Religious News and Notes.
By Editor
-The American Bible Society issued 91,190 volumes in the month of May. -At a Sunday-school picnic in Woodward's Gardens, June 26, 12,000 children were present. -The Bible Banner, in a lengthy article, complains of injustice at the hands of the World's Crisis. -At the New York State Sunday-school Convention a school was reported having 1,900 scholars. -Mr. Moody has promised to engage with Mr. Sawyer in the gospel temperance work this summer, in New York. -Beecher lately used strong expressions against the lack of Christianity in the Christian church. It is only retaliation. -A religious paper—the first one—has been started in Servia. Infidelity is said to be the creed of the masses in that country. -Viscount Bury, Under-Secretary of State for War in Beaconsfield's Government, was lately received into the Catholic church. -A well-organized effort is soon to be made by clergymen in the State of New York, to break up the immoral Oneida Community. -Prof. Nelson of Sacramento, at the Yo Semite assembly, said, "California sinners were on a large scale, twenty inches to the foot." -Prof. Asa Gray is appointed to deliver a course of lectures in Yale Theological School next winter on the "Antagonisms of Science and Theology." -The Jews in Bulgaria are oppressed in a shameful manner since the Russians have left that country. With all their faults, the Russians were more liberal and humane. -Dean Stanley in a sermon said that the Episcopacy grew out of the Presbytery, and was unknown in the first state of the church. It were well if all Episcopalians were thus liberal and modest. -Dr. Newman, now Cardinal Newman, is said to believe in the reality and immortality of musical sounds! Why not? we believe that idea is as susceptible of proof as some other popular ideas of immortality. -Under the sanction of Atlanta Presbytery a deacon was expelled from a Presbyterian church for allowing dancing at his house. The Assembly, Southern, rescinded the action, and ordered his full restoration. -The Reformed Presbyterian Synod, which lately met in New York, strongly urged the churches to a greater activity in opposition to secret societies, denouncing them as a species of idolatry and a means of screening crimes. The California Christian Advocate is alone responsible for this: "CAPITAL JOKE.—The Kearney Areopagus last week investigated the moral character of Eld. Kalloch, the candidate for Mayor. He was found to be immaculate!" -The Christian at Work has an argument by Dr. Patton which he urged before the General Assembly of Presbyterians, to prove that the Catholic church is a branch of the church of Christ. What relation does Prof. Swing sustain to the church of Christ? -St. Clement's Church, Philadelphia, had a special service of the mass for the repose of the soul of the late Dr. De Koven, and the Churchman asks, "Is there any special necessity for such a service in his behalf? Was he a sinner above all the others who have labored here in the ministry?" -Bishop Haven, of the Methodist church, who has been "doing" Texas, declares "lawlessness" to be its most pronounced feature, and says it was reported to him by a Judge of one of the courts that a current saying there was, "Wife, give me my revolver, I guess I will go to prayer meeting." -Prince Galitzin, a young Russian nobleman, converted by a Bible given him at the Paris Exposition, proposes to build thirty Bible kiosks and to fit up seven Bible carriages. He intends to travel seven months in Russia, with Mr. Clough, of Paris, whom he has engaged, expressing his intention to give his whole life and time and fortune to the service of Christ and the gospel. -The San Francisco Sunday Chronicle opens an article on "Our Deserted Churches," thus, "One of the most popular of our city pastors recently uttered a loud lament over the fact that our churches were generally but thinly attended, while crowds filled the theatres even on Sunday evening. And the worst of it was, he said, that this defection in church attendance seemed to be increasing from year to year." -A deacon in a Presbyterian church in San Francisco analyzed the collection, and found as follows: Persons attending, 200; amount of collections, $10; 8 persons gave $4 (halves); 12 persons gave $3 (quarters); the rest, $3, apiece; 140 persons gave nothing. Considering that these collections make the bulk of the gifts of the congregation, the showing is anything but creditable. -Joseph Cook did not seem to be fully appreciated by San Francisco papers—they thought he could do that for himself. The Argonaut, in a racy notice of his lecture, said: "Mr. Cook is fully aware that until his advent the world was clothed with ignorance as with a garment, and that henceforth the term 'B. C.' should become divested of its wonted sacred significance, and that all mankind should now look upon it as having but one interpretation, viz.: Before Cook."