The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-04-06
ole GateLLiqenaer.
nELIeIors pRIEr ANp pIscussIos

RELIGIOUS DRIFT AND DISCUSSION
JOSEPH COOKS lecture, "Does Death En-
ALP" to be delivered In Wheeling on til
9th, was recently delivered in waahingto
City, and Congressman Updegraa remarl
ed at It's close that 1t was the only time 1
his life, after listening to man two hour
and twelve minutes, that he wished b
would 90 on still longer.
Mr. JAMES ANTHONY FRoUDR, in his III
OF Bunyan, pronounces the Baptist sec
"the most thorough.going and consisten
of the Protestant sects." whereupon tn
Central Baptist concludes that "Mr. Proud
is, perhaps, the foremost historian and es
sayist OF the present time"
The total value Of church property Ii
the country is placed at $500, 200, 0OO
Should It continue to increase in the sam,
proportion as in the past, it is estimated
that It's value in 1900 will reach the sun
Of 100000 900, or one-third more thar
the national debt. The ecclesiastical prop
erty in New York exempt from taxation
is valued at Sl100Oo0O0.
The New York 0bserer', premium o.
500 for the best essay, designed to count
eract some form OF modern infdelity, tc
be written by an undergraduate student
Of theological seminary, has been award
ed to Charles Ghiselin of Norfolk, Va, q
student in the seminary at Hampden Sid.
ney, Va.
TnE Presbyterian ministers Of Chicago
have been discussing the question sis
lying ever proftable2" In the leading
paper read at the meeting 1t was main
tanned that deception as rule was not
profitable; still in certain circumstances,
TO be determined by the exigencies Of the
occasion, deception may be resorted to as
a last resort. The general sentiment OF
the meeting seemed to be that while
lying was never right there were certain
circumstances in which it was right to
withhold the truth, although the doctrine
was conceded to be dangerous one.
ZIoN's Herald finds plenty OF compensa-
tons in the itinerant system, both spirit
ual and material. In temporal matters,
while there are few opportunities, it says,
for securing fortunes in our ministry, there
is a general thrift, and no families, on an
average, are better trained for life, either
for business or for the professions. The
sons OF Methodist ministers are to be
found in all the lines OF industrial activity,
in the law, in medicine, in the ministry,
and in the various forms Of trade, filing
with honor conspicuous seats.
The Religious Herald comes to the con.
clusion that the desire for shorter and
shorter sermons indicates that ~ the
ministry is retrograding Intellectually and
spiritually; or that t2) the people are ad.
vancing Intellectually and spiritually fast
er than the preachers; or that (3) the peo-
pie are unwilling to think consecutively
and closely; or that ~ the minds Of to-
day cannot or will not grasp as much
truth as in former times; or that 10y the
hearts OF the people are not as DESTROYS OF
hearing the truth as in former years; or
that (6) the Holy Spirit is losing It's grip
upon peoples hearts; or that az the
minds and hearts oil the people are taken
up with frivolous things more than for
merly; or that (S) business interests de-
mand more attention, and encroach upon
our opportunities for mental and spiritual
culture; or that 10y the mental and spiritual
man shuts himself up and refuses to have
intercourse with the great world Of
thought beyond; or that (l0) the masses
OF the people are satisfied with mere sur
face preaching and teaching, and are un-
willing TO 20 down to the hard-pan for a
foundation oftheir faith; or that (ll) the
people love to be tiCkled, and preaching
does not tickle enough.
The interesting subject of purgatory has
got into the Pennsylvania courts. By the
State law requests to charitable or relig-
ious institutions must be made month
before the death Of the testator. Martin
Power, who left nearly a thousand dollars
to Catholic church for masses to be said
for the repose Of his soul, died, however,
a few days short Of the prescribed time.
His unieeling family contested the will,
were refused satisfaction in the Orphans
Court, but got an appeal to the Supreme
Court, In passing on the case Justice
sterrett remarked; According to the Ro-
man Catholic system Of faith, there exists
an intermediate state OF the soul alter
death and before final judgment, during
which guilt incurred during lie and
lunatoned for must be expiated, and
the temporary punishment TO which the
souls OF the patients are thus sub.
liected may be mitigated or ayerted
through the efficacy Of the mass. II
cannot be doubted that in obeying the in
junction to the testator, and offering
masses for the benefit and repose oil hi!
soul, the officiating priest would be per
forming religious service, aud none thu
less 80 because intercession would b
: specially invoked in behalf Of the testato
alone. The service is just the same il
kind, whether it be designed to promote
the spiritual welfare OF one or many
Prayer for the conversion Of q single i'm
penitent Is as purely religious act as
petition for the salvation Of Thousands
The services intended to be performed IL
carving out the trusts created by the ties
tator's will, as well as the objects designed
. to be obtained, are all essentially religion
in their character. It appears 70 US tina
. the bequest to st. Mary's Catholic churcl
) was merelyfo q religious use, and, there
> fore, void according to the express termso
the statute.
The celebration Of the Easter festiva
this year was unusually general, elaborat
and altogether noticeable. One Of tn
Sunday journals directs attention to tn
fact as proof of the change OF opinion i
some denominations OF Christians in REL
pect to Easter services. It tells the stor