gmttitalt Itfo4ttrian. THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 1866 CONTENTS OF INSIDE PAGES• SECOND PAGE-FAMILY CIRCLE : The Child of the Light-house—lt was the Little Shoes that did it—Tho Praying Boy—flow Jesus Comes—A Boy Struck Blind for Blasphemy—Geth semane—Why Bob's Mother said "Don't"—Forever —The Blarney Stone—The Measurelesa Love. THIRD PAGE-MISCELLANEOUS : Juvenile Workers in Metal—Preach Christ Cruci fied—How Knox and Luther Prayed—Dr. Nicholas Murray's Last Interview with Dr. Miller. SIXTH PAGE-CORRESPONDENCE: Correspondence in China—The Mission among the Peones of Australasia—Correspondence in Southern Blinois—Acknowledgment—Letter from Cape May —Two Questions—The Joy of a Christian Life. SEVENTH RAGE-RURAL ECONOMY Artificial Bass Breeding— Destroy the Weeds and Bushes—Soiling Stock --Protecting Trees against Worms—Soil as Manure. • SCIENTIFIC: Something about Sun-strokes—The Phenomena of Crystallization — The Bathometer— Silk-spinning Spiders. SortooL ADvzamiszAttENTs are inserted at 25 per cent. discount from our regu lar rates. RIGHT TRUTHS IN THE RIGHT PLACE. --We see it stated that, on a recent Sabbath, Rev. Herrick Johnson preached in one of the churches in Saratoga, against " conformity to the world," com ing out with his characteristic pungency against the besetting sins of fashionable life, wine-bibbiug, tbeatre-going, and pro miscuous dancing included. The pulpits at our summer resorts afford fine oppor tunities for the highest type of minis terial faithfulness. Happy are those ministers who can leave them with a satisfied conscience. Poon HOPE FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY.- At least there will be, if the Boston Watchman and Reflector can succeed in thoroughly permeating its denomination with the spirit of assumption, exclu sivism, intolerance and insufferable high churchism, which is breathed in the sub joined extract from its columns : "Baptist Churches are needed as a living protest against corruptions in Christendom against broad departures from the letter and spirit of the New Testament. Christ insti tuted a Church for believers only; the door has been widened to admit those who give no evidence of taith.' He instituted the ordinance of immersion to symbolize a burial .of the old life, and a resurrection to the new life. The ordinance has been changed, and by the change loses both its significance and beauty. Against such changes, made by the authority of Romanism, and adhered to by those Christian sects which came out from Borne at the Reformation, Baptists are bound solemnly to protest. They deny all right to modify the laws of Christ. His decision is final, and His precepts must be kept at all hazards. He claims an unreserved allegiance, to the least no less than to the greatest of His commandments. If they are sincere in their belief that elitist's authority is supreme and His laws should be maintained, they cannot keep silence, but must in any wise rebuke their brethren, and not suffer sin upon them." ANOTHER CHURCH RUPTURE IN PROS pECT.—We noticed, at the time, the action of the last General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, virtually repealing the action of the two preceding Assemblies condemnatory of slavery and rebellion. The repeal was procured by the rushing in of the South western element wbich the war lines of the former years had kept away from any participation in the supreme judica tory. Unfortunately for the peace of that Church, the heaviest amount of its membership is in the part of the country where this element is in the ascendant. A late number of the Cumberlaid .Pres byterian, which may be regarded as the organ of the loyal side, speaks of it as a settled point, that " a considerable por tion of the Church will not receive the deliverance of the last Assembly as a basis of union." It adds:— " Some of our best and most, prudent men think division inevitable. Beyond all dis pute, the question now upon us is of a most solemn kind. Some propose a convention. Others think it better to await the action of the Presbyteries and Synods at the approach ing meetings. Wise counsel is needed. We are aware of the responsibility incurred by publicly assuming this position. But we act with due deliberation, and in view of incon trovertible facts. The question must be met,:• and nothing, it seems to us, can now be gained by attempts to putit aside. We lave labored honestly and earnestly to preserve the unity of the body on what seems to us he basis of righteousness and truth, but a rge portion of the Church is unwilling to and with us, and there seems nothing left t for us to go with them or to stand alone our adherence to the right. We speak in imon for those who approve the deliver -3 of 1864-5, condemning slavery and re on." 'e have often congratulated our own oh, that its early and decisive ac n the great subject of these latter effectually removed al the elements lure discord ; and now, on the of every new leaf in the called - sister Churches, we feel more to oar Covenant Leader, under -nidance we took a position ould not be reached by the nin" hand of slavery. I bill 'On leaf), for Vl\ taming euce of gra teful whose w hich .4 role or AN 11MA disposed to mix np the Holy t hi s city, is the affairs of the Martin _ virg i n with v• It says, with how mach Luther fasaill truth we have not taken of truth or nn inquire :—" A few weeks the ri bs to *, scendant of Martin Lu ago the last de vrialhit, a small German di e d at Mb iwn as a favorite resort they village, well knt 'le shrine of the Virgin. ‘• fox . pilgrims t ° i las t was named Oaths- This last desceut . she was a Catholic/ nine Luther, °II / le first of her family, nor f a ther was abjure his apostacy. since loather, to3l low all dead, and it Luther's feta il Y 1 i if a Catholic." The died in the p ers°ll , ths , What may not standard the n act • It influence of our , to th e be** be Duri ng... Lady 1 Biased ./-at"Y' —The Catholic Standard, o UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. The annual commencement of this institution was held on the 3d of July, in Musical Fund Hall. The faculty, the trustees, the M. A. class, the graduating and undergrade classes formed the usual procession at the University building at 10 A. M., and proceeded down Ninth street to the Hall. The faculty and gra bating class, in accordance with the new etiquette, appeared in fall academical costume— Oxford hats (or " mortar boards") as well as black silk gowns. A large audience (mostly of those fair ladies for whom Philadelphia is un rivalled) awaited their arrival at the Hall, where Hassler's Brass Band "dis coursed sweet strains" before and be tween the various parts of the perform ances.. The exercises opened with prayer by the Provost, the venerable Dr. Goodwin, a son of New England, and so well known in the Episcopal Conventions of Pennsylvania and elsewhere 'as the spokesman of clear, definite, loyalty and adherence to free principles. The Greek Salutatory by the graduat ing " First Honor" is exempt from criti cism. No one complained of the matter of the peformance. Speeches on " Manliness" by C. H. Raymond, " The Conversion of the Ro man Empire," by H. C. Brown.; "The Six Nations," by J. W. Hoffman, and " Bread and Butter Sciences," by Harry J. Meigs, followed in, order. The last was a decided success, and its author (a son of Dr. Meigs) repeatedly brought down the house by the drollery of his speech and manner. " The Master's Oration," by James William Ashton, of the class of '63, was an able and satisfactory discussion of " Professional Cosmopolitanism" in a style worthy of its author, one of the most successful young preachers in the Baptist denomination. This oration was only established two years ago, and has nearly doubled the interest of the com mencement exercises. The conferring of degrees and prizes was next in order. The degree of B. A. on 17 members of the graduating class ; that of M. A. on 20 members of the class of '62. The degree of Bachelor of Laws was conferred on 14 members of the law de partment. The degree of M. D. on Chas. Wins low. The deg Tee of. D.D. on Rev. J. I Mombert. The degree of LL.D. on Henry Cop pee, A.M., author of "Elements of Rhe toric," " Elements of Logic," &c., &c., Col. U. S. A., ex-Professor of West Point Military Academy, editor of U. S. Service Magazine, and now withdrawing from the Professorship of History and Belle Lettres in the University to take the Presidency of Lehigh University._ The announcement of this degree was received with loud and protracted ap plause. Certificates of the Auxiliary Faculty of Medicine were formally given to Dr. F. G. Canmont, of France ; Dr. Roland G. Curtin, of Pennsylvania; Dr. Carlos W. Knight, U. S. N., and four others. The prizes in the various classes and departments were now announced. Mr. L. K. Pauly took all those given in the graduating class, including that given by the alumni in memory of the rate Prof. Henry Reed. After the band had played the " Col lege Airs," the Valedictory Oration was delivered by the graduating Second Honor, Mr. George T. Graham. A Valedictory Oration is not the easiest of tasks, but Mr. Graham did himself credit and the subject justice. We are glad to learn that his services had been secured as Instructor in Greek and Latin for Lehigh University. The exercises closed with benediction and a musical finale. SABBATH Exounstorm.—The standing plea for this niost extensive form of Sabbath desecration, especially through the summer months, is that it meets the wants of the working classes for recrea tion. If there is any honesty in this argument, how happens the fact to escape notice, that this so-called recrea tion is purchased at the expense of the severer toil of thousands of laborers, who are thus defrauded of the only day of rest which the good Lord has. provided for them? The real truth in the•case is, that these Sabbath excursions are a contrivance of railroad directors and owners of steamers out of regular service, and that a large portion of the excursionists consists of men and women whose systems stand much more in need of work than of rest, and whom the Monday morning finds in a worse physi cal condition than that in which the previous Saturday evening left them. To drain their pockets and destroy their morals, a great army of the real work ing men are denied all opportunity for rest. Commanders, clerks, pilots, en gineers, firemen, stewards and hands generally of steamers; ticket agents, baggage men, attendants at depots, con ductors, engineers, firemen, brakesmen, switch-tenders, watchmen, and we know not what other classes of employees, must be allowed no respite—none of the - true recreation for which the over-tax of their powers of service calls. We notice with satisfaction in the last received number of the London Weekly Review, that the "Working Men Lord's Day Rest Association" of that city took this matter in hand, and secured, on an extensive scale, the de livery, daring the months of July and THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN. THURSDAY,. AUGUST 16, 1866. August, of sermons from the pulpits of churches and chapels, exposing the evil and injustice of Sabbath excursions. The Review says:— "The number of men who are compelled to work on our railways on Sundaes is vari ously estimated at 100,000 to 130,061 Many of them work from fourteen to eighten hours a day on Sundays and week-days at wages varying from 16s. to £1 Is. per wEek, and it seems most unjust that these men ehould be deprived of their weekly rest, that the sanc tity of the Sabbath (which Litt its ply safe guard) should be set at nought, aim that the people should be tempted to . brepk down the barriers which prevent. Sunda; coming a day of universal labor, increase the dividends of rail , holders." Yes, it is the greed of gain sooner the real reason for Ss eursions is understood, the t healthier our sympathy for th , people will become. INDIAN MISSIONS IN THE No —The Wisconsin Puritan has lowing letter from Rev. S. S. ' • well-known veteran associate Williamson, in the Dacotah M is dated at Lake Traverse, Territory, June 28, 1866. It ally interesting as showing pushing of the improvements o life with those regions, reached Christian enterprise has Thule; it reaches point after point to learn of mach land beyond a maining to he possessed. The let as follows : In the last days of May, I left hoi went up to St. Peter, on the Minnesiy er. There, at the residence of Dr. Williamson, now for more than thirty a missionary of the American Board the Indians of the Northwest, we m preparations for prairie travelling, preach the Gospel. I had a horse and a tent to make, and some camp ft to procure, such as a kettle, tin cups plates, a couple of spoons and kniv (4, forks. Besides bread and meat, we some luxuries also, such as sugar, co and dried fruit. All things being re started Monday morning, the 18th for the great West, in very simple s Williamson took his seat in a 1 wagon, that carries our tent and ' provision and other baggage, and my horse, wifich in his turn is to b from saddle to harness. The * thir St. Peter, as we reached the borde ments, we were joined by Rev. ,T, vile, our native preacher. So, w members of the Dakota Presbytery, Kettle Lakes on the Mountain, where to be held a meeting of Presbytery, t native preachers, and to reconstruct t ches among the Dakotas. A week's travel takes us beyond t tern boundary line of Minnesota,; to i principal village of Dakota Indians a breeds, on the Western shore of La verse. By the way, however, we fou or four families in the neighborhooc old mission ,stations at the Yellow 3! There we spent a night, and prey about a dozen persons. These were half-breeds, The white settlements are pushing country very fast. They have adva Spring thirty miles beyond those of 1: The portions of country laid waste foi ago by the outbreak are again , fdlint they are pushing on, to the regions We passed the last settlement in th" tion at the Chippewa river, near our sion station at .Lacquiparle. Throughout the whole length of der, there is a great demand for Ho sionaries. Men who, for a year o least, unincumbered by family w travel from plain to plain, seem t most needed. The people are askin living preacher, and are willing to to his support. Our- land journey of two hundred I this eastern border of Dakota Terri ! made without much of the marvello sun and the wind burnt and blister: by day, and the mosquitoes worri: 1 night. But these are common in prairie traveling. Several times whe and no prospect of water, except swamp, I could not but long for so cool water in the wells of Beloit. I At this village on the lake, there thirty tupees and summer-houses o wi Illation of about two hundredtind= portion of them, at this writing, (Ju have just come in from a buffalo hmi have been gone ten days, and return: with skins and meat. One man enteen buffaloes. He has just may of buffalo tongues, to which we wer The hunters and heir wives looker and greasy enoguh. About thirty of our church me. here. We have preaching in the every evening, when the sun is 1 children, as well as the grown peo out and sit in a circle to listen to the life. Some of them never heard to salvation before. INTERCESSION FOR EX-GOVERN PROM AN UNEXPECTED QUARTE Jamaica Committee proposed upon a criminal prosecution of ernor Eyre, for the outrages rec petrated under his administrai met with a protest from lips. the widow of one of its chid' a. lamented victims. Oar feeli touched by her forgiving tern gentleness of spirit, but at t time it will be felt by reflectin: that she comes slowly to the br , of what is due to the public safe , of her letters have been pablis the first she says:— , " I shrink from the step sugge martyred husband, shaping his con lie and in private life by his Christi: sign; died forgiving his enemies. 1 desire is to follow his example, a that in doing this I am only anti moray with the sentiments he expre: last letter to me, and with the pr the Divine Master whose faithful was. While yielding up my he: trade for the grace which has been v to me, and which alone has sustain; der this grievous affliction, I leave and those who have aided him i proceedings in the hands of Him wb righteously." In the second letter, while tiering to the same state of te far as she is personally conce goes on to say that, if the Qom Bard the prosecution as imperat mandrd by the public justice an especially with reference to th security of the black race, she see how she can in any way in DEATH OF MISS PARSONS. A GRREAT SORROW AND A GREAT JOY. Many of our readers well know Geo. W. Parsons, Esq., the able, faithful and popular Superintendent of the Sunday school of the Central Church of Roches ter. He has sustained this relation, we believe, for more than twenty years; was last year the first Vice-President of the Sunday-school Teachers' Association of this State, and is well known, far and near, as a most judicious and valuable elder in the Church, as well as an influ ential Sunday-school man. Many, therefore, will be prepared to sympathize very deeply with him and with his dear family, When we tell them that the shadow of a great affliction is now resting on his house. On Wednes day of this week he was called to bury his only daughter, a most estimable young lady almost twenty-two years of age. Two weeks before she was in per fect health, giving all the promise that any one could ask or wish, of long life and great usefulness. Already she had given delightful evidence of her devotion to Christ and her desire to do good. For five years she had taught a German class in a Mission Sunday-school in quite a remote part of the city, bat she was always in her place, scarcely missing a abbath in all that time. For two or ree years, also, she had a class in the !Aral Church School, a model of punc t lity and devotion in both places. ow can such be spared while there is, o much to be done?, No one but the aster knows. It must be that he has ot,her work and other joys for those whove him so well. and so' how shall one so young and so' full of bright anticipations for this life, 1 , meet tl\e king of - terrors ? How re sign all `the fond hopes which a bright, joyous youth and pleasant surroundings have inspired ? How leave father, and mother, and brothers, and go away alone to the darkness of the tomb ? Grace can enable her to do that " with joy un speakable and full of glory." For ten days she is prostrated a with violent disease, (dysentery,) and yet no 'one supposed that she could die. And it was only when the end had almost come, that that fearful fact began to be ' ealized by her living friends and attend tits. And now a true faithfulness re uires that she shall be told what the p ospect is. How can she bear it ? She w s surprised but not alarmed—not e n agitated. She had lipped to live to o much good, and be a great comfort to er father and mother, whom she lov d almost to adoration; but she is perfkctly resigned to the Divine will. She has no wish but to be in the hands of he Saviour; and while others are distressed and heart-broken, she alone is calm and peaceful. While they would have been expected to comfort her, she utters words of unspeakable comfort for them. It was all right. She would not have it otherwise. Her sufferings were, at times, excru ciating. Her face expressed its agony, but she would not utter a groan lest she might disturb her mother who lay sick in an adjoinining room. She once ex pressed a transient wish that she might be carried into the attic; there she could scream, and it would be a relief ; but still she bore all in silence. One said to her, " Yon seem to be suffering much—it must be hard to bear it." " Yes," she said, " I could'nt bear it if the Saviour did not help me." And again, to her father, she said, "0, how much there is in religion. What could Ido without it now I How precious the Saviour is !" Those who watched with her on the last night of her life, witnessed a scene of matchless interest, which it is almost a sacrilege to attempt to describe. Like Paul, she seemed to be " caught up to the third heaven," and " heard unspeak able words." Arousing from what had seemed a quiet rest, she exclaimed, "My harp and my crown! my harp and my crown! 0, if you could see what I have seen you would not try to keep me here. lam impatient to be gone. Do not pray for my recovery. Cut the cord, dear father, and let me go." All this was said with perfect con sciousness of her situation. She seemed in full possession of her faculties. In deed, no one in the room appeared so little excited as she. And even when her mind wandered, it went heavenward. Her delirium was full of Christ and glory. She seemed at one time to be in a great, almost innumerable congregation. She appeared to be troubled. She said, "We are too many here. This will never do, twenty thousand, all huddled in this corner. Yon must clear some of them out." And after a little, " There," she said, "that will do. Now there are ten thousand. And now, father, you must make them all sit down, and we will have a good prayer-meeting. I want them all to pray; you must call on every one," Her father sat holding her hand, and trying to control his unutterable anguish. Indulging her humor, he said, " How shall we begin, daughter? Shall we not have singing first ?" "0, yes," she said ; " strange that I did not think of that. Certainly ; let us begin with singing." " What shall we sing, my daughter ?" " Come, thou Fount of every blessing," was the reply. Very sweet singers from the choir of the Central Church stood around when those words fell from those dying lips They needed no further hint. Quick as the hymn was named, the song began. Sweeter music is seldom heard this side - of heaven. That finished, "A crown rom be :imply to share- 'land the bath ex- rer and working SWEST. the fol ggs the Father .1011. Dacoq h s asps 1- ilize I wits. 'lima only El re m is half- Tra th ee f our mine. ed tp 1 ke k e is •ar, • and ond. ireo mis- bor lMis- o at , can ie the r the ibute ies to , was The • up s by its of irsty, some f the s are n air The come ds of er of My pub i fes rnest feel bar his of t he ti afed e nn- Eyre cruel she ere ; de fety, , tare not of glory bright" was rendered in the same exquisite strains ; and while the patient sufferer was soothed with these sweet 'sounds, she fell off again into' a quiet sleep. The end was now near. A few more paroxysms of pain, a few more words of love and counsel to dear friends, with the gradual sinking of tired nature to rest, and the pure, bright spirit of Helen A. Parsons, washed, sanctified, saved by grace alone, spread its wings for the realms of glory. Her funeral was very numerously at tended, showing the high appreciation in which she was Held, and the deep and general sympathy felt for the afflict ed family. The remarks of Dr. Campbell, her be loved pastor, were very tender and ap propriate. The house was literally a Bochim, a place of tears. The coffin was adorned with two beautiful wreaths of flowers, one in the shape of a harp, and the other a crown, in allusion to her triumphant exclamation before quoted, "My harp and my crown." A beauti ful wreath was also contributed by her German class, who came in a body and tearfully laid it upon her coffin, as their last token of affection for their dear de parted teacher. Among her dying messages, she had said, " Tell my German class that they do not know how much I love them." But they did know, in part at least, by their tender love for her. So has passed to glory one of the best of daughters, one of the truest of young Christians. Her friends do not know when she was not a follower of the Lamb. She joined the church at twelve years of age, and walked in the Lord, as we have seen, without falter ing, without wavering, until in all this triumph she entered the pearly gates above. GENESEE. ROCHESTER, Aug. 11, 1866. LETTER FROM lOWA. Mn. Brawn—Dear Sir:—l have the pain to inform the readers of your widely-circulating paper that, by concert of two ministers and two elders of our Presbytery of lowa City with the " di vine right" Congregationalists of lowa, our Constitutional Presbyterian Church has been disrupted, and the greater por tion of the members, along with some others here, has been recognized by a Congregational Council, on the 31st ult., as the Congregational Church of lowa City. One of these Presbyterian minis ters and one of these elders were-Com missioners to the late General Assembly in St. Louis. And the plea has been, that the Assembly would do nothing toward building a new church for the occupant of the pulpit, and that the Congregationalists would do most lib eral, magnificent things—loan or give without return ! But one elder and a respectable mem bership of the church here refused to go off; and the church edifice and property cannot be taken by those who go off, although the majority, in preparatory meetings, voted that the Trustees of the Presbyterian Church should transfer the church, with its furniture, etc., to the Congregational Trustees to be elected. It seems, that a clean sweep of our church, with the Congregational bosom, was designed, although not effected. And now there is both a serious and a ridiculous side to this Congregational movement. It is really ludicrous, that the Congregationalists should attempt so soon after their flat failure in one church started here, to found another. For the "First Congregationalist Church of lowa City" was virtually defunct, and had been lying around loosely for some time, never having had any house or lot in this city. Their first minister stole one of Rev. Albert Barnes' sermons, (that on the Sabbath), preached it right eloquently as his own; and soon after left. The next minister, in a pub lic discourse disgusted all persons of delicacy by his allusions ; and they shipped him, (that is, the Congrega tionalists did), before the week was out, from town. The third , was a Bap tist minister deposed and excommuni cated for violating his obligations of close communion, and was taken up and restored to the ministry by the Congre gationalists of lowa, ever ready to get men, as another case of a deposed Pres byterian minister, (never restored by Presbytery, but by an exparte council), shows. This third ran better ; but ran out the church, with a flat failure of the organization. Thus much for the ridiculous aspect of the affair. The serious view is this. These Presbyterian ministers and el ders have acted without consulting Presbytery, are schismatists of the church, and liable to discipline, if it be worth while to deal with them. And it is a serious question, whether the old and honorable allies of Presbyterians, eastern Congregationalists, will endorse such action , of, western lowa Congrega tionalists; who, as Dr. Stearns, now President of Amherst College, once said to the writer, "are so unlike" eastern Congregationalists. Very truly yours, SAMUEL STOnas How.. lOWA CITY, August 2, 1866. REMARKABLE.--The two editors of the Troy, N. Y., Times, Messrs. Fonda and Thorne, died on the same day, near the close of last month. Mr. Thorne had been for some time declining with consumption, and Mr. Fonda, in expec tion of his death, had prepared a sketch of his life to appear in connection with the announcement of the event, but un expectedly preceded him by two hours to the world of spirits. Sys of nut CIIITttfS. REv. T. RALSTON SMITH, of th e Seventh Church, New York, has sigoi. fled his acceptance of the appointment recently tendered him, as one of th e Corresponding Secretaries of the Ameri can Bible Society. This decision va cates the pulpit of his church, a result much deplored by his congregation. The Seventh is a " down town" church, but nevertheless a thrifty organization, and under the ten years of Mr. Smith's pastorate, its membership has reached the number of more than one thousand. NEW Yon STATE SABBATH -SCHOO L TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.—The annual meeting of this Association will be held in' Utica, in the First Presbyterian Church (Dr. Fowler's,) commencing on Tuesday, 21st inst., at two o'clock P.M. The attendance will doubtless be large, and the meeting one of great interest and importance. CALL—Rev. John McLean, late tutor in Hamilton College, has received and accepted a unanimous call to the First Presbyterian Church of Galena, Illinois, and expects.soon to enter upon his pas toral labors. Dn. STEARNS NOT A CANDIDATI.—. We see it stated that Rev. J. F. Stearns, D.D., will not permit his name to be used in connection with the Presidency of Hamilton College. So the pastoral relation of the Newark First Church will not_ be disturbed—a circumstance which gives great satisfaction to ire most concerned. A WORTHY PNTERPRISR—Rev. Hi ram Baker, the pastor, together with the trustees of the church named below, has issued an appeal for the help of Christian friends, iu which, after re citing several of the beautiful Divine commendations of benevolence, he says: "About eight years ago there was organ ized in this city, [Harrisburg, Pa. j a colored Presbyterian Church, named The Second Presbyterian Church of Harrisburg.' Since that time it has been sustained and spiritually prospered. It has also been incorporated. There is connected with it a large and well conducted Sabbath-school, which has added to its prosperity. But it has had no house of its own for Divine service. This has been its trouble. Its trustees have lately pur chased a frame building, which, by some alteration, can be made suitable for this pur pose. Being obliged to move it off the ground upon which it stands, as soon as possible, they have leased a piece of ground in a de sirable location, for the term of three years, with the right to purchase it within that time, and are now engaged in constructing a foundation for it. They, therefore, need help, as the congregation is small and in in digent circumstances. "The cost of the ground and building, and the expense of moving it, will be about three thousand dollars. The church is•mainly de pendent upon the liberality of those whom God has blesied with the means to give, for the most of this money. It is hoped that for the future welfare of this church they will contribute largely and heartily as unto the Lord. Mr. eir AMES W. WEIR, Cashier of the Harrisburg National Bank, is Treasurer of the Church Erection Fund, and will receive and account for all monies paid into his bands for this church. And now, disciples of Jesus and friends of the Lord, permit us to stir tip your pure minds by way of remembrance, that we all, in body and spirit, with all that e are and have and shall require, belong to the Lord ; that we are but the stewards of his manifold grace; and that whatsoever ye do unto the humblest of these his disciples ye do unto Him. May the Lord Jesus rejoice your heart in giving abundantly to Him." We take pleasure in adding to the above, that fall confidence may be given to any , object to which Mr. Weir, after personal acquaintance with it, lends his service as an agent for the transmission of aid. PULPIT PUNGENCLES.-A New York publishing house has recently issued a volume under the above title, made up of such scraps of the sermons of Henry Ward Beecher as are especially piquant—such as in assemblies of another character would bring down the house. The book has been justly and severely criticized, not so much fur anything objectionable in any sentiments which it contains, as for the false and dangerous views of pulpit excellence which, as a whole, it is calculated to nourish. It assumes that the charm of the sermon lies in the pun gencies, and that, when filtered of all other qualities, all that need be sought by readers still remains. We are glad to see, by the New York Independent, that it is a wholly unauthorized publica tion, gotten up by Mr. Carleton without the knowledgs of Mr. Beecher, and that the latter indignantly disavows any appro. bation of this disreputable mode of straining out from his discourses a volume of idioms and singularities, made by violently separating sentences from the context and from their meanings. MIMICS FOR SOLDIERS.—Great Britain is at last intervening in the affairs of the continent in a manner which all roust approve--which all but the Bible -hating slaved of the Papacy will approve. The British and Foreign Bible Society 1,5 actively engaged in distributing Bibles and New Testaments among the soldier.? in Germany and Italy. It is found there, just as it was in our late war, that the mental monotony of a soldier's life Creates a craving for anything ir teresting to read, and the distributors are sometimes thronged with applid* Lions for the sacred volume. What is remarkable, is that none seem more greedy for supply, than many of the Austrian prisoners, whose demands bo r e thus far exceeded the provision wad e for them. Oue of the agents of the Society, himself an English, remarks that the needle-guu "seems to hare been given Prussia for the occasion when the Lord is evidently about to overthro w Austria as a support of the Papacy' May England take warning I"
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers