Converts to Rome

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Aug 23, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 34.

Converts to Rome.—Since the "Sectarian Movement," under Pusey and others, began in the Church of England, up to May, 1899, according to statistics compiled by Mr. W. G. Gorman, a writer in the Catholic Mirror of July 22 tells us, that no fewer than 446 English clergymen have entered the Roman Catholic Church; the same is true of 417 "members of the nobility," of 205 army officers, of 162 authors, poets, and journalists, of 129 of the legal profession, of 90 public officials, of 60 medical men, of 39 naval officers. Of these 158 have become priests and 290 secular clergy. From Oxford University there have been 445 perverts to Rome; from Cambridge, 213. And the ratio is increasing. A dead or dying Protestantism must ever fall before a religion adapted to a worldly mind and sensuous nature. Only the power of God can break its hold on the people, and Protestantism in the great churches is deplorably lacking in this essential element.

Poor Russia! she builds her additional war-ships, while famine and pestilence ravage her interior provinces. It is affirmed that not less than eleven provinces on the Volga, in which dwell millions, will be destitute of crops this year. Following in the wake of famine is multiform disease. "All kinds of scorbutic complaints" and hunger-typhus sweep off thousands of children and weaklings. Much of the money contributed to relieve want is stolen. One case is given of a district government being empowered to draw 100,000 rubles for the needy. The money was drawn, distributed among petty officials, who looted 40,000 rubles, 60,000 only reaching the famine-stricken. The thieves were, in this case, brought to justice, tho more flagrant cases are said to exist. A million rubles wisely expended by the government would do untold good, but we do not hear of it, while 90,000,000 were expended for war-ships in one year. There are but ten newspapers and journals to every million people. No Russian newspaper has a circulation of over 10,000. The average is about 800. In 110,000,000 inhabitants, there are only 1,300 booksellers, including those who sell paper and copy books. Poor Russia!