Christian Nation Vol. 18 1893 - Rparchives.org

Mar. 29, 1893. A FAMILY PAPER. 7.nian. The Pomeranian reached Halifax safely, but ifa storm had arisen she would probably have suflferedlike the Naronic. Common humanity dictates thatin cases of accident, one ship should help another,human lives being of more importance than punctualityiu ocean mails.—The British government have notified their intentionof sendiug flvecruiserb which will .fly the UnionJack at the big Naval parade next month.— Several hundred bakers and butchers in New YorkCity have been iuduced by the agitation in the Morning Advertiser to rt duce their prices cou'siderably.The people are entitled to cheap food in this land ofabundance.—An explosion resembling aa earthquake and destroyingnearly $1,000,000 worth of property occurredat Spriugfteld, III. One life is known to have beenlost, and a luimber were injured. Practically everybusiness structure, in Litchfield was wrecked, andscores of buildings were rendered uninhabitable.—London proposes to have a rival marine exhibitionuext summer, including a naval parade on theThames, aod a representation of the maritime peculiaritiesand scenery of all countrir^s afe a lake nowbeiug constructed at Earle's Court, London.—Prolonged drought is causing much damage inthe north of Africa. Famine and sickness are rifeand the plague prevails everywhere. One-half of thepopulation of Bentuazi are dead, among them beingthe Governor and Cadi of the district. Austrian cropshave been greatly damaged by frost. Influenza inRussia has resulti^d inf>. heavy mortality.—The second trial of Panama conspirators has resultedin a verdict, flcdingthree guilty, and six notguilty. M. Baihut, who confessed, is imprisoned forfive years, to pay a flneof $150,000, and to lose aljor less perfect till the complete exhaustion of the marrows.The process of grafting has been accomplishedafter the part removed has been severed several daysfrom the animal. Aa a result of personal investigationthe authors say that tissue continues to live anoivil rights ; M. Blondin is imprisoned for two years;and Charles DeLeaseiJS one year's impirsonment concurrentlywith his fiveyears already imposed. life functions are performed in life. If that is so,autononious existence, following the mode in which—The Senate committee at Albany, N. Y., reported death is as we have been led to consider it from ourfavorably ou the Saxton Anti Pool-room Bill. The Bible study, separation of soul and body, and of apool-room system has robbedmany homes of a means dead person it may be truly said, " The soul hath fled."of subsistence, and brought disaster on a large numberot useful and otherwise bright lives.—The Bev. Albert A. Leopold Von Putt KamerEDUCATION IN THE CAPITOL CITY.died on Tuesday at the Baptist Home, West Farms, aged87. He was born in Potsdam, Prussia, and was aLieutenant in the King's Guards and Artillery. Hecame to New York and was successively teacher andminister. In 1861 he resumed his military positionas chief of Artillery in the 3d division or the UnionArmy. After the close of the war he again became apreacher.- —A recent report of the Society for the Suppressionof Vice gives a tabular statement for one year showingthe victims of the gambling mania, which is not complete; 128 persons shot or stabbed over gamblinggames, 24 suicides, six attempted suicides, 60 murdersin cold blood, many driven insane, 68 persons ofwealth ruined by pool gambling and horse race betting,beside some hundred burglaries and embezzlements.—Andrew Carnegie attended the closinge xercises ofthe male sohool department of the Society of Mechanicsand Tradesmen and delivered au address. Amongother things he said, " The greatest disqualiflcation ayoung man could have was a rich father and mother.Money was a curse to the young. It handicapped ayoung man just starting out in life more than anythingelse. Tliere is no happiness in wealth. Theman who dies rich, without having done anything forhumanity, dies disgraced." When a man possesses asuperfluity ot wealth or of earthly goods, it is destinedby God for the beneflt of others. Money andpossessions are as much a trust from God as man'slife and talents. To use them well is to serve God ;not to use them, to hoard them up so that othera can'tget any good ont of them, or to abuse them is a sinbefore God.—Canon Farrar thus summarises the results ofOhristianity: " The abolition of slavery amongChristian nations ; the extinction of gladiatorial games,and the cruel shows of the amphitheatre ; war renderedmore mereiful; womanhood honored and elevated; childhood surrounded with an aureole of tendernessand embraced in the arms of mercy ; educationextended ; marriage sanctifled ; the bonds ofserfdom broken ; hospitals built; the eternal and inalienablerights of man everywhere asserted ; pity forthe poverty stiiokeu ; compassion even to tbe animalworld ; the gospel preached to the poor—these aresome of the Oesta Christi—tbe triumphs of Christianity."DOES MUSCULAR VITALITY CEASE WITHDEATH ?In the Annates de Chemie et de Physique for January,Gautier and Laudi discuss the above question.The question is, does the cessation of individual lifeentail thecessation of the cellular life in the tissues fromthe animal system ? The conclusion they draw forthe facts of observation ia, that the tissues continueto perform their functions after the death of the individuallife of which they form a part. Life persists inthe tissues after death. Muscle it ia said performsthree great functions after separation from the animalof which it is a part, absorbing oxygen, giving outcarbonic acid and respond to electric stimulation.Brown-Sequard proves that tremblings often accompaniedby construction and elongation, take place afterdeath, and that muscular contraction continues moreIt seems certain that Washington is to become thecentre of a great educational institution, the greatestin America. Indications of this are seen on everyside in the increased interest displayed in educationaland kindred subjects. In the near future three greatchuroh universities will be in operation, and from thetalk among Senators and Representatives, it seemspropable that the necessary step will soon be takentowards the establishment of a National Universityunder government auspices. A favorable report wasgiven a few days ago on the project by a secret committee.Nothing could give a more forceful idea ofthe growth of the higher educational sentiment inWashington tban the "Directory of Scientiflc Studiesof Washington," a volume just issued. Thereare six of these societies with the following names andmembership : The Anthropological which aims toencourage the study of the natural history of man,especially with reference to America, 222 ; the Biologicalfor the study of the Biological Sciences, 195 ;the Chemical, for the cultivation of Chemical Science,pure and applied, 97; the Entomological forthe promotion of the study of entomology in all possiblebearings, 109 ; the Gt ographic, for the increaseaud diflfusiou of geographic knowledge, 682; thePhilosophical, for the free interchange of views on.loientiflc subjects and the promotion of scientiflc enquiry,250. Among the 1,555 members are many withworld-wide reputations, not only as scientists, but asnhristians, men constantly laboring to sweep awaythe barriers that ignorant people and ungodly menhave raised between science and Christianity, and nowthey are well nigh crowned with victory, as the numberof those who consider science antagonistic to n -ligion are few and constantly becoming fewer, fseducation, the hand-maiden of religion, becomes moregenerally diflfused.CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR AND ITS RELATIONTO POPULAR AMUSEMENTS —BALL­ROOM, CARD TABLE AND THEATRE.W. T. McConnell.As a house upon its foundations, so theChristian Endeavor movement rests upon itsactive membership pledge. This brief covenantis not a code of laws for the regulation ofconduct by a power outside of the individual.It is instead the formula of an internal life,from which, as from a fountain, fiowsthe sweetwaters of holy service. The relation of C. E.to popitlar amusements is therefore to be seen,not in piinted rules or creeds, but in the conductof those who know the Lord as their lovingMaster, and do his will only, in a loving,consecrated, covenant obedience.In treating this topic I should have prepareda synopsis of the couise of well-knownleaders, had tim© permitted. Instead, however,I shall present those lines of thought that determinemy own conduct in relation to amusements,not however without some hesitation,and an earnest request that if I speak withpeculiar plainness you will bear with me, rememberinghow much the child who has hadhis hand burned, hates the fire.Man is represented by the triangle of the T.M. C A. as three sided, coosiituted of body,soul and spirit. Each of these elements ofman has capacity for development and eachmay independently, to some degree, of theot ers, receive an elevating or debasing culture.Chiist and his servants aim to lift manupwards, helping every side of bis naturetoward a perfect, well balanced development.Already I imagine some are asking, " Whathas this to do with the question of popularamusements? We are not accustomed to tbinkof development in connection with our pleasures."'Then here let me place the firststakein the line of our relation to these things, andwrite plainly upon it these words, " thoseamusements that do not develop some part ofman's nature and those that in developing somepart have a tendency to debase the other parts,are outside of God's place. They are consequentlyoutside the limits of Christian Endeavor.Life is so short, and we so far from ourFather's house, when, like the prodigal, wecome to ourselves, that we have neither anytime nor substance to waste in riotous livingbut must press toward the mark, touching,tasting, handling only those things that helpus back to the Father's home and to his lovingarms.The ball-room, as I see it, is not only thatplace where the public gathers for this pastime,but includes all places, public and private,where men and women meet to eijjoyeach other's companv in the amusement calleddancng. It is so difficult to draw the line anywherein the practice of this sport that shallhave npon the one side all the good, and on theother side all the evil, that I may not attempt it.The tendency on the part of those who drawlines is to include the whole practice. To illustrate.Not long ago in a neighboring city,society gave a grand ball mapque at the residenceof a promin'^nt citizen, and the asmteeditor of the city paper, appropriately perheps,placed in his report an electrotype picture of tbedevil at the head of the procession. EJiiorsare usually cautious, and we presume he drewthe line properly in this case, for in renMingover the list of characters represented i noticedthat among lhe celebrities from the lowerorders of nature and human soci-ly, no onewas present who represented Jesus of Nazareththe most wonderful character in history.While the list contained the names of some