Newspaper Page Text
The Christian Index.
VOL. 55—NO. 46.
Table or Coutenta.
First Page. —Alabama Department : Record of
State Events; Spirit of the Religious Press;
Baptist News and Notes; Georgia Baptist
News; The Missionary Field; Richard Fuller,
D.D.; General Denominational News; etc.
Second Page. —Our Correspondents: Kentucky
Statesmen as “Confidence Men”—J. R. K.;
“The World vs. Evangelical Pietv”—W. M.
H.: This. That and The Other—W. N. Chau
doin; Welsh Neck Association, South Caro
lina—Juvenis: To the Churches of the Central
Association—Sam’l Boykin; General Meeting
of Bethel Association —W. M. Howell. Our
Serial: Lottie's Testimony—Susie E. Surles.
Third Page.— Our Pulpit: Richard Fuller—Rec
ollections of his Life and Character—W. T.
Brantly.
Fourtb Page —The World vs. Evangelical Piety
—Rev. S. G. Hillver, 1). D.; Bethel Association
—Dr. J. S. Lawton; Glances at the Papers—
Bv an Invalid; The Christian Index; Rev.
Richard Fuller. D. D.; Treasurer New Ebeuezer
Association; Editorial Paragraphs, etc.
Fifth Page. —Secular Editorials : TheSundav-
School Superintendent ; Fulton County Snn
day-school Association ; Book Our
Children; Literary Gossip : Georgia News :
News cf the Week—Domestic—Foreign; Per
sonal : An Appeal—Rev. J. F. Reeves; Mrs.
Julia Sanford—Dr. J. S. Lawton; Letter from
Greensboro— “Member;” etc.
Sixth Page. —The Sunday-School: The Gentiles
Received—Lesson for December 3, 1876.
Seventh Page. Agricultural : Georgia Farm
Notes; etc.
r,iGHTH Page. — Obituaries; Tribute of Respect;
Advertisements; etc., etc.
INDEX AND liAI’TIST.
ALABAMA DEPARTMENT.
McGhee’s Bend, Cherokee county, wants a
good school teacher.
The woods around Cullman are on fire-
The Episcopal festival at Troy was a suc
cess.
There are now 137 cadets at the University.
The Birmingham city election will be held
•December 4th.
Pollard is to have anew Methodist church.
The corner stone for anew church (Metho
dist) was laid at Oxrnopr.
The Baptists of Springville have been hold
ing a protracted meeting.
There is considerable sickness in Wills’
Valley.
Seventy nine persons were converted during
the revival at Scottsboro.
A daughter of J. B. Beard, of Etowah coun
ty, was burned to death a few days ago.
♦— ■ -
Sixteen persons have recently joined Provi
dence Baptist church in Walker county.
Ten persons have lately joined the Baptist
church at Springville.
The grand jury of Jefierson county report
the morals of the county very much improved.
Governor Houston’s official majority over
Woodruff is 43,073.
The Methodists of Pollard are going to build
anew church.
A New Episcopal church was consecrated
in Clayton recently.
The Baptist church at Troy has re-called
Elder E. Y. Van Hoose to its pastorate.
About twenty emigrants .have left Pike
county for Texas.
•—• ' ■-
Mr. Pat Thornton, of Prattville, accidental
ly shot himself a few days ago, and has since
died.
Col. D. R. Hundley has sold the Huntsville
Rew South to W. V. Chardavoyne and V. Mc-
Bride, who will remove it to Courtland.
Cleburne county has more fat hogs, more
cows, and more sorghum, than any county in
the State of the same population.
Hon. Leroy F. Box has been appointed
superintendent of education, lice McElroy
resigned.
■.
A four year old child was burned to death
in the house of Mrs. Pane, near Edwardsville,
a few days ago.
A Bibb couniy farmer has made over 1900
bushels of corn, 12 or 14 bales of cotton the
past year with five plows.
The Alabama Conference of the M. E.
Church will convene its annual session at
Greensboro on the oth December.
Mr. L. H. Bowles baa been elected Super
intendent of the Baptist Sabbath-school in
Troy.
Incendiaries set fire to the residences in
Athens, of Mr. Jarvis which was consumed,
and of Dr. Gill, which was seriously damaged.
Hon. John R. Goldthwaite introduced a
bill in the Legislature for the repeal of sec
tions 1858, ’59 and ’6O of the revised code,
which is commonly known as the crop-lien
law.
The Eulaula Rem says: We regret to learn
that Rev. J. J. Robinßon, D.D., pastor of the
Presbyterian church of this city, is lying seri
ously ill of pneumonia in his room at the Cen.
tral Hotel.
THE SOTTTH-WESTERTT BAPTIST,
• of Alabama.
Spirit of the Religious Press,
—Commenting on the demoralizing influ
ences of political excitements during elections,
the New York Methodist says:
The excitement of the week had a great deal
of money-, as well as patriotism, in it In the
first place, half a million of men have a more
or less direct monev interest in offices possess
ed or expected. The burden of this money
power of the general govenment must be ce
di iced, or it will expose us to greater evils in
the future. But a much worse element is the
betting. A wicked custom of torecasting elec
tions by means el bets has grown to be a pesti
lent nuisance. The telegraph is called into
service to spread daily before the eyes of the
nation the state of the “Metropolitan pools,”
and to change voters by indicating the success
ful side. Millions were staked this year, and
the past election contest has been embittered
by the struggle of gamblers to save their
stakes. No aotib tthis is a Christian country,
but the evidence is sometimes hard on us.
The gambling business is one of those facts
that make us blush for our country’s elections.
—The New York Observer says:
Preaching and practice are not the duties of
the pulpit only. The people may say and
sing ;
“So let our lips and lives express
Thy holy doctrines we profess.”
Such testimony the pulpit wants to fortify
its lessons, enforce its teachings and illus
trate its promises. The witnesses are in the
pews on the Sabbath, and in the market places
during the week, and if their profession and
their practice correspond, the Gospel has pow
er to compel the assent even of the most un
believing. This was the witness which Chris
tians of the first century bore to the truth of
Christ’s religion, at a time when it cost some
thing, and might cost everything to be a dis
ciple. The want of such testimony now is the
grandest of all Hindrances to the' progress of
the Gospel. And it would be no exaggera
tion to affirm that if the whole church of God
would practice all it professes to believe, it
would speedily win the world to Christ.
—ln an admirable article in the Baptist Quar
terly, for October, on “The Future of Catholic
Nations,” translated from the French, it is
said :
“Bossuet, in his Politique tiree de’l Eciiturc
saints, traces the conditions of government
suitable to a Catholic country : “God sets
kings as his ministers, and reigns by them
over the nations." “The royal authority is
absolute.” “The prince should give account
to no one of what he orders.” “We must
obey princes as justice itself. They are gods,
and in some sort share the divine independ
ence.” “Subjects can oppose to the violence
of piinces only respectful remonstrances, with
oty mutiny and without mproptring.” (So,
logically, in a Catholic country the govern
ment must he despotic; first, because such is
the church which serves as a type ; secondly,
because the kings hold their power directly
from God or the pope; his power can be
neither limited nor controlled. The Reforma
tion, on the contrary, being a return to prim
itive Christianity, begot everywhere a spirit
of liberty and resistance to absolutism. It
tended to bring forth republican and constitu
tional institutions.’’
—The Morning Star well says:
There seems to be no good reason to fear
that pure Bible teaching, or real Christianity,
will suffer from the recent scientific displays
in this country. So far as there are any man
ifestations of results, they are rather hopeful
than otherwise. The church is not trembling,
nor growing weaker, nor looking about a
though it were uncertain about its credentials.
There is rather renewed activity, and increas
ing faith. Tyndall was answered by the great
revival in New York and Brooklyn last winter,
and Huxley seems likely to be answered in a
similar way from C hicago. This is natural.
Men are influenced by apparent motives as
well as by open statements ; when the honest
pursuit of scientific knowledge is merged in
the arts of the mere controversialist the in
struction given is apt to be received with
allowance. Evolution can at best be but a
secondary process. To call it primary is like
setting up an effect for a cause. Of a how
much higher order is it to account for the ex
istence of life by evolution, without going back
to its only possible beginning, which is God,
than was the old theory that the world rested
on a turtle’s back, while the turtle swam in a
sea of milk, without accounting for the sup
port of the sea ?
—An exchange says:
There is almost a revival of discussion over
infant baptism. The absence of any authority
for its practice as a means of grace, is being
maintained anew by many Bible students. A
prominent Congregational paper lately begged
the whole question when, in answer to the
?|Uery, “Do you believe in the baptism of in
ants as a relic of authority from the old Jew
ish church,” it wholly evaded the main ques
tion, and replied that while it looked upon
sucli baptism as a merely beautilul ceremony,
it nevertheless favored the rebaptißm of chil
dren after the years of discretion had come,
"if they so desire.” Again, the Reformed
Episcopalians, it is said, are quite generally
questioning the validity of infant baptism,
their newspaper organ lately admitting that
their whole authoriiy for the practice rested on
a mere inference; that is, from the fact that
whole households were baptized, it was infer
red that children were included.
—Says the Hesfent Recorder in refence to the
reception of persons into church member
ship :
There is a tendency, in these latter days,
to looseness in the reception of members that
is becoming serious, if not alarming. In
theory, we asa denomination, of course, believe
in a regenerated church membership. None
but those baptized on a profession of living
faith in Christ can be received. But prac
tically, we oftentimes fail. Unregenerated
men find their way, betimes, into the churches.
And it would, perhaps, be putting the matter
Done too strongly, to state that many, if not the
majority, of church difficulties, alienations of
feeling, discord and kindred evils that retard
the growth and impede the triumphal advance
of churches, fkd their origin and their tame
right here. Certain it is, that church ,difficul
ties usually have very little oi religion mixed
wi'h them,
FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, NOVEMBER 30, 1876.
BAPTIST NEWS AND NOTES.
—One of the mest earnest and successful
Evangelistic laborers in Italy is the Rev. Mr.
Clarke, an English Baptist minister. The
chief sphere of Mr. Clarke’s operations is Spe
zia, where he seeks to be useful to the men
employed in the Italian navy stationed there-.
He lias also visited many parts of the country
preaching and distributing books.
—A Baptist church of five members, in
Washington Territory, wants a pastor. “We
are not able,” it says, “to give a large support."
That announcement hardly seemed necessary-
And yet we admire the pluck that makes the
attempt. May the little one become a thou
sand !
—The Baptist church at Beechland, Ken
tucky, has formally passed resolutions con
demnatory of the conduct of Dr. J. L. Bur
rows, in his communion with a church of
the disciples at Richmond, Virginia.
—The Wisconsin Baptist Convention recently
held its annual session. About 1,180 addi
tions have been made to the churches, 759.
dismissed, leaving a net gain of 431 in the
whole State. Last year the net gain was 130.
Of the 1,180 additions during the year, 700
were by baptism.
—The publishers of the Evangel, of San
Francisco, are considering the question of re
ducing its size to a four-page paper, as the ex
pense of publication is in excess of its receipts.
At a recent meeting of the San Francisco As
sociation, $1,200 was contributed to pay debts
already incurred by the paper.
—The following towns in Arkansas, Hel
ena, Pine Bluff and Fort Smith are all desti
tute of Baptist preaching. All important
places, and from three to six thousand inhab
itants.
—Col. Bruce, a non-profeseor, contributed
largely to the new Baptist church at Conway,
Arkansas. This he did in memory of his
mother, who was a Baptist.
—Two noble-hearted] Baptists at Atkins,
Arkansas, propose to build a house, with one
thousand dollars, for the Baptists of that
place.
—The Baptists at Russellville, Arkansas,
are proceeding to build a splendid house of
worship.
—The reports of the churches to the New
York Association, which met last month, show
ed their whole number to lie 50; total baptisms,
1,186; total membership, 13,491—a net in
crease of some 509 over ltvi year, • ]
—Tlie oldest church in West Virginia is
Simpson’s Creek. The church was organized
in 1774, and John Sutton was their first pastor
Members were received into fellowship by lay
ing on hands. In 1797 a resolution was pass
ed requiring all members absenting tliem
selves from one meeting to give their reasons
of absence at the next meeting. Shortly after
ward the time was extended to three meetings,
and in 1810 to three months, pt which time all
absentees found without sufficient excuse were
excluded. The church has held her regular
meetings on Saturday before the first Lord’s
day in each month, with few exceptions, since
1793, and her communion seasons quarterly.
—President Hovey, of Newton Theological
Seminary, will supervise a complele commen
tary on the New Testament. The Rational
Baptist says:
The work will embrace the latest revision
of the text, and the most correct translation
possible. It is probable that the new revision
now in progress under the auspices of the
English Committee will be out in time to be
embraced in the work. Though scholarly,
the commentary will also be level to the com
prehension of every person possessed of com
mon sense and of intelligence. It will not
require a knowledge of the original tongues.
The commentary will be issued in twelve vol
umes 12mo, ana will occupy five years in its
issue.
—Some twenty religious and benevolent
associations in London, chiefly Congregation
al and Baptist, received together over $50,000
by the will of the late Mrs. Emily Brown,
Regent’s Park.
One hundred young men, members of the
First Baptist church of Charlestown, Massach
usetts have formed a Union, the objects of
which are the intellectual, physical and reli
gious welfare of the young men of the city.
They have fitted up a spacious room on Main
street, in a most inviting manner, for a read
ing room, where they also purpose to have
lectures and entertainments for the benefit of
young men, who otherwise are inclined to
waste their evenings or run to dissipation.
—There is in Indiana an Association of
colored Baptists. It has just held its nine
teenth anniversary at Indianapolis. It em
braces 50 churches, 44 ministers, 3 licentiates
and 3,343 members. At its recent meeting
three new churches were admitted and 296
baptisms reported.
—
Rev. J. C. McAuley, a Presbyterian min.
ister of Talladega, was run over by the cars
and killed near Munford, in Talladega county,
a few days ago. The train had passed by the
station, and Mr. McAuley got on the track to
walk down to it, and as the cars were backed
up again he was struck by the rear car, knocked
down and run over. His death will be regret
ted by the entire community, as he was univer
sally respected.
The Birmingham Iron Age says : “W*
learn by a private letter from Columbiana that
Thos. Fallon, son-in-law ol F. A. Nelson,
sheriff of Shelby county, killed himself and
wife last Friday evening.
GEORGIA BAPTIST NEWS.
—Oarnesville Baptist church, at a regular
meeting, on the Ist Saturday in November,
re-elected Rev. Thos. Crymes as its pastor for
the ensuing year. Mr. Crymes is an able and
faithful minis.er, and we are pleased to state
that he has accepted the call.
—The closing day of Mercer High School
was pleasantly celebrated by a choice
musical entertainment, given b.-fore a large
and interested audience. The programme was
select and pleasingly diversified, and the schol
ars in their instrumental skill, and in their
vocal performances, were deservedly applaud
ed and reflected great credit upon their devoted
and talented teachers, l’rof. Sanford still
manages the literary department of this ex
cellent school with his unaccustomed success.
Miss Cora Stakely, of LaGrange, is a fine
teacher, and is at the head of the musical de
partment. Mr. E A. Sanford, son of Prof.
Sanford, recently resigned his position as tutor.
The spring term of Mercer High School will
open January 15th, next.
—“Kato,” writing from Q litman, under date
of November 17th,says; Last Friday was a high
day with one of our country preachers. Brother
L. B. Carroll, the beloved pastor of Hickory
Head church, was greatly surprised at seeing
the members ol his church coming up to his
home about 10 o’clock, A.M., from all direc
tions as if they were going to a camp-meeting.
Those people love their pastor, not only in
word, but in "deed," and they manifested that
love for him, and appreciation of his labors
among them, by gathering at his house, bring
ing with them all kinds of good things to eat,
and spending a most delightful day. Appro
priate addresses were made by different mem
bers of the church.
When the company left the gratified pastor
and his family found themselves in possession
of much more than they had before, in the way
of dry goods, provisions, clothing etc. He
feels very grateful to his flock, (for 1 have
talked with him on the subject,) for their kind
feelings towards him and his wife, and this
manifest expression oj them.
The Baptist Sunday-school at llawkins
ville, lately gave a missionary “corn shucking
and aucti- n” at Jelk’s Hall. Admission 25
cents or one peck of corn. Children ten cents
hr ten ears.
F —Rev. A. B. Campbell, of Americus, has
Iheen,unanimously chosen pastor of the Baptist
in CJußcbuand, Has rjiecpted the
call. He will enter upon the duties of regular
pastoral work on the first of January, and
will in the meantime, devote most of his time
to the church. He is an eloquent preacher
and a most excellent man. The church has
been very fortunate in securing his services.
—A Rome correspondent of the Summer
ville Gazette of November 23d, says:
Rev. A. G. Nunnally who was elected pastor
of the Baptist church at this place, arrived
here last Saturday, and lias taken charge of
the church, and preached his first sermon as
pastor yesterday, (Sunday,) to a very large and
appreciative audience. He ib quite a young
man, and lias the reputation of being an able
and a talented minister.
—The Jefferson Forest Rem of last week,
says: The Rev. Mr. Haygood, (Baptist)
preached a good sermon at the Presbyterian
and Baptist church on Thursday night.
—About $1,200 have been subscribed to build
anew brick church for the Baptists of Con
yers.
—From the Rome Rem: Rev. Mr. Nun
nally, pastor of the Baptist church preached
his introductory sermon, under his pastorate
here, from the text: “Be ye followers of me
as I am also followers of Christ.”
The burden of his discourse, waß on the
relation of the church to the pastor, showing
that the support of the church was an absolute
necessity to his success, and the success of the
church. His remarks in reference to the
burden which the pastor carried in his own
heart, were very touching. In discussing the
text he laid decided emphasis on the word
“as.” “Be ye followers of me, AS I am a
follower of Christ”—Christ is our great leader,
follow Him.
—The Hamilton Journal says : Rev. J. F.
Reeves, formerly of Columbus, has received
an unanimous call to the care of the Third
Baptist church Atlanta, Georgia, and has en
tered regularly into the duties of pastor. His
friends will please address him at that place
Mr. Reeves was formerly pastor of Rehoboth
church in this couniy, and has many warm
friends and admirers in this section. We wish
brother Reeves much success for the Master in
his field of labor.
•►- ■ ■
“Is This Safe.” —The Georgia llome
Journal, (Greenesboro) commenting on
an editorial under the above head, in
The Index, urging Christian men to
take a more active interest in political
affairs in order that our politics may
be purged of the prevalent corruption
and demagogueism, says:
“It is appropriate and timely. Appreciat
ing the grave issues presented in the late can
vass, the solid, substantial Christian men of
the country exhibited a more lively interest,
and were found more generally in political
council and at the ballot-box, than on former
similar occasions. We trust this will continue
to be the case in all elections, local and gener
al. Religious men should not become intem
perate partisans, but they should see to it that
.men of sobriety, integrity and capacity be se
iected to fill the public offices-”
THE OHIIRTSTIJAISr
of Tennessee.
The Missionary Field,
—The death is announced of Mrs. Lucy G.
Thurston, one of the pioneer missionaries to
the Sandwich Islands.
—ln regard to the anti-missionary move
ment in China, the North China Herald aays :
“The excitement lately referred to by our
Soochow correspondent about tail-cutting and
weights which crush people at night, seems to
have risen to the height of a panic in Woosilt
and the neighborhood, and the charge of sor
cery is being directed against Christians with
a dangerous persistency. The Chinese declare
that two converts " ere arrested with the “paper
men” in their possession, and were handed over
ot the magistrate, who released them on bail
at the instance of the bishop. On the occa
sion of a Catholic festival, when some thou
sands of converts were assembled, the bishop
obtained a guard of soldiers to maintain order,
and all these proceedings have excited the
wrath of the litc ati, who accuse the officials
of supporting the sorcerers. Oa one occas'on,
when a man was arrested, the bishop, hearing
of it, sent a native priest to the yamen to i
terpose on his behalf. The crowd set upon
the priest as he came out, and beat him nearly
to death. There is no doubt the panic is very
real, and the turn that has been given to it
constitutes a serious danger."
—The Methodist Missionary Committee in
session a few days ago in New York appro
priated $55,000 for the Indian branch, SB,OOO
for the Bulgarian brunch, $16,000 for the
Ualian brancli and $20,000 for the Mexican
branch. Compared ■ with last year’s appro
priation, they show a decrease of over ten per
cent.
—The Missionary Committee of the Metho
dist Episcopal church have appropriated a
total of $625,000, and a committee was ap
pointed to aid the Secretary in raising the
money a few days ago.
—The Presbyterian church South has over
fifty missionaries (male and female) laboring
in Italy, Greece, China, Brazil, the great In
dian Territory, and elsewhere.
—The first annual meeting of “The Califor
nia Chinese Association” (Congregational) was
held at Redwood, October Bth. The receipts
had been $5,920 40, $1,406 of which were con
tributed directly to the t-easury of the mission,
the rest of the sum having come from; the
American Missionary Association. The ex
penditures had been $5,887, in maintaining
thirteen schools, with 1,536 Chinese pupils.
Thirty-five of the pupils had been converted
and seventeen baptized during the year.
—The interest in (lie Presbyterian mission
churches at Canton, China, still continues, and
frequent additions are made to the number of
communicants.
—ln spite of all the commotion attendant
on war, the misssonaries of the American
Board in Turkey have organized 14 new
churches, and received 1600 members into the
native churches.
—The Protestant Episcopal House of Bish
ops met in Philadelphia, and elected Samuel
I. J. Schrenenscliewsky, D.D., Missionary
Bishop of China, and John T. Magrath
Rector of St. Paul’s church, Jackson, Michi
gan, Missionary Bishop of Cape Palmas,
Africa.
—lt is proposed to put a missionary yacht
upon the North Sea, that she may cruise among
the fisherman there, and carry religions mes
sages and reading to them.
—An anonymous friend has offered $5,000
to the Church Missionary Society toward com
mencing a Mission in one of the countries of
Central Asia, where no Protestant missionaries
are as yet stationed.
RICHARD FCLLRR, D.D.
The Charleston, South Carolina,
News and Courier, of the 20th inst.,
contains a splendid article in commem
oration of the late Dr. Fuller, of Balti
more.
Speaking of his shining talents, his
virtue and his pre-eminence in the
pulpit, the article concludes with the
following striking tribute:
In the pulpit he attained his highest reputa
tion. In debate, in writing, in counsel, he
might be rivalled ; but in the pulpit he was an
acknowledged prince. He was less fluent
than Beecher, his style was less polished than
that of the late Andrew Broadus, of Carolina ;
he had far less pathos than John Kerr, and
his mind was less fertile than that of Spur
geon, but in the happy combination of a great
preacher he excelled them all. His sermons
had more thought than those of Beecher, more
power than those of Broadus, more depth than
those of Kerr, and more refinement than those
of Spurgeon. Who can fill Dr. Fuller’s place ?
It cannot be filled at all. A minister may be
found to occupy his pulpit, and to represent
his church in the Association and in the
Convention ; but where is a man of the same
personal attraction, vigor of intellect, stores of
knowledge, fervent lcve to the Redeemer and
to souls, disinterestedness of purpose, and fer
vid oratory? Take him, all in all, we shall
never see his like again. Ministers, however,
should not be discouraged because they do not
possess his towering intellect, or command his
golden tongue. God distributes gifts to his
servants as He pleases, to accomplish His own
purposes. All are not Fullers ; but all have
their talents and spheres of labor, and may, by
toil and fathfulness, win a bright reward.
—Trinity M. E. church, Atlanta,
will be dedicated next Sunday,
WHOT.E \O. 2246.
General Denominational News.
—The last Episcopal Diocese of Ohio passed
a number of resolutions of a permanent na
ture, condemning horse-racing as inconsistent
with the humane precepts of Christianity, and
the theatrical amusements and dancing as de
structive of religious Hie. It is assumed that
communicants who indulge in such amuse
ments are rarely worth anything to Christiani
ty and the church.
Tlie L nitarian ministers of England are
said to he mostly drawn from the orthodox
denominations. Among the present Unitarian
divines are five who have left the Methodist
body, five who have left the established
church, two who have left the Roman Catholic
chu-ch, ten who have left the Independents;
and twenty-six who have left the Baptists—in
a'!, forty-seven.
—The deaf mute, the Rev. Henry W. Syle,
recently ordained by Bishop Stevens of Penn
sylvania to the ministry in the Protestant
Episcopal church, has learned under tlie new
system of deal mute education to repeat audiblv
the form otjiaptism and the administration of
tlie Lord’s Supper.
The Rev. A. Blauvelt, D.D., has been
suspended from (lie ministry by the Reformed
Classis of Kingston, for heresy. His offense
c insisted of attacks in magazine articles
(Scribners Monthly) on the standards of the
clergy and orthodoxy. He made no defense,
but acknowledged his very decided disagree
ment with the received views as to the canoni
cal books of Scripture, and their authority.
—ln reference to the growth of the Roman
Catholic church in America, it is stated that a
hundred years ago there were not more than
25 priests in the United States, in 1800 there
were supposed to be 40 ;in 1830 the number
had risen to 232, and in 1848 to 890. In ten
years, from 1862 to 1572, the number of priests
had more than doubled, having grown from
2,317 to 4,809. In 1875, according to the of
ficial statistics of the various dioceses, there
were 5,074 priests, 1,273 ecclesiastical students
and 6,528 churches or chapels of the Roman
Catholic rite within the territory of the repub
lic. There were also, in the same years, 33
theological seminaries, 63 colleges, 557 acade
mies and select schools, 1,645 parochial
Schools, 214 asylums, and 96 hospitals under
the authority and control of the RotAaj: Cath
olic clergy of the United States. Suggestive
as are these figures, the church of Rome can
point to others almost equally suggestive in
English contemporary history. Thus, in six
teen years, the number of Catholic chapels in
Great Britain was more titan doubled—there
having been 570 in 1851, and 1,283 in 1867.
—The Georgia Presbyterian synod, has six
presbyteries, 88 ministers, 169 churches and
9,147 members. $98,487 was contributed dur
ing the year, or over $lO per capita.
—The new Roman Catholic Cathredral, New
York, will dispense with pews. Visitors will be
seated in chairs placed in groups about its
many altars and chapels.
The statue of Religious Liberty, which is to
be presented to the General Government by
the Jewish Order of B’Nai Brith—“Sons of
the Covenant"—to commemorate the entire
freedom which the Jewish race has ever enjoy
ed under American institutions, has arrived
in New York.
—At the 82d annual conference of the M. E.
Church South, of Virginia, recently in session
in Richmond, resolutions were adopted provid
ing for the appointment of a committee of
nine, to consider the subject of fraternal rela
tions between the general conferences of tke
M. E. Church and the M. E. Church South,
and recommend such action as they may deem
proper.
Quite a destructive fire occurred in the, por
tion of Blount Springs known as Foustrille,
which resulted in the consuming by the de
vouring flames of five buildings, to-wit: the
Marshall House, the residence of Mr. L. M.
Hudson, the residence of Mr. i-afayette
Graves, and two others.
—The Presbyterian missionaries i u India,
representing in all eleven branches of the
Presbyterian church, have decided to form a
“Presbyterian Alliance.”
—Rev. J. R. Ivie, of Carnesville, ha* been
tendered the pastoral care of Zebulon Baptist
church, a short distance from Teccoa.
A Substantial House.—We allude to the
wholesale provision and produce firm f
Messrs. Nunnally, Hallman A Cos., of thisoity.
It is composed of thorough-going, practical,
level-headed, honest business men, who are
fully acquainted with the wants of the people
.ar.d the demands of trade. The trade of this
house reaches out far and wide over the land,
and is constantly increasing in volume. The
better classes of merchants and people give
their trade here,which .when securer!, it is never
withdrawn. Our readers cannot find a mere
reliable or substantial house anywhere in the
South. We know whereof we write.
—Large numbers of Georgia farm
ers are emigrating to Texas. Twentv
families passed through Daltoa last
week, going to Fort Worth.