Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-07-23
RELIGIOUS NOTES.

BIBLE TOO CUMBERSOME!
Emory u. E. Church. Baltimore has been sold
to st. Johns African Methodist congregation.
now worshipingin a chapel on Tester street The
price to be paid for the property is SIS. COO Five
hundred dollars have been paid and the balance
Is to be paid October 1.
- The New York spiritualists have recently
formed themselves into an alliance, with ex-Su-
perintendcnt Riddle at their head
- Rev. W. C. Van Meter who has been con-
Quoting an Independent Baptist mission in Rome.
arrived IN New York last week, and will spend
the summer in America
- In the revised New Testament the changes
are more numerous in the Epistles than in the
Gospels. In the Epistle to the Ephesians. which
has only 155 verses there are 3S4 changes most
OF them very slight.
- Friday. August 5tb. has been designated as
"a special day of fasting and prayer to be OBJ
served by the Methodists of all lands for the
blessing of God to rest on the ecumenical con-
ference" which meets in London in the fall.
Fifty years ago." said Dr. Starks, of the
Methodist church, in his sem-centennial dis
course 50 never saw written sermon in our
church Now our preachers generally 30 into
the pulpit with sermons written or with full
notes.
Copies of the revised Testament are sold in
England for penny, and over quarter of
million of this cheap edition have been disposed
OF. The publisher intends to produce French
translation. for sale in France, at the price of
one sou.
Scene out West clergyman Just back from
trip East on ''half-fare" ticket-'My breth-
ern, when was on the great link, that magni-
ficent double track, all steel rail. palace cars.
through without change (here he fills in the
name OF the route) and can assure you that
every director of the road is a gentleman and
thorough Christian, | saw" (here follows the
moral illustrati0n). All of which shows that
Western railroads know how to advertise when
they cut rates for elergymen.-Ne,r Hduen
Register.
A bishops son, not very long ago, was a
candidate for holy orders, but was unable to
answer any of the questions put to him by the
examining chaplain AT last the chaplain tried
a very easy one: Can you tell me where Jesus of
Nazareth was born:" The Young man looked
embarrassed. ''Aw--welI-aw" he said. after
a pause. Il can't say remember the exact
place at the moment, but am-shaw it was
aw-somewhere on the continent" And yet
this is Christian cOuntry.-EGrty Hour.
We regard the physical improvement in the
condition of President Garfield during the past
week as an answer to prayer. There is no de-
nying the very serious nature of the wound and
The extreme solicitude of the surgeons SO that
the danger in which he lay on the morning of
the hrst Sabbath OF this month was great. But
on that day the united and fervent prayers of
thousands OF cOngregations-Oft the entire Chris
tian heart of the land-went up to God for him;
while the same was probably true of nearly every
NOncontOrmist church in the Fatherland. And
from that hour to this millions of requests have
besieged the throne of grace that-if it be pos
eDe-thiS cup may pass from us. Is 1t too
much to think-nay, are we not bound to be-
heve-that it has been in tender answer to these
euppllcations that. so far. the sufferer has been
% wonderfully carried over the imminent dam
gers which so thickly beset him ?-The Congre-
QGtioadiiSt-
"A Judicious pastor and sensible choir al
ways a.ree-if in no other way by O compro-
mise There can, however, be but one head
The pastor knows what he is aiming at in the
service He knows what verses should be sung
and what omitted, if any. He knows the state
OF feeling he hopes by the help of the HOLY
spirit. to produce by his discourse and Scripture
readings and public inyoeations. A choir lin
dependent of the pastor" is q monster, as much
rs a bOokkeeper or salesman independent of his
principal Great discretion is necessary in the
ltineracy. The minister comes and finds the
choir. He who has disturbance with
choir is like unto man going into
. hornets nest. wise old woman said that
''if Satan tried in vain to break into peaceful,
happy church, before he utterly gave it up he
would try To climb in over the singing seats"
But it is better to have some trouble (always as
little as pOsSibe) than to stand forever in fear OF
. choir certain that the service will be spoiled
II they are left TO themselves. and certain of
trouble If a suggestion be made.-Ch,istidn i'd
S0cate.
OF the Congregational theological semi
naries Andover has 900 invested in real es-
tate and S525. 600 in funds; Yale has somewhat
more than quarter of million in funds and
Bangor has S30O,OOO about equally divided be-
tween funds and real estate. OF the Baptist
seminaries. Newton has *136, 900 in buildings
and s312. 900 i'm funds, and Rochester 1916 600 in
the latter form of investment. The wealthiest
OF the theological schools in this country are the
Presbyterian Princeton has buildings valued
at S274, COO and funds amounting to nearly
$4,000 The Union Seminary Of New York
holds real estate worth $685. 900 and funds worth
$4,000. The seminary at Auburn. N. Y. pos
sesses $500 000-$200, 600 in real estate. $500
In funds OF these two kinds of property the
seminary at Chicago has respectively. $500 900
and $4,000. The Western Theological Semi
nary at Allegheny city. Penn. has funds exceed
Ing SS50.OO0- The Lane Seminary possesses
property aggregating 100000. These six in
situations hold One-fOurth of the entire amount
OF property owned by the 124 seminaries in the
United States.
DIR. David Swing, of Chicago. thinks the
Bible too cumbersome book as it now is.
and advises that large part of the Old Testa-
ment Should be omitted from future editions
''NOt only" he says, "are the laws of the Mo-
sale state repealed and dead and, therefore. I'M
worthy of place in this guide of the public.
but they are the laws of a sem-barbarOus age
and cast no little of their imperfection over
upon the fair pages Of the New Testament The
New Testament has suffered much from thus
being found in bad company. Those treatise
are valuable as being part of the history of the
Jewish state, but not as being apart much less q
valuable part OF Christianity. Many Of the
Hebrew laws were so unjust that their presence
In the popular Bible makes ii essential that each
Clergyman and each Sunday-schOol teacher
shall spend much time in explaining the relation
OF Mosaic things to Christian affairs, AN ex-
Pianation TO be made easier by q withdrawal of
the cause The orthodox people who have
looked upon Prof. Swing as almost hereto.
viii be still more firmly convinced of it after
that
Under the title of IAN Not in Sport:" the
Observer fires good charge of small shot at the
cruel fellows who tortured the sick ri.s.,1r, a,
Coney lslan.: siaxe az much fun as YOU will of
tne society for the Prevention of Cruelty TO AMI
mails, no sane Christian citizen can CONTEMPLATE
with any satisfaction the practice of shooting
living animals for wager. They NAV be pig
cons or any other animal; it is making snort at
the expense of suffering The practice Is not in