| Show sabbath Sabbat li day topics GAIN THERE IS A QUESTION 1 I of carving out for the pope an independent state in one of the catholic countries this time it is austria which according to a correspondent of la tribuna Tri huna a roman journal is seriously thinking of ceding to the pope that part of the valley of the adige abige and the surrounding territory known aa as of which the historic city of trent treat is the capital but says the correspondent everyone who knows anything about modern ialy paly and her pretensions over the border lands of the surrounding countries knows right well that the Trent Tr entina lan like trieste like nice stud od savoy like corsica and milta indeed like the whole of the southern tyrol is only an integral part of the unredeemed national territory which the italians say belong to them by right which the irredentists Irre dentists have hav 0 sworn to get back sooner or later it is most unlikely that the austrian cabinet should have entertained such a notion or nude made any overture 3 to the vatican concerning it without w having previously consulted its allies germany and italy whatever the emperor william or prince bismark Ci or ge gedral eral de do ca may way have thought about such a practical solution of the koman roman question it la is highly improbable that crispi and his cabinet could ever yield consent to a project so utterly at variance with voth the principles and aspirations of his party of action to 0 which crispi owes his long lease of power dr lyman abbott denies cheru the rumor r lately circulated that lie intends resigning the of plymouth church mr abbott la Is not a henry ward beecher there are nine n 0 in this generation or anything like it but probably no other man living would come nearer filling the place of the dead beecher than the one now in it the tile so called universal theologians theolog ista atS a clasa class of religions religious that has not yet developed into an ita or are putting in some vigorous work through the newspapers As with the theosophist hf they are for borgine ing their way into pr Bt st on logical lines as opposed to the emotional methods pursued by other chriatian denominations conspicuous adrig which are the baptists and methodists A recent letter from one of 0 them written an on to a new york is ai as concise an embodiment of their style ol 01 arg argument ament as anything we have seen A few typical passages will serve to illustrate the church union says the writer in a letter from A 0 aton A ton says that tokio the capital of the empire of japan contains over a million of inhabitants T tie to o greek and rom roman catholic communities have each a number of churches and school 3 besides them we find various protestant churches conducting conduct ioK missions in this great city namely tho the congregationalists american baptists baptiste Ame american episcopalians Episcopal ians Ameri american caa methodists south american methodists north american presbyterians rians north english baptists baptiste christian connection church of england evangelical association general evangelical protestant t missionary society german and swiss methodist church of canada american reformed church reformed church in the united states society of friends united presbyterian church of scotland unitarian st pauls associated mission plymouth brethren independent congregationalists and disciples of christ how ilow confusing this must all be to the japanese who are just now so willing to receive the truth I 1 le nomi nationalism confuses and spiritually ruins thousands in our 0 land but how it must contuse confuse these poor heathen I 1 1 I sometimes a geologist picks up a at atone looks looke at it and at once becomes absorbed in thought for it suggests eu so much to him and though dumb it wakes BO so many echoes in his mind that he is lost in meditation so a letter like the one from which we have bave quoted is to absorb the attention of any thinker it wakes a thousand echoes in his mind ilea lie is indeed lost in meditation because christianity today to day offers to the japanese or other heathen the a same ame me problem that was offered of old to the thinking christian in ancient rome come with me we can imagine an egyptian resident saying to the christian of that city in lotus let ns say the days of nero come with me and let na us worship lais leis no would bay another resident bailing hailing from syria instead of from egypt come with me and worship Ae 11 rather come with me we and worship thor would chime in a not so come with me and aee see where the highest grecian art has figured the forma forms to be worshipped wor shipped I 1 and BO so baying saying the philosopher draws the christian into the temple where countless images indicate the different mythological beings there maintaining a thralldom over the classic mind what does the christian naturally answer when you my friends decide among yourselves whose religious system is right then you may approach me to induce me to join your religion but BO so long as you who know more about the matter than 1 I are in ia such doubt as to who has the correct form of creed how can you expect me to know so the japanese of today to day must bay say to the christian missionaries and church dignitaries sirs good christiana christians decide among yourselves which is the correct form of belief then approach me to induce me to join you for if you who are christians do not know which is 18 right how can you expect roe me to know then again we cm cin imagine the thoughtful japanese saying see how christianity is divided some sects are in active hostility others maintain an armeil armed truce there is no peace in national life or in social life though christianity enjoins peace you do not live up to christianity ti what shall I 1 ba be A catholic or a protestant if a catholic shall I 1 be of the tile old I 1 or n new ew school 7 if I 1 want to be a protestant tnt shall I 1 be of the methodists south or the bleton ble tOd fl north 7 and why are there not methodists west and methodists east or shall I 1 be an english baptist or an american baptist |
