News and Notes by Editor

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

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 47.

News and Notes.

By Editor

RELIGIOUS.

—The Kentucky Methodist Conference reports a loss of 873 members during the past year.

—The Bethany Presbyterian Sunday-school, in Troy, N. Y., has just been incorporated, so as to hold property.

—The Christian Statesman says that the defeat of Mr. Blaine is due solely to the fact that he traveled on the Sunday before election. The Lord allowed defeat to come as a punishment. The superstition of the Statesman is sickening.

—The creditors of the late Archbishop Purcell sent the following pointed letter to the plenary council at Baltimore: "People are beginning to think that, if Heaven needs all the substance of the widow and orphan to keep the clerical profession in affluence and splendor, it is time to retire from the sanctuary and delve for some other scheme of salvation."

—Immediately after the election, nearly every religious paper that came to us, contained an article beginning something like this: "Now that the election is over, and the excitement of the campaign is in the past, let us turn to our work with renewed earnestness." This would seem to indicate that the work of saving souls gave place for a time to the excitement of the election. We fear that this was too much the case.

—The Pacific (Congregationalist) contains a letter which the editor says is from one of their most faithful ministers, who says that he is sorely tempted to join the Salvation Army. He says that although he labors faithfully, he sees no results, and has scarcely any congregation, and the Army reaches the people. It is worthy of note, also, as showing the growth of the Salvation Army, that many of the Baptist pastors in California are being assisted in their Sunday services by members of the Army. As a consequence, the services are said to be much more interesting. No doubt.

—One of the questions before the Plenary Council at Baltimore, was as to what means could be devised to bring about such a division of the school tax as will give Catholic schools an equal chance with the public schools. The N. Y. Observer said concerning this: "Such is the subserviency of politicians to any church that can poll votes, we are never safe in saying the Romanists will not carry their point. We can demonstrate the iniquity, the unfairness, the inexpediency, and the unpatriotic character of the measure proposed, but we cannot say the politicians will refuse their demand."