Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-09-01
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO MINIS
TIERS AND LAYMEN.
Expressions of Opinion by Newspapers
Representing the Various Denom-
nations, on Many Subjects.


Says Professor Swing, who has Just been
elected a trustee of a Methodist college,
speaking of the contest of reason with
Christianity, Whether anything of
Christianity will remain, is the important
and painful question"
The Canadian Freeman says: "His
Grace, the Archbishop of St. Bonifee,
Mgr. Tache, is the owner of precious
souvenir given him by Sir E. P. Tache,
the President of the Quebec Conference in
1864. 1t is the inkstand used by the
father OF the Confederation in deciding
the destinies of the new Dominion. This
inkstand has been placed on the table at
the Council of Bishops held at St. Boni-
flee, and was used by their Lordships in
signing the first DEGREES issued by their
body"
The New York Christian Aduooate saws:
"a young man who plays the coruet for
eolored Methodist church in New York,
was asked the other day whether visitors
would be welcome in that church on a GER
tain Sabbath. His answer was: 'We are
closed for the summer This is some
SlhSlpo HoL one Oh the
families in this church has gone to the
country, and there does not seem to be
the slightest occasion for suspending re-
igious services; but fashions set by
wealthy churches will spread everywhere,
whether they be good or bad"
The Observer Pres says: "a pirates
flag was nailed to the almost inaccessible
steeple of church On Long Island, and
the Christian Register intimates that, though
it may be difficult to remove that flag, vet
it fears twill occasion more trouble to the
Presbyterian Church to haul down its OBJ
jectionable standards than to remove the
malicious symbol from this church, We
can assure our contemporary that it will be
some years before any Objectionable stand
ards of the Presbyterian Church are
hauled down. 1t will keep the old colors
hoisted for some while to come"
Father McDermott, of the Order of the
Holy Ghost, Pittsburg, Pa, says of the
school for colored boys, which the gener-
osity of Miss Kate Drexel is enabling him
to establish in Philadelphia, that the loca.
ton has not been definitely decided !;
neither has he drawn up any plans as to
the programme OF studies. The school, he
said, will be an industrial one, where
colorea youths, besides receiving a good
practical education, will be trained in the
different trades and industrial arts. There
will be chapel in connection with the
school, where the boys will attend services
at stated times.
The Watchman (Baptist) responds to the
declaration of the Boston Herald "that the
old (Calvanistic) faith still maintains a
firm foothold only in districts where the
present religious thought has not pene-
trated," as follows: at is assumed that
sceptics and agnostics are the only ones who
do any thinking. 1t is further assumed
that nobody would hold the system, save
from ignorance of what is written against
it. Both assumptions are as absurd as
they are offensive. Be it known that
Renan and Kuenen and Wellhausen and
their Broad-Church pupils are read by
scholars and thinkers who weigh their pre-
tensions and find them wanting. The
destructive critics do not monopolize learn
ing and thought"
The Independent quotes the Pacific as
saying: "The American Board is denom-
national-utterly so in its origin; par
TALLY so in its history; most largely so
in its resources; and fifty so in its eoui-
ties" And on this the Independent re-
marks: 'If this be so, the less said about
it the better And yet the Pacific goes on
to say that the action of the Board in send
ing out some Presby yterians as missiona-
ries, and in opposing the union of the
Congregational and Presbyterian mission
churches in Japan is 'intolerable,' and that
those who are aggrieved by it should be
inquiring for remedy and acting for re-
lief 1t adds 1T is high time that the
Board should consent to appoint hereafter
none but Congregationalists as missiona-
ries, and to throw whatever influence it
can consistently exert heartily in favor of
the Congregational polity in all mission
ary fields The Pacific has been trying
for months to get up crusade against the
American Board because it is not sectarian
enough. But we have not noticed that
anybody else gets red in the face. We
think the Board will never refuse to ap-
point good men because they are Presby-
terians. We presume big fraction of
the Congregational pastors of the Pacific
Coast have been invited from the Presby-
terian Church"
The Christian Inquirer (Bapt.) says:
During short ride with visitor to the
city we had occasion to point out two east
side mission halls, maintained by two of the
ost prominent Episcepalian churches of
New York-Holy Trinity and ST. Barthol-
omew's. We described to him the work
done in that supported by the latter church
work like that of any downtown mis-
sion, aggresslvely evangelistic. Our friend
had not been used to seeing such aspects of
Christian work among Episcopalians, and
indeed, they show that Episcopalianism in
New York is different thing from what
it is in the country at large. 1t is much
more evangelistic in its methods. These
mi sion halls are a case in point special
evangelistic services advertised by 'dodg-
ers' are another; prayer meetings are a
third. Yes, regular prayer and confer
ence meetings. for extemporaneous prayer.
We have attended one in the chapel of an
Episcopalian Church, and led the meeting
in prayer at the request of the leader. Is
the wonderful growth of that denomina-
tion in our city any wonder? In most
places the Episcopalians develop certain
well-known forms of religious life, leaving
all other directions to be exploited by
other sects. Here they make themselves
felt in every direction. Their purpose of
absorbing other Protestant denominations
looks ridiculous enough, but if we don't
look out they will do it in this city before
we know it,"
The Church Of To-day (P. e. says:
"With many clergymen the prevalent Gus
tom of church entertainments-of raising
money for the parish through amusements
of one kind or another, has been one of
deep concern and searchings of heart. The
practice is so general, and rectors taking
charge of new cures find it SO firmly estab-
lished, that although doubling its wisdom,
and its agreement with the true spirit of
Christianity, they hesitate upon either
or discountenancing it; and
often the parish treasury is in such de-
pleted condition, and the revenue of the
church from the ordinary sources of pew
rents and offerings is so inadequate, that some
scheme for raising money seems necessary for
the financial well-beipg of the parish. And
the Endorsement of the methods in vogue
becomes more needful if extraordinary ex-
penses are to be assumed, such as repairs
or rebuilding or furnishing anew any of
the parish buildings. Yet, with a full
sense Of all this upon them, there is very
general doubt among the clergy if this be