JOTTINGS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 858, 2 July 1910, Page 9

JOTTINGS.

■Recently it was decided to form a diowse for north-western Australia ami at the invitation of Australian b,shops the Rev. Dr. Gerald Trover reached l'j-emaaitle on Jmio 21 by 4, ... Moldavia. He recently resigned the bishopric of Nyassaland, where for some years he had been labouring amongst the natives; He is a man of vigorous constitution and great muscular strength, and has apparently bomo tiie hardships and rigours of Ayassalaad remarkably well. Durin" tho course of an interview at mantle, .he expressed his pleasure in again visiting Australia. In 1895 ho was vicar of Christ Church, Sydney, the results attending the work of the church mi .Nyassaland had been, most encouraging ; he. said. , Christianity iiau made_'the natives much more selfreliant. Seven years ago they lived in smaitl muu tots, but now- practically all the duellings are built of granite. A peculiar native custom exists in regard to the relations between man ajid ivife. •c, lt t er sus Pccts her husband of infidelity the matter is dealt with by the chiefs. If the chiefs fad the man guilty they fine him from three to six goats, according to tjie gravity of the offence. After the husband has been piuiished m tiiis . manner ho aud his I*oSume'1* oSume ' marital relation's, appar- , eirfely happy ajxd' conton-ted.

The 27th anniversary of the Wellingtoai City Corps of the Salvation* Armv was . celebrated on Sunday last, aiwl again by a public tea and aft-er-meet-™g oil- Wednesday. Thero was an exceptionally ' largo attendance at the tea. At the after-meeting, on Wednesday, speeches were delivered by the following old members of tho Army's forcesSergo'ant-Major Kirk (youn« peoples' work), Adjutant Neilsqn, Band, master Kemfl, and Envoy Colley, who II P le Army's work in. Wellington. .Tho..musical programme was provided by Adjutant Cook (Carteri?/ 1 ;, 1 . Captain Adams (Masterton), the \\ ellington Singing Company, and the bcoteh Songsters, and tho band played two attractive items.

It has been fairly common knowledgo tor some time past that a group of influential Congregationalists have been endeavouring to secure the services of Ur. Campbell Morgan as a missioner to 'tin A J )assa £e in the report Congregational Council urges tho necessity for an attempt "to quicken and mightily stir the all-too-stag-liant spiritual life of our churches, great and small, throughout the length and breadth of the Union," and the General . Committee is ■ considering whether is is possible to 1 appoint a special missioner to the churches. The council expresses the belief that the appointment possibly "of one of our bestknow li brethren," would be welcomed with profoundesf joy. An invitation has been sent to Dr. Campbell Morgan to pay a visit to Australia and: New Zealand, possibly in the coming summer.

c thirty-ninth annual coriferenco ot tho Catholic Young Men's Societies ? -ii rcat i *> as just been held at Lcith, where one hundred and seventy delegates, representing 140 local societies with, a total membership of- ll;46o, met to deliberate upon Roman Catholic questions, and to hear and discuss the papers submitted for their consideraiil?.ll', 4? ye ? r succee< ls year (states the _ Catholic Times") the interest attaching to these conferences suffers no' diminution, and signs were not wanting at this year's gathering, both in the quality of tho papers read and in tne generally high level of the speeches and. discussions, that the society is alive to its increasing opportunities of usefulness. Questions vitally concerning the Catholic interests occupied , the attention of the conference, and the proceedings had a character of practicality .which indicated a readiness not only to speak hut to act whenever thqse interests were Wailed.

The Rev. R. J. Campbell has received within tho last week quite a number of invitations to preach in pulpits which have been closed to him for the last three years (states the "Christian World" of "May 19). Unfortunately) his health precludes tho possibility of his multiplying engagements. His doctor is firm on this noint. There has been no recurrence of the alarming symptoms which distressed his family and friends in Paris in March; but he has necessarily to husband.his strength.

Dr. C. IV Akcd raised £65,000 in half an hour on a recent Sunday for tho rebuilding of Fifth Avenue 'Bap.fcisfc Church, N<mv York, of "which ho is minister. One of the cable correspondents says that as an oxliorter to congregational generosity, Dr. Akcd surpassed himself. He arranged that the service should-, throughout enforce the gospel of giving, and at the close or his sermon appealed outright for half a million dollars (£100,000), from his immediate hearers. Pledge cards were. distributed in the pews, and as the promises ivere handed up to the pulpit, Dr. Aked announced them. Mr. J. D Rockefeller, jun., gave £5000, "(i J- D. Eockef.eller promised ' dollar for dollar" contributed by tho wholo congregation up to a quarter of a million. For half an hour promises announced that -£32,500 had been promised by the congregation, which became £63,000 under Mr. Rockefeller's challenge gift. "I am proud of you," said Dr. Aked, "and very grateful." It is expected that the remaining £.35,000 necessary for rebuilding the cluirch. will be raised immediately and without difficulty. The last services in the old church will be held in June, and during tho'rebuilding (which will take a year) Dr. Akcd will preach in the Millionaires' Theatre.

The Shakers of the . United States have contributed such a picturesque feature to the general religious landscape that one call scarcely hear without some regret that this sect is likely beforo long to como to an end. This prospect is suggested by tho fact that the United Society of Believers at Union Village, near Lebanon. Ohio — the bishopric of all Shakor communities west of the Alleghanies—has lately gone into the hands of a receiver. There remain now at Lebanon only twenty-four grayhaired men and women, as against 500 members whom that household could claim at the height of its prosperity. Taking the United States as a whole, the communistic Shakers numbered, ill tho second quarter of last century, about 5000 nioinbers, whereas to-day they are believed to be not more than 500. In spite of this decline, the Shaker movement has had a longer and moro successful carocr than any other communistic experiment in American history.

Tho "Cateh-my-I'al" movement, loss popularly Known as "tho Protestant" total abstinence movement, started a few months ago by tile Rev. I?.. J Patterson, LL.IL, of Armagh lias now 100,000 members, of wliom three-fourths are men. Outside Ulster, other places are taking up tile work in Ireland,' while lit six of the crowded centres in Scotland converts arc being won. Mr. Pattoisou hopes t<o see this crusade inaugurated in luigland, and has been addressing meetings with that object in view.