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The Christian Index TZEEIEj SOTJTH-WESTERU BAPTIST, THIS HEEALDt of Alabama. of Tennessee. VOL. 55—NO. 15. Table of Contents. Ftebt Page. —Alabama Department: Record of State Events; A Note from Rev. J. S. Baker, D.D. ; A Statement of Facts—Rev. Jos. S. Ba ker ; Whittle and Bliss in Selma—Rev. E. B. Teague: General Denominational News. Second Page . —Not the “Board Question”—S. Boykin; Gainesville is the Place for the Geor gia Baptist Female Seminary—W. 0. Wilkes ; To the Brethren Composing the Tallapoosa Association—H. A. Williams: Dry Rot in the Church.; Man Subjected to the'Law of Suf fering—T. C. A.; The Model Prayer-Meeting— Observer; Concluding Reply to Tertius; A Re markable Fact—W. N. Chaudoin. Book No tices. Science and Education. Third Page —Notes on the Act of Baptism—No. vn—Rev. 3. H. Kilpatrick. Fourth Page.— Editorial : Power of Temper ance; Old Preachers' Board; Sabbath-school Superintendents; An Impoßter; Inebriate Asy lums ; Georgia Baptist News ; Noble Little South Carolina; Pi aver-Meetings; Our Errors —D. E. Butler. Field Notes and Cabinet Talks —Enoch. What is Man that Thou art Mindful of Him—Prof. W. F. Smith; etc. Fifth Page. Spirit of the Religious Press. Secular Editorials; Personal; The State Sun day-school Board; To the Point; The Theater; Literary Gossip; Georgia News. Sixth Page.— Should Girls Study Latin—Elma Winsted; Notes of Travel ; From Montgomery to Decatur—Nomad. The Sundav-Scliool : Pe ter’s Defense—Lesson for April 16th. Seventh Page. Agriculture : Work for the Month; The Fence Law; Facts Not Generally Known; etc. Eighth Page. —Our Correspondents : An Inter esting Letter from Baltimore—Rev. W. T. Brantly; “The Dead Line of Fifty;” South ern Baptist Convention : The Baptist State Convention of Georgia—J. W. D. Creath; The Churches and the Convention—W. N. Chau doin. INDEX AND BAPTIST. ALABAMA DEPARTMENT. Dale county is moving in the matter of h olding a county fair. The rust has appeared in oats in Pike coun ty- A telegraph line is to be established be tween Troy and Union Springs. The Good Templars lodge at Greenville has been re-organized. The fair at Mobile begins April 25th. Helena rolling mill is turning out excellent cotton ties in large quantities. The Selma, Rome ifc Dalton road is un broken. and its trains run through regularly. *— • Anew Methodist church is to he built at Rock Mills, Randolph county. The Methodist Sunday-school supper at Tuskegee netted SBS. Several German families from the vicinity of Wheeling, W. Va., have recently settled near Birmingham. The Agricultural and Mechanical College at Auburn has now about 125 students, the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa about 90. The Y. M. C. Association of Alabama will hold its fifth annual session at Huntsville, on the 27th April next. It is reported that the iron and rolling stock of the Tuskegee narrow guage railroad is of fered for sale. ■ ■ The Selma Times says: “The Fair which the Grangers propose to hold in that city in October, is taking like wildfire.” It is proposed that the Alabama Press As sociation meet in Montgomery on the 30th of May, the day before the meeting of the Demo- Convention. Kellogg and Spencer, English miners, have leased, and will operate, the coal mines near Clement’s Station. Proceedings have been begun in the Supreme Court for the impeachment of Probate Judge Buckley, of Montgomery. The recent act of the Legislature making the stealing of a hog, goat, sheep, cow, or property of the value of twenly-five dollars, grand larceny, has done a great deal of good in the coontry. State mcrey holds its own remarkably well there having been no decline in price since the adjournment of the Legislature. This is a healthy sign, and shows the confidence the people now have in the credit of the State. The new revenue laws exempts among other things, the following: All the property of literary and scientific institutions, not exempt ing, however, any of such property when em ployed in any other than the regular business of such institutions. The libraries of ministers of the gospel, and all libraries other than those of a professional character, and all religious books kept for sale by ministers of the gospel and colporteurs. Rev. J; B. Hartwell, returned Missionary, from China, will preach (D.V.) at the following places: Montgomery, Thursday and Friday nigtits, 13th and 14th ; Mobile, Sunday, lfith ; Selma, Monday night, 17th ; Eufanla, Wednes day, 19th; Albany, Ga., Monday night, 24th, Americus, Ga., Tuesday night, 25th ; Fort Vally, Ga., Wednesday night, 26th; Macon, Ga., Thursday night, 27th; Columbus, Ga., Sunday, 30th. —lt is stated that the Women’s Foreign Mission Societies of this country contributed last year $860,000 to foreign missions. A NOTE FROM RF.V. J. 8. BAKER, D.D. Dear Index—Since my notice of “Dr.Ren froe’s second philippic” was written I have received the Alabama Baptist, of the 23d of March, from which it appears that Dr. Wink ler has not only refused to allow us to reply to the charge preferred against us, or to ex plain our positions,(which we supposed had been misconstrued and led to the charges preferred,) but has endorsed Dr. R.’s char ges, and added to them one of his own, I deem it, therefore, a duty due to the public, and especially to our subscribers in Georgia and Alabama, to state a few facts which will prove, conclusively, the falsity of the charge preferred by Dr. Winkler, viz: That the warfare in which they are engaged with us was inaugurated by us. We appeal to an omniscient God to sustain us, so far as we testify truly, and no further. The statements I make, I mnke upon my individual responsibility. I have not con ferred with any of our nssociatesin reference to them, hut have prayerfully inquired into the will of God, and been made to feel it my duty—a painful duty it is—to lay my testi mony, in reference to this matter, before the world. Having done this I shall retire from the field of contest, report to our Comman der-in-Chief, and entrench myself behind the barricades formed of His many and exceed ingly precious promises, w liich can never he overthrown by all the shot and shell from the batteries of our adversaries over in Alabama, or elsewhere. Please admit the above to your columns, and if you can do so, without crowding out more important matter, please admit also the accompanying statement of facts, in reference to the assaults of the Alabama Baptist on “ The Index and its correspondents." Jos. S. Baker. A STATEMENT OF FACTS In Retcrtm-f t the Crnsade of the Alabama Baptist against The Index and its Correspond ents. Fact 1. The editors of Ihe Baptist, from an early period in their editorial career, have manifested, in a variety of ways, which we will not now detail, as great a hostility to The Index as ever the haughty Hainan manifest ed towards Morderai, the Jew who sat in the king’s gate and refused to do him reverence; but as The Index has lived and prospered, notwithstanding nil their attempts to crush ft, they recently sought to avail thimselves of the present Centennial excitement to work its ruin. They charge and it with jjoldly opposing the Cen tennial movement. We denied the charge, and respectfully requested them to retract it or produce evidence to sustain it. Fact 2. They not only, by their charge, placed us in a false petition before their read ers, hut imputed to us motives derogatory to our character alike as Cl i ietians and as honest men! They represented us as attempting to ‘ ‘humbug” the public by a “thin sort of sophis try ;" will; being influenced by an unholy prin ciple “which hopes to be famous by giving opposition to everybody else;” and as acting like one who “simply blinds his vision for reasons’ l The italics used evidently amount to an imputation that we had some concealed and sinister end in view. Fact 3. It is a lact that we declined to de fend curselves against the imputations cast upon cur .motives, assigning as a reason, that we were “fully persuaded that when he, (the associate editor who had impugned our mo tives,) reviews at the feet of Jesus—after his Centennial excitement has semewhatsubsided, if not before—the charges he has preferred against us, he will regret, sincerely as I do, the bitter reflcctiens he has cast on his brethren in Jesus, seeing his Saviour has said, “Inasmuch as ye did to one of the least of these my brethren, ye diditto me. (Matt. xxv:4o. See, too,l Cor. viii: 12. Fact 4. It is a fact that one of the editors of Ihe Baptist refused to admit to their columns an article sent there in reply to their defama tory charges against us, unless we would con sent to allow him to reply to it in our columns! A more unreascnable demand—as we stated an a private letter to the aforesaid editor —we never knew one rational man to make of an other. Fact 5. It is a fact that cur reply, instead of being published or returned to us, as we had requested, was retained several weeks, and sent to Dr. Renfroe, who wrote to us that he had read it, and would not consent to its pub -1 ication, unless we consented to the unreasona ble demand to which we have already referred. After cur refusal to submit to his papistical demand, our manuscript was returned, without any objection to anything in its spirit or style to justify their refusal to publish it. We were very careful, in writing it, to avoid everything that savored of recrimination, or that could justly be construed as discourteous. We acted only on the defensive, repelling the weapons aimed at us, but hurling none at our assailants; and thankful do we ieel to God for His re straining grace, whereby we were preserved from rendering evil for evil, as we candidly confess we were strongly tempted to do. Fact 6. In the Baptist of 23d of March, there are about four columns filled with false statements; with mutilated extracts, which taken detached frt m their contexts, might be conslrued as teaching what is not taught in the articles from which they have been de tached—with inferences drawn from our ar ticles which no Scriptural rules nor rule in FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, APRIL 13, 1876. logic, would justify anyone in drawing—and with many positive assertions that are fully “as false as false can be.” As an instance of our assailant’s reckless ness of truth, and apparent determination to utterly demolish us, by foul means if he could not by fair, we refer to the fact, that he as cribes to us sentiments reported in our issue ol February 17th as the cogitations of one of our readers, and that too—note the fact, rea der—after our expressing the “hope no one will hold The Inedx responsible for the opinions expressed or implied in our report of the difficulties that agitate the mind of our bewildered reader.” With such positive evidence of a deliberate falsification of a pub lic record, who can blame us for questioning the testimony of our assailant, in any matter in which it is to his interest to have “the wrong” believed to be “the right ?” He has, moreover, represented us as affirm ing, unqualified, what we had carefully qualified with a promo— such, for instance, as, “if the re ports of their proceedings, contained in the papers, may be relied on.” This is directly at variance with all the ideas of truth, justice generosity and gentility that we have derived from the teachings of our mother and our mother’s Bible. Fact 7. It is a fact that the proof introduced to sustain the charge preferred against us con sists wholly of the mutilations, misrepresenta tions, prevarications, etc., to which we have referred, and is, to say the least, fully as insuf ficient to sustain the charge as it is to prove that the warfare which they are waging against us is conducted with the fear of God before their eyes, reverence for the truth and the love of Jesus and their brethren in their hearts. It is both painful and mortifying to us to be thus constrained to write. Fact 8. It is a fact that our assailants, as if conscious ol the insufficiency of their evidence to convict us of hostility to the Centennial movement, have resorted to various expedients to make up for any deficiency in their testimo ny by exciting prejudice against us. For in stance, they refer to views expressed by us in reference to the trinity, wh ! ch, like our views of the Centennial movement, have been mis understood and misrepresented. Now, whether our views of the trinity be true or lalse, they can have no more connection with the charge preferred against ns than they have with the question, “Who shall be the next President of the Unit'd States.” W ■ cannot, therefore, see why reference was made to them, unless it was to excite prejudice against us. Again, we are represented as being severe on your Centennnial (Orators, especially in the South. This looks like an ellort to excite sectional pre judices against us in the minds of our South ern brethren, by inducing the belief, that we were more favorable to our own brethren at the North than to our Southern brethren. In things appertaining to the. Kingdom of Christ, we know no North no South. We are too well-known to apprehend any evil from the efforts to which we allude. We might refer to other extra efforts made to;induce their readejs to render a verdict against us, notwithstanding their ability to fur nish any stronger evidence of the truth of their charges than their own unreliable affidavits; but we forbear. It is a very common thing for defeated controversialists to asperse the characters of those which they cannot refute. Fact 9. The associate editor retracts, he tells us, his remarks that seem to impugn our mo tives. That is equivalent to a denial that he had actually impugned them—he had only seemed to do so ! Had he honestly confessed that he had erred in impugning our motives, it would , have restored our confidence in his intention to be more cautious and charitable in the future, but his semi-denial of having im pugned our motives, added to his unprovoked and uncharitable persona?jit tack on cur “man aging editor,” in his late article against us, prefaced with a sensational display of huge capitals, (ala secular partizan pajiers,) leads us to fear for thafuture that there will be as little of the meek, loving lorbearing spirit of our Lord and Saviour hereafter as there was in his recent attacks. Fact 10. It is a fact that they affirm that we inaugurated the warfare in which we are en gaged. Now, mark how a plain unvar nished tale shall disprove the truth of what they affirm. They charged us with boldly op posing the Centennial movement, and based their charge, it appears, upon our articles in The Index, in which, as a faithful watchman on the walls of Zion, we warned our readers of the evils likely to result frt m an injudicious ad vocacy of the objects designed to be promoted by the Centennial Movement. The views ex pressed in those articles were only a repetition of views we had expressed in reference to the “Semi-Centennial Aniversary of the Baptist General Association of Virginia,” (note that fact, reader) —published in our proposed Quar terly, issued in October, 1873, a copy of which we will send to any one who will send us his address, with five cents enclosed tp prepay postage. With their charge, the editors coupled the in famous imputations upon our motives to which we have referred in this record of facts. (See No. 2.) We deemed it a duty due alike to our God and our Christian brethren,’as well as to ourself, to defend our reputation against the calumninous charges preferred against us, unless those charges were withdrawn. In the exeicise of that charity which “thinketh no evil,” we were led to suppose that the editors of the Baptist had assailed us through ignor ance of our sentiments, and of the position we occupied in the discussion of the Centennial question, and not through a deliberate purpose to defame and injure us; we, therefore, in our reply to their defamatory article, devoted a large portion of our article to a definition of the positions we occupied. To these we did not believe they would or could reasonably ob ject, and hoped they would conclude they had misconstrued our articles, and voluntarily withdrawn their charges. But the charity which “hopeth all things," is sometimes disap pointed. It so happened in this case. Believing that a public discussion of the truthfulness or falsity of the charges preferred against us would not be likely to prove either interesting or profitable to our readers, and knowing that it would greatly increase the prostration of our physical powers, and aggra vate the sufferings we daily endure from the morbid sensibility of our nervous system, if we participated in such a discussion, we earnestly desired to avoid one. We, therefore, in our private letter, In response to one from Dr, R., stated, In substance, that we had no desire to injure any one, only desired to secure ourselves against injury, and expiessed the opinion that the fact, that brethren, as astute as are the edi tors of the Herald, had failed to see in our edi torials evidence of hostility to the Centennial movement, ought to suggest to him the possibili ty that he had misconstrued our articles, and we thought he might, without detracting from his dignity, withdraw his charge, basing the withdrawal upon the posibility of his having misconstrued our articles and our assurance that we were not hostile to the movement, and had not intentionally done anything to oppose it. All we asked, mark you, reader, was a with drawal of his charge. We required no humilia ting confessions, or professions of regret for the past, or promise for the future. Upon his simply withdrawing his charge, we were will ing to withdraw our article in response to the de amatory article in the Baptist against us. We stated that he, and he only, could super cede the necessity tor the publication of our article. The attack up< n us came like a clap of thunder on a cloudless day. Up to the day of their attack, we had never failed to command the Baptist and its editors, on all suitable oc casions ; and, to show our interest in and ap proval of the paper, had furnished occasional eoritroun’eations tor its columns. We would as soon have suspected the editors of sheep stealing or highway robbery as ol being capa ble of publicly charging their unoffending brethren wijih high crimes am> misdemeanors, and then refusing to allow thorn to witcr a woo and in their own defense! Such an act was consid ered as an act of unparalleled injustice by a learned Jewish Rabbi of old, who inquired, “ Doth our law judge any man before it hear him?” (John vii: 51.) Rut Ihe servant is not above his Master. The Saviour was falsely accused by men claiming superior wisdom and sanctity, unjustly condemned, and subjected to an ignominious death ; and He forewarns us that, if faithful to Him, we may expect similar treatment. We bow submissive to the Will of God, be lieving it to be as truly a part of our mission on earth to suffer His will as to do it; and be lieving, moreover, that He who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead, will raise up us also from the pit of obloquy, into which we may be oast by envious friends or malignant foes. We have faith to believe we shall yet be enabled to adopt the language of an old English poet, (Wya*t), and say: ‘ ‘He is not dead that sometime had a fall, The suiine returns that hid was under clowde, And when fortune hath spit out all her gait, I trust good luck to me shall be allowed." The last charge—the charge of having inau gurated the warfare in which we are engaged —with which they seek to cap the mighty fab ric of fiction which they have reared to place over our murdered reputation, is evidently too ponderous for their airy structure, and must most assuredly cause it to topple and fall, to their great chagrin and the everlasting over throw of all their schemes and dreams of fu ture fame to be gathered from their triumph over us. Note how Blender is the foundation on which they base their grave charge of having inau gurated a warfare against them. It is based upon the simple fact, we believe, that we have represented that the Centennial movement has been so conducted as to affect seriously and in juriously the cause of Missions. We will not now enter upon a discussion of the question whether our representation was true or false ; but there are a few questions to which we desire specific answers, and to which we invite particular attention. 1. Have the editors of the Baptist\>etn con stituted, Dei gratia , sole advocates and protec tors of the Centennial movement f If they have, let them produce their commission, or letters patent, and we will humbly bow at their feet, plead guilty, beg pardon for the past and give all necessary gutrantees to keep the peace in the future. But if they cannot an swer the above question affirmatively, we question— 2. Why is it that other editors have not taken up arms against us ? Are they less zealous in the cause of the Centennial than are the editors of the BapHtl t Or are they faithless watch men, asleep at their posts ? 3. If the expression of an opinion that the Centennial movement has operated, and is op erating, to the prejudice of the cause of Mu- sions, amounts to a declaration of war against the Baptist or its editors, why do they not di rect their artillery against others who have ex pressed the same opinion, as well as against us? Our highly esteemed Corresponding Secretary, of the Foreign Mission Board, Dr. Topper, has represented “the great Centennial move ment over the country” as one of the causes that are operating to curtail collections for mission ary objects, and which render necessary a re trenchment in the expenditures of our Foreign Mission Board i One of our devoted Mission ary sisters in China, too, referring to the rep resentation of Dr. TANARUS., which we have reported, wrote: “The plain English of this is, State interests and the great Centennial movement have Foreign Missions by the throat, and they have to disgorge to the extent of about $lO,- 000.” Have we used stronger language than that, in reference to the Centennial? No; never. Why then, we ask, in the name of truth, justice and mercy, are not they reported, as well as we, as hostile to the Centennial movement, and the Baptist seeing they admit and deplore the evils connected with the Centennial, of which we have complained, and against which we have sought to caution our readers ? We repeat the inquiry, Why have they not ? Our soul sickens at the rebel sal of facts cal culated to cast discredit on those whom we have ever esteemed as highminded, honorable men, and numbered among the most trusty and best beloved of our trieuds. They have done us great injustice, but the rememberance of their former oft repeated acts of brotherly kindness, and of the many greater wrongs we have com mitted against our Ileavenlv Father, le ds us to repress every feeling that savours of resentment, u "I and prompts us fervently to pray that the God ol all grace, truth, justice and mercy, who was “in Christ reconciling the world unto himself,” may freely forgive the tresspass they have com mitted against us, and reconcile them to the acknowledgement of the truth, and to a faithful observance, evermore, of the Ninth Command ment, the golden rule and the Saviour’s in junction, recordt and in John XV: 12. This is the prayer of an old, crippled, dying man. We assure our brethren it it is offered in sin cerity now, whatever they may think of it, and shall be repeated as often as the inju ries they have inflicted upon us shall arise in remembrance before us. It is not our intention to notice any com ments the editors of the Baptist may make on lids, our dying testimony. We have dischar ged a painful duty ; we commit our cause to that God who knoweth the secrets of every heart, has bid us “avenge not yourselves,” and declared “vengence is mine : I will repay.” Under the shadow of His wing we feel secure. The weapen that harms us must first break the wing of God’s protecting power. Henceforth we shall respond to the clarion of war, and the confused shouts of those who war against us, by piping the angels’ song of “Peace on earth : good will to men.” Jos. S Baker. For the Index and Baptist.] WHITTLE AND BLISS IN SELMA. Selma, Ala., March 81, 1876. Dear Index. — lV hittle and Bliss are here. They were heralded by considerabla formali ties. lam not participating. I have attended two services. The first was “Bible exercise.” Ruth was expounded as the “book of redemp tion.” The interpretation was far-fetched and fanciful ; the type was confounded with the il lustration. The doctrine was sound and appa rently earnest. Second service was held to-night; singing and sermon on Cain and Abel. The exposition was good, but conjectural. The whole service was a sort of religious dra ma; with scenery and costume it would have been very like a real theatrical performance. Are such exhibitions of the gospel lawful and expedient ? One is reminded of the “mir acles and mysteries” once invoked by Roman ism, and the use of pictures, statuary and cruci fixes still employed by that church. We may look out for the day when the scenes of the crucifixion, dramatized by Longfellow and oth ers, will be employed to present the gospel in real theatricals. I do not, as yet, comprehend the animus of these evangelists. Mr. Bliss sings with great pathetic and expressional effect. Whether the pathos is animal or spiritual I cannot tell; possibly a commingling of both: Curiosity is on tip-toe; the lovers of music are decidedly regaled ; the audience is already well under the control of the “revivalists.” There is,’to me, a painful absence of solem nity and awe. The preacher, Mr. Whittle, ap pears candid, frank, and honest; the singer (ervent. His eyes and countenance are very expressive, varying with every sentiment. The hymns are well selected, and much tact is exhibited in the whole service. I did not like a compliment, and rough joke, by Mr. Bliss, before the final solo at the Bible exercise. We were exhorted to come out and participate in the next, and assured that a flood of light would soon be thrown on Scripture, and the way of life. He said he would say more if his brother was not present. And, by way of contrast with the exposition of Mr. Whittle’s discussion, he related the treat ment of the same subject by an Illinois preach er, whose first head was, “Our duty to a moth er-in-law ;” second, “The great improvement of reaping machines;” third, “The lawfulness of a widower’s marriage the preacher be ing a widowerl Wednesday is to be distinguished by a free WHOLE NO. 2815. discussion of several important theological and practical religious topics, by a conclave of min isters and others of all denominations that have been called together. Wonder if Baptists will be at home there? More anon. For the Index and Baptist.] WHITTLE AND BUSS IN SELMA. Selma, Ala., April 2,1876.* Dear Index.—A crowded audience atten ded at the Opera House to-night. Services were held at another place also. Only gentle men were at the Opera House. A powerful sermon on “wages” (the wages of sin, etc.) was delivered. The singing, especially of the solo “Ninety and Nine,” was most affecting. Many stood up at the close of the services, avowing their contrition for sin and acceptance of Christ, reminding one of the scenes in the labors of the Apostles. How far is this safe? The Apostles knew better than we ; but is there any ground of ob jection, so that the church doors ought to be guarded ? lam in doubt. April 3,1876. Mr. Whittle preached most admiiablv and powerfully this afternoon from Acts ii: 33,45, with powerful comment on text and parallels, as testimony of the/act alone of the resurrec tion, on which alone hangs the whole gospel. SUMMARY. 1. The apostles simply bore witness to an in disputable fact. That fact, believed in the heart is salvation. 2. Men are incredulous largely because Christians seem ho indifferent to a truth so amazing and momentous. 3. Yet belief, responsibility, is an individual matter. The preacher advanced nothing new, hut put everything vividly, powerfully. No arts of oratory; but all was manly, unaffected and tremendously earnest. The incredulity of men was animadverted upon as strange, obstinate, wicked. You see I “set down naught in malice,” or in partiality. I gave a criticism before—this time a commendation. The whole service was unexceptionable. Such preaching shames us all, and will swallow us up in the influence of these laymen, and make Dr. McCosh’s union scheme triumphant if we do not improve ; not that we will love our peniiiarilies less, but we will be constrained to admit that irregular preaching may be in demonstration of the Spirit ami of power ala Wesley. E. B. Teague. General Denominational Neas, —The Edingburgh United Presbytery have agreed to petition Parliament to abolish the present method of proclaiming banns, and to substitute public notices at the offices of the va rious registrars. —The Business Men’s daily Prayer Meeting, which has been held for two months in the Rialto building, Baltimore, has proved to he so successful that the executive committee have determined to make it permanent. It is attended by 200 business men, and lasts ex actly half an hour each day. —The colored Methodist Episcopal church in America has now tour bishop and a mem bership of 200,000 in the Southern and Wes tern States. —The French courts do not recognize the sanctity of the Sabbath. The Universe lately advised its readers not to patronize a certain shop in Paris because it was kept open on Sundays. The shopkeeper sued the newspa per, ,and has obtained a judgment for 4,000 francs for damages —The Papal authorities at Rome have deter mined, says the Milan Secoio, that the Bcheme of instruction adopted in the Roman Catho lic schools of Italy shall be made to conform the to scheme laid down by the laws of the State. This arrangement will enable the pu pils of the Catholic schools, without further difficulty,to enter the Government Universities —A Conference of the Roman Catholic bish ops of Germany is to be held at Fulda, this month. —The Orthodox Friends in the city of New York, are holding meetings for the quickening of the Church aud the salvation of the uncon verted. —The recent discoveries in Africa—the penetrating of the interior by several distin guished explorers—have enlarged the field of missionary operations in Egypt, Abyssinia and Eastern and Central Africa. The borders of the great Nyanza lakes are to become the homes of mission settlements, from which an influ ence will penetrate in various directions. And as Egypt has recently extended her jurisdiction over a large district of the Upper Nile basin, the way has been opened there to missions in populous regions where the gospel has never before reached. With these new opportunities come new obligations to American Christians. —ln a recent letter published in the New York Union Christian Worker, Rev. O. H. Gulick, missionary in Japan, says: ‘ Pure Buddhism is scarce in China, compar pared with Japan ; and that the Chinese are in some respects a superior people. Their litera ture is much more valuable; they are better dressed (more decently at least.) As compar ed with the masses of Spain and Turkey they are well fed, well clothed and well housed, and they are more democratic in their ideas.’’ He speaks highly of the Confucina system of morals. )