M
Vrtsbgterian 'anner.
I'iTTSIBIGII,IIItBRDAT, DECEMBER E, 1861.
tartan catholitism.—our leading article,
This week, taken mainly from a paper read
at the'Taie meeting of the
.World's Evan
k
Alliance, trill be found extremely
, , Tt
IRtereeting on this subject.. It is long, but
in, , . tea this account, the more valuable.
luotations are richly instructive.
tagl,sklanguage tiberia.—Un
!der this heading we give, on our fourth
page, , a• *very interesting article, from the
lonization Hered, The-Christian phi
la'rrthrOpiSt' especially' if the intgo-Saxon
blood strongly courses his veins, must read
i; ; 0 with delight.
tie* Yeas—The first of Xanuary is near
at, hand. A renewal of subscription to the
Banne is r ia,ono . of theimportant pressing
. , .
,51.nties., Also the making of a • holiday
prdtent of the Banner to.y,our xnarrie,d'son,
or daughber,.or to yonefriered, and espe
. .e'rallY to your poor neighbor.
'.ll , e'W-'stibiciiirers are solicited.
TILE NEWS iFRO/1- ENGLIND,
We 'give' nicii4 than usual space, this
to %reign intelligoece. We do not
ward it as perfectly reliable, or, at least,
,
up . As expressmg the purposes of the Gov
o ernment. We, would await tbe -opening of
decal:Lents, by `a 'messenger just arrived,
before' spooking too PoSitively. But there
- is evidently much ill feeling toward, us
in England. There are men there who
would seize on any pretext to get up a war
against in this day of our trouble.
Alliey bate Democracy, whether it be pure,
op in the form of a Republic. They know
that it is the aristocratic sentiment of the
•Srluth,•which.his brought on the rebellion.
For: this •sentiment they have a fellow
i'epling,, and they think that now is ' the
Aime-to,give the death blow to free govern-
Ment-4hat is, to government by the peo
:pie." And especially as they feel confident
of the aid of France, they wish now to
_,
" •
There are, however, many reasons adapted
to:deter England for seeking the quarrel.
hey'wanthread from us every year, and
this year, in large quantities. We are by
Tar the best customer they have for their
tinu •
mafaetures. Our navy, and especially
, the. pr! . .vateters we could fit out, would
4 urn.their mercantile.xnarine. No nation
Aiiluld injure them as we could: And they
,
can hardly confide in LOUIS NAPOLEON.
He is' exceedingly cunninv and somewhat
Youicrupulous. He has Waterloo still to
aVinge, and naval supremacy to attain;
and a war between Great Britain' and the
llnited States would be his opportunity most
emphatically. Ile may flatter the English
till he gets them thorotighly embroiled
with us, and then find occasion against
'them. Russia also has a longing eye
toward Turkey and India, and would, re
joice to find England's full energies occu
pied in another. quarter. Then there is
the long line of border, on our North,
stretching from Nova Scotia, by New
Brunswick, the Canadas, and Westward to
the.Pacifte, every mile of which is assail
able by our troops. England, is likely to
think, twice, before she passes the irrevock:
ble decree of war.
Sill!, it becomes us to look calmly and
Wisely into the, case. If we really have
done:wrong in capturing MASON and Sra-
DELL, let us make the reparation. It is
hard.to do right under a threat. But. let
us= bear it. Justice becomes us. If, how
airer we have done no wrong, let us nerve
.eurserv'es for the conflict. There is no use
in yielding, under a show of force, to an
unjust demand. If we begin to yield, we
knoW not where the end may be.
Providence evidently has some great pur
pose to accomplish.. The American. Revo
lution did 'much for freedom and religion.
So also did the .French Revolution. And
the Revolution in Italy is doing much. But
thdre to st ll an immense amount of oppres
stop, in the world. And God hates oppres-
Oen. It may be-that he intends to use ha
inustirring up the peoples in Europe to
wierfain 'their 'appraisers, as well as to ad-
Mmie humatt'rights at home. To him -let
ithe,app eel be toade.
,; Christians *ill, under the present aspect
ofi affairs; go %15 a throne of grace with
greater, ardor, cm& under a deeper sense of
need. May the LOrd. execute his purposes
in nterey.
The lasE I Verdino. Of 411 e, opinion of the
Law-Offiaercrof the British"Orown, is thus
given: tir
f‘ It is, we qtrde,rstand, the opinion or
these jurists that the ; right of the Federal
Government, actin:kg by its officers,. was con-
Me#,p ,t 714 visiting and the searching of
the inagpacket; that if any men or things
believed to be contraband of .war had been
found, op, board,of , her, the proper scourse
was to take her into port and submit the
question. Court, which , would
hear evidence : auff-argument on both sides,
:rid
,Would decide the caee according to. pre
cedent and authorities." •
this is the real state of the ease, there
bilthen not much' to guarfel about. The
right' of search is adiiitied,- and also the
right to capture — the vessel, with all on
boaid, and to send all into port to be adju
dicated,;by our own forms 'of law. Cap
tain
,WILKEB was ••tod complaisant The
Secretary of the Navy has already intimated
that he should haye sent,in the vessel,with
,
fraiglit and ,15 . apiogers. , Then our Courts
would have had ...'ship, cargo, and contra
handl passengers, all to judge. Now only
tlia , i,littier; and but . f:iiir of them, are ba
c tnrzuw .. t .
volelit b , Cannot the =matter be the more
etudji settled ? Surely, it can, if justice and
the sttirit'ofpOace are to Preside.
rkrwd.liris d'ri'ven intet a 'War with
It Eng.
failleire ,iitititTicisecdte it wilb, vigor. .We
We
/ to ‘ 37.; , ,: pyt r=,. ,l, , = 1.,
Arpin f
robably A f ,,tu t mr 9 ti g to ,combat for
victory against Augland and "the- South
united, lte_againat4be_South. alone. We
wcI NA? , Tt i :l• 3 9#Mei iffiler , 421 °Te7i 1 P71 1 .9 , M 1 .9
niora tra nut;wc ,have, hrimanly speaking—
the 'pewer - to,Oonquetuboth, and would Ad
didssib4urifelvils to thi l 'task.' We "would
1 11,1, .. ** a -unit V. t nee I liff" .1 • I , ~, u
fight wet gwe load repel a wanton
Te.ll .' , il. '4 e ;Objee .
atlßT ll l94"P a .assv i t ky England,in suokoir
cliVihttmetea.i,, ':`; 01 r 1 114 . 1'1 i
vim. .
i r
''el/14704i derc' r -
&■ 'llf • Endan tint ,? If .
iin)7.
erwill. ©, 4., e, or .peace uv
aont . 4 wit,. ~, 'r , 0 e x iii • :Ii • , J
..8 J ' *"it * ----* 1 ' ' er3 nave r- '.,'
1." 'itig ' M* " ". :° ',TIT'
eCp 'l4O iim • eatuoßcenio
. -k,` ".13ill , a. maw , . Y.
INFLUENCE OF CIVIL AND RHLIDIOUS.,II4-
ERTY ON ROMAN CATHOLICISM IN' THE
UNITED STATES-OF AMERICA.
This is the title of a paper read at the
Conference of the Evangelical Alliance at
Geneva, Switzerland, Sept. 7th, 186], by
Rev. ROBERT BAIRD, D. D., of the United
States. The paper is published, in the
Christian World, of December, and is an
ably written and instructive document Dr.
BAIRD is one of our most industrious men.
He has devoted many years to the Evangel
ical cause, has travelled much • both in
America and Europe, is a close observer of
men and things, and is qualified for his
work by the possession of a clear head,
a warm heart, liberal lamitiments,,and en
lightened and deep,piety.
The article is quite too long for our col
urns, or we mould love to present it to our
readers. We shall try, 'by extracts and
condensation, to give them some of its most
important facts. Dr. BAIRD says :
"On the 23d day of June, 1757, was
fought the battle of, Plassy. The hero of
that battle, was ROBERT CLIVE.. The vic
tory which the troops of
,the East India
Company there achieved over Surajah Dow
lah-laid the foundation off, what became, in
less than a century;, the vast British Em
pire in India, with 175,000,000 inhabitants.
The battle referred to terminated forever
the hopes of both Mohammedanism and
Romanism for supremacy in India, and se
cured that great country as a domain for
Protestant Christianity.
" Two years later, (on the 12th day of
September, 1759,) the battle of the Heights
of Abraham, of which General WOLFE was
both the hero and the victim,, destroyed
forever the ascendency of Rome and the
Jesuits in North America, by transferring
to Great Britain the vast possessions of
France in tbeCanadas, and the great coun
try which stretches far Southward, between
the Allegheny and the Rocky Mountains.
Thus in two short years the French Crown
lost a prospective empire in the plains of
India, and an actual one in the valleys of
the' gt. Lawrence and Mississippi, which
•
combined exceeded twice the extent of Eu
, rope. This was a great loss for the son of
ST. L ;it was a greater one for the pre
tended successor of ST. PETER the Fisher
man.
" But this was not all. France ceded to
Spain the great territory of Louisiana at
the mouth of the Mississippi, by-the-same
treaty (that of Paris 17-63,). by which -she
ceded the Canadas and the Valley of the
Mississippi to England—thus giiing to that
Roman Ca.tholic..lKingdom complete do
minion on the North coast of the Gulf of
Mexico. In the year 1800 France recov
ered Louisiana, but only to sell it in 1803
to the United States.. In 1821 Spain sold
Florida to the United States; and in 1845
Texas, after having been torn from Mexico,
was annexed to the United States; and
thus the domain of, Protestantism was still
furtherenlarged. ln 1848, New. .Mexico
and the country, between it:arid:the Pacific
Ocean, including Upper California, was
added to the United -States. -These- polit
ical changes contributed immensely .to en
large the, territorial-extent of- Protestant
ism in
,North America.- With the excep- -
tion of the :Russian possessions in the
North-western corner,. and the Republic of
Mexico, and the States of ( `en tral America in
the South, Protestantism has gained terri
torial.possession of the whole of that vast
continent.
"Equally great has been the numerical in
crease of Protestantism in North America.
In the British possessions, where, in the
days of the French dominion, Romanism
had complete and undisputed' possession
of the gronnd, the Protestants are nearly
three times as numerous as the Roman
Catholics. In the United States, seven
eighths of whose area once belonged to
France and Spain, and by consequence, were
under the spiritual sway of the
,Bishop or
Rome, the most ardent partizan of the
Pope will hardly maintain that one person
in seven is a ,Rorna.ri Catholic. It would,
probably, be nearer the truth to say that
not more than the one-eighth part of the
population (now more than •31,000,000) is
to be reckoned among the adherents of the
Roman Catholic Church.
"The discoveries of JOHN and SEBASTIAN
CABOT gave to England her claim to a large
portion of the Atlantic coast of North
America; and when she , successfully com
menced the colonization of that coast in
1607, the French were in possession of the
Northern part of it, and the Spanish' the
Southern. Several of the charters which
the English monarchs gave to the colonies
planted under their auspices, affected to
give a title to the country Westward as far
as the " South Sea," or what we call the
Pacific Ocean. The colonies, even at the
outset, with one temporary exception, were
Protestaut—inchiding those from Holland
and Sweden. But when these colonies be-.
gan to push their way across the Allegheny
Mountains into the great central valley, they
found it sfudded over with French villages
and Jesuit missionaries. Du Quesne, (now
Pittsburgh) Detroit, Vincennes, St. Louis,
Kaskaskia, Natchez, New Orleans, Mobile,
were Roman Catholic settlementsas much
so as Montreal and Quebec in Canada, and
St. Augustine in Florida. But how great
the change! In Louisiana, where thell,o
man Catholic Church had great advantages,
and• where there. was not one Protestant
Church in 1803,-Protestantism has now a
vast influence, if not a complete ascendency.
Out of the original provinft or territory
that bore that name, and was :acquired
from France during the: Consulate ef NA
POLEON 1., there,have been formed no less
than five it not six large States,_ in all ex
cept one of whiaTProtestantism is the re
ligion of the majority or:the, people. In
Florida, -Texas and California, Romanism
is now an insignificant element. In only
one city or town of Pfeiportance, (that of.
New Orleans.) in all the great vallerof the .
Mississippi does the Roman Catholic Church
have a majority of the people, even in
those 'in which it - was the dominant connu-,
nion at the - comineocement of this century.:
In Maryland, which was, in an important
sense, a Roman Catholic colony, the Ro
man Catholic ascendency lasted but a little,
while. Whatever mayoha,ve been thecause
—whether it is to be sought in the political
movements .which severed the French and
Spanish colonies spoken of, from their, re
spective mother-countries, or in-the superi
or qualifications of the: Teutonic or Saxon
race over the Latin for colonization, or -the
divine, energy of the. Gospel, -which Prot
estantism carries with it, or all these com
bined—certain it is, that Romanism has no
where held its own when brought into COB
tact with Protestantism in that part of .
North America which'now constitutes Brit
ish America and United Stite."
thes ,
The paper then proceeds to state, that, the
,
Constitution and laws or the United States
guarantee every rational right, and 'entire
liberty equally to Protestant and Roman
Catholic, to Jew and every other
ioaiiit
- li'then . notes as one effect of thisperfect
religious liherty,upon Alm minds of Roman
Catholics, that they are induced to affirm,
then. ADMIaATION 4:4' the great and,distinc
live characteristic of our i inOtittitions.
other .e(eot is,' that it leads them 'to enter
tain ,very, *root, views Tot', the
,uoreasona,
Oennsa t 'Wickedness , oft PERSEcuirnost
for tinusakejof Ithirdteffeet
,that”actherents.ofoerßonian'Catholferi3lig
tonofrinm wleatim*colluittiytifeyitir
grate, altiost invariably, attach sthemselves
to that POLITICAL party which.is considered
most favorable to the largest political lib
erty. The influence of civil and religious
liberty upon Romanists is seen also in the
desire which speedily springs up, after
their arrival in the States, to have their
children EDUCATED • and in their patron
izing of the NEWSPAPER press; and in
their growing dislike to the CONFESSIONAL;
and in their diminished reverence for the
MASS and ABSOLUTION; and in their toler
ance of MIXED marriages; and in the wan
ing power of the Hums over the people.
All these points are elucidated by Dr.
BAIRD, and proved in a manner most con
vincing. We can well conceive, as we
were informed by a. gentleman who was
present, that the reading of the paper was
a rich treat to the Geneva conference; and
even to us, to whom the facts are not new,
for we had had occnlar demonstration of the
truthfulness of what is said, their con
templation, as presented, affords new pleas
ure. God is working for the conversion of
Romarti.sts, as well as for the downfidl of
Romanism. Under the light of education,
and the- freedom of inquiry, and the lib
erty of choice and conduct, in our happy
land, ten Romanists embrace Protestantism
for every Protestant who' leaves ,an Evan
geli,cal Church to unite with the Papacy.
Dr. BAIRD'S paper concludes with the
following comprehensive and cheering state
merits:
The sum of what may be, said on this
subject is this: That although the. Roman
Catholic Church in the United States has
changed none of her dogmas, (.which,.in
deed, could not be expected from a' Church
that professes to be infallible,) the Roman
Catholic religion wears some aspects that are
in some measure peculiar to that country.
We will specify a few. She is compelled
to be, or profess to be, the friend of tolera
tion, and even of Religious Liberty. Some
Of her organs and, advocate.s have been even
clamorous, to, an extent that is suspicious,
on the sulkjP.ct. She has been forced to be
the friend of popular,•even of Republican,
institutions, and some of her priests have
even had the qourage, to mention that Rome
has alwaysand everywhere been the advocate
of both civil and political liberty, and that
she has ever professed friendship for popular
education, (though with some reserve,) and
for the freedom of the press l In all these
respects the language of some of her
friends forms a striking'contrast with the
utterances of the Bishops of France, Aus
tria, Italy, Mexico and South America.
On these subjects her intelligent laymen
are far 'in advance of the clergy, and yet
there are few of the latter who do not in
reality feel the influence of the political
and religious atmosphere by which they
are surrounded. .
"'Still more : • the Roman Catholics in
the United States are daily, and in many
ways, affected by influences Silent as the
dews Of heaven, but still powerful. Their
children go with Protestant children to the
same Public Schools in many places; in
many cases their children attend the Pro
testant Sabbath Schools; their puns, men
are to be found in the same workshop or.
factory with Protestant young men; •and
share in discussions which often have a
most - decided influence on the peculiarities
of their Church.; their. young men often be=
lobg to the same, fire companies, the same
military companies, often attend the saline
Temperance Societies and political meet
ings with Protestant youngmen. The pres
,ent war is having a wondertideffeat in bring-'
ing them into contact with Protestant sol
diers, Protestant . chaplains,. Protestant
prayer-meetings in the. camp, Protestant
tracts and the New Testament.
"In many respects - Romanism with us
wears a considerable resemblance to Pro
testantism. Its more repugnant features
are concealed as much as possible. The
infamous things in the past history of the
Roman Catholic Church are plausibly ex
plained away or denied. It is felt that, the
less said about the' atrocities of' Rome- in
ages gone by—such as the persecutions or
the Albigenses and Waldenses, the Hugue
nots in France, the Protestants in Flan
ders, in Hungary, in Poland, and the
events in England in the reign of BiboDY
MARY, or even about the sale •of indul
gences, the better. No priest with us
would dare to boast of infamous conduct
among the female members, of his parish,
as is reported of some in Ireland. in Cuba,
in Mexico, in South America. If a priest
becomes openly a drunkard, or a bad man
in any way,'he is not ''allowed to remain
long in 'the same parish. He is' sent to
some distant part of the country, or to
Canada, or back to• Europe, if net, deposed.
";As in other Protestant' countries, the
Roman Catholic Church in the United
States is a far better Church—exerts a far
better influence on the community—than it
does in countries where it has the ground
; to itself. <lt does incomparably More for
the elevation of its people and their moral
instruction, than in any . papal country
' with which we have any acquaintance.
The Roman Catholic Church in Lower
Canada, in '
Hayti in Mexico, Central
America and South America, will• not be
gin to compare with .that of the United
States. With us, the clergy of Rome must
be able 'to do something more than bap
tize children, confess the living, 'and say
masses for the. dead. They must preach;
and preach a. good deal, and preach respec
tably, if they would retain their hold oil
,their people, and especially their young .
,men. They must treat their peciple
the respect due to manhood ; if the3r would
even s maintain their present . position,
;which, in many respects, is far, from being
ta , ell-assured. Rome is, in Some sense, on.
flier good beha,vior with us. But she' acts,
in the main prudently.; Occasionally an
ambitious prelate or .43, blatant, editor , does
.e says indiscreet things. Her most know
ing' bishops—bishops that most clearly
.comprehend the demands of the times—are
very anxious to have a better, educated class
priests. The greater, part of those, who
, ounie from Europe are, farfrom, being what
the country needs.. Even ,Maynooth fails
.supply a priesthood that is exactly what
the United States dernantL,
44 With the liberal and just course ,of
the Government the, ,Itomanists in ,the
ThtitedStates are sincerely content... They
kave no ground of cemplaint = they make
;nose. In the struggle, of the Revolution
0.775—'88) they stood shoulder to shoulder
with the Protestants.. CHARLES CARROLL,
of a 417011t00, was as earnest, and, • honest a
,patriot as JOHN 'ADAMS, and sincerely -re-
Apocted as such. The present Chief Jus-.
tice•of the United States (Mr. TANEY,) has
mever,given+a decision, that, can, he charged
with. a bias, even the slightest toward Ro
atualism, although he was;born and brought
~np in that, faith
.and,, adheres. to-it still.
Re and his predecOsor, - "tlie
Stine MIRSEALL, have held, that high office
4flaring
.more than three-fourths of the pe
tTiod that • has clap - bed sincett,tke Govern
ment, under the present Constitution, has
wasted. Al this moment not, a`.. s pfew of the
ablest officers, in the ! civil
,go,vesnment as
well as in the army and navy, are -Roman.;
Catholics.
r , T.A I
~•!;;
"That civil' era religion§ lib p ertyin the
ThlitedPStates-liii other' words, its ,
;and ,
'institutions and the influ
ences which' they nreate ir -should 'gfeatjy,
*Ugh Rilently,'affeWit e orclan: Ckthc4iciirn
cointry 'thay'readily.'lie`helievee
The aiubst ignnrant and `degratlod, as `well a's
CeMis'
to ourshores from 'lreland, from Belgium,
from ,Germany„ from Italy, feels that be
breathes another atmosphere,,if one may so
speak, when he comes among us. A mer
chant in the City of New-York had occa
sion not long since to take into his employ
ment a poor Irish laborer, who had not
been three months in the country. A few
days afterwards,' the - Irishman came to him
and begged, as a favor, that he would write
a letter for him to his kinsfolk in Ireland.
But can you not write ?' said the mer
chant. No; your riv'rence, I cannot?
Well,' said the merchant, 'come 'to me in
an hour or two, and I will write your let
ter! He came at the appointed time, and
the merchant wrote, as he dictated, an ac
count of his voyage from. Ireland to
America, his subsequent adventures, and
his
,present prospects. When he had got
ten 'through he said,.' And have you,any
thing more to say, Patrick?' 'No, sir,' was
his reply. But bethinking himself a mo
ment, he said, 'Yes, tell them one thing
more And what Is it Patrick?' said
the merchant. 'Tell them, sir, that in this
happy country no praist can domineer over
them, as in ould Shall I tell
them that ?' ' Yea, tell, them that.'
"The Roinanists sometimes, hut not
very often, boast of conversions in the
United States. That there are such con
versions is denied by no one. Occasionally
a popular female school, at the head of
which is a fetnale Jesuit, serves to prose
lyte youth, belonging to' families of dis
' tinction, to Rome. A few Protestant min
isters, 'chiefly of the Protestant Episcopal
Church, have gone over to the Roman
Catholic Church, anethere have been also
some cases of return. 'But as the Episco
pal Church with us has a , well-iristructed
ministry, among which'-the Traetarian or
PuSeyistic `element-never ,has been great,
such' defections have borne no comparison
.with .what has occurred 'in England. Take
the' country as a whole, all well-informed
-men will admit that if it were not for the
continued, and large immigration from
Europe, the Roman, Catholic Church, in
the United States, could not possibly hold.
her own One of her'journals, (published.
in Philadelphia,) a few years ago; admitted.
frankly, 'that for every convert Rome
makes in' America, she loses ten.' 'This, is
a dreadful country for our Church,' said an
Irish woman, to the writer, not long since.
On What account?' we asked. Only
think,' said, she, my two brothers came
over from Ireland., good Catholics, but now:
they will not set their foot in a Catholic
church!
"That the Roman Catholic Church in
the United States has lost many of those
who were born within
,her pale is affirmed
by her own authorities. Two, and only :
two, will we cite: The first is the late
Bishop ENGLAND, of Charleston, South.
Carolina. That distinguished prelate, in
to the Leopold Society, of Vienna,
nearly thirty years ago, states that in his
diocese alone, Rome had lost fifty thousand
souls I But we shall give the testimony of
a more recent witness, In the Autumn of
1851, we Made a voyage from Liverpool to
New-York, in the same steamship, the Pa
cific, which carried Father MULLEN, a very
agreeable and intelligent Irish priest, who
was sent to America, to collect funds Tor
the then projected Roman Catholic. Uni
versity, at Thurles, in Ireland. Father
MULLEN travelled extensively in the
United States, and six months after his ar
rival at New-Yerk, he wrote from New-Or
leans, to friends in Ireland, stating that,
Trom all he was able to.learn, he was of the
opinion that Rome had lost not less than
two millions of her children by the great
falling away,' as he called it! He fur
ther said that several of the bishops had
begged him to write to 'the friends' in
Ireland, to keep the people from coming to
America, if they did not wish to see them
lose their souls. The estimate of Rome's
loss by the falling away,' to which Father
14711.LLEN refers, may have been excessive.
Nevertheless,we are' quite Sure that there
is a great falling away.
"Nor can we doubt that if the Roman
Catholic people in the United States con
tinue to be treated with kindness, their
rights .duly maintained, their conscien
tious convictions properly respected, and
the Gospel presented to them clearly,
prudently, and in the spirit of .Chrisitan
love, Protestanisru in that land can have
nothing to fear in the future."
CIIIIRCII AT SEWICKLEY.
On Sabbath, December 15th, the new.
Presbyterian church at. Sewickley, near
Pittsburgh, was dedicated to the service of
God. The solemnities •of the occasion
were conducted by the pastor, Rev. JAMES
ALLISON, assisted by Rev. Dr. JAWED'S,
Rev. Prof. WiLsoN, and Rev. Dr. PAX
TON. A very large congregation , were in
attendance, incliiding many members
sister churche The day was one of deep'
interest to .the People. It, cannot bUt be
had in long and pleasant remembrance.
The edifice is a handsome stone -struc
ture, cruciform, in the Rustic Gothic style
of architecture, one hundied feet in ,ei
tretne length,
,the transept being fifty feet
by sixty-four, and the nave forty-two feet
by forty-nine. It will furnish sittings for
seven hundred persons. The cost was
$15,000; The building_ is well propor
tioned, the finish, is neat, and everything is
in exquisite taste.
Sewickley congregation was organized in
1837 The only predecessor of Mr.
present pastor, was Rev. D.
F.ZTEviiv,., Mr. NEVIN resigned, some
.years,ago, on account, of ill-health, but still
lives to enjoy the prosperity of his former
cherialied charge. The number of commu
nicants at' this time - is 'two hundred and
forty. . „
,Sewickleyville is one of the thriving
suburbs of Pittiburgh, distant twelve miles
by railroad, and having access to the'city
by five .accommodation trains daily. The
situation is delightful a nd the society at
Dr. Jitodous preached in the morning,
selecting for his subject that prevalent and
intense deslre of God's children, which,
-beim/net grAtifted, every other, joy. suffers
—a HoatE—A place where to meet with
God in reverential, but familiar and sweet
communion. "'One thing have I desired
of the Lord,. that will! seek :after; that 1 -
may dwell in the,house ,of the Lord all the
days, of my life, to behold the beauty of the
Lord, and tei , inquire in his temple."
A home Yes, a' home, a dwellino
plapp and the Father there, and the
family there; free from all ill will, all pas
'aim], all= strife, all suspicion ;..free . from
everything whioh dani' annoy! And td .
abide there always with God's s love shed
labroad, - in the the light of the Di=
'vine-countenance irradiating the.soul; the
mind ever inqiiiringlor Divine knowledge;
;and alWays receiving- instruction: EaCh
!happy One 'hebbldiukit,b'e beauty of the,
:Lord I pow intense jpyl It is a
foretaste of heavat; ,an earnest. of-the
lieritance. -Thris reception' in the - outer
court; where everything:is mado ready for
an entrance to the inner and Upper inan.
Gedrs'peOpleean never do without
n cirtirat Rai n cif ddd - It
their delightfiil home. Jesus is ever
there, and there they'abide.
Professor WILSON, in the afternoon, in
vited the congregation to take a look at the
Church; not the buildings in which the
people worship, but at the true and real
Church of God, and especially at the Pres
byterian department: " Walk about Zion,
and go round about her; tell the towers
thereof. _Mark ye well her bulwarks, con
sider her palaces."
The preacher set out at once with Pres
byterianism—the Divine sovereignty. God
rules. This is the fundamental DOCTRINE
—emphatically the great truth of the sys
tern. Other doctrines flow therefrom and.
depend thereon. Calvinism is older than
CALVIN. The great AUGUSTINE preached
it and wrote it. It is Pauline. The Apos
tle promulgated it It is even older than_
Mons. We haVe it in the call of ABRA
HAM, and the choice of eTACOB. There
you behold sovereignty, election, the exe
cution of a. purpose foreordained. And a
firm-belief in foreordination does not para
lyze, nor . render reckless. Who so zealous
as PAUL, so laborious as AUCMSTINE, so
energetic-as.CALVIN ? MonAmmED,
CROMWELL, and .N2vroLEoN, were the three
great conquerors, and each of them a most
firm predestinarian ; two of them not so on
on. Christian principles, but all show that
the doctrine does not deter from the most
strenuous exertions to attain a desired end.
And the Church has a LIFE; and this
life is vigorous n Presby teri an ism—in Cal
viniSm. Trace the Church's history, noting
times of general declension, and but topi
cal life, and you find that life just where
Calvinism—Presbyterianism—has an exist
ence ; on the coast of Africa, during the
fifth century ; among the Waldenses, during
the dark ages; in the Romish Church,
among the Jansenists ; then the Reformers,
Huss, ZWINOLE, LUTHER ; MELANC - THON,
CALVIN, JO/IN KNOX ; and the other
worthies: , And in still more modern times,
see how Calvinists preach to the people,
and build churches, and send out mission
aries, and establish Colleges, Academies,
and Seminaries—in every place they are
the patrons of education,. from , the speller
and the catechism up to the highest walks
of literature, science, philosophy, and the
ology.
Presbyterianism has a life in social
affairs. The freedom of America, our
representative system, our self-government;
and much also of the liberty of England;
may be traced directly to Geneva and the
theological school of CALVIN. ; And espe
cially has Presbyterianism an inward life
—a life which is hid-with Christ in God.
Its security and its fountain are the same,
and it shows itself in leading its possessor
to purify himself even as, that fountain is
pure.
The DISCIPLINE of the Presbyterian
Church, in the parity of her ministers, in
her care for the uprightness of her people,
and the security of the rights of her entire
membership, - will also be noted as beautiful
features,' by him who will take a walk about
Zion, tell her towers, and ; mark her bul
warks.
Dr. PAxxoN led, the evening service.
-He read- the history of our Saviour's up
' prehension, and of hiS trial befbre PONTIUS
PILATE. PILATE'S embarrassment when
he" anxiously inquired of the people,
" What shall I do then with Jesus which is
called Christ 1" furnished the theme for
the discourse. Jesus was in PILATE'S
hand, and PILATE must act in the case.
He examined him and was convinced of
his innocence. He should, then hence
have released him ; but he wished to please
the - ,people. He thought to escape respon-,
sibility by sending shim 'to HEROD, but
HErton returned him. He then tried a
compromise; he, would scourge him, and .
let him go. But this would not satisfy the
Jews_ Then he would release him instead,
of BARRABDAS; but the Jews would not
permit this. must act directly—must
condemn or acquit. Alas,' for his course,
.whett he crucified Jesus.
But this is not merely a history of facts.
It is an instructive lesson—a solemn ad
monition and warning to us.
,Jesus, by the
:preaching of his Gospel and the tender of
himself to us, is now in our hands. We
must accept. or reject—must take him as
our Lord, or crucify him afresh. There is
no evading th'e responsibility. In the one
ease. our, ruin is irremediable and utter;,
the other case, we secure a Friend, a Sa
viour, and joys immortal. •
The immense congregation 'present, and
the contemplated celebration of the Sacr
amental Supper on the next. Lord's day,
gave the speaker a fine opportunity, which
was earnestly improved, of impressing upon
the understanding and the heart, the
i sol
emn nquiry, " What shall I do then with
Jesus which is called. Christ ?" •
The congregation of Sewickley - h a i e
done well in building for themselves, their
children, their neighbors,, and immigrants
to their happy circle, a large, tasteful, and
substantial church. They have, unhappily,
some , debt, which it will be their wisdom
'speedily to extinguish. They have many
seats beyond What" their present families
can fill. They can hence proclaim aloud :
Came, there is room. But they must do
more than give the invitation by the herald.
They must go personally into the streets
and lanes: must search out the poor find
thoughtless, and, by the sweet but power
fully effective means entrusted to -them,
'.compel them to come in."
Holiday Presents are highly esteemed.
Their influence on the youthful mind, and
even on the adult, is not easily measured.
They should possess an intrinsic value—an
adaptation to permanent moraland spiritual
benefit. At the Presbyterian Rooms, Hand
Street, Pittsburgh, books suitable for pres
ents may he Obtained. See advertisenient.
ne Board of Missioas having determined
to 4iscontinne collecting agencies, request
all contributions. in the'bounds of the late
Pitttburgli'Ageney, to be forviarded direct
to the offiee, 910' Arch Street, Philadelphia.
ECC,I,ESIASTICAL
Rey. J. )1. JorqEs' Post Office address is
changed fronv Walbott, to Dayton
P. He 'takes Charge of the Glade - Run
Acadeihy at thatplace.
JouN J. Po miioY, a licentiate. of the
Presbytery", of Carlisle,, was ordained on
the '.447th"of November, by the Preshy..
tery of LeWeS, and installed pastor of the
Pre i sE3itei* ,Ohureh .at Doyer, Dela
. ware.
1 - 11
Mr. ROBERT BEEu, late of the Western
Theological Seminary has taken charge
of the Church at Beloit, Wisconsin.
Rev. DAVID TULLY has accepted the chap
laincy of the Seventy-seventh regiment
of New-York volunteers.
Rev. I. N. SHEPECA.RD, of Marion, Ohio,
has accepted a all from the church at
Muncie, Indiana. •
Rev; P. R. CAMPBELL, of Wintersvime,
Ohio, has received a call-from the church
of St. Clairsville, Ohio.
Rev. J. T. SMITH, D.D. of Danville, Ken
tucky, has been called to take charge of
a new church, in Baltimore, Maryland.
EASTERN SUMMY• :
BOSTON - AND NEFF-E'NGLAND
A BOSTON PAPER says :---" We learn of
the sale of a small quantity of cotton in
this city at thirty-three cents a pound.
Manufactured cotton goods, of the coarse
grades; are sold by the quantity, at the rate
of about forty-three cents a pound.
THE'. FISHING SEASON, at Gloucester,
has now closed, and the four hundred ves
sels that have been employed since last
February, are now quietly- moored at their
harbor. Many vessels have been loat the
present season, quite a number, with all on
board. The present year has been a very
hard one for Gloucester, probably the most
disastrous for many years, as the prices for
fish have ruled so low that even large fares
of from three hundred. to four hundred
barrels would hardly pay the vessels' bills.
But still the people of Gloucester , are not
discouraged, but will pursue the business
another year with their usual energy.
PEbPLE OF VERMONT have learned
with deep regret that Rev. Calvin Pease,
D.D., deems it his duty to resign the Presi
dency' pf the Vermont University, and ac
cept the pastorate of a Presbyterian church
in Itoehester,,New-York. For, the last five
years his ripe scholarship and rare execu
tive ability, have adorned and strengthened
the University, and it will 'he no easy mat
ter to supply, the place which he leaves va
cant. He: has also been a member of the
Board of Education, from .the Commence
ment of;its existence, and hasrendered im
portant services to the cause of common
schools. To lose such a, man is no small
loss to Vermont, drained as she already has
been of so many of her ablest men, to sup
ply the demand of other and 6 wealthier
States.
NEW-YORE.
There are now in , operation in, this - city
forty-two PUBLIC EVENING , SCHOOLS,
about half of which are for males, and the
remainder. for females. The ' number of
teachers employed is four hundred, ehiefty
selected from those engaged in the day
schools, who, by enlarging the sphere of
their duties in this way, receive' a `slight
addition in'salary. The "local boards, of
school officers " nominate the ,night,teach
ers.'
The evening schools, as a whole, areyex
,
cellent institutions, and are doing a - good
work—affording to persons of all agesand
nationalities the full benefits of gratuitous
elementary education. They are generally
well' attended, and the teachers, with few
exceptions, are capable and earnest'.
THE COMMISSIONERS OF Emu:m.4mo
have issued a bound volume •of their An
nual reports, from the organization of the
commission in 1847, together with 'much
additional valuable, information concerning
their business, prepared by Mr. , Bernard
Casserly. It appears from this work that,
from the sth cat May, 1847, to, the correS
pending date, 1860, two Millions six hun
dred and' seienty-one thousand; eight bun
dred. and nineteen emigrants _reached New.
York from .foreign countries..; We give .a
. -
table of the number from-each nation con
'tributing, to our population:
Ireland, 1,107,084 Germany, 979,57.
I England, 215,625 Scotlanik 71,835
1 - France„ 57;591 Switzerland,..... 43.625
Holland, 19,635 Wales, ' 17,276
Norway, 13,793 Sweden, 11,547
Italy, 7,474 Belgium, 4,769
Spain ' 4,537 Denmark,— ..... . 3,346
West Indies,- 4,402 Poland, " 2,406
Sardinia, 2,199= South Anierica„ 1,376
Portugal, 1;173 Nova Scotia...... 804
Ru55ia,......,,,511 Canada, . 438
Mexico, 324-Sicily,,' 276
China, 200 East Indies 133
Unknown,._ 95 Greece, 55
Turkey, 54`. Arabia,: - 8
, -
The year 1854 brought the lar,gest nuth
ber of people, the, grano. l total for that year
being 319,223.
Since the establishment of this Commis
sion, not less than 53,911 patients 'have
been treated , at, the' Marine Hospital. Of
the diseases, 33,703 cases were contagious,
and ?0,216 not • and 8,319 deaths occurred
at the hospital.. It, abo.uld ; be stated how
ever, that over 35,000 of the cases came
from the city. At Wald'a Isl.nd
grant Refuge there were 101,325 admis-
Sions, 11;953 deaths. , . .
The avowed destinatton of emigrants
Shows a c;reat preference Isar New-York
first,'Pennsylvania next, and the Western
States, after these two:: Since 1855 i naless
than 3,491 passed through New-York for
THE AgERICAN TRACT SOCIETY hasijust
received two, donations of $l,OOO each. One
of these 'Was' anonymous, '" for
tracts and small book's for the use s of` the
army and navy of the Vnited,States s ;" the
other, from a long Friend : friend, one-half
for the army and navy, and - the Other 'half
for the general purposes of the'SoCietY.' If
all 'the friends of the Society would vci ve
according t o their ,ability,,,,it
i iivOuld soon
give a new impulse to the Society. , •
THE Christian• Intelligencer gives the
following significant thrust at the Rev. N.
L. Rice, D.D.:
Dr. Rice, on Sabbathevening last,preach
ed a .sertnon in behalf of the Tract cause.
Re could not havoF heard, we guess', of : the
political embroylio into which the Tract So
ciety was once coaxed by Bro:-Reecher,and
sundry - Boston: , notion people, else: heiWould
have ,been, obliged, ~ o n, his owe pr T,elpips,
to forego, the, advocacy of. the. intotti4Xcel
lances of the , Tract Society: h
PH I LADEL.PHL4 9 1
iik
THE 141 r.: .pR.
at :present officiating at the „Presbyterian
Theological Seminary in Phllailelphia, .fell
in' the street on Thuriday;ihe''sth'initi
brewing thj his left :arm. He wag tie
residence of
m. pßopAr Ai,
eared, for. ;-, - ':I
T$E REP J4llEs S BAD was
tuesclak. evening
zastor of 'the
Fifteenth Street Presbyierian citirdN''cor
ner of Lonibard,antt PifteenthlStreets.,,,,
THE REV:Hui ALi)-•ViAiti&lik,
tnerly . pastor of the Ninth Presbyt er ;,,
chiiroh, died in this city on the 60 1
from constitutional decay.
New-York Correspondence.
NEw-Yogi, December 6. ISni
MESSRS. EDITORS :—Our mun icipal
tion, has resulted in the defeat of the av r. ,
demagogue who appointed a thank
day with 'the impudent assertion that th e :
was " nothing to be thankful for," an d Ict.
closed the present canvas by a speech
Sunday Beer Garden, against the Sahl, t •
and all Sunday and Excise laws. A
versal feeling of relief is felt that w e „ r ,
freed at last of an incubus we seemed ,i,..
tined to carry indefinitely, because of t! ,,,
divided opposition to his rule. The friend;
o f the Christian Sabbath and of social or
der, especially, congratulate themselv es ~,
a result which betokens a resuscitated se l f.
respect, and the ascendency of right run..
ciple , over unscrupulous political intri 4zu .
The dram-shop . interest has also receiv e ;
a stunning blow-in the result of this e l,„
tion. Its vote was concentrated on the
dc
~feated candidates, and its power in our pi t y
government can be .much checked by t hj,
31ayor-elect, with the increased power o ur
Legislature are likely to place in his hand: .
I.t, also suffered by the presentment of t h e
Grand Jury, last , week, of over nine tho u .
thousand unlicensed dram shops as nti i,
-settees, and the exposures of the inefficien t;
of officersY of the law in suppressing t h' e
known cause of a large part of the p auper.
istu, taxation and crime with which tb,
city is -burdened. One of the most
lar results otthe Presentment is a move
ment it has prompted on the part of th e
decent Theatre proprietors, to extermin ate
the vile " ConcertnSaloons," justly char.
acterized ,by the Grand jury as t. extern.
porised brothels." <Y A law for this purpo se
has already :been framed, and is to h e
pressed by the Theatre men themselve s .
The unquestionable signs of improve.
went in the moral - condition of this city
cannot fail-to interest 4,,m0d men in other
parts of this country. - They are many and
incontrovertible. Thelawless youth, whos e
drift - toward.rowdyism• - or - crime awakened
the greatest : . alarm= lour or five years re,
have been brought; into subjection to law,
Sunday and week-day crime has greatly di
minished, and public-order is rarely inter
rupted. Notwithstanding - the excitement
of the war,rand its anticipated social evils,
it may: be, doubted /whether this city has
been more -free , from•distrirbanees of the
peace and other infractionwof the laws, fo r
a quarter of a century: The authorities,
encouraged .and suPported by the orderly
daises and by the respectable press, are
getting the upper-hand of crime, and with
reasonable attention to public affairs, our
city: may be redeemed from its humiliatin , -
degeneracy in polities and morals.
One of the mnst cheering•lndications of
a- sanctified improvement the present
unhappy War, is.found - in ,the liberal devo
tion of wealthy- not only, to the support of
the• Government, =but-to Charitable uses.
It is not "a small thinwthat nearly seventy
millions of;dollars should-have been sub
scribed to the popular! loan . • But it is a
greater thing that a single appeal for the
:suffering ,•North. Carolinians "at Hatteras
should have realised some $lO,OOO, with a
readiness'to' give ten tittles as much, if
needed. And this is' but one of a hun
dred 'claints'''made ; on the' beneVolence of
'our citizens.' Ihappento know that a sin-
Ve firm - placed forty thousand dollars in
Bank last week, exclusively- for charitable
objects ;:and that -inch of the amount,
-perhaps already begun its manifold
M a e ll r 4 - in -O s f ten e c h e r - ra iii tia t n hi n b e n u: e ll e otled l g n e ,ana
single merchant has consecrated at least
4550;0b0 to "a
,'favorite educational project,
Connected with missions` abroad. In yet
recently e a n t i l e y a
a nrer th tt,co " oo 6' 'E to k6 th eu e l Tre li as a u v r e y
ding
charity. These are; ii3died ; extreme id
stances ;- butlliereire others that indicate
the general drift of ientiment in favor of
the wise' use of `accumulated wealth for the
good ofthe race`.“ Our religious institu
tions bay-find:fillet what Seemed to them a
crushing' - calamity, will, by G od's•
provi-
May recall the fact; that it was
dence•and grace, eventuate in rich blus
h;
i n r sl atgeevsriBt.;,Ch:N;;:ihni
of
px filled
atrnet
thiaiidricsotthraemoasdenisciieasi
dis
aster.
not the 1836 year of speculation and ex
tanity.l.;!7: yours:, Ksrox
oppor-
PERSONAL.
Col. Wigfali and 2 Judge Oldhamlave been
elected Senators from the State of Texas to
the Confederate Congress. - ;
11rs. Mu C. Breckinrufge is said to be
holding receptions in Baltimore. A, party
was lately given, in her honor, at which all
the ladies wore badges of - red - and-white rib
bon, and ithe cakei was frosted with the same
colors. She is
,re,p2qesentekas the centre of
the female secession element of Baltimore.
ir.lo 1°
cl e m L an li d ar t lr it " F li o r r ° t w Y ll' ic t k il e e nc;, °ffl is ee a r in nati e v h e ie o f f
New-Jersey, an& is from sixty t to seventy
years of age.
_lle wa,s admitte.d as a cadet
at West Point, in the year 1814, and when
appointed, to the army stood sixth in his
class. Hewes breveted,Second Lieutenant
in the Light Artillery corps on, the 24th of
July, 1818, and was made full Seeond Lieu
tenant of the Fourth Artillery, in August,
1821; before the month was out was pro
moted to a First Lieutenantcy, and in Sep
tember, of the same year, was , appointed
an Assistant Commissary •of ,Subsistence
During the years 182 4 , 4nd , 1825, be was
aid-de-camp ; to Major:Ganeral Brown, and
from May, q 1826 to February,, 1829, was
Asetepant Quartermaster in_ the , army. In
August, 183 1, Aeiwas,lbretieted fCaptain for
ten years' faithful services in the army of
the United States, and in April, 1835, was
promoted to a full Captaincy ff , ' From Sep
tember, 18.36 4 ±0, September, 1837, he acted
as Lieutenant-Colopel, o f the Mounted Creek
Yolunteers, ip tlie Florida war, and was
breveted Majorof the United States army,
for , ,liise.,gallant conduct
_on
,several occa
sions, and general efficiency in the war
against the Florida bi,dians, his commis
sion hearing
,date .govember 21, 1836.
He was distinguished iii l the battle of Mon
terey; was acting Major of
,histregiment in
1847; was breveted a,Lieutenant-Colonel
for gallant and, meritorious conduct in the
battled of, Contreras .and •Cherusbusco, his
commission elatin g from August 20, 18-17,
and.; Was furthe`i breveted a olonel for oal-
NIA conduct at the gate of Belen. This
last brevet dates from September 13, 1847
On, the 9th. day - oEl4olla q , 1851. he was
appointed,full Major, of the Second Artil
lery, which conithission he held at the
breaking ont of the presmit troubles. On
the 14th of 'May, 1861, he was promoted
from the breVet Colonelcy to the full Colo
neley of the new l Aitilleiy Regiment, the
Fifth Artillery, ivliieh rank he still holds,
Garrett Davis, wh o l as
the Legislature of Nntnelty to fill the
place inthe, United States Senate lately
,by:hy. the,occupiedbeen elected by
ridge,
is
one exielled traitor Breekin
of the ablest public men in
Kentnek.Y. 4 1 1 4 ,' . lO a native of that State,
fil th t e Y b e a i r g , li a t- nd l: av e y 44'
Ilion and lins.acquired great distinction at ,
Bolirbon tfrict lucrative practice. Il'
was a RepreileitatArd in tongress from the
alawyer by profet-
Yeare, 1839iion ' l.7Tl4 e 7 ll , tuc H kY is ' f r o e r sid e e ig nt
is Paris ? 'the coul4 seat of Bourbon, one
of the ivealthiest "bttie grass " counties in
the State. When he left the public ser
vice, soli& had,be riseit as a forensic d
batvr atid skillfurParliamentary tactioiaol
For the rresbytetiaa r, a „