The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-05-04
RELIGIOUS DRIFT.

Joseph Cook repudiates the inference
derived from recent lecture that he is a
spiritualist and proclaims himself vehe-
ment disbeliever in the gospel accoNingto
the mediums.
Tux Roman Catholic immigration into
this country from 1920 to 1875 numbered
$3.50, 2S9. The number OF communicates
in that church in the United States is re-
ported at G,500,0OO.
IT is estimated that Of the 1,50O, 600 .Bap'
tistsin the South not more than 100000 or
100000 are whites. The rest are colored
Baptists, who have, with a few exceptions,
their own associations aud State conven-
tons, and are virtually separate consti'
tuency from their white brethren. They
have attempted to organize general asso'
Citations or conventions to represent the
whole South, but with little success.
IT is about one hundred years since the
beginning of modern foreign missions
There are said to be now one million aAda
half OF converts from heathenism. The
Bible has been translated into two hun:
dred and twenty.six different languages,
and the copies circulated amount to 1885,
100000. More than seventy barbarous
languages have been endowed with a
grammar and literature.
TIE leading editorial article of the Cath
olic Standard, referring to the alleged lique'
factions of the blood Of st. Janarius at
Naples and the so.called miracles at Lour-
DIES, says:
"The first Of these is both an ancient
and modern miracle. From time i'm
memorial it has been repeated several
times year, in the presence OF thousands
OF persons, Catholic and non-Catholtc,
mobiles and peasants, intelligent and I'M
intelligent. The fact cannot be denied !;
yet intidels never refer to 1t without q
sueer, expressing contemptuous disbelief.
They never attempt seriously to 'ex-
anime the miraculous occurrence; never
attempt 10 discover its nature; never
attempt TO 'disprSve' 1t. They simply
either ridicule or deny 1t, or else they
make assertions OF trickerY and fraud,
which they fail to support with any evil
dsnce whatever"
PRopEssoR RoBERTsoNi SAITH, whose SCI
entihc criticisms OF the Bible have created
so great a commotion in the Free Church
Of Scotland, will have articles in the next
or eleventh volume of the Encyclopedia
Britannica, on the Prophet Haggai; the
Hebrew language, and the Epistle to the
Hebrews. His antagonists in the Free
Church have begun the publication OF a
series OF Scottish Tracts for the Times,"
partly to answer his criticisms. The first
one Of the series deals with his article on
the Bible in no tender spirit.
The Catholic RerieD takes pains to refute
the Protestant notion that Catholics pray
to the Virgin. There is vast difference,
1t says, between praying to person and
worshipping him. At this moment there
is paper being signed for the Commuta-
ton OF the death penalty pronounced
upon an Italian prisoner 10 the Toombs;
those who sign it pray the governor to
suppose, worship the governor. We seek
the all powerful inlerCessions OF our
blessed lady with her divine son. We
yenerate her as did the angel Gabriel,
when he addressed her as one who was
her. AS for biblical authority" for doing
what We do not do, we need not trouble
ourselves; but as for biblical authority for
doing what we do there is an abundance
OF 1t. And greater and higher than this
Is the voice Of the living church, with
whom the Holy Ghost according to the
promise OF its founder always dwells, and
which cannot err in matters Of faith and
morals.
REV. GEORGE CuAlNEY, OF the Church
Of the Unity at Evansville, Ind, rendered
his resignation last Sunday in somewhat
remarkable language. At the conclusion
oithe sermon, in which he declared that
all the answer he could make to the ques.
ton "what is God ?" was, 81 don't know"
and took other ground beyond the bounds
OF Christianity, and disapproved Unita-
rian societies that did not do so, he read
his letter OF resignation, which was even
more startling than the sermon. He said
that, having heard that his radiCalism had
been disapprOved by members, and desir.
ing to have fair understanding with the
congregation, he offered his resignation.
When he came to the church the under
standing was that he should be at liberty
to preach his latest thoughts. At that
time he had no idea that he should com.
pletely abandon experimentation in re.
Lyon, but his later studies and meditations
had led him to do so, and 1t was but right
that the church should have an oppor-
tunity Of passing upon his fitness to re-
main. 1.-The did remain, there were con-
siderations he should require, as the
chuch declared itself Christian and that It
labored for the kingdom OF God. He
could not continue Us the pastor OF a
Christian church, for, said he, al am not q +
Christians" and aboutth kingdom OF God
he expressed his disbelieiin the usual In.
terpretation. He had ielt for some time
that prayer by him was q mockery. and
hence he had offered no supplications. Int
had instead made vocal meditatIons and
would never pray again. Another thing
he would never do was 10 invoke bene.
Iliction, and as for hymns sung in the !
church they would better sell the books 10
i rag.man TO be made over into honest
white paper.
MARTIN l. TOWNSEND, the venerable ex-
Congressman and District Attorney at
Troy, who has been acting as counsel for
Whitaker at West Point, is o member Of
n sdul. Bible class. Last Sunday he was