Religious News and Notes.
By Editor
—Color has divided the North Carolina Methodist (North) Conference. —Rev. Mr. McLafferty has resigned his pastorate of the First Baptist church of Oakland. —Springfield, Mass., has 14 churches which together owe $213,000. Their debt in 1872 was $148,500. —The Philadelphia Bible Society has reduced the price of neatly bound Bibles to 25 cents a copy, and of Testaments to five cents. —A "General Sunday-school Superintendent" has been found to work successfully in every denomination which has adopted the plan. —Reuben Nelson, D. D., senior publisher and book agent in charge of the Methodist Book Concern, recently died in New York, aged sixty. —Dr. McAnally, editor of the St. Louis Christian Advocate, is partially disabled with "pen paralysis," and is compelled to employ an amanuensis. —Mr. Sankey is holding crowded meetings in different parts of England. It is said there is as much interest in his singing as there was in Moody's preaching. —Suit for $40,000 has been brought against Beecher by his publishers for expenses incurred on his Life of Christ, which were lost by failure on the contract. —Boston proposes to dispense with hymn books, and to "throw up" the verses on to a canvass by means of a magic lantern, so as to be in sight of the congregation. —The "Revised Book of Discipline" of the Southern Presbyterian Church has been rejected by the first Presbytery which voted upon it. Repeated revisions have been rejected. —A contributor to the Sunday Afternoon says that "Moses, the law-giver of the Hebrews, taught—'Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy.'" Chapter and verse, please. Alexander Clark says, —There is enough book theology among us to cover the past and future histories of the fallen race; but scarcely religion enough to sustain the week-night hour of prayer. —Thirty-six years ago the Island of Samoa had a population of 34,000, all of which were barbarians. The population now numbers 80,000, the majority of whom are Christians. In the theological seminary are sixty students, and twenty missionaries are sent out every year to the neighboring islands. —Elihu Burritt, known as the "learned blacksmith," died March 6, at his residence in New Britain, Conn., where he was born in 1810. His learning was principally in languages, of which he was master of twenty-three. A desire to read the Scriptures in the original led him to make languages his study. —A correspondent of Pall Mall Gazette, writing from Rome, says,—Cordial letters have been exchanged between the Pope and the German Emperor. Concessions are made on both sides. A majority of the Cardinals oppose the Pope's acceptance of the civil list; he decides, nevertheless, that ecclesiastics must obey the laws. —Archbishop Purcell defaulted on money loaned to him, as was reported, for $500,000. But the claims have come in for over $6,000,000. Much indignation is felt among the Germans, of whom he borrowed large sums and with it helped to build chapels for the Irish Catholics, while those of their own nationality were neglected. He will be canonized, no doubt. —The North Philadelphia Methodist District Conference has refused to renew the licenses of Sisters Sharpe and Stewart as exhorters, who had been licensed by the Cohocksink Quarterly Conference, the license being "irregular." A church paper says that no exhorter, local preacher, or pastor in that conference has labored more earnestly or successfully in the past 12 months than those sisters. The question has yet to be decided by the General Conference whether women may be licensed to exhort and preach. —The Romanists in Richmond, Va., are making strenuous efforts to win the colored people, and are holding special services for them in the cathedral under the lead of Bishop Keane. It is intended to explain Romish services, and the difference between Romanism and Protestantism. But the Protestant pastors are on the alert to counteract these efforts, and it is expected that much will be accomplished. It is said that in Virginia, for every convert gained to Romanism, two born Romanists "have been brought within the pale of some Protestant church." —It is almost amusing to notice what curiosities are exhibited weekly and labeled "Sermons." Last Sunday, in San Francisco, Dr. Hemphill gave a good essay on Christianity in Politics; Dr. Bowles, having been to the theatre, in the morning recommended the Passion Play! Mr. Stebbins, Unitarian, talked about New England Literature; Dr. Bowles preached in the evening about "the Sea," and the physiology of fishes; Dr. Evarts of Chicago came nearest to the gospel on worship and a regard for the Sabbath; Mr. Anthony spoke on "Good Men for Office;" and Dr. Kalloch, who is angling for a nomination for Governor, told California her duty in regard to the Chinese. Of course he was "enthusiastically applauded," and therefore did not speak in vain—he got his reward.