New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-04-18
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.


Street Methodist Church in Philadelphia over
800 persons have protested religion within a
short time Since the new year began the
Western Methodist Church of the same city has
added ninety to its list Of members. Trinity
Methodist Church, at Millville, n. j., was or
ganized three years ago with eighty members
and has now over 400. The Presbyterian
church at Chester, this State, at the March
communion received fOrty-twO new members.
In two years the First Presbyterian Church at
Providence received ITO. In Philadelphia the
North Broad Street Church of the Same denomi-
nation has added eighty to It's list In year, and
now numbers 709, and the COhOcksing Church at
Its March communion received twenty live.
Among other accessi0ns to Presbyterian
churches are forty to the church at Manitta,
Penn; forty-seven TO that at Cape May; forty
one at Vevay, Ind; twenty-nine at Huntington
and seventeen to an Indian church near Vim
cennes; thirty-six at Dubuque, Iowa, and
twenty-five at Mount Vernon. Union revival
meetings at Bardolph, ILL.,, have resulted In
over sixty conversions.
THE FATE OF A POPULAR PREACHER,-Pere
DidOD, the Paris preacher whose sermons on
divorce aroused great attention among Cath
Olics few months ago and who has been eXiled
by the Dominicans to neglected monastery IN
the Island of Corsica, addressed letter to the
Pope few weeks ago enclosing o copy OF his
sermons, in which he assured the Pope that he
has always done his best to remain scrupulOusly
would never hesitate 10 submit to the judgment
of the Church. Much pressure was brought to
bear upon the Pope to induce him to summon
DidOn to Rome and admonish him for the Ian
guage used by him In the sermons, but this the
Pope declined to do and contented himself
with directions to the General of the Domini-
can Order that he take such steps in the matter
as seemed to him wisest. In q more recent
sermon than those on divorce Father DidOn Is
reported to have affirmed that the Church must
Ia tcalf IN tuif a
spirit of the age, and that the sooner it did 50
the better it. would be for the world. His theory
was that the time has come for Roman Cathol-
icsm to march hand in hand with free demOc-
racy, and not to disdain modern science and
investigation.
THE Pores DEAD SINGER.-Fra Giovanni del
Papa, the late tenor of the Sistine choir, died
after an illness of only few days. His disorder
was n violent infammatOry gastric fever,
brought on perhaps by irregular habits of
eating He never took any care Of his health,
it is said, and was accustomed to cot and drink
all sorts of food and wine at unreasonable
hours. From crowded and heated rooms he
would go at night into damp restaurants and
take into his stomach cold pork and salad with
common wine. His voice was the one of which
the Princess CantacuZene Altier is quoted as
saying in story she once wrote: /" 1t was o
tenor voice, fresh, pure, caressing, but above
all witching and tender-One of those voices
which, in spite Of defects. disaTm all criticism,
because they make vibrate that cord of true
feeling which exists in all human souls" He
had many offers and tempting ones from i'm
presarii, but he refused them all. His face and
form had no sympathy with his voice. They
were coarse and heavy.
RELIGION IN BRUGEs.-The ancient City of
Bruges III Flanders, which LongfellOw has cele
brated in verse, and which in its prosperity
reached a population of 100000, does not now
possess One-fOurth that number OF souls. The
oil hoo nf fhn off
erto made to restore the prosperity of the town
have come to any important result. A Liberal
Journal, published IN Flanders, attributes the
lethargy of the inhabitants to the effects OF the
numerous converts and richly endowed benevo-
lent institutions, which in supplying the wants
Of q large number of the inhabitants without
exertiOn on their part, have helped to take away
the energy and spirit essential to commercial
success. It is said also that in no other great
city of Belgium is education 80 much neg
iected as in Bruges, and this notwithstanding
the wealth possessed by the religious estab-
lishments in the place.
A NEW CHURCH IN ALBANY.-The Baptists
expect to build o new church in Albany, and
have already raised money enough to do so.
For a long time the Calvary society has con-
templated such q step, and last Winter the
ladies of Its congregation raised Sl,6OO for 1t
mt fair. A few daysagO ameeting was held to
consider the project, when 1t was stated that
the new edifice would cost 100000, and an
appeal was made for contributions. In very
short time an amount somewhat In excess OF the
sum needed was subscr ibed, two subscriptions
being for $4,000 each and ten for $l,OOO.
Architects are to be. consulted at once: The
present eGifice will be torn down and the new
one Will be put up on It's site.
Among the prayers which Christian South Sea
Islanders are accustomed to use are these: On
entering church; 90 Lord, do Thou chain up
the devil outside and then do thou enter with
men For the missionary Let his hair grow
perfectly white here his back be curved with
age, and leaning for support upon his staff may
he mount the pulpit" Against sin: Lord, we
have long been slaves to sin. Do Thou blind its
eyes, so that it may not be able to find u.s. Let
Thy word be as club, to. break its arms and
its legs, so that it may be pOWerleSs. Break
Thou its neck, that it may dieT
Although it is not supposed that LEO XIII.
has any immediate intention to summon an
Ecumenical Council, yet II Is Thought tnat 10
feels such q measure might. again be expe-
dent, since he has desired TO be informed by
competent persons whether the Vstcan con-
tains any room sufficient to accommodate 1t In
case il should be reassembled. The tTansept OF
st. Peters, In which 1t was last held, has been
relieved of the partition which, to the regret
of tourists, has long shut off that part Of the
church from the rest Of the interior.
Jacob Tome is o well-knOwn Maryland
banker, whose munitcence is as great as his
sympathies seem to be impartial in respect to
denominations. A few years ago he built at
Port Deposit one of the handsOmest church
buildings in Maryland and gave it to the
Methodist denomination. He has now. come to
the help of the Episcopal society at the Same
place. The society is seriously embarrassed
with u debt, aud MIR. Tome has promised to dis
charge the obligation under certain conditions,
which have been accepted.
London missionaries in North China write
home that an extraordinary interest in their
meetings is shown by the Chinese women.
Mention is made of one who for several months
walked distance of five miles every Sunday
in order to attend the services. Others have
walked ten miles, and usually remain the entire
day, returning home on the morrow. With
many of thenlr saws q report, "all trust III