The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-01-10
RELIGIOUS AND EDUCATIONAL.

1t costs S5O,UOO year to keep st.
Peters at Rome in repair.
The Catholic churches which be-
long to the city of Paris are estimated
to be worth in round numbers $40, 0O0,-
900. .-s rs el.5.
-Four of the seven Bishops of the
Methodist Church South have been in
the ministry from fifty to sixty years,
and possibly this is true of i've of the
seven. 81 g. s. % - ta 1a X
The Chicago Standard has list OF
thirty Baptist churches in Iowa (nearly
every one in place of importance)
that are now pastorless. And yet there
are plenty of ministers without
churches. Nt .fE-f. Hstf
The American Sunday School
Union has organized an average of
1926 Sunday schools year, or over
three per day, for every day of the last
tifty-fve years, and has reached and
aided nearly 5000, 900 of Sabbath school
scholars.
"A warm discussion on corporal
punishment was concluded without &C.
ton in the Cincinnati School Board the
other day. Statistics were offered
showing that the newest teacher
whipped most and the best teacher
whipped least.
The decrease of candidates for the
ministry in the Presbyterian Church is
causing serious apprehension. Last
year the Presbyterian Church did not
produce ministers enough out of its
ranks to replace the wants made by
death and removal.
Several of the Belgian Communes
have set the example not only of making
primary instruction gratuitous, but of
granting also to the children of the poor
frequenting the public schools, the nee
essary clothing. Deposits in the saw
ings banks are also granted to the pu-
pills to such an amount that when at
tanning their majority they may dispose
of 700 francs each.
1t has seemed almost impossible in
the past to introduce Sunday Schools
into Russia, but it is reported that at
last q foothold has been obtained.
1t is not, however, in the Greek
church-for there the opposition still
resists all attempts but among
the Germans, is what is known as
the inner mission" A school which
was started last year in st. Petersburg
has constantly increased it's member
ship, and every Saturday night holds
teachers meeting. Another, located
in Osbron Grosser, numbers a round
hundred pupils, and third also in St.
Petersburg is held in the house of a
lady living far from the center of the
city. Still another has been opened
more recently in Revel, Esthland, and
has fourteen teachers and hundred
pupils.
Statistics have been prepared to
show the receipts of the Foreign Mis-
sionary Union (Baptist) during the
sixty-six years since it was organized.
Beginning with 1915, it appears that in
the succeeding thirty-four years the
largest sum received in any one year
was 800, 150.62-an extraordinarily
large sum, and due in great part to
special effort made in that year (1S46)
10 remove an accumulated debt. The
smallest sum in the same period was
S3,615.27; which was received in 1922.
During four years the amount was over
S80,000, during five over $4,000, and
during six over 100000. Since 1850
the annual receipts have fallen below
100000 only three times. In 1870
they reached 100000, and have never
since been lower than that sum. The
highest point reached was in 1878, when
the total amounted to $27S,723.14.
The General Synod of the Protest
ant State Church of Prussia was opened
at Berlin by sermon from the General
Superintendent of Berlin, who claimed
that it lis the largest synodal body that
Christianity can show" representing
100000 Evangelicals." The Gener-
al Synod is composed of 1914 members,
and meets every six years. Of the del
egates, 149 are elected by the eight pro-
vincial synods, thirty are nominated by
the King, six representatives of the the
illogical faculties in the universities are
sent up, and the nine general superin-
tendents close the list In the recent
Synod there were LOG laymen and SO
clergymen. Business is transacted in
parliamentary style and there are par
liamentary divisions of parties. Each
delegate takes oath as follows, on tax
ing his seat: 81 promise before God
that | will diligently and truly full
fill my duties as member of this
Synod, according to the Word of God
and the ordinances of the National
Evangelical Church, and that l will so
act as that the Church may grow up in
all things into Him who is the Head,
even Christ" Among the enactments
of the Synod was one declaring that the
religious should always follow the civil
ceremony of marriage. Another au-
thorized biennial collection in Prussia
for missions in Berlin, where there are
church accommodations for only 10000
out of $4,000 Protestants. Resolutions
in favor of a stricter observance of Sum
day as day of rest were passed.