Irish Priests, and what a Friend has to say about them.—Miss Katherine Lyan (Mrs. Hurksan), writing in the Fortnightly Review, speaks in glowing terms of the Irish priesthood. Here is how she describes them:—”They love the gaieties of the country and the people. They dine out, they are leading—one had almost said the leading—figures at weddings and christenings. They are sportsmen, they love a race-meeting or a game at cards, they enjoy a good dinner and a glass of punch to follow. Yet it is in the midst of this social, and one may say, material enjoyment, that the high vocation of the Irish priest is to my mind so manifest. I have looked on and taken part in hundreds of card games where priests were among the players. In all my experience, I cannot recall one instance in which a priest was greedy, ill-tempered, or anything but a gentleman and a sportsman—winning and losing with equal equanimity. . . . I have seen them on the racecourse dispensing their wonderful hospitality, spreading geniality as they went about among friends and neighbours, ‘putting their bit’ in a sweepstake, and enjoying their losing or their winning with the same cheerful equanimity as at the card-table.” Pity the flock when such are the shepherds!
The Bible in Portugal.—Recently the Colporteur of the British and Foreign Bible Society was brought to trial in Portugal for selling Bibles, but fortunately the Judges of Appeal acquitted him, and in doing so they said that the so-called Protestant Bible contains no word or passage that is not found textually in the Catholic Bible ; the permission for the exercise of the Protestant religion in this country accorded in the Constitutional Charter ; and the prohibition also contained therein against prosecution for religious reasons.
The Bishop of Newcastle and the Ritualists.—Dr. Straton, the new Bishop of Newcastle, was not long in his see when the Ritualists were made to feel that he is not a man to be trifled with. In the parish of St. Philip, Newcastle-on-Tyne, a new Mission Church had been erected. The curate-in-charge is the Rev. V. Jackson, an extreme Ritualist. On making application to Dr. Straton for a license for the new Church the Bishop refused to grant it unless the services should be conducted in accordance with the law of the Church of England. The curate refused to give this promise, with the result that the Bishop refused to license the Church as a place of worship. The Bishop’s firm attitude on the matter is causing no small commotion among the Ritualists.
Grievances from Ireland.—If one wishes to get some idea what Ireland would be like under Roman Catholic ascendancy, he would do well to study carefully the material gleaned from the Irish press, and presented monthly in the pages of “Grievances from Ireland.” It is only recently that Lord Ashtown, who is doing his best to expose Irish Roman Catholic methods in this periodical, narrowly escaped with his life. It is almost inconceivable that in a civilized land such daring outrages would be perpetrated. Lord Ashtown and his assistants deserve every encouragement in their work. We, living in Scotland, could have no idea of what is taking place in Ireland were it not for this useful monthly. It may be had through the Imperial Protestant Federation, Dudley House, Southampton Street, Strand, London. Its price is one penny per month ; twopence if sent by post.
Notes and Comments.
Dr. Barnardo’s Homes.—In a circular-letter sent out by Mr. Howard Williams, the Honorary Treasurer of the Homes, there is the encouraging intelligence that of the liabilities amounting to the large sum of £249,000 at the death of Dr. Barnardo, only a sum of £82,550 remains. This is highly creditable to the British public who have come forward to help this noble work. The English Churchman truly remarks :—”The vast work carried on for so many years by voluntary effort is truly national, and ought surely to receive financial recognition from the State.”
Deaths of Prominent Men.—The month of December records the death of Dr. W. Ross Taylor, of Kelvinside, Glasgow, a well-known leader in the United Free Church. Dr. Ross Taylor, who was in his sixty-ninth year, was a son of the late revered Dr. Walter Ross Taylor, of the Free Church, Thurso.
On 19th December there passed away Lord Kelvin, the most distinguished man of science in the present day. His genius was remarkable, and his researches in electricity, and invention of useful appliances, have enriched the practical life of the world to an extraordinary degree. The tendency of so many scientific men to materialism is well known, but it has to be stated, to Lord Kelvin’s credit, that he had no sympathy with this. He wrote, so lately as 1903, that “we are absolutely forced by science to believe with perfect confidence in a directive Power” in the universe other than material forces. He was a member of the Episcopal Church. His remains have been buried in Westminster Abbey.
The Established Church Presbyteries and the New Formula.—The New Formula which the General Assembly of the Established Church sent down to Presbyteries for their consideration under the Barrier Act is meeting with scant respect from most of the Presbyteries, and, in all likelihood, it will be rejected. We are not specially enamoured of the New Formula, and its rejection would certainly not be a loss to the Established Church if the opposition to it was owing to the fact that it was regarded as a loosening of the bond that bound office-bearers to the Confession of Faith. But from the drift of the speeches of those opposed to the New Formula in many of the Presbyteries, it is evident that it is being rejected because it does not give sufficient liberties to ministers in their subscription of the Confession.
The World in the Church.—To many of our readers it will appear a thing almost incredible that the world has such a prominent place in many churches of the land. It is no uncommon thing nowadays for ministers to discuss certain widely read works of fiction on the Lord’s Day, and should the audiences show a tendency of falling off, then our ministerial humorists can resort to such spicy subjects as “Is Marriage a Failure?” Recently, in the British Weekly, it was announced that the Men’s Meeting at Whitefield’s Tabernacle, London, was to be addressed by Mr. Jerome K. Jerome, a well-known writer of bright literature, on the appetising subject of “The Troubles of a Well-Fed Man.” Probably the lecture dwelt on certain topics dear to the Socialist, but oh! for a day of the power that accompanied Whitefield’s preaching, and Jerome K. Jerome and his kind would be left to pursue their course in their own sphere. A study of the Saturday evening editions of some of the Glasgow papers is a painful revelation of how professing servants of Christ compete with the world in its own line.
How Congregations are Gathered and Kept Together in Some Places.—The following quotation is from the London Daily Telegraph. It throws a lurid light on man’s methods as contrasted with what is laid down in Holy Scripture:—”A remarkable awakening of interest in Church life has been witnessed in Coventry since the introduction of the Rev. J. B. Masterman at St. Michael’s. With the assistance of his curates, the Rev. Everard Digby and T. L. Chavasse, a number of men have been gathered together under the name of the St. Michael’s Brotherhood. The meetings are framed on most popular lines, and organisations of various kinds have been started with the parish Mission Church as the headquarters. Here, on ‘Sunday’ afternoons, for instance, there is a smoking conference, where, for a certain time, everybody attending, including the clergy and churchwardens, indulge in the fragrant weed and social chat. This is followed by ‘lights out,’ and a homely address. On Monday the Mission was formally opened by Bishop Mylne, acting for the Bishop of Worcester. After a short religious service, a hearty welcome was extended to subscribers and friends to a gymnastic display provided by members of the Brotherhood, under the direction of Sergeant-Instructor Walker. One of the principal items was an exhibition boxing contest, furnished by a local favourite, Bert Lamb, and Trumpeter Berry, of the 42nd Battery Royal Field Artillery. The Vicar acted as timekeeper, and a clever set-to between the boxers was greatly enjoyed.”
The Revised English Bible—A Translator’s Opinion.
—Writing in the Herald and Presbyter of Cincinnati, the Rev. C. W. Mateer, D.D., thus refers to the Revised Version of the Bible:—”I was much interested in the discussion of the Revised Version of the Bible in your issue of July 11, which recently reached me in China. The article by Dr. H. C. Thompson especially attracted my attention. I may say that for over twelve years my chief work has been the translation of the New Testament into the spoken language of China, commonly called Mandarin. The company of translators consisted of five men chosen for the purpose, of which I had the honour of being chairman. During the progress of this work I had occasion to examine carefully all the passages in which the Greek text has been changed. I early reached the same conclusion that Dr. Thompson does; viz., that the revision has a distinct Unitarian bias.”
The Act Rescissory.—Under the auspices of the Church Law Society, the Rev. T. E. S. Clarke, B.D., Saltoun, read an interesting paper on “The Rescissory Act of 1661—Its effect on Church Legislation.” Mr. Clarke pointed out the mischief this Act had done in the ecclesiastical history of Scotland. It is to the lasting discredit of the Government of this country that this infamous Act is still, or was until lately, on the Statute Book of Britain. We add “until lately” because Mr. Clarke quotes an interesting opinion of Dr. Hay Fleming, to the effect that the Statute Law Revision Act of 1906 may have rescinded the Act Rescissory. The lecture is to be published, in full, later on, and we hope to return to the discussion of this subject in which, we have to confess, our Reformed Presbyterian friends took a high and noble stand.
The late Mrs. Adamson, Helmsdale.—We regret to notice this month the death of Mrs. Henry Adamson, Stafford Street, Helmsdale, who passed away, after a short illness, on the 18th November. Mrs. Adamson was a daughter of the late Mr. Gordon Ross, teacher, a worthy of note, long since deceased; and her early, godly upbringing bore fruit in after years. While acquainted with gospel comforts, she was not a stranger to soul trials of a very searching nature, which sometimes lasted for a considerable period. Mrs. Adamson was of a generous and hospitable disposition, and, according to her ability, did all she could to help the cause of truth. Her widow’s mite, we believe, was of much value. She was predeceased by her worthy husband in 1902. Much sympathy is felt for her family in their bereavement.