The record-union., 1892-04-23

effort to be heard suffuses the cerehellum
.Wita blood and breaks down the normal
action OF The brain. We continue build
ing our houses of worship after medi-
.eyaf models. in which no sermon
'agas ever delivered, models which
We're built kfor Spectacular service,
ana not for honliietic use. There are
churches in this country which cost from
-SS200, 600 to $500, ,GG0 which are only torture
chambers for preachers. Every possible
principle of acoustics is violated IN our
ordinary church architecture. Aoplayer
could nightly perform in a theater con-
structed as are our churches and live out
half his, days. Size has nothing to do
with 1T; for the largest church building in
, Chicago is the easiest one to speak in.
Fame and fortune await the architect
who shall invent a wholly new ecciesias-
tlcal architecture that shall at once satisfy
the devotional feeling and be adapted to
public speaking. The cathedral fulfills
the first condition; the theater the sec
ond; neither fulflls both"
Criticism and rationalism are not
properly distinguished, remarks the
Ct7fstiGn Leader (UFnit.) of Boston. "The
two things have no necessary connection.
Each implies an intellectual process
wholly distinct from that of the other.
To confound them. using them inter
changeably, would be mistake akin to
the mixing of history and astronomy.
OF course, in certain generic senses all
kinds of knowledge are related; even
astronomy has an incidental bearing on
human annals. If a particular criticism
throws any passage out of the Bible it of
course throws out whatever may happen
TO be IN the'passage, no matter whether
miracle or q bit OF ordinary biography.
But there is a distinction between the
miraculous and particular miracles.
President cone, IN Western address,
put the whole matter in a nutshell: The
Bible is inclusive OF the miraculous, but
records of particular miracles must be
determined by criticism,' or words to
TINS effect, and singularly wise words
they are"
''The agency of woman has not been
called into exercise as much as it ought
TO be in the work of our churches" OBJ
serves the Cumberland Presbyterian of
Nashville, Tenn. 1.-THE Congregational
papers some time ago gave an account of
city church in that denomination in
which eight deacenesses are appointed to
visit the parish by districts. Last year
they made nearly 600 calls, thus relieving
the pastor of much labor, and doing
much work that he could not have
done. They hold monthly meetings
by themselves, and meet and act
jointly with the deacons in receiving
members and on special call. A Pres
byterian paper lately told the story
of Western church which in one
year was relieved of debt and made
self-supporting by the efficiency and
activity of a new Board of Trustees COM
posed of women. Women make the most
efficient stewards in many Methodist
Churches. Often the best talent in the
congregation is found among the female
members. Do we show wisdom in
neglecting to enlist and use this talent
Our Cumberland Presbyterian Book of
Discipline provides that the church ses-
sion may appoint godly women for the
care Of the sick, of prisoners, of poor
widows and orphans, and in general for
the relief Of Distress Would it not be
great gain TO our congregations if larger
number of women were thus officially set
apart for church work? And might not
our form of government be wisely
amended so as to provide for the script
ural Office of deaconess in all our
churches?"