JOTTINGS.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12533, 30 June 1906, Page 13

JOTTINGS.

At the Primitive Methodist Missionary Anniversary, celebrated recently at Home, the Rev. James Pickett, general missionary secretary, presented a report which showed for tho fifteen months ending March 31st, on incomo for the general fund of £19,978, and a balance in hand exceeding £2000. The income was the largest received in any similar period for many years past. Tho African fund, in which interest was increasing, had an income of £9161, and a balance in hand of £633. Encouraging reports from West. South, Md South Central Africa wore given; * new church worth £250 had been

opened at Jamestown, tho natives bearing almost tho wholo cost; tho new training institution at Oron, to build and equip which denominational Endeavourers contributed £1200, had already twenty-five- students; in tho Southern Nigerian Missions seven new out stations hnd been opened. Home Missions reported an increase of 13S members. Tlie Mission Vans' work resulted in 730 professions of conversion; the Sustcntation Fund had helped seventy rural churches; tho five Conncxiorial evangelists had added many hundreds to tho church roll, and in moro than 150 cases assistance was now being given by tho Church Extension Fund.

Tlie Rev. Simpson Johnson, assistant to Dr. Pope in the administration of tho Homo Mission department of the English Wesleyan Methodist Church', is the author of an interesting article in. the last number to hand of the "Wesleyan Magazine." He states that ,in. addition to the ordinary work ot evangelism undertaken by tho Homo Mission Committee, thirty Gospel cars (under tho direction of trained evangelists) aro employed conducting missions and distributing pure literature throughout the village homes of England.

An interesting event in tho religious life of Sheffield had been the closing of the old historic Wesleyan chapel, Norfolk street, which was opened in 1780 by John Wesley. In 1788 he again preached i:i Norfolk street, and ho records the congregation as one of the largest ho had seen in the kingdom. Norfolk street is tho Mother Wesleyan church of tho city, which has now in it six large circuits. On the sito is to bo erected a Mission Hall, at a cost of £40.000, to bo called Wesley Central Hall.

Tho Rev. John Crump, a former Methodist minister of Lyttelton and St. Albans, celebrated his seventy-eighth birthday Inst week in Nelson. A cable message from Australia, telegrams, and local visitors, conveyed hearty good wishes and congratulations in connection with the event. Tho oldest Wesleyan Methodist minister is tho Rev. Richard Rymcr, a member of tho English Conference. Mr Rymer recently celebrated his ninety-seventh birthday, and has served seventy-seven years in the ministry. A now history of tho Society of Jesus is being compiled, tho idea having originated with the late Father Martin. A dozen brilliant Jesuit 3 have been at work on it for many years. The Jesuit world has been" divided into six parts, and two Fathers have been delegated for each; Fathers Pollen and Hughes aro looking after the English-speaking countries, and will write their part in English; the French Jesuits will compile in French, tho Spanish in Spanish, and so on, and when tho six parts are severally finished the general history of tho Society will bo written and published in Latin. The work will be thoroughly scientific and critical, and will bo based on tho original documents juat as through no attempt had ever been hitherto mado to compose the history of the Society. Nearly 25,000 soldiers and sailors in his Majesty's service aro declared Wesleyans. They are under the direct per-; sonal care of 226 ministers in England, Ireland, India, and the- colonies. Many thousands of Romans and strangers flocked to St. Peter's recently, states tho Rome correspondent of tho "Tablet," to witness the solemn ceremony of Beatification of the Venerable Julio Billiart. Tho Blessed "Julio waS ono of those many holy women whose virtues wero exercised during the terrible days of tho French Revolution. In 1804, she founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Notro Damo, which almost immediately spread through many parts of Franco and Belgium. The venerable foundress, aided by many of her religious, administered corporal and spiritual comfort to Napoleon's wounded and dying soldiers on the field of Waterloo; indeed, the greater part of her religious life may bo said to have been ipont on tho battlefields of the early part of the last century. She died on April Bth. 1816. Tho Wesleyan Methodists of London piido themselves in the art of training their children to habits of philanthropy. One result of this training is seen in tho support rendered to the work ot Foreign Missions. During tho past year towards this object the London Sunday schools raised and paid to tho treasurer tho sum of £2940. The collections at the May public meetings in London for Wesleyan Missions amounted to £2608 14s 6d.

Private advices from South Afrioa, staitee the "Southern Cross," indioato that tho Ethiopian Native ChuTch, who appear to be concerned in Bambaata's rolxsllion, claim to belong to the Free Church of Sootland, and to be entitled to tho valuable property connected with tho great educational and institution at Lovedale. One of their leaders, Nizemba, left the Free Church in which he was a native pastor, in 1893, and tho claim appears to be founded on that fact. It is not thought the leprl Free Church oan bo concerned in the claim, since thay havo already agreed to tlio mission properties being allocated to tho United Free Church:

At the annual meeting of tho Melanesian Mission, held on the llth inst., the Archbishop of Melbourne, who presided, said that there was no financial statement, as the accounts were made up to tho end of the year, but ho had been informed that the contributions this year had been extremely good. The work, however, was rapidly extending, and thero was a for increased liberality. Archdeacon' Peacock said there had been 872 baptisms and 264 persons confirmed during the last twelve months in Melanesia. Thero were now 38 clergy and 689 teachers at work in the mission, and oven then tha staff was undermanned for tho work attempted. The mission required an income of £14,000 a year.

The London "Methodist Recorder" ot May 17th appears in mourning as a tribute to tho memory of two eminent Wesleyan Methodist laymen, Messrs James E. Vanner and Thomas Walker, of Bolton, who had just passed away. Both of these gentlemen were members of tho English Conference, active workers in all important Church movements, and generous supporters of benevolent enterprises. Mr Vanner was one of the few laymen whoso names appear in the new hymn book as authors. Mr Walker's name wa3 intimately associated with great evangelistic enterprises throughout Great Britain.

Tbo religious census of the Emiwre, whioh hai just been published, shows that Christrartfi are numerically ir* a vast minority, tho iLcures being:— Christians 58 miUious, Mahometans 94 millions. Buddhists 12 millions, Hindus 208 millions, other denomin-atxMw 28 millions, numbe<r only 5521, and Deists 376.

Tho American Baptist Year Book's figures for this year show an increase in tho "United State* of 23 aasocisticins, 656 churches, 505 preachers, 14,634 baptist™. The total baptisms fcr the year numbered 255,-"570. nnd the net increa;t-> of iraembeTshin over all Icesca is 109.512.

Tho two hundredth anniversary of Presby tori in ism in America has jus>t boon "celebrated in Philadelphia. A local newspaper says:—"Tlie conimu-

nion which celebrated its bi-centenary has about 8000 churches, and last year its total contributions for religious and educational w_rk at home and abroad amounted to 18,638,750 dollars—an increase of moro than three and a half millions in five yenra. Of tho total contributions 13,378,339 dollars were for tho maintenance of tho local congregations, 4,310,290 dollars for home missions, nnd 950,101 dollars for foreign missions. Tho denomination is second to none in tho number of eminent men it has contributed to Church and State; it has always been a great promoter of education, and boasts of tho scholarship of its clergy, and in numbers, wealth, and public influence it is one of the foremost ecclesiastical bodies in the country." A ) marked change in sentiment is to be noticsd in that while twelve voars ago the American Federation of Labour forbade the admission to its ( ranks cf any minister of the Gospel, the recent meeting of the Federation in was addressed by Rev. Charles Stelzle, at its own request. But Mr Stelzle is a union man and has carried a card in tho Machinists'' Union for years. Ho first got it when he was working at a bench; now he is superintendent of the department of Church End Labour of the Presbyterian Home "Mission Board, and through his syndicate articles in Labour journals reach three million men weekly. Dr. Murphy, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Hobart, celebrated fhe ninety-first anniversary of his birthday recently, when ho received the personal congratulations of the Governor and Premie of Tasmania, the Mayor of Hobart, and many leading citizens. Letters and telegrams were received from all parts of the Commonwealth. The Rev. J. H. Jowctt, of Binning- \ ham, who succeeded Dr. Dale, has been invited to Westminster Bridge road church. London, to fill the pastorate nbout to be vacated by tho Rev. F. B. Meyer. One of the best examples of the old school of Kiangelicals, Dr. Edward H. Bickerstcth, for fifteen years Bishop of Exeter, died May 16th, aged eightyone. At tho beginning of 1885, ho was appointed Dean of Gloucester, but beforo ho could enter on his duties, ho was further promoted to tho Bishbpric of Exeter in succession to Dr Temple. The London " Record '" arranged a competition as to the best hundred hymns. A largo number of persons competed. Each had to send a kYt of 100 hymns, and a prize was given for tho beet select ica*". The person who selected the most of the hymns among th<> hundred that received the largest number of votes secured the prize. It is intsr-rsting to note that the hymn, " Abide With Mc," reeeiyed most votes, nnd that "Rock of Ages'' came next. "Ji'.Et .-,« I Am " and "Jesus Lover of My Soul" were third and fourth, anil 'Oh God, Our Help in Ages Past" was, fifth. Tlie "Old Hundredth" was twenty-eighth.