Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-09-25
Religious and Educational.

The bill for the separation OF Church
and State in Spain guarantees the entire
Independence Of religious corporations
under present conditions. The nuns are,
as now, TO have their pensions, which,
after their death will revert to the State.
Buildings erected for religious purposes
will not be disturbed.
The New York Observer don't like the
modern style Of churches, and thinks it
strange To hear them sing in such places
"The Lord is in His Holy Temple" when
these churches are cOnglomeration of
preaching. rooms, prayer-rooms, cooking
rooms, packingrooms, and pantry, dumb
waiter refrigerator and wash-house!
Some one in the Adpance shows by
actual figures that the 10000 members Of
the $50 Congregational churches in lii
nois gave little more than two cents a
week each 10 their five different benevo-
lent objects. II Is estimated that il al the
members of the Congregational churches
in the nine Northwestern States had given
two cents apiece and no more each Sun.
day for the cause of the American Board,
the aggregate would have been two-thirds
more than the sum realized.
That old question of running blast
to distress some iron-men at Leland and
Wyandotte, Mich. Some one has taken
up the cudgel tan iron one, il must be,
from the heavy blows he strikes9 and calls
upon the wealthy furnace-owners in that
section TO observe the Sabbath rest princi-
pie. Heretofore il has been generally &C
knowledged that furnace could not be
stopped for day without danger, or at
least that good iron could not be made;
but this Leland writer comes out with
facts at his back showing that there are
furnaces making the best of iron which
stop running on Sunday. New methods
of iron manufacture make this possible,
and our reformer proposes to let the pub
lie know IL in the face Of ridicule and
brow beating. II would be little singu-
lar If science, which some people associ-
ate with irrcligion, should demonstrate
that In this respect IL is not necessary to
infringe upon the sanctity of the day of
rest.
gathered from the census of 1870 by Hon.
Amasa Walker, which in their way are
quite suggestive. He gives a table (print-
ed in the Congregati0ndiist) showing the
wealth belonging to the different denomi-
batiouo, bo 40 ~ Sab pC ooSCi AihCu
from the value of their church property,
which may be said to represent with con-
siderable accuracy the pecuniary ability
of the worshipers. In exceptional in
stances churches have large funds invest
ed in various forms, but these are mostly
in the large cities. Beginning with the
Methodists, we find that the 81 1887 edifices
have an average value Of $3,274, and they
can accommodate six and half million
worshipers; the Baptists have 1857
| churches, with not quite four million sit
tings, valued at SO, 042 the reunited Pres
byterlan edifces number 1888, at an aver
age value of $7,638, sittings, $500, 600; the
Roman Catholics have $500 churches,
valued at $16,023 each, on the average,
and their sittings number not quite two
millions; the Congregationalist churches,
numbering 2,7l5, are estimated at 1924
each, sittings, 1,117,20O; then come the
Episcopalians, with 2,601 edifices, rang
ing at the higher value of ga, 039, sittngs
99l 900; Universalists, churches, 602,