predominately scottish in its origins, traditions and loyalties, but not all Scots were Presbyterian and not all Presbyterians were Scots (a high proportion were Irish). This pride of race was reflected negatively in a Presbyterian distaste for Methodists.

This fear of ”one big church" was held by anti-unionists who anticipated a union dominated by the Methodists. Many Anglicans, distrustful of any project for a Canadian Protestant Church in which they were not involved, were opponents of the union movement. As well open sympathy by the Roman Catholics for the anti-union Presbyterians, seems to make strange bedfellows since Presbyterians always viewed Roman Catholics as second only to sin among the enemies of Christianity. The Catholics however feared a larger protestant church.

A new force in church life appeared in the form of the Forward Movement, a program of evangelism, service, stewardship, mission education and social concern. The l9l9 General Assembly adopted the Movement and launched a special campaign to raise four million dollars for the cause. in a one week canvass the fund was over-subscribed by 28% for a total of $5, I 38,000. There were charges that a lot of the funds were diverted for the pro-union cause.

The truce of l9l7 remained in force allowing the normal functions of the Presbyterian church to continue without serious interruptions. The truce ended in l92l by a decision of the Assembly of 4 14 votes to l07 "to consummate organic union as expeditiously as possible." The union committee was now authorized to prepare a bill for parliament that would enable the merging of the three churches. For the anti-unionists the uneasy truce was over and the great paper war had begun.

Twice the church through its presbyteries had voted for union, twice its members and adherents had voted with the same results, yet these votes had been for or against the principle of church union. The actual terms of union had never been put before the church, because as late as 1923 those terms had not been defined.

The paper war was barely luke warm, when on the eve ofthe I923 Assembly, a draft bill was to be presented which asserted that the people had been consulted and the Assembly had kept its promise to act only with majority support. The committee concluded the Assembly was not bound to consult its people in any event and union would go ahead with or without its opponents.

Full sale, bitter and unrelenting war was unleashed with those statements of the I923 Assembly held in Port Arthur, Ontario. The draft bill provided the whole church would enter the union, the sizable dissenting minority could vote themselves out afterwards if they wished. The name The Presbyterian Church in Canada would legally disappear, beyond the reach of any anti-unionists who might wish to use it in a separate Presbyterian church. The anti-unionists, as well as others, were horrified at their fate of accepting the property of nonconcurring

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