The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-09-08
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

\ oepher| Iorah, TX, ~, whence, from
actual measurements of barleycorns made
in Syria in. 1872, Lieutenant Gender OBJ.
tains the result of sixteen inches for
the medium cubit. The span, therefore
is eight inches-the extreme distance
stretched from the thumb to the end of the
little finger by an average. hand. In
these dimensions it is to be noted that
the Syrian and the English long-measure
barleycorns agree, and, if we with our
Western hands can span nine inches, that
Jews and Arabs are smaller than we are.
The zereth rendered in our version
hand-breadth, will in this case be five
and -onethird inches, which is the ordi.
nary span of the four fingers, and the
regal, ten and two-t thirds inches. A fur.
long (resah) thus becomes flfty-fve and
half yards Sabbath days iourney
(tehuna), eight hundred and eighty-eight
yards, or half mile; and days jour
ney, eight thousand three hundred and
twenty-five yards, or four and three-quar-
tiers miles.-Independent.
No less than thirty obelisks have been
transported from Egypt from time to
time, and are now standing in various
parts of Europe. OF these there are now
In Rome eleven, of which four are higher
than our New York obelisk. The highest
of these, and the highest in Europe being
LOG feet without the base, stands before
the church of st. John Lateran. The
obelisk in the Piazza of St. Peters is 80
feet inches high. Both of these were
wisely mounted on high pedestals. The
Pedestal of the st. John Lateran obelisk
is A feet high, making the entire height
of obelisk and pedestal $50 feet. The
pedestal of the st. Peters obelisk is q
trife less than so feet high, making the
whole height of the monument 1872 feet 9
inches. If Commander Gorringe has
brought with him the entire pedestal on
which the New York obelisk stood at
Alexandra, about the same proportions
will be observed as those of the st. John
Lateran obelisk, the pedestal of the for.
mer being q feet inch, and its obelisk
60 feet IL inches, making the whole
height of our obelisk 90 feet.
! The Adva,ace is in favor of the Shorter
Catechism. That reminds us that once
upon a time minister of that persua-
sion asked us for a comprehensive, but
brief, generalization of sin: "Well let's
see, sin is violation of law-no, that
won't do, because it is right to violate
some laws-hum (head scratching)-sin
is violation of, or lack of conformity, to
God laws. How will that do ?" "Thats
it-that's it, you've got itl-hum (head
scratching) but it seems to me that I
have heard something like that before |"
Interior.
Out of 1000 published books, 600
never pay the cost of printing; 200 lust
pay expenses; 100 return slight profit;
and fewer still show substantial gain.
Of these 1000 books $50 are forgotten
by the end of the year, and $50 more at
the end of three years; only so survive
seven years publicity. Men have been
writing books these three thousand years,
and there are scarcely 500 that have sur
vived the forgetfulness of man; and not
80 of the 500 are known to the mass Of
ordinarily intelligent readers in any one
country of the globe. "But the Word
of God liveth and abideth forever"
The Freedmens church, called the
"Murkland church, at Mathews, N. c.,
finding that their church was too small
for their congregation, went to work and
III d WSeh VI GSu udyS udQ an aQQlJlOQ OF
forty feet made to their building, wrought
by their own hands. 1t will surely be
good thing for the Presbyterian Church
to help the people who are SO ready to
help themselves.
The contest which is before the Church
of Christ in this age is set forth in some
very vigorous words by Bishop Hunting.
ton, of the Episcopal church, as follows
"a barbaric splendor,' sensuous and
faithless civilization, decorated and hol.
low worldliness, society which, with its
mouthful of meat and wine, and Jewels on
its fingers, says only, Eat, drink, dress.
dance, for tomorrow shall be as this day.
or, if we die, we die'-this is the heresy,
the horror, the damnation that American
Christians have to confront, to fight, and
please God, to overcome"
THE FIRST CHURCH ORGAN IN New
YoRK.-It was long supposed that the
church in Garden street had the first
church organ used in this country Il
appears, however, that one was in use in
Boston at an earlier period than in New
York. Still, there is no doubt that the
first instrument of the kind in any church
on this island was gift from the British
Governor to Our ancestors century ana