New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-03-01

IN
-. -, ,-ocE. all parts of the country
,Ls, tosc,ber as many az my tho"sond conversions
tn. .,a,.,ert surprising as it may seem ID amply
borne ou, by the facts.
CONVENTION ON REVEALS.
IT.. tbe close of the year Convention, con-
- .h;ea, Of ministers and member of Presbyte-
- Chrrass was held in Pittsburgh, Pa, and con-
60 n easion for three days, for the purpcee OF
o.;danne- the necessity of a general revival OF re-
U,;on throughput the country, the hindrsnces, the
go and the announcements. Two hundred minis
,.,s y~e present, and the meeting throughout was
oas OF c-sst scemnity. The time was occupied cheny
VITA discussion of The Obstacles in the Way OF Re
viyals Of Religion, The Means Of Promoting Them,
"The Encouragement to Seek for Them, aud an in
ou1y iato The existing Spiritual Condition OF the
Churches" Committee, appointed for the purpose,
drew up aper on the subjects in the form oil Pas
torsl Letter" The Convention also passed vote
raour entipc that this letter be read from the pupits
10 the congregations Of all churches that were willing
10 accept it. that special meeting OF the Session
for primary body of each Presbyterian church be held
Al &C es5iy day. to discuss the subject as the Conven
ton had discussed it, that general pastoral visitation
Of the churches should be begun, the pastor to be
sssis.ei in the work by the officers and other expert
esced members; and that the ministers should take
In conformity with these arrangements the first Sunday
in January was made the occasion, in multitudes
Presbyterian and of some other churches for
on the Necessity and Prac:icabHty of Reveals and
the fret Thursday Of the month was appointed
cad observed as Day of Fasting, Humiliation and
Prayer"
HISTORY OF REVEALS.
In view cf the extent of this unprecedented religious
awakeoing, one of the most prominent clergymen
New land has undertaken to prepare work which
is announced "a History of Revivas.' This work
is to be comprehensive in its design embracing the
earliest revvels that known in this country, be-
fore the "Great Awakening in the middle of the last
century, and extending through that and the great
though lesser revival at the close Of the last century,
down TO the present time.
TIE EFFECT IN TIL CITY.
Thu Great Revival" as all men call it, is now an
absorbing t. pic for ordinary conversation. The
religious meetings that held in various parts of the
CITY during every day matters of common and |
street talk Notices of meetings for prayer and other
religious exercises have been publicly placarded in
many OF the places where handbls usually posted.
In many counting and stores similar printed ad
veriemen.s have been hung up calling the attention
Of busuese and others 10 the devotional convoca-
Hons In addition TO these, tracts have been dis
tibuied the cars in the omnibuses and in the ferry
boats calling the attention of the chance reader to the
subject OF religion, quoting passages from the Scrip
tures and giving notices of the meetings. Such tracts
have even been dropped on the pavements of the |
sreets, for passers-by to pick up-so that "he who
runs may read
The ATTENDANCE on the Sabbath, a.the Churches has
BEEN for several weeks psst, unusually large. The
congreg ations of many churches which have here
tofore been known quite as much by the pews that
we're empty by those that were full, have OF late
greatly increased As general thing, very small
rroportion of the churches either OF New-York or
Brooklyn, lave been crowded at their former services
Csualy when the house has been three ourths filled,
or even less Il has been said that "thers good
corgregacn' while in not few hardly one-fourth OF
The seats have been occupied. Aspecal occasion has
always been needed TO draw crowded audience. But
full houees can now be counted by scores in either OF
the cites aud particularly Sunday nights 1t is |
time of encouragement for ministers, and they are
preaching with than usual vigor and earnesness
A church member said few days since that he had |
observed "that many of the ministers were uncom-
"mouy wide awake, and that they seem to have
warmed themselves at the general fire.
The prevalent feeling extends also among Sunday |
Schools as well as among churches Many of these
schools have within very recent period doubled, and
and in come instances tripled their membership many
conversions have occurred among the young people |
who attend them scholars In many Of the schools,
special efforts have lately been made in order to make
them more profitable and useful, by making them more
attractive and special services are regularly held in
come of the churches, month for the benefit OF
the caid;eu connected with them.
SYSTEMATIC VISITATION.
Some tune ago, plan was set ON foot, which was
adopted by large number of churches, OF various de-
nomin in this city and Brooklyn, for the purpose
of promoting attendance at divine service on the Sab
bath by Systematic visitation OF assigned neighbor-
hoods Each church that entered into the enterprise
wss allotted certain bound, orparsh, OF which it was
the confer in which erey house to be visited and
the religious condition Of everyfamy inquired into.
The districts at first chosen TO be visited were chiefly
Door and low neghborhoods where both the temporal
poral and the spiritual restitution of the people
were painfully apparent. Parents Were solicited
10 20 either to the church in the district,
or TO some other out of it which they might
prefer instead, and to send their children to the
Sunday, the Mission the Industrial School In this
way Thousands of persons, many OF whom were for
merly degraded and vicious, have been reclaimed to
better moral character and higher social standing.
Gradually this scheme Of visitation extended so as
to include the respectable and fashionable streets, as
wei as the highways and hedges" until finally no
passover written on brown-stone
front, and Fifth avenue itself was not left
10 be exempt. And from the reports that
have been presented, the reauts of these
efforts "a seen among the higher classes Of society,
have been OF equal interest with those in the lower
The rumber of rich people in "high Ife," who were
found neye. TO attend any church was enormous.