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they might live unmolested until the time when they would come forth as the rulers of the world. This strange story seemed to interest the curious in this matter, for the book has quite a sale among those who would still pursue the fate of the lost tribes, and find them in this apparent remnant of a nation that has, in its turn, also disappeared.

The recent census in the German Empire confirms the rapid growth of the Protestant Church and the comparatively slow increase of the Catholics. In Prussia proper, however, and some of the minor States, the contrary is the fact. In the whole imperial domain there were, in 1866, of Protestants, about 24 000,000; in 1871, 25,000,000, and in 1880, 28,000,000. The increase of the Protestants would have been very much larger, however, in various provinces of North Germany, were it not for the massive emigration that has taken place from those lands. In Prussia, in 1880, there were, of Protestants, 17,645,848; of Catholics, 9,265,283, and of Jews, 363,790. The Protestants in the Rhine Provinces are increasing faster than the Catholics, while in the pure Protestant districts the Catholics are on the increase. Thus, the minority, wherever it may be, seems to be gaining ground. The number of Catholics is increasing somewhat in Saxony-a Protestant country with a Catholic king and court. This may be caused by the influx of laborers on the railroads and in the mines.

The Moravians have had quite a jubilee over the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of their mission work, and have, among other things, been looking over the statistics of their extensive labors. Since the day when the first missionaries, Dober and Nitschmann, left their homes in Hernnhut to carry the gospel to the negro slaves of St. Thomas, over two thousand brothers and sisters have gone forth to carry the banner of the Cross and the Gospel to all quarters of the world, and some of the most remote and desolate. With some failures and misfortunes, the Moravians may look back on their wonderful work as under the special care of an over-ruling Providence, to whom they returned heartfelt thanks amid their rejoicings. These were also shared by the entire Protestant Church, because many of its branches had been ready in their assistance to the Moravian missions, and therefore many representatives were present in Hernnhut at their jubilee. It was a very happy thought to resolve to build, in the same island of St. Thomas, where their work began, a native church as a thank-offering for their great success. The collections for this purpose made good progress during the festive days, and bid fair to be ample. The Moravians will ever be of blessed memory in modern Gospel history for what they have accomplished in the cause of missions, and the true Christian example which they set to the Christian world.

Gerhard Rohlfs, the famous German traveler in Africa, has just published in Weimar, in his official capacity as authorized agent of King John, of Abyssinia, an appeal to the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society of London. He pleads for an early settlement of all differences

between Egypt and Abyssinia through English intervention. He claims that Egypt is still a land where slavery flourishes through the activity of war and the native dealers, while Abyssinia is a Christian land in which slavery is not tolerated, but where it is very difficult to extinguish it entirely until all differences can be settled between the two countries. He claims that some man of the energy and magnanimity of Gordon must again be placed at the head of affairs in Soudan; and, in conjunction with civil order along the Nile, he appeals to the British government to grant to Abyssinia what she has clear natural right to, namely, a port on the Red Sea, from whose coast she is now strangely cut off. A glance at the map will show that this quite considerable land borders on the sca for a long distance, within a few miles, with the sea almost in sight, but with no national right on its banks. The justice of such a petition is the more clear when we reflect that, but a short time ago, the Powers granted this same request to Montenegro on the Adriatic, and maintained it by military intervention. King John would get along better with Egypt and with England were he less inclined to be exacting and tyrannical toward any foreigners who may happen to cross his path. He has not been any too just toward the missionaries, except those who are engaged in evangelical work among the many Jews of his realin.

The Protestant French littérateurs in the theological field are quite active in bringing out new works, as may be seen from the latest announcement of the book firm of Fischbacher, No. 38 Rue de Seine, Paris, where all the works of the Reformed Church may be found, and quite easily obtained by mail, if ordered by letter, with postal money-order inclosed, at the rate of five francs to the dollar. Among these we notice: 'Etude Homilétique sur Adolphe Monod et Lacordaire," by Louis Comte; "L'Idée de Dieu," by Chastand; "L'Année Pastorale," by Bonneton; "L'Eglise sous la Croix," by Benoit; "L'Eglise Vaudoise des Vallées du Piémont," treating of this Church from its origin down to our day— a very valuable and interesting book, price 23 francs. Among the smaller books or brochures we would name "La Tache Missionaire de l'Eglise," (The Missionary Task of the Church,) by Boegner, Director of the Mission House of Paris; and another missionary help is the Manual of Protestant Missions for 1883, published by the Mission House of Basel, showing the growing interest that the Protestant Church is taking in missions.

A German firm is now publishing an illustrated edition of the "Imitation of Christ," by Thomas à Kempis. The work of this humble monk is now read throughout the world more than other religious books, except the Bible itself, and it is still being published in new and attractive forms. There is scarcely a language of Christendom into which it has not been translated. There are said to be two thousand different Latin editions, and one thousand French, of which the Library of Paris possesses no less than seven hundred; and new German translations are continually appearing, showing that this golden book is dear to all Christian con

fessions, because it speaks the language of the entire undivided Christian Church, and the device of this unpretentious Christian man, "Ama nesciri," (Remain willingly unknown,) has proved that the meek and humble shall be exalted. The authorship was for a long time contested, and even now, in the present year, the first journal of Germany, the "Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung," has devoted several articles to the incontestable proof that it is from the heart and pen of the humble monk of Holland. More than two hundred years ago the French Parliament, being drawn into the contest, decreed that the book should only be published with the name of Thomas à Kempis as author.

As we look over the curricula of the current semester of the German Protestant Theological Schools, now lying before us, we are struck with the wealth of Bible teaching in the old Fatherland, and wonder that it does not bear more fruit. At Basel, we find Overbeck, on the Church History of the Middle Ages; in Berlin, Dorner is treating of Systematic Theology, Piper on Monumental Church History, and Brückner on the System of Christian Ethics; at Berne, Oetli is reading lectures on Eschatology, and Steck on the Life of Jesus; in Bonn, we recognize with pleasure the names of Christlich and Lange, the former on Practical Theology, and the latter on Ethics. The bulletin for Breslau starts off with the Encyclopedia of Theology, by Meuss, and that of Dorpat with Volk, on the Exegesis of the Prophets; Erlangen presents the names of Frank, on Dogmatics; Giessen, that of Stade, on the Exposition of Genesis, and Göttingen, that of Ritschl, on Symbolics. At Halle we miss the precious name of Tholuck, and find those of Köstlin and Kähler; and then the list runs on and on, with subjects and teachers ad infinitum: Greifswald, Heidelberg, Jena, Kiel, Königsberg, Leipsic, with Kahnis, Luthard and Delitzsch, Marburg, Rostock, Strasburg, Tübingen, Vienna, Zurich, and Upsala. Some of these are not in Germany proper, but they are, nevertheless, German schools.

ART. XI.-QUARTERLY BOOK-TABLE.
Religion, Theology, and Biblical Literature.

1

The Life and Letters of James O. Andrew, Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, with Glances at his Contemporaries and at Events in Church History. By Rev. GEORGE G. SMITH, A.M. 12mo. pp. 562. Nashville, Tenn.: Southern Methodist Publishing House. John W. Burke Co.: Macon, Ga. 1852. This admirable biography is a fine counterpart to the life of Bishop Janes from the pen of Dr. Ridgaway. There were not wanting some traits of personal resemblance between the two men, and both were worthy the permanent portraiture so well furnished by their two biographers. So central a figure was Bishop Andrew in one of the most painful passages in our eccle

siastical and national history, that it was due to him, to his friends, and to the truth of history, that his personal conduct and character should be fully elucidated. Mr. Smith has well performed his work, and the result is that Bishop Andrew is not only cleared from the mists of prejudice that to some eyes have hung around him, but he appears beyond all doubt to have been a man of eminent, personal piety, whose heart and soul were consecrated, and whose life was hid with Christ in God. The history of such a man, as well as the man himself, is a boon to our universal Methodism and to Christianity itself.

His biographer tells us, with some piquancy, that his paternal ancestry was Puritan, derived from England through New England, where Osgood is still a conspicuous name. Born without educational advantages, he was never a scholar, and his first attempts seemed to indicate that he would never become a preacher. Yet he had filled but two “hard-scrabble" circuits when he was appointed to the city of Charleston. The metropolis was an important but trying station. Methodism was a very humble intrusion into a very proud city. More than half his parishioners were negroes. His description, written long years afterward, of the levee room in his parsonage, is unique and suggestive: "Here you met every week either stewards or leaders, white or black, and here the preacher had to hear all cases of complaint and trial, especially among the blacks. To this room also came, at stated intervals, all who wished to join on trial. For the purpose of attending to all other matters, one day in the week was set apart, and the preachers had to be there all day. Imagine a room, dear reader, raised only a few inches from the ground, with high fences on all sides, crowded just as full as it could hold on a night in July or August, and the preacher sitting there till bellringing, and tell me, didn't he have a sweet time of it? Then when he emerged from this bath-house, and sought to cool himself in the upper story, imagine him, half melting, seeking to refresh himself on his pillow. He enters a room some twelve feet square, with one or two windows, after carefully adjusting his mosquito net, and seizing a favorable moment for rushing into bed, and carefully stopping every crevice through which the serenaders might possibly find access to him, he stretches himself to get cool and go to sleep. What think you of his prospects? The parsonage yard, if it had any, was an encroachment on the old graveyard. If you walked out tombstones were under your feet or all around you; if you seated yourself at your window

and looked out to enjoy the beauties of a moonlight prospect, tombstones every-where arrested your gaze, so that ours might properly have been called the family among the tombs." The appointment to Charleston was thus largely and tryingly a mission to negroes.

Our Southern brethren at the present day often largely quote, in self-vindication, their heroic devotion to negro Christianization. We have ever recognized gladly their record on that subject. One of our first movements, after our appointment to the editorship of this Quarterly, years ago, was to procure from a Southern pen a full article on the enterprise of Southern Methodism among the Negro population. We have ever thought that there was some wickedness on the part of our old abolition friends in saying that their Negro missions were established purely in the interests of slavery. It was a bitter taunt for them to say that the missionary was simply an agent of the slave-holder to preach to the slave the duty of submission to his oppressor, and thus perpetuate the system. Some fatal coloring to this sharp logic was given by our Southern brethren themselves when they took the ground that they must maintain slavery in order to gain access to the slave. The abolitionist triumphantly quoted their words with "See, now, they themselves declare that their gospel is the gospel of slavery!" More than once was, in that day, the Northern defender of Southern Methodism shut up by such a quotation. But this missionary zeal unquestionably preceded the abolition excitement, and was started in the interests of a most earnest Christianity. Andrew, no doubt, submitted to his sultry air-bath, perfumed with unhealthy odor, for the souls of his Negro parishioners, with no thought for the perpetuity of the system that so nearly suffocated him. Indeed, in after years, so strong was the interest of this saintly man for the spiritual interests of the dark race that before his election to the episcopacy he seriously contemplated becoming a missionary to Africa. We have ever felt that a full measure of honor should be accorded to Southern Methodism for her missionary labors with the oppressed people.

After his pastorate in Charleston Mr. Andrew moved through the higher order of appointments, distinguished for his eloquence, his ability as a writer, his administrative success, and his piety. Much to the indignation of some of his official superiors he contracted an early and happy marriage, and was one of the first to break up the customary sequence that a preacher's marriage was always followed by a location, a sequence arising from the fact

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