21. The Servian Orthodox Church. See Servian Orthodox Churches in America.
22. United American Free-will Baptists, Colored : A denomination organized in 1900. Previous to that date the churches were included in the general reports for the Free Baptists or Free-will Baptists, but within recent years there has been a desire for a separate organization. In general they accord with the Free-will Baptists, but in polity are more closely organized, somewhat after the Meth-
Miscellaneous Religious Bodies Missions to the Heathen
THE NEW SCHAFP-HERZOG
odist type, having a system of quarterly, annual, and general conferences, with a graded authority. The conferences have no jurisdiction over individual church members, but if upon investigation it appears that a church has failed to accord with the standards, it may be dropped from the conference. It is undertaking educational work, and has a college at Kinston, N. C, and another at Dawson, Ga. There were, in 1906, 251 organizations with a membership of 14,489, 560 ministers, a considerable number of whom were engaged in general evangelistic work, 149 church edifices, and 8 halls, church property valued at $79,278, with a small amount of indebtedness, 100 Sunday-schools with 382 officers and teachers and 2,207 scholars.
23. Vedanta Society: An organization which is the outcome of a series of lectures on Vedanta philosophy in New York in 1894 by Swami Vivekananda (q.v.). It was first organized in 1898, and gradually became strong enough to have centers in other cities, Pittsburg, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, besides various retreats. Without attempting to form a new sect or creed, the society aims to set forth the end of wisdom, how it is attained, and give to religion a scientific and philosophic basis. It publishes works on religious philosophy and furnishes lectures by various Vedantists.
24. Voluntary Missionary Society in America: A body organized in 1900 by a few colored churches in Alabama, representing different denominations, as a protest against the principle of financial assessments for the support of the ministry, which had been so generally adopted. In doctrine and local church government they differ in no respect from the Methodist or Baptist churches about them, but insist on absolutely free-will offerings for their church work. In 1906 the society reported 3 organizations with 425 members; 3 church edifices, 2 of which were valued at $2,400, while 1 showed a debt of $1,000; 11 ministers and 18 licentiates; 3 Sundayschools with 21 teachers and 390 scholars.
E. M. Bliss.
MISERERE : Designation of Psalm 1. as a liturgically chanted prayer, the name being taken from the first word in the Latin translation. The Greek Church employs this psalm in the midnight office, following vespers, in the third of the canonical hours; at confession, unction, and burial of the dead. The Roman Church uses it at matins and lauds, during Sundays of the Septuagesimal season, and on all week-days except at Eastertide and in the office of the dead. But some churches also use it in the latter office and at vespers, and in the hours from Maundy Thursday to Easter Saturday. Furthermore, at the laying of the corner-stone of a church, consecration of an altar, cemetery, or house, it is used as choral chant. It likewise ushers in the consecration of a bell; and in the rite of blessing the fields it follows immediately the introductory public confiteor. In connection with the reconciliation of penitents it was recited over them by the bishop, along with two other psalms (lvi., lvii.).
In the Evangelical Church, the miserere has survived as a liturgical prayer where the old liturgic tradition is fostered; and its more general restoration is desired. Its normal rendering is that of psal-
mody; although from of old it has been likewise an object of artistic elaboration. Masters of all times and schools have written beautiful musical settings for the miserere. On the one hand, these compositions more or less closely adhere to the psalmodic standard of presentation; on the other hand, their sole aim is to give musical expression to the fundamental tone and thoughts of the text. Especially famous is its use in the pope's chapel at Rome in connection with the offices of Holy Week. Of twelve compositions preserved for this purpose, the three nowadays usually rendered are those of Gregorio Allegri, Tommaso Bay, and Giuseppi Baini.
H. A. KoSTLINf.
Bibliography: J. G. Mettenleiter, Enchiridion chorale, pp. clxxvii. sqq., 74 sqq., Regensburg, 1853; L. Spohr, Selbstbiographie, ii. 37 sqq., Cassel, 1861; P. Mendelssohn- Bartholdy, Reisebriefe von Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, pp. 122 sqq., 163 sqq., Leipsic, 1862; C. Proske, Musica divina, iv. 209 sqq., Berlin, 1863; G. Grove, Dictionary of Music and Musicians, vol. ii., s.v., London, 1880; F. X. Haberl, Offlcium hebdomadis sanctce, Regensburg, 1887; V. Thalhofer, Handbuch der katholischen Lituraik, ii. 370, 373, 424, 453, Freiburg, 1890; KL, viii. 1555-59; and the literature under Breviary; and Penitential Psalms.
MISHNA. See Talmud.
MISSA. See Mass.
MISSAL (Lat. Missalis [Liber], Missale): The office-book of the Roman Catholic Church, containing the liturgy of the Mass (q.v.). The name came into use in the eighth century, superseding the earlier term " sacramentary," which was applied to a book giving the rites and prayers for all the saccraments. At first other books also had to be used for a proper celebration of the Eucharist, such as the antiphonary, lectionary, evangelistary, etc. A missal containing all the forms of the mass was called complete or plenary (missale plenarium). Of course the missal for many centuries was only in manuscript and, as was inevitable, these manuscripts differed more or less. But when printing was discovered there was opportunity to produce a standard and uniform text. So the Council of Trent decreed such an edition, and the pope appointed a commission to prepare it and when it appeared accompanied it by a bull dated July 14, 1570. This edition has undergone revision in 1604, 1634 (see Mass, II., 4, § 2) and 1884. (Cf. W. H. J. Weale, Bibliographia liturgica. Catalogus missalium ritus Latini ab anno M. CCCC. LXXV impressorum, London, 1886; A. Ebner, Quellenund Forschungen zur Geschichte und Kunstgeschichte des Missale Romanum im Mittelalter, Freiburg, 1896). Latin editions of the missal are numerous (e.g., F. Pustet, 9th ed., Regensburg, 1904), as well as translations into the modern languages — e.g., The Roman Missal for the Use of the Laity (London, 1806, 1852), and The Missal for the Use of the Laity by F. C. Husenbeth (London, 1853, 1903).
MISSION: The term used by Roman Catholics to express what Protestants style revival services, in which the principal appeal is to the emotions.