The herald., 1897-10-10

case the sermon must be written and
submitted for examination and APP
proval to the censure Office A special
| police agent attends church so as to re-
port that the sermoS was read from tn Z
pulpit just as it was written and ap-
proved. In fact, the condition of the
clergy is little better than that of serf-
DOM They are attached to the glebe and
to their parish as serfs were during the
existence Of the feudal system in Europe.
A priest is not allowed to even visit his
nearest fellow serf until he has asked
and received permission of the police
superintendent Of his district"
The Literary Digest cites the number
Of medical missionaries in missionary
fields as 460, being an increase of 122 in
five years. OF these 16S are in China, 165
in India, A in Africa, "a in Syria and
Turkey and small number in each of
nearly a score of other countries In
these, as in our fields Of modern useful
ness, woman is in evidence, the propor-
tion of the gentler sex being one-third
that of the men, or 120 females to $40
males. The United States has in the
missionary field 246, Great Britain 174
Canada 81 OF the denomina tions repre-
sented, American Presbyterians are in
the lead, they having total of II. The
American Methodist come next, with 55;
then follow the c. NJ. S., with 40; the
American Board, with 35 and the Amer
lean Baptists, with 49, The Free Church
of Scotland sends q to aid in the good
work.
An interesting statement touching the
planting and growth of American Meth
odism in Europe appears in late issue
of the New York Christian Advocate.
1t appears that the scion of the stock of
Methodism planted from this country
has now been on the continent of Europe
forty-eight years. A late estimate made
by a correspondent of the Advocate.
shows a total of 54, ,553 protesting adher
ents of the Methodist fold. The gain in
Europe by the regular means during the
past year, calculated from conference
to conference. has been 1919 members
ard proba TONERS. Besides these, 1860
Wesleyan members have affiliated with
German (American) Methodism, MAX
ing a total gain of 1897" The Advocate
suggests that the presence of Bishop
has had, doubtless, much to do with the
conference and unusual gain of the
church abroad, "as we'll as the happy
adjustment of the union between the
Wesleyars and our own body"
+ \ =
Are clergymen unfairly treated by the
daily press? The Interior complains of
unjust attacks on ministers and the
printing of sensational reports about |
them. 1t instances DR.. De Witt Talmage
as a conspicuous target for the sharp
shooters of the press, and refers, with
out giving rames, to other ministers who
it contends suffered unfairly at the
hands of the third estate. There is
scarcely" says the Interior, "a promi-
nent minister in our country who has
not suffered from the wilful and inter
tional perversion of his words and his
intents, and he realizes after his first
attempts at redress that there is no re-
dress" The Interior makes no note Of
the high clerical regulations that have
been virtually made by the daily press,
without money and without price" OF
the sermons and other churchly offices
that, but for the press notices, generally
complimentary and often t1attering,
would never have been heard of outside
the walls of the edifice in which they oc
Cured, the Interior fails to bear wit
ness.
The amusing feature of this clerical
censure occurs in the comment made by
the Evangelist on the Interiors indic.-
ment against the press. The Evangel
ist says that the Interior should have
specified that orly our Protestant min
listers are treated thus outrageously-
and, it so happens, not seldom at the
hands of Roman Catholic reporters"
Et tu, brute!
Right Rev. John Vale Hicks, mis-
sionary bishop of Bloernfourstein, in
South Africa. in a recent interview
Che Humanitarian, LondoO speaks of
the natives of Basutoland as a superior
race, but mainly on account of the habit
of polygamy not easily made converts to
Christianity. Referring to this habit he
says that not only are their social Gus
toms bound up with polygamy but ",he |
man who is unfortunate enough to have
only one wife is thought less of than his
fellows Among these pagan people |
it is the custom to begin with one wife, |
and then, as the man gets wealthier anG |
more important, 10 take another-"tha |
chief or first wife sometimes even urg-
ing him to do this in order that she may |
have less to do" These folk are an |
cestor worshipers, are dominated by
sorcerers, by witchcraft and necro-
nancy, and have customs loEg estab
lished, curiously complicated with po-
lygamy. that are great stumbling blocks
in the way of their conversion to Chris