Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-12-18
RELIGIOUS SUMMARY.

der boast of a religion more hideOus than the
idOlatrOus beliefs of baTbarous nations, and
yet no effort is made to effect a change. Thou
sands of dollars are spent annually in sending
missionaries to people of different nations
tongues, and races, whilst here, in the midst Of
our own land, is a large population of our OWL
countrymen entirely destitute Ofthe privileges
of the Christian religion, for the want Of teach
ers and guides.
Here are ten thousand children growing W
without a single Sunday school, and yet Om
earnest entreaties to the Christian public have
been made in vain in their behalf No mission
airy, no minister of the Gospel can be found
bold enough, selfsacrificing enough to take
his Bible in his hand, and come to this people
and eXpound its truthful and simple doctrines
No field for missionary labors ever presented
| such an inviting aspect as this one, for the
| people now will isten-and yet the MOrmons
leaders are allowed to boast that the priest
| of Christianity are afraid to encounter Nor
monism, and do not dare to combat against its
| doctrines"
France.-The Journal DIES Debats is combat
ing the prosecuting spirit of the Univers with
great earnestness and point. 1t charges the
Ultramontane party with clamoring for itself
in every Protestant country, while it is unwill-
ing to grant any liberation in return in France.
Its articles have caused a great sensation in
France by their boldness. 1t has also ven
tured to advocate the general reading of the
Bible by the people as the only way to make
them truly religious, and declares that if they
will not remain Catholics, it is far better for
them to become Protestants than inides.
The popular Indignation against the confess
ional in the Church of England is rapidly
deepening and spreading. meeting of
church wardens was recently held in London,
| IL. L,
strong language was used in reference to Sc
cret enemies lurking in the bosom of the
church. and on the importance of appealing to
Parliament and the nation, if preates were
tardy in checking the growth of Romish Gus
toms. Some Jealous retormers urged the i'm
perative necessity of eliminating Baptismal re-
generation and other ROmish fungi from the
prayer-book
The Romish priests, under the lead of DR..
Cullen, are aiming to bring the Catholic por-
| ton of Ireland into more direct relations with
Rome, and to sever all the social ties which
bind them to England and to their Protestant
counTymen. A bitter opposition is excited
against the Queens Colleges and even against
Maynooth, because these are not under the UNI
limited control of the priesthood, and it is pro-
| posed to unite the Irish brigade" in Parlia-
ment in a demand for the endowment of the
SdlllOLlC CiAlNSloity III OuDlLl'
The official organ of the Pope has ventured
a defence of the outrage practiced on the jew
ish boy, Mortara. The plea set up is, that the
church is supreme over all family and social
relations, and that it is an evidence of the gen.
eral infdelity of the age that such camor has
been raised about the rights of the natural fam
lily. The boy it is said, cannot be restored
The English papers are contrasting this pro-
cedure with a similar case i'll Madras, where
Mohammedan parent brought suite recov-
er a boy of fourteen, who had voluntarily Join
ed himself to the missionaries. The court de-
cided that the right of control during minority
was vested in the father, and, in spite of the re-
luctance of the boy, he was sent back again to
his family, the missionaries making no opposi-
ton to the claims Unnatural law.
The Protestants in Hungary are complain
ing bitterly that all the promises made by the
young Emperor, when in their country, have
been falsifed They are bound hand and foot
by the infamous Concordat, and can obtain no
redress. They have no freedom in churches or
schools, or even in their ordinary social rela-
tions, but are at the mercy of the Roman
priests. A day Of retributiOn is sure to come,
and the Emperor may live to rue it,
The movement for an immense tabernacle
for Mr.. Sturgeon is making progress. The
ing will doubtless cost twice as much more.
The larger h3Sf of the latter sum ye. remains
to be raised, and it is rumOred that he may
come to this country in search of funds.
On Thursday evening Of last week a very
interesting service was enjoyed at the Boston
Baptist Bethel in connection with the baptism
of a sea captain, who embarked the day follow
ing, with the purpose of erecting an altar
for daily offerings ON shipboard. At the same
meeting quite a number arosa for prayers.
Rev. DR.. Boardman preached recently on the
occasion of closing twenty five years as pastor
in Philadelphia. AT the time of his entering
on his pastoral charge the number of commun-
icants was 292, of whom but 81 remain. All
| the ruling elders who constituted the session.
and the six gentlemen who originally consti-
tuted the church, are dead. OF the families he
had with him at the outset there are but two
which death has not entered, and only six in
which one or both of the heads have not been
removed. About 1873 communicates have
died. Since 1871 the average annual mortali-
| ty has been Is. The number Of additions dur
ing the quarter century has been 1068-493 on
certificate, and SIS on examination. The aver
age accessions at each of the one hundred com
munions has been nearly eleven. The present
number of communicates, after carefully ex-
purgating the list, is $50
A writer in the Boston Recorder gives the
statistics of Congregatonalism in Wales, as
follows :-"The Puritanic faith and policy
found an early home among the mountains OF
the Principally, and still maintains its purity
and power In the midst of population OF
100000 who use the Welsh language, it num-
bers TAO churches, 612 ministers, $4,000 com
municants, and 900 regular hearers"
The Congregational Journal of Concord, N
H. says that about one hundred persons, com
ing from parts unknown, held secret session
week before last, in Phenix Hall, abiding there
day and night for several days. 1t seems tc
have been a convention for the organization OF
new religious sect, but of what sort our con.
temporary is ignorant. 1t is said that they talk
of purchasing a farm, and of establishing them
selves on the community principle. They
spent much of their time in forming a constitu
ton, and on the Sabbath they held meeting
in the City Hall, where they dned in common
on plain food. They have chosen twelve apos
ties to propagate their faith, whatever tits.
The Methodist churches in San Francisco
as we learn by our latest mails, are in grow.
ing condition In the Powell street church
forty persons were recently received on proba
ton. In the Folsom street church a revival il
in progress. In the Bethel charge, also, indi
cations of a similar work are reported.
On Sunday morning before last, Bishop
Eastburn of Massachusetts, administered con
firmaton in Trinity church, Boston, to four
teen persons. Among them were Rev. Jame
l. T. Coolidge, formerly a clergyman of tn,
Unitarian denomination, and his wife.
In West Killingly, short time SINCE an Of
fer of new pocket bible was made to any 0
the children of the Sabbath School who woulc
commit to memory the "Epistle of John,
which contains five chanters Last Sunda,
evening, at their Sabbath School Concert,
little orphan girl, seven years old, taken from
the Home of the Friendless" in New York
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