Morning journal and courier., 1891-12-21
THE RELIGIOUS WORLD.

rishioners-People the Missioua- ry Encounters in Bombay-Pope
 Leo's Pets - Foreign Missionary
 -EcumenicaI Councils at the Worlds Fair - Greek Clergy Must Marry - The Archbishop of Aix's Saucy Rejoinder-R eform in Hymnody, dc.
 Among the reports received from for eign fields during this month at the Meth odist Episcopal mission rooms in New York none is of greater interest than that of the Rev. George w. Park, in charge of the Bombay Gugerati work. This work was started in 1888, and the converts se- cured under it now number one hundred and sixty. To the American reader the re- suit does not appear large, but it is en- couraging to the missionaries, Bombay be- ing one of the hardest fields, if not alto gether the most difficult, in India The converts of the Gugerati mission have been lifted out of the lowest and grossest slough of heathenism. In Bombay one meets types of every nationality. "The Parsi," says Mir. Park, with his long, white, cotton coat, crimson silk trousers, pointed-toed shoes, and most peculiar hat, is very difficult to make into a Christian, but he makes good one when he is made. peddler of western India. He wears a dress similar to the Parsi's, and at all hours of the day you can hear his cry of 'Bori-eee mem, sahib!' The Shylock of T. money lender. Once get into his clutches and it is hopeless to think of getting out again. Only recently read of native who borrowed five rupees from one of these men. He worked all his life to pay off the debt. His son and his sons son worked all their lives. and on the second grandson becoming a Christian his mis- sionary paid the original sum, five rupees. to the Marwai's descendants and refused to do any more. never heard of one of this class becoming a Christian. Next comes the Vaniya-the Hindu merchant a very respectable and well-to-do class as rule, who make very fair Christians. Then we meet Arabs, Afghans, Persians, Africans, Chinese, Moghuls and long line of many nationalities.
 Some months ago Cardinal Lavigerie
 
 ral African gazelles and deer, great beau ties, which are kept in a portion of the Vatican gardens that has been fenced of for the purpose. At seven o'clock every morning during the past summer the pone took walk in his gardens and invariably paid visit to his pets. A servant fol lowed with a basket containing feed, and his holiness fed the animals out of his own hands. They have learned to know their master, lick his hands, and, when satis- fled, lie down at his feet.
 The year drawing to close has been @ memorable one in the progress of foreign minions It is true that the life of the missionary or convert is far from being entirely free from danger in many places, as we have seen during the outbreaks and disturbances in China, Africa and Uganda, the hostilities in the Caroline Islands and in the threatening attitude of the Turkish government. But, on the other hand, the prejudice against foreigners has sbated in Japan, remarkable revivals have taken place in India and Madagascar, and a steady increase of conversions is reported from other fields. Thibet has been ex- plored and found open to the gospel, and from central Africa, Malaysia, the noun tains Of Kurdistan and the pampss of South America come earnest calls for the gospel and assurances of welcome to the preacher.
 St. Joseph's union of New York city is sues yearly in the interest of the mission of the Immaculate Virgin a sixteen page paper criled the Homeless Child. It cir. | culates over one million copies at twenty | five cents each. It is cheaply executed | costs nothing for editing, the only outlay | being for paper and printing. The paper medals and symbols of piety issued by the | mission yield not less than two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year. Witt this sum the mission ts sustained and al orphanage at Mount Loretto, Staten Is land, supported. Those who subscribe | for the paper do so to furnish the means | for carrying on the work of the mission Besides the revenue thus derived the mis sion receives about one hundred and twen ty thousand dollars year from the treas ury of the city of New York.
 The success of the Congregational coun cil held in London last summer, and of th Ecumenical council of Methodists, recent ly held in Washington, has prompted Bap lists in Great Britain to suggest the hold ing of council of all divisions of tn
 Baptist denomination in Chicago durin
 the continuance of the worlds fair. Tn
 London Baptist Social Union has addresses
 a communication to the Baptist Social Un
 ion of Chicago on the subject and thei
 suggestion has elicited very cordial re
 sponse. It is seriously questioned, how
 ever, by many intelligent Baptist minis
 ters and laymen in this vicinity whethe
 such convocation is likely to have prof
 itable issue. Baptists in England are nc
 in agreement with the main body of thei
 coreligionists in this country on the con
 munion question; and differing with tn
 main organizations on trivial matters c
 doctrine are an indefinite number of mi BOT branches from the ''Free Will BaI tists' and Particular Baptists," all tn way down to the "Old Two Seed in tn Spirit Predestinarian Bsptists." Thes sub divisions are, as a rule, greater stick
 le1s for their respective idiosyncrasies tha for the cardinal doctrines of the Christia
 faith, and the theological pilots fear ths , if all were brought together to conciliat
 them would be as difficult as running th
 paptlet between the devil and the dee , blue sea.
 The Uniates, or United Greek Catholics
 in this country affiliated with the Hol
 See, and as a result special privileges wer accorded them, one of these being maj riage of the clergy. The great body C , Roman Catholics in communities wher
 their Greek coreligionists are numerou
 regard the presence among them of maj
 ried priests as an intolerable scandal, an
 the pope has been petitioned to annul th
 dispensation The Greek clergy, on thei part, threaten to renounce allegiance Rome if their marital liberty is interfere with.
 Owing to the disturbances that followe the last pilgrimage of French Catholics :, Rome, the French minister of public wo : ship sent circular to all the bishops F. France ssinviting' them to abstain, unt further notice, from sending or oonductir