintaining, so far as possible, the present committee system, the feeling being that we already have a strong set of committees, several of these having achieved real distinction. It seemed unwise to do away with these dis¬ tinctive and successful groups. The difficulty was considered to be mainly in the lack of a system of coordination and in the inadequacy of the present plan for meeting the growing needs of the Conference. No change whatever was suggested in the work of the following committees: Home Base; Religious needs of the Anglo-American Communities; Nominations; Finance. The Committee of Reference and Counsel, however, is called upon to pass over its purely executive functions to the newly created General Committee and the Committee of Arrangements is merged with this General Committee. It is suggested that the General Committee be constituted in such a way as to make it thoroughly representative of every de¬ partment of work, and yet not in such a way as to entail an unnecessary burden of work upon members of the Confer- 8 $ ence. Upon this theory, representation upon the General Com¬ mittees is given only to Chairmen and Secretaries of certain committees and to Chairmen only of other committees. The arrangement allows nine members of the Conference-at-Large to serve on the General Committee, thus meeting the objec¬ tion, somewhat rife, that the Conference is managed ad interim by a few members mostly from the larger Boards and in the Metropolitan centers. It also brings into the General Com¬ mittee representation from the Board of Missionary Prepara¬ tion and allows for similar representation on the part of Com¬ mittees, Boards or Commissions to be appointed in the future. It will be seen that this is a thorough-going, representative arrangement, formed upon the plan which exists in other or¬ ganizations handling various lines of work. It would seem adequate to meet the four defects in our present plan, which are cited in the covering letter issued by the Revision Com¬ mittee. The plan has been criticized on three grounds, so far as in¬ formation has reached your Committee. (1) It adds unnec-* essarily to the administrative machinery of the Conference by creating an entirely new committee. (2) It deprives Refer¬ ence and Counsel of its leading functions. At this point it is maintained that through the coming into existence of the Edin¬ burgh Continuation Committee, on the one hand, and of the Home Base Committee on the other, comparatively little re¬ mains for Reference and Counsel to do, except what may be called the executive business of the Conference, such as the maintaining of missionary headquarters and kindred lines of work. (3) The new plan requires double service on the part of members of the Conference already carrying too heavy a load of work; that is, they would have to serve not only on the present committees, but also on this new General Committee. In the way of constructive criticism, various alternative plans have been suggested. Foremost among these is the pro¬ position that we should secure a thoroughly representative Ex¬ ecutive Committee by combining Reference and Counsel and Home Base, possibly also the Committee on Arrangements and Finance, in one large Executive Committee of from twenty- one to twenty-eight persons; that this large group should sub-divide along present committee lines for the major part of the work. This alternative plan would certainly give us adequate sys¬ tem of coordination, so far as immediate committees involved are concerned. It would not, however, bring under immedi¬ ate survey several important departments of work, such as the Board of Missionary Preparations; the Commission on Lit- 9 erature which is proposed and the Committee on Anglo-Am¬ erican Communities. Attention should also be called to the fact that the alterna¬ tive plan would in a measure be a reversion to the system which was followed some six or seven years ago, when Ref¬ erence and Counsel was the only General Committee. At that time there was no Home Base Committee and, of course, no Edinburgh Continuation Committee. Practically all large problems coming before the Conference were discussed and presented with recommendations by Reference and Counsel, even matters relating to the securing and qualifying of can¬ didates. It was felt then that this was too large a load for any one committee to carry; and hence, upon the recommen¬ dation of Reference and Counsel, the Home Base Committee was constituted. The development of the functions of the Home Base Committee would seem to have justified its cre¬ ation. It is a question we should have clearly before us wheth¬ er or not we should revert to the plan of former days, and have such a consolidation of functions as the alternative plan would require. In the matter of double service, it seems impossible to avoid a certain amount of extra work on the part of certain mem¬ bers of the Conference if we are to make the Conference ef¬ fective. Under the New Plan double service is required only on the part of those chairmen and secretaries of committees who would become members of the General Committee, viz: 9 persons. Under the alternative plan all members of sub¬ committees would be called upon to do double service, since they would have to attend to the affairs of their sub-com¬ mittees and also meet in the larger group. This would in¬ volve not less than 21 persons. Under the alternative Plan there is also a strong probabil¬ ity that there would be a good deal of threshing over of sub¬ committee work in the larger committee. For instance, if Home Base was simply a sub-committee of Reference and Counsel it would hardly feel like putting into its section of the annual report discussions and recommendations which had not been passed upon by the whole committee. This would involve a double discussion of all leading topics, and hence a waste of time. Under the New Plan Home Base would con¬ tinue its present separate functions, but with the proviso that its Chairman and Secretary, by being members of the Gen¬ eral Committee, should see to it that nothing is done not prop¬ erly coordinated with the work of the other departments of the Conference. What we need is not more discussion, but more coordination. io In the matter of depriving Reference and Counsel of its leading functions, the criticisms have presented quite a new point of view, and, of course, a very important one. Cer^ tainly nothing should be done which relegates Reference and Counsel to a minor position in the administration of the Com ference. Your Committee proceeded on the assumption, which was not challenged at the time, that Reference and Counsel already is overburdened, and that it would have ample scope for a highly important work, in fact by far the most import¬ ant work of the Conference, if it confined itself in the main to questions arising from the administration of the work on the foreign field, including suggestions in regard to unoccu¬ pied fields, negotiations with governments, consideration of questions arising on the mission field between missions of different Boards, questions of efficiency on the field, such questions as may be referred to it from time to time, and original action in cases requiring immediate attention in the sphere of foreign administration. Attention should further be called to the fact that the Al¬ ternative Plan would break up the present committee system, which, aside from the fact of lack of coordination, has proved to be of large worth. As a specification under this, it might be said that the Alternative Plan would weaken the esprite de corps of the present Home Base Committee, which has been built up through several years of faithful and effective ser¬ vice. It could hardly be hoped that any committee like this which becomes a sub-committee of another committee would have quite the incentive and prestige which now exist. It would appear that there is sufficient force in these vari¬ ous considerations, pro and con, to constitute a pretty even balance between the two plans. If, however, the contention is established that Reference and Counsel would be left with¬ out a sufficient task under the New Plan, then the weight of argument would seem to be against such a plan and in favor of some alternative proposition. It has been suggested that under the alternative plan to avoid losing the services of some now serving on the commit¬ tee, and to avoid having too large a Reference and Counsel Committee, the sub-committees might be allowed the privilege of inviting the co-operation of other members of the Confer¬ ence, who should become members of the sub-committees ex-officio on what the English call the co-opting principle. Whether or not this would be an overworking of the co-opting idea should be carefully considered. The only desire of your Committee has been to secure such an effective working basis for our committees as will carry ii the hearty consent of the Conference and of the Boards. Al¬ though it was necessary to go on record with definite propos¬ als of revision in order to bring the subject legally before the conference, we have sought to keep our minds open and to give the conference the benefit of any new light which might come through criticism or further study. Our matured judg¬ ment is that what we have called the Alternative Plan offers, on the whole, more advantages than the other. In the con¬ solidation of committees, however, we would include not only Reference and Counsel and Home Base, but also the Com¬ mittee on Finance and the Committee on Arrangements. We favor maintaining the name, Reference and Counsel for the new committee. We favor maintaining each of the present committees making up the consolidation as a sub-committee of the Reference and Counsel. We also favor the co-opting idea, whereby each sub-committee may invite the co-operation of a certain number of representatives of the Boards not elected to the Reference and Counsel Committee. The simi¬ larity of this plan to the one sent out in print is apparent. It has the advantage, however, of continuing Reference and Counsel as the Executive Committee of the Conference while making it more representative in character. In the carrying out of these ideas, we have prepared the fol¬ lowing articles to our Constitution, which we would like to have presented under proper parliamentary procedure as a substitute for the articles which we recommended to the Boards in the printed notice bearing the date of November 29, 1915. Signed, Cornelius H. Patton, Charles R. Watson, Fred P. Haggard, ' John R. Mott, Harry Wade Hicks, Arthur J. Brown. I will now read the three articles on the committee system which correspond with what we have there called the alter¬ native plan as over against the new plan which you have in print and which I was advised by the Committee to place be¬ fore you for your consideration. ALTERNATIVE PLAN COMMITTEES The Conference shall appoint the following Standing Com¬ mittees and their membership shall be as stated: The Committee of Reference and Counsel [twenty-one] amended to read twenty-seven members. 12 The Committee on Religious Needs of Anglo-American Communities on the Mission Field, six members. The Committee on Nominations and Credentials, nine mem¬ bers. Standing Committees [other than the Committee on Nom¬ inations and Credentials! inserted later, shall be so appointed that the terms of office of one-third of the members of each Committee shall expire each year. No member of the Con¬ ference shall be eligible for continuous service upon any one of the Standing Committees for more than two full terms, except by the unanimous recommendation of the Nominating Committee, unanimously endorsed by the Conference. All Standing Committees shall be chosen upon nomination by the Committee on Nominations, excepting the Committee on Nom¬ inations itself, which shall be [nominated by the Business Committee] changed to read, be appointed by the Chairman of the Conference from members of the Conference in actual attendance; provided, however, that two-thirds of the Com¬ mittee shall consist of persons who were not members of the Committee the previous year. A Business Committee of each annual Conference, consist¬ ing of [five] amended to read seven persons, shall be appoint¬ ed at the opening session on nomination of the Committee of Reference and Counsel. Other Committees may be appointed from time to time, as the Conference may direct. DUTIES OF COMMITTEES The Committee of Reference and Counsel shall act for the Conference in the oversight of the executive officers, in main¬ taining suitable headquarters, in arranging for the annual meeting, in coordinating the work of the various Committees, Boards.and Commissions of the Conference, and in the con- * sideration of policies and measures relating to foreign mis¬ sionary interests both at the home base and on the foreign field, in so far as these have not been specially committed to some other Committee. The Committee of Reference and Counsel shall also act for the Conference ad interim in all matters calling for executive action, in so far as definite authority and power may not have been committed to other regular or special committees. The Committee of Reference and Counsel shall have the right to appoint as members of any of its sub-committees, co-operating members chosen from the Conference or from the Boards composing the Conference or their constituencies, but such co-operating members shall not thereby become members of the Committee of Reference and Counsel. 13 For the sake of efficiency and convenience in the adminis¬ tration of its work, the Committee of Reference and Counsel may appoint sub-committees and delegate work to them along the following main lines: (a) Foreign Affairs: including negotiations with govern¬ ments, consideration of questions arising on the mission field between the missions of different Boards, as they may be re¬ ferred to it, proposals and suggestions in regard to unoccu¬ pied fields and original action in cases requiring immediate at¬ tention and not involving questions of policy regarding which there might be essential differences of opinion. (b) Home Base: including questions relating to the culti¬ vation of the home Churches and the relations of mission Boards represented in the Conference to interdenominational agencies, in so far as these agencies concern the home base. (c) Finance: including the preparation of an annual bud¬ get to be submitted to the Conference, the general oversight of the funds of the Conference, and all necessary co-operation with the Treasurer of the Conference in the securing and dis¬ bursing of funds. (d) Arrangements: including making the arrangements for the annual meeting of the Conference. The Committee on Religious Needs of Anglo-American Communities in Mission Fields shall study the moral and re¬ ligious conditions of such communities in foreign mission lands, report to the Conference the result of their studies, and render in the name of the Conference whatever assistance may be possible in securing and supporting suitable pastors, pro¬ viding appropriate church buildings dnd in creating a whole¬ some and intelligent religious life among these communities. The Committee on Nominations and Credentials shall pre¬ sent [annually], was omitted later, lists of nominees to fill vacancies in all of the permanent committees except its own, * and make nominations in all cases referred to it by the Con¬ ference or by the Committee of Reference and Counsel. It shall also make up the roll of the Conference and consider all questions relating to membership of the same. COMMITTEE REPORTS The reports of the permanent Committees, and also of im¬ portant temporary Committees, shall be presented in printed form to all the Boards and Societies that have membership in the Conference, at least four weeks before the assembling of the annual Conference. In preparing its report, each Committee shall consider sep¬ arate topics by themselves, concluding each topic with what- 14 ever finding or recommendation it desires to propose. Each topic with resolution or recommendation shall be discussed and disposed of by the Conference before the following topic of the same report is considered, except as may be called for by the Conference. Ample opportunity shall be given for dis¬ cussion, a member of the Conference having a second privilege of the floor upon a single topic only when no other member desires to speak. Every member shall have equal opportunity to speak upon each separate resolution. I feel quite sure there are no glaring defects in this con¬ stitution ; that is, that it does carry out the ideas which we had laid before us. As a matter of procedure, Mr. Chairman, in that we have served formal notice that these printed recommendations would come before you, I move that we amend our constitu¬ tion by substituting for the present articles on Committees, Duties of Permanent Committees, and Committee Reports, the articles on those subjects presented to the Boards in print and bearing the date of November 29, 1915; and if that is seconded before the Conference, I would like them to offer a substitute, namely, this new series of articles which I have just read. The Chairman: Is the motion seconded; that is, the mo¬ tion that proposes the amendments as they are in the printed documents ? Dr. de Schweinitz : I will second the motion. The Chairman : The motion is seconded, and these amend¬ ments are now before you for your action. Dr. Patton : Mr. Chairman, I would like now, at the re¬ quest of the Committee, to move to amend the motion by sub¬ stituting for these three articles, for this report in print, the articles which I have just read and which are called the new plan. The Chairman : Is there a second to the proposal to amend ? Dr. Haggard : Second the motion. The Chairman: Dr. Haggard seconds the motion. This brings before you then the new plan or the revised plan, whichever you call it. Dr. Patton : I call it the new plan. A Delegate : The alternate plan. Dr. Patton : The alternate plan; you are right. George Drach : I rise to a point of order on this substi¬ tute amendment. Is it in order to present a matter of this sort without giving us previous notice ? The Chairman: I should say that it would be a simpler matter to propose this as a substitute instead of as an amend- 15 ment. I believe that it would be wise to have it presented as a substitute. Dr. Patton : I would be glad to make that change. The Chairman: As to the second question, if I am asked for a ruling on that—do I understand that to be desired? Mr. Drach : Yes; I ask for a ruling of the chair on that, if it isn’t necessary in a matter of a radical change like this to give us all one month’s notice in writing? The Chairman: I should rule on that point that the modi¬ fications that have been presented under the constitution and communicated to the Boards are the modifications that are before you for your action; but being before you for your action, modifications of those proposed amendments are en¬ tirely in order. Dr. Mott : Mr. Chairman, might we not now hear the whole alternative plan read again? It will save time, I think. The Chairman: The reading of the alternate plan is called for. Mr. Patton will read it again. Dr. Patton : Article on committees. The Conference shall appoint the following standing committees, and their mem¬ bership shall be as stated: (Dr. Patton reads alternative plan.) Dr. Mott : Mr. Chairman, is it in order to propose amend¬ ments of details at this moment? The Chairman : It depends on how far it would go. I should think it would be proper. Dr. Mott : The alternate plan proposes that the new Com¬ mittee of Reference and Counsel be composed of twenty-one persons. I would move that we substitute the number 24 ior 21. If this is seconded, I will give the reason in a word. (Motion seconded.) Dr. Mott : The reason in a word is that, in view of the volume of work with which this large committee will have to deal—that is, in the light of actual experience; and in view of the new plan, calling for possibly a wider sub-division even than we now have, we shall doubtless need more in this cen¬ tral group than 21. I recognize that increasing it to 24 is only a slight increase—in some ways I wish it might be even longer—but I feel this will be advantageous. I am not un¬ mindful of the principle that is proposed of coopting other members, but when I think of the sub-committee organization of our present Committee of Reference and Counsel, I doubt very much whether we could man as many committees as we are called upon to man from time to time with twenty-one, even availing ourselves of this principle of cooption. i a The Chairman : The question will be on the amendment, substituting for twenty-one, twenty-four. Are you ready? A Delegate : May I ask—do I understand there are now two motions before us that the amendment proposes to com¬ prise in this Committee of Reference and Counsel, twenty- four, instead of twenty-one? Dr. John Fox: I have some hesitation and am speaking rather because I hope that what I may say will give someone courage and time to say something better than I could hope to say offhand on so elaborate a set of proposals as we have just had laid before us. It seems to me an unheard of pro¬ ceeding in any body of this kind—it may be perfectly regular —I have no disposition to question it; but imagine a body un¬ dertaking to amend a constitution that carried any serious significance, the committee reporting a set of amendments which had been printed, and then substituting something which they had considered at the last minute was better than what they proposed, and then asking the body to adopt it without having the opportunity for any reflection whatever. It would seem to me that there is a very strong pro and con for both of these proposals and that the very least that could be done to safeguard our actions, to prevent us from taking action under the leadership of the highly respected and honorable Committee, what we may afterwards regret, just as they re¬ gretted what they first proposed to us, that the least we can do is to have it before us or at least have a few minutes to reflect before we vote. Now, I hear people saying here—I have had the unwelcome task a good many times of dissent¬ ing a little, and I venture to say—(laughter)—I hesitate to, because I do not feel it is strictly the business of the Bible Society. I speak not as a Presbyterian member, though I am that. I want it understood I am not speaking for the Presby¬ terian Board at all. We are here because in a certain limited* way we can be very useful to you; and in a very much larger way we can be of use to you in the Bible Society. But still we have, by the grace of the Conference, been conceded equal standing on the floor, and I think that obligates us to say at least what we think. Is it wise, when your Committee has brought you two reports really, the one a little prior to the other, these twin reports—which is Jacob? Which is Esau?— to vote upon them without time for reflection? That is my first point. The second one is this— The Chairman: I was about to say, if you will allow me, Dr. Fox, that that question about Jacob and Esau is a strictly Bible Society question. Dr. Fox: Now the second point is this: Both of these sets 17 of changes are all in a line with tlie change which has come over the Conference since I first knew it 15 or 20 years ago. We then led the simple life, but now we have the complexity of the 20th century. It is not for me, being only a Bible So¬ ciety secretary, and needing to be set straight even about the Bible, to say that it isn’t wise. But I think, brethren, there are 'people in the Conference who are less bold than I am, and who say privately what they perhaps will not say publicly, that they question the wisdom of the whole business from beginning to end; that in place of the old beautiful fellow¬ ship and questions that we could usually agree upon, but which we needed mutual information about, we have now a third estate in the missionary world. This is a powerful body that you are forming, and the inevitable effect of the changes which are proposed will be in the end, I assume, to excite seri¬ ous misgivings in the minds of a good many people as to whether it does not defeat the purpose for which the Con¬ ference was originally held. There is also another body outside of the missionary circles—I mean outside of the group of specialists of which we are supposed to compose a part,—the people in the churches, who do not know what we are doing in Garden City. There are no publications which enable them to know. But if this Conference, in place of being what its name implies, is really to be a very complicated net work of boards,—and that is what we are developing,— the time will come when it ought to be published and when the people ought to know; and I am sure a good many people will feel this way: that the control of the missions is being slowly removed, unintentionally, from the hands of those who are charged before God with their conduct, and put into the hands of those who, though they do not mean to be, are ir¬ responsible in any serious way for the way in which they con¬ duct them. I only express my own judgment. I know there are others who feel as I do. They might not perhaps express it as I have expressed it. But I ask you, brethren, if it is not worth while to wait until you have at least in print before you exactly what is proposed. The Chairman : May I say one word, if you will allow the Chair, in reference to the ruling which has been called, for. It is a ruling on a very delicate and difficult matter. I think it only fair to the Conference that I .should give in a word my reason for ruling as I did. A really good- chairman never interprets his own rulings, but we are here as a Conference and I wish you to understand what has moved me to make this ruling. The subject matter that was given as I heard it in the alternative plan is substantially the subject matter that 18 % is in the first plan. There is nothing new except in the order of relationships. Therefore the second or the alternative plan is distinctly the first plan readjusted in ways that seem to the movers of the substitute rather more effective than the first plan. It seemed to me entirely germane to the first, and a matter really of readjustment, and therefore before you in an Entirely proper way. I think it is due you to know that that is the consideration in my mind. One other fact before you is that you must not fail to re¬ member, that nobody has taken any action whatever on the printed plan. If that had come to you here under constitu¬ tional provisions with boards having acted upon it, and had been handed down to you to take coordinate or supplemental action to the action of your constituent bodies, it would be entirely improper to rule as I have ruled; but, as a matter of fact, all that your constitution has called for is that notice of these proposed changes—it does not even say that the pro¬ posed changes in exact form shall be placed before the boards, but notice of the proposed changes shall be given in writing to the boards, with no requirement of action in any way by them. Because of these two facts, it seemed to me entirely proper to rule as I have ruled. Mr. John W. Wood: Mr. Chairman: My agreement with Dr. Fox is so complete that I very sincerely regret that every¬ thing he said seemed to be quite out of order. He said it very well, much better than I could undertake to say it; but it seemed to me that the immediate matter before us is the question as to whether or not a certain proposition made in this Alternative Plan should be amended. If we can get a vote upon that, then I would like to find some way, as I have been waiting to find some way to bring up that large question which Dr. Fox has brought up. While I am on my feet, may I venture to say, while not proposing to be learned at all in parliamentary law, I should have to disagree with the ruling of the Doctor in regard to the introduction of this alternative form. I think it is also true that while boards may not have acted upon the originally proposed plan, that certain groups of officers of boards, knowing that they would be here and would have to act for their board, have, as is the case with our own board, considered this matter and made up their minds with regard to it. Therefore, to bring before us on very short notice something that is, if not entirely different, at all events, in some respects very radically different, seems to me hardly in accordance with the procedure provided for by the constitution of the Foreign Missions Conference. If we can 19 get a vote on the pending question, Mr. Chairman, I would like to find a way of bringing the matter up. Mr. Drach : Mr. Chairman, is a motion to refer in order? The Chairman: We are acting on the amendment. Mr. Drach : I know there is a motion to amend, but I ask is a motion to refer in order? The Chairman: To refer what, sir? Mr. Drach : The whole substitute. The Chairman: I think not, under the motion to amend. Mr. Drach: Is there a motion to refer the whole subject? The Chairman: To refer the whole subject? You have no rules of order here, and I don’t know what your precedent is. Mr. Drach : I should like to move, Mr. Chairman, that we refer the substitute plan—not the original, but the substitute plan—that we refer the substitute plan to the boards for their consideration, and bring it up again next year for their action. Motion seconded by Mr. John W. Wood. Mr. Drach : We can act on the printed report, as we have it before us. I think it will be the wiser procedure if we will refer this substitute to the boards for their consideration, and then act upon it next year; because this is a radical change. We want to be very careful how we proceed in this matter, and we cannot intelligently act on it on the spur of the mo¬ ment. I think my motion is in order, that we refer the sub¬ stitute amendment that has been proposed to the boards for their consideration. Dr. Swift : I doubt if you can refer a substitute that has not been substituted. I am quite confident this substitute must be voted upon and made a substitute. There is nothing before us until it has been adopted. The Chairman: I think the point of order is well taken. And I believe that you have before you for your considera¬ tion now the amendment proposed by Dr. Mott. Dr. Wolf : Mr. Chairman, I do not mean to agree to what was said here in regard to reference. What I mean to call your attention to and upon which I desire you to rule is as to whether this body is not competent, sir, to refer the matter back to the Committee; and if it is referred back to the Com¬ mittee, then we can wait? The Chairman: Is there further comment or discussion of the amendment to substitute 24 for 21 ? Dr. Barton: Mr. Chairman, may I rise to a point of order? Have we the substitute before this Conference as yet? There has been no motion to accept the substitute. 20 The Chairman : The motion has been made that the sub¬ stitute—a motion for a substitute to the original motion. Dr. Barton : Did the Conference accept the substitute for the original motion? Chairman North : It has been moved. Dr. George Heber Jones : The record is that Dr. Barton presented and moved this substitute, which was seconded by Dr. Haggard, and that we entered into a discussion of it. In the course of the discussion Dr. Mott moved the amendment, and we are in process of perfecting the substitute before it is up before us for action either pro or con. Mr. Drach : That is precisely the position I was taking; therefore, I believe my motion to refer is in order. (Calls for the previous question.) The Chairman: I think you are ready to vote upon the amendment, because that is not a very substantial part of the substitute. It is a matter of adjustment, and we will clear that off first. Dr. Jones: To straighten out that matter: The secretary understood that Mr. Draoh made his motion to refer the sub¬ stitute to the boards, which was seconded. A ruling was called for from the chair, and the chair ruled that such an action was not in order at this time. So the record stands that way. The Chairman: That is what was done. Mr. E. T. Colton: I would like the privilege of asking if someone representing the Committee will give us clearly a statement pointing out the change effected by the alternate upon the printed statement, that we may know the grounds upon which the proposed change is made. The Chairman: I think that would be a very proper ques¬ tion, if you will dispose of this motion. If you do not wish to substitute 24 for 21, you can vote that down. (Calls for question.) The Chairman : As many as favor Dr. Mott’s amend¬ ment, which is that 24 be the number instead of 21, constitut¬ ing the Committee of Reference and Counsel, as provided for in the substitute, will say Aye. (Responses of “Aye.”) Opposed, No. (Responses of “No.”) It is carried and becomes a part of the substitute. Now your further pleasure. Dr. Swift: I would like to ask this question: Would it be proper at this stage for the Chairman to appoint a committee of nine out of. this body, including some from the Committee of Reference and Counsel and Home Base Committee, men he 21 sees before him competent for this work, to refer this whole matter with instructions to report as soon as possible, either tomorrow morning or Friday morning, and to include in that report whether the whole matter should be left under the procedure that we have had in past years, or be referred to the boards and report next year. Dr. Goucher: May I say, Mr. Chairman, my judgment is that it is not so necessary that we pass this motion or report, as it is that we continue to agree on procedure. There is evi¬ dently a good deal of question, not necessarily opposition, and this could be removed no doubt by further consideration. I do not agree with the last suggestion made, to put it into new hands. They would have to go over a very large area in order to come to the knowledge that is already possessed by the committees that have considered it so wisely. Therefore, sir, I desire to move that the report be recommitted. (Motion seconded.) I will say that if in their judgment they desire to report tomorrow, it will be competent to do so, If in their judgment it will be wise to postpone it for a year, they are at liberty to do so. I therefore move without time simply a motion to recommit. The Chairman: May I ask Dr. Goucher what is included in his motion? Dr. Goucher: To recommit, Mr. Chairman, everything that is before the house, I understand. I moved the previous ques¬ tion on the substitute; that would necessarily carry everything with it. My proposal is to recommit everything before the house. The Chairman: Is there a second to Dr. Goucher’s mo¬ tion ? (Motion seconded.) It is moved and seconded that the amendment be recom¬ mitted. Dr. Watson : Is that debatable ? The Chairman: I think it is. Dr. Watson : I would like to raise the question of the value of this. I happen to be one of the unfortunate members whose names are signed to the original report; and if time will pro¬ duce any greater results, I certainly would be favorable to having more time given. But I really do not see where we* are going to get any more light unless we get it right out of this body now or at some appointed time in the program. There are no persons that we need to consult other than those that are here. We have endeavored to consult everyone that we could get to in his relation to a committee that is af- 22 fected by it in anything like a vital way. Now this Commit¬ tee has been at work for a year trying to gather together dif¬ ferent views,—not actively, of course, all the year, but you will recall that a year ago we had—if my mind is at all cor¬ rect in its recollections—as much as five solid hours of con¬ ferences of committees and groups of committees on this ques¬ tion. Furthermore, there was a committee meeting that draft¬ ed the printed report that was sent out. Naturally there were echoes that came in: This thing did not seem suitable, that thing did not seem practicable. It was our duty as your ser¬ vants to gather together those suggestions and endeavor to bring them into a shape that would satisfy the critics of the first proposal; and that is all that the second proposal has in it. It simply is the first proposal with those changes that are made in order to meet the criticisms of the first proposal that came echoing back to us between the time that it was sent out and the time of this meeting ; and naturally it was impos¬ sible to get together and formulate remedies for all these faults th^t had been found in the proposal, until the time that men were coming together for this Conference. So that it is nat¬ urally in this form that we have it. I wish we had it in type¬ written form or in printed form, and it may be possible for us to get it that way before you before the Conference is finished; but this was our place in the program to present it, and we wanted light-and discussion on it. We cannot make headway, unless we get more light; and rather than recommit it, it seems to me that we ought here this afternoon just to discuss it in its large and central way. Now I wish that we might by some process get at the very centre of the discussion instead of dealing with details. I believe that Dr. Fox, who has spoken, represents one view of this Conference; and there is the other view of the Conference. One can think of this Conference as it was in the early days when we did live the simple life. I have not been a member of the Conference long, but I have been a member long enough to note the difference, the change that has taken place. It was a simple life. It was a little bit like an African palaver—and I was born in Africa—and it is al¬ together a delightful form of gathering,—a general discussion of things, without any action, without responsibility and with¬ out the formulating of plans and policies for execution. But some way or other we have drifted away from that. We have a great body of activities here that are being presented, and you applaud them and you appreciate them and you say they are worth while. Well, now, you simply cannot have these activities, as far as some of us see, unless you have the com- 23 ’ • mittees that will take care of them. Some of us feel that we do need to have definition, that there is danger of things run¬ ning away with too much authority; but it is just the definition that we want. We are bound to have committees. An unde¬ fined committee is a dangerous thing. When we bring in definitions, we want to have them considered, therefore we set the thing frankly before you all. We do not want to spring any change here. We do not want to force a judgment. We all want to come together in agreement as to what we are going to make out of this Conference as we face some re¬ sponsibilities that come with great opportunities. Just think of it financially. Our budget ten years ago was about $2,500. This last year we were administering $70,000. It is there; you cannot eliminate it. It is there, and you must mark the channels that will carry these things and that will hold them with safety. That is why I plead against a recommital and for an open clear discussion here this afternoon or at some other time in the program. The Chairman : It is my duty to say to you that the order of the day has come and is long past, a most important order. It will be for the Conference (to say whether it will continue this discussion. , Dr. Bartholomew : Is this suggestion in order: Will it not be possible to have it printed? If I had it in Philadelphia I could have it printed tomorrow morning. I understand there is a big printing establishment right in Garden City. Isn’t it possible to have it printed? Dr. Jones : I do not know, Mr. Chairman. We can in¬ quire in regard to that and find out immediately and let the Conference know. Dr. Bartholomew : I will take it to Philadelphia. Chairman North : The status of the question is that a motion to recommit is before you. Are you ready for that motion ? (Question called for.) Chairman North : As many as will recommit the report with the substitute to the Committee for its further action, will say Aye. (Responses of “Aye.”) Opposed, No. (Responses of “No.”) I think there were more Ayes and louder Nos. (Rising vote called for.) As many as are in favor of recommitting will please rise and be counted. (Members rise and are counted.) Be seated, please. As many as are opposed to recommittal, will please rise. (Members rise and are counted.) I think »there is no doubt about it. The motion to recommit 24 is lost by a vote of 50 to 27. I should add that you are not only louder, but more numerous. Dr. Jones: Mr. Chairman, I was going to ask if it might not be well, if it is the sense of the body to continue the dis¬ cussion, to move that the time be extended. Dr. Haggard: I was going to make the motion for future discussion or extension of time. It seems to me that we could have a little time to talk of it privately or discuss it later. I would move, therefore, that either this Committee be asked to arrange with the Business Committee for a future hour, or that the Business Committee be asked to arrange for a future hour, whichever to the chair would seem best, and to report tonight or at a later hour. I make that motion. The Chairman: Do I understand you desire to lay this whole report on the table? Dr. Haggard : I move that the matter be laid upon the table until tomorrow morning, the Business Committee to ar¬ range in the meantime an hour. The Chairman: Is there any second to that motion? Dr. Jones: Mr. Chairman, it should be the Committee of Arrangements. They have the control of the program. Dr. Haggard: Yes; the Committee of Arrangements. (Motion seconded.) Dr. Haggard : It seems to me better to do that than to ex¬ tend the time, because we are not now in a position to dis¬ cuss it. The Chairman : I think the motion is fully understood, that the whole subject be laid upon the table to be taken up by suggestion of the Committee of Arrangements at some time tomorrow morning for further consideration. (Motion put.) Dr. Endicott : Mr. Chairman, I believe there is a misun¬ derstanding. The Chairman : What is it? Dr. Endicott : I think it is a misunderstanding on the part of the other folk. It is this: If we had carried the motion to recommit, sir, the question would be now in the hands of that committee and they could bring it back here again at any time. Now, we clearly indicated our wish not to recommit. That is clear enough, an overwhelming vote. But the effect of this is to recommit, and not to recommit so effectively. The Chairman: The Conference will recall that whatever reference is made is to the Committee of Arrangements and not to the Committee presenting the report, and the report is on the table. Will you take it from the table? 25 Dr. Endicott : All I meant was, I believe the friends did not quite understand. If it had been recommitted to that Committee, that Committee could do some effective work in the interim and bring it up here; but if it is referred to them, it is simply recommitted as far as this Conference is concerned to be brought up dc novo again with the same old mixup we have this afternoon. I think if the friends had been wisely instructed by somebody—(A few words inaudible because of laughter). The Chairman: There again I must remind you that you must always consider the habitat of the speaker. Dr. Arthur J. Brown : Inasmuch as there is a very care¬ fully prepared special program on unoccupied fields, occupy¬ ing the entire forenoon, which it would be a great pity to break into, would not Dr. Haggard make that afternoon in¬ stead of forenoon ? The Chairman: I presume Dr. Haggard will interpret that as applying to leaving it to the Committee of Arrange¬ ments to introduce it at the proper time tomorrow. Dr. Haggard : Provided it does not take away any time from the Home Base Committee. The Chairman: You have disposed of it temporarily at least, and it is on the table, and the Committee of Arrange¬ ments will plan for the re-introduction of the business. The item before us is the report of the Committee of Ref¬ erence and Counsel. Thursday Afternoon The Chairman: It is not perfectly easy to come out of such hours as we had together this morning, and deal with the practical details of our administrative work. But as you share with me in my own convictions you will feel that it is just as holy a thing to shape the resolutions and provide com¬ mittee organizations as it is to study what we did this morn¬ ing. If we can take the lessons that were given us and “see the face of Jesus Christ on the map” we ought to see the face of Jesus Christ in every resolution or printed report that comes before us for our consideration. I am not here to preach, but I am here to say that unless we can come in that spirit in dealing with all these matters that come to us in this and every other conference, it seems to me that we have not gotten into the depth of His purpose and are not willing to ally ourselves with His will. So my prayer has been that we shall not let down to a lower level as we come to this afternoon but that 26 we shall feel that God is just as really guiding us now as we feel He was guiding us by His spirit in the early part of this day. May God grant that this may be so. In the program presented to us by the Committee of Ar¬ rangements this is the proper time to consider the report pre¬ pared by Dr. Patton that was laid upon the table to be taken up when the printed matter was before you and the Com¬ mittee ready to report. If it be your mind, that this is the suitable time, let us take from the table the subject laid there yesterday. Dr. Haggard: I so move; (this was agreed to.) The Chairman : What we have before us is the report of the Committee on changing the Constitution, and under that the substitute matter which was under discussion, the motion being that the substitute be adopted. That matter is now be¬ fore you. I presume that you will wish first to hear from Dr. Patton. Dr. Patton : I hope each member may have a copy of the printed report of the Alternative Plan. If you think the age of miracles has passed, I want to call attention to the fact that we put that rather scrubby manuscript in the hands of Mr. Fahs, and in two hours’ time he had it back in print right here in Garden City. The Committee have asked me to make a few statements to get this before you. To a large extent this is not a revis¬ ion nor a change at all. It is all old material. The changes are not nearly so formidable as you imagine. It is much easier to get these amendments by asking you for a substitute in¬ stead of asking you item by item. But in putting it to you, we had to reprint a large part of our constitution under these three heads, “Committees,” “Duties of Committees,” and “Com¬ mittee Reports.” We might call attention to the amount of old material involving no change whatever. COMMITTEES “Standing committee shall be so appointed that the terms of office of one-third of the members of each committee shall expire each year, etc.” Here only a few verbal changes have been made by way of making a little more plain the principle of rotation in office. Practically it has been the principle we have been working upon. The paragraph having to do with the Business Committee is absolutely the same as we have always had. Instead of having a Committee of Arrangements this Committee work has been assigned to the Committee of Reference and Counsel, for reasons which will appear later on. The granting of executive power to the Committee of Refer- 27 ence and Counsel some seem to think is something new. That has been our executive Committee for six or seven years and the Committee of Reference and Counsel has been acting fully within its powers in all these things, following definite instruc¬ tions of the Conference. We have adopted word by word the present constitutional provision. “The Committee of Reference and Counsel shall also act for the Conference ad interim in all matters calling for ex¬ ecutive action, in so far as definite authority and power may not have been committed to other regular or special com¬ mittees.” The definition of the duties of the sub-committee of Refer¬ ence and Counsel on “Foreign Afifairs,” is word by word from our present constitution, defining the powers of Reference and Counsel, except that it does not include the executive state¬ ment, but that is exactly your definition today of the Com¬ mittee of Reference and Counsel. This will be a sub-Com- mittee of the Committee of Reference and Counsel. The definition of the duties of the Home Base is word by word from our present constitution. The duties of the Finance Committee is practically the same. We simply retain what we have always done. Then the Committee on the Religious Needs of Anglo-American Communities in Mission Fields, is word for word as it was. The Committees on Nominations and Credentials we have combined. We thought we might save a little unnecessary machinery in that way. Then in the matter of Committee reports that is word by word as you have it in this present constitution, except that we have omit¬ ted the opening sentence which limits all reports to fifteen minutes, except the Reference and Counsel which has thirty. That has not been followed in recent years. Now what have we done in the way of change? Someone said we ought to go back to the earliest days. In the early days we had only general committees, Home and Foreign Committees and the like, and we are going back to that, hav¬ ing one general committee so as to coordinate everything, but we are making that Committee much more representative and larger than it was. More of the boards can have represen¬ tation than has been the case in some time. We find a call for that. That is the only change of any moment that we are t making. We are not adding a single new power to any com¬ mittee. We are simply bringing together existing committees into a representative group which you will elect and which shall have to report to you. I do not know, Mr. Chairman, as I need to make any fur- 28 ther explanations. There are other members of the committee who are quite as familiar with the matter as I am. We shall be glad to have frank discussion of it. I think there is great danger of thinking it is more radical and mysterious than it really is. The Chairman : The matter is now before you for dis¬ cussion. Mr. Drach : I have been thinking of these changes in the constitution. Last night while I lay awake where I could hear the splash and clatter of the rain, and the throbbing of the engine, as it were the pulse beat of the hotel, and through¬ out the morning hours, I have thought much of these matters. I represent only a small board. I am, as it were, following in the great procession far behind, perhaps now and then uttering a bark or probably a snarl, but I want to be some¬ where in the procession. I think that we ought to refresh our memory a little. Mem¬ ory is an odd chap that plays us funny tricks sometimes. I think we have passed the cross-roads and we have gone off on a side road and it is time for us to come back to the cross¬ roads. What I mean is this, that we had in the beginning a very different ideal for this Foreign Mission Conference than we have today, and I am convinced that there are grave dang¬ ers in making the Conference so such more and more execu¬ tive and legislative. I think the responsibilities and the duties of executive work may be relegated to the off-shoots of the Conference like the Laymen’s Missionary Movement, the Mis¬ sionary Education Movement, the Board of Missionary Pre¬ paration. But the Conference as a Conference ought, I be¬ lieve, to remain purely and distinctly a deliberative body, a body that considers the great problems of Missions and that seeks instructions and inspiration such as we got this morning. There was a time when we of the smaller bodies felt more at home than we do now. We were not asked “What do you represent?” or “How much money do you represent?” I think that the value of the fellowship of this Conference was that though we felt ourselves small, the big men did not treat us as small men. I fear me that there is in the Conference something of our “Modern” spirit. It is growing in this Con¬ ference and it ought not to grow, this right of the bigger man over the smaller man, of the bigger nation over the smaller nation instead of the privilege and the obligation of the big¬ ger men to help the smaller men and the privilege of the big¬ ger nation to help the smaller nation—these are matters about which we should give more thought in this Conference. There was where we small men felt our joy and privilege and op- 29 portunity in this Conference, that we were looked upon as those who were to be helped and we did receive help, and we hope to receive help from this Conference. One more step, and that is the incorporation of this Com¬ mittee of Reference and Counsel, and you have gone entirely too far as a Foreign Mission Conference, and the day may come, I hope it never will come, when there will be apart from this Conference some other Conference. I hope it will never come, but you can push this too far. Let the Confer¬ ence remain as it has been, remain a deliberative Conference when we come together for fellowship and discussion of great problems. As far as this Alternative Plan is concerned it means that everything shall be concentrated in the Committee of Refer¬ ence and Counsel. The Committee of Reference and Counsel appoints all the other committees; all the other committees re¬ port to it. The whole thing is relegated into the hands of one Committee. There is no distribution of duties. These Com¬ mittees will not report to the Foreign Mission Conference; they will report to 'the Committee on Reference and Counsel. I think there is great danger in that. I think it was a wise step when we took certain duties from the Committee of Refer¬ ence and Counsel and delegated them to the other committees. I am against this Alternative Plan. I am going to vote for the original motion. These two propositions are diametrically opposed. Someone said to me some time ago that the Confer¬ ence is getting to be a Conference rather of a little group of men. I think that is true. I think it is not a necessary evil. It is a good thing in some respects to have prominent and strong leaders, and I am willing to be a follower of them, but I do believe there are many men in this Conference to whom duties can be referred who will prove faithful and intelligent servants of this Missionary Convention, and it will be a wise thing for us not to adopt this Alternative Plan. The next thing will be the incorporation of this committee. It will be better that we distribute our duties or increase the committees to such an extent that almost all of us, not ten out of the whole number of delegates, or twenty only, but almost all of us will have something to do in connection with the work of this Conference. Dr. Patton : The Committee on Nominations will be held up until we reach some decision in this matter. They will want to know on what basis to make nominations. The Chairman: I will give Dr. Good, who now has the floor all the time he wants, but for the remainder of our ses- 30 sion I would like to raise the question as to whether or not we shall limit the time that an individual may speak. Dr. Swift: I move five minutes for the first speech and two minutes for the second one, should the same person speak twice. (Voted.) Dr. Good : I do not want to talk more than five minutes. I rise to be an objector, which I very rarely do. I remember in the early days of this Conference that they wanted criti¬ cism. I am ready to be the critic. I do not like this plan for the reason that it resolves this Conference into a Committee, a Conference run by a Committee. You have one committee reporting to another committee and a committee reporting back. What is the use of the rest of the Conference? That is the issue. Now the point I raise is this. This Conference has been running very smoothly. I have no criticism to make of the leaders of the Conference, except that unconsciously they have gotten into this groove and you have very much the same men on committees all the time. We have splendid leaders, but how about the rest? I know one board that has been in this Conference almost since the beginning and has never had a member on any prominent committee. I heard a rumor today—I do not know whether I should mention it— that about one-half the boards have not 'been represented on the committee. Mr. President, it seems to me there is a very vital point at stake in the position of this Conference. Are you going to make it a committee Conference, or a Conference —a spontaneous Conference? There ought to be some oppor¬ tunity for the Conference itself to do its appointing of com¬ mittees somewhere. Another would be that the spontaneity and freedom and democracy of the early Conference—those were simple days, but they were delightful days—should be preserved. We do not wish the sort of a close corporation such as you are beginning to make here. That may be neces¬ sary, but I do have objection to repressing the spontaneity of this Conference by running it as a machine. Mr. James Wood: When the subject of incorporation was under consideration the statement was made that it would be desirable to defer action until next year in order that there might be consideration and a statement as to the object and purpose of the Conference. I do not remember whether or not any action was taken, but it seems to be the concensus of opinion that at that Conference a committee would be appoint¬ ed to revise the constitution. The Chairman : That action has been taken. Mr. Tames Wood: Now that the action has been taken, it seems to me very unwise to adopt at this time any constitu- 3i tional regulations that will greatly embarrass the committee, or the revision of the constitution. If this action is taken to¬ day it will be binding upon this committee and they will be forced to include this in their report. That committee should be absolutely free to make a draft of such a constitution as will suit the situation. Possibly it may hold some of the views just expressed on the other side of the house. To adopt any¬ thing of this kind at this time seems to me to be very imprac¬ ticable and unwise. I therefore move, Mr. Chairman, that the proposition now before the house be referred to the Com¬ mittee on the Revision of the Constitution. Dr. Drach : Is there such a committee on the revision of the constitution? The Chairman: There is a committee to define the func¬ tions and purposes of this Conference. If it were found wise the committee would formulate what would be presented as a revision of the constitution. Dr. Jones : The motion was that the committee be consti¬ tuted to define the functions and purposes of this Conference. That was the substance of the motion. Its powers are there¬ fore defined in its name. Dr. E. L. Smith : I think that its report was to be drawn up in such form as could be incorporated in the constitution. Mr. Mornay Williams: My recollection was that a com¬ mittee be appointed who should prepare such a statement of the powers and authority which necessarily would carry some reference to the statement already contained in our constitu¬ tion and which therefore carries with it the power to so far amend the constitution as to define more clearly the consti¬ tution. It does already define the powers of the Conference as a whole and its relation to the various bodies that send delegates to it. I want in addition to say, Mr. Chairman, that I feel very strongly what has been said by Mr. Wood that a delay in this matter can not really injure the vital interests of the propositions that are submitted to us. I am not going to debate the original proposition or the Alternative Plan. I might be prepared to indorse one or the other of them. But personally I should like to have more time to consider. I feel very strongly the points urged on behalf of the smaller bodies, because the body with which I happen to be associated is one of the larger ones, but as representing one of those bodies who send delegates up here, I feel that we ought to show that we take the largest opportunity of acquainting our constituency with the tendencies that are developing. Now these tendencies may be entirely healthy. I am not prepared to debate that. It may be that it is absolutely essential that 32 we should crystallize into the forms of committee government that are indicated by these two plans. But on the other hand it is not well that that action should be taken except with the clear understanding, of all the constituent bodies. They ought to be informed of what we are doing. On the other hand just one word as to what these bodies may think of us. I want to point out that some of the greatest reforms in all lines of work, to speak out of our own experience, have been brought about by bodies that were entirely deliberative and not execu¬ tive. My own experience is largely with the National Con¬ ference of Charities and Correction. In the last fifty or sixty years that body has brought about an entire change in many of the institutions with which we work, reformatory insti¬ tutions and the like. But it has done it not in spite of the fact but because of the fact that those interested in these re¬ forms could not place any resolutions on the minutes of their Conference. That Conference by its constitution made it impossible that any resolution should be carried when we could not get together as men and women permeated with the same spirit in the same work. The important thing was that we got together. It seems to me that we ought to take all the time necessary, have all the publicity in order to consider this plan and advise with those whom we represent. I say it because I believe we ought to have the carefullest and wisest proceeding taken. Dr. Watson : I would like to speak as one of those who have labored during the year in the preparation of this or of some other change in our arrangements and also as a member of the Committee of Reference and Counsel—and as a rep¬ resentative of a very small board. I think we ought well to remember that the Committee of Reference and Counsel has not sought this change. The Com¬ mittee, as you have already constituted it was ready to go on in the carrying out of its work by the former method. But there were criticisms of the machinery of our committee work because of over-lapping and failure to have work properly correlated. That came altogether from outside the Committee of Reference and Counsel. It came out of the Conference itself. It was the feeling that there ought to be a change made, so I hope it will be understood that the Committee of Reference and Counsel has not sought any of these changes. And not only that, but I feel that in these changes there is the emphasis on the democratic spirit and principle. It amazes me to hear some of the things said because everything has been done in the opposite direction. The Committee of Ref¬ erence and Counsel is a small organization. It will have 33 but twenty-four members. It had certain of these authori¬ ties all by itself. Now it is having them with all the others. The Committee of Reference and Counsel, so far as its mem¬ bership is concerned, was not anxious about continuing in the organization. With the adoption of this plan the Nominating Committee has a chance to change the Committee organization altogether, whereas if we go on with the old scheme only one-third will be changed. You can change the whole crowd. Now, from the point of view of the small organization I feel the things Mr. Drach has mentioned need to be safeguarded. They are extremely important. I think 1 share some of his sensitiveness. We who belong to small bodies would not want to be made uncomfortable because we are small and belong to small bodies, but I want to give this testimony to the wondrous generousness of the big boards. Look at our constitution! Look at the way you have given representation and all that sort of thing. It is reduced as you get into the larger bodies. You do not have increased representation on the basis of the of¬ ficial nominal budget. I want to testify to that, as repre¬ senting one of the small boards. But these difficulties raised by Mr. Drach and Dr. Good seem to me to relate especially to the thing we are to consider next year. There is where the need of committees comes in. What we are dealing with today is only a question of organization. We must have some kind of an organization and we want the most efficient. As one of my friends said to me this morning, “There is this ob¬ jection to this scheme, tfiat it really is better, and therefore if you do not like the direction in which the whole thing is going you would better have a poorer scheme because it will not go along so fast.” But I believe that from the point of view of the administration, in view of things we want to have done, that they will be done better with this scheme than the other. We are piling up an immense problem to be solved all at once next year. This does not deal one iota with what sort of an organization it is to be. That is all to be dealt with by that other committee, that is to bring its report next year. It seemed to us that it was enough for one year's work to deal with the efficient machinery of the committee from the or¬ ganization point of view. Then leave to another year the matter of finding out in which direction the whole movement shall go. Dr. Haggard : Reference was made yesterday to the good old days. I do not know how far back those days run. I recollect my first experience in the Conference, and one of the first, the only trace of which now remains in my mem- 34 ory, was the trace of one bold man. He thought we ought to abandon the Conference altogether. It did not pay to spend two or three days getting together. A committee was to be appointed that should meet every three years. But we have come to feel that these days are well spent and that we can not afford to waste any time in the Conference through failure to have efficient committees. The Conference days are crowd¬ ed. The Committee of Reference and Counsel has been given powers which it has exercised, but the Committee of Refer¬ ence and Counsel and the Conference both feel that there ought to be distribution of committees. So the Home Base Committee and the Finance Committee and other committees could be linked together and those various functions auto¬ matically performed by such bodies could be put into the hands of the Executive Committee. That is, we could have one committee with the same executive functions. There were those who felt from the first after the creating of these com¬ mittees that there should be an executive committee binding them together. The lack of co-ordination became more and more apparent until last year this Conference, feeling the need for better coordination, appointed this committee to coordinate its own work and make it impossible for committees to over¬ lap one another by bringing in a simple scheme which would make it impossible to do, for example, what has been done here this year. For the Home Base Committee and the Com¬ mittee of Reference and Counsel duplicate four items. If we had been satisfied to get on with one committee we would have found that out, and would have avoided it. Those who were on the Home Base Committee and the Committee of Reference and Counsel could not alwavs sit j together and could not always go over the reports. The effort of the Committee in this printed report was to do what you asked to be done. I fail to discover anything new. The plan is to save this Conference’s time and make it more efficient. Instead of several committees creating the Executive Com¬ mittee. the plan now presented makes one large committee and sub-divides it, a process which is the reverse of the old way. But you get the same results. Will you have four separate committees unrelated or will you relate them through the Ex¬ ecutive Committee created out of that or will you create one big committee sub-divided? It seems to me a simple propo¬ sition. It is not the same matter that we have in mind in appointing the new committee to revise the constitution. Any¬ thing that we put into the constitution today is subject to re¬ vision as much as anything else. 35 Mr. George Innis: If I had not been in this Conference before and did not know what kind of a convention it was, and I supposed it was a lumberman’s convention, I would think that there was a group of men here who had confiscated about $100,000. We were looking at that map, this morning. We followed every statement made. Again and again we realized that Christ’s desire for the world is that we shall see alike. We never shall see alike until we trust one another. I have been here six years, and I have never had reason to doubt any man to whom we have entrusted any act in this Confer¬ ence. Every committee report has been a report that revealed faithfulness and helpfulness. They have always been accept¬ able to us. If we are going to make progress in the future that will unite us, we must trust those to whom we assign these duties. I trust the men who are doing this work. I am not a member of the Committee of Reference and Counsel. I admire every man on that committee, I admire their un¬ selfish principles, as I know of no other parliamentary body to which I could give my trust. Mr. John W. Wood: Is there a motion before the house in regard to referring this matter before us to the Committee of Seven, which was appointed yesterday? The Chairman: There is. Mr. John W. Wood: It seems to me the last speakers have carefully refrained from discussing the motion before us. They have been discussing the matter on its merits. I think the matter should be referred, not because I am suspicious of my friends, but it is a radical change, so radical that it seems to me we ought not as individuals to make it. Even if we may have some representative capacity we ought not to bind our boards by taking action on this document at this time. Dr. Watson : Very naturally, we do not want to have too much pass before us at any one time. I have been distressed to see how much time has been given to passing on committee reports and my mind, like a good old conservative goes back to the days of the African palaver, which, we have often heard was good in its way, but it is not modern and therefore not efficient. Mr. John W. Wood: Dr. Watson very naturally says that we do not want too much to do next year, and yet after all, since a committee has been appointed to prepare a fundament¬ al statement of the purposes of this Conference, the powers and authority, if there be any, is it desirable to forestall this committee organization? In other words is it desirable to begin the thirteenth story until you have known what the 36 foundations are going to be. For that reason I strongly support the motion that it be deferred for one year and put in the hands of the Committee of Seven, or some other com¬ mittee and power given it to express its official judgment on the motion. Dr. Watson : I rise to a point of information. As I wrote that resolution out, unless it is ready to be read, I would like to have the privilege of at least restating it according to my own recollection of it. Resolution to appoint committee to define the functions of the Conference was read by Miss N. M. Wood, court sten¬ ographer, as follows: Resolved, That a Special Committee of seven be appointed to pre¬ pare a statement which shall define more clearly what are the func¬ tions and authority of the Conference and the conditions and re¬ sponsibilities of membership in the Conference; that this statement be put into such form that it may become a part of the Constitution of the Conference; and that the Committee submit said statement to the boards as a proposed amendment so that it may be legally votfed upon at the next meeting of the Conference and that in submitting 'said statement to the boards they be requested to take action upon the same. Dr. Watson ; According to that statement and what I had in mind, that committee was not to be one for general over¬ hauling. The Chairman: I am sure it was not intended to recon¬ struct the old constitution. It was to suggest and bring such amendments as seem good to the judgment of the committee. I understand Mr. Wood intended by his motion to defer the whole matter by referring the original report to the Com¬ mittee of Seven for its consideration and report next year. Are we ready for the question? Dr. S. Earl Taylor : I would like to move that the plan before us now be the working program for the Conference for the coming year, and that the plan before us be referred to a committee which shall be appointed with instructions to in¬ quire of the boards represented here as to whether or not this is a workable plan. Mr. Hicks : I second it. Dr. Wolf : Is that a competent resolution ? We have a con¬ stitution. We can not set aside that constitution by resolu¬ tion. We would better go on as we are until we get these cobwebs out of our eyes, and see face to face. The Chairman: That proposal, Dr. Wolf thinks, would be an amendment of the constitution without the constitutional processes. The substitute would not be in order in this form. 37 Mr. Hicks : Then I make a motion that that be the con¬ stitution for the coming year. Dr. Wolf: That ought at least to be referred to the boards. Dr. Endicott : The question is. Is it not possible when a question is before the body like this body to offer an amend¬ ment? Is it not possible to.do that in order without waiting for a year to get permission to do it? The Chairman: You have before you alternative plans. One is the report of the Committee on the Constitution with the power to modify it, and the substitute for that report. You can act upon either one of these. If you act on Dr. Taylor’s suggestion you would practically be adopting this substitute for a year. Now, whether it is competent for this body to amend its constitution for one year I leave to you. I do not think it would be possible or proper to do that. Dr. Jones: I would like to call the attention of the Confer¬ ence to the fact that this Alternative Plan is not proposed as a substitute for the present constitution, for the constitution contains a very large amount of matter that is not covered by this at all, and which would continue in force. There is no setting aside of the present constitution as a whole. The Chairman : I am sure that is the mind of the Con¬ ference. It is simply an amendment covering the Committee on Organization. Dr. Haggard: Would not this be the purport of Dr. Tay¬ lor’s motion that we adopt this Alternattive Plan, and with that another motion that the whole matter be referred to this Committee? That would give us the opportunity to work with the understanding that the whole matter of the consti¬ tution is coming up next year. The Chairman : If you will modify your motion and have it apply to the Substitute and then refer the. whole matter to the committee you will have the matter in hand, but under the present form you can not do that. Dr. E. L. Smith : Can we not arrive at that by putting the motion ? The Chairman : That is entirely within the privilege of the Conference. I will put the motion of Mr. Wood that re¬ fers the whole matter to the Committee of Seven that is to be appointed. (The motion was put and lost.) The Chairman : Now, is there a motion on the adoption of the substitute ? Dr. Mott: Yesterday in considering this amendment we increased the number on the Committee of Reference and Counsel from twenty-one to twenty-four. I said I was in¬ clined to think it should have been made twenty-seven. The 38 more I have reflected upon it, and the more I have heard today the more I believe that our first thought was better, and I would wish to move the amendment that we change the num¬ ber twenty-four to twenty-seven. I wish to speak to that if it is seconded. Dr. Haggard : I second. Dr. Mott : I do not know how it has impressed others, but I have been decidedly impressed by this discussion. Mr. Innis referred to the way in which our attention was forced upon the map this morning and upon the Face that stood out in the midst of the map, and our Chairman in calling us together this afternoon in a most appropriate loving way likewise re¬ minded us of the possibility of carrying the same spirit and the same attitude into our routine work, and I think that has been what has characterized this discussion. It was not easy for Mr. Drach to do what he had to do. I fancy we have had no better illustration of the spirit of Christ in the speeches and activities of this Conference than what he had to say. It must have been exceedingly difficult for him to remind us of the existence of this feeling and frank conviction shared in not by himself alone, but by others. Only in this way could the rest of us know about it. It is one of the most beautiful illustrations of the spirit permeating this Conference. And it is because of the revelation of that sincere feeling and con¬ viction that I believe we need to increase the number on this committee, in order that it may carry forward the work. I believe, by having twenty-seven we can insure having on this committee with which we divide the executive committee powers now held by sixteen men—I believe we can make the possibility that virtually every Canadian and Southern and the smaller boards and larger boards and women’s boards repre¬ sented on this committee which are not now represented. That would distribute more widely the Executive Committee pow¬ ers. That makes for democracy. Mr. Drach made other points that are well taken. I think in the pathway of the committee appointed to define the functions and authority of this Con¬ ference we can get those points. In the meantime we will be getting the executive functions of the Conference more widely distributed. The Chairman : The motion is a proposal that there be an amendment substituting the number twenty-seven for twenty- four. (Motion carried.) The Chairman: Are you ready for the motion on the Substitute Plan? Are you in favor of the adoption of the Substitute ? Mr. John W. Wood: I am sorry that I must say on behalf 39 of the officers of the board, although they have not considered that document before us, that the adoption of this document will place my own board in a very embarrassing position. I know I am a hopeless conservative. But there are some mat¬ ters concerning which I am considered a dangerous radical. And I think as I look over this proposition and consider the various proposals which have preceded it, I find it quite im¬ possible for me, and I think for my board, to vote in favor of it. I am perfectly willing to grant that the Alternative Plan and the original plan have about them a great deal that is reasonable and proper. You can not pick out any one par¬ ticular thing in this Alternative Plan that seems to be a bit dangerous or undesirable unless it be the way in which nom¬ inations seem to be handled back and forth between the Com¬ mittee of Reference and Counsel and the Committee of Nom¬ inations. That may be an undesirable feature. It is not any one particular thing that I can put my fingers on at the present time. But it is the whole tendency of the Conference. You are creating a Committee of Reference and Counsel. There is a proposition to incorporate that committee. We have been told that it is desirable that that committee should be incor¬ porated because possibly it may have to hold property and administer missionary enterprises in other lands. In other words, there is a possibility of creating a super-body of mis¬ sions which to my mind and in the mind of Bishop Lloyd and others is wholly undesirable. Therefore, not that I can point to any one clause or particular passage in the Alterna¬ tive Plan or in the original plan which seems particularly vic¬ ious, but because the whole tendency is toward the tightening of the executive and to a certain extent embarrassing boards in independent action or relieving them of the responsibility of action which they would prefer not to take, I feel that I shall vote against this proposition. Dr. S. Earl Taylor: I have something in my system to, get out. I do not know how to do it. I would like to know if it is possible to amend the present motion by words to this effect, namely, that the constitution be operative for one year; that in the meantime it be referred to the boards. Is that in order, sir? The Chairman: I do not think that is in order. What you are really doing is amending the constitution. You may have in your subconsciousness some thought of the change at the end of the year, but that does not matter. We must stand by the law of our constitution. Dr. Taylor: I am in favor of the plan as proposed as a working program for a short period of time. I think it is in 40 advance of the present plan. I speak as one who has served on the committee on the Home Base for two years, and I know something of the difficulties. I have had nothing to do with the construction of this plan. I knew nothing about it until a few moments ago, but I can see at a glance that it is a better working plan than we had last year, in the direction of better coordination and higher efficiency, but it does not seem to me that it ought to be imposed upon those who feel otherwise without some chance of revision better than we can see now upon the surface of it. A good many men will go out from this room feeling dissatisfied, and there should be some constitutional means whereby we could understand that in adopting this we adopt it now as a working plan, with the understanding that it be referred to a committee and given a chance at consideration so that in the end we might know whether it really represents the majority opinion of the bodies and of this Conference. Mr. Chairman, I am entirely in favor of taking a step in this direction, but I do not think we want to take it at the expense of the good will and full co¬ operation that has been growing upon both the Foreign field and in the home land. Dr. Endicott : I have something in my system and I think I know how to get it out. It seems to me the objections we hear about the dangers of a certain tendency are belated. It is like advising a man happily married about the advantages of the single life. You see we have already done all the things which are really dangerous, and they have proven not to be dangerous. We have got the Committee of Reference and Counsel. It it a prodigous institution. It is doing its work and it has been doing it for a long time. What is the use to say we have a dangerous tendency when it is not a danger¬ ous tendency? Up in Canada they have this question, “Is Chicago a city or is it only a disease ?” There is an important difference between opportunity and privilege. I appreciate very much the privilege of being on some of these commit¬ tees. Some people here seem to feel that we are putting a tre¬ mendous amount of power in the hands of a limited number of men, but as a member of some of these committees, while I recognize the opportunity, I certainly am not conscious of the privilege of being on these committees. I can not tell you how many meals I have lost. I can not tell you the difference between sitting up at night spending the time be¬ tween meetings preparing plans.and all that sort of thing and coming in here to a meeting like ours, where we enjoy the programs presented. Now I heard of a man a while ago whose wife was very ill and she asked him what he would do 4i when she was gone. He said he would go mad, and that was satisfactory. But she said, “Would you get married again,” but he said, “Oh, no, I would not go as mad as that.” Mr. Chairman, I think we ought to be perfectly happy if we are not on committees. And if we are asked to serve on these committees let us do our work as well as we can. But do not confound opportunity with privilege. That man did not, and he was a wise man. Dr. Patton : One point made against that Alternative Plan has impressed me as being worthy of our consideration. It is this endless chain of committees passing through the Com¬ mittee of Reference and Counsel. Reference and Counsel appoints the Business Committee, they nominate the Nominat¬ ing Committee and they nominate all the others. They them¬ selves are nominated by the Business Committee. Now, would it relieve that if instead of having the Business Committee nominated by Reference and Counsel, if we had it nominated in some other way—from the floor? I think the present plan is a little more efficient, if we can trust one another for we can, start at once when we are assembled. But if it would be more democratic to nominate' the Business Committee from the floor it would relieve the criticism to which it may be open. Of course the fellowship of this Conference is its beautiful feature. But let us not forget that to which Dr. Watson made reference, that this fellowship has to administer $70,000 a year. That was not the case in the good old days. We not only have to administer but we have to give account to very important donors without whose help we could not do these great things. That is a plain fact. We are simply trying to get a system of efficiency and coordination so that we can do our work as well as possible. All of the considerations which are in the minds of those who speak to the plan were the dominating ones in the minds of the others on the committee. Dr. Good: That meets my objection. I was on the point of offering an amendment to the effect that we strike out the clause that the Business Committee of each Annual Confer¬ ence consisting of five persons shall be appointed at the open¬ ing session on the nomination of the Committee of Reference and Counsel. That would relieve a great objection. I move that the report be amended by striking out in the clause the words, “On the nomination of the Committee of Reference and Counsel.” I object to having no chance for this Conference as a Con¬ ference to say something. This gives opportunity for, if for in¬ stance the Business Committee was always to be nominated by the Committee of Reference and Counsel and we wish to 42 nominate someone else, we could not do it. We are repressed. Therefore I am glad for this change. Dr. Goucher : I am not too keen about the adoption of this, or about its going into operation at once. I favor its being put over for a year. Then we might move with unity. I must confess, Mr. Chairman, my judgment opposes the amend¬ ment which has just been made. There is nothing more deli¬ cate, nothing more vital to the efficiency of this organization than this Business Committee. Canada and the United States, combine in this movement. If this Business Committee is to be nominated from the floor, then it will amount to just this, that the person of most nimble knee and nimble tongue will do the naming of this committee because no one will want fb vote against anybody who has been nominated. A person will get in without any regard to the distribution of representation between the United States and Canada, or of denominational affiliations, not to mention the recognition of particular quali¬ fications of certain persons because of their experience to give counsel and direction. I think it wiser that this committee should be chosen with deliberation and under the most care¬ ful conditions, and I hope we do not make the change sug¬ gested at this vital point. Dr. Haggard: If the Business Committee could be nominat¬ ed by this standing committee they could bring in the nomina¬ tions. The nominating committee is nominated by the busi¬ ness committee. Dr. E. L. Smith : My impression is- that Dr. Goucher is exactly right and that we would get a better committee by the canvass of a preliminary committee. I think it would be better if the provision recommended by Dr. Patton is kept in here. I think it would also be wise and meet the objection that has been raised if you would make this change and say certain committees shall be chosen by the Committee on Nom¬ inations, except the Committee on Nominations itself which shall be nominated by the presiding officer. In that case I think you would meet the objections raised. Instead of hav¬ ing the Committee on Nominations nominate the Business Committee, which is a part of Reference and Counsel, you will have a Business Committee nominated by Reference and Coun¬ sel, which is wise, and you have a Nominating Committee ap-* pointed by the presiding officer who has been elected by the whole body. The Chairman: Would that satisfy your thought? Dr. Good: The suggestion made by Dr. Goucher is only one plan. Nominations are not always made from the floor as you suggest. This matter is only one plan. There are 43 other methods. As to the suggestion by Dr. Smith I did not catch the whole of it. Dr. E. L. Smith : I have in mind the experience of this year. We have an admirable Business Committee. We went over the matter carefully. I am chairman of that committee. We went over the boards with the territory in mind and all that. We appointed a committee of twelve. That left eight to be appointed. I submit we did a better job in that way. The Chairman: What would you have done if it had been a committee of five? Mr. E. L. Smith : We would have made it as representa¬ tive as possible. A body so constituted can do it better than a large body can do it. There will be greater care exercised by the Committee of Reference and Counsel. « The Chairman: I ask that question so as to call your at¬ tention to the fact that you are introducing a fixed number, five, into the constitution. You have had larger committees. Dr. E. L. Smith : My motion was to substitute one pro¬ vision, the original of the nominating committee. I was pro¬ posing that the Nominating Committee should be nominated not by the Business Committee, but by the presiding officer, if he is elected by this Conference. In that way we could avoid the objection that has been raised. Dr. Good: Might I ask who nominates the presiding officer? Dr. Jones : The nominating committee. Dr. Good: I want some spontaneity in this. You have the same difficulty in that as in the other. It is from one com¬ mittee to the other. The Chairman : We have a motion to amend by striking out a given clause. Dr. Smith’s proposed amendment is the proposed substitute for that but it does not exactly sub¬ stitute for that, and therefore you must get your minds clear of it, so as to know whether you wish to accept Dr. Smith’s amendment which would be put if the other were lost. But the motion is to strike out. That is the motion that has been proposed by Dr. Good. Dr. Jones: I would like to inquire whether Dr. Smith’s amendment has been seconded from the floor. The Chairman: I heard no second. Dr. Bartholomew : This provision that five persons ap¬ pointed by the president at the opening session be a Nominat¬ ing Committee would relieve all the objection. The Chairman : It is another proposition. It is not a substitute for the amendment proposition. Col. Halford: We have put in an hour and a half on this and like Tennyson’s brook there is indication that we are go- 44 ing on forever. Can we not refer this whole matter and get away from the proposed interlocking directorate. There is a prejudice in the democratic minds to interlocking directorates. Now I would make this motion. The Chairman: We have a motion to amend. Dr. Jones : I am perfectly willing that it be recommitted. But I call attention to the fact that the proposed amendment will necessarily come up all over again. Dr. Watson : I withdraw my second. Dr. A. J. Brown : My name is on this report but I had no part in drawing it up. It is not the report of the committee, but a part of the committee. The Conference understands that this is not the proposal of the present Committee of Ref¬ erence and Counsel. I rise to take part in the discussion, not to discuss the merits of the case, but to express profound anxiety and misgiving about spending so much time in this kind of discussion. It seems to me quite inconsistent with the state of mind in which the morning left us. I should have profound misgivings about having any constitutional change put through against protest made here thus far. It seems to me in a Conference of this sort we ought not to do things that we cannot do without reasonable unanimity. The Chairman: The motion is to refer the whole report to the committee of which Doctor Barton is chairman, both original and substitute, with instructions to provide adjust¬ ment of this matter that is now being discussed. Dr. E. L. Smith : I would like to move that this clause be added, “and report next year.” There -is no time at this session. The Chairman : Col. Halford made the motion to recom¬ mit. I am perfectly willing to refer it, but I would be oblig¬ ed to rule that this is not entirely germane to the motion to refer, for that was to bring it back now. If you wish to move that afterwards- you can. Col. Halford : I should be willing that the matter be re¬ ferred and I would not care if it were brought up next year. (Voted to recommit.) The Chairman: We are far behind the time assigned for the taking up of the report of the Finance Committee, which is now in order. Dr. A. J. Brown : Will you kindly excuse me from that committee; as I could not take part in the work, I would like to be excused. Mr. James Wood: (Read the report of the Finance Com¬ mittee.) (Voted that the report be received and referred back to the 45 Finance Committee. If found to be correct, to be edited and published in the report of the Conference.) Dr. Pinson : I would like to ask on behalf of the Nominat¬ ing Committee when we are going to have the list of the com¬ mittees that are to be nominated. The end of the session is coming and this committee will want to make nominations; the action taken this afternoon leaves us up in the air as to what we are to do. Mr. Mott : Can we not ask the committee to which this last matter was referred to withdraw? It is clearly the case that the Nominating Committee is tied up until the first com¬ mittee does its work. Their fear is that some of these dele¬ gates who ought to be here will be going away from the Con¬ ference. I move you that the committee to which this refer¬ ence was made be permitted to withdraw and, if possible" bring back their report this afternoon. (Voted.) Dr. A. J. Brown : May I renew my request to be excused from that committee on the change in the constitution, and put Dr. Good in my place? (Voted.) The Chairman: (Later in the afternoon) Will Dr. Barton kindly report? Dr. Barton : We had no difficulty whatever in agreeing upon some changes in the plan to meet the wishes suggested on the floor. We suggest four changes in this Alternative Report. We think it very greatly improves the report. I will read them slowly. Under the section entitled “Commit¬ tees,” at the middle of the paragraph beginning with “Stand¬ ing Committees,” the last sentence of that paragraph, we re¬ commend that you strike out the words, “nominated by Busi¬ ness Committee,” and substitute these: “be appointed by the Chairman of the Conference from members of the Conference' in actual attendance, provided however that two-thirds of the persons shall consist of persons not members of the Com¬ mittee for the preceding year.” Now, let me read the com¬ plete resolution. (Resolution read.) Now, in order to make this article conform in every part we would make this change in the first sentence of the same paragraph beginning “Stand¬ ing Committees.” After that, we would insert the reference to the Committee on Nominations and Credentials as a matter of conformity. In the same section entitled “Committees,” the last para¬ graph beginning “A Business Committee of each annual Con¬ ference, consisting of five persons,” we would change from “five” to seven. The present Constitution does not define the 46 number of persons, on the Business Committee and we think seven would be better than five. Then, down at the bottom of the page in the section entitled “Duties of Committees,” the last paragraph, entitled “The Committee on Nominations and Credentials,” we would make another verbal change by way of making it all conform with the first change suggested. We would omit the word “annually.” A Member: I move the adoption of these changes. Mr. E. W. Miller: I second the motion. The Chairman: You have heard these changes; are you ready for the question? (Voted.) It is carried unanimously and the statement of the Alter¬ native Plan is so amended. Before you now is the question, or motion, for the adoption of the Substitute Plan, or this plan in place of the original report of the Committee. Are you ready for action upon that motion? As many as will accept the substitute in place of the original will say “Aye.” Contrary “No.” The “Ayes” have it. It becomes now your original report and the motion will be upon the adoption of that as amended. As many as favor it will please so signify. (The report was adopted.) 47 THE INCORPORATION OF THE COMMITTEE OF REFERENCE AND COUNSEL Dr. Brown : It has been thought advisable that some body in connection with this Conference should be incorporated. The Conference itself could not wisely be incorporated, be¬ cause it is not a continuing body. It is created each year by the boards which are represented by its constituency. It meets for three days and then dissolves and goes out of existence, and an entirely new conference is created the next year. A com¬ mittee of the Conference, however, can be constituted and in¬ corporated, just as a general convention, for example, of the Methodist Episcopal Church would not be incorporated, but doubtless would constitute a Board of Trustees or some body that would be incorporated. And inasmuch as the Committee of Reference and Counsel has been a kind of general com¬ mittee, as it is handling a budget of over $70,000 a year, as there are property interests that may be affected, as it may be convenient to have some committee of the Conference which could take title in case such title were desired, the question has been raised whether the Committee should be in¬ corporated. It is, of course, understood that incorporation would not add an iota to the power of the committee. That question has been very carefully guarded by the statement on page 18, section 5, the latter part of that section, that the Com¬ mittee “shall not take any action that is not in accordance with the acts and decisions of the Foreign Missions Conference of North America.” A body that is incorporated by this Confer¬ ence can be completely changed at any annual meeting. I would like, Mr. Chairman, to call upon the Chairman of the sub-committee for an explanatory statement, but perhaps be¬ fore doing that, may read the recommendation which the com¬ mittee proposes: That since there is a proposal to be brought before the Conference looking toward the more accurate definition of the Constitution of the Conference and of its functions and authority, the Committee of Reference and Counsel would recommend that action upon the Form 1 of Incorporation be postponed one year, but that its presentation at this time be regarded 1 as meeting the requirements for due notice of such constitutional changes as its adoption next year might require. Therefore, it may be proper, if the Conference so please, to discuss the possibility of incorporating something in connection with the Conference, whether it be the present Committee or such new committee as you may constitute; and on this subject I wish the Conference might hear from Mr. James Wood, the Chairman of this sub-committee, who in conference with 48 Mr. George Wharton Pepper has given a good deal of time to this subject and has conferred with a number of authorities. The Chairman : If it will be your pleasure to act upon the motion, then I will ask Mr. Wood to speak about it. Or will you speak first, Mr. Wood? Will you accept then the recom¬ mendation of the committee which has just been read to by the Chairman of the Committee of Reference and Counsel? (Upon motion duly seconded the recommendation was adopted.) Mr. James Wood : After the statement made by the Chair¬ man of the Committee of Reference and Counsel, it seems hardly necessary for me to take your time in making any additional statement upon this matter. But I do desire to say that in the draft of the act of incorporation very careful at¬ tention has been given to all the objections that have come to our knowledge, to the proposition for incorporation. Those of you who were here last year will remember that when the proposition came up in the report of the Committee of Refer¬ ence and Counsel the subject was very fully discussed pro and con; and then the reference was made of the subject, as the Chairman of the Committee has stated. Desiring to have all the objections that could be raised, the Committee consulted a noted legal authority of the City of New York for a state¬ ment upon this matter, which statement embodied all the ob¬ jections that an extended experience could raise against the proposition. We also considered the arguments that were pre¬ sented and the debate and discussion in the Conference of last year, and after a thorough examination of all the points in¬ volved, the sub-committee recommended to the Committee of Reference and Counsel that we advise the Conference to have it become incorporated, and we prepared a draft of an act of incorporation to be submitted to the Legislature of the State of New York. The nature of the situation is such that it is impossible for us to be incorporated under the law of the State for the incor¬ poration of general business concerns, because that law has certain requirements tha,t this Conference cannot meet. But it can be incorporated by special act of the Legislature. The draft of a charter has been carefully considered, so as to give no powers, as Dr. Brown has stated, to this Committee except as it was distinctly specified. Now, the question of incorporation is a simple, practical business question. There are no theoretical propositions in ,it. It isn’t a thing for academic discussion. It is purely and sim¬ ply a business proposition, which is this: The Conference al¬ ready has the Committee of Reference and Counsel, already 49 has funds in its hands. It is very desirable that those funds should be administered according to the clear and well defined requirements of the statutes governing such matters. Also, if property is placed in the hands of the Committee or the hands of this Conference, there should be somebody legally authorized to receive and administer such property. At the present time no one has such legal authority, and we cannot have it without incorporation. If no property for general missionary purposes, for education in mission fields, for the establishment of higher institutions of learning in the various mission fields of the world, if no property for such purposes may be given, no harm can result from incorporation. But if, on the other hand, prop¬ erty is given for any of those purposes, it is exceedingly de¬ sirable, indeed it is absolutely necessary to have some legally constituted body who can hold and administer it. That is all there is to this matter of incorporation. I can¬ not quite see how anybody can imagine that there are fears in the way. Perhaps there are a sufficient number of old people who come under the rule that fears shall be in the way of ev¬ erything that comes along; but I do not see many people who look to have arrived at that age. I think there are no high¬ waymen to challenge us in this undertaking ; but if it is to be postponed for a year, it is hardly worth while for me to take more of your time for this discussion. Mr. Drach : Mr. Chairman, may I ask Mr. Wood to state to us the present imperative need for incorporation. Is there such a need now? The Chairman : Mr. Wood, you hear the question. Mr. Wood : Well, “imperative need.” We can probably wiggle along some way or another in the administration as we have gone, but there is a need according to the strict opera¬ tions of business that we should be incorporated. The Rocke¬ feller Foundation would greatly prefer that they should deal with a legally incorporated body. They come forward with a gift of all this money which enables us to do such magnificent work for the missionary interests, and they find they are deal¬ ing with a loose aggregation of people that they cannot put their hands on in any legal way. They would be very glad to have us represented by an incorporation that they could deal with in a straight, strict, business way. And if we look upon it in that light, there is—well, we may say perhaps with¬ out undue emphasis on the word that has been used, there is an imperative necessity for incorporation. Are there any other questions? Rev. Enoch F. Bell: Mr. Chairman, may I ask Mr. Wood whether under this incorporation the individual members of 5o the Committee of Reference and Counsel would be held legal¬ ly responsible, or just the corporate body as such, for any fail¬ ure on the part of the Conference to meet the budget with the Rockefeller Foundation ? 1 For example, supposing we should fall down on the budget, would this Committee of Reference and Counsel be held responsible individually or as a corporate body ? Mr. Wood: I am not a lawyer, but I am advised that there would be no individual responsibility on the part of the Com¬ mittee of Reference and Counsel, unless they can be shown to have been guilty of malfeasance in office, and of course that applies to everybody; but unless they can be shown to have falsely or dishonestly administered their trust, individual re¬ sponsibility will not attach to them. Dr. Harlan P. Beach : Dr. Brown, I think, alluded to the fact that a certain board had gone on record in the matter of asking for a closer definition of the powers of the Conference in relation to the Boards, and that in view of that fact, it might seem wise to defer the question of incorporation until that same fact came to the attention of the Committee on the re¬ vision of your constitution, and it was suggested that that Com¬ mittee might bring in as a part of its report a clearer defini¬ tion of the powers of this Conference with relation to these Boards. We do not consider it within our province, but in view of that fact, we were prepared to ask the Conference to ap¬ point a committee next year to bring in some amendment cov¬ ering that very matter, which we thought was very important, and in view of that fact, we were prepared to make the very suggestions which Dr. Brown has made; and if there is to be a discussion of that matter a year hence, we might prefer to defer the discussion of the incorporation that long. Dr. Brown : Mr. Chairman: This completes the report of the Committee of Reference and Counsel. If it shall please the Conference to take this recommendation, which is to the effect that the question of incorporation be deferred until next year, and that the passing of this motion shall be equivalent to the legal notice, so if the Conference next year shall decide to in¬ corporate, the way may be clear to do so, although, of course, the Conference may not decide to incorporate, and then after that, Dr. Patton might perhaps bring up this other matter. The Chairman : The motion that is before you is the mo¬ tion last made by Dr. Brown from the Committee—I think it is in your mind—concerning the postponement. Are you ready for that motion? (Puts motion.) It is carried. Dr. Brown : That completes our report. 5i The Chairman : Is there any further business to come be¬ fore the order of the day? Dr. Watson : Mr. Chairman: Perhaps the matter will be clearer in our minds if it is brought in now. I would there¬ fore venture to present the following resolution: That a special committee of seven be appointed to prepare a state¬ ment which shall define more clearly the constitution of the Conference, its functions and authority, and the conditions and responsibilities of membership in the Conference; that this statement be put into such form that it may become a part of the constitution of the Conference, and that the committee submit said statement to the Boards as a proposed amend¬ ment, so that it may be legally voted upon at the next meeting of the Conference. If this is seconded, I would like to make an explanation. The Chairman : You hear the motion proposed by Dr. Watson. Is there a second to this? (Motion seconded.) It is seconded and is before us, Dr. Watson. Dr. Watson : There are three things which I think we should keep quite distinct from each other. One is incor¬ poration ; the other is the form of committee organization for doing the work of this Conference, and the third is a state¬ ment as to the fundamental platform of our Conference. Now, we may need any one of those things by itself. We do not want the three things entangled. If any two of them are more closely related to each other than any other two, it would be that the incorporation is vitally related to the de¬ finition of this Conference’s functions and rights and respon¬ sibilities. We felt that the committee organization did not stand so vitally related to this question of functions and responsi¬ bilities, because where we have a work in existence we must have committees. We have been seeking to get that form of committee organization that will best carry the work we have; and therefore we felt bold to bring before you the amend¬ ments that have to do with our committee organization. That committee organization will probably, as far as we can see, be the same whatever the foundation of this Conference is; but the implications involved in incorporation it seemed to us would be greater in the one case than in the other,—that is, in case the definitions of the Conference’s authorities were one way or the other. So we propose that the incorporation be postponed until this definition of the Conference’s rights and authorities, membership, etc., be made clearer. But we ven¬ ture to hope that the proposals brought this afternoon and to be considered later in this Conference, relating to commit¬ tee organizations, may be brought up and disposed of, so that 52 from the point of view purely of efficiency we may be able to handle the work better than we have been handling it in the years gone by, and better than we feel we can handle it by existing machinery. Now, this resolution is presented: That a committee be appointed to define more clearly the constitution of the Con¬ ference, its functions and authority, and the conditions and responsibilities 'of membership in the Conference; that this statement be put into such form that it may become a part of the constitution of the Conference, and that the committee submit said statement to the Boards as a proposed amendment, so that it may be legally voted upon at the next meeting of the Conference. Dr. Brown : I venture to suggest that the word “constitu¬ tion” there is used in rather an ambiguous sense. I do not understand that it is the intent of Dr. Watson—at least, I so infer—to have this committee overhaul the entire constitu¬ tion of the Conference. Dr. Watson : No. Dr. Brown : But that he simply means a clearer definition of the functions of the Conference, its objects and powers and duties. Would it not be well to make that clear,—be¬ cause the Conference three years ago appointed a committee, revising the constitution then. Dr. Watson : May I read it again ? I will read it this way: That a special committee of seven be appointed to pre¬ pare a statement which shall define more clearly the func¬ tions of the Conference, its authority, and the conditions and responsibilities of membership in it. Dr. Brown: Yes; that is all right. The Chairman: You have before you the resolution pre¬ sented by Dr. Watson. Will you remark upon it? Dr. Fox: I would like to ask—The word “authority” is used in it. I would like to ask what kind of authority has the Conference? What kind of authority may it be thought to possess? Dr. Watson : I am very willing to have that change made. I assume that the answer could be that it had no authority. Dr. Fox: Then you had better not say that it has. (Calls for the question.) The Chairman: Have you a satisfactory substitute for the word “authority” ? Dr. Watson: Mr. Chairman: I will read it this way: We want to get this to suit everybody. That a special committee of seven be appointed to prepare a statement which shall de- 53 fine what are the functions and authority and the conditions and responsibilities of membership in the Conference. Dr. Endicott: Mr. Chairman: It seems to me that if we have a constitution, and that because it is a constitution, it must state just those things. Dr. Watson : It does not. Dr. Endicott : Does it not, sir ? Then how can we have a constitution which does not state any conditions of mem¬ bership and the powers and authority? Is there such a thing as a constitution without that? Would it not require rather some specific indications of some specific lack which must be met? This matter seems to cover it all. I do not under¬ stand, Mr. Chairman. The point I make is that I cannot un¬ derstand how there could be an organized institution at all with a constitution unless it did state those very things. Dr. Wolff: Mr. Chairman: Would it not be sufficient to say ‘‘what are the functions and what the authority, if any” ? If we get that, it will settle the whole difficulty. We do not assume any executive power that we know. (Calls for the question.) The Chairman: Are you ready for the question? A Delegate : Have it read. The Chairman: It is desired to have it read again. Dr. Watson : That a special committee of seven be ap¬ pointed to prepare a statement which shall define more clear¬ ly what are the functions and authority of the Conference and the conditions and responsibilities of membership in the Conference; that this statement be put into such form that it may become a part of the constitution of the Conference, and that the committee submit said statement to the Boards as a proposed amendment, so that it may be legally voted upon at the next meeting of the Conference. The Chairman : Mr. Turner, will you take the chair just a moment. (Mr. Turner takes the chair.) Dr. North: Mr. Chairman: I venture just a word at this point. The provision for securing some action by the Boards is rather indefinite in your present constitution. All that is required for a matter of this kind is that the proposed amend¬ ments be submitted to the Boards four weeks before the Annual Meeting of the Conference. There is no requirement and no request that the Boards take action on the matter. There is no indication of whether an adverse action of the Boards would invalidate an affirmative action by this Con¬ ference. Presumably it would; but that is not indicated in your constitution as it now stands. 54 I think it might be well to put into the resolution just a trifle more punch,—using the language of the street—pardon me; I am on the street sometimes—that is to say, enough to ask that the Boards do take action on it, not merely in the form of having it submitted to them, but requesting them to act upon the proposals that are presented. That requires just an added word, perhaps. May I say that when the matters of the proposed changes in the committee arrangement were presented to the Board of the Methodist Episcopal Church some such action as this was taken: That in view of the fact that there seems not to be a clear definition as to the consultative and executive func¬ tions of the Conference, the Board does not see its way clear to take any action whatever upon the proposed amendments. That is a simple form of stating that in some sections of the constituency there is a definite feeling that we are developing here, quite unconsciously perhaps, and with very great ef¬ ficiency and splendid desire and purpose, a series of execu¬ tive organizations which are in a way administrative, to which are committed both by the Conference and from conferences outside of the Conference certain responsibilities which are formulated and put into process and come to be a part of the missionary policy of the Boards, of the mission forces of North America, and without any such close relationship or authority—to use the word—from the constituents of this Conference as would make those executive organizations real¬ ly responsible to the people who are controlling and spending the sixteen millions of dollars, or whatever the amount, which are sent to the foreign fields by these Boards. That either we should be just a conference, as you were when you start¬ ed, or if we are to create executive organizations, there should be such a definition of our powers as related to the Boards that there will be a broad enough base for the de¬ velopment of such organizations ; and if you will study your present statement in the constitution, I think you will see that there is no such breadth of base for our activities in that direction. I do not believe that the constituency which I represent has for a moment a question of the extreme value of what has been done by this Conference and through it. There is nothing but the most cordial and hopeful expectations with reference to the further organization of the interboard and interchurch forces of North America. Some of us have fought, bled and died in the interest of federation, in the interest of co-operative action, and we do not take any back steps in that particular. But if we are to do executive work for the Boards, the proper sanctions and restrictions upon this Conference should be stated. If we are to be simply a conference, then we should not create executive organiza¬ tions that are doing the things for the Boards and for the work of the missions which seem to be done now. And so far as I am concerned, I heartily support this proposal, and I think I may say for a branch of your constituency we would heartily support this proposal, not to mar the efficiency of your organization, but rather standing strongly, if the oppor¬ tunity came, for your reorganization upon the basis that was submitted today, hoping that you would more fully than ever get in line for doing these tilings. But like the old founda¬ tion in Munich, I think it was, when they undertook to build a tower higher on one of the fine old churches, and found that they had better examine what had been in the founda¬ tions placed there three or four hundred years ago, and when they dug down to find what was there they found instead of granite, rubble, and the first thing they had to do if they were going to build up toward the sky was to get down into the ground and put foundations under their proposed new tower, —we may be going to build a much larger thing than we have ever thought of in North America, through our mis¬ sion boards; but before we began to build, or build much more, it has seemed to some of us that we ought to get down and find just how broad and how strong and how real arc those foundations. Therefore, I thoroughly support and heartily applaud, so far as my own judgment is concerned, the proposal that this Committee take into consideration, not for the arrest of our energies or activities, but for their stronger development, the study of just where we stand with reference to our great constituencies, and bring ourselves in line, if possible, with the great, new developments that have come to us. Dr. Watson : Mr. Chairman: Will you permit, then, the addition of this clause—in the multitude of counsels there is wisdom,—“and that in submitting the said statement to the Boards they be requested to take action upon the same.” The Chairman: I think that might be a good addition. Are you ready for the report ? As many as favor the adop¬ tion of the resolution say Aye. (Motion put and carried.) 56