New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-07
4 NEW CHRiSTIAN FEAST.

The Week of PRAYER which begins to-
morrow is one Of the striking successes OF
moueIn Christianity. Ii Is only about
twenty-three years since it was hrst pro-
posed by the Rev. DIR. John Hunter. Morrl-
son, n Presbyterian missionary in India, and its
first general observance occurred IN 1850. In
this score of years the custom has spread round
the globe and embraces In common ecclesias-
teal form all the Protestant bodies. The
nearest approach to il as a successful planting
Of new religious custom is found III the
International Sunday school Lessons, which Is al
about the same age and equally successful.
Both display the same desire for Christian
union and they happily express the two great
Protestant IDEAS intelligence and evangelical
ism. The Sunday schools round the globe study
the same portions of the Bible each Sunday
and In the Week of Prayer the devout thoughtis
throughout Prot, s,antism concentrated upon the
same themes. One custom creates common
study of Christian truth; the other summons
all TO one common altar of prayer. There as
.omething new in religion. The ancients did
not exhaust the possibilities of religious Gus
toms. The new modes OF universal faith and
devotion are already firmly established. The
dd.y newspaper, intent upon the play of
features in the face of the times. finds these re-
licious expressions ms remarkable as the most
striking evidences of material progress. That
the week following the first Sunday in January
is for Protestant Chrstendom week of prayer
is as modern and as significant ~ the telephone
Or the elevated railway.
The Week of Prayer was originally designed
for special puIpOse-to interest Christians IN
the heather world But 1t rapidly developed
into comprehensive system of deyout relig-
ious worship The original purpose has pros
pered I'm the widening Of the custom. lie
trader and the traveller used to derIdc the mis-
sionary. Since 1850, the latter has come to
command the respect Of his two companions in
heather countries. Better supported at home,
the missionary hRe moro power abroad. Mis-
sions in Bulgaria have not in all ways fulfilled
the hopes of their founders; but DIR. Long, OF
Roberts College, Constantinople, out of eK
pe,ience in Bulgarian mission got the power
to keep England out of the Russo Turkish
war There has been doubling and treblng
of missionary collections; aud fifteen wOmens
missionary societies have sprung into exist
euce These new notwithstanding TO improve
the condition of heather women and children
touch the heart Of humanity in all lands. They
seem most fully to express the helpful and
healing sympathy of the Founder of Chris
tiAnity The missionary who founded the Week
of Prayer builded more wisely than he knew.
The new religious custom has turned the
| thoughts of Christians everywhere to the needs
| of the nom Christian lands: and from thought
has como new and better, rs well as more,
means. Compared with any other modern
epoch, these twenty years are the golden period
of missionary work.
While the special end has been reached by
| the new custom, the larger objects have COM
| manded even more attention. 1t Is hardly pos
| siblc TO abuse scctarian feeling any more the
thing We used to know as powerful diyisible
| force has become 20 pitlfully weak and helpless
IA TO be beneath Il brave mans blows. To
| sneak of sectarianism now as a great force is
| 10 show that one does not know this decade.
| The present time has learned how to be zealors
| each man for his own preferred Church order
while outivating q perfect tolerance and re-
snect for every other man and his order The
old sectaran devil is dead; and the Week of
| Prayer was one Of tho means OF his death.
| Here and there the evil spirit may be found by
careful search, but II is not any more feature
of Church life aud force in society. In the
third decade behind us, that accomplished
scholar the late George Z. Marsh deprecated
any attempt To revise the English Bible, on tho
ground that Scctalian feeling would ruin the
scheme and split up our one Billie into many