The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-04-08
TUESDAY, APRIL 5. 1879.
Religious DrIft and Discussion.

EVtuV OhlV hAS 4GAlb 40 tAARt ANhBtSAPl
DRIFT, with a vengeance" recent count
made BY the Philadelphia Tina showing
the average number Of people who attend
church in that city. The population Of
Philadelphia is supposed to be over three.
quarters OF million. According to the
actual count OF the Tina reporters the ut.
tendance at twelve Catholic churches and
seventy.six mont Catholic was as follows:
"In twelve Catholic churches: Men,
1901; women, 2O,S0S; children, l0,Ol0;
total, 40,l7S. In seventy.six non.Catho-
lie places OF worship: Men, 1910: women,
l2,l03; children, 4,67S; total, 24OO7. Grand
total, 1915.
The New York Herald says that the Tai.
magetriNl "is agrcatt to the community.
TO see scores Of clergymen, including the
accused himself, break out into laughter
when a mans character is being dealt
with, makes one feel that the whole per.
Torrance is pretty nearly down to the level
Of a farce
Apropos Of the Talmage trial the Chris.
tian Louder, while reluctant to AbCt the
performances in tho Brooklyn Tabernacle
is obliged, it says, by the truth Of history,
to say that ST. AuguStine's hearers were
fully as uproarous as the multitude who
gather to applaud the antics Of the Brook
lyn gyrator. Both at Hippo and at Rome
the preaching Of Augustine was greeted
with q storm oicheers. The same demon.
STATIONS followed the oratoriCal outbur9ts
ofthe golden.mouthed preacher OF Byzan.
tium. 1t should be said, however, that
custom in those days had not established
any strong distinctionin the popular mind
between Sunday and other days, or be-
tween church and basiliCa.
Many churches have run into debt hut
the Michigan Avenue Baptist Church OF
Chicago exCels them all, in proportion to
its membership, That is 200 and its debt
is $4,000, or taking the number OF families
worshiping there Sl,575 per family. The
debt was originally 100000 but it has been
reduced to its present sum by the unwill.
ing compromises Of creditors and meet
ing Of the church people passed resolu-
tons proposing to end what they call "the
heroic efforts OF the Michigan Avenue
Church to save their house of worship
and sustain the cause Of Christ in this
community" by forcing second fifty per
cent compromise, payments TO be made in
five years with interest at four per cent,
under the alternative OF abandoning
the property to mortgages. There were
eight or nine churches in the neighbOr-
hood when this company OF 200 got
together, and contracted for q church
costing Sl500OO. No wonder a local
PIPER calls this 'gross imposition upon
creditors, scandal to religion, and an
enormous stumbling.block in the prog.
sess of Christianity"
There was singular instance of happy
iamilism OF the sects in Brooklyn hos.
pital ward the other day. An inmate Of
the St. GATHERINGS Roman Catholic hos
pital, reared o Protestant, approaching
death, desiring Protestant baptism. Rev.
]. Hyatt Smith (Baptist) was sent for, and
in the presence oil few friends and the
many patients in the ward, preached the
gospel, read the questions from the Book
OF Common Prayer, and baptized the an.
plicant, in the only method possible, BY
sprinkllng. Among the witnesses were
two Episcopalians and one Presbyterian,
and Roman Catholic Sister OF Charity
aided by bringing and holding the bowl OF
water that served as font.
A bishop was addressing aTsunday
School, and related to the children the
story OF Jacobs dream OF the ladder into
heaven. Closing his remarks, he invited
them to ask any questions they had in
mind. After few seconds pause, little
girl in piping voice inquired "If the
angels had wings, what did they want a
ladder for to climb into heaven" This
was puzzler for the bishop He cleared
his throat several times, grew red in the
face and hesltated; but at last bright
thought struck him. Turning toward the
school, he said: "As one little child has
asked this question, perhaps some other
little child can answer it. Now can any.
one tell me why the angels wanted tho
LADDER? Back came the answer from a
remote corner ofthe room: because they
was melting, sir" The good bishop sat
down.
Some one in St. Louis evidently made
mistake in sending Eve lottery tickets to
DR.. Prime to be by him disposed Of for the
benefit OF the st. Louis Hospital in charge
otthe Sisters Of Charity there. He reads
the Sisters lecture on the morals OF lot.
terry gambling, and declines without
thanks" the agency for the sale OF tickets,
and regrets that they arc not within reach
Of the law that would subject them to
punishment by fine and imprisonment.
A few days after the death OF the Rev.
DR.. De koven there appeared notice
that in certain church in St. Louis there
would be "requiem celebration OF the
holy communion for the late Rev. James
Dc Koven."
1t will be well for us MI if some friendly
hand can raise to our memories monu.
mcnt with this quaint inscription:
Here lies John Auricular,
WhOsi life was perpendicular
For more than two years the church at
Connellsville, Pa, Rev. Il. c. Morgan pas.
tor, has been enjoying constant revival
During that time between three and four
hundred have been converted, over one
hundred OF whom are reported as being
brought in since the beginning Of this
year. About twenty-five persons have
also been converted at South Creek, Pa.
The Christian at Work says:
"The Presbytery OF New York certainly
have done timely thing in condemninr
TIM hnkiL IN tho nnrL al n...L...S:-.S