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Southern Christian
CHARLESTON, S. C., OCTOBER 5, 1878.
The Associate Editor is in charge
of the Advocate for the present.
We again ask the indulgence of our
friends and brethren, who complain
of our tardiness to publish their com
munications. We are obliged to them
for their favors, and promise as early
attention to them as is practicable.
We give preference to such articles as
will lose their value from delay—arti
cles of current value. We have many
obituaries on hand, and parties inter
ested need not be surprised if we get
behind, and try their patience. This
is a necessity we sincerely’ deplore. It
is a necessity nevertheless.
Governor Hampton is canvassing
the claims of his administration and
party, before great masses of bis fel
low-citizens in different sections of the
State. He was greeted with enthu
siastic crowds hero in Charleston on
Wednesday, the 2d inst. The Gov
ernor can honestly look the people of
both parties and colors in the face.
He has passed the ordeal of a civil
revolution, and stands approved before
the tribunal of public opinion. .Next
to thanking God, we feel like thanking
Hampton, for the changes for the
better we are realizing in South
Carolina.
The Columbia Canal is likely soon
to be utilized for manufacturing pur
poses. With the long standing issues
between the Spragues and our State
authorities finally and satisfactorily
settled, we may look for the early
erection of manufactories on the Con
garee at the capital of our State. Ev
ery patriotic South Carolinian looks
with interest and favor on such en
terprise. Without some such advan
tage, Columbia can hardly bo expect
ed to flourish. With it, she may be a
great manufacturing and commercial
centre. Why not multiply the manu
facturing interest in South Carolina?
We have the cotton, the water power,
abundant market for our fabrics. We
need capital and business enterprise.
With the permanent settlement of
our political difficulties in the interest
of a good and strong government, the
first of these can be obtained in plen
tiful quantity, and wo trust that the
second will not be wanting.
The Collections. —It is full time
thatour preachers be at the workofrai
singthe amounts assessed their charges
for tho various purposes levied by the
Annual Conference. The preacher
who expects to succeed in raising his
share by his people voluntarily’ hand
ing him tho amounts they ought to
give, as they are moved to it by a
sense of duty or an impulse of liber
ality, will be disappointed. Tho
preacher who hopes to raise the
amount expected of him, as a result
of his simple and candid statement
of the case from the pulpit, will, in
nine cases out of ten, be disappointed.
Is “ disappointed ” the right word in
these two last sentences? Does the
preacher really expect, in either case
supposed, to raise the amount? It is
our duty, as preachers, to educate our
people in Systematic Benevolence,
from tho pulpit. Teach them that
giving is a means of grace. That they
are to give not primarily to missions,
education, the support and relief of
Conference claimants, and the like,
but that they are to give to the Lord,
—primarily to Him, and, in a second
ary sense, to these others. “ Hon
or the Lord with thy substance.”
“ Them that honor me, I will honor.”
Air. Editor : In answer to J. E. W.,
it may be said that “ Yeasting Seas ”
and “ Instruments of Torture ” are
certainly out of place in Circuits and
Quarterly Conferences. But did it
occur to the writer that where such
existed by’ any’ such cause as indicated,
there must be something radically
wrong in both. None deny that
Circuits need often to be stirred even
to the very depths, and probing an
ugly wound will torture; but does
that prove that neither should ever be
done? Better then the “Yeasting
Sea” than the stagnaut pool, and still
better the “ instrument of torture,”
than physical or moral death. We
should be glad that there is life enough
to make a stir, and that pain is felt
when the probe is used. But where is
the necessity for either in the cases
indicated? Pain is never felt under
questioning (which is all a Quarterly
Conference can do), when there is a
full compliance with duty, and the Cir
cuit never becomes a “Yeasting Sea,”
under like circumstances. In places
otherwise the preacher may be dila
tory, or the people nearly dead. If
J. E. W. be a preacher, he is open to
the suspicion that his objection lies to
necessity of “ farming the revenue;”
if a layman, to any “ revenue " at all
in church work. In either case, we
think nothing could be gained by
granting the wish to have no standard
whatever in fixing the status of Dis
trict. There are three conceivable
methods of doing this; attention to
the spiritual, material and financial.
The first, embracing conversions, ad
missions, baptisms, Sunday-schools.
The second, church buildings, par
sonages, school houses. The third,
salaries and church collections. The
first two are not as extensively set
set forth in our minutes as the last.
Hence this last furnishes the data for
fixing the status of a charge. There
is rarely a well rounded fiscal report
that does not indicate healthfulness
at the other points, while the spiritu
ality of a charge may well be ques
tioned where there is continued failure
in this. We trust, therefore, those
“ Yeasting Seas ” are not indicative of
wreck to the church, and that the in
struments of torture may awaken
life where there is any threatened
death. We wish someone would give
a better standard for marking pro
gression than this, so offensive to
some. C.
How frequent is it that we do not,
as Christians, realize the privilege of,
being joyful and happy’! Duty’keeps
us firm and steady ; but wo fail to en
joy the sweets of obedience. A
prophet of the Lord declared, “Al
though the fig tree shall not bios
som, neither shall fruit be in the
vines; the labor of the olive shall
fail, and the fields shall y’ield no meat:
the flock shall be cut off from the
fold, and there shall be no herd in the
stalls; y T et I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
Circumstances of poverty, bereave
ment, ill health, persecution, may hin
der for the time, hut should not de
stroy our peace. The “cloudscovering
our sky” is a familiar figure, and an
instructive one. The clouds come not
from the sun ; but from the atmos
phere of the earth. Tho sun shines
on behind these clouds, and after a
while will disperse them. So with
these other clouds that hide for a
time from our eyes the Sun of Right
eousness. They come from us and not
from him. He shines behind these
clouds with continued and undimned
glory', and it is our constant privilege
to bask in the sunshine of His pres
ence. The difficulty lies not in the
failure of God’s grace. No. It is in
the want of our faith.
Pestilence and Prayer.
Governor Hampton has called our
people to fasting, humiliation and
prayer, in view of tho sad and sore
affliction through which a portion of
our country is now providentially
passing. The Governor has done well.
Aside from his own convictions and
instincts as a Christian gentleman, it
is eminently' appropriate that he, as
our representative man, should give
due acknowledgment to the public
Christian sentiment of the State.
The pray'er of Solomon, at the dedi
cation of the temple is solemnly sug
gestive in our present juncture. “If
there be in the land famine, if there
be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust,
or if there be caterpillar ; if their ene
my besiege them in the land of their
cities ; whatsoever plague, whatsoever
sickness there be; what prayer and
supplication soever there be made by'
any' man, or by’ all thy' people, Israel,
which shall know every' man the
plague of his own heart, and spread
forth bis bands toward this house,
then hear thou in heaven thy dwell
ing place, and forgive, and do, and
give to every' man according to his
ways, whose heart thou knowest ;
(for thou, even thou only’, knowest
the hearts of all the children of men ;)
that they may fear thee all the days
that they live in the land which thou
gavest unto our fathers.”
We hold that Chureh and State are
distinct, but not separate. Each has
its function and duty. We, as Chris
tians, owe allegiance to the State. The
powers that be are ordained of God
and every soul should be subject
unto them, not only for wrath, but
also for conscience sake. The subjec
tion of the Christian citizen to the
State’s authority and law is a subjec
tion to the ordinance of God. This im
plies that God is recognized by the
State as the origin of its authority,
and the sanction of its laws. The
better the Christian, the better the
citizen.
The prayer of Solomon is not the
obsolete prayer in an effete dy nasty.
It has moral significance now. The
Christian State of to-day is the legiti
mate successor of the Christian com
munity of Solomon’s time. We are
as much authorized to pray for deliv
erance from pestilence, as the people
of God were then authorized to do so.
God has not lost a particle of his au
thority' and power. He is the same
y’esterday, to-day and forever.
Our only safe appeal from infidelity
is to the word of God. We can afford
to be laughed at and mocked if that
means that God is laughed at also.
After a while He will in turn laugh
and mock. The safe side is God’s side.
SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE.
A prominent scientific gentleman, a
few years ago, seriously proposed to the
Christian world to test the efficacy of
prayer. Let there be a hospital of pa
tients for whom prayer should be made,
and another for whom prayer should
not be made, and then let the convales
cence and recovery of these repectively
decide whether God hears prayers for
sickness and disease or not. The prop
osition dishonors God. To accept it
on the part of his people would be to
wound Him in the house ofHis friends.
The beauty and sweetness of prayer
consists largely’ in the loyalty and
submission of the supplicant to the
purposes ofHis will. Prayer is noth
ing worth that is not “ in the Holy
Ghost.” Would the Holy' Ghost in
spire our devotions to such an unwor
thy end ? Would he not then act in
consistently with Himself? Would
He not dishonor the record He has
made of Himself to approve a test
other than His inspired word author
izes ? Has he not already satisfied
every reverent, reasonable mind ?
Would any test satisfy any other?
It ennobles and elevates our con
ception of God to consider Him, work
ing the counsel of His will, whether
in the infliction of suffering upon the
subjects of His kingdom, or in the
gracious displays of His love and mer
cy. His stately steppings fill us with
awe and inspire us with confidence
and love. “ The will of the Lord be
done,” whether that will be a smile
or a frown. The grace so to pray will
put us into an attitude to accept God’s
dealings—all of them —as right and
good, because they are His. He
knows what is best and does what is
best, to those who love His will, be
cause they love Him.
In morals, as in physics, action and
reaction are equal and in opposite di
rections. Not only is the subject of
my prayer blessed, but I also by' a
reflex influence of its benefit, am bless
ed also. I pray' for sufferers in New
Orleans and Memphis, and God not
only puts my' prayer to their account
but to mine also. Tho more we pray
for our afflicted brethren, the nearer
we get to them and through them to
our common Heavenly' Father. This
service is not only an appropriate
acknowledgment by tho State of its
God ; it is a gracious opportunity for
every individual of tho State. Let it
not be that we have gone to the house
of the Lord in vain. Let us covet and
claim the blessing of that charity
which blesses at once him who receives
and him who givesi
Personal Mention.
Rev. Morris Evans has recently
received the title of I). D., from the
Kentucky Military Institute.
Rev. Charles R. Hemphill has re
signed the Hebrew Tutorship in the
Columbia Theological Seminery. He
held this office for four years, with
credit to himself and with great ben
efit to the students who received Iris
instructions. He has been appointed
Fellow in John Hopking University’,
Baltimore ; and he expects to devote
the two y'ears to increasing his knowl
edge in the Classical and Oriental lan
guages, under the guidance of Profes
sor Gildersleeve and his learned asso
ciates The British Government
granted last y *ar 8500 to George
McDonald, in consideration of his
contributions to literature. The
same to Mrs. Eliza Cruikshank, the
wife of the artist, and 81,000 to James
Prescott Joule, for his scientific
achievements Dean Stanley, of
Westminster Abbey, London, preach
ed to an immense audience at Trinity
Church, Boston, recently' taking
as his subject “True Religion on
the Point of Contrast between the
East and West.” The Boston Post
says of the distinguished preacher:
“ The usual service of morning prayer
having been read by' the Rev. Mr.
Brooks, the rector, Dean Stanley pre
sented himself at the reading desk,
and immediately', in a quiet but dis
tinct manner, repeated the invocation
which, in the Episcopal church, pre
cedes the sermon. He was dressed
in the canonical black gown and cas
sock we are accustomed to see, but to
which was added, we suppose as dis
tinctive of his rank and office at home,
a bright scarlet collar. As compared
with the heroic stature, the Apollo
like figure of of Trinity’s rector, a
rather insignificant personage; a slight
built and stooping figure, with neatly
cut gray hair and whiskers of the old
Euglish style, and a face expressively
full of a pleasant intelligence and dig
nity, and a voice, not powerful, but
generally distinctly' heard in this, for
most speakers, very trying auditorium.
His discourse, learned, eloquent, and
appropriate, was read from his manu
script in a didatic but earnest way,
and without auy gestures, and was
listened to with the closest attention
to its end. The benediction, at its
close, was pronounced in the most
fervently devout and hearty' manner,
and the great audience dispersed.”
“Mrs. Jennie H. Caldwell,
will occupy the pulpit of her husband,
at Geneva, ill., (Rock River Confer
ence!, while he is in Europe on a va
cation of three months,” say's an ex
change. The “ lectures ” will proba
bly begin when he returns The
Louisville Observer records the recent
death of four Presbyterian ministers.
Rev. J. 11. Rice, D.D., of West Ten
nessee, one of the ablest and most in
fluential divines of that chureh ; Rev.
George Hall, of Port Gibson, Miss.,
seventy-three years old ; Rev. John
McUamdbell, D.D., of Grenada, Miss.,
and Rev. A. N. Cunningham, D.D.,
an aged preacher, of Aberdeen, Miss.
The three first were victims of yellow
fever, the last dropped dead in the
the streets of Franklin, Tenn
Rev. William B. Landrum, the old
est member of tho Kentucky Confer
ence, preached a semi-centennial ser
mon in the Methodist Church on Sun
day evening, 22d inst. There has
just been from the press anew
book entitled 1 “The Life and Travels
of Rev. William B. Landrum.”
Dr. Di La Matyr, of the
Southeast Irjdiana Conference, and
the popular pastor of Grace Church,
Indianapolis, having accepted a nomi
nation as candidate for Congress, was,
after considerable discussion, granted
a location at the recent session of his
conference, with a promise to receive
him again into conference relations
whenever he shall see fit to return to
the work of the ministry Pres
ident and Mrs. McMahon, of France,
havo sent SI,OOO for the yellow fever
sufferers Bishops Pierce and
Kavanaugh were both present at the
recent session of the Kentucky Con
ference. Bishop Pierce was unable to
preach Prof. William Henry
Waddell, of tho University of Geor
gia, recently died at Milford, Va. He
had been and was returning
home when hi /suddenly died.
Exchange.
Independent: An aggressive Church
will do ChrisVs work ; not an attrac
tive one.
Harper's Weekly: The basis of polit
ical reform it. not unscrupulous will ;
it is moral principle, wise judgment,
sound views.
Watchman : In the present state of
public opinion, the law of the Sab
bath is relaxed beyond auy known
precedent in New England.
Zion's Herald: Nothing that the
country' could do for the laboring man
would bring such immediate and ex
tended good as the putting a stop to
liquor selling.
Examiner and Chronicle : If the
poor man lovp s his rich neighbor as
he loves himself, will he not delight
in the thought of that neighbor’s
abundance as much as if he possessed
that wealth himself?
Congregationalist: Naturalists have
observed that when the price of hops
and of tobacco is good, the men who
raise them segm to have no conscience.
But as the price goes down, that fac
ulty becomes largely developed.
Central Presbyterian : This love of
money may' and does prevail among
those who have but little of it, as well
as among who have much ; and
its blighting power is seen and felt
over all the church.
Christian Intelligence: There will
be hard times in homes without love ;
in families that have money for luxu
ry, and none for charity ; in house
holds unuflj|d so prayer and unblessed
by faith iiitnr realities of a world to
come.
Observer: .Christians, who would
maintain a Food report with them
who are without, will please recollect
that the Mullpr principal is cash. The
man who lives within his means, and
pays cash, will have a better reputa
tion with God and man than he who,
for a pretence, makes long prayers and
shaves his own notes.
Sunday-School Times : The first
word to the church in the great com
mission is “ Go.” The true test, there
fore, of the efficiency of any church as
an evangelizing agency is the“ go” in
it—or the going out from it; the going
after tho lost : the going to bring in
outsiders. How much of tho “go ”
is there in y’opr church ? That is the
question j
Literary 4'otices and Notes.
Southern Historical Society Papers,
published by authority of the Society,
under the direction of the Executive
Committee. Rev. J. William Jones,
D.D.. Richmond, Va. This is a month
ly magazine, devoted to the preserva
tion of the biftory of the late war be
tween the States. It will be invalu
able to the future historian of the pe
riod which it covers.
An (Ecumenical Presbyterian Month
ly is soon to be published in London.
It is to represent in its pages all the
bodies of Presbyterians represented
in the Edinburgh Council. Dr. Blaikie,
of Edinburgh, is to be editor. The
first number will be issued on the first
of next January. It is to be what is
known in BtHain as a “Shilling
Monthly,” subscription price
in this countril 7 will be three dollars
•A
per annum.
Life of Alexander 11. Stephens, by
Richard M. Johnston and William
Hand Browne. Philadelphia : J. B.
Lippincott & Cos.
This book is most entertaining read
ing. We have not found a dry place
in it. The authors have had the good
sense and taste to allow Mr. Stephens
to be his own biographer, as far as
practicable. Mr. Johnston, however,
makes a very’ good Boswell. He has
been a very close friend of Mr. Steph
ens for a quarter of a century, and
uses well the opportunity' he has en
joyed. We have here, in the most
engaging form, the political history
of the country as it occurred, under
Mr. Stephens’s observation, colored, as
a matter of course, with the bias of
his judgment. The book is a valuable
contribution lo the history of our
times. This particular work has very'
especial value in that it has Mr. Ste
phens’s endorsement, as to its accura
cy and faithfulness. It is most hand
somely gotten out. We have not
lately seen a more handsome volume.
It is an octavo of 619 pages, clearly
and distinctly’ printed on beautifully
tinted paper, and elegantly bound. It
is sold only by subscription. Agents
are wanted in every county of the
State. Address J. W. Ainger, (of the
Eclectic Magazine), general agent for
South Carolina, Charleston, S. C.
Reynolds' New Pictorial Readers, Nos.
I, 2,3, f. Reynolds' New Fifth Read
er. Walker, Evans & Cogswell,
Charleston, S. C.
These Readers were very’ properly
adopted by the State Board of Edu
cation, at their late session, for use in
tho common schools of South Caro
lina. They were prepared by' the late
Prof. Rey nolds, for a long time a dis
tinguished professor in the South
Carolina College. They' have been
highly commended by' teachers in the
Carolinas and Georgia. They are ex
cellent school books. There is no
doubt of that. To our mind they
have especial claim on the favor and
patronage of our Southern people and
schools, in that they represent home en
terprise. They were prepared, print
ed and published at the South, and in
South Carolina. Other things being
equal, we ought to patronize South
ern books. The Fifth Reader has spe
cial value, in being a compend of
choice Southern literature. It is al
most entirely composed of selections
from writers from the South. The
following are some of the writers
from South Carolina, whoso contribu
tions enrich the book: Prof. Milos,
A. Sachtleben, Legare, Henry, Simms,
Grimke, Calhoun, Thornwell, Dr. E.
T. Winkler, Maxcy, the Furmans,
Hayne, J. S. Preston, Dr. E. Geddings,
Smythe, Manly, Dr. W. Smith, Mrs.
M. Martin, Prof. Woodrow, Governor
Gist, Laßorde, W. M. Martin, and
others.
These books are handsomely printed
and embellished, on tinted paper, by'
the enterprising house of Walker,
Evans & Cogswell, who are taking en
ergetic steps to secure their introduc
tion into the schools of the State.
South Carolina Conference.
Rev. E. S. Luro writes :
“ I am happy to inform you that tho
good Lord has graciously visited us
with a revival at Monticello. The
meeting was opened on Friday, 13th,
by Brother R. C. Oliver and your
correspondent, and continued by them
until Saturday', when Brother Porter,
our pastor, arrived. He had been
providentially' delayed. The meeting
went on, increasing in interest at each
service, especially tho pray'er meet
ings, which were held each morning
at 10 o’clock, until Sabbath night, 22d
instant. It resulted in twcnty'-four
being added to the church, and six
teen good and bright conversions.
There were doubtless others, and a
general revival of the membership,
and some forty or upwards at the al
tar for prayer the night the meeting
closed.”
Rev. J. 11. Zimmerman writes us:
“The Third Quarterly Meeting for
St. Matthew's Ct. commenced tho 14th
instant. Brother Martin, our Pre
siding Elder, was present, and preach
ed on Saturday and Sunday, to the
edification of the people, laying tho
foundation for a good meeting on
Monday morning. B(o the rsPl at. land
Barber came to my' help, and preach
ed day and night up to Wednesday'
evening, with the Holy Ghost sent
down from heaven. The people were
exceedingly busy with their cotton,
yet we had good congregations, espe
cially at night. The result of the
meeting was six accessions to the
church, and as near as we could as
certain about ten conversions, and
the church was revived.”
Rev. B. M. Boozer, Black's Station
Ct., sends us an encouraging bulletin
from his field :
“ I am happy to inform you that
the Lord has graciously visited us at
Black’s Station. I have just closed a
meeting which continued eight days,
resulting in nine baptisms, and sixteen
accessions to the church. .Some who
were converted under the influence of
the meeting joined the Baptist Church.
A general revival was experienced
among the membership. The work
is still going on. 1 preached at the
Station last evening, and one more ap
plied for membership, making twenty
additions at the station this year.
Among those who joined there were
three between seventy and eighty
years old.”
Rev. G. H. Pooser, Cypress Ct.,
sends us an item of news from his
Circuit, which will prove of painful
interest to the many acquaintances of
the afflicted brother:
“ Brother Daniel Knight, a steward
at Branch Church, Cypress Ct., was
stricken down with paralysis, while
in Summerville, some weeks ago, but
is improving gradually, and hopes are
entertained of his partial recovery.
He is a man of extensive business,
furnishing employment to a large
number of persons, besides being a
very useful member of the Methodist
Chureh, and a man of piety.”
Rev. W. D. Kirkland, Mars Bluff
Station, writes : “ VVe have just closed
an interesting meeting at Friendship
Church. Revs. G. W. Walker and
J. C. Stoll labored with great zeal and
effect. Back-sliders were reclaimed,
the Church was quickened, and three
promising members were added to
our number. The gracious influences
of this meeting were largely' shared
by' our Presbyterian and Baptist breth
ren, who attended the services in
large numbers. “ Behold how good
and how pleasant it is for brethren to
dwell together in unity’.”
Rev. W. A. Rogers, Winnsboro' St.,
in closing a short business note to us,
announces his purpose soon to com
mence protracted services at his
church. He asks every follower of
Christ, whose eye falls upon these
lines, earnestly to pray God’s especial
blessing to rest upon the meeting to
commence at Winnsboro’,October 6th.
Rev. W. W. Mood, Belmont Ct., at
the close of a letter to the Publishers,
says in a postscript to tho Editor:
“ I have just closed a very precious
and profitable meeting at Shiloh.
Brother Dagnall, of the Goshen Hill
Circuit, rendered efficient help lor
several days.”
The Christian World.
There are 70,000 Christians gathered
into the churches in Madagascar. Poly
nesia is almost entirely 7 Christian.
Dr. Schaff, who has been visiting
Salt Lake City, expresses the opinion
that Mormonism cannot much longer
survive.
The Westminster Confession of
Faith and Catechism have been trans
lated into Chinese, and are now in
process of revision.
Tho New York Ministerium (Lu
theran) voted that women were not
entitled to vote at the election of pas
tors, or on any congregational matter.
It is proposed to restore the old
Elstow Church, where John Bunyan
used to attend in his youth, and whose
bells he used to ring.
The German “ Tunkers,” at their
late annual meeting, in answer to the
question whether a visitor of another
denomination should be asked to say
“ grace,” decided negatively.
It is said soven hundred Chinese in
California have connected themselves
with the Young Men’s Christian As
sociation, with a view to instruction
in Christian doctrine.
The American Board has recently'
sent out nineteen missionaries to its
fields in Turkey, India, Japan, and
China, ten of whom return to their
old stations.
A conference of lay'mon and minis
ters of all denominations is to bo held
October 30 and 31, in tho church of
the Holy Trinity in this city, to dis
cuss the question of the second coming
of Christ.
The Illiuois Conference was divided,
at its late session, into the Indiana
and Illinois Conferences. Wo havo
now two Districts in Indiana and four
in Illinois. This work shows a larger
increase this year than for any year
previous. Six were received on trial,
and four by transfer. In tho two
Conferences, fifty-five preachers re
ceived appointments, and sixteen ap
pointments were left to be supplied.
The Thornwell Ordhanage began
its fourth year on the Ist u 11., with
a full school and every' vacancy filled.
During the past year the average ex
pense of the maintenance of each
child has been about SBO. This in
cludes every expense. The building
has been recently improved by the
addition of a comfort able piazza sixty
feet long, and paid for. The children
are all in good health, and full of zeal
in their work.
The Rev. J. C. Clough, of tho Bap
tist misson to tho Telogoos, in Soutn
ern India, between June 16 and July'
31, baptised 8,671 recent converts to
Christianity. Over a thousand men
..cwu; ip nl anae hringingin their idols
to tho missionary and renouncing their
worship. A large portion date their
conviction and conversion to the re
vival that began in the spring of 1877,
when their lives were saved from the
terrible famine by tho canal dug
through the efforts of Mr. Clough.
The Western Conference was held
by Bishop Doggett, September 5-9,
at Wyandotte, Kansas. This is an
immense body, including Kansas, Ne
braska, Wyoming and Idaho Territo
ries, and any other territory east of
the Rocky Mountains and west of the
Missouri State line, not included in
other Conferences. There are three
Districts, Atchison, Council Grove and
Fort Scott. Twenty-four preachers
received appointments; ten charges
were left to be supplied.
The Kentucky Conference recently
held its session in Shelby'villo. Three
were admitted on trial. Two were
discontinued at their own request.
Five were admitted into full connec
tion. There are eight superannuated
preachers. The characters of all the
preachers were approved. One had
died, Jeremiah Strother. $2,763.22
were raised for missions since tho last
Conference. There was a slight in
crease in the membership—now con
sisting of 22,662 members, and 96'
local preachers. Dr. Redford says, in
tho Southern Methodist, that the ses
sion was one of the most pleasant he
ever enjoyed. The entertainment was
fine and the preaching excellent.
Bonds to the amount of more than
two thousand dollars were taken, look
ing to the liquidating of the indebt
edness of the Nashville Book Concern.
If the woman's missionary* societies
keep on growing as they have grown
in the past five years, they will soon
overtake tho old established societies
in point of receipts and extent of their
work. Here is the Woman’s Foreign
Missionary Society of the Presbyte
rian Church, in the ninth y r ear of its
existence, with eighty'-five missiona
ries in the field, of whom twenty-three
are in India, twenty in China, nine in
South America, seven in Persia, and
so on. There are also thirty Bible
readers and one hundred and fifty na
tive teachers. The receiptsof tneSocie
ty for the year wore nearly' $84,000.
The annual meeting of the Woman’s
Foreign Missionary Society of the
Methodist Episcopal Church has been
held at Ocean Grove. According to
its report it appropriated last year
$62,000, and has appropriated this
year over SBI,OOO. Twelve women are
under appointment and expect to
leave for foreign mission work next
Fall. Japan eahs for nine more lady'
missionaries.
The decisive and judicious action of
the House of Bishops in tho case of
tho late Bishop of Michigan, is hon
orable and wholesome for that partic
ular branch of the Church, and a good
example for the Church at large. No
Church is dishonored by the miscon
duct of one of its ministers, for the
Church is not infallible. It is made
up of imperfect men, all liable to fall,
and the marvel is that so few, rather
VOLUME XLI., NO. 31.
than so many, are overtaken by'de
stroying sins. But any Church is dis
honored when it interposes objections
and obstacles to the investigation of
character and conduct, or manifests
a disposition to conceal suspected
wrong, lest disgrace ensue. Tho
shame is not in having one black sheep
in the flock, but in trying to make
the world believe that a black one is
white. “ First pure, then peaceable,”
is a law for the Church. And as in
its best estate on earth, the Church
has unworthy men in her fold, she
will best maintain her good name by
promptly searching her sanctuaries
as with candles, and cleansing her
holy places when vice is discovered.
A mission has been established
among tho Bedouins, in the neigh
borhood of Damascus, by Lord Pol
warth. It is under the general super
vision of Mr. Mclntosh, of Damascus,
who has Mr. Connor with him, study
ing Arabic, to qualify himself for ac
tive work and visitation. Mr. Mcln
tosh, with a native teacher, recently
spent two days among the Arabs, five
or six hours’ ride north of Damascus,
and was very much pleased with the
results of his visit. At one place he
tried to impress upon a shepherd lad
that Moses and David, honored names
with the Mohammedans as with the
Christians, were once simple and low
ly' shepherds like himself. At another
tent he spent an hour reading from
the Book of Job, with verbal illustra
tions, to a sick shiekh, who was much
interested with the visit, and promised
to visit the missionaries at Damas
cus. Thus he spent “ delightful hours,
winding among the flocks and tents.”
A young Bedouin is now completing
his studies with Mr. Wood, an Amer
ican missionary at Damascus, who
will probably' be employed in this
work if the means are provided to sup
port him.
Whenever the sons of God assem
bled together in the olden land of Uz,
Satan also attended the meeting, and
was the most pious and demonstra
tive of the whole assembly. A min
strel performer, having in possession
one of the theatres of Chicago, offered
to give a cork and conundrum per
formance on Sabbath afternoon for tho
benefit of the sufferers of the South
ern cities, if the Relief Committee
would accept the proceeds. He was
answered favorably' and with a “ God
bless y T ou,” by the good chairman.
We are not informed by what author
ity the chairman of the Relief Com
mittee bestowed this apostolic bene
diction on the enterprise. However,
the blank walls soon glowed with col
ored postors announcing the “ Great
Charity benefit.” And on Sabbath
afternoon there was fiddling, clog
dancing, and the usual attractions of
shows of this kind. This thing is
sheer humbug and hypocrisy’. Tho
purpose of the scheme was to give an
air of respectability to Sabbath pro
fanity of the worst kind. Tho money
paid in was not paid to aid the suffer-'
~ers, bs4 paid for eoarse and (tinder Grt?*
cireumsTaucea) for sinful pleasure. To
see behind aii -this, and to observe tho
grotesque attitude of the devil, when
he is trying to sham charity, is only
necessary to connect the two ends of
the scene—boisterous uproar over
coarse fun on the Sabbath day, for
the benefit of those'in the shadow of
death and on the confines of a solemn
eternity. God does not bless any such
humbugs and shams.
The London Freeman quotes from
au address of Prof. Huxley at a recent
meeting of the British Association.
From the tone of this address wo
should judge that Mr. Huxley’s mind
is undergoing something of au “evo
lution ” in regard to some of his more
pronounced opinions. He spoke in
the anthropological department, and
the report says there were no fresh
discoveries announced, but that an
apologetic tone ran through the whole.
Yet the theory of the antiquity of
man, and that he exists in a fossil
state, the product of a period long an
tecedent to the Mosaic account, is
still adhered to as au established truth.
Prof. Huxley still insists that “ we
have tho most astonishing accumula
tion of evidence of the existence of
man in ages antecedent to this. And
that beyond all question man existed
at a time when the whole physical
conformation of the world was differ
ent from what it is now.” But he
admits that the evidence as to the
time is of a very dubious character,
and that there is not at present any
positive knowledge on the subject.
Per contra, the report of the proceed
ings in another department of the As
sociation is thus summed up: “ The
run of things to day is very decidedly'
in favor of the recent origin of man.
In the geological section this question
underlies the topics discussed. The
glacial date of man in England had
been very positively stated as found
ed on the discovery of a portion of
the arm bone of a man in one of the
Settle eaves explored by' a committee
appointed by the Asoociation. This
determination had been made on the
authority of Professor Busk, one of
the committee. Mr. Tiddeman, the
zealous secretary of the committee,
had to-day, as his first work, to read
a letter from Professor Busk, with
drawing his opinion, and giving his
judgment that the bone was that of a
bear! Then Professor Dawkins, who
has made the whole subject his own,
by a large induction of facts showed
that all the evidence of the contem
poraneous existence of man with tho
extinct animals in English caves sig
nally failed, that there was no proof
of any kind that man was pre-glacial
or inter-glacial, and further, that even
were it so, there is no proof that tho
animals in question are of extreme an
tiquity'. Other observations were
made to the like effect as connected
with various papers throughout tho
day bearing on the subject.
—Forgive ! Hon many will say “ Forgive,”
and iind
A sort of absolution in the sound
To hate a little longer.
Alfred Tehnyson.