The Jesuits of France, having refused to comply with the French Law of Associations, have become expatriated, choosing rather to go into exile than to declare the full object of their associations and take themselves out of the politics of the country. Some of the Catholic orders of France have complied with the law, and will be permitted to continue their organizations.
In an address recently published by the Jesuit leaders of France, they declare that acceptance of the new law would be impossible, as it would imply the recognition of a power higher than the Church. It has been their persistent policy to bring the State under the control of the Church; and as this could not be done openly, every possible means has been employed to accomplish that object secretly—to rule the State by putting in power those whom they could control. As the military wielded a powerful influence, they sought to control the army. They did this by securing positions of prominence in the army for those who had passed through Jesuit colleges and gave promise of a willingness to be led by that order. It was this influence which was responsible for the imprisonment of Dreyfus, and worked against him throughout his trial.
To announce its full object and purpose, would be to reveal to the world all the intrigues of the order; and to confine themselves simply to works of charity and humanity, would be to abandon the very object of their existence—the control of the State. This they would not do, and thus the exile. This is what has caused their expulsion from every country of Europe. It is what caused the expulsion of 1765, and brought them into disfavor with Napoleon and Charles X., and with the revolutionists of 1848, and all friends of progressive civil government.
The claim that to obey the law of associations would be to recognize a power higher than the Church, is a claim that can be made only by those who believe in the union of Church and State—and that not a union in which the two are equal, but in which the State is completely under the control of the Church. Any law based on the independence of the State, is to them a law which makes the State a higher power than the Church, a law which makes the State a usurper of the Church's prerogatives. To them it is the right of the Church to control in all the affairs of men, civil and religious. Civil liberty is to them rebellion, the separation of Church and State, treason; and religious liberty, a heresy not to be tolerated in any place or in any degree.
Stern, unyielding, dictatorial, and illiberal as this is, it is all perfectly logical if we admit that it is the business of the Church to control in the civil affairs of men. And that is what we do admit when we admit the principle of religious legislation. If it is proper to legislate on one religious question, it is proper to legislate on all religious questions; and legislation on religious questions is legislation in the interests of some set of religious persons, some church. In just so far as it is done, it is the Church controlling in the affairs of the State. It is a union of Church and State, with the Church dominant and the State subordinate.
It is true that those who are working for religious legislation do not admit that the logic of their demands is seen in the history of Jesuitism. It is a fact, nevertheless. At first they demand religious legislation only in a few matters; but in yielding that, the State allows the principle, and opens the gate to any and every matter that the Church may fancy is for the good of the people or for its own interests. In so far as the State permits itself to legislate at the behest of the Church, it is permitting itself to be controlled by the Church, to be made a tool of the Church in carrying out its purposes. In that is seen the injustice of the assertion that the State, and not the Church, was responsible for the persecutions during the Dark Ages. The Church controlled the State during that epoch of affliction, and those who suffered martyrdom suffered it because that fallen Church adjudged them guilty of heresy. That condition was possible only because the State had admitted the principle of religious legislation, and had allowed the Church to carry it through to its logical result.
The present exile of the Jesuits is the result of a feeble protest of the people against clerical domination in the State. It is a feeble protest, because it does not go to the root of the matter, and the Protestants do not see the real cause of the difficulty. They will never do so until they see that the business of the Church is teaching, preaching, and practising the Gospel of Christ, and that with the civil affairs of men it has no divine authority for interference. The declaration of Christ that His kingdom was not of this world should be enough to settle that matter with every true Christian. His separation of civil and religious duties, as recorded in Matt. 22:19-21, is another expression of the same truth.
Notwithstanding Christ's own declaration in this matter; and notwithstanding all the persecution which the earth has been called to witness through the failure of men to believe and follow Christ's teaching; and notwithstanding the further fact that the liberty, enlightenment, and prosperity of this great country are due to its acknowledgment of the true principles of religious liberty,—we are drifting, rapidly drifting, back to those unchristian practises from which the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were the expression of a righteous revolt. The Supreme Court has declared us a Christian nation, and thereby paved the way for endless legislation in behalf of the Christian religion, and that legislation began almost immediately in behalf of the Sunday-sabbath. The epoch of decline in real religious liberty began formally when the Supreme Court threw open the door of religious legislation, and permitted Congress to do what the Constitution declared it never should do. The nation has started on that road at whose terminus stands the Jesuit and ruin. And when that stage is reached, the country that was founded on the principles of liberty and equality will “speak as a dragon,” and will seek to “cause that ‘as many as would not worship the image of the ‘beast should be killed.” Rev. 13:15. It must come to that before the nation could cause its subjects to worship. It has started down the way, and the end is not far to seek. The Jesuits have been driven from France; but the principles that made the Jesuits possible, are being forced upon our own fair land by the advocates and supporters of religious legislation. The Jesuits are the ripened fruit of that un-American principle; but that un-American principle has been planted in this country, and will soon bear its own ripened fruit.
S.
LYNCH LAW AND ANARCHY.
By Booker T. Washington
BY BOOKER T. WASHINGTON.
[From a copyrighted article in the Sunday School Times.]
THE average citizen may not appreciate the fact that a lynching has taken place within the last twenty years within every one of our States except five, and this unfortunate disposition to disregard the law, and inflict violent and summary punishment, has grown to an extent that is difficult to check. In order that the whole country may get back upon sure and safe ground, it will require the wisest and bravest efforts of our Christian men and women. The habit of lynching was begun in some of our States a few years ago as a punishment for one crime; but so true is it that lawlessness breeds lawlessness that it has now grown until statistics show that more people have been lynched for other crimes, such as murder, stealing, etc., than for the single crime of assault. It is proper that I state in the beginning that I have no kind of sympathy with any race or with any individual who is guilty of committing any kind of an assault, and the united effort of our best people in every community should be in the direction of getting rid of worthless and idle people from whose ranks most of the criminals come. But crime of some nature has been committed since the foundation of the world, even in the most highly civilized communities; and the fact shows that, wherever the law is most fully observed in the punishment of crime, there crime is less likely to be committed. In my judgment, there is but one way for us in this country to get rid of the habit of lynching, and that is for all to unite in a strong and earnest effort to see that the law is complied with.
During the exciting days following the shooting of the late President McKinley, it was my privilege to mingle a good deal with the people in one of our Western States, and almost every other man who referred to the crime expressed himself as being in favor of burning or the execution without trial of Czolgosz. As I listened to these expressions day after day, it convinced me, as never before, that a spirit of lawlessness had gotten a hold upon the whole country that few of us realize.
I fear we have not yet realized that every open and flagrant defiance of law is anarchy. It is easy enough to decry the avowed anarchist who belongs to organizations that are anarchistic in their character, but it is not easy to put in the same class the people who set at defiance law by an illegal hanging or burning.
Perhaps the most demoralizing and hurtful result of mob violence is the hardening effect which it has upon our youth. I think it is safe to say that on an average fifty persons witnessed the execution by lynching of every man or woman that has taken place in this country. According to this, it is safe to say that, within the last sixteen years, one hundred and twenty-five thousand persons have been present when lynchings took place. In each case a large proportion of those who had been drawn to witness the unlawful execution have been children, or those of tender age. One of the saddest remarks that I ever heard come from the lips of a child was when he said, in my presence, that he wished he could see a man burned. I do not think the impression made upon a youth by reason of the fact that he has witnessed the unlawful execution of an individual ever wholly disappears. In some instances, the executions by mobs have not only been witnessed by boys of tender age, but by women.
[Mr. Washington points out the need of impressing the majesty of the law by its enforcement, supported by the teacher and minister. And back of all of this, one must go to truly enforce a proper reverence of law, namely, the teaching, on the part of Christians, of the majesty of God's law, and its practise, too. If men ignore that, they will never, only as compelled, rightly regard human law.]
MR. VANDERBILT’S STATEMENT.
By S.
What Is Shown by the Admission of Its Truthfulness.
MR. W. K. VANDERBILT’S recent statement in regard to the handicap of wealth from which his ambition had suffered, has received considerable attention in both the religious and the secular press. All have admitted his statement to be true that wealth is a serious handicap to the achievement of any marked success. But there is a principle involved in the statement, and likewise in the admission of its truth by these influential journals, which has an important bearing upon the tendencies of the present times.
Mr. Vanderbilt says that the possession of great wealth left him “nothing to strive for, and no ambition to gain.” Why?—Evidently because the possession of great wealth is regarded as the only thing worth striving for. Possessing great wealth already, that object has been achieved, and there is nothing left which is worthy of his ambition.
Commenting on this statement, the Epworth Herald says: “the millionaire is right. Many others ‘have realized the same thing, tho not many have ‘been candid enough to say so.’” But really, is it true that “the millionaire is right”? If he is, then the only thing worth striving for is wealth; the only object worthy of ambition is the amassing of a fortune. The “many others” who “have realized the ‘same thing’” are those whose ambitions have centered in the amassing of wealth. Is it true that the possession of wealth leaves nothing to strive for, no ambition to gain?—It is true only with those whose god is Gold and the carnal pleasure which gold can give. It is not true with the Christian—it can not be true. The true follower of Christ knows that there is something to strive for, even if he had inherited a9great fortune. He would strive to use that fortune in bringing relief to the helpless and hungry, comfort to the comfortless, protection to the oppressed, covering to the destitute, light and knowledge to the blind and ignorant, and the knowledge of the Gospel to those who know it not. The amelioration of man’s physical sufferings and the making of provision for supplying his spiritual needs are certainly objects worth striving for. Pitiable indeed is the condition of that man or woman who sees nothing in life worth striving for except the accumulation of wealth. Such an ambition is an empty bubble, and the life dominated by such an ambition will perish and go out as the bubble does. It is gaudy in the gas light or in the sunlight, but touch the quivering tissue, and it is gone forever.
There is something worth striving for even by those who have inherited fortunes. The inheritance of wealth will not affect a true Christian’s object in life. That object is the same whether the Christian is the son of a millionaire or the son of a rag-picker; and that object is as far above the sordid accumulation of wealth as Christ’s mission and work are higher than the work of Judas Iscariot.
Paul said: “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 3: 13,14. There is something which is worth striving for,—“the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” That is a prize, a calling, with which the accumulation of wealth can not be compared. The difference between the value of a ruby and a road-side pebble is infinitely less than the difference between that prize and the prize of wealth. We do irreparable wrong when we teach that by inheriting wealth, or anything else that we may inherit, there is nothing left in life worthy of our attention and effort. God has permitted men to accumulate wealth, and to bequeath it to their children, and He will hold them severally responsible for the way in which they use it. But let them remember, and let all men know, that the accumulation of wealth is not the only object in life. Rather, it is liable to be the concentration of selfishness, than which no object is less noble. The possession of great wealth does not leave any true man, much less a Christian, without an object worthy of his endeavor. Getting wealth is not the greatest thing in the world, nor one of the great things; but “the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” is. If you are rich, thank the Lord that He has permitted you to be the steward, the custodian of a trust for the relief of human suffering; if you are poor, thank God that He has shown you something that is higher and deeper and grander than the accumulation or possession of great wealth.
But in the admission made by both the religious and the secular press that “the millionaire is right,” we see how nearly the whole world now is looking upon the getting of wealth. The tendency of the times now is to look upon the piling of millions upon millions as evidence of success in life. The worship of Gold is sweeping the earth as God said it would do in the last days, and these admissions of the press are but another evidence that we are in the time when wealth would rule the minds of men. Speaking to those whose lives were devoted to the getting of wealth, the Lord says, “Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.” Jas. 5: 3. The Revised Version puts it “in the last days.” We are in the days of the heaping of treasure, and those days are the last days. While the millionaire is wrong in his statement, the many statements made concerning it show the attitude of the world toward the heaping of treasure. It is this attitude that makes the heaping possible, and the heaping itself is a sign of the times.
S.
Spanish Bill Regulates Labor Strikes
The Spanish ministry has submitted to the Cortes a bill for the regulation of labor strikes. This bill provides that disputes between labor and capital must be submitted to arbitration. It prohibits either labor or capital from stopping the works of an entire town, and from organizing movements which have a tendency to interfere with the supply of the necessaries of life. Strikes are legalized by the bill, providing fifteen days' notice is given to the authorities, and contractors must contract with the individual workmen, specifying wages and hours of labor.
Dense Fog Causes Collisions and Loss of Life
For several days ending November 6, England and the west coast of the continent were enveloped in a heavy bank of fog that impeded traffic, caused many collisions, and resulted in considerable loss of life. People went about the streets in the day time with lanterns, and the fog was so dense that some even then are said to have lost their way.
Death of Li Hung Chang
LI HUNG CHANG, China's aged statesman, died at Peking on November 7, at the age of 79. This leaves Prince Ching alone in charge of foreign negotiations at Peking. There is much speculation over the possible effect of the death of this statesman. Earl Li was known as the friend of Russia, and was believed to have aided that country in many of the diplomatic moves by which Russia triumphed over the other powers. He was certainly a remarkable man; and tho China more than once censured him, yet she turned to him in every case of emergency, and he is believed to have acted many times as a check upon the harsh measures which the empress dowager contemplated toward the foreigners. Now that his influence has been removed, it is feared that new complications may arise, both from the attitude of the empress toward foreigners and from the jealousies of the powers toward one another. The Russian minister was very persistent to have Earl Li sign a treaty with reference to Manchuria before his death; but through the influence of Japan and the southern viceroys, the empress dowager forbade the signing of the document.
Fraudulent Dealings by Pension Guardians
THE Commissioner of Pensions, in his annual report, discusses at length the faults of the present pension system and the difficulties in the way of determining the merits of claims for pensions and increases. A rule was adopted in January, 1900, requiring guardians of pensioners to render to the department statements of their receipts and expenditures of pension money. The adoption of the rule was followed by some disclosures of fraudulent dealings. Guardians were found, in some cases, to be drawing pension money long after the death of their wards. Many cases were found where insane pensioners had been placed in asylums and other public institutions as indigent persons, while the guardians had drawn the pension money during the whole period.
Bloody Fight at the Holy Sepulchre
A BLOODY fight occurred at the church of the Holy Sepulchre, in Jerusalem, on November 4. This church surmounts what is supposed to be the tomb of Christ, and a dispute arose between the Greeks and the Franciscans as to which party had the right to sweep the church. Turkish troops had been posted in the vicinity for several days in order to prevent the anticipated collision, but they were suddenly outnumbered and overpowered by the contending parties. There were a number of casualties on both sides. What a travesty on religion is such an affair as this! But it is the natural result of teachings which make so much of forms, ceremonies, and sacred relics, and so little of the real spirit of the Gospel.
Municipal Reform in New York and San Francisco
On Tuesday, November 5, Seth Low, candidate of the anti-Tammany and anti-vice forces of New York City, was elected mayor by a plurality of 29,864. Justice William T. Jerome, whose name has been familiar among the anti-vice forces, was elected to the office of district attorney by a majority of 11,000, although the Tammany forces did everything in their power to defeat him. New York is therefore promising herself a thorough cleaning up and many necessary reforms in her municipal administration. On the same day San Francisco elected a union-labor mayor, who is promising many reforms.
Deaths from Contaminated Diphtheria Antitoxine
Twelve children have recently died in St. Louis from lock-jaw as the result of having diphtheria anti-toxine injected into their blood. The anti-toxine was made by the city chemist; and in view of the fact that a considerable number had been treated with this diphtheria anti-toxine, the city immediately began the distribution of a tetanus (lock-jaw) anti-toxine to counteract the effects of the other. The Health Department has announced that no more diphtheria anti-toxine will be made by that city.
Freight Blockade on Pennsylvania Railroads
There is now a great blockade of freight on the Pennsylvania railroads. Manufacturers are unable to get cars to ship their products. Some blast furnaces are closing on account of their inability to get coke, and finishing mills because they can not get in raw material or ship their goods out. The railroad companies are not only unable to furnish the necessary cars, but they also have insufficient power to move the freight if the necessary number of cars could be provided.
Russia’s Railway Designs on Afghanistan
Color is given to the rumors of Russia’s designs on Afghanistan by the fact that she is now building two railroads in the direction of important points in Afghanistan; also by the further fact that the Russian minister of war recently made a tour of the Afghan frontier, visiting the outposts, before proceeding to Russian Turkestan to witness the beginning of railway work there. These roads are all designed for strategic purposes.
Men Live Underwater in Torpedo Boat
An English submarine torpedo boat was recently tested by the Admiralty to ascertain whether men could live in it under water. Six men were sealed up in the vessel for twelve hours. The vitiated air was absorbed by a special apparatus, and fresh air supplied from the compressors, without apparent injury to the men.
Proposed Boycott of the United States and Argentina
THE London Spectator declares that if the conservative parties in the different nations of Europe should achieve a temporary triumph this year, a grand effort will be made to boycott the United States and the Argentine Republic as a protection for vital interests threatened by their competition.
Ten Die in Hurley Theater Fire
TEN persons lost their lives in the burning of a vaudeville theater building at Hurley, Wisconsin, on November 6.
Congo Natives Slain in Rubber Raids
EDGAR CANISIUS, an American who recently returned from the Kongo Free State, confirms the terrible stories of cruelties and slaughter which the African natives have suffered at the hands of the Belgian troops. He reports that 900 natives were killed during one expedition lasting six weeks. Another expedition resulted in the death of 300 natives in three weeks. These expeditions are said to be simply raids in which the troops compel the natives to furnish a certain amount of rubber, and death is the penalty for their inability to do so.
Archaeological Discoveries Near Abydos
PROFESSOR W. F. PETRIE reports many valuable archaeological finds in the neighborhood of Abydos, Egypt. These consist of the gold scepter of Mena, the founder of the Egyptian dynasty, gold vases and jewels of the same period, engraved tablets and fragments of tablets, and 100 inscriptions and vases giving much information regarding the early history of Egypt. The discoveries were made in ground which had been abandoned as exhausted.
Warning Against Treated French Fruit
The State, Treasury, and Agricultural Departments of the government have decided that so much acid and sulphur are used by French canners in preparing fruit exported to the United States, that it constitutes a decided menace to the health of the people. The canners are to be warned that such fruit will in future be prevented from entering the United States.
Prisoners Escape Leavenworth Prison
TWENTY-SIX prisoners escaped from the United States prison at Leavenworth, Kansas, on November 7. Fourteen of the escaped convicts had been captured up to November 12. They had had many running fights with citizens’ posses, and several persons had been wounded both of the convicts and pursuers.
French Academy Dictionary Compilation
LEXICOGRAPHERS of the French Academy began sixty years ago the compilation of a dictionary of the French language. The Academy has been in receipt of an annual appropriation from the government during all that time, and yet the lexicographers have only just reached the letter C.
France and Turkey Resume Relations
It is reported that Turkey has yielded to all the demands of France. The flag of France is again flying over the embassy at Constantinople, and diplomatic relations have been resumed between the two nations. The squadron of France will remain for a time in Turkish waters.
Schley Court of Inquiry Concludes
The Schley court of inquiry closed its sittings on November 7, after a session of 40 days, and with a record which will cover about 2,000 pages. The case is now in the hands of the three admirals, whose decision will probably not be rendered for some time.
Sbarretti Appointed Apostolic Delegate
MONSIGNOR SBARRETTI, bishop of Havana, has been appointed by the pope apostolic delegate extraordinary to the Philippine Islands, taking the place of Archbishop Chapelle. He will look after the property of the Catholic Church in the islands.
Special Railroad Cars for Consumptives
the property of the Catholic Church in the Islands.
The Travelers' Protective Association is making urgent appeals to the railroad companies to set apart special cars or special apartments in ordinary cars for the use of consumptives, in order to lessen the danger of communicating the disease to other travelers.
Growth of the U.S. Money-Order System
The money-order system of the United States has grown to large proportions and is steadily increasing. During the current year the business done will involve about $300,000,000 in money-orders issued alone.
Gun Accident Kills Seven Aboard British Battleship
BECAUSE an artilleryman on board the British battleship Royal forgot to close the breech of the gun before firing, one officer and six men were killed and thirteen injured, at Astoko harbor, Greece, on October 9.
Japanese Settlement Concession in Korea
KOREA has granted to Japan a concession of 650 acres of land at Chapokbo for a special settlement to be policed by the Japanese. The land was formerly staked off by the officers of a Russian war-ship.
Japan Turns to Economy After Loan Failure
THE Japanese Government has failed in its efforts to raise a loan in the United States, and has decided to institute economy in its various departments and thus obviate the necessity of adding to its debt.
Vatican Envoy Seeks Philippine Agreement
A DESPATCH from Rome states that Mgr. Sbarretti has been sent to the Philippines “to endeavor to arrange an agreement between the Filipinos and the ‘American Government.’”
American Government
American Government.
The last census shows that of the total number of males over the age of twenty-one in the United States, 2,326,255 are illiterate, or about one-tenth of the adult male population.
Santos-Dumont Wins Airship Prize
M. SANTOS-DUMONT has been granted the prize of $20,000 for the first air-ship journey from one of the public parks of Paris to the Eiffel Tower and return inside of thirty minutes.
Prolonged Fasts for Rheumatism
WITHIN the past year quite a number of cases have been reported of prolonged fasts for the cure of rheumatism. The remedy seems to have been beneficial in the cases reported.
Earthquake at Erzeroum
A SEVERE earthquake occurred at Erzeroum, Turkey, on November 8. Many houses were destroyed, and the inhabitants sought safety in the open.
Siberian Railway Opens for Travel
The Siberian railway is now officially declared open for travel, tho for a considerable part of the way the means of travel is wholly by water.
First Musk Ox from Arctic Regions
The first musk ox ever brought out of the Arctic regions arrived at San Francisco on November 7, on the whaling steamer Beluga.
Halil Rifaat Pasha
HALIL RIFAAT PASHA, grand vizier of Turkey, died at Constantinople on November 9.
A Mischievous Child.
By Luella B. Priddy
They all said I was mischievous; and from their standpoint it was probably true. But I did not feel guilty. I could not understand that long word, anyhow.
I had come into a wonderful world, and I was just trying to find out what was in it. I made some mistakes, to be sure, because I had not lived long enough to find out the best methods of exploring Mother Nature’s laboratories.
The tiger-lily buds rarely had a chance to blossom. It took so long for them to open, I used to go out and try to help them along a little. When mother said she thought they would be open in one more day, it seemed that one more day would never get here. I knew those beautiful little stamens with the velvet caps on their heads were waiting inside. If you would just touch them, they would nod their heads, and shake dust all over your fingers, in such a knowing way.
So I would pull down the petals just the least little bit, so that I could peep inside, and see how the little stamens were getting on. And when I had looked, and looked, and looked, why the first thing I knew the lily-bud was all spoiled. I was sorry, but I did not know how to help it. I thought I could be more careful, and do it better next time.
Then there were my nearest neighbors, the morning glories, that nodded at me through the kitchen window. They looked like little umbrellas all folded up so snug. Mother said they would all be open in the morning. Well, it was a long time until morning. Why not open them right away? But O, the silk was so tender that they tore right in two. And then there were not many left to open in the morning.
They said that mother could not have many flowers because of that mischievous child. It did seem that something was the matter.
I loved music more than almost anything else. The first thing that made me think of wanting to go to heaven, was hearing my parents sing an old-time hymn, beginning with the words,—
“I want to go where Jesus is,
To play on the golden harp.”
Mother had an old-fashioned instrument, called a symphonia. It was similar to a large accordion. Musical instruments were not very common in those days, and it was quite a treasure. It seemed to me the most wonderful thing in the world.
One day I gathered up the symphonia in my arms, and slipped out of the house. I carried it to my favorite retreat, under the wild cherry tree. There was where I had my play-house and swing, and near by were the beds of buttercups and bee-larkspurs.
I sat on the grass for some time with the beloved instrument in my lap. It was a joy just to look at the little ivory keys and red morocco ornaments. Occasionally I drew the bellows, and the music would stream out, not quite as mother would do it, of course, but very entrancing.
I fell to wondering what the music looked like inside. O, there were some little screws, that I soon discovered. A little experimenting proved that they would come out. The first thing I knew, the instrument opened just a little crack. But not quite enough to see the music yet.
But I worked away industriously until I had taken out every screw that I could find; and the symphonia fell apart in my lap. I gazed at it with a feeling of disappointment. It looked so dark and hollow inside. However, it did not take long to discover the reeds, snugly stowed away in little pockets. There, I thought, is the music. I pulled one out. My quick breath happened to blow on the little brass tongue, and a faint sound issued from it. I had made a wonderful discovery. Eagerly I pulled out the other reeds, one by one, and blowing on them, I found that each had a different sound.
When my curiosity had been satisfied, I gathered up the fragments in my apron and took them to mother. I had no doubt but that she could put it together again. But I had lost some of the screws, and blown too hard on the reeds, and broken off some of the slender tongues.
Mother saw what had happened, and I think somehow understood my motive in doing it, and did not scold. She simply told me in a low voice that I had ruined the symphonia, and that I could never hear it play again. It seemed as if my heart would break. I could not think of it for a number of years afterward without feelings of pain. Often when I heard her singing as she went about her work, the memory of it would come back to me.
I can not bear to think, even now, what the result might have been, if she had dealt harshly with me. A bitter memory would have rankled in my heart, in the place of one of loving tenderness.
O mothers, with mischievous little ones about your knees, try to distinguish the difference between wilful sins and those mistakes that come from childish ignorance and inexperience. Sins must be corrected, and sometimes punished. But be tender with the mistakes.
The world moves, and people are beginning to find out that a child with irrepressible energy needs help, that his efforts may be directed into proper channels.
The stream whose waters are constantly dammed back, must find a new channel, or overflow. Just so with a child. He must find some outlet for his activity. Find employment for him, for both mind and hand, and the restless energy that was so troublesome, will prove an important factor in his development. MRS. LUELLA B. PRIDDY. Lindsay, Ontario.
A LESSON IN LIFE.
I was up near the city road one day,
Some men were digging a drain;
The sky was dark, and the streets were gray
With a misty, drizzling rain;
I had done my work and was hurrying by,
But one is bound to know
What's up when he hears a frightened cry
And a crowd begins to grow.
Ill news flies fast. The word was passed:
“The drain!” “the props!” and “save!”
The earth had slipped, and the men were fast—
Three souls in a living grave.
They had mates at hand, by luck, poor chaps,
Who hurried with pick and rope;
Thought I, they’ll dig ’em out sharp perhaps,
But little the worse, let’s hope.
So I stood and watched them for a while,
As I’d nothing else to do.
They threw the earth in a goodly pile,
And one of the lads got through.
“Hurrah!” went up from the waiting throng
And ran through the misty air.
A girl I knew came running along,
And sighted me standing there.
“O Jem!” she gasped; “can’t you help?
Go—go.”
And she seized and shook my arm;
“Your brother is there—is buried below!
And you standing there so calm!”
“My brother!” Then in a second’s space
I was digging away like mad—
Fearing to light on his poor dead face—
The only brother I had.
And I got him out with a bruise or two,
But nothing of harm beside;
You’d scarcely think what I say is true,
But I fair broke down and cried,
To think I’d been standing staring there
When my kin was like to die,
Letting the others do all my share,
Out of sheer stupidity.
It seems to me when I come to think,
That our life on earth goes so;
Some standing safely upon the brink,
Some sunk in the depths below;
And I’m sure if people only knew
That their brothers were like to die,
They’d hasten to see what they could do,
Instead of just standing by.
—Selected.
