The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-23
DISEASE The COMMUNION
Savannah Pastors Do Not Think the
Danger Is Great.


ing Advanced in the North Not a
Necessary one-The Germ Theory
F~om Medical Standpoint.
An article in the MORNING News yes
terday with regard to a new method Of
administering the communion services
I recently adopted in some Of the churches
I in New York, by which separate cups
are used for each com municant, on &C
count of an investigation which showed
/ the existence of disease and other germs
( in the wine after the cup had passed
around the congregation, excited no little
/ comment here.
The church mentioned is the Central
church at Rochester. The system was
afterwards adopted by other churches. 1t
was at first strenuously opposed by the
members of the congregation, but recently
is said to have grown in favor. The
adoption of the method was due to an in
vestigation by DIR. Forbes, a prominent
chemist, who argued that danger lurked
in the communion cup, which passed from
! lip to lip, on account of the collection of
! disease germs in the wine.
WHAT AN ANALYSIS SHOWS.
It is said the result Of a test made by
him from portion of a cup OF wine,
which had passed around the congrega-
ton, showed that there were in the wine
the undeveloped germs of twenty-five
diseases, ranging from typhoid fever to
humps. The result OF his report was
that the congregation of the church,
after a long and rather spirited dis
cussion, adopted a new method of ad-
ministering the service, and about 400
cups were bought, in which the COM
munion wine is served. The cups are
handed around on trays. only one person
drinking from each cup.
Rev. c. II. Strong had not read the ar
| ticle, when asked his opinion upon the
| subject. He smiled when he glanced over
| it, and said
II think it is rather exaggerated
went through the laboratory of DR. Will
lam Welch, at Johns Hopkins University,
some time ago and saw the whole process
of developing germs. DIR. WEIGH was
classmate of mine at Yale. He is one of
the best known psychologists in the
country, and has been given the degree of
LII. d. by Yale.
COMMUNION CUP GERMS.
''In that laboratory can be seen almost
all the different kinds of bacteria known,
and in different stages of development.
They are numerous and of all colors.
| There are millions of germs in the world,
| but they perform a necessary part in the
! functions of life. There are always too
| conditions necessary: first you have got
| TO have the germ and you must also have
the environment. The germ without the
| proper environment will produce nothing,
| and, of course, there is no result when
| the situation is reversed.
! Il strongly doubt if there are many of
| the germs which this man says are found
| In the communion cup that are danger
Gus. If any at all, it is only an infiuitesi-
mally small portion of them.
DOUBTFUL CONDITION.
There is no doubt of two things-frst,
that the test to be a sure one should have
| begun with the examination of the wine
| before the COMMITMENTS had partaken of
it, In all probability about as many and as
many different kinds of germs might have
| been found in the cup of wine before the
communicates had touched it. Second.
there is no doubt but that large major
| lty of these germs is perfectly innocuous
| Germs are necessary to life: they are
numerous. but very few of them are pro-
ductive of diseases, the vast proportion of
| them being innocuous.
II think IL can be safely said there will
be no change in the present methods of
administering the communion services
| until the scientists can present some more
satisfactory proof of the danger from this
| source The germs that are dangerous
need the proper soil and climate before
they can develop, and for the reasons
given l can see no necessity for any fear
which would warrant change on the
present method"
NOT ONE IN TEN THOUSAND.
The opinion of Rev. A. M. Williams of
the Wesley Monumental church, is on the
same line. The probable danger of con.
tracing disease from the communion cup,
he said, is so slight that there is scarcely
any necessity for precaution. In the
millions of people that commune every
year there Is scarcely an instance that is
recorded where the results have been
serious. There are hundreds of other
things which are just as dangerous and
more so IN the same theoretical manner
in which it would perhaps be better to
attempt reforms than in the method of
administering the communion. In an
article published some time ago in the
Wesleyan Christian Advocate Bishop
Haygood, who had stndied the question,
ridicuied the idea of having separate com
munion cups. Ihave been administering
the communion service for more than
seven years, and in all / suppose 10000
people have been at the services, and l
have never heard of any one having so
much as hlccough as a result of it"
THE DANGER SLIGHT.
Rev. Robb White, rector of Christ
church, seemed To regard the matter as of
very SllBnL Importance. line germ theory
is being run into the ground" said Mr..
White "Of course l can see that it is
possible that diseases can be communi-
Gated in the manner described, but l
think the danger is intinitesimal "
MIR. White said that to do away with
the communion cup and give every com
municant second cup would do away
with the significance of the sacrament
entirely.
Rev. DR.. Vass, pastor of the First Pres
byterian church, said the matter ap-
peared ridiculous to him.
Il think it will be long time"
said he, "before we will have
trays full of cups handed around at the
communion service. The similarity to a
restaurant would destroy the solemnity
of the occasion entirely. | think the dan
ger is exaggerated. There are a hundred
other ways in which we are more liable to
contract diseases than from the commun-
ion cup. If we get so particular as not to
drink out of the same cup at communion,
we will have to quit wearing clothing
made by other people, and eating food
prepared by others"
FROM MEDICAL STANDPOINT.
Health Officer Drummer said that while
II is possible that disease could be com
! mn loaf hsye l,.,,, 3