News and Notes by Editor

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Sep 11, 1884

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 35.

News and Notes.

By Editor

RELIGIOUS.

—Bishop Pierce, senior bishop of the M. E. Church, South, died in Augusta, Georgia, Sept. 3.

—The Pope has conferred the degree of Master of Theology on Rev. Father Higgins, of St. Joseph College, Somerset, O., the first person in this country so honored.

—An effort is being made to secure legislation permitting the ordination of Miss Louisa S. Baker, who has been preaching acceptably for years in a Congregational Church in Nantucket.

—There are said to be no less than 2,370 parochial Catholic schools in this country. One of the largest of these is that connected with the Church of the Immaculate Conception, New York. It has over 2,500 pupils and about forty teachers.

—The "National Holiness Association" has resolved to have no connection with so-called "undenominational Holiness Bands," and to admit none but Methodists into their association, and to work in accord with Methodist ways and usages.

—Bishop H. M. Turner, of the M. E. Church, South, is said to be the first colored man who ever received the degrees of D. D. and LL.D. He educated himself at night among the cotton-fields of South Carolina, and was the first colored chaplain in the United States army, commissioned by President Lincoln.

—In an article in the September number of the North American Review, Bishop J. Lancaster Spaulding insists that the only sure basis of popular government is morality, not culture of the intellect, nor universal suffrage, nor the development of material resources; and that if the country is to be saved from ruin, there must be a return to the uncompromising moral code of the founders of New England.

—The S. F. Post says: "The old Catholic Church of St. Bernard, at Rockville, Connecticut, is to be disposed of by raffle, and Father Furlong is selling tickets for that purpose." Gambling is becoming so closely connected with church affairs, that we should not be surprised if the pope were to elevate it to the dignity of a sacrament. When the Catholic Church adopts a custom she does no half-way work, as do some of her Protestant daughters.

—A pamphlet issued by the "New York Sabbath Committee" says that not less than 125,000 church members in the employ of the various railroads of the United States labor on Sunday, being compelled to do so or else lose their places. The "Sabbath Committee" doubtless wants a Sunday law, so that those church members may be able to "live their religion" without making any sacrifices. There are a good many people who favor Sunday observance, and are waiting for the law to compel them to do what they think they ought to.

—The "Summer School of Philosophy," at Concord, has been in session, spending the entire time in deifying Emerson. Many new sayings of his were told by some of his intimate friends, among them this one: "The best way to preach Christ in these days is to say nothing about him." This statement, says the Christian Union, "is a revelation of the religious side of Emerson's life which throws much light upon his relation to his own time, and upon his religious method." It strikes us that many people are decidedly Emersonian in respect to religion. Nothing is more common than such preaching of Christ as he advocated. Yet the leading religious(?) journals call that religion. Is there anything that does not hide itself under that broad name?

—Oakland is afflicted above measure with "holiness" people. We have here all the modern varieties of "holiness," including many which we think have appeared nowhere else. In fact, "holiness" has broken loose and is running wild. We wouldn't persecute our readers with a description of all the vagaries, even if we could. We will just mention two extremes. One class is the "I-am-holier-than-thou" kind. One of the preachers of this class was telling, in the camp-meeting now in session in East Oakland, why he could not affiliate with all Christians. He said in substance that all had their peculiarities, some lacking in one direction and some in another: "but," said he, "brethren, if you will all be cast in the same gospel mould that I was cast in, you will be just right." The other class believe that they are already in the immortal state, not only sanctified but glorified. They also have a paper. They are already in the celestial city, but they say that as there are twelve gates, they won't oblige all to enter by the same gate that they did. As yet they have mentioned only six gates. These are, the Universalist Gate, the Jews' Gate, the Communist Gate, the Nihilist Gate, the Spiritualist Gate, and the Roman Catholic Gate. The Mohametans are eagerly looking for their gate, and as all must enter sooner or later, we have no doubt but that they will soon find it. If the other five gates prove insufficient to accommodate all, it is probable that the Communists and Nihilists could squeeze through the same gate, although for that matter either the Universalist or the Spiritualist gate is wide enough for all, so that the other eleven might be dispensed with. And to think that this "holiness" movement is just in its infancy. Ugh!