OLD CATHOLICS. 



C4!) 



At the presidential election in November, 

 five tickets were in the field, the result of the 

 dcrtion being as follows: 





Republican 



Democratic 



O rec'u back 3,057 



1'r.ihibltlon, 1,686 



Ami- secret Society 76 



Republican plurality 7,516 



Republican majority over all 2,747 



Iii April u strike among the coal-miners in 

 Stark and Wayne Counties resulted in serious 

 riots ;md destruction of property. The sheriffs 

 of the two counties called upon the Governor 

 for aid. The Adjutant-General and Attorney- 

 General of the State were sent to the scene of 

 disturbance, and, having reported the state- 

 ments of the sheriffs to be correct, military 

 companies were called out and sent to the 

 a-M-;ance of the county officers. Several of 

 the rioters were arrested, and the military 

 remained in the disturbed district until peace 

 wad full v established. 



OLD CATHOLICS. In Germany, the Old 

 Catholic Church held its third Synod in May, 

 at Bonn, under the presidency of the bishop, 

 Dr. Iteinkons. The statistical reports showed 

 that in most parts of the country considerable 

 progress had been made during the year. In 

 the grand-duchy of Baden there was an in- 

 crease of ten new congregations, of six priests, 

 and of 2,210 members. Prussia and Hesse re- 

 ported two new congregations each, and Olden- 

 burg one. The total number of congregations 

 and societies at present is : in Baden, 44 ; in 

 Prussia, 35 ; in Bavaria, 31 ; in Hesse, 5 ; in 

 Oldenburg, 2 ; in Wurtemberg, 1. Bavaria, 

 which in 1875 had 3,505 families, and a popu- 

 lation of 10,189, reported an increase of 76 

 families, but a decrease in the total population 

 of 79. It was claimed, however, that, in con- 

 sequence of the existing unfavorable circum- 

 stances, the figures were incomplete. Leaving 

 out Bavaria, the statistics of the Church, as 

 reported in 1876 and in 1875, compare as fol- 

 lows: 



Three priests were ordained during the year, 

 427 persons confirmed, and 9 Old Catholic stu- 

 dents were studying theology at the University 

 of Bonn. The most important subject which 

 this year engaged the attention of the Synod 

 was the proposed abolition of priestly celibacy. 

 About 20 congregations, and no less than 17 

 priests, united in asking for its immediate abo- 

 lition. One of the most prominent lay mem- 

 bers of the Church, Dr. Schulte, had previous- 

 ly written a special work on the subject, in 

 which the enforcement of priestly celibacy was 

 strongly condemned and its abolition recom- 

 mended. The current of public opinion, among 

 both the clergy and the laity, appeared to be 

 strongly in favor of abolition. Nevertheless, 



the synodal representation reported against the 

 opportuneness of immediate legislation on the 

 subject, and the Synod concurred in this rec- 

 ommendation by the overwhelming majority of 

 1)5 yeas against only 8 nays. This result was 

 believed to have been brought about by the ear- 

 nest remonstrance of Dr. Dullinger and one or 

 two other leading men, who were said to have 

 indicated their determination to withdraw from 

 the movement in case the Synod should yield 

 to the clamor against celibacy. The only con- 

 cession which was made to the opponents of 

 celibacy was the permission given to priests 

 who had resigned their ecclesiastical functions 

 to enter into the state of matrimony. 



The fifth Old Catholic Congress was held at 

 Breslau, September 22d to the 24th. The at- 

 tendance was considerably smaller than in for- 

 mer years, only seventy delegates being present 

 from the various congregations. The Congress 

 passed a resolution requesting the bishop to 

 order an annual house-to-house collection for 

 the benefit of needy congregations, and anoth- 

 er collection, either thrice a year in church, or 

 by a rate on the parochial exchequers, for the 

 44 students and clergy fund." The Synodal Coun- 

 cil was urged to make greater progress with the 

 introduction of long-promised reforms, espe- 

 cially that of public worship wholly in the na- 

 tional tongue, the reform of liturgical books 

 and services, and a general service of public 

 confession before the reception of the holy 

 communion. An organized system of parochi- 

 al assemblies, for furthering the Old Catholic 

 movement, was ordered to be drawn up. It was 

 also decided to open negotiations with the Ger- 

 man Protestants with a view to union. 



The number of Old Catholic periodicals pub- 

 lished in 1876 was six: the Deutache, Mercur, 

 at Munich, weekly, edited by Dr. Messmer; 

 the Altkatholische JBote, at Heidelberg, weekly, 

 by I. Ricks ; Wahrheit-Pravda, at Kattonitz, 

 weekly, edited, in German and Polish, by Col- 

 bert; the Friedentibote, weekly, and the Katho- 

 Iwehes Volksblatt, fortnightly, both edited by 

 Pfarrer Grunert, at Konigsberg ; Theolo(ji#chf 

 Literaturblatt, fortnightly, by Prof. Keusch, 

 of Bonn. , 



In Switzerland, the Christian Catholic organ- 

 izations completed in 1876 the organization of 

 their Church by the election of a bishop. As 

 the Federal Constitution makes the establish- 

 ment of new bishoprics dependent upon the 

 consent of the Confederation, the Synodal Coun- 

 cil of the Christian Catholics formally inquired 

 of the Federal Council at Bern whether there 

 was any objection on its part to the election of 

 a Christian Catholic bishop. After the Federal 

 Council had sanctioned the proposed step, the 

 National Synod of the Church, in June, met at 

 Olten, in the canton of Solothiirn, and elected 

 Dr. Eduard Herzog, pastor of the congregation 

 of the city of Bern and Professor of Catholic 

 Theology at the university of the same city, ns 

 its first bishop. Dr. Herzog received 117 votes, 

 while the candidate of the more advanced par- 



