Virtstigtexian Xlattiter.
.eITTSDURRII, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 1864.
nil DUTY OF TUE HOUR.
As the. Spring wears slowly away, all
eyes are directed in eager expectation to
the fields, alreadY rendered memorable by
fierce conflicts, where hostile armies have
been for months preparing to renew the
struggle. The speculator, making or losing
a fortune with each ebb or flow of the tide
of battle, listens for the first whispered ru
mor of defeat or victory that may affect the
price of ()often and of gold: The states
man, with solgeely less of interest, lays
down his dispatches " from the front . " to
calculate the' effect they will produce upon
the popular mind, almost'as sensitive in
its fluctuations as the medium of exchange.
Each heart, swayed by its ruling passion,
turns to the scene of 'approaching conflict,
and' whatever the peeuliar interest may be,
throbs with anxiety for the result.
Has this hour of stillness, that precedes
the storm, no interest for the Christian ?
A war which -has been growing in magni
tude rand bitterness, through three long
years of strife and blood, is about to cul
minate, in a campaign. for which the re
sources in men and means, on both sides,
have been taxed'as never heretofore. In a
few brief days.; or weeks, battles must occur
which, in all human probability, will de
cide the destiny of the Republic. And
apart from the tremendous issues - thus to
be , determined, affecting the entire nation:
and whele future history, not less sol
emn is the fearful truth that, in addition
to the throngs of sick and wounded who
will languish in our hospitals, thousands
upon thousands of hearts, now beitieg
arcing with life and hope, will soon be for
ever still L---multitudes of deathless spirits
will soon be ushered into the eternal world.
Is not this,. then, an hour of painful inter
est to the Christian"?
Nor do these limits, wide though they
are, embrace the whole field of sorrow.
After each new conflict, sad messages will
speed with electric 'swiftness to ill parts of'
the land, bearing anguish unutterable to
many a grief-stricken parent, to many a
weeping wife, and to many a little 'flock
who have <long watched for a father's step
that will' e heard no more. such is the
brief epitome of a new campaign : other
homes to be desolate—other hearts to ache.
The contemplation of tais wide-spread sor
row, so soon to envelop our land, cannot
fail deeply to affect a Christian heart.
What, then, are :the claims of the present
hour ? They deserve, assuredly, more than
a passing thought.
One duty undoubtedly is, to encourage
our brave soldiers in the field, by showing
that we love them and care for them and
for their families. We can do this in
various ways in the present, without wait-
ing for the contingencies of the future.
We can write to them; we can send them
tAra d Afar:% b rat t - iou rernembrane an
vueli pen,
and give them the counsel and comfort
they so much need. •
Another duty is, to repress in our own
hearts a vindictive feeling, so ready to arise
when we think of the guilty authors of all
this misery which has come upon our once
happy land. It may be difficult to restrain
a revengeful desire, when we hear the ti
dings of such .revolting brutality as the
recent massacre at Fort Pillow. At such
times it may be hard indeed to heed the
Divine injinetion, " Love your enemies ;"
yet it is not the less our , duty to remember
who it is that hath said, " Vengeance is
mine'
Another ksson, already often taught, is
that we make not man our trust. Too
prone to- rest with overweening confidence
upon the skill of a favorite General, or
upon the results of a favorite measure, we
have been slow to learn how unreliable are
all such sources of hope. Connected with
this should be the caution, that we have no
right to look for uninterrupted successes.
Such is not the usual history of war. We
should be prepared, therefore, for reverses;
so that, even in the midst of disasters, we
may preserve unshaken the determination
that, come what may, we will, God helping
us, continue the struggle until he shall
give us the victory.
But, last of all, and most important duty
of the hour, let all Christians, with hum
ble, earnest, unceasing and united prayer,
besiege the throne of grace, that He from
whom alone our help can come would, in
this extremity of our nation's peril, have
mercy upon us ; that he would give to our
rulers the wisdom, and to our armies the
strength, which are his gift ; that he would
prepare such as may be called to lay down
their lives, for the solemnities of the dying
hour; that he would lead our enemies and
ourselves to see and to forsake the sin
which have brought such fearful, yet de
served, punishment on them and us; that
we, as one nation, may fear his name; and
that the summary of, our future history
may be—" Happy is that people urh.nse
God is the Lord."
TBE BUTCHERY AT FORT mow.
There are some crimes so atrocious that
we feel altogether unable to form a proper
conception of their horrid character. In
such cases, words are wanting to give a
sufficient expression of our reprobation and
detestation. An instance of this kind is .
found in the late butchery at Fort Pillow.
Many have been the occasions since the
the attack on fort Sumpter, on the 13th of
April, 1861, when rebel soldiers have cov
ered themselves with an infamy from which
nothing can ever deliver them. But
nothing they have ever done in outrage and
cruelty approaches the inhumanity and
brutality committed last week on the banks
of the Mississippi. •
The people have not yet forgotten the
horrors of that night on which QUANTRELL
and his execrated horde entered Lawrence.
But QUANTRELL and his companions were
avowed pillagers, robbers, and murderers,
and made no pretensions to the character of
soldiers engaged in
. regular war. No
such alleviation, miserable as it may be,
can be discovered in this recent, enormity.
Six thousand - men, under command of a
Geneial of high standing in the •rebel ser
vice, attack a place 'defendell by only six
hundred brave men; and after resorting to
various acts of duplicity, through flags of
truce and otherwise, this rebel force at
length overcomes the few hundred men
whose heroism against such fearful odds
would have won the admiration of generous
•
barbarians.
Yet the noble defence-against such vastly
superior numbers, was made the occasion
for an indiscriminate butchery of white
and black, si3k and wrunded, women and
children, scarcely paralleled.in the atrocities
of the most savage tribes. Nor can it ,be
even plead that this was done in the .mo
ment of fierce excitement ; for some of the
greatest brutalities were • delayed until the
second - day. Men helpless 'from sickness
and wounds, were shot or bayoneted.
Women and children, crying for mercy,
were slaughtered remorselessly, as if they
had been vile are. Negroes whose valor
had won them lasting renown, were com
pelled to dig graves, in which they were
buried alive. And dead bodies were col
lected and burned, that the demoniacal ap
petite might be satiated. The whole scene
has been so bloody, so revolting, so dig
graceful to civilized man, that if there be
aught of hUnranity, to say nothing of any
higher principle, in any. Southern bosoms,
their faces Inuit blush with a deeper shame
than ever before.
In view of this and other acts of kin
dred nature, the question will press itself
on thoughtful and Christian than of all par
ties, Are not these the natural and ripened
fruits'of the twin crimes of rebellion and
slavery ? Could such vile passions have
sprung up and been nurtured to such awful
maturity under the culture of any other than
these influences ? Mr. SUMNER once de
livered a speech which will not soon be for
gotten, on the 14 Relations between Slavery
and Barbarism," in which he set forth the
idea that slavery was'necessarily barbarism.
Now he would not be considered far out of
the way if he should undertake to demon
strate that slavery and fiendishness are in
separably connected. The butchery at Fort
Pillow will do more than all the books ever
Written, and all the speeches ever made, to
convince the American people of the ne- '
cessity of freeing themselves at once and
forever from the stain and wickedness of
human slavery. The blood of those help
less victims has not been shed in vain. .We
greatly, mistake the spirit of the people of
this country, if this appalling outrage does
not unite all parties again, as did the as
sault on Sumpter, and fire them with a
stronger determination than ever before,
for the speedy and complete suppression of
this unreasonable, wicked, and cruel re
bellion.
THE CHRISTIAN COIHIRISSION.
The Second Annual. Report of the Uni
ted States Christian Commission is on our
table, and we regret that it cannot be read
by every Christian and philanthropic man,
woman and child in the United States.
We are free to say that no other associa
tion has done so much, with as small
expense, as this,
.for the souls and bodies
XWt -eye]. y bat,-
tie field • and in every hospital, minister
ing to both the physical and spiritual
wants of suffering ; they have preached
the Gospel in every division of our armies;
and in thousands of tents have they pointed
great multitudes to the Lamb of - God. And
all these labors have been entirely volun
tary, without fee or reward of a pecuniary
kind. All the money contributed is ex
pended in procuring hospital supplies of
clothing, food, and delicacies such as are
needed by the sick, and in providing re
ligious newspapers and other religious
reading at the lowest rates. The delegates,
and all the stores, reading matter, etc., of
the Commission, are carried over the rail
roads free of charge. Even their dispatches
are sent by the telegraph _lines without
cost. Wamention these things that our.
readers may know the absolute economy
practised, and that their, contributions are
only used for the direct object to which
they were given...
The
The entire operations for the year 1863,
in money received, stores donated, Scrip
tures contributed, and religious newspapers
and books, etc., amount to 016,8371%.
The following is a general summary of the
efforts
Christian Ministers and Laymen cam-.
missioned to minister -to men on
battle-fields and in campi, hospi
tals and ships, during year 1,207
Copies of Scriptures distributed 465,715
Hymn and Psalm Books distributed... 371,859
Knapsack Books distributed 1,254,591
Library Books distributed 39,713
Magazines and Pamphlets distributed.. 120,492
Religious Newspapers distributed 2,931,469
Pages of Tracts distributed 11,976,722
Silent Comforters, &c., distributed.... 3,285
Boxes shipped to the field or shipped
at home
The delegates distribute the •hospital
stores with their own hands, thus pro
viding against waste or an improper appli
cation. In view of the great need of the
stores and labors of
.this• Commission
which will soon be experienced on many
fields, its treasury should be replenished at
once, and large additions of hospital cloth
ing, food, and stimulants, be made to its
stores.
The Pittsburgh Branch has been one of
the very best branches with which the
Commission has been blessed. Its contri
butions of money and stores bave been
very large; and its delegates havee not been
surpassed in zeal and usefulness. It •is
•known as the Army Committee of Western
Pennsylvania, and was organized April 6th,
1863. The result of its operations for the
nine months ending December 31st, 1863,
is briefly summed as follows :
Cash contributions $21,348.81
Value of stores donated 46,708.79
Value of
.stores sent to armies 54,079.01
Value of reading matter ..... ...... 4,635.29
The Pittsburgh Branch has sent seventy
two delegates to the armies; earnest, faith
ful men, who have devoted their time and
talents to the xelief of the suffering, at
great personal inconvenience. The Com
mission has depended, in a measure, on
Presbyteries, Conferences, and other Church
Councils, to appoint delegates to represent
them in this department of Christian labor.
Many of these religious bodies have adopted
measures by which they keep one or two
remsentatives constantly in the field, and
their example is commended as worthy of
imitation.
We commend this interest again to every
pastor and church, and to every Christian and
philanthropist, and entreat that there may
PRESBYTERIAN BANNER.---WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 1864.
he no falling off in the receipts of money and
stores, but that there may be a large in
crease. Money can be sent to JOSEPH
ALHHEE, Treasurer, 71 Wood Street, Pitt
burgh, and stores to W. P. WEYMAN, 79
Smithfield Street.
The secular. press has, with great una
nimity, urged the Government to provide
promptly, by a judicious and well-balanced
system' of taxation, for the vast expendi
ture which the prosecutien of the war in.
volves. The religions press, we conceive,
may well add its voice and influence, since
the support of the Government by cheer
fully submitting to the necessary calls it
makes upon our means, is as much the part
of Christian loyalty and true patrio,tisna l as
to aid it, if need be, by the hazard• of our
lives.
`To attempt to carry on war' without
money, would be as vain as to endeavor to
prosecute it without men. To reeruit our
armies, the energies of the country- are
even now being put forth; and with the
replenishing of our ranks, multitndes will
think that - our whole duty has been accom
plished. Far from it. To support• and
render effective these masses of men, mil- ,
lions of money must be expended. To
raise these means, a variety of measures
has been resorted to, suggested by, the fer
tile invention of the Secretary of the Treas
ury. But the issuing H of legal tenders, of
five-twenties, of ten-forties, 'of- certificates
of indebtedness, and the various other in
gehious methods of disguising- the ' one
stubborn fact, that_we are carrying on this
war by borrowing money,_cannot avail for
ever. A war, expensive beyond 'all preee
dent, is upon us: Its vast, outlay must be
met, not by 'borrowing alone, but as fir as,
possible by paying as we g 0... •
The present Congress has long been in
cubating over a tax bill; designed to in
crease the revenue by direct taxation. With.
Americans this has always, been . , an unpop
ular measure. But, once convinced that it
a necessity, this great people will reso
lutely accept the fact and shoulder the bur
den. We confess to a feeling of disap:
pointment that whisky on hand will probe
lab! be exempted ; nor can .we see any rea
sons, constitutional - or otherwise,-why,such
a favor should be shown to whisky venders.
On the contrary, a very .cogent argument
might,be made, lo prove that this class of
our fellow-citizens Should be permitted to
contribute a few millions to the national
treasury. •
In connection with this increase of taxition, a rigid and unsparing economy, both
public and private,, is loudly demanded—
private economy, if for no. other reason, be
canse it is unfeeling to be lavishing, in
wasteful luxury, millions of,dollars at home,
whilst our sons and brothers are enduring
hardships in the field—public economy, be
cause the millions, uSelessly squandered,
must all be made up by imposts upon the,
toil of a much-enduring people, who . have
a right to require that the- men arid means
hey Dave soratarte,
And yet, when we have done the utmost
we can do, let us never forget that our
trust should not be. in the superiority of
numbers and resources. As a people we
have sinned ; as a people let us turn
,unto
the Lord, that he may have mercy upon us,
and that the ground of our :confidence may
be—The Lord of Hosts is
.with us ; the
God of Jacob is our refuge.
DAsvn.LE REvizw...- 7 -The number for
March has the following articles : The
Nature and Extent of Church Authority
by Rev. R. L. STANTON, D.D. IL The
Nation's Success and 'Gratitude, by Rev.
R. J. BuEossiquxoGE, P.D. III: Baptist
Revision of the Bible, by Rev. Eti. P.
illumpagEv, D.D. IV. The Loyalty De
manded by the Present Crisis, by Rev.
JACOB ('DOPER. V. Disloyalty in the
Church, by Rev. GEORGE NI - 041tION. VI.
A Biotraphical Sketch of the - Itev. Jno.
C. Young, D.D., late President
_of Centre
College, by J. A. JAcons. VII. New
Testament Doctrine of the Holy SPiriti by
Rev. jotr. K. LYLE.
The first four articles, deal with matters
of living: and present interest, in a. very
able manner. Dr. HUMPHREYS' article on
the Baptist Revision of the Bible is timely
and effective, showing most conchtsively
its reckless and unreliable Character- The
article by Mr. 00O1ER has the true ring. Let
this Review be sustained, for it has a great
work to do for the Church and the Conn
.
try in that region. Dr e BRECK4NRIDGE
made a mistake when he attacked the Pres
ident's Emancipation Proclamation, in its
pa *es ; but he has gotten over all that, in
high ground he and his co-laborers have
taken in our great struggle, within the-last
few months. -
12,648
THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN AND
THEOLOGICAL HEVlEW r for'April, has for
it contents; I. The Messiah's Second
Coming, 1;:y E. F. HATFIELD, D.D. IL
The Political Principles of the Old Testa
ment Prophets, by Dr. lIEF,mANN HTIP
FELD. 111. The Antiquity of Man, by:D.
R. ooDwirt, D.D., Provost of the Univer
sity of Pennsylvania. • IV. Bulgarian Lit
erature, by ELIAS Maas, D.D., Missionary
to Constantinople. V. The Principles of
Morell's Philesophy, by EDAH PORTER, D.
D., Professor in Yale College. VI. Paul's
Allegorical Use - of the Mosaic Natrative,
by HOWARD CROSBY, D.D., of New-York
City. VII. Theories of the Inspiration of
the Scriptures. VIII. Criticisms *, -on
Books.
This Review is published by: J. M.
SHERWOOD, No. 5 Beekman Street, New-
York. As a Quarterly we haVe always
liked it, though not agreeing with all its
teachings. It is always lively, learned,
and various. By the way, a little more
care in proofreading would be an improve
ment.
fiew-tork Prison Assoriation,—We have
before us the Nineteenth Annual Report of
this praise-worthy, benevolent Association.
Its labors have already done much toward
reforming abuses in the prisons of the-
Empire State, and in the way of directing
proper attention to the sources and provo,
cations to crime:- The suggestions macle
in the Report before us with regard to the
treatment of criminals, and the incentive
THE SINEWS OF WAR.
RELIGIO&S REVIEWS.
to reformation, are worthy the careful at
tention of all interested in the public wel
fare. This annual publication may be
made productive of vast benefit to human.
ity and religion. The Report before us
was prepared by the Rev. Dr. E. C. WINES,
formerly a professor in Washington Col
lege, Pa., and like...everything from his pen,
is elaborate and thorough.
NEWS OF, THE CHURCHES
AND MINISTERS.
PRESBYTERIAN.
Old' School.--Rev. James M. Shields was
installed pastor of the church of Bridge
water,. Presbytery of Allegheny City, on
last Friday. The. Rev. James. Allison pre
sided and preached the sermon; charge to
the pastor by the Rev. Mr. Loatray ; chai r ge
to the people by the ReV. J. M. Smith.
M. Shields enters upon a field of- .la
bor.'. under most-encouraging circumstances.
The Presbytery of Blairsville at its late
meeting, dissolved the paitoral relation pe
tween Rev. O. 4.Miller and the churches
of Armagh and Centre.
This week we are able to announce the
folloWing . additional Commissionersie the
General Assembly.: from. the Presbytery of
Blairsville, Rev." James E Carson - and Mr.
Robert Fulton alkerriatesc Rev; S. H. Shep
lerand Sheridan... Presbytery of Phil
adelphia,. Schenck- and Rev. J.
Chilioothe, Rev. E. Grand Gi
rani and Mr. William Pinkerton. - Presby
ter -
,
yof Cincinnati, Rev. C. Burt, D.p.
and Judge Stanley Matthews.
At the late.meeting of the Presbytery
of Chilicothe, the following paper Was
adopted
Whereas, The National Government:has
promised protection to our missionaries
within our lines in< the Southern.
States; .therefore, Resolveili That we Sara
estly recommend the Board of Domestic
Missions,to send as many missionaries` as
practicable to this field, giving special at
tention to the wants.of the freedmen who
are providentially thrown' upon our hands.
. •
Rev. F. G. Clark, -pastor of the West
Twenty-third Street 'Presbyterian church,
New York,,preached 'his twelfth anniversa
ry sermon last Sabbath week. His people
have generofisly arranged to give him a six
months' rest, having engaged Prof. Mell
vaine of Prineeton, to supply his pulpit,
besides giving him' a . purse for - his ,travel
ing expense& He expects to sail for 'En
rope in May.
The Presbyter says'
4 4 We hear that a very extended revival
is in progress in Danvilfe, Ky., in the First
and Second churches, which, are in charge
of Dr. W. L..-Breeklnridge and Rev. W.
J. MeEtkight. From fifty to sixty persons
are among the inquirers, and many of them
are students of the College."
The Rev. E. P. Humphrey, D.De f Pro
fessor in. the Theological Seminary at Dan-
Ville, Ky., has been unanimously called to
the pastorate of the First .Presbyterian
Church, Boston, Massachusett& The meet
ing of the congregition was unusually large,,
and entirely harmonious and cordial. The
Rev. Randolph A. De. Lancey was appoint
ee a commissioner to prosecute the call be
fore the respective Presbyteries. Dr. Hum
: . ........... n. a son
.....
College, Massaehusette:' He is the first choice
of 'leading friends abroad for this field, for
which he has peculiar qualifieations, as well
as eminent abilities. The Rev. Mr. De
•Laneey,.who consented to take charge tem
porarily of the Boston church, and has re
mained lodger than -he intended, we under
stand, earnestly desires Dr. Humphrey's
acceptance:
The North Presbyterian church, Chicago,
of which Rev. Dr. Rice wai formerly pas- .
tor., has given a call to 'the Rev. Willis
Lord, DD., to become its pastor. Dr.. L.
was at one time pastor of the Seventh Pres
byterian church of Philadelphia, then of a
church in Cincinnati, afterwards of a church
in Brooklyn, and for . several years he has
ably and acceptably discharged the duties
of a Professor in the North-western Theo
logical Seminary. In the Assembly of
1861, Dr. Lord took - high ground in favor
of the " Spring Resolutions," in a speech
of great power, the - effect of which was
most -marked.
The Rev. Robert Taylor, pastor elect of
the North Presbyterian church of Philadel
phia, died at his residence in Germantown,
on. the morning of Friday, the 15th inst.
Hr. Taylor was at one time a successful
lawyer in Mercer, Pa. After his conver
sion he studied Theology in the. Western
Theological 'Seminary. His first pastoral
charge was at Warren, Pa. Afterwards he
became pastor pf the Secon'd Presbyterian
church in Germantown; and last Fall was
called to the North church of Philadelphia.
He was an earnest and popular preacher.
Rev. Mossrs. Lapsley and Cleland, and
Messrs. - Sampson and Dickey, hive been
elected delegates to the General Assembly,
by the Presbytery of Transylfania. - Mr.
Dickey is an elder e the second church of
Nashville; which was set over to this Pres
bytery by the last Assembly.
The new Presbyterian church in Sharon
congregation, twelve miles west of Carnal,
White County, Illinois, was dedicated
March 27th. The dedication sermon was
preached by the Reit. B, C. Swan, of Shaw
neetown, from 2. Chron. vii :15, 16, and
the dedicatory prayer by the present elated
supply of the church, after reading 2
Ohron vi., and giving a short sketch of
the church since its organization by the
Rev. Janke M'Gready, in 1816. The
building is a neat frtuate structure, well fin'
'fished and furnished. It is with pleasure_
we record the gratifying fact that it was
dedicated free from debt.
New School.—The Third Presbyterian
church of Pittsburgh was destroyed by fire
about six months ago, but this did not
Check its prosperity or diminish its liberal
ity Though . occupying a hall in the third
story of a building, all regillar and special
religious services have' been remarkably
well sustained; and some thirty additions
have been since made to the church. Itean
while a large centrally located lot has' been
purchased and paid for, and a subscription
of sixty thousand :dollars has also been
made toward the construction of a new
church edifice. • And as if in the full belief,
that God would bless them in their efforts
to be a blessing, they have nobly responded
to the- ; calls of; the Church at large, and
taken no mean place in the published rec
ords of Christian benevolence. Thirteen
hundred dollars jhaie been contributed
since the fire to the dmege_of Home
d en s, 81 4 a 'thousand dollars to the - Amer'
jean `board,
,exelnaively of the. Monthly
Concert collections. Mr, irCullough,,tlo3l
efficient agent of the American Sabbath
School 'Union, has taken away Sour hun
dred dollars; while Mr. Potter has secured
over two hundred dollars for the American
Tract Society. In addition to all the
above, with generous thoughtfulness, this
people have added five hundred dollars to
the salary of their pastor, dating from the
first of January !
Rev.-D. G. Mallery, formerly chaplain of
the 51st Regiment P. V., but having some
months ago resigned, has just been re Weet;
ed to_the same position, and is now on duty
with the 51st, at . Annapolis, Md.
1:11410,—Mr. Joseph R. Kerr was or-
dained , and installed pastor *of the Third
United . Presbyterian church of Allegheny,
on Tuesday evening of last week. In this
service the. Rev. J. T. Pressly, D.D., pre
side& and delivered the. charge to the-pas
tor. The sermon was 'preached by Rev.
Mr - Steele, And the charge was given to the
people by. Rev. B. Clark. Mr. Kerr is
a sion :fi . f,the Rev. Joseph R.Herr, deceased,
formerly pastor of, the Sixth Street Ass°=
eitte tefornied church, and a grandson of
the first professor: in the. Theological Sem
inary of that Chureh r now located in .Alle
gheny, City.
CONGREGATIONAL.
Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, which
has shared in for - Metyears so much, of re
,
vival , influence, has .agmn been greatly
blessed`With:the outpohring of : the Spirit.
The notice of , this revival we clip,
from one of our exchanges
" The'revival in, Mount Holyoke Female
Seminary continued with unabated interest.
Miss Fiske writes, Feb. '20 . :. Yesterday
was a.'day of profit'te cis, and of delightful
°emu:innings- with God. The number of
the names of the disciples of our houde is
about three Amaral and twenty-five, and
these t. all , continued with one accord in
prayer and supplication, all the - day. There
werd.otier , two hundred written requests for
prayer Bent to our meetings!"
~BAPTIST!
the following synopsis gives some facts
of goners', interest concerning Baptist col:
leges and'schoolsi nesispapers, and clergy
men in the South
BiotinOnd College is suspended, and its
building used as a, hospital: The Presi
dent, Rev. Dr. Ryland, continues his „labors
as pastor of the African Baptist church,
aud is also chaplain to. the hospitals.
,Wake
Forest:College, North Carolina) the Fur
man Institute, South Carblina; and Mercer
Collegia, Georgia, are, all suspended. The
Female. College at Richmond is closed.
The Profesiors of the Theological Seminary
at Greenville, S. C., are-,engaged in preach
ing, though they a
have few. pulpits. Oth
er schools generally continue their work.
The Baptist papers, such,,as the Religious
Herald, at Richmond, the Biblical Record--
er, at Raleigh, N. C., and the Southern
Baptist, at Charleston, S. C., are still pub
fished, though,. owing to the scarcity of
paper, on a half sheet.
Rev. A. J. Huntington, formerly of
Chelsea, Mass.,and Rev. Mr. Cuthbert ;
late of Philadelphia,are pastors at Augus
ta, `Georgia. Rev. V. T. Brantly, D.D.,
lath of, the Tabernacle church, Philadel
phia, is pastor at Atlanta, Ga. Several of
the churches in Richmond are refreshed by.
revivals. Rev. Dr.- Jeter has lately bap
...L.3, • ..-onn irutfured: -
e on tiern
its last biennial session at Augusta, G-a., in
May, 1863. For the means to support its
missionaries in China and in Africa:it is
mainlY dependent upon Maryland and Ken
tucky. -By permission of our Post' Office
and War Department, the correspondence
and remittances of the Convention pass
througn Northern channels.
METHODIST.
The returns of the' numbers in society
of the West Virginia Conference, sum up
12,866 members, and 2,813 probationers,
maki,pg a total of 15,049, which is an •ad-
Vance of of 1,050 over last year. The mis
-sionary - collection amounted to $3,565,
which is an advance of $1,328. The Sun
(jay School department shows an increase
of 21 schools, 307 officers and teachers and
1,667 Scholars.
EPISCOPAL.
A neW Society has recently been founded
in the Protestant Episcopal Church, called
the'Christian Unity Society, and having for
its :objects the restoration of the visible
union' and communion of all believers.
This *retirement, in which leading Men of
both schools of the Protestant Episcopal
; -
Church take part, is understood to have the
• approval of the presiding Bishop, the 13ish
ops-,of New-York,' Pennsylvania; Maine,
Rhode - Island, and the Assistant Bishops of
conhecticut and Pennsylvania, Several of
whoin have given aid and-counsel in draw
ing 'Up . the proposed constitution. The
principal efforts of -the new Society will be
undoubtedly directed toward establishing a
kind intercommunion between the An
.glkititt and other Episcopal Churches, with
a view to their complete union; for, though
themain ,
object of the Society—the promo
tion of a visible union and communion of
all believers,--is expresser in sufficiently
broad terms to enable Low Churchmen to
join in the Society, the leaders of the High
Church party, according to their oft-ex
pressed' Views, will never recognize other
deneminations as branches of th Christian
Church, unless th y have an, apostolic suc
cession of bishops. ' With them, all union
must result from coming to them : they Will
not advance one step .toward any other de- -
nomination.
Importance of the Christian Commission.
NASHVILLE, April 7, 1864.
MitotTeSEPH ALI3II,E; Treasurer of Chris
tiara Commission :
DEAR BROTHER :-I suppose you have
a right to expegt me to give an account of
myself. I will try to, do so. I find myself
in Nashville yet. When I left home I had
visions in my brain that have proved
" baselPss fabrics." I was anxious to go to
the f'• front." I calculated upon hard work,
hard beds, and " hull tack. When .I left
the boat at Louisville, I bade farewell to
good dinners, and spring-matrasses, and
• easy times. I found quarters at Louisville
better than I had anticipated, got intro
duced to the work, and spent the day (Sab
bath) pleasantly, but without doing much
in the way of work, owing to the fact that
the hospital to which I was assigned was
qnite empty when 1 arrived. In the after
noon I had a good opportunity at Exchange
Barracks,"biit felt so out of place and out
of head amidst the noise, that I spent the
time in private conversation with the men
about their spiritual welfare, and did not
attempt to preach. When I
came to Nash-
Vibe, I found myself immediately in the
palatial residence of some Southern Nabob,
which, the Christian, Commission are author
izedoby the War 'Department to occupy.
It affords a pleaSant resort for the weary
laborer in barradcs, camps, and hospitals.
Under= the superintendence of Mrs. Smith
it is a complete bottle.
I came here knowing that it would be
my duty to. submit to the directions of the
Field Agent; and though I had it strong
desire to go to the front, I•havej hi aimerd.;'
mM -
Por the Presbyterian Banner
-------------_ .
''portsthatthe,,
ante with my convictions of duty, been en- sugar production of r j i- --
tirely passive as to my post. Nearly . three 1.802, was worth .
'' . l. - : 22 , l9 o—that n. l l-
weeks of my time have already passed, and then 8,280,000 pounds of l u r „.,, T ''' l ,•
r y 7 ,,
lam still in Nashville. Ido not expect to in that State that year. Of this it.--
a ''
; '' l
be sent forward, and I cheerfully submit. ed tam 27,000 pounds were, r " d e frr -tt
There is much work demanded here. sorghum, r..
There are five classes of persons in and
is imported, and t -
tvr il et i ve a h xs un f dtild toti ' s - of rl iron in l' e '
:'''
a ary, 31. , •acsae, ca s. , t „,
and around the city, who need special at
and fifty tons os cast steel, m un i'''
one-half which
tention. They are the Refugees, or whitea 3ear, ;
92 dyed
d ch is procured from the work '''''
11' '
persons who have come here, mostly fr
Beat Tennessee. They , are utterly, desti
dbruerdg.tonl:soffoorogara
tute of every comfort; many of them . not
having a mite of this world in any sense eighteen 1 . ,
, u,
..
their own, and many of them not having • •
an available dollar. Widows with large Among the coins in the collection ~eu•.
families and orphan children, and aged ' the New-York Fair by Rev. Mr. 2,„,:'
pebple, all thrown together . in. se and un- , from Rome, is a First Rrass of Ti tus ‘''''
pleasant quarters, and only very stintedly ' the celebrated reverse Judea C u p,: .i.''''
provided, with the necessaries - of life. I is the imperial coin of Rome which ~,'
have labored some. amongst . them, and am year.
atPi Lel
memorated the fall of Jerusalem a n d
i; r:
happy to say that a goodly number of them : the utmost historical and religious int,. '
are supported with the consolations of reli
-
gion.
The Contrabands are also a suffering and
pitiable class. They live in tents. They
appreciate preaching and teaehing. Not
one in twenty of them can read. Yester
day I labored among the prisoneAs, ,Pid
not, preach, hut, conversed with the men.
think it a, good field of labor,; Much
good may be done by private conversation,
and I believe this is the most important
feature of.the delegate's work.
Lastly, but not least, are the soldiers.
Of these there are two classes, viz., soldiers
in the barracks and ca‘kps l and soldiers in
the hospitals. 'They lite both in a condi
tion urgently calling for help. This her
vest is ripe. There .cannot be too many
laborers. I like the work very much. - At
first it •was quite trying, but a few efforts
overcame all difficulty. Soldiers are, can
did and free; and universally respectful in
conversation, They are quite eager , to °b
reading matter, and give good attention - to.
the preaching of the Word. Many give
no attention, but those whodo, form as in
teresting audience. I have found that after
preaching, immediately, pay time comes.
Groups of men will gather around, eager to
extend their greetings—" I am glad to See
you;" " Thank you for coming;" "It
seems like God's country, to get a little
preaching ;" "God bless you," &e., &c.. I
tell you, this currency of the soldier is the
best kind of pay.
The poor sick and wounded always wel
come our visits. A little attention , to their
hodily wants, such as the_provision of some
delicacy for the palate, a kerchief provided,
or some little want supplied,
_a letter writ
ten, a roper or tract, given if able to read,
a passage read if not, forms a good, intro
duction and gives a hold upon the heart
that enhances one's usefulness greatly. I
feel amply, repaid already, and if well, have
no fears that I will continue to enjoy the
work.
Stir up the Christian people at home, so
that they shall see the importance of the
work and open their hands and hearts to
sustain this noble institution—the Chris
tian Commission. Soldiers respect the. del
egate. He needs no further recomendation
than> that his badge gives him, and he
needs no countersign. or pass-paper but his
badge. Yours truly,
D. W. TOWNSEND.
• Coggregational Suipnse.
MESSRS. EDITORS :- During the past
Winter a number of notices appeared in
yolir excellent paper, - under the caption,
" Ministerial Surprise," "Donation Visit,"
&c. It would seem as though many of our
thioisteriat brethren were quite "scared,"
at the unexpected freaks of the good people
of their charges; but I_ suppose-we mht
“-worse seared
thin hurt." Ido not — ieMember ever no
ticing an article under the aboVe caption;
and with your permission I will tell you
about it. -
The good people of Bethany
,congrega
tion have always been, kind to those who
minister to them in spiritual things. In
deed, Messrs Editors, it would be difficult
to find a, bettet people. During the nine
years.of my ministry in their midst, they
have manifested their kindness, to the
and his family, by repeated donations
of money and articles of value; but.always
accompanying their gifts with the modest
request., '(Do not say any thing about this
publicly." At the close of our last com
munion season, on. Monday, the pastor re
turned home; but was scarcely seated un
til 4' member of his Session entered and
placed, in his lianT a large roll of bank
bills, bringing his salary well up to, a specie
basis.
Perhaps the good elder, was guilty of a
sin of omission; or perhaps he had no in
structions on the subject. Be this as it
may, silence was not imposed this time, and
so the secret " slips out, and produces a
" congregatioUal surprise." Hoping they
will pardon me for telling on them, I shall
close; thanking them for their "Many acts
of kindness, and breathing an earnest
prayer for their spiritual and temporal wel
fare.
Donation.
The pastor of Ebenezer congregation and
family have - been favored with another of
those visits which so much gladden the
hearts of the ministers of Christ
The first Sabbath in April Was our com
munion, and on Monday, after preaching,
the congregation might be seen wending
their way to the parsonage. Soon the
house from parlor to kitchen was filled with
young and old. From the bap, bundles,
and packages brought with them, one un
acquainted with the object of the visit
might have thought they were preparing
for a siege, and intended to convert the
parsonage into a commissiary deiiartment.
After a few moments spent in kind greet
ings and social conversation, a hymn was
sung and a portion of Scripture read; after
which, prayer was offered by brother Win.
F. Morgan.
- The company then dispersed; having left
provisions, clothing, groceries, and money,
amounting to $161.45.
For such kindness " may God supply all
their need, according to his richis in glory
by Christ Jesus." D: J. IRWIN.
For the - o.reebyteriati , Batmer
Acknowledgment.
I desire, in this way, to acknowledge,
having recently received from my people a
purse of onOundred and seventy dollars.
This hautSome, gift, coming after so
many other acts of kindness and liberality,
is very gratefully appreciated, and I trust,
quickens in no small degree, the desire I
have to be, instrumental in conveying to
those among whom I labor, those spiritual
blessings which enrich for: both this life
and that which is to come.
W. F. HAMILTON.
tlniontown, Pa., April 12, 1864.
Varieties.
At Parkersburg, Va., oil wells have been
struck yielding from six hundred to one
thousand bafrrels per day. The excite
ment is very great in consequence, and ev
ery man in the place thinks he has an oil
well in his cellar.
company at. Willimantic, Conn., are
about erecting an immense building for the
manufacture of linen thread. It will be
.640 feet long, 170 feet wide, and run 20,..
000 spindles. It is said that when com
pleted- this will be the largest thread-mill in
the world. '
1, 1 116 Ohio Oothmiesioner Of Statistics re-
For the Presbyter! au-Banner.
For the Presbyterian Banner
The oldest building on Washingt on rr
Boston, on the corner of Water Street
been demolished. It has stood fur a
tnry and a half, and was the place
lication of the fifth newspaper in Boet fin ,
the Weekly Rehearsal, started in 1: :
The Boston Evening Post, started in j 7.
was also published in this bonding; it i;F
in 1775.
The present naval force of the Is ri i t ,
States, is divided into nine squadrons,
North Atlantic, under Acting Rear .1,4
ral Lee; South Atlantic, under Rear
miral Dahlgren ; East Gulf, under 1e;.,.
Rear Admiral Bailey; West G u lf , uliii
Rear Admiral Farragtrt; Mississi I r .
der Rear Admiral Porter; Special flu;.
India, under Acting Rear Admiral Larincr
Pacific, under Acting Rear Admiral B.
East India and Mediterranean, and
mac Flotilla. Seven vessels of the
detached from squadrons, are assigned
special service.
Windsor Park covers 3,800 acres Ri c . ...
mond, 2,468; Hampton Court.
Kew, 683 ; Regent's, 478 ;
362; Hyde, 289; Victoria, 24/i;
wich, 135 ; Battersea, 175; Green and :••
James,• 50 each ; Phoenix Park, D u h,L,
1,752; Central, New-York, 850; Lois
Boulogne,
France, 2,095; Tzarsko-Sei..-
Russia, 850; Thiergarten, Prussia,
In Southern Europe the most noted lilac
of publie resort is the Villa Real, in N a
pies. The Bois de Boulogne has a
riage drive thirty-five miles in length,
the Central Park, New-York, has a Cr.r
nine miles long.
Part IT. of the census of Irelani, 131 . ;
has just been published, gives rl , r. fall .;
ing figures respecting the religiu n ,
sions of that country, the p.. 1,111.,;:,
which, in 1861, was 5,798 !n;7.
lished Church, males 239,:A.4, feat
354,043; Roman Catholics, males 22'
053, females 2,300,212 ; Pre•byterif
males 254,734, females 268,557 ; ale i.
dist, males 21,290, females 24,1U9; lei
pendents, males 2,112, females, 2,429; •
ciety of Friends or Quakers, males
females 1,680; Baptists, male, 2,141. :-
males 2,096; all other persuasions, nr,
10,846, females 7,952; Jews, males
fernkles 193. •
American Bible Becirty.—The stated nie;
ing of the Board of Managers was hell
the Bible House, Astor Place, on Thu:
day,. 7th inst. Several interesting mot - ...
nications were received. The total mar,-
of books granted is 74,535, of which :12
were to the Christian Commission; 1_
for Japan ; 96 for the Island of St. Ti
as ; 315 for Uruguay ; 385 for thy ;
oral grants for Freedmen; 34 volumc,
raised letters for the blind. Besides t: .-
$264.99 worth were granted, not irmit,.
in-above. number; $5OO were apt+ -
ated for printing the Syriac Testament :
Oroomiah ; and it was resolved to r,
plates for the Hawaiian Family Bible
for the. Ancient Armenian Psalms, at t:-
Bible House. James Lenox, Esq.. of .)es
York, was unanimously elected Preside:
of the Society, in place of the late Hon. L:
ther Bradish.
Personal.
The National Freedman's Relief Assce..
Lion have sent as teachers to the Frei
men, per steamer Northern Lt:qh,t, to P.:,
Royal, S. C., Miss Emma M. Fogg, at
Rev. L. D. Barrows, D.D. They have a*.,
sent to Vicksburg, Miss., Misses }li=
Case, Jennie B. Greene, Emma S. Siccua
and Mr. E. E. Dart.
Mr. Win. D. Ticknor, of the publi,}
house of Ticknor & Fields, Boston,
suddenly on Sunday morning last, at
Continental Hotel, Philadelphia. Mr. Tcs
nor had been for many years the Trek.. 7
of the Baptist Missionary Convention
Massachusetts, and of the Rowe Street ,L?
tist church, of which he was a highly
teemed member. His fine taste and 1 , ;-!
ness skill did much to give his publi.dh--
house the eminene which it has attan,
. Ire D'ircy Inge, M.P.P. in a recent
tare in Canada, said: " When Wasbine
opened the first Congress in Philadelpt: ,
he drove in a stage-coach with six
riders in buff and blue,
the popular color:.
He invariably opened Congress in per.k_u
He never shook bands when introduml•
never returned visits. Ten years a•.:r.
when the lecturer called upon a Presidect
of the United States, and was received by
him in his chamber, where the visitor
found him warming his naked feet on a
fender before an open fire. Presently b:
drew on his stockings and boots, and prtl
pared for a walk."
There are two Penn habitations in Min
delphia. Penn Cottage, in Letitia Street
(Market, between Second and Pronto
supposed to have been one of the first, if Du.
the first, brick building erected in NEIL:
delphia. Watson believed that it was L
by Col. Markham, Penn's Lieut. GoverL , .r
before Penn landed here, " and that
of the finer work was imported for it w
the first vessels." Penn certainly oceurE
it, at times, during his first visit, in
83. During William Penn's second
in 1700, he resided in what was ca!ic
" The Slate-Roof House," corner of Sued,
Second gtreet and Norris' Alley—the burl !-
ing for the preservation and removal
which an effort is now to be made. J- 112
Penn, the Governor's son, was born in
house, and it was the temporary residence:
in times nearer our own, yet now beconitn2:
remote, of John Hancock, John AduraE
and other public men of the Revolution.
The house in Letitia Street was built b} or
for William Penn, but the slate-roof honoe,
in South Second Street, was erected
Samuel Carpenter, who was then the weal
thiest settler in Penn's province. It is
curious relic, and it is to be hoped that i:
may be preserved.
A Washington letter writer gives some nu
rious facts about the present Congressme'
He says : ‘ 4 Mr. Ames, of Massachusetts, j 5
the richest, worth over two million; .M l '
Bald win, of the same State, the largest; lqr
Clay, of Kentucky, the tallest; Mr. COx ,
of Ohio, the smallest; Mr, M'Clurg, G f
Massachusets, the shortest; Gen. Dumout•
of Indiana, the most productive, being tb'''
father of nineteen children; Mr. StereuE ,
of Pennsylvania, the oldest, seventy-two
years; Gen. Garfield, of Ohio, the young
est, thirty-two years ; Mr. Windom, of:
Minnesota, handsomest; Mr. Kelly, of
Pennsylyania, and Mr. Vorhces, of Indian ';
the best'seakers; Mr. Cos, of Ohio, and
Mr. Was h burne, of Illinois, the best Par
liamentarians ; Jr. ]'Lassen of Irma, aud
Mr. Pendleton, of Ohio, the readiest deba
ters; Mr. Clay, of Kentucky, the
_largest
fa'r4-In.h_aking 6,500 acres ofland,27o
slaves ,
2 , 0 00 she ep ; and 151) blboded eattlQ ; while
0
ME