Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1894-02-02
RELIGIOUS AND EDUCATIONAL.

Among the premiums awarded by
the Columbian exposition was a gold
medal to the American Tract society
for Religious Books and Tracts" ex.
hibited. The principal features of this
exhibit were numerous selections from
it's issue in $50 languages and dialects.
Every Christian Endeavor society
that gives not less than ten dollars to
the work of missions through its own
denominational board, is to have its
name engrossed upon an immense mis-
sionary roll of honor to be displayed
at the Cleveland convention next July,
Incense has come to be so much
Used in English churches that the serv-
ers and acolytes and other assistants,
whose province it is to light and swing
thurifers, have seriously proposed to
form themselves into a society entitled
the 'Thurifers' Guild" This has forced
the high members of the church to con-
slider the matter very seriously,
The total increase of Baptists in
the United States for the decade of
1SS0-1S0O was 1882, 1853 The gain
amoEg northern Baptists was 1900;
southern, 259, 900, and colored, nearly
700, 900 The total gain of the Congre-
gationalists for the same period was
12S, 439; of the Methodist Episcopal
(north), 537, 654; of the Presbyterian
(north), PA, CPS; of the Episcopal, 1885,
S96
We learn from the Lutheran Stand
ard, which is the organ of the Joint
| Synod of Ohio, that there is at present
a more general discussion on the sub
ject of the union of the Lutheran
church in this country than ever be-
fore 1t says that it is "highly signifi-
cant that there is such a general desire
on the part of old-fashioned Lutherans
to harmonic the contending parties on
| the basis of our confessions"
The Church of England, in Canada.
is hospitable to the Christian Endeavor
society, There are six societies in that
denomination in London, Ont, and a
committee is actively engaged in pro-
noting the work. Rev. Canon Rich
ardson represents the Church of Eng
land on the board of trustees of the
United society, Canon Richardson has
been elected president of the Ontario
Provincial Christian Baptist union.
The three slave states of Russia,
Roumania and Servia are said to pos
sess the highest percentage of illiteracy
of any in the world. Eighty per cent.
of the people are unable to read or
write. OF the Latin speaking races
Spain heads the list with As per cent,
! FraLee and Belgium having about Ii
per cent, Austria 80, and Ireland 81.
In England the percentage is 49, Hol-
land 10, United States and Scotland 7.
Difficulties in ones religion should
strengthen faith, not weaken it. Only
weak minds imagine they can explain
everything. The student all his life
will tell you he really knows and I'M
derstands very little of the commonest
objects about him. The Catholic who
claims to llnow-all in religious mat.
tiers, and doubts dogma of faith, is
no longer Catholic. Doubling, he has
already lost his faith Pittsburgh
Catholic.
The pope's encyclical on inspiration
of the Scriptures, says this: Nothing
whatever suggests that the Holy Spirit
took men as instruments for writing in
such manner that not indeed from the
primary author, but from the inspired
writers, something false might escape.
For He, by supernatural power, so eX'
cited and moved them to writing and
stood by them, that they should rightly
conceive in their minds seek faithfully
to compose, and fully, with infalliblt
truth, express only those things which
lie commanded