(friginat Continuniratbno.
PRESBYTERIANISM IN BOSTON.-I.
There are at the present time six Presbyterian
churches in Boston. Of these one is connected
with the Reformed Presbyterians, or Church of
the Covenanters, as the body is better known.
Three belong to the United Presbyterians, and
two are connected with the Old School branch of
the Church.
These churches are mostly small. The twd
Old School churches are the most flourishing,
being self supporting, and having houses of wor
ship. The Church of the Covenanters is also
self-supporting, but it is destitute of a house of
worship. They are making the effort to erect a
church edifice, but have hardly the pecuniary
ability to warrant them in undertaking such a
work. The three United Presbyterian churches
are not, as yet, self supporting, nor do they have
houses of worship. They receive missionary aid,
and worship in halls.
These churches, although belonging to three
different Presbyterian bodies, have in them very
much that is common. They all have a family
likeness. A stranger could see but little differ
ence between them, except , that the Old School
churches have been so far modernized as to sing
the hymns of uninspired men in the place of
Rouse's version of the Psalms. They are all
churches in which there i a good deal of reli
gious life, and their members will compare fa
vorably with the members of other churches in
piety and morality.
The members of these churches are, for the
most part, foreigners, who hav , e emigrated either
from the British Provinces, from Scotland, or
the North of Ireland. They are strongly at
tached to the Church of their fathers, to its doc
trines and to its.mode of worship, and do not
readily affiliate with our Congregational churches.
There is no reason to doubt that all these
churches, though some of them are now quite
small, will, in time, become large and flourishing.
The progress which they have made within the
lust few years is as encouraging as could have
been expected, and gives the promise of greater
and better results in coming. years. There is
abundance of room fur them, and the field is
wide enough for all the work they may wish to
bestow upon it. And not, only is there room
enough for them, but they are needed. They are
not, indeed, needed for our New England popu
lation, and they cannot expect to make any pro
selytes of this class, or gather into their churches
from.it; for the ground is entirely preoccupied
by a kindred body, which has in its favor all
the prestige which age, social position, and a
strong hold on the hearts of the people can give.
But they are needed for our foreign population.
There is a continuous emigration to Boston from
the British Provinces, of Presbyterian families
and others, familiar with the usages and forms
of the Presbyterian Church; and from this class
of emigrants these churches may have a large
growth
The, first of these different Presbyterian
churches, and the one from which all the others,
with the exception of the Church of the Cove
nanters, may be said to have sprung, is the
United Presbyterian church of which Dr. Blaikie
is the pastor. Dr. Blaikie is entitled to the honor
of having been. the pioneer in this Presbyterian
movement. Coming to, the city in May, 1846, he
found a number of Presbyterian families without
a religious home. lie at once began to act as
their pastor, visiting them in their houses and
preaching to them on the Sabbath. After labor
ing among them until Demembor of the same
year, a United Presbyterian church was organ
ized. This church, owing to the poverty of its
members, has always labored under the disad
vantage of not having a house of worship. This
disadvantage is now in a fair way of being reme.
died. A church edifice is in process of erection,
the lecture room of which, it is hoped, will be
completed this fall, and which will be sufficiently
large to meet the wants of their present
,cougre-
The other churches have all been formed since;
in oue or two instances by secessions from Dr.
Blaikie's church, owing to dissatisfaction with
him and with his management of church affairs. In
other instances they have been foimed because, of
the distance of so many of. the members from
Dr. Blaikie's church.
Some of these churches which have gone out
from Dr. Blaikie's, have been more successful
than the parent church. This has been especially
the case with the two Old School churches. The
Old School Church in East Boston,= notwithstand
ing many discouragements, has had a fair
growth; while the Beach St. church has one of
the finest houses of worship in the city, and, at
present, tolerable congregations. There was dur
ing the past winter a, revival in the last mention
ed church, which added to, its members and its
means. There has beep,
„recently, too loud a
trumpet blown over , this church, but there is no
question but that it, has seen, apparently if not
really,, a year, of considerable prosperity. _
It is proper to say of ,a.ll these Presbyterian
churches, that they are still, in
_their infancy.
Their combined membership cannot exceed 800
or 1,000. The influence which they exert over
our New England' people is as yet scarcely per
ceptible. Their congregations are made up of
foreigners, and it is doubtful whether they will
be composed of any but foreigners and their
children, for a long time to come. The Congre
gational churches have the ground. This alone will
interfere with the introduction of Presbyterian
ism, to any great extent, among our own people.
But if there were no Congregational churches to
compete with, the character of the Presbyterian
ism brought here is such that it would very
slowly strike in its roots into the soil of New Eng
land. The prevailing influence is that of the
United Presbyterians and the Covenanters.
It is not the Presbyterianism of the Old and
New School churches that we have here. It is
wholly an importation of the Presbyterianism of
the British provinces. While two of the churches
are connected with the Old School Assembly,
they were at first, if not in their Church relations,
certainly in heart and spirit, United Presbyterian,
and formed a connection with the Old School
Church, not from choice, but from necessity. In
character, intelligence and culture, these two
churches do not represent the Old School churches
of the Middle and Western States, or the Old
School churches of New England: The standard
of pulpit service required, is not of a high order.
The preaching which meets with the most ap
proval is the extempore and the hortatory. A
style of preaching at all intellectual would be at
tended' with failure. Members of the Presbyte
rian Church in the Middle and Western States,
in removing to Boston, would not find these
churches like those they have left. They would
see a difference, even if it should be difficult-.to
tell in what it consisted. They would find the
Congregational churches much more congenial
to them. In fine, the foreign character of all
these churches, of the Old School with the others,
stands in the way of their progress among the
American people. And then the rigidity with
which they cling to every thing that • is old,
their want of flexibility, the close communion of
the United Presbyterians and the Covenanters,
the opposition of the two last named churches
to organs and all instrumental music, and their
persistence in singing Rouse's version of the
Psalms exclusively, will necessarily repel from
them those accustomed to our New England mode
of worship. And it is doubtful, whether, with
the removal of these, to us, objectionable features
they would be able to bring into their fold many
who have been nurtured in the Congregational
churches, or who have been at all familiar with
them; while it is certain, that without these very
peculiarities, they would lose numbers of the Irish
and Scotch.
These churches will, of necessity, in a few
years, be affected by the customs of the religious
societies with which they are brought in contact,
and will acquire greater liberality and breadth,
which will do away with many of these peculiar
traits. But for the present, it is better that they
hold on with such tenacity to Church usages and
modes of worship that have long been obsolete in
this latitude. The Scotch and-Irish emigrants
from the Provinces 'find in these churches exact
copies of the churches in which they have• been
born and brought up. The likeness which they
see in them to the Church. Of their birth, pleases
them, and attracts them. For this large and
Steadily increasing class of our growing city they
meet avant, and furnish a home, and will yet
do a great deal of good among thena.
In this account of Presbyterianism in Boston,
no allusion is made to any movement except the
one which began with Dr. Blaikie. Another
letter will give an account of Presbyterianism in
the city from its first beginning down to the year
1846. AXTELL.
THE REFORM MOVEMENT IN INDIA. I.
DEAR BROTHER MEARS :—ln previous com
munications I have spoken of our Hindu Re
flirm Party, known by different names in dif
ferent parts of India, and more particularly
of one branch of it—the Brahmo Somaj of
Bengal, which is consinntly growing in inter
est and importance. I, gave, you extracts from
the prayers and public addresses of their,aohnow
!edged leader, Baboo Keshub Chunder Sew, ful
ly recognizing the one, true God, and universal
human brotherhood, and denouncing caste, in
fant marriages and idolatry, with the courage-of
an iconoclast, and the zeal of a true Reformer.
Some time ago, the grave charge was, broil - et
against the Baboo, that he allowed his followers
to worship him. This accusation was so far y 7,
cepted as true by some good men, that they re
garded the Baboo and his party with diminished
interest, and some even abandoned all hope of
good from them. Editors took, up the matter,
and some challenged the Baboo to deny and dig- ,
prove the charge; but,, engaged in his self-im
posed labors, he kept on, with his, work, giving
no heed to this challenge. Some interpreted
this silence as a tacit admission that the accusa
tion was true, and that the Baboo was ambitious
of divine honors as a new incarnation. Others
saw in his silence the self-respect, conscious in
tegrity, magnanimity and earnest purpose of the
true Reformer, intent on his great work, and re
solved not to be turned aside by. petty : personal
calumnies. It now transpires that this was the
correct interpretation—his original accusers com
ing forward to acquit the Baboo of all blame. It,
seems, the charge originated from the use of
terms of respect applied to him by some of his
friends, which terms are also applied to God,
though in a higher and more divine sense—just
as we speak of a good man as pure minded, per-
PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1869.
feet ; just, or guileless, though implying less than
when we use the same terms in speaking of God.
Here was little ground for so grave a charge,
surely ;and yet it is in evidence by one of his
original accusers, that even these terms of respect
are distasteful to the Baboo, and he seems to
prosecute his work with a simplicity of character
and earnestness of purpose almost puritanic.
This Baboo is not to be regarded as preach
ing and laboring on a true Christian platform ;
but in undermining Hindu superstitions, and
hastening the downfall of this gigantic system of
idolatry and caste, he and his party are doing
a service for which we may well thank God and
take courage. Their number is constantly in
creasing, and conscious of growing influence and
power, they are becoming able to disregard the
remonstrances and threats of the old orthodox
party, and to furnish society and protection to
the more enlightened and bolder spirits, as they
gain courage to leave the old ranks and join this
party. A card has recently appeared in our
Bombay - papers, saying that some leading spirits
at Bangalore have.just sent a message to the Ba
boo, that some five thousand Hindus there are
wishing to desert their old faith and join his par-
ty, and begging he will come or send some of
his helpers to aid them in this movement.
The Bombay. Branch of this Reform move
ment is also showing more Jife. They have long
been preaching, but with no corresponding prac
tice. Their first practical movement is the re
marriage of a Brahman widow. Married in in
fancy, her husband died when she was about
eight years old. She is now about :seventeen.
A well-educated young Brahman, employed as
Head Master in. a.Government•High. School, en
couraged by the leaders of this Reform party, re
solved to disregard the curses of the orthodox
Brahmans, and marry this young Brahmanee.
The Bombay leaders of the Reform party cot
responded widely with kindred spirits, and se
cured the pledges of 'some hundreds of like
minded Brahma*: to favor the marriage and
continue to dine and associate with them and the
parties to be married, despite all orthodox male
dictions. The marriage brought together some
one thousand or more of this Reform party, and
the agitation it has caused in the, native commu
nity throughout all Western India, is hardly con
ceivable at your.distance. The taking of Vicks
burg in the progress of your great war of the
Rebellion, could hardly have excited either por
tion of your country more than this event has
excited the entire native community of this
Presidency. In every city, town and village of
any note, the orthodox Brahmans have gathered
in council to coy ider and devise measures of
protection from ttkis bold assault on the immem
orial usages of Hinduism. The Reform party
rejoice, and mark their sense' of the importance
of the progress achieved, not only by words of
mutual gratulation, but by more substantial gifts.
The Chief of Jamkhandi, whose estate is near us
here in this Southern Mahratta country, on hear
ing that the marriage was consummated, at once
sent aNcheck of 1000 rupees to the• bold bride
groom, and several smaller.sumdhave been given
him by others. The old orthodox party, seeming
not to think their Social penalties and excommunica-
tions potent enough, appealed to the legal power,
and brought several of the Reform leaders into
court on the charge of disturbing their assembly
when they met to excommunicate these leaders.
The charge was unsupported and thrown out of
Court. Now these Reform leaders have:obtained
summonses against several of the orthodox .lead
ers on the charge of getting up an unlawful as•
sembly for the express purpose of, inflicting pains
and penalties on respectable citizens guilty of no
crime or offense recognized in the. penal code.
The issue in the latter suitis now pending.
LETTERS FROM THE HILLS. IV.
Some years ago when Professor Mitchell's lec
tures on the outlying and popular facts of as
tronomical science bad created a general farm.e
in favor of the study, a society was formed with
this view in the Smoky City. The dense cloud
of smoke that lies between them and the stars
was no obstacle, for high above this cloud rise
the hills that form the rim of the bowl in which
Pittsburg and Allegheny are situated. On the
hills above the latter city, they chose a site for
their Obseivitory, procured some instruments,
and then made the discovery that telescopes are
not peep-shows, and that the science demands
the most exacting attention, and the largest sac
rifice of time. Their ardor cooled off so quickly
that the funds were not forthcoming to pay the
last instalments on their Observatory property,
and soon the society were over ears in debt.
The. Observatory remained as the only tangible
result of their enthusiasm, and the liberality of
some friends of the University secured it for that
institution. The building has been enlarged, the
apparatus increased, and the whole entrusted to
a gentleman who, is not lacking in enthusiasm for
his profession, but all these things have not made
it an Observatory in the proper sense of that
word. As he himself remarked, people seem to
regard astronomical instruments as a fetiche ; if
you build a house and put them in it, they think
that,the machine will work spontaneously. To
do the work of a British or Continental Obser
vatory, there are needed a good site, sufficient ap
paratus, a competent master of the science and
at least six assistants, who have nothing else
to do.
This fact is a sufficient comment on the com
placent offer of the Astronomical Professor of
the University of Chicago, who volunteers t‘) as
sist the German astronomers in making out their
new catalogue of the stars, in which every star
down to the twelfth magnitude is to be recorded,
and the smallest discrepancy in different observa
tions are to be corrected. How the zone that he
has undertaken will fare may be judged from the
facts that he is busy teaching in the University
by day, and that his only assistant is a student
from one of the classes.
Prof. Langley of the Pittsburg Observatory
was introduced to me at the University, and
kindly offered to show me what was to be seen in
his peculiar charge. About the time he fixed, I
toiled by various zigzag paths up toward the
- rounded dome that indicates the whereabouts of
an equatorial telescope, and overtook him on his
way thither by a' shorter route. I am afraid even
to put on record the exceeding kindness with
which he exhibited and explained his instruments,
lest it should bring him annoyance and intrusion
from mere curious sight-seers. But as none of
your readers are of that class, I will just say, that
nothing more could have been done to make, my
visit profitable and pleasant.
The central part of the Observatory, in which
the Equatorial is mounted, was erected by the
society to which I have referred. Since the
building became the property , of the University,
two wings have been added, in one of which is
the entrance. The first room contains the two
last invented instruments, and in some respects
the most curious.
The Chronograph is the only important as
tronomical instrument that has been invented in
America. The European Observatories are sup
plied with it by the American patentees. Its
object is to fix the exact time,--down to a very
small fraction of a second,—at which an obser
vation is taken. A , sheet of paper is spread
around a cylinder revolving once a minute. A
glass pen describes on this a helix line, by
slowly moving past the cylinder as it revolves.
By wires this pen is 'connected with a battery
and with•the ratchet wheel of an astronomical
clock. Every time a tooth of the ratchet
wheel is set free, the " connection" is 'com
pleted, a magnet on the ohronograph acts for an
instant, arid.drawa the pen , a alittle aside, making
a notch in the inky line on the paper. At the
beginning of, the clock's minute, the ratchet
wheel has no,tooth, So that a double length with
out a notch shows where the minute began. The
observer, stationed at his instrument, holds in
his hand a. little board, connected by wires with
the chronograph, with two keys, by touching
one of which, he brings the same magnet into
action, and makes a notch in the same inky line.
Counting shows exactly the minute and second
at which this notch occurs; by measurement,
the exact part of the second is ascertained also.
The great difficulty in the construction of the
instrument, was to secure the regular motion of
the cylinder, using a pendulum as a director.
The pendulum, if directly .connected with it,
would move it by jerks ; but by a very ingenious
combination ok' delicate mechanical contrivances
on the principle of the friction brake, a regular
motion is secured. .
The Spectroscope is an object of still greater
interest, and that in the Pittsburg Observatory is
one of the finest in the country. The scientific
fact on which the instrument, is based, is that
the white light of the,sun,, if passed through a
prism—say of flint glass—is broken up into the
variously colored, rays. In• a rain -storm, when
the observer stands between the shower and the
sun, the multitudes of particles of water act as
prisms, and the whole result combines to form
the rainbow. The' ray in the spectrum is just
the same in its colors and their order as is the
rainbow, only more distinct. Frauenhofer, a
German optician, observed that the spectrum, or
analyzed ray, wits crossed.by various dark lines,
in some places, a great number close together; in
others, one or two. by themselves. These li❑es
remain always the same for the sunlight, and are
as clear and straight as if drawn with a pen and
ruler, Closer examination- and comparison with
the rays of light emitted by other burning sub
stances, showed that these lines correspond to
various substances in combustion. In this way
it was ascertained that the light of the sun indi
cated the presence of sodium, magnesium, hy
drogen &0., in a state of combustion in the sun. To
illustrate this, Professor Langley brought the
two dark and heavy lines, which cross the orange
ray, and Correspond to sodium, just .between the
hair-lines tint cross thq centre: of the glass,
through which.. the spectrum is viewed. Then,
shutting off •the sunlight, he' lighted an alcoholic
lamp, on whose wick he had placed common
salt (a compound of chlorine and sodium). At
once two bright rays shone across the now dark
ened spectrum; and that just bet Ween the hair
lines,.showing -that the dark lines 7 in the• solar
spectrum' were only comparatively dark, and were
the imperfect light given out by Sodium burning
in the sun. -
R. G. WILDER
In shape the spectroscope is like an arm of
brass, bent at the elbow
.to the angle at which
light is refiacted by a prism of glass crystal.
this is expanded into a small camera obscura,
and the' light enters where the arm wpuld
join the, shoulder, and is seen at the wrist. By
turning a little screw, the various parts of th,
spectrum are made to pass before the eye, am]
are brought between the hair-lines. At nil.tht,
the instrument is unscrewed from its stand and
screwed to the telescope, for the purpose of t],.
termining the chemical elements whose combus
tion produces the light of stars, nebula., etc.
[CONTINUED IN OUR NEXT
EXEGETICAL ITEMS.
—The printers of our version have smothered
an old Saxon word in 1. Tim. ii. 9. For " Shame.
facedness " read " Shame-fastness," a word pure
ly Saxon and formed like " steadfastness." The
Saxon form is scam-fmst-nes, from sceamu—shame,
and faest—firm or fast.
—Another obsolete Saxon word in our Bibl e
is " earing," which occurs three times in the
Pentateuch with a reference to agriculture; viz.
Gen. xv. 6; Exod. xxxiv. 21; Dent. xxi. 4.
What is " earing-time ?" Most readers think of
the time when the grain begins to ripen in the car,
and in Saxon ear means the head of wheat,
while an animal's ear is ears. But this is not the
meaning of " earing-time." It comes from the
Saxon word erian—to plow, or ered—plowed.
" Earing-time " is plowing time, and " a valley
neither eared nor sown " is one that has been
'neither plowed nor sown.
—The Preacher says : " The words of the
wise [are] as goads, And as nails fastened [by]
the masters of assemblies, [which] are given
from one shepherd." The second clause of the
verse is often quoted, but what does it mean?
Did the moderator or chairman of _Hebrew as
semblies keep order by "punching heads" in
that style? Sharpe, in his Revision of the Au
thorized Version, translates it thus : "The words
of the wise are as goads, and as stakes fastened
by the owners of the flocks, when they are given
up by a shepherd." This makes better sense,
and does not bring in chairmen of meetings be
tween the ox driver's goad and the shepherd.
—" Let the elders that rule well be counted
worthy of double honor, especially they who la
bor in the word and doctrine." 1 Tim. v. 17.
This is a stock text in defence of Presbyterian
order. It divides the presbyters of the Church
into three classes, (1) elders who neither ruled
nor preached; (2) elders who ruled and did not
teach or preach; (3) elders who both ruled,
preached and taught. Everything in controver
sy. turns upon the duties of the second class.
The word" ruling" is in Greek proestos, and means
" standing forth." It occurs elsewhere, as in
Rom. xii. 8, "He that rnleth, [let him do it]
with diligence." Our translators seem to take it
as implying the management of Church business
and the administration of Church discipline. In
classic Greek-it certainly sometimes has such a
meaning, but no passage in the New Testament
fixes that sense upon it; Justin Martyr (who
died A. D. 165) in his " First Apology " de
scribes the weekly worship. of the primitive
Christians: Ile says (cap. lxvii.) : " When the
reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs
and exhorts." Again : " The President offers
prayers and thanksgivings, according to his abil
ity, and the people assent, saying Amen." Again :
" What is collected is deposited with the presi
dent, who succors the orphans and widows."
Again (cap. lxv.) " There is then brought to the
president of the brethren (Ti t ; 7rpoeo - rairf
aactiseitiv) bread and a cup of wine mixed with
water, and he taking them gives praise and glory
to the Father of the Universe, and offers thanks
at considerable length," &o. These extracts show
the true sense of proditos. He was the pre
siding officer .of a Christian assembly, while the
worship of God was celebrated, and took part.in
the instruction of the Christian people. " Let
the elders that preside well," &c., is Paul's mean
ing.
—" When ye come together, every one of you
bath a psalm, hath a doctrine," &c. 2 Cor. xiv.
26. Paul is here rebuking the disorders of the
Corinthian church. How was such disorder as
this possible ? How could , it be that " every one
had a psalm "7 -To understand this we must
lay aside for a minute our Occidental conceptions
of poetry and music. (1 ) The early Christians
had no strictly metrical, much less formal and
rhymed poetry. The poetry of the Bible has
neither metre nor, rhyme. A free and irregular
rhythm and a construction in parallelism is all
that formally distinguishes it from prose. It was
as easy to extemporize a psalm as a prayer, and
probably as common. (2.) They had no fixed
tunes, of necessity, in singing such psalms. In
deed they did not sing at all, in our sense of the
word sing. They chanted or intoned them in a
tone varying in pitch and rapidity according to
the meaning of the words. Most probably
their prayers were uttered in a tone somewhat
similar. It is not probable that either our speak
ing toner our singing tone was ever heard in
these Oriental churches. The old Scotch Covenan
ters in their delivery of sermons, and the modern
Ritualists in their prayers, preserve the fashion.
The close line drawn between prayer and praise
in the West, was not known in the East, as
every reader of the Book (or rather the Five
Books) of the Psalms must have seen. The
second of the Five Books closes with the words,
" The Prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are
ended." Prayer in Eastern worship differed
little from praise. It was thrown into the same
rythmical form, uttered in the same style of
chant, and responded to with a Hallelujah or an
Amen, by the mass of the people. We have got
farther on- in the matter of uniting all voices,
but -only be banishing the extemporary element
out of praise. Our Americans of African de
scent,. in some part of the land; still adhere to
scriptural usage, and the leader extemporizes
the hymn while the people' oin in the chorus.