The American Presbyterian. (Philadelphia) 1856-1869, August 24, 1865, Image 4
ftramair Ijtwlijtam THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 1865. Our London Correspondent.—An other letter from our London Corres pondent is on file, and will appear in our next. The writer being about to make a journey to this country, our readers, in all probability, will be de prived of the pleasure of reading his lively and crowded budget for some weeks to come. We hope, however, the interruption will prove but temporary. Papers for East Tennessee. —We are now sending about 450 papers every week to the churches in East Tennessee, for which six months payment has been contributed in advance by a number of our liberal men in this city and Harris burg. Besides this, we are sending a goodly number of copies to individuals in that section who have subscribed for the paper themselves. Parties unable to pay the entire subscription price, and who may not be reached by this gratuit ous distribution, will receive the paper on sending one half of the subscription. A wealthy and liberal gentleman of this city has pledged himself to make up the balance in all such cases. NATIONAL TEMPERANCE CONVEN TION. NOTE FROM DR. MARSH. Mr. Mears :—Will you permit me to express my surprise and astonishment that your Saratoga correspondent should have allowed himself to say that an “ anti-church sentiment, marked with a spirit of undisguised bitterness and con tempt for the Christian Church ruled the Convention.” Ido not believe that such a discovery was made by any other individual. I was present the whole time, and attentive to all that was said and done, and am sure there was no foundation for such a remark. The paper of Dr. Chickering on the connex ion between, temperance and religion, and the aid the temperance cause had received from the ministers and churches was very satisfactory. If the paper drew out any details of remissness in some pulpits and some churches it was in no spirit of infidel radicalism. I pre sume four-fifths of the members were members of evangelical Christian chur ches. The presiding officer, Gov. Buck ingham, is himself a deacon of a Christian Church, and an eminently pious man, and would in a moment have rebuked any improper remark. Once or twice he did check Mr. Gerrit Smith in some of his extreme views, which had no favor with the majority. Not the least abandonment was there in a single reso lution of the Gospel rule and principle of temperance, and no charge made of the use of alchoholic drinks for medical or sacramental purposes as sinful. Total abstinence was not substituted for tem perance, because in the opinion of the entire convention it is temperance. The charges made by your correspondent against the fundamental principles and course of the Convention, I cannot but view as altogether false and slander ous and calculated to do great injury in families where your excellent paper is read. Yours respectfully, John Marsh. Sec. A. T. Union. Note. —Our first correspondent at the Saratoga Convention appears to have taken a somewhat peculiar view of the proceedings and spirit of the body, which, much as we respect his judgment, we are inclined to regard as erroneous, though sincere. At the time his letter came to hand, we had no other source of information, and received his state ment with a deep and painful sense of disappointment at a result which augured so ill for the cause. We are glad to nublish the above lines from our honored friend and brother, Dr. Marsh, as evi dence that the Convention as a whole was a real movement in the right direc tion, and well calculated to arouse and rally the friends of reform for another and more vigorous effort than ever. We stand prepared to join in such a move ment with all our heart, and are at it already. Another view of the Conven tion will be found on our first page. TREATMENT OF THE FREEDMEN. DEPI.ORARLE ACCOUNT. The morning papers of Tuesday give the following paragraphs, which purport to have been taken from different South ern papers and telegraphed to New York. Where the Southern Christian Intelligencer is published, or what de gree of credence is to be attached to these statements, we do not know; we fear they are too true. The Cincinnati Gazette contains an account of the trial, by a military commission, at Salisbury' N. C., August Ith, of Miss Temperance Neely, of Davie County, for shooting and murdering a slave woman, who in terfered to prevent the whipping of her daughter in the regular old-fashioned pro-slavery style. The qase was clearly made out against this sprig of North Carolina aristocracy. But to the ex tracts : New York, August 21, 1865. The Southern Christian Intelligencer of August sth says, if one-tenth part of the re ports are true which are coming from all parts of the South, thicker and faster, a most shocking state of affairs exists. From locali ties where there are National troops come re ports that the unfortunate creatures, the negroes, are being hunted down like dogs, and despatched without ceremony. The newspapers in the South are filled with ac counts of the* brutal murders which foot up to an aggregate o 1 several hundred per day, which is doubtless only a small portion of the number noticed. An Alabama paper says this business has become so extensive and common that some planters even boast that they could manure their land with the dead carcases of the ne groes. If negroes can be shot down daily in garrisoned towns where the authorities are unable to stop this state of things, it is very reasonable to suppose that this brutal work is carried on more extensively where the blacks have no protection. This wholesale murdering of human beings is, we fear, the practical working of the conspiracy to exter minate the colored race, which is revolting to the Christian age. The Raleigh (N. C.) Frogress , of the 16th, learns from Colonel Lawrence, commandant of the post at Goldsboro, that six negroes were killed at or near Warsaw two weeks ago. Their former owner left on the approach of the Union army. The negroes remaining, they went to work and made a crop. The former owner returned recently, and ordered them to leave. The negroes refused, and the proprietor of the place getting some neigh bors together with arms, ordered them off again, and on their refusal attacked them, killing six. Accompany of soldiers was sent up from Wilmington to investigate the affair. MORALS OF WALL STREET. The speculating or gambling mania which has been rampant in Wall Btreet during the last years of the war, and which continues to the present moment, which has trodden under foot the Na tional credit and brought about enor mous additions -to the public debt, is now bearing legitimate fruit in fruds, forgeries, and defalcations to an unpar alleled amount. The first of these, al ready mentioned, was perpetrated by a teller and a clerk upon the Phoenix Bank, and had extended over two years before discovery, reaching nearly three hundred thousand dollars. The excite ment over this discovery attended by the .suicide of one of the delinquents and sad revelations of dissipation and vice, had not died away, before a second case transpired, this time that of a gold bro ker, named Peter R. Mumford, who on’ Saturday, August 13, obtained large amounts of gold from various brokers, which are estimated as high as $lOO,- 000, giving therefor his checks on the Mechanics’ Bank. On presenting the checks at the counter of that institu tion, it was ascertained that there was no deposit to Mumford’s credit to meet his obligations. Mumford was arrested for trial on the 16th, having apparently made no attempt to escape. But these were mere preliminaries to vaster transactions which came to light on Tuesday afternoon, the 15th instant. “Among the wealthiest and boldest houses down town,” says the N. Y. Times, “ was that of Morris Ketchum & Son. Its operations during the last four years have been enormous, its gold bullings embarrassing to the Govern ment, and its credit, so far as mere cash was concerned, almost unlimited. The junior member of the firm, not content with the legitimate line of busines in which his father had made a fortune and a name, dealt largely in stocks, operated heavily in gold, lost, made, lost, made again, lost more, hypothecated the secu rities of the house, continued to lose, forged gold checks with which to supply a margin, took up some of them with the proceeds of the stolen securities, contin ued his speculations, lost, continued his forgeries, lost, kept on forging and losing, until his doomsday came, the discovery was made public, and while his father’s house fell crashing about his head Mr. Edward Ketchum took up his bag and ran.” Young Ketchum employed a respect able brokerage house, Graham & Co., through whom to do this business and carried it on at an enormous rate, at first quite successfully. With Messrs. Graham he left $285,000 in forged gold checks, which being intended only as se curity to be drawn only in case he failed to make good his engagements with the firm, were laid aside without being care fully examined, as no suspicion of foul play existed. Such an examination would instantly have revealed their worthless character, as the forgeries were executed in the most unskilful and clumsy manner. The names were not spelled correctly, nor was there the least attempt to counterfeit the handwriting of the parties on whom the fraud was committed. The Fourth National Bank had also received similar miserably exe cuted checks, as securities, to the amount of $255,000. The Ketchum firm itself is, however, represented to be by far the heaviest loser, the son having abstracted and lost in his transactions between two and three millions of securities belong ing to the firm. Young Ketchum was last seen on Monday afternoon, August 14, on Broadway, where he purchased a toilet bag, and placed in it packages of greenbacks believed to amount to sixty thousand dollars. The houses of Ketcb um and Graham'have suspended pay ment. The panic on Wall strret was violent but brief. Prices fell from two to eight per cent., but the withdrawal of such a large house and the more general distribution of stocks lately held by them are regarded in a favorable light by those who remain. So the wild dance of speculation is to begin again. Join hands (or feet) bulls and bears, gold operators, oil and mining speculators, foes of government credit and friends of our own pockets; enter the ring fast clerks and bank tellers, and let the dance fio fast and furious until the next grand explosion! Definition of “During the War.”—ln fnwT e °<? m Plaints Of soldiers who -"A mand at mustered out be thp tar® ar e “ hßt n d for , three years or during rtf Tl 41 ’ Terry, commanding the Department of Virginia, defines the term during the war” to mean “as long as any military necessity exists in the late insurrec tionary States. THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN THURSDAY. AUGUST 24, 1865. .FROM OUR CORRESPONDING EDITOR, S. S. MISSIONARY SOCIETY. They have an interesting organization of this name, in connection with the Presbyterian Church in CTinton. It was formed in January, 1836, and has, con sequently, been almost thirty years in existence. The objects of the associa tion, as stated in its constitution are threefold— 1. To obtain and diffuse information in regard to the moral condition of the world, and of the efforts being made for its renovation. 2. To cultivate habits of benevolence in its members ; and 3. To aid by its contributions in the spread of the gospel. At a recent monthly meeting of this society, Rev. A. D. Gridley, of Clinton, gave an exceedingly interesting account of its operations from the beginning; which shows that the organization has been well sustained, and has been doing good work. Rev. Wayne Gridley, a graduate of Hamilton College, a young man of great promise, and for a short time a pastor of the church in Clinton, was the first President. His early death put an end to that bright career of use fulness which every one anticipated for him. Among its members and officers of other days we noticed the names of Rev. J. A. Priest, now of Gloversville; Rev. A. K. Strong, of Galena, Illinois; Rev. Dr. Kendall, of New York; Revs. Jo seph Sutphen and Homer B. Morgan, Missionaries of the A. B. C. F. M.; and among those who have read essays on Missionary themes in its meetings, we found the names of Professors North and Upson, of Hamilton College; Rev. A. K. Strong, above mentioned, and Prof. Theodore W- Dwight; of New York. We noticed, also, that in the past years it was not the men alone who pre pared essays for these monthly meetings, but young ladies thus contributed to the interest and profit of these occasions. Mention is made by Mr. Gridley, in his admirable historical sketch, of-the names and themes of some who afterwards be came wives of ministers and mission aries, and thus contributed to carry out the designs of the organization, to do something toward spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth. Mr. Gridley very earnestly and very properly rec ommends a return to this early usage. We trust the ladies of Clinton will give heed to Mr. Gridley’s recommendation, for he is competent to speak with wisdom in the case. DIOCESAN CONVENTION, A very respectable body of clergymen and laymen of the Episcopal Church of Western New York, has been in session in our city the past week, under the above designation. It represents ICY churches, and 13,000 communicants ; a goodly number for a beginning. We have on the same ground, 363 New School Presbyterian churches, and over 40,000 church members; to say nothing of the Congregational, Baptist, and Methodist denominations, which would number together nearly three times as many more. The Episcopal church is the smallest of the tribes in this region, as in other parts of the land. And yet this is the church; and they have a bishop —we have over 400 ,of them. Their bishop preached a sermon, and delivered addresses, which were very respectable in character. He i§ evi dently a man of good abilities and excel lent spirit; but we have several bishops, one in Lockport, two or three in Buffalo,, one in Syracuse, and others in other places, who can preach quite as good sermons, and deliver as eloquent and able addresses. And we used to hear a bishop in Brooklyn, the father of this diocesan, who could stir and thrill and delight an audience by his magic elo quence, as the son can not. Samuel Hanson Cox was a power in the land. He has instructed and helped thousands on their way to heaven. • We only hope his worthy son, “ the bishop,” may do as much good; but it cannot aid' him in doing it, first to unchurch his own hon ored father, and say he is “noifiinister,”or to pretend that his little flock is the only cburch in Western New York. We have no quarrel with the Episcopal church, except with its arrogance. It is only one of the tribes. We love the Presbyterian church also, arid the Meth odist, and'the Baptist, and the Congre gationalist. Each is doing a good work; each reaching a class of its own sort, not so well-reached by any other, and so the whole field is more perfectly cultivated. We are brethren—let there be no strife between us, no arrogance, no unchurch ing one of another. AN OLD SABBATH-SCHOOL. They have a pleasant way of estimat ing the age of their Sabbath-school, in the Presbyterian Church in Fredonia, by which they make it out to be some four thousand- years old! Most people have doubtless supposed the Sabbath school a more modern invention, and will tell us how Robert Raikes started the idea less than a century since, when Fredonia was in the woods, to say the least. But let us understand the way of-it. The enterprising and inspiring superin tendent, Col. Redington, proposed to the school that each scholar should contrib ute to the mission school enterprise of the American Board, one penny for each year of his or her age. The teachers were allowed and invited to do the same, if they would. None were desired to take part in the project except “ cheerful givers.” The result was a contribution of forty-one dollars and seventy-two cents; and as each cent represents a year, they speak of four thousand one hundred and seventy-two years as the age of their school. But though so old, we had the best of evidence that it is not dead. Having obtained so much, the teachers chose to make the sum a round hundred, and make one of their own number, a faithful female teacher, whose eminent devotion and usefulness are acknowledged by all, an honorary member of the A. B. C. F. M. This was from the Sabbath-school alone. The collection from the congre gation on the same Sabbath was over $100; from monthly concerts, about $7O; aggregate, $286 90. In January last, the Sabbath-school of the same church sent us $2OO, making $486 90 for the year, from this village church, to the cause of missions—an example of liber ality which we should be glad to com mend to some churches much larger and stronger, that give much less. “There is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.” PERSONAL. Rev. F. W. Flint, of Cohoes, formerly of Silver Creek, we are sorry to say, is somewhat out of health. We met him this week on his way to Minnesota, to see what that bracing climate will do toward building him up again. He has leave of absence from his people for four or six months. We trust that those northern regions will soon restore him to his wonted vigor, and to his accuse tomed usefulness. His people have re cently provided him with a parsonage, and are 1 * planning to repair and beautify their church edifice, at an expense of twenty-five hundred or three thousand dollars, showing that they appreciate the labors of their faithful pastor, and are trying, like an enterprising society, to live and grow. Rev. W. L. Hyde, formerly of Dun kirk, and more recently a Chaplain in our army, has received and accepted an invitation to labor as pastor of the Church in Ripley. C. P. B. Rochester, August 19, 1865. LETTER FROM EAST TENNESSEE. Knoxville, E. Tenn., Aug. 10, 1865. Mr. Editor :—The work of recon struction is making progress in Church and State, all over Tennessee. The franchise bill, passed recently by our Legislature, (of which I will send you a synopsis hereafter), awakened no little opposition, especially in the middle and western districts of the State. Many persons unfriendly to the Government labored hard to create an odium against it, and at one time matters looked threat ening and ominous of trouble. The telling proclamation of Governor Brown low, however, the supporting telegrams from President Johnson, and the mili tary orders of Major-General Thomas, soon quieted the turbulent, and we had a very peaceable election. The result is not so satisfactory west of us, but in East Tennessee where the loyal element is so overwhelming, friends of the Ad ministration are chosen by large ma jorities. Nathaniel G. Taylor, Horace Maynard, and Mr. Stokes are sent up to Congress, and they will all be working men, and men of more than average ability. Mr. Taylor is a graduate of Princeton College, New Jersey, and was formerly a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church. During the war he has been an eloquent pleader in behalf of the refugees driven from their homes by the persecuting champions of the re bellion. Hon. Horace Maynard is a ' ruling elder of our church at Knoxville, and has been in Congress before. One of his opponents in a circular charged against him, that while he was in Con gress during the first two years of the war, he voted to condemn President Lincoln for calling out troops to suppress* the rebellion, and that he voted to condemn Major Anderson for defending Fort Sum ter. As the character of the rebellion revealed itself more fully Mr. Maynard confronted it manfully, and in the judg ment of his supporters he will be faith ful to the Union and the cause of Lib erty. STATE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION. A few days since, in pursuance of public notice to that effect, quite a num ber of teachers and friends of education met in Convention at Knoxville, and or ganized a State Teachers’ Association. Rev. Mr. Humes was chosen Chairman, and Chaplain Spence, Secretary. A constitution was presented and adopted. One article provides that any teacher or active friend of education loyal to the Government of the United States, may become a member upon the payment of one dollar. The article brought out considerable discussion, but it was adopted by a vote almost unanimous. The following preamble and resolu tions were offered:— Whereas, in the good Providence of God more than three millions of people, three years ago held in bondage in our country are now free; and whereas, the safety of our country, as well as the voice of philanthropy demands that these people be made as intelligent, industri ous, and refined as possible, therefore . Resolved, That we deprecate any policy on the part of the State Govern ment or of its citizens that would ob struct the free exercise of those powers or privileges calculated to develope their manhood and to make them self-support ing. Resolved, That we hail with.pleasure the establishment of schools among the freed people, as the safest and shortest way not only to enable them to take care of themselves, but to fit them for the exercise of the functions of citizens. Resolved, That we will do all in our power as teachers, and friends of true progress, to make education free to every child of the State, believing that the pro perty of the State should educate the people of the State. Resolved, That we urge upon the Legislature of the State at as early a day as practicable, the establishment of Tea chers’ Seminaries or Normal Schools, for the more thorough training of profes sional teachers. Resolved, That teaching should be made a profession, studied as other pro fessions, and that no one should be al lowed by law to teach, that had not made some previous professional prepa ration. The preamble was unanimously adopt ed. The first resolution, after a discus sion of between two and three hours, was voted down by a close vote. The other resolutions were adopted without a negative. Teachers of colored schools were present and took part in the pro ceedings. It was stated that there were 800,000 whites in Tennessee, and 800,- 000 blacks, and that our system of Com mon Schools as a matter of safety and justice, should provide in some way for all. Chancellor Lindsey presented the fol lowing resolution which was carried:— Resolved, That this Convention view with profound gratification, the action and spirit manifested by the present Ex ecutive and Legislative authorities of Tennessee in behalf of popular education, and earnestly hope that their efforts will result in a system of public schools wor thy of the State. The Legislature propose to raise $BOO,OOO at once for a liberal common school system, and it was thought that the half million of dollars recovered from the rebel Governor, Isham G. Har ris, would be appropriated to this object, which would give us a school fund of nearly a million and a half. THE “ CHRISTIAN OBSERVER.” It is well that the American Pres byterian is finding its way through so many of our churches. At the sugges tion of a loyal Old School brother, means were contributed at Pittsburgh, Penn sylvania, a few days ago, to send three hundred copies of the Presbyterian Ban ner for twelve months to East/Tennessee. These eight hundred copies,, of two reli gious papers, coming weekly into our houses with their many lessons of Chris tian patriotism and earnest piety, will be of incalculable advantage to us. But for this the Christian Observer might do us great harm, with its apologies for treason and its defence of sectional or ganization. As it is, quite a number to whom Dr. Converse sends his paper, refuse to take it from the office, and they are sending the old man word that the Christian Observer has done so much mischief during the rebellion they do not wish to see it any more. I clip the following from the Green ville New Era: — Mr. Editor :—lt is a* notorious fact that Rev. Dr. Converse and his traitorous paper, the Christian Observer, were pushed out of the North for disloyalty, and it is farther known that the paper was issued at Rich mond in the interest of a sectional church, and for the defence of a Southern Confede racy. Dr. Converse is responsible for much of the desolation that has come upon the churches of the South, and yet, reeking as he is with treason and other crimes, he has re sumed the publication of the Christian Ob server, and, judging from the numbers we have seen, he hopes to use it as an for sectional and treasonable ends. . He has sent many copies of his paper to Bristol, Jones boro’, Greenville, Timber Ridge, and other places, to his old subscribers. There can be but one honest opinion about this matter. The minister or elder, or pri vate member of the church who would take the Christian Observer, and read and circu late it, no matter how often he takes the oath, or how much he professes regret for his treason, proclaims himself a rebel and a trai tor still, and unworthy the confidence of pa triots and Christian men. The opinion thus expressed is endorsed by nearly all of our church. Dr. Con verse is evidently aiming to form a Southern sectional church. His edito rials are shaped with reference to this and his influence, as far as my observa tion goes, tends directly to this result. Will he succeed ? your readers ask. To some extent I fear he will. In South western Yirginia, and in some other parts of the exploded Confederacy, he may rally a few Presbyteries who may still be in doubt whether General Lee has surrendered, but he has a very slim prospect in East Tennessee. Though he had one of your elders for his Sancho Panza, everything is against him and he cannot succeed. Even in this life the aged cannot always *be insolent, surper cilious, and untrue without retribution. Yours very truly, Samuel Sawyer. Decease op Mh. Jesper Harding.— Among the deaths announced August 21st, was that of an old and widely-known pub lisher and business man ot this city, Mr. Jesper Harding. Mr. H. was born in the old District of Southwark, Philadelphia, in 1799. He learned the printing business in the office of the United States Gazette. About the time when he reached his majority, he went into business on his own account, and in 1829 he commenced the publication of the Penn sylvania Inquirer, of which he continued to be the publisher until 1860. In 1835, he be gan the publication of family and pulpit Bibles in this city—a business which subse quently became quite extensive in his hands He was at one time largely engaged in the manufacturing of paper at Trenton, New Jersey. In these various connections, he spent an active business life, extendibg over nearly half a century, and made a wide circle or mends, many of whom remain to mourn his loss as a kind-hearted and amiable gentle man. Smce 1862, and until the time of his death, he was a Collector of the Internal Kevenue for the First District of Pcnnsylva ma.—Pkila. Ledger. gfta af nira fifrajfEJ. Progress in Minnesota. —A corres pondent of the Evangelist speaks of the organization of a new church at Pres ton, Minn., but gives no date. “ Rev. D. L. Kiehle, a recent graduate of Union Theological Seminary, sent out by the Home Missionary Committee, was lo cated there. Only six weeks have elapsed since his arrival on the ground. The fine new hall at the Court House has been secured, and every Sabbath it is well filled by an attentive audience. An interesting Sabbath-school has been organized, with a new library. An ele gant large melodeon has been purchased, and a good choir of singers are being trained. Last Sabbath fifteen persons, all heads of families, united in the or ganization. Others would have united had their letters arrived in time. It was pleasant, on this occasion, to re ceive a Communion service as a gift from the First Presbyterian Church of St. Paul. Also, three elders were elected.” The Home Missionary Church at Chatfield, in the same State, has suffered a great bereavement in the death of the Missionary, Rev. E. D. Holt. The Evangelist says:—“ Before his final ill ness, he had labored with unceasing efforts for the souls of his congregation, especially for the young And very soon after some of the lambs of his flock had learned to sing the new song of their Saviour’s love, were they called to sing their pastor’s requiem around his open grave. He rests from bis labors and his works do follow him. Assembled around the Supper of the Lord, we welcomed the young disciples Only yesterday, at the preparatory meeting, little Arthur Grant, the infant son, was brought by the widowed mother and dedicated in baptism, with the hopes of many hearts that his father’s God may be his God, and he also grow up to preach the Gospel. Now came the eldest daughter, among the ten who were to profess their faith in Christ. Twelve in all—two by letter, the re mainder by profession—united with the people of God. Two of the Church, suitable and efficient young men, were also ordained as elders.” Progress in Michigan. Installa tions.—Rev. T. Dwight Hunt was in stalled pastor over the First Presbyte rian Church in Niles, Mich., on Wed nesday evening, August 9th. Sermon, by Rev. L. Willard, of Marshall; in stalling prayer, by Rev. O. P, Hoyt, of Kalamazoo; charge to the pastor, by Rev. John Sailer, of Allegan; charge to the people, by Rev. William Fuller, of Buchanan. The congregation have re cently purchased a parsonage, to which the pastor will move in a few days. Rev. John Sailer was installed pastor over the First Presbyterian Church in Allegan, Mich., on Tuesday evening, June 20th. Sermon, by Rev. J. Pier son, of Kalamazoo; installing prayer, by Rev. A. H. Gaston, of Prairieville; charge to the pastor, by Milton Bradley, of Richland; charge to the people, by Rev. O. B. Sherwood, of Cassopolis. The congregation have recently pur chased a fine parsonage, costing $2600, for their new pastor. Change of Relation and Installation. —The Presbytery of - Detroit held a special meeting in Pontiac, on he after noon of the 29th ult , to receive the Presbyterian Church of that place under their care. This church had been, ever since its organization, connected with the Old School. In the evening, Rev. W. H. McGiffert, formerly of North Adams, Mass., was installed pastor. ' Dedication. —On Sabbath, the 6th inst., a neat and commodious chapel was dedicated to the worship of God at Hart’s Corners, in the town of White Plains, Westchester County, N. Y. It was erected and furnished by Charles Butler, Esq., on his own grounds, in a neighborhood that promises great useful ness. An interesting Sabbath-school is in progress. The benevolent enterprise which such an individual effort evinces might be imitated in many places where no church furnishes the means of grace, and the good to be accomplished is in calculable.—Evangelist. Examination op Statistics.—“ E, D. M.” gives the Christian Herald the following as the result of a little inspec tion of the Minutes for 1865, just pub lished : 1. The Membership and Increase of the Church. —The aggregate results of the membership in the last year, are as follows: Total No. of Communicants, 143,645 Added on Examination, 6,685 Added on Certificate, 5,325 Baptisms, 5,488 There are a number of communicants put under the head of “unknown,” of whom, as we know nothing about them, nothing is to be said. But how are we to know the increase of the Church, when we know nothing of the deaths ? The excommunicated are very few in our Church, and the dismissals are more than balanced by those received on cer tificate. The common ratio of deaths to births in this country is 2to 3. Sup posing the baptisms represent, as they really do, very nearly the births in Christian families, then the deaths in the same families will be 4460. But, as half of all the deaths are children under ten years of age, we suppose that 2230 will represent the full number of members of the Church that died in a year. This taken from 6685, the num ber received on examination, gives 4455 as the true number of the increase of