The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-12-04
Religions Items.

The remarkable religious interest at Saccar
appa and Cumberland Mills continues.
There is a good interest in the Methodist
church at Augusta.
There is increased religious interest in the
First Baptist church, Bangor, f. I. Hazel
wood, pastor.
A deep religious interest has been developed
in the Baptist church at Knox, in connection
with prOtracted meeting.
lions Herald says that new parsonage has
been erected by the Methodist society at Good
wins Mills. Fifteen persons have been con.
verted in this society during the year.
A correspondent of the lions Advocate
complains that there is tendency in Baptist
churches to "crowd aside and out of sight, the
old ministers.
Over the porch of the old South church a,
fore you an open door, and under. on the
door, is painted in emphatic letters, Positively
no admittance."
Father Ryan, Catholic priest is on trial al
Caldwell, O., for shooting, with intent to kill
VIM Smithberger, farmer, whom he had
put out of church for being Granger. Father
Ryan was formerly a British army surgeon.
The Methodist schools in Salt Lake City
bred children from Mormon families. An ON.
inous sign for the future of the Latter Day re-
ligion.
The Kennebec Journal says: 'The clergy
man who, on taking out his pocket handker.
chief, shook out couple of checks for re.
served seats at a theatre, can have the same by
calling at this office"
At San Francisco the converted Chinese have
formed "Christian Union of two hundred
and fifty members, and are now busily labor
ing for the conversion of their brethren of the
same race
The next quarterly session Of the York and
Cumberland Christian Conference will be held
at Emery's Bridge, Berwick, commencing Fri
day, December Oath, AMI continuing over the
Sabbath.
Great revivals are reported in the valley Of
Virginia, New York, South Carolina, Indiana,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and
Washington. In short, the revival spirit is
spreading all over the country.
Rev. George 7. Packard of Jersey City, has
accepted call to the pastora.e of st. Johns
(EpscopaD church, Bangor and will enter up.
on his duties the middle of December. Mr.
Packard is a son of Rev. Charles Packard Of
Biddeford.
Recently five Reman Catholic missionaries
left st. Jcseph's College, Mill Hill, England,
four of them to work among the Telegoos Of
the Madras Presidency, India, and one to labor
among the freedmen in the Southern States OF
this country.
The reports read before the general confer.
ence of the Congregational churches of Con.
necticut, show that there are 295 churches in
the state, with 81 ,022 members, including g..
$50 absentees; total gain during the year, 1858
net gain, 1,011.
The Congregational church at Lowell has
been repaired. E. Bean of the Camden
Congreg ational church, will close his labors
there in January-The religious interest in
Lewiston and Auburn is increasing.
al interest is reported in the Walpo]e COngre-
gational church of Bristol.
The New Hampshire Baptis's raised during
the past year for all objects, home and abroad,
$15S,3S6. The church has a membership of
1897, one-fourth of whom are absentees, has
received 374 by baptism, 96 of them into the
missionary churches, and made a net gain Of
40.
Col. f. E. Shaw and others have been hold.
Young Mems Association in franklin county
A note from Col. Shaw to the PRESS states tina,
the meetings in Pennington and other towns
The Gospel Banner takes part in the gen.
eral discussion of the religious press respecting
revivals of religion. The Banner thinks there
is need of deeper religious feeling, but that
the intense excitement of the old fashioned re.
vival will not be witnessed again until "hell is
uncapped'' and its torments used to terrify sim
neIs.
The lions Advocate and Christian Mirror
are not likely to agree on the question Of
church communion. The Advocate of the
present week asks the Mirror if it agrees with
Rev. Mr. Sewall of Limerick, who invites the
whole congregation to participate in the com.
munion service or with Rev. Mr.. Sewall OF
York, who has dropped the word "evangelical'
from the invitation.
The Presbyterian churches will take up
| special collection Sunday, December 5, for the
work of the church among the Freedmen. The
| following results have been obtained since the
war: Synod. Presbyteries, 1913 churches
added on examination last year, 918. making
| an average of % to each minister; whole num-
Der of communicates, 1852; Sunday school
scholars, 6, 780; pupils in parochial schools, g.,
| 284, and missionaries of every class, including
| few assistant teachers, 116.
We think there are few of our Protestant
neighbors who would not be shocked to see ar
communicated living person marched up to
cathedral altar, while file of soldiers with
| fixed bayonets compelled the bishop to give
him the sacrament. The grave yard to a Cath
| Ollie is not mere receptacle for the dead, but
consecrated place where the body shall rest til
| it rises for eternal life. To bury an excommu-
nicated person in a Catholic graveyard is a!
gross an outrage and as absurd a triumph as to
| march him, living, to the altar.-Boston Pilot
The Congregationalist has taken pains tt
| find out the average length of sermons ant
services in Congregational churches. For thi!
purpose it has secured reports from eighty tive
churches in the different parts of the country
for Nov. Ia. The longest services were in Mr.
Beecher's church-14O minutes, the sermon be.
ing sixty-three minutes long. The shortest ser
vices were at the E Street church, in Boston
lasting only fifty-fve minutes, the sermon be
| ing twenty-five minutes long. The average
length of services of all the churches reported
was seventy-six and a half minutes; of seimons
thirty-six minutes, and of the long prayer, ter
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