News and Miscellany

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 30, 1872

News and Miscellany.

“Can ye not discern the signs of the times?”

Recent foreign advices present some ground for the apprehension that the duel between France and Germany may be soon renewed. Thiers, whose State-craft consists largely in speech making, has been congratulating the French people upon their recuperative energies, the rapid increase of their army and military resources, the rare excellence of their weapons of warfare, and withal upon the opportunity which France enjoys of rallying the Catholics around her standard in opposition to Prussia, the natural champion of Protestants. These intimations, coupled as they are with the manifest feeling of hostility remaining in the French populace toward their triumphant enemy, have aroused the attention of Bismarck, who is reported to have ordered the reduction of the French army to a quarter of a million of men, or Germany will herself step in and assume control of affairs in the new republic. These reports may not be trustworthy, but that the war will be resumed as soon as France thinks herself strong enough, is one of the events which a not very remote future is likely to see realized.—Battle Creek Journal.

The question of opening the New York Mercantile Library on Sunday is now being canvassed by the members of that society. The votes so far have been decidedly in favor of the plan. On Monday, Mr. Beecher speaks at a public meeting in New York upon the subject. He is understood to sustain the idea; and will probably show that it is no violation of the spirit of the Sabbath day to allow the libraries to compete with the saloons for patronage.

Trouble is arising in Spain according to the following advices:

IN A STATE OF SIEGE.

A royal proclamation has been issued declaring the provinces of Navarre, Lerida and Biscay in a state of siege. It is stated that the Carlist bands in those provinces decline to risk an engagement with government forces in the open field, but harass the troops sent against them by marches, counter marches, and ambuscades, but on the contrary the accounts received by the Minister of War declare that some of the bands have been dispersed, and others are rapidly retreating before the government troops, who are in close pursuit of them.

CARLIST BANDS IN THE PROVINCES.

Madrid, April 24.—A band of Carlists, 2,000 in number, are now concentrated in the Province of Navarre, and a band numbering 200 is in the neighborhood of Bilboa. The bands in La Mancha and Andalusia are insignificant.

The Christian who has put aside religion because he is in worldly company, is like a man who has put off his shoes because he is walking among thorns.