The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-03-17
Presbyterian Progress.
From the New York Tribune.

Atan anniversary meeting held last
Sunday in Philadelphia, some curious
facts were eliminated of as much in
terest TO the secular as the religious
public. The meeting was held in a
noteworthy old church on Pine street.
At the time when this church was
built, though only about hundred
years ago, the whole country contain
ed only double as many inhabitants
as are now in the single outlying
State of Kansas. 1t is only an Occa-
sional fact like this which wakehs US
to actual comprehension of the vast
currents of humanity which are per-
pctually cmptying themselves. into
the country; and not only of this
enormous aggregate of human beings,
but of the prejudices, religions, and
false creeds they bring with them
the WORKOUT garments of dead centu-
ries. We hardly ever stop TO coolly
consider how vast and potent the for
ces must be to purify this great INFUSED
mass and lift it to higher levels of
civilization.
In this view, the experience of any
religious body becomes ofimportance !;
aud especially one noted as is the
Presb, terrain Church for its vigor,
masculinity, and staunch integrity 10
lis own tenets. The slight resume of
its history in this country given at
this meeting by DIR. Cyrus Dickson,
who stands i'm the van of its most en-
lishteBed and effective workers, was
full of significant hints to other sects
First among these was the effect of
the union between the two divisions
of the church, who agreed within the
last year to unite to surrender their
acrid disputes about doctrines and
government, and to set an example of
Christs law of love, as well rs to
preach it. Since this most wise and
Christian marriage, last June, the
influence of this church has increased
in degree almost incredible.
We especially commend this point
to the consideration of the smaller
Protestant sects, who seem to have
forgotten in their petty squabbles
their needy brother at the gate, and
the GRAND their Master charged them
with TO him. Another point was that
this sect has found the expediency of
throwing the weight of her strength
into the work of gratuitously civiliz-
ing and Outstanding our own coun-
Try: one-third of her available. work
ing force being employed as home
missionaries, and these the best of her
men, not the dregs and refuse of the
ministry. The last fact is that she
does not half pay them, the salary of
these men averaging $3.50 per annum.
We all have an interest in this sto-
ry; the work ofcivilization belongs as
much to the newspaper editor or
reader as to priest or preacher. We
are glad for its effect OH humanity
when any church adopts broad and
liberal policy, such as that of our
Presbyterian brethren; bnt we sug-
gest that the too common plan in the
churches of starving their workmen
will not answer. A ms will not set
type, nor drive nail, nor preach the
gospel with half his strength, if his
mind is on half-starved wife and
children 1t home. Magnificent church
buildings in the cities, and the miser-
able pay of the majority of the clergy,
are two facts which, more than any
other, astonlsh the outside world.
and brings the church into unmerited
disgrace.