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VOL XXIX.-NO. 19- ... K'UMI.IKI n.n A.l p'or the Advocate. COME AT LAST. "A STANDARD CATECHISM." xtpssrs Editors : The able author, Rev H. 1 xluason, u. u.t nas senr. to my table a valuable work tor the .1 A-.,- J. 1 1 rhnrrh with tne 1 me quoiea aDove. It is certainly worthy of the name, for it' imbraces" the Doctrines of our -rHes of Faith, our Distinctive creed the Church Rules, and a Brief History ot the urigin 01 memoaism. The pUn of the work is well conceiv ed, and the questions and answers sufficiently full to be perspicuous, and brief enough to prenvent confusion of thought. Each Lesson is accompani ed bv Scripture proofs of the doctrines taught, with additional side light by wav of illustration. The learner is carefully led from first principles up to the grand truths of personal exper ience." It is an epitome of evangeli cal doctrine and the plan of salva tion. I have made the bunday -school a study for many years, having been identified with it from boyhood; and I hesitate not to give it as my opinion that this Catechism is the best I have ever seen as a complete text-book for Sundav-schools. It supplies a desi dentiiu.'i. Its great value is its com prehensiveness and simplicity. While it is thoroughly evangelical,it sets forth the distinctive' doctrines and usages of oar beloved Methodism in a manner at once clear and inviting; and it is so arranged that it may be studied with profit not only by children, but also bv grown persons,and even by preach ers. I hail its appearance with joy, hav ing felt its necessity for the last twelve years. But as all truly great things come in the fullness oi their time, per haps this could not have come earlier, at least with any hope of adoption, and especially if written by any who had opposed the Uniform Internation al system. Tne author says in his preface, "Other denominations have their Cate chisms, large and small, teaching their distinctive doctrines, and these are faithiuny taught. It is remarkably strange that the Methodist Church has no such Catechism for her millions of children." Such a statement is painful to me, and its truthfulness makes the pain acute. In your well-written article, Messrs Editors, on the Bible as a text book, you say, "We do not object to the Uniform Lessons except as they substitute and drive out the Bible and Catechisms of our Church." Very true. And that is ground for objection, even to an angel! I have lor the last twelve years, in my humble way, labored to show that this would be the almost inevitable effect of the Uni torm Lessons upon our Church Sun day-school; for the simple reason that we have no pet dogmas to sustain as the spring of our life. But we have that which is infinitely better, viz : clear Scriptural doctrine, sound ex perience, and an unsurpassed polity; much of which is peculiar and distinc tive to us, and essential to the world's salvation. We have allowed this to be superseded by vague generalities, and Bible geography and history. A.ny system that deprives our children W4 Methodistic Bible Catechism is suicidal in policy and damaging in practice. I regard the International Lesson system as the deadest weight our Church has borne in the last twenty years. Its effects were like halting a conquering army, substitut es its effective arms with wooden swords, and bidding it fall in for sham battles. It has displaced the evangeli cal and distinctive doctrines of the Church, driven out her Catechisms, and left in their place a few glittering generalities, the geography of the Lake of Galilee, and the dimensions the boat that was rocked in the storm. Vve notice a movement, even in Chicago, to have the Bible restored to the Sunday-school, and prominent men are now waking up to the damage that nas been done us. If the Inter national Lesson system givee theBible to the Sunday-school, why all this movement ? If it did not, as is cer tainly true, why should it have been fo'uated so long ? A good text-book s jorthis very purpose, to give the 'b!e to the Sunday-school, and Dr. Hudson's Catechism meets the want exactly. . Amongst other confessions to me upon this subject, I am in posses ion of a letter from an excellent and aijd prominent Doctor of Divinity, in Mch he says: "The International Lessons, which now engross our Sunday-schools, may do to impart miscel laneous knowledge, but to study them thousand years would leave our chil dren ignorant of what, as Methodists, J'e beheve is the true doctrines of the Jcnpturies." They are good as faliage, fcut pocr for fruit. And so I have THE ORGAN OF THE - " ' ' ' - I " struggled through many years to make these facts understood, and I hail these movements of piominent men with peculiar delight. Now, let the North Carolina dele gation to the next General Confer ence endeavor to have this Catechism adopted by that body. Let the Pub lishing House buy the copyright, if Dr. Hudson will sell it, and let it take the place ot the"InternationalSystem." If uniformity is desired, let the Sunday-school Secretary prepare it in les sons running through a Quarter, and leaflets simplified for infant classes, and I devoutly believe that a new era will have dawned for the Church. E. A. Yates. Wilmington, May 2nd, 1884. For the Advocate. THE GRACE OF PRAISE. BY REV. DR. DEEMS. We can give no approval to the the ory that children and men should not be praised for fear of spoiling them. Some parents act upon that principle in their families. Some men manag ing large concerns are governed by it in their conduct to those whom they employ. Some Church members hold the same rule as toward their pastors, and sometimes pastors are governed by it in their intercourse with their congregations. Has it any reasonable foundation ? If so, what ? Were not men made to be praised when they do well as much as to be blamed when they do ill ? Is it not in our very constitution to de sire praise ? And does not our Heavenly Father, in His dealings with us, and in the teachings of His Holy Word, show us that He employs that very propensity in leading us on in the path of virtue ? The only show of reason for with holding praise is that it ' spoils" peo ple. Spoils them, indeed! Who has not known a hundred lives to be spoiled for the lack of the sweet sympathy of praise where one has been brought into premature and lux uriant growth by too lavish praise ? Every worker in any department of human activity has a right to appreci ation. Without that appreciation he cannot work as well as when it is given. It is stimulus and reward. On the other side, the spectator finds in tellectual and moral growth in culti vating in himself an appreciation of whatever is excellent in others. Thinking constantly of the influence of the critical eye which is to examine his canvass when it is hung on exhibition in the Academy, the lv.ne artist in his studio, studying his drawings and mixing his colors, has perpetual stimulus to his genius even when he is unconscious of the feeling. He works up towards the very top of the standard of the highest critical appreciation. When his paint ing is finished and visitors throng the exhibition, each who studies the pro duction, not that he may find fault, but that he mav discern beauties and ascertain their genesis, is to go through a process of high education. When he has made a discovery, why should he not announce it? Why should he not praise the artist who has made some wonderful combina tion of light and shade, some remarka ble handling of color, some charming infusion of tone? Will it hurt the ar tist ? Has he not been waiting for that verdict ?" Will it not stimulate to redoubled efforts ? Is the author of a book helped more by blaming its faults than by praising its beauties ? Stimulate an intellect to its highest excellencies,and those very excellencies wiil tend to expurgate its defects. The grace of praise is first and most needed in the domestic circle. It should not be sickeningly lavish. It should never have the taint of flattery. It should be honest appreciation, ex pressed on all occasions. It is better - - j to repress the blame than to suppress the praise. If, every time a wife did right, did well, did beautifully, her husband showed in his eyes or by a silent kiss that he had full apprecia tion of the sacrifice or the exertion, it would ripen in the woman all wifely graces. The poorer a man is, the more careful he should be to observe this rule. His wife has no luxuries, few companions, little to cheer her. When the husband comes in from his work at night, if he should say to his wife, who has no carpet on their single room : "Whv. wife, how clean you do L.n vonr flnnrs! WThat a tidy little darling vou are !" it would fill her evening with comfort, and make her ;Wn more restful after her anxious tnilc And then the husband would feel so much better in his own heart A snarling, snappis-h, cross grained himhand is always miserable. A hus unA whn trives oraise to his wife would have this comfort in his life 1H he trained to the utmost Y. WV.. ... 1 0c;t in rnnsiderinsr him. ohe gCiJCl yjrn.j " o NORTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE RALEIGH, N. C, WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, would suppress any sinister criticism which sprung up in her own heart,and as he had treated her, she would treat him. She would Be to his faults a little blind, Be to his virtues very kind." Little children need the encourage ment of praise. They grow best in sympathy. If the father and mother made a point of gently showing the child when he was wrong, and why he was wrong, and of never omitting a word of praise when he was right, a word so spoken that he should learn from it why he was right, that the child would be enjoying one of the very best kinds of education. Domestics need it. Where any thing is so much better cooked than us ual as to justify it, you do yourself a real service in sending word down to the cook what it was that was specially well done. If every day she is criti cized for something, one day for the soup, one day for the fish, one day for ,meals, one day for the dessert, she will begin to feel at last as if she could not please her emplo-ers, and go into des pair. Bus if, from day to day, some good thing be said ; if no mention be made of the hard potatoes, but she learns that the fish had been done "to a turn," and next day learns that the potatoes are so very much better than they were yesterday, she will be stim ulated to make every exertion to at tain perfection in her cuisine. We have known employers of many men who went upon the principle that those men must never be praised.They may improve week after week, and year after year, and yet never hear from their employer one single word of commendation. He will point out every fault in their work, and notice every shortcoming; and there his criti cisms will end. We have known most excellent men to have been employed twenty years, through which their faculties were all faithfully exercised, so that result was to bring thousands of dollars to their employers, who have closed their score of years of service without having ever had the employer say, "That was most capitally done ! I am much grat j lhed with that. The theory of such an employer is, that if he praise his men they will want their salaries raised. Suppose they do. Perhaps their salaries should be raised; and if the man is worth more than he was, are you so unjust as no, to be willing to give him more ? If he ask more than he is worth, it is in your power to decline to give it. But it is a mis take. A true man would rather re ceive twenty dollers a week and a thor ough appreciotion, than thirty dollars a week and surly treatment; and his employer would be the winner. For if a man work simply for his pay, he does only that which his conscience compels him to do in order that he may not feel as if he had taken money which did not belong: to him. But if the man can be put under the influ ence of the two motives, namely, hon esty and gratitude, he will work bet ter and better, and with more healthy ease to all his faculties. This can be shown in every depart ment, even in the case of the relati6n of pastors and Church. Let any pas tor go on the plan of blaming the peo ple for all their absences from church and from prayer-meeting; for their lack of interest in the Sunday-school; for their failure to contribute what they should for benevolent purposes. Let him scold, and scold, and scold. He will soon wear himself down. But, if everything meets its recognition, so much so that no young man con do the slightest thing for the Church with out finding that his pastor's heart warms toward him, his activities as a Christian worker will grow, and he will strive to enlist the services of others. There is no human being without a fault. The loftiest man might be taken by those who knew and from every excellence all appreciation be withheld and every fault be severely and con . -a ww 1 1 stantly criticised, tie would be a most extraordinary man whose charac ter would not be degraded under such an operation. On the other hand the lowest character may be taken, and if the man be still on earth there are some excellencies in him, and one, sin gle redeeming characteristic might le 1 1 Y 1 applauded, and applauded, and ap plauded, till the praise would stimu late the man and be a tonic to his will power as he endeavored to bring every part of his character to the standard of that which had received so much praise. The pruning knife is good in a vine yard, but it never makes the vine. It is the enriching soil, the soft, caress ing air, the warm, sweet, smiling sun shine, that give the generous vintage. To every Christian man through his earthly culture our Divine Lord hclds forth this exciting expectation, 1 that the protracted meeting is the out that at the last he shall hear the lips 'growth of a genunie revival of religion, OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL of hisLord pronounce the praise which shall thrill his soul; "Well done good and faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many." For the Advocate. ABOUT DEAD HEADS. BY REV. E. L. PERKINS, M. D. Chancing on one occasion to be seated in a railroad car, I noticed.' three well dressed gentlemen, sitting near each other, who seemed to form a very contented group. When the conductor came along with the usual exclamation, "Tickets, tickets," each of the above mentioned trio drew from his pocket a little piece of paper which the official of the carr examined and handed back to the owner. I could not hear the official sigh as he turned away, but I conceived that his looks were very expressive of the words which head this article. Since that time I have often thought that I had dis covered persons who are dead heading their way through on the road to Para dise. When I see a man who is making hundreds of dollars annually, above his current expenses, going to Church without his pocket book, when he knows a missionary collection is the order of the day, I look sorrowfully at the conductor of the meeting, and I say to myself, "Alas poor man ! you have a dead-head in your congregation to-day." When I see a man listen attentively through a good sermon, frequently wiping the tears from his eyes, and then suddenly discover that something urgent claims his attention elsewhere, so that he cannot remain until the col- lection is taken up, I think to myself, "Poor fellow: he is aiming to dead- head his way through to a better world." When I see a man standing in the pulpit, violently assaulting the doc trine, that ye should "work out your salvation with fear and trembling," then I say to myself, "strange man ! he wants to be the conductor of a train of dead-heads to the city of great re- wrads. When I see a man take a subscrip tion, that is lor the reliet ot surtenng humanity, and scan it closely that he may find who has put down the least sum, so that he may excuse himself with the lowest possible figures, then I say to myself, "He too is dead-head- ing his way tnrougn to a cnantaDie man's heaven." When I see a man finds more fault with his faithful pastor, than any one else, and pays the least according to his ability, I say to myself,"Alas ! poor fellow ! he is dead-heading his way to the heaven of the faithful." When I see a woman spending large sums of money, in trying to adorn her person, and then with all her glitter and show, drop a nickle gracefully in to the contribution box, I say to my self, "Poor thing ! she is a dead-head on the train bound for glory." When I see a man who has taken upon himself all the vows of the Church, and has his name enrolled with the members, and then tries to shun his part in the burdens that are to be borne, I say to myself, "Wretch ed man ! he too is dead-heading his way to the regions of heroes, apostles and martyrs." Then I pray this prayer, "Lord, when I arrive at the gates of the heavenly city, let the conductor pre sent me as one who had a good full fare ticket all the icay through.1'' For the Advocate. REVIVALS AND EVANGELISTS. Without question our present sys tern of protracted meetings originated with the rise of Methodism. We have no account in any history, with which I am acqumted, of meetings held from day to day, for the sole purpose of bringing sinners to Christ, until such meetings became necessary, by the earnest and powerful preaching of the early Methodist preachers from the days of theApostles until the rise of Methodism. The early Metho dists did no', have idea the of our modern protracted meetings. They went from place to place, and preached the word with power; always expecting to see immediate results. God honored His word, and their faith, and frequently awakened sinners would become so importunate in their supplications for mercy, that the preachers, and people would remain and sing and pray with them, and continue t'le meetings from day to day. Many souls were sound ly converted to God at these meetings; and they became an integral part of Methodist economy. Methodism itself being a revival, the protracted meeting was simply an expression of Metho- dist economy. But while it is true while CHURCH, SOUTH. 1884. it does not follow that a genuine re vival is always the outgrowth of a protracted meeting. Much of the modern evangelism is very far from the true revival spirit; anid the so-called conversions reported at them are often delusive. Methodism having popularised these meetings by its un preceidented success,others have come forward to teach the Methodists the art ot evangelism ! It would be amus ing, if it were not so serious, to be- hold the humilitv. and teachableness of some of our Methodist preachers, and the arrogance of some of the sell constituted evangelists, as this evange list comes along, and takes charge of the good Methodist brothers Church and crngregations,and sets everything in the Methodist Church to going in an entirely new way. He must con duct the worship in a way entirely new to the congregation. They must sing his songs, it does not matter what sort of theology they contain; they must get religion in the way he dictates; should he take it into his head, they must not be converted in the Church; and if they are converted there they must keep quiet. After they are con verted to him, if he thinks proper they must stay out of the Church a month or two to test the genuineness of their conversion; but in the mean time it must be published to the world, ad that without delay, that this wonderful evangelist has had 150 or 200 conver sions, in the town of A., so that he may go over to B. with great eclat ! Now, Messrs Editors, I would not disparage the work of any man who loves the Lord Jesus Christ, but must say, (and if I am in error I pray for light and pardon,) I can see no per manent good to Methodism, or Chris tianity in this sort of thing. I have no sympathy with it, and long to see time when our Method s': people wil leave these evangelists, socalled to get along by themselves. A Methodist. ABOUT CUR BOYS. The years of adolescence are olten full of restlessness. The bov is, per- haps, overflowing with vivacity, and his gay spirits lead him to do and say things which look idle and foolish to grave middle age. On the other hand. he may develop a tendency to morbid nesf, retiring into himself and repell ing sympathy. Either way he requires delicate handling. It is an inestima ble benefit to a boy to be confidential with his mother at this period of life, telling her his trials and troubles, and receiving her counsel. As a rule, mothers do not pet their older children enough. The sweet, soft words, the caresses which are lavished on the babies are not freely bestowed on the older children. And yet a mother's tender hand smoothing her big boy's brow, her fingers stray ing through his hair, her kiss in pass ing him, are tangible evidences of her love, which are beyond price. It is beautiful to see the knightly grace, the lover-like devotion which some sons show their mothers. Be assured if you would have this crown of crowns, that you must win it by be ing your boy's friend all the way on from his babyhood. Do not be afraid of demonstration. Many a hungry soul is half-famished in the midst of plenty, simply because those around him are so afraid of showing their af fection by speech and smile and touch. There ought to be some place in the house for a boy's possessions. If he iikes tools he should have liberty to use them and a place for a workshop. If he is fond of dumb animals, tolerate his cats and dogs, pigeons, chickens, pets of all kinds, even though you dis like such creatures yourself. If he has a craze for collections, whether of minerals, ores, postage stamps or but terflies, assist him to follow his bent. Let your boys be permitted to be ing their companions freely into the house. There are mothers to whom this advice is superfluous. There are others who care more for clean and shining porches, for stairways and halls, carpets,oilcloths and paints than they do for the welfare of their sons. So, very complacently, they send the latter orf to play with Tom or Harry, whom they (the mothers) do not know, somewhere quite out of sight and hearning, and then they rejoice in their clean, well-kept houses. Dear friends, well-brought-up bey , happy boys, sunning themselves in the atmosphere of a Christian home, are , worth a thousand times more than j handsome houses and luxurious furni-; Men in their imaginations rre apt ture to suppose otheis to possess the same Do not, if you can possibly avoid it, feelings as themselves, especially if force your boys to wear clothes which those feelings are of an unkind char they have outgrown, or ot which they acter. Many of the faults we find in feel ashamed, or which make them in others would disappear, if our own any way conspicuous. Of course, hearts were made right, and we ceased when poverty compels a lad to go ; to judge them by ourselves. threadbare or Latched, when his par- ents connot honestly afford to dress ESTABLISHED 1855 TERMS: Jr Annum, 83.00 him decently, he is manly to bear the privation without complaint. All things being equal, however, and par ents having it in their power to dress their boys neatly and becomingly, they may take it for granted that a pretty necktie, a nice pair of cuffs, properly laundried linen, and a good suit of clothes, are all means of grace to growing lads. Look out for a boy's reading Crowd out the bad by supplying him with plenty of good reading. The little fellows who were disarmed of pistols and knives in a Philadelphia school the other day, juvenile highwaymen equipped for a career of plundering on the Western plains, had been rendincr "flash literature." Vvhat were their mothers about to let the boys get hold of the papers which contain such poi son ? There are papers and magazines which are uuite exciting enough to piease any wholesome, shelves or 1 boy, yet are pure and Then there on the home in the public libraries a authors whose charm for 0 o- - - great many the young is perennial. A boy's even ings at home should be made bright and pleasant. Evenings in the street are fatal to many a lad. Not too much training, motheis, if you love your boys. All good home government leads up to intelligent self government. Never lose sight yourselves of your own accountability to God as mothers, and keep before the boys the feeling that they too are responsible, and must answer to God for the talents entrused to them. Mrs. Sangstcr in Tntelligencer. For the Advocate. A STRANG E FREAK. OF A IJAPTIST FREACHER(PRIMITIVE, OR COMMONLY CALLED HARD SHELLS.) Some dozen years ago, not many miles from Leasburg, I had an ap pointment by request to preach at three o'clock in the Presbyterian Church. As I learned that a Baptist minister would preach in the same Church at 11 o'clock, on a iuneral oc cassion the same day, I concluded to attend the morning service. Before service began, the Presbyterian Elder who had given us both permission to preach, requested the Baptist Minister to give out my appointment for the, evening. This he peremptorily de clined to do. The Presbyterian Elder remarked to me afterwards that if he had known that he would have acted so, he should not have had the use of the Church. But to the point. After singing and prayer, the preacher had proceeded in his sermon about five minutes, when he suddenly stopped, looked around the audience as though under excitmentjexclaimingsomebody has come here for mischief." "He is here." "I see him now." "Shall I call his name ?" Everybody by this time was looking around in suspense to see who the guilty one was; while excitement was on tiptoe, the minister relieved the suspense by exclaiming; "Mr. Prejudice." I had taken my seat infront of the preaeher,and was of course the one who had come for mis chief. S. Lea. AN OPTICAL ILLUSION.. There is a tendency in the eye to enlarge the upper part of an object on which it looks an illusion which we find admirably illustrated in a para graph in an exchange :' Here is a row of ordinary capital letters and figures: SSSSSSSSSSXXXXXX 3333 333888888888. They are such as are made up of two parts of equal shapes. Look carefully at these, and you will perceive that the upper parts of the characters are a very little smaller than the lower parts so little that an ordinary eye will declare them to be of equal size. Now turn the page up side down, and, without careful look ing, you will see that the difference in size is very much exagerated; that the real top of the letter is very much smaller than the lower part. Suffer not your th Rights to dwell on the injury you have received or the provoking words that have been spok en to you. Not only learn the art of neglecting them at the time you receive them, but let them grow less every moment until they die out of your 1 mind. 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