The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-04-22
TREASURY DEPARTMENT,
January 20, 1851,
Religion. Drlrt and pl.eus.Ion,

The Presbytery Of Washington and
Wheeling meets at Claysville to-day. The
First Church here will be represented by
Rev. DR.. Cunningham, the pastor, and Mr..
Alex. Bone, one Of the elders, and the
Second by Rev. Mr.. MofFet. The Presby-
terry will probably be in session for three
days.
A correspondent Of the Preston County
Journal gives q picture Of the way Sunday
is observed in Kingwood by a portion of
the people that is, no doubt, descriptive Of
life in many a village town in West Vir.
ginia. He writes thus about it:
"1n the first place, the Sabbath does not
begin here until about nine o'clock; then
the inhabitants, begin to move about; and
sometimes old men collect on the street
corners, in front OF stores; and, at this
season Of the year, wherever q crowd can
find room to lounge about; clingt to a fence,
or some object; and there tell vulgar
stories, chew tobacco, smoke cigars, whit
tie sticks, and occasionally throw a stone
ut a passing dog or cat These notified
assemblies keep this up until the church
bells sound; then they dispense very
quickly. Many OF religious turn oil mind
would say, "They go to church," But we
happen 10 know that the large majority Of
them do not. They skip around, and re.
ally hide away, until all those who attend
church are seated in their pews, then
they come forth, and engage in the same
occupation IS when the church bells
sounded, with probably a variation Of a
song and few attempts at dancing, &c.
This Is kept up till church going people
begin to go home from services, when
they again scatter. They collect again,
however, for a few more remarks before
Sabbath school, then adjourn, to meet
again after Sabbath school, and, during
fine weather, many Of them take a stroll
in the woods, and remain till night,
where It not ~unfreQuently happens that
the holder class engage in an innocent
game OF cards, or make an effort TO catch
q few harmless fish.
1t must be remembered that very
nearly all Of these boys are children OF
parents, whom We may invariably find
in their places in the churches. Yet
they permit their children, whose train
ing they arc responsible for, to make a
nuisance OF themselves, either by tramp
ing over the country, or under their
" eyes, by engaging in desecrating
tho Sa~bbath.day on the streets.
A correspondence on the subject Of au-
ricular confession has taken place between
the Bishop of Salisbury, England, and a
lady named Gundry, who began by asking
the Bishops opinion regarding a book
which Mr.. Towne, the rector of Bothen-
hampton, wal distributing in his parish.
Tue Bishop replied thathc disapproved OF
the book, but at the same time remarked
that "the legitimate use OF the Ordinance
Of Confession and Absolution was q real
part OF the instruction Of the Christian
Church, and most precious and useful in
q generation such as that in which we
live, though its repeated and periodic use
was both undesirable and dangerous,
as leading 10 undue reliance upon out.
ward means and human judgment"
Mrs. Gundry, dissatisfied with this re.
ply, wrote that Mr.. Towne had invited
young persons Of both sexes to private
a%uricular confession to the priest alone,
the penitent being admonished not to re.
veal to any one, therefore not even to
parents" what might pass between the
priest and himself or herself. She com.
planned that her point was not met, and
asked for the church authority which Jus.
tiles Mr.. TONNES conduct. The Bishops
rejoinder was to the effect that he "can.
not agree in thinking that the Ordinance
Of Confession is in the Prayer Book con.
fined to sick people, or that it is proper
that a third party should be present when
it is used" Mr.. Gundry is astonished at
this, and tells the Bishop in a final note
that I'll the confessional is r~eintroduced
into England those who connive at it will
be responsible for inticting untold misery
upon our households and children's chill.
dren."
NJ. D, Conway writes from London to
the Cincinnati Commercial in regard to
Paine's Creed as follows. "As regards
positive beliefs, Paine was nearerto the
received standard than many who Joined
In the hue and cry against him. On the
first page Of his denounced work he says:
hope for happiness beyond this lie. l
believe inthe equality OF man; Nand / be.
.lieve that religious duties consist in doing