Religious Miscellany

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jun 24, 1875

Religious Miscellany.

—The Josephite Mormons have lost one of their ablest men in the recent death of Elder Wondell.

—The reported communicants in the Baptist churches at the South, reach the large number of 1,212,000.

—The Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions during the past year sent out to the field eight ordained missionaries, two physicians, and ten unmarried ladies. The receipts of the year were $456,718; expenditures, 495,000. There was a large falling off in contributions as compared with other years. It employs 138 missionaries, about 160 ladies; and 500 native laborers.

—A most disgraceful affair occurred the other day at a Catholic funeral in Pottsville, Pa. The priest objected to having the body buried in the cemetery. As the friends persisted in lowering the body into the grave the priest struck one of them. Thereupon weapons were drawn by both parties and curses and high words freely indulged in. At last the body was buried.

—In Italy there are over 19,000,000 of its 26,000,000 of people unable either to read or write. A striking illustration that the Papal power is not favorable to education?

—The different churches complain of a great falling off in charitable contributions the past year. The Examiner and Chronicle says: "Whatever mitigating circumstances may be found in the state of business throughout the country, and special disaster in portions of it, the grim fact confronts us—our finances have not prospered as they should. The wealth of the church nominally belongs to the Lord, but the Lord has received a meager part of it during the last twelve months. There is hardly one of our church agencies that has not dragged along with a chain on the wheel. Some of them—notably foreign missions—are sinking deeper in debt, declaring that instead of expanding, they must retrench unless the church comes more liberally to the work." A large increase in numbers but a large decrease in contributions. What does this indicate?

—Gradually the Methodists are abandoning the itinerant system. There is a strong tendency to locate their ministers more as the other churches do.

Disabilities removed.—A Mr. Ralli, a member of the Greek church, has been elected to the British Parliament, the first of that faith admitted to a seat.

—Rev. Dr. Dean, of the Baptist Mission at Bangkok, Siam, states that during the past year nearly two hundred Chinese have been brought to Christ, and admitted to the church in connection with his labors.

—The Prussian Diet has granted corporate rights to the Baptists.

—Sea-side camp-meetings for summer resorts are becoming very popular of late. The Presbyterians have just established one at Cape May. They are simply popular pleasure grounds where living is cheap and religion is easy.

—The young king of Spain is reported to have given the new papal legate private assurance that the supremacy of the Roman Catholic Church will be maintained in Spain.

—The Catholics find no relief in Germany. The bill prohibiting religious orders has passed its third reading in the Lower House. The repeal of articles 15, 16, and 18 of the constitution has been agreed to. The bill, which gives the Old Catholics a share in the church property, was accepted with 202 votes against 75. The collection of funds for the priests, who have been legally punished, has been made a penal offense, and is no longer permitted.

—The new Baptist chapel in Rome, situated in Piazza San Lorenzo, and of which Rev. Mr. Wall is pastor, was opened with interesting services March 21. A large number of English and American Christians were present. The premises were bought for $60,000, part of which was converted into a place of worship to accommodate 300, the remaining portions being for a tract depot, printing-office, and infant-school.

—The report comes from Rome that the Vatican Council is to be reconvened, to discuss ecclesiastical reform:

—It is evident that the Reformed Episcopacy as a denominational movement is a failure. A few congregations here and there hold to the minister for personal reasons. But the public have no special want that this new movement is destined to supply. The strength of the new order is in Chicago. Its power is wholly personal to Mr. Cheney. The Third General Council, just held, was a very feeble gathering. The Episcopal Recorder is to be published one-half in the interest of the Protestant Episcopal, and one-half in the interest of the Reformed Episcopal Church. A feeble, unsatisfactory affair.

—The Church Journal (Episcopal) makes this startling statement: "Is it an exaggeration to say that the professed churchmen of a city like New York, the people who kneel at our chancels and communicate at our altars, spend more on their wine than on their religion? We believe that the statement is far within the truth. Their amusements cost them far more than their churches. Their luxuries receive their dollars; their charities carefully count their pennies!"

—The great Protestant Missionary Societies are not yet a hundred years old. In Great Britain the Baptist Missionary Society was organized in 1792, London. Missionary Society in 1795, Scottish Missionary Society, in 1796, Church Missionary Society 1800, Wesleyan Missionary Society 1817, Foreign Missionary Scheme, in the Church of Scotland in 1824. In the United States, the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was organized in 1840, American Baptist Missionary Union in 1814, Methodist Missionary Society in 1819, Board of Missions of the Protestant Episcopal church in 1835, Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian church in 1837.

D. M. C.