News and Notes | AdventAI

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Mar 5, 1885

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 11, No. 10.

News and Notes.

RELIGIOUS.

—It is rumored that the patriarch of Constantinople will abandon the Greek for the Roman Church.

—The Missionary Outlook says that three-fourths of the Bibles shipped from New York to foreign mission stations go to Mexico and South America.

—The “Christian Scientists” of Boston are reported as causing trouble in the churches by their followers asking letters of dismissal to the new order.

—Rev. George N. Nobbs, who for fifty-six years has been pastor of the Pitcairn and Norfolk islanders, died recently at the age of eighty-five. He was married to the granddaughter of Lieutenant Christian, of the Bounty.

—Dr. Willard, of the Missionary Review, says there are 755 more Protestant foreign missionaries than there were seven years ago, and he estimates the whole number now in service to be 2,755. The contributions to carry on their work last year aggregated $9,203,237.

—In Elberton, Georgia, there is a congregation called the “Reformed Hardshell Baptist Church.” One of its articles is that “no female member shall wear any dress more costly than calico, nor any head-dress except a sunbonnet.” The Independent supposes that the women are the “Reformed” element, and the men the “Hardshell.”

—Germany has annexed the Cameroons territory on the west coast of Africa. And the Baptist Missionary Society of England has appealed to Lord Granville to protect British subjects in the Cameroons, and to demand from Germany indemnity for the destruction of the Baptist mission there. The property was valued at about $10,000.

—A Boston correspondent of the Occident reports a compromise between Methodists and Unitarians, by which a Unitarian Church is to have a Methodist pastor. He calls it “the lion and lamb combination,” but he does not tell which one is regarded as the lamb, nor which the lion, nor whether either is “Father.” Well, well, what are the churches coming to?

—A new religious paper has been started in Troy, S. C., called the Psalm Singer. It is to be devoted to the advocacy of the singing of psalms exclusively in worship. But whether the psalms must be sung in Hebrew, or in the English of King James’ translation, we are not informed. In either case we should like to hear the “long list of editors” sing just once.

—At a meeting of the Presbyterian ministers of Pittsburg and Allegheny City, on Feb. 9, resolutions strongly denouncing roller skating were unanimously adopted. The testimony of a physician, who has had special facilities for observation, says that the amusement has greatly increased debility among young women, and that it has laid the foundation of serious diseases.

—At a meeting of the General Ministerial Association, of Portland, Oregon, composed of all evangelical ministers of Portland and East Portland, the following resolution was passed: “Resolved, That we, as an association of ministers, do hereby agree that we will refuse to marry any persons who have been divorced for other than scriptural reasons, and also the guilty party in a rightful case of divorce.” Good.

—A young Japanese Christian, imprisoned at Tokio, for too free expression of his liberal sentiments, labored successfully for the conversion of a fellow-prisoner. Others gathered to hear him, till he had a congregation of 300 earnest listeners. At his liberation he informed the authorities of the miserable condition of the prisoners, when he was appointed governor of a new prison, with permission to teach and practice the doctrines of Christianity.

—The annual summary of British contributions to societies devoted to missionary work in foreign parts has lately been completed. It shows that the total sums voluntarily given in the British Isles during the year 1883-84, were as follows: Church of England Societies, £491,647; Joint Societies of Churchmen and Nonconformists, £182,085; English and Welsh Nonconformist Societies, £341,046; Scotch and Irish Presbyterian Societies, £193,208; Roman Catholic Societies, £8,544. Total contributions for 1883-84, £1,216,530. This total, which exceeds that of any previous year, does not include any income from investments, nor balances in hand at the commencement of the year, nor any foreign contributions.