Earlier text: Eden HomeIn the Catholic Mirror of June 7 is an article setting forth the objects of the American Federation of Catholic Societies, by Hon. Thomas B. Monahan, the secretary. On the political side of the Federation he has this to say:— It will be conceded, I think, that legislation, national and State, hostile to Catholic interests is constantly in evidence. Sometimes such legislation and also executive action, are without intentional hostility. More often, however, they are with malice aforethought. Those who do not clearly see this fact must live far from Washington or from State capitals, or belong to the inclosed orders. Here is the class against which political effort must be put forth:— It is not the government nor, in the main, the executive officers in State or nation, that are at fault, so much as it is a certain class of ubiquitous, jealous, narrow meddlers, who persist in poisoning the wells of the public mind on the subject of the Catholic Church in America. They are always active. Their work goes on unhindered, save when lamely opposed by some chance individual effort. The constant admonition to us in such cases is: “Keep quiet; things might be worse.” Our reply in this regard is that things would be very much better if we had fearless, systematic, and tactful opposition, backed by the power of nearly one-half of the professed church-going people of America, assertive enough to call their soul their own, and forceful enough to take their church out of the slough of continual apology for its presence in this country. As to how the work is to be done, he suggests “tactful methods,” and outlines the following:— For State and national legislation and in dealing with those in power, the federation appoints a committee on law. The business of this committee, acting with an executive body and advisory board, is to closely study and watch legislative and executive action involving Catholic interests with the special view of forestalling hostile measures. The work of this committee, whether it be one appointed by county, State or national federation, is so hedged about with safeguards that the reasonably conservative can put aside all fear of indiscretion. The work of this committee is not however, so hampered as to prevent its meeting the full expectations of the prudently aggressive. The federation’s work along this line, once the movement is crystallized into a thorough, disciplined organization, will be felt rather than proclaimed. The living fact of a thoroughly organized body, with a membership of half a million or more, need not be proclaimed from the housetops. Its existence alone will bespeak its influence. It will not ally itself permanently with any party, but “will always set its face firmly against the danger of disgrace of mingling mere politics with a judicious, necessary, and most effective defence of the best interests of our church.” If a person feels that he ought to warn against the encroachments or errors of that church, and the public press admits any of his teaching, the American Federation of Catholics proposes to bring that editor to his senses. Mr. Monahan says:— Unfortunately the daily press too often weighs its fearlessness and manliness in the scales against dollars and cents, and cravenly suffers itself to be used, when common decency would counsel at least silence. But let the combined action of thousands in the city, or hundreds in the town, openly put their patronage with the newspaper that will make common cause with them and vindicate the constitutional right of religious belief and practise free from public slander, and it will not take long to make newspaper managers to realize that cowardice in the public press will not pay. The cash-drawer is a tender nerve of modern journalism; let a powerful public opinion press that, and you have the open sesame to editorial policies. In other words, Catholic unity alone can enforce a hearing that will be respectful, and thus find a voice in the forum of every community, large or small. In other words only that which is Catholic, friendly to Catholicism, or neutral, is to be suffered to appear. To publish this is “decent” and “manly” and “fearless,” but to publish the other side is “cravenly,” and “cowardly.” Of its future, Mr. Monahan thus speaks:— One needs but little reflection to realize that if federation were even partially organized on the magnificent scale it aims at, if it were in position to take up and successfully carry out one-tenth of its purposes, then opportunities and occasions by the score would await it. In the last analysis, a most important mission of federation is to secure the layman’s part in helping to make this country Catholic. Nor is such a hope an idle dream. To even superficial observers and thinkers Protestantism has not satisfied, and can not resist the stern, searching logic of American thought. Infidelity, agnosticism, or absolute indifference, is already digging the grave of Protestantism in the United States. The vital, the great work, then, of federation is to build up Catholicity into a living, controlling force in the moral, social, and intellectual activities energizing and throbbing at the heart of this restless American age. Federation must forge to the front as a leader in that kind of endeavor which not only compels respect but also begets confidence and wins esteem. Masterful direction and successful accomplishment by this body will make Catholicity in this country what the incomparable Leo XIII. has made the church in the world at large—a factor of commanding influence instead of a timid, shrinking apologist for its very existence. And when the great machine gets well to work, as it will, it is safe to say that politics will move in harmony with the Catholic Church. Not much will be said in public, but vacillating politicians of all parties will be brought to time; and then will be fulfilled the purpose of Catholicism that “what the church has done in the past for others, she will now do for the United States.” What she has done may be told by Spain and Italy. THE ANTI-TRUST CONFERENCE.
By S.
Russia's invitation to the other European nations to join her representatives in an international anti-trust conference has been the subject of considerable comment in the press of both hemispheres for the past few weeks. Some have seen in it international complications, a combination of European nations against America in accord with the recommendations of Goluchowski. These nations are looking upon America as the mother of trusts, their successful rival in the business fields of the world, and consequently their common enemy. This is evidently the reason why America has not been invited to join in the international anti-trust conference which the “white czar” has called. There is no doubt but that the conference will be anti-American in the tone of deliberations as well as in the tendency of the conclusions reached; and what complications may supervene in consequence none are able to foretell. It may result in such joint action as will practically close the markets of the Old World to many of the products of American manufactures. It may have more serious results. But whatever may result from this anti-American anti-trust conference, we may be certain of one thing that will not result—yes, of two things. The first is that it will not prevent or decrease the formation of trusts, and the consequent heaping together of wealth in the hands of the few; and the second is that it will not make for the peace of the world. We are sure of this, because the Word of God teaches us that the accumulation of wealth is to be one of the most marked characteristics of the last days; and the greatest wealth-producing machine that has ever come to the knowledge of this world is the trust, and it will continue to be so until the last inhabitant of this world shall have opportunity to decide whether he will worship mammon or God. It will not make for peace, because the Word teaches that the history of this world will end in war—a universal war—and this conference is calculated to stir up the jealousy of the Old World against the New, and vice versa; and we are in the last days when this strife and jealousy are to be expected, and when the sword is ready almost to leap from its scabbard. The cry of “Peace and safety” was raised when the czar called his famous Peace Congress which met at The Hague, and many, not recognizing who was speaking in that quotation, “nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more,” were ready to declare and did declare that that time had come, and that “Scripture” was beginning to be fulfilled. In so declaring, they were simply fulfilling what the Scripture had foretold they would do. Micah 4:1-5. The Bible had said that “the people” and the “nations” would be making that declaration; and they did it. But the nations' representatives went home from The Hague, and the nations went on with the occupation they had not dropped—preparing war and waking up the mighty men (Joel 3:9) for the great conflict which the rulers of the nations have never ceased to expect. More money is spent each succeeding year than the year previous for ships and munitions of war, for training men to fight, and for building works of defense against possible invasions. The Peace Congress did not bring peace or a more peaceful aspect to the face of the world. The anti-trust conference will not decrease the accumulation of wealth in the hands of the few, nor be a panacea for all the ills of the poor and the oppressed. Certain trusts may even be denied access to the markets of some of the nations; but the trust idea has taken hold of the money-hungry mammon worshipers, and even international legislation will be powerless to prevent combinations of capital for the accumulation of wealth. The trust is here to stay as long as men love gold, and they will go on accumulating wealth, or striving so to do, by every means possible until the great day of God is ushered in. We are hastening toward that consummation now. News from Abroad and America
In France old shoes are bought up by rag dealers and sold to factories, where the shoes are taken apart and submitted to a long process by which the leather is turned into a paste. This pasty material is then transformed into a material closely imitating leather, appearing very much like the finest morocco. Upon this material stylish designs are stamped, and wall papers, trunk-coverings, and similar articles are manufactured from it. The matter of sending young native Catholic priests from the Philippines to the United States to be educated in Catholic seminaries is now being agitated among those interested in Catholic work in the Philippines. It is proposed to send 400 of these young native priests to this country to get them in touch with American Catholicism and Americans. The theme of political and economic union of the countries of Europe against the United States continues to command the attention of the thinkers of those countries. One of the most influential journals of Berlin published recently a long article openly advocating such a union for the protection of those countries against aggression from abroad. Justice Gray, of the United States Supreme Court, has resigned his position on account of ill health, and the President has appointed Judge Oliver Wendell Holmes, son of the author and physician of the same name, to that position. Judge Holmes is at the present time chief justice of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts. The Colombian gunboat Boyaca, with 300 men on board, is believed to be lost, nothing having been heard of her since July 29, when she sailed for Agua Dulce to reinforce the government troops there. Electrical phenomena of marked characteristics are being reported from various parts of the Pacific Coast the present season, especially the mountainous districts. During these displays the earth and various objects became highly charged with electricity, so that it was dangerous to touch almost any object. In one locality a whirling cloud of sand became charged with electricity from top to bottom, giving out a wonderful display of electrical fireworks to the accompaniment of crashing thunder. The earth is becoming an immense storage battery, and we may look for still greater phenomena of this kind until the end. That its store of electricity is becoming greater and more dangerous, is seen in the increased number of deaths by lightning each year. An English naval authority, writing of the great naval demonstration in honor of the coronation of King Edward, declares publicly that the greater portion of England’s navy is practically worthless for practical work, and that “the majority might as well be built of cardboard, as they are mere dummies, too feeble to fight and too slow to run away.” He calls the recent parade an “exhibition of flags, paint, and gilding,” not admitting that some of the battle-ships and cruisers are efficient vessels. This criticism, coming from the source it does, will no doubt result in increased expenditures for the navy of England, whose cost is already tremendous. The revolution which has been raging in Venezuela for the past three years has reached an acute stage, and the position of the government is said to be now almost untenable. Revolutionists are in possession of several of the more important cities in the republic, which are being sacked for the spoils of war. The situation of the capital itself is critical. If this falls into the hands of the rebels, it is conceded that the government will be overthrown. American war vessels are now closely watching the development, as it is feared that either party may at any moment commit acts which may call for their intervention. The total cost to England of the Boer war up to March 31, 1903, which is the date covered by the present budget, is $1,088,113,000. Mr. Kruger was right when he said that this war if entered upon would be at a cost which would stagger humanity. The cost has certainly been enormous, both in men and means. The Cobden Club recently issued a pamphlet showing that this enormous sum would have been enough to establish and maintain fifty universities, while Oxford and Cambridge are now so desperately poor that they are scarcely able to pay current expenses. A despatch from Shanghai, China, states that the protocol of the new tariff treaty between China and the powers has now been signed by all the powers but China, which country is expected to sign it at once. It is reported that the situation is now being complicated by Portugal. This country is demanding of China a concession of two small islands and the right to build a railroad from Macao to Canton. The document is so framed that any alteration in its provisions will nullify it. China must sign it as it is or not at all. The famous Boer generals, Botha, De Wet, and Delarey, have been visiting in England during the past week, and have been enthusiastically received by all. They were cordially received by Generals Lord Roberts and Kitchener, against whom they had contended so long, and also paid a visit to King Edward on the royal yacht. The Shah of Persia is also paying a visit to King Edward at the present time, and is the recipient of marked attention. The Russians are refusing to relinquish their hold on the Newchwang section of the Shan-Hai-Kwan Railway, unless they are allowed to retain the roundhouses and machine shops at Shan-Hai-Kwan. The Russians also object to foreign officials participating in the management of the line. Russia will prolong her stay in China to the greatest possible extent in order to take all the advantage possible of the delay occasioned. The International Harvester Company, which is a combination, or merger, of a number of other companies, has ordered the reduction of its employees in the field. The reduction will amount to three-fourths of the total number employed, or about 10,000 men who will lose positions by the merger. This great combination is reported to be capitalized at $120,000,000. Prof. R. L. Garner, who has spent several years in Africa studying the characteristics and “language” of the monkeys, has again appeared in London. He claims to have discovered some sounds which the monkeys use as words, or at least as expressions of feeling. But who has not known these very things in the common fowls of the barnyard? The United States War Department has purchased of a well known German gun-maker the right to re-arm the artillery branch of the American army with the gun for which he holds patents. This is a cannon of long range and great destructive powers. It will be manufactured in this country, and will take the place of practically all such ordnance now in use in the army. The annual report of the British postmaster general shows that a total of $3,335,000 was found by the post-office department in letters that have not been delivered. The undelivered letters for the United Kingdom totaled 10,000,000, and the delivered missives 2,451,500,000, or an average of 59 letters for each person in the kingdom. Two vessels were wrecked in a tempest near Cape Town, South Africa, on August 16, and others sent ashore or damaged. The vessels wrecked were British barks, the Brutus and the Highlands. The captain of the latter vessel and 23 of his men were drowned. The casualties of the other vessel are not given. The President has received from the pope an exceedingly friendly and felicitous communication accompanied by a beautiful mosaic picture of one of the Vatican gardens, all of which is for the purpose of strengthening “the excellent understanding between the church and the United States authorities.” Members of the religious orders expelled from France, especially “sisters,” are applying to the Vatican for permission to come to America. The pope suggests that they go to Canada, where the French language is spoken, but they persist in their requests to come to the United States. A despatch from Rome states that the pope has announced to the reigning families of Europe that he will grant no more dispensations for consanguineous marriages, it being his wish that members of the royal families shall marry outside of royalty in order to stop degeneration in the children. Cholera reports from Manila indicate that the plague is decreasing in that city, but in the provinces many deaths continue to occur from that disease. The total number of deaths so far reported is 17,596. A number of Americans and Europeans have succumbed to the disease. Fighting continues in the little republic of Hayti, with the result of the war as much in doubt as heretofore. Those in rebellion against the provisional government have attacked and captured the city of St. Michael, the government forces burning the city as they retired. A report from India states that the famine situation there is becoming more serious owing to the lack of rain throughout almost the entire country, especially in the Bombay Presidency. There has been a great increase in the number of natives receiving relief. A despatch from St. Petersburg states that Japanese naval officers have seized the Korean island of Kethnesan. After having driven off the Korean officials, they are said to have landed guns, erected a battery, and posted guards to defend their occupation. Four thousand people are homeless and destitute in what was once the city of Petit Goava, Hayti, which was recently burned by the rebels at the time of evacuation. It is reported that very many persons lost their lives in the destruction of that town. On the island of New Britain recently the members of a certain tribe killed a white lady missionary. A German punitive expedition immediately started out to avenge her death. They did so by killing every member of the tribe, 130 in number. The terrible drought in the back blocks of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, continues, and millions of sheep have been lost. Many wealthy herders have been bankrupted, and those of more moderate means have lost their all. Near Uskub, Turkey, recently, there occurred a bloody fight between Turkish troops and a band of Bulgarian-Macedonian revolutionists. The revolutionists were cut to pieces, and many of the Turks also were killed and wounded. The revolution in the Republic of Colombia seems to be as active as ever. The government forces are said to be practically surrounded by the revolutionists, who have cut all communications between Panama and the outside. A despatch from Hongkong, China, states that there have been terrible floods in Kwang Province, in which at least 1,000 persons have lost their lives. Several houses collapsed at Hongkong and 20 persons perished. Chinese government troops have attacked one of the headquarters of the Chinese rebels in the province of Szechuan. The leader of the troops reports having killed 1,000 rebels and executed their leader. Cholera has broken out in many places in Japan, and more than one-half the cases are proving fatal. It is also spreading in China, and many deaths are reported from the vicinity of Tientsin. King Edward completed the program of coronation festivities by a review of the British fleet off Spithead, on August 16. The display was a magnificent one. There is little or no sign of an end to the great coal strike. About 179,000 men are still out, and the price of coal continues to go up, with no limit in sight. It is reported that there is a prospect of a combination between the big express companies of this country in the near future. A despatch from Cairo, Egypt, states that the cholera is increasing in that city as well as in the provinces. The United States consul at Odessa, Russia, states that the plague has been officially reported at that place. The Macedonian revolutionary committee has just closed an important session in Sofia, Bulgaria. ARCHBISHOP IRELAND, in speaking of the negotiations between this country and the Vatican over the friars in the Philippines in the Examiner, July 22, says, on “reliable authority”:— Yes, the news from Rome is quite satisfactory, and, I am sure, quite correct. The sovereign pontiff and other Roman authorities are delighted with Governor Taft personally, and with the negotiations in course of progress between him and the Vatican. The pontiff assured Governor Taft that he was most satisfied and happy at the results so far obtained, and that he was confident the negotiations begun in Rome would be the starting point of a complete and satisfactory solution of the question under discussion. This statement resumes in the most exact manner the situation as to the Vatican views, and as it really is. The Vatican and Governor Taft came easily and quickly to a substantial agreement; the question for the Vatican is what practical methods are to be adopted to put the agreement into execution. With a little time certain matters now seeming to offer great difficulties will be made, by quiet, skillful touches of pontifical diplomacy, to work themselves out without friction or excitement; and so, when, in Manila, final conclusions are to be reached, things will have been ripe and will turn out all right. This is the Vatican method of proceeding; it is a wise and prudent method. Mr. Taft understands the matter and leaves Rome thoroughly satisfied and hopeful. There can be no doubt that the active co-operation of the Vatican is now secured to the American Government in its task of pacification in the Philippines, and that in the results to come the administration at Washington will have ample reason to felicitate itself for having sent Governor Taft to Rome. But nothing will be satisfactory to Rome that does not give her a stronger hold upon the American Government. In a letter from the Vatican in the New York Sun of July 11, 1892, giving the plans of Leo XIII. concerning the United States, it is said:— What the church has done in the past for others she will now do for the United States. What the church has done for other countries may be read in the condition of Spain, Austria, Italy, the Philippines. When these negotiations end the Papacy will be on the winning side. United States diplomats can not cope with “the Vatican method,” and the result will be the triumph of the Vatican object. MY JAIL BABY.
By Stella North
[Stella North, in Union Signal.] “Please give your consent, Phillip; I have quite set my heart upon it.” “Do I understand, Adele, that you propose to take that baby, born behind the bars, whose mother is a murderer, and bring it up as our own child, regardless of consequences?” “Yes,” I answered, “it is the one we saw in its carriage on Sunday, Phillip. She put her little hand out and caught my dress as I passed.” “Do you know the history of this mother, Adele?” “Only that she killed her husband in a fit of jealousy. The child should, of course, never know that. I should not even let our own people know that it was not an orphan.” “But what if the child should inherit its mother’s dreadful nature?” “Such a nature could not thrive in our wholesome home life,” I returned with more intuitive than reasoning power. “Anyway, it would have a chance to live a good life with us.” “Very well, dear,” said he indulgently. “You know better than I do what is best in such a matter.” So it was that the hapless little one-year-old baby came to share our hearts and home. Nothing remarkable happened until my adopted child, Celia, was four years old. She had an extremely loving disposition which sometimes showed a jealous tendency. But I did not dream of the strength of this passion until one day little Celia came into the room and saw me fondling a half-starved kitten, that had strayed to our door. The child rushed across the room with almost insane fury, and, screaming at the top of her voice, she struck the kitten an angry blow, even before I realized where the trouble lay. Then climbing into my lap she clasped my neck as in a vice, exclaiming angrily, “Wicked cat! It’s my place.” I tried to coax, to reason, to scold this spirit away, but each time I spoke Celia fairly screamed, “Wicked cat took Celia’s place.” I could not have parted her hands about my neck without using rough force. She kept her eyes upon the frightened kitten until it left the room, and then she relaxed her grip, thoroughly exhausted with the terrible tension. From that time I realized that Celia had a great struggle before her, and I prayed God that I might guide her aright in her affliction. In a few days from this time Celia went to visit my sister for a month, and when she returned she found a great change in our home. A baby boy had arrived in her absence, and I was filled with apprehension at the child’s reception of the newcomer, but I knew I must meet the circumstances with perfect faith that love would prevail. Celia sprang into my arms, upon her arrival, and sobbed for joy at seeing me. “We have something new in our house, Celia,” I said, after she was calm. “What is it, mama?” she said with an unchildlike gleam of shrewdness in her eyes. “A little, tiny baby,” I answered, giving her an extra caress. “Whose baby?” she asked with wide eyes. “Your baby,” I replied, “and papa’s baby and my baby.” “It’s your baby,” she said, nestling closer. “No,” I said thoughtfully, “this is my little girl. You are too big for a baby now, and if you did not grow into a little girl, you could never become a woman.” “Let’s go see my baby and papa’s baby.” I led her to the bedroom where the little one was asleep, but before she saw it she exclaimed half angrily, “Celia’s bed’s gone!” I took her little hands, and before proceeding further into the room explained that we had given her a whole, large room to herself, and that her bed and dolls were all there. “Will mama sleep with Celia?” she asked. “I shall lie down with her until she is fast asleep, and then I shall sleep with baby.” “I’d rather you would lie down with baby till he is fast asleep, and then sleep with me.” All this time she was looking at the innocent sleeper with apprehension in her face that was far beyond her years. Just then the infant awoke and began to cry, and as I took it up Celia sprang at it in a great rage, stamping her feet, and trying to reach it while she opened and shut her angry little hands. The many scenes that followed were distressing in the extreme. I was obliged to attend to baby’s wants as much as possible when she was not near, in order to avoid her terrible outbreaks of passion, as I had tried all the simple modes of punishment and coaxing without success. Each time she saw the baby in my arms her jealousy knew no bounds. It seemed to change her into an irresponsible creature. Almost in despair I laid my plans for a new mode of treatment. Baby was an unusually healthy child and I thought he could stand heroic measures. One day as he slept I prepared his bottle and placed it on the register to keep warm, Celia, meanwhile, watching me half cautiously from her chair in the corner, where she sat making doll’s clothes. She sewed on contentedly when I resumed my seat, and we thus sat for some time. Presently, as I expected, the baby in the adjoining room began to nestle about; then there was a plaintive little cry. Plainly, baby was hungry. Celia watched me furtively, ready to fly into a tantrum at my first move; but I calmly stitched on. Another cry, but still I made no sign that I heard. I could feel the sharp little eyes watching me intently when the baby began to cry in good earnest, and I heard her give a little chuckle. Louder and louder the cries grew until the very air resounded with his lusty demands. Celia stood up, letting her doll fall, and looked toward baby’s door with a frightened face. For a second all was still, and then the baby began that piteous crying that I knew preceded the sobbing stage. Would my own heart break before Celia’s heart would soften? My eyes filled with tears, but before I could brush them away Celia stole up to me, and putting her arm round my neck, awed by my strange silence she said, huskily, “Mama does baby’s stomach ache?” “No, Celia,” I said, controlling myself with an effort; “he is very hungry.” Just then the baby began to sob, and the little girl, now sobbing aloud herself, snatched the bottle from the register and ran with it into the bedroom. I waited a moment and then followed her. Celia sat on the bed with one arm around baby, the other holding the bottle for him to drink, and I am sure that I saw in the little girl’s face a reflection of divine motherhood. I gathered her into my arms with an overflowing heart, for altho this was only one victory, I knew that the whole war against that dread enemy would be won in time if our tactics were only good. From this time Celia loved the baby devotedly. She would run to him whenever she heard him cry, and would willingly sacrifice anything she had to soothe or quiet him. As soon as she was old enough to understand, I taught her the positive necessity of love to happiness, and I personified it in all my stories, introducing, jealousy as love’s worst enemy. Gradually Celia learned to search within herself for this unlovely trait, and before many years she had conquered it completely. The enemy had long been vanquished before the first real lover came into her life, and in place of the old foe was a natural repelling of evil for evil’s sake, together with a shrewd understanding of humanity which I am sure will ever go hand in hand with her great love of nature. From this experience of mine, I claim a right to hold that any trait of character, hereditary or otherwise, may be revolutionized through understanding, patience, and sagacious guidance. AN EVIL WEED.
By Wm. Harker
[An open letter to the Ministerial Association, Barrie, Ont.] It has given me much grief to learn from one of your members that a number of those who compose your body are habitual smokers; but lest you should think that some minister who does not smoke has been informing on those who do, I may say that the assurance came from one who is most deeply in the practice. It was a great disappointment to me to learn this fact; and now for the good of my fellow-workmen on the railway, for the helping of those who are young and weak, and for the better progress of righteousness in our midst, I have taken upon me to write you this letter. For a number of years I have been earnestly fighting this evil, always believing that the appointed servants of Christ were my allies in the battle. Though it now appears that such is not the case, yet I would not be discouraged, but will turn my disappointment into an appeal, that if possible you may be induced, both by example and precept, to come to the help of the Lord against this mighty foe. Therefore hear these few words. Science classes tobacco as a poisonous weed, and proves it to be hurtful in every way when taken into the human system in any quantity. Investigation also proves that the tobacco-user transmits to his offspring a liking for this same poisonous weed, so that the taste and choice of the child are prejudiced in favor of tobacco on its entrance into the world. Are not these truths sufficient to make us think deeply upon this subject? It is alarming the hold which this narcotic has upon men in general. Many among our railway men are almost slaves to it; scores to whom I have spoken on the matter have said promptly that they could not live without it. When we consider that this drug works continuous and increasing injury, robbing these men of the clearness of vision, the strength of nerve, and the steadiness of hand so necessary in their hazardous calling, such an admission is full of fearful meaning; for very often a little shortness of sight has resulted in one of those frightful railway accidents that send a tremor over our whole continent. These are the men to whom we commit (humanly speaking) ourselves, or our loved ones, each time we go by rail; for the time being they are in charge of our lives; and considering the swift speed at which trains are now run, how needful that these public servants have the best mental and physical equipment for their service. Not long ago a number of engineers on the New York Central were examined on the powers of their sight, and a number of them were disqualified for further service on account of color-blindness. Each one of them was found to be addicted to smoking, the medical decision being that the smoke, coming in contact with the fine structure of the eye, had caused the permanent loss of the ability to distinguish colors. Come with me, if you still regard smoking as a harmless pastime, and I will take you to homes in our village where the income is $1.10 and $1.25 per day. A hard-worked wife and little children are here, poorly clad, and with scarcely sufficient to eat and to keep out the cold; and yet the one whom they11 call husband and father is either burning up or chewing tobacco almost constantly during waking hours, thus robbing his dependent children of many a helpful book and useful tool that would go far to educate them for the battle of life. One such mother as I have mentioned showed my wife her almost shoeless feet, saying with tears those shoes were the best she had; her husband spends $12.00 a year on tobacco. But the loss does not end in the home; for the storekeeper who supplies these homes, as a rule finds them very hard to get money from, and often has to recount a long list of unpaid and longstanding bills against these families. Surely, brethren, you will not hereafter pitch the key-note for such a tune as this. Surely these men will not have your leading and example in such wilful and selfish waste. I know these men are weak, but God’s charge to us is, “Make even paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.” Heb. 12:13, margin. No doubt things are much the same outside of railway circles, tho’ I am not so conversant with the facts. Some time ago I was asked to help audit the accounts of a certain church. Three church officers and myself made up the company, and each one of them smoked his pipe until the air in the room was almost stifling, and thus the finances of the Lord’s house (He is the Lord of glory) were gone over. Something that General Moses was once told to write down came to my mind, viz., “I will be sanctified in all them who bear the vessels of the Lord’s house.” I remember now the deliverance of a certain young Presbyterian minister, who, having been asked for his judgment on the tobacco question, spoke out from the pulpit on a Sunday morning. “Brethren,” he said, “I am persuaded that the Holy Spirit, who is represented to us by the pure white dove, will not do much of His best work in a smoke-stack.” Right around us are mothers who grieve and weep because their boys are being caught in this trap of Satan, and there are loving, watchful sisters who are made sad as they see brother and friend yielding to this seductive wrong. I shall never forget the sorrow of my own mother when the belongings of a dead son were brought home from a distant city, and opened. Pipes and tobacco were found in abundance, but no Bible. To say the least, this was no evidence of a God-led life. Sirs, would it not be in keeping with the Spirit and life of the spotless Son of God to join heart and hands with these mothers and sisters I have mentioned, and help the youth of our fair Dominion to a life of holiness and victory? Let me now close this letter with that grand appeal from the scarred old veteran of the cross, which has come ringing down through the ages ever since Paul lived so nobly, and wrought so mightily, and in whose inspired lips we could scarcely conceive of a pipe being placed: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Signalman, Allandale, Ontario. If you are tempted to reveal
A tale some one to you has told
About another, make it pass,
Before you speak, three gates of gold. These narrow gates—first, “Is it true?”
Then “Is it needful?” In your mind
Give truthful answer; and the next
Is last and narrowest, “Is it kind?” And if to reach your lips at last—
It passes through these gateways three,
Then you may tell the tale, nor fear
What the result of speech may be.
— Men of To-morrow.