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THE COUNTRYMAN. BY J. A. TURNER. —“brevity is the soul of wit” $3 A YEAR. YOL. YI. TURNWOLD (NEAR EATONTON) GA., TUESDAY, JULY 7, 1863. NO. 1. Communion. The Christian Index contains the fol lowing paragraph : “A writer in one of our exchanges says, ‘During a discussion on the administration of the Lord’s supper, among the chaplains of a corps of the Army of Northern Vir ginia, an Episcopalian of the High (and Dry) church school, expressed the opinion that under the circumstances no Christian man would refuse to meet Christians of eve ry name around the table of their common redemption ! A Baptist responded that as ‘ charity ’ and ‘ catholicity ’ seemed to be the ruling spirit of the meeting, he felt in clined to propose that he should himself appoint a communion season in this regi ment, and that his Episcopal brother should attend,and receive the elements at his hands! This was a requirement of mutual conces sion ; for High Churchism confers author ity to administer the ordinance, and dis pense the elements, only on ministers who have been couseciated by bishops, as suc cessors of the apostles. The proposition was not accepted ; a significant smile ran round the assembly of chaplains, and the subject was dismissed.” The Episcopalian was guilty of as much folly as the Baptist, and the Baptist of as much nonsense as the Episcopalian. One believes you have no right to go the Lord’s table unless you have been soused under the water, by a priest who has himself been soused by another priest, and the sousings must perchance be in regular suc cession clear up to John the Baptist. The other believes you can’t commune unless a priest rubs his hand over your head, and that priest must have had his head rubbed by another priest whose head has been rubbed, and so on, clear up to St. Petei, who must have done the first rubbing. We think it would take all the water that the Baptists make so much fuss about, and all • the rubbing that the Episcopalians make so much fuss about, to wash away the sin of thrusting so many barriers of mere for mality between man and his Maker. We have the water denomination, and the rub bing denomination, and, now, if we had a soap denomination, the symbols of the three might possibly cleanse the guilt of those who substitute the form for the spirit of Christianity. It is very stupid for an Episcopalian who does not feel justified in receiving the Lord’s supper from a minister “out of the regular succession,” to find fault with a Baptist on account of close communion ; for he is as much of a close communionist as the Baptist is. And it is very stupid for a Baptist who does not believe in being “ baptized ” by one who has not himself been “baptized,” to find fault v'ith an Epis copalian for believing in. “Apostolic succes sion.” One believes in “Apostolic succes sion ’’ just as much as the other. The on ly difference between them is, that one be lieves that that “succession” has come through water, and the other that it has como through somebody’s hands. We be lieve we would prefer the water : for that does get clear and pure sometimes : but all ocean’s waves couldn’t wash the stain of murder and blood off of some of the hands through which it is alleged “Apostolic suc cession ” has come down to us—particular ly those of Cranmer, the English Protes tant head of Episcopacy. The running stream of water can be made pure and un defiled : but the stream of “Apostolic suc cession ” that flows through the hands of Henry VIII.’s corrupt courtiers, minions, and murderers—never! There is another point we make. Here was a set of chaplains, receiving pay (for they don’t work without pay—rightly—) sent to the army, or who went to the army to administer the comforts and consolations of religion to the soldiers. One of two things is clear : either their “ High-church- ism’’and their “baptism” were of some importance, or of no importance. 1. —If they were of any importance to the salvation of the soldiers’ souls, they ought to have settled down upon what was necessary for the poor soldiers’ salva tion before they went into the army, or else they ought not to have pretended to act in conjunction. If only one thing was necessary, they should have agreed which, that was, and have taught it. If both were necessary, they should have taught them conjointly, or divided the labors and let one teach “ High-churchism ” and the other “ baptism.” 2. —But if these things wero of no im portance, jointly nor severally, then the chaplains should not have thrust them up on the army, nor engaged in the very amiable and chaplain-like task of seeing which could get up a “significant smile ” at the expense of the other. Their object should have been, not to ridicule and sneer at each other, but rightly to 'divide the word of truth. But their hearers might very properly have said, “ First determine among yourselves what the truth is, and then we \vill hear you.” If the object of the chaplains appear to be to see which can get the grin on the other, they need not be surprised to see “ a significant smile pass round the assembly ” of “worldlings” at the expense of both, and the “ subject dismissed,” as unworthy the consideration which the pugnacious parsons bestow upon it. Physiological Facts. “The following physiological facts were translated from a French scientific journal: The average height of man and woman, at birth, is 16 inches. In each of the 12 years after birth, one twelfth is added to the stature each year. Between the age of 12 and 20 the growth of the body is slow er ; and it is still further diminished after tins, up to 25, the period of a maximum growth. In old age, the height of the body dim inishes on the average about 3 inches. The height of a woman varies less than that of a man m different countries. The aver age weight of a male infant is about 7 lbs.; of a female, about 6J lbs! The weight of an infant decreases a few days after its birth, till it is a week old. At the end of the first year, the child is 3 times as heavy as when it is born. At the age of 7 years, it is twice as heavy as when a year old. The average weight of both sexes at 12 is nearly the same ; after that period, females will be found to weigh less than males.— The average weight of men is 130 lbs., and of women 112 lbs. In the case of individ uals of both sexes, under 4 feet, 4 inches, females are somewhat heavier than men, and vice versa. Men attain their maxi mum weight at about 40, and women at or near 50. At 60, both sexes usually com mence losing weight, so that the average weight of old persons, men and women, is nearly the same as at 19.” White Vinegar.—“Put into a cask a mixture composed of five gallons of water, two gallons of whiskey, and a quart of yeast, stirring in two pounds of powdered char coal- Place it where it will ferment prop erly, leaving the bung loose till the ferment ation is over, but coveriug the hole slightly to keep out the dust and insects. At the end of four months diaw it off, and you will have a fine vinegar as clear and color less, as water.”