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lUsOhrisstiMtitoocate. I. N. C FEB. 17. 1SS6. JL. ItKII. Hriitor. UTOKIAL, CONTKIBUTOK : .EV. W. S. BLACK, D. D. Subscription Kates i a advance, - in advance, tlV, in advance, I t 1JJ0 50 ministers at u:m and the widows of ny; rates furnished on application aveliu and local ministers in ine Con cur authorized agents, icy by Check, P. O. Money Order, or by Letter, or hand to your pastor, opposite your name on trie yellow la ve paste on your paper each week, is !i-n your subscription to the Advocate vduress all ivtrers to KEV. F. L. l.EIO, Kaleih, N. C. Secretary of our Confe:- sent out all the minutes i, either by express, or by Notify him if you fail to get He requests us to say ne the best he could, and we Si as done well. Let all our hnv the minutes. It is a t pamphlet. ..EGRET TO LEARN that Rev. V. Koger, our missionary to ;ioni South Carolina, is dead, d of veilow fever. He has J i - R . t d ;. mi Brazil since 1881. He s wife and four children who no s- in Brazil. Another name . -ti added to the long and il- i !.. list of Christian martyrs. 1 . ; rticulars ot his death have c..: Ik t ii received. That orazy boy, near Raleigh, ib 1 another blindness, so call ed. We stated week before last th;t li feigned his blindness we jinNiir simply to say that we believe t.v to be crazy, and his so call- e bbmluess and paralysis to be ie-mlt of a diseased lmagma- t He is creating some little M-us:it ;ou in this section, and in our Dj'.iiiou the best place for him is the iu-:in' Asylum. A PETITION WAS SENT to Post- Di,i.-ti-r General Vilas from Balti inoie,a -king him to require the let ter earners of that city to deliver jii.i.l ;it least once on the Sabbath, lit- iv fused to do it and put his re- 1 on the proper ground, that it Ue an unnecessary work on the 25 lobath. We honor him for course. We are glad to notice f.. if hjc Methodist preachers of B liri ?i re, at a recent meeting, a-d-ipred the following resolution: Resolved by this Preachers' Meet iuii : We have read with great sat il;ct:on the letter of Postmaster-G-ne.-..l Vi'las,i efusinz the proposed Uiui.iy delivery of mails by earner.-, :iad that we hereby thank Liu for his decisiou. A CORRESPONDENT OF TIIE Ral eih Kr 'ning Wsitor, signing the in itial F., replies to our criticism on the. '-Capital Club" of this city, which we published in our last is--3ue. One who hasn't the manliness to sign his name to what he writes, Of a personal nature,is hardly worth noticing. We never had much re aped tor those who hush-whack. We confess, however, that after reading che article and noting its weakness, we didn't blame the poor fellow for being ashamed to put his name to ir. W" cannot find it in our heart t blame any man for being ashamed of such a weak production. We will stale, as a matter of fact, that tiie Club will not sell liquor to just anybody and everybody. The drink ing establishment isrfor the special benefit of the members and their guests only. This may mend the matter in the eyes of some. It does not in ours. The nmiv cougratu lrions and thanks received, and or ders tor extra copies of our last is sue, are the best guarantees we have that the good people of the State approve ot our little editorial notice. P.no. Lafferty, of the Rich-mo- if Jdcocate, seems to be in great trouble over the entertainment of General Conference: so much so that he luis forgotten how he used to vviite about Nashville and Atlan ta. We feel sorry for him. He has become real serious over it; in fact. he has called, for penitents, and wants us "to go up." From what we can hear of the travail of the saints m Richmond, in trying to provide for the body, if Bro. Laffer- Ux- would nnen his eves, without putting on his glasses, he could see f "mourners sroins: about ( JJiX.W-J v c - j the stree's." But, seriously, we think it wouui be well for the General Conference ' to take steps to provide for its own i -- entertainment. Let the Lrene-a Conference appoint a committee to receive propositions from the van ous cities and large summer resorts and locate the General Conference df fh iwf. nhie.e. changing from irfnoo tr nlace each time as is thought best. To locate the Con ference even four years in advance would open the way to imposition in the way of extravagant charges for board, &c. The committee, in tin interim, could make the best arrangement as to price of board, &c, and publish the plan decided upon in the papers. Then let each Atmim! Conference provide lor a collection to raise a sufficient sura every fourth year to pay the travel ing expenses and board of its dele gation. This, or something similar, ought to be done. After all the women and children suffer more from the use of liauor than auv others. The man who drinks is a terror to his house hold. A revenue officer told us the other day that they found out where more illicit distilleries were through the women than auv other way. A man nuts uo an illicit distillery. It . M. debauches him and degrades his family. The children are forced to work in it. The poor wife suffers on in silence. She is afraid to open her mouth. She secretly writes a letter to the revenue officer, signing no name, but telling him on what branch he can find an illicit distille ry. The officer goes and destroys it. They find out where more stills are in this way than any other. Letters, in the hand-writing of la dies, are frequently received by the revenue officers directing them where to find stills. The wife and the children and the horse, and even the dog of a man who deals in or drinks liquor, all feel the effects of it. We knew a man once who-e dog watched for his coming when he was away, and that dog could tell the moment he saw his master whether he was intoxicated. If his master was drunk, the dog would run under the house and hide. He knew he would be badlv treated. When Bill Arp's ton voted for prohibition he wrote as follows : 'Siuce Cartersville has gone dry through prohibition, the animals have a better time. If they under stood it, I think they would hold a grand jubilee and ratification meet ing. The mules wou'd bray, and the horses ne?gh, and the oxen would low, and tho dogs would bark for joy." Southern Methodist Statistics. Most of the papers have been re joicing over an increase of 50,000 in our church this year. We felt some what elated ourselves. Compared with other denominations we did make a good showing, indeed. But we looked on the bright side the rejoicing side. We have always heard that there are two sides to everything, and it seems to be true in this case. The St. Louis Advocate finds the other side of these statis tics and gives it to us. That we may look on both sides we quote as follows: Some who profess to be well in formed on the subject tell us the net increase in the membership of the M. E Church, South, during the last Conference 3ear, will not fall shoit of 50,000. The total number of preachers and members reported in ine last ijeuerai liuues was 911,327. Of these 4,319 were trav eling, and 5,858 were local preach ers. But of the traveling preachers 536 were ineffective, oeing on the list of superannuates or supernume raries, deducting these we have 3, 783 effective ministers, and hese, supposing the increase to be 50,000, vith the aid of 201 supernumeraries and 5,858 local preachers have in creased the total number of preach ers and members 5 and J per cent um, or a fraction over 13 to each effective preacher to say nothing of the aid afforded by the supernu meraries and the local preachers. Fifty thousand seems a large in crease to be made in one year, but when we come to divide it among "RALEIGH CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE, FEB. 17, 188B. all the laborers it does not seem so large. Indeed, when we consider the men and the means, the labors and the cost of those labors to the church, the result dwindles down to a narrow limit. Think: If these 3,783 effective preachers delivered during the year only 100 sermons each, the aggre gate would be 378,300. This esti mate is too low. Many, most of them, went tar beyond that figure. Unt let, it stand, and sunnose that the excess above that number add ed to the number delivered by the supernumeraries and the local preachers, amounted to just as many more. Then there were delivered during the year 756,600 sermons, and, if the increase be 50,000, then there was one addition for a frac tion over every fifteen sermons ! No great things aftr all. The Election of Bishops. The papers are speaking out now on the number necessary and quali fications desirable in the election of new bishops. The Southern Chris tian Advocate suggests that, it it is understood that auy one of the Bishops is liable to be assigned for five or ten years to China, it will kill a good many, "espscopal bees'; that are uzzing in some good men's " bonnets." It would, no doubt, be a good thing to kill some of " the bees," but they do not sting much; about all that the most of them do is to " buzz" a little. That paper does not say how many new ones ought to be elected, but is opposed to two grades ot bishops. Dr. Hay good thinks we need bishops in ojur foreign fields and rather endorses Dr. Garland's views. The Alabama Christian Advocate thinks we ought to elect four new bishops, and then goes on to tell what kind of men they ought to be. That paper thinks the new bishops ought to be pious, posted, good preachers, and poor. With these qualifications, 1$ thinks age will make but little difference. But here 1 j i a -r a 1 1$ wnac ina. paper says. ie ic speak for itself: kThe men chosen should,of course, be deeply pious, which is to say they ought to be free from the ambition to lord it over God's heritage. They ought to be well acquainted with the law ol the church, not only as it is to be read in the DiscirineTbnt as it is to be known by a practical experience in the work of the church rom poor circuits to rich stations. They should have learned to rule, by having learned to obey, how to administer law by having kept the aw. The captain of the ship should have served before the mast. " They should be good preachers not in one sense but in every sense men who can represent te church anywheie a preacher ought stand. They should have good common seuse practical wisdom knowledge of men and things. Scholarly culture is by no means to be disregarded. but high scholar ship is not as important as tact in settling difficulties and harmoniz ing differences without hurting per sons and compromising truth. An other fact of importance is that a Methodist Bishop. should be a poor man. However it may be in secular .rofessions, or in the ministry of other churches, it is very certain hat poverty is perfectly compatible with the very highest personal haracter and deepest spirituality in preachers of our church. A rich preacher may be as pious as a poor one, out no one wilt believe his heart is as full of sympathy with 1 -w- nis poor nretflren. isecause tne vast majority of our preachers are :xor, and will always be so, under our system, we would rather never have a rich Bishop. " As to age, it makes but little difference whether he is thirty-five or sixcy-five." An Hour With Other Editors. The Moore County Index has changed hands. The North Carolina Teacher has opened a "Teachers' Album," and desires the photographs of all the teachers in the State. The Holston Methodist, in men zoning some of the prominent lay men who will be in the next Gener al Conference, mentions Ex-Gov. Jarvis, of North Carolina, as one. This is a mistake. Gov. Jarvis was not elected a delegate. The Progressive Farmer is the name ol a new paper recently issued in Winston, N. C., aud edited by Co L. L. Polk. The name indicates the character of the paper. The initial number is well printed and well edited. We wish the new en terprise abundant success. Colorado Methodist: An episco pal residence ought to be es' ablish- ed in Pueblo at once. JNothing would forward our colleges, as well as other interests ami other enter prises, so inucn. Bishop Hargrove knows us well and could move pos sibly easier than any other. The Western Christian Advocate believes that a man who tries to preach without preparation is not oh wiser than a man who tries to fire an empty gun. In each case n - it is necessary to load oeiore you shoot. The Texas Advocate says : The whisky sellers of Tuscaloosa Alabama, obtained license to con tinue their business in a character istic wav. The laws of that State require a petition signed by twenty freeholders and househo ders, aiu heiiii? unable to obtain the needed number, the whisky sellers, in th exercise of their "personal liberty," manufactured freeholders by selling a lot of worthless negroes city lots at 5.50 each. The following from the Pitts burgh Advocate will be interest ing In 1800 there were twenty colleges in this country, twelve of which were religious and eight secular,the most of the latter being b fidel Now there are three hundred and seventy-six, three hundred and twelve religious and sixty-four sec ular, but not one iufidel. The edu cation of the youth of the world is in Christian hands, for the secular institutions are manned chiefly by Christians. This "decaying" insti tution, Christianity, seems to have 1 . f :..iri i a wonaenui amount 01 vitality anu promise in it. In reply to a correspondent the St. Louis Advocate says : "At the opening of the General Conterence of 1846, Joshua Soule and James O. Andrew were the bishops. During that conference Robert Paine and William Capers were elected. In 1850, Henry B. Bascom was elected. In 1854, George F. Pierce, John Early and H. H. Kavanaugh were elected. In 1866, H. N. McTyeire, W. M. Wightman, D. S. Doggett, and E. M. Marvin were elected. In 1870, J. C. Keener was elected. In 1882, A. W. Wilson, L. Parker, J. C. Granbery and R. K. Hargrove were elected. Five of the number still live, the others all served from the time of their election till their deaths." The Holston Methodist asks the opinion of its readers as to whether it shall publish Talmage's sermons. One of its readers thus gives his opinion : Talmage is a good, and great man, and no doubt a fine preacher, and it would be delightful to hear him preach as a recreation; but his printed sermons remind me of Yan kee Doodle, with variations. Eve ry one of them cast in the same mould, only varied in the ingredi ents used. Who would not get tired of gazing at rainbows, and eating syllabub for breakfast, din ner and supper ? His penchant for fancy texts, and his mode of treat ing them, gives them an ephemeral interest which soon vanishes by rep etition. He is neither doctrinal nor Methodistic, and his discourses are better adapted to New York City dudes than sturdy Southern Meth odists. The Central Methodist prints an "Open Letter to the Bishops," by Rev. W. T. Poynter, of Kentucky. In admitting the article, which had been refused by the Nashville and St. Louis Advocates, the Methodist says : Several times we have been asked to pubbsh articles somewhat simi lar, but as the authors,in every case have some grievance, either fancied or real, we declined to do so. But as the present writer has always had the very best appoiutments,has no personal grievance to redresn, writes wholly in what he conceives to be the best interests of the church, and is one of the ablest and most prominent members of the Kentucky Conference, we do not feel at liberty to deny him a hear that the ad ing. If it be clai.aed ministration of the affairs of the church have reached the ultimate limit of perfection, and that hence forth improvement is impossible, then the question has passed the discussional period, and a loyal sub mission is the duty of all. We hon 01 our chief pastors, as we honor all our brethren; but as they claim the right, and often exercise it vigor ously, to publicly discuss the meth ods of preachers, without their church loyalty being called in ques tion, by what rule shall we deny to preachers, occupying less honorable positions, the same right ? Renew your subscription to this j Advocate, price $2.00 per annum. For the Advocate. Our Virginia Correspondence. BV REV. JOHN E. EDWARDS, D. D. SOMETHING WORSE THAN AN IN FIRMITY. It is the easiest thing in the world to complain, to find fault, criticise, carp, grumble, and almost imper ceptibly to one's self to become sour, surly, querulous, and finally morose and sulky. This is by no means the universal tendency and outcrop of human nature. Indeed, it is rather exceptional. The cases, it may be, become the more notice able by reason of the fact that they are comparatively rare. Humau nature, at the best, is a poor thing; and yet after all there is a great deal'to redeem it from utter repro bation. The spots in the sun are the more noticeable because of its brilliiancy as a whole. Preachers and theological writers give great prominence to what is technically called "total depravity." It is not in the purpose of the present wri ting to discuss that doctrine. Hu man nature is bad enough, aud yet it may be probably is better, in some of its aspects at least, than those are willing to concede, who maintain th t infant children "de- serve liod s wratn and damnation." AU I mean to say is, that there are, unquestionably, natural affections that embody themselves in sweet tempers, tender sympathies, friend ly words, and generous acts. Dr. Rosser might include all of this un der his pet phrase, "initial grace. wh'ch is but another mode of char acterizing that old something, call ed "preventing grace." I am not absolutely certain that there is not, in human nature, something that lies back of "initial,"or "preventing grace" something that is instinct ive, inborn, springing spontaneous ly out of our merely animal nature, that embodies itself in "the sweet amenities of life." The brute crea tion instinctively manifest some thing, in this line, very nearly akin to what I a.i speaking about. In human 11.1 tare there is a higher or der of intelligence that gives d rec tiou and expression to that which we suppose to be purely instinctive in the brute or irrational creatiou, if indeed there be such a depart ment of animal creation. Some things in this line of manifestation that rise above "the earthly sen sual and devilish," are called "nat ural virtues." I do not propose to call them virtues at all, in any scrip tural or ethical sense 01 the term. All 1 mean to say is, that there are kindly dispositions, sympathetic faelings, generous impulses, and even sweet, gentle, loving traits of mind and heart, that spring spon taneously, under favorable condi tions of heredity, from human na ture, apart from initial or prevent- - - -mm n . ing grace JNow, an ot tuis, to my own mind, is a little clearer than mud. I do not propose to discuss this subject with those who hold to he doctrine of "total depravity" with a vengeance, and defend it with vmdictiveness, and prove it by the Westminster Confession of Faith. Personally, I am orthodox when tried by the Scriptures. TO RETURN. Some people, it is said, are "con stitutional liars." All of us have seen such. Some peonle men and women are irritable, resentful, quick tempered. They go oft", on the slightest provocation, real or maginary, like a sky-rocket, rip ping and tearing, till they burn out. Some get into the sulks, an'i snut- er like damp powder m a bomb shell, till there is an explosion. Others there are who are as fickle and fitful in their tempers as are he changing figures in a revolving kaleidoscope, or as changeful as the phases of an April.day. Neither of my figures exactly hits the idea. Never mind, it is sufficiently well Understood to answer my purpose. Then, there are others that keep up a placid face, and a guarded tongue, and yet the quiet exterior is as deceitful as the flower-enameled surface of a morass, or the verdure-clad crust that overlies a slum bering volcano. Some are dough faced; some are double-faced; some as deceitful as a crocodile. All this is true whether the doctrine of "total depravity," as taught in the creeds, be true or false. BACK AGAIN TO OUR SUBJECT. I have followed a truant pen un til the subject, if any I really had in mmd when this letter was takeu in baud, has well-nigh drifted out of sight. Ah, yes ! I started out with the thought that some people are lauic-nnuers ; otners carping critics ; and some, who by long in- dulgence in fruesses.and snsnimmw and surmises, and who, by lending a willing ear to tattlers and tale bearers, aud "busy bodies in other men's matters," settle down at last into sour, sulky, cross-grained grumblers. What a change we have sometimes found to come over some ot the friends of other days ! What changes we have witnessed, iu the course of our observation, iii some, who at one time w;r0 clT ful, bright, talkative, con.i,;1? able, confiding I . ,. . . . 'WJIIIF, Then Paillr. e has ub,7 "worm ar tne oud." Possibly j'; appointed ambition. The fond cherished hopes, indulged in ei; life, "have not been realized. n be, envy has taken root, by loner? dulgence, in the heart. ()r j ? chance, an over-weening self-estL has beeulvounded by the negie? and over-sight of an uaappivdativ! public; or, it may be the change j, ; been wrought by the failure to reaci some coveted office,or other positi05 for which the aggrieved party had aspirations. Disappointments pm ., .ill..... "-VI ' outer some uiuei isu sweet amiable natures. Losses 1 effect to produce acerbity in som dispositions losses of property, controlling influence, of oiiicial sition. Not a few, who are dnh. tious of rank aud place, aiv ihl sour for life, by otln-r.s supposed inferior talents and ijualj. ficatious, elevated above tlnin ves, and invested with auihoritv over them. Under any of u, conditions how easy it is i'or a grined and mortified aspirant take a sort of malicious revenge oi the more fortunate, by criticisiu! their conduct and undeira'ing ultfr capabilities 1 It is altogether pos sible for a preacher, even, to fall iu. to the uufortunate not to say posj. tively reprehensible temper ot mind and spirit that is uud-r review in this letter. In almost every Con ference, possibly there nay be .some who fall into one or another of the categories hinted at above. There is scarely a pastoral charge in which i ot tueie is not ;t uaniiny ciiut, or curonic compiainer. routing jjoes right nothing is done right in the estimation ot these victims of the habit of fault-finding. Deti actio, is the food on which such uufurtu. nates fatten. On the other hand there is nothing more beautiful, nothing more christianly tliuu to speak evil of no one. To have tie charity tint "thinketh no evil." Nothing is gained by detraction, or evil surmisings, but th- giatitica. tiou of a little, low vindictiveuess, unworthy of a noble, manly nature! Its indulgence argues the inferior, ty of the person himself to the ol ject of his splenetic and derogatory surmises and suspicions. Who evei aw any one, who was always char ging others with being "wire-work, ers" and schemers to promote theii own interests and secure their owl e nds, regardless of the rights ami claims of others, that would not himself, or herself, be the mau.r woman criticised and judged, but for the lack of the tact and taleiit to be that character ? IMPROVEMENT. Complaining, fault-finding, ami grow croaking, by indulgenc e fast into a chronic habit. The sojuer checked and corrected the better. The habit makes the unfortunate vie-5 tim of it unhappy, and renders him or her disagreeable to others. It ( robs one of a good, healthful 1 11 f 1 11-1 ence in society. It puts every. hiii.; one does or says, however good in itself, at a heavy discount. Let it all, henceforth, take a more cheer ful and hopeful view of men and ( things. Let us put a more charita ble construction on the conduct ii those bv whom we are surrounded in the various walks of life. Wej are never made better by looking all the time for the defects 111 oth ers. A little introspection, now siud then, will do us good Ir ! m lltc get the 4beam out of om 11 eye,' before we undertake thai d-du-ii :e piece of surgery of plucking "t " mote oat of the eyes of others.' The space for my moral lectin' is about filled. I submit it, ;i ye ; say in preaching, to the pirveifi! in. lil ATnf 1 Ati .. 4-1 r 1 ... . .n;i getting that the preacher as well as the hearer is amenable to the same tribunal. NOTES BY WAY OF ADDENDA. We continue to have a cold and disagreeable winter, since wintei set fairly in, about the 10th of Jan uary. The roads are iu bad condi tion. Tobacco, however, is coming in more freely and selling well. ; There is nothing specially nofcvoi thy in church matters. Our JJaptist brethren are going to hold what they denominate a "Baptist Cou- " gress," in Danville, begin nintf " the 9th of March, aud lasting ly111'; da VS. Tllft Trfrrr:iir.iii f evi-1 ci.-C? is already published. A large at tendance of preachers is expected. l-Tot. VV. W. Smith is still pusnu'r his canvass for the endowment o' Randolph Macon Col leg . H': claims to have secured ner. My tt' whole of the 825,000 for the riido; ment of the Norfolk District fessorship. He is now medium?, his attack on Richmond, lie ij1 taiuly is deserving of cotnin ndi tion for his indomitable eiieigy. a congratulation on the succe- t,Ji has thus far crowned his eii i S " And now, Mr. Editor, if there i f" much in this letter, or aiiythiB that, in your judgment, ought n' Z4- -1 A. ! . .'if. J ' J J -t,-i L. i.U in" certainly will not be oil end -i least. w ir ill li.. vv ii v iiki k: i ii i i tM' Danville, Va., Feb. 5th, 1 SS' Read our Seed Offer on 3rd p iSe'
North Carolina Christian Advocate (Greensboro, N.C.)
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Feb. 17, 1886, edition 1
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