The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-06-04

*Includes 5000 members in United States.
BUDDHISM.

BUDDHISM.
The central idea of Buddhism seems to
be that of buying merit, or gaining the Ia
vor of the gods by meritorious deeds, and
| suffering for their sake, and those who tor
ture their bodies or suffer special privation
hope by so doing to store up large quaint
ties of merit, or even to be deiied in the
future world. Their devices to accomplish
/ this are numerous. One monk has fulfilled
three years vow of hermitage in lonely
hut at some distance from the temple. An
other sits cross-legged in a tiny cell, coming
out only for his meals. They say he has
not spoken for three years, and probably
never will again, the vow of perpetual 81
lenee being especially pleasing to Buddha.
Still another, even more willing to suffer
than his fellows. has offered one of his
fingers as sacrifice, and proposes to offer
more, we am told. The process is de-
scribed as follows: The finger is wound
with flax which has been soaked in kero-
sene oil, and on the end is placed lighted
taper, which burns slowly down, consum
ing the finger, and the stump is finally cut
off with pair of shears.
- PIoUs SMILES.
The Swedish Lutheran Sunday school
held pic mic to-day on the bluff.
The Rev. j. B. T. Patterson and family
have arrived and that gentleman will soon
take charge of the First Baptist church
of this city.
Union meetings will be held commencing
to- morrow evening at the Central Presby
terrain churches.
The minister's vacation season will soon
arrive and the heated term, the lay mem
beers will have to make the good fight
alone.
A st. Louis divine, eminent enough to
have d. d. attached to his name, declares
that those newspapers which do not sup
press reports of Ingersolls lectures are
enemies of Christianity.
A new sect of Advantists have sprung
up in Indiana. They are Soul Sleepers,
and believe that the body sleeps till the
resurrection, the soul being in state of
quiescence till that time.
Just at the time when all Europe is
astir with the news of martial movements
in the regency of Tunis, it is curious to
read an appeal from the Rev. E. II. Shep-
herd, the acting English chaplain in Tunis,
for contributions toward the erection in
the church OF st. Augustine there of a
memorial window to Howard Payne, the
author of the simple ballad of Home,
Sweet Home" who is buried in the Pro
testant cemetery of the town. The mem
orial win cost about G25.
The town of Hampton, Mass, has given
the land for cemetery, dividing it equally
between Protestants and Roman Catholics.
This is said to be the first time that any
public property has ever been given to
Roman Catholics in New England.
A pious man has made it his mission to
travel daily on the trains running through
Meriden, Conn, and distribute printed
slips containing Scripture texts and brief
exhortations. One of the latter reads:
No Efforts of yours, no good works, no
good resolutions, no good prayers can
translate you from fitness for hell to fitness
for heaven" Others are still stronger in
their doctrinal assertions. The Springfield
Republican says that one of Connecticut's
best clergymen was inquired of by
stranger colporteur not long since as to
whether he felt that his soul was safe.
His reply was: Il deem your question ex
ceedingly impertinent. :"
The Bishop of London has expressed
some misgiving as to the effect of the re-
vised New Testament on young clergymen
and other indiscreet and ignorant persons.
The Bishop warns them that it is not yet
permissible to nse or even criticise the new
version. Not until the Old Testament has
also been revised win the New Testament
revision be before the church for consider
alton. and not until the whole work has
been approved of by clergy aud laity win
rsx,o Cor o..ff. -<,x, ,,nksl