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Bf)e IZewpoi[f £res6yferian. MONTHLY NOTES. (April, 1895). * •7'Jf 'GAIN we rejoice in an increasing circulation. JhJ Our distributor has laboured untiringly, I. 1 and has booked very many new subscribers. J Yet there is room. Do all the members of our two Churches subscribe ? If not, why not ? We are bold to believe that our Magazine will soon become one of our most effective agencies for good, and those who help its circulation have the joy of believing that their hand is in the good work. * * Last month we offered a prize for the best paragraph of religious news. We regret to say that no one has accepted the challenge. We greatly wonder why. Is it the scarcity of news? or is the prize unworthily small? or has the matter been forgotten? We shall renew the offer this month again. Will our readers attend to it ? Moreover, we shall give a copy of Dr Stalker's " Life, of Jesus Christ " to every one who will during this month secure the names of six new sub¬ scribers to our Magazine. The names of the subscribers, together with the name of the competitor, must be sent not later than April 27th to Mr. T. P. Beal, 10, Devon Place. The Concert at Castleton, to which we referred in our last number, was a great success. We do not know what the financial results were ; but even if they were small, the concert was none the less a real success. The programme was of rare purity, and some of the . renderings were beyond all praise. The educational and spiritual results of such a meeting must have been very great. With all good reason our Churches may be proud of having such a band of willing cultured Christian gingers whose voices are thus consecrated to the Master's service. Now that we have so many able singers in our Churches, does it not become our duty to use them in our Church work ? The Holy Spirit can save souls by song as well as by speech. The Christian singer has his gift and mission from Christ as directly and as pointedly as the Christian minister. The Gospel can be sung as well as preached. Why do we not recog¬ nise this more fully in our Church services ? In the Concert at Castleton, Madame Brython Thomas sang the solo '' / know that my Redeemer liveth '' with most thrilling effect, and we could not help thinking what a mighty agency for good such siuging was bound to be A Sacred Concert once a month would be a most excel¬ lent means of using the musical talent of our Churches. Would it not also be a means of grace to us ? * * We desire to call attention to the Conference on "Sabbath Observance," which is to be held in connec¬ tion with our Literary Society on Monday evening, the first of this month. We know that not a few of our Church members look with dubious eyes upon our Literary Society, thinking that a Christian Church has no business to provide literary recreation or in any way meddle with such "secular" things. It is unfor¬ tunate that this should be so ; but we hope that this proposed Conference will attract all our members. We cannot but feel that the question of Sabbath obser¬ vance is urging itself more and more upon us. Is our present order of services the best calculated to reach the end which we have in view? fcermon in the morn¬ ing—School in the afternoon—Sermon in the evening— is it best that this order should be followed Sunday after Sunday ? Is there any better order ? Are there any alterations or additions that would better serve to bring Christ and the people together ? * * What a pity it was that so few were present to hear the Lecture delivered by Mr. Evans on "Socialism.'' The word Socialism is to some people what a red rag is to a bull, and possibly for the same reason. The bull has not examined the rag, and knows not what it is ; but it is red, and that is enough ! How many of us have ever examined Socialism thoughtfully ? We are very ignorant of its meaning ; but it ends in ism, and for most of us, that is enough. Mr. Evans gave us a most interesting lecture. His criticisms of English trade, politics, and society were pungent and powerful, highly relished by some, very galling to others. We shall not soon forget the plain unmincing comments upon dishonest bargaining, grinding competition, sweating, unprincipled money-making, and similar ills of modern English life. As we listened, we felt that a prophet was speaking, a disciple of Elijah, John Baptist, Savonarola, and Thomas Carlyle. The lecture should be delivered all over the country. # * May the 9th, in the Temperance Hall! That is the day fixed for the Great Public Tea and Sacred Concert in aid of the Caerleon Road Church. Let us not for¬ get it. Fifteen hundred tickets are to be printed, and all must be sold. If all our friends will rally to¬ gether and do their utmost to sell the tickets and advertise the meeting, we ought to raise at least £50. Let that be our mark. Let us all join with good will, and we shall do it, * * We desire to express our deep sympathy with our friend and brother, Mr. T. P. Jones, in his illness and domestic trial. Mr. Jones is a very old member of Havelock Street Church, and has taken lively interest at all times in its work. As Superintendent of its Sunday School, he has laboured most excellently. His present illness, and especially the prolonged illness of his beloved wife, must be a trying experience, and we venture to ask all our readers to remember them daily in their prayers. May the Holy Spirit administer to them the consolations of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and may they both be restored fully to their health and strength and work,