Newspaper Page Text
The Christian Index.
roi. 55—NO. 4.
Table of Content*.
First Page,—Alabama Department : Record of
Btate Events ; Spirit of the Religious Press ;
Baptist News and Notes : General Denomina
tional News ; My Prayer—Poetry ; etc.
Sxookd Page. —Our Correspondents: Balti
more Letter—Theopkilus; Letter from Au-
Sista, Georgia—Navarre ; The Centennial
ovement—Tertius ; The Towaliga Associa
tion—H. S. R. Indian Missions: Rehoboth
Bfission— J. S. Murrow. The Shell—Poetry.
Mission Items : The Work in Mexico ; The
Orissa Mission; The Missionaries of the Lon
don Society ; The Appropriations of the Amer
ican Board of Commissioners ; The Receipts
of the Baptist Missionary Union ; etc. Select
Miscellany ; “Old Hundred“My Neigh
bors A Legend of Solomon’s Temple ; etc.
Thibd Page. —Our Pulpit: Sermon, by C. H.
Spurgeon, delivered at the Metropolitan Tab
ernacle, London. The Sunday-school: Lesson
for January 30 ; Systematic Co-operation Ne
cessary for Sabbath-school Collections: Ap
pointments by A. B. Wallace, of the Middle As
sociation Sabbath-school Convention.
Fourth Page.— Editorial; True Tests ; Prayer ;
The Sabbath; Dr. Spurgeon: Good Work ;
Rev. J. S. Baker; “TheophilnsSabbath
school Books ; Tempe ance : Battle on the
Will; Georgia Baptist Nbwb : Sublime Patriot
ism ; Inhospitable ; Moody and Saukev ; Rev.
B. G Manard ; The Young Men’s Christian
Association of Griffin—Rev D. E. Butler.
Zeal ; Old Fogy and Aunt Edith—Rev. B. G.
Hillyer. A well Merited Compliment ; H. S.
R.; etc.
lYrru Page. —Abdriel Nekoda—Rev. J. S. Baker;
Personals—Rev. D. E. Butler; Portraits. Sec
ular' Editorials: Excellent Appointments ; The
State University; The Blind Asylum; Our Gal
lery; Literary 'Gossip; Remember the Poor:
Something Old ; Georgia News; The Light of
Love—Poetry: News of the Week-Foreign and
Domestic; etc.
Sixth Page. —Children’s Corner : Lines to My
Deceased Father ; The Poor Drunkard ; Ad
vioe to Boys : etc. Cotton Manufactures in
the South; Virtue in Whistling; The New
York Trade Reporter on Southern Transpor
tation ; The South asserting her Birthright—
Mobile Register; Successful Pear C ulture j
etc.
Seventh Page. —Science and Agriculture;
Georgia Farm Notes; Good Advice to Far
mers ; Red Pepper and Poultry.
Eighth Paoe.— Special Correspondence : Pas
toral Shpport; Mistletoe on Clod’s Trees—Rev.
W. B. Fuller. Hon. Cincinnatus Peeples,
Judge of the Atlanta Circuit—J. R Kendrick.
Publishers’ Department: Commendations;
etc. Marriages. Obituaries Advertisements.
INDEX AND BAPTIST.
ALABAMA DEPARTMENT.
The Eufawla Times says the farming outlook
is very encouraging.
Rev. J. E. Foust, of Marion, has been dan
gerously ill.
s A "Young (Men's. Christian Asssormtion htb
been organized in Florence.
The residence of Dr. W. T. Brown, in La-
Fay ette, was destroyed by fire last week.
The Montgomery city council has passed an
ordinance punishing cruelly to animals.
General Lee’s birthday anniversary, on the
19th inst., was celebrated handsomely in Mo
bile.
The body of a murdered man was recently
found near Davis’ bluff, in the Bigbee river.
Col. C. P. Ball has been appointed superin
tendent of the Alahamaand Chattanooga rail
road.
Post offices have been established at
MoGlenn’s arid Mt. Pleasant, in Monroe coun
‘7' .
Beulah church, ol the Cahaba Valley Asso
ciation, has enjoyed a refreshing and tiiorough
revival.
R. G. Wright has been elected mayor, James
B. Hunter Clerk, and R. E. Bowyer marshal
of Union Springs.
On the 6th, near Guntersville, a Mrs. Beas
ley, while under a fit of insanity, killed her
two children.
Judge Bailey, and others, give notice that
j.hey will apply to the legisture to create anew
court in Perry.
An entire block of buildings in Mobile, in
cluding the old telegraph and express offices,
was burned on the 15th inst. Loss SIOO,OOO.
Col. John Forsyth, editor of the Mobile
Register is a candidate for the United States
Senate.
Mrs. Andrew McKenzie, of Eufaula, aged
sixty years, a highly esteemed lady, died in that
city, recently.
The House passed a bill fixing the time for
the meeting of the next legislature on Tuesday
after the second Monday of next November,
and the same day every two years thereafter.
Rev. T. W. White, pastor of the Greensboro
Presbyterian church, was the recipient of a
New Year’s donation of sllO, from the mem
bers of his congregation.
The Baptist Sabbath-schools, of Talladega,
has resolved to contribute five cents per mem
ber, monthly, to the erection of Williams—
Whilden mission house.
The House of Representives has forwarded a
memorial to the Senate of the United States,
enquiring into the right of George E. Spencer
to a seat in the Senate.
Judge W. B. Woods, of the United States
Circnit Court, sitting at Mobile, removed the
Stauntons and Loomis as trustees for the first
mortgaged bondholders and receivers for the
Alabama and Chattanooga railroad, and ap
pointed in their place Messra. David A. Wells,
of Connecticut, R. H. Smith and W. D. Dunn|
of Mobile.
THE SOTJTH-WBSTEHH BAPTIST,
of Alabama.
BAPTIST NEWS AND NOTES.
—ln Toronto, Canada, ten years ago, there
were but two Baptist churches in the city, with
a membership of about 500, and with not
more than 400 Sunday-school scholars. To
day there are six churches with comforta
ble houses of worship, substantially paid for,
a membership of about 1,700, and not less than
1,500 scholars in the Sunday-schools.
—The Baptists of West Virginia are ma
king an effort to raise $50,000 as a Centennial
endowment fund for the St. Albans Prepara
tory School, located at St. Albans, on the
Great Kanawha river.
—The Baptist Messenger is now published at
Burkville, Newton county, Texas.
—Pittsburg has anew and magnificent Bap
tist church, the “Fourth Avenue.” It cost
$130,000, and $30,000 remain on mortgage.
The pew rents reach the sum of $7,000. The
church will seat 1,236 people, and the pastor,
the Rev. R. W. Pearson, D.D , ministers to a
membership of 580 souls.
—The “Baptist Ministers’ Centennial Club
of Illinois” now numbers about 150 members,
representing aggregate pledges of about $25,-
000. The object of the club is to raise funds
for the coming year in aid of Baptist col
leges and theological schools in the State.
—The Baptists of Scotland have doubled
their numbers in the past six years. They
now have seventy churches and three thous
and members.
—The New York Baptist preachers have
formed a “Baptist Preachers’ Centennial Un
ion, to aid in the educational movement.
—Rev. James Wells, formerly of Kentucky,
and late of California, has gone toVirginia
City, Nevada, to serve the Baptist church
there as pastor.
Rev. D. T. Morrill, late pastor of Park Av
enue church, St. Louis, has resigned his
charge, and enters at once upon duty as Dis
trict Secretary of the American Baptist Publi
cation Society for the Southwest.
—rTbe Baptist church in Rondout, N. Y.,
Rev. James Cooper pastor, “is having the
most powerful revival ever known in its histo
ry.”
The commissioners to adjust and settle the
State debt have reported to the Legislature.
If the report is confirmed the debt will be
fixed at $10,000,000. The New York agent
fy r the bond-holders has agreed to this adjust
ment. The government ol the State, in the
blinds of an honesty respected and economical
administration, and with a constitution which
forever precludes the borrowing of money or
lending State aid to internal improvements or
other schemes, Alabama will once more re
sume her position in the financial world as a
solvent and prosperous State of the Union.
Mr. J. C. Stanton, of the Chattanooga rail
road, has sued Mr.T. W. Snagge, the English
barrister who represented the first mortgage
bondholders in the recent suit in the United
States court here, for libel, laying his damages
at SIOO,OOO, in the city court of Montgomery.
The Mobile Register, alluding to the fruitful
services now being held in the St. Francis
street Baptist church, says :
The services at this church, during the past
week, have been very well attended, and a
thoughtful interest has been manifested. Rev.
Dr. Wilson of the Coliseum Baptist church, in
New Orleans, has preached every night. His
burning, fervid eloquence, courteous bearing,
and deep solicitude for the welfare of his con
gregation have deeply impressed the large au
diences in attendance, and it is hoped much
permanent good will result.
The Maryland legislature proposes to levy
a substantial tax on dogs, and raise a fund
thereby to compensate sheep owners whose
flocks have suffered from canine depredations.
Commenting upon the above item the Mo
bile Register says :
The reason why our legislature does not do
the same must be because dogs are worth more
here than in Maryland, or sheep are worth
less.
Rev. il. F. Buckner, writing from Eufaula
Creek Nation, speaking of Marion, says ;
I have just returned from Marion.
I cannot say less of Marion than that it pre
sents the best example of ante bellum Southern
civilization that I have seen since 1860, and
that was the highest and best civilization the
• orld ever saw. Of the Judson Female In
stitute, under the presidency of Dr. Sumner, of
Howard college, under Col. Murfee, of the
Home Mission Board with Dr Mclntosh lor its
corresponding secretary ; and of the Baptist
church, with Dr. Winkler lor its pastor, I can
not now speak according to my high appreci
ation, because language would fail me.
Ordination. —A presbytery consisting of
Revs. James Barrow and J. D. H. Robinson
was convened at the Lost Creek church, Ran
dolph county, Alabama, on the lßt inst., for
the purpose of setting apart to the Gospel min
istry brother D. M. Hight. The sermon was
preached by Rev. James Barrow. The exam
ination of the applicant proved highly satis
factory, both with regard to his moral charac
ter, and his faith and doctrine.
—The Cbhistian Index advocates “the ap
pointment ot a committee in every Baptist
church, whose duty it shall be to see that ev
ery family in the chnrch is supplied with a
Baptist weekly paper ; and that every church
raise a fund to be used in giving the paper to
such as may not be able to pay for it.”
We should like to hear of just one church
that has love enough for the Saviour, and con
sideration enough for the poor, to do it.—
Western Recorder.
FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, JANUARY 27, 1876.
Spirit of the Religious Press,
—An exchange hits hard as follows:
“Christianity is weary of mere sentimentality
in religious worshp. It has had water and
molasses enough. It wants the old wine, and
the best wine of the Gospel, and it must have
it or sink into a miserable marasmus. Ritual
istic foppery and ecclesiastical millinery have
proved how utterly ineffective for good they
are They bring religion into contempt, and
make worship ridiculous.
—The Congregationalist expounds self-denial
as follows;
For a young man so placed that for him to
allow himself Borne indulgence lawful to him
might be to tempt some companion to an in
dulgence to him unlawful and dangerous, to
give up that pleasure, to close permanently al'
the avenues of his nature which lead in that
direction, for the sake of the benefit to be
hoped to another from that transaction ; as
Paul declared his willingness to eat no meat
(to him lawful, and, in itself, strictly expe
dient) while the world should stand, if for
him to do so would be to make his brother, of
weak conscience to ofti.Sd. Total abstinence
from intoxicating drinks may be to you,
friend, a self-denial. If so, by all means exer
cise it. That exercise may re-act in blessing
on yourself, while, almost surely, it will help
(and may save) others.
The Presbyterian systematizes the ways of
giving for religion and charity thus:
One way is to give something to every cause
that, is presented, without inquiring into its
merits. This is a careless way, but better than
none.
A second way is to give from impulse, as
much and as often as love ard pity prompt.
This is adapted to those of the rich who are
kind-hearted.
A third way is to save the cost of luxuries,
and apply them to purposes of religion and
charity. This is for the self-indulgent. With
the frugal it is apt to be accompanied by nar
rowness, asceticism, and pride in good works.
A fourth way is to make a special effort to
earn money for benevolent objects. This is
for lazy people.
A fifth way is to lay aside as an offering to
God, a definite portion of our gains one-tenth,
one-fifth, one-third, or one-half. This way is
adapted to all, but especially to the pentur
ious, economical, and hard-working, the ef
travagant and the poor, whose gifts would be
largely increased if it was generally practiced.
A sixth way is to give to God and the needy
just as much as we spend on ourselves.
A seventh way is, to limit our own expendi
tures to a certain sum, and give away all the
rest of our income. This was John Wesley’s
way. ‘
WcsjUould not cn'£iyr
of giving, but practice, and teach our child
ren, different modes, each in its proper place,
as occasion requires.
—The Evangelist maintains that perscmal
work has always been the most successful, and
says:
“ Our Lord went in and out of the homes of
men, and in familiar conversations with one
here and another there, won them to himself.
His disciples each received a personal cal], He
talked with a woman by the well, with a ruler
alone by night. And His most precious words
were spoken in the privacy o' 1 **"! circle of His
peculiar friends.
Paul followed personal me jd of his Mas
ter. All Revivalists and Evangelists and suc
cessful pastors have need the power of personal
application to the souls of individuals, and no
matter how mighty have been the influences
of the public services, they have been best
clinched in private. The harvest times in the
Methodist churches are in the prayer-meetings
that follow the preaching. And such work as
that which Mr. Moody is doing would be
greatly shorn of its power if there were no in
quiry meetings, and if there were no personal
solicitation of the ungodly on the part of Chris
tian workers. Dr. John Brown tells in one of
his most interesting papers about “ Jeems the
door-keeper,” whose theory of prayer was that
“ there was nae true prayer till ye come into
close grips' wi’ God."
It is the theory of successful work in saving
souls—come into close grips with them.”
# —The Presbyterian Journal makes the fol
lowing profound and very true comments:
As we once walked the streets of one of our
cities with a Professor of a well-known college,
the subject of death became the theme of our con
versation. “ The prospect of this event,” said
he, “does much to regulate my speech. If I
am tempted to utter any thing that is slander
ous, irritating, offensive, or unjust, I imme
diately check myself by the recollection of a
line in one of our Sabbath-school Hymns—
‘ Let me think, if I was dying.’ ” Well
would it be for men generally, to apply this
test to themselves. How much would then be
left unsaid ? We often forget that we are
mortal, and thus we are led to unkind and se
vere remarks which never would have escaped
our lips had the solemn truth been present to
our minds—“the Judge standethat the door !”
Frequ<-ntiy is this trufe in public assemblies.
Unholy motives operate ; the crowd excites,
listening multitudes stimulate, personal am
bition urges on, and thus are men induced to
say, what, if they knew that there was but “ a
step between them and death,” they would
have carefully suppressed, and rejected even
as a suggestion to their minds. It is said that
the best way to calm a collection of bees that
have escaped from the hive, and are contending
in the air, is to cast a handful of dust among
them. A recollection of the dust to which
they are so soon to return, would do much to
make meu bridle their tongues amid the an
noyances and conflicts of the world.
—Alluding to Dr. Jeffery, the new recruit
to “Liberal Baptism,” and who is now asso
ciate editor of the Baptist Union, the Journal
and Messenger says :
“Any Doctor of Divinity holding that bap
tism was the primal and initial faet in the
orderly development of the Christian Church”
ought to be able to show an orderly develop
ment of views on the communion question,
and an orderly walk with Regular Baptists.”
—The Golden Rule utters a benediction
over the man who “ knows enough to keep his
mouth shut.” “ Some people,” it says, “live
sixty years without learning the art. Indeed,
the older they grow the wider their mouths
open. A man or woman who is a gabbler at
forty-five is a dreadful affliction to a house, a
church, or community. There are two things
this age need to learn —when to say nothing,
and when it says anything to say it well. l lf
any,man among you seem to be religious, and
bridleth not his tongue, thiß man’s religion is
vain.’ ”
—Dr. Pendleton, in the Baptist Visitor thus
replies to Rev. Mr. Pentecost;
“ Rev. G. F. Pentecost, of Boston, has pub
lished a long article in favor of 1 open com
munion,’ in which he says: I We do not deny
the orderly precedence ot baptism to the Lord's
supper.’ I know of no middle ground be
tween* orderly’ and disorderly. As baptism,
than, is the orderly precedent to the commun
ion, it is disorderly to commune with the un
baptized. Mr. Pentecost believes immersion
alone to be baptism. Out of his own moutlx,
therefore, do I condemn him by charging that
wlx-never be communes with the unbaptized
he does a disorderly thing. There is an in
junction which was once thought worthy of
respect; ‘Let' all thingß be done decently and
irfCr<|gr. ”
mj&xe New York Methodist remarks:
Se at the right place. It is not well to
dejive your family of a favorite newspaper
beemseyou are going to be economical. Nor
is it well to embarrass the Missionary Society
and starve out your pastor because you are
pinched. The paper and the pastor will help
yoq.to other and safer economies. Everything
that has to do with youi well-being, struggle
hard to keep. All that concerns your wdl
seoning, put the knife into that. You cannot
affo'ffto lose a year’s growth ; 1876 will come
but once, and no other year of our Lord can
lake its place. But in that field of seeming
are things to spare, be sure of it. Lop
them off Do not be afraid that a last year’s
coat will lose you influence. We saw a man
the day who owed a good situation to a poor
overcoat. The employer said : “ 1 have just
tHffcfd away a well-dressed man. I thought
I couldn’t afford to support that suit of clothes.
But I’ll take you; your coat recommends
you.”
Church Journal is caustic; it says;
“There is a good deal of this praying which
is not prayer at at all. Men piously ask the
L*Vl to undertake works by the score which
they are too lazy or too penurious to do for
themselves. _ Prayer becomes a cloak for lazi
ness, and piety a mask for avarice. In this
poi.xUxf view, missionary- meetings are often
the/flidest places in which a thoughtful man
for an hour’s meditation. He finds
hiniefeff often wondering in them—not that
thelfeathen are not converted, but that there
aratfiy Christians left. Men meet, and pray,
and turn the whole business over
’hands with an air of pious re-
H ‘OTPhn, contributing a dollar ob two as they
Iftorwij aB tMr tqward tl^fcmterprwe.''’
ing houses of worship, says:
We have steadily opposed the taxation of
houses of worship, because they are not per
sonal property ; not productive property ; are
devoted to public uses; enhance the value of
property around them ; promote the welfare of
society; are donations to the public good. It
is bad policy and bad morals to discourage
gifts of money for the erection of churches, by
forcing the benevolent donor to pay taxes on
the property they give for the good of others.
It would be equally consistent to tax men who
give land for public roads and parks ; who give
money to build colleges, and to endow colleges,
adding to their taxes as they p#rt with their
property. The plea that property that is pro
tected should pay tor the protection, is not ac
cepted by any government under heaven.
This is not the basis of taxation at all. In
deed, there is ns accepted basis, only to collect
revenue where it (an be done the most easily,
and causes the least embarrassment. Al)
classes of property need not be taxed in order
to equalize the burdens of government. Tax
ing houses of worship would discourage reli
gious education, impose unjust burdens, work
constant annoyance, and yield very little rev
enue.
—The Independent says :
What a motto for everyday use our dear
Master gave us all when he said to Peter:
"What is that to thee? Follow thou me!”
It fits so many cases. Here, for example, is
an obscure, hard-working paster, who reads in
his religious journal of the wonderful successes
of a Moody or a Spurgeon ; how one of them
preaches every Sunday to six or seven thou
sand auditors, and how the other is blessed to
the conversion of several thousands of souls in
a single year. He throws down the paper, in
a sort of envious despair, and feels that he is
an absolute nobody in the vineyard of Christ.
"What is that to thee ?” whispers the Sheph
erd’s voice. " Follow thou me 1” Ashamed
of himself, the humble country parson turns to
his Bible and his unfinished sermon again,
determined that he will do his little beat, even
t hough his name never figures in the bullet
ins. If the Master smiles on him, it is enough.
To save even one soul is reward for a lifetime’s
toil.
How often a self-distrustful Christian tries to
ezcuse himself from active labors in the church
or bunday-school with the%tereotyped apology:
If I was gifted like A. or 8., 1 would be as
active as they are in teaching, or in public
prayer or speech.” Friend, the way to attain
to larger gilts is to employ’ the guts you liavi.
Give Jesus thy one talent, and'then He may
trust thee with two Christ judges his ser
vants according to what they have, never ac
cording to what they have not.
—The Christian at Work stirs up the “lazy
bones” in this energetic manner :
There are great hulks of health floating
about unserviceable either to church or State,
while others with gout, or partial paralaysis, or
dun eyesight that can only distinguish between
light and darkness, or limping by the aid of
two crutches, are every day making a subtrac
tion from human Borrow, and an addition to
human comfort. It is a shame to have hands,
or feet or eyes, and not employ them for good
service. It was evidently intended that the race
should average for each man two eyes, two
ears, two feet, and two hands.”
The Independent has these thoughts on
preaching and preachers:
. “ A preacher who is not in some way a seer
ib not a preacher at all. You can never make
people see religions realities by correct defini
tions. They will not believe in the reality of
God on the word of u man who merely demon
strates it to them. You must Bee such things
ourself if you are going to help others to se
THE HEBALD
of Tennessee.
them. This is the secret of all the preaching
that ever was good since preaching began.”
—The Watchman says:
Dr. Hodge, of Princeton, writes a strong
letter to the Tribune defending the action of
his college in requiring of students a promise
not to enter any secret society. He is led to
say that the Bible sanctions voluntary vows.
“ In fact,” he adds, “ baptism, the Lord’s sup
per, ordination and marriage, all involve sol
emn pledges, which, being made to God, are
vows.” As Baptists, we heartily agree with
this view of baptism. But Dr. Hodge teaches
that all Christians should have their children
baptized in infancy. Does he mean that the
unconscious babe makes a vow in Its baptism ?
His eyes are keener than ours, if be can discov
er anything in the nature of a pledge on the
part of the infant. On the contrary, many
babes on whom we have seen water sprinkled,
have protested against the whole ceremony
with all the force of their lungs, and hands and
feet.
—The United Presbyterian, speaking of the
necessity for supporting and promoting de
nominational institutions for the education of
theological students, says:
There is not enough of real genuine pride,
on the part of our people, in their institutions
of learning. This is true alike of the colleges
and seminaries. They admit that schools and
colleges are necessary, and they are fond of
good preaching as secured by having young
men educated at first-class divinity halls, but
the grand work of providing the necessary
means for this does not much move their am
bition. What we want is the generous enthu
siasm of earnest men of wealth, who shall set
the example of lifting our institutions out of
their lowliness and setting them up on an
equality with those whose work it is expected
to equal in furnishing scholars for our pulpits.
When a man of great wealth talks of the
necessity of having learned and able preach
ers, skilled in all the requirements of modern
culture, and when he expects his particular
preacher to appear so, while he is doing noth
ing in the way of advancing his denomination
al schools, he is enacting over again the old
barbarity ol the Egyptians, who would not pro
vide straw yet demanded the bricks. The people
ought to have scholarly preachers, and the
church needs and mußt have them, il it is to
maintain its place, but they are impossible
without the liberality ol the people who, under
God, have the thing all in their own hands.
—The Congregationalist speaks as follows of
a pastor who had been asked to preach to
children;
“He now replies that, having given the
subject due reflection, he has concluded to
preach regularly to tLegchildren, with a ser
mon one Sabbath .afternoon in the month to
adults. He says that the main hope of the
Church is thfe rising generation. The
thoughts and intents of hiß grown up hearers are
In tkie main’ fixed; but those of the youth are
"yerta life sloped and fflreefed., y fJWgcan <es*the
boys and the girls of to-day for Christ, lie has
made sure of the men and women of to-mor
row. His business is to carry the lambs;
the sheep must follow on. To us there is
something a little startling in this proposed
reversal of present methods, end for end ; but
we are not sure that a sound Christian philoso
phy may not be at the bottom of it.”
A Divorce with a Terrible Ori
gin.—There is in this city, however,
one most amusing low comedian who
has a reason for never smiling. In his
youth he was the father of a little girl
of a refractory, obstinate disposition.
One day, to punish her for something,
he locked her in a bed-room, and with
his wifi, went down stairs to dinner.
Soon the child began to scream in a
terrible manner, which the parents con
sidered was only temper; but as the
shrieks continued the wife became- al
armed and desired to go to her. He,
however, forbade her doing so, as he
said the child must be taught obedi
ence, and that she should not pain her
end by screaming. They went on with
their dinner, the fearful shrieks contin
uing for a while and then ceasing. As
they were about leaving the table,
smoke began to pass through the
house. There was fire somewhere.
Rushing to release the poor little girl,
they found her dead. Her clothes had
evidently caught fire from the grate,
and while the parents were eating, the
child was dying. The comedian’s wife
took a horror and hatred of her hus
band after this, as she believed that if
he had allowed her to go to the poor
infant she might have saved her life.
They were divorced. No wonder that
man never smiles off the stage. — N. Y.
Cor. Baltimore News.
ENDOWMENT OF TUE ISDEX.
The following paragraph is extracted from a
a private letter of an esteemed brother, who has
been, for many years, a zealous Baptist; ready
at all times to contribute to the advancement of
denominational interests in the South; he says;
“While good and zealous brethren are laboring
to raise endowment funds to build colleges,
acadamies, and seminaries, in which a few poor
children are educated, they only say “ subscribe ”
to The Index. Why not raise an endowment fund
for The Index? Then it could be sent to every
log cabin in the South, when the poor would
have the Gospel preached to them free."
This suggestion we think eminently practical.
Great good might be accomplished if it were ob
served. The paper goes now, at our expense, to
many of the poor of the denomination but
the provision recommended would carry T s. In
dex, freighted weekly with the glad tr -I
the Gospel, to every brother and sister of the
South, who, by reason of poverty, may be, at
present, denied its benefits. The subject is wor
thy of serious consideration and prompt action.
In behalf of those who would be its beneficiaries,
we commend it to our brethren of the Southern
States. Who will mot* fikst in this mattku ?
—The Baptists of impoverished South Caro
lina have raised over $190,000 to endow Fur
man University.
WHOLE NO. 2804.
In'PRAYSS.
Let me not die before I’ve done for Thee
My earthly work, whatever it may be ;
Call me not hence with mission unfulfilled ;
Let me not leave my space of ground untilled;
Impress this truth upon me, that not one
Can do my portion that I leave undone,
For each one in Thy vineyard hath a spot
To labor in for life, and weary not.
Then give me strength all faithfully to toil,
Converting barren earth to fruitful soil.
I long to be an instrament of Thine,
To gather worshippers unto Thy shrine ;
To be the means one human soul to save
From the dark terrors of a hopeless grave;
Yet most I want a spirit of content.
To work where’er thou’lt wish my labor spent,
Whether at home or in a stranger clime,
In days of joy, or sorrow’s sterner time ;
I want a spirit passive to lie still.
And by Thy power to do Thy holy will,
And when the prayer unto my lips doth rise,
Before anew home doth my soul surprise.
Let me accomplish some great work for Thee.
Subdue it, Lord ! Let my petition be,
O, make me useful in thiß world of Thine,
In ways according to Thy will, not mine;
Let me not leave my space of ground unfilled;
Call me not home with mission unfulfilled ;
Let me not die before I’ve done for Thee
My earthly work, whatever it may be.
jjeifcral Denominational News,
—The Treasurer of St. Augustine (Catho
lic) church of Cincinnati, has embezzled $6,000
of church funds, and the. Archbishop is after
his bondsmen.
—The chaplain of the present House of
Representatives has made anew departure by
appearing in gown and bands, and kneeling
on a cushion, offering prayer from the Episco
pal prayer-book.
A vicar of the Established Church in En
gland, recently likened all independent chap
els, all the worshipping-places of the dissen
ters, to houses of Satan.
—A grand gathering of English, German
and Swiss Protestants is contemplated to be
held in Geneva, in the spring.
—The Presbytery of Japan has receifirfy li
censed two of the young men undercare
as probationers to preach the Sev
eral other young men are
with a view to the ministry.
—The Southern Presbyterian Assembly
enumerates 871 Sabbath-schools. Their uni
ted contributions amounted, last year, t0530,-
900 ; the average attendance ot teachers being.
5,000 and scholars 35,000. . *
' —Maj. Cole, pssisted by his wife and daugh
ter, is holding successful religions meetings at
•■o—- ;
—There are still two Waldensian eongrega-f' 1 "
tions in Fiance.
—A remarkable meeting of foreign mission
aries employed in city mission work was re
cently held in London. Grace was said in
fourteen different languages.
—Ouchalatta, the newly elected chief of the
Cherokee Nation, has just been ordained a Bap
tist minister. Three of the former judges of the
Creek Nation are Baptists, and the other one
is "favorable to themtheir Superintendent
of Public Instruction is a Baptist minister*
and their national Treasurer is a Baptist.
—At a recent Catholic procession in Mad
rid, a Protestant teacher was discovered at a
second-story window, with his cap on. A
priest in the procession shouted to him, an 1
he crowd took up the shout, demanding the
removal of the cap. Refusing to do this, he
was arrested on a charge of interfering with
religious liberty 1” He has had no trial, but
is required to appear at court twice a m >nth
as a security for good behaviour.
—Rev. Mr. Noble, of Portage, Wisconsin, a
minister of the /-' :ee Methodist Church, has
purchased a steamboat, and with it he intends
to travel up and down the Wisconsin river,
holding revival meetings, and preaching at ev
ery landing.,
—The American Tract Soc ety has distri
buted since 1835 something over 40,030,039
tracts,
—Some remarkable facts respecting the
spread of Christianity in India have recently
been brought out by the census, which wis
[,repared with great labor and care by the In
dian Government. Two hundreciand iweii'y
five thousand Protestant native Christians
are reported, showing that during t t
paßt ten years there has been an increase of 61
per cent, of the Christian population, wm •
the natural increase of the Hindu populati > i
has been but five per cent.
A Baptist merchant in Bridgeport, Conn
has made a very liberal cash donation tow ir-l
the erection of an Episcopal church in Ligau
Utah, where a small Protestant Episcopal s <
ciety of twenty members has been gathered
the only Christian church in that town.
—A new Presbyterian church is to be erec
ed in St. Louis, near LaFayette Park. It wll
cost $50,000, and hold 1,200 people.
—The Protestants have now fifty missiona
ry stations in Japan and many native preach
era. Anew Presbyterian chapel, with room
for seating 300 persons, has just been opened
in the capital, and Dr. Yerbeck preached the
sermon in the Japanese language.
—The Bible is still the bonk of the Mada
gascar Christians, as it was in the days of per
secution. For some time the stock of Bibles
at the missions was exhausted, and it wa3 pa! n
ful to be obliged to turn eager enquirers fir the
volume away. At lastthe London Bib'eSocie
ty sent 6,000 Bibles. These were all sold in a
few days, and hundreds of people who came
too late had to be sent away. One man sold
his principal garment (a kind of shirt) in or
der to make up the required shilling.