The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1875-03-23
THE SPIRIT OF DEMOCRACY,
Tuesday, March d. 1875.
RELIGIOUS ITEMS.

colOred, IN Texas, In 1917, hut now the
aggregate OF white and colored is said
to be $4,000
The Province of Oregon, established
in ls46, now has Cathoi; population
of 10000, provided with seventeen
churches and eighteen priests.
The United Bapti4t Association of
Massachusetts has 2S2 churches and Al
679 members. The net gain for the
last gear was 1,3Df, being fraction
over four to each church
A United Presbyterian immunity
have purchased fifteen thousand acres
Of land at Waffeld, West Virginia, on
the Kentucky side of the Big Sandy,
sixty miles from lis mouth.
The newly united PRESBYTERIAN Church
OF b. itish America viii Contain COG min
listers, l,0O3 congregations. and 50 266
communications Its ministers receive
an average salary of $40 each.
Mr.. George II. Stuart, of Philadd
phia, estimates the number of conver-
sions in Great Britain, through the in
iastrumentality of Messrs. Moody and
Sankey, of Chicago, at %, 900 or $4,000
1t is said that in the State of Della
ware, in 1874, four thousand persons
were aided to the Methodist Church -
During the last conference year twenty
three hundred converts were reported
In 1850 the Presbyterian Church OF
England contained about IS congrega
tions; in 1850 it had risen to 95 !; in 1870
it reached III; and in 1874, by an ac
CELEBRATED progress, it had increased TO
l47 congregations.
Louisville, Kentucky, is visited with
amast extraordinary religious awaken
ing, under the labors of two laymen
from Chicago, Messrs Whittle and Bliss
The largest hall in the city has been
crowded nightly.
The Congregationalists of London
are raising fund of $4,000 for the
purchase of sites for churches in new
neighborhoods This fund it is inten
ded to enlarge, and when new streets
are laid out to procure lots which viii
be available for church purl oses
Bishop Cummins is reported as say
ing in Sunday school in Biltimore, the
other day, with reference to himself an6
: those associated with him in the organ
ization of the Protestant Episcopal
Church: aTake the rind off of US, anG
you will find us Methodists within.
The Universalist Register for 1875
shows 674 miEieters-an increase Of IL
622 churches--an increase of l6; 30,
903 church .,members-3,lc4 more thar
in 1874; CAT Sunday Schools de
crease of IA; and 57,73s Sunday schoo
scholars-an Increase of several thou
sand. The amount of church property
is,about IS, 900, 600.
Montgomery Blair has written alettel
in opposition to the confirmation Of DR.
DeKoyen as Bishop of Illinois, whom
he calls the "chief'' of mischief making
medievallsts, mere partisan, who was
not fairly elected, and is not the choice
of the great body of the laity, and pre-.
diets that nothing but disorder will fol
low his confirmation. His confirmation
is now considered doubtful
:. A writer in the Methodist is of opin
ion that the denomination "have out
grower mainly both the use and the ne
cessity of the office Of Presiding elders
except in sparse and newly settled part:
of1the country" Hethinks that the mum
Der should be increased, each elder b.
assigned 10 church of his own, ant
given the chair of six or eight churches
and their appointments remaining witt
the Bishops
There are two hundred and twenty
two Baptist Churches in Sweden, bu
owing to the severe legal disabilities un
der which they labor, they have hut fe,
chapels, and are compelled to meet i
private houses, barns, and often in tn
open air. The marriage laws also ar
exceedingly oppressive. Large nun
bers Of Baptists car not enter into le
gal marriage contract, on the groun
that they have not been confirmed /
the State Church, and hence are forced
if they marry at all, to do so contrar
to law.
The Methodist Year Book, which ba
been recently published, gives 1885
travelling preachers, an excess Of 2S
over last year, and 1851 local minis
tiers; 1868 Sunday schools f597 MOI
than last year, and 1,363.S76 scholar.
an increase of $685.; and 2lS 432 pre
bationers, which is $4,000 more tha
last year; also, 15,0l0 churches, value
at S69, ,2S8,8l5, an increase in churc
property over last year of. 1886, 90!
The Church has contributed to benevt
lent institutions during the year, $611
954 81.
The Northwestern Christian Adv,
cate gives voice to the growing dissa,i'
faction within the Methodist Church {
the policy of making the Book Concer
a machine for supporting the Bishop
and superannuated and supernumerar
preachers they say it is matter {
question whether an Injunction coul
not be successfully served against til
Concern, restraining it, under the rule
imposed by the Conference upon il
from paying out money for the supper
OF the Bishops. 1t argues in favor {
depending on collections 10 the churcht
for these objects and bringing down t
cost the price of the matter publishe
by the Concern. 1t thinks that the Ad
vocate could he furnished at subscril
ton price of 81 so.
The report for 1874 Of the Moravia
Elders Conference, which is usual
held at Berthclsdorf, Saxony, revea
The breadth of the operations of th
small but energetic body of Christian
Germany, Switzerland, Great Britai
America, Greer land, Labrador,the We
Indies. Central America, South Afrie
Australia and the region of the Him
lava Mountains all passed under revie'
Four new churches were built durr
tue year in the northern district of Il
American province. The congregatio
at Lichtenau, Greenland, celebrated the
hnndredth anniversary last July, as d
also congregation in Antigua The
little facts prove the long devotion
the Brethren" to the work of mission