o
KEY. J. E. BOBBITT, Editor.
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OP METHODISM IN NOETH CAROLINA.
$2.00 PEE ANNUM, IN ADVANCE.
YOL. XX. NO. 8.
RALEIGH, N. C, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1874.
WHOLE no. 1,000.
o o
LStian
For tbe Advocate.
One Tear agi to-day.
Lines.wriiten on the first anniversary of the
death of Jiur.uio Maraa iliy.
Cold, ns the cold snow drifting,
Dow.i lroui tlie cloud's dark gray,
And an ivb'.ie, and as pure, aud unsullied,
Out: year ago ta-day,
Ly our faultless darling, our idol,
So fair, so eold. so still,
And our hearts found it hard to bow meekly
Unto a wUe I'ather's will.
Low. where wived the till cedars.
In the d irk drear chilling inouad,
With his still shut eyes, we laid him,
Wiiile tbe evening sun went dowu,
i At the feet of bis sainted Grand Mother,
Asleep iu her grave, the while,
Ow spirit in Heaven was greeting
T-e angel I) vbe. ol her child.
Aid tin- s Tiphi'u sinking ia glory,
J In one glad syuip'jouious lay,
Mingled tb-.-ir v.d'.es iu welcome,
. One year a;o to-day.
For ur darling has crossed the river,
. Has set to ol on the golden shore,
Alonj; whL'i his angel feet wander,
I In peae fore venture.
And a crovii .:i his forehead jrlisteLeth,
Oat shiuieg his golden hair,
A crj.vn from the hand of our Savior,
F.r our 0 iliug so wonlrously fair;
His whit s' fee!, so sr.owy and tender,
'. Pu s over the golden street,
. And hi? vaice joins the seraphim's singing.
WUn irs lueilitlnence sweet.
The j t ira'urt wreath nat was biomning,
When we p'a e l ir above his tomb,
Is de nl. and a thousand II wets.
Like the j i iniiiii- lost their bloom,
An'": " ir yes :rr wn weary with weeping,
, Oil in Hi- year that is gone.
Our hears h.ve ia-tec of sorrow.
i AieKur smiiN with .ief been torn.
jBnt "ii D.irlaiz I) -s never ceased singing,
IV.t'i Ins baby ?ngel tongue,
His sofig of celestial praisiug
' That is only just begun.
Ar.d the blue eyes bright and parkling,
Th.it w ll greet us here no move,
Shi'ie wiih ti-remiiioa s radiance,
la the light of the other shore.
;Ti:is side, the saore is rugged,
j Aed tne river is deep and wide
j But with holy s rength He will help us,
To reach the f iir -ether side,''
i Where th re is Hi more pain and dying,
j - Weere ih ' rigels wait over the way,
j W t i our Darling who went o his Father,
( ire year ago to day.
Ioi.a B.
; . For the Advocate.
Letters to a Young Itinerant.---No. . V.
" My Dear Young Brother: I need
not apologize for directing' your atten
tion to the necessity of fully posting
yourself up in all those refinements
and proprieties of life comprised in
"what are called "good manners." I
do this the more unhesitatingly be
cause polished and easy manners are
f not natural to many men. They are a
"grace that must be early learned, ear
; nestly cultivated, and assiduously
practiced, until they become a habit of
' our life.
lit our day and time, perhaps no
human acquirement in a minister is
more urgently demanded than this,
for a minister to break over these
rules of etiquette and propriety, man
ifesting an ignorance or an indiffer
ence in regard to them, is to render
himself not only a terror to aU culti-
' vited and refined society, but an ob
ject of contempt and ridicule, -which
even his sacred office nor commanding
' talent can excuse.
In the Itinerancy, our ministers
: must visit, admonish, instinct and
counsel all classes and grades of so
ciety and the- ability to adjust and
adapt himself to these varied and dis
similar phases of life, so that in each
' and among all ho will leave behind
him a pleasant memory and a sancti
fied influence, is a grace that every
minister should earnestly covet and
labor to acquire. You will readily
perceive that this matter, in its bear
ings upon your success in the great
work of preaching the Gospel, e.annot
be too highly estimated and my
apology, if any is needed, for making
mention of it, is because I am satis
fied that an acquaintance with, and
attention to, these conventionalities of
life are, by far, too much over -looked.
In this connection there is another
point to which I would call your ear
nest attention, because it sometimes
greatly intercepts a young minister
not only blocking up his way, but
more or less neutralizing his piety. I
allude to what is very properly caUed
eccentricity. There seems to be a sort
of general notion in the world that
every man of great talent must be an
eccentric, or eccentric in some things.
There are however, no just grounds
for any such opinion it is indeed
. doubtful if all these eccentricities are
not more assumed than natural.-
iThev mttunly are no evidence of
Esaptiior talc.it are exceedingly ob
jjectiom.ote 111 any man, but utterly in -
it ilomble in a minister. A minister
I may stultify himself by aping or at
tempting to ape great wn in their
fm-umers, gestures, voice, articulation,
Vc, not so much because thse ae
; j lanky, as that in him they show an
j effort of pu.c affectation. But a whole
train of eccentricities, whether they
apply to apparel, to manners, words
or ideas, when seen in a minister,
stamps him in the eyes of a large
portion of mankind as a fool, who
either ought to amend his ways, be
admonished by his brethren, or keep
out of the pulpit.
There is still another matter that
has given mo much solicitude- and
thought, and upon which I am prompt
ed to make some suggestions, and yet
I have experienced great delicacy in
approaching tho subject and had I
not promised myself in these familiar
letters to advise with you, not only as
a brother but as a son, for whose
spiritual and ministerial success, I
feel almost parental anxiety I prob
ably would have passed over the ques
tion touching your relation in life
whether married or single. If married,
then I would have you (each of you,
for I would address both) bear in
mind that this relation, though Divine
ly appointed, and contributing so
much to man's happiness and useful
ness in life, is nevertheless encumber
ed with trials, responsibilities and
difficulties of a peculiar and distress
ing character. This is emphatically
true as it stands connected with the
Itinerancy. Many and great as are
the sacrifices demanded at the hands
of the itinerant husband in many
respects these are greater with the
itinerant's wife. Home is the chosen
sphere of woman. There is her altar
of affection her citadel of safety her
instincts as well as every yearning of
her heart, turn with unutterable long
ings to this "covenanted, sheltered
spot," and these are no ideal maiden
fancies or imaginative youthful day
dreams, but are alike the order of
Providence and tha out-gushings of
her womanly nature. Y'et in linking
her destiny with an itinerant, with the
fidelity and devotion of faithful Ruth
saying, "whither thou goest I will
go," she, to a great extent, must
forego these instinctive longings he,
with whom she has cast in her lot, and
to whom she is to be a help-mate
one of his most true and faithful com
panions and co-laborers he has
turned his back upon this home for
which she longs. O, he would love to
linger with her there, but the com
mand to "forsake houses and lands''
are a part of the dispensation laid
upon him, and without waiting to
"confer with flesh and blood" he takes
her by the hand, and with his face
toward that better country, sings as he
journeys:
"No foot of hind do I possess,
Xo cottage in this wilderness;
A poor wayfaring man,
I lolge awhile in tents below,
And gladly wander to and fro
Till I my Canaan gain. "
All honor to the woman who wil
lingly, voluntarily consecrates her life
to the great work of aiding, sustain
ing, encouraging and solacing her
husband in the arduous and oftimes
painful and disheartening duties of
the Itinerancy! She is worthy of man's
profoundest and most exalted love
and honor, as well as the blessing of
God and the guardianship of angels.
Hast thou found such an one my
brother? Cherish her as thy life her
price is far above rubies. The "lines
have fallen to thee in pleasant places,
thou hast a goodly heritage," let
these gracious bestowments quicken
your zeal and animate your heart as
you go forth reaping, bearing precious
seed for all these sacrifices, both for
thee and thine, the promise is, "that
you shall doubtless come again with
rejoicing, bearing your sheaves with
you."
Yours in Christ,
Watchiiax.
Cedar Grove, Feb. 1874.
Ventilate the Church.
An exchange states" that the time to
change the air in the churches is im
mediately after the congregation has
departed. This is a fact for sexton's
to make a note of, in order to avoid
the complaints of those people who,
realizing their right to pure air, will
not breathe a vitiated element with re
monstrance. "When the services for
the day are concluded, and while the
audience-room is still warm, if the
windows and doors are left open for a
short time, the cooler air of out-doors
will rapidly displace that which has
been breathed over and over again by
the tlirong of worshippers. A better
arrangement would be to so pi ovide
for ventilation in the structure of the
church, that the foul air shall be con
stantly passing out and fresh air shall
be constantly supplied a provision
for the effici mcy of the services and
the health of the congregation which
hitherto has been almost entirely neg
lected. Dr. Burdon Sanderson, in making
1 seme experiments on the electrical
pher imena which accompany the con
traction of the leaves of a sensitive
plant, found the currents produced
are subject in all respects to the same
laws as those qt muscles and nerves.
For the Advocate.
Our Irish Letter.
Nothing has occurred in this coun
try in recent times better deserving of
attention than declaration which has
just been published by the Roman
Catholic clergy of the County of Lime
rick. Two candidates are before the
constituency of that oounty for Par
liamentary honors one a Mr. Kelly,
who was at the outset of the contest
selected by the Roman Catholic cler
gy; the other, Mr. O'Sullivan, of Kil
mallock, upon whom fell tho unani
mous choice of the Farmers' Clubs,
and who, up to the present, at all
events, appears to have the popular
voice in his favour. The programme
of each of these candidates may be
said to be indential. They are alike
warm in favour of Home Ride. They
both declare emphatically for denom
inational education. They, with equal
vigour, announce that the Land Act
of J 870 was a sham and a delusion,
and that nothing will satisfy, or ought
to satisfy, the tenant farmers of Ire
land but what they call fixity of tenure.
And, lastly, they rival each other in
the warmth and fervour with which
they speak of the justice and propriety
of releasing the convicts whom it
pleases the Celtic notion to describe
as political prisoners. On the face of
it, one might say that the candidates
might agree to toss up for the honor
of representing the County of Lime
rick in the Imperial Parliament. But
there is something below the surface
of the election addi esses, and, indeed,
in Mr. O'Sullivan's case thereis agood
deal below the surface. Tho manner
of his selection invited the attention
of the public. He was put in the
front by persons who announced
themselves, not as Home Rulers, but
as Nationalists. He was lauded be
cause he was 'a man of 67." John
Martin and P. J. Smyth are in Par
liament representatives of the ideas
which prevailed in '43 and '48; and
the tenant farmers of Limerick de
mand, it appears, that Mr. O'Sullivan,
of Kilmallock, shall be Bent to Par
liament to represent the ideas that
were suppressed, so far as their out
ward and violent expression is con
cerned, in 1867. In plain language,
Mr. O'Sullivan was one of the politi
cal prisoners who was kept in close
quarters for rt few months on suspi
cion of Fenianism; and this is made
his chief merit with the Fanners
Clubs of Limerick and Clare; while the
Cork Clubs have gone out of their
way to encourage their brethren on
the banks of the Shannon, and to en
lorse Mr. O'Sullivan as a good man
and true. In the meantime, Mr. Kelly
is declared to be peculiarly obnoxious
because his father, many years ago,
presumed to evict some tenants for
non-payment of rent, and to convert
their farms into bullock walk; and it
is amusing to observe that the son
hardly ventures, except in a feeble
way, to vindicate the acts 01 tne la
ther; and, "indeed, such are the exi
gencies of his situation that he has
given a kind of pledge that, if he
should ever inherit the property, he
will make restitution to those who,
for the nominal offence of paying no
rent, were prevented from continuing
to farm part of the Kelly estates.
It is in this crisis that the Roman
Catholic clergy of Limerick county
have come farward with a unanimous
declaration, not only in favour of Mr.
Kelly, but directly against Mr. 0'Sul
livan. They met on Friday at the
Parochial House in Limerick. The
Roman Catholic bishop presided.
More than eighty priests attended; and
the address which they adopted was
dissented from by only four of the
number. The document is one of
considerable length, and is ably and
adroitly written. The clergy com
mence by showing the importance of
the crisis, and declaring their own
patriotism and affection for their
parishioners. 'In offering you our
advice,' they say, 'we disclaim all at
tention of dictating to you. We have
no power, nor have we the slightest
disposition to dictate.' This, it must
be confessed, is a modification of the
old tone, in the times when Dr. Mac
Hale used to say that if he pleased
he could return his own cow boy to
Parliament. The priests then cun
ningly remind the farmers that they
have themselves sprung almost ex
clusively 'from the great farming class
of Ireland, end are their kith and kin,
these own blood and household, their
brothers, relatives, and friends.' Af
ter this preamble the declaration ap
proaches the matter in hands. Let us
see what they say:
'The hearts of priest and people are
set upon domestic government, pop
ularly called Home Rule upon the
education of the people according to
the people's faith upon a tixity of
tenore in land at a fair rest, and an
amnesty to the political prisoners.
For the efficient advocacy of all these
questions your representative should
lea man of eduoation, intelligence
position, and ability. One of any
other description would enly prevake
the Parliiimer t to mock and repulse
us, to any that we are unfit to nrmftf
our own affairs, end knew not what
we want'
Perhaps it did not occur to their
reverences that however effective this
argument may be for the people of
Limerick it, after all, only comes to
this: that the electors are requested
not to follow up their own idea now
lest it might make the Imperial Par
liament take the alarm. But if they
are only kind enough to return men of
education and position so long as the
Parliament sits in London they may
take their own lino of action as soon
as the Home Rule Parliament is sit
ting in College Green. Thoir rever
ences then proceed to describe Mr.
Kelly as a gentleman who has pledged
himself to Home Rule and all the rest
of the programme, and as being 'an
educated, intelligent, and able- man,
sprang from an old Catholic stock,
with a large stake in the county and
city, and without a stain upon his per
sonal character.' No doubt, they say,
the father is said to have been an
exterminator, but many of the charges
are untrue and others exaggerated.
They have no sympathy with exter
minators; but aie the sins of the fa
ther to bo visited upon the son, when
the son says ho does not approve of
what was done? Thus having com
mended Mr. Kelly, the bishop and
priests approach the delicate part of
their task, and touch upon Mr. Kel
ly's antagonist: 'Of Mi". O'Sullivan
wo desire to speak with all due res
pect, but we feel constrained to de
clare our conviction that his return as
a member for the county would be a
crushing disaster to the Liberal cause,
while to the cause of Home Rule it
would simply be a death-blow.' This
is tolerably strong language, and must
be taken to have all the more signifi
cance since Mr. O'Sullivan has adop
ted precisely the same programme as
Mr. Kelly. How do the priests go on
to illustrate their views: 'We have
been charged with seeking confisca
tion' under the pretence of an equita
ble settlement of the land question
Woidd not Mr. O'Sullivan's return be
in the eyes of the Three Kingdoms a
strong justification of such an im
peachment?' Here is a new light
thrown upon the subject. The bishop
and clergy know what Mr. O'Sulli
van's principles are, and so do the
constituents of the county. We only
look on at a distance. But if his re
turn would justify such an impeach
ment, is it not plain that his selection
his unanimous selection by the
Fanners' Clubs proves that the object
of those Clubs is really confiscation?
This is the argument of our good
friends the bishop and priests; for it
is the only logical conclusion from
their premises. We confess we are
much obliged to them for putting the
case so well.
Again, they say that Home Rulers
have been charged with seeking 'sepa
ration,' and they ask 'would not Mr.
O'Sullivan's return tend most power
fully to establish the charge ?' If so,
does it not strike the sapient ecclesi
astics that the unanimous selection of
Mr. O'Sullivan by the Farmers' Clubs,
and the ringing cheers with which the
populace greets him, demonstrate con
clusively that the Home Rule which
the Clubs and the populace demand is
separation neither more nor less ?
The priests say that they do not ac
cuse Mr. O'Sullivan of being a separa
tist or a revolutionist, but "every one
understands that he represents ex
treme views." Again, it is this repre
sentative of extreme views who is the
idol of the Fanners' Clubs; and how
can the inference be averted that it is
because of his extreme views he is
worshipped ? 'Do not return him,'
cry their reverences in alarm, for 'En
glishmen say that our Parliament in
Ireland would be an assembly of un
educated, violent, reckless men, unfit
to govern, and that all lational legis
lation would become impossible-
Would not the return of Mr. O'Sulli
van contribute powerfully and we
mean him no disrespect to prove
their ill-founded prophesies?' This
is not what is said on the subject here
in Antrim, where we can only know
the merits of the question at second
hand; but in Limerick, at a meeting of
more than eighty of the Roman Cath
olic clergy among whom there were
but four dissentients. If we judge
simply by Mr. O'Sullivan's address,
we must say that this last passage ap
pears to us to do him an injustice. He
has written by no means like an un
educated man, and his views, as ex
pressed by himself, did not appear to
be any more recklesB or violent than
those of the candidate whom the
priests so strongly favour. However
we take their arguments and their as
sertion as we find them, and. we say
that they condemn not Mr. O'Sullivan,
but the Farmers' Clubs and the peo
pis who have adopted him. In other
words, they condemn the agitators,
lay and clerical, who have made the
Farmers' Ciubs and the populace what
they are.
JOBS EOi.
January 24th, 1874.
An Indian once tried the softness oi
feathers by laying one on a rock and
stretching kirssalf upon it. There are
some who iry the virtue of advertis
ing on the same plan.
Far the Advoeate.
What does "Tehas" Mean ?
Mr. Editor: From "Tehas," it is
said that "Texas" is derived. Tehas
Bigm&ea friends, and, we are told, was
tho name given by some Spanish nav
igators to a tribe of Indians found
near tho Gulf coast, about the time
the country was first discovered. The
name, to tliis day, is appropriate and
significant. There beats in Texas a
warm Southern heart. The hospital
ity of Texas to trangersjimpiesses the
emigrant most favorably. It is happi
ly symbol "zed by the fragrant flowers
that bloom around him and the breezes
which fan him.
Speaking of flowers, they have been
blooming in our gardens ail winter,
and still they contest the palm with
Boreas, although February is at the
door. The thermometer has indica
ted 29 above zero as our coldest weath
er this winter, while 70 to 74 has not
been imcommon at noon of our warm
est days. Man rejoices in this bland
and beautiful weather, but the beasts
have even greater cause than their
masters to congratulate themselves
on the absence of snow and ice. 4re
you aware, Mr. Editor, that the peo
ple do not feed their cattle in Texas ?
This is the rule; a cow which tastes
grain, peas or provender is indeed
highly favored, a very nabob in the
midst of a gaunt and uncared for
peasantry.
The plan is to let each individual of
the lowing herds take the chances: if
he, she, or it lives, well; if the oppor
tunity is afforded to the owner of sel
ling the hides, it brings him in some
ready money which greatly soothes his
sorrows. In West Texas the proba
bilities of life arejuuch greater than in
Eastern Texas, the grass on the pra
iries being so good and so abundant
in tho West, and this cured hay, as
one might call it, is usually so little
injured by rain. Texas is a grand
country for cattle, not so good for
hogs.
But I am wandering, and must seek
the North Star, or some other point of
observations which will guide me.
Comparisons are not always odious,
I have noticed with what attention
most people receive analogical preach
ing, even when tho beverage is thin
and weak, i Lave thought, therefore,
that your renders might endure some
likenesses, or contrasts, drawn be
tween Texas and Carolina.
1st. The M. E. Clmrch, South is the
leading denomination in Texas as it is
in North Carolina.
2nd. The preachers here are poorly
supported as they are with you only
more poorly in Texas. Perhaps there
is no point of the domain of Southern
Methodism in which the sustenance
of the Itinerant minister is so meagre
as it is in this "Lone Star" division of
the work.
3rd. This results, in part, from the
fact that there are very few parson
ages in Texas, not half as many in the
entire State as in your Conference.
4th. Congregations for preaching
are not usually so large as they are
with you, owing to the sparesness of
the population.
Missouri is about four times as large
as all New-England; Texas is nearly
four times as large as Missouri, and
yet we have in ibis grand empire only
about one million inhabitants. The
circuit preacher has longer rides in
this State than fall to the lot of your
preachers.
5th. The preachers in yoiu- Confer
ence are better entertained than the
preachers here There the country is
old; the people live in good houses,
and much attention is given to com
fort and adornment. Here, many of
our best people live in uncouth and
uncomfortable houses, and but little
attention is given to elegance and or
nament.
6th. Here the country is improving,
a good class of people are pouring in,
hundreds per day; rail roads are in
covu'se 01 construction, bcnooi iiuu
church entcrprizes are going for
ward, fruit trees and roses are beiDg
planted, a better class of houses are
going up, and millions of acres of
rich land are offered at from $1.50 to
$5 per acre. The Democratic major
ity here is about 50,000, and the col
ored race have but little influence in
elections. Yon know how all these
things are in Carolina.
Finally: In Texas there is greater
diversity in the views of preachers as
to doctrines and church usages; and,
amongst the people, less uniformity in
the observance of old Methodist us
ages than obtains in the North Caro
tina Conference.
In these comparisons, tell your
readers to make considerable excep
tions under most of the items.
A. G. S.
Austin Female College, Jan. 31, 1874.
"Why don't you gi , e us a little
Greel: and Latin occasionally?" asked
a country deacon of a new minister.
"Why, do you understand those
Languages?" "No; but we pay for
the best and we ought to have it."
For the Vdvorate.
"What a Eevolting Picture!"
Mr. Editor: "Watchman," in his
third letter to a young Itinerant, draws
the following picture:
"Just think of a man, and a minister,
with a dark zone of offensive incms
tations cropping out on his lips, a
slimy rill coursing do mi each corner
of his mouth spewing out one huge
mouthful after another of this detest
able admixture upon spotless floors,
or spurting it ol lire places and be -1
spattering, polluting and defacing j
hearthstones, mantel, jams and all or
if he at all notices the spittoon, it is
only to hurl an overflowing mouthful
toward it which, missing its aim
comes down in a discoloring, tainting
fog upon the carpet, to befoul and
corrupt it or, as if to cap the climax,
that even fills his mouth on lying
down, and in his hours of dreams,
pours forth upon the snowy sheets
and pillows a winding sluice staining,
corrupting, and despoiling as it flows.
What a revolting picture ! "
Yes "just think of the man, and
minister'' who would have to swallow
at once, a whole barnful of tobacco in
order to have on his lips, "a dark
zona" (50 miles wide, perhaps) cfmas
ticated tobacco, from which comes "a
slimy rill." (Strong enough to turn a
mill wheel) "coursing down each cor
ner of his mouth;" and yet the man
is not drowned, nor strangled, but
still has power enough "to spew out
huge mouthfuls on the spotless floors,"
and the sills don't break under the
burden: and more wonderful still, this
Polyphemus of the offensive weed, it
seems,as he lies down to sleep, puts in
about a hogshead of the juicy stuffs
"and in his hoiu-s of dreams" (dreams
probably that his jaws are a tobacco
prize'and pressing them together) pours
"forth upon tho snowy sheets and pil
lows a winding sluic"," wliich however
does not wash away the bed, nor
house. This is all wonderful to me,
yet I remember to have read in an
old fable, of a monstrous giant, who
was so large as to wade across the
ocean, using a pinetreo as a cane, his
head up against the skijs. I reckon
this is the huge giant of the weed, who
sat before the imagination of "Watch
man" while he drew the above picture.
Now, I would like to know what Quar
terly Conference licensed this young
Itinerant this enormous chewer of the
weed to preach the gospel of sober
ness and truth.
Discrimination.
Silence in Heaven.
BY MARGARET E. SAXGSTER.
"There was t ilfDce In Heaven for tlio sjiace of half an
hour."
Infensest calm of s.lence fell
Once, for one little half-hour space,
Where blended songs forever swell
In gladness through the Holy Place.
Thpn ceased from every golden lyre
The finger-touch that woke i:schrd,
And every voice in all the choir
Was hush-d in presence oi the Lord.
What hear, in all that listening place,
Grew overfull for silent praise.
And dared be first to bid it cease?
Some eotil led home through thorny ways?
Or eome who out of Sre and blood
Had reached a shelter safe and sweet ?
What one ot all who.bought with bhiod,
Tl'ere kneeling at the dear Lord's feet?
It may have been a li'tle one
Whos spirit could not understand,
The wonder of tbe silence thrown
In mystic awe o-; voice and hand,
Who sudtfen broke it with a cry
Of love's amaze and love's delight,
And woke the clionis ef tbe sky
A sew to sorrow's tna'chle s might.
Oh, for such pause when we shall bow,
Dear Christ, before thy blessed Face.'
A silent moment, sweet and low,
To praise, nn worded, all thy grace,
To feel the beating of thy heart.
That once our woe was nigh to crush,
And worship Thee with tender ar1,
Amid the hallelnj-ihs' hush.
The World at our Lord's Doming.
At the epoch of our Lord's coming,
the known world had just been
brought within the iron circle of the
Roman Empire. The soldiers of the
Eternal City had extended its supre
macy over the fierce tribes of Ger
many, Gaul, Britain, and Scythia; over
Syria and Palestine, and along the
coasts of the great Inner Sea. Order
had been established where previously
chaotic confusion had prevailed, and
the majesty of the law had been en
throned in the midst of wild and
hitherto uncivilized races. Thus it
became possible for the followers of
our Lord to obey His injunction, and
bear the Gospel tidings from Arabia
on the one hand, to the shores of the
Atlantic on the other. Fifty years
e.uiier, and Christianity might have
failed to strike its root in a disorgan
ized and tumultuous world; fifty years
later, and it would have fallen upon
evil days, when social corruption and
the intestine convulsions of an over
grown empire might have withered it
in its early growth. AVhat can be a
stronger evidence of its Divine origin
thn-n the fact that it was born into a
state of society singularly meet and
providentially ordained for its recep
tion ? It came at a time of profound
peace, when its "still small voice"
could reach the minds of the nations.
It came when the arms of Rome had
canied the culture of Greece over an
extensive region, disciplining the in
tellect and refining the imagination,
so that its eternal principles of trath
and justice could secure a general
appreciation. It ennio, before the
nft'ths and delusions of tho Alexan
drian school of philosophy had grown
powerful enough to take hold of tue
new doctrine, and poison it with their
deadly breath. It came as a necessary
complement of the revelation already
made to man in Jewish Monotheism ,
and Greek speculation. It was the
"heir of all the ages;" the historic se
quence of prior creeds and systems:
the culmination of a prolonged order
of Divine preparation; and the new
and more exalted spirit infused into
the methods of hum.ui thought was
the gift of God, who, from the begin
ning foreseeing all things, had made
all things converge to this appointed
end. Christ's first coming, then, oc
curring when it did, may reasonably
be accepted as one of the mofct striking
of the external testimonies to the au
thenticity of our Clnistian faith.
There is another consideration
which may well awaken thought; name
ly, that Christ assumed humanity at
an epoch when the fountains of the
great deep were broken up, and the
moral scheme of the world trembled
on the blink of destruction. Hebrew
Monotheism had done its work; Greek
culture had accomplished its mission;
Roman civilization had fulfilled its in
tention. If man was to be rescued
from an abyss of bestial degradation,
something more waswauted, and so
the infected air was freshened and
made wholesomely a sweet wind from
the hills of Judea. An old writer
says: "Phxlusoi'Jc.a virtutem quaerit,
Thed'-gia invenil, It-liyzo imsnulet"
In like manner it may bo formulated
that philosophy sought after the trath,
law prepared the way for its reception,
and Jesus Christ revealed it. At the
crisis of a social revolution, the king
dom of God was founded; ami inter
vening between the decaying Judaism
and the corrupt Pagandom, it con
quered, and in conquering redeemed,
mankind. SroUUli Guirdion.
God's Mindfulness.
God's relation to man is conceived
too much from the material, too litth
from the spiritual, standpoint. Tin
providences that men watch for on
the field of natnro are always loss
Divine and beneficent than the provi
dences that go on every moment
witnm tne soul 01 man. it nas been
savl that unconscious or involuntary
sins are the worst; tho Pharisee who
believes his righteousness faultless,
being a greater sinner than the 2icni
tent and self-abasing publican. So
the providences of which man remains
unconscious are the mightiest and
truest, the Divine in !l nonces that
stream unrealized through his life, the
sweet and quieting thoughts that find
and comfort him in his distress, the
light that comes to him in darkness,
the memory of his better self that
makes him ashamed of his worse, and
draws lnm from the evil he had fol
lowed to the good he had forsaken.
Pagan Cicero said, "The gods care
for great things, but in. gleet small ''
That was a very pagan sentiment, the
precise reverse of the Christian truth.
The things that concern man are nev
er little to God. Wliile He telk-th the
number of the stars, He also watcheth
that He may heal the heart vexed by
trouble, or broken by sorrow. While
He thinks of the life, He does not
neglect the daily bread it needs. The
least care that can distress man touch
es God, while the great agonies of t'te
eotil, whether due to the loss of one
we loved, or the eclipse of our bright
est hopes, or the impotence of our
best endeavors, or the stings of a guil
ty conscience, so appeal to His love,
that His holy hands hasten to bring
the balm that can heal, and the quiet
that can assuage our grief. Our lit
tie lives are rounded., not with a sleep
but with God, and of every moment of
our lives, as of every spot on earth,
we can say, 'Lo! God is here. How
dreadful! is tins place: It is none
other than the house of God, the very
gate of heaven ! ' Tht boy of Bent.
The New York (' mm r i-J Adeer
fif gives an account of a "strange
sect" worshipping every Sunday at the
"Catholic Apostolic Church" in Six
teenth street, west of Sixth Avenue, in
that city. We copy the following ex
tract: Everything is ordered by what is
held to Vie prophetic guidance, and the
whole is founded upon a belief in the
speedy personal coming of Christ to
take "His own," and to prepare the
earth for his millennial reign. This
Church, which claims that it is not
sect, because it ackaowledges all bap-
tizod Christians as bre'hren, and seeks
to teach, aninot to proselyte, had its
. . ' . 1 ,
origin in the great spiritual movement
with which EdWiird Irving identified
himself nearly fifty years ago. It has
a large number of congregations in
Great Britain, Germany, Canada, and
other countries, but has only this one
congregation in New York, which was
started about twenty-five years ago.
Several Episcopal clergymen and a
number of Congregational and Pres
byterian ministers have entered da
ministry, and some have been deposed
aud suspended for preaching its doc
trines. It has no honors or emolu
ment to offer, and its work has bee n
done slowly and without much appa
rent progress. To most people it is
arccly known by name, nnd miiny
who re id this article will be surprised
to learn thit a congregation with the
complete machinery of tho New Tes
tament Church has so long been at
work iu this city. Indeed this is the
smallest of the sect. Three conreca-
tions in Connecticut, one at Boston,
and one at Potsdam, embrace its num
bers in this country.
Most of the ministers of the Church
support themselves by then- business
occupations, and give their services
without pay. One is a lawyer, anoth
er a physician, aud others arebusinoHS
men. These are called to their places
(tis they believe) by the word of
prophecy. They serve in one of tho
four fold offices of ruler, pastor, proph
et or evangelist.
Why the Red Sea is Called Rkd.
A question that has puzzled scholars
found a solution some time since in
the observation of an American sub
maritio diver. Smith's Bible Diction
ary discusses learnedly tho name of tho
Red Sea. The dictionary surmises
that the name was derived from tho
red western mountains, red coral zoo
philes, etc., and appears to give little
weight to the real and natural retiKon
which came under our American's no
tice. On one occasion the diver ob
served, while under eea, that the cu
rious wavering shadows, which cross
the lustrous, golden floor like Frauen
hofer's lines on the spectrum, began
to change and lose themselves. A
purple glory of intermingled colors
darkened the violet curtains of the sea
chambers, reddening all glints and
tinges with an angry fire. Instead of
that lustrous, golden firmament, the
thaiiassphere darkened to crimson and
opal. The walls grew purple, tho
floor as red as blood; the deep itself
was purpled with tho venous hue of
deoxidized life currents.
The view 011 tho surface was even
more magnificent. The sea at first
assumed the light, tawny or yellowish
red of sherry wine. Anon, this wine
color grew indistinct with richer radi
ance; as far as the cye"could see, and
Hashing in the crystalline splendor of
the Arabian sun, was glorious as a sea
of rose. The dusky red sandstone
hills, with a border of white sand and
green and flowered foliage, like an
elaborately wrought cup of Bohemian
glass enamelled with brilliant flowers,
held the sparkling liquid petals of that
rosy sea. The surface, on examination,
proved to be covered with a thin brick-
dust layer of infusoria slightly tinged
with orange. Placed in a white glass
bottle, this changed into a deep violet
but the wide surface of the external
sea was of that magnificent and bril
liant rose color. It was a new and
pleasing example of the lustrous, ever
varying beauty of the ocean world. It
was caused by diatomacex, minute al-
which under the microscope re
vealed delicate threads gathered in tiny
bundles, and containing rings, blood
disks, of that curious coloring matter
in tiny tubes.
Transcru-t
The influence exercised by the moon
ou meteorological phenomena has been
the subject of a communication to the
eadumio ties Sciences of Paris, by M.
Miirchaud. From examining the dis
tribution of storms between tho yours
17S5 aud 1S7: he supposes that he
detects some relation between the ap -pearance
of storms and the age of the
moon, and he atttmps to show by ta
bles that the moon has &n appreciable
influence on tiie temperature and pres
sure of thp air, on the state of the sky
and the distribution of rain.
Athex-eum.
Peter's Pence. It is well known
that of late years the Pope has been
very largely supported by contribu
tions of "the faithful" throughout tho
world, which have been collected un
der the ancient and historic name of
St. Peter's Pence. The Um'ia QaVolv a
irives the following statistics of the
annual receiiits: In 1861 the "Pence"
amounted to 14,184,000 francs, in 1802
to 9,402;000, m 18C3, to 7,047,000, in
1864 to 5,832,000,in 1805 to 0,445,000,
in 1866 to 5,939,000, in 18(57 to 11,
313,000, in 1868 to 11,000,000, tins
giving a total of 71,171,000 francs in
eight years. The exact sums collect
ed in the last four or five years are
not given, but the same authority
states that they are greatly in i..xcess
of previous years, and reckons that the
total of "Peter's Pence" collected up
in the nrsssnt cannot fall n.ucli shoi t
r; 4.00.000.000 Irancs. The gruit tail
mT 0ff iu the years 1863-1806 is uc-
covin ted for by the same authority and
I Cathohc cpimon on tlmj -
the general belief then tevul ig uidi,
a- the temporal possioun of
tiae x0pe were safe, and that, conse-
quently, he has less urgent ut td of
sterna! subsidies. Siciaa Time