NOTES ABOUT THE CHURCHES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2928, 27 April 1910, Page 87

NOTES ABOUT THE CHURCHES.

FROM ALL SOURCES. _ The first World's Sunday School Convention was held in London in July, 1889; the second in St. Louis, U.S.A.. September, 1893; the third in London. July. 1898; the fourth in Jerusalem. April, 1904; the fifth in Rom©. May, 1907. The sixth is to be held in Washington, May 19-24 this 5-ear. The first prayer offered on behalf of Australia a century asjo was by a Dissenter missionary, according: to the researches of Prebendary Gilpin, of Salisbury. The prayar was offered in 1786, when "the first fleet sailed to Botany Bay ; the ships stood through the Neddies, which are opposite, to Lyminsrton. It was a Sunday morning. The Dissenting minister at Lymington prayed as the fleet passed for the success of the expedition. The results obtained in a Tecent censustaking of ih© churches in Germany are interesting, and in some respects surprising. The. Germans are eminently a churcho-oing —or, at anyrate, a church-belonging—-people. According to the last Federal census, taken four years ago. the total population, was 60.641.278. This church census gives the'church membership, Evangelicals and Catholics combined as 59,741344. The Evangelicals far outnumber the Catholics, the figures beimr—Evangelicals, 37.646,852; Catholics, 22.094,492 J.he Freethinkers number only 4270. ~T p- u i ldllall - London, was crowded when the British and Foreign Bible Society welcomed a large number of its younger friends and collectors to celebrate its 106t'h anniversary bv the cutting of a large cake weighing 1061 b. Alderman Sir Joseph Savory said, in his address to the children xJoonn™ e P rese ™t time the society needs a, year. It is circulating 14,000 000 copies of the Scriptures annually in '4IB languages. Rev. Frank Swainson gave an account of the Red Indians of Northwestern America, producing articles used by til© redskins, including snow-shoes and a father bead-dress. Then followed the, cutting of the cake by Miss Gladys Simon granddaughter of the solicitor of the society Mr HoiUams; a piece was distributed to each of the young- guests as they ie.lt the hall. Its decorations represented) the tour continents, and it was surmounted by a small North American wigwam with a case of Bibles beside it. ° The New York Times gives an illustrated account of the new church which is to be erected for Dr Aked. It is described as a modern skyscraper edifice." In order io economise land, or to prevent a church from being dwarfed among high buildings, an architect in New York has to build upward, much as- in th© case of office buildings or hotels. The front will be carried out in a light stone, with two sbad'Eig of marble. The feature of the facade will be a large gable, with rows of arches resting on a series of slender columns. Three large arched windows will light the main auditorium. The building is in the Italian style of architecture, which was in vogue in Pis i a in the tenth century. The cost will be £IOO,OOO. The main buildine- will occupy th© entire first floor, and will have a ceiling nearly seventy feet in height. Above this in turn will be three floors, and the roof will be utilised as a summer garden and playground. Th© upper floors, it is said, suggest a modern office buildings. The electric lifts will be in use every day and all day.