194
Antevican thtoillievian
mitt vat:gelid.
THURSDAY. AIIGIUST a, 1860.
JOHN W. MEARS, EDITOR,
ASSOCIATED WITH
ALBERT BARNES GEORGE DUFFIELD, 38.
THOMAS BRAINERD, I JOHN JENKINS,
HENRY LARUE% THOMAS J. SHEPHERD,
THE DEATH OF INFANTS.
Now, while the scythe of the harvester is pass
ing swiftly among the standing crops and level
ling them to the earth, the keener, surer scythe
of the great reaper, Death, goes to and fro
among the ranks of men. But it is not only the
mature that he gathers into his great garner;
at this season especially, it is the tender, the
frail,---snch as are Just putting forth the green
ness and freshness of infant life, that feel the
keen edge of his devouring knife. How many
little graves are opened at this season of the
year 1 and what treasures of the household are
swallowed up in their narrow but dreadful gulfs I
How many bright eyes, the light of the family
circle, grow dim I How many voices tuneful with
infant laughter are hushed! How many patter
ing little feet are silenced What interesting
growth and expansion of body and mind are in
terrupted! What vivid hopes and darling plans
of parents are crushed in the bud I Have you
never beheld the fond mother bending, watching
over the cradle of the little one, and seen how,
after a period of agonizing suspense, she re
linquished one hope after another of its reco
very, as if it were the yielding up of her own
life? Have you seen her, ere the spark of life
had quite gone out, draw the unconscious suf
ferer to its once familiar resting place, and fold
it in one last embrace of mingled affection and
despair ? The cold, busy world, engaged with
cares and griefs, which it considers of more im
portance, passes, with more than its usual indif
ference, the funeral of an infant, and indeed we
must confess that men have sorer ills to endure
than this; but there is an exquisite tenderness
in our grief for the loss of an infant that, we
think, is experienced in no other affliction. The
image of infantile helplessness, and tenderness,
and comparative innocence that is inwoven with
our recollections, and that associates itself with
the thousand mementoes of the lost one, imparts
a peculiar poignancy to our sorrows and sum
mons forth a freer flood of tears.
The heart of the fond parent, wrung with an
guish at the loss, at first troubles itself to ima
gine why God should have bestowed the gift
only; as It would seem, to twine itself around
his innermost being, and then should tear it
away, leaving him only the wasted, inanimate
body to bury, with new pangs, from his sight.
Repeated bereavements upon the same house
hold, stir up deeper questionings and tempt to re
bellious thought against the mysterious workings
and permittings of the All-wise and All-good.
But need we know all before we will be com
forted? Must the leaves of God's book be let
down to the gaze of sorrow-blinded, short
sighted mortals before they will dry up their
tears or weep submissively ? Shall we not get
comfort in. trust? And in the deeper mystery,
shall we not be the more comforter because we
can trust the more ?
There is much, very much to comfort us in
the death of an infant. The lamb is
,gathered
safely into the fold of the Good Shepherd. No
anxious doubts for its future well-being now
mingle with the hopes and plans of the parents.
No suspicion of hypocrisy, no dread of self-de
ception.need detract from the certainty of these
hopes. Whatever may be said of the grown-up
ones, those that were called away early are safe.
There is no doubt of the covenant holding good
in their case. We are inclined to the fond ima
gination that God saw it was necessary to take
them away, in order to keep them within
the merciful provisions of the covenant. He
took them because he had set his heart upon
them, because they must not be lost. They are
spared the severe and perilous training of the
world. No graves shall ever yawn at their feet
to receive the choicest treasures of their affec
tions. Grief shall not cloud their brows. Sin
shall not reign over them. They shall not grow
up to know themselves chained to the body of
this death. No remorse, no strivings with the
Holy Ghost, no controversy with God, no biding
a guilty conscience in refuges of lies, no agony
of conviction shall mark their experience. By
no tardy progress interrupted with numerous
backslidings shall they grow in grace. By no
broken meditations where worldly thoughts and
selfish plans distract the mind, do they imper
fectly commune with God. But near to God,
knowing as they are known and seeing face to
face, under the disciplining power, not of faith
and hope, but of love alone, without a struggle
from a reluctant, imperfectly regenerated na
ture, with the steps of angels they advance along
the eternal pathway of progress in knowledge
and holiness.
Weep not, stricken mother, bereaved father,
fond brothers and sisters ! There is a rare ele
ment of comfort in your sorrow. So fortunate
are these early gathered fruits of the great har
vester, that you may well wish to share - the lot
they enjoy, and to say, as David did, with glad
expectation: "I shall go to him, but he shall not
return to me."
THE MASSACRES IN SYRIA.
From our own columns, as well as from the
daily papers, our readers have been made ac
quainted with the leading facts in the horrid
war of extermination now going on between two
parties and races in Syria. The Druzes, on the
one hand, are a sort of heretical Mohammedans,
while the Maronites are nominal Roman Ca
tholics. There is little choice between them,
we imagine, as to doctrine or practice. Twenty
years ago they were engaged in a similar war
fare, from which . the so-called Christians came
off with decided advantage. They were, no
doubt, quite es violent and unrelenting then as
the Druzes are now. The Zahleans, who de
feated the Druzes at that time, have been very
overbearing and Insulting ever since. It was
to forestall a general attack, expected by the
Druzes, that they rose so suddenly upon the
Christians. Mr. Lansing, a missionary of the
United Presbyterian Church at Alexandria,
says:
"Zable contains about 10,000 inhabitants,
and if the Druzes take it there will doubtless be
an awful carnage there, and almost any one who
knows the Zahleans will be constrained to say,
Amen. I Wed, when in Syria, to be able, al
most infallibly, to distinguish a Zablean from
the people of the other villages after a five mi
nutes' conversation, and that simply by his
boastful and inflated manner of talking; and
when on their favorite topic, of their victory
over the Druzes, it was awful to hear with what
a gusto they would dwell upon, and embellish
the heart-rending details. The day of retribu
tion for them has probably come, and as they
have for a long time been in a state of rebellion
against the Turkish government, it is not likely
that they will receive much aid from that quar
ter, even if the Turks were otherwise disposed,
and able to render it."
Zahle has fallen, together with Hasbeiya and
Damascus, with fearful slaughter. These are
inland towns. Beirut, which is a seaport, and,
which is protected by the navies of France,
England and Russia, has also been threatened
by the Moslem fanatics, whose thirst for blood
in Syria as in India seems insatiable. Bham
dun, upon Mt. Lebanon, the residence, gas our
readers will remember, of Rev. Wm. A. Benton
and lady, whose interesting letters we laid be
fore them last week, bas not been attacked, if
we may judge from the silence observed in re
gard to it in the reports from the scene of con
flict. Mr. Benton expressed his determination
to remain, and the decisive and authoritative
measures which be took, and which the people
were glad to have him take, in all probability
reassured the inhabitants, and warded off the
threatened blow. Yet, in the midst of such in
discriminate slaughter and outrage, and with a
foe emboldened and maddened by past triumphs
and excesses, we cannot but feel anxious at
least for the safety of the mission, if not for the
persevering and fearless servants of God who
have determined to stand by it. The latest in
telligence will be found in another part of the
paper.
But besides these horrors in Asiatic Turkey,
we are shocked to hear of even greater excesses,
of crimes against humanity and the Christian
religion, committed apparently in cooler blood
and with less semblance of excuse, in the Euro
pean provinces of the empire. We are informed
of these occurrences through certain letters in
a Brussels paper, Le Nord, purporting to come
from Bosnia and Bulgaria, the scene of the al
leged outrages. We noticed these letters in the
New York Observer of a fortnight ago, but the
recital was so cold and bald, and so isolated
from other evidence, that we hesitated to yield
to them our credence, and ventured to suspect
that the political bias of the Belgian journal
might be a ground for exaggerating, if not for
inventing, such stories. The following is a brief
view of their contents:
"The statqpnent of the first is a mournful re
cord of wholesale murder of the peasantry in
various places, and of the seizure of defenceless
women and children, and of brutal treatment
towards them, such as was only equalled in the
Sepoy rebellion in India. The second relates
the imprisonment, principally in the north, of
Bosnia, of the priests and others of the more
influential men, who were treated with great se
verity, some of whom died in a few days after
their imprisonment. No doubt was entertained
that they were poisoned by order of the Turks.
Statistics are given of imprisonment in different
places, amounting in all to more than 3000 per
sons. 'Every morning,' it is stated, 'the. Turks
take from the prisons numbers of corpses of men
killed by the stroke of an axe, and cast them
into the streams like carrion.' Christians wan
dering at large, who have been pillaged, are re
fused by the Turks the most trifling means of
subsistence, and are obliged to support them
selves by eating,the bark of trees; children wan
der in companies through the country begging
bread; many dead bodies of these helpless wan
derers are found along the road sides who have
perished from hunger and fatigue; others are
seized, carried away, and declared Mussulmans;
those making opposition are scourged, and
made to endure all sorts of disgrace and torture,
from which numbers die. Such are some of
these sickening details.
"But Austria, too, perfectly in character with
the minions of the Romish beast, comes in for
her share in these merciless cruelties. As the
Bosnian Christians fly,—as they do in great
numbers into Austria for refuge,—those of the
Greek Church are received and supplied with
food, only on the express condition that they
renounce their faith and become Roman Ca
tholics A number of these unhappy fugi
tives, rejecting these conditions, attempted to
flee from Austria into Servia, but were seized
by Austrian soldiers and imprisoned—escaping
persecution in Turkey only to find it with less
severity, if any, in Austria."
THE MARTYRS OF THE MUTINY.
No one will take up this little volume, issued
by our Publication Committee, without finishing
it. Its thrilling narratives of the trials and tri
umphs of Christian courage in Christian men and
women amid the horrors of the great Indian re
bellion, rivet the attention and stir the heart.
We endorse the estimate put upon it by Dr. Henry
M. Scudder, who says, 'writing from Paris to a
friend—"l could not find time to open your book
till I got on board the steamship Illinois. I read
it with the deepest interest. If it attains a circu
lation equal to its merits, all your wishes in re
gard to it will-be fulfilled."
The rebellion of the Sepoys or Native army of
British India, with all its awful , deeds of cruelty
and blood, has furnished as a compensation a most
precious page of history for the church, worthy of
a place alongside of that which records the faith
and patience of primitive witnesses for the truth..
After a few words of introductory matter by
Dr. Jenkins, of Calvary Church, formerly himself
a missionary in India, the book opens with a very
clear and comprehensive statement of the moral
condition of India sixty years ago, and the happy
changes which have taken place since that time
under the combined influence of British ascend
ency and missionary effort.
After these important preliminary facts, the
book proceeds to narrate how at different points of
the outbreak heathenism rose against the church,
and how the church stood up in the spirit and
power of its Head against its wicked and perse
cuting_enemies. The church triumphed. Every
form of torture, almost, was tried to lead the native
Christians to abjure their faith in Christ. British,
American, and Hindoo Christians, bore the one
testimony for their religion, and sealed it with
their blood. Weak and timid women, educated
amid the luxuries and refinements of the highest
circles of society, armed with the power of faith,
calmly met death for the name of Jesus. It thrills
the soul to read of the heroic courage and firmness
of the native converts, neglecting every tempting
proposal by which they might purchase life. One
of these native Christians stated of himself, that
while on his way to prison, with his family ?
guarded by fierce Mussulmans with drawn swords,
"I raised my heart in praise and adoration to the'
Lord Jesus Christ for having given us grace to
stand firm in the trying hour when our lives were
disposed of, and to overcome all the temptations
which the Judges could hold forth. I thanked
my blessed Lord for counting us worthy to suffer
for his name sake."
This is a book not of reasonings, or theories, or
Aintriran Ttrollgitriait , aita 6tittott 6vangtliot,
abstract doctrines about Christianity, but a book
of facts,—facts showing what the Christian re
ligion is, and what it can do for the soul in the
moat trying hour—facts not of Christianity in the
first century, not of Christianity nineteen hundred
years old, when some would say it is effete—facts
not of the days of our ancestors, but of our own
days—facts which show that the martyr spirit still
exists, and that there is still in the church faith
and love to Christ that is prepared, if called for,
to suffer and die for his name.
Do any doubt the reality of genuine conversions
among the heathen ? Do any suspect that flindoos
embrace the gospel only from interested motives—
for the sake of some temporal gain? Let such
read of natives offering their lives sooner thin
deny their faith, and their doubts and suspicions
must pass away. Christianity has already attained
in India a power over some minds stronger than
life. Mark, too, the transforming efficiency of
the gospel as brought to light in this rebellion.
These meek, humble, patient, suffering Christians
of India—who are they? They are of the same
nature, the same stock, once of the same religion,
and the same spirit with their now fiendish and
blood-thirsty tormentors. But the gospel has
changed the lion into the lamb—the lover of
cruelty into a love: of mercy. And what the
gospel has done in these and for these, it can do
for all the souls of India of all castes. _
This little book is an antidote to all discourage
ment in the work of missions. No Christian can
read the blessed experiences and testimonies of
the native martyrs of the mutiny without feeling
that this glowing exhibition of Christianity given
in the rebellion more than-compensates for all the
expenditure of toil, wealth and self-sacrifice, be
stowed in the work of Indian missions.
DISCUSSION ON THE RELIGIOUS PRESS.
At the late annual meeting of the General As
sociation of Massachusetts, one of the questions
discussed by previous appointment was: "Is there
any thing to be desired, and if so, what, in the
conducting of our Religious Press?" A wide field
of remark was opened,• and a great variety of opi
nions was expressed. Almost every one seemed
to feel himself competent to give advice, and
seemed to think the thing could be better done
than it was done. Rev. Dr. Todd introduced the
discussion by quoting the remark of an ex-go
vernor, that "the New York Observer had fallen
from grace and that the Independent had never
been born again." Whether Dr. Todd endoried
this sentiment, or bow it was received in the As
sociation, does not appear in the published ac
counts.
"Various defects in conducting religious jour
nals were specified. One brother did not like to
have so many personalities. Another wanted less
quack medicines advertised, One said that minis
ters were to blame for our not having better papers.
They sent articles to the press not fit to be pub
lished, and they were inserted. One reader wants
a paper mostly devoted to anti-slavery, another to
temperance, another to fighting narcotics, &c.
"After various suggestions were made for the
benefit of editors, they were permitted to make
confessions, and spoke in their own defence. One
said that he had long ago found out that it was
impossible to make a, paper to suit every class
of readers. He had tried to follow the path of
truth and duty, and let popularity take care• of
itself. A paper must have a character as well as,
individuals. A paper may have Afaults as well as
individuals. No minister in this house, if his
character were analyzed, would be found faultless.
No publication is faultless. To err is human. If
a periodical on the whole does good, it has a claim
on all good people to sustain it.
"Another editor said that a paper should be made
to suit one man and that one should be the editor.
He said further, that he should have made a worse
paper than he has, if he bad published all the
communications that ministers have sent to him.
To keep from making a worse paper than he has,
he has burnt up their communications. The dis
cussion took such a turn that editors and minis
ters were both very kindly rebuked. The dis
cussion closed very pleasantly."
In regard to the advertising of patent medicines
and the like, the Boston Congregationalist makes
some very pertinent suggestions, which we recom
mend to the consideration of such of our readers
as are disposed to complain :
"Advertisements—of patent medicines, and
'Spalding's Prepared'—came ityalso, for censure.
For our part, we wish that the religious com
munity were willing—as they certainly are able—
to pay for their religious papers, prices that would
enable them to be published without loss, if ad
vertisements were excluded, and their space occu
pied with other matter. But the time is not yet
come for such a movement. Two dollars a year,
is the utmost that the great majority of men are
willing to pay for such a paper as we publish, and
the class to which it belongs. If now, we were
to relinquish the $2,000, or $3,000, per annum,
which we receive for advertising, our paper, which
is now self.supporting and remunerative, would
not pay expenses. Whenever our subscribers be
come sufficiently anxious to see advertisements
banished from our columns, and their place filled
with reading matter, to pay us $3,00 a year, in
advance, for the same sized sheet which they now
receive, (with the advertisements,) for $2,00, we
shall be happy to accommodate them. Mean
while, we mean to be careful as to the quality of
those inserted. -And—with deference .to the bro
ther railing the objection—we submit that the
advertisement to which be refers, while of course,
exaggerated and foolish, is less morally dangerous
than certain editorial matter, which we almost
weekly find in some of our religious exchanges."
"CONGRATULATIONS WANTED."
Oar Old School contemporary at Charleston,
the Southern Presbyterian, is very much exer
cised at our late article in regard to the Ro
chester Assembly with the above heading. It
asks indignantly and incredulously, who sought
either the priyers or the congratulations of the
New School, as we assert. It is very sure such
a request did not proceed from the Southern
Presbyterian. And would it have been any
the worse for you if it had, neighbor? Is it
indeed an offence for an "Old School" paper to
seek the prayers of the "New School" or of
"good men generally," in - behalf of their As
sembly before it meets, or to expect their con
gratulations upon its adjournment? If so, then
we must decline giving to our Charleston con
temporary the desired informition.!` We may
not betray the Old School organ which was so
injudicious as to follow what, in our view, was
but the prompting of the simplest and most
natural of Christian feelings in suggesting that
we and good men - generally should join in
prayer for the coming General Assembly.. If
we had imputed to the Old. School the feelings
here manifested--that capability of despising
and repelling our prayers and our sympathy in
which the Southern Presbyterian here boasts
itself, we - are sure, we would have been charged
with a gross want of charity towards our bre
thren. However, we are Pleased to find this
feeling not shared in byOtheri of the Old School
press. The list Preakter ;of Cincinnati thus
responds to the sir,ticl4ritgrtestion, from which
it quotes at some 1610:
We peruse with , mach pleasure, an editorial
under the head " Cd4rfatulations Wanted,"
published in the last number of the American
Presbyterian, of IthiliAlphia, the organ ortbe
New School Presbyte4ns of the city of Bro
therly Love, and the re 'on round about. From
13
this article we extract following paragraphs,
which give a fair state ut of the action of 1860
and which we are glad' o. see.
RELATIONS OF -""' E PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH TO THE " AK OF HOME MIS
SIONS.
REPORT OF THE ASSELY'S COMMISSION.
r
,ectirrnrust.
The 3d section of theteport is highly important
as exhibiting the princii•les on which the Ame
rican Horne MissionarylSociety was constituted.
These principles by theft import and by the man
ner in which they were loriginally acted upon, so
..-? - •
evidently leave loorn.. fiii distinct denominational
action on the part of , t,lt 4 w-operating, bodies, that ,
1
41 -.'
there must have beerr a dieal change in the ma
nagement, of the secie ' efore, such action could
have been regarded aC i ati offence. The report I
says :
ti
It is not a denominaticipal Society. It is neither
Presbyterian nor Congiegational nor Dutch Re
formed, nor yet a union two or more denomina
tions, as such, under mutual compact. 'lt is
t
purely a voluntary Soci) i
y. It binds nobody ex
cept, those who agree ': 'be bound by it, and it
binds them only so far ' -they have agreed so to
be bound. In respect, the amount of their con
tributions to its treasuriit binds them, not to the
extent of their ability, kt t only to the extent of
their free will under t e guidance of their own
t i l
convictions and discreti ' . On the other hand,
the Society itse l f is au ct to the control of no
man or body of men out ,
11 f its.elf. This Assembly
has no control over it, flave any of the eccle
siastical bodies of New gland or elsewhere. It
‘
is bound only by its conStitution and its own en
gagements with others. /(Still it would not be just
to say, that it is free to.'' nOre the denominational
peculiarities of those are connected with it.
Immediately on its orga ration, it invited the lco
operation of. Christians, "nd bodies of Christians,
of especially three dello ,nortions, and with them
entered into certain - ob ' Wens, on condition of
their assisting in its wo "
z t
1. In the first place ,: " ( Society pledged itself
not to interfere with anyrof their denominational
preferences or their denotitinational work. It has
been thought, and confililentlY affirmed by some,
that the denominations th'imselves mutually agreed
to sink their denominational character in a kind
of common neutrality, aril abandon all care or pro
'vision for their own ;denominational interests,
trusting to the impartiality of the Society. . But
nothing of the kind is teke found on record any
where. On the contrarr7there is abundant, proof
that members of these , denominations deprecated
such a result, and the Sifiety, to quell their fears,
sacredly assured them thit no such results should
be attempted. `,..
We have already rife4ed , to the principles es
tablished as fundamentik -by the New England
brethren before the Society assumed its new or
ganization. One of theseivas, " that existing local
Societies were not to be superseded except by their
own desire, and not to be impeded in their opera
tions." This principle is,reßeated again and again ,
in the early publications* Abe' Society, and de
' dared to be fundamenta, . • t Report; -p. 47.)
r
Now ; it so happens. th '.arriong these local So--
cieties, so °died, and!, p essly enumerated- as
such in the same report, (p. 60,) is the Board of
Missions of the General Assembly of the Presby
terian Church. 'This wasistrictly a denominational
organ, and had been in existence, as we have
shown before, for many years. If, therefore, there
be any thing which may justly be regarded as fun
damental among the principles of the Society, it,
is that such denominationfal organs, as the Assem
bly's Board of Missions, were not to be superseded
except by their own desire, and not to be impeded
in their operations. .,
-1 ,
The. second principle of" the society alluded to
in the report is, "that contributions to its funds
were to be purely . uoluntap."
"Here are no pretensions to authority," says
the first Report, " but-thasystem under which it
is our privilege to serve the cause of 'missions, is
one which, like that of the Gospel, does not com
pel but invites to duty."
"Two Synods," adds the Secretary, ".embracing
the whole southern and central part of the State
of Ohio, and a portion of Indiana, have chosen to
commit the management of.missionary business to
their Presbyteries, wbo„4011 of course exercise
-their unrestrained choice i co-operating both with
the A. IL M. S., andthe. As.sembly's Board.
This is doubtless as it Mould be, and is on the
whole the best arrangement that can be made in
this State for the peace and prosperity of the Home
Missionary cause."
In theflome hassionary for April,lBBo, (p. 199,)
the action of the Chillicothe Presbytery, in orga
0 -
nizina. their Committee of Missions, is recorded
with a cordial approval. "The above Committee,"
writes its Corresponding Secretary, "`consisting of
four ministers and two elders, is trusted with the
manaaement of the Missionary business within the
bounds of the Presbytery,.and is direoted to open
a correspondence with they Board of Missions of
the General Assembly,ankthe A. 11. M. Society,
and, as far as practicable, co-operate with both..
You will see then that our plan is to co-operate
with our brethren in the Erst, both the Home and
the Assembly's Board, or 'rather get-them to'help
us first to furnish our own I)estitute with the bread
of life, and 'then unite w4h you in giving it to
others." These and otherpases tbat might be re
ferred to show the working, and illustrate the
principles of the Society as understood by its ori
ginal founder& The largqt ,liberly was allowed,
not only to individuals a , i o aWnirehes, but to eccle
siastical bodies, whether_akiliaries or not, to co
operate with the Society j4t, as far as they saw fit,
and exercise their own diseantion in co-operating
with, or contributing to, l another organization
acting side by side with the Society, on strictly
denominational principles. The Commission can
not find the shadow of evidence that any compact,
agreement, or understanding existed between the
denominations represented in the A. H. M. S., or
between the Society and e4her of the denomina
tions, requiring the latter to carry on missionary
work only through the Society. On the contrary,
the largest liberty to all phrsons was among" the
most fundamental principles.
The third principle referred to, is that governing
the relations of the society Wits auxiliaries. These
auxiliaries are rather smaller voluntary societies,
operating in a limited sphere, or they are Presby- -
teries and Synods which, through some organ, as
a Committee of Missions, have sought the relation
of auxiliary to the Parent Society.
By the stipulations it was required, that the
auxiliary should "pay over.to the Treasurer of the
A. H. M. S. the whole .autOunt of its annual in
come from time to time, dedpeting incidental ex
penses; that " all its missionaries should act under
a commission from the parent Society;" that "no
missionaries or agents shouid he appointed by it
out of its own specified bounts;" and that it should
be "governed in its appropriations by the general
principles which govern the appropriations of the
Parent Society." On the other hand, it was stipu
lated on the part of the parent Society, "to allow
the auxiliary the right to appoint arid pay mission
aries within its own limits to any amount, not ex
ceeding the above-named income," and for this
purpose s " having, reported itp.income to the parent
Society," to retain so much of it as shall be need
ful to fulfil its engageinents. Shorild more be
needed, further appropriations were to be made by
the parent Society on its own responsibility, acting
always, however, under the advice and recommen
dation of the Directors of the auxiliary. To secure
the utmost independence on the part of the aux
iliary in controlling its own operations, it was also
stipulated that, " a sufficient number of blank
commissions should be furnished to it by the Ex
ecutive Committee of the Parent Society, signed
by the Chairman and Corresponding Secretary of
the same, which should be filled and countersigned
by the proper officers, and issued on the responsi
bility of the auxiliary." The object of these sti
pulations is manifest, viz.: to give the auxiliary,
whether a Society, a Synod, or a Presbytery, the
entire control of all missionary operations on its
own field. Your Commission cannotbetter express
it than in the words of the Society itself : ".By
these stipulations, each auxiliary is left to the in
dependent and unembarrassed exercise of all its
rights in the business of appropriating its own
funds to the relief of the needy within its limits,
while it secures to itself the additional advantage
of directing other appropriations made by the
parent Society within the same.bounds."
It should be observed, that the principles and
engagements contained in these extracts have never
been altered or abrogated by any action or law
either of the Society or its Executive Committee.
Ina recent correspondence of that Committee with
the. Commission of the , Assembly, they declare as
follows: " The auxiliary system adopted by the
Committee was announced to the public in the.
Appendix to the Second Report in 1828, under
the title, 'Terms of connection and stipulation,'
and was published with each 'Report for several
successive years." An outline of this system was
published again with the nineteenth Report in
1845, and os been -piiblished with every subse
, quent Report to the present time." Itis to these'
documents, thus endorsed by the Executive. Com
mittee, that your. Commission has referred in the
above statements respecting that system; and from
these it appears that, according to the fundamental
principles of the Society, it is the right of any of
your Presbyteries or Synods, by placing themselves
in an auxiliary relation to the Society, and govern
ing themselves "by its general principles," to
have the entire control of the operations of the
Parent Society within their several bounds, the
provision above referred to only excepted.
The fourth principle relates to the selection and
authentication of missionaries and agents.
It was a fundamental principle in both cases,
that they should bear testinionial4 of approbation
and acceptableness from the ecclesiastical bodies
within whose bounds they were to exercise their
functions. On this point, as was very natural,
jealousies arose at a very early day. To set them
at rest, the Executive Committee .(see Home Mis
sionary, May, 1880) employs the following lan
guage: "It has pained us to know that some of
our brethren, in distant sections of the Presby
terianl body, have been induced to believe that it
was our design to, trample on the right exercise of
ecolesiaadeal authority, and impose upon the
churches unacceptable men. Nothing can be more
unfounded. We hive ever regarded it due to the
Christian public to know, and have therefore con
stantly affirmed, that the simple object of this
Society is to aid feeble congregations in the sup
port of a preached Gospel, and to send the Gospel
to the destitute by-ministers approved by the eccle
siastical bodies within whose bounds they labor."
In the fourth Report, referring to similar jea
lousies, they say again: "On the field covered by
each of the denomieations, it (that is, the Society)
acts in entire subserviency to their rules of doctrine,
discipline, and intercourse with each other, by re
quiring every missionary to bear credentials ac
ceptable to the .Presbytery, Clam's, or Association,
in whose bounds he is appointed to labor." Again,
in the third Report, pp. 64, 5, " the Committee,"
they say, "appoint - none except on due evidence of
such approval, and withdraw them when that evi
dence ceases to be satisfactory. It can plant no
missionary in stations yielded to the supervision of
an auxiliary Society, Presbytery or Synod, without
the, apprebation of the same, and,-whetr a mission
- ary or agent shall cease to be approved by the
Auxiliary, the parent Society will be bound to re
call him or withdraw his support."
it is by a comparison of the recent policy of
the society towards several of our Presbyteries and
churches with these constitutional principles, that.
we learn where the blame of fickleness and un
faithfulness chiefly rests. Here is the true meri
dian by which the position of the Society and the
co-operative bodies must be calculated, and from
which all departures must be reckoned.
WHO ARE THE DRITZESI
It is difficult to gather from the information at
hand, much about, these peculiar people, who are
now attracting the attention of the civilized world
by their ferocious plundering, burning and butch
ering the so-called Christians of the „Lebanon dis
trict of Syria. They have always been quiet-and
reserved about their peculiar doctrines, and do not
attempt to promulgate them, but they are a fero
cious and warlike people, evincing a deadly hatred
toward- the Papal t Christians, or lilaronites, re
siding among them.
It must not be forgotten that prior to these dis
turbances, there were but about one hundred Pro
testant native Christians in all our Mission
Churches hi Syria. Now most of these are mur
dered. It is the Papal Christians, the Maronites,
principally whom the Druzes have been slaying.
The Drums number
.one hundred thousand, and
the Maronites one hundred and eighty thou
sand, the whole population of Syria being about
twelve hundred and fifty thousand. The remain
der of the inhabitants are divided between Moham
medans and members of the Greek Church.
The Marmite Christians who have been so free
ly murdered, are Arabs, of an ignorant, semi-hea
thenish, degraded class, believing in the Virgin
Mary, and strongly papal in their worship and
doctrine; but they do not hold the Pope of Rome
as their head. They are image-worshippers, and
hence the great pretended hatred of the Druzes,
who, being in many respects like the Mahomme
dans, hold all image worship in ,perfect abhorrence.
The regularlqahommedans, it wilLbe observed,
have joined the „Druzes in many of their reuse-
The Maronites and Druzes inhabit the Lebanon
district of Syria, extending from Tyre, on the
Mediterranean coast, up as far north as Tripoli,
and eastward into the country, across Lebanon and
Anti-Lebanon, a distance of fifty to one hundred
miles. It is in this district exclusively that the la
bors of the American Board in Syria have been
concentrated during the past nineteen. years.
Prior to 1841, Jerusalem and the country adja
cent was under the care of our missionaries, but
that region has been abandoned to other societies,
and our mission force has been located in the most
northern field.
For the past forty years the Board has kept up
a vigorous mission in Syria. Internal troubles,
not unlike the present, although never, before, so
sanguinary, have materially impeded missionary
operations. In 1828, the missionaries were driven
out of the country by political troubles, and re
mained away for two years. In 1841 again, simi
lar troubles interfered sorely with the progress of
the Gospel, when, atter a lapse of nine years, the
country was taken from under Egyptian rule, and
by the aid -of the European powers, placed again
under the Turkish government. In 1845, the
Maronites and Druzes kept up a civil 7ar,,the
latter ; as now, being the successful party. Again,
for, five years prior to 1858, the unsettled state of
the country hindered missionary prodiess very
Severely.
Beyiut has been, from the start, the head-qnar
tem of the mission. It is a large seaport town,
and the most important place by far in Syria. Its
location is very central for the mission, about half
way between Tyre and Tripoli, and it is to this
place that the missionaries, and the refugees that
have followed them, have been collecting. on
leaving the coast, the land rises as you proceed,
and continues to rise until, the summits - of Lebanon
are reached—forming, with the slopes beyond, and
those of the Anti-Lebanon, the Lebanon District.
All the mission stations lie between the sea and
the first ridge, except two, Aleppo and Hasbeiyeh.
Much of the country is rich; the inhabitants,
though mostly poor, are industrious and bard-work
ing, making their living by the cultivation of the
vine and the olive. Silk is also largely cultivated
in some districts, the mulberry growing luxuri
antly throughout Lebanon.
We gather from letters received from Rev. W.
A. Benton, who has been a missionary. in Mount
Lebanon for the past twelve years; and has labored
exclusively amongst the Maronites and Drums, the
following :
" The Druzes are said to have taken their
name and origin from a man called Darnly,
who lived about 850 years ago. This man was
of Persian origin, and came to Egypt and
preached in the Mohammedan Mosque, the Di
vinity of Hakim, the reigning Caliph.
' "A tumult arose among the people, Darnzy
escaped and came to Syria and there preached
the same doctrine. The Caliph was assassi
nated a few years after, through the instrumen
tality of his sister; to save her own life. Ham
zet, whom the Druzes surnamed the Director,
posted on the door of the mosque that the' Ca
liph bad concealed himself for the trial of the
faith of his followers. After the end of a thou
sand years the Druzes expect the re-appearance
of the said Caliph. in manifestation of his Di
vinity—that is within 150 years of the present
time.
"The Druzes in their doctrines, teach that all
the souls in the world were created in the be
ginning,—a fixed number which can never be
increased or diminished; that the soli], when a
person dies, passes into another body, ever
transmigrating from one body 'to another
through successive generations. Of course
they deny the resurrection of the dead, a com
ing judgment, and the immutable awards 'of
eternity. Their religious system is Heathen
ism, more or less 'combined with Judaism,
Christianity and Mohammedanism, and they
are strongly attached to the sentiments and
practices of their ancestors.
"God has given us their confidence , so far
that they give us their children to educate (Mr.
Benton's schools number 1,000 children,) and
sometimes come to' our religious worship, and
always make us welcome in their villages and
dwellings.
"Some of them offer their children for Chris
tian baptism. God is -able to change their
hearts and make them valuable helpers in the
promotion of Christ's eternal kingdom• upon
this goodly Lebanon."
The above, together with other evidences we
have of the popularity of Mr. Benton amongst
the Druze population, gives the possible reason
for the exemption of his mission in Bhamdnn
from the horrors which have overitelnaed , the
lathers and leads us to hope that itmay remain
.
thus forturate. •
TICE DIGEST
MESSRS. EDITORS :---The committee appointed
to prepare a Digest of the Acts of the General
Assembly of the. Presbyterian - Church, are ready
to transfer it to the Presbyterian Publication
Committee. It will make a volume of about
500 large octavo pages, and• will form, a com
plete history, arranged under several heads of
all the Acts and Testimonies of our General As
sembly, including those of the original Synod,
which, previous to the formation of the- Assem 7
bly, was the highest judicatory of the Presbyte
rian Church in the United States. It.will be
systemiticflly arranged- and fully indexed, and,
well printet and bound.
In every General Assembly, and very fre
quently in Synods, Presbyteries, and. Sessions,
the want of this volume is seen. We have now
no method of learning the decisions which have
been made on various.important
.points other
than by searching , the mass of minutes of the
successive Assemblies, and of these a All set
can rarely be had.
The Publication Committee are anxious to
issue the Digest, but the work will be costly,
and little sold outside of the ministry and elder
ship of our - Own body. .Hence they wish to
know, before entering upon it, how great will
be the probable demand. They knoW that it
should be in possession of each minister and
church session, and that it will be desired by
all. But they do not know how many persons
will feel at liberty to avail themselves of this;op
portunity of securing. it. They hope that at
least each session will take a single copy. If
this is done it can be immediately published.
The price of the Digest will be $3.00. To
those subecilbing, it. will, be sent, on its ,publi
cation, with postage , pre-paid by us,' for $2.75.
Should a sufficient number of copies be sub
scribed for, the work will be taken in hand im
mediately. The Committee can judge of the .
demand for, the work by the responses made,
and so regulate their cpurse. The .address of
subscribers can be sent to
Yours, &c., Joax W. DULL ES,
Secretary Presbyterian Publication Conk
REV CORTLANB VAN ItENSELAER.
This distinguished divine and excellent man,
late Secretary of the Board of Eat:Cation in the
O. S. branch of the Church, deceased after a
lingering illness, at Burlington, N. J., the place
of his residence, on Wednesday, 'the 25th of
July.
A SCHOOL BIBLE DESTROYED BY A
SCHOOL DIRECTOR IN . PENNA.
EXCITING WENN AT JrAlkrEgm, LE i v i attn
COUNTY, PA.
From the Hazelton correspondence of the.
Pittston Gazette we extract:the following:
Great indignation was excited among some
of the inhabitants of Jeanesville last week by
Mr. Carey, one of the School Directors, entering
the school-room of 'Miss Torbert. Without'
speaking to the lady, walked to her desk, opened
it and searched among the books.: Not finding
what he was in,search of, he asked Alias Tor
bert if she had a Bible in the room. - The Bible
was lying on the desk. Miss . Torbert took it
up. Mr. Carey came to her and took the book
out of her hand. She then called for Mr. Stokes,
who came in and asked Mr. Carey , to step into
the hail. with him, as .:he : 'wished to talk with
him. Mr. Carey promised him he would do no
violence nor be insulting; then. they returned
to the room. • Mr. Carey, walking into the niid-
Ale of the room, , .said, as he opened the Bible :
"Miss Torbert, do 'you see this?" then tore
the Bible in ,pieees,-throwing the leaves on the
floor, and stamping on them , in a great rage.
Misa Torbert requested Mr. Stokes to order
him to leave the room, or she would be obliged
to leave it.
Mu. CARrit.",..What's that?"
:Mtge Tiittikit —
ir. --- /v 1 wish you to leave the
room." • .
At _this he !.shook . his fist in great rage, say-
Ong :
"111 take you by,the shoulders and put you
out of the school-house I I have more right than
you. I'll teach you that you shan't read the
Bible in school."
Are such men fit to be Directors of our Pub
lic Schools? What kind of impression may we
suppose this scene' Made -upon" the minds of time
children? for it occurred on Monday afternoon
during school-honrs. Howevef, - the gentleman
was arrested and brought before the. justice of
the peace in this place, who held him to bail to
answer the charges against him at -the next
Court. He was very indifferent at first about
giving bail, but an hour's reflection-in the' lock
up changed his mind.
EDITOR'S TABLE.
- - -- R OO D , _
MEMORIALS Or . THOMAS O ealitted, ar
ranged, and edited by his daighter, with a - preface
and notes by his son. - Illustrated With conies from
his own sketches, hi 2 volumet. Boston ;- Ticknor
& Fields, mncpcLx.. 2 Vols. ldmo. pp. xvol. 310 ;
vii. 327.
This beautiful edition of the American publish
ers is printed froth early sheets i furnished them
by the "Children of Thomas Mini." Of course,
these memorials are entertaining, opening as they
do to inspection the personal history of a character
so marked and so, interesting. They. are the oft
repeated story of pinched, suffering and oVertasked
genius. The souseye, rather inelegantly: Almost
my fathefi last words were: "Lord—say,, arise,
take up thy cross and, follow me."
A woodcut is-given of the monument to flood
which was raised by Universal subseriptions, among
which were such donations as the - following :--
" sums from I,fancheater,Yreston, Bidde
ford, and:Bristol, frout a few.poor needle-women,
from seven dressmakers; from twelve poor men."
For sale by J. B. Lippincott & Co.
PERIODICALS AND AMPHLETE RECEIVED.
THE CHRISTIAN'S REST - AND REWARD. A
discourse memorial Win 'C ... - : - Conner, Esq.,
preached in the -Second Presbyterian - Church,
New Albany, March 25th, 1860,, the first Sab
bath after his death, -by John-G; Atterbury, Pas
tor. New AlbanY Norman, Morrison &
Matthews, printers 1860. -
This is a, fitting memorial of one of. the found
ers and ruling nlders of the *l:Church of New
Albany, and who, has been intimately and actively
connected with every movement to promote- its
prosperity. - -
THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN QUARTERLY RE
VIEW. Edited . byDavidlt. Kerr, associated' ith
Drs. S. T. PreSely, J. Rodgers, and A. D.: Clark.
July 1860. Pittsburg,' Pa., Publication; office,
No. 76 Third st. ; •;'
This is the 3d number of a Review which, we
judge, is successfully aiming 'to realize the happy
mean between an exclusively scholastic and a
merely popular character.' The yellow coaxers in
deed, are, suggestive of the Atlantic
Blackwood &' Harper;' but this may be designed
to counterbalance the rather pentrus character
of a portion of the contents.' '
' Art. I."'The Bible and Polities, by Rev J.'13,„
Johnson A ,vigorous'of Dr. , Sebten t
anomalous views, emelt snoi
nientary on the 4ospel of *n, by Rev: James'
Patterson, D. D. Dr. Tholnek'sis the commentary
referred' to. The writer is aware of the dis
tinguished services 'of the commentator to Evan
gelical. religion in Germany, hut ventures to dis
sent from his positions in regard to the date of
the Gospel and the disparagement of the style' Of
the Evangelist's' Greek. Very little is said . ' of
the'commentary itself. "Art. 111. The Atone
ment of Christ, by ReV. William Davidson, D. I).
An eloquent article, indicating the possible rela
tions Of the atonement to 'other orders of heings
besides ' man y Art IV. The` 'Genealogy of the
Savionr, by Rev. J." C. Steele. Art. V. Serpent
Fascination, by Prof.' . David Christy. In this
- brief' but curious article the common idea that
birds and other' animals are drawn into the ser
pent's )avii - bythe'reptile's mySteriens power 'of
fascination, questioned, `and the' observations of
the Writer himsel, - brotight in to - discriditit.
Art. VI. The RiVal 'Dictionaries, by Rev Gedrge
C. Arnold.' An excellent and valuable comparison'`
of the merits of Webster and Worceiter: 'The
orthography' of Webster is 'preferred save in a
few instances. The orthoepy' of Worcester on
the contrary is considered the best. ' In etym
ology also, the preference is given "tolVoreester,
hut Webster's definitions' are "distinguished by
greater clearneas, Precision; 'discritn,ination, ex
haustiveness." Prof. Goodrieles`'SYnonymes in
Webster uare much more Satisfactory than those
scatteredthrough WOrdester's Dictionary!'
EDINI2I3,ROH liiinazlNE. No.
CXXXVII. American edition, Vol. L., No. I.
July, 1860 New York, Leonard Sqott & Co.
For sale by W.. 13; Zieber,
Contents The Secret Hi l ltory of the Russian
Campaign of 1812; Sir
,Robert Wilson; Capt.
Speke's Adventures in Somali Land Part 111.
Poptry;, The Royal Academy and other exhibi
tions; Ilprtnan Sinclair ;:an Alttebiography, Part
IV. An Election in France; Errings; The Re
form Bill and the Tory Party •
TEE ATI' ANTIC MONeELT, devoted to Lite
rature, Art„lpid Politics. August, 1860. Boston,
Ticknor &, Philadi., A. Winch, and Peter
son & B.
Victor and Jacqueline is a 8 tit of the French
Reformation, handled by one whn'tpo u s to be in
thorough sympathy with 'Evangelical religion.
The Review of Darwin continued in this number
without fully endorsing his vimits of the trans
.mutation of species, yet basAke ,air of wishing
them to be trim. • •
J. B. Lippincott &: Co. have in press and
expect to publish on 'about the 25th of July,
OCCASIONAL PnwanoTions, Political, Diploma
tic, and Misepllaneons, including, among others,
a glance itthe Court and Government of Louis
Philippe =arid zthe-Prench Revolution of 1848,
while - the - author resided as Envoy Extraordi
nary and Minister Pleiaipotentiary from the
lJnited Stater, at. Paris. the late Richard
Rush. Edited by his executors. In one Vol
-Bvo. of over 500 pages. Printed from Dew
type on fine paper, with a finely engraved like'
uess of the distinguished author.
Also, as soon, as 'prakicable, Rzcouzertoic s,
Historical, Political, Biographical and Social,
of. Charles J. Ingersoll, extending from Genet' s '
arrival, In 1792, - to the , purchase of Louisiana,
in -1803.' From'' , the advanced sheets we judge
that the' book'will not be lacking in interest;
but thestyle is-involved and hard. As in the
closing. part of the sentence, "Pastoral inff 6-
ence is greater - here than there, and toleration
legalized much , more practical , "The British
brutish multitude of the poor."
Aug. 2,