North Carolina Christian Advocate from Greensboro, North Carolina • Page 8

RALEIGH CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE. Thursday, September 22 no. If Woman's Work With grateful hearts we note these earnest young workers upon FOREIGN MISSIONS Please send all communications for this Department to Mrs. B. F.

Dixon. Editor, Raleigh. N. C. Mrs.

T. H. Street, Roxboro, N. C. Assistant Editor.

Officers of the W. F. M. S. of the N.

C. Conference, 1910-11. President Mrs. Willis. Elizabeth City, N.

C. Vice-President Mrs. Thos. A. Person, Greenville, N.

C. Corresponding Secretary Mrs. D. Swindell. Wilson.

N. C. Recording Secretary Miss Blanche Fentress, Wilmington, C. Assistant Recording Secretary Mrs. E.

M. Snipes, Burlington, N. C. Treasurer Mrs. B.

B. Adams, Four Oaks, N. C. Superintendent and Treasurer Juvenile Work Mrs. L.

M. Hendren, New Bern, N. C. Assistant in Juvenile Work Mrs. N.

H. D. Wilson, Laurinburg, N. Auditors Mr. W.

M. Sanders, Smithfield, C. Mr. T. A.

Uzzell. New Bern. N. C. District Secretaries.

Raleigh District Mrs. F. B. McKinne, Louis-burg. N.C.

Durham District Mrs. J. C. Wooten, C. Fayetteville District Mrs.

M. J. Simpson. Fayetteville, N. C.

Rockingham District Mrs. J. F. Ray, Laurinburg. N.

Wilmington District Mrs. D. W. Bulluck, Wilmington, N. C.

New Bern District Mrs. C. P. Dey, Beaufort, N. C.

Warrenton District Mrs. K. P. Black, Littleton, N. C.

Elizabeth City District Mrs. W. S. Blanch-ard, Hertford, N. C.

Washington District Mrs. J. L. Home. Rocky Mount.

N. C. there are only 57 main bodies 'her are 210 church panf of them professing a faith only a shade different from others. For in stance, there are 17 Baptist bodies 24 Lutheran, 15 Methodist, and 12 Presbyterian. The same is true of less known organizations.

There are 15 Mennonite, 7 Adventists, 4 Dun-ker or Dumkard, and 4 Quaker or Friend bodies. There appears no division in cither the Roman Catholic or Protestant Episcopal Church, although it i3 shown that efforts to modify their creeds have resulted in the establish-ment of independent bodies. They are designated as the Reformed Catholic and the Reformed Episcopal churches, respectirely. The Reform-ed Catholics number only 1,250 communicants, while of the Reformed Episcopalians there are about 9,682. The cause of origin of some of the branches is indicated by the name.

For instance, there are General Baptists, Separate Baptists, United Baptists, Free Baptists, Freewill Baptists, United American Freewill Baptists, Primitive Baptists, General Six-Principles Baptists, Seventh Day Baptists, Duck River Baptists, and Two-Seed-in-the-Spirit Predesination Baptists. The Civil War caused splits, giving rise to Southern Methodist and Southern Baptist bodies. In these churches there is also color division. Two or three churches came into existence just after the close of the war as a protest against political preaching. Many of th branches of the Lutheran Church are due to difference in nationality.

Of other branches, besides the Duck River Baptists, owing their names to localities are the River brethren and the Yorkers, both branches of the Brethren denomination. The former began existence on the Susquehanna River; the latter in York County, Pa. The Brinsers, also Brethren, are called after their first bishop, as also the Schweckenfelders. Three of the newest churches mentioned are composed largely of colored communicants. One of these, the Church of God and Saints of Christ, accepts the Ten Commandments as a positive guide to salvation and uses only scriptural names for its members.

The "Church of the Living God" began business is 1899 aid already has three branches. The Free Christian Zion Church of Christ, founded in 1905, protests against all attempts to tax members for the support of the churches. There were about 700 organizations in the main branch of the Salvation Army, with a membership of about 23,000. There were 455 organizations of Spiritualists with over 35,000 members. The report records the rapid disappearance of communistic societies, showing that of the eight organiza in the American temples.

The god Kuan, a mighty duke of the ancient Han dynasty; the goddess of Fortune and the Goddess of Mercy. The American-Japanese Buddhists are of the progressive Shin Shiu sect, which is missionary im character. They discard the ascetic practices of the more austere Buddhists of Asia, allow the priests to marry and have no ban on meat or other food. The societies are well organized, each having a priest. General headquarters are in San Francisco, and they have both journals and schools devoted to the preparation of the faith.

In 1906, their membership in this country was 2,307, of which 778 were females. There is no Shintoism, an explanation which is found in' the fact that this religion attaches itself too closely to the person of the Japanese Emperor. In a way the Hindu religion is represented by the Vadanta Society, with organizations in New York, Pittsburg, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It was organized by some Hindu teachers who came here in 1893 to the World's Fair, its name from an ancient Hindu philosophy meaning "the end of all wisdom." It is non-sectarian, seeking to harmonize all religious systems. Oriental philosophies as taught by the Theosophists, have four bodies with 2,336 members in the United States.

While Bahaism, strictly speaking, is non-Christian and foreign, its followers are native and not necessarily un-Chrigtian. This is a comparatively new sect, growing out of the teachings of a Persian leader of the middle of the last century, named Ali Mohammed. He claimed to be the fore-runner "of him whom God would manifest," and called himself "Bab" or "the Gate." Later came Baha Ulla, who claimed to be the one wrhose coming had been foretold, and from him the real name of the body is derived. In 1906 he had 1,280 followers in the United States, who worshipped in twenty-four places through fourteen States. They teach tolerance, love, charity and regard all religions as divine.

Hence, they profess not to interfere with the ordinary doctrinal beliefs of their members. Another church of Asiatic origin but still Christian is the Armenian, which has 73 organizations in this country, most of them in the Eastern States, twenty-nine in Massachusetts alone. Their communicants are generally Armenians, many of whom fled to this country to escape persecution. The Eastern Orthodox churches, or Greek church, has 129,606 communicants. This is the State church of Russia and Greece.

Of the 411 churches here 59 represent the former nationality. There also are Servian and Syrian branches. The Greeks have 334 organizations throughout the country, with New York, Illinois and Massachusetts whom the future success of the church so largely depends. We pray they may prove a blessing to many at home in their efforts to send the glad tidings of a Savior's love to those who have never heard. We thank you for the help and strength your columns in the Advocate bring to us.

May continued health and usefulness be yours! MRS. L. P. HICKS, Corresponding Secretary of Louis-burg's W. F.

M. Society. RELIGIOUS LIFE OF TUB COUNTRY. Religious freedom in the United States shelters under its tolerant and ample folds thousands of representatives of a number of the so-called heathen beliefs, in addition to more than 200 various sects of Christianity, according to Census Bureau statistics dealing with the religious life of the country. Among the former are Buddhists, Confucianists and Ba-haists who are engaged in an organized way in the spread of their doctrines in this country.

The data forming the basis of the volume in question was gathered in 190 6. It is now in proof, but there is no assurance as to when it will be given to the public. On addition to statistics of the various denominations, the work will present a brief history of each; also the pertinent facts regarding their doctrine and polity. The compilation is the work of Dr. T.

C. Bliss. Up to the time of the investigation there had been no effort to effect any organization for the promotion of Confucianism, but the text tells of a society of the Chinese sage's followers which was organized in New York City in 1907 among the mongolian students in Columbia University. Contending that Buddhism is only a system of ethics, they undertook to demonstrate that Confucianism was a real religion, and so a regular system of services was established by a well defined organization. The organized followers of Buddhism are Chinese and Japanese.

Their churches, known officially as "temples," by the irreverant are referred to as "Joss" houses. There are sixty-two Chinese and twelve Japanese temples in this country, the former being distributed over twrelve, the latter over three States. California shelters all but three of the Japanese and more than half of the Chinese houses. About forty which went down under the San Francisco cataclysm had remained in ruins to the time of the enumeration. New York boasted fifteen of the Chinese temples, the remainder being scattered over ten States, mostly in the West.

The Chinese Buddhists have only one priest in this country and conduct no recognized system of worship. There is no record of membership, they have no sermon; keep no Sabbath and have no religious service. The only use for their temples are as places at which individual devotees may consult their patron saints. Three deities are recognized FROM LOUISBURG W. F.

31. S. As an Auxiliary we have been silent, but not inactive. More than eight years have passed since our much-loved pastor's wife, Mrs. M.

T. Plyler, awakened, re-organized, and, by her earnest devotion, aroused our Missionary Society to its responsibilities. Since that time, under the management of our efficient and enthusiastic President, Mrs. M. C.

Pleasants, our membership and zeal have both steadily increased. We are fortunate in having our District Secretary, Mrs. F. B. McKinne, a member of our Society.

She has been our Treasurer also for four years, but recently resigned, assuming, instead, the management of the Bright Jewels. Miss Mary Pescud's visit to us in February was an inspiration, and the result will be far-reaching. Last year's work was, in many respects, satisfactory. Our membership of thirty-seven paid the pledge and dues in full. Total amount, $181.45.

We have planned better work for this year, beginning with forty-three members and seventeen subscribers to the Woman's Missionary Advocate. We have pledged to support a Bible Woman in Korea, for whom we have selected the name, Lou Hill Davis, complimentary to one of our most faithful and honored members, Mrs. Matthew S. Davis. Our Society meets by invitation at the homes of members, and the average attendance is good.

The deep spiritual tone of these meetings has been of great strength to its members, and we hope the day is not distant when every woman in our church may be counted a missionary worker. The Young Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, organized a little more than a year ago, has seventeen members. Mrs. Spencer Baker, nee Miss Blanche Egerton, the President, is well chosen, for her influence is helpful in every department of church work. of tions mentioned in the census 1890, only two are left, the survivors being remnants of the Shaker of the Amana Society.

leading. The Greek membership is 90,751. Twenty-two of the 59 Russian churches are in Pennsylvania. The volume also will tell of tne various Christian sects which are considered more purely American, and will show the various branches thereof. It will show that while "They are gladdening souls who mean exactly what they say ami expect you to say exactly what you meian.

"Elizabeth Sheppard..