The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1873-10-22
EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE.


The sixth meeting of this great Protestant
association was opened in the city Of New
York, October "a, and closed its business on
Saturday the 11th. The farewell meeting
for singing, prayer, and brief addresses, was
held in the Academy of Music on Sabbath
night of the 18th We are indebted to the
kindness of friend for muni6cent hospital
ties at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, close by
which nearly all the meetings were held
IL was our privilege to be present during the
last FIVE days, and found it good to be there.
More than 900 members Of the Alliance
were enrolled, and of these more than 200
we're from abroad All sections of EvaDgel-
ical denominations of Great Britain and Ire
land were represented. Other countries
we're France, Italy, Switzerland, Holland,
Germany, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Greece,
Siam, India, China, Japan, West Indies,
South America, and Canada. To give any
thing ike full account of this meeting is
simply out of the question. Its proceedings
viii occupy one or two large volumes, and
viii cost five dollars. We can only set down
few points indicating the general impress
ion received.
1. Il ,Cas an immense Convocation.-The
number of members was great, and many Of
them were men of profound learning. TAX
ing it all together it may be said that no
such assembly has been convened during the
history of Professionalism.
,. The subjects considered '0ers Of great
Experimentation conjecture, there must
have been not less than fifty papers pre-
sented by persons suited to the various topics
previously assigned. These papers were in
general prepared with great care, and many
of them we're mastery productions They
are discussions of the most important ques-
tons of the age.
3. TIE interest ereited-There can be no
question that this was great beyond anything
heretofore witnessed. The largest public
halls were thrown 0pen-so were many of the
largest churches, and whether it was to hear
. paper, or discussion, or sermon, or to
hold q prayer meeting, they were all gener-
ally crowded with deeply attentive hearers,
gathered not only from the city bat strangers
from far and near.
f. The Impression prodaeed.-This seems
to have been deep and solemn. Christians
have mingled together in delightful worship,
and consultation about things pertaining to
the kingdom of Christ. 1t has drawn them
nearer to one another and to Christ A
very good spirit pervaded the meeting. 1t
was very well managed and while there were
few things not happily arranged and un-
fortunate, due allowance must be made for
the difficulty of securing, under the circum-
stances, a complete adjustment of all things.
The wonder is that it went off so we'll.
5. Probable ,ggtuIness.-That much good
will result from this meeting no one can rea-
sonably doubt. Much Of this viii arise from
the coming together of so many eminent
Christians from so many parts of the world,
and from the harmony of their worship, pro-
ceedings and social intercourse. But the
impression will be diFused more or less over
the Christian, and especially over the whole
Protestant world. Never before has the Sc
cular press given such full reports Of a reli-
gious meeting. Il was an establishment to
al, and shows how deeply the public mind
was imbued with the subject. The extent to
which attention has been drawn to the i'm
portant papers read, is beyond estimate, and
the aggregate value of having them read by
hundreds of thousands who could not have
been otherwise reached, is matter for which
all Christians should be sincerely thankful.
6. Taryan S6esba3rj, from India, deserves
a special notice. He was a Brahmin, but
was converted about thirty years ago. He
is a Presbyterian minister, highly educated,
first in India and then in Scotland. He was
dressed in the beautiful costume of his coun
try. No man of the Alliance attracted so
much attenton-partly because he was a
striking monument Of what the foreign mis-
sionary enterprise is efecting but more be-
cause of his merits. He has an intellectual
head, pleasing person, and refined gentle
manly manners. He speaks the English
language beautifully, and every thing uttered
in the almost innumerable addresses be was
urged to make, was marked by frst-rate
common sense as well as a Supplemented,
devoted piety. 1t was a spiritual feast to
hear him.
We are neither among those who think
there is little or no good to come of this Al
lance, nor of those who seem to think it is
the sUmmua 5on1,m of Christianity. From
the time in which it first took shape-nearly
thirty years sgO-we rejOiced in its Organiza-
ton, under tde belief that there was a good
and great work which it might effect
This conviction is far stronger now than
then. It has not escaped some serious err
rors, and it should not be disguised that it