day. The cafés, restaurants, hotels, theatres, dancing-saloons, music halls, were all open, and card-playing, dicethrowing, billiards, horse-racing, rifleshooting, drinking, smoking, were all openly indulged in by women as well as men-while the obscene dance called the "Can Can," prohibited in London, was boldly gone through at one of the fashionable dancing saloons on the holy day. Need I say more? Can such things as these go on in any nation and that nation's stability be maintained? With the history of Babylon, Nineveh, Assyria, Greece, and Rome, before me, I say No. France has greater foes to fear than Communist bayonets or Prussian shells; her greatest foes are nur 66 66 tured within her own borders; her vices will effect her overthrow. The nation and kingdom," says God by His prophet, that will not serve me shall perish; yea those nations shall be utterly wasted." And it is shocking to see that the chief way in which the men whose professed object it is to teach the people something better than all this, do it by lighting their candles, swinging their censers, burning their incense, and strutting about their churches in dazzling vestments, and bowing before a jewelled cross. To my mind, in the midst of such unbounded wickedness, it was the hollowest mockery, the awfullest travesty, that I ever gazed upon. JARVIS READ. A NEW FUND AND NEW WORK FOR A NEW CENTURY. As a right and true way of making memorable the hundredth year of their Association, the churches of the New Connexion of General Baptists have resolved to address themselves afresh to Christian work in England. A fund of £5000 is being raised to help to plant new churches in destitute localities, and especially in great centres of population, and to assist in building and enlarging places of worship. But no new society is formed for this purpose; existing agencies are to be employed, and the whole amount subscribed will serve to aid church extension already begun, and to encourage greater and bolder enterprise. The object is most suitable and worthy. A hundred years ago the Connexion, then in its infancy, shared with other churches in the diffusion of the gospel of Christ and the revival of religion in the dark places of our land. Now, when in London and in all large towns the Established Church and nearly all the Nonconformist churches are seeking with newlyawakened zeal to provide more ample accommodation for religious worship, and to overtake the spiritual needs of our countrymen, it is eminently appropriate that a body of Christians entering upon a new century of their organization should join heartily in the same patriotic and Christian work. The zeal already shown, and the great wants of our great cities which have called it forth, will be seen from one notable example. London alone the Church of England has built eighty-nine churches during the last ten years, and it reckons it has met but one-half the need that exists, and that fourteen new churches a year are still required to overtake arrears and provide for the annual increase of the population. In It might be supposed that a fund for such a purpose, at such a remarkable period in English Nonconformity, and on such an auspicious occasion as the opening of a new Connexional century, would be raised without much effort and in a few months by over 30,000 persons; nor can the thought for a moment be cherished, though the fund is not yet raised, that any insurmountable difficulty stands in the way of its completion. The subject has to be presented to many minds, and it takes time to present it in its various phases so as everywhere to command for it the attention it deserves. Moreover, a variety of objections will be urged which also it takes time to weigh and consider, so as to show how little of real weight they any of them possess. For no hindrance or objection can avail against the fact that five annual meetings of delegates from the churches have deliberately accepted and endorsed this centenary movement; that already, among some of our friends, a noble and conspicuous liberality has been shown; that out of 158 churches very few-and those most of them small in numbers and restricted in resources-are unrepresented in the subscription list; and that the ladies by their late very successful and their forthcoming Bazaar, and the Sunday scholars by their penny subscription, have generously given to the fund that feature of universality with which whatever is distinctive in the Connexion is supposed to be marked. Concerning the appropriation of the fund little further can be said. One half goes to the Chapel Building Loan Fund, and, always in use, is never spent, but becomes a source of blessing to the churches, which, like a perennial spring, can never be exhausted. The other half is to be distributed in equitable proportions among the Home Missionary Societies; and it is anticipating no final decision and divulging no secret to say that, in all probability, it will go to encourage a new and brave enterprise in London where the Connexion was born, to sustain a new and promising interest in the north whence our founder and organizer came, and to make possible more efficient Home Mission operations in midland and other towns which so much demand our toil. Donors may direct, if they please, the appropriation of their gifts entirely to either of these objects, the Chapel Building Loan Fund or Home Mission work; where nothing is said, the contribution will be equally divided. It now remains only for the churches which have done well for this fund to do still better and surpass themselves, and for those which have done little or nothing to do something at once with free and liberal hand; and thus success will crown our undertaking. With nothing short of success can any one of us be content; with nothing short of success can the fund be finally closed. To falter in our purpose and stumble in our work upon the threshold of a new century would be a reproach which no commonplace excuses could ever palliate, and no subsequent achievements enable us to THE ILLNESS OF THE THE heart of Great Britain has been stirred to its utmost depths during the past month by the long and serious illness of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. Much anxiety existed at the beginning of December in many minds, but from the eighth to the sixteenth an intense and quivering excitement prevailed, both in the metropolis and in the provinces. Many were in hourly fear that the next telegram would bear the mournful tidings that the heir to England's throne was stricken down by fell disease in the freshness of his youth. Every bulletin was watched with growing eagerness; every gleam of hope welcomed with delight; every sign of depressed strength or exacerbated fever observed with deepening sadness. The outflow of sympathy has been swift as light, full as the sea, and universal as air, from John O' Groat's to Land's End. Not a solitary hamlet of the vast empire has failed to sigh out its sorrow for the sufferer, or to present earnest and heartfelt prayer for his deliverance from the forget. But to lack a spirit of large liberality and enterprise in the Christian work that has to be done in England to-day, when on all sides that spirit is shown, and on all sides that work advances; to fail to become equal to a rare occasion with which Providence favours us, when the course of time reminds us with emphasis of abounding mercy to our fathers and renewed hope for ourselves, would be so grave and serious a spiritual calamity to our churches that to prevent and avert it no possible personal effort should be spared, no cost of labour and self-sacrifice withheld. Some zealous friends have already nobly come forward and promised to increase or double their subscriptions on condition that the whole £5000 is raised; and it is not, surely, too much to expect that by the help of pastors, deacons, local preachers, and Sunday school teachers, and every reader of this appeal, a similar zeal will be manifest, and a like spirit of liberality extend in all our churches, until the centenary memorial is declared well and truly completed amid much devout gratitude and praise. THOMAS GOADBY. P.S.-The Executive Committee earnestly ask for liberal personal subscriptions, for congregational collections, for contributions to the bazaar, and, where it has not been obtained, the Sunday school penny subscription. PRINCE OF WALES. dire disease. Other nations than the English, other races than the AngloSaxon have contributed to swell the streams of sympathy and prayer. The electric wires have told us of petitions for the Prince in the Fulton Street prayer meeting of New York, and in the temples of the Parsees in the capital of India. There never has been such a wide-spread expression of affectionate interest. The eyes of the world have been wistfully turned to the sick-bed at Sandringham, and the deepest pity felt for the illustrious patient, for his young and lovely wife, and for his mother, our beloved Queen. And the God who heard the prayer of sick Hezekiah, and lengthened his life by fifteen years, has not turned away a nation's request, but driven back the destroyer, and given pleasing signs of speedily returning healthulness and vigour. Thanks be to Him for His goodness! May this severe affliction be a lasting blessing to the Prince himself and to the nation at large. J. CLIFFORD. Reviews. THE MUTINEERS OF THE 66 BOUNTY," AND THEIR DESCENDANTS IN THE PITCAIRN & NORFOLK ISLANDS. By Lady Belcher. London: John Murray. THE story of the mutiny of the "Bounty," and the fate of the mutineers and their descendants, forms one of the most romantic chapters in English history. In this book that remarkable story is well told. The style is clear and forcible, and the incidents are arranged and narrated in the best manner. The history of the Pitcairners is brought down to within about twelve months of the present time; and an interesting sketch is given of their new and larger home, and their simple mode of life, in Norfolk Island. Lady Belcher is a relative of one of the officers of the "Bounty," Peter Heywood, who, along with fifteen others, decided to abandon the vessel after the mutiny, and take up his abode on the island of Tahiti. These men were afterwards brought to England and tried. Several of their number suffered the extreme penalty of the law; Heywood and Morrison, however, received the king's free pardon. Lady Belcher clearly shows that her relative was guiltless of all complicity in the mutiny. The account of Captain Bligh's adventure on being sent adrift by the mutineers is full of thrilling interest; and the voyage of 3618 niles, which he and his sixteen men performed in an open boat, is one of the most remarkable events in the annals of navigation. In the conduct of Capt. Bligh and Capt. Edwards, the latter of whom captured and brought home that portion of the "Bounty's" crew found at Tahiti, there is much to awaken the warmest indignation and abhorrence. In these days such conduct is never heard of, and is well-nigh impossible; our naval code regulating alike the conduct of captain and crew. The chief interest of the book, of course, centres in the men who remained on board the "Bounty," and afterwards formed the settlement of Pitcairn Island. These men succeeded in persuading about a score Tahitian men and women to accompany them and share their fortunes in the solitary home where they sought to hide themselves for ever from the civilized world. The modern Pitcairners are the offspring of the second and third generation of these Englishmen and Tahitian women, and are a remarkably fine and handsome race. the course of a few years all but two of the original mutineers met with a violent death, for quarrels were continually raging among them. Left alone with the women and children, the survivors, Stewart and Adams, In devoted themselves entirely to religious duties. These good men spent the remaining portion of their lives in teaching their companions the nature and obligations of religion, their sole guide in these matters being the Bible and the "Prayer Book." The blessed results of their labours have been attested by all visitors to the island. It is affirmed that a more innocent, virtuous, pure-minded, and thoroughly religious community is not to be met with on the face of the earth. Rough and wicked sailors are said to have been enamoured of virtue and religion while staying in their midst. As we read the description here given of their simple character and unaffected piety, we seem to be looking in upon some earthly paradise, where the effects of the fall have not been felt, or have been entirely obliterated. We recommend the book most warmly to all book societies and to private readers, as one that cannot fail to interest and profit all who read it. W. E. W. A COMPLETE MANUAL OF SPELLING ON THE PRINCIPLES OF CONTRAST & COMPARISON. By J. D. Morell, LL.D., H. M. Inspector of Schools. London: Cassell, Petter & Co. AN excellent guide to the difficult task of correct spelling. The system adopted is a new one, and brings out very clearly the differences in the orthography of words the sound of which is the same. If this little book were thoroughly mastered (and the work would not require much time), letter-writers and others might dispense with their dictionary, for the "hard words" of our language are nearly all brought under review. In the preface to the book the author states: "It appears that out of 1972 failures in the Civil Service examinations 1866 candidates were plucked for spelling. That is, eighteen out of every nineteen who failed, failed in spelling." Other students might share the same fate if put to the test. We commend this manual to teachers in higher schools, for it is rather too philosophical for younger scholars; and we advise all "writers" to study its contents at once. W. E. W. WITHIN THE GATES; or, Glimpses of the Glorified Life. By G. D. Evans. Elliot Stock. THE subject of the "glorified life," always attractive, has of late more than ever engrossed the attention of the Christian church. This is due partly to man's hunger for the rest that remaineth for the people of God; but partly, also, to what John Foster calls the strong "impression made on thinking spirits by an undefined magnificence, by a grand and awful mystery; when we are absolutely certain that there is a stupendous reality veiled in that mystery; when quite certain, too, that it relates to ourselves, and that it will at length be disclosed." In this book Mr. Evans treats of such aspects of the fascinating theme as "the locality of heaven," its "inhabitants," "employments," "communion," &c., in an earnest and devotional spirit, with praiseworthy fidelity to scripture representations, and with a manifestly practical purpose. The suffering and bereaved children of God will be refreshed by these glimpses of the "inheritance of the saints in light." SILVER SPRAY. Stock. IN these sketches of modern church life we have much plain but greatly-needed truth forcibly told. The evil ways of some deacons, the faults of some ministers, and the errors of church members, are exposed with telling incisiveness; and "more excellent ways are pleasantly described. We wish these sketches may be read by all the members of our churches. THE HIVE, Vol. IV., 1871. Stock. THIS serial is now familiar to our readers, at least to those who are interested in the important work of Sabbath schools; and a more valuable storehouse for teachers it is scarcely possible to imagine. Dr. Hart's suggestive and vigorous papers on the teacher's work; Sunday school music; sermons, addresses, and illustrations; introduction to the study of the Scriptures, are amongst its more attractive features. This periodical is conducted with increasing power and adaptation to the times through which we are passing. THE COTTAGER AND ARTIZAN, 1871. Religious Tract Society. THE longer we live the more convinced we are of the immense teaching power of pictures. Few educational influences are more potent than those that work through the eye; and for minds of little culture and limited knowledge the pictorial method of instruction is the only one that promises success. In this department of labour the Religious Tract Society renders invaluable assistance. The illustrations of the Cottager and Artizan are in the highest order of art, and the literary contributions are healthy, stimulating, various, and eminently adapted for the cottage and work shop. It is a marvel that so much and of such good quality can be obtained for so small a sum. THE NEW CYCLOPÆDIA OF ILLUSTRATIVE ANECDOTE. Stock. THE first number of this work contains 48 pages of closely-printed matter. The anecdotes are well-arranged, and told with praiseworthy brevity. Some of them are, of course, old and familiar, but there is such a proportion of newly-selected ones as to give the collection the merit of freshness. It will be very useful to teachers both in the pulpit and the class. THE MISSIONARY WORLD. Stock. THIS is another cyclopædia, but devoted to missions. It is also, like the above, to be published in twelve parts. The first number gives a full representation of the state of the world at large without the gospel. The arrangement and execution are both good. The work will be exceedingly helpful to the secretaries of Juvenile Missionary Auxiliaries and to all workers for missions, as well as interesting to all who desire the coming of the Saviour's kingdom. PAMPHLETS AND PERIODICALS, &c. A DEMONSTRATION OF THE EXTINCTION OF EVIL PERSONS AND OF EVIL THINGS. By H. S. Warleigh. Stock. A pamphlet opening with more offensive arrogance and assumption we never saw. There is not a grain of modesty in it. Opponents are cowards, dishonest; "if preachers, afraid of pewholders; if editors, of subscribers ;" and so on ad nauseam. Why all the courage in the world should dwell with the advocates of Extinction is not made out. The argument is the old story over again put with skill and force. The Weather Almanack, 1872. By Orlando Whistlecraft.-One of the best rural almanacks we have seen. It is replete with useful information about the weather, gardening, farming, &c. The Garden is a new weekly illustrated journal of gardening in all its branches, published at 4d. It is edited with great ability. The illustrations are excellent, and the subjects, which in their variety quite justify the title, in their treatment warrant the warmest commendation. The Years before the Battle. Stock.Pithy, pertinent, and suggestive observations on the tendencies of English society. We have also received the AppealChurch-Sunday Magazine-Sword and Trowel-Congregational Miscellany--Hive. Correspondence. OUR LAY PREACHERS, & LIBRARIES FOR THEM. TO THE EDITOR. Dear Sir, I have been much disappointed that no response has been made to the appeal I made on behalf of our lay preachers with regard to supplying them with books. My original plan to help our poorer pastors I so far carried out as to supply a thousand volumes out of my library, and I was able to meet all the applications made. But the requests of our lay preachers I could only respond to in about two instances. Now I will give to these brethren before Easter next 250 volumes, if our ministers and friends will make up the number to 1000. Many of our brethren must have great numbers of books, used up long ago, especially sermons and theological works, the very kind of helps our lay brethren need. Everyone knows the small price such books fetch when sold to the old book trade, and yet in the original purchase a considerable sum was expended. It seems to me that, in Nottingham, Derby, and Leicester, there should be a Lay Preachers' Library established; no doubt a cupboard would be found for them in our vestries or schoolrooms. And here all our lay brethren of the district might obtain the reading of works which would greatly help them in their pulpit labours. Surely the least we can do is to supply them with necessary tools when they serve the churches for nothing. As a denomination, we don't make one-tenth the use of this kind of pulpit work that our Methodist brethren do. And yet, without it, what is to become of our village congregations? I was deeply affected with the nature of the applications made to me by some of our pastors. One said: "We are all total abstainers in my family, we never spend a farthing on luxuries, and yet I have not been able to buy a book for years." If such he the condition of brethren paid something for their labour, how much worse still for our lay ministers, many of whom have to toil very hard for daily bread? These supplement their weekly work by going many miles on the Lord's-day to preach the gospel, without charge, to our village congregations. How can our dear brethren keep abreast of the intelligence of the day without reading? and how can they read if they have no books? and how can they get books unless kind friends, better off than themselves, supply them? I do hope our pastors with good libraries will at once give a clearance to such books Dear Sir,-In the Sept. number of our Magazine, 1871, page 268, the following passage occurs: "Let no one weak in faith and hope heave a sigh of despair over the change. If he must look back, let him remember how many crosses, how much ignorance, how many sorrows, how much shame, deface the retrospect. Let him think not only of the heroic ardour which would have faced the fires of martyrdom for baptism by immersion, or submitted with manly indifference to the robberies of the sheriff's officer that he might demonstrate the sincerity of his protest against church rates, but of the narrowness which refused to eat bread at the Lord's table with a padobaptist," &c. I presume the allusion in the words italicised by me is to those who are distinguished by their consistent adherence to the views and practices of "Strict Communionists." It is well known that there are such persons and churches, not only in this country, but in our own denomination. Thirty years ago, with very few exceptions, all our churches made baptism a term of communion; and though many since that time have undergone a change, and adopted open communion, others retain the practice of our forefathers; whilst in many of those churches which now act upon Open Communion principles, there are to be found not a few who, though they may for the sake of peace yield to the wishes of their fellow-members, are not converts to their sentiments. Among these are many intelligent friends, who have thought, talked, and read much on this subject, and who entertain very decided convictions that the views they cherish and the course which they think the churches should pursue are right. They are aware that their sentiments are unpopular; and if it could be shown that they are as unfounded as they are unpopular they would be truly thankful for the enlightenment, and forward to acknowledge, with becoming humility and penitence, their former errors, and adopt views and practices in connection with church |