The Portland daily press., 1871-02-18
Religious Department.

serted in an abbreviated form in this column eSe's
Saturday.
The annual day of Prayer Tor colieses
which occurs next Thursday VIII, we are IN
formed. be observed by union meetlng OF
orr down town churches and probably by
similar meeting at the westerly part of the
ctv. For As years the day has been an occa-
sion of yearly interest, particularly to our COL
leges, and evivals have freq lently dated from
the "College Fast" Before the war there
were about thirty thousand students in be-
tween two. and three hundred colleges, includ-
ing the military and agricultural colleges and
i've millions in the common schools of our
land-mighty factors in our social and politi-
cal progress as a nation. /
Two, at least, of our city churches have be-
gun with encouraging prospects the system
attic employment OF their female members In
tract distribution, Bible reading and other
work like that of the deaconesses in Brook
lyn and Philadelphia. Reports at monthly
meetings are a feature OF this enterprise,
which is one that must commend Itself to all
intelligent Christians.
The alleged Bondage of the Pulpit" is the
theme of conversation at the next meeting of
city pastors.
Speaking of Westbrook Seminary, Uni
versalist exchange says: . course of lectures
before the students by several Of our clergy.
men and laymen will be given. The pros
poets of the school were never better"
Rev. A. S. Ladd received eight to the
Methodist church in Waterville last Sabbath
The Congregational Quarterly gives the
statistics for Maine. Churches of the order
| PAL, of which but 6l have installed pastors;
| 173 ministers, 1887 membership, loss 1875;
in S. S. %, 1872, loss 258. Contributions $33520,
| asdecrease of $4,803. The current number of
| the Quarterly is enbellished by steel plate
| portrait of Hon. Edward Southworth and
full PACED engravings Of DR.. Storr's church,
Brooklyn. The tables of national statistics
are invaluable. The new type and heavy
tinted paper improve the appearance of the
magazine, which is but two dollars per an
| mum.
| A third Episcopal diocese in Central Penn
| sylvana is to be established and the amount
necessary-$5OOOO, is nearly all subscribed.
The Western Christian Advocate says that
seven-tenths of the Protestant girls who are
sent to Roman Catholic schools in this coun-
try accept that faith.
In twelve generations man can trace back
8190 ancestors in direct paternal and ma
ternal line, or looking down the same pyramid
o. life if he and each succeeding pair are
blessed with four heirs each, in twelve gene
i mil ha 10 fo,. In Of
5,592, ,404 descendants. fE
The yearly mortality Of the globe is SO $685.
333 persons. This is at the rate of 81 ,554 per
day. $3.50 per hour, 90 per minute.
"Bound, aud How" is sprightly and tell
ing temperance tract by DIR. Jexett has just
issued by the National Society. Drank
Spencer's Rule of Life" Is another popular ju-
for Sabbath schools. 1
The Mirror this week has leader oppos-
ing the tendency of Sabbath schools to beget
an indifference to public worship; the lack of
real Biblical instruction. with personal appl-
cation to the hearts of the pupils and the
evils of "the gaseous, yeasty fiction" with
which Sunday School libraries are filed, to
the reading of which the children go away
from the pulpit and the sanctuary. These
facts are indisputable. Among other preyen-
tves of these evils are three, which have
been tried with success: the furnishing of a
library of wholesome secular as well as re-
ligious works, books OF travel, history, &c.,
to be distributed on some week day; the in
PRODUCTION of children's choir to lead the
songs of the sanctuary and the more frequent
delivery of chidren's sermons The difficult
ties in the way of these new measures are
generally imaginary but the results are pro-
ductve of good.
Phebe A. Hanaford is The author of the
beautiful lyric beginning
"Nearerl yes, I'm nearer now
Ihe siienC solemn sea
Jerusalem and thee.''
With others of equal merit it is published by
B. B. Russell, under the title From Shvre t,
Shore"
1t is finally decided not to unite in one the
two Congregational churches at Yarmouth,
The receipts for January of the A. BIC.
f. NJ, are less than those of January 1879 by
about $4,000.
The Universalists of Guilford and vicinity
have two days meeting beginning the 2Sth
INST. Another the same days at Bryant's
Pond.
Rev. A. Bosserman of Plymouth, Mass, is
invited to Winthrop and Rev. w. E. Stowe of
New Orleans to Charlestown, Mass.
Spurgeon denies that he ever illustrated
backsllding on the pulpit rail and other sto-
L rio oh. hiv,oea ale ool H. Al. <6aI
falsehoods is rather brisk" His experience is
not anomalous.
A Chicago preacher has written twice ask
ing the Independent to announce the fact of
his having received d. D. from parties in
Philadelphia known as the american Uni
versity" but the editor is waiting for further
information in reference to said "University."
John Wesley has the credit of saying, in be-
half of short sermons, Few souls are saved
after the first bali hour" Is it not equally
true that few souls are saved when the tenn
perature is beowi fifty degrees? We were
never more convinced OF "the foolishness Of
preaching" says the editor of the Christian
Register, than last Sunday morning, when we
addressed a shivering assembly who would have
relished hotter theology than we could con-
scientiously preach to them. Few persons
can think of their feet and their futnrity at
the same instant.
Members of the Lutheran congregation in
Mercersburg few Sundays ago were partial
ly suffocated and carried out insensibe on ac-
count of defects in the heating apparatus and
still greater in ventilation, not fully realized
till the close Of the sermon. Not a few
speakers and hearers nearer home might
truthfully join in the lugubrious complaint of
Boston minister, Brethren, I really be.
lieve that if 1 we're preaching in a barrel,
you'd put the bung in"
Alexander 81. Stephens and Herschel V.
johnson are reported to be recent converts to
the doctrines of Swedenborg.
Rev. S. W. Hanks has issued at Boston
new and cheap edition of his pictorial temper
ance lecture, "Black Valley R. r." which is
well adapted to arrest the eye and instruc. the |
heart in reference to the physical and moral |
ruin wrought by rum.
The Sunday School system was introduced |
as popular movement into continental Eu- |
rope in 1857 by A. Woodruff, of Brooklyn.
During the war there have been 145 schools
continued in Germany alone Seventy more
are sustained 10 Italy. A Sunda, School pa-
per has already reached large circulation.