JOTTINGS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 698, 24 December 1909, Page 14

JOTTINGS.

. Speaking at the dedication of a new organ in Westbourne Pork Chapol, as a part of- the celobrataan -of -his jubilee. Dr. Clifford said: "This is one of tho great days.in the history . ot. tlus church. , By it wo ara notably encouraged in our work for the glory of God and the salvation of men. Beligion is praise, lte- ; ligion sings. Thy statutes- have:been.my song ; in the house of my v pilgrimage,'; • says ; the ; X'salraist, ■ and if ho had cause to sing, how ; lhuoh iriore have we ? • I do not look upon the' service of song as mere embroidery. Singing is the'soul of worship, the .very,essence'; of truo devotion. It holps to coramunicato the senso : ef awe, which, itself is born of the .wonder and surprise that God so loved us as to give us His Son, -Jesus Christ." - . -.. 1 . Splendid offortones were rocoived on a recent : Sunday' in Lydiard Street Methodist Church, Ballarat. -Eov. S. J. Hoban asked the congregation to make a special effort for tho reducfion'of. the Church;;debt, 'which..amounted -to X 2-100. lt 'was decided: to aim at -raising >81000 at the day's threo 6orvices. The offerings, in the morning totalled £747 3s. Gd.; in the after-,' neon, J271 2s. Bd.j in the ovoning, J0256 7s. 4d. —in ~ all, .81041 13s. Gd., thus exceeding tho amount ; aimed- at by i 641. '.' The . largest single contribution: was i! 150, there wero two cheques for J2IOO cach, and several f0r..£50 each... ■Two. matters -of ecclesiastical interest aro reported from Scotland. :Tho : Comniitteo.- appointed by the Assomblics of tho. Established and. United'-Free Churches of Scotland ;m<st in Edinburgh to consider the difficulties which stand, in - tho :> way of. the. union-of: tho two Churches,-and whothor a basis of union could be'arranged. :- The . nieoting was private." It was.-agreed to. ippoirit a snb-committco, consisting of : thirty ;members of each Church, to' 'considor the. ; main causes of . the separation. ; - : .By, the will of Mr., J. S. Kennedy, a rotlredbanker' aid - native of Glasgow, living' at New . York, Glasgow and Yalo Universities'cach get . >£20,000;.. lie left to tho following, Presbytorian institutions : yifiWO.OOO .each The ■•- Presbyterian. Hospital, in' New York, of which he-was a governor, the Home Missions, the Foroign Mis- . . arid the Chiii'clf -IvxtonsiOn /.Society; to the Robort College and the Amorican Hib'e . HoUsC;in'Constantinople, '.£300,000 is left; and to the Board of Aitf for Colleges a similar sum. His total-fortune wiis: about' <813,000,000; I i and oyer-i&.OOO.OOO-.are -lefti. to religious -ami educational institution*. ; - - . • -. - •

Mjss Olive'Lonton, tlio clever.' youiig Australian, who made such"a'6ncccss:in London in her skotch "Harvest Time," in i?hich,sho introduced novel musical cffects, is due to arrive in. Australia in a few montbs' .time undor engagement to Mr. Harry Rickards. After her (our of Australia she visits Shanghai, Singapore, arid .'then'-gotss:to America undor. contract to luaw- aud' Brlanger, tho well-known' taudoyillo: managers.