• ••-••'• MIEMIE tirtsbgitrian KTTBURUII, VIDNBSDIY, DEC, 1 ORANGE OF TERMS, We find it necessary to modify our .rerm,s, and, after much thought, and some consul. balm with our brethren, ministers '3lnd others i we propose the following.; L The price of the Banner, en and after January lst, 1864, will be two dollars a year, in advance. 2. A ministerrer ottrer person, sending us TEN names MA Woody dollars, will be entitleil:4 xn naditional paper. And '4lOO one additional for are next ten:; &o. N: B —Ministers of small means, and having no 'charge, can have their paper stillfor $1:50. • * * *---Theological Students-.can..have the Banner Ain at the dollar. rEir. Ministers who have been, subscri • hers, but have beeome unable to pay, will have their pailbr .continued gtatuit- o sly. 3. Oominettdotions of SOhools, , Books, &c., Notices, Of " surprises," &e., "Cards," and all other matters which are mainly Of 'persoriarititereat, will be charged for, at 1O cents a litre Though we have put the Banner, by the above, more on a business footing than formerly, we still - adhere to the CO-OPERA TIVE principle. Our desire is, in conjunc tion with Pastors and Elders, to train the young for honor and usefulness, and to help all onward in the way to a glorious immor tality. We hence labor assiduously, and use money freely, to give the Banner the very best practicable adaptations. Our Foreign Correspondence, our Summary of Eastern News, and our War Articks are highly commended. Our Editorials dis cuss matters of living interest. Oar Gen eral News is comprehensive. Our Book Notices are honest. Our. Selections are varied and instructive. Our Correspon dents write well. Families which grow up, being habitual readers of the Banner, will be intelligent, enterprising, liberal, and virtuous; as well as sound in the faith. We hence ask Ministers and Elders, whose duty it is to nurture the people, to make the Banner their co-adjutor. Have it, if possible, in every family. We also ask all our readers, including la• dies and children, to aid us in extending our circulation. Get us one subscriber, get another, and still another. Get enough to have your own paper free. Or get enough to, have a paper free for some poor family. Do good, THE TIME TO SUBSCRIBE It is always a good time to subscribe for a good newspaper; and those, who have not done so should do it immediately, on the occurrence of the thought_ But if tfiere is any preference as to seasons, about the close of one year and the beginning of another, may put in its claim. A sub scription needs to be renewed, and the new year will bring the matter to remembrance. At, that season, too, accounts are settled and plans arranged. Let the religious news paper be one of the things never to be neg lected. 46 7 11 - Sixteen days from da,te will be Jan. nary 1at,1864. IYESTnN. THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY At a late meeting of the Board of Trus tees of the Western Theological Seminary, the following resolution was adopted, and the undersigned appointed a committee to have it published, in, the Presbyterian Ban ner, calling the attention of the churches to the necessity of this application " Resolved, That the churches within the bounds of the Synods of Pittsburgh, Ohio, Wheeling, and Allegheny be requested- to take up an annual collection to defray the contingent expenses of the Seminary." The gratifying fact of the completion of the Endowment of the Fourth Professor ship, has already been announced; and- we have the pleasure to state that the other permanen . t funds are in a healthy condition, being all safely invested. For all the con tingent expenses of the Institution—such as the" wages of Janitor, fuel, light, and repairs —we are dependent upon the small sum assessed upon the students, and such con tributions as are made voluntarily for this purpose. Up to this time these resources have been nearly sufficient, but the. Board find themselves getting gradually into debt for this purpose. We feel assured that the various churches will feel it a privilege to unite annually in sustaining this one of their own institutions, erected and endowed by themselves. Ordinarily, it will require but a very small sum from each church (if all contribute.) This year the authorities of the city of Allegheny have directed the grading and paving of the streets on which both the Seminary and Beatty Hall are lo cited, and as their municipal laws re quirethe property abutting on the streets to be taxed for this purpose, our contin gent expenses will be larger than usual. A valued friend of this " School of the Prophets" has suggested that for the sake of uniformity, the last week of Febru ary would be a suitable time for this effort, being the week of prayer for Seminaries, to. Respectfully, F. G. BAILEY, Pre*, JOEIN T. LOGAN, Seey. P. S.---All .moneys to be sent to T. 11. NEVIN, Treasurer.- A Debt Paid.--.-The Central Church, Alle gheny, under the pastoral eare of Rev. TKOMAS X. Oart, has, we learn, paid off its entire debt. The congregation is flourish ing, and the pastor has bright prospects. CONDITION I OF THE COUNTRY. Every MDR needs a., holue. For our physical, 7social, and Christian well-being, we mtg. home, We need a home td propagate and , duly train the human race. :For ;all'these, and for all other good pur- TOMB, we need a wife, happy, and peaceful home. And such a home we can have only in a Country where there are good laws 'faithfully executed. A country where there is good government; where these is law and order; is, one of the:first essen tials of social life.' Hence. every man, wo= . man, and child,ifl interested in the co ndi tiim of the country... Hence patriotism is ,a virtue ; and a wise and pure love of coun iry is embraced in:the Christian graces. And hence the religious journal 'should not only keep itireaderg - Infermid - of the con diiion of public affairs, but should, guided by the precepts, - principles, an' spirit of Divine revelation, pui forth an influence d t tending to correct social evils, an o make all . things just and right. The -.religious journal is the palm. which t3llCniid fearless ly and assiduously, labor to purify; elevate, refine, and guide public sentiment. Now is the time peculiarly favbrable to ascertain- the condition of national affairs: New the 'annual reports, from the Presi dent and the -liireoutive - Departments, are submitted to the National' ,Coutieils, published for the information of the ,peo pie. THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE is a docu ment ever looked for with interest. We this year, as usual, give the Message, with out curtailment, to our readers. It should be read by every one who would vote, or talk, or think as- a citizen. The topic which elicits most attention, is the Views presented in relation to reconstruction. The President seems not tofavor that 'radi cal theory , which would des4oy, the States of this Union. He rather speaks of these as being in a condition of suspended aai mation:; and he would resuscitate them. If even one-tenth the number, in any se ceded State, of the voters of 1860, will at test their loyalty by a solemn oath, they are authorized to again put the State govern ment into action, as a component part of the Union. The only restriction imposed is, that no action shall be taken against the Emancipation Proclamation. And to all, except a few whose guilt is most'aggravated, he tenders an exemption from the confisca tion of their property, and from the other penalties of treason. The matter of eman cipation he thus protects, so far as his ac tion is concerned. Its final condition he leaves, very appropriately, to the Supreme Court.. This offer is generous and kind, or it is defective, according to - the standpoint from which we view it. Men why. by their treason have tbrfeited their claim to property and life, may well em brace it. And the loyal people of the seceded States may also rejoice in it, seeing it offers to them a restoration of their po litical - status, with their personal claims unprejudiced, before the courts of their country. how the plan may be viewed by those most interested, and how it may take with Congress and the Northern public, are things yet to be tested. There is this about it, as the President well remarks, that it -is a proposition directed to the peo ple's choice; and that it need not prevent any other plan by which Providence may lead to the healing of our national diffi culties. ' For ourselves we still cling to the Scrip tural rule which we advocated at the first. God has. bidden " the power " to be " a ter ror to evil . doers," and, " not to bear the sword in vain." The Chief Magistrate may well hold out the hope of pardon to those who will lay down their arms and re turn to peaceful homes, and " cease to do evil," and " learn to do well." And he may 'be magnanimous in his offers. But we would rather that he would not compli cate matters—not resort to - indirect, or to side expedients. We believe most firmly, that a thorough sufipression of the rebel lion, by the military power, and a rigid ex ecution of the law upon its leaders, will be the most effective means of peace; of a righteous, tranquil, honorable, and lasting peace. It will be the best restoration, the most perfect re-eonstiuctioxi, the most, easy, quiet, and entire extinguisher of the hate ful evil of slavery. THE FINANCES of the country, as pre sented in the Report of the. Secretary of the Treasury, a large part of which we, publish, seem to be in a healthful state. The debt is becoming enormous; though it is not quite so large as had been estimated. The management by Mr. CHASE is certain 7 ly very skilful. The purpose not to in-. crease the issue of Treasury notes (" green backs,") is judicious. Taxation must be increased as a necessity. Of the imposts suggested on distilled spirits and tobacco, we expect to pay but very little; and the increased rates on tea and coffee we will pay most cheerfully, as long as we are able. Reports of the other-Secretaries we can not give for want of space, We will state a few of the facts : TEE,, ARMY of the United States, so large, created so suddenly, so heroic, firm, and pertinacious in battle, is a wonder to the world. The report of Secretary STAN TON is pretty much a narrative of the do ings of the army during the- licit twelve months. The armies of Gens. MEADE and. LET, he finds on nearly the same ground on which they were a year ago. Our troops have now a firm footing in every rebel State. The late draft furnished fifty thousand men to the army, and over ten millions of dollars of commutation money. There are fifty thousand negro soldiers en listed, and this work progresses. The report gives some interesting partic ulars about the operations of the telegraph, and the production of arms and munitions of war. )3ut it does not tell us the number of our patriotic people who have joined the army; nor the number of killed, wounded, PRESBYTERIAN ANNE . ....wED NSDAY DECEMBER - 16,1863. „IA , dead hysickneas, and , dischMtjg for cause; nor:are , we informedo hi; e,p 4 rnsent strength a our military arm. Thdie has tren, and still is, a reticence in this department of the public service, which is exceedingly unsatisfactory. Tam SECRETARY OF THE' Nytvtis much more full in his report. Mr. WELLES his done a great amount of work, since 14rarcli, Ifi6l. The growth of the .I . a*Pilf.:'aston-, ishing. We ,have now built AEA -SI?. I the, way, five hundred and eighty-eight `,vessels of,ar, adapted to carry and'use.four then-- sand four hundred and forty:threect nue.: Seventy-five of thee vessels,,are iten:clad steamers Some or ; these: are powerftel ships for coast and harbOr defence,; .but only a few Of them are adapted to foieign service. • The blockade is a great work. A coast Of three thousand five, ; hundred and forty nine miles, having one hundred and eightY nine openingi for ingress, has beentuarded; and rivers Measuring three' thonsta six: htthdred and fifteen . piles - have " been watched. In one thing - the Secretary has- been, ex- ceedingly -defectiVe—he has ' built no fast steaMers; to catch the i3witt t eailing pirates It blot upon our fame, that three Con federate vessels should prey - upon our ,com - 7 merce for over two years,and we have pro : . duced nothing which could catch them. We hope soon` to: ~ be able'te something different as the energies of Pur steamer , builders are at work. The Secretary askS, an appropriation`: of, , THE POST OFFICE bEPARTIV(ENT . flour ishis. The service is good, ,and the Department is nearly j eelf-sustainink While it. had the South' serve, it fen millions in debt. Secretary .131.Ain. ,has_ "shown ability. THE DEPARTMENT OF THE iNTERIORi conducted by Secretary 'USHER, bas anim portant work. The matter of the Public Lands, Internal Improvements,. Patents,. Agriculture, *C, belong to the nation's happiness' artdglery. The arts of war are' painfully needfull while those of peace are a country's •blissful necessity. SUSTAIN THE CHRISTIAN PRESS. Christians should be exceedingly ' assidu ous`in the use of the press. It is a power second only to, the pulpit. And to, keep out the evil you must introduCe the good. Let ;there be no destitution; no vacancy where injurious reading may come in like a flood. Have every house supplied; • . ery family furnished,with the desired news, through, a religions channel: • - A contemporary says : " Finally, it is necessary to keep in mind that the religious paper is vital to the Church both for ithe religious news which it makes a specialty, and for the , safe and right direction which it gives to passing events. It must stem the tide of error, passion, and worldliness. It must not;be . carried away with the fickle and changeful multitude. It must guide public senti ment; keep religious' subjects uppermost, even in times of war, political and other excitements, for they are never more needs= ed than then. Ministers, instead of being indifferent as to whose hands they are-in so that they but 'get the news, should be ex ceeding careful as, to the influences, and models of style, taste and religious doctrines and spirit, which are permitted to visit their families every week. And having found that which, upon scrutiny, they can trust, they should use all right influences to secure such a coadjutor in every family. For, in these days, bow is it-possible for church members to be intelligent, growing, benevolent, hopeful and helpful. Christians without a thoroughly religious paper I The influence fol. good which such a journal ex erts from week to week in a family and church .cannot be measured in the world." OFFICERS OF TB NEW CONGRESS; God deals with nations, in his provi dence, very much according to the prinei pies and..condriet of their rulers. They are instruments of good or evil ; and they are also representatives of ,sentiment and char acter. Renee it is our.joy when good men are placed in the seat of power ; and - our grief when either the vile or the unbe , lieving are exalted. The new Congress, in the choice: of ern; cers, has given us both joy. -and -grief. SCHUYLER COLFAX, of Indiana, the Speak er, is a gentleman of much ability and ev perience. His reputation for honesty is unblemished. No man. Stands higher than . he, for patriotism and moral worth. And he is a Christian—a consistent member of the Reformed Dutch Church. Under such a presiding officer we could hope not only for an orderly, assiduous, and faithful at tention to public duties, but also for God's, blessing upon our legislators, leading them to wise counsels, for his own glory and the people's benefit: Bat while thus rejoicing, arid giving thanks, and anticipating benefits, the 'an nouncernent comes that the House has chosen for its Chaplain, Rev. W. H. CHANNING, a Unitarian minister of Wash ington. Eleven gentlemen were placed in nomination, but the vote finally stood, for CHAtINING, 86; for Bishop HOPKINS, 56. The Bishop is a gentleman, amiable, able, eloquent, and a ehristian. But he is po litically objectionable. He is the aithor of the pamphlet, ";A Bible View. of Sla very;" in which he sets forth social het erodoxy. - But was there not among the other ten: an anti-slavery man, who was at the same time a Christian, and competent to the duties of the office ? Or we.; there not, among all, the •ministers of the land, Prot estant and Catholic who believed in Christ Jesus, one to be had who was able and eloquent ? Why then choose a Unitarian ? If Congress had been choosing a Clerk, or any merely secular officer, we should have said nothing. In such a place the man's' religious sentiments would be no dis qualification for the discharge of his du ties. But for the official duties of 011A.P LAIN, Unitarianism is an utter disqualifi cation. How can Mr. CRANKING preach Christ to the representatives of a ChriStian people, then he.dOe§nottlieve 113: Christ? Hey el ves W, a but Christ, as. mail; a ereatufV; but as the''God-Man, the unoreated, the eternal Son, the Saviour of sinners. He may apply to Jesus Christ the term, Divine, but he-will use the word as we-do when we say, "St !OEM, the Di vine." He may say or Jesus Christ that he - SW of God,"but till will — mean only what We mean when*6 say, " Beloved, now are weille sons of God." Unita.rian=riot.balieving in the ,proper -Godhead of •Jesus Christ, cannot preach a true atonement; Cannot preach salvation in -- A.nd in the person ality of the HOIY Spirit he cannot truly preach,regeneration nOr sanctification, Mr. CIPANNING is,hen en pots qualified inntruc tor:, And neither is=he qualified to lead in the daily prayers of the: . lllonse. 1 . He , cain not take the 'ineinliers to 1 ! a throne of .greee," pleaciiag through and by the ,rue Intercessor." .I .. ot.having faith, be can not pray in- the name: of= Jesus, in faith, The majority in'Congreasi by the 'choice they haie:'l - #0.1A:!of 'a 'Chaplain, ha're out ragetL., 'the faith of their Christian eonstit nants, hoth:Proteatant and Romanist ; and it beeotries , thwChriStian piess to speak for the People.' The excuse given by the tele graph; ,that " Itir.9tfA.:NN.l;io. is a tliorengh Vnion , invalid, for there are : thousands his equal-in "this aspect, who are true also .to their Lord an& Master. -GOOD 'READING. This L an .;age in. which people read. , !They :will read. And they should' have geed reading: 'Alt must have the:neWS; and they should have it through wholeseme Viiinnels; and .' with edifying aeetnpani meats. The :nevispoper is, an hadispensa Good .or bad; it-.:must be possessed. The - bad, all Christians would, of course, 'exclude from their hoUseholds. How can this be: date ?, By, supplying thena. shun dandy 'with the.good. It is-the only prac ticable, way; , and, i& the wine way. An `empty garner may be:!nade, and is likely `to be uladii, the receptacle of rubbish; but ,a garner filled with, wheat will admit ne,th lug else. Then,' have , your house well stored with papers minted to satisfy. all reasonable wants. - • • If there is no religiaus paper in - the fam ily, a paper of another kind must be had. If the religious paper contains not the news', a paper not religious must find access to the household. If the Christian editor will not • discuss. subjects of general social interest, then a mind not Christian must gain , its way to the young, and possess their hearts: Hence, wisely, 'supply your house with, the Christian journal; and encourage the, editor to give all needful news _through this medium, and in contact with precious Bible. truth; and also cheer hinviw the discus shin of all great matters of social interest, basing his argumgnis on" moral truth - and presenting them in a trovel,spirit. PROVIDE; FOR TILE - •DIigTITUTE. Calls, just now, for beneficence, are un usuallY large and numerous. It is estima ted that at present, there are more than one hundred thousand of the, freedmen, slaves made free by the operations of the war, who are, suffering great privations. They are, mostly, the aged, the feeble, the women; and the ehildre,n. The husbands, fathers and sons bad not been in , the habit of providing.for these. • That duty had de volved on their masters. Now, they have no masters;`and the able bodied, to a very great extent, have enlisted; some forty thousand of them as soldiers, and one hun dred thousand as teamsters, laborers, &c., with the army. Hence the classes above noted have no natural helpers. We are to help them. We have'driven off their mas ters, or.have asked them to leave.. The account given of their sufferings, on the Tennessee, Mississippi,- and elsewhere, for the want of food, raiment, and shelter, are most distressing. IA. Society has been organized, having its centrein Cleveland, Ohio, to seek their re lief. Other agencies are at work. Means are needed, and these must come from the liberal: Mostly, thus far; it is - voluntary Associations which are in this field. The need, in many forms;and especially in the way of instruction, is likely to last for years; and also to increase greatly. Should our Church take hold of the matter? Should we have a specific department charged with this benevolence Princeton Theological Semittary.—The An nual Catalogue of 1868-4, gives the names of one• hundred and eighty-ond students; Reiident Graduates, 5; "Senior Class; 68 • Middie Class, 63; Junior Ulan, 60. Of these, 40ure graduates of Nassau Hall College, 18 of Union, 14 of Jefferson, and 12 of Lafayette. .From the State of New York there are 44 Pennsylvania, 36; New-Jersey 22 Ohio 11: Thirty-seven .dolleges and twenty-seven States and Coun tries- are represented by the students. New Churches.—We see it stated that the congregation of Dr. BRESSLY (United Piesbyterian s ) are about to erect a new and handsome church edifice, in _Allegheny' City. The people of the Trinity Episcopal church contemplate performing for there selvias a similar service, in Pittsburgh. The Methodist Episcopal brethren in Alle -gheny- have a new foundation laid for a church. The- Roman Catholics of .Pitts. burgh have also commenced a new church structure. Our Exchaugas with religious journals will all be continued; and also with secular journals where We have a especial arrange ment. Secular papers whose editors wish the . Banner for family use, can have an ex change by sending us one dollar. Ministers who wish to enrich their libra ry with a few most valuable books, are re quested to IOOk at the advertisement -of Smith, English & Co. lemciither - the Seminary.---Our children aie'very-frequent, they are even very lin: poitunate, sometithes, =in their demands upon our purse. But when they so con duct themselves as to be an honor to us, the demands are met cheerfully. Now, the churches in this region have a child, loos,- ted in Allegheny City. This child has many wants; but then, it is our - honor, it haunt glory: And more yet, it is ' preemi nently useful. It accomplishes'one of the greatest of works. The Seminary now calls for . aid... Bead the:requeit(of the Trustees,- and be prompt anti liberal. Sanitary Fair.—The' dreat Western San itarY Fair, :in aid or . the IT. S. Sanitary Com Mission, is to - be opened in Cincinnati,. with appropriate ceremonies, on Monday the 21st inst. Contributions from far and wide will - be thankfully ,received. The "Fair at Chicago was a great success. May that , at Cincinnati still excel. The object in iriew is immensely - important. Sanitary CommitteC—The Fourth Report of the Pittsburgh SanitarY CoMmittee and Ladies' Relief Asseciation, is ,published. It ought, to be-,disseminated extensively. The object is truly benevolent, the 'work is greatly needed, and-vast benefits acerue to our brave defeliders, who have suffered in thufield anit in :the damp. Liberal;—We see it stated that the collec tion for the Miisionary Fund, in the Tenn Street Methodist Fpiscopal chtirch, was on a late Sabbath, $4,427. We wish - that Presbyterians eoild,'in the language of the Apostle, be pionokerl. , : The Presbyterian Book-ROoms advertise some ,choice books, this week. Holiday presents may be there obtained, adapted to both - please and benefit-the recipients. EASTERN SIIMMM: NEW-ENGrLAND. A'WRITER in the Congregationalist com plains,that in Boston there is, no "central power." in - the form of a Congregational House, in which` should be installed the societies of the' denomination, and which shpuld be provided with a library and suit able rooms, for missionary, ministerial and committeemeetings. He thinks that a thorough . union of >Boston pastors and churches is necessary,. in Cider in some measure to supply with moral bonds the lack of those outward links by which most other denominations are united. A NEW-HAMPSHIRE paper contains the following interesting item in regard to aged ministers "Rev. Peter. Clark, of Upper Gilman-' town, aged 82, has been in the ministry about 53 years. Rev. Enoch Place, of Staiferd, aged 77 years been in the minis try 59 years. Rei. Nathinie/ Berry, of. New-Durham, aged 74 years, been in the ministry 47 years. Rev. Thomas Perkins, of New-Hanipton,, aged 80 years . ,,been is the ministry 47 years. Rev. Joseph, Boo dy, of New-Durham, aged 90 years, been in the ministry 66 years." REV. Dn. EDDY, of the First church, Northampton, has received`-a - -call to the pastorate of the Pearl Street ehurch, Hart , • ~ ford Ct with a , salary of $3,500 . , THE TRUSTEES 'of Dartmouth -College have transferred_ Prof. Packard from the chair of Modern Languages to that of the Greek Language 'and Literature ' recently made vacant by the death of. Professor Putnam. They also resolved to make an effort to raise one hundred thousand dollars for the general purposes of the College, particularly to fill up the endowments of professorships, to furnish a suitable_room for Geological and Mineralogical- Cabinets, and to establish scholarships of one thou sand dollars each foi the education of worthy indigent students. ACCORDING to the recently published catalogue of Yale College, there are at present 632 students in attendance at that institution. - The Professors number forty nine. The following Library statistics, are given : The College Library, (not counting pamphlets,) 42,000 ; Linonian, 12,000; Brothers in Unity, 1,000; Professional Schools, 5,000—a t grand total - of 71000 books. We are pleased to learn that at a class meeting lately held in the' President's lec ture room, a Temperance Society was started,in the Freshman Class of this Col lege, and that the names of about sixty— nearly one-half the class—were immediate ly affixed to its pledge, with a good proi peet of future growth. A GRANITE MONUMENT, with inscrip tions commemorative of his worth as a Christian citizerr, has-been placed over, the grave of the lion. George N. Briggs, in ,the beautiful cemetery of Pittsfield, Mass. The Berkshire Eagle says : "The-, ceno taph is massive, finely wrought, and in fine proportions. Upon this rests a finely wrought, cross, of Vermont statuary marble, extend ing the whole length of the sarcophagus, and supported at the head by a marble Bible!' _ IT IS DOUBTFUL whether the citizens of Massachusetts will altogether villa the compliment contained in the following paragraph from an exchange : "In illustration of the statement that inaanity increases with the progress of civ ilization refinement, and intellectual activ ity,.D. Ray, in .his lately, published work on mental disorders, mentions the feet that the proportion of insane persons in Massa. ehusetts is greater than in any other State in the Union." . ME Tract Journal says that-a colored servant lately called at the Tract House in Boston, and said to the clerk Chit she was looking for. a Dream BOok for her mistress. He handed her a copy of " Bunyan's Pil grim's Progress," which she took, after expressing a little fear that it " was IA exactly what her mistress wanted." The following day she again appeared, saying she thought she " would step in and say that the lady liked the book very much." The Pilgrim's Progress is. the. Prince of Dream Books. Ix soziz of tbe towns in the vicinity of Boston, on Wednesday, the thermometer indicated a temperate of only six degrees: above zero. SRVEBAL costly , contribut ions have been. sent from England to the Boston Sanitary Fair, soon to -be.. held.' Among the con tributors is Mrs. Addington, a sister , of General EAPOUrt. A steam fire-engine, valued at $4,000, will be sent to the fair, as a gift, from Coniord, New-Hampshire. .firs New-Bedford (Masa.) -Staridard says t‘ " A representative has been elected from, a district .in Essex county, in this . State, who had been nidedns a, pauper the last year. He. .was voted for in order thus to save the town from the expense. of support." - Tun - DEATH' of Robert Babcock, of Wardsboro', VI; at the _advanced age of 104 years -and six' months, took place: re cently. Mr. Babcock was one-of the , forty picked men who, - under Lieut‘ Col. Barton, captured the British General... Sir William Treicott, on the night of July 1.777,' and thus obtained an _officer- of 'suitable rank to exchange for Gen. Lee,. - who had been eaptured by the British. - NEW-YORK. A counsn of avening. sermons by ministers of the leading Evangelical denominations has been commencedin city. No subjects are to be discussed which are matters of controversy among Evangelical Christians, WE LEARN from' the Obsereei- that a, suri: prisingly large number of churches are in process of preption or are about being corn-. .menced in New-York 'city. It states that it was recently - informed *by' an architect that'be himeelf had forty churches in hand to build the drawings 'of Welk. he was. preparing, or the erection of which he woe , superintending. The main reason for this` somewhat singular condition of things at a time when - labor and lumber arer'exceed - ingly -high, seems to be that money is pleanty and people =are easily induced to contribute of their abounding means to religious and philanthropic purposes. A LARGE Council of Baptists was recent ly held in New-Yorkito consider the ,ques tion of ordaining Mr. Matthew HalnSmith. After,a kindly and extended discussion, it was, decided to be, on the whole, inexpedi ent to proceed to ordination. In comment ;lug on this decision, the. Zion's Advocate remarks " The_ above conclusion of a second coun cil ;upon the same question we think most wise. The person referred to is almost constantly ehanginghis denominational re lotions; and one Who, as a correspondent of secular journals, deals so largely in water ing-plate gossip and'" theatimal criticism,. should he in secular life rather than in the pulpit." * A PEW MEMBERS of the church and con gregation of the Broadwayfflabernicle call ed upon their pastor, Rev. J. P. Thompson, on last Thanksgiving evening, - and presen ted him with a purse of $1,000; The movement was begun - on Wednesday morn itig, and carried through in one-day. RE . v. DANIEL WALDO, who has attained the remarkable age of 101 years, preached at the Presbyterian church ini. Fulton', Y., .recently. His discourse occupied tiven ty-seven minutes, and his general appear... mice did not indicate that he was over sev- THE. TWENTIETH Annual Report of the N. Y. Association . for R C Condi tion eproving the ondi tio of the Poor, has been recently_ pub lished. `The following, among other rules, have been adopted to , regnlate the dispense,- tion of charity To" give relief only after a personal inves tigation of each ease, by visitation-and in quiry. To relieve no one except through the Vis itor of the Section in which the applicant lives. To give what is immediately necessary, and what is least susceptible of - abuse. To give assistance at the right moment; not to prolong it beyond the, duration of the necessity which calls for it ; but to ex tend, restrict, and modify relief Recording to that necessity. To require of each beneficiary abstinence from intoxicating - liquors as a drink; of such as have young children of a proper age, that they may be kept at school, ex cept unavoidable circumstances prevent it; and to apprentice those . of suitable years to some trade, or send them to service. - To discontinue relief to all who manifest a purpose to depend on alms, rather than on their own exertions for support, and whose further maintenance would be incompati ble with their good and the objects- of the Institutien. REV. DR. PHILIP SCHAFF expects to pass the Winter in N. Y. city. He will be occupied in superintending the publieation of certain historical and critical works. MT. JAMES H. ROOSAVELT, who d ied at New-York last week, has left an estate of nearly a million of dollars, the whole of which; subject to a temporary charge of about fifteen thousand dollars per annum, which will to minate, with the death of two persons now living, is to be devoted to the erection and endowment of a hospital, in the city. Goy. SEYMOUR and the Secretary of War have agreed upon a Commission to ascertain the fair . quota of the State of New-York, and to Inquire into the dispro portionate enrollment in the several Con gressional Districts- of the State." -The Commiasion consists of Judge Allen, of Qs, wego; •Gen. Lane,. of Indiana; anii . Gen. Rice, of- Massaehusetta, who are to enter upon their duties at once. GOLD on Dee. 14th, opened at. 150, and closed at 1501 ® 150 i. Flour—Extra State, ;:$6.30 ® 6.50; Western, $6.40@ 6.45 R. H. O, $7.40@7.55. PHILM)ELPRIA. THERE are now five .‘ Sunday papers" published in this eity—a new one having been just started: We regret to, see that the new journal is greeted with compli mentary- notices, by- leading dailies - from which we 'would fain have hoped for un= flinching opposition to all kinds of Sabbath desecration. REV. Jousr MOORE, of •Cambridgeport, has'received and accepted a unanimous call . to the South Presbyterian church,Phila delphia. REV. DR.j. H:tENNARD, of Philadel phia, fills th&oldest pastorate of any *tap tist chuTcli in that city, having been set tleti a little over twenty-five years, 'Nevis, in a notice of the West Phil. aelphia Hospital, says: _ "The Sixty-fifth and Vine Street Ii„, pital is devoted entirely to the reception soldiers who have lost their limbs in haul, or who are suffering from deformities joints produced by gunshot wound s. 1 : has been open since the 2d of Noveinbcr -1862, and has had four hundred a n d se7 : enty-two inmates, one hundred and fif ty 51 , whom still remain, and only two hare dii 'tWity-three of those now there have but 'One leg, and twenty one but one arm ; but the Governtnent has made arrangem ents to su pply_ ,bost limbs with artificial SixtY-five thousand dollars have been ct rl , propriated' all by Congress toward il, -coianendablearid charitable object, an d is presumed the sum will be inerea*i from time to time es the demand requires., Jupiter,eaptUtt,r, ME StOaMShip , while , trying-to run the blockade into roington ' .was sold on Wednesday last a , Philadelphia. The vessel is 184 feet length-, .18 feet breadth of beam, 8 f e „ hold, and has a carrying capacity o f Sher Was,;built, in Glasgow, and i, , plated with iron. She was sold for twent. nine thousand dollars. A T A MEETING of the Friend ; lat e ; ; held in Philadelphia, a worthy Q ua k,; arose, and after lamenting the fact that many of thair. yotmg men had joined u, tinny, Moved the' appointment of a tor , inittee to investigate the matter, which Nr „, agreed to. The President undertook t iiiitennce the names, but the first, af ter , painful Silence, arose and said he could u serve with a good - conscience, as he had, son in the army; the next had two there; and the next, a venerable patriatf r had sent his own son, two grandson s . at, three nephews I The resolution Was thF rescinded. It is estimated that there hr: between two and three thousand Q ua k er , in the'army; THE local preachers within the boon?; at thA, Philadelphiu. Annum Coderenc- Methodist, number three hundred and foci; From the Congregationalist. Tour Duining Machine. Proprietors. of -the,CongregationaU s t, am beat. I scarcely know what to think, : say. To be dunned by machinery, v t , w,ould hays dreamed of it ? It is ha. enough to be funned politely by a [elk : , through the Pest, Office; but to invent curious .macitine„ at an expense of sell : . hundred.dollars, to perform this unpleastr business, it is an instance of Yankee perae• verence surprisingly annoying. What wd, come next ?, A machine, no doubt, that will take the. money right out of the scriber's purse, in spite f him. A grea time this, for the printer's devil. All ta:i about paying the printer is at an end noir. Printers must-be paid. Those little harrele, editorials that exhort subscribers, from tim. to time, to pay their bills, have been playei out. They ; have proved like blank eartrirl •ges fired into a copperhead.mob. Nobod: eared for them. Ant,now that you prop: to get your pay .1y machinery, the table! are turned. Just look at it. Ypur paper came, as usual, on last Fri day evening. The first thing that met mg eye was your humble servant's name in a new type, and against it these mysteries characters, "1 April '63." "What .these mean ?",said I. I looked again and again, and the characters grew more alp. terious. • " Anything of the Knights the Golden 'Circle 2" I inquired silently within. Still, :mystery was more mysteri• ous. So.' Yell :to reading% the first page, usual, thinking all the ,while, "what ea: these characters mean r You may wet judge of my surprise when, on °pent the sheet to read the. editorials, I learned that they,revealed the time to which my sat. soription was paid, thereby disclosing the painful fact that .1 am, in arrears. I read on : but." X Apra '63," was continually be• fore my vision. I couldn't drive it away. If it'had only been April'64," it would have yielded solid comfort., But there was, ".1. April 63," and the fact couldn't be blotted out. ._I got. up, and walked the room nervously, with paper in hand. "I'll look at the paper, if you have real it," said our better half, just entering th,.. room. I flung it into her lap, as she mated herself at the-table. " What's this ?" she inquired, discover• ing the aforesaid mysterious characters her first glance on the paper. " What's what ?" I replied, very much ai I felt. " Why, your name here —what's that :''s " Figures, of course; -it's plain enough` to see," I answered, fheling nettled by ever : - word. Well, wife went to reading, and gime reigned in Warsaw. She turned to the ed itorials. She read, and then turned bag to the, characters---read again, and looked at the characters. " Why, John," at length she exclaimed. haven't you paid for your paper this year? What makes you think I haven't ?" ".:Because 'l. April '63 ' means that you have paid'to that time. The new machine says-so. I' don't care for their machine," I said: and every word of the reply was a lie; fer 1 cared more for it than for all the dunnia2 editorials that have appea - red in the last fit: years. But women, .you know, are very conscientious, and don't like to run int debt. . " Well, I wonldrt't read a paper tha: isn't paid for," she added. The subject was dropped here, so far a! discussion relates; but my mind could a': drop it The last thing I revolved on L7c ing to sleep, and the first thing on awakiE.: ing in _the morning, was that inevitab:: "1 April '63 !" Oh, that it were a zal , take ! But it was not! It possessed th,3; . essential element of a good story—it, t 0,.; the'troth. Well, on the next clay, our Charlie, wk: always reads the stories in the Conpjt tionalist, sat down to read : urea said he " what do these D . Urea mean by the side of your name here A ` What figures ?" I inquired. "Why, these here," holding paper, and . pointing, " haven't you see', :, 'eta?" • " Of eourse have." Is it your age father ?" the little t , went asked: ." You - ain't so old as that, 27- .yotk?„. Well, saw that it must be explain 6 and so 1 explained it as well as I could. " Why didn't you pay for it, father . Saint you any money ?" And the fellow asked this last question in the 111 ' ' piteous manner. , We can't go through another wee , .;;; such trial. We have revolved it over 3 , 11 over. Next week that same "1 April 't`: l will come again unless it is forestalled the cash. So here is your money for t'' paper. And now lie sure and attend to the - chine, so that it may bring us comfort u 6 week. Turn the crank clear round+ don't fail to have it tell the truth—' April '64." And may the Lord delivr from dunning machines hereafter.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers