Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-12-20
RELIGIOUS AND EDUCATIONAL.

ent denominations in the United
States.
The Baptist Missionary Union re-
ports that the collections for the past
seven months have fallen &c., be-
low those for the same period last
year.
The Southern Methodist Church
has Conference composed exclusively
OF Germans. 1t has fourteen local
preachers, 1922 members, and TWEEN
ty-one Sunday-schools. with 1000
scholars,
The call for a general convention of
the Methodist Protestant and Metho-
dist (non-EpiscopaD church eshas been
ratified by fourteen annual conferences
OF the former body, which insures its
success. The convention will be held
next year.
AS the results of ten years labor
among the Freedmen of the Northern
Presbyterians, there are l2S churches,
nearly 10000 communicates, 1000
Sabbath and 3,776 day-school scholars,
with thirty-nine ministers, twenty
seven catechists, and forty-seven
teachers.
The eyes of the sophomores and
freshmen of Amherst College were ex-
amined recently by an experienced
oculist, and it was found that in the
former class near-sightedness had in
creased fifty per cent. within year.
TWenty-sne per cent. of the freshmen
were found to be afflicted in the same
way.
During the thirty years that DR..
Storrs has served the Church of the
Pilgrims, Brooklyn, !, 900 persons have
united with the church. There are
now 500 members, only twenty of
whom were in the church when DR..
Storrs took charge of it. The csntri-
buttons for church and missionary
purpose amount to 100000.
The Presbyterian Historical So
ciety has already received and filed
large number of Centennial Year dis
courses, preached this year by Presby-
terrain pastors. Each discourse is in
tended to furnish the local history of
Il church. The library is already in
possession of valuable volumes and
pamphlets, and will be provided with
building and an endowment fund.
The term of service (seven years)
of the international Sunday-school les
son committee expires this year. and Il
new one will be chosen in 1877. The
lessons for 1878 have Just been selected.
The studies for the first six months
will be in the Old Testament, about
the kingdom of Judah, and for the
last six months from the New Testa-
ment, about the gospel according to
Luke.
The Jews are awakening to the
necessity of education among their
people. The Messenger says: 1.-The
pressing need of Judaism in America
is education for young and old. The
religious schools now attached to al
most every place Of worship supply
the beginning of system which, prop
erly extended, will embrace Bible
classes for the young people, popular
lectures on Jewish history and litera-
ture and course of Hebrew instruc-
ton adapted to the special wants Of
students"
"A Papal brief, addressed to the
Bishops of Brazil, is published, which
declares members of the order of
Freemasons communicated. The
brief says: 1--WE fail not to take adj
vantage OF this opportunity TO inform
and advise you that the society of
Freemasons, whether in your country
or elsewhere, and, however it may be
asserted 10y misguided or misguiding
persons that it has only social needs
anI nr,,c-sua upJ mutual .ootatap.n IL,
view, is, in accordance with the apos-
tolic constitutions and prohibitions,
condemned and outlawed. and that all
the members of said society incur ipso
facto the major communication"
Ok account of the death of the late
Bishop James, of the Methodist Epis-
copal church, there is now no Metho-
dist Bishop resident in New York.
At the recent annual meeting Of the
Board of Bishops the places Of their
residence were therefore readjusted.
the right of choice going by seniority,
according to the rule adopted by the
General Conference. The following or
der was thus settled upon Bishop
Scott, the senior Bishop, will live at
Odessa, Del; Bishop Simpson, the
next III seniority, at Philadelphia;
Bishop Ames, at Baltimore; Bishop
Bowman, at st. Louis; Bishop Harris,
at New York; Bishop Foster. at Bos-
ton; Bishop Wiley, at Cincinnati; and
Bishop Merrill, at Chicago. The
places of residence of Bishops An
drews, Haven, and Peck were not de-
ternined upon.
THE jelly factory in EIayfeld, Craw-
ford County, Pa, has succeeded be-