The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1873-11-19
FOREIGN ITEMS.

FOREIGN ITEMS.
/ There is great excitement in the French Assem-
/ by. The committee on the proioDgstion of the
power of Marshal MacMahon has made its report
/ proposing to continue the Presidency OF MaeMa
hon for five years, instead of ten also the definite
establishment of Republic, aud the appointment
/ OF a committee of thirty to prepare constitutional
bills General Chaugarnier is to move for an I'm
conditional prOlOngatiOn Of the Presidency for ten
years.
An Important Intsrview.-A meeting between
/ the German delegates TO the Evangelical Alliance
aud the representative Lutherans of the United
States took pls" before the former returned home.
Ii was agreed, for the assistance of the German
Lutheran churches In the United States to send
young unmarried ministers, who, for fixed salary,
will come TO America for three or five years and
20 send teachers and colpOrteurs from DR.. Wlch-
err 5 institutions and other similar ones 1t was
also proposed that the Lutherans of this country
endow one or two scholarships in German Uni
yarsity for the benefit Of students of the United
States, and place good German Professor in one
OF their own institutions here.
The Sabbath in vienna-A visitor to the Vienna
Exhibition gives a cherries picture Of the Sab
bath Obseryances in the Austrian capital. He
says:
There is an abundance of cruci6xes of horid
distortion both of face and limb, to be seen at the
waySldes, and even In the tap rooms, but there is
scarcely trace Of the pure Christian religion
The light Of the written Word has long been
shut out OF the city, as no bookseller dare place
the Volume OF Inspiration 10 his window, or offer
it for sale. The giving eff tracts or religious pa
pers OF any kind is against the law and regulation
and even religious services cannot be held without
authorization from the police. The resident min
lister is now IN trouble, having an "intimation
that the Presbyterian form OF service is not one rec
ognlZed by the State, and must, therefore be con-
Quoted merely as domestic worship. There is In.
deed a reign of spiritual death throughout this
beautiful European CITY, Ga the Sabbath even
ing. not a single place Of divine worship is open
not a church bell is to be heard; but the public
gardens with bands Of music Museum, biological
Gardens, Polytechnic and Picture Galleries all
open. From early in the morning all the drinking
places are crowded with card aud billiard players
and during one Sunday have seen thousands OF
men and women thus occupied.
DsacOusssss.-A correspondent from Germany
gives an account of the Lutheran sisterhOOdS and
of their work IN the great cities. One OF the most
prominent OF their houses Is In Berlin, another In
StrasbOurg. The sisterhOOd aC BerlIn-pleoged
for he-numbering seventy, but not more than
twenty are found at the convent. The absent ones
vate families where their services are sought by
the sick bed Seven are at present 10 the German
hospital 10 London They take their places un-
shrinkingy, IN smallpox ward or a lazar hospital
England, Turkey, Persia and India have united in
a projected railway between London and Calcutta.
Says az exchange, The locomotive will develop
civilization for miles on either side of the country
through which it passes, aud thus secure peace
ful zone between Russia and Aghanistan, where
the Russian emissarles will be enabled to stir up
strife and jealousy; the vast resources of Asia
Minor and Persia will be opened, aud the extreme
East brought into daily mail communication with
the West. The Star of Empire has well nigh run
its course Westward, and now tends Eastward to
Its early home
Some interesting figures are published in trade
paper relative to the circulation of London news
papers. The Daily Telegraph takes the lead with
a daily circulation Of ITO 900 copies; the Standard
follows with 40 000 the Daily Nel0S has go, COO;
the Echo 50 QUO; and the Times 10 600. The
morning and evening papers Of London altogether
give a sum total daily OF 500 900 copies.
There are Old Catholic congregations regularly
organized in Germany, - in Prussia 80 in Bavaria
and 81 in Baden, with over 50 900 members and
three times as many more devoted ealous adher-
ents scattered throughout the Empire.
That project to raise sort of national sustenta
ton fund 10 increase the stipends OF the poor cler
gymen Of the Church of England, which the Mar
quis of Lorne and his princess-wife inaugurated
last spring. is now to be pushed by large general
committee representing the laity of every diocese
10 the Kingdom. The Marquis is anxious to put
an end TO the scandal now too frequently exhibited,
where the ministers of the Established Church are
under the necessity Of endeavorDg to support
themselves and OF doing their duty to the parish
upon incomes Of 500, $50, or el00 year.
Jsws-There are at present but Is 600 Jews liv-
ing IN Palestine. The Jel0iSh Times says: They
have no visible means of support; spend their time
in idleness, praying, and Talmud-reading, and
iOOlshly pining and signing on the ruins of the
! Temple-eklng out a miserable existence by the
charity of the Jews of Europe, America, and
Australia.
Moravian Missions in West India Stations in
/ St. Thomas, g. St Jan, ,; st. Croix 3; Jamaica,
/ IA Antigua, s; St. Kits, A Barbados 4; To
/ bago ,; Out Stations, 4 Missionaries, 70; Ma
tive Missionaries and Assistants, Il. Total Of
members, St. Thomas, 1871; st. Jan, zoe; st.
/ Croix, 1867; Jamaoa, 1911; Antigua 23l ;
Barbados, 2 599; TObago, ? DID; st. Kits 3 274
/ Total for West Indies, 80, lS5.
Presbyterian missionaries in Brazil report rabid
l advance, beyond their. highest expectations. The
separation of Church and State is the absorbing
question now under discussion throughout the
eouutry-a question brought prominently forward
Just at present because OF the quarrel between the
Roman Catholic Church authorities and the Free
MasOns, but involving many other interests and
principles.
Of all the things that are said and thought of us
By our English relatives the latest piece of lntor
nation that has found few credulous believers
among. them is decidedly the most absurd anc
laughable This Is a notion that the American
| people have a craving for an Established Church
And that 1t has some currency may be inferred iron
the fact that Rev. Stowell Brown, a prominent
Baptist minister, felt it important enough to write
to a number Of leading clergymen of all denOmi
nations on this side OF the water, and inquired il
there we're any truth in the alleged craving.
of course We know what replies he received DR.
Taylor, OF the Broadway Tabernacle, told him tina
be laid his note of inquiry before his church dea
cons and they all burst out laughing at the idea
and the rest were equally explicit as to the extent
Of our yearning for State Church Establishment
Mr.. Brown read these letters before the Iecen
meeting of the Baptist Union at Nottingham, anC
then added his own impressions on the subject
after his late trip to the United States. He ha
, nipped the notion effectually. 10 his speech be
t fore the Union, Mr. Brown gave graphic and ia
D vorabe view of the American churches, and tOunt
e 10 them powerful argument for the voluutar
system as against the established. His criticism
= were that we had too much love tor quartet
ohoirs too little congregational singing not enOug
! Bible exposition from the pulpits and altogethe
too many Doctors Of Divinity. True TO the last