Various Matters by Editor

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Feb 28, 1884

Various Matters.

By Editor

According to promise we give in our editorial columns an article on the Book of Psalms. We hope it may prove of benefit to the one who raised a query about the Psalms.

A question has also been sent to us about the names of the days of the week. An interesting article on that subject will be found in this paper.

The article entitled "Organic Religion," was published in the New York Independent in 1870. It was appropriate then, and much more so now, as the movement for amending the Constitution has greatly increased in proportions and strength. Some utterances of the Independent during the past year or two indicate that it has weakened somewhat, and that it will not be opposed to the amendment if it will enforce the Sunday. "Great is Diana."

It is to be feared that the whole world will consider the American Congress a congregation of imbeciles. After making itself almost ridiculous by its interference in a murder trial in England, it is now filling up its record by sending an ill-timed resolution to the German Court about the death of a citizen of that Empire, and going into spasms over its non-reception by that Government. We are led to wonder if there is any public business which might profitably engage the attention of our national legislators.

It is customary, and in good keeping, for nations to send messages of condolence when Presidents, Emperors, or kings die, but for such a body as the American Congress ought to be to meddle with minor matters of foreign lands is not calculated to feed the national pride of our citizens. That we do not overrate the absurdity of the action to which we refer is shown by eminent Congressmen gravely talking of the possibility of a war between the two nations over this matter! Let Congress go to work, and "let us have peace."

A number of prominent Roman Catholic writers have recently accused Luther of being the author of the following sentences:—

"My friends, it would be better to live in concubinage than chastity. Chastity is an unpardonable sin, whereas concubinage, with God's assistance, would not involve the loss of my salvation."

They have gone so far as to refer to the letter in which the passage occurs. The Independent has taken the trouble to test the reference and to translate the letter in question. There are no such sentences in it, and the sentiments expressed by Luther are precisely opposite to those contained or implied in the alleged quotations. The Independent justly speaks of this as a "most shameless calumny," but has no expectation that the journals to which it replies will retract the slander or even cease from circulating it.