“And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come.” Rev. 11:18
“AND THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY, and thy wrath is come.” It has not been so strange a thing for nations to be angered toward each other, that it should be pointed out as a peculiarity of the time of the seventh trumpet; but if we examine the Greek text and notice the word here rendered nations, we shall perhaps get a suggestion of its proper significance in this connection. The word ethnos (plural in this place, ethne) is rendered “peoples,” “crowds,” “multitudes,”—hence, “swarms,” “herds,” “races,” “classes.”
During the last few years there have been developed throughout the civilized world phases of thought and organized conspiracies against government and against the prevailing social order, which are unique in their character, and most threatening to the welfare of society. The theories widely promulgated and largely accepted are subversive of all government, and logically lead to anarchy, while they deny those rights of property upon which the whole superstructure of human welfare, progress in civilization, and the rights of man in his relation to his fellows, has ever rested. Even the Ten Commandments—promulgated from Mount Sinai—become meaningless in the presence of theorists, one of whose axioms is, “Property is robbery.” “Thou shalt not steal,” and “Thou shalt not covet,” have no place in a theory which denies all ownership of property. Doubtless those utopian theorists who rest in the axiom just quoted, and are able to deduce from it conclusions which would throw all right into chaos, would resent as a personal wrong the appropriation of a hat, an overcoat, or an umbrella by a sneak-thief; and yet, if their finespun, sophistical theories and the underlying principles of their philosophy be true, the sneak-thief had as good a right to the hat, overcoat, or umbrella as the miscalled owner of these articles. But the Communists, Socialists, and Nihilists are not concerned about any want of harmony between their theories and their practice. They have proved by that kind of sophistry which they call logic, that “property is robbery,” and that “government is despotism;” and they propose to divide up the property and uproot the government. Nor do they stop to inquire how the property was accumulated—whether by honest industry or by fraud; or what kind of a government they live under—whether a free, democratic, or a hard, despotic government. The men who are Nihilists in Russia, Communists in France, and Socialists in Germany, become Anarchists in America.
St. Petersburg, Paris, and Berlin are not put in greater peril by these conspirators against society than London, New York, and Chicago. The recent scenes of mob violence and lawless plunder in London—a city noted for its good order and admirable police organization—show what is possible in all our great cities, if liberty of speech is to be permitted to take the form of instigation to crime. It seems to be conceded that the London mob was EXASPERATED TO VIOLENCE, madness, and plunder by the inflammatory speeches of a few Socialistic speakers. It is pitiful to think that we owe our immunity from like scenes in our great cities to the forbearance to speak of these moral and social incendiaries, whose words, like a spark upon tinder, would inflame the passions of these “swarms” of misguided men who have come to us from the Old World, and let them loose upon our fair heritage, to its great injury or destruction. But with tens of thousands of these men in our midst, armed and drilled for deadly conflict, we seem sleeping on a volcano, and know not at what moment we may be called to face the most deadly peril which can menace any community. Why do these men organize, arm, and drill? Do they fear any violence from our government—municipal, state, or national?—Not at all. Do they anticipate any interference with honest labor, or think they will be deprived of their earnings by oppressive law or military violence?—By no means. Have we any class legislation, against which they need to protest by force of arms?—None. Can they justly reproach us for any want of national hospitality? On the other hand, we have welcomed them to our shores with open arms, and have put no obstacles in their way to employment and business success. We even permit them, after a brief probation—alas! too brief for the country's welfare—to become citizens, and admit them to all the blessings of our free government. Roman citizenship was purchased at a great price; but though American citizenship is a higher honor than Roman citizenship, and is the passport to far higher privileges, no other tax is imposed upon the applicant for the rights of an American citizen than the necessary cost of his naturalization papers. How many of these Anarchists have availed themselves of this privilege of citizenship we know not; but every one who has and still holds his anarchical theories, and only waits for an opportunity to put them into practice, has committed a manifest and conspicuous perjury in his necessary oath to support the Constitution and the laws. Most of them, being atheists, have sworn upon a Bible which they do not believe, and to support a government which they are plotting to overthrow.
Are then wages too low? They are three or four times greater, in nearly all callings, than on the Continent or in the British Isles. Are they out of employment? Are we to blame because they have rushed to our shores in such “multitudes” that we cannot find places for them in our cities? There is room for them on our broad acres, but they will not go to the country—there is no place there for utopian, Socialistic theories! There men win their own bread—they want the bread that other hands have won, which is heaped up in our great cities. They wish to be where they can talk, and hear others talk! They are insidiously seeking to make common cause with honest wage-workers, and doubtless constitute the noisiest and most impracticable members of many trades unions and protective societies. The organization of labor to resist the encroachments of capital, and to secure reasonable hours and just compensation is unquestionably the right of all classes of artisans and workers. To deny this would be absurd. The power of vast accumulations of capital, in individual or corporate hands, to depress labor and put down wages below the point of comfortable subsistence must be recognized by every candid man. That labor should seek a counterpoise in organization and numbers is the most natural course to be pursued. But who does not see that this power is susceptible of abuse, as well as the power of accumulated capital? It is a gross perversion of its legitimate functions when an organization to protect labor forbids the employment of any man, who is able and willing to work, because he is not a member of “the union.”
Whether a man shall join one of these organizations or not should be left entirely to his own discretion. To coerce him into the society, under penalty of being deprived of a chance to earn bread for his wife and little ones, is a gross VIOLATION OF HIS PERSONAL RIGHTS, and a palpable contradiction to the principles which give to the organization any right to be. The tyranny of an executive committee may be as great as the tyranny of a great capitalist, or of a great corporation, and many men hesitate to put themselves in a position in which their own judgment and freedom are sacrificed to the dictum of an oligarchy of the Knights of Labor. Prudent men hesitate about pouring money into a treasury to support idle workmen in their strikes—knowing that these great accumulations may be misappropriated and lost. Who can blame them? Fraser's Magazine states that the expenditure of four great associations in London in a single year was £215,664, of which £126,000 were paid to support strikes. The original idea of these accumulations was to help workmen when thrown out of work. It was not the design of the fund to encourage men to quit work of their own accord. All that went to maintain strikes was lost. The accumulated funds of the four societies just reported amounted to £446,323. This is an immense sum to be under control of a few men. I have no statistics for this country, but doubtless the amount at the control of the Knights of Labor is very large. Every man, therefore, has a right to be or not to be a member of such a society, as he may deem best, and no one has a right to forbid his employment, if he declines to join any labor organization. . . .
But no aspect of this subject is so threatening as the possibility of these labor organizations being betrayed into the hands of Socialists. With them the honest, prudent workingman, who seeks to found for himself and family a modest home, support and educate his children, and live a God-fearing and Christian life, has nothing in common. The one class aims to secure a little competency and own property; the other is plotting to get hold of the accumulations of others' industry, and proposes to confiscate the property of others to support the confiscators in idleness. The workingman may feel that he gets too small a pro rata of what he earns now, but a state of things such as would logically ensue from putting into practice Socialistic theories, would be infinitely worse—scattering the accumulations of capital, which make great industries possible, throwing multitudes out of employment, and taking away all incentives to industry, by denying to men that which all systems of political economy and all theories of the rights of the individual have accorded to him; namely, the fruits of his labors. Before the workingman accepts the wild and fantastic theories of Socialism, and undertakes to reverse the whole order of things upon which the civilizations of the world have been built up; attempts to subvert all the principles which underlie the forms of law,—which recognize the rights of men to property, honestly acquired; and seeks to nullify the commands of God, which also recognize those rights,—let him consider the probability of success in his mad undertaking, and inquire what he is likely to gain if this conspiracy against nature, humanity, and God should succeed. The apples of Sodom, which turned to ashes in the hand, would fitly represent all he would grasp as the fruit of this Socialistic, Communistic, and Nihilistic subversion of the present604order of things. The consistency of Nihilism would only be vindicated in the choice of a name to express its destructive theories and purposes—all government, all social order, all rights, all religion, would be annihilated—nothing would be left.
All these theories rest upon an atheistic basis, and have nothing in common with “the golden rule” of Christ, or the spontaneous distribution of goods by the Christians of Jerusalem when they—to meet a special emergency—“had all things common.” The one sprang from love—the other is to be realized by brute force.
These organizations extend throughout Europe and America, and there are everywhere these “swarms,” “MULTITUDES OF ANGRY MEN,” who seem to be only waiting until they can secure concerted action to show forth their wrath, as indicated in the prophecy of the sounding of the seventh angel. The terrible scenes of the French Revolution, the assassinations and the destruction of the palaces and grand public buildings of the city of Paris in 1871, and the more recent crimes of the London mob, are probably but faint foreshadowings of the mischief which these conspirators intend to inflict on the world. That the nations of Europe—which has been the grand theater for all this dramatic action indicated by the prophet—will suffer from this “third woe,” as it is called, we cannot doubt. How we shall be affected in America is known only to God.
CULTIVATING LOVE IN THE HOME.
By Mrs. H. W. Pierce
MRS. H. W. PIERCE.
(Oxford, Miss.)
Those of us who have had experience in training children have often been pained at the display of selfish feelings and the inclination to censure one another that is manifested at times even in well-regulated households. It is hardly to be wondered at either, since the “little innocents” are each born with the carnal nature, and must be born again before they can in full bear the fruits of the Spirit.
While associated with a much esteemed Christian woman and her children for several months, one fault in that otherwise happy family appeared like an ugly blot upon a white page. There were but three children—two boys, aged fourteen and nine years, whose conduct, so respectful and obedient to their mother, kind and polite to all about them, really won my heart; the sister was nearly five, and remarkably forward for her years. Two years before, there was another sister, older than this one; but sweet little Lena was laid away to rest till Jesus comes.
The fond mother, almost inconsolable with grief, though trying to say, “Thy will be done,” evidently failed to hold the same wholesome restraint over the remaining daughter that she so wisely held over the older children, and little Myrtle was humored in her whims, and even encouraged in finding fault with her brothers. The habit grew upon her rapidly, and though her brothers were usually kind to her, it was seldom they could please her long at a time. She would be sure to seize upon some word or act and construe it as an insult or an injury; then she would burst into a loud cry, with complaint against Fred or James; while the brothers, conscious they had intentionally done nothing to misuse her, would promptly deny the charge. The mother usually accused them of “aggravating their little sister,” and sometimes put a slight punishment upon them, to the delight of the little girl. She also charged them, in Myrtle’s hearing, to be always kind to their sister, and to treat her well; for she was younger than they, and her feelings were easily hurt. Wounded by a sense of injustice, yet unwilling to cause their mother more trouble, the brothers bore it as well as they could, sometimes making remarks which, though true, were in no way calculated to heal the breach.
Shall we, in imagination, peer into the future a few years? The happiness of the boys is marred by Myrtle’s selfish and accusing conduct, and there is little chance for the manifestation of love between them. Still her brothers will make any sacrifice for their sister if she is sick or in trouble; but Myrtle takes this as only her due, so it begets no special love or gratitude in her heart. Home is not so pleasant for Fred and James as it might be, and at an early age, on one pretext or another, they go outside the shelter of the parental roof to court the society of other boys’ sisters, who perhaps are not half so good and pure as their own, were it not for this disagreeable habit begun so early in life and strengthened as the years roll by.
Is there no remedy? The writer begs to be allowed to suggest a plan which has been tried in some families with excellent results. It consists chiefly in holding up the virtues of one child before the others in a judicious way, and, as a rule, in the absence of the one you are seeking to elevate. Try to impress the children with the fact that responsibility rests upon each one to make the life and character of the other loving, pure, and faithful. As the parents should never disparage each other in the hearing of their children, so let them be careful never to lower one child in the estimation of the others. Say to the sisters, “You have some very dear brothers, the best brothers in all the world for you; God gave them to you that you might make them happy, and by your love hold them back from rude and unkind conduct.” When one manifests a disposition to accuse another for some trifling cause, just say, “You can play alone; you are not good enough to play with your dear brothers and sisters; you do not love them well enough to try to make them happy.” When occasion requires, talk to the others in the same way about this one.
Both parents should strive not only to love all their children alike, but to manifest equal interest and affection for each. While visiting in a Christian family a few years ago, I saw a striking illustration of this principle. When the father came into the house, even for his meals, he discoursed with his two daughters, who were the oldest of the family, as sociably as if they had been distinguished guests; and while he was always ready to take the baby, he did not neglect the boys, but talked with them about everything which engaged their attention, holding back the one inclined to overactivity, and pushing forward the one disposed to shirk, yet with so much tact that they had no occasion to even think “papa loves brother best.”
There is a period when, having outgrown their babyhood, the children seem awkward, trying, and in the way. Often the parents speak disparagingly of them in the presence of guests, and lavish tokens of love upon the youngest. These parents spoil the little ones by making too much of them, while those about to enter their teens are hungering for the companionship and kindly encouragement that is withheld when they need it most.
Let the mother plan little surprises for one child to please the others in innocent ways. Although the mother cannot uphold sin in any one of her children, she can so draw upon the love of the others that they will be very helpful in bringing the erring one to repentance. Strive to keep before them the truth that repentance and confession on the part of the offender, and the spirit of forgiveness with the injured party, is the only way to dispose of a wrong so that it shall make no more trouble. Love in the home is the root of peace and the blossom of joy; but it does not always grow spontaneously: it must be cultivated.
MY MOTHER’S BIBLE.
By Bishop Gilbert Haven
Bishop Gilbert Haven, in Mother, Home, and Heaven.
ON one of the shelves in my library, surrounded by volumes of all kinds, on various subjects, and in various languages, stands an old book, in its plain covering of brown paper, unprepossessing to the eye, and apparently out of place among the more pretentious volumes that stand by its side. To the eye of a stranger it has certainly neither beauty nor comeliness. Its covers are worn; its leaves marred by long use; its pages, once white, have become yellow with age; yet, old and worn as it is, to me it is the most beautiful and most valuable book on my shelves. No other awakens such associations or so appeals to all that is best and noblest within me. It is, or rather it was, my mother’s Bible—companion of her best and holiest hours, source of her unspeakable joy and consolation. From it she derived the principles of a truly Christian life and character. It was the light to her feet and the lamp to her path. It was constantly by her side; and, as her steps tottered in the advancing pilgrimage of life, and her eyes grew dim with age, more and more precious to her became the well-worn pages. . . .
And now, no legacy is to me more precious than that old Bible. Years have passed; but it stands there on its shelf, eloquent as ever, witness of a beautiful life that is finished, and a silent monitor to the living. In hours of trial and sorrow it says: “Be not cast down, my son; for thou shalt yet praise Him who is the health of thy countenance and thy God.” In moments of weakness and fear it says: “Be strong now, my son, and quit yourself manfully.” When, sometimes, from the cares and conflicts of external life, I come back to the study, weary of the world and tired of men,—of men that are so hard and selfish, and a world that is so unfeeling,605—and the strings of the soul have become untuned and discordant, I seem to hear that book saying, as with the well-remembered tones of a voice long silent: “Let not your heart be troubled. For what is your life? It is even as a vapor.” Then my troubled spirit becomes calm; and the little world, that had grown so great and formidable, sinks into its true place again. I am peaceful, I am strong.
There is no need to take down the volume from the shelf, or open it. A glance of the eye is sufficient. Memory and the law of association supply the rest. Yet there are occasions when it is otherwise; hours in life when some deeper grief has troubled the heart, some darker, heavier cloud is over the spirit and over the dwelling, and when it is a comfort to take down that old Bible and search its pages. Then, for a time, the latest editions, the original languages, the notes and commentaries and all the critical apparatus which the scholar gathers around him for the study of the Scriptures are laid aside; and the plain old English Bible that was my mother’s is taken from the shelf.
THE CHEERY MAN.
God bless the cheery man! For him
Joy fills life's goblet to the brim.
Whatever road his feet may fare,
They find a pleasant pathway there.
Dark clouds may overcast his sky,
His heart new sunshine can supply;
Oh, naught can turn his day awry!
God bless the cheery man!
God bless the cheery man!—who goes
His way, forgets all cares and woes,
No sadness can his smile withstand;
'Tis hope to grasp his hearty hand.
His word is like the bright sunshine;
Who walks with him cannot repine.
Oh, may his way be one with mine!
God bless the cheery man!
—The Inland.
THAT MORNING BATH.
By Addie S. Bowen
ADDIE S. BOWEN.
A morning bath is always refreshing if rightly taken, and especially so in warm weather. In cold weather it should in most cases be taken by the fire, or in a warm room.
Perhaps you have been so rushed that some morning you went about your duties without bathing. You felt dull, and by and by, beginning to realize what was the matter, you bathed your hands and face with clean, cold water as usual. Then you felt wide awake and ready for work. Had you taken a bath, you would have been much more invigorated.
There are several ways of bathing. The robust and ordinarily well can, with excellent effect, plunge into the river, lake, or swimming pool, or take a dip in the bath tub, with sufficient water at 70° or 80° F. to cover the person when lying down; or a dripping wet sheet rub may be taken. A most excellent way for well or sick is by a shower or spray apparatus with water at about 75° F.
An elderly man in New York told me of his experience in a small water cure in an obscure town, to which he had gone for his health. One principal treatment was this: the patient stood in a tub while a nurse put a sheet, which had been dipped in cold water, around him, and rubbed him vigorously, after which the patient was quickly dried, and well rubbed again. He grew well rapidly, and went into the lumber woods the next winter, still continuing his cold wet sheet rub every morning during the winter. He said he never felt so well in his life, and he did not have a cold all winter.
In taking these heroic baths the head and chest should be wet with cold water, and the feet must be warm before beginning the treatment, which must be taken quickly—in five or six minutes. This also applies in the simpler forms of bath for the morning tonic.
Those who are less robust, or have not the necessary apparatus for the preceding methods, have still other means. A very enjoyable and beneficial bath may be had with less than a gallon of water, a common washbowl, rough crash or Turkish towel, and mitten, or even the bare hand. The less water used, the colder it should be, from 60° down to 40° F., and vigorous friction should be applied both in wetting and in drying the skin. In hot weather, however, a refreshing and cooling effect is produced by leaving the skin moist, omitting the dry friction, as the drying by evaporation cools the surface, and has a good effect on the internal organism. As winter approaches, let the drying process be thorough and the friction continued until the skin is warm. Remember this daily work with water and towel is preparing you to endure cold without taking cold, and it will be all the more enjoyable.
Now a few details for the benefit of beginners, who can take only the simplest method. Have the washbowl of water, etc., ready for quick work on rising. Bathe the face first, then with the bath mitten wet just enough not to drip, bathe the chest and front part of trunk of body. After thoroughly drying, bathe one arm, then the other arm, and so on, wetting and drying part of the person at a time. This is not a soap bath, except it be necessary to use a little soap about the neck, and where the sweat glands are most active.
A good bath mitten may be knit of common twine, in the form of a bag large enough to be loose when wet, and long enough to cover the entire hand. Narrow off at finger ends as for an ordinary mitten. The rough side is best for the skin, unless it be that of a very delicate person. Another way is to cut out a mitten from Turkish toweling or moreen skirt cloth. Rubber cord may be put in the hem at the wrist to prevent this loose mitten from slipping off. It should be large enough to go on and off easily and quickly. The mitten is far superior to a washcloth, and adds greatly to the enjoyment and benefit of the bath.
Still another method is to wring a towel dry enough not to drip, out of very cold water, and rub with it all over the person, dipping it as often as it becomes warm.
However the bath is taken, it is to be with expedition—five minutes is sufficient. It is a curative of certain maladies, such as a weak stomach, weak nerves, and similar difficulties. I heartily recommend it; for no other treatment has done me more good.
OBSERVATIONS CONCERNING CONDUCT AT CAMP-MEETING.
By Fannie H. Shaffer
FANNIE H. SHAFFER.
(Bird City, Kan.)
While attending a State camp-meeting lately, I was much impressed with the conduct of some of our sisters who had babies or unruly children two or three years of age. The mothers almost invariably took the front seats; and whenever the children became restless or cried, the attention of the congregation was taken from the minister. Think of him trying to speak with several crying babies between him and the greater part of his audience!
I cannot forbear mentioning an instance of this nature which occurred several years ago at a meeting in the same State. The encampment was quite large, about twelve hundred being on the grounds, and consequently quite a number of the small folks were present. And what did the mothers do? Did they take the children back in the congregation, so as to run no risk of causing a disturbance?—No! The speaker’s platform was literally surrounded with baby carriages; and as a consequence, there was scarcely a moment when quiet reigned. I could but wonder at the patience and forbearance of our ministers.
I do not say this to discourage mothers from attending our meetings, for they, above all others, need the words of counsel and encouragement that the Lord sends in such abundance. But should we not exercise a little common sense and true courtesy? If the child cries, it must necessarily disturb some, even in the back part of the tent, but there the disturbance will be much less than when in the front.
Again; during nearly every service there was a continual stream of men, women, and children going in and out of the tent. It is generally regarded as very ill mannered to leave a public place during service, unless from good cause.
How must the world look upon such conduct! May the time hasten when we as a people shall have so thoroughly mastered the principles of good form that they will be practiced at camp-meeting and in all our walks of life.
THE TOWN OF NO GOOD.
HAVE you heard, my friend, of the town of No Good
On the banks of the river Slow;
Where blooms the Wait-a-While flower fair,
Where the Sometime-or-Other scents the air,
And the soft Go Easys grow?
It lies in the valley of What's the Use,
In the province of Let 'er Slide.
“That tired feeling” is native there;
'Tis the home of the reckless I Don't Care!
Where the Give It Ups abide.
That town is as old as the age of Time,
And it grows with the flight of years.
It lies wrapped in the fog of idlers' dreams;
Its streets are paved with discarded schemes,
And sprinkled with useless tears.
— Selected.
REQUESTS FOR PRAYERS.
A YOUNG man, nineteen years of age, the oldest of eight children, wishes the people of God to unite with him in prayer for his father, that he may see the truth, and be converted. He will not read a word of our literature, and ridicules the believers. The son is ready to engage in the Lord’s work, and would like to attend school, but it seems to be the will of God that he remain with the family, who are without a mother. The son is not permitted to keep the Sabbath.
A SISTER requests prayers for her husband, that he may, with the help of God, give up the drink habit, and be converted. Another requests prayers for her two children and their families, that they may accept the truth.
FATHER HOLDS THE LINE.
By Mrs. A. Nason Price
MRS. A. NASON PRICE.
In the broad, deep river just in front of our house, one morning I noticed a dark object struggling in the waves. Upon going near I saw that it was a child—a boy about ten or twelve years of age. I was surprised to see him struggling in the water and still making no apparent effort to get out, although he was not far from the shore. I saw that his head even went under at times. Rushing toward him, the mystery was solved. The boy was learning to swim. Wholly absorbed in the work in hand, he paid no attention to his situation, although every moment it seemed to me that he would be engulfed. I could not see why he did not try to escape from such imminent danger; but upon going still nearer, I saw that his father stood upon a bridge above, holding a cord which was fastened about the boy’s waist. This was the secret of his fearlessness; he had confidence in his father’s love, his father’s ability, power, and willingness to keep him from danger.
What a lesson for us! Do we have such confidence in our Heavenly Father’s love and care that we are willing to venture into the broad stream of sin and degradation,—not for amusement, but to rescue perishing souls? Do we, with the confidence and the trust of a child, know that we are perfectly safe because our Father holds the line?
Writing Our Lives With a Chisel
We are not writing in the sand. The tide does not wash it out. We are not painting our pictures on the canvas and with a brush, so that we can erase the error of yesterday or overlay it with another color to-day. We are writing our lives with a chisel on the marble, and every time we strike a blow, we leave a mark that is ineffaceable.—London S. S. Times.
ANARCHY AND ITS MEANING IN THE UNITED STATES.
By L. A. S.
To the American people the present occasion of national calamity and sorrow is one not merely for indignation, but for sober reflection as well. While abhorring the crime that has been committed, we should not forget to inquire for the cause of it. The cause was not personal animosity, nor cupidity, else would the act mean no more than an ordinary attempt at murder. The crime is significant because it was committed in the name of politics.
The crime and the criminal are not the main features of the case to be considered. The crime is a symptom; the essential thing is the disease itself. It is very common to make the mistake of treating the symptoms without getting at the malady which produces them. It is to be hoped the American people will not make this mistake, but will look further than the symptoms, and take measures to deal with the evil itself from which such horrible symptoms arise.
Anarchy is as senseless as it is cruel; but there is a cause for it. There is no effect without a cause. And it is to be noted that this is the first time in American history that anarchy has raised its hand against the chief executive. Lincoln was not shot by an anarchist; neither was Garfield. Never before has anarchy conducted itself here as if this were a European nation ruled by a hereditary sovereign. Anarchy has long been active here, it is true; but chiefly because this country was a safe and favorable rendezvous in which to plot against the lives of European rulers.
It is evident from this that a republican government, such as has prevailed in this country, is not favorable to the development of anarchy. Otherwise it would long ago have been striking at the nation's chief executives, as it has long struck at the sovereigns of the Old World. The chief executives of the United States have always moved about freely with very slight precautions against possible attempts upon their lives. The Czar and other European rulers, on the other hand, have surrounded themselves with fortresses and armed regiments, and a journey by one of them is always attended with the most excessive precautions for his personal safety.
Most of the governments of Europe are despotic. From the history of these governments, as compared with that of the United States, it is clear that despotism breeds anarchy far more than does free government. And this is suggestive as to the nature of the remedy that must be sought. While no remedy may exist that will eradicate anything so devoid of regard for reason and justice, that remedy must be used which will most nearly approximate this desirable end; and history proves this to be the maintenance of free government. Nothing should be done to make the government of these United States more nearly like the governments of Europe. To do that would be only to treat the symptoms while aggravating the disease itself.
A widespread call is being made for severe measures. It is demanded that anarchy be put down with a strong hand, after the manner in which it is treated in other lands. This would be well if it would accomplish the desired result; whether it will or not is the question to be considered. Anarchists are free here because this is a free government. To make it less free than it is, in the endeavor to root out this evil, would only be to approximate those Old World conditions which have bred the anarchy that plagues us here. The Old World is the starting-point of this plague; it is not native to these shores.
Whether this nation now, more than in the past, is taking any course calculated to foster the development of anarchy, is a question to be carefully considered by the American people. This question they should consider in looking beyond the symptoms to the malady itself which threatens such deplorable results. L. A. S.