St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1858-04-29

! Nearly all the Churches OF the East,
orthodox and heterodox, are here rep
resented, and the settler has no diff
Guilty III finding those who accord with
him i'll belief or in unbclief
In numbers the Methodist Episcopal
Church stands first in the State. Here,
as almost every where in the West,
Mcthodism first occupied the ground,
which its system of itinerancy admi-
rably qualified it to do whether set
tlcmcnt sprung up, there was found
the itinerant breaking to the hungry
the bread of life. When the school
house was built, he was the first to
dedicate it by a rousing revival. A
deep hold was thus secured for the
church upon the public mind.
The acknowledged mistake so often
made by that church in the Eastern
states, of neglecting the social centcrs,
has been avoided here, and in the
towns and cities its potent influence
is felt in society. There are two col
leges in the State under the control Of
the NJ. f. church Iowa Wesleyan
University at Mt. Pleasant, and Cor
nell College at Mt Vernon, and a
third is proposed at Fayctte.
The Congregationalists are fast as
suming a firm position among the
churches of the State. Faithful labor
ers representing this body of Chris
tains, are occupying the field. Sup
piled by funds from the Home Mission
Society, they have gone forth bearing
precious seed. Adopting to some ex-
tent the itinerant plan, they minister
to two or three congregations, and
these in a short time become separate
churches, able to sustain their own
pastors. Thus their growth has been
rapid, and their influence continually
on the increase. The position of this
Church on the great moral questions
of the day is sound and well defined,
her doctrines scriptural, her ministry
active and laborous, her laity gene
rally pious. The stronghold Of the
Cougrcgationalist Church will be in
the central and northern parts of the
State ; and if she but put her trust in
God, He has work for her to do, and
He will put honor upon her.
The Baptist interest in the State is
comparatively weak, but displays a
noble perseverance III charging her
borders, and assisting to enlarge the
Redcemer's kingdom. There are but
few settlements in which there is not
nucleus of this Church formed, about
which to rally, and to which additions
are being constantly made. The good
seed is being sown, and truth estab-
lished that must develop itself for
good hereafter This Church has a
college at Burlington.
The position of the Old School Pres
byterian Church in the State speaks
well for the energy and successful la
bors of her ministry and laity Among
its members are found the staid, we'll
to-do, order-loving, conservative, of
those who hold the doctrine and polity
which she represents. Her ministry
and membership, as far as the expert
cnce Of the writer goes, are principal
ly from Pennsylvania and the South
ern States They of course partake
largely of the characteristics of the
churches of those localities.
Her position on the vexed question
Of slavery is highly conservative.
For this, among other reasons, her in
tlucncc on the mass of the population
IN our free state is less than the more
anti-slavery CongreSationalist Church.
The New School Presbyterians have
their laborcrs in the field looking after
the interests of the Church they repre-
sent. Their numbers yet are compar-
atively small. Iowa College, at Da-
vcnport, represents this and the Con-
gregational churches.
The Episcopalian Church, with Bish-
op Lee at its head, is rapidly gaining
ground in our cities and larger towns,
but little is done by them to reach the
mass of the people, or influence the
popular heart.
Roman Catholics in large numbers
are found in the river towns, but as
yet few are seen in the interior of the
State. The United Bretheren, Luther
an, some Of the minor bodies of Pres
byterians and Baptists, are occasion
ally met, but their numbers are few,
and their influence is scarcely felt
We have also sprinkling of Camp
bcllites, Univcrsalists, Mormons, De-
lists, ect.
On the whole the religious founda-
tion in Iowa is broad and deep, and
under the fostering care of the Spirit
Of God the superstructure will be a
glorious one, and the top stone shah
yet be brought forth with shouting
and the Cry OF Grace, grace, unto it,"
METHODIST.