Christian Nation Vol. 18 1893 - Rparchives.org

May 10, 1893.A FAMILY PAPEE.TheVyeek.—The World's Fair was opened on Monday by thePresident. In the midst of fog, mist and rain, thePresident delivered a short address, congratulatingthe citizens of Amerioa upon the magnificent displayof every kind of human activity aud civilization, thereafterpressing the electric button that set in motionthe extensive machinery. Unless the national commissionshall make a new law, or amend the existingstatute, the gates will not be opened ou Sabbath. Itis reported that the rules are to be ignored and thegates thrown open. If so, we trust the Christians ofAmerioa will respect the Sabbath, and by their absenceshow the directors how they feel.—The Superior Court has declined to pass upon theconstitutionality of the Ives Pool Law. The courtruled that suf&cient facts were not before them in thecase.—An order has been issued announcing that stepswUl not be taken to enforce the Chinese Exclusion lawuntil after the Supreme Court has decided upon itsconstitutionality. There is an outcry against thePresident for his action. Justice demanded that heshould have done as he did.—Twenty thousand miners have struck in theH joking Valley, Ohio. Many thousands of the juteworkers in Dundee, Scotland, have gone out on strike.—The Standard Bank of Australia has suspendedpending the reconstruction of the bank. Australianfinances are in a state of commotion.—Prince Bismarck has said that the adoption of legalmeans against tne Jews will be useless, and stated thatthe intermingling of Hebrew ana Gentile races wouldgradually solve the vexed question.—The Press Club Fair was opened in New York Cityon Monday. It promises to be a splendid show in allrespects.—Two physicians at Hartford, Conn., successfullyperformed a very difficult surgical operation on a baby•eight weeks old. They made an artificial nostril andlip, grafting from the right arm.—Professor Eggleston of the Agricultaral department,has prepared for exhibition at the Fair, a sectionof a tree 401 years old and showing by chart thegrowth of the world since the discovery of America.—Wall Street, New York, has been on the verge ofa panic this week. There was a decided drop in allindustrials going on gradually for a week.—Last week saw the greatest rainfall in New Yorksince the establishment of the Signal Service Bureau.—The Khan of Khelat is to be deposed by the Englishfor his terrible cruelty. He has murdered 3,000persons. England annexes to India^the territory ofBelooohistan.—The German army Bill, despite the efl'orts of theEmperor and his chancellor to secure its.paseage, hasbeen defeated by a substantial majority in the Beichstag.The Emperor has dissolved the chamber.—The New York Superintendent of public schoolshas issued a report oontaining a sweeping condemnationof some of the publio sohool buildings, as unfitfor occupancy by pupils.—Governor Flower has refused to exercise executiveclemency in the oase of Carlyle Harris, and hewas executed the Sth.—Dean Lawrence of Boston has been elected Bishopof Massachusetts to sucoeed Phillips Brooks. He isProfessor of Homiletics in Cambridge Theologioalschool and Dean.—The new Immigration regulation has been issued.Eaoh steerage passenger is to be given a oard bearinghis name, port and date of departure, last residence,and the saal of the United States Consulate or Medicalofficer. This is to be retained till he reaches hisdestination in the United" States. Cabin passengersfrom cholera infected ports receive similar cards.—The British Woman's Temperance Associationmet at London and owing to the results of the electionof officers a split has taken place. The efl'ort wasmade to bring polities into the association and thereupona large minority withdrew numbering one hundred»nd seventy-five branches.—Rev. Thomas Dixon preached in New York onlast Sabbath on gambling. Some of his statementsdeserve remembrance. "Any man who gamblessteadily for twelve months will steal. Gambling maybe defined as the art of securing the property ofanother without giving him anything in return. Thehope of any nation is its young men. Let the nationtake warning. There are no old gamblers. Go intoany gambling hell tonight and you will scarcely see aman above forty years of age. Only the young mengamble. Why ? Because gamblers do not grow old.They die young.earth."They are consumed in this hell onREVIEW OF THE WEEK.A President'8 Sabbath.One of the morning newspapers in reportingthe opening of the Fair and the gosaip of thePreaidential movements says, " Presidentthe people, it is the religion or irreligion ofthe nation that gives the key to that of thechief ruler. This is very true today. PresidentCleveland is in many ways a great andgood man. He only reflegts the feeling of agreat mass of the community when he attemptsto mingle the world and religion, in Sabbathkeeping. " Social calls, driving and receptionof visitors " cannot be spoken of in a Christiansense as the proper elements in Sabbath keeping.It is the way the world, and alas ! thechurcb, today keeps the holy day. Paradingthe public parks, making social calls, attendingevening entertainments—these are the convenientpastimes of professedly religious menthe voting in auch election not ataud on theand women. If one seventh of our time is toosame level ? (c) He also adds that the argu­much to give to God on earth, how can we expectto devote seven sevenths of it hereafter?We trust that such evil tendencies will notreach a climax, in the reported opening of (heFair on fcJabbath. This would be a flnalcrowning stigma placed upon the Lord's dayby this nation. If it should come about thatthe gates are opened, we truat that true Christianswill refuse to patronize a Sabbath-breaking,money-making organization, and let theworld see that Christian principles etill survivein the western world.Compulsory Voting.To remain away from the polls on electionday will become an expensive luxury if the decisionof Judge Gibson is sustained in the caseof Kansas City versus Whipple for two dollarsand fiftycents and interest, poll tax imposed bythe city charter upon every male person overtwenty one who fails to vote at any generalcity election. It waa a teat case and if sustainedin the Supreme Court to which appeal has gone,it will have important consequences upon Covenantersresiding there, and all over the States.According to the charter the tax is imposed asa penalty for failure to vote. In the casebronght against Whipple, the right was attackedon the ground of its unconstitutionality. Inthe decision handed down several importantpoints are to be noted, (a). The judge expressesregret that many good citiaens habituallyabsent themselves from the polls on electiondays. He says that on an intelligent exerciseof that right rests the permanency of ourEepublican institutions. It is true, but whenthe conservative element is swamped by themasses who scarcely know how or why theyvote, what encouragement is there to exerciseCleveland spent a quiet Sunday, mingling religion,the right. Higher still, when politics and po­social calls, driving, and reception of litical government haa become completely rot­viaitors in a moderate manner, aa becomes the ten, it is certainly a virtue to protest againsthead of a great nation." We have here the the governing body by leaving it severely alone.social calculus of a Presidential Sabbath. ProfessorG. A. Smith, in his commentary on(b). He next says, that it is in the power ofthe State to compel its voters to exercise thefranchise and if the State can do so, then theIsaiah, asks, where are we to find an index ofcity has the same power. He presents parallelthe national conscience? His answer is, as it cases in which the State exercises compulsionis pictured in the early prophecies of Isaiah,on the throne or in the palace of the King'scourtiers. But what directs the conscience ofover the citizen,in abating nuieance8,destroyingprivate property to prevent conflagrations, infact it has power to do anything to promotethe court and palace? It is the conscience ofgood government. There is, however, anamount of free will and free self-determiningpower left to the individual which we believecovers this case. Some years ago the ecclesiatical-civilcourt in Scotland decided that it wassufficient to cut off anyone from citizenship andexpose him to the penaltiea of withdrawal ofprotection and the rights of citizenship, to refuseto uae the elective franchise. Thia howeverwas rightly overruled by a superior tribunal.We hope the aame principle may be carriedout here, and that the citizen shall be leflto his own private judgment as to the use ornon-use of the franchise. Office-holding, governmentaladministration, is a matter of voluntarychoice, why should election thereto andment m reference to the unfitness of the nomineeson the ticket cannot be sustained, becauseif there are fiftyin the city who thinkalike in the matter they ean nominate anotherticket, while if there are less than fifty thestate or city may claim that it can judge betterthan the individual. We answer, right orfitness cannot be judged by mere numbers ;might is not right, neither are numbers theguarantee of qualifications. If an individnalhas a conscience, that conscience may not beover-ridden or suppressed by a tyrannical majority.We conceive this whole question inthe light of the divine right, to compel, or persecute.