Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1871-08-26
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

The British House of Commons
has been discussing the propriety OF
Introducing the free pew system in
the parish churches Of England.
Colonel Il. a. Fan, a leading law
yer in South Carolina, has been or,
daincd to the full work Of the minis.
try in the Presbyterian Church,
Presbyterian ministers MT needed
at a number of vacant churches at
important points in the State Of Mis-.
souri,. "Who will comc?' is the
question.
The Boston Baptist Church ENtcu-
sion Society has voted to raise SlO,-
900 as Il fund from which to loan
small sums to new and feeble church
cs wishing TO build.
Last year st. Paul's Episcopal
Church, Troy, New York, contribu-
ted for all purposes nearly $4,000,
Il sum, probably, not cquallCd by any
congregation in this country.
The Cadet prayer meeting at West
Point is large in numbers and in
crcasing in interest, y large pro-
portion of the young men arc inTcgu-
lar attendance on thismeeting.
The number of Methodist churches
in Iowa is IT'S; members, G0,S70; To-
cal and travelling preachers, l,l27;
value Of church property, 1882, 200;
average salary of ministers, $3.50.
The cornerstone Of a new Epis-
copal church has just been laid In
North Cambridge, Massachusetts,
which is to be a gift from Mrs.
G~rccnlcaG, Il sister Of the poet Long
fellow.
The number Of communicate adj
dcd to the Episcopal Church in the
Diocese of Ohio during the pastyear
was l,23i; dismissed by removals
and death 7S7, leaving a solid gain
of4l7.
There is a deep interest among the
Jews in Germany in the investiga-
ton Of the claims of Christianity,
and they are attending in crowds the
preaching Of the gospel in the Chris
tan churches.
In the State of Iowa there are D.
lSG Baptists, l0,l72 Congregational
lists, l,93l Episcopalians, l7,0ll otthe
various Presbyterian bodies, 10000
Friends, 6,G97 United Brethren, and
60,S70 MCthodists.
Two colorCd young mcn of Vir-
ginia, Robert Brooks and T. Cain,
who graduated this year at Lincoln
University, arc about to enter the
Episcopal Divinity School, at Phila-
dClphia, to prepare for the ministry.
Rev. Robert Wilkes delivered him
self Of a sermon in England recently,
in which he expressed the belief,
founded on certain data, that twelve
women to one man would finally
gain the Kingdom of heaven.
A Methodist church, built Of brick,
at a cost of scycnty-tiyc thousand dol
lars, in Virginia city, Nevada, fell a
short time since, and is Il heap of
ruins, It's supposed to have result
ted from injuries in a late earth
quake,
The Presbyterian Church at JEFF
f~ersonville, Indiana, have been prac-
ticing the envelope plan of raising
contributions, with the most satislac.
tory results. More money has been
raised and much easier than ever be-
fore.
Queen Victoria has given orders
that the pulpit sand-glass which in
dicatcs the length of time allowed
for the sermon i'll the Royal Chapel,
shall be measured for twenty min
utcs only, instead Of an hour, as tor
merly,
The Roman Catholic rclormcrs in
Italy recognize no jurisdiction Of the
Pope, save that of Primate of Italy.
Auricular confession is not held to be
obligatory, but FREE, and lhcy abol-
ISL the enforced cGlibacy of the
priests.
OF the two thousand graduates of
Amherst College during the fifty
years of its existence, seven hundred
and ilily-ono have become ministers
Of the gospel, and Of these seventy
five have gone as missionaries to the
heather.
The Roman Catholics erected a
mission church in San Diego, Cali
tOrnia, as far back as 1863. Within
the last few years churches have been
organized there by the Baptists,
Mcthodists, Episcopalians and Pres
bytcrians.
a correspondent in lions Herald,
Boston, speaks of the Presiding FL
dCrship in the Methodist Episcopal
Church as a fifth wheel, and is only
endured because no feasible plan has
been presented for dispensing with
the Office.
The disease known as "clcrgymcn's
sorc.throat' is supposed to be attri-
butable to the habit of delivering
sermons from manuscript. The
reading tone is said to be unnatural,
and more trying to the vocal organs
than the colloquial tone.
Iron is becoming the most popular
material for churches in BROOKLYN.
-Four new ones are about to be con
structcd in that city, similar in gen
eral design to the noted tabernacle of
Rev. Mr.. Talmage. They will each
seat, on al average, over one thousand
persons.
The Low Churchmcn will ask the
General Convention fora dclivcrance
affirming that whenever, through
out the Prayer Book, the word
priest" is used as designating a min
lister Of the Episcopal Church, it is to
be understood as prcsbytcr, and
meaning nothing more.
a young lady member ofthc choir
i'll a church in Lynn leaned too far
over the gallery, during the sermon
on Sunday, TO look at a new bonnet
or something Of the kind, and, losing
her balance, fell hcadlong plump uposl
the head ola deacon, bounding thence
into the aisle, very much dcmoraliled
but not seriously hurt.
A committee Of two from each OF
the following denomina*ions.-Prcs-