The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-01-04
FOREIGN CHURCH NEWS.

In Micronesia nearly four hundred
additions to the churches are reported, and the
Gilbert Islands are becoming more promising
field.
The missionaries in Northern India
propose revised Urdu version of the New
Testament, to correspond with the new English
version.
Five thousand Pagans are reported
as converted during the last executive year
through the missio IS In Siberia of the Russian
Holy Synod.
In many Church-of England congre-
cations bags have been substituted for plates in
taking up the collections, and as a result the re-
ceipts are reported as much smaller.
=" For Episcopacy," says Mr.. Hatch,
the author of the hampton Lecture for 1880
" for Episcopacy in the sense which later times
gave to the word and as a special apostolic in
stitution there is no primitive evidence worthy
Of the name"
The missionaries of the Livingstonia
mission on Lake Nyassa are translating the New
Testament into Chinyanja and Chitonga, max
ing 81 African languages now having portions
of the Bible. The whole Bible has been trans
lated into only eight of the many hundred Ian
guages of the Dark Continent.
The English Church Missionary So
ciety reports that on the Niger tribe after tribe
are ready to receive teachers On the Delta of
the Niger the people by hundreds are throwing
away their idols, and the churches are thronged
every Lords day while the famous cd temple
at Bonny studded with human skulls, is going
to ruin.
Rev. r. R. Williams, President Of
the Ramapatan Seminary connected with the
Baptist mission to the Telugus in India, says
they have one native preacher who holds his
congregation with as firm a grip as Spurgeon.
He says that one element of the power of the
native preacher is the fact that the Bible is an
Eastern book, and hence they understand it,
When Campello, the Canon of St.
Peters, at Rome, renounced Romansm in the
Methodist chapel in that city the accusations fell
thickly about him. 1t was said by his enemies
that he resigned to marry a foreign lady Of enor
nous wealth. Campello denies, and for proof
of it points to the fact that after some months he
is not married, and is making no arrangements
thereto.
The Reformed DUTCH Church in
Yokohama is the finest Christian church build
ing in all Japan. The first thousand dollars to
ward it were contributed by the Sandwich
Islands Missionary Society twenty years since.
This building is one of the wonders of Yoke
hama to the hundreds of Japanese travellers
who visit the place. Groups Of ten and twenty
with broad umbrella-like hats and light white
mats over their shoulders to protect them from
sun and rain, and with pilgrim slaves in their
hands, may often be seen in the streets under
the lead Of some native cicerone, and this church
IS always visited by them.
The great theatre meetings held last
summer in Kiyoto and Osaka Japan hav,
reused not only the Sbinto priests into holdne
great opposition meetings, but have compelled
the newspapers TO report as items of news the
growing power of L" the Jesus Religion" a.
Christianity IS termed. Christianity appears
to be spreading over the country with the rapid
ity Of p rising tide" observes one paper. An
other says-"The priests are desperately cage
to stem the rapidly advancing food of Chris
tianity, which threatens to drown them out a
no distant day" The osaka Nippo said to b,
the ablest paper in Southern Japan, is bold il
its advocacy Of the Jesus Way" on tn
ground that no other religion has ever giver
liberty TO any nation. The official organ Of tb
Government, which stands at the head Of tn
Press Of Japan, recently had remarkable edi