Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

January 23, 1902 THE LUTHERAN VISITOR 5 CATICHISATION — AN ELEMENT OF POWER IN THE CHURCH. BY REV. H. A THEXLER. Samuel stands out in biblical history as a star of the first magni tude. His greatness as a teacher, as a reformer, is largely to be at tributed to the teaching and influ ence of his godly and pious mother. Given by God in answer to her prayer, he was lent to Him from his birth and passed from bis mother’s side to the sacred cham ber of the tabernacle as his future home. A Mother’s Influence. What a halo of blessings and benefactions is found in the family circle of Christian mothers! What an influence of power for good goes out from Christian families 1 The teaching of a godly mother like Hannah, who can calculate its worth and powerf It is the Han nahs, the mothers, who by their teaching, catechising and train ing in religions ways make the ohnrch of God' a mighty power. Her influence is as extensive as the mighty deep. She exerts an in- flnence that goes on rolling down the ages. What a revival she sets in motion! What a number of converts she adds and sends to the. sacred chambers of the church of the living God! Her hand, her voice, her looks, yea, her very be ing, as an instrument, as a teacher in the hands of God, .have made the greatest men of the age. She fills the pnlpits with our best and most devoted men. What has actually been the in fluence, the real power of good, of the modern revivals and the so- called protracted meetings, with no emphasis upon catechising and training of the yonngf Ask the New England states what made the division in the Presbyterian churchT What are some of the results of the revivals and pro tracted meetings f Here it is and given by men that know and are not afraid to tell: “Multitudes of fair and high professors, in one place and another, have sadly back slidden,” that is, inactive dead heads, non-residents and the like. “Sinners are desperately hardened; experimental religion is more than ever out of credit with the far greater part, and the doctrines of grace and those principles in re ligion that do chiefly concern the power of godliness are far more than ever discarded. Arminian- ism and Pelagianism,” and entir sanctification, “have made strange progress within a few years. . . Many professors are gone off to great lengths in enthusiasm aud extravagance in their notions and practices.” Yes, the teachings and doings of evangelists and revival ists lead to a pack of notions, but not to the truth as revealed in the word. “Great contentions, sepa rations aud confusions in our re ligious state prevail in many pans of the land.” “In 1831, aud four years immediately following, 87,- 000 persons were added to the church, but after the smoke of battle had cleared away,” that is, after the noise and confusion had quieted down, “it was found that the actual increase bad dwindled down to 2,000.” What of the rest! They were inactive dead heads— non residents — wandered off. Does all this speak credit to the evangelists and so called re vival preachers! It does not speak credit to a minister, or a congrega tion, when such a great number of converts are added to the church, and then have to report to the synod, and report the same in the minutes of synod, that half or one- third are inactive deadheads. No such reporting is done by the Han nahs, the mothers, who are train ing the children in religious ways. What Makes the Great Difference. Why, the Hannahs follow God’s appointed ways and methods. They teach, instruct, catechise and train, and where this is done, as we have seen, there is sure to be a power for good. They know that the kingdom of God does not come by observation as the evangelists and revivalists think—if you don’t kick up a dust and raise a noise th°re is no good done and no con verts added. In fact, to raise a noise is sure to add to their con verts. It is sure to raise the emo tional nature. Stick to the training and teach ing of your mother—the church. Stick to your catechism. Stick to the word of‘God. Do not follow or fall in line with every wind of doctrine and the notions of evan gelist and so-called revival preach ers. Don’t turn your back on your mother.' She took you when a child and made you a child in holy baptism of your heavbnly Father. .She loves you. She looks after you. Stick to your mother. A large number of pulpits are reported vacant among the churches of the General Sybod in the state of Pennsylvania. LENOIR COLLEGE. Lenoir College is enjoying a veiy prosperous term. Not many students remained out after the holidays, and a number of new ones have been enrolled. The pres ent enrollment is near 150. The literary societies have elected their speakers and debaters and are preparing for their anniver- aries. The young ladies’ literary society, the Philaletbein, is doing very successful work. Dr. J. C. Moser will lecture be fore the students Monday evening, January 27th, on the subject, “Temperance.” Rev. James Weston will lecture at the college Monday evening, February 10th, on “Historical Doubts a3 to the execution of Mar shal Ney.” The friends and pat rons of the college are cordially in vited to attefad these lectures. Highland Boarding Hall was a success during the tall term. For the four months the board, including the cook.ng, averaged $4.09. Room rent is 50 cents a month. This makes board and room rent $4 59 a month. Mr. P. D. Pence, of the Soph omore class, the tfficittut treasurer and buyer for the Hall, is now teaching several seveial classes, assisting Prof. Stirewalt. Oa Sunday the 12th, Rev. W. A. Deaton, president of the Tenn essee Synod, installed Rev. W. P. Cline as pastor of St. Andrew’s and Mt. Olive congregations. The services were held in the College auditorium. Rev. Deaton preached two most acceptable sermons. A Modest Benefiactor.—The au thorities of the Norwegian Luth eran Deaconesses’ Home aud Hos pital at Forty-sixth street and Fourth avenue, Brooklyn, have just learned the identity of one of the institution’s benefactors, who gave them $64,000 in trust fifteen years ago. He was the late Alfred Corning Clark, who died April 11, 1896. Frederick Gilbert Bourne, who attended to the matter for Mr. Clark, disclosed the identity of the donor and turned over the princi pal. For fifteen years Mr. Bourne had been sending the quarterly in terest, $960, anonymously, accord ing to the request of the benefac tor, who told Mr. Bourne not to name him until sneb time as be should see fit. The fund hereafter will be known as the Skougaard- Severini Memorial Fund in honor of the Norwegian opera singer, who died in 1885 and who was an intimate friend of Mr. Clark. Skougaard Severini was greatly in terested in the welfare of the hos pital, and together with Christian Bors, formerly Norwegian consul- general to this city, and Mrs. Bors, contributed largely to the hos pital’s support. It was to continue this work of his friend that Alfred Corning Clark left the $64,000. Step in the Right Direction. Recently a young white man traveling on the Savannah divi sion of the Southern railway in South Carolina fired his pistol out of the coach window. On arrival at the next station the conductor turned the party over to the agent, who swore out a warrant for his arrest. He was tried the following day and fined ten dollars or in de fault of payment to serve twenty days in the chain gang. While such occurrences as shoot ing from car windows and the like are not frequent, the agent and the conductor are to be com mended for their prompt action, and the result is an example that the railway officials do all in their power to prevent rowdyism, and protect the popularizing the line. ^ While the misbehavior on pas senger trains in the south is now an uncommon thing, yet dealing with the same as above cited on the Southern railway will go a long way towards maintaining the con fidence of the traveling public and feelings as well as the safety of their patrons. A Sure Cure. Dr. Bloiser’s Catarrh Cure Has Cured More Cases of Catarrh Thau Any Other Remedy. This is the only remedy that goes directly to the diseased ptrts and is at the same time “constitution al.” It reduoes the inflammation, heals the ulcerated surfaces, stops the discharge, restores the bearing, when impaired by catarrh, prevents the disease from going to the lungs, or removes it if already'here. It gives spetdy relief and effects a permanent cure. Dr. Blosser’s Catarrh Cure is put up in boxes containing enough medicine for one month’s treatment which It sent postage paid for $1.00. If you have not had a sample we will send one free by mail, post paid. Address: Dr. J. W Blosser & Son, 150 Walton St., Atlanta, Ga. For LaGrippe and lofluefza use CHENEY’S EXPECTORANT.