The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-02-23
BIRTHDAY OF THE POPE
1T WILL MARK THE BEGINNING OF
THE JUBILEE CELEBRATION.
Leo's Praises to 3e Sung Throughout
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of the
Presbyterian Assembly.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.

/ 3 next as the beginning OF the tWenty-nttn
year Of the ponuhcate Of the present Holy
Father of that church. In most dioceses
in America the plan is for all priests to
say mass and all the people to go 70 holy
communion for their Pope on March 3.
The day falling on, Monday, it is planned
in some cities to make March the jubilee
day. further part of the opening cele-
bration, which celebration is TO be kept
up in some form through the year, Is to
have all priests and as many people as
possible attend a grand service in the
Pope's honor, TO be held in the cathedral
OF the diocese. Peters Pence Will be en-
phasized. and some pilgrimages are under
discussion. Pope Leo's three ambitions
during his pontihcate have been to solidify
Christian education, TO perfect the organ
izatiOn OF his church, and to pave the way
for the reunion of Christian churHhes on
Roman Catholic basis. Sermons preached
in Catholic churches in this country dur
ing the jubilee year will dwell upon these
ambitions and the success attained upon
them. Should Pope Leo reach the year
1903 an even greater celebration will be had
by Catholics of the world, for that year
will not only mark the completion of twen-
ty-five years as Pope, but be the fiftieth
year of his cardinalate, and the sixtieth
year of his episcopate.
Gossip has already begun concerning the
moderatorshio of the next Presbyterian
General Assembly This is the coveted honor
Of the largest Presbyterian body in the
world. The present moderator the Rev.
DR.. Henry C. Minturn, was elected at Phil
adelphia last year over the Rev. DR..
Purves because the feeling was that the
West must be recognized. Had the Rev.
DR.. Purves lived he would have been the
next moderator. and there would have
been no contest The assembly meets in
New York, and a Pacific coast professor
will preach the opening sermon as mod
orator. 1t is admitted that the 1908 assem-
bly, will be held in San Francisco Were
the Rev DR.. Mckenzie New York pastor
many years as he now is months il is
certain he would be the new moderator
and return to the coast-to preach the open
ing sermon at the assembly there. But he
is looked upon as Pacific coast man STILL
and il Is conceded that New York pastor
will be chosen. The two men most often
mentioned, although the date is early, are
the Rev. DR.. John Balloon Shaw and the
Rev DR. Wilton Merle smith Both are
comparatively young men. One is pastor
OF the second largest Presbyterian church
OF the greatest missionary congregation in
New York, the Central Presbyterian.
xxx
The Methodist Episcopal Church South is
| in ferment over the Book Concern scan
dal. There are leaders in the denomination
who do not hesitate to say that the life
of the denomination is at stake. The Rev.
w. B. Palmore, of st. Louis, who is leading
| one of the forces. has written an open let
| ter to Major Stahlman, of Nashville, in
which he points out the danger of the pres
| ent situation and the ma jor's power to re-
| move il. The trouble is over the payment
! TO Major Stahlman of something more than
/ 900 out OF a total OF S2SS,O0 received by
| the book agents at Nashville from the ma
| tiOnal government civil war damages.
| Incidentally there is the statement made
| by the Messrs. Barbee and Smith to the
| United States Senate concerning the Stahl-
man commission. The Rev. DR.. Barbee sees
| the approaching storm and announces that
| he will not be "A candidate at Dallas, where
| the General Conference meets in May, for
reelection. A large number Of new bishops
| will be chosen at Dallas, and possibly can
| didates keeping out OF the discussion
| perhaps not because they are weakened
| on the controversy, but because they have
| the injury OF Episcopal chances. Southern
| Methodists say the $2Ss.000 must be re-
turned to the government If the denomina-
tion intends to try to do further work for
| Jesus Christ.
On his return from the far East DR.. J.
| M. Phipps, the pioneer Young Mems Chris
| tan Association secretary in the Philip
pines expresses hearty agreement with
| Judge Taft in the lstter's statement before
committees Of Congress that the United
States government should purchase the
| lands of the friars in Luzon. DR.. Phipps
| visited practically every part of the archi-
pelago and for a period of nearly two
years gave intelligent study OF native con-
oH1 II,
ish family which also entertained friars,
in order to become acquainted with condi-
tons as friars viewed them. He expresses
the opinion that the friars will leave LuzOn
| if the government purchases their lands,
but he is far from taking the side of the
Filipinos against them. While they are
! ably could not remain If they would, Dr.
Philips says they have accomplished ire
mendous amount of good. They do not
merit tenth part OF the blame which Fill
pinos attach to them, and the American
people ought, declares DR.. Phipps after
| close personal investigation, TO be careful
not to imbibe the Filipino prejudice against
them. There is whole volurne to be said
| for them.
The forthcoming General Conference of
Lutherans the second to be held, is a fur
Their step toward harmony and concert of
| effort in the Lutheran Church in America.
With differences of tongue and customs
which have divided the Lutheran Church
in America into four general bodies and
| twenty independent synods, there is yet
| a perfect harmony of faith all Iutherans
| accepting the Augsburg confession as their
| standard of confessional Lutheransm. Ii
is the conviction of those Lutherans who
are planning the forthcoming conference
| that when these different parts of a homo
| geneous faith shall add common tongue
there will be Lutheran Church in
America, not twenty-four as now. Hence,
| discussions in these conferences are inva-
riaby conducted in English, and aimed to
show the points of contact in faith. The
approaching conference will be held in
Philadelphia. April l to 3. and most of it's
sessions will be presided over by the Rev.
Or. NJ. w. HANNA, of Washington, a for
mer president of the General Synod. Union
common purposes of Lutheranism in Amer
lea.
The biennial convention of the Luther
League of America is to meet this summer
in the Northw est Some OF the sessions
will be held in St. Paul and some of them
in Minneapolis This is the first time the
league has gone, for a national meeting.
west of Chicago, although Lutheran
strength is preponderatingly in this North
west. The league contains a membership
wholly of young persons in sympathy with
the idea that Lutherans must adapt them
selves American conditions rather than
try TO maintain German, Danish or other
foreign ones.