RELIGIOUS NEWS AND NOTES.
—Nepaul is now the last remaining State in India which is thoroughly Hindoo. —The Presbyterians have Sunday-schools in Bangkok and two other places in China. —One thousand five hundred French pilgrims were received Sunday, May 6, at the Vatican. —The number of church members among the Indians is estimated at 70,000, of whom about 35,000 are Protestants. —The Presbytery of Buffalo, N. Y., recently licensed Henry Silverheels, a Seneca Indian nearly sixty years of age, to preach the gospel. —The Free Church of Scotland has now more than one thousand ministers. It started with under five hundred, so that in thirty-four years it has doubled itself. —Eighty of the eighty-five barbers of Albany, N. Y., have signed a petition to the Common Council asking for the passage of an ordinance compelling the closing of all barber shops on Sunday. —In one of the Micronesian Islands, where only three years ago some native teachers commenced work, the result is truly wonderful. Seven churches have been organized with nearly 300 members. —A London paper says that a Presbyterian clergyman who was ceasing to be a pastor was offered $5,000 for his manuscript sermons. The purchaser intended to retail them to ministers of the Church of England, and as they were long he proposed to cut them in two, to suit the rectors and vicars. The offer was declined. —Since the year 1832 the 600 societies and congregations of Universalists are said to have increased to 880 parishes; the 100 church edifices to 756, and the 300 preachers to 706, including licentiates and superannuates. From the above we can see that Universalism is not dying, but, to the contrary, it is slowly gaining ground. —Statistics show that there are 125 Temperance Reform Clubs in the State of New Hampshire, with a membership of 65,000, of which 27,000 are men over twenty-one years of age, and over 10,000 were habitual tipplers. New Hampshire has, in proportion to her population, more names upon the pledge than any other State in the Union. —The Young Men's Christian Association of Indianapolis has been engaged in the work of breaking up theatrical entertainments given on Sunday. Twenty five managers of the “Matt Morgan Art Combination,” which was exhibiting in the Metropolitan Theater on Sunday evening were arrested. Over twelve hundred men, women and children were present, and great confusion occurred. The arrested parties were prosecuted for desecration of the Sabbath. —Rev. H. A. Schauffler, missionary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions at Brunn, Austria, has been for some time interdicted from holding public services, not at the suit of the Roman Catholics, but of the Protestants. The restriction has at length been removed, except that he is not allowed to have children of 14 years and under, at his meetings. The sale of Bibles and Testaments by colporteurs has been interdicted at Prague, the Government professing to be afraid of spies. —Four hundred Spanish Protestants met on Holy Thursday in a little chapel in Cadiz for prayer and praise. Suddenly two policemen, armed with swords and revolvers, passed up the aisle, ascended the pulpit, and directed the preacher to dismiss the congregation. The preacher's meditation on the sacred events of the day was broken off, and the congregation went home without receiving the benediction. The Bishop of Cadiz had entered a complaint that the minister's voice was distinctly heard in the street. The British Consul at once protested against this act of religious intolerance. —Of the many Sunday-school hymns published, more than twenty-five hundred are said to have been written by “The Blind Poetess,” Frances Jane Crosby. She was born in Putnam county, N. Y., March 24, 1823, and though blind since six weeks after her birth, was early taught to do for herself. At the age of twelve years she went to be educated in the Institution for the Blind, New York city, where she remained twenty-three years. She was employed by Wm. B. Bradbury until he died, and has since been employed by his successors, Biglow and Main, and several other book-makers. These, taking advantage of her dependence treat her most shamefully, paying her barely enough for a support.