VrtshOrian Xininta.
til i tB'll l olKlN, SiVIRLDAY, JANUARY 18, '1862.
litstbflAion 'bf Dr. Jacobas.-1 1 / 4 his oc
%burred, 'as appointed, on Tuesday evening.
Rev. Dr, 1 - Rl4/ARD, in absence - of - Dr. Er,
wont, *cached the sermon Mid delivered
the Adige to 'the pastor; Rev. Mr. LEA de-
Ilivered the Charge to the people. The
%church was 'crowded, and a close attention
was given to the exercises. The prospects
.of the congregation are very fair.
Bow , They .ho ; Things in Chicago.—The
Wabash Avenue Methodist church in Chi
cago, is One of the most elegant churches
belonging to that denomination in this.
'countr,y. Like some other churches it:had
a heavy debt resting upon it. nut on the
fourth:Sabbath of last month, after a ser
mon by 'tamp. SimpsoN, the Congregation
in a few minutes wiped out the entire float
ing debt, amounting to the sum of-$25,000 I
!The moral to be drawn from this is, that
'there are but few churches so encumbered
with debt as to, be unable to tree themselves
'by a united effort.
Our European Correspondent, this week,
almost excels himself. His remarks on the
death of the Prince Consort, and relative
to the Queen and the Royal family, are pa
triotic, emotional, and evangelical. His no
tice of the views and feelings of the Chris
tian,
middle classes of England, who depre
cate a war with the United States, will be
read with deep interest, and will tend to
soothe the excited emotions of our people.
The London Times, and other party politi
cal journals, are no more the.people of Eng
land, than the New-York Herald, Tribune,
<iv., are;the people of the United States.
There is an aristocracy in England which
hates our Democratic institutions; and
there is a radical party in this country
which is equally hostile to the ruling class
in England. But the substantial masses—
the Christian people—of both countries,
desire to live in love and peace.
An Educational Power.
We have long been persuaded that the
eornmunity . in general have no adequate
conception of the amount of valuable mat
ter contained in the columns of a good re
ligious paper. In every number there are
articles, a thorough perusal of which will
make any one more familiar with the sub
ject of which they treat, than ninety-nine
hundredths of the people he meets. As
an educational power in the family, the re
ligious newspaper should be made more of
than it is. What if parents at the close
of the Sabbath should just try the experi
ment of questioning their children, to see
how much they could recollect of hat the
paper contains. A friend abundantly able
to make such an estimate, has just handed
us a calculation of the amount of reading
in fifty-two numbers of the Christiawger
aid. Here are the figures : " One vol •
of your paper contains about 16 voluno
of 400 pages each, such as sell at $1.25 a
volume, or for all, s2o."— Christian Herald.
THE 'WEEK OF TRITER.
Meetings were held in all our churches
and aTho in all the churches of the other
branch of the Presbyterian Church, in
, this city. and Allegheny. And we believe
that such was the case in most of the Pres
-byterian churches in the neighboring coun
try. The attendance was measurably good,
and a good degree of earnestness was mani
fested. May, the Lord hear the prayers
that went up to the Merey-seat and send
down upon us and upon all his churches
the, blessings of his grace.
Surely this is a time to go to God—to plead
with him—confessing our sins and implor
ing his forgiveness. Let every Christian
forsake sin, cleave unto the Lord, and en
'treat his favor. The, world needs, our
country needs, and our own souls need, a
time of refreshing from the presence of
the Lord.
REVIVALS.
It has not been our privilege to record
many, revivals during the last year. The
state of the country has been such that
men's minds have been taken, up with some
thing else, or rather many other things.
And here probably the Church has been in
error. Ministers and Christians supposed
that there could be no revivals, and there
fore neither labored nor. prayed for them.
But' here and there God is rebuking our
unbelief by pouring out his Spirit, reviv
ing his people and converting sinners to
himself. Let us not limit the grace of God
any longer to time and'a condition of the
world deemed favorable by us for the pro
,
grees a the work of the Lord.
To the church of Hopewell, near Frank
lin, la., forty have been added on profession
of faith, mostly young persons, the children
of pious parents. In the church of Pisgah,
Lawrence , County, Ilk, forifylour have
been within a short time hopefully con
verted. These embrace all ages and both
sexes, from
,the
,yeuth often or twelve to
the aged of sixtynirie.. And it is reported
that the Wabash church, : one of the oldest
in that region, is enjoying a' time of re
freshing such as it 'never had before. .'A
preciona revival has been for some time in
progress in the, Congregational chnrch, of
Greenport, Long Island.
Li the Mt.Holyeke Female Serainary, at
South Hadley; Masa i as many as fifty
Young ladies;have attended the meeting for
inquiry, and thirty have , been hopefully con
verted. The •spirit of MARY LYON ^ still
lives in this school.' 'Her prayers are still
being ansWered. And a work of grace
promising, most blessed results is in pro
gress , in. Portland, Me. The Rev. Mr.
SuzLLING, % chaplain of the Tenth Legion
of New-York State Volunteers, reports a
powerful revival in that command in camp
on the Potoninc., At Haroilfion Square,
N. J., the Baptist church has lately re
ceived' an addition 'of 'thirty-six on profes-
Sion of faith.
Thilii,we see that a feir nAerey-drops have
beenNling in different places all over the
Vrod is thereby showing his willing
ness4s bless our Arderidan Zioe and to
tiUlittep his Church even in' troublous times.
Let us, not cease our.prayers forAtio, out :
pouring of the Holy Spirit, withAherid of
the week of special prayer. - Mitylliatprove
to'hehrie the beginning ' of united; earnest
And
importunate prayer.
i '
POWER OF SURROUNDINGINF4ENOES.
In the last number of that able paper,
The Episcopal Recorder, it is remarked
that " there are certain kinds of earth
which strike up their hues into the plants
that grow from them, so that here the rich
and dark olive of the leaf, there its emerald
brilliancy, betoken the chemical properties
from which they draw their nourishment."
An illustration is then 'given in the recent
history of the late Professors in the Epis
copal Theological Seminary at Alexandria,
Va. Until within the last year, this was
the successful and cherished institution of
the Low Church Episcopalians, not only of
Virginia, but alsO of Pennsylvania and the
other Middle States. Its type of theology
was considered eminently orthodox, and its
piety was of the most evangelical order.
But, as is well known, the Seininary has
been elosed for months and it is now in
the occupancy of armed men. Professors
and students are widely dispersed.
But the course ot< these Professors, as
well as of the neighboring Epiicopal clergY,
has amazed their former friends in the
North. They were all Northern men,
having most of their relations in the'North,
and were considered, up to about the" time
they took the fatal leap, as being sound, loyal,
and Union men. But every one of them,
with the exception of the'Rev. Dr. MAY--
who has returned to Philadelphia, his na
tive place—has thrown in his lot with the
rebel Confederacy, over which JEFFERSON
DAVIS presides. t Not only were these men.,
Northern by birth', but also by education;
and some of them from long residence.
The Rev. Dr. PAcKAnn was from Massa
chusetts, and before going to Alexandria,
was a Professor in Bristol College. Rev.
Dr. SPARROW was also born in Massachu
setts, and served Kenyon College, Ohio,
with eminent success. Mr. DANA came
from Vermont; Mr. NORTON from West,.
ern New-York; Mr. LIPPITT from Massa
chusetts.
In our own Church are instances equally
aid and equally humiliating, of men born,
reared, honored, and loved in the North,
who have forsaken their country, engaged
in rending their Church, and are now seek
ing to overthrow both. Just now we think
of one born in Indiana, educated at Jeffer
son College, studied Theology at Princeton,
was a successful and beloved misionary for
several years in China, was afterwards a
laborious pastor in Illinois, and some three
or four years ago removed to the Valley of
Virginia. The Secession mania seized him,
and he is now a Chaplain in the rebel
army. The pastor of the Church where
the Sec s ession General Assembly (or Con
vention to institute an Assembly) met, in
Augusta, Ga., is a native of Steubenville,
also a graduate of Jefferson College, and
was for several years pastor of the Old
Chartiers church, where the Rev. Jon??
McMILLAN, D.D., " the Apostle of the
West," preached the Gospel so long. He
is a Secessionist con amore. His brother
in-law is a native of Ohio, a graduate of the
same college, is now a Professor in the
Theological Seminary at Columbia, S.
C., and disloyal both to his country and
his Church. In our college days we knew
a young man of respectable ability and at
tainments, but notorious for his extravagant
abolitionism. He went South to teach;
married a lady possessed of a large planta
tion and many slaves, and now looks upon
slavery as about the best of the institutions
with which this earth is blessed, whilst he
regards the Government of the United
States as about the meanest thing ever in
stituted on earth. Another one, born in
the British Provinces, came to one of our
seminaries a few years ago, a most uncom
promising abolitionist. He would make no
terms whatever with slavery. After a time
he went South, and became pastor of a
church. In process of time he became a
Chaplain in the rebel army; and at the
battle of Bull Run, after the Colonel, Lieut.
Colonel, and Major of his regiment had
been either killed or disabled, he himself
led the regiment again into battle. The
two most violent Southern men in the last
General Assembly were natives of the
North—one from Carlisle in this State, and
the other from near Athens, in the State of
Ohio. And thus we might go on to de
scribe any such men. But this is enough
for our present purpose.
This wholesale defection from Church
and State, on the part of men from whom
far better things were expected, most
suggestive of important reflections. Men
are suddenly seized with the prevailing
feelings and thoughts around them, and
hurried, as by some fearful mania, to the
greatest extremes. Reason seems to be set
aside, conscience perverted, and all Divine
obligations forgotten. In this way, we may
see some explanation of the wonderful suc
cess of Mohammedanism when it had once
fired the susceptible minds of the East.
Nor should we any longer wonder at the
rapid progress of Mormonism, Millerism,
and Spiritualism, in our own days, with a
certain class of minds in which all proper
balance has been destroyed.
How careful then should men be in the
associations with which they surround
themselves, and in the influences to which
they allow themselves to be exposed. He
that thinketh he standeth, had need to take
care lest he fall. No one knows how strong
or bow weak he is, until the assault has
been made upon him. There are many
now in arms against our Government;
there are many ministers now preaching
and praying for the success of rebellion,
who a few months ago would have resented
with the highest indignation the least suspi
cion against their loyalty : any one of them
would have said, with FIAZA.Efi ' , " Is thy
servant a dog, that he should do this great
thing ?"
In like manner many have adopted and
propagated the most destructive errors, who,
in the outset, denied most persistently
that they were leaving the old paths.
When the late Professor BUSH started out
on his course, he had not the least idea of
+being lost at last in the bogs of Sweden
.
borgianism. In the same ways many are
gradually seduced from the truth. Their
beliefs arid convictions are imperceptibly
Undermined, until at last the whole strui=.
tare of their faith . , gives way, and they. be-
Dome like some noble dwelling pillaged and
defaced by a ruthless soldiery. There.have
been-such instances along the entire course
of history_ there are many such now. Let
us take warping from. their,sad
,examples.
pREsByTElta -13ANNER.---,A.T,T;Ri,D*46Y,1 ~ T J 4 8 ,1862 .
=I
TURIN, GINA, LEGRPRVIONE.
We shall give ,our; readers few more
extracts from the private letters of our
friend, in his Italian journeys.
In Turin he witnessed 'the - interesting
process of Wine-making. A large oblong
wooden vessel= stood before a wine,: shop.
In the vessel were a quantity of fine-lc4ioz,,
grapes, and in the midst of these was " a
very unprepossesSin- Uncleanly- Italian
4g, .
tramping away , with all his might., His
pants were rolled up as high as they would
go, and his bare legs were spattered with
the luscious liquid." Other processes fol
lowed, about similarly eiciting to a delicate
palate.'
From Turin to Genoa he travelled by
rail; distance four - and a half 'hours'. --He
remarks :
"'Genoa is well said to be built all up
and doWn.' ''l''never saw such an uneven
city. The streets also are. exceedingly
irregular, not only' running up and down,
in conformity with the ground's surface,.
but also zigzag, eliptically, semi -circles, -
and almost every other cOnceiVable
,way.
And many of them are, no 'wider than
alleys in American cities. There is, how
ever, much architectural' beauty 'in Genoa;
and no city, probably, in Italy, excels it in'
the number and splendor of its palaces."
• The Mediterranean is, in stormy weather,
exceedingly rough—much more so than the
Atlantic. But the tourists were, on this
occasion, favored with a pleasant passage
.0 Leghorn
" The weather was settled. The sea was
smooth. Overhead, all was clear and beau
tiful. The moon Shone brightly. The
stars twinkled charMingly in the clear
Italian sky. There is a clearness,, bril
liancy and richness in the Italian atmos
phere, at this season of the year, which is
quite unusual in Pennsylvania. At Leg
horn I dined with Rev. Dr. STE WART, a kind,
whole-souled, warm-hearted Scotch Presby
terian, and I felt myself quite at home.
In the 'evening I embarked, on a densely
crowded steamer, for Civita Vecchia, and
was so fortunate as to obtain the comfort of
a mattress on which to'recline. This night
also was calm and clear, and the voyage was
delightful."
It was Sabbath morning - when the
steamer reached Civita Vecchia, and that
place, the entrance to the Papal States, was
the beginning of troubles. The vises of
passports, and the examinations of baggage,
and the securing of baggage by ropes,
cords, leaden seals, &c., and the delays, and
the runnings from officer to officer, make
the impatient passenger wish heartily that
the Pope's temporal power shall come to a
speedy end.
From Rome we read :
" I am favorably situated at No. 46 via
Gregoriana. This is one of the healthiest
streets in the city, and is the principal resi
dence -of the Americans and English.
Miss ClusHiviArr, the celebrated American
actress, is my next door neighbor, but I am
satisfied that neither of us will be the bet
ter or worse for our propinquity to each
other. I was fortunate in getting a good
room at $lO a month, incluing furniture
and service. My meals I take at the res
taurant.
" It is refreshing to see so many English
faces, and to hear so many English voices,
as one sees and hears at this season in Rome.
In the chapel, on Sabbath, I almost feel as
if I were in England or America. I have
made some pleasant acquaintances with
both Americans and Englishmen, though
with the •latter I am not just so fraternal as
I would be had they not to so great an ex
tent exhibited unkind feelings toward the
United States. A few days ago I was ex
ceedingly provoked by a conversation in
the Reading Room, between -an English
man and a gentleman ,from the South.
They seemed to shake hands in their mu
tual hostility to the North. The Southern
er talked about the grievances inflicted on
his section, without. leaving any possible
ground for the supposition that the North
might be really the aggrieved party. And
then, still farther to enlist the sympathies
of the Englishman, he expatiated on the
free-trade views of the South, and the advan
tages England would derive from the effec
tual carrying out of these views; and then
alluded to SEWARD'S letter, &c., &e. Be
fore the talk was finished the Englishman
had become worked up into a little tempest
of rage. He talked quite boastingly of
England's naval power, especially as con
trasted with ours. hy,' said he, 'in
twenty-four hours'we could sink every ves
sel of the United States that floats on the
water.' He had forgotten, just then, the
sea-fights, and the losses of English ships,
in the war of 1812.
" I bad conceived no very favorable opin
ion of the Rector of the Chapel, ho being a
very High Churchman. Still, I took a sit
ting under his ministry, it being the near
est to evangelical, of, anything I could at
tain. He, finding my name on the record,
called to make my acquaintance. I was
pleased. His call made quite an impres
sion on my mind concerning the impor
tance of pastoral visitation, and especially
of a speedy and friendly call upon the
stranger. He was unassuming, courteous,
affable, and left me quite disposed to judge
good naturedly of his Episcopal errors so
much so that I almost forgot them all when,
on the following Sabbath,. I heard him
preach a very good sermon, on the text:
'By grace are ye saved, through faith.'
`He is zealous, somewhat Lutheran in his
views of the real presence, and much dis
posed to multiply forms, and services, and
especially on Saints' days. The' tendency
of these things is dangerous.
" For two dollars a month I enjoy the
benefit of the English Circulating Libra.
ry and Reading Room,;' where I find the
leading journals of .ew-York, London,
and Paris. The climate here is regarded
as eminently suited to, persons having throat'
or lung affections; but still, great care is
needful."
CIRCULATING THE BIBLE
No Christian or philanthropist can view
the means now ,in operation for spreading
abroad the knowledge of the truth, through
the distribution of the Word of. God, with
out feelings of lively and thankful emotion.
Formerly the Bible was a very rare book.
Great labor and much time were required
for the production of a single copy; and
the cost was so much that many were unable
to purchase.
In nothing else has the art of printing
been so beneficial. The Bible is now
printed with the greatest rapidity, and in
so many languages as to meet the wants of
all the principal nations of the earth;
while the expense is so small that the
poorest . may' purchase, and the rich, make.
large donations of .the Holy
,Seriptures
every year. This blessed seed sown
over the world will sooner or later spring
Up
' nd bring forth much fruit. God's .
• s-4,
WordY will not return unto him void ; it
will, prosper in the thing whereunto he has
sent it.
The Bible Societies of Europe, America,
and Asia, sine their first organization in
1804, have issued over sixty-seven millions
of copies of _the Word of God, in one hun
dred and sixty languages, comprising one
r,
_.-~;~
hundred and rtlnety k yersions. O thesek
there are one hundred arid forti transla.'
tionS<never published before. NO . one can
form any estimate of the millions upon
millions issued from other sources. But
when it is kept irk:mind that the Bible
alwiys, has been, and is, the leading` book
with the 'publisher and the bookseller, it is
evident that the number must be enormous.
Over'thity millicinre of dollars have been
disbiu4ed: in this I W,:n.k by the two Bible
Societies of England and the United
States. A large amount; of this was paid
for translations into other languages. To
translate the'Bible,'or at least a part of it,'
is always the first permanent work of the
missionary. Nor-, can any, one form a
proper estimate of the difficulties to be en
countered' in such undertaking,, until he
has made the attempt.
Durmg,pe last eight months the Amer
ican Bible: Society has 'issued 803,000 Bi
bles and Testaments, being 321,000 more
than the issues of the" sameperiod last
year. The average is about 4,000 volumes
each working day, or seven .volumes each
working minute. This increase is owing
to the great demand for the Scriptures to
supply our vast army and navy. Over
half a million of Bibles and Testaments
have been sent in this direction since the
commencement of the war. The receipts
of the American Bible Society have been
thus far $60,000 behind last year.
The PennsYlvania Bible Society has di
rectly or through its n*erous branches,
given gratuitously 60;000 Testaments to
our brave troops, this includes 20,000 sup
plied by its auxiliary, the Philadelphia
Bible Society, to those - going from that
city. Let the prayers,of God's people go
up for , his blessing upon this large distri
bution of the Word of God.
The frequency with which these words
occur, and the great national importance
belonging, just now, to the thing which
they signify, may demand the prominence
which we assign them when we place them
at the head of an article.
Habeas Corpus is the law title of a writ,
of which there are several kinds. The one
commonly indicated by present use, is the
writ : Habeas corpus ad subjiciendum.
It is issued to bring a person or party be
fore a Court or judge, to' inquire into the
cause of his imprisonment or detention.
The object is to prevent any unjust or ille
gal control over personal liberty. It was
established in. England, by an act of Parlia
ment during the reign of CHARLES IL,
and has been adopted, with but little varia
tion, in the United States.
In the Constitution, there is provision
made for its suspension. Article 1., Sec.
9 : 2, reads thus : "The privilege of the
writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspend
ed, unless when, in cases of rebellion, or
invasion, the public safety may require it."
This clearly authorizes the suspension,
in the cases designated, but it does say by
what authority. As the. President is the
executive officer, under the Constitution,
the inference would be obvious that he shall
enforce this provision, and he has done so.
There are some, however, who think that
the power of suspension resides in Con
gress. Congress has, thus fart'declined to
act, and has acquiesced in the course Tut
sued
,by the President. :The matter has
never come before the Supreme Court.
Judge TANSY has intimated that the Presi
dent is in error. Other, judges sustain the
President.
The magnitude of the interests involved,
is likely to call forth much discussion, both
in Congress and by our jurists. HORACE
BINNEY, of Philadelphia, has pub
lished a pamphlet, in which he 'discusses
the subject with great ability ; and of all
the lawyers our country has produced, he
is second to none, in legal acumen and
sound judgment, unless it be to the late
Chief Justice MAnsuALn.
Mr. BINNEY exhibits many reasons for
maintaining that the President alone, and
not Congress, has the power of suspending
the writ, and says :
' 4 From this, plain and natural view of
the executive department, there is a most
obvious and just deduction in regard to his
power to suspend, or deny for a season, the
privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in
time of rebellion. The course of justice is
at such a time obstructed. Courts of jus
tice execute their office imperfectly. In
some instances they are closed, and their
officers are put to flight. In some, their
judges and officers are parties to the rebel
lion, and take arms against their Govern
ment. In other instances, the people, the
jurors, the officers of Courts, are divided
in their opinions, attachments, families,
affinities.- Calmness, impartiality and com
posure of mind, as well as unity of pur
pose, have departed. It is not a season for
the judicial trial of all persons who are im
plicated in the rebellion. It cannot be
while the rebellion lasts. To arrest and
try even those who are openly guilty, and
are taken with the red hand, would, in
many places, be fruiticss e and only aggra
vate the evil. The methods and devices of
rebellion are infinite. They are open or
covert, according to necessity or advantage.
In arras, or as spies, emAsaries, correspon
dents, commissaries, praveditoir of secret'
stiplies, and aids, their name is sometimes
legion—all treasonable, and many of them'
disguised or lying hid. A part of this dis
guise may sometimes be ; detected, and not
often the whole. An intercepted letter, an
over-heard conversation, a known proclivity,
an unusual activity in unusual transactions,
in munitions, or provisions, or clothing—a
suspicious fragment and no more, without
the present clue to detection, may appear—
not enough for the scales of justice, but
abundantly sufficient for the precaution of
the guardian upon his watch. Such are
the universal accompaniments of rebellion,
and constitute a danger - frequently worse
than open arms. To confront it at once, in
the ordinary course of justice, is to insure
its escape, and add to the danger. Yet he
traitor in disguise may achieve his work of
treason if he is permitted to go on; and if
he is just passing from treason in purpose
to treason in act, his arrest and imprison
ment for a season may save both him and
the country.
"The obvious and just deductions from
these observations is that the power of sus
pending or denying for a season the privi
lege "of thewrit of habeas corpus in time
of rebellion, is a most reasonable attribu
tion to the Executive power, such as the
tonstitution of the United States has made
it,'and so indispensable to that branch of
the Government that, without it, the very
arms of the Government might be, baffled,.
and its worst enemies escape."
The following statement, at the close, is a
concentration of the argument :
(‘ The conclusion of the whole matter is
this: that the. Conetitutibn itself is the
lat of the'privilege, and of, the "exception
HABEAS .CORPFS.
to it ; that the exception is expressed in
the-Constitution, and that the Constitution
gives‘effect to' the aee of - suspension when
the conditions occur; that the conditions
consist of two matters of fact, one a naked
matter of fact, and the other a matter of
fact conclusion from facts, that is to say, re
bellion and the . public danger,or the re
quirement of public safety. Vhich ever
power of the constituted government can
most properly decide these facts is master
of the exception, and competent to apply it.
Whether it be Congress or the President,
the power can only be derived by"implica
tion, as there is no express delegation of
the power in the Constitution ; and it must
be derived to that department whose func
tions are the most appropriate to it. Con
gress cannot executively suspend. All
that a legislative body can do is to authorize
Suspension by giving that effect to, an Ex
eeutive act; and the Constitution having
authorized that, there is no room for the
exercise of legislative power. ,The Consti
tution intended that, for the defence of the
nation against rebellion and invasion, the
power should always be kept open in either
of these events, to be used by that depart
ment which is the most competent in the
same events to say what the public safety
requires in this behalf. The President bc
ing the properest and safest depository of the
power, and being the only power which can
exercise it under real and effective respon
sibilities to the people, it is both Constitu
tional and safe to argue that the Constitu
tion has placed it with him."
THE BIBLE WITHOUT NOTE OR COMMENT.
The Bible Societies of England and the
United States, early adopted the plan of
circulating the Scriptures in the simple
text; mid they - have Continued in that
plan. They thus effect united action on
the part of nearly all the Protestant
Churches. Latterly a portion of the Bap
tist Church has withdrawn, because - they
dislike the transfer, as in the Common
English Bible, of the word baptism. A
few of the Episcopalians have objected, all
along, to the plan of the Societies; insist
ing that the Prayer Book of their Church
must always accompany the Bible. The
Episcopal Recorder well sets them off,- in
a recent number. It says:
"Those who object to sending out the
Bible without comment, forget that still
stronger objections exist to sending out the
Prayer Book. If the Bible is capable,
sometimes, of a double interpretation, the
Prayer Book is 8,011 more so. Independ
ently of the fact that the Gorham case ju
dicially established the fact that a margin
was to be allowed in which two very dis
tinct views of the Sacraments find room,
we have the notorious fact, that parties the
most divergent have claimed the Prayer
Book as their own. The authors of the
Essays and Reviews,' for instance, main
tain, as stoutly as does Dr. PUSEY, that
they have the Prayer Book on their side ;
and yet, we apprehend, neither the authors
of the Essays and Reviews,' nor Dr.
PUSEY, have it with them- And what
document has ever received more various
and hOstile . interpretations than the or
dinal?
" But this is not all. What, for in
stance, can be more obnfnsinc , to an unin
structed mind than the order of the ser
vices? Bishop ROBART, we
. have heard,
once ordained a Methodist preacher, who,
not having heard the service much read,
found himself so much confused with the
Q.'s,' as he called them, that he read the
sentences and introductory portions straight
through, and was just beginning with the
second creed, - when the Bishop took the
book out of his hand. And so utterly' un
able is a non-Episcopal congregation to.fol
low the service even with the minister's
aid, that printed slips, as in Exeter Hall
and in the New-York services bave to be
scattered, giving the service straightfor
ward. And even this sometimes fails.
" Then as to doctrines. Now, the objec
tors to a Bible :without comment may
choose between.. the Biblical test, and the
theological interpretation of it. If the
former be declared unfit to circulate with
out a comment, the same objection applies
to the Prayer Book, which contains so
large a portion of the original Scripture.
If, however, it is doctrine which is declared
to be unintelligible, then" the objection
strrikes the Prayer Book the more closely,
since the articles state doctrine in its se
verest and most abstract shape.
" Thus, if we admit the position that the
Bible should take the Prayer • Book with it
as a comment, it would be necessary, on
the same reasoning, for the Prayer Book to
take its comment. The world, in fact,
would be overcome by an interminable se
ries of comments; for, if the principle be
once admitted, it can have no end. .Sup
pose, for instance, that we take Bishop
BROWNELL'S Commentary on the Prayer
Book as our authorized exposition. Would
it not be necessary to furnish another com
mentary to tell what that excellent and
venerable prelate meant? Take, for in
stance, the definition he gives us of the
word ' Church.' Now, there are three
kinds of commentaries we can suppose on
thia definition. The first would be, that
Bishop BROWNELL took the High Church
view The second would be that he took
the Low-Church view. The third would
be that his views require criticism to make
them understood. In either case, there
has to be a new commentary, and so on ad
infinitum. We would have, therefore, the
following retinue involved in Bible dissem
ination on Church Principles:'
Ist. The Bible.
2d. The Prayer Book.
gd. Bishop BaowNELL. on the Prayer
Book.
4th. An explanation of Bishop BROWN
ELL.
sth. An explanation of Bishop BRowN
ELL's explainor, and so on ad infinitum."
EASTERN SWYMMtY.
BOSTON AND NEW ENGLAND.
THE HON. CHARLES SUMNER, in his late
European tour, obtained an undoubted auto
graph of the great poet, Milton. It is his
signature in the Album of a German schol
ar, written during his continental journey.
The Rev. Dr. ORvILLE DEWEY has
closed his 'connexion with the Unitarian
Church in Boston, which he has been serv
ing for some time, and will retire to the coun
try on account of his health. This Unita
rian church, and several.othera of the same
faith in this the home of modern Unitari
anism, are in a very precarious state. Their
very existence is threatened. They are
not groWing, and their income is less every
year.
AINIONd the members of the Legislature
of Massachusetts now in session is the
Hon. Caleb Cushing, who first serVed in, a
similar capacity as far back as 1825. • He
is a man of great talent, wonderful versatil
ity, and indefatigable industry. After the
organization of, the Legislature, the mem-,
hers of both Houses ' , aacompanied by the
Governor and Staff, proceeded to the - Ohl
South Church, and listened to the Election
Serthon by Rev. William R. Alger. His
text was Proverbs xiv ; . 84 "`Right
eousness:exalteth a uattions , but sin is•a re
proach to any people." 'Subject, Public
Morals,:or the Tiue Glory of a State.
~,-
Co, the celebrated manufacturer
of fire arms, died a few days ago, at Hart
ford, Cone., after a short but painful ill
ness. The, establishment owned by him
employs fifteen hundred men in the cou ,
struction of arms, at wages averaging two
dollars: - per day; there, are several
hundred more at, work upon, the buildiegs,
which are now being duplicated, and
_on
other manufactures; which wouldbring the
monthly payroll probably to ,more,than
$BO,OOO. The Sharpe's Rifle Company work
day and night, and pay out $20,000 , per
month. The ,saddlery- establishment of
Smith, Bourne & Co. employs five hundred
hands, at .a `imonthly Coat of $15,000.
Woodruff & Beach, engine , builders,, have
three hundred: and fifty men at work,
ivnese - monthly pay amounts to• $12,000 or
$15,000. Jewell & Sons, belt makers;
the Phcenix. Iron Works and the. Hartford
Manufacturing Company also employ nu
merous workmen. The above and other
establishments in Hartford probably dis
burse $150,000 monthly. At Chicopee,
the Dwight Man - afacturing Company, the
Ames Company, Emerson Gaylord, the
Chicopee Manufacturing Company, the
Arms Company, and other smaller chn
cerns, pay an aggregate of $68,000 monthly
to their artisaas. At Springfield.the na
tional armory and private workshops dis
burse from $BO,OOO to $lOO,OOO per month
for labor.
THE SEMI-CENTENNIAL' ANNIVERSARY
of the Litchfield County. Fgeign Mission
Society was duly celebratedon the 16th , of
October, 1861, and a pamphlet has been
printed, embodying the doings, and an his
torical discourse by Rev. Mr. Parmelep.
It appears that Connecticut has contributed
to the A. B. C. F. M. in fifty-one years the
handsome sum of 81,805,796, to say nothing
of her sons and daughters, whose bones are
now mouldering, wherever Foreign Mis
sions have been established, from Turkey
to the South Sea Islands. Hindostan,
Ceylon, the Sandwich Islands; Africa with
" its golden sands," and the remotest North
American Indian tribes, can attest the la
bors and sacrifices of devoted Litchfield
County missionaries.
TEEE LATE CHIEF JUSTICE WILLIAMS,
of Connecticut, left large legacies to his
relatives and bequests to public institu
tions; among the latter were thelollowing
To the American Tract Society, $5,000;
to the American Board of Commissioners
for Foreign Missions, and to American
Home Missionary Society, $5,000 each,; to
American Bible Society, $3,000; to Amer
ican Education Society, $2,000; to Sabbath
School Union, American Christian and
Foreign Union, and the Colonization So
ciety, $l,OOO each; to American Seamen's
Society and American Temperance Union,
$5OO each; to Hartford Female Beneficent
Society, Hartford Orphan Asylum, Hartford
Widows' Society, $l,OOO each ; to John C.
Parsons, Trustee, sl,ooo—ssoo of which
is to purchase books for Young's Men In
stitute, and $5OO to the library at the Cen
tre church.
HEW-YORE
MEssas.ll. G. DUNN & Co. haVe just
published their annual circular, showing
that the number of failures is much less
than is generally supposed. The total
number of failures in the Northern States
during 1857 was 4,257, for $265,818,000;
while in 1861 they were 5,965, but for
only $178,632,170, showing a diminished
liability of $87,185,880. In 1857 the
greatest sufferers were the private banking,
importing, and commission houses, while in
1861 the greatest losers were the jobbing
houses.
Our domestic troubles have come upon
us when a healthy condition of trade had
been attained, after the great sifting and.
collapse of, 1857. Many of the failures in
1861 were also of houses who had been
weakened in 1857. Messrs. Dann & Co.
report the amount of Southern indebted
ness to be to New-York, $150,800,000 ;
to Philadelphia, $24,600,000; to Balti
more, $19,000,000 ; to Boston, $7,000,000;
Total, $200,000,000.
The Western and Eastern States are
self-sustaining, and the West especially is
reaching a state of prosperity, from the de
mand for its produce, which is unparalleled,
notwithstanding the war.
- SOME. IDEA of the vast amount of pro
visions demanded by our armies, may, be
be had from the following statement.of one
of four equal instalments of subsistence
stores to be delivered in New-York alone
during the month of January
30,000 pounds of mess pork ; 252,000
pounds of bacon; 67,500 pounds of ham;
437,000 pounds of mess beef; 50,000
pounds of beef tongues; 300,000 pounds
of pilot bread ; 1,838 bushels of beaus ;
1,838 bushels of split peas; 22,000 pounds
of rice ; 190,000 pounds of coffee ; 9,000
pounds of tea; 36,000 pounds of sugar;
10,000 gallons of vinegar ; 30,000 pounds
of candles; 96,000 pounds of soap; 2,188
bushels of salt; 10,000 gallons of molasses.
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION of this city:
has fixed the salaries of teachers at' $1,500
for the highest, and thence down to $4OO.
The highest salary paid a female teacher is
$7OO.
The Hon. HENRY J. RAYMOND, editor
of the Times, has been elected Speaker nf
the House of Representatives at Albany.
Mr. Raymond is a man of experience and
capacity,, able to fulfil all the duties and
responsibilities of the speakership, having
been for two years Lieutenant-Governor
and President of the Senate.
THE INSPECTION OP TENEMENT ` R OUSES I
has been thorough and complete. Every
house of this description has been examined,
the number of inmates, the means of es
cape, the hygiene condition and the capa
city of the several departments ascertained
and recorded. The results of these labors
•are embodied in tables appended to the, re- 1
port of the Sergeant, of the Sanitary Squad,
and from an instructive record of the causes
of the• rapid- deterioration of the public
health within the past few'years.'
The population of the city, of New-York
is estimated at 900,000 persons, of whom.
404,000 reside in tenement hounes;
houses,containing four, families and;upward.
.I.fa good many of the chuiches of this'
'city and Brooklyn, they are dispensing
with paid singers and choirs. Iu some of
these churches the music has heretofore
been a very costly matter, greatly exceeding
the average of salary paid to. country 'pas
tors. The stringency. of the timesis the
cause of the present movement. • "
B an
,
THE New-York - c orrespondent of the
ner of ths Conenant," `speaks "thus' of
-the Presbyterian ehrtiches of th*s city "
i
t,• .
The Presbyterian churches of this city,
o f the - Old. and New School Assemblies,
number forty-six congregations, of which
an equal number belong to each of the tw o
bodies._ Among these are three Germa n
and 'two colored congregations. As to lo
cation, these churches are scattered ove r
almost all parts of the city from the Harlem
river to Canal Street, which is now the
Southern boundary of the Presbyterian
Church ; in New-York. Of all the churche s
none has so ,effectually. deserted the low er
wards of air city as the Old School Pre s _
byterian. They have only three church es
South of Union Square, of which the one
in Canal Street has hardly an existence ex_
cept in its pronerty and its vexatious liti
gations; the Grand Street church joined
them a few years since from the Associate
Presbyterian Church ; and the Rutge rs
Street church would long ago have been i n
the fashionable part of the town, but their
property cannot be sold. There is also a
colored church and a German Mission
church within this district in their eon _
nexi on.
The New School Presbyterians have seven
congregations below Union Square, a n d
while some of these have suffered mAr z h
from removal of pastors and of wealf,
members,' yet several of them show a good
degree' of activity and' usefulness.
Several of the Presbyterian churches of
the city have immense wealth, and manifest
great liberality in giving, especially the Old
School churches. They are, however, very
deficient in personal devotion to the various
departments of individual exertion in the
evangelization of the masses. In this hn_
portant feature they fall behind the New
School brethren, who are generally very
active home missionaries. The latter have
some advantage in the cooperation of a
large band of theological students attending
the classes of their seminary in University
Place. And in this I may remark that
these students, and those of other city sem
inaties, have an advantage over Princeton
students and others in country seminaries,
by their location, necessarily cut off from
such opportunities of missionary work as
cities afford.
A few of the larger Presbyterian church
es have built Mission chapels, and employed
missionaries to occupy them. This mode of
procedure is evidently the one our city re
quires, and the churches cannot enter too
soon or too heartily upon this work of oc
cupying our destitute districts by plain
houses of worship, and supporting minister,
and other laborers to gather in the perish
ing multitudes from the streets and lanes.
kionff.rtronnitt ,
TICE BOARD OF TRADE has published a
report against the movement now being
made on behalf of New-York to establish
a Mint in that city. Their main points
are: 1. That the Mint at Philadelphia now
has ample capacity readily to coin all that
has been offered when the demand for
coinage was greatest, and all that is
likely to be offered for coinage under any
circumstances. that may arise. 2. That it
it done as promptly here as it can be done
at New-York. 3. That coinage is more
cheaply performed in Philadelphia than it
can be done elsewhere.
Mr. Pollock's Report states that the
Mint, in fall force and working regular
hours, could produce, in gold and silver, of
pieces of , all denominations, $66,875,000
per annum, and that this capacity, vast as
it- is, could be greatly extended by coining
more of the larger pieces of money, or by
working double time and employing a
double force, without straining the present
admirable machinery, or requiring it to be
augmented. This is far beyond any re-
Auirements which can be made. To estab
lish a Mint in New-York would require a
large staff with good. salaries; a heavy ex
penditure for land and buildings, and an
immense outlay of machinery.
THE ANNUAL MEETING of the Phila
delphia Sunday School Society, has just
been held. The Treasurer reported the
receipts during the year to be $695.47, and
expenditures'for the same time $592.89;
leaving a'balanee in the treasury of $102.-
58. During the past year fifty-seven
schools, embracing six hundred and seventy
nine teachers, and five thousand nine hun
dred and eighty-eight scholars, have been
assisted. Of this number forty-three were
mission schools, and fourteen connected
with feeble churches.
HORACE BINNEY, of Philadelphia, who
has just written a powerful pamphlet of
some fifty-four pages in defence of the
President's right to suspend the writ of
habeas corpus, is a remarkable specimen of
the preservation of vigorous faculties to a
ripe old age. He is in his eighty-fourth
year, and yet takes an active and deep in
terest in all the political questions of the
day--as this pamphlet shows. It is one of
thn most thorough and vigorous arguments
- that have been written upon the subject,
and puts the "opinion" of Chief Justice
Taney utterly to -the rout.
THE WEEK o.i PRAYER' was duly ob
served in almost all the Protestant churches
of, this city, except the Episcopal; and the
exercises at the noon-day prayer-meeting,
in Sansom Street, were more than usually
interesting. But no revivals are reported
in any of our churches. It is hoped that
a deeper desire for the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit has been awakened in the
hearts of professing Christians.
For the Presbyterian Banner.
Some Incidents in the Battle of Belmont.
MESSRS. EDITORS :—h your issue of
December 28th, you place the battle of
Belmont among the defeats of our arms in
this horrible war.* I cannot see how that
battle was either a defeat or a failure. Our
troops started to destroy the Belmont camp.
They were met by the enemy some distance
from, the quip*. They drove the enemy
befbre thawninto their. camp and beyoni.4
and then destroyed it. 'While they were
in the set of destroying .the camp, they
were surrounded by the enemy. Thus far
they accomplished their purpose, unless
they failed in spiking two or three cannon.
Novas the enemy,was between them and
their boats, they must again fight to reach
their ; , boats. This they did, and succeeded
in getting to their boats, with considerable
loss in killed, wounded and prisoners. But
our, troops also took prisoners; and it is
believed the enemy's loss was greater than
ours. I was in Cairo , and Bird's Point after
the battle, and our troops all felt that it,
was a victory..
The followiny, are some extracts from a
letter of one in that , ,battle, to his friends,
which were not written for publication.
But they are at your disposal :
~ " Th 9 night ' we went down the river, I
ghty
Spent ttte first part in prayer to Almi
. * 'emir correspondent will look again, he will
find that we do not call the battle of Belmont a
defeat.
Weiveighed our words. We were speal
ing of the need of caution when our progress
was, -.VPO.Sedtby a powerful foe. The only allu
sion f 0 Belmont is in this sentence: "We tried
further
'Profiress at Great Bethel, Bull Run, Bair'
Bluff, Belniont, and Wilson's Creek; and the re
sults are known." At Belmont, as at Wilson's
Creek, there was first a brilliant success ; but the
"'i lak -Y-. b eil% - yeinforced, our troops were
Powered; and retreated. over