Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-05-08
RELIGIOUS NOTES.


Niagara Falls viii soon be finished, and Will
be dedicated, free from debt, In time for the
summer visitors.
-TKe Roman Catholic immigration into
this country from 1920 to 1875 numbered $780,
232. The number of communicates In that
church in the United States Is reported at
6, 100000.
There is man at Luray, Va, who became
convinced when young that kissing was wicked
because Christ was betrayed by kiss He
married twenty years, and is the father of eleven
children, but has never kissed his wife nor one
OF his offspring.
- The Observer says: 'At late communion
season In the Metropolitan PRESBYTERIAN church
of washington, D. c., among those who united
On profession were two gentlemen-one of
eighty four, the other more than seventy years
Of age. Each had been for years the subject Of
the fervent prayers Of piOus relatives"
"A late decision of the British House of
Lords is a ritualistic triumph. It secures to
every bishop the power at his own absolute
d1ScretlOn 10 stay proceedings instituted under
the church discipline act with view to put
tlng an end TO ritualistic vagaries, however
outrageous In character or offensive to the
pensioners these vagarieS may become. This
Will probably leave the RomaniZers in the Eng
fish church to unchecked license.
MI. Spurgeon has written second l. tier
about the voting for the Devil story. He de-
Car that he has not written single line In
r. ference TO the Northampton elections at
SO happened" he says. that l heard nothing
about Northampton, and knew nothing OF its
proceedings, and therefore was under no ten D.
tation to express myself thereon; but it seem
that even If man is quite silent and remote
from the scene OF action he Is still liable to be
aSSailed by wicked tongues"
The well-paid pastor OF wealthy church
said few days ago. In aspeech at religious con-
VentlOn: Brethren OF the ministry, we all need
new spirit o to be rid of that curse OF worldly
ambition that hunts places and seeks salaries
rather than Soulsis A carnal desire and determ-
nation TO be scholar, theologian eloquent
orator, famous preacher. may lead us to dil1gent
with our abundant activity than the love of the
truth, OF Christ, and of souls!"
The Christian at Work pokes fun at the
uneasy minister who is always dissatisfied with
MS church, and has habit of fishing in every
a 1,T u, direction for calls: Every vacant pull
OBJECT or interest; and perhaps he applies so
pers1stently for hearing In such pulpits as to
deserve the name given to one OF the legal
OnlcerS OF the British GOvernment-the So
l1c1tor General. Now all this Is contemplate
ana besides, 1t defeats Its own end. For the
man who Is always on the pursuit never sue
ceedS."
"A Reformed Episcopal Church has suffered
as If from moral and religious earthquake
from the effects OF the social diversion known
as neckt1e party. At such party the orna-
present correspond In pattern and style with
the calico aprons OF certain of the ladies' 1t
was considered by some of the more important
members OF the church that this was too
worldly, and had tendency toward flirting
The others stoutly maintained their advocacy
or IL as means OF grace. The difference Of
opinion has proved nearly fatal to the church.
The late Joseph Seligman, one of our most
benevolent and enterprlsing citizens was a
nationalist Jew; In other words, an excellent
man TO whom Judaism was very little and rat
1ona!1Sm very much. The Jews here are d.
vlded into three distinct classes,-Orthodox
" n0y-Of N hos
Gent forms OF Hebrew worship; Reformed
Jews, who, as the name implies, are progress.
S1ve In religion as In everything elSe and Rat
lonalistic Jews, who are represented by the So
clety OF ethical culture, OF which Felix Adler Is
the central fgure.-N. Y. Cor. Springfield Re-
publican.
A Methodist church in Massachusetts, re-
solved to get along on the c. o. D. plan In all
the pastor reported that the church was $3.50
short, and asked for Immediate cash to make
TINS amount good. There being no response, he
announced that there would be no service In
the evening Thereupon some of the brethren
put their heads together and collected what
was needed. AS result of this the pastor gave
notice that the services would proceed In the
evening as usual. This was thought by some
people to be needleSSly severe transaction
But the pastor and the leading f1nancierS saw IL
Is better to do thus than to pursue reckless
course OF mourning Indebtedness which will
sooner or later bring the church under the ham,
mer of the sherin's auctioneer
Bishop Clark, of Rhode Island, SAYS, In dis
cuss1ng "the problem of evil" sooner than
adopt MIR. Hume's theory Of God who looks
down upon the sins and SORROWS of his Great
ureS with serene Indifference, would prefer to
accept the materialistic philosophy of the day,
which dism1sseS God from the universe alto
getner: Tor, as Lord Bacon has said, sit Is be-
ter TO have no opinion of God at all than one
which Is unworthy of Him. 1t Is true that In
The attempt to solve the problem of sin this
phliosophy obliges us to ignore its existence,
lQdSmnnh Of 10 RI
Oe disposed OF in the same summary way 1t is
TO be accepted as one OF the Incidents of eX-
lstence which we must avoid, II we can and
doggedly endure when it becomes Inevitable"
Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll has been lee
turing In this city again, recently, In his char
acter1St1c fashion. His lectures are aStOnt5h-
Ing combinations OF Shrewd sense, tender feel
ing ana sparkling rhetoric, with colossal fgnor-
and repulsive blasphemy. He displays an utter
ABANDON OF reckleSsneSS which dazzleS many
LOT the moment, and some for much longer.
we hardly know which TO pity most, the man
who has taught himself to believe and disbe-
lieve what Colonel Ingersoll does, or the peo-
pie who let themselves be befooled by the
glamor OF his sentences Three things are
certa In: that such opponents as he no more
can stay the progress Of Christ's cause than
swarm OF hornets can check a railway train by
sun cling some OF its passengers: that their ac-
uVity ought to stimulate christians to a more
earnest and practical p1ety; and that they
ought to be made by the church the subjects of
Speclal prayer.-BOstOH COllg-eJQt iO1lalLSt,
The Christian Evidence society, of London.
recently held conference on Reasonable and
Unreasonable Scepticism, at which the Dean Of
Canterbury, who presided, remarked that rea-
sOnable scepticiSm aimed at discovering the
truth, while unreasonable ScepticIsm endeav-
ored TO throw doubt and uncertainty over eyery-
thing. DIR. Donald Frazer said, in an address
that was heard with deep interest, that fringe
OF doubt % had always existed around the be-
lieVlng, adoring church. and It's existence had
been beneficial for 1t had led believers to make
sure that they were worshipping the risen Lord
historical facts and moral truths must. from
their very nature, be subjects OF doubt. For
merly people seemed to be all of the same mind
because they dared not express their doubts:
out the plague OF the present day was the swag-
gerlng OF the SadduceeS. They should distin-
gu1sh between the human framework of the
Bible and the divine spirit which animated 1t.
lie would have them, too, get rid Of moral hor-
rorS and moral absurditteS In their theology,
and not seek to justify in God what they con.
demned In man. Attention to perspective and
proportion In the study OF the Bible was also
urged
A writer In The Congregationalist relates
several amusing incidents of recent visits
made by him to cOlOred churches in Washing
ton and Richmond. In Washington church
II was insisted that the services could not 90
forward until $40 in money had been raised to
pay OH debt. Many persons at once went
forward with contributions and received tickets