Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-06-19
RELIGIOUS NOTES.

ing short reply to Dr.. Littledales "Platn Rea-
sons against Joining the church OF Rome"
The Congregattonalists Of Australasia have
just celebrated by jubilee the fftieth amt.
In that part of the world.
Pekin, China, seems about to come over en-
| masse to christianity. They have been reading
christian books, and many families have de.
stroyed their family gods.
DIR. Somerville, the Scotch evangelist, has
been holding large revival meetings In Rome.
The meetings were held In theatres and were
attended by audiences of from LOCO to 800.
| There were no disturbances.
oliver Wendell Holmes says the mission of
Cnitartanism is 1.-The harmonizfng of religious
6arbartsm, the repubiicanizing Of ecclesiastical
despotism, the Americanizing OF Asiatic con
ceptions OF the infiLite and It's relations to our
| selves"
| For several months past the salvation
! Army" has been working In PHILADELPHIA. ana,
the Progress says there are no pleasant results
OF It's labor apparent, while a good deal Is
heard Of the sufferings OF the women, and at
least IN one instance. man made crazy by his
association with the army, had to pe taken in
charge because OF his wild conduct.
East Of the river Jordan there is an Arab
tribe which has embraced the Catholic faith
and Is miniStered unto by a native Italian
priest These Arabs wander about from place
to place with their focks of sheep, and when
their tent Is pitched In any place temporary
building to serve as a church is put up O5her
Arab tribes, 1t is said, are disposed to follow
their example.
The Rev. Mr.. LoysOn, better known as Fa-
ther Hyacinthe, is going to London shortly to
deliver some lectures In Willis's rooms on
positive Christianity" Mr.. Loyson, who has
attempted to- found a Gallican or old Catholic
Church In Paris, has of late been washing some
DIRTY linen In the law courts Of that city with
bis curate MIR. Bichery. ORe of the items of
dispute was truffied turkey that cost twelve
francs.
Mr.. Sharon Turner has prepared the fol-
lowing statement Of the progress of chris
tianity. At the close Of each century the
number of believers is given: First century,
about 500 ,O0O second 3 0O0, 900; third 5000 900:
foureh, 1O00O,000; fifth, 10 900 900; SIXTH 30
40 900 OOO tenth, 5oOOOo6O; eleventh. 20, 900 900
twelfth, 100000 thirteenth, Is 900 900; four.
teenth, s00OO,0OO; ffteen 100 900 900; sixteenth,
l25 GOO 600: seventeenth, 600 oOo eighteenth,
20O, OOO, 900. During the present century it Is
estimated that the church has doubled its COM
mun1cantS.
The Old Catholic church has just held its
synod at Geneva. Bishop Herzog delivered the
address Delegates from seven cantons and
several foreign guests, among whom were Fa-
ther Hyactnthe and the Bishops Of Mexico and
Meath, were present A resolution was passed
adopting common prayer book for all the
On Sunday morning in the church OF St Ger
vais. This Is looked upon as an indication that
ne mas become reconciled to Geneva and its
church, once stigmatized by him as state
without freedom and communion without re.
lgion.
The French senate has been discussing the
liberty Of working on Sunday. NJ. Paris pro-
posed that public works executed by the state
In the departments should be suspended on
Hilaire said that NJ. Pariss motion would de-
pfive the state OF right granted to every one,
that OF the liberty OF work. NJ. B. Saint Hilaire
m dnd hiatt tho nfv ne
ton was to give an unnecessary predominance
to religious Influences. After two days de.
bate M. Paris's motion was rejected, and the
freedom OF Sunday labor was carried by ma
Jority OF votes.
Brooklyn can no longer lay claim to being
the city Of churches. She furnishes only one
church to every 1,12l OF population. OF other
prominent cities at least ten are ahead Of her.
one for every 1,O44; New Orleans one for every
,345; Cincinnati one for every i $50; Baltim ore
one for every 1,412; and Boston one for every
1866. ST. Louis is nearly as well off for churches
as Brooklyn, having one for every ,S52 OF pOpu-
latiOn, AS for New York city. she is nearly as
far behind Brooklyn as Brooklyn is behind
Washington. The proportion stand one to
2.6l3: In Ne" York state the figures are one
to sos,
The time was when the BenedictIne mon
astery at Monte Casino was the richest in
Europe. It's Abbot was the first baron of the
kingdom OF Naples, and the administrator of a
Among its dependencies were four bishoprcs,
two municipalities, twenty countshtps $50
castles 40 towns, 300 tracts OF land, and 1862
churches. At the close Of the sixteenth cen
tury Its revenues were valued at 500, 900 ducatS.
To day the monks OF Monte Casino have
barely enough to live. Their pensions from
the Italian government amount to the small
sum OF 80 francs mOnth-paper Italian francs,
and equivalent to less than Sc.
= The churca should be paid for outright.
THIS saves great deal OF subsequent trouble
and heartburn1ng on the part of congreg atoms.
How much we hear. these days, OF Martha
washington teapaItles, concerts sens ational
some lines into the very house OF God itself, to
get rid CT these building encumbrancas. When
The Jews built a temple they did it with the
cred piles Of olden days were the products OF
church fairs, or were hampered with church
debts. Imagine the Temple at Jerusalem
plastered all over with placardS and notices
like this:
GRAND .ME CONCERT AND OYSTER SUPPER.
Given In the Temple next Thursday week,
Under the royal auspices Of King solomon and the
The proceeds to be devoted to paying off the debt on
the building!
How ridiculous all this seems. Yet this is
what Is being done every day In our land and
generation. 1t is undignif1ed, it is ungody.
Let your church be paid for from the start
not In mortgages based on the receipts Of future
church shows, but in cash; let not debt be
hung around the neck of congregation from
the start to hamper and to thwart it, turn
which way It may.-ReU DR.. John HaU.
A NEW WoRD.-AMeous.-T Lord Bishop of
Carlisle sees much harm in the prevalent vague
use OF the word ''athe1stic' as applied to the
doctrines and conclusions of natural science
He draws valid distinction between the legiti-
mate proper and logical attitude of the scien-
tific mind toward the conception of Deity and
the atheiStic spirit; and he strives to mark this
distinction by the Introduction of new term.
He sayS:-"It seems to. me that we want new
word to express the fact that all fyscal science,
properly SO called, is compelled by It's very ma
ture to take no account of the being of God: as
soon as 1t does this it trenches upon theology
word, / should say that science was atheous,
and, therefore, could not be atheistic-that is to
say, its Investigations and reasonings are by
agreement cOnverSant simply with observed
facts and conclusions drawn from them, and
In this sense 1t Is atheOuS, or without recOgn1-
ton OF God. And because 1t Is so 1t does not in
any way trench upon theisn or theology, and
cannot be atheistic, or In the condition of de-
Dy1ng the being of God. Take the case of
fys1cal astronomy. To the mathematician the
mechanics Of the heavens are In no way diff
ferent from the mechanics of clock. 1t Is
true that the clock must have had maker;
but the mathematician who investigates any
problem connected with its mechanism has
nothing to do with him as such. The spring.
the wheels, the eScapement, and the rest of the
works are all In their proper places somehow,
and it matters nothing to the mathematician
how they came there. AS mathematician the
investigator Of clock motion takes no account
OF the existence OF clockmakers; but he does
not deny their existence; he has no hostile
feeling toward them: he may be on the very
best terms with m8nV of them: Ii NAV be that.