, 11 1,;v, JAMES ALLISON; T, rADITORL% EOBERT PATTERSON, JAMES ALLISON & CO., Proprietors, TERMS IN ADVANCE. Niam (Bingly nr In Oluhe,) $2.(13 1/aLlyseto i.Y iFFI.IIIII OF TOO CITIFF 240 Motor/ 'lending no TPN Subßcrlbere And rtpwarde, will tie thereby entitled to a paper withunt charge, and another 10 ., paper far the second ten; n e newaleahonlii be prompt, a Little before the year expire'. Direct all lettere to JAMES ALLISON & CO. • PITTSBURGH, PA, For the Presbyterian Banner Letter from Siam. BANGKOK, Siam, May 9, 1864. PEAR BANNER :—This little kingdom is d r ained principally by three large streams, which flow South or Southwest, into the The Bampakong on the East, the lensin, or M'enana Chowpagn, in the mid do, and the Taohin on the West. These three constitute the principal arteries of the kingdom, although there are other minor streams of considerable importance. All these streams are connected together by a series of canals and creeks, winding and twisting through each other, so as to form a kind of intricate net.work. These p r o the highways of the kingdom, and con „orently so many avenues of trade to the capital. Boats of all sizes and descriptions aro constantly seen winding through these mats, or floating upon the bosom of these broad rivers. Daring the dry season, one s pecial work of the missionary is to thread these weary canals, and ascend these broad rivers, and distribute the Word of Life to the perishing natives. Occasionally, too, he makes a bolder push out into the Gulf, and visits some province two or three hun dred miles down the coast. On the present occasion, we concluded to take the Taohirt ) as a region as yet comparatively little visited by missionaries. Imagine a native boat about forty feet lona, and about six feet across the beam, and in the oentre a small cabin, about twelve feet long. This cabin serves as state room,. dining saloon, sitting room, &c. Then imagine the missionary, his wife,. and three or foar children, as the case may be, stowed away in that small cabin, together with stores, beds, bedding, cooking utensils, and other indispensables, for the journey, and you have a pretty good picture of the missionaries in Siam, upon a mission tour. upon the deck are five or six swarthy natives, acting as boatmen, to propel the boat with oars when necessary, but when a breeze springs up, to hoist sail ) and then stretch themselves upon deck, and perhaps sleep in the broiling sun. This mission touring is the only means we have of enjoy ing a little respite from the din and filth of this watery city, and at the same time it is the only means of reaching a portion of this people with the Gospel, and obtaining a knowledge of the country. The Taohin is a broad, crooked, and rapid stream, discharging a vast volume of water into the Gulf, and were it not for the obstructions at its month, vessels of several hundred tons might ascend to a considera ble distance. The region near the sea is under the influence of salt water. This region has been devoted chiefly to the cul tivation of sugar-cane by the Chinese. Vast numbers of Chinese, of all dialects, flock to Siam every year, and indeed they aro now the chief producers of the king dom. Some of the more wealthy have gone into the sugar business, and employ vast numbers of Ooolies. On each bank of the river may be seen vast fields of sugar cane, and in some places it is out down and collected into heaps, ready to be put into boats and taken to the mills, which stud the banks of the stream in great numbers. The cane is ground upon a crude, wooden concern, simething like an old-fashioned cider mill, only on a much larger scale, and is turned with buffaloes. The juice flows through pipes from the mill into a kind of tank, whence it is taken in buckets to the plane of boiling. A kind of furnace is built, about ten or twelve feet high, in the top of which a large iron kettle is placed. The whole operation is conducted in rather a primitive style, and like all sugar mills, ono who uses much of the article, had bet ter shut his eyes while visiting them. They manage, however ) to make some very pretty sugar; and very cheap, too, which makes a person wonder, after seeing the crude processes through which it as to pass. A young Chinese nobleman, in Bangkok, has sent to Europe for an im proved steam sugar mill, which is expected shortly. A missionary speaking only Si amese, can do but little for these multi tudes of Chinese, and if ever reached at all by the Gospel, some of our Boards at home must send missionaries especially to them. Leaving the sugar district, we came into a farming neighborhood. The Palnyra be gan to rear its lofty head, which indicates a rioe.growing region. Occasionally a plan tain garden was- seen on the bank of the river; the broad leaves, split by the winds, were ” streaming in shreds" in the breeze. The inhabitants of a farming community generally live in little villages upon the bank of the river. During the day they work in the fields, .and at night return home. The houses are built of bamboo, and covered with the leaf of the Nayfra palm, or a kind of thatch made of long, coarse grass. They are generally more comfortable than most of the bamboo houses in the laity. In these villages the houses are placed very close together, and, 6) far as a stranger can see, and especially 1, European, they appear to have all things common.' They live thus in communities perhaps because they are somewhat clannish, and partly for mutual defence. Like all country residents, they are comparatively free from many of the vices found in the larger cities, such as gambling, drinking, the. Ttie temples, too, become scarcer in proportion to the dis tance from the city. The priests are gen erally lazy, arrogant, and ignorant. They aro looked up to by the people, and indeed they are the ,Professors of the country, and thus they are spoiled. The temples are the public schools and colleges throughout the kingdom. We entered one of these tem ple grounds with an alinful of books. The priests' novices and boys gathered around us, to the number of about thirty or forty. We commenced telling them, as well as we could, the story of Jesus, but that only ex cited their ridicsula. We tell them they are wicked, and mast be lost unless saved by Christ; but that is equally absurd, for they have been laying up merit for years. To secure attention we have to touch a more tender point. Their pride must be hum bled. We ask them a question at which they are at once brought to a stand. By looking round about, and referring to the works of nature by which we are surround ed, we ask them who created the world and all things in it. After some hesitation, we set the usual reply, Kert eng "—literally, born itself," or came by chance. We then proceed to tell them the impossibility of such a thing, and then point to the evi dences of design in all things, and thence to the Great Designer. We tell them that their religion does not speak of the crea tion of all things, and cannot be the true religion. Indeed they acknowledge their god to have been but a man, with no more power than themselves, We also tell them that in many other things the Siamese have been mistaken. That formerly they con sidered Siam the greatest country in the world, but now they have to* acknowledge that it is but a small kingdom. That theta nations which hold the Christian re ligion, possess the highest state of civiliza tion, and are most prosperous and happy. These remarks bad the desired effect in se curing attention , and, after distributinc , Bowe books, we eft them reading, at the top of their voices, the history of creation, and some of the Gospels, and tracts of • • . , :,....• . : „... ~ • ~.,:i...,.:tta nntr. .....,,, ~......,,. oat: . „.. ":. .7 • • • , , . •"... . ~. -', !..': ' • ' • 1 .-. „ )"..... , ..., . 411 . '.....,. ~.„/ VOL. XII. NO. 46. different kinds. The principal work going on among the farmers is, threshing out their crops. The rice had been stacked up since harvest, and had become perfectly dry. A threshing floor is made upon the ground, after the manner of those men tioned in Scripture. A kind of fancy tree is made and set up in the centre, upon which are placed some of the best heads of the rice, we suppose as a kind of offering. The sheaves are then placed around the tree, and when ready, ten or twelve buffa loes are diiven rapidly around upon it. They are all tied abreast, and are fre quently changed—that is, thOse on the outside of the ring are brought to the in side, and those inside are taken to the outside. The threshing is done at night, because the • heat is so great through the day, that the buffaloes could not endure to be driven so rapidly. These threshings appear to ,be general frolics, something like the corn huskings in some parts of Penn sylvania.' Old and young of both sexes appear to be present, and the merry laugh is heard . at quite a distance. The rice once tramped from the straw, the latter is taken away, and the paddy collected in a heap ; and when the wind rises, it is thrown up with a kind of shovel, in order to winnow it. •In some places, too, they were burning over the /ads. During the wet season a very lughriant growth of tall grass, or jungle springs up, but daring the dry sea son it becomes dead and dry.. The ground is therefore generally burned over, before the oommencement of the wet season, in order that <it may be ready for ploughing when the rains commence. It makes a tre mendous fire, and we saw apparently hun dreds of. sores all in a blaze. The usual topic of conversation when the.folks meet, is similar to that of the same olass of men everywhere: " How did your rice turn out ?" There is a total lack of variety in the scenery all along these rivers. When a person has seen three miles of it, he has seen the whole. One mile of even the little Juniata is worth the whole of it. There is not even a pleasing legend con neoted with it, to give it interest. Where such a thing is attempted, it is so fabulous that 'it becomes disgusting. We visited one place of notoriety, some distance from the river. It is said that a certain king of Siam, upon the birth of a son, was told by a soothsayer that the son would one day cost him his life. Fear haunted him un til be sent the child away to Cambodia: When the son grew up, and learned who he was, he collected an army and started to attack his father. The father heard of his coming, and marched' out to meet him. They met upon this spot, when the father's army was defeated, and himself killed. A very high pagoda was erected upon the spot. The present king has rather a dis position to multiply places of renown, and has consequently opened a canal from the river to the pagoda, a distance of about fifteen miles. The old pagoda he has en cased with brick, so that it has become a modern pyramid, whose base covers an area of about four acres. It has become a place of resort for priests, and others, from Bangkok. It is the last place, however, that a European would go to for pleasure. The canal stops short, and the water is stagnant—mosquitoes swarm in thousands —at mid-day the sun pours down his rays unmercifully; and, not a shade tree offers protection from the scorching heat. _ The tourist here, *hen going to a distance, must carry every thing he needs, with him, as scarcely any thing can be bought on the way. Indeed, the natives themselves carry all their provisions with them when on a journey. A person could scarcely buy a at chicken if he were sick and dying for soup. They will tell you they have none, whilst you can see numbers of them run ning around. After several unsuccessful attempts to get one, we met with a boy, who, for the money, offered a favorite hen he had. •We gave him all he adked, one fucvng (seven and one-half cents) and-car ried off the prise, d'zid were very glad to get her. She proved to be a laying hen, and was perhaps the' boy's only treasure. These people generally manifest the greatest curiosity to see Europeans eating. They flocked around our boat in numbers, whenever we were about to partake of our meals. They watched with intense inter est, every time the elbow bent, and the spoon, laden with, rice and curry, passed into the mouth. They generally leave, however, under the impression that ours' is rather a difficult mode of eating. If such is the impression they receive when view ing • the simple board of a missionary, what would they think could they see the pon derous courses of a modern fashionable table f Their mode of eating is most prim itive. They use the fingers. When we look at them, we almost feel that they are about right in their conclusions, and al most long to get back to the old mode. It carries one back to Scripture times. We would willingly dispense with each one dipping his fingers in the same dish, and it few other incivilities; but upon the whole we rather admire their mode. There is a freedom from restraint which we cannot help but admire. There is apparently no fear of violating some of the minor rules of -table etiquette. We fear, lest in an un guarded -moment they might commit the unpardonable offence of -opening an egg at the wrong end, or by some mistake, put the knife into the mouth, instead of that most unwieldy of all table furniture, the split spoon. The person who gave to posterity the simple knife; fork, and spoon, was cer tainly a benefactor of the' race; but it would have been well to have stopped there. The Chinese thought to improve on the fingers, and invented the chop-sticks, and they must consider it a complete success, for they make no attempts to improve upon them. But what Bursipean that ever saw a Chinaman alobberirlt, and blowing over his bowl of rice with a pair of chop-sticks, does not long to Bee him go back to the more primitive fingers? We are now enjoying our hottest season. The sun at mid-day, shows no pity. At night it is generally close and sultry ; and although you may have slept tolerably well through the night; you rise in the morning wet with perspiration, and feeling as lan guid and weary as if you had not closed an eye. We have, also, had a little taste of the rainy season again. • Although' the heavens had been clear and brazen for months, and it appeared as if it could not rain again, yet about the usual time for the rains to commence, the sky one day became suddenly overcast, the thunders began to rumble in the distance, and soon the rain was descending in the gentle shower. As if to compensate in part for the warm weather, we are now enjoying some of our richest fruits. _Among these, th — e mango stands perhaps first—a yellow, rich, juicy fruit. Have you ever eaten a mango ? Altar dinner, we will have a ders,rt. Here comes a dish full of the yellow fruit. Roll up your sleeves nearly to the elbows, and have a basin of water standing by your side to wash your bands occasionally. A finger-bowl will answer the same purpose; but that in the eyes of. some may appear extravagant for missionaries. A towel or fruit napkin is also indispensable. Some PITTSBURGH, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST, 3, 1864. say the fashionable way is to slice the fruit off close to the seed, and then eat out tie slices with a spoon, but that is rather a slow process, and besides some of the beet of the fruit is thus lost. And who need be particular about these smaller matters, unless perchance he may have an opportu nity of dining with some of our English friends. We prefer utility to fashion, and consequently, take the peel clear off before commencing. - After all the precautions that can be taken, however, a person is likely to find the juice running down over his beard, and perhaps extending even to the skirts of his garments. After all the difficulty in eating it, however, the mango is delicious. Next, comes the mango-stine—a tart, pulpy, fruit put up in lobes, within a dark, walnut•like shell. Break the shell and lift out the lobes with your fork, and they melt in your mouth. Then, there are the pine apple, and several other -fruits, not at all difficult to take. But, the fruit of the season, among the natives is the durien—a large fruit aboUt the size of a man's head, and has a prickly shell. Within the shell are lobes, each containing a seed surrounded by a white, pulpy substance, insipid to the taste, and which emits an effluvium of the same na ture and even worse than that emitted by a spoiled egg. As the boy said about the skunk, when ripe it Can be heard at quite a distance. Olfactories unaccustomed to the smell, van scarcely endure it. Not withstanding, however, the natives pro nounce it the best fruit of the season; and we are sorry to say the taste of some of the older missionaries has become so vitiated as really to enjoy it. In regard to the great work in which we are engaged, the heavens are yet apparently as brass. We try to be faithful in our labors, and occasionally we get a mercy drop which encourages us, and confirms the promises; but there is no evidence as yet of any great work going on among this people. The French - Jesuits have lately had a success. They received about three hundred• at one time—there was, however, only one Siam ese among them. The Jesuits have been here for over two hundred years, and can now number their converts by thousands, yet they have had little or no success among the Siamese. Their 'members are chiefly Chinese, Cochin Chinese, and Indo- Portuguese, a nondescript mongrel race, the result of the early adventures of the Portuguese in the East. The transition from heathenism to Catholicism is so easy, that we wonder that they have not met with greater success It requires no change of heart, or conduct. Their converts are even worse than the native heathen. Besides, they are now offering French . Trotection, and other inducements, to all who will join them. The Siamese they received lately was high priest of a temple, and a noble man of some distinction. At last accounts the news had not reached the King's ears. In the meantime the . Jesuit priests have taken the man uniler their protection, to await the royal storm, if there be any. The Fiench have got a foothold in Co- chin China and Cambodia, which may re sult in the taking of Siam, eventually. They have made a treaty, offensive and de fensive, with the Prince of Cambodia, who' is tributary to Siam, without even consult ing the King of Siam. He has protested, which is about all that he can do; but they don't appear willing . to give up any thing e - q they have Ruirt - T. The Siamese - allthert= ties sent Pays Rat, a nobleman of some dis tinction, to Cambodia, to see what was go ing on; but when he got there, he liked it so well that he did not return, and has secret ly taken all his family away. The King's gunboats - have gone down, together with a small army, if possible, to "bring up the Prince and Pays Rat. Should the latter gentleman be caught, his bead will likely pay the penalty of his desertion. We have been anxiously waiting for the news of the opening of the Spring cam paign at home. By the present mail we have it, in the English papers, in substance as follows : " Spring campaign epen in the U. S., and everywhere adverse to the Fed erals." The facts, too, go to confirm the statement, to some extent. Sherman obliged to retreat -to Vicksburg. Gil more's forces repulsed in Florida. Kilpat rick repulsed with severe loss in the rear of Lee. We await with anxiety the next mail. Yours truly, MeD. FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT. LONDON, July' 9, 1864 LORD PALMERSTON'S vigor has been re, markably illustrated all through 'the pres ent session of Parliament, even while occa sionally the gout has held him in painful durance. But in the party conflict which has been awakened in connection with the failure of the Conference of the represen tatives of the different Powers of Europe, concerning the Dano-G-erman question, the Premier has been tested afresh. Night after night he has occupied his usual seat on the Ministerial bench—his arms, as is his wont, across his breast, and his hat over his eyes—scarcely ever changing his posi tion. ' But when the great question was fairly to be discussed—that is, whether there would be peace or war, and when, along with this, came the other question, "Shall, or shall not, the ministry be kept in -office?" Palmerston has shown great pluck, cleverness, and physical power. Thus, last week, when the strangers' gal leries overflowed, when not only every member's seat was occupied, but some were compelled to stand, and others sat on the floor—while angry attaches of Foreign Ambassadors could find no room at all, and a crowd waited in the lobby, vainly hoping for entrance, Lord Palmerston began his speech. One of our public writers thus remarks on it : " And now, readers, you have, we suppose, read his speech. If not; read it forthwith, and please to remember this: that wonderfully lucid and admira bly-arranged history of the complex Schles wig-Holstein business, with the narrative of the proceedings - of the_ Conference, oc cupied an hour and a quarter; that it was delivered in clear, sonorous tones, without break in its continuity, entirely from mem ory and without aid from notes; and that the man who delivered is will be, if his life is spared, eighty years old next No venajor I" List week, also, Lord Palmerston rode on hmieback all the way to Harrow on the Hill, and back again to Loudon. The an nual celebration before the breaking up of the school for the holidays, was celebrated at Harrow, the Prince and Princess of Wales being present at the festivities. He is an old Harrovian himself, and once sat on the benches where Byron and many other remarkable persons sat, his name be ing carved on the desk, ' 4 F. Temple," (Temple is the family name,) like those of othels, his cotemporaries, many of whom became illustrious in the Church, in the ArMy and Navy, at the Bar 7 and on the Bench—but most of whom are gone to the grave, while he enjoys a green old age, and has the respect and affection even of his political adversaries. A VOTE CF CENSURE OD Ministers (oc cupying, and almost absorbing, public at tention,) has been moved in both Houses of Parliament. The hungry Conservatives have been balked, baffled, and tantalized in being apparently oil the very verge of office several times, and yet by very small pro Palmerston majorities, unable to grasp the coveted prize. They, as an Opposi tion, have their rises ; but the great mid i dle-elass, the commercial public; and the thoughtful friends of peace, retrenchment, and reform do not wish them to pass over from the "shady side" of the Speaker's chair to the ministerial benches. Tux DANES have been driven out of the Island of Alsen, and the brother of the King has gone direct to Berlin, and his object, it is said, is to preserve the mon arehy from destruction, by proposing that Denmark shall become a member of the German Confederation., THREE Nzw BISUOPS have been " con secrated " at Canterbury Cathedral—in front of the shrine of Thomas A'Becket, and very near to the spot .where he was murdered. They wernDr. Francis Jenne, an Evangelical and a fine scholar, to the bishopric of Peterborough; Dr. 0. F. 'Brornby, formerly the Head Master of a Collegiate School at Cheltenham, and rather "high" in' his views, to the bish opric of Tasmania; r and,..Dr. Samuel A. Crowther, to the -bisitopric of the Niger. The last named is a in of color. I bpi seen him ere now, xotiffiall, at the Anniversary of the khureh Missionary So ciety. He, is a native of Africa, has `un dergone many perilOand endured much toil and hardship. 40 was once a slave; he was among the ftrO fruits of that truly evangelical and excellent Institution above - mentioned, which vii4ll recognize no man who is not thoroughly ; sound in the faith, earnest and devotedyiand Which in India and elsewhere enjoins and cultivates kindly fraternal cooperation:with other Protestant Missions. Not very long since, a young clergyman who had been acereditedi-by,,an , examining chaplain et the Dish%) of Lou-' ; don, and ordained by the Bishop, wad jetted when he wished to -become a misZ' sionary of the Society: The reason: way:, that he was found to have loose views- on the question of Justifiation, and to Mani fest Rationalistic teneencies. `4l. EXCLUSIVELY EARLY info nation has been given me by the Assistaft Secretary . of the London City Mission,.iiith. regard, to " Special Religioni•Services in .Thea. tree" during the past tv6elve months. The,; facts and figures are vely striking. -4- Gross At= Theatre. No. 'ifr:f Services. tendanee. ' Standard, Shorediteh 89,000 Pavilion, Whiteehapel 26 57;000 Saddler's Wells, Clerkenwell..26 •-• 81,200- Vieterie, Lambeth ' 13 , 19,500 Marylebone, New Ch. Street..l2 8,600' Fifth course of services, 1863-64 ' .103 • 150,500 Previous'four courses - 559 . 865,100! , Since commencement 662 1;015,000 Tracts, with notices on back of each, • ' distributed stii. 'course 193,006 Tracts distributed previous courses Total, since commencement 661,800 MISSIONARIES TO CABMEN, and Cab men's Clubs, (rooms where they can come and have social intercourse, without strong drink, and where Bible classes for tliem selves and their wives are conducted, and addresses are delivered,) are a- distinct fea ture or the spiritual and moral Tromps in Lonsiou. CalimaSteis als4.l4ve ileArt,oon vetted to Christ, and many - ottirat — cliiii now love the Sabbath rest and worship, be cause the Holy Spirit has taught them to believe in, and Love the Sabbath's Lord. Hence these men 110- longer send out their cabs and servants on the Lord's day. Oth ers, not necessarily spiritual men, adopt the same principle, .and so it has come~ to pass, within a few years, that there are now 2,100 g 4 six-day " cabs. All London cabs, numbered above 10,000, are of this class, and every year they increase. The wives and children of the cabmen thorough ly appreciate the boon ; and the men them selves are of a superior ()lass as to trustwor thiness, a )briety, and self-respect. A series of meetings is being held at the Cabmen's Clubs, King's Cross, in connection with invitations to tea given by the Cab and Omnibus-men Sunday Rest Society. Lord Shaftsbury was one of the earliest promo ters of this movement. WORDS IN SEASON have , been lately spoken by the Rev. William Brock, an em inent Baptist minister, at Bloomsbury Chapel, London. To large congregations on successive Sabbath evenings, he has dis coursed on the topic of " Future Punish ment," and in the following. order : Ist. Its reasonableness. 2d. Its righteousness. 3d. Its certainty. 4th. The eternal char acter of future punishment. Mr. Brook is %fine specimen, both in mind and in per son, of a Christian Englishman. His coun tenance is frank, open, and manly; his fig ure is robust and stalwart. Since his coin ing to London some ten or twelve years ago; he has labored in season and out of season with large results. He has in at tendance on his ministry the elite of the Baptists of London, including Sir Morton Pete, M. P., who was the instrument - of bringing Mr. Brock to the metropolis, pro viding at his own cost, a large and commo dious chapel. Mr. Brock has also preached his annual " Sermon to the Young Men and Maidens of London." The hour was very early, six or seven o'clock A. M:; but the crowd was so great, that .tbey could scarcely be accommodated. Mn. SPURGEON has lately preached a sermon on " Baptismal Regeneration," in which, with conclusive logic and by the language of the Prayer Book, he proved that this dogma is undoubtedly taught in the Baptismal Service of the Church of England. He s therefore declared his con viction that the honest men are the High Churchmen who hold and teach this doc trine; and that the Evangelical party in denying the doctrine, and yet remaining in the Church of England', are sinning both against consistency and truth. The Record has been very wroth; it re minds the preacher of "The Gorham De cision," by which Evangelicals and High Churchmen may each hold their views and yet be consistent members of the Church. The acquiescence of the Evangelicals and the Record in that decision—that paper having denounced the doctrine as " deadly heresy," convinced all men without the Church, that there was little to be expected of such men in the way of Free Church development and sacrifices for conscience sake. That alas is the policy which still prevails. . , • Mr. Spurgeon, last week, publicly stated that he had lost the friendship of many Evangelical Churchmen, including that of the Honorable Arthur - Kitn tird, M. IP. But he said boldly : "If I were to lose every friend I have on earth, I should still adhere to my convictions that I have stated nothing but the truth, and I am ready to answer for that sermon at the bar of God." NOT LONG SINGE, I was present at Wil lis's Rooms, at the annual Conversazione of the Pure Literature Society. I found as sembled even a larger number of ladies and gentlemen than last year. Lord Shafts- bury, as usual, occupied the Chair. The periodicals, and specimens of books sup plied both to country districts and the col onies, were exhibited around the great room. The periodicals—a numerous fami ly of great and varied merit, mostly illus trated—were suspended from a cord which passed across the centre. This Society does not- publish 'books or periodicals. ft neither issues any new books of its own, nor derives any profit from commercial transactions. Its efforts are directed to the .-circulation of pure lit erature, in the most comprehensive sense `of the term. This it effects, first by the publication of a catalogue of such periodi cals, books, prints, diagrams, &c.; secondly, by grants of libraries, at half price; third ly, by acting as an agency in the metropo lis, in order to, supply persons, schools, and institutions in the country. The offices of this Society are at 11 . Buckingham Street, Strand, and a visit by any` Christian stran ger to the:beautiful room, in which are ar ranged libraries, prints, and pictures, can not fail to give pleasure. Good literature, the more widely it is circulated, always tends to thrust out that which is evil. One thousand libraries have already been supplied, and each would p_robably be used . by 75 . to. Hew cnaouragilklttjte pure some years isgoild% lotion of 52,000; last year it was `reduced to 10,000, " showineasaas said by a gen erous.esupporter, of- this movement, "that, where good literature is put into competi tion with bad, the latter- is destroyed." Happy . the7family whose icwspapers and periodicals supply water from pure un-- peisoned springe I 3 7 14 . ...',J. W... , . ; [Origina]- 3 „ - , "Precious Jesus' ,- r • ... Precious Jesus, thou haat ealte4 them . From this ettallowy vale of t; We are waiting, *itching, weep,` 4 -.96tamtssea still with doubts4iid fears. - OVllf.efgwe the rising murmur„, ~ All we,linger. tearfully ; .„ .0, 1411,3 6. altoh'wtifi of sorrow bear int , „ Cr ETer nearer, nearer thee- -,. - , / Precious” Jesus, then west with them ..- Till life's last rough billow. passsd; Soft the whisper—parting whispe„r— -" Precious Jesus!"-home' at IrWt. • - .Home at last, beyond the river, -.,. They are waiting till we cams ; '. "Death no more the links shill sever; When they're clasped in that sweet 'home. Precious jesus, thou art faithful, , Ever faithful, ever true ; Thou halt trodden life's lone pathway, Thou hist pressed death's valley tee, And from oat the upper temple, - Reaching to thy children here, Comes a sweet and holy presence, Precious Jesus, ever near. We would trust thee, Saviour, trust thee, Clasp - thee closer to our hearts, Find thee dearer &Leach loved one From the earthly home departs ; For we know that they are with thee, That they now thy glory share, And we know that we shall.meet them, Precious lesiis, meet thern'there. 868,006 Imr the Preßbyterlan Banner Six Weeks in the Potomac Army,; OR, HOW THE SICK MAN GOT WELL. NO. V. • - Camp Parole— Burnside's Corps—An napo ts. — "Pageants C Let - the worm - revere us ' For our people's rights and laws, And the breasts of civic heroes Bared in Freedom's loly cause." Our Commission Rooms here are of still less pretension Yes. The temands of the Ninth Corps are but temporary, and those of Camp Parole are not large. . Besides,-the build ings in general, here, are but the , passing structures of a camp. Well, "Man wants but little here below"-- Yes, but Father T., Agent for our work in camp here, has a good deal of true Irish civility about him. It was tested last even ing, however, when he would carry our two-story carpet bag up from the platform. Its weight led him to inquire whether we had not been to California! Doesn't it contain more than you will need ? • Possibly. But we always like to go pre pared for any event. Besides, it is said that " raw recruits always carry extra bag gage," and why should we be an exception Volunteering, last evening, , to preach to the " 94th New-York," without your sup per, was, rather unexpected; what kind of a congregation had you? . About one hundred men and one woman I and besisles giving good attention, they made excellent music. Chaplain. Cook, of this regiment, is a musical man himself, and has ; evidently trained his men to sing —a practice which they seem to enjoy. But ,I did n't go to bed supperless The " lunch " in my haversack came just in place, after service. I breakfasted with the Chaplain, this morning; and, in cluding the Colonel, the Q lartermaster and his wife, we had a nice "mess." Where only men are expected, it is unu sually pleasant to see a tidy lady grace the table. Flow did you rest last night ? As well as could be expected in my first experiment in army blankets on the floor I But Bro. G., who undertook to elevate him self on three boxes of - unequal height, and with open spaces between, couldn't .quite make the connection, and was obliged - to come down to, our humble position' in search of sleep promised to take you round—let us go. Really, Camp Parole is quite a neat affair ! Rows of barracks, in line, all white-washed t streets between, and alleys, after the fashion of a town, neat and clean —a comfortable place for the temporary abode of paroled soldiers. Yes; and I don't believe you can find a town'. or city in the United States where the streets'and alleys are kept so perfectly clean and neat as these. And these Head quarters, adorned with evergreens, shell walks, and white fences, make a Pleasant impression. The hospitals, too, standing apart, but in range with each other, neat, clean and airy, are all that could be de sired. What was the trouble, to-day noon, that all the C. C. delegates rose in a body and left the dinner-table ? Didn't you see . that , officer's wife, soon as she had fairly entered, turn on her heel to leave? Yes And therefore we left ! The fact is, the C. C. does n't run this concern at all. We are but boarders here, with these officers and their families, who claim—and proper ly, we suppose—the preference. The, table is too small to allow us all to be seated at once, and by some mistake too many of us took places at the same time to-day. Hence the lady's discomposure, and hence our ex it. But fearing lest our leaving en masse might be construed as a discourtesy, and so to the injury of the Christian Commission, two of us returned, resumed our seats, made the necessary explanation, and en .deavored to do die agreeable generally, as WHOLE NO. 615 well as we could. Would prefer, however, an establishment of our own. Did you hear those two soldier boys at prayer, last - evening, in the adjoining room ? - Yes. As they passed in, one of them— Willie," the boy-of-all-work about the Rooms here—said, " Mr. C.; we are going to have our evening devotions, now, if it will not disturb you; and said it with a child-like simplicity that was pleasing With quiet voice, first one prayed, then the other—for themselves, for the army, and for the Christian and Sanitary Com missions. I suppose' it was them I heard last evening, also, when they closed with ‘, Now Hay me down to sleep," &o. Such manifestations" of simple-hearted piety are pleasing, when, as ".in this ease, they ap pear to be entirely unaffected. What have you been doing to-day.?. Exploring the Ninth Army. Corps; ,most of which fies between this ()amp and Annapolis, on either side of the railroad— distributing, the while, reading . matter among: the men, and making appointments for preaching to some of the regiments on next Sabbath. Saw Gen. Burnside among them, on horseback. He is large and portly. But' _whide his ' appearance' omething ~..,__ ... respedtV 'There is,- nevertheletts, about him that reminds us of an vergrown boy ! He is said to be quite filendly to our Commission, however. Sene: of the camps are very prettily ar raqed—tents in right lines ' streets neat aiinJelean, and ornamented with ever greens; looking as though the boys ex pected. to live here all Summer. The " 56th Mass." seems to take the lead in fitting up with taste. Their Colonel treat ed no courteously. But he may be .some what severe in his discipline. Some of his men seemed to think so, at any rate; and the man ,whom I saw obliged to make his regnfar, " beat" with a stout barrel over his akoiilders, his head protruding through its bcit6n, and his feet to be seen just be low its : month—as also some ten or fifteen others, who spend the live-long day, and night too, on a small scaffold . at an eleva tion of , about twenty, or twenty-five feet,' may perhaps be considered in evidence of the charge being true. Wonder if-some testi degrading form of punishment for mi nor faults, would not answer the ends of military discipline quite as well? Visited, in all, some eight regiments to-day, dis tributing among them 145 papers, 100 sol dier's books, and nearly a dozen New Tes taments; .and begin to feel that this out door tramping—free from wearing care, and yet with an object in view—is geed for " the"eick man.' Passing down from the 66th Mass., we met an officer who asked for German papers for - his men, saying, with an earnest frankness of manner that pleased us, " lam a Catholic; but the prejudices of former days are passing away, and I wish to .do mY men, good." We answered by saying:'" We 'have but one common Saviour to trust in." " Yes," said he, "We must-all be saved by the blood of Christ." , - You are about through exploring now, are you no Yes; and: mong us We have getup a map, locating each regiment of.the Corps—some twenty-five or thirty in all—and as there is evidently a feint or a movement—by land or water--r.foieehadowed, our Field Agent, Mr. - S - I 'briled three of us to Annapolis to morrow- niorningi-to go into tents, in the Airy•-3na-clrirc e o wo r t s :Ur covumr-Orro-10.sy—._, And this is Annapolis! Like most Southern towns, it looks old; and has many low buildings which exhibit but a low order of architectural beauty. Yes; and these, centres from which the streets radiate like the ribs of a lady's fan, are always a pest to strangers ! Bat the Capitol is associated with the revered Washington, and from its lofty dune the scene is beautiful. Let us go up--,the go ing will try your nerves, however. How quietly sleep the waters of the Chesapeake—on the one side—and as quiet seem the, white tents that cover the plain on the other. But how soon may fierce winds disturb the quiet of.those waters'!— and as soon those brave men be called to mingle in the fiercer storm and strife of battle! - But we must go down to the Navy-Yarl With its buildings, old - and new—its long, brick walks, green sward, and its water-laved walls—this Navy-Yard is de cidedly the most pleasant place we have seen, here. Arid here are C. C. Rooms, too, withinlts walls!—pleasant rooms, and well furnished with stores. Yes; whet ever soldiers are, we must have these; and wherever soldioYs go, our delegates must follow them. But I thought we were to go into tents here—set up for ourselves, and be re lieved of the annoyance of a boarding house. So did I. But now that we are here, there is nothing of it 1 Our Agent has seen Gen. Burnside, since last evening, and evidently kn ows more than he tells us ! Well, I am beginning to see that some body must gather information, and direct your movements accordingly—cimmanding and countermanding as circumstances and changing circumstances may dictate; and who, rather than your " Captain"? Nor need you give yourself uneasiness, since yours is not the responsibility. And here, at 4 P. M., instead of tenting in the Navy-Yard, we are riding on a rail— fast as steam can carry us—no. one of us knowing whither, save our Agent! But it is ours to " obey orders!' C. ror the Preebyteiian Banner. Jefferson and Washington Colleges—Their Union. The subject announced' in the above cap tion is one which, has engaged the atten tion of the friends of literature and relig ion for a time. And not without reason. It is a subject intrinsically important, and one which must, on the bare mention of it, awaken a -lively interest in many minds. The Alumni of these two colleges are scat tered all over the land. They are found in all departments of intellectual labor. They are in the pulpit, on the .Tudge's bench, in -the halls of Congress, and in the Profes, oor's chair. They are preachers, farmers, merchants, lawyers, missionaries and legis lators. In this state of the ease, to speak of the union of these two Colleges, is to speak of. a subject whioh must awaken an interest in almost all circles. The writer of this article was absent fromhome at the time this subject began to engage public attention. Excluded from access to the current religious periodicals at that time, he is not thoroughly pasted in the early history of this attempt at union. It may also be stated without any impropriety, that the writer is an Alumnus of 4effersen Col lege. And by virtue of his Synodical re, Wien, he has 'been, for the past ten years, somewhat intimately connoted with Wash, ington College. Being an Alumnus of one, and having spent some time and labor for the benefit of the other, he cannot but' feel a deep interest in the issue of this attempt t 9 qUIR bee tin P3EititUtiM of lograiug. THE PRESBYTERIAN BANNER. Publication. Office: GAZETTE BUILDINGS, 84 FIFTH Sr, Pirrimmitc, PA SMITH, ENGLISH & 00., 28 NOSTII-6TH Sr., Pima., PA. ADVERTISEMENTS: PAYMENT IN .I..DP.ANCE. TRANSIENT ADVERTISEMENTS, 10 OMB . * Lnri for each insertion. A liberal reduction to those who after" the largely. SPECIAL NOTICES, 15 ORRIS A Liam. EDITORIAL NOTICES, or CARDS, on second page. 96 Crum A Lox. OBITUARY NOTICES, 6 Goon A LINZ. This is his apology for offering a word to the publio on this subjeot. The successful consummation of this scheme, it must be admitted, is highly im p .rtant both in a religious and literary point of view. These two Colleges, in their separate condition—taking into consideration their proximity to each other, the present and prospective condition of the country, the number of rival institutions each claiming a portion of public patronage, and the com parative poverty of both--cannot calculate on a very brilliant and prosperous future. While the two, united on a proper basis, might look forward to a future of high honor and usefulness. That it may realize such a future, there are at least two things that an indispensable. 1. In point of literary merit it must be made the College of the West. Its curri culum of studies, its faculty, its libraries, its literary Sooietien--in a word, all its ap purtenanpes must be such as will place it in the fore front Of literary institutions. 2. In point of religious influence, it must be thoroughly Presbyterian. A Col lege without religion may be an engine of vast evil. K'nowledge is. power. But knowledge without the controlling power o,fl , angelical religion,ii as likely to be nr, sininignt of evil , as' good. The Col ic left' nsibe sanctified by a strong infusion of relki_enr. And a first class College, formetSSe, the place of the two exist ing onrand to be located anywhere in the same - rea c ion, must be Presbyterian. In the 'constitution of its Board of Trus tees—in its Faculty—in its religious teach ings—and in its modes of worship, the Presbyterian element must predominate. And yet it must not be so exclusively Pres byterian as to be intolerant, or to ferbid the . presence of students whose religious preferences are different. Its spirit must be Evangelical, while its literary standard is so high and commanding as to attract generous, aspiring youth of all denomina tions. And now on what grounds can a successful future be expected for such a College ? 1. Sufficient patronage can reasonably bnexpected from the field now occupied by the two existing Colleges and from the regions beyond. The people of the region in question are intelligent, and 'Strongly Presbyterian. And they will support such a College. Able to judge of the value of a good thing, they . will show it favor. - Such . a literary sun will be seen. Its light and heat will be felt. And its attrac tive power will draw patronage. 2. The amount of funds to be realized from the present limited endowments of the two Colleges--from the generous pledge already made to the new College—and from other appropriations that can doubtless be secured—would be so ample that the build= ings and grounds can be made commodious and attractive. A large faculty of pious, able, tried mencan be, secured. And all the helps connected with modern educe,. tional machinery can be se - cured. Such a College, founded in faith and prayer, com menced and carried forward in a spirit of dependence on the Divine blessing, cannot fail of being successful. But is such a union practicable ? Can it reasonably be looked for ? Not unless those who are more immediately concerned, will show such a spirit of concession as will merge all party and local interests in the higher considerations of the general good and greater useful - n - 6m There are questions _havinz__xeference to location, fends, the present Fieliltibi, ifid — thd present build.. ings, which cannot be comfortably adjusted, except in the exercise of the spirit above indicated. If any one party will E jty--" Such a College is much to be de sired; but ours is the location, and we will hear .of no other "—this course must at once arrest all progres3. These preliminary questions" are more likely to be settled properly by competent disinterested parties. And unless such a reference of these points can be made sat isfactorily, all the discussion on this sub ject will be likely to produce no good re sults. The suggestion made by Mediator in a late article in the Banner, for a convention of.the Alumni of the two Colleges, does not seem _objectionable. The members of such a Convention, coming from all parts of the country, acquainted with the views of the Christian public, intelligent and ca pable of forming comprehensive opinions on the subject, might reach snob conclu sions as would be received by all parties, and render important help in solving the knotty. problem. B. A. Nothing to Do. 4, Nothing to do !" in this world of ours, Where weeds spring up with the fairest flowers, Where smiles have only a fitful play, Where hearts are breaking every day ! Nothing to do!" thou Christian soul! Wrapping thee round in thy selfish stole ! Qff with thy garments of sloth and sin! Christ thy Lord hath a kingdom to win. Nothing to do !" there are prayers to lay On the altar of incense, day by day; There are foes to meet, within and without, There is error to conquer, strong and stout. se Nothing to do I" there are minds to teach, The simplest forms of Christian speech. There 'are hearts to lure with loving wile, - From the grimmest haunts of sin's defile. " Nothing to do !" there are lambs to feed, The precious hope of the Church's need. Strength to be borne to the weak and faint, Vigils to keep with the doubting saint. "Nothing to do 1" there are Nights to attain, Where Christ is transfigured yet again; Where earth will fade in the vision sweet, And the soul press on with winged feet. "Nothing to do!" and thy Saviour Eai I, " Follow thou me in the path I tread." Lord, lend thy help the journey through, Lest, faint, we ory, " so much to do —Congregationalist Ministerial Responsibility. I have ofttimes, not without wonder and indignation, observed the strange con& deuce of empirics in physic, that dare veu ture on the practice of that noble art which they do not at all understand; con sidering how, for a little paltry gain, they shrewdly hazard, or rather certainly de stroy, the health and lives of men; and have judged them worthy of as capital and ignominious a piroishmant as those that kill men on the highways. Bat I have soon exchanged this medita tion into another of more concernment to myself; and my indignation hath quickly returned into my own bosom, when I con. eider how much bolder and more hazardous an attempt it is for a man to venture on the priestly office j • to minister to the eternal health and salvation of souls. How much skill is requisite to qualify a man for such an undertaking how great care iu the die, charge of it What a sad thing it would be, if through my unskilfulness or negligence one soul should miscarry under my hands, or die and perish eternally I We minister to souls. Souls ! Methinka in that one word tbere,is a sermon. Im mortal souls I precious souls ; one whereof is worth more than all the World besides, the priCe of the blood of the Sou of God" 411/f,
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