Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-11-14
OUR LONDON LETTER.
ANIMATED RECRUITING FOR A SCORE OF
SPIRITUAL ARMIES.
Band of the White Cross to Protect Mari.
tai Purity-Pew VS.. Pulpit-Tea
and Coffee Drinking-Etc.
LONDON. October 25, 1883.

and these we know are very many, 1t can
not certainly be said that there is any
want of the martial spirit here. Indeed
there seems rather to be superabundancs
of that sentiment. But most of it runs
toward religion, and is only available fol
warfare against his much abused Satanic
Majesty. Profting by the lament of VOL.
sey, who attributed his misfortunes to the
fact that he had served his God with less
zeal than he had shown for his King. the
present generation appear determined to
give preference to the service of the former,
let their earthly Sovereign fare how she
may. Accordingly there is a rage for
s'armies" organized on spiritual basis,
and at the present rate of progress it will
not be great while before those who do
not belong to one or other of these will be
considered as much out of fashion as, a
short time ago, those who held aloof from
the esthetic craze. Those who imagine
that the Salvation Army has monopoly
of this new field of novelties are mistaken
by large majority, for the followers of
General Booth have now formidable rivals
in the
"ARMY OF THE KINGS OWN"
The Holiness Army" the Hosanna
Army" the Redeemed Army" and the
"Royal Gospel Army" with new candi-
dates for popular favor enrolling them.
selves at Somerset House with rapidity
that might well make "our friend below >
tremble in his boots, if he has any. 1t is
announced, too, that Salvation Navy 4"
has just come on deck, branch of the
service specially designed, doubtless, for
Baptists and others who prefer the water
route to glory. But the strangest and
most interesting body is the "White Cross
Army" Observing company of people,
with this badge on their breasts, holding
services one Sunday afternoon in Hyde
Park, my curiosity was aroused, and by
dihgent inquiry found out what the deli.
cate little crueifix, thus worn, symbolized.
1t was the badge of social purity, learned,
the men and women wearing it being
pledged to strict
MENT,
And to use every effort to exalt that stat
ute in the estimation of mankind gener-
ally. Not long ago the Bishop of Dur
ham preached a sermon TO the members
OF this army, in the course of which he
said that upon this matter of purity pub
lie opinion was grossly perverted and gone
astray. There was one law for the man
and another for the woman, the sin
which was condoned in the former being
visited with the severest social penalties
in the latter. The endeavor of the
White Cross Army" the Bishop said,
was to redress this wrong and restore
the Christian ideal which made no differ.
ence between the sexes. Whether this
army will gain many recruits remains to
be seen, but no one will deny that there is
plenty of room for work in this direction,
or will fail to hope that the wearers of
the white cross may be successful in
keeping their VOWS.
DISCUSSION BETWEEN PEW AND PULPIT.
Among worldly minded people an OBJ
lection has. always been felt to the conven.
tional method of setting forth the truths of
religion, on the ground that it gives the
preacher such undue advantage over his
hearers. He may say what he pleases in
the line of doctrine, or may lay on, no
matter how severely, the lash of correc.
ton, and still the congregation must sit
quietly and take it all in. The carnal
heart rebels against such tyranny, and
many an old sinner, while receiving his
Sabbath castigations, has wished that he
could talk back" But the rules of
society hitherto have been against him. 1t
appears, however, as though the day of re.
form might be at hand, and, strange to
say, bold effort to inaugurate this reform
has Just been made in conservative Eng.
land, and in no less place than ST. Paul's
Cathedral in this city, where, on Sabbath
evening last, Herbert Freund arose from
his seat during the sermon and proposed to
enter into controversy with the officist-
ing clergyman, the Rev. Mr.. Ingram.
There was wisdom, no doubt, in beginning
this new departure at headquarters, but
the protesting gentleman was hardly as
discreet as one could have wished him to
be when he
BRANDED THE STATEMENTS OF THE
PREACHER
As lies, and called him "a son of the
devil, and it is likely, too, that he injured
rather than helped his cause by being so
violent as to make the services of eight
constables necessary to convey him to the
police station. Pioneers, however, are in
variably extremists, and usually, st first,
! they aresat down upon. That the preacher
| continued his discourse notwithstanding
the interruption, raising his voice to meet
the emergency, is an indication that the
clergy will not readily yield their privileges
in this matter, and the horror of the con-
| gregation at the occurrence shows, further.
more, how much of popular prejudice will
have to be combstted. Meanwhile, it is
comforting to think that outside of the
sacred editioes we can talk back to the
preachers as much as we please, and Just
now the columns of the daily press attest
how highly this liberty is enjoyed, and how
many there are who are ready on the
slightest provocation to make use OF it.
FIGHT AGAINST TEA. DRINKING.
The British public are holding contro.
versy with the Dean of Bangor. The
point in dispute is no abstruse theological
problem. 1t does not relate to the future
punishment of the wicked, nor to any o.
the delicate and complicated questions o.
church government. In every respect, ex
oepting in the degree of public attention il
has awakened, the dispute is a veritablt
" tempest in teapot, for that harmless
beverage, which is usually spoken of al
4" the cup which cheers and not inebriates,
is what it is all about. But in speaking Of
this beverage as harmless have unwittingly
placed myself on the side of the Deans an
tagouists. In his judgment tea-drinking
as carried on here, is far from being harm
less, and source of untold miseries, in
juring at once body, mind and moral char
acter. In presence of this terrible arraign
ment the