Newspaper Page Text
The Christian Index!
VOL. 55— NO. 28.
Table of Content*.
First Page Alabama. Department: Record of
State Events; Alabama Baptist State Conven
tion—Notes and Incidents; Spirit of the Reli
gious Press; Baptist News and Notes; General
Denominational News; The New Postal Law;
etc.
B*oootPiob.—Out Correspondents: Crawford
High School—Spectator; Vitalized Christianity
the Nation’s only Hope—W. G. Whidby, Presi
dent of the State Bund*y-school Convention;
Do Good while yon Live; Ministers and Dea
cons’ Meeting of Mulberry Baptist Associa
tion—H. N. Rainey; Hopewell Baptist church—
A Splendid Revival; Shady Grove Baptist
Church—lts Organization and Prospects—
John H. Jones; Dr. Jeter’s Dream—James P.
Boyce; eto.
Third Paoi Onr Pulpit; Obey God, for He
will be Obeyed. The Sunday-school: Lesson
for July SO, 1876. Mission Department: The
Relation of Distillers to Missions—Thomas E.
Skinner; The New Plan for Raising Funds—
Brother Warren’s Prophecy.
Fourth Page Editorial : The Children of the
Church; Revivals; Dr. Jeter's Dream; An Ap
ology for Dr. Burrows—Rev. J. S. Baker. Nom
inal Christianity—Rev. S. G. Hilly er. Georgia
Baptist News; Gems Reset; True Prayer; Truth
has a Supreme Claim over all Things Else—
Rev. D. E. Butler. The State University and
Dr. Tucker. Communications : The Baptist
Ckuroh at Reynolds—Ordination of Deacons—
A. P. Ashurst; Some Misconceptions—J. C. Hi
den; From a Florida Church—B. L. Mims; An
Appeal to the Baptists of Georgia—Mrs. M. J.
Crutchfield: Sunday-school Work—T. C. Boy
kin; The Image of Edessa; etc,
Fifth Page.—Secular Editorials : A Poet’s View
of Immortality; The Rod in Schools; The Cen
tennial Route; Baptist Convention Minutes;
Chromo-Civilization; Egyptian Philanthropy;
"Good Haters’’; The Drunkard's Ruin; The
Georgia Baptist Orphan’s Home; “Father
Hyacinthe on the Prospects of Christianity”;
Personal: Literary Gossip; Dead; Georgia
News; Foreign and Domestic Notes; etc.
Sixth Page.—Select Miscellany : Taxation.
Children’s Corner: A Mother’s Gifts.
Seventh Page —Agriculture: Forage Corn; Oats
and Bees; Fall Meeting Georgia State Agricul
tural Society.
Eighth Pac.e.—Centennial Excursion: In Me
moriam; Appointments of Rev. T. C. Boykin,
State Sunday-school Evangelist, in Oostan
anla Association; Obituaries; Tribute of Re
spect; Advertisements.
Index and baptist.
ALABAMA DEPAWTMEWT.
From the Alabama Baptist we take the fol
lowing report of the Committee on the Heme
Mission Board, as submitted to the Baptist
Convention recently' in session at Montgom
ery :
If we would have the Southern Baptist Con
vention continue to live, we must support the
HeSuti Mission Board. The perishing of onr
o*n country are dependent upon ns for the
bread of life. -Under the management of Bro.
Mclntosh, the Corresponding Secretary, the
Board has been greatly relieved. We have
high hopes of its future.
Bro. Mclntosh: “It is one of the strange
providences of God that I appear before you
in this capacity to-day. The work of this
Board had its beginning under the auspices of
the Southern Baptist Convention. A spirit
of earnestness characterized the history of its
first work. During the thirty years of its ex
istence, about $1,000,000 have passed through
the hands of this Board. About 36,000 or 40,-
000 conversions have been reported. Were
ever results more gratifying ? For ten years
the Board confined its labors to domestic mis
sion work. At the meeting of the Southern
Baptist Convention in Montgomery, at the
close of ten year*, the work of Indian Missions
was transferred to this Board. With this ad
ditional work came, also, additional liabilities.
Contributions were rapidly made, and the in
debtedness was cancelled, and the Board went
on in its work of Domestic and Indian Missions,
prospering and to prosper At the close of the
war the Board had an empty treasury. The
then Secretary bent his energies to the collec
tion of funds to begin anew the work of mis
sions. Kentucky contributed to it at this time
funds sufficient to enable it to go forward. At
the meeting of the Southern Baptist Conven
tion in Mobile another transfer was made,
with additional liabilities—that of the Sunday
school Board. During the past year this in
debtedness has been greatly reduced. Provis
ion has been made for the publication of Kind
Words, by which the Board is to receive SBOO
royalty per annum for the next five years, this
amount to be applied to the payment of the
indebtedness oi the Board for past printing of
the paper. Bro. Boykin is still editor of Kind
Words , and has its complete management. The
parties who print the paper have no control
whatever over its columns or its contents. The
debt of the Board is now about $6,000. We
are beginning to renew our appointments, but
with the greatest caution.
The history of this Board is a commendation
to the heart of every Baptist. Fot every $25
spent in the work of this Board there has been
a conversion reported. Cries of help are daily
comi -g to us from the wild Indiang. Shall we
not rek.-ond to these cries ? Let ns send them
an answer that will carry joy to their hearts
and salvation to their homes.
We recognize the claims of the world upon
ns, but while it iB onr duty to meet these claims,
it is not our duty to meet them to the neglect
of our own people. There is destitution in all
this land, which we must try to supply. We
should remember the freedmen in our midst.
They are constantly becoming more and moie
accessible. However this may be, the obliga
tion is upon us to use our utmost effort to give
them the light of life.
The work assigned to this Board is one
which no other organization is attempting,
which no other cen perform. The means of
prosecuting this work must be secured by ob
taining small contributions from all the
churches, through the pastors and brethren
who are willing to engage in making them.
At the close of Bro. Mclntosh’s address,
brethren Toluntarily pledged themselves to
bring this matter before their associations and
churches, and secuie contributions for this
Board.
The Alabama Commissioner to the Centen
nial voted for the opening of the Centennial
grounds on the Sabbath, thuß thorougly mis
representing the feelings and wishes of every
intelligent Alabamian.
TK3S SO U '-L'JnL-W BAPTIST,
• of Alabama.
For the Index and Baptist,
ALABAMA BAPTIST CONTENTION.
Dear Brethren :—Your correspon
dent has attended three sessions of this
body, in the last few years, and can
truly say that the meeting just closed
at Montgomery was the best, in many
respects, he has attended.
The attendance was larger, the order
was better, the speaking abler, the
spirit more hopeful, the outlook brigh
ter.
Hon. John Haralson presided, and
did it well. It was the third time he
has filled the chair.
Brother B. B, Davis, of Montgomery,
and brother Hudson, of Selma, were
re-elected Clerk and assistant Clerk.
The Boards of the Southern Baptist
Convention, the State Mission Board,
the colleges, (Howard, Judson and Ala
bama Central Female College,) and the
Alabama Baptist, all came up for con
sideration, and were ably represented.
The presence of Drs. Boyce and
Manly, of Kentucky, and Gwaltney,
Hardin, Cox and Cheves, of Georgia,
added some interest to the meeting.
The brethren in Alabama are pleased
with the capture of Elder Gwaltney, as
President of the Judson, hut I told
them, privately, they did not half
know how to love him yet.
Dr. Winkler’s centennial sermon was
a grand discourse—Baptistic, historical
and instructive. I made the acquaint
ance of several brethren, among whom
I mention Lowry of Mobile, Bailey,
the multifarious worker, and Hendon,
of Union Springs, nephew of our own
admirable, versatile, able brother Un
derwood, of Camilla, Georgia.
The Alabama Baptist has a hold upon
the brethren, aiid has been of advantage
to the denomination and to the Con
vention. The weather during the
meeting was exceedingly warm—warm
don’t express it—it was hot, but, never
theless, the time was not changed, and
the Convention meets next year, as this,
; n July, at Gadsden.
Your correspondent was fortunate in
being assigned a home at the house of
Deacon Hatchett, who, with his wife
and daughters, and “Willie,” made him
feel at home indeed. “God bless them
all <*nd cause His face to shine upon
them.'” I hope to meet them all in
Heaven. W. N. Chaudoin.
For the Index and Baptist.]
Alabama Baptist Convention—Notes and Inti
dents.
Editors Index — l have jnst re
turned from Montgomery, where I have
been attending the Alabama Baptist
Convention, and I venture to contrib
ute my impressions to the news col
umns of The Index.
We reached there in time to hear the
Centennial Sermon, by Rev. Dr. Wink
ler, which was preached at night on
Thurday, the 13th instant. It was
characteristic of the learned gentle
man, and evidenced great research and
familiarity with the history of the Bap
tists from their earliest beginning. His
appeals for future zeal and activity,
based upon the providences of God, as
shown to this peculiar people in all the
ages past, were stirring and eloquent,
and, upon the whole, we opine that the
Baptists of the congregation went away,
indeed, with some degree of gratitude
to God, that they could be classed
among such a noble people, although
they had often been the outcast and
persecuted of earth.
Whilst I am writing on this subject
of centennial preaching, permit me to
indulge myself by saying that I have
longed for and hoped that some of our
good Georgia brethren would take the
field and preach to our people more
about the history of their predecessors.
Certainly, much good could be done.
I was surprised to see how much more
enthusiasm was exhibited in their con
vention than in the Georgia Baptist
Convention, and I could not account
for it upon any other ground than as a
legitimate and natural outgrowth of
education, arising from the sermon and
speeches delivered by some of Ala
bama’s representative men.
I never heard a better report than
that made by Rev. W. N. Reeves, of
Eufaula, on education, and to have
listened to the warm and enthusiastic
advocates who rose up all over the
house, would have seemed convincing
to any one, that the people were inter
ested on the subject, and that the cen
tennial year would prove one long to
be remembered in the history of Ala
bama Baptists.
The report shows that the Howard
College, the Judson and the Central
Female, are all in a prosperous con
dition, and the friends of each vigor
ously and zealously presp’it-u t’;eir
respective claims. It seemed tc he the
general impression that the Seminary
endowment would certainly be com
pleted, and that it would be located at
Louisville. Dr. Jeter’s dream to the
contrary notwithstanding.
The subject of Foreign Missions was
made the prominent feuture in the Con
vention, and was ably sustained and
FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, JULY 27, 1876.
urged in well-timed speeches by emi
nent men.
Although the report on Home Mis
sions, and which was followed by a
statement from Dr. Mclntosh, was en
tertained with some degree of interest,
yet, to an observer, there seemed to be
a lack of zeal and enthusiasm; why,
we do not know, unless it be that the
State Board claimed more attention.
This report (State work) elicited a
good many speeches, and the manner
in which all spoke and acted, showed
that it was a question about which thev
thought and prayed, and for which
they worked. Judging by the speeches,
much good had been accomplished
during the past year, and it was the
desire to do still more the incoming
year.
The Sunday-school Evangelist’s re
port in this connection, was very grat
ifying. It showed that about eighty
schools has been organized during the
year, with other work correspondingly
favorable. I could but ask myself why
it was that Georgia Baptists could not
do their own work without the com
mission of another Board ? I hope
brother Ryals will tnake all this very
clear to us, for I confess that I have
several questions I would like to ask
about it.
One notable feature, as a result from
the discussion of that usually vexatious
question, “ How to get money ?” was
the establishing of a “Commissary
Department;” certain brethren are to
take their wagons and go around
through the neighborhood and collect
anything that may be contributed,
whether given in com, fodder, oats,
flour, potatoes, chickens, eggs, or any
thing, and this to be carried to market
and sold, and the proceeds forwarded.
This, if it be successfully worked, we
opine, will bring in a greater revenue
than has been received heretofore.
The Alabama Baptist received warm
and enthusiastic support, and was con
sidered no longer a thing of trial, but
a success, and a necessity.
Upon the whole, the meeting was a
very pleasant one, and one which we
shall long remember. The brethren
and friends at Montgomery, entertained
with a lavish hospitality. Dr. Haw
thorne is soon expected to take the
place vacated by Dr. Gwin. We saw
but four Georgia delegates in attend
ance. J. B. Chevis.
Cuthbert, Ga., July 18, 1876.
The Slate Line Frees (West Point) of July
22d,says:
We have reveiyed notice of the action of
three Baptist churches in Alabama, served by
Rev. F. 0. David, completely exonerating him
from an infamous charge fabricated by irres
ponsible parties. We deem it useless even to
mention the churches or to publish their full
action. Suffice it to say, Mr. David is com
pletely vindicated by these concurrent resolu
tions.
At the Convention in Montgomery, brother
Mclntosh presented to that body, in behalf of
Rev. J. L. M. Curry, a gavel purchased in Je
rusalem, made from olive wood cut from the
Mount of Olives. This beautiful present was
accompanied by appropriate and touching re
marks, and the unanimous thanks of the • in
vention were given to Dr. Curry for the pre
cious memento.
One hundred thousand young Bhad have
been planted in the Alabama river, at Mont
gomery.
The cotton worm has made its appearance in
Montgomery county in considerrble numbers,
and much damage is apprehended.
Prof. O. F. Casey, for 18 years of the South
ern University at Greensboro, has accepted an
engagement at Pulaski, Tenn.
Rev. Jesse Collins, of St. Clair, has been
forty-two years a preacher.
The Gainesville Ladies Memorial Associa
tion, netted $275 from their fourth of July
dinner.
The Marengo grange fair will begin in Lin
den October 3d.
Newton Nail, of Limestone, a lad of 15, ac
cidently hung himself the 6th.
On October Ist, Rev. Dr. Cleveland will en
ter upon his pastoral duties with the Selma
Baptist church.
From all parts of the State the crop reports
are encouraging. A fine harvest is assured.
Rev. J. B. Haw. home has accepted the call
of the First Baptist church in Montgomery.
The Primitive Baptists held their annual
three days meeting at Beulah, last week.
A lodge of Knights of Honor has been or
ganized in Selma.
Rev. W. N. Chaudoin preached in the Bap
tist church at Selma last Sunday, a week ago.
O” Take Simmons’ Liver Regulator. The
great Southern vegetable medicine for all bilious
diseases. It will cure Dyspepsia Sour Stomach,
Cholera, Chronic Diarrhoea, Headache, Consti
pation, Bilious Colio, Jaundice. No family
should be without it, as it is the safest and surest
medicine for all the complaints of children.
julySO.At
Spirit of the Religious Press,
The Western Recorder uses these convinc
ing words in illustrating the several truths
of Christianity:
A sound religious experience underlies all
true piety. Christianity is not a mere senti
ment ;it is something more than a series of
problems, or a collection of beautiful ideas,
or a system of revealed facts. To the be
liever it is a living power in the soul. The
gospel consists not only in doctrines to be
believed and precepts to be obeyed, but a.so
in emotions to be felt. And just herein is to
be found the simplest and most convincing
proof of the truth of Christianity. It is some
thing which each one can test for himself.
Out of the depths of his own experience Da
vid cried, “Oh taste and see that the Lord is
god; blessed is the man that trusteth in
—A few plain, practical, and very necessa
ry every day duties are finely alluded to in
the following paragraph from the Evangel—
would that every one would live up to these
excellent precepts:
If you say anything about a neighbor or
friend, or even a stranger, say no ill. It is a
Christian and brotherly charity to suppress
our knowledge of evil of one another, unless
our higher public duty compels us to bear ac
cusing witness. And if it be true charity to
keep our knowledge of such evil to ourselves,
much more should we refuse to spread evil
reports of one another. Discreditable as the
fact is, it is by far the commonest tenden
cy to suppress the good we know of our
neighbors and friends. We act in this mat
ter as though we telt that by pushing our fel
lows down or back a peg we were putting
ourselves up or forward.
We are jealous of commendation unless we
get the larger share. Social conversation,
as known to every observer, is largely made
up of what is best understood by the term
scandal. It would be difficult to find a talk
ative group, of either Bex, who could spend
an evening or an hour together without evil
speech of somebody. “Blessed are the peace
makers” is not the maxim by which we are
chiefly governed in our treatment of person
alities. Better a thousand times stand or sit
dumb than to open our lips never so elo
quently in the disparagement of others.
What we should do in this, as in all our hu
man relations, is to practice the Golden Rule.
If we do unto others as we would that others
should do unto us, we shall be exceedingly
careful not to volunteer ill words about them.
Where a good word is to be spo
ken, let it be spoken to the person concerned,
that he may know your motive is not idle,
cowardly and sinister, and that he may have
a cHnce to defend himself.
J' e Te; as Bapt'ti Hto-ld says :
Dr. Pendleton said that Dr. Jeter should be
set down as in favor of the Bocial dance from
his recent lecture on amusements, and was not
mistaken. Great pity that any great man
should have so many soft sides. R was not
thus with Christ, our great examplar.
—Church Bells gives the following plan for
enlivening pulpit discourses, and attracting the
lagging attention of congregations:
If you pause in your sermon and say, “Now
I will tell you a story,” we engage that all who
are not too fast asleep will prick up their ears
and listen. People like similes, illustrations
and well-told stories, and will listen to them
when they will attend to nothing else. He is
the best speaker, says an Arabian proverb,
who can turn the ear into an eye. For my
part, I not only try to tell stories, but I some
times put before my people familiar illustra
tions which they can see. For instance, I take
a bunch of keys and shake them. The whole
congregation, when they hear the keys, look
up. Then I say, “Would there be need of any
keys if all men were perfect and honest ?
What does this bunch of keys show? Whv,
they show that the heart of man is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked.”
—The Congregatumalist touches upon a deli
cate and important theme in the following
very sensible way. It asks: “Why should a
poor theological student do so foolish a thing
as to get married before he gets his profes
sion ?” It says it has known several instances
of this kind. One yonng man, now in college,
who has had the ministry in view for three
years, writes asking how he can pay the ex
penses of himself and wife at the Seminary.
And we would repeat the question, why should
young men, beneficiaries, depending upon eth
ers to meet the expenses education, do
this foolish thing ? The tfongregationalist adds:
“The sequel comes; interrupted studies, in
creased expenses, pecuniary anxieties, hardship
for the wife, and, not seldom, a shortened the
ological course. The Educational Society
properly withdraws its aid in such a case; not
in discouragement of matrimony, bat in dis
couragement of grave mconsiderateness.”
—The Christian at Work says:
A great Wny are hindefed from the reli
gious choice because they do not know the
proper order of events. They think that
must first come the correction of evil habits,
aDd then the choice of Christ. That is not
the order of grace at all. It is.first acceptance
of Christ, and then the correction of the life.
You say, “When I shall get rid of this or that
habit; when I can quench my thirsf for strong
drink; when I can break this particular
shackle of sin and temptation, then I will en
ter into the life and hope of the gospel.” You
have mistaken the order of spiritual events.
The first thing for you to do is to come to God,
and say, “Lord Jesus, take me. I find myself
incompetent to do the work of correcting my
life, and delivering myself from evil habits.
Do thou the work. That is the order of
events.
—The Morning Star (Boston) sayß:
W. G. Whidby was re-elected President ol
the Georgia Stole Sunday-school Convention,
at its recent annual meeting. This is a clear
case of third-termiam.
He is an indefatigable and efficient Sunday
school worker, and deserves to have the offloe
for life.—Eds. Index.
—The loilowing reflections of an able con
temporary, the National Baptist, are well wor-
THE CHRISTIAN HTTn-R, A T ,~D
of Tennessee.
thy of the serious consideration of all Chris
tians—they are so appropriate to “the times
“Out of workthis most sad complaint
meets us on every hand. And it meets us at a
Beason of the year when, if ever, work ought to
be abundant And the dismal thought keeps
presenting itself, if men are looking in vain
for work now, what will it be in the winter ?
We tremble to think.
So far the wisdom of man has proved utterly
unable to discover a remedy for our evils. Af
ter nearly three years, stagnation continues,
We see no hope of deliverance for man.
Has not the time come for us to recognize,
as we never have before, the hand of God?
Shall we not realize that it is from His hand
that prosperity and adversity come? Shall
we not spread before Him the prevailing suf
fering, our anxiety, our helpleasness, and shall
we not plead with Him to appear for our re
lief? And all this, not as a matter of form,
not as a becoming, decorous ceremony, but
froin the heart. If our people should united
ly, sincerejy, thus plead with God, at the same
time attesting, their sincerity by works of holi
ness, self-denial, benevolence, we believe that
it would be more likely to pronote a return of
prosperity than anything else of which we can
now conceive.
—The New York Methodist, with its usual
forcible and terse style, decisively remarks :
He who desires earnestly iB always a man of
the present tense. He wants a present Saviour
and a present heaven. There is no surer sign
of spiritual languor than the constant use of
the future tense in wishing and purposing.
For knowledge, for power, for freedom from
mortality, we must all wait. But believing,
receiving, striving, and entering in are all, in
fact, as present as the forms in which they are
expressed. No earnest man is languid in his
business or his affections. He works and loves
his friends without thought of delays and fu
ture tense reserves. He says in his human re
lations, “I love,” not “I hope to love“I
give,” not “perhaps I will give “I refuse,”
not “I may refuse.” And in religion one is
equally positive, when he is equally earnest.
Ask him some questions about theology, and
he may stammer; but ask him about his love
for God and His truth, and the earnest man
will not stammer. If one can know anything,
he can know whether he loves, hates or is in
different.
—The Watchman strongly and beautifully
says of our duty to exercise our powers to
please :
Now, God will require an account of the
ability to win and please which he has lent to
us. It is a talent which we have no right to
wrap in a napkin and hide in the earth. Con
secrated, it is one of our most useful powers ;
employed for our mere selfish gratification, it
will be the means of our condemnation at the
last day. The souls of the carpenter, the
blacksmith, and the shoemaker, are as pre
cious as those of governors and merchant prin
ces ; their characters may be whiter in the
sight of God, and their families have need of
the gospel. . The only way to gain their hearts
is to make kindly advances; grasp their hands;
seek them out; wait for no formalities: go
into the highways and hedges, and compel them
to come.
BAPTIST NEWS AND NOTES.
—The Baptists have purchased the fine build
ing at Mossy Creek, known as the Mountcastle
property, for college purposes. The sum of
$13,500 was paid for the same, including 35
acres of land.
—At the recent annual meeting of the Wo
man’s Baptist Missionary Society of the East,
Mrs. Williams, the treasurer, reported total re
ceipts of the year, including a balance of
$420.64, to be $30,241.29; the expenses were
$27,700.07, leaving a balance of $2,541.22.
Of this balance $1,155.75 was appropriated to
the support of new schools, and $729.75 has
been invested, and so the real cash balance for
next year is $426.03. The increase of dona
tions for the year is more than 3,800.
The contributions by States were :
Maine $1,970.10
Nefw Hampshire 1,321.12
Vej nont 1,022.56
Massachusetts 7,844.36
Rhode Island 2,323.47
Connecticut 2,964 30
New York. 6,717.45
New Jersey 2,697.80
Pennsylvania 1,599-97
Delaware 30.00
Dist. Columbia 90.18
California 57.00
Virginia 25.05
Missouri 25.00
North Carolina 4.00
Canada 11,45
Other States 18.10
Massachusetts, it will be seen, give* double
the amount, compared with the number of Bap
tists, of any other State. She does abontthe
same in contributions to the funds of the Mis
sionary Union.
—Four strong Baptist churches in New
York city are still destitute of pastors, Therf
are plenty of candidates but none called.
—The Waco (Texas) Examiner, speaking of
Bro. Penn’s remarkable revival meetings,
says: *•
It is a little strange and not a little pleasing
to observe that many of the country people are
now attending church night and day in the city
many of them riding in some ten or fifteen
miles, lor this purpose. At the Baptist church,
the congregations are now largely made up of
this class, the members, and other town folks,
cheerfully giving up their seats. Surely an era
of good, after so long a time, ha* fully dawned
upon this community.
—Ba ptists in the very nature of things must
be the friends of education. Their church poli
ty demands this more than that of Aqy other
denomination. Our independent fora of gov
ernment imposes responsibilities on every local
organization which are only assumed by the
higher courts of other bodies. Every Baptist
church is as high a judicial authority as a Con
ference or a Synod. It i| therefore of the first
importance that our churches be composed ef
Godly, intelligent men and women, if they
would fulfill the high trusts committed to them.
WHOLE NO. 2228.
General Denominational News,
—)A revival is now in progress at San An
tonia, Texas. That city is one of the oldest in
the United States, and has from its origin been
the stronghold of Romanism.
—The Irish Presbyterian Assembly has
adopted a decided resolution against the use of
organs and harmoniums in public worship.
—To sustain a Sunday-school missionary
in Missouri, $1,500 were pledged at the late
State Convention. They estimate that at least
500,000 children of their State are still out of
the Sunday-schools.
—John Bright has warned the English min
istry not to repeat the blunder of the Crimean
war. A war of races and religions, under
which the Turk must inevitably go down if it
continues, has begun.
—The Pope is about to publish an encycli
cal, which the Tablet (now the special advo
cate of Lynch law against Protestants) says pe
remptorily decides the questions about Free-
Masonry in Brazil.
—A College Institute for the training of
East Ipdians as medical missionaries will soon
be established at Agra.
—Bro. J. M. Carroll is conducting a very
interesting meeting at Washington, Texas. A
large number have already been baptized.
—Among the recent dead of whom the Eng
lish General Baptist Assembly made respectful
mention was Mrs. Sutton, widow of the Rev.
Amos Sutton, and formerly known* as Mrs.
Colmon, wife of one of the first workers in Bur
mah. “By her death the last survivor has
passed away of that noble and heroic band
sent out from America, whose names are im
perishably associated with the introduction of
the Gospel into Burmah.”
—Rev. T. A. Vaudray, a Catholic priest, of
New Orleans, has married, and is sustained, it
is said, by 500 people of his parish in his in
fraction of one of the most important rules of
the priesthood.
—Among the graduates in the class of 1876,
at Dartmouth College, was Rev. J. 8. Small,
a Baptist clergymen about fifty years of age.
This instance is, we believe, without prece
dent in the history of American colleges.
—Leading Jewish rabbis in New York have
issued a letter warning their congregations
against the indulgence of extravagance and
display at funerals.
—Archbishop Ledochowski, the banished
bishop of Gnesen and Posen, has written a let
ter from Borne to the clergy of his diocese, in
which he informs them that he will adminis
ter its affairs through secret delegates.
—Nearly $400,000 are spent yearly on mis
sion work in Africa. European societies
spend $300,000 of this—American societies the
balance. It is estimated that there are at pres
ent 75,000,000 people in Central Africa who
have neve*- heard the gospel.
—The first chnrch in Charlestown, Massa
chusetts, organized in 1632, is the oldest ortho
dox Congregational church in the country.
—The United Presbyterians have removed
their freedmen’s school from Nashville to
Knoxville, ’Tennessee. The receipts for the
work among freedmen, last year, were over
$12,888.80.
—The number of Christian ministers of all
denominations in the United States is said to
be 43,866. In England and Wales the num
ber is 31,942.
—The Western Recorder very sensibly says:
“Our State Mission Eoard insist that all the
churches and states aided by that Board
shall keep up a weekly prayer-meeting and
Sunday-school.. We most heartily indorse
the decision of the Board, feeling well assured
that a church which h*s not vitalitity enough
to keep up some form of religious service every
Lord’s day will never accomplish much for
Christ.
THE NEW POSTAL LAW.
The section in the post-office appropriation
bill in relation to third-class matter is as fol
lows :
Transient newspapers and magazines, regu
lar publications designed primarily for adver
tising purposes, or for free circulation, or for
circulation at nominal rates, and all printed
matter of the third class, except unsealed circu
lars, shall be admitted to and transmitted in
the mails at the rate of one cent for every two
ounces or fractional part thereof, and one cent
for every two additional ounces or frac
tional part thereof; and the sender of any ar
ticle of the third class df%iail matter may write
his or her name or address therein, or on the
outside thereof, with the word “from” above or
preceding the name, or may write briefly, or
print on any package the number and names
of the articles included. Publishes of news
papers and periodicals may print on the wrap
pers of newspapers or magazines sent from the
office of publication to regular subscribers the
time to which subscription therefor has been
paid, and addresses upon postal cards and un
sealed circular* may be either written, printed
or affixed thereto at the option of the sender.
From-the above it is seen that all printed
matter of the third class, except circulars un
sealed, is restored to the old rate. In other
wordd, all transient newspapers, magazines,
book* and all printed matter, with the except
tion of circulars unsealed, will be restored to
the former rate of one cent for every two
ounces, while merchandise and unsealed circu
lars will remain at the present rate.
—Rev. W. A. Nelson, of Nashville, says:
To-day the denominational status is better in
Middle Tennessee than I have ever known it.