ISTew Series, - Vol. IV, No. 5. flmmtau lltesfaijtetiait. THURSDAY JANUARY 31,1867. THE CHILDREN’S PORTION. We do not set a separate table usually for our children, with entirely different dishes,, tin supplying their daily wants. They sit pvith us, for the most part, at the same board, fend are served from the same joints, by the name hand with ourselves. Perhaps the food B cut into smaller portions, or dealt out in Bnallcr amounts at a time, but it is substan tially the same food, taken under the same iircumstanees with. us. It is presumed that a Gospel feast is spread n every sermon. Young, and middle-aged, and old, are expected to sit down to it. To ;he Presbyterian churches, we come as to our daily board, by families, not omitting those of tender years. Large numbers of children and youth form part of every one of our or dinary congregations. In some cases, the jutiro Sabbath school is expected to be in regular attendance. The Gospel feast is in deed spread, but how often there is not a mouthful for the younger part of the congre gation. Every thing is arranged and dressed for maturer tastes, for riper intellects, for grown men and women. Sinners and be lievers, in the walks of business, or under the responsibilities of domestic life, are urgently admonished. There are warnings against temptations likely to befall those from early nanhood and upward. The trials and dis ippointments of mature life are made the inbjeet of many a pathetic disquisition. The illusions and illustrations are drawn from ictions and scenes in which men and women bok a part, or in which they would chiefly ie interested. Almost no reference is, in any vay, made to the young, in the matter or orm, the subject or illustrations of the dis purses. We fear they are scarcely thought fby the preacher, in preparing the plan or ie details. The ideal audience before him. i his study, is too often one from which the ivenile portion is entirely omitted; and from ie initial effort to the closing appeal of the iscourse, men and women—including, of Curse, young men and women —are the rand object of his efforts. . Men whose business it is to preach the ; ospol to the mixed audiences of children, juth, and older persons, which form their ingregations, think it no reproach that they in not talk to children. Teachers and pro sssors in theological seminaries fail to im ress their pupils with the idea that the Adaptation of truth to the young is as truly a part of their profession as the conquest of any difficulty in exegesis. Standards of eloquence and of rhetoric are set up, and methods of sermonizing are taught, which E>n template audiences of grown men, almost exclusively. It is too much as if a Senate were to be moved, or a jury carried, or a mcture-hall audience to be entertained, that we enter the pulpit, and indeed have been ■Wight to enter it. Theological students Should not merely be left to blunder into a Bnvic tion of the peculiarity and importance ■the gift of speaking well to children: so aB as it is an art, it has rules, and is capable ■being taught. It should be communicated ;hem among the great, plain, fundamental principles of their profession. Whatever be the tests and standards of eloquence in gen reral, we do not think ourselves over-bold in < saying, that no Gospel sermon is complete, slfither whose very substance and texture is |mot level to the capacities of the children of lihe congregation, or which does not admit Wf and contain some direct reference to them an important part of the audience. il\ T c do not overmuch admire the practice ing apart, regularly, some Sabbath, or if a Sabbath, for preaching to children ildren’S church,” as it is sometimes It is too much like setting a separate :br them in the family. True, such a is better, far better, than giving them ig at all, than letting them starve, or p a fragment here and there. In fact, n not but rejoice that so much attention on, and so much labor bestowed, by divines, upon this part of their services, e cannot admit that they are thereby irged from all reference to their child i's in all the other services of the pulpit, ractiee of preaching the eighth sermon ; month to children, is a bad one if it ,s in putting the remaining seven ser mainly or altogether above their heads. PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 1867. To us, it seems sound homiletical policy for the preacher to remember the children every time he takes pen in hand for sermon izing, and to suspect every plan of a sermon which does not allow them to be recognized as part of the audience. We do not wish a particle of the true dignity of the preacher to be sacrificed; but we regard it a legiti mate and an important part of his office, to provide against the weariness of body and soul under which many of his congregation suffer, from being habitually ignored in the services; —weariness which may and which sometimes does grow into lifelong prejudice and disgust. LETTER FROM PASTEUR FISCH. [The following letter to Rev. Dr. Sunder land, late of the American Chapel in Paris, is published not only for its intrinsic inter est, but to further the objects of the Society which the well-known and highly-esteemed author represents.] My Deae Dr. Sunderland : —I am charged by the Synod of Nimes to send its best thanks to all the friends who wrote to us for the occasion of our recent meeting. It was a blessed assembly. Everything added to its interest. It was in that great centre of the old Huguenots, near the spot where Calvin and Beza had preached. It was in a chapel newly erected by a church newly admitted into our Union. We had large crowds of attentive hearers, and we know that the general impression was most beneficial. Twelve new churches were admitted to the Union. We had there a large gathering of deputies from abroad. Unhappily Dr. Eld ridge, who was to represent the N. S. Pres byterian Church, was prevented from going to Nimes, but we had Professor Emerson for the . Old School, and representatives of the Scotch andlrish Churches, of Switzerland and Italy; all having come in the name of large and important churches, some of which num- tbof&ftfujs'.pf congregations,, and. they.; came to hail'the small beginning of our in fant Church. But the infant will grow; we know it, every one feels that the future of Prance in religious respects, lies with our principles of Church emancipation from the State. I have to thank you for the news which you gave me of dear America. As we fol lowed with anguish and fervent prayer your great national warfare, we look with great interest to the present turn of your affairs. Of course, we are all for your Congress. President Johnson has not one supporter in France, and those who would be inclined towards him, because they sympathized' formerly with the secessionists, are disgusted by the ungentlemanly way in which he speaks to our Government in order to repay for his former mistakes. We in France are very uneasy about the future. Commerce is very dull. Food is scarce and dear. The inundations have done enormous mischief. Poverty is very great. This new year opens under very solemn impressions. But these last days, cheering news have reached us from our several stations. A new movement is felt; may it be lasting! O pray, pray much for the work of our Evan gelical Society. You have attended our committee meetings. You know of our dif ficulties. Evan gelization in Fran ce is a hard work. Every stone requires innumerable blows to carve it out of the quarry. It is a work of unmovable perseverance. Our French minds do not understand that nothing may be effected without that enduring patience. They get tired of a work which does not show immediately a ripe harvest. Our con verts from papacy in the country districts, require a long training before they learn to support their own ministry. We must re member the depths of ignorance from which they were lifted up. I assure you that leading our Evangelical Society is a great burden and a constant ex ercise of my weak faith. I wrote to-day to Dr. Campbell, to remind him of the scheme which we devised, with you, to lay before the American and Foreign Christian Union, viz: to give, every year, the collection of several churches to our Society. The inter est, being concentrated upon the special wants of France, would be awakened more thoroughly. You promised ns; dear Ur. Sunderland, to use all your influence towards the adoption of that scheme. We reckon upon your kind interposition. Wo look con fidently to our friends of the United States. The Evangelical Society iB the only one founded upon the principle of separation of Church and State. Where should we look for friends, if not to the only country where our principle is realized? Now, my dear Dr. Sunderland, I must close this long letter. The.Lord.bless you and your dear Church and your dear nation. Very sincerely yours, Geo. Fisch. The%hurch Erection Committee have re ceived from the churches since the middle of December, $8173.26 —one-fourth of which was contributed by a single congregation. Of fifteen hundred churches,.but one hundred and twenty-one have taken collections for this cause. The amount received has been appropri ated to those feeble churches—twenty in number—whose applications had been earli est received, or were most urgent in their character. In the appropriations thus far made, the amounts given have necessarily fallen con siderably short of what %as recommended by the Synodical Committees. This brings sore disappointment to the struggling chur ches. It is also a matter of painful regret to the. Committee, who desire in all cases to act upon the liberal policy which the new plan contemplates and which the prevailing sentiment of the Church now so clearly de mands. Paris, Jan. 3, 1867. There are still thirty-eight churches to be assisted, and the number;; is constantly in creasing. These unanswered calls Amount to $40,000, while the treasury is empty. Where shall-the responsibility rest? As members of the Committee we make no complaints, but, having done all we have the means of doing, we are compelled to lay these, remaining burdens at the door of those churches which have not contributed, and to renew with deeper emphasis the appeal which we have already mhde so often and in so inauy fonA awi frErrn CTTfev?’nTOHTfisr All the issues of the Church Erection cause are now reduced to a single point. The question is one merely, and very simple. Will or will not the Presbyterian Church (N. S.) take her place among other denomi nations, Protestant and Catholic, in the great work of supplying the waste places of this continent with houses of religious wor ship? Will pastors interest themselves in the cause? Will the people contribute to such an object? Doubtless in some cases contributions which will come in due time, have been ne cessarily delayed. We hope, however, that all possible promptness will be observed in forwarding the sums collected, as the appli cants are often pressed by builders and con tractors for their pay, and the more com mon assumption is that the cause of delay is to be found in the tardiness and neglect of the Committee. Let it be understood that where applications are made in due form , appropriations will be promptly made just as soon as the churches shall furnish the means. And in order that all applications may be made regularly at first, and no time be lost in corrections, &c., the Committee would re quest all members of Presbyteries and Sy nods to examine carefully the Assembly’s rules and requirements, and, inasmuch as the demand must, in any ease, be greater than the supply of means for a time at least, it is desirable that the Synodical Committees shall reduce the amounts recommended to the lowest possible figure. The Board can not of course be pledged to appropriate all that such Synodical Committees shall name; the want of funds may render it impossible. But it will in many cases greatly mitigate the disappointment of applicants, if the Com mittees of their own Synods will thoroughly acquaint themselves with the merits of each case, and make their recommendations with close discrimination. It will reconcile the feeble congregations to the limits and necessities of this Commit tee, and tend to promote general confidence and harmony in all. sections of the Church. In the circumstances, as above stated; it will be seen that our work is a difficult one. We know not what further to say to the anxi ous inquiries which come from the Great West by almost every mail. Will not the churches come up to our help, and that promptly? A collection “next year” will not meet the ease. Each future year will have its own host of appeals. We earnestly entreat every CHURCH ERECTION. pastor and every session to consider this matter. And we can only leave it with the churches and with the great Disposer of all hearts. Samuel Spear, Walter S. Griffith, Edwin F. Hatfield, Setphen H. Thayer, Samuel D. Burchard, Jesse W. Benedict, Joseph Fewsmith, George W. Lane, William A. Booth, Frank F. Ellinwood, ‘ (Corresponding Secretary.) New York, Jan. 25, 1867. OUR WASHINGTON LETTER. The first movement hy the municipal au thorities towards the practical consumma tion of free suffrage in the District of Colum bia, was made during the past week. The Mayor of Georgetown advertised three days, when all persons claiming the right to vote under the provisions of the late act of Con gress, could have their names registered. The authorities of that ancient town were careful not to allow the announcement to appear over Sunday, lest the colored popu lation should make use of the means which their churches afforded them, of circulating the notice. But when the days for registra tion came, they found the blacks as well or ganized, and as well informed in the matter, as the whites. The officers, however, sought to rule out many of them by a catechism, which, they said was sustained by a statute of the city, forbidding any person to vote, who had ever been imprisoned. The ques tion was put to every colored man as he came up, “Have you ever been in jail?” and if he replied in the affirmative, his name was refused. Before the days of emancipation in the District, a negro was put in jail for being out after nine o’clock at night. Many were guilty (?) of this offence, which is no longer a crime now that they are free, and ought not to militate against.them. On the other hand, men who had left the District to join the confederacy, and did all in their power to destroy our government, were permitted to register themselves with- -unt bem gipiestionetr BurTlrese petty suo“ terfuges cannot arrest the progress of this great revolution. The colored people do not expect to carry their ticket at the coming election, but they will be able to present a respectable opposi tion to the old regime, and in due course of time, when the condition of things is more favorable, will be able to have a voice in the management of the city government, and the division of the school tax. Close to free suffrage, it does not appear the hideous mon ster that it did afar off to the former slave, holders of the District. And after the right has been exercised a short time, they will wonder bow they ever opposed it with so much bitterness. The President is sustained in his extreme leniency towards the rebels, by the recent decisions of the Supreme Court. They have declared the act of Congress prescribing the test oath, to be unconstitutional. They are rapidly removing every thing that punishes treason, or makes it odious. At no distant day, no disability whatever will rest upon recent rebels. The President has deserted the Freedmen, and the Supreme Court will follow. It would surprise no one, if this eminent tri bunal should soon declare the Civil Eights bill unconstitutional, for they have impugned the most important acts of the government put forth in defense of its vitality, during the rebellion. Congress now fights alone for the results secured by the war, against a majority of the Supreme Court and the Ex ecutive. The engrossing subject of impeachment has hitherto been avoided in these letters, as but little that was reliable could be learn ed about it. The committee to whom Mr. Ashley’s resolution was referred are very reticent, and know how to keep their own counsels. Attempts have been made in some quarters to awaken sympathy for the President, while in others, Mr. Ashley has been severely criticised and denounced. AH this was to be expected. When Thomas Benton, rising in the Senate, offered the famous “ Expunging Resolutions,” and said, “ Solitary and alone I set this ball in mo tion,” he was assailed by all the weak hearted and over-cautious throughout the land. But success gave him fame, and art has transmitted the scene tq posterity. No less worthy of a place on canvass, is the scene enacted by the Representative from Ohio. Some assert, that the measure will make Genesee Evangelist, No. 1080. a martyr of the President. If the matter were one that affected the President alone, it would not be attempted. It is not so much to punish him, as to secure the country against gross official misdemeanors. The President himself affects great indifference on the subject, while his friends pretend that he would pass the ordeal unscathed. But it is known that he stands in morta L dread of it. nevertheless, he is bound to his “ policy,” as Mazeppa to his steed, and is hurried on, powerless to resist. Some think his offences do not warrant such extreme measures. Others discounte nance it on the ground of party expediency. If his offences have not been numerous or aggravated enough to justify the measure, then the American people are willing to grant their executive officer a liberty bor dering upon license. Persons have been im peached for smaller crimes than he has com mitted : for giving bad counsel to a king, for advising a prejudicial peace, for purchasing offices, and especially for putting good mag istrates put of office and advancing bad. To abuse the patronage of the government, or the power of removal, to the base purposes of gratifying a party, or administering to one’s own resentment, Mr. Madison,.one of the most distinguished framers of the Con stitution, declared to be such acts of mal administration as would be impeachable. When Mr. Johnson took the oath of office as Yice President in a state of beastly in toxication, several members of Congress con sidered it their duty to call for his impeach ment, and were Qnly dissuaded from pressing the.matter by the earnest entreaties of the more cautious of their party, with assu rances that, there would be no »further cause for apprehension. Butßince that hour, each week has developed some high-handed move in his “policy” of handing the govern ment over to those who sought its overthrow, until the country is startled by nothing he may attempt. • ±Jdnk the was never intended in earned. But believe that the one hundred and eight mem bers of Congress who voted for this resolu tion are only fooling the country. They are in earnest in the matter, and grow more and : more so by the revelations of each succeed ing day. The times are too earnest for boy’s play, and the men who favor the measure have too much regard for the good name of the country abroad to treat so serious a mat ter in levity, or for the sake of party policy. The statesmen who provided so wisely for every exigency of the country during the four years she was assailed by millions of her rebellious sons, are capable of managing one, who seems to disregard her interests, notwithstanding the immense patronage he wields. RETAIN FAITHFUL OFFICERS. The friends of good municipal government in our city cannot but feel surprise and alarm at the attitude of the new city Councils, especially in regard to the proposed removal of the most ex perienced and most successful of all the heads of the departments, the Chief Engineer Birkinbine. They still wait for an explanation of the secret and sudden manoeuvre by which this measure was carried through the caucus. The strict economy, the annually increasing profitableness, the wise and admirably executed extensions of the water works of the city during the six or seven years of Mr. Birkinbine’s administration, and the keen .observation and sagacious proposals of the Chief for a future supply, are such conspicuous proofs of his fidelity and integrity, as well as his un doubted engineering capacity, that no one for a moment seriously intimates a deficiency in these respects as the cause of his proposed removal, or deceives himself with the idea that a person of superior or of equal qualifications has been found to put in his place. Mr. Birkinbine is an office-bearer in one of our city churches, a man of piety and a friend of the Sabbath and of Temperance, an ardent and un wavering adherent of the loyal cause. His offi cial transactions, his contracts, have been invari ably managed on the highest principles of Chris tian integrity, solely for the benefit of the city, as all applicants for personal favors have long ago discovered. One or the other of these reasons may influence the Sunday papers and some others not much above , them in moral tone, in their op position to Mr. Birkinbine, but we mostiearnestly' request our city fathers to show themselves guided ; by a true regard for the interests of the city and for the merits of one of its most faithful and com petent officers.
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