fil AiLhICA3i iiiILSBITERIAN
AND
GENESEE EVANGELIST.
AK. lipriousand Family Newspaper,
IN THE INTEREST OF THE
Constitutional Presbyterian Church.
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY.
AT THE PRESBYTERIAN HOUSE,
1334 Chestnut Street. (2d story.) Philadelphia.
tiny. John W. Mears. Editor and Publisher.
gtztritait trotrgttriait.
THURSDAY, JULY 19, 1866
TWENTY MONTHS OF CHURCH EX-
TENSION IN PHILADELPHIA.
On the first Sabbath in October, the third
day of the month, in 1864, the North
Broad Street Church was dedicated to the
servioe of Almighty God, From that date
commenced a series of dedications, in con
nection with our branch of the Church,
whioh it will be interesting to group to
gether and view as a whole, and in some of
their more important relations.
The dedication of North Broad Street
Church was followed, October 17th, by the
organisation of WHARTON ST. CHURCH,
which, however, was already in possession
of the building, dedicated the preceding
May.
On the 15th. of December occurred the
dedication of TABOR Church, on the corner
of Eighteenth and Christian streets.
After a pause of over ten months, by no
means a period of inaction, the OLIVET
Church, corner of Twenty-second and Mt.
Vernon, was dedicated October 29, 1865.
Next came BRAINERD MISSION CHAPEL
in Greenwich street, below the Navy Yard,
dedicated January 14th of the present
year..
KENDERTON Church, on Tioga street,
was dedicated April-sth.
The SOUTHWESTREtN Church, corner of
Twentieth and Fitzarater streets, was dedi
cated May 17th.
And finally, Oxford Street, CARMEL;
CHAPEL, corner of Broad and Oxford Bra,
was dedicated May 31st.
Presented in a tabular form, these addi
tions to our Church property would show
as follows, the valuation being for.the most
part exclusive of the ground :
Acaommodatione.
900
500
Name.
N. Broad St.,
Wharton St.,
Tabor, .
Olivet,
Kenderton,
Brainerd gissioni
Southwestern,
Oarmel,
In two years, therefore, our denomina
tion has completed eight new places of
worship, some of them quite costly; all of
them tasteful and creditable; it has added
to its church accommodations over five
thousand sittings, being an increase of more
than forty per cent. on its previous accom
modations; at a cost, exclusive of the
ground, of two hundred and fourteen thou
sand dollars, of which two hundred thou
sand are paid and clear.
(1.) Note, first, the judicious location of
these buildings. They nearly, girdle the
city. Brainerd Mission is in the south
east ; Wharton Street in the south; Tabor
and the Southwestern .churches, in the
southwest ; while Olivet, Kenderton, Car
mel, and North Broad Street open their
doors to the great wave of population that
is rolling, with increasing volume, to the
north and , northwest. The extreme weir.-
ern and northeastern sections of the city
are alone wanting in this catalogue, but they
are receiving attention, and only a few
months will go by before, by leave.of Pro
vidence, the break in the latter section will
be partly filled by the•oompletion of the
chapel in Frankford. There is no field, as
most of our readers are aware, in the east
ern or business portion of the'city. ••_
These enterprises are thus seen to be
judiciously distributed with a view to the
present and prospective, wants of the peo
pie
(2.) They meet with a practical response
from the people.' Excellent congregations,
[almost without exception, 'worship within
their walls, froin Sabbath to Sabbath, who
am the Gospel without
assistance,
save
one or two most recent . instances. Not
nly do they retain our own yeople remov
* g to these neighborhoods, but new, mate s
• is brought in. Revivals and, constant
essions characterize some of them, be
ond the experience of any of, our older
1
arches.
(3.) It is an economies' use of money.
I ver five thousand persons have been pro
ided with sittings in the most diverse
rtions of a great city, at a cost of little
~o re than two hundred thousand dollars,
exclusive of the ground,) or at an average
f forty dollars each, and that during the
.crest times for building ever known.
insidering the number and the substan
al and ornamental character, of the build
,gs, and the fact that, in four instances,
:attire and other rooms are included, this
cheap indeed. But when we consider
at every church, -judiciously planted, is
itself a fountain of beneficence; that it
gathers up, from hundreds of hidden
sources, the wealth that is to flow for gen
erations into the coffers of the Church and
of all good causes; when we think that, to
found a self-sustaining, prosperous church in
a needy community, is to do, at a stroke, di
rectly or indirectly, almost everything which
the whole body, in all its various departments,
is aiming to do, then we are sure, money
could not have been better or more economi
cally invested for the cause of Christ, than
have these two hundred thousand dollars,
appropriated for churches and chapels these
past two years in Philadelphia.
(4.) Note, again, the relations of this
progress to the growth of the population.
The problem of Church Extension is as
simple as it isiserious. It is to keep pace
with the rapid increase of the population;
and to make amends for past negligence
in this respect. Now, the increase of
church accommodations gained by our de
nomination, in these eight buildings, is
about forty per cent., or twenty per cent.
per annum on the entire capacity of the
churches previously in its possession. The
rate of growth of our city cannot be accu
rately ascertained. During the decade be
fore the war, it averaged six and one-half
per cent. per annum. If it should prove
to be five per cent. during the present de
cade, doubtless the expectations of the
most sanguine would be met. That would
give us, at this time, a population of 730,-
000, or an increase of 28,000 per annum,
and of 56,000 during the period now under
consideration. It this calculation is ac
cepted, as we think it may be with safety,
then, by the blessing of God and the libe
rality of our people, especially of Messrs.
Baldwin and Whilldin, we have multiplied
our former sittings at a rate fully four times
as rapid as the growth of the population of
the city.
(5.) The zeal of our denomination inthis
department of labor will compare favorably
with that of any or all the other leading
evangelical denoininations of our city.
After diligent search, the following are the
statistics of church building in other de
nominations for the seine period, whiah_-we
have been able - to - gatlier
(a) The Baptists have completed the
Fifth Church, at the corner of Broad and
Spring Garden streets, at a cost of $70,000,
with accommodations for 1000. This is
the former Sansom Street Church, whose
commodious building in that locality has
been sold and alienated from church pur
poses; making the actual gain of sittings
to the denomination scarcely more than
400. They have also built Bethel Chapel,
in Front below Christian, at a cost of $15,-
000; seats 600 persons.
(b) The, Methodists have built the
Spring Garden Street Church, corner of
Twentieth, at a cost of $40,000(?),. ac
commodating 1000 persons; also the hand
some marble chapel, corner of Broad and
Arch, at a post of $38,000, exclusive- of
ground, accommodating 350 persons.
(c) The Lutherans have enlarged St.
Mark's Church, at a cost of $68,000; in
creasing its capacity say 200 sittings ; they
have built a German church in Fifteenth
near Poplar street, worth say $25,000, and
accommodating perhaps 700; and a chapel
at Fortieth and Arch streets, costing $6OOO,
exclusive of the ground, and accommodat
ing 300 people.
(d) The other branch of the Presbyte
rian Church have built a frame chapel in
West Philadelphia, and have acquired pos
session of Bethany Chapel, at South and
Twentieth streets. New acooemodations,
300; value of property, exclusive of the
ground, $3OOO. The smaller bodies of the
Presbyterian Church have done nothing in
this period,
(e) The Episcopalians have come nearly
to a pause in that extraordinary career of
Churob. Erection in this city, which, a few
years ago, made them the wonder of all the
other religions denominatiOns. Epiphany
and St. Luke's churches have each put up
a chapel within this period.
(f) The Congregationalists have put up
a chapel, Corner of Eighteenth and Green ,
streets, at . a oost, we believe, of $lB,OOO,
with seats for .400 persons.
Value.
$6O 000
20,000
800 , 25 000
850:- 38,000
600 15,000
450 - - 10;000
500 20,000
500 20,000
5100 $214,000
2rel piaitoan+
New Series, Vol. 111, No. 29.
Tbese statements may be summarized as
follows :
New Sckool denomination—Eight build:
ings, with 5100 sittings, at a cost of $214,-
000.
Lutherans--Two new buildings and one
enlargement, 1200 additional sittings, cost
sloo,ooo'.
Baptists—Two new buildings, of which
one is , substituted for an older structure;
1000 s . itiqgs, cost $8 5 ,000.
M e thodists—Two new buildingq, 1850
sittinwoost $BO,OOO. ra
0. 8: Presbyterians — One luilding, 300
sittings; $3000:
' - .?1 14)tri
PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, JULY 19, 1866.
Episcopalians—Two chapels, say 600
sittings, cost say $6OOO.
Congregationalists—One chapel, 400 sit
tings, cost $lB,OOO.
If these statements are correct, the other
denominations have erected ten buildings
for purposes of worship, with aggregate ac
commodations for 4850 people, at a cost of
$292,000. The work of our own, deno
mination would, therefore, appear to be
greater than that of all the others oombined,
and.done at a cheaper rate. We rejoice to
be able to say that, in the !apt two years, ten
thousand new sittings have been provided
for the accommodation of worshippers in
our city, and , that the creditable amount of
half a million . of money has been applied to
this object by the various Evangelical
denominations.
THE LUTHERAN CHURCH SCHISM:
At the late meeting of the General Synod
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the
United States, the long rising, divisive &d
-ing culminated in an organic division, the
large Pennsylvania Synod leaving the
General Synod and becoming an indepen
dent body, and probably the nucleus of a
new organisation upon a national scale.
The division, as we understand the matter,
grows out of a High and Low Church
Lutheranism, the former more ritualistic
and sacramental in its type, and tenacions
of an intense construction of the Augsburg
Confession, and the latter, more in accord
ance with what is generally termed the
evangelical view of conversion and religious
experience, as, distinguished from mere
sacramentalsrace.
The immediate occasion of the schism
was the reception, two years ago, of the
Franckean Synod into the General synod.
The Franokean Synod is a NeW York State
body, which had hitherto, through 'the .
opposition of the High Churchmen, been
kept aloof, because of its looseness on the
subject of the Lutheran standards, particu
larly the Augsburg Confession. At.' that
meeting, the Evangelicals, who are 'lately
in the majority, met the crisis, and opened
thedoor to the long-waiting applicant:
The delegates from the Pennsylvania
Synod protested, left the house, and re
turning home, laid the matter before their
constituency.
Their report resulted in the immediate
establishment of a theological seminary
in this city, under the auspices of the
Pennsylvania Synod, that at Gettysbnrg,
being under the influence of the majority.
With two rival seminaries, cach naturally
intent upon' teaching most earnestly the
doctrines in which it most differs from the
other, the dissension would have but one
result—it must widen. And so, after two
years of, growing alienation, there has oc
curred •another of those disasters to ;the
general cause of Christianity, the organic
division of an important branch of the
dhristian Church.
The 'Pennsylvania Synod and the'East
Pennsylvania Synod occupy, to a consider
able extent, the same territory. The latter
is in sympathy with the General Synod.
The former is represented in this city by
Drs. Krauth, Seiss and others, while
among the clergy of the latter are Drs.
flutter and Stork. In the country, we
believe, the largest portion of the German
speaking churches are with the old Synod,
while the more Americanized portion aide
with the General Synod The views of the
latter are defended in the Lutheran Obser
ver, published in Baltimore. The Lutheran,
of this ciby, is the organ of the PenneyDia,
nia Synod. Both papers are conducted
with high ability, and, outside ot th,eir de
nominational controversy, exert a wholesome
Christian influence.
SUPPORT OF IDOLATRY BY A CBES
TIAN GOVERNMENT.
Those who have settled down in the
comfortable supposition that British sup
port has been withdrawn from idolatry in
India, are referred to Mr. Wilder's obser
vations on our correspondence page. It is
there shown that immenSe sums are sys
tematically expende% by the Government
in the repair of idol temples and the sup
port of the priests; that while in other
important respects'• the wishes and the
policy of the natives are arbitrarily over
ruled, in this they afe'slavishly respected;
that while temporal decay is not averted
from their ancient seats of authority, their
false and tottering religion is assiduously
propped and reinforced by financial aid;
that British seal for idolatry even outruns
that of the natives;' and that On wholo
effect of this , policy, without, adding...real
strength to British authority there,As to
seriously oripple.4the.efferts, of Christian
missionariaa for the.,overtarow id.olatry
Mr. Wilder says that, '"in. the single col
;s 1, to
leotorate of Poona, some twenty temples
were built and repaired by Government in
a year, to one school-house ;" and expresses
his opinion that the intelligent class of
Hindus " would heartily rejoice, to-day, to
see every idol grant in India transformed
into a grant in aid for the cause of educa-
Christian people in England, of every
shade of belief, would, we think, be pre
pared to join with these enlightened Hin
dus in agitating for such a chan4e, in the
use of this now sadly-misappropriated
money from the exchequer, of a Christian
nation.
evk !LONDON , LETTER.
MT DEAR SIR :-I fear you will think
that I deserve a scolding; but Ido not. I
have been' from home ; and writing "Ameri
can letters" is not convenient under 'such
circumstances. I have been at the General
Assembly of the Free Church at Edinburgh,
and I have been at the Assembly of the Irish
Presbyterian Church at Belfast. Sines I
have returned; t the exigencies of my own
proper work have demanded all my . time. I
thought your readers would like to have a
few of my impressions as to these two As
semblies, and so I waited till I could find the
opportunity of a quiet forenoqn, which a
pouring rain at last gives me now.
THE FREE OHUROH ASSEMBLY
It is ten years since I have seen the Free
Church General Assembly. It then met in
the Music -Hall in George street. But I saw
it at the disruption in the immortal old Hall
at Tanfield ; and I saw it at Inverness, in the
far North, and in Glasgoiv. But -ten years
have made a great Change. In regard to the
place of meeting; the change is wholly for the
better. Nothing need be—could be—finer
than the new Assembly Hall. It is a perfect
model of such a building. It is what may be
called—by permission`of the mathematicians
—a square oblong. The floor of the house
is elegantly seated for about, four hundred
members. That part of the house is in the
centre of the building, and you descend to
it on all sides. In the middle is the clerk's
table and the chair of the Moderator;, behind
him is the Moderator's gallery, which is filled
„ith possessors of season tickets; to his
right a gallery for ministers and elders not
members; on his front are a series of galle
ries for probationers and students, and for
the public ; and to his left is a large gallery
for the public also ; but each of these gal
leries is different in the price of the ticket
which gives access to it. The admission is
wholly by paid tickets ; and I believe as large
a sum. is raised by this means as pays the
whole of the Assembly's expenses. Mr. Wil
son, of Dundee, as I told• you before, was
Moderator ; and in look, tone, and manner,
admirably discharged all its duties. The
Hall holds between two thousand and two
thousand five hundred when quite full, and
it was choke full on all occasions
terest.
The chief topics of general concern were,
Ist, The sustenation fund; 2d, the question
of union ; 3d, the novel question in the Free
Church of a Hymn Book; and 4th Foreign
Missions. A fifth an l a sixth might be
found in (1) the case of a Mr. Robinson, a
compositor, in Glasgow, who had been refused
baptism for his children on the ground of his
working regularly at his trade—the setting
up of a Glasgow paper—on the Sabbath. The
case was appealed from the Presbytery to the
Synod, and the Assembly, where it wasfinally
settled in favor of the decision of the Session.
And (2) the appearance of Mr. Spurgeon, of
London, who, after having preached for Dr.
Candlish on the previous Sabbath, addressed
the Assembly on the following week by re
quest.
The house of meeting looked positively
grand on some of these occasions. The noble
dimensions and elegant architectural arrange
ment of the building when at evening it
was brilliantly illuminated by sunlights in the
root_ the vast crowds of people, the very
elite of Scottish society—the historical names
of the men flitting to and fro about you—the
'grave, reverend heads of many able divines ;.
and above all, the historic links ever binding
'you to a busypast, made the scene as exci
ting as can well be imagined:---especially to a
red-hot Presbyterian like " our own corres
pondent."
On the sustenation fund the speech was by
Dr. Dnff. He took the real high grental—
" Do your duty and' the people will do theirs;
visit, watch, look after your own schools,'
tend the young, study, preach, exhort ; do it
all in season and out of season, and thebless
ing will surely come ; God will open heart's,
and the open heart will be as surely followed
by the open house, the open hand, and the
open purse." Such was -the substance of a
noble address, and it was listened to by a
crowded house with subdued attention. I
may add that "the equal dividend" this
year exceeds that.of last by a small sum, and
that this year no minister of the Free Church
will receive a less stipend than from .f. 140 to
£l5O. In almost every: ease this is exclusive
of a comfortable' manse. addition, each ,
minister receives whatever sum the., congre
gation can afford to give..
The question of union seemed toome to
a d va nce. There Was a singularly, able, blear,
aad)=. statesmanlike 'address, delivered by
t c zoi r „
:** -
Genesee Evangelist, No. 1052.
LONDON, June, 1866.
Dr. Robert Buchanan, of Glasgow, on that
topic, which could not fail of producing good
results. A motion was made to stay further
proceedings, but it was lost by an overwhelm
ing majority. If union between the Free
Church, the United Presbyterian, the Re
formed Presbyterian, and English Presbyte
rian Churches do not take place, it will not
be the fault of the vastly preponderating ma
jority of the Free Church: An episode in
this debate proved the most marked feature
of the whole Assembly. There is a small, a
very small party growing up in the Free
Church, of an "enlarged, liberal and free
thought" style. They are a sort of Free
Church Broad Church men. Most of them
are young, and think themselves very learned
and clever. This very small section are op
posed to union, on the professed ground that
they would thereby destroy their historical
unity. They say, "We are the Church of
Scotland—we never yielded and never mean
to. yield up that claim. If we join these
other churches, oar historical unity is gone;
we can no longer hope for the reconstruction ,
of the Historical Scottish Church—Scottish
Presbyterianism would forever, by that act,
be deprived of the very possibility of a
reonstruction. Do you not see ;" say they,
" the -Establishment is in straits ; they
want us to join them again:; they ale im
proving in tone and policy—so wait a bit
—be still ; don't join with these dissenters
—by-and-by we will get back to the Estab
lished Church on good, conscientious grounds,
then we can take in these men, if not with us,
at least after us; and then Scottish Presby
tery will again be one—the joy and the glory
of the whole earth."
kii:WMantii4:o*Aoviattivzi:sides.T.o:4D . JAVA:4:l
These sentiments have been uttered and
argued by a small and by no means influen
tial band of - men in both Presbyteries and
Synods ; and in the Assembly they fonnd
utterance, by Dr. Blaikie, among others. In
the evening, toward the close 'of the debate,
and just before the vote was taken, a young
ish man, Mr. Frazer by name, one of the Ed-'
ingburgh ministers, stood , up, and in.explain
ing what Dr. Blaikie had said, look 'Occasion
to utter such sentiments as those indicated:;
and in .concluding his speech—a very - unwise
one—he said " that he, and some of those who
thought with him, were beginning to be, of
opinion that the old blue banner was being
held with rather a feeble grasp by some of the
fathers, to whom they had heen accustomed
to look up." This brought Dr. Candlish to-
his feet in a moment ; and in a speech of
a little more than half an hour "the old man
eloquent" utterly demolished not only Mr.
Frazer's argument, but Mr. Fraser himself.
Dr. Candlish , is getting old, lam sorry to
say. For years no subject has called forth all
his powers of debate. He shines, without a
rival, in a reply to an argument. Here was
the occasion—and the man. Out he came in
all his strength, fervor, force. I have been
at many of the exciting debates before the
disruption, and I have heard some of the
ablest and most telling speeches Candlish
ever made,; 'butil never heard him excel the
effort of that evening in extinguishing Mr.
Frazer. Everybody seemed to think that it
was strength and power wasted ; that it was
breaking a fly on a wheel; that it was more'
than the occasion called for, and that Mr.
Fraser was not a " foeman worthy of his
steel;" bat all were thankful of the opportu
nity of seeing, and of hearing, once more,
those rare powers, that wonderful torrent of
eloquent speech that pours forth as the jet
projected from a fire engine, without a break
and without a stop. It was positively elec
trie. He swayed the vast audience to and
fro as if they had been swept by a mighty
wind ; and at' last the outburst of entlitisi-,
astic cheers became positively overpowering.'
For fully five minutes after he had done,. the
cheers broke out again and again, as if irre—
pressible. Poor Mr. Frazer! He will not
meddle with "the blue flag" for many a day
to come, if I mistake not.
Another of the great features of the As
sembly was the speech of Mr. Spurgeen: He
was lirought on after the Report on Home
Missions, and spoke to that subject. I mud
say, was greatly disappointed with his
speech. It was not worthy of the man nor
of the occasion and 'audience. It was that
style of things we are a,coustomed to heal- 'at
• "tea meetings." 'lt was ic tissue of Stories,
jokes, anecdotes, strung together with'hardly
a visible line`or even link of connection. Bac
it took, and that admirably, With the popnlar
part or the audienee. • observed, hoWever,
that the older men; who began at first to
ilaugh with him, - -were more thin once rather
inclino to'laugh at him: Mind, though •11 .
say-these things, I am not to be understood
US depreciating Mr. 'Spurgeon; far from it;
I hold him in the very, highest respect , and
esteem ; and I believe he preaches fully aid
faithfully and fearlessly the grand old Evan
gel, with much power and stomas. Let , me
add that Dr. Candlish, in introducing him to
the house, spoke of the sermon which be had
preached to his people on the Sabbath day in
the most glowing terms, calling it, a very
model sermon to/both saint and sinner, and
wishing he himself could preach with such a
power. Mr. Spurgeon, lam told by . those
who saw it, put down his head and wiped
tears,from.hiaeyes. Be sure, thin huh, fact
speaks volumes in, his favor. .
The Hymn questi3n. caused great excite
ment, too, in then AssemblY. You know,
.1
suppose,,thatithe , Scotch ,peopla stick to. the
Pealmkwiththe.grip of .deatiLL ThieFiefs
TERMS.
aII,IIIIA, In anvil/mei
g 3. Ry Carrier, *$ *t•
Aim cents additional, after three months.
(lobs.—Te n or more papers, sent to one address.
p yable strictly in advance and in one remittance
B ail,s.? 50 per annum. By Cartier& $.l net , Annnist.
11 inisicrs and Ministers' Widows.= /Zia
63 'ranee.
Home Missionaries, $2OO in advance.
Fifty cents additional after three months.
Remittances by mail are at our risk.
Postage.—Five cents quarterly, in advance, paid
by subscribers at the office of delivery.
Advertisements.-12% Gents per line tor the
first, andlo cents for the second insertion.
One square (one month) • alt
two 5 9/
MP
three • 7
six i 2 N
oear--
I'd following ne
discou y nt on long edvWt4;;;ltsts.in
sorted for _ th- .
- red:-
area months an d UPW/Ird-411 ailOWet ,
Over lines , 10 per aeon off; 0vor• lines, 20 Po*
oent.: over 100 lines. 33% per cent.
daily characteristic of the Highlands, and of
the older and more staid people. The hymn
book is popular rather with a few of the
ministers than with the people. At ali
vents, the question was discussed with keen
interest. The subject came up in the forts
of an overture from the Presbytery of Edin
burgh, moved by Dr. Candlish there and in
the Assembly, to the effect that our existing
Psalmody should be supplemented by the
addition of twenty-five well known and gene
rally approved hymns. After long debating.
the motion that carried was, to remit the
matter to a committee to bring a report up
to the next Assembly. So that next year the
whole subject will be discussed anew.
The only other subject of surpassing inter
est before the Assembly was that of Foreign
Missions, and that was remarkable chiefly far
the speech of Dr. Duff. The reverend doo
tor is very feeble. He now looks old. Him
beard, which he wears in full, is white as the
drifted snow. He spoke nearly four hours,
to an audience who listened with unflagging
interest. In the middle of his address he
got quite exhausted and had to retire; the
Assembly singing Psalms till he returned.
It was the old, world-famous orator ; bat
there was all the difference between the
speech of that evening and the speeches by
the same man to which I have listened, that
there is between the sun at noon and the
same sun just before he dips into the ooean.
There was the same purity, the same light,
the same heat, but all tempered and toned
down; yet the same bright glory. Like hie
Master, he was full of grace and truth.
THE MUSH ASSEMBLY.
I have left myself little room for the Irish
Assembly. It met this year at Belfast, in
the church of my dear old friend, Mr. Mao
naughton, once of Paisley, in Scotland. I
had never seen that Assembly before, and to
me the difference between, that and the one I
had just left was marked and striking. The
Irish Assembly is less orderly. There are
more speeches, benzins° more speakers. It
is no uncommon thing in the Irish Assembly
to hear two or three or fourspeaking at once.
The place was inconveniently crowded. The
Irish Assembly is not representative. Each
minister and an elder for each congregation
has a right to a seat and a speech and a vote.
Yet, on the whole, the proceedings were
dignified, and a vast amount of real, honest,
hearty work was got through. Dr. Wilson,
of Liinerick, was chosen to the chair, for the
second time in suooession. I have seen firmer
hands at the bridle rein than the Doctor's,
yet he,gave general satisfaction to his breth
ren. Their great subject of debate was the
Education question, a +magnum mare into
which I could not enter without a larger space
than either you or. your readers would care to
give me.
THE OONTINANT.
So war is raging in the continent of Europe
out* more. Each post and each hour brings
in fresh news of fresh complications. It is
begun; God knows, and be alone, where and
when and how it will end. The prayer is
earnest and universal among us that we may
be kept out of it. Add to this that our min
istry is in difficulties; that the Government
cannot be carried on by the present Cabient;
that we do not clearly see whether their sue
cessors will be in a plight much more prefer
able to those who have gone out; and if you
include our commercial and monetary panic
with the prospect of but an indifferent har
vest, you will see that we are living in critical
times. Bat the earth is the Lord's, and the
fulness thereof, the world and they that dwell
therein. I am, air, yours truly,
THE DEFEAT OF THE AUSTRIANS.
Since the time of the first Napoleon, no
great European army has suffered se sudden
and overwhelming a defeat, as the Ananias&
in the late movements in Northern Bohemia.
Solferino and 'Magenta were drawn battles in
comparison *with Givechin and Ludowa.
Prussia by the marvellous rapidity of her
movements; by the wisdom of her strategy,
and by the vastness and superior quality of
her armaments, has not only, in two weeks,
put herself at the head of Germany, but ham
shown herself capable of holding her own
against any power in Europe. We think she
will feel 'strong enough 'to dictate her own
terms of settlement without' submitting to
Prance as an umpire; and we think France
will see the.wiadmi of conceding, to a power
which has shown itself so , formidable, this
very ;natural right of the conqueror. We
are very sure that' neither Italy nor Prwals
will submit ito see Venetia become a Frew&
province, or one in the settlement of cr: id
Prsnoe can claim any rights above their own.
A pretty spectacle it- word be indeed for
France, -who has stood idle, to gather the
fruits of 'such bloody and expensive conflieta,
while the victors sheathed their swords and
went home as they came.
~Doubtless, the Al:atilt will be that Italy will
secure Venice, and Pruatia, with enlarged
territorial limits, will be at the head of a re
constructed Germany. Proteetaniam will be
the gainer both in the north and south of
Burope.
FRMEDMICZesaIREAIIr BILL. -- CollgreeBlllllll
again deserved well of the country. .The
continuing the,Freedmen".s •Bureau, returned
with the veto , by, President. Johnson oa Mon—
dap, was on_goeday enacted. into- a law trir.
mQFP thaw trio-thirds' vote of both Ikauseec.
iLA
PRILADELPHOS
'vvi!