Religious.

Otago Witness, Issue 1499, 7 August 1880, Page 10

Religious.

The Naval Brigade and Headquarters Band paraded on Sunday morning, and attended morning service at^Sfc, Matthew's. There was a good muster. The weekly evangelistic meeting in the Q ueen's Theatre on Sunday evening was addressed by the Rev. Lindtfay Mackie. The Rev. Lorenz ) Moore presided, and the choir of the Association led tbe singing. Dr Somerville has been recsntiy conducting services in Rome with considerable success. The Bishop (says the Churchman) has received a very interesting letter from the Bishop of Melanesia, inviting him to be present at the onsecrauon of the chapel at Norfolk Island, erected a=i a memorial to the Melaneßian martyrs. The tereinony ia to take place in November, but we have not yet heard whether our Bishop can Bee his way to attend. The Bishop of Sydaey is to be the consecrated We learn from the Churchman that the clergy of the Dunedin parishes who were nominated, together with the Bishop, to be a sub committee of the Sunday-school Institute for the purpose of preparing a sylhbus of subjects to be taught, have drawn up such a sch«me of instruction, which will be submitted to the General Committee and, if approved, substquently published, with a view to its introduction next Advent. The holdiDg of the annual gathering in London of the Society of Friends gives interest to a table which has been drawn up, supplying a ceuisus of the number of members of that body in the different counties or districts of Great Britain. At the date of its issue the number of members of tho Society of Friends in Great Britain was rather over 14,700, and tbe additions in the few mouths that have elapsed have not been niauy, It seems that the question of the Bible ia schools (says the Pall Mall Gazette) has penetrated from the Birmingham School Board to no lejs august a quaiter than the Honour School of Theology at Oxfnrd. Tae Board of Theological Studtes in that; University issued a notice which appears to have been construed into an intimation that a knowledge of the contents of the Bible would no longer be expeoted by that body in the University examinations. Even when such knowledge was explicitly required of all candidates— if onetenth of the tales in which university men delight have any foundation in fact— oases of 11 invincible ignorance " were far from rare } but the notice referred to appears to have been so liberally interpreted by the under graduate mind, always disposed to construe tbe theories of examiners with a certain latitude, that it has been found necessary to issue an explanation. Suoh familiarity with the contents of the Bible as may " incidentally " be displayed in answers to papers or in vivavoce will, we are told, still be found useful by the theological student, and the betrayal of " serious ignorance " may still prove a bar to a first claes. The Board announce that iv such cases the examiners would "feel themselves bound to refuse high honours." At 8 o'ulock on Sunday morning (says the North Otago Times) two residents, their wives, and their children — seven in number — adjourned with Mr Batt, the Mormon apostle, to the creek near the base of the Windmill Hill. Here the parents were baptised in turn by total immersion ; while the children, being under eight years of age, were not immersed, but simply blessed according to the rites of the Mormon Church. The two ladies had been previously divisfced of their clothing and the customary light raiment substituted under the supervision of others of their own sex. After '■ tie bap'iamal ceremony, the party returned to South Oamaru, where a confirmation service was held. It ia understood that the departure of both families for Utah will be deferred until they shall have effected the sale of their houses,