The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-04-18
FACTS AND OPINIONS IN THE REIIo1ous woRI I,


FACTS AND OPINIONS IN THE RELIGIOUS WORLD
Carefully prepared weekly, or the "union.'l
| A COSTLY CHURCH. There Is church in St Peters
burgh- the Isaac Church which, after about hun.
dred years of toll and expenditure Of twenty million
dollars now near completion II is in the usual form
of the Greek churches and has entrances which
approached by several broad flights of steps, and each
whole fight said to be composed of piece of gante
Each entrance has superb peristle with round
ths of polished granite sixty feet high and feet in
diameter These support an immense rcze above which
rises the main cupoa, DOME to the height of nearly
tw hidged feet this cupola is supported by thirty p
lars Of smooth polished granite from Finland and
cred with gold plated npon copper the whole being
mounted by golden cross. The interior is faced with
tA%xJ~AnN most richly adorned with historic scenes In
m9shc and with superb paintings. It is described
beautifully simple but in point Of richness unequacd in
the world.
SOUTHERN AID Socn.rr This society has secured the
services of Rev DR. Hammer of Baltimore He will act
associate corresponding secretary and general agent
with Rev DIR, Stiles, Of New Haven. Neither OF these
gentlemen win be dependent upon the treasry Of tho
ciety for any portion of their support Rev Dr. Hammer
the newly appointed agent is widely and avorabIy known
throughout the churches and his appointment will
the public confidence
LIBERAL rRorosITIoy.-A gentleman in Mississippi,
disposed himself TO aid Of the benevolent and relig-
enterprises of the day. and dcsiros that others should
join him in the good work. proposes to be OF ten who
will pay each five hundred dollars year for ten years
c Prtby terian Board of Domestic Missions, for the pur
pose sustaining missionaries to preach the Gospel in the
destitute regions of the South and West.
CnuRoH Few churches exhibit in their his
tory such remarkable annals Of prosperous growth that
of St Georges, Rev DR. Tying $ in New York city Only
few years ago. when the church located down town
their pew-rents were not than 500 and their
membership considerably less than So 600 Now in their
present locality their house Of worship and chapel and
recory have cost 1925 00O their pewents exceed $I0
0O0 and they possessed Of endowment of less
than SOO, ,000 Their average number OF communicates
is least 7OO and the number Of Sabbahschoo children
is $50 Their benevolent contributions last year exceed
ed SIG 00O and there is associated with the rector one
who dcyotcs his whole time to the poor
ROMAN CATHOLIC NEWSPAPERS TnTs COUNTRY. The
New York Frecmans Journal, in article the Roman
Catholic press, that the Catholic population Is cs
mated at from three to six millions hut that there are
just nine Catholic newspapers, properly called PUBLISH
ed in the language of the country, and that only
two of them have over two thousand subscribers.
FIRST PoLycIor BlBLE The 'sJournal of Sacred Lite
rature in giving account Of the different Poyglot
Bibles states the fact that 0gen, after searching for
manuscripts twenty eight years, completed his Hcxapa
in nearly fifty volumes This contained the Hebrew text
the in Greek letters the Septuagnt the translation
of Aqula that of Symmachus, that of Theodotan and
three Others by unknown authors The original is sup
posed to have been destroyed when the Saacens took C
sarea burning its library, A. D. $685. Montaucon's ed-
ton of the Hexapa, Paris 1880, two volumes folio is
chiefly from transcript by Pamphilus and Eusebns,
about A. d. $780, of the septuagnt version with tho pas
ascs which origm had marked containing variations.
The first volume of this edition also contains anecdotes
respecting the Septuagnt version and the second two
valuable excons. This is all the remains Of the first and
only manuscript polyglot that existed.
CnuRcnIs BALTnoRE. The number of churches in
the city of Baltimore said to hundred forty
three OF this number there 10 Protestant Episcopal
of which two for coloed persons IL Presbyterian o
which is for colored persons; is Roman Catholic of
which is colorcd; As Methodist Episcopal, Of which
ten are colored Methodist Protestant Baptist two of
which colored; Christian; . Lutheran; German
Reformed Evangelical Association; Sailors Bethel;
Friends; univcrsalist; Unitarian; | Swedenborgian;
Jewish.
CnRlsrlASs ~ EoYrr. BY ordinance issued by the
Pasha of Egypt Christian soldiers permitted to
follow their religion there in perfect freedom The Pasla
says o this end order that every Sunday and every
day celebrated religious festival according to their
rights the soldiers shall be marched in body, and With
out arms to their respective churches, accompanied by
officers Who at the close of their religious exercises will
bring them back to their corps"
BIBLE 1t is stated in of the London re-
igious journals that the movement being made in
behalf OF new translation of the Scriptures is in the
hands of the Untarians and is not supported by the
Trnitaran bodies. This is true to degree, but not
wholly So so far observation extends.
REV. Mr. STURGEON puLpT.-A London cores
pondent Boston religious journal thus gives his opn
ion Of the greatest pulpit celebrity of modern times ~
was very much disappointed in Mr. Spurgcon. found
neither the extvagance and recklessness Of expression
and action attributed to him by his enemies the
originality and great power claimed by his friends
think him quite below the medocrty Of city preach
ers at home There the least pretonon TO ele
pance of style or manner lie would not hold an audi
ence long in Boston New York Yet he is probably
doing that class who flock to hear him much good There
is nothing positively bad in the substance of his preach
ing but his enormous egotsm is disgusting The same
writer heard the Bishop of London preach charity
mon respecting which he says was astonishcd at
the intellectual weakness Of the Bishop OF London on an
extra occasion like this 1t about the weakest SER
mon have heard for long tme and delivered In mo-
notonous school-boy tone No in the honse aeerned
to pay much attention to It, He must owe his great &C.
clesastica elevation to something else besides ability
USrvERs,LIsrs As wTNKssrs Several conflict
ing statements have appeared with reference to the de-
csion Of the supreme court Of North Carolina overrulng
the decision of an inferior court excluding Univeralists
from being witnesses in judicial trial The truth in the
matter is that Judge Pearson in giving the decision
so;d tbat the exclusion Of testimony account OF rc