New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-13
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

/ Church Congress recently held at Providence
| r. !. The great beauty OF the discussions each
| day, he says, was that men had the courage of
| their opinions. 1T was the most honest
| speech making | ever heard" says Mr.. Ward.
! "Churchmen used to believe that their Church
| was like the seamless robe of Chfist-withOut
] the least blemisb you could never get them
! TO acknowledge any lmpertcctOn; but at the
! Providence Congress they acknowledged 80
much that needed ding-aCknOwedged it
/ to the end that the evil might be brought to
| light and mcnded-that some were afraid that
/ BapiStS and McthOdiSts and CCngregatlOnalists,
/ plenty of whom were in the audience, might see
/ the glory of the Church in its shame. was
/ something new to hear men admitting that TIC
| Liturgy was not absolutely perfect tlat the
| theological semnaries needed to be made over,
! that the new version was unit TO be part OF
| the peoples Bible, that the bishops ought TO
rise to the position of the moral leaders OF the
/ Nation, that souls were to be saved through
! the organization of charity, that the ChuIcn
! which is not American III organization and IN
! situations has no place III America, ana tlat
/ spiritual culture to be adequate to the needs or
men should be based upon the power OF the m
diyldual to enter into personal communion WIN
! God. :. There are other points to be consld-
! cred. | think the Congress Is bringing to the
! front new type of clergyman. The eyangell-
Gals, who used to utter their thoughts In Il sem
timcntal dialect, now speak of the Christ III lam
! guage that is manly, tender, true, strong. Inc
! Broad Churchman is abroad everywhere to-
| day. but the Congress has given him so much
chance to air himself that he is actually con-
! sentative, far sOunder man than he was once
| willing to allow himself to be. Even the mt
uaist is less cOnceited than he used to be IN his
! Catholic position, and the OldfashOned high
Anglican is practically ruled out of the Church.
| This is the effect of the attrition OF the Con-
| grcss. The result is the growth OF nanlnesS
| among the clergy along the lines OF intellectual
| charity. There is something more. Nothing
| marked the Providence Congress more than
! the ofl-hand speaking. Once yon could easily
count the Episcopal cler ymcn who were aDle
! TO stand on their feet and speak Squarely and
| to the point. IL is now the exception to ind
| clergyman young or old, who cannot speak eN7
! tempOTe and some speak with point anO
! energy and squarelness' which IS surprising;
| This is another outcome of the Congress. Ana
! there is yet more to be said. The Congress has
| saved the Episcopal Church from sectaiianlsm
| within itself. This freedom OF opinion, TINS
! free speaking on platforms and IN pulpit, TINS
| willingness to believe IN the sincerity OF thoSe
who differ from you, has given the Episcopal
! Church great amount OF practical BREADTH
and in this breadth its future lies"
DEATH OF A VENERABLE ARCHBISHOP
! The venerable Archbishop John Macllale, 81
! Tuam. Ireland, who died few days ago had
| been a bishop since 1925, and was therefore
one of the oldest, if not the oldest, IN the t0nan
J Catholic Church. Since st. Patrick, says
| the Pilot, there has hardly ever been bishop
/ in Ireland so beloved of the people az john OF
] Uall. All MS long anu dihuDHN atliN ~ nv
lived close in the love of the people OF MS do
| ccse and the people of all Ireland. For nearly
| twO-thirds of n century ms lie has been inter-
woven with the national life. For sixty
/ years he stood forth rs q representative OF lis
/ people, in religion and politics. Archbishop
/ John was born III 1871, at UNDERMINING a VII
| lagc of Mayo. A COnBdught man born, he al
/ ways lived among his own people, preaching 10
/ them In the rich Gaelic tongue, and taking ms
pastoral stan IN the ol0en way to Nlalt tiie VIA
/ islands Oh the coast where the hardy fishermen
/ make their living. The Archbishop was
/ Ncst0r among Irish politicians; he ha! been q
mover and a leader with three generations Oh
/ men. lie was tower OF strength 10 COnnell {;
| and To him II WAS that OCOnnell first made
/ known his plan of Joining the whole OF Ireland
/ by an organization of It's regular parishes. In
every OutburSt of the national spirit IN Ireland,
! since those early DAYS of OCOnuCll agitation,
/ the people have turned with love and trust Tor
! advice and sympathy to John of Iuam. lie
! ALWAYS SympathiZcd with the people, and he
! bound their love around him as no Irish bishop
/ h1. done for centuries. Never too much OF u
/ Churchmau to he lukcwarm as an lr,hman,
| and never too hasty an lrishman TO forget that
/ hc was bishOp-nO wonder ireland h0nOfed
/ this remarkable man.
Of Dr. Alexander IIannay, the secretary OF
/ the Congr, gaional Union, which recently cele-
/ DRAFTED lis Jubilee meeting at Manchester Eng
/ land, Dr. simeon Gilbert writes rs follows 10
/ I he AdrdRce: lie Is widely known 10 Am"rl-
/ cans by his visit to our country Just year ago
/ He occupied unique official position with re-
/ ference 10 the churches constituting the Con-
/ grcgational Union of England and Wales.
| There is nothing with H. at all corresponding
/ TO it, TO express II IN word, he IS Tie grand
. t,iciyfum of the denomination But If tins
/ official relationship, in Il Congregational body
| of churches is unique, so Is the man himself
/ lie possesses IN extraordinary combination OF
intellectual and other qualities. lau ne
/ Glanced To hc a lawyer. he would have risen 10
/ hal In, r,t,lfr fsr.rf hp
! would have been u statesman, been sent to
/ Parliament, and probably been Prcmlcr-dltcr
Gladstone, Woe to the next man who shall
| undertake. 20 pcrpctuate precisely this sort ol
. more or less Congregational personal dynasty :.
7 But DR.. Haunay is easily master OF The SItlid-
ton Bat this is 50, partly because English
/ CougrcgationaliSts are not exactly Ike thcir
/ CONGREGATIONAL kin beyond thc sea; YET
/ chiefly because he Is, 10 uncommon de
cree master of several thmgs,-namey, OF hml-
self; of the principles aud aims OF the dcnOml-
nation: OF the arts and resources Of forensic
debate and of popular leadership. rs il Is, 1t
Is evident that his great services 10 the church
are most warmly apprcciated.'
If one NAV Judge from the report on Sunday
! schools adopted 10y the BapJists oi this state at
thcir recent convention, they are not altogether
| satisfied with the work that Is doing. In the
reuort tie following recommendations were
made as means of securing additional ell
cheney in this branch OF church work: %
There should be IL more thorough ana UNIFORM
system of records Some schools have none,
and some set all arithmetic at defiance, one
claiming an average attendance OF III Per
cent. ~ The organization Of the, sch, IS
should be mere closely connected with that Ct
the church. Separate constitutions Tor sun
d.y-Schools should be abolished. (3) More
and better work is needed 10y oar sunday
school teachers. The average attendance
rarely rises above IS per cent is more gener,
ally from 30 TO 10 per cent, and some even IaIl
below 50 ppr cent. Tie reports show decline
in the attendance, while the membership fand
financial condition of the church have adj
yanced The officers and teachers have IN
creased, while the scholars have fallen oil. %
Every pastor should conduct colloq9al Blbie
nlnnn nr hnfIer still with all from the COngre-