The New York herald., 1873-10-16
FREE RELIGION.

~
Second Session OF the Conference Of tho
Religion OF Humanity BeIievers-A
small Attendance ut the Morning Ses-
sfon-Fapers ON the ssEvangelical Foes
OF Religion" on Foreign Missions and
on the Taxation Of Ecciesiastical Prom
erty.
The second session Of the s'Free Religionists,,
was held yesterday morning at the Cooper Instf-
tute. There was a small attendance; not more
than $50 persons were present at any time during
the morning. The Rev. y. b. rockingham pre-
sided. Mr.. william j. Potter read paper entitled
ssThe Evangelical Foes OF Religion"
MR. ABBoTT's PAPER.
Mr.. ABBOTT editor OF the I,sder, read paper on
"Foregn Missions" In the course OF this he said -
Once the cry OF the Christian crusader sounds
in all cars. once more the cry Is for the Church to-
have universal dominion. The Church Will feel in
this new warfare, she did IN the old AS before,
indirect benefits will come out OF this which the,
Christian Church mathematical. and which it wilE
anathematize again. One OF these indirect bene-
fits will be the coming out OF the Church itself from
its army OF votaries. The annual reports OF the
missionary societies do not conceal the fact that
scarcely anything has been done by modern Chris
tianity, for the heather are substantially heathen
STILL Yet the Church expects to be triumphant,
and relies upon supernatural aid, as promised in
the Word OF God. No reliance Is placed on cviiza-
ton. This is avowed, and DR.. Anderson has said
that reliance on civilization has proved an obsta-
Gle as compared with the practice OF the apostolic
preaching. Let US inquire now what has been
done by Christians for missions. The Americans
Board OF Missions has been established about SIXTY
three years. During the first sixtytwo years 1t has
received grand total Of $t4 24s 85 an aver
age per year OF S229,0Si 65. UP to the year 1868
the number OF converts was S25,5sO. The
cost Of each on nereore ia sao sa g. Tne
1,27S. The number OF missionaries was $685. Of mis-
sionary churches, l73, which gave an average OF
81 members and laborers to each church Dur
ing sixty-one years there was an annual average
gain OF 3ss members. II they went TO the general
Statistics of Cnrlstendom as to this, by statistics
taken IRON the Encyclopedia Brttanica to 1857,
and from statistics furnished by DR.. Lowry and.
DR.. Anderson from that year to 1868, the total
amount spent missions by the supporters OF
the Protestant faith was $47,276,339 The ex-
penses OF the missions for the eleven years
$1,3l1. There was no reason to suppose that the
price was less to-day The population Of the globe
10o, 100000. which gave remainder OF 300, 900 900
as proper subject for conversion. Now the TACT
IL that the world, to-day, does not contain money
enough TO purchase its own salvation. Look, too,
at the time 1t would take iOr the conversion of the
world at the rate a. , Of aSs Per For sae ac
not less than 267, PIP years.
In reference to the cost.of converts the Indepedr
ent Of this week has the following statement
In the BAPTIST Weekly Dr. A. c. Osbern gives certain
tsticai items in answer to the question: where does
ending with s and are rem POI pabe
reports and assocationa minutes The results OF the in
Union Mo lea
Ss e
S Eser ae s Of S s an & shs
s G S the the
81 IS Syss
an ad t.
largest number cost s2 per convert eapized; g ne
sanSsr S the cost Was ssa ae % ssuraa 5,ssss N
sver Asocon sU1 an average Of ssneary ys
in o q the the T wr S 2 g
most costly that they are the churches that contribute
hSne s z Of suReSn' 81 in @
work We need add that these numbers refer solely
TO Baptist churches at home and abroad.
Mr. ABBOTT then referred to the still greater loss
that was shown in the conse ration OF Christian
lives and CHRISTIAN duty to these, what he deemed
undesirable sacrifices,
THE EVENING SESSION.
AT the evening session there was much larger
attendance and more enthusiasm was manifested.
paper was read on "The Taxation OF Ecclesias-
tica Property"
discussion feilowed in which Mr. Abbott and
Colonel Higginson took part.
Mr.. ABBOTT objected TO what he designated ire
ligious dead-heads,r such as chaplans in the army
aud navy and the State prisons. The Bible reading
IN our public schools was manifest inringement
lCheers.) This Bible reading is made a pretext
for the destruction Of our national school system.
Let the school system be perfectly secular and be
the nursery OF our Republic He also objected to
the proclamation OF President Grant ordering q
thanksgiving day for all the mercies OF God.
That u usurpation. and ought to be sup
pressed. 1t is my business, and not his, to
order my prayers as | choose. The gifts Of
nature were dependent upon natural laws. and
they could not be changed one hairs breadth.
He also objected to the taking OF oaths In courts OF
justice. The state had no right to suppose that o
man would commit perjury. The principle must
be complete in all its details, that the Church must
be separated from the State Mr. Abbott SAID that
he had been reading in the HERALD, OF that day,
that great change had occurred in tine Mexican
1t had decided that no ecclesiastical
institution shall possess property. That showed
that the Mexicans were in advance OF u.s.
At the close OF Colonel Higglnson's address the
Conference adjourned until this morning at
ten A. M.