Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-08-18

I
hplscopsAllans it6, 7Sb I59 642
~ ;;,,;;;,,.;,''' 5oS35 2Si?
Un ni;a5 sail ''''' - gS ~ S9 goo
rotals,,,..,..........,...... 10 79O,828 20 7SlS
*Catholic population,
The increase as shown by these figure is
S16,995. The noteworthy gains were as
follows; Baptists lO6,904; Congregation
alists, 1904; Methodists, 24,352; Presby-
terians 43, AIS; Episcopalians, 1857; Ro-
nan Catholic population, 655, 294. The
Society of Friends is the only one report
ing decrease in membership, but in sew
eral others there was little if any change.
As a matter of interest we give the fol-
lowing statistics of the three leading Pro-
testant denominations
BAPTIsTs.
Ministers. ............... 27,SS9 S0,99S 32,0i7
COMMUNICATIVE G79,6S5 4,o7S $50
METHoDISTs.
Churches 1900. 1852 5S,25S 59,6so
Commandments. 5S2, 0jS 1899, 500 4.7G,SSI
PEESBYTERIANs.
Churches ................ l2.s6S 1S,057 IS.S49
MinisteTs......-........... 9,429 9,5S5 g7S6
Communicants........1oS 2,436 l,lS6,6S5 l,1S0,lIS
1t will be seen that there has been
growth in each denomination, though the
Baptists have gained more members than
both the Methodists and Presbyteriaus put
together.
Roman Catholic Churches number .424.
as against 6,S29 one year ago, and there
are 1896 clergy, as gainst 7 500 in 1880.
The total number of churches in the
United States is now 142, 767, and there
are 1892 ministers, as against 13S, $50
churches and "a, 457 ministers in 1880.
OF denomination other than those here
| considered no statistics have been pub
lished for this year. But in 1888 there
were 800 Jewish churches, with 202 min
listers and 1868 members; GA Nor
mon churches, with 3,906 ministers and
25O, 900 members; Is churches belonging
to the Shakers, with IS ministers and
2,4O0 members, and two churches, with
2S3 members in the Oneida community.
ut is impossible" says the Christian
Union, "for well-informed Biblical critic
to take seriously the charges of heresv
brought against DIR. Harper, of Yale Theo-
logical Seminary, and in his person against
| the whole school of higher criticism which
he represents. Biblical criticism is di-
vided into two departments somewhat
roughly differentiated, and entitled re-
| spectively the lower and the higher
criticism. The lower criticism sim
ply interrogates the text, to ascer-
tain, first, what is its meaning, grammat-
| ically and philologically considered. The
Iuhn i,;e, al, 81
| allure, collection of ancient Hebrew books;
1t inquiries into their dates, their author
ship, the times and circumstances of their
composition, the object of the writer's, and,
IN short, into all which throws light on
either their origin or their meaning. In
this investigation it proceeds exactly as
critical inquiry proceeds in any other liter
airy investigation. There is not one canon
for determining the date and authorship
of Leyiticus or Johns Gospel, and another
for determining the date and authorship
! OF Homeric poem or a Shakespearean play
any more than there is one science of
grammar and philology to be used
in studying the four Gospels, and
one entirely different science of Ian
guage to be used in studying Homer or
Xenophon. 1t is true that some scholars
who have employed this method have as
sumed that there are no miracles, no
prophecies, no revelation, no supernatural
element in the Bible; but this assumption
is no part of the higher criticism, and is as
unscientitc as the contrary assumption
that there are miracles and supernatural
element"
The English Bishop of Manchester, DR..
Moorhouse, at a recent visitation to the
clergy of the diocese, said of cremation that
occasionally Christian people wished to
have the remains of their departed friends
burned rather than buried. He was not
aware that as yet practical expression had
been given to such desire in that diocese
but as the innovation might at any mo-
ment be made, it was as well to be pre-
pared for it. 1t was important to observe,
IN the hrst place, that the practice of Gre
nation could create for them, as Christians,
no doctrinal difficulty whatever. Accord
ing to the teaching of ST. Paul, flesh and
blood could not inherit the Kingdom of
God; neither doth corruption inherit in
corruption" The body in which the dead
would meet their Lord was not that cor
ruptible body which they laid in the
earth; 1t was not natural, but spiritual
body. Whether, therefore, the body of
their flesh returned to dust by the natural
process of decomposition or was reduced by
man to ashes, as in the case of those mar
tyrs who were burnt at the stake, they
could still cherish the hope, in Christian
sense, of the resurrection of the body. The
question thus was one of sentiment only
For his own part, as matter of feeling,
he desired his body to be buried in the
m bo riol
tom of the Church of God, and he believed
that if due and well-known precautions
were taken, burial might do no more harm
to the living than burning. Still he pre-
sumed not to judge his brother if he pre-
ferred to consign the remains of his beloved
to the furnace"
The good steamer City of Picking, which
sailed from San Francisco on Tuesday last,
carried good reinforcements to the mis-
sions beyond the sea. Rev. DR.. Arthur
Mitchell, Secretary of the Presbyterian
Board, accompanied by his wife, goes out
to visit the mission of that Board in Japan,
China and Corea. The Misses Mary Z.
and Helen Stanley, after years Of school |
ing at Marietta and Oberlin, return to
their parents at Tientsin, under the Amer
lean Board Other missionaries of the
American Board on the steamer, were F. E. |
Mcbride, NJ. D., wife and two children, !
going to Kalgan; DIR. James Goldsburg |
and wife, bound to Shansi, and Dr. and |
Mrs. Atwood and two children, returning |
to Lin Ching. DIR. Osborne of the Meth |
odist Episcopal Church and Dr. Atterbury, |
Presbyterian, were returning to their |
work. Mr.. Leland was going out to en- |
gage in educational work in japan. A |
large number of friends witnessed their !
departure, and sang the good old sorg of |
triumph