THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN AND GENESEE EVANGELIST. itellgions and Family Newspaper, IN THE INTEREST or THE Constitutional Presbyterian Church. PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY, b.T THE PRESBYTERIAN HOUSE, 14 Chestnut Street. (2d story.) Philadelphia. g a y. John W. blears. Editor and Publisher. gmeritan Vrtisinittrialt. THURSDAY, 'AtriitliT 30, 1866. REV. THOMAS BRAINERD, %D. With startling suddenness. came the telegraphic annotncement of the death o the beloved and venerated pastor of Old pine Street Church, at Scranton, on Wed nesday morning of last week. Pr. Brain erd had been so long ailing, and had, for so nin ny years, contrived to get through a great amount of parochial and public duty without any alarming increase in his unfa vorable symptoms, that we were in a man ner used to them, and ceased to fear any speedy culmination of them in death: Only' a day or two, indeed, before he died, he wrote in an animated strain, in view of th. probable early resumption of his dutie: with increased health and prospect of use• fulness. All, therefore, but, perhaps the few who had more carefully considered the state of his health, were greatly shock ed by the announcement that, after. passing Tuesday with no unusual symptoms, and retiring comfortably to rest at night, he race forth his life in one single, deep sigh, at one o'clock of the following morning. With such a speedy, peaceful, painless exit, well closed a life full of years, of high usefulness, of ripe Christian character, of distinguished ministerial success, and crowned with well-merited honors. For us, his death came all too soon. We would not have put it earlier than three score and ten at the soonest. For him, doubtless in the ordering of Providence, it came a precisely the most appropriate moment. 1' All things shall work together for good to them that love him." It is certain tha Dr. Brainerd's career has been steadily upward, both in the measure of his useful ness and his honor. He dies with nothin to dim the lustre of the name he leave with his church and his family. His sta was yet in the ascendant when its light wa quenched, and it will 'direr shine full-orbed in our memories. Especially in the last five or six years o his lift , bas the reputation of Dr. Brainerd been gaining most rapidly among his fel low-men. With the first mutterings of rebellion, he took his stand for the main tenance of the laws and for the preservation of the national life and unity, and never swerved from it for a moment to the end. He preserved and cherished the patriotic associations of Old Pine Street Church, and greatly enhanced their lustre. Dr. Brain erd and Old Pine Street Church became the most conspicuous among the loyal agencies in our city, outside of the Brea public organizations. They were a rock of strength and a never-failing spring of encouragement to loyal men and enter prises. In sermons and prayers, in ad. dresses, speeches, and appeals, the manly voice of Dr. Brainerd has everywhere been heard cheering the despondent, stimulatin to nobler exertions the patriotic, piercing to the very heart the, false arguments of the disloyal, silencing cavils, and •kindlini, fresh enthusiasm for the .national cause in every breast. Few men showed a clearer judgment and a better appreciation of the high moral principles at stake in the con flict. Few rejoiced more heartily at the revival of national life in the masses of the North, and at the substitution of a, martyr zeal for country and liberty, in place of the low and grovelling aims which seemed to have gained almost , exclusive control over the American mind. Although Dr. Brainerd did not SiSproy , of all the measures of the late Administra tion, and grieved over what he considered its errors and failures, he never for a momen thought of arraying himself against the Gov ernment on that account. On the contrary, lie rejoiced greatly and devoutly in the fax of emancipation, as one of the greatest boom of the war. He never, for a moment, los his intense interest in • the national cause, or abated a jot of his earnest efforts ford success. He ever cherished the most pr's found confidence in the uprightness and sagacity of Abraham. Lincoln, whom, in deed, he resembled in his shrewd' observa tion of men and his aecurate estimate Of public opinion. The honor' in which Dr. Brainerd w:: held by his loyal fellow-citizens was shown in his election as a member of the Union League almost at its very organization, and by the prominent position usually assigned him in the religious portion of the public services held by that and other bodies' of our citizens during and since the war. No hour of his life could have been more glad or more solemn, than when he was thu- Called to lead the devotions .of the people, after the victory of Gettysburg. A throng 't • ten or twenty thousand people .blooked the streets before him. The fire companies , . . .),..m..-.L=401...-.....,..---711.resimi.t04, New Series, VoL 111, No. 35. with their equipages had, by a spontaneous impulse, turned. out to celebrate the occa ,:'on.',' Far above in the steeple, a band was wafting the strains of " Old Hundred" to the sk4es, and there, standing on the sacred steps of Independence Hall, amid he indescribable raptures of that hour of eat deliverance, he gave suitable expres-. :ion to the sentiments of a grateful people. He has also been closely identified with the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloons and ith various movements, great and small, or the relief of our suffering soldiers in the hospitals and on the field. When th. battle of Gettysburg was imminent, and when sore distress darkened many of the aces of our citizens, Dr. Brainerd, nearly sixty years old, marched beside a recruiting officer to the drum and fife, aiding to gather up recruits for the emergency. More than all, he gave his only •son, Thomas, to the service of his country, and had . the saris action to see him rise to honor in his pro fession, and return in entire safety with the conquering armies of the nation before he died. And perhaps no act of his life caused him greater pleasure than the erec tion, in the vestibule of his church, of the mural tablet to the memory of the men of his congregation who fell in the war. It seemed to complete his patriotic record and to blend it beautifully with that of his peo ple. With such a bright, undimmed record as a patriot, he passed away. No rack of a cloud will ever rest upon his memory in' this high regard. His example will live imperishably, and will instruct and inspire the youth and the clergy and the people of tbe land, for generations to come. 4 No cold -uspicion, no heartless cavil, no momentary unfaithfulness to the high interests of na tionality and of liberty will weaken its' power or darken its perfect beauty. We need scarcely add that, though reaching his conclusion with the reluctance of true Christian charity, he had come to under ,tand and to judge most righteously, the false and wicked man who now disgraces the seat, lately so honored by a true, a temperate, and a praying Presi,dent. Dr. Brainerd had never :seemed to - cow literary distinction. His editorial career 'n Cincinnati, many years ago, was, indeed, a great success. But since that time, he has been content with such fugitive issues s are consonant with burdensome pastoral duties, until he undertook the great work of hiti life, the Life of his kinsman, JOHN BRAINERD. That work, after years of painstaking toil, he lived to complete, and to see welcomed with unanimous and even enthusiastic approval by the religious jour nals of all denominations, by our daily press, and by many critics of the old world. Its character, as a faithful record of a pure, devoted, and noble life, rescued from ob scnrity, and preserved among the choicest treasures of the Christian Church, suffered to speak its own story and only enlarged with skilful touches here and there to erve as the setting 'to the diamond—this work ensured him a literary immortality as certain, at least in the esteem of the Church, 'as that of David and John Brainerd them ,;elves. He has bound his name up in a rio with theirs, which time will not be able to dissolve. Dr. Brainerd' had received the highest onors the Church of his choice could be :tow. In the General Assembly of 1864, he was chosen Moderator, and perfornied his duties with urbanity, skill, and success hat gave unmingled satisfaction and delight. The Assembly of 1866 bestowed upon him he honor of chairmanship of its Committee on Reunion. In that position, without any of the discomfort of 'failure, he• died, being ranslated to a blessed region, where, with out any preliminary measures, reunion is universal, without mistrust, without smoth ered jealousies; without fear of renewed contention and division. -Thus .ripe in honort from the Church .nd his fellow-citizens, at the climax of ]f usefulness, he ceased to •be among us. He feared much that it might be otherwise - . tEe dreaded an old age of prolonged 'M- I, rmity, ingapacity, and dependence. :H: loved the cheerful, sunny side of life; and he made life such . wherever his influence was. He delighted in the ,gamliols and the natural, gracefulness of children, and he freshened his own life by drinking a the fountain of their pure joys and sympa thies. And it is touching to think that the deep tenderness of a• grandfather's at tachment to his children's children, rent from him one after another by death, helped to snap the cord of his own life, and so bore him over that dreary period of i'nfirmity which he dreaded, and landed him at once, from a, life which he had ever :ver kept fresh and youthful, into the life if eternal youth beyond. For a 'marked feature of Dr. Brakerd's • • 4 I II 4 : tit:. a 4 AUGUST ' 1866. -life was his refusal to grow mentally, mor ally, socially and theologically old. Fixed on great principles of Scripture and Cal vinistic divinity, Dr. Brainerd had no cowardly dread of anything, simply be cause it was new. He kept himself fully -.breast of current opinion in his age. He studied men; he identified himself heartily with the interests and feelings of the gene ration of youth grown up around him. They found in him one who wonderfully under stood and sympathized with them, and wh drew them to him'by an' uncommon and a noble Christian magnetism. His name was he bond of union to the widely-scattered congregation of Pine Street Church, an nothing can die so powerful as his memory to hold them together, now that he has, gone. His name was a tower of strength to every enterprise to which he gave it, and he gave it with such sagacity that i was almost a sure guaranty of snebeee. His own parochial life was one long sue cess. A steady average of about thirty additions, on profession, per annum, marked his pastorate in Pine Street Church. And no numbers can adequately portray the exuberant life and the ceaseless activity With which, under God, he has been able to inspire its members. Although it is one of the old "down-town" churches of the city, remote from the new and popular districts, its meetings are crowded -with promising young people, the most hopeful elements of a congregation. There is the utmost freedom, combined with decorum, in taking part in meetings for prayer and conference. `The crowded Sunday-nigh meetings, from week to week, present a the better features of a revival prayer meeting ; and the Brainerd Mission chapel, a large building in Greenwich street, pu. , up by members of his congregation ,at an expense of ten thousand dollars, and manned by the young people of the church, proves the munificence and the zeal of " Old Pine Street." It was the money, too, of Old Pine Street which restored, when on the verge of ruin, the German Street Church, which paid its . debt and completed its house of worship, a , .:n expense of fifteen or twenty thousand diallers. These are only recent proofs o the beneficent influence exerted from this vigorous centre As a man of the people, Dr. Brainerd was deeply interested in all efforts to reach the masses with the Gospel. He was an earnest advocate of " open-air preaching," and himself had practised it on many occa sions. He was associated with Rev. James Patterson in those famous out-door efforts which laid the foundation of the Church in the Northern Liberties, .And in later days, in spite of increasing bodily infirmi- ties, he continued the practice. He fre quently used a butcher's block in one of the market-houses for a pulpit, to which, however, a support had to be attached to -toady him during the discourse. Nervous as he was, the surroundings were of no consequence to him, provided he had op pertunit, to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ to his fellow-men. One of his latest declarations on the subject of open-air prea9hing, made in a discussion in the Pastor's Association, was to the effect hat the practice would increase fivefold the pulpit efficiency of the brethren it they would: engage in it. A notice of Dr. Brainerd would be un pardonably defeetive, which omitted to men tion, his remarkable power as an extempore speaker. Educated for the law, he seemed _ . ever to retain the readiness of speech so needful to thakprofession. He was great est, as a speaker, when called on, often without apparent premeditation, to meet ome special occasion.; to take the place, Whieh, alas! none as he could fill—at th :rave-side of departed worth arid eminent: to stimulate` to some new patriotic effor —to express the . joy of the people at the tedication of a new house of worship; or to give direction to their thoughts , in grea public .prayer-meetings. There was reshness; a manliness, a strength of com mon sense; a singular shreivdness and pene' 'ation, which put the subject in• a ne.`i , nd powerful light. Endowed with reten , , n'ie memory and excellent powers of obser vation, he had a store of capital illubtratiOns hich he had wonderful skill in bringing 11 - precisely at the right time and place. Over his speeches there was a constant phi:, if native wit, of, good humor, and of wig 'ng geniality, that gave them a pectilit charm. He never seemed to be exhaust ed; he always had something new, some thing more appropriate to the special occa sion than anything he had ever said before. He was never common-place, yet neve ar-fetched. Everywhere the people wel comed hi m , everywhere they expected edi fication and stimulus from his words, and rarely were they disappointed. At 'the Jayne's Hall monster prayer-meeting, in 1858, where thousands met every day for weeks, he was one of the few ministers who knew how to meet and use those marvel lous and somewhat trying scenes, to the highest, spiritual profit. A frequent, he was ever a most welcome, speaker at those ss eetings, and was as calm, as ready, and as felicitous in his remarks, as in the most familiar scenes. There the heart of the multitude' was bared as, perhaps, it has s ever been since, and it was because Dr. rainerd's heart was so large, and so warm, and so thoroughly the people's, that he found himself so ready, so much at home ; o marvelously adapted• to the occasion. A mai4 of God , of somewhat simile character and adaptedness, who contributed no small share himself to the noonday and other prayer-meetings; a man of most ten der and devoted spirit, toward whom Dr. Brainerd was drawn by unusual ties o Christian affection; like himself, one of the oldest pastors of our city churches, has gone to heaven but a few weeks before him. Great, often, in anticipation o heaven, was the joy of meeting in religious services, between Dr. Brainerd and Dr. Kennard. Who shall attempt to describe the joy with which, after so short a separation, they met to renew their joint worship in heaven ? Who * shall draw the lines o 'their features—noble even on earth, bu • lorified above ? Who, rather, shall no look forward , with longing to join the blessed company, and enjoy those raptures, of which our happiest and most elevated scenes of devotion, under their leadership, were but faint anticipations ? When almost every old citizen of a great city, and almost every member and minis ter of a large church, feels stricken and bereaved by a Providential event, as they do in the death of Dr. Brainerd, it seems idle for any one individual to parade his :rief as special, or to demand special sym pathy for the loss as his own. Yet we cannot refrain from offering a wreath of personal homage to the memory of one ho has been our warm and fast friend papst. since wfs knew him ; , who has en ct,uraded our undertakings by his cheering words and fraternal acts ; and who as especially stood by us in the trying and responsible duties of the editorial office. With those, the earlier associations of his career prepared him to sympathize; while his native shrewdness and quickness of wit and penetration, his unflagging inte ert in all the great movements of the time, and especially his loyalty to the inte rests of Christ's cause and of the denomi nation, fully qualified him as an adviser, and as such he was a frequent and the most welcome visitor in the office of this paper. Without any attitude of officiousness, o zolemn assumption of- superiority, or even au- great amount of specific advice, it was rather the magnetic influence of mutat, with a man of such large sympathies and such ennobling views, such a warm and generous nature, that we felt and welcomed as a powerful stimulus, and that we shall most sadly miss. We differed at times; occasionally, our views were wide apart; but time and a closer interchange ahnos invariably drew us together, and our inti macy in the editorial sanctum was unbroken to the last.• We have, therefore, our own tear o' regret to shed apart from the crowd; our own tribute to lay upon his tomb; our own memory of individual loss to deplore in his sudden departure. EED OF CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE IN OUR 'POLITICAL 'ARRANGEMENTS. Outside of the very fewprofessing Chris tians of the North whose religibus scruples prevent their voting at all, we have a large body of Christians, some of whom show en tirely too little concern or sense of respon -ibility in the important duty of voting. Or; if they endeavor to perform this final act in the choice .of. rulers, faithfully and. wisely, they are indifferent to all-those preliminary ,:tapes of the process, in the managenaent o which most of the art and energy of pro . eased politicians is so successfully employecl. V oting indeed, is often but the blind obedi ent confirmation of the previous decisions of politicians who have almost come to regard the people as mere tools of their will. n their primary meetings, held , mostly in :mall disagreeable places, frequently in im ediate proximity to, or under the same oof with, a drinking establishment, :to hid' the rough characters of the township or precinct are apt to come in far greate cumbers than the reputable and the good, these party managers are pretty sure to have their own way. That way has no regard for justice, honor, or the public good, only so far as is necessary to preserve appear ances with the class of voters who are Genesee Eva;ngelist, No. 1058. guided by principle. Their object is the suceess of the party for their own individua profit. As a olass, the political managers of the country, the men who have acquired that cleverness and astuteness which are regarded as the highest accomplishments o he professed politician, are the most un principled set of jugglers to be found any where. They seem to become such in spite if good intentions and fair character at the , :tart. But whatever they were at the beginning, they, as a class, are not the men to whom the people should for one single hour consent to trust the destinies of this country. It is, indeed, nothing less than monstrous that a country so leavened with Christian principles as is ours, should be suffered to fall so much under the influence if the mere wire-working schemers, the ii en whose highest qualifications are not fo he kingly art of government, but for chi and intrigue, for personal advance ment or personal revenge. That such : class should exist in a tree country, is no indeed, wonderful; it must be expected in the course of things; but that Christian people should quietly submit, year afte r ear, to their dictation, should allow them to hold completely in their hands all the reliminaries of political action,—this is the real miracle. This is the abuse which hrows discredit upon the working of on 'free institutions. The question is not, whether there is piety .and patriotism enough in the country to save it; we may grant that there is. But is there enough practical good sense, along with our Chris tianity, to bring it to bear efficiently upon the politics of the country ? Is there an every-day self-denying patriotism amon: Christians, making them willing to bear in some degree the, burdens and responsibili ties of a proper management of our politi cal affairs, and to save them from irreme diable corruption at the very fountain-hea. of power? We do not believe the other sort of pa triotism, which is ready to expend life and limb and treasure for the country, admir able as it is, will avail for the salvation o our country, if it is not attended with tha teddy and sober, and perhaps more dif6c form of loyalty, which directs its efforts to the every-day working , of our politica *nstitntions in their first stages, from the nomination of a school director to that o 'resident. The good people of the country, Chris tians and others, must declare that bad men, depraved men, intemperate men, op ponents of the Sabbath, mere self-seekin 6 oliticians, who have no thought of rever ence toward the Ruler of all and no concern for principles of righteousness, justice and humanity, shall 'not rule this country tha :uch men shall not clutch and hold the reins of power in every stage of its exercise. et them say this; let it be understood that this is their position, and the very time-serving and' strategy of politicians will lead them to better and wiser courses of etion. Other aspects of the subject will come up, for consideration. , BRIDGEVILLE, DEL.—We are glad to hear that the , new church is still on the advance. An accession of eight mem bers was received at the last communion; wo on profession, making , the entire membership twenty-two. The Sabbath school is growing in numbers and interest. A pic-nie was recently given by the miters and parents to the children, in a neighbering grove, to which the friends of the church and the children, and iends of the Methodist Sunday-school were invited. About five hundred per sons were assembled, who were feasted without charge and to their 'hearts' con tent on all manner of good things. The best of order prevailed and the satisfac tion was universal. The people have commenced buildin their church.. Half a dozen of their number subscribed MO. A buildin committee are now soliciting funds-and building material. They will doubtless xtend their calls to Northern Delaware, and to the cities of Wilmington and Philadelphia. We bespeak for them a hearty response. THE PRESBYTERY OP LAKE SUPERIOR, which for two years lacked a Constitu tional quorum, has now six members. A correspondent of the Evangelis " July 25th the Presbytery held its annual meeting at Escanaba, Michigan. This may well be regarded as the firs formal, regular meeting ever held by his body. We had our Presbyteria sermon and communion service, ou meeting for prayer and still another ser mon, in connection with formal publi service. Of business of special interest might be mentioned the taking under its gitiuds Dt ttur Ourths. TERMS, Per annum, in advance: By Nail, $3. By Carrier, $3 50. Fifty ce,u additional, after three months. Clubs.—Ten or more Papers sent to one address. ayable strictly in advance and in oneremittance. :y Mail. S 2 50 per annum. By Carrier. $3 per anr"P• Ministers and Ministers' Widows, $2 50 On advance. Home Missionaries, $2 00 in advance. Remittances by mail are at our risk. Postage.—Five cents quarterly, in advance, paid by subscribers at the office of delivers. Advertisements.-12X2 cents per line for the first, and 10 cents for the second insertion One square (ten lines) one month two months. three months six months •-• one year 00 The following discount on long advertisement n erted for three months and upwards. is allowed:- Over 20 lines. 10 pqr cent. off; over 50 linee, 20 at.; over 100 lines, .13% per cent are, by Presbytery, of the First Preby erian Church of Escanaba, organized tut a few months since ; and the licen sing of Mr. Alexander McLochlin to 'reach the Gospel. " The religious narratives presented were of marked interest. The church at Sault St. Marie, which a year since had but seven members, added during he year, fifteen more. The Church at Marquette added daring the year, on - xamination fifteen, and on certificate welve, making a total of twenty-seven ; aising the number of members from hirty-nine of a year since to fifty-nine. The Congregational Church of Hancock, Portage Lake, supplied by a member of Presbytery, reported informally an in crease, since May, 1865, to July last, of fifty-eight members, by certificate thirty one, and by examination twenty-seven ; raising the membership from thirty-two o eighty-seven. The other Churches of the Presbytery were not duly repre tented, and facts in reference to them cannot, consequently, be given. The contributions to the cause of religion were in some instances with very marked iberality, such as is rarely equalled by other Churches anywhere. " The commissioners to the General Assemby to meet at Rochester next year, are, principals, Rev. Thomas R. Easterday and-Elder Philo S. Church; and alternates, Rev. C. B. Stevens and Elder J. B. Clark." INFANT BAProms.—lt is frequently asserted that infant baptism is neglected by the denominations which profess to believe in it. We have examined the Minutes on this point with some interest. The infant baptisms reported for the past year are 3933. The whole number of communicants is 150,000. There are probably, then, about 30,000 families in the Church. How many children would be born in any given year in 30,000 families ? Certainly not more than 5000. early a quarter of the Churches made no report last year. The number of members is carried on from the previous • ear, but the baptisms, if any, do not appear. We may 'add perhaps 500 for he cases not reported. And we have bout 4500 infant baptisms in a church o whose members about 5000 infants have been born during the year. Nine tenths of Presbyterian parents consecrate their children to God. One-tenth neglect 't. These figures and calculations show that there is no foundation for the sweep 'ng statement that pedobaptists do not carry out their principles. We may reach a similar result in an other way. The additions to the Church last year on profession were 10,289. The adult baptisms were 3455. Hence of the converts received into our com munion, 6854, or very nearly two-thirds, have been baptized in infancy. This does not look as if we were neglecting fant baptism, nor as if it was a mean ingless and useless ordinance.—Chris ian Herald. CALIFORMA.—Rev. T. E. Taylor organized a church at Meadow Lake on he .17th of June. REv. J. D. .T.ENKINS, DE SoTo, MO.— Rev. J. D. Jenkins has removed from Huron, Ohio, to De' Soto, Jefferson county, Missouri. He has entered upon Home Missionary work in the latter place, with fair prospects of building up a Presbyterian Church. , ANOTHER U NlON. —Fourteenmembers of the Old School Presbyterian Church at Henrysville, Clark county, Indiana— all heads of, families—have recently united with the Mount Lebanon New School Church in that county. They had for several years been receiving the Home Missionary labors of Rev. F. Bevan, and came into the church during he interest which has not yet ceased in that congregation.—lbid. TEE MASSACRE OF BARLETTA is under investigation. Something as the melancholy scenes of Memphis and New Orleans with us, it is a touehstone of the fidelity of Gov •rnment to its avowed policy of freedom and "ustice to all . The correspondent of Evan gelical Christendom says :—"The processo' against the rioters and murderers of Barletta drags it slow length along,' and every effort 11. be use& to make it as mild' as possible, fit be not hung up till the matter is forgot ten. It is said that the Procurator Royal at ni is a Liberal, and anxious that justice -hould take its course; but the Juge d'ln struction' at Barletta, to whom is confided the drawing up. of the case, precognoscing the witnesses, etc., is said to be a Paolotto f the deepest dye a mere tool in the hands of the priestly pa;ty, and it is feared he will anage the case, so that it will be as innocu ous as possible when it comes before the Courts. The number now in prison as con erned in that massacre is over 200. Imme diately after that sad event there was so strong a reaction in favor of liberty of con z cience and worship, that the Nice Com ittee's missionary might have settled at arletta with the assurance that, humanly heaking, he could be nowhere so safe as ere in preaching the Gospel, after what II • d occurred. By weakness on the part of its agents, however,and bullying on the part of *te sub-prefect, hey were driven away for a hile, time was lost, the taeople were disconr ged, nay, were even induced to sign a paper equesting that the evangelist might be re moved for a time; but all that is now past. Giannini has returned to Barletta, and finds no obitacle in the way of his work."