Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-02-14

ana vigorous. Iney COnLIlDuUc SUNNI VI
money toward the support OF poor
churches In their own and other cities in
amounts that would simply appal similar
churches In towns Of from 100000 70
200, 900 inhabitants. Their means arc
great; so are the number OF calls upon
their generosity.
As for saying that poor people are not
welcomed In fashionable churches, II Is all
bosh. 10 has come TO be the fashion
itself to talk So In any Of our churches
here strangers, whether rich or poor, are
welcomed with all the cordially
possible under the circumstances A
stranger always is stranger; for when
he gets acquainted he Is no longer q
stranger. But the stranger, as SUCH Is
shown, invariably, consideration not
found in any other public or private IN
stltution of human framing. This Is true
In the Eastern cities, and IL, have no
doubt, equally true in other parts Of the
country.
Not long since q certain Presbyterian
congregation in this city was offered
s 095, the proceeds of q ball given by q
society having charitable objects Ia view
Now the popular remark would be, that
of course the church shut Its eyes and
took the money.
A matter Of fact it did nothing Of the
sort. II refused the money, but thanked
the well-meaning donors A few days af-
terward Roman Catholic priest sent 10
the church 500 as tribute OF personal
esteem aud 10 help It make good its
| hypothetical loss. Think OF a Romanist
sending Protestant congregation 600
Fifty years agol The world moves.
| II moves IN more than one direction.
Col Robert q Ingersol, who seemed des-
| lined for so much power a few years ago,
Is to-day not even respectable cipher In
current thought. His views receive no
attention. He simply ran bis gauntlet as
| thousands of Others have done and has
now disappeared. For this the churches
themselves arc largely to be credited.
They insisted upon trying Ingersoll and
his arguments, not the Christian church
aud its belief. The result was as might
have been expected. Ingersoll was found
TO be on the side OF the balance that was
| found wanting, and that fact settled the
whole controversy
Another noticeable thing about modern
Professionalism IL it, growing tendency TO.
ward rItualism Presbyterian, Baptist,
aud even Methodist churches throughout
the Eastern states are beginning To adopt
Episcopal forms. They are learning the
Apostles Creed, the Lords Prayer, and
| The Ten COmmandments--not l do not
mean, as they once did, TO be heard only
on certain occasions, but To be recited as
| by the Episcopalians In their Sunday Rery-
ices. They read the responses TO Psalms,
and Ia some sections have introduced
boy choirs.
Nor do they stop here. At a recent
conference of Methodist ministers held
az Springfield, Mass, the thirty odd as
sembled dlvines actually went into re-
treat--a yeritable Romanist thing, and,
moreover, they called II byits right name
and although on the soil that once Tapped
up martyred witches blood, they were
not shocked by their own temerity, nor
reproached for their adoption OF Roman
tat practices. The world moves.
Epscopalians In New York have we'll
drilled and well-dlsciplined slsterhood
called, not sisters OF mercy or sisters OF
charity, but the same thing by another
name, the Sisters OF st. Margaret. "A
very nourishing branch of this order ex-
sts IN Washington. There are in the
English church several very prominent
and influential sisterhoods, notably ST
Marga cts, All Saints, st. John the Bap,
list aud st. Mary's, the last-named having
originated In America. These various
slsterhoods have houses in England
Scotland, Canada, South Africa, the
United States, India aud various Other
parts OF the world The number of the
sisters aud their Influence is said to bt
growing daily throughout the church.
The Sisterhood OF St Margurets was
founded by Or. John Mason Neal about
forty years ago, but II never amounted Il
anything until the reaction In liberal sen
timent which began decade or 30 ago
The chief duty of the sisters is the nurs
Ing OF the sick poor In their own homes
aud In the performance OF such dutlet
they are constantly exposed to danger
They appeared ut Memphis WREN the vel
low fever rayaged that city, and severa
members OF the order have been detailed
for work in Canada during the prevalence,
OF smallpox there.
In addition TO such duties, however
they conduct schools, work upon churcl
, embroideries and engage in varlou
charitable works In the parishes wher
, their houses are TO be found. Their prin
, clpal house IN America is in Boston
They wear habit of dark brown clotl
/ with black vail to drape their heads
, There are among the ladies OF Washing
, ton several associate members OF tn,
sisterhood who are not nuder the discip
line, but enjoy certain OF the privileges
OF the sisterhood The members OF TIN
sisterhood take upon themselves obliga
lions OF celibacy, aud are under discip
line very much like that of the sisters o
charity OF tho Roman Catholic church
-.
One of the most successful EpIscopa
churches In Philadelphia Is under tn
charge OF rector who calls himsel
| "iather.n He has instituted tho confess
ional, burns Incense during service an,
candles every day In the year He is
cellhate, as are also all of his assistants
Tley belong to an order similar TO th
redemptorist of the Roman church an,
have their headquarters In Boston Thel
church In this city Is always crowded
They work among the poor and do N
| small amount OF good
/ Another sign OF the religious times /
the gradual breaking up, at least In en-
Middle and Eastern states, OF the oil
, Methodist itlntrant system. To be sure
the system is sim In active workin
order, but only for the poorer preachers
/ Wealthy city churches "call' their min
. istvrs and nave whomsoever they want
just as much as do Baptists or Presby
| teriaus. Methodist conferences ar
, divided, as regards their members, int
three oassesi First, those munster
F. who practically have their own say as I
I where they shall 20 and what they sha
. do, second, those who are general