Christian Nation Vol. 18 1893 - Rparchives.org

Mar. 22, 1893. A FAMILT PAPEE. 7.preme arrogance dictates. The genius of Luther,Dollinger and Pascal is shrouded beneath an indexpergatorius ; while the sophistries of schoolmen andfirebrands stand with the imprimatur of Heaven.Would that the men of today could be able to face thoapostate and say, ' 'It is given to no man to be my God,"at the same time using the freedom of thought andliberty of action iu freeing the men and women andparticularly the children of our country from spiritualand moral blindness. Christians would do a serviceto their Ohristianity by circulating tbe pamphletsof the Arnold Publishing Company, Bjston,Massachusetts.• » **CONSCIENTOUSNESS.In the i^ontm the Professor of Philosophy in Harvardwrites: "I declare at times when I see theravages which conscientiousness works iu our NewEngland stock, I wish tliese New Englanders hadnever heard moral distinctions mentioned. Bettertheir vices than their virtues. The wise teacherswill extirpate the flrstsproutings of this word."We acknowledge surprise in reading these words.Ethics bears a very close relation to education andeducational institutions. In the ages that havepassed since the church and the school wereplanted side by side as twin educators, the world hasseen a process of character-building unparalleled in thepast centuries of history. Today suoh an idea seemsto be relegated to superstition. If the above quotationis an indication of the dead-level of morals in theteachings of Harvard we are sorry for the communitythat believe they received from John Harvard a benefactionin which morel and religious principles wereforevar to be enshrined. To sneer at oonsoif ntiousnesBdoes not become an educator, mucb less an instructorin philosophy, that mistress of human sciences.Obliterate the weed of conscientiousness in livingand acting and all that is left of human philosophy isa pigment of imagination. We have but to read thestories of vulgarity furnished by modern society inthe linas of immoral good-evilismto become convincedthat the inculcation of moral distinctions is a necessaryelement in true education. It seems viciousteaching to say to the young men of today that thequalities of the fathers of this country that gave totheir nation a life and a glory of which all humanityis proud—that these qualities are worse than theirvices. Strauss or Eenan could not have insinuated amore unworthy sentiment into theminds of the youthof this rising generation. It was moral distinctionsthat brought the oelonizers of New England to theshores of the New World, leaving as they did a Europeansoil that professed to be free while it was tyrannizing.It has been moral distinctions that havegiven religion and philosophy their martyrs. Todaythe triumph of virtue and the success of truthhang upon the same need. If it is a weed it hasnourished the wise and good in all ages, and we confessto a partiality to conscience because it is the nearestapproach to the Diviue in the human life.* **SABBATH-BREAKERS AND RUM-SELLERS.The Sabbath-breakers, like the rum-sellers, arealways ready to take advantage of the absence of specificlaws, and of objects in laws. Since the commissionersstated that there was no law under which theycould prevent the opening of the theatres in Washingtonon Sabbath, several of the theatres have givenSunday performances called in the advertisements"Sacred Concerts," but none the less objectionableon that account to those who believe in a Christiauobservance of the Sabbath Day. These performancesare likely to become more frequent until the Sabbathobserving people of the country shall bring their influenceto bear upon Congress, as they did in theclosing of the World's Fair, to stop it by legislation.It must be remembered, however, that hurried legislationhas its defects. The new liquor license law for theDistrict of Columbia entered during the closing hours.;f the last Session of Congress is evidence of this.Already one of the local courts has decided that allprosecutions for violations of the old law—there werea number of such—against the liquor dealers must beabandoned. The rum-sellers are jubilant and theysay there are other defects in the new law.If *—Chief Justice Beasley of New Jersey has grantedwrits removing to the Supreme Court the laws recentlypassed providing for the license of race-tracksand permitting pool-selling. Licenses granted aresuspended in the meantime. The citizens league ofN. J, made the application, alleging the firstlawgiving power to license is unconstitutional. The caseswill come before the Supreme Court.—On March 19th, M. Jules Ferry, President of theFrench Senate, died of heart disease. His death wasthe result of a bullet wound near the base of theheart, received by him when hewas attacked and onlynarrowly escaped assassination by a mad man namedAubertin. He was twice at the head ot the governmentin Prance. The recent Panama scandals whioh brokedown so many public men caused many to look toFerry who was connected with the developments.Ou the 24th of February he was elected President ofthe Senate.—Montreal is the place appointed for the next annualconvention of the Y. P. S. 0. E., to be held inJuly. The Committee of Arrangements is pushingthe matter of providing for the crowd of Endeavorers.Already 13,000 allocations have been made and moreare expected. Arrangements are made for locatingmembers of the same party together. It will be agreat success.—The rapid accumulation of gold in the Treasuryduring last week has beeu very gratifying to the newgovernment. There is now more than $6,000,000 ofgold in excess of $1,000,000 held as a reserved fund.—A great firetook plaoe in Boston last Friday. Itbroke out in the same district as that of 1889. , Severallarge business houses were destroyed. The lossis estimated at nearly $5,000,000. Some lives havebeen lost and a great number injured. Many hadmarvellous escapes from death.—The Eev. Prof. Andrew P. Peabody, EmeritusProfessor of Christian Morals at Harvard, died March10, in Cambridge. His death was the result of a fallreceived a short time ago. For thirty-two years hehas been connected with Harvard, being an old graduateof the college. He was a great favorite amongthe students, one of the most honored and beloved ofher professors. As a Unitarian he represented themilder elements of Christianity.—Immigration has been resumed. The Treasuryis oifioialiy advised by the Department of State thatsteerage traffic, which was discontinued on Jan. 1, isonce more in operation. Precautions are to be takento prevent persons affected with contageous diseasesfrom immigrating from Europe.—A scandal is reported from Berlin in which is involvedthe names of a large number of the membersof the aristocratic multitude miscalled the nobility.It is a gigantic imposture such as is found in the verylowest grades of society. The head is a Baron of oldname and his cappers move in the highest sooiety m-cluding at least twenty-two who have b§en decoratedby the Emperor. The mansion den was presided overby a beautiful woman, and wholesale robberies werecarried on, as well as other forms of vice.Mme. Ooltee created a sensation by her evidencebefore the Panama Commission. She reported thatthe foremost police official had tried to secure Iromher documents implicating Royalist deputies. Thepolice official has resigned, and the Minister of Warhas resigned his portfolio in consequence.He, however,maintains his innocence, and the congress hasaccepted his statement.—An anabaptist fanatic who was preaching in a privatehouse in Latrig, Eussia, concerning his power toraise the dead, strangled a girl of 14 with the consentof her parents, in order to show his ability to bringher back to life. His efl'orts to restore her were fruitless,aud he was arrested.—The British troops have had a fightwith the tribeson the Indian frontier beyond Chitral. The nativeswere repulsed with great loss. The troops thenmarched through the villages, and the natives submittedto them.—At the meeting of the New York Presbytery of thePresbyterian churoh it was agreed to reject the twoovertures of the General Assembly relative to the ordinationof deaconesses. The New York Board ofEducation has passed a resolution opposed to the admissionof women on boards of education throughoutthe State.—A conference of maritime quarantine offlcers andmarine hospital officers was held at Washington, D. C,to secure cooperation of the state and local maritimeofflcers in the adoption of a uniform set of rules, sothat along the entire coast there may be a uniformquarantine.—An International Woman's Congress is to be heldat the World's Fair on May 15th and following week.Women from all over the world are to be present) tospeak of what they have done and hope to do forwomen.—The President has appointed James H. Blount asspecial Commissioner to visit Hawaiian Islands andascertain the correct history of the revolution. Thetreaty withdrawn from the Senate will remain inpendenteuntil he reports.—The Premier and ex-Premier of Great Britainhave both been suffering from an attack of tbe grippe.The Home Eule Bill has been postponed till afterEaster in consequence of Mr. Gladstone's illness.The Orangemen of Ulster have been called to preparefor arming themselves against Home Eule. Au attemptwas made by Irish leaders to engage from anEnglish firm 100,000 Martin-Henry rifles, but themanufacturers promptly informed the government.Complications are, it is said, threatening a repetitionof the Oivil War.—The Russo-Jewish Oommittee in London has sentto every Jewisb banker and stock-broker in Europe apassionate appeal to combine in boycotting Russianloans and trade in Russian securities. The design isto cause Russia to mitigate her severity towards thoJews.—The British Chancellor of the Exchequer announcedin a debate in the Commons during this week,that in the event of a resumption of the Brussels Conference,Britain would oppose every bimetallisticscheme prepared.—Carlyle Haris, the condemned man who was indictedfor poisoning with morphine, his wife, has beenrefused a new trial by Recorder Smyth. Judge Ingrahamhas granted a certiflcate of reasonable doubtand a stay in the case of Charles W. Gardner, Dr.Parkhurst's agent, sentenced to two years on a chargeof attempted money extortion.—Eev. Dr. J. B. Wilson, of New York, has challengedEev. Dr. Rainsford, who expressed the opinionthat churches should bring up and control thesaloons, to a public discussion. Dr. Rainsford refuses,because, he says, "I have no time to arguewith Prohibitionists, for lhey argue illogicallj and arewise alone in their own conceit. The cause of temperancehas its worst foes in its own advocates."Prohibition on the other hand has to suffer at thehands of professed Ohristians. Saloons are not a necessaryevil and no temporizing policy deserves thename of Christian. Dr. Costo exposed the fallacy ofthe position in a sentence. " Ecclesiastical saloonswill soon be followed by the licensed ohurch brothel."