Article December 13, 1913 Issue

Among the Churches

Current Notes

Melbourne, Australia .—Authority having now been issued by the Victorian penal department for the regular holding of Christian Science services in the Melbourne jail and at Pentridge penal stockade, a rota has been drawn up covering the next twelve months. With the sanction of the chief secretary, initial Services were recently held in these prisons, which were regarded as experimental by the prison authorities, and the above authorization is consequent thereon. For the present, the services will be held monthly, but it is hoped that very soon weekly meetings will be sanctioned. Indeed, it is not unlikely that request to that effect may be made by the requisite number of Pentridge, or long-term, prisoners, which will involve permanent weekly services being authorized in that section of the jail.

The first service in the reformatory section at Pentridge has just been held, when forty-three prisoners out of a possible fifty-five voluntarily attended. This section consists solely of prisoners confined under indeterminate sentences. The service was in the form of a Wednesday evening meeting, and several of the committee of prison workers which has been formed by the Melbourne church, spoke in explanatory testimony; and at the close the prisoners present expressed their thankful appreciation, with the hope that they would soon see their visitors again. Gratitude was also voiced for the Christian Science literature, which is regularly supplied to the prison through the distribution of literature committee, and of which, in accordance with the prisoners' desire, a larger supply will now be provided. It transpired that one of the prisoners in the reformatory section owned a copy of Science and Health and was a regular reader of the Lesson Sermon. —Correspondence.

Evanston, lll.—A splendid new edifice was added yesterday [Nov. 16] to the places of worship which have won for Evanston a name as "the city of churches." The new structure is First Church of Christ, Scientist, and is the fourth fine edifice to face the small park at Chicago avenue and Grove street. The audience-room has a seating capacity of nine hundred. Beneath the main auditorium is a commodious Sunday school room and parlors. The opening services were held in the morning, and services were also held in the evening. The edifice cost about one hundred thousand dollars.

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