The Christian index. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1872-1881, February 11, 1875, Image 5

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BY JAS. P. HARRISON & CO. 4 WORD FOR THE INDEX. A sprightly correspondent, in a letter recently published in the Macon Tele graph and Messenger, thus pleasantly alludes to The Christian Index, and the Franklin Steam Printing House: “A gentleman on hoard seeing us at tentively perusing that sterling sheet, The Christian Index, which the witty and able Dr. David E. Butler has so large a share in getting up, borrowed the paper. While he is reading it, we take the opportunity of saying, and the wri ter does so none the less willingly be cause of the defeat of Estill, Harrison & Cos. for the State printing, that, as a denominational journal, The Index has no superior at the South, while the job office and publishing arrangements of the company,in extent and complete ness, aie without a rival, save one, in the State. “A recent visit and survey of their rooms surprised us not a little. It was not unlike some great Northern book concern, such as the Harpers, and we noticed among their numerous employ ees many genteel and intelligent females. This is as it should be. If we would preserve from want and a life of shame thousands of indigent but respectable women, give them honest employment." The London Baptist, in an editorial in reference to the recent christening of the infant son of the Duke of Edin burgh, says: “ It will interest some of our readers to be informed —those, at least, who do not know the fact—that if this half Eussian prince had been baptized in Eussja, ho would have been baptized bv immersion. Nay, he would have been immersed three times, for that is the practice in the Greek church. If the rubrics even of the Church of Eng land were obeyed, immersion would be the practice here. It is ordered in the rubric that ‘ if the child may well en dure it, the priest shall dip the child ; but that, if it is weak, it shall suffice to pour water upon it.’ Thus we have the authority of both the Greek and English churches —and the same thing might be said of the Eomish church— in favor of our doctrine, as to the inode of baptism at any rate. If it had not been for the \oo early intro duction of the dogma of baptismal re generation, we should have had all these churches with us in favor of our doctrine as to the subjects of baptism likewise.” A correspondent of The Index writing from Kingston, Georgia, under date of February 1, 1875, says: “We have a good pastor here; his labors are constant, earnest. He has been with us three years, and his labors have been blessed to a considerable extent, although we are not altogether what we ought to be. “Our hearts are often made glad by the many good tidings from all sections, which The Index brings to us. “Our little town is making progress. Our people have tired of the whisky traffic, and have a memorial before the Legislature praying that ,the sale of the poisonous stuff may be prohibited within two miles of the town. “Our 3abbath-school superintendent is a live and good man, but he has many difficulties to contend with, and I fear he is much discouraged. We think we are in great need of our Sunday-school Evangelist. He might do good by visiting us now. We think that if our people would read the Bible more, and The Christian Index for refreshment, that our church and Sunday-school would be more prosperous. Brethren, pray for us. “N. B. —The ministers, deacons and church meeting of Oostanaula Asso ciation, will be held with the church at Kingston, commencing Friday before the fifth Sunday iu May, and we hope to see a general turnout of the breth ren, not only of our Association, but all who can come. We want you to come.” James Green, Esq., of New York, has donated to Princeton College 8100,000, which will be applied to the scientific department of that Institution. The Lutheran church in America has 2,568 ministers, 4,639 congregations, and 561,372 communicants. -—•— Union College, Schenectady, N. Y., has received as donations, from various sources, during the last year, 3250,000. The Christian Index. CHANCELLOR TICKER'S ADDRESS. Rev. Dr. Tucker, the distinguished Chancellor of the State University, delivered an able and interesting ad dress to a large and intelligent audi ence on last Wednesday evening, at the hall of the House of Representatives. Governor Smith, the Judges of the Supreme Court, members of the Legis lature, and many other noted citizens were present. Dr. Tucker spoke in behalf of the State University, and of education in general. The address was luminous with logic and facts; his illustrations were classic and appropriate. His re view of the rise and progress of the University was full of suggestive in terest, and many of his witty points and apt metaphors were received with prolonged applause. He set forth the undenyable reasons for the sustainment and promotion of a school of high and classical culture, and enlarged upon the wants of Georgia’s Alma Mater. Dr. Tucker not only touched the hearts of his auditory, but impressed their minds deeply, and great good, doubtless, will accrue through his ad dress to the venerable Institute he so ably represents. A JI'ST COMPLAINT. HEPnziBAH, Ga., January 27,1875. It was a well established custom during years past, for the printer who received the contract from the Secretary of the Associations convening in this section of country for printing the min utes, to send them to the store of Messrs. Plumb & Leitner, druggists, Augusta, Georgia, where they were, by the kindness of Mr. D. B. Plumb, for warded or declined, as the case required. So well was this arrangement under stood that it became almost a fixed fact. A change has, however, come over all this. I have been informed that recently the minutes were printed at the Constitutionalist office, and as was the custom, Mr. Adams, the mana ger of that -eataMishment, sent, them to the store of one “ J. H. Alexander,” who advertises himself as “ successor to Plumb & Leitner,” and the package was sent back, with the information that “ this house has always been a dis tributing place for Baptist documents, but it is no longer such.” Now, Messrs. Editors, if this be the case, all Bap tists should be apprised of the fact, and in making purchases hereafter let them bear in mind this fact. I, for one, think that if Baptist documents cannot be distributed from there simply because they are not of that faith, Bap tist money could be spent at other places more satisfactorily, and in future I propose to govern myself accordingly. Baptist. In view of the facts stated by our brother in the above communication, would it not be well for the Secretaries of Associations to have their necessary printing done at some first-class Bap tist printing house, where the business would be promptly and faithfully done, g,nd without the intervention or medi umship of outside parties? The In dex office has printing facilities unsur passed by any publication house in the country, and the experience of many years testifies to the superior work manship and popularity enjoyed by this establishment. Let the church, and every member thereof, sustain Baptist enterprises, and place their work into the hands of those who “ know no such word as fail ” in their business vocabulary. For the Index and Baptist.] MISS LOTTIE MOON’S HOUSE. “Cast thy bread upon the waters : for thou shalt find it after many days.” “ ‘Cast thv bread upon the waters,’ Ye who have but scant supply — Angel eyes will watch above it: You shall find it by and by. “ ‘Cast thy bread upon the waters, Ye wbo have abundant store; It may float on many a billow, It may strand on many a shore. “Cast thy bread upon the waters,’ Waft it on with praying breath; In some distant, doubtful moment, It may save a soul from death”. Contributions received from January 30, to February 6.—Cave Spring Sun day-school, per Thos. J. Davis, Jr., §1.25. Bethsada Church, Muscogee county, Mrs. J. E. McKee, 50 cents ; Miss Lillie McKee, 50 cents ; Miss Mol lie McKee, 50 cents. A South Ameri can coin, “no name,” §l. Tennille, Washington county, G. W. Wood, 25 cents. Grimes’ Mill, Warren county, Mrs. N. J. Goosliug and husband, §l. Total for the week, §5 ; whole amount to February 6, 8644.80. RELIGIOUS, LITERARY, CORRESPONDENCE, EDITORIALS, MARKETS, CURRENT NOTES AND NEWS. ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1875. SPIRIT OF THE RELIGIOIS PRESS. The National Baptist, commenting upon the question “ What shall we preach?” holds that there is no absolute uniformity in the circumstances attending conversion. Some contend that the milder aspects of the Gos pel are sufficient to change the heart, whilst others contend that fear and the full view of eternal torment alone can provide. The edi tor believes that the solemn, alarming aspects of religious truths are essential to cause con version ; but preachers should speak the truth in love. The Christian Union , commenting on the undignified manner in which certain classes of ministers engage iu political strife, and degrade themselves by seeking the plumes ot office, alludes to the recent race of some of these fin- the chaplaincy of the Massachusetts Legislature iu this wise: “ The wire-pulling was simply disgraceful. It is consoling to reflect that not one of these self-nominated candidates succeeded, the office having been bestowed upon a clergy man who had too much modesty and self respect to seek it. Such a scramble as was witnessed in this instance, is calculated to do more to bring religion into reproach, than the office itself, however wisely filled, can do to honor it.” The New York Observer, alluding to the remark of Hon. William M. Evarts, the senior counsel for Beecher in the Tiltou- Beecher case : “ The Christian religion is not on trial here,” says: Christians knew it before, and they wish the world to know and believe it, that their religion does not depend on the guilt or inno cense of any man, or any number of men, in any age or city. The founder of their religion had twelve disciples, the boldest of whom denied him, and another committed suicide in an agony of remorse. If the Christian religion were on trial when its pro fessors are exposed, it would long ago have perished.” The Texas Baptist Herald, in a vigorous editorial relative to Christian work in that State, says: “ The most serious lack of our own State is pastors of churches who will look after each member of the household of Christ, aud engage each one in some way for His cause. Eloquent sermons, personal inter views, pastoral visiting and week night lec tures, are but little more than “sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal” if the mem bers of the church aie not drawn out—every one of them—to exert, to some extent, an active, positive influence, by doing work of some sort for the furtherance of the king* dom of Christ and the Gospel of His in the world.” jjM The. Chicago Inlcri/.r makes a appeal in behalf of the laborers in sionary fields. It says: ’•ujS “ So far from making “ hard times” a plea for withholding contributions, it should make them the irresistable argument for a more generous consecration ef our substance unto the Lord. The hard times strike the hardest blow, not at our well-fed churches in the cities and more favored parts of the land, but at our starving missionaries on the Iron tier, and the people around them. If we must retrench, it must not be done by killing feeble churches, which are the oily hope of the abounding iniquity around them; it must not be done by starving the missionary, body or mind, but rather by knocking the spires from our churches and selling them for kind ling; by taking the cushions out and selling them to the rag-man. Or if this be deemed too much, we will retrench, not by silencing voices on the frontier, but, if need be, voices in the organ gallery. We will not build two hundred thousand dollar churches, sus tained by an annual expense of twenty thousand more, and then complain of itie frequency of collections. Rather imitating the spirit of Christianity, we will seek the riches that come by giving, and learn how much better it is to distribute our substance for the Kingdom than to consume it upon our lusts. The Texas Christian Advocate ventilates the tobacco question in a pungent way. It says that Mr. Spurgeon’s avowal that he is fond of a good cigar, should not be made a question of conscience but of taste. Though personally opposed to the use of tobacco, the editor is willing to compromise, and states his terms of the compromise thus: If Mr. Spurgeon will not insist that we shall chew or smoke; if he will use only good cigars; if he will not spit on the floor, or parlor, or pulpit, and will be particularly careful not to spit on a hot stove, his practice in the matter will not cause a ripple to pass over our conscience." The Baptist Journal and Messenger , in an able article in reply to the wild Spencerian philosophy that “ God and future life being unknown to us, they need make no part of our thinking,” and that “faith is trust in in conclusive presumption,” says: “ This is the gilded and draped skeleton of despair. * * * Faith, in the Chris tian sense, is a trust in God on the ground of His trustworthiness. It is fundamentally an act of reason and knowledge fairly proved, and it calls emotion and will to action by a divinely-ordered law of our nature. Even the humblest Christian has a rational basis for his faith, receiving knowledge, not by hearsay, or priestly or parental dictation, but in the exercise of all his faculties. Thus we justify faith to intellectual men.” By private advices we learn that Eev. W. E. Lloyd has not responded definitely to the call to the pastorate of the church at Opelika. It is the un derstanding that in the event of his ac ceptance, he will continue to supply the church at Auburn, aud be assisted at Opelika by Dr. Tichnor. Eev. Z. D. Eobey has settled at Cus seta and devotes one-half his time to the church at that place. INDEX AND BAPTIST. Public*Hon Rooms—27 and 29 South-Broad.Street. WHAT IS ORIGINALITY ! A recent writer aptly says : “As for an editor’s actually begetting a column of original matter each day, or half a column, the thing is not even attempted. His L pics must be fresh, and pertinent to the times; yet it is, after all, the an cient repeated.” And he says, further more: “No mortal man can produce two good, healthy sermons a week. Bushuell, Beecher, Leighton, Luther, Robertson, Stanley, are constant sources of inspiration to the most fertile di vine.” A maxim says, “ there is nothing new under the sun,” and it is true. All the elements of our nature; all the precepts of truth; all that the mind can conceive of primary qualities, are “ an cient” as the universp itself ; hut this fact does not hinder us from achieving a certain qualified originality, consist ing in placing ancient truths in new lights, showing their diversified aspects, illuminated by the light of new discov eries, and making apt and pleasing applications of maximal truisms to the times we live in, and the needs of an inquisitive and intelligent age. To give anew and unexpected turn to thought; to clothe the inherent and understood ideas of the human mind in fresh and attractive garments, either in the form of didactics, history or fiction, gives employment to the best powers of tbe mind, and sufficient scope to originality of treatment. VULGARITY IN VERSE. We indulged in the hope that the verbal vulgarities, made to dance in rythmic measure, the verse mannerism intioduced by Bret Harte, and largely liMjiiiited, had died, having long since readers of taste and culture. ■Ltliat Bri-t, Harte still taps vein, and blows the froth pf hm ephemeral notoriety in the line of vulgarisms in verse. A poem (?) of his recently published begins with the line, “Bill was the cuss,” etc., and ends with —“ P. S., ’Twas Bill’s shirt, not the boss’. I tell you Bill was one of the hosses.” The body of this thing is in keeping with the head and tail, in suggested profanity and outspoken vulgarity. And still this scribbler nonsense is described as “a representative Ameri can author!” MOONSHINE. We have received from the author, A. C. Harness, of Philadelphia, Penn sylvania, a pamphlet just published, entitled, “ The genius of Democracy ; or, the Fall of Babylon.” He asks us to assist him to compass his ob ject, which is, he says, “to get up a discussion —a hot and earnest discus sion—on the merits of modern civi lization and its boasted reforms, and the feasibility of a pure Democracy, a government without taxes, a church without tythes, a money without usury, a people without poor, a world without sin.” In fact, he wants us to precipi tate the Millenium, and change, the earth to Elysium. Sorry to decline the modest little job, at least for the present. The Utopian dreams of Plato, and the hasheesh visions of French commu nists, is a field wo leave entirely to the humble Harness. DIVERSIFIED FARMING. The very numerous readers of The Index who are farmers, will be glad to read the prize essay on “ Diversified Farming,” by Professor E. M. Pendle ton, in this issue. It is taken from the Georgia Grange, a valuable journal de voted to the interests of the Grange, and the official organ of the Patrons of Husbandry in Georgia. The article is scholarly, interesting, and full of valu able information, and commends itself to the attention of every intelligent Southern farmer and planter. The members of the Western Georgia Co-operative Grange, recently iti ses sion at LaGrange, passed a resolution strongly opposing the re-enactment of the lien law. GEORGIA GOSSIP. Incessant rains have retarded farm ing operations. The calling of a State convention is still being agitated. An academy has been opened at Pittsburg. The LaGrange Female College build ings are to be completed at once. Anew county is to be formed out of Thomas and Decatur, to be called “ Lawton.” The cotton factories of this State employ a capital of nearly four million dollars. Hon. Benjamin H. Hill addresses the citizens of Hall county on the 13th instant. Capt. John T. Hall and family, of Meriwether county, will emigrate to Colorado next May. An infant daughter of A, J. Smith, Esq., of Cedar Creek district, Coweta couuty, was recently drowned in a spring on her father’s farm. The farmers of Heard county raised 2,455 bales of cotton last year. Corn, 102,308 bushels. Col. W. R. Brown, one of the oldest and best esteemed citizens of Houston county, died on the 4th inst. Dr. P. R. Clements, formerly a well known citizen of Americus, died at Mariana, Fla. recently. Mr. J. L. Eichardson, a highly es teemed young man of Griffin, died in that city last Thursday. Green Blount, of Pike county, was fatally wounded some days ago in diffi culty with a man named David Bor ker. A boy was arrested last week in Ma con, who, by means of duplicate keys to the lock boxes at the post-office, had succeeded in purloining over three hun dred valuable letters. On the 20th instant, in Washington county, Allen White, aged 80 years, was married to Miss Martha West, aged 24. General Joseph E. Johnston is Presi dent of the “ Survivors Association of the soldiers of the late Confederate States, resident in Georgia.’ ’ Messrs. A. Dunn, O. Holland, Jr., and E. T. McMullin, were elected by the Monroe Agricultural Society, dele gates to the State Agricultural Society, which meets in Thomasville on the 25th inst. There are 115,330 white polls in the State, and 84,220 colored. There are 402,500 children between six and eighteen years of age. The total school fund paid was $265,000. The colored people in Georgia own property to the amount of §6,157,798. Included in this are 338,769 acres of land. The people are awaking to the hor rors of the liquor traffic in this State, and petitions from all sections of Geor gia are before the present legislature, praying that the retailing of liquors be prohibited by law. A bill has been presented to charter a railroad running from Beaufort Dis trict, South Carolina, direct to Macon, thence through Troupe or Heard coun ty west to the Alabama line. The capital stock is to be six million dol lars. There are 27,535,639 acres of im proved land in the State, valued at §96,511,935. There are 6,654,159 acres of wild land, valued at §2,191,854. This makes the aggregate value of land in Georgia §98,803,789. The county richest in land is Bartow j hav ing 253,651 acres of improved land, and 39,673 acres of wild land, valued at §2,099,039. The next richest is Floyd, whose lands are valued at §1,958,337. The third is Chatham, with lands val ued at §1,917,018 ; the fourth, C0bb— §1,726,880; the fifth, Richmond—§l,- 625,861; the sixth, Fulton—sl,s9o,- 179; the seventh, DeKalb—sl,ss7,- 295; the eighth, Washington—sl,s46,- s4O; the ninth, Gwinnett—§l,sl7,339 ; the tenth, 8ibb —§1,509,445 ; the elev enth, Sumter —§1,188,714; the twelfth, Burke —$1,477,352 ; and Troup comes thirteenth —$1,476,333. The poorest is Charlton, wherein is the Okifiaokeo swamp, giving in $72,542. Pulyreized charcoal, placed in a cistern, will render the water pure. S3 A YEAR IN ADVANCE. EUROPE IS AIOIS. The dark shadow of grave events which the near future is casting upon the horizon of Europe, and which can not fail to affect our own community in many and serious ways, is thus alluded to by the leading journal of the old world, the London Times : In the gloom surrounding us, “one thing is perceptible—ail are arming. Germany is arm ing tin masse; the surrounding nations, in cluding tlie best of the word, cannot do other wise.” And why does Germany arm every man of her mighty forty millions? There is no single power on the continent that is able to cope with her on iier ordinary peace foot ing. There are no political objects upon which any of the surrounding powers could concen trate and ally themselves against her. There is no question of boundaries in dispute—and, in brief, there is nothing in the commercial, maritime, 1 political, or civil situation upon which a casus belli can naturally rest. There is one danger, and one only, for and against which Europe is arming: and that is the mis chievous, intermedling, unscrupulous power of the papacy, which is busy fomenting discord and war, and compacting belligerent alliances in every European State except Russia. The last-named Empire is calm and peaceful, re posing in the plentitude of her united power —because, and only because Jesuitism, Ultra montanism, and Papacy in its hydra-headed forms has no footing on her soil, and no means of acquiring the necessary hold upon the superstitions of tire people. DOMESTIC NOTE*. Trains are running through Hoosac Tunnel. The Senate has rejected the Canadian, reciprocity treaty. The Episcopal college at Racine, Wisconsin, was burned last week. Petitions have been presented to Congress against the revival of the duty on tea and coffee. During tbe recent cold weather, a a number of people were frozen to death on the prairies of Kansas. Rev. James Dekoven, D.D., has been elected bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Illinois. The amended Civil Rights bill has passed the House of Representatives, and is now before the Senate. It will probably become a law. The book containing an account of the scandalous life of George IY ~of England, and for which interested par ties offered recently a reward of one thousand pounds, has been discovered in the office of a lawyer at Louisville. One thousand pounds is, certainly, an enormous price for the life of a worth less King. TENNESSEE NEWS. Gen. B. F. Cheatham has been ap pointed Superintendent of Prisons. Large numbers of emigrants to Texas and Missouri, are passing through Nashville. Col. James L. Gaines, the new Comp troller, has entered upon his offioial duties. Governor Porter’s first message to the General Assembly, is receiving high praise. Capt. White, the notorious horse thief, and who recently escaped from jail, was captured by a party of men, and, resisting arrest, was killed near Henderson, Tennessee. He w r as once a very respected citizen of Shelby county. Governor Porter, speaking of the public school system of Tennessee, says: The people of Tennessee recognize the necessity of affording free educa tion to all the children of the State. The system now in operation is a wise one in many respects, and ought to be made the subject of the most friendly legislation, such legislation as will make every child in the State its bene ficiary. The general sentiment of our people is favorable to the cause of pop ular education. Our prosperity de pends on the maintenance of the sys tem inaugurated two years ago, and, if any change is made, it ought only to affect the details in such manner as will afford increased educational fa cilities. Our esteemed Bro. J. W. Ellington, alluding to The Index, says: “ The Index is improving decidedly. It is now a very oood paper. Some articles recently published were very fine, and have the ring of the genuine metal. Prof. Willet’s “Rejoinder" is a triumphant answer to Dr. Clark. Dr. Hillyer’s sermon was “a feast of fat things”—the very pith and marrow of the gospel. ‘ Satis.’ Hope you may ‘ go on to prosper.’” The apple crop of Connecticut for last year, was by far the best for many years. Its value is estimated at §2,000,000.