Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-12

! Order of Notre Dame was founded in
| France Christmas day. 1897. by Peter
| Mattaincourt an Augustinian canon, noted
Tor his learning and for his zeal for the
| salvation of souls. His goodness OF heart
was such that he was called the good
| father of Mattaincourt - The order was
established in this country July n. 1917.
the first mother house being in Baltimore.
| In December 1850. the mother house WAS
moved from Baltimore to Milwaukee.
/ where the headquarters now are. There
are three Observation-Disclosures, Balti-
more and st. Louis. From four sisters in
isi' the order now numbers in this coun-
! try more than 400 members.
II is understood that some OF the leading
! Trends OF Rev. Dr. Frank NJ bristol pas
| tor OF Metropolitan NJ. +. Church, this city.
| Will present hts name at the next general
| conference OF the M r. Church for elec-
| ton TO the office OF bishop, 10 I'LL the va
| cancy caused by the recent death Of Rish-
/ op Newman. This quadrennial body meets
/ at Chicago next year. when some predict
! there will be probably three new bishops
elected. 1t rs reported that Bishops Merrill
and Andrews. who have been In the active
work of the episcopacy for twenty -seven
years and both of whom have reached a
very advanced age. will follow the Prece-
dent set by Bishop Bowman and ask TO be
| retired from further work as a bishop.
From the Baltimore conference, with
| which the M. T.. churches here are afiiliat-
| ed, there Will be Al leaet' two candidates
| for bishop, an office which is regarded as a
post OF the highest honor In the denomina-
| ton. These are DIR. Bristol and Rev. Dr.
! Goucher, president OF the woman's Coli
| lege. Baltimore. The latter supports about
| i3o schools In India, and through this and
| MS travels IN various parts of the globe he
| mas become generally known. DR.. Goucher
| mas Deen delegate to several recent gem
| eral conferences and II IL generally con-
| coded that he will be again chosen as one
! OF the representatives OF the Baltimore con-
! ference to attend the Chicago meeting. 1t
| is stated on good authority that the NJ e.
| ministers In Baltimore city are a unit in
| DR.. Goucher's support for a seat IN the
board of bishops. and will join in urging
his claims therefor upon the general con-
| ference.
/ The name of Dr. Frank NJ Bristol then
| OF Evanstown. ILL.,. was before the last gen.
eral conference as candidate for bishop,
| and he received a number OF votes Since
coming tc Washington his popularity has
increased. 1T is well known that President
| Mchlnley takes great interest in the
| work OF the NJ. E. Church generally and IL
is expected that he will have much influ-
| ence IN the coming general conference,
| which he is expected TO attend for at least
| Few days, and a desire on his part either
| expressed or implied. to see DIR. Bristol ele-
| waited to the bishopric would go a great
| way.
| There is just one obstacle. In the opinio,
| OF some in the way of DR.. Bristol's
| chances. and that is as new man In the
| IGNORE conference there may be some
| neshancy in electing him as a delegate 20
| lhe general conference. Others however
express the opinion that even II the Wash
hgton preacher Is not a delegate TO the
| hlsher body. his position in the church is
soch that 1t VIII not initiate against him.
The approaching session of the internal
| tionai congregational council which is to
pc heid next month in Boston, will be at
| Tended, IL Is understood. by Rev DIR. s M
| Newman and Rev NJ. Ross Fishburn of this
| city The meeting is likely to be OF great
interest to the members of the denomina-
| ton throughout the world as for several
| years. there has been among the conserva-
| i've ana orthodox Congregationalists in
| TINS country no small degree of anxiety be-
| cause OF the abandonment by many preach
erS and churches of some funda mental doc
| trlnes of the gospel as held by the founders
| OF the denomination, and also because OF
| the willingness of some of the councils and
| churches to receive into fellowship preach
! ers notorious for holding and teaching
| views of the Bible and evangelical religion
| subVerstve of the Christian faith held
| by orthodox Christians
| Such at least is the opinion of a Congre-
| gationalist who keeps abreast with abe
| progress of events in the denomination and
/ who. continuing, said:
| Our peculiar mission is to the intellect;
| our special trust Is orthodoxy, in its literal
| meaning of right teaching To that pecu-
| liar mission, TO that special trust, the Con-
| gregational churches are not as faithful to-
| day as continued justification for their
| separate existence requires that they
| should be.
This peculiar mission of congregational
| ism we are not fulfilling today. There is no
| accepted body of doctrine, clear cut. well
| seasoned. consistently ard comparatively
| thought out. which yoG can count upon
| hearing when you enter a Congregational
| Church.
THE immediate work before us now is
| not destructive, but constructive. We no
| longer need the inspector to condemn. but
| the architect to pian- One Of the best serv-
| ices the coming international council can
| render will be TO give authoritative witness
| TO that body of doctrine which we have
| saved out of the temporary havoc. and TO
| call the attention OF the churches to the
| imperative need Of welding together the
| truths We have saved from the wreck OF
| the ancient systems and the truths that
| have been brought 10 US on the flood of
/ these scientific and historical studies into
! definite, coherent, reasoned and reasonable
| body of doctrine"
| The minutes of the last general assem-
/ bly, of the Presbyterian Church in the
| United States, which met recently in Min
| neapolis, copy Of which has been received
| here. gives the following data, which is in
| teresting to the members Of Presbyterian
| THE net increase of the communicates
| in the Presbyterian Church for the year
| ending May, 1899, was only $3.50. while for
| the year ending May, 1894, ii was 40.90S;
] for the year ending May, 1925. it was 20
! 9O1: for the year ending May, 1896 il WAS
| 20S02; for the year ending May, 1872, it
was ?l'sol; for the year ending May,
| 1898. it was 14,96s: that is. the in
| crease Of the communicates in the Presby-
| terrain Church for the year ending May,
| 1899, was 3l,s7S less than for the year end
| ing May, 1894, although the Presbyterian
Church had last May S7.91O more commune
| cants than ii had in May, 1894. For the
! year ending May 1884, "a. s23 were added
| on examination, and for the year ending
| May, 1899 only Il. 2J9 had been added on
examination; and in both the net increase
I of communicates and in the number re-
| ceived on examination there has been a
continued decline for five years. One ex-
PLANTATION. at least partial one, of the
lessened increase of communicates in 1899
| compared with 1894, is found in the fact
| that for the year 1899 53.s7l are marked
| dropped, record only begun to be made
/ the year before"