The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-09-07
RELIGIOUS AND EDUCATIONAL.

College ASTRONOMERS, is lecturing on
Herschel.
King Alfonso, of Spain, proposes to
build church with splendid mausO-
leum in memory of his young bride, at
cost of 50, 100000.
Among the recent victims of the
famine fever in China is the Roman
Catholic Vicar Apostolic, of Tchely,
Southeast China, Mgr. Dubar.
The Reformed Episcopal Church
has organized fourteen colored congre-
cations in and around Charleston. S. c.
Some. of them meet in log buildings.
"A New York Sunday school super
intendent asked an intelligent-looking
young teacher who Pontius Plate was,
and received the reply that he was one
of the twelve apostles.
The German Old Catholic Synod at
Bonn has decided to abolish the COM
pulsory celibacy of the clergy by vote
of Is to %, Notwithstanding the pro-
test of the brethren of Holland.
An odd stick of a preacher preached
from the text, "Where art thou?" and
thus divided his discourse into heads:
l. Everybody is somewhere. H. Many
are where they ought not to be. III.
If they don't look sharp they will be
where they don't want to be-
"A true Christian living in the world
is like ship sailing on the ocean. 1t
is not the ship being in the water which
will sink it, but the water getting into
the ship. So the world with its love of
pleasure getting into the hearts of
Christians has ruined its millions.
In reducing the expenses of the
Vatican, and of his own household, to
the strictest economical basis, Pope
Leo XIII has ordered that henceforth
the ex-employes of the Pontifcial Gov
eminent shall not draw the pay ac-
corded them under his predecessor.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has
issued to the clergy of his diocese a
recommendation that they who, during
the past few months, have prayed for
peace, should now, through general
Thanksgiving, return thanks to God
that their prayers have been thus far
answered.
Jews frequently lapse into skepti-
cism, but are not understood to often
become converts to any form of Chris
tan theology. The British society for
the propagation of the Gospel among
the Jews claim, however, that since
1872 there have been over one hundred
Church of England clergymen who
were Hebrews.
The Rev. Dr. B. f. Crazy, a minis
ter whose work is in Utah, expresses
the opinion that the churches in that
Territory have failed to make any i'm
preston on adult Mormons. He SAYS:
Nearly all their attempts to evangel-
ize Mormonism have been failures
What they have gained has been by
slow, persevering work at the founda-
tions-the education of children"
There are now more than 200, 900
Mennonites in the United States, dis
tributed through perhaps a dozen
States. They are apeople of thrift and
energy, and by their good conduct
commend themselves to those among
whom they live. Their religious be-
liefs approach more nearly to those of
the Quakers than any others. They
that there is any original sin.
The Friends in Great Britain are
very influential, and yet the Society has
only $4,000 members. Last year $50
members were received from the world
by CONFINEMENT" this was apart
from those becoming members by
birthright. The number of deaths was
oh int 60 IN,
this connection is that an unusually
large percentage of those who die are
over fifty years of age. The Society
has been especially successful with its
Sabbath-schools for adults, of which it
maintains sixty-five, employing 4S4
teachers, and giving instruction to 12,-
400 scholars. Intellectual and spirit
ual improvement is combined in these
schools.
DR.. Edwin f. Hatfield has issued
in advance of the publication of the
minutes of the Presbyterian General
Assembly the statistics Of the Church
for 1878. They show thirty-seven Sy-
mods, 178 Presbyteries, 636 candidates,
33l licentiates, 1907 ministers, 239 in
stallations, POI pastoral dissolutions,
5000 churches, 32,277 members added
on examination, q ,6S3 members added
by certificate, 567, 1855 communicates,
$685. members of Sunday-schools.
Since 1874, the total of communicates
has been: 1874, 495, 1874; 1875, 500, 034;
1876, $50, 210; 1877, 1854; 1873, $751;
855. The contributions in 1878 for all
purposes were 1921, 1856; in 1872 they
were S10,086,5 26. Most of this de-
crease is in the item of current congre-
gational expenses.
The Watchman (BaptisD says: 60 A
letter has been received at the Mission
AIRY Rooms from the Rev. j. E. Clough,
of the Teloogoo Mission, which reports
probably the largest ingatherings of
converts in the history of missions.
During the famine, that has been SO
grievous in the Madras Presidency, the
missionaries were appointed agents for
dispensing Government aid to the suf-
ferers. While the famine continued
they had many applications for baptism,
but there was SO much reason to feaI
that persons would make Christian
profession from interested motives, that
none were received. Not until the
famine was over, a harvest enjoyed