RELIGIOUS WORLD.

Evening Star, Issue 12871, 21 July 1906, Page 4

RELIGIOUS WORLD.

“THE MAN IN THE STREET.” A paper on ‘The Churches’ Responsibility in Relation to the Man in the Street,’ which Mr Richard Mudie-Smith prepared for the English Baptist Union meeting, was in his enforced absence through indisposition read by Dr Clifford. Mr Mudie-SnrtH asked why the churches fail to influence the “ man in the street,” and thus answered the question: “The churches are- chiefly composed of and mainly governed by. classes other than his own; classes which he knows look upon him with more fear than affection; classes from which he has had to wrest the few privileges he now boasts. ... Ho sees them battering American millionaires with appeals for organs . . , taking the gifts of brewers and distillers, becoming heirs of Mammon and joint heirs with Bacchus, partakers of the spoils of unholy trusts, sharers in the profits accruing through the manufacture of wasted lives and ruined homes. He sees them spending largo sums in the erection of beautiful places of worship, and allowing the lairs and dene whore dwell metfj women, and children for whom Christ died to remain unrepaired and undestroyed ... he sees them vehement in the condemnation, of Chinese labor, and silent as regards the employment of thousands of boys of fourteen years of age in mines in the.United Kingdom.” To win the “man in the street ”.to fellowship, Mr Mudie-Smith points out that the churches must emancipate themselves from the individualistic gospel of greed, that service may come to be the gospel not merely of the tabernacle, but of the market place. He pleads for an adult school or a P.S.A. Brotherhood for every church, a multiplication of institutional churches, and for ministers oqt of uniform who shall live the life of tho people. RESTORATION OF “UNCTION” Many of the Home newspaper reports omitted to record what was by far the most remarkable incident of the late London Diocesan Conference. In the debate on ‘ Christian Science ’ a strong demand was made by both clergy and laity for the restoration of the sacrament of unction, which Dr Neale used to call “ the lost Pleiad ol the Anglican firmament.’’ More significant still, the plea was favorably received by the Bishop of London, who, while pronouncing the Roman Catholic practice to be “a perversion of the teaching of the Church, argued that the restoration of the anointing of the sick .with oil as commanded by the Epistle of St. James could not he considered a party question, because he was himself joining the evangelical Bishop of Durham in bringing the matter before the bench of bishops. Dr Ingram’s pronouncement curiously synchronised with an equally notable utterance by the Bishop of Binning, ham. Preaching at the ritualistic church of St. Albans, Birmingham, as-sociated with the work of the brothers Polock, Dr Gore declared that “the cause of ritualism, for which the Polocks stood, so far as it was a cause of doctrine and ceremonial, had woo the day.” He added that “ there was now nob the slightest prospect of worship of that character being dislodged from its position and recognition in the Qhurch of England ” This does not look promising for the campaign of the Church Association. As a matter of fact, the sacrament of unction has long been restored sub rpsa at several Irondon churches. A DOSS HOUSE. Mr George Nicholls, M.P., who is the lay pastor of a church in Staffordshire, in the course, of an address at the Rush’den Adult. detailed some of his experiences during two years when he was “on tramp ” with the object of learning how the poor live. He said that night after night he slept in a “ fourpenny dosshouse,” but, whatever the company might be, he knelt down, at the bedside and prayed, and never once was he molested or' insulted l|rough the mien frequently were drank.’ He had often beard men"say: “ that fellow is praying. If we don’t pray ourselvep, we know it’s right,” .find then, silence would come over the room. In prayer, God became so real to him.' God was a real God for real men..

GLEANINGS. The Rev. Lewis Lewis, M.A., a retired clergyman, of Gilfaoh, Llanwinio, Carmarthen, whose estate is valued at £11,514, made a curious will. He directed that his estate should not he wound -up for one year, and that any', of his nephews or nieces indebted to him should repay any sums due. Ho asked them “to bear in mind the motto of Bums. ‘an honest man is the noblest work of God,’ and the word of a greater, ‘owe no man anything,’ an inspired command which wo arojbound to obey,” W bile the minister at the Congregational Church at Mortlako (Eng.) was preaching from the text “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal,” robbers entered the vestry and stole his new overcoat. When the Pope gave a dinner to celebrate his elevation to the Cardinalate, he remarked to one of the guests (the ‘Tribune’ says) that ho had been nine years at the seminary, nine years curate of Tombolo, nine years rector of Salzano, and nine years Bighop of Mantua. Pius X. was also Patriarch of Venice and Cardinal for tune years; and, as he said laughingly at this dinner, it is oply in the nature of things, that he should bo Pope for nine years too.

The following figures are taken from the annual report of the United Free Church of Scotland: —Collections and contributions in 1905 amounted to £429,558, an increase of over £IO,OOO. Seat rents were £73,612, am increase of £785. Contributions added to that amount bring out a total of £503,170, “General church,” £84,561, was received under the head of church building. Legacies for the schemes amounted to £13,970. These figures do not include income from invested funds. Government grants to training colleges, Baird Trust grants, etc. The communicants for 1905 were 692,914, an increase qf 6,216, of whom 504,125 communicated at least once within the year. During 1905 there were added to the roll 64,012. Baptisms numbered 37,648, am increase of 34. A sensation was caused at Sfc. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, Walton-le-Dalc, near Preston, recently, where a requiem mass was sung for the late Rev. Father Turner previous to his interment. At the close of tlie solemn service a girl named Maria Rounds, aged about fifteen, suddenly entered the pulpit, near which she had been sitting, ' and said that she had had a vision the previous night, which she would announce at that evening’s service at St. Leonards, Walton-ie - Dale. The latter is an Anglican church. The girl, who seemed to be suffering from great excitement, was Sectioned afterwards as to the nature of e vision, but she resolutely refused to say anything. News received at the Vatican from Jerusalem reports a conflict on the Mount of Olitea between the Franciscan friars and Greek monks, leaving the Latins masters of the field. The quarrel, ‘Which is of old standing, relates (says the London ‘ Tribune’) to the right of celebrating Divine service on the mountain.

Addressing art students iu Birmingham Cathedral Church, Bishop Gore said that going about from church to church he saw much brass work on altars, eagles, lecterns, screens, which was almost without exception mechanically ugly, formless, barren of ideas, turned out at so much a yard. There was hardly any of it they could wish to retain or hand down to generations to come without a sense of shame.

According to the Berlin correspondent of the ‘ Chronicle,’ it is officially reported that the agitation in favor of leaving the National State Church has begun to assume dimensions which deserve most serious attention. Two reasons are given to account for this. First, the fact that the .State remorselessly collects church rates; second, tho decay of religions life and the alleged unbelief of largo sections of the clergy.

Pius X. has never been known to give way to such emotion as he did when addressing the French pilgrims. Several Limes the voice of Ris Holiness was broken with sobs, and. once he gave way altogether while referring to the evil times Catholics had fallen "on in France, The Pope exhorted the French Catholics to resignation and to recall the martyrs of Compiegne, whose intercession might dek noble country from persecution.— Dalziel.