New-York tribune., 1880-09-26
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

IHE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTbkbukI os in1
BURIALs BILL.-During his recent visitation az
Dover, tie Archbishop OF Canterbury took oc-
casion to speak at considerable length upon tne
Burials bill One of his main endeavors, ne
said, had been to secure the point that no ser
vices should be introduced INTO the churcn-
yards which were not CHRISTIAN. On thls 'opic
the Archbishop said: | cannot believe that
there are any among us who do not realize the
importance Of this distinction. cannot THINK
that there ia any man protesting the faltn OF the
Church of England who does not hold that there
is an infiDte difference between those VINO pro
TESS TO believe In the Lord Jesus Christ and
those who repudiate Him. | should be aston
ished ii thers were any who really held that,
provided man is NOncOnfOrmist or q ROman
Catholic, he might, on account OF his separation
from our own Church, almost as well DE an
atheist or MahOmetan. Therefore l greatly
prize the retention OF the clause which provides
that all services IN our churchyaIds shall be
Christian as well as orderly. 1 am glad, also
that the rights of the clergy are maintained IN
the general care and superintendent OF their
churchman's. | am glad, also, that, II they can
state plain reasons for Objectng, they may re-
fuse to allow funerals on Sundays and certain
other holy DAYS. Having once made up my mind
to cOncede the liberty OF interring NOnconform-
lists who desired to be buried near the graves OF
their more orthodox fathers III places which
was glad to find they professed to regard as
sacred on account of family or other tender
associations | could not give n conscientious
support to the introduction OF clauses INTO this
bill which would in my judgment and that of
the Government and the majority OF the Legls.
lature have been fatal to Its principle.
The Archbishop went on to soy that he could
but think that NY of the clergy had exag-
gerated the consequences OF the Act: lie nm
self hoped that it would strengthen the Cnilrch.
He concluded his remarks as follows: Il am
aware that violent agtat0rs among them are
altogether dissatisfied with it on account OF It's
Christian character. and the measure o. cOnsld-
Grafton which it has given to the clergy. 10
these men 1t il useless for me TO appeal. nave
never doubted that they have further objects
behind Many desire the utteI subvers0n OF
our Established Church, and are ready for this
object TO unite with the foes of all religion.
Such assaults | need not say, we are deter
mined TO withstand But may not say to the
great body of religious NOnconformlsts IN this
country tnat we look confidently TO them, to
theiI good principle and good faith and kindly
Christian feeling, to falslfy the dismal vatclna-
tiOns which have been uttered III some quarters,
and TO show that over the grave at least they
desire that the CONTROVERSIES when keep us
asunder should be hushed, and that nothing
should be heard in th. ground In which we lay
our dead in sure and certain hope of a resurrec-
ton but words of peaceful hope and comfort
which will approve themselves to Him who Is
the Resurrection and the Life
GROWTH OF TIE BAPTIST DENOMINATIoN.-
The history Of the Baptist Church shows IN
striking Danner the vitality or its principles
A recent statement Of its growth and present
condition presents the following statistics /: In
1852 there were only So Baptist churches in
america; in 1892 they had Increased to
600; in 1912 TO 2,433. IN 1882 to 1922,
in 1852 to more than $500 In 1858, without
including any Of the minor Baptist organiza-
tons, to II 900, with 100000 members,
and. if the minor bodies are included, to
800 900, and an attached population of about
800, 900 souls. In 1866 the denomination
proper possessed 13.470 church organizations
and 10 less than 1,123, 14S c0mmunlcant
According to the census OF 1870 the Regular
Baptist denomination possessed 14.474 church
organizations and II, ,S57 churches, but this is
evidently incorrect, inasmuch as the Baptist
year book for 1871 shows return of 1,145
churches The records of the Government
show the following Increase in the value OF
church property during the course of two de-
cades 1850, value of churches. S11,O2O, $50
800, value of churches, SIS, ,799,3IS; 1870,
value OF churches, S39,229,2 ,22l. Ihe f0rego-
ing pertains TO the regular body. The value
of church property for the same periods OF other
Baptist bodies has been reported as follows:
1850, value Of chdIches 1888, 115; 1850, value
of churches, S1,279,7 1856; 1870, value of
churches, $2,376,977 From 1850 to 1870
the value of church edifices owned by the reg
uar body increased nearly 100 per cent. Ii
this ratio of Increase has been kept up during
the past decade, the Baptists are the pos
SCISSORS of church property having value not
far from SSO,O0O,OOO.
TIE WALpENsEs.-The Rev. Emeo Comba,
who represents the WaldeDslan Church of
Italy in the Presbyterian Council, preached
in Philadelphia last Sunday upon the progress
of the Waldenses and the general state Of re-
ligion in Italy. He is sent from the Wadensian
Seminary in Florence, where he succeeded the
late DR.. Revel. In the course OF his remarks
he said You know that from the second or
third century Italy has been the country of the
Pope, but it is not generally known that it has
at all times been the country OF protestations
against the dominion of the Pope. At the same
time there have been numbers OF intdels in the
country, and Italy has never been thoroughly
Christian or wholly Catholic. Catholicism has
not always held full sway. fer from the earliest
times can point 70 protesting lenders, and
coming up to later date, we have Waldo him
self, and he represents the PrOtestants Of all |
ages in Italy. The Waldensians had not IN
tended to break OFT from the Church OF Rome, |
md did not do so because of any d0ctrlnal |
Inference, but because in the Catholic Church |
reading of the Bible was prohibited and then it |
was they said, better to obey God than men. |
Ihey studied the Bible until their enemies |
feared them and their knowledge strengthened |
hem to stand thirty three bloody perse
.ufions. They were preserved by the provi- |
ience of God because He had chosen them for the !
extension of His Kingdom. Until 1S4S, wien |
Victor Emanuel proclaimed liberty for Italy, the |
Naldenses were not allowed the freedom OF |
speech. and their boys were prohibited from |
lawyers or professors or officers of |
he army"
UNIVERSAL PRAYER FOR SUNDAY SCHOOLS
The International Sunday school Executive |
Committee unites with the committees of the |
London Sunday school Union and kindred in
'tituions abroad IN recommending that Sun
lay and Monday, the 18th and 18th of October |
iext, be observed as days of earnest prayer for
Sunday schools throughout the world. The fol-
owing outline of services is recommended
That on Lords Day morning, October II, from /
7 to o'clock, private intercessOry prayer be
,ffered on behalf of Sunday schools. That the
opening engagements of the morning school be
preceded by meeting of the teachers for
prayer That ministers be asked to preach,
morning or evening, OF both, on topics con-
lected with, Sunday school work. That in the
afternoon the ordinary engagements of each
chooI be shortened, and devotional service