News and Notes by Editor

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jul 7, 1887

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 13, No. 26.

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News and Notes.

By Editor

RELIGIOUS.

—Cardinal Gibbons is to revive the Catholic propaganda among the colored people of the South.

—Clarksburg is said to be the only town in Massachusetts that has no house for religious worship.

—There are in our own country somewhat more than 100,000 Sunday-schools, with an enrollment of 8,500,000 scholars.

—Bishop Potter's scheme to build a great cathedral in New York, costing at least $6,000,000, is likely to fail from lack of means.

—The most "prominent and pressing" topic before the recent General Convention of the Congregational ministers of Vermont, was the problem of State evangelization."

—The Congregationalist suggests that the following would be an appropriate name for some churches: "The Society for the Promotion of Picnics, Progressive Euchre Parties, and Theatrical Entertainments."

—At the city preachers' meeting of the M. E. Church, in Washington, D. C., a request was made that the camp-meeting this year be not appointed so as to include a Sunday, on account of the desecration of the day which the camp-meetings usually induce. This hardly looks as though the church is stronger than the world.

—A conclave of rabbis of the Jewish Church is to be held in Pittsburg, Penn., beginning July 8. It is expected that there will be not less than 250 delegates present, representing every State in the Union. The principal work of the convention will be to reconcile all existing differences between Jewish congregations throughout the United States.

—The Missionary Herald says: "A singular illustration of the changes which are taking place in India is the fact that the firm of Cook & Sons, of London, well known to all travelers, has undertaken to arrange for and personally conduct the usual annual pilgrimage of Mohammedans in India to Mecca. That the arrangements of this caravan of pilgrims are intrusted to regular English traveling agents, like any party of excursionists, is a significant fact not without a ludicrous side. It is supposed that the Government, which has annually paid some $10,000 for this pilgrimage to Mecca, will save a good deal of money by this new plan and will also avoid much trouble and commotion."

—Dr. McGlynn, the rebellious New York priest, is still attracting a fair share of public attention. Some days since he made the statement that the Vatican was anxious to have a representative accredited to the United States. This, however, is denied by Cardinal Gibbons, who authorized this explicit statement: "First, the Holy See has, up to this moment, expressed no intention of sending a nuncio to this country; and, second, the Holy See does not even entertain such an intention." McGlynn characterizes this denial as "a carefully worded evasion," and says: "I am morally certain that Cardinal Gibbons is as well aware as I am of the facts upon which my statement was based, and I further assert that these facts justify my statement."