The record-union., 1891-07-04
In RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions from the Various
Religious Newspapers.
The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed In the sectarian Press
Some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Iaymen.

The mission for lepers i'll India has es-
Iaollshed new center of their own in
Neyoor, Travancore, South India.
The first Hebrew Bible published in
America was issued in Philadelphia in
46l4, by Thomas Dobson, at the Stone
House.
The Jewish Minister'S Association of
america held its thirteenth conference at
Madison Avenue Temple, New York,
June 18th.
Asia, the cradle of the human race, has
1O2 Young Mems Christian Associations,
Darkest Africa has 13, and Oceanica
comprising the Islands of the sea, has. l6
The progress of toleration in Spain was
illustrated recently. by the presence of re-
porters from the principal Madrid papers
OF all shades at the opening of the new
depot of the British and Foreign Bible
Society,
The receipts of the American Board for
May were $39,776 rs. This is an increase
over May, 1880, of S7,252 81. - The nine
months of this year show an advance of
S|5,S6l 81 on the nine months of last year.
The total property valuation of the
Catholic Church in the United States in
1880 was 50, 256, ,75S; in 1850 it was S26,774,-
ll9; IN lS1Oit was SOC, ,565. That is to
say, the aggregate wealth of the Catholic
Church increased about Is per cent from
1880 to 1860, and about l28 per cent from
1860 to lS70.-New Orleans Times Demo-
crat.
There has been little mission work ac-
compl1shed in Patagonia, but the Roman
Catholics have mission center at We'd
ma, IN the southern part of the country.
they have twelve colleges with 5000 stu
dents, and an industrial school with
thirty apprentices of carpenters, black
smiths, bootmakers, thinkers and tailors.
They, also have a dispensary and the
only hospital in the territory, ss
The American University at Washing
ton, d. c., in the interest of which Bishop
John f. Hurst has been laboring, has
been incorporated. The Board of Trus-
tees is composed of representatives of the
Presbyterian, Protestant Episcopal, Bap-
tlSt and Methodist Episcopal Churches.
An a appeal to the American people for
S5,000,000 for the endowment of the uni
Yersity will shortly be made.
The Methodist missions in China num-
ber eighty-one-from our church thirty
four, Church South thirteen, Wesleyans
twenty-five, all other Methodists twelve.
They have united in the Chinese Metbo-
dist Union, and propose a common name
for Chinese Methodism, uniform course
OF study for native preachers, and one
body of rules for native emembers.-West-
ern Christian Advocate.
The Reformed Presbyterian Synod at
Pittshurg last week had a special report
on secret societies. The report dealt with
the Malta, and said it was gratifying that
the Grand jury at New Orleans had made
The investigation and reported as ii did.
Secret societies were designated as the
aids of Satan, and were otherwise Sc
verely condemned. The propriety of la
Dor organizations was questioned and it
was asked that the next committee fully
investigate them.-Christian Union.
The officers Of the American Board are
cheered by the contributions which are
coming in. The gifts received in Nav.
compared with May of $780, show an in
crease of SI0,073 80, or more than 40 per
cent, and though the legacies fell off sew
eraI thousand dollars, the total receipts
Tor the month We're more by s., 900 than
Tor May last year. The donations for the
nine months since September l, 1890, were
S3o1,2I2 %, as against S30l CIT II for the
nine months of the preceding year, while
the legacies for the same periods were
SlS2,0S5 IS as against Sl5l, ,Sl9 l3.-Boston
Journal.
A native Christian branch of the Y. NJ.
Z. y. has been opened in connection with
the bombay association. Steps have been
taken to furnish new rooms ut once.
The name of the first Japanese General
Secretary of the Young Mems Christian
Association Is Seijiro Niwa of Toxic.
y
\. NJ. {. y. reports membership of 637--
3l5 of whom have joined during the past
year Mr.. Fries spent some months in
this country two years ago.
Hind Smith, one of the English travel
ing. secretaries of the Y. NJ. G.. A., is lust
completing tour of the world In a re-
cent address at Springfield he said that he
had visited forty centers, and had been
upon fifteen boats during his travels, and
that IN each place and upon each boat he
hadfound one or more members ofaN y o1lng
Mems Christian Association. He was in
strumental III organizing two associa-
uons in Jerusalem, a German-speaking
and an Arabic.
The y. NJ. c. A. of the city of London
observed its forty-seventh anniversary
May llth. Three meetings were held dur
ing the day, at which addresses We're made
by prominent men, among them the
right honorable the Lord Mayor.
Among other things he said: ''If any
society could claim a hearty welcome at
the hands OF the chief magistrate, it is
surely the Young Mems Christian Asso-
ciatiOn."
The orthodoxy of to-day may be the
heterodoNy of tomorrow. There is no
standard, measured by the crecds We
believe in free discussion. Truth is born
III the cradle Of liberty. It is destined to
come up out of much tribulation. It
knows the value of the baptism of fire.
The Presbyterian, the Baptist and the
Iplscopaiian Churches are just now try
ing cases of heterodoXical teachings in
their ministers. The Methodists have
always had the same thing to deal with
These men are being tried by the creeds
OF their respective churches as standards.
IT Is not just. Greeds should not be re-
presSive; they should stimulate thought
and growth. The Westminster Confess
sion is not condition of membership.
practically whatever il may be theoret-
Ically. No member is asked to subscribe
70 the Confession The liberty and
ahilityn of the candidate is always re-
spected. This Is true among the MEM
bership, but the clergy are not free TO
express their honest convictions. The
church must give her clergymen the lib
erty to think under the law of truth. The
minister need not be contentious but he
must not be abridged. He is TO do honest,
constructive work, and he must not be
opposed from the seats of conservation.
We are not desirouS of loosening the
bonds or Of unstringing the strength of
christianity. In theology we are not
Gealing with facts rs in mathematics.
Mathematics is an exact science. In the
ology we must of necessity be largely
speculative. The reason is, there is no
standard. Christianity has been too
largely masked IN the mystery of words.
The larger part of men would rather be-
lieve than reject Observation-Disclosures
ton Church News (Methodistj.
Says the Rambler otherwise DR..
Wayland, in the National Bd1tiSt ''The
other day, the 'RaInbler' was accosted
by colored man bearing testimonial
in which 1t was said, in substance: The
undersigned, knowing Mr.. A b G to be a
man OF sternng integrity and of there fol-