That an appropriation of not less than $2,000 a year is needed to do this work. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28. Devotional service at 9.00 A. M. was conducted by Rev. E. B. Allen of Illinois. At 9.30 the Council was called to order by the Moderator. On recommendation of the Business Committee the following telegram was ordered sent: To the United States Senate: The National Council of the Congregational Churches of the United States in session at Grand Rapids, Michigan, requests your honorable body to pass promptly the "Code for Enforcement of National Prohibition" over the President's veto. (Signed) H. C. KING, Moderator H. C. HERRING, Secretary Report of the Commission on Evangelism was presented by President O. S. Davis of Illinois (P. 166). The greetings of the Council with a basket of chrysanthemums were presented to Rev. Mark Williams for fifty-three years a missionary in China, it being his eighty-fifth birthday. Voted: That the Council has welcomed with cordial appreciation the friendly and fraternal greeting of the official representatives of the Free Church Council of England and Wales, presenting the desirability of wide-spread celebration of the sailing of the Pilgrims by the people of Pilgrim principles on both sides of the Atlantic. Voted: That the question of provision for suitable co-operation in the celebration in Great Britain of the sailing of the Mayflower, to be held in 1920, be referred to the Executive Committee of the National Council with power. A telegram was received asking the prayers of the Council for Rev. George Clark, a delegate from Connecticut, who was stricken with illness on his way home from the Council, and prayer was offered by Rev. H. C. Herring. On recommendation of the Commission on Missions the new Tercentenary Program Commission was elected (P. 11). In reply to communications received, greetings were sent to the Hawaiian Evangelical Association, Mr. George H. Himes, Curator of the Oregon Historical Society, the Toronto District Congregational Association and the National Council of Japan. On recommendation of the Nominating Committee members of the Corporation of the National Council to serve for six years were elected (P. 12). The Pilgrim Memorial Fund Commission of One Hundred were reelected with the addition of the following names: Hon. S. E. Baldwin, Connecticut. Rev. George A. Gordon, Massachusetts. The following representatives on the Executive Committee of the Federal Council were elected: Rev. H. C. Herring, New York. Rev. R. W. McLaughlin, New York. Rev. Horace Holton, Massachusetts. Mr. R. A. Dorman, New York. Rev. H. A. Atkinson, New York. On recommendation of the Nominating Committee authority was given to the Commission on Missions to add three members to the Tercentenary Program Commission. Authority was given to the Commission on Missions to appoint the Congregational representatives in the Interchurch World Movement. Authority was given to the Executive Committee to appoint delegates to the Plymouth Tercentenary celebration in England. The industrial resolutions presented at a previous session were called up, all previous motions and amendments were withdrawn, a substitute resolution was presented and referred back to the Business Committee with instructions to print and report at 5.00 P. M. A resolution in regard to the temperance question presented by Rev. H. H. Russell was referred to the Business Committee to be printed and reported at 5.00 P. M. The Committee on Declarations presented the resolution on the Negro question in condensed form and it was adopted as follows: In view of the widespread lawlessness which has found. particularly vicious expression in trampling upon the rights of black men and women, the National Council of Congregational Churches of the United States reaffirming the historic attitude of our churches, again voices its disapproval of mob law and racial hatred. We demand for the negro equal rights before the law and the complete citizenship guaranteed by the constitution. We believe he is entitled to equal service at equal cost and to equal educational opportunity with white men. We urge our churches to give attention to the acute problems confronting the negro in the North in relation to housing, industrial freedom and social justice. We commend our negro brothers and sisters for their Christian patience and sacrificial service in these great and trying days. We specifically commend the Congregational mayor of Omaha, Mr. E. P. Smith, for his heroic stand in protecting a negro from mob trial. We also recommend to Congress the passage of a law making lynching a national offense. On recommendation of the Business Committee the following resolutions were adopted: Resolved: That this Council wishes to commend the clear thinking and courageous purpose of President Wilson in relation to the threatened coal strike, Governor Coolidge of Massachusetts in his attitude toward the police strike in Boston, and all executive officials who today are standing for the maintenance of order and constituted authority. Resolved: That the National Congregational Council in session at Grand Rapids, Michigan, recognizes the importance of the President's message upon the threatened coal strike and pledges its influence in support of his purpose to enforce the law and to protect the interests of all the people. Resolved: That we deprecate the spirit of intolerance and injustice which at times finds expression in our country against those with whom we were recently at war. While not abating one whit our conviction concerning the great 1 patriotic aims of the war, we nevertheless pledge ourselves to the promotion among all our people of the principles of Christian brotherhood and good will to the end that peace and harmony may prevail among the racial elements of our cosmopolitan population and that internal discord and acts of injustice may be dispelled. Resolved: That the National Council of Congregational Churches at Grand Rapids recognizes the work of the Lord's Day League in the enactment of proper Sunday laws in the several states, and renews its approval of the Lord's Day Alliance. We request our people to co-operate with it to secure and enforce the six day working week and to promote observance of the moral and religious ends of Sunday. Voted: That all resolutions adopted by the Council be printed for distribution on Wednesday. On recommendation of the Social Service Commission the following resolutions were adopted: Whereas: The breaking up of an alarmingly large number of American homes is indicated by the fact that America leads the Christian Nations of the world in the ratio of divorce to marriage; Be It Resolved: That the Council urges ministers so to work and teach that membership in the Christian Church shall be a guarantee of conscientiousness and intelligence about the duties of home life. Be It further Resolved: That we urge upon our ministers increased care in the scrutiny of the records of divorced people seeking remarriage. Be It further Resolved: That we urge an amendment to our Federal Constitution that will give Congress power to legislate on all questions of marriage and divorce. Report of the Committee on Credentials was presented by Rev. L. L. Taylor of New York as follows: The Committee on Credentials would respectfully report the enrollment of 572 delegates, and takes pleasure in commending the arrangements made by the Secretary's office for this task, and carried through with unfailing diligence and patience by Miss Nichols. In view of the multiplying responsibilities of the Council and the growing complexity of its work, the importance of having regular and thoroughly understood methods, not only for enrollment, but for the choice and accrediting of delegates is apparent. It is clearly the purpose of the constitution that the Council should not be thought of as in any sense or to any degree a mass convention, but that it should have a continuing or overlapping membership of regularly chosen delegates. The by-law (XX) which provides for the filling of vacancies was manifestly intended to cover emergencies, and not to make the filling out of delegations at the Council so easy as to discourage an earnest effort on the part of associations and conferences to send their full quotas of duly elected and accredited delegates. The establishment of the Traveling Expense Fund is another reason for attempting and encouraging all along the line a more careful and thorough procedure in the selection and accrediting of delegates in advance, and for recognizing the right of alternate delegates to be informed in good season of inability on the part of primary delegates to attend the Council. The Committee recommends that in perfecting the roll of this Council and in arranging for the enrollment of the next, the Secretary and those associated with him be asked carefully to consider what should be done with or without amending the by-laws, to improve our administrative methods at this important point. It is also recommended that in preparing for the next meeting of the Council the Secretary be authorized to request that certificates of substitution under by-law XX shall not be presented till the afternoon of the second day of the meeting. The Commision on Organization presented the following recommendations, which were adopted: 1. That the question of approving the Constitution for a District Association as presented in Appendix B as a suggestive form be referred to the New Committee on Organization for further study. 2. That Article XI, section 1, of the By-Laws of the National Council which defines the membership of the Commission on Missions be so amended that it shall read as follows: |