Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-08-28

The Old School Statistics. The Central
Presbyterian of Richmond compares the sta
tistics of the o. S. Presbyterian Church, as it
stood in 1899. the first Assembly after the
disruption, with the reports for the present
year:
Then there were, Now there are.
synGa' q s9y ge.1st.:: 81, 80
Ministers .......... 1,243 Ministers. 246S
Churches. ......... 1898 Churches. ........ 1924
Churches. .l2S,O4S oemmuncants. 259,345
After making correction in the figures,
making one hundred and ffty-two thousand
four hundred and forty one the true number
Of communicates in 1899, and one hundred
and six thousand eight hundred and four the
real increase, it remarks ''The ratio of in
crease, therefore, in nineteen years has been,
of synods, more than ninety four per cent
Of presbyteres more than sixty-ive, of min
listers more than ninety eight, Of churches
more than sixty seven, and of communicates
more than seventy per cent.
Wa1denseS.-A colony Of Waldenses from
the French Alps has been commenced near
the Odel station of the Chicago, Alton, and
st. Louis Railroad, Livingston county. Thr-
ty-fve hundred acres of land have been pur-
chased at reasonable rate, and eight heads
of families have become the pioneers OF SET
Element These emigrants are Aibigenses,
and not Waldenses or Vaudois, although
holding the same faith.
Three Years scithout a ReriUal.-A power
full work of grace has been enjoyed at Match
ez, Miss, and one hundred and thirty i've
individuals have been added to the Baptist
church of which Rev. VIM. W. Keep Is pas
tor. There had been no baptism in three
years previous to the awakening
Spiritualists IN the Ro8,ish Church. -
Rome has long ago condemned the whole
Spiritualistic movement, and forbidden all
members of the Church to take any part in
the experiments. Nevertheless, Sprtualism
has found adherents also among Roman Cath
olics. The most celebrated medium is Il fe-
male servant in Munich, who pretends to re-
eeive revelations from some higher spirits.
Singular enough, the spirits are all believers
in the doctrines of the Romish Church, but
censure severely the corruption in the Church
and especially the depravity of the clergy.
Her revelations were published under the IT,
tie, Communications of blessed spirits and
the Archangel Raphael, through the hand of
Mary Kahlhammer and the mouth of Cres-
centia Wolf" They found adherents even
in the highest ranks of society," Two of the
believers went to Rome, to prevent, if posi-
be a condemnation of her revelations by the
Pope. But in vain; the book was forbidden
as superstitous and pernicious and when the
seres and her adherents refused obedience,
they were accommodated by the Archbsh-
op of Munich. But, nevertheless, they con-
tinue to increase, and the VolkSbote, the Ro-
man Catholic organ Of Munich, calls on the
Government to suppress the whole movement
by force, because the spirits begin also to ut
ter political sentiments which are anything
but conservative. The Evangelical Church Ga
zette of Hengstenberg brings long article
on the revelations of Mary Kahlhammer with
numerous extracts from her book, according
to which the spirits in Germany seems to
lack intelligence and good breeding as much
as in America.
The Missions IN Greece. -Bayard Taylor, in
a letter from Greece, makes the following re-
ference to the missions in Athens -" have
had every opportunity of witnessing the plan
and operations of their school, and know of
no institution of the kind which s doing a
better work. ! have frequently had occasion
to speak of the inadequate and unsatisfactory
results of American missions in foreign lands
results attributable, in many instances, to
an excess rather than a lack of zeal. Mr..
and Mrs. Hill have confined their efforts to
educating for Greece a body Of yirtuous, re.
fined, intelligent, and pious women, and they
have fully succeeded. Proselytism is prohib-
tied by the laws of Greece, and they have not
attempted it. They, therefore. enjoy the love
and confidence Of the whole Greek people,
and continue to plant the seeds of better,
purer, more enlightened life, leaving them to
ripen in their own good time, and as God
shall direct. Dr. King, who has been Amer
lean Consul for the last seven years. occupies
himself principally with the conversion Of
the ArmeniaDs. He has, besides, printed a
great number of Greek tracts and school
books, some of which are extensively used in
the schools Of the country.
A Gipsy Miaister.-There is a clergymen
Of the Church Of England, who was origi.
nally gypsy, afterwards d sailor, and after
that soldier. His name is John Steggall,
incumbent Of Great Ashfeld, Suffolk.
The number Of members in the Wesleyan
Methodist Society shows an increase during
last year Of six thousand nine hundred aud
ninety-six in Great Britain, aud one hundred
and nineteen in Ireland. The number on
trial for membership in Great Britain is TWEEN.
ty.two thousand, six hundred and eleven.
Nearly 100000 were expended last year in