Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-08-13

lion, four hundred and eixty-six thous-
and dollars last year to two million.
eigh: hundred and ten thousand this
year. A decrease of six hundred and
shIrty-si thousand dollars great de-
crease were il no. explained By the fact
that none of the churches in New
Hampshire or Connecticut made this
year any report of these items.
Last year they reported S5746;0. The
number of churches Thus reporting was
seven hundred and five less this year
than last.
In Home Missionary work the last re-
port Of that society is very encouraging.
The number Of laborers has been
thousand and seventy, An increase of
thirty eight over last year, and only ex-
ceeded in lS52, when the New School
Presbyterians and CongreRationalists
worked together in the society. The
number Of additions to the aided church
Is was 81 more than the previous year;
aud the receipts were $40, 77S .46, almost
fifty thousand dollars more than the
previous year and thirty thousand more
| than any preceding year. In 1871 they
were $24G,5G7.26, and in 1861 when the
Presbyterians were working With Us they
were $1S3. 76l. 50; and in no year when
they were thus working did they exceed
this latter amount by ten thousand dol
lars.
The writer was Just Aatterin9 himself
how Congre9ationaiisn was gaining
when he read the article referred to.
| When he became connected with tee
Congregational Association of Oregon
and Washington in 1874 there were only
thirteen Congregational churches in the
whole region, four of which were in
Washington. Now thore are fOrty-One.
tWenty-nine of which are in this Terri
tory.
md. The article says: at has lost
its vitality and its zeal h,s departed
from it."
/ have generally supposed that the
amount of work done by a body shows
its life-dead bodies do not work. The
question was once asked in regard to a
person who Was reported to be convert
cd, rs his purse cOnverted! Man nat
urally loves to keep his money for him
self or to give to his children after him;
and il a Christian give his to those who
have no claim ON him, to the heather, it
shows that he loves Christ more than
money-it shows life. In this respec:
Congregationalists have no reason to be
ashamed In their gifts to the hsathen
they exceed proportionately any Other
large denomination in the United S.ttes
and think in the world. DR.. Christ
iieb. one OF Germany's most noted
Christians in q work on Foreign Mis-.
siOns published i'll 1880, (page 80 says
"There was contributed last year to for.
eign missions by about $780, 900 members
of Congregational churches, $5ll $50
or one dollar and thirty-seven cents pc,
head" This does not include legacy
of more than a million dollars, left by
Dea Otis that year, Con9regationalis,
the largest amount ever given by ono
individual to that cause, aud this not
wiihstanding the fact that 50 many
members are women and absenteas
He also says that 632,O00 Preabyterians
contribute 1885,, 900 for the same pun,
pose, or eiRhty-seven cents each; i,7OJ
UO0 Methodists give $255.000. or seven
teen cents each, and 100000 Baptists
contribute $25z,677, or twelve cents
apiece. Such giving as this surely doe:
not show tina. the vitality or zssl OF the
denomination have departed.
3D.. Tue article SAYS: ut has no def
mite faith Ill these days. The most tai
ented men among its younger ministry
are Enthusiastically tinged with infideli
ty."
We supposed that d. L. Moody wa.
one of the most talented spiritually, ana
Joseph Cook intellectually, of the elasi
referred to, Doth of whom are Consrega
tionalis:s; and they certainly have beer
dealing as heavy blows against infdelity
each IN his way, as any persons in the
United States Of any denomination.
True, there has been considerable dis
cussiOn lately about creed, and the doc
trines refe. red to in the article. as the
atonemeut, fall of man, redemption, fu.
ture rewards and punishments, especial
ly at Andover Theological Seminary
And it Is also fact that that seminary
which was formerly the largest in the
denomination, and which has beer
somewhat liberal, has been dwindiing in
numbers 40 that the last Glass which en-
tered numbered only five, not one-sixtl
the number of some former classes
while Hartford Theological Seminary
which has been called as blue as the blu.
est Presbyterian, has doubled and treb
led its classes, and has brighter pros
poet than ever before.
i II would hardly be fair to charge the
whole denomination with infidelity be
cause a few men, one of whom was re
fused ordination in Massachusetts,. anG
another, Of whom was refused instalia
ton in Illinois for their doubts on some
of these points, than to charge the Pres
byterians with infidelity because Prof
Robertson Smith, of Scotland, one OF
their number, has been so liberal rs te
be denounced by them; or the Episcopal
church because Canon Farrar has
doubts abont the eternity of future pun
ishment. A CoNGREaATIoNALIsT.