News and Notes by Editor

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jan 22, 1885

News and Notes.

By Editor

RELIGIOUS.

—A sect called "Anti-Deists" has been founded in Paris for the purpose of suppressing the name of the Deity in all languages.

—The Roman Catholic Apostolic Delegate at Buenos Ayres has been expelled from the territory of the Argentine Republic, in consequence of his protests against the secularization of education.

—A late missionary report from Madagascar, says that sixty years ago not one person on the island could read. Now the number of readers there amounts to 300,000, and a large part of these possess some part of the Bible.

—A bill has been introduced in the Tennessee Legislature to punish those teaching the doctrine of polygamy, by a fine of $500 and imprisonment for two or three years, at the discretion of the court. It is likely that the measure will become a law.

—The New York Sun says that the pope of Rome is preparing a special letter, in which he will congratulate Archbishop Gibbons, of Baltimore, for the part he took in the late Plenary Council. It is generally thought that Archbishop Gibbons will be created a Cardinal in May next.

—"An error is an error, whether held by one man or many, tens of thousands of adherents cannot turn error into truth."—Independent. Truth. No matter how many people keep the first day of the week, it still remains a fact that "the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God."

—The Mormons of Salt Lake have lately sworn in a large number of their church as special police, to guard the houses of polygamists against United States officers who may attempt to serve warrants or subpoenas on the inmates. They have been instigated to this by articles in their church organ urging the assassination of Government officials.

—Joseph Cook proposes to reopen his famous Monday lectures in Boston the first Monday in February. Among other subjects, he expects to discuss the great subject of revelation and inspiration. Mr. Cook says some bright things occasionally; but if in his treatment of this subject his conclusions are as illogical as some deductions of his in a lecture recently delivered in San Francisco, Boston people will be just as well off without them.

—England seems to be afflicted as badly with church gambling as our own country. The Toronto Globe says that the Congregationalists of Birmingham raffled for bank notes, and the Episcopalians announced an open raffle, "tickets three pence each," with a number of prizes, including bottles of wine and boxes of cigars, for the benefit of some church schools. The corporation finally refused the use of the town hall unless some guarantee was given that there should be no raffling.

—The Interior strikes hard in its strictures on the committee who have in charge the preparation of the International Series of Sunday-school Lessons. It says: "They seem to have been playing what the Presbyterian (Phila.) calls a hop-skip-and-jump game, only that the jumping was in no particular direction. It is a department of what some one called kangaroo exegesis; but that was not accurately descriptive, because the kangaroo is going somewhere and after something."

—Duncan C. Ross, the noted Scotch wrestler and saloon-keeper, of Cleveland, Ohio, is contemplating entering the ministry. He expects to be immediately admitted to the Trinity Theological Seminary at Toronto, where he will study two years, preparatory to entering the pulpit. He thinks he has learned much in the saloon business that will be a help to him in the ministry. Strange indeed! We had never before thought that particular business well calculated to train men for such a work. But then, the church will keep pace with the world.

—The Christian at Work gives forcible utterance to a truth not generally admitted, but which is a truth, nevertheless, when it says: "And to-day we rest the designation of Sunday on the church having 'set it apart of its own authority.' The seventh-day rest was commanded in the fourth commandment, as it is written in every tissue and trembling fiber of the human frame. The selection of Sunday, thus changing the particular day designated in the fourth commandment, was brought about by the gradual concurrence of the early Christian church, and on this basis and none other does the Christian sabbath, the first day of the week, rightly rest."

—The following, from a Virginia correspondent of the Church Record, shows how high an estimate some professors of religion place upon their souls, and how much sacrifice they are willing to make for their salvation: "One of our stewards called on a member of his church a few days ago for his quarterage. Two dollars was the amount demanded. 'That's too much,' declared the brother. 'I don't think so,' said the steward. 'But it is,' persisted the brother; 'I can't afford to pay so much. I'll have to join Big Swamp Church' (naming a church of a sister denomination in the neighborhood). 'You won't save anything by that,' suggested the steward, 'for you will have to pay them.' 'O, yes, I will save, for they have already offered to take me in for a dollar and a quarter a year.'" What a small soul, indeed, to feel thus. It is to be hoped the number is small who hold similar views. The church can well spare all such.