Anterician Vreolnittian
u.snitott rangtitiot.
THVBSDAV, NOVEMBER 99g MO.
JOHN W. MEARS. EDITOR.
ASSOCIATED WITS
r ALBERT BARNES, I GEORGE DUFFIELDJR.,
THOMAS BRAINERD, I JOHN JENKINS,
HENRY DARLING. I THOMAS J. SHEPHERD.
To AID IN INTRODUCING OUR PAPER where it
is not yet known, we offer to send it, post paid,
for the remainder of the year 1860, to any address
upon the receipt of six, cents in postage stamps.
We will also send a copy to any new address
from the present time to December 31, 1861, upon
the receipt of the subscription price for one year.
We also make the following liberal offers, to
hold good until the lst of next year.
Any clergyman not a subscriber who will send
us one new name and two dollars, shall have a
copy of the paper free for one year. Any one
sending us two new names and four dollars, shall
receive a copy of the PRESBYTERIAN QUARTERLY
BMW free for one year.
THANKSGIVING: THE STATE OF THE
COUNTRY.
No thanksgiving day can come inopportunely to
mortals under the dispensation of grace. There is al
ways room for it, whatever our sufferjags and priva
tions. We always have a thousand-fold more of good
than we deserve, and can always truthfully say
with the patriarch, "I am not worthy of the least of
all the mercies and of all the truth which thou
haat showed unto thy servant." Before we allude
to the drawbacks and causes of uneasiness to-day,
we may refer to the rich and even un,wonted bless
ings which, as a country, we have enjoyed
during the year. Chief among these and chief
among all similar events in all former years,
is the Great Harvest of 1860, We have already
expatiated on this subject, and shall not dwell long
upon it now. A good harvest is unquestionably
fundamental to national prosperity. We must
be fed, even before "WO are clothed. Cotton may
be King (though we doubt it,) but he will wave a
barren sceptre and sit upon a very frail throne if
there be not plenty of wheat and corn and bacon.
Especially is a good harvest needful after several
successive bad ones, as had been the case previous
to this of 1860. God sent it to us in a critical
period. It has been so ample as, if not actually to
cancel all the unfulfilled obligations of the three
poor years, at least to restore the lost confidence of
those years and to set all the machinery of trade in
prosperous motion. The one full ear has devoured
the three thin ears. Our farmers' .granaries,
the storehouses of purchasers, the depots of rail
roads are crowded to overflowing with all kinds of
produce. God has emptied his very horn of plen
ty upon us, in orchard, and plowed field, in garden
and meadow.
Our land has not been scourged with pestilence;
our cities and large towns have, we believe, been
healthier even than usual. Accidents such as the
loss of the Lady Elgin on Lake Michigan have in
deed occurred: yet they have scarcely been so
numerous or so appalling, on land or sea as i f
former years. The wonderful onward progress of
our nation has not been in any wise interrupted.
A national Election, in which topics causing great
excitement and wide diversity of opinion were in
volved, has been peaceably held, and the senti
ment of the nation declared, without serious tu
mult or disorder, although nearly five millions of
votes were cast.
At this point we Must pause. Not that the causes
of thanksgiving are exhausted, but that in the
wise perm** of Providence, events have taken
such a turUtieffe.-throw a shade of thoughtfulness
over our rejoleieg, and even to fill many hearts
with serious forebodings scarcely akin to a thanks
giving occasion. It is indeed doubtful whether
the people of the various commonwealths since the
custom was made general, ever sat down to a thanks
table, or gathered to perform the religious
if a thanksgiving day, with a more serious
-
ay i n their domestic affairs before them,
one which has been raised by the ex
.
treine Southern States since the Presidential elec
tion. We are threatened with disintegration;
in fact with the breaking up of our government.
Several states are expecting to be allowed boldly
and unquestioned to take their leave of our Union
or we are to be plunged into a civil war. Permis
sion is to be given to these States to go out from
us, and so the principle of the federal Union is to
be abandoned, or a party of unsympathizing, un
willing, proud-spirited States, with a peculiar code
of morality and a deteriorating,, sin-excusing con
ception of Christianity, are to be kept in the
Union by coercion. A painful contrast here meets
our eyes. On the other side of the Atlantic we
behold the wondrous spectacle of the formation of
a great nation out of long scattered and powerless
fragments. With enthusiasm the liberty-loving na
tions of the world contemplate the coming together
of the dieeeta menara of the Italian people, bone
to his bone, and the flowing of ardent life and
of sympathy through all its parts, promising to knit
together, in a powerful organism, what but a lit
tle while sago was, politically, a valley of dry
bones. On this side of the Atlantic, where the
news is received with as great, if not greater, re
joicing than any where else, we find ourselves in
the incipient stages of the very opposite proce as.
Men of influence, backed by the unanimous ap
proval of the masses in some sections, are laboring.
to rend apart this nation, are preaching down the
Union as a curse, and commencing a process, the
legitimate result of which would be, to place us
on substantially the same political platforin as that
from which Italy is just escaping, or which the
impotent, petty, ridiculous autocracies of Germany
are now occupying, er which ancient Greece once
occupied, her States frowning and heart-sore with
mutual jealousies and rivalries, devoured by such
strifes as the Peloponnesian war, and made an
easy prey to the ambitious Macedonians and Ro
mans.
From such a result who, but the immediate in
stigators, would• not shrink back with horror ?
Whose hearts would not tremble for the almost
sacred structure of our government? unless it be
theirs wbo in their fondness are bearing the torch
to the pile? We do not belieie such a result will
follow. Even though it is not revealed to us how
it may be avoided, we may trust in God who has
been our refuge in times far more troublous, and
who has found out a way of escape in emergencies
far more perplexing to human counsels.
So far as human means are concerned, our hope
is in the wisdom, and self-interest and less pervert
ed moral feeling of the border States. We be
lieve these things.together will prove an insur
mountable barrier to the schemes of the Cotton
States, The self-interest of the border States is
plain--so much so that we need not dwell upon
it. As to the better moral feeling, we perhaps
need to explain. The 'leaders of this secession
movement, so far as they are not actuated by per
sonal motives, have one single object—to provide
for the perpetuity, extension and, political predomi
nance of slavery and the form of society con
structed upon it. They want to hear nothing of
gradual emancipation, of colonization, of a free
laboring class white or black, rising by their own
independent exertions to a respectable rank in
society. They scout the idea of a born equality
between man and man as to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness. They want. a. Bible and a
religion which equally scout these ideas. They
want preachers, teachers, and interpreters
skilled
to gloss over any thing in the standards of their
faith or their science which favors such ideas, or to
construct a theology, a political and metaphysical
science and a literature, like an inverted pyramid,
upon the doctrine of the radical and everlasting
political inequality .of the two races, upon the
right of the more fortunate and higher endowed
race, to enslave, to chattelize, and to hold in end
less bondage the inferior race. They want politi
cal economists to prove, and poets to sing, and
statesmen to, uphold the superior character of that
social state, which is based upon the plantation,
and on the other hand, to show-the vast inferiori
ty of a civilization which encourages the laboring
class with all the hopes of freemen and equals.
We speak now, it will be understood, of the lead
ers of the secession movement and all those who
sympathize with them. They have sought to con
trol this nation and sway it in accordance with
their views. Disappointed in this they aim to
establish a government which shall conform to
these views, even though it be on a much narrower
scale. They love Slavery far more than they love
the Union. They are so unnaturally preoccupied
with their prejudice concerning it, that they can
love ours, or any government, only, or mainly, as
it is friendly to slavery. All the early history, all
the nearly sacred associations of our common strug
gle, all the venerable names which were written
imperishably on the roll of history at that period,
all the glory of our common territorial heritage
are as nothing to them if put in their way in this
single undertaking. They are demoralized by
their blind attachment to the institution. The
success of their cotton experiment has infatuated
them. Cotton King and the planters must rule.
We do not believe the Border States are thus
infatuated. • They both admire slavery less and
love the Union more. They are not prepared to
assume that the plantation is the type and founda
tion of the highest social state. The memories of
this revolution and the influence of our early states
men, who held far different views and hopes in re
gard to the future of American Society linger among
them yet. They cannot be prepared to come un
der a government based on such extreme views of
slavery, and in which the remotest idea of eman
cipation would be high treason. They are con
stantly admitting large numbers of free laborers
within their borders with great and acknowledged
advantages. They will not readily turn off from
the high road of modern advancement, they will
not cut themselves loose from that grand march of
free America in science, in morality, and in social
life into which they are gradually fulling, and sink
back among the worshippers of an untruth, and
base their hopes as men 'and as Christian c,lelzens
for the future, upon an institution founded-on in
justice, which the Lord shall consume with the
spirit of his month and shall destroy with the
brightness of his coming.
Here, speaking humanly, is our hope. If the
Border States positively refuse to go, the Cotton
States will be a disheartened and weak minority,
who will fear to act for themselves, or will easily be
overawed by a firm attitude on the part of the fede
ral government. We have good hopes that this
will be the result. We celebrate our thanksgiving
under a sky not unflecked indeed with threatening
clouds, yet radiant with the divine favor to un
deserving men and to America. We shall seek to
fulfil the apostolic injunction, and in every thing
by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,
let our requests be made known unto God.
AN OLD SCHOOL CHURCH TRANSFERRED.
The South-western Presbyterian church, with
their pastor, Rev. James McCaskie, obtained a
dismission from the Presbytery of Philadelphia,
(O. S.) and united with the Third Presbytery of
Philadelphia, (N. S.) They were received by the
latter Presbytery on the Ist of November. Mr.
MoCaskie not only presented a certificate of his:
good standing in the Presbytery of Philadelphia
with a recommendation to the Third Presbytery,
but, "agreeably to a standing rule of Presbytery,
in relation to ministers, coming
,from other eccle
siastical bodies, he was examined on theology and
church government." The result was: "Presby
tery were much gratified to find him sound both
in regard to the truth and order of our Church,
and he was unanimously received."
The examination of a minister who presented
" a certificate of his good standing," strikes us
strangely. One of the grand objections made
against us by our New School brethren, we have
understood to be, this rule of examination. And
no* they have adopted it themselves. It is now,
with this Presbytery, "a standing rule." Verily,
the points of.distinction between them and us are
rapidly passing away. They are discarding the
Voludtary Societies. They have established Ec
clesiastical action, through Ckrmruittees (Boards)
of Education, Publication, Church Building, and
blissions. And now they have a standing rule
requiring the examination of ministers applying
to be received into their body.
The only remaining difference, so far as recurs
to us at present, between the Old and New School,
relates to Christian doctrine. And our brethren
used to often tell us that here there was no differ.
mice. All obstacles to union would thus appear
to be removed; and as the door of examination
stands open on either side, and is guarded only
by men or generous spirit, interchanges may be
come as frequent and pleasant between them and
us, as between us.and the Reformed Dutch.
We copy the above from the Presbyterian Ban
ner of a fortnight ago. Two points in it require
notice; first: the surprise of the Banner at Mr.
M'Caskie's examination in spite of his "certi
ficate of good standing." The Banner is certain
ly not so ignorant or so undiseerning as really to
stumble here where the distinction is so plain!
The complaint made on our side'at and about the
time of the division, was, that certificates of good
standing availed nothing, in many, cases, where
the transition was attempted . to be made from one
Presbytery,to another within the same ecclesiastical
organization. These certificates were ignored
and dishonored, though, by every constitutional
principle, the several 4 Presbyteries were bound to
accept them as valid. Their rejection was arbi
trary and revolutionary. And when, after the
excision, it was coolly said that no true Presby
terian was put out of the church, as be could con
nect himself with any part of the remaining body,
the necessity for examination was still insisted
upon, and certificates of good and regular standing
availed nothing to prove the Presbyterianism of
the possessor. Our complaint related to this un
Aintrican grtobtterian and 6,entote grangtliot,
constitutional policy, this now-you-see-you're in
and now-you-see-you're-out kind of treatment.
When it becomes too plain to be mistaken that
we are not regarded as Presbyterians until we
prove it by undergoing an examination, that places
us at once in the position of a foreign body.
Members passing from one Presbytery to another
among ourselves, with certificates of good and re
gular standing, go unquestioned; individuals
coming from foreign bodies we reserve the right
to examine.
As to the diminution of differences between the
two bodies, we cheerfully admit the general truth
of the Banner's remarks. What differences in
doctrine yet remain, are, as they ever were, in our
opinion, insufficient grounds of organic division,
being mainly about human appendages to, and
reasonings on doctrine, rather than the doctrines
themselves. "Men of generous spirit "—we
thank the Banner for the courteous expression—
would never, never have insisted on making them
a cause of division in the first place, and where
such men are now found, they are not allowed to
form a barrier to ecclesiastical intercourse for a
moment, even if an examination reveals their ex
istence. Yes! the Banner has hit it admirably.
It was an ungenerous spirit which animated' the
majority of '37 and '3B, and which drove off, to a
large extent, the ," men of generous, spirit" from
the once united councils of the church, leaving
some, indeed, behind among whom, we think we
do not err in reckoning the editor of the Banner
himself. And we are glad to hear such good
news from our brethren, as that the supply of such
spirits is increasing among them, so much so that
they cannot be overlooked, or, more wonderful
still, that they alone are employed in the import
ant work of guarding the door of examination.
After this, we should be prepared for great ad
vances but for one other point of difference, which,
we fear will require some higher quality than
generosity fbr its adjustment. It is the virtual
abandonment on the part of the "Old School"
of the old Presbyterian ground on slavery," to
which our Church has freely and boldly attested
its adherence. In the providence of God, we
have been carried more widely apart on this sub
ject than on any that has been permitted to di
vide us. While there are some in that body with
whom we - rejoice that we can 'see eye to eye on
this subject, yet it cannot be denied that the
other branch of the Church, as such, has ignored
the testimony of the fathers, both of• the Church
and of the Republic, and repels summarily any at
tempt in her councils at securing a manly avowal of
it in times when silence can only be construed one
way. While our own church, far weaker, martyr=
like, through honor and dishonor, through evil re
port and good report, misrepresented and slan
dered by ultraists on every side, has subscribed, as
with the pen of John Hancock to these noble old
testimonies. Our Church is satisfied with this
position. It is consistent with her claim -to be
the Middle Ground Church; she will not abandon
it for the sake of union with another.
GREAT BRITAIN AND ITALY.
Every friend of humanity must rejoice that at
last the manly throbbings of the genuine British
heart towards the Italians, in their struggle for
freedom, have found an adequate expreSsion.
Motives of pilicy and expediency delayed, bu
onnititc*lntri4ensil4 - and:it. annfan - now . Y"
almost American and Websterian; sounding clear
and high over the faint remonstrances of awe=
stricken despots, and contrasting proudly with the
disingenuous and patronizing policy of the EMpe
ror of the French, himself. We refer to the Ao
spatch of Lord' John Russell to. the British Minis
ter, at Turin, which we. Publish in another part
of our paper'. We had long remarked the appa
rent want of influence in the affairs of the conti
nent' under iwhich the British government was
suffering, and the seeming indifference with which
her statesmen beheld the gravest continental
questions hurrying forward to their settlement
without reference to her wishes. Steamer after
steamer brought its stirring budget of news,
proving that the civilized world was passing
through
_one of its great historical crises; and as
one kingdom after another stood prominent in
the record, and as France and Italy, as Napoleon
and the Pope, Garibaldi. and. Victor Emanuel ap
peared and re-appeared in every despatch, glitter-.
ing in every part of the woof which a.vionderful
Providence was weaving, our eyes watched almost
in vain and wearily for the name of. our sister
country, for evidence of the active and efficient
interest of the
_great Protestant empire of the
world in the decisive drama then enacting, as it
were, before our eyes. Was it true that that em
pire was losing its power—paling before the glare
of the lately risen, rapidly expanding comet across
the channel? Was it true that its ancient, and
often proudly asserted supremacy was departing?
Did it indeed require the concentration of all its
resources for purposes of , preparation and self-de-.
fence, in a new conflict with its former rival for
the hegemony in the European political system?
Must changes, the most favorable to Protestantism
that have occurred in Europe since the days of
the great Reformation, take place, and yet be
utterly beyond the official sympathy and par
ticipation of the greatest of Protestant peoples ?
Shall a new Constitutional Monarchy be brought
into being on the rains of the grossest of mo
dern despotisms? shall a spirit of liberty be
abroad in the ancient home of the Papacy, so
pervading as to reach the very, walls of the Va
tican, and to sweep away a large portion of the
Pope's patrimony ? shall an Italian nation verily
BE BORN IN A DAY, and all without a generous
word of recognition from the only 'liberal throne
in the world ?
The despatch of Lord John Russell has an
swered and ended these doubts and inquiries.
Englishmen had already aided Garibaldi, but
now the State has conveyed her emphatic and
unreserved approval to the Sardinian King him
self, in his movements to save and to complete
what that great soldier had so nearly matured.
This is even a bolder movement than it would
have been merely to encourage Garibaldi. Ga-
ribaldi may be regarded as the leader of a po
pular
and nearly successful insurrection, but
Victor Emanuel is approved and encouraged by
the British government in the 'act of stepping
in from a foreign country and taking charge of
the insurrection. The despots of, Europe had
just remonstrated with him for this piece of in
termeddling. Russia had withdrawn her entire
embassy from Turin. France had at least pre
tended to be displeased. In all Europe there
was no word of honest, manly, outspoken ap
proval of this last and necessary step in securing'
the freedom of Italy, until the deeply stirred
Protestant heart of England found a voice. At
that juncture, which was not less critical than
any in the whole course of events since the land
ing of Garibaldi at Messina, timidity, if there
had been any, was laid aside, reasons of State,
policy4nlshed, and sympathy with a great and
rigbteous popular movement was allowed full
expression.
Since writing.the above; aji extract from a Mi
lan paper has appeared, ia which `it_ : is affirmed
that Lord John Russell's &Bpi& is just now
of more value to Italy - , than would-be >a deci
sive battle.
It was in every way iattlitikt that4ere should I
have been an expression of , such interest on the
part of Great Britain. Nkit.to speak of the great
wi
political advantage she ' I gain by the addition 1
of a constitutional kingdo -of the first class to the
European system, her loft clam in Italy as a fear
less, sympathizing, and rwerful ally, will tend
greatly to facilitate the work of evangelizing the
Peninsula. Already, itft.ppears, in the cordial
response of Garibaldi to a request of British re
sidents in Naples, for permission to build a new
Protestant place of 'wors'aip. That Genetil not
only unhesitatingly permitted the erection
• of the
building asked for, but .resented 'the ground for
the site, with expressimis of peculiar regard for
the English. We • alreao know the antipathy of
his honest heart`to the &little dealing of the French
Emperor. • We look for +liar favorable results
in the future from the m4intenance of the position
of Lord John's despatell.l,,We expect them the
morein Italy, fromthelimatement and displeasure
with which the desPhretlieeeived by the 'other
courts of Europe. : T4surethey have not taken
iL
' '
a very terrifying method
.signifying their dis
pleasure in England. ' eir representatives in
that country absented mselves from the Lord
Mayor's banquet! Thak;being now over, we pre
sume all will be right vain: But wo do expect
and believe that the reWt :will be to place Great
Britain at an advantage lvith them allin her future
relations with, and inflience upon, the
. new 'and
powerful United King4m of Italy. This will be
a "hopeful feature in thefuture political systeni of
Europe. r .
DR. JUDSON'S OPIifION OP THE PLY-
MOUTH
. It seems that these Angular people came in
the way of the missio#ries in the East Indies,
and Dr. Judson, than whom I who a kinderand more
generous spirit„ towards . every thing that could
olaim a Christian reeciOtis.p.. never breathed,
had his very decidedsipinion.
li
of them We
ns
quote fro...an..accoimlArbi lan Xed i 'hyrs: R C.
Judson, and found in Way4bife, Vol. IL,
page 361., ,
A pious offieeresllestlin Dr. Judson one day,
just as his fever was coming'on.
"Why, I can't do him July good. Must I, see
him ?" he said, with a deprecatory smile. "Well,
show him in."
I soon discovered, however, that my husband
was suffering intense pain, as he ;feu often did
during the hours of his fever, and. was about to
repair my mistake as well as. I could, when the
visitor chanced to nlention the name of a com
mon friend. Dr. Jadson's countenance in
stantly brightened.
"You know Major
claimed, with warmth,
"Yes; one of nature's own noblemen, is he
not?"
"The nobility of nature, or grace, do you
consider it?" asked Dr: Judson; and then both
orthem smilingly agreed 'that there was some
thing of both in theiffilend.
"I loved him like eh:rather ;" continued Dr.
Judson, rather sadly... 4 .!`:Bnt, poor felloW i many
e the tears L ' 4 iLhlll3llflata,"
44 e rditi 4 i 'hia
meat.
"I suppoinion k oW he has taken to Certain
wild 'courses."
• "Impossible in
"Both possible' and true. You know some=
thing of the Plymouth Brethren,' of course ?"
Our visitor's features relaxed, thOugh hls co
lor was very , manifestly heightened,—a demon
stration which I understood, but was afraid my
husband did not. '
"Well, they got_hold of poor,Major —,"
he continued, "and Nive utterly ruined him—
that is, his usefulnesi in this world;' I believe
his eternal salvation is secure."
"Then you have no very high opinion of the
doctrines of the Plytdouth Brethren?" '
"Most assuredly not. They do not believe
the promises of God to his people, and their in
fluence goes to discourage and paralyze alimis
sionary enterprisl; they,do not believe in church
organizations, and SO the poor, ignorant sol
diery, and Protested balf-castes, coming under
their influence, are - scattered afl sheep without a
shepherd." , ~,
' - "Mit there seem to rt , e to lie ninny giit4,spi
situally-mindaVigiatians arnollg,./them.w—
"gave you-mail. tf*Plltd 'that when seekers
after sanctification fain to a certain degree of
spirituality, they ar peculiarly liable to fall
into errors of form ? 1 Why, it is in this way tbat
the wildest impost°s have , sometimes gained
i t•
their most deluded a d unquestioning followers.
Men long for what they have not, and instead
of sitting down at th, Saviour's feet, and drink
ing-in his words, the', go away to furnish them
selves with swimming bladders,"the work of their
own invention:"
i f
"This cannot, ho ever, be said of the Ply
mouth Brethren. hey, are especially opposed
to forms."
"That lap:they th ow away the forms of every
other sect, and adipt a new set, peculiar to
themselves." i .
"I see," said t e visitor good-humoredly,
"that you have no ercy."
Dr. Judson - smil ii. "Shall I tell you, my
dear ---,---, it th, risk of being written down
a bigot, what'my. al, candid opinion is 'in the
matter? When t arch-enemy of souls finds
a Christian soirei 11,froui the world as to be
inaccessible o,o_ c v ,grosser modes oftempta
tion, he jusiikue is shecp's clothing of Ply
mouth Brethilnis and in despair of getting
this particnlir so ' puts a veto on the man's
usefulness, to the ' s, rious detriment of hundreds
and thotise.ndS Of, theri." '
!
"Did you,knowinquired, as soon as the
visitor hadifillidr urn, "that - is said to
[I
have a strong bias °wards Plymouth Brethren
ism, so muck ,so t t his best frierls are trem
bling for his stability ?"
"Of course:l kkfiw it," came a faint voice up
,
from the pillow, ¶here the tired invalid had
sunk down in uttel exhaustion. "You'dO not
fancy me so overburdened with strength as to
throw away any in i warning men who are not in
danger ?"
WALNUT EarABET CHURCH WEST
PHILADELPHIA.
This church• vds dedicated, as previonaly an
nounced, on Thursday evening of last week, the
15th inst. The sirvices were well sustained and
interesting throughout. The form of dedication
contained in the PiatuaNas employed.' Rev.
Dr. Cox, of Ingbatti University, preached the set ,
mon—such a one In originality of thought,and ex
pression as only, Dr. Cox can preach. We are
gratified to learn ihat the services of the Sabbath
when Dr. Cox preiched in the morning and the
pastor, Rev. Jy G-1 Butler, in the evening, were
well attended, and 'that_the condition and prospects
of the church are °llattering.
B; P. ' BEIM/4ER, of Boston, author of
"Mrs. Partington," is announced to 'lecture be
fore the Harrison Literary Institute, at Concert
'Hall this, titu r rsda) eiening,
1
*ETHREN.
, then?" he ex-
LETTER FROM MR. GUINNESS
Sirt—l beg to contradict the statement of the
extract which .appeared in your"last number, to
the effect that I have "joined the Plymouth bre
thren."
It is true that after a careful study of the doe
trine of, believers' baptism, I was convinced of its
scripturalneas; and have been accordingly bap
tized; but so far from my baptism having united
me to any denomination, by its mode it left me
(and purposely so) on the• perfectly. unsectarian
ground I , have hitherto occupied. I maintain
this position in, order . that I may freely preach the
gospel among Christians of all denominations will
ing to receiveme for the Lord's sake.
With respect to the personal remarks, your no
tice contains about me, I add nothing, committing
myself to Him that judgeth righteously, request
ing ydu to insert this note in your next, number.
I am yours truly,
H. GRATTAN GUINNESS.
We cheerfully insert the above statement, but
in return would ask the writer's attention to a
few questions:
Does Mr. Guinness deny the statement'that he
.was .baptized by Lord Congleton, •a layman, and
one of the Plymouth brethren?
If be 'did. he not thereby ignore the ex
istence of the, ministry as a distinct:order of men?
Did not his
.going.to.the Plymouth. brethren
for baptism endorse their disorganizing creed?
Is charity promoted by ignoring and contra
vening the order of all religious denominations?
As to (cur "personal remarks," Mr. Guinness
is a public character, and nothing can fairly be
construed as designed to be offensively personal,
or as justifying a:n appeal such as Mr. G. mikes
to the above statement, unless it attaints the moral
character and motives of the individual. Such
an attack our article neither was, nor , was meant
to be, as any one may see in a moment by turn
ing to it.
UNITED PRAYER-BIEETING.
These prayer-meetinp, held from week to week
in our different churches, have been, since their
recommencement
,the present season, deeply in
teresting and spiritual, as well as very largely at
tended. The body of the largest churches is
weekly crowded with worshippers, not to hear ex--
citing oratory, but to pray. The next of the se
ries will be held in the church on Clinton and
Tenth streets, (Rev. Dr. Darling, pastor,) on
Tuesday, Dec. 4th, at 4 o'clock, P. M.
For the American Preanyterian.
WESTERN COLLEGES.
Lowell, Maas., Nov. 22,;1860
The. Society for Collegiate and Theological
Education at the West, closed its annual meet
ing last evening. Its receipts, exclusive of the
twenty thousand dollars nearly raised"by Presi
dent, Marsh of Pacific College, Orogen, under
the Society, are about twelve thousand, and its
incidental expenses for salaries, etc , are about
four thousand dollars.
Among other applications for aid, that of
Yellow Spring College, lowa, was presented,
and declined, because the charter of that cot
lege asks the Synod of Jora to approve of the
.
. • stees ma
Synod haiing no: other connection, whatever
with the self-perpetuating Board of Trust who
control the institution. And this Slender link
of connection with'the Synod, the Trustees are
leth, to sunder, lest they should alienate the
Parions Legacy of land, which must be held by
some institution in connection with the Synod.
The 'minors of the unsettled location of the in
stitution tu.which this legacy Marenure, also
contributed to this refusal of 4t.e Society. But
the connection with the Synod., whom college
society cannot trust, it would seem, is the chief
reason of declining the grant of aid, on the
ground of Dr. Peters' Address, adopted last
year, relating to, co-operation in colleges with
close corporations alone, independent of any
such connection with any body of men outside
of the Board of Trustees. Meanwhile this Col
lege Society keep lowa College, confessedly
under the auspices of the Congregational A.sso
elation of lowa, on their list.
"'lt is difficult to view this action as impartial
and just, because this Society adopted this re
strictive policy, since the charter of Yellow
Spring College was formed, having connection,
as above stated, with the Synod of loWa, in the
way of approving the instructors of the institu
tion; and after the Society had entered the col
lege on their list, and made one appropriation,
mainly obtained, however, by personal agency
of one of the Professors of Yellow Spring Col -'1
lege.
Besides, just at this crisis of affairs, in the
country and in lowa, it seems oppressive and
unjust to drive the Trustees to make a separate
denominational appeal for aid outside of this
Society, instituted for the common aid of the
two denominations who give the funds. I
In these peculiar, circumstances, no alterna
tive is left but to look to friends of the college
at the East and West, for aid to this institution,
the necessity, of which is most, urgent.
Por the American Presbyterian.
"ANNALS OP THE POOR." '
SHE WOULD NOT TELL HER DISTRESS.
Some years ago there was a father, mother
and four or five"children living in the north of
Ireland; their home was filled with all the hap.
piness which prosperity, the result of industry
and twelve successive years of good work, could
bring to their door. All was well, for the chil:
dren had grown up. The father owned two
working horses, and had constant employment
for them, and,. the , house was :supplied with all
the necessaries of this life. The potato-rot
came, accompanied by other calamities, and
broke up this happiness, and they, following
the example of so many of their countrymen,
emigrated to America.
When they arrived in this country; they all
followed the example of the father, and worked
from early , morn to late at night. The girls
found good places to live out, and the boys
sought the various ways of entering into life
with which they were most familiar; and: happi
ness again shone upon their faces.
The father Sickened and died, and the pother
was left - to 'herself, for the children had, one
after the other, sought homes for themselves,
and married, excepting two girls, who yet lived
at service, and would occasionally pay their
mother's rent, or add a bag of meal to her shelf,
while she herself would patiently ply stitch after
stitch, in a quilt or other plain sewing, by which
she earned the remnant of her living. Con
sumption (that terror) laid hold first upon one,
13oston, Nov. 17, 1860.
elect,.. the
S. S H
and she came home to her mother, and after
some twenty-five weeks of suffering, was carried.
to her grave. The funeral had scarce 'crossed:
the threshold, and performed its melancholy
errand, ere a second daughter, who had been
sick for some time, was compelled to sea :the
sheltering protection of J►er mother's roof, and
when I last saw them, the mother was listening
for the last breath of her only heliSi:fai. her
other children are married, with.families of their
own, claiming every attention they can bestow.
Dear reader, here pis an opportunity to help
the suffering who are Worthy.
Address, 8., 1334 Chestnut St.
ANNOUNCEMENT.
We purpose commencing next week the publica
tion of an interesting series of original articles,
designed as a continuation of the familiar and in
structive work called "How to Enjoy Life," from
the pen of the author of that volume, Rev. W.
M. Cornell, M. D. -
The book "How to Enjoy Life"! itself first ap
peared in the form of newspaper essays in one of
the: first.journals of New England,• and was highly
popular there, and we have: no doubt otir readers
will find the continuation equally.: acceptable.
The articles will appear every other week, and
.will be copyrightgd•
For the American Presbyterian.
WALNUT STREET CHURCH WEST PHIL
ADELPHIA.
MESSRS.
_EDITORS
Allow me, through, the columns of your valu
able'paper, to furnish the public with some local
information, touching the progress of our branch
of the Church in that part of West Philadelphia
formerly designated Hamiltonville.
New School Presbyterianism is here lifting its
head and taking a prominent position in the march
of improvement which now characterizes this sec
tion of the city. And, indeed, Messrs: Editors,
this march is now altogether a rapid one. Fine
residenew already abound, and fine churches
are being rapidly multiplied.
Among the latter, is the sanctuary just com
pleted for the congregation of the Rev. Mr: But
ler. It is located on Walnut Street between
Thirty-ninth and Fortieth, in the most beautiful
and desirable rocality which could have been se
lected. It stands upon ground, donated as a site
for a Presbyterian Church by Mr.. Hamilton, foun
der of the village to which his name was, given.
The lot is of ample width to lmave a fine space at
either side of the new building, and two hundred
and twenty feet in depth, to a small street; afford
ing sufficient space for lecture room, school - rooms,
&c., of the largest magnitude.
The building in which the congregation for
merly worshipped, stood' upon the same lot, and
was removed in May, 1859; to give place to the
present edifice, which was then commenced, and
has been pushed forward with such energy as to
be ready for dedication about two weeks since.
This edifice is of the Romanesque order of ar
chitecture, constructed of brown stone, and of a
chaste and churchly appearance. The 'front is
quite imposing The spire is built at one corner.
It rises, with a graceful . and well-proportioned ta
per, to:the height 'of 180 feet. The dimensions
building tie I.Lin informed on in: .
are 90 by 62 feet, with the front extinde,
to a width of 70 feet. The . audience room is es
timated to seat about eight hundred, including ,a
small gallery at one end. The choir is located be
'low this gallery, and on the same elevation as the
pulpit—a good arrangement—one which causes
the music to fall pleasantly upon the ear, and does
not so isolate it from the audience as to render it
difficult for any who are disposed to join in this
part of the worship.
An other feature which we like about the au
dience room is, that no large columns intercept
the view and prevent a portion of the auditors
from seeing the speaker. This we think a great
desideratum. The arching extends over the whole
space, and neither sight nor sound is interrupted.
It therefore answers the end for which every church
of Christ should be built, as a place to hear;to the
best advantage, from a living speaker the words
of eternal life.
Still another point worthy of special commen;
dation in-this.,sanctuary is, the complete manner
in which -- the upholstery work .hai teet.tione
throughont. A stranger entering here is not
liable to be put ,into .a pew having no cushion, for
there are no such. Every seat is well cushioned
and carpeted, and with a uniformity which gives
a finished air to the whole. The pulpit is neat
and in keeping with the Test of the church, its
front being of black walnut, as are the tops of the
pews. It stands in an arob.-shaped niche or re
cess, which is approached by two doors from be
hind.
If we were to find ani fault at all withthis very
appropriate and well arranged structure, it would
be with the finish of the stained glass windows
and of the' ceiling, which, to some eyes, should
have been a little more ornate. I understand
that it is the design hereafter to fresco the ceiling.,
and this will undoubtedly give the whiale a still
finer effect.
The completion of the edifice has been the ha
mediate occasion of an accession of strength to the,
congregation. Already nearly eighty pews have
been let, and the affairs of the church, every way
seem in a prosperous state. May the good Lord
give them his blessing abundantly!
Yours, &c,
KOLAPOOR MISSION:
We, are glad, to see this mission shows evidence
of increasing favor. , We are desired to acknow
ledge the following sums, and to remind any who
would like to assist in re-establishing the mission,
that they can send their contributions to J. S.
Cummings, 321 Market' Street, Philadelphia, Pa:
Previously acknowledged, $250 00
Miss It. P. Wetherill,.. 5 00
Mrs. Levi Taylor, 5 00
Mrs. Swett, 2 00'
John A. Brown', 100 00
RA. Fahneatook,.... -
~15. C. WC/minion, . - 25- 00t
A. H. Franeisow, 25'00
THE SIXTH ANNIVERSARY of the Young Men's
Christian Association of Philadelphia, s will be held
in Cdncert Hall, tliD. net 141enday evening at
.7i
o'clock. Among other distinguished speakers are
Rev. Dr. Newton, of this city, Rev. James. Bells,
of l3rooklyn, N. Y., , and Rey. John 11. Cookman,
of Newark, N: J. \
Tickets can , be had , gratuitously at the Rooms
of -the - Association, 1009 and 1011'Chestnut St.
DAYS OP OLD. Three.Stodeskfroto Old English His
tory.- For the Young. By'ilie autinsir of "Ruth and
Her Friends." New York : Robertilparter & Brothers.
16mo. pp. 315.
_ •
The first of these storieS,:the oul3r„eueov . e have
been able to read, is Pure and' elevating in tone;
full of incident and pathos, and draws a peculiar
charm from the ancient and comparatively un
known era of British history to which it belongs.
It is in a new and ably work-ed.-vein, and must
prove deeply interesting to every person from seven
years and upwards to seventy. For sale at the
Presbyterian Book Store.
TUPPY ; or, The Autobiography of a Donkey, with four
illustrations, by Harrison-Weir. New York: Carter
& Brothers. 16mo. pp 178: ) 4
This is not,.by.any - means, the first instance in
which good moral lessons have been conveyed to
the young mind through the medium of the pro
bable experiences of the brute creation; but it is,
certainly, one of the most entertaining, we have
met with. The donkey who was able to carry his
case with the judge and jury, and became the
means of his own restoration to his.rightful owner,
deserves to have a place in juvenile literature at
least. For sale at the Presbyterian Book 'Store.
THE RECREATIONS OP A COUNTRY PARSON.
Boston Ticknor & Fields. Moo. pp. 4.4
The ; readers of, these delightful essays, as they
have appeared in .Ftraxer's and again in the pages
of Littell, and by extracts in our own columns,
will rejoice to see them in this more permanent
form. They are cluiracterilzed by a,. quiett-grace of
style, a latent , humor; and .a, s genial and hoped
view of life which is really - quite.contagious. The
volume is in Ticknor & Fields' beitztyle, on tinted
paper, with that unfailing guaraute6of typogra
phical beauty, the Riverside Press , sof H. G.
Houghton,- Cambridge. For sale by 3. B. Lip
pincott & Company.
HINTS ON THE FORMATION OF RELIGIOUS
OPINIONS: Addressed especially to young nren and
iromen'of Christian Education.. By Rev. Bay Palmer,
D. D., pastor of the First Congregational Church, Alba
ny, N. Y. New York : Sheldois,& co., 115 Nassau
street. pp. 824. 1860.
A volume of sermons addressed to: Young men
and women of Christian education who have found
themselves on coming to maturity, more or less
disturbed with doubts, without, however i becoming
in any true sense unbelievers. The nuMber of
these the author believes to be very great.
Whether this be so or not, there are enough such
cases, to call for a work Oil the subject, and we
commend this book of Dr. Palmer's as well calcu
lated to meet the exigency.:',lt covers the entire
ground so far its a work meant for popular use Can,
it is familiar
s and yet elevated in Anne, and the
style is clear-with many strafing and attractive
points. For sale by B. IL Butler & Company.
THE GREATEST PLAGUE OF Li c•Icl ; or, The Ad
ventures of a Young Lady in Search of a • Good Ser
vant.
THE NOBLEMAN'S 'DAUGHTER. By the Hon. Mrs.
Norton.
Two works of fietiop, published by T. B. Peter
& Brothers, Vhiladelphia.
GUESSES AT TRUTH. By two Brothers. From the
Fifth London Edition. Boston: Ticknor & Fields.
Large 12mo. pp. 555. •
A volume for the thoughtful, the tasteful and
the earnest in inquiring after truth. It is com
posed of articles of all lengths, from the single
terse sentence, to • the prolonged, and elaborate
essay. But all are full of treasures of refined
thought, couched in the most elegant language,
illustrated from every field of classic and historic
lore, animated with the noblest and purest aims.'
From the examination we have been able to give
it, we question whether it is equalled by any cot.
lection of miscellaneous thoughts in existence
The handsome portrait ofJitlius Charles Hare, one
of the brothers, forms the frontispiece of the vo
lume, which-is printed and bound in the best style.
"A: TRIBUTE BANE", and Other tom* by George
W. Chapman. New York: Biutt - It - Carleton. 12mo.
PP. /6/.
No Philadelphian can- read tlie first of these
poems without a degree of interest disarming cri
ticism. Nor are there wanting traits of the poetic
spirit in this and other portions of the volume,—
perhaps there is more of it in some of the smaler
pieces. For ourselves, we 'like "The Swallows,"
and " Why don't he Come?" It is printed hand
somely on tinted paper.. For sale by Lindsay &
Blakiston:
THNLIFE OF REY. RICHARD KNELL, of St, Peters
burgh. By Rev. Chas. M:Biirell. With a Review of
.his Character, by Rev. John Angell James. Ameri
can Tract Society, New York. For sale by H. N.
Agent, 929 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.
We'have already heartily commended this little
volume, and -we renewedly call attention to it, as
well, calculated to encourage and instruct by ex
ample all who are desirous of laboring intelligently,
earnestly and per's'onally for the salvation of their
fellow-men. We are pleased to learn that copies
of the work have been placed in the hands of the
students in the Union Seminary , New York, and
the Princeton Seminary, by a friend of these in
stitutions.
THE YOUNG HOP PrOKERS, liy tithtte Sarah Maria
Fry. Published and for sale as above. 16nxo. pp.
A COMMENTARY, Critical and Grammatical, on St.
Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, with a revised Trans
lation, by Charles J. Ellicott, B. D., King's College,
London, and an litrodnetory Notice, by Calvin E.
Stowe, D. D. Larke'Seminary. Andover: W. F. Dra
per. Philadelphia: Smith; English & Co. Bvo. pp.
183. Price $1.60.
We welcome this beautiful American reprint of
one of a series of works which contains the last
and best results of English scholarship and Eng
lish piety applied to New Testament hermeneutics.
To our minds it is all the more refreshing, as it
appears just about simultaneously with those fear
ful-outpourings of far-estranged and, skeptical Eng
lish thinking, the Oxford "Essays and Reviews!'
A truly pious De Wette (the rationalist of that.
name was already very English in his terse and
strong common Sense) would be one Of the greatest
gifts that could be bestowed in the field of Bible
interpretation. We have often- been tempted to
undertake, the translation of his Kiirzgefasstes,
&c., and we frequently turn from every other com
mentator to find in him the acuteness penetrating to
the very essence of the thought sought for iievain
elsewhere. We are inclined to endorse -Prof.
Stowe's opinion of Prof. Ellicott, as beii.kfirta' 'Eng
lish- exegesis what De Wette is to :the (German.
Hence we have abandoned our project Of •trans
lating, and would instead recommend all scholars
of the original 'Scriptures wh9.seek directness, lu
minous brevity, the absence of everything irrele
vant to strict grammatical iiticruiry, with a concise
and yet very complete view of the opinions of
others, to possess themselves of ElliCott's Commen
taries. For sale by Smith, English - & CO.
LADIES' HONE MAGAZINE.., ' Bland. by T. S. Ar
. thnr and Virginia F. TowAisen-.
The editors and contributors of this magazine
are a circle ofpure-minded, kind-hearted, and well
'spoken men, and women, who faithfully and skil
fully devote their excellent abilities to the true
.
interests of the'household. We commend the ma
gazine to general patronage. It will be seen by
the advertisement in another column, that special
inducements are offered to thoie procuring new
:subscribers.
It i s certain tht►t railroadApeeds are greater now
than they were thirty years ago, but the increase is
.very much less than is generally suppoegd, and cer
tainly a great deal less than the statements in ques
tion would go to show. Someof the earliest locomo
tives ever built have run upwards of a mile a minute,
while on the littler hand' there is no authenticated in
stance of any locornotive , speed greater than 78 miles
an hour. The Ironsides, one of Mr. Baldwin's first
engines, was run nearly thirty years ago at the rate
of 62 miles an hour on the Philadelphia and Ger
mantown Railroad.
$487 00
Mr. Petit, who is still connected with Messrs
.l3aldwiri 4 . 00:'s establishment, ran thli`eneine at the
time, and her speed was carefully noted by Mr.
'Franklin Peale and others who took part in the per
tonneau*.
Nov. 29,
EDITOR'S. TABU.