Morning journal and courier., 1892-02-01
HoR1rro c. KING.
Notes,


 Congregational churches during the past year shows the gratifying progress of Con. gregstionalism in the United States. In 1890 the additions on confession of faith were 13, 522; in 1891, 15,5s0. The total additions in 1890 were g, ,2s7; in 1891, go, s76. During the last five years the denom- instion has increased from fourteen to eighteen thousand year.
 There is general sympathy with the strong appeal that has been made by Pres idents Harper, Gates and Andrews, Drs. Townsend, waylsnd Hoyt, A. E. Kittredge and others equally prominent in all the evangelical denominations, for & msinte- nance of the ter-denominational charac- tar of the societies of Christian Endesvor throughout the country. No auxiliary of the churches has accomplished more in re- cent years for youug p'ople than the Chris tian Endeavor organization Its distinc- tive merit from the outset lay in uniting the younH of the various churches under a common name in common methods of service, thus bridging the chasms of sec tarianism and promoting a broader catho- licity and tolerance. Generous minded
 
 lers for ''isms," however, have been en- deavoring to disintegrste its forces by forming denominational associations on the same general plan. They are for the most part clerics possessed of medieval souls, whose fisshy existence was, for some inscrutable reason. deferred until the nineteenth century.
 The waste of money and resources re- sulting from denominational rivalries has long been commented upon and deplored by all who have an interest in the progress of religion. It has led to the establish ment of thousands of weak and sickly churches that are annual pensioners on the bounty of their denominations, and that, like infants with the marasmus. ney- TT reward the care taken of them by any signs of improvement. The case is re called of village of about one hundred and seventy-tive population, in which there are two churches teaching, funda- mentally, the same doctrines and preach ing the same plan of salvation. Both are aided with mission funds, the pastors of both do not receive enough to support one of them decently, and both acknowledge that one church is really all that is needed In the community. In a suburb of Brook. lyn, N. Y, recently formed, and having 6 population of e5out five hundred, there ara now Dutch Reformed, Methodist and Catholic church, and, as if this were not enough, the Baptists and other denomina- tions are already talking of entering the field. It is greatly to be desired-and the desire is being loudly expressed hereaboui that some basis of inter-denominationsl agreement should be reached whereby this wasteful expenditure of energy and effort may be curtailed. Chaplain McCabe, the energetic secreta- " of the board of missions of the Metho- dist Episcopal church, stIikingly illustrates the value of missions by reference to what they have accomplished in Scranton, Pa. and in the state of kansas About thirty years ago, he says, Methodism Tn Scranton was receiving two hundred dollars & year from the missionary society. The strug. gling church there could not support s pastor without help. There are now in the city six strong pastoral changes, which gave into the treasury of the missionary society last year s 615. One of tho churches is now building what is likely tC be the most beautiful ecclesiastical edifcs in the state of Pennsylvania, at a cost oi one hundred and fifty thousand dollars As to Kansas, that state was organized | as a mission in 1856. It received from | the society st that time si,450 a year The membership of Methodist churches was then 1,050. Now Kansas has foul conferences, with a membership of ovel | eighty thousand, and gave last year tc | the missionary treasury, notwithstanding the severe drought, SIT, ITO. In prosper ous times the state $ good for twenty five thousand dollars per annum. Dr | McCsbe also states the interesting fact thsi | converts in heather lands gave last veal | to the support of missions three hundred | and four thousand dollars, or two and ne-half per cent. on the total expendi lures for the extension of Christianity | among them.
 $. GIFFARD NELSON.