The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1868-12-02
p r E. S B Y T E r | A n

from Acts.'2: %, 90. He dwelt on the power
of prayer.. Amid the loss of all human com
panionshhp, it was blessed solace to the cap.
tives Lord Napier's success he ascribes
largely TO the intercession of Gods people,
Mis- sionary Convention in the South seas-It
Is an. interesting mark of the progress which
has been made in the Mission work, within
| fifty years, that the Hawaiian Evangelical
Board of the Sandwich Islands have issued a
I call for general convention, to be held at
J Honolulu, in the month of June, 1870, to
which delegates are to be invited from all the
missions in the Pacific. The time will be the
Hawaiian Jubilee, or semi. centennial ami
versary of the establishment of the American
mission in the Sandwich Islands. Both native
delegates and foreign missionaries laboring in
the islands are to attend and take part in the
conference and the several missionary pack
cts which have been established for the accom-.
mediation of different missions are to be en-
ployed as means of passage. 1t will be a truly
animating and hopeful event.
Protestant and Catholic Countries. follow
ing statistics are compiled by Rev. G. Rock
WELL from French work on the subject:
Taking great Britain and Prussia as Pro-
testant count les, and France and Austria as
Catholic nat. ms, we find that where 20 can
read and write in the former, but Is, or little
more than oneehalf as many can do so in the
latter. In l6 European countries l in every
10 are in schools in the Protestant nations, and
but l in l24 in Catholic countries, or more
than twelve times as many Protestants as Cath
oics are thus educated.
If we take six leading Protestant countries
in Europe and six Catholic in the former |
newspaper or magazine is published to every
3I5 of the inhabitants while in the latter there
is but to every ais. That is, about ten
times as many newspapers and magazines. in
proportion to the population, are published in
these Protestant countries as in the Catholic.
The value of what is each year produced by
industry in Spain is SO to each inhabitant; in
France $7! in Prussia SS and in Great
Britain $3l, or nearly five times as much as in
Spain and France. There are about one third
more paupers in the Catholic countries of Eu-
rope than in the Protestant. owing mainly to
the numerous holidays and the ignorance, idle
ness and vice of Catholic lands.
Three times as many crimes are committed
in Ireland as in Great Britain, although there
are three times as many inhabitants in Great
Britain as in Ireland. There are in Ireland
six times as many homicides, four times as
many assassinations, and from three to four
times as many thefts as there are in Scotland
In Catholic Austria there are four times as
many crimes committed as in the adjoining
Protestant kingdom of Prussia. '--Neao York
Observer.
DR.. Bellows on the Greek Church.-Dr. Bel
lows last letter to the Liberal Christian con-
tains the following:
1.-The Hellenic Church is now governed by
a Sacred Synod, of which the Metropolitan of
Athens is President. 1t is independent, since
1888. of the Patriarch of Constantinople. 1t
has eleven Archbishop and twenty four Epis-
copal sees. The state supports the bishops,
but the rest of the clergy are independent on
the voluntary gifts of the people, and on the
sale of prayers and the fees for ceremonies.
They dress shabbily, and live meanly, and ap
pear to be worthy of little more than they re-
ceive. To read and write is a sufficient literary
qualification for the priesthood. The people
have practically some choice in their priest,
who is generally granted to their petitions -
1t might be hoped that the public education
of the people, and especially the influence Of
the gymnasia and university, would supply
annually considerable body Of instructed
young men for the Church, who could not fail
to raise its character But alas! heinAuence
of learning upon those who have been brought
up in these dark superstitions is not thus far
to make enlightened Christians, but only rank
in6dels. 1t is the rarest thing for any grad
uate of the Athens University to go into the
Greek Church. 1t seems to be beyond hope
of any reform in Greece, and to be fast be
coming merely the Church of the ignorant
and the weak.
Napoleon's New Map-A new map of France
understood to be under Government auspices
has just been published, and is regarded as
having some political significance. The Paris
correspondent of the London Pail Mall Ga
zette writes:
"The map, or rather the three maps, repre-
sents the geographical and strategetical posi-
ton of France in respect to neighboring States
under the Restoration, the Government of
July, and the Empire. The various countries
will assume different tints according to the
changes which have been affected in their pc.
| sition Thus Nice and Savoy which were
chestnut, like Piedmont under the two first
governments, take French blue tint under
the Empire; Austria, which was light brown
when member of the Confederation is now
pale green, and the Southern States have
changed to mauve The official explanation
shows that France is in a much better position
now than at any period since 1915, and points
out that though Prussia has increased, the Eu-
ropean equilibrium has not been destroyed to
the detriment of France. Then follows the
old story of tho formidable character of the
Confederation with its so, 600, 900 people. The
document concludes with the statement that
France, counting Algeria, has 100000 in
habitants, and has no reason to fear any one.
Why Algeria, which generally occupies the at.
tention of 10000 French troops, should be
thrown into this enumeration, is not easily ex
planned. 1t reminds one of the ensign in the
Guards who was said to have $4,000 a year
in addition to his pay, which probably did not
cover his regimental expenses. The Pdhi,
thinks that the Importance of these maps has
been overrated but it does not point out tina
poor Louis XVIII. was in no way answerable
for the deplorable condition in which he found
France"
J. L. Havin, celebrated political journalist
died in Paris on November 18th. Mr.. Havir
has received several positions of honor from
the Liberal party, but his chief fame is derived
from his conduct of the Steele, the representa-
tive organ of the Liberal opposition, pape
which has the largest circulation of any journa
in France.