p. 415 | News and Notes by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 30, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 26.

News and Notes.

By Editor

FOR THE WEEK ENDING APRIL 23.

RELIGIOUS.

—Archbishop Riordan confirmed 500 children in two Catholic Churches of San Francisco on the 22d inst.

—The Baptist Churches of Atlanta, Ga., sustained the past record of that denomination in the matter of freedom of conscience by sending to the U. S. Senate a protest against the proposed religious amendment to the Constitution.

—The grand jury of Platte City, Mo., has indicted forty of the leading ladies and gentlemen of that place for playing progressive euchre. A great sensation is the result, and the peace and harmony of a prominent church is seriously disturbed.

—The Minneapolis Journal, which is credited with having several times published Catholic news before it was known in the church, states that Monsignor O'Connell, of the American College at Rome, will be made papal ablegate at Washington as soon as Satolli is confirmed as cardinal, which will be in a short time.

—Rev. J. Q. A. Henry, the Baptist minister who has been publicly ventilating Catholicism for several weeks, makes this assertion: "Every Catholic paper in the country is attacking the American Protective Association, Masonry, and all other organizations opposed to Rome. These signs indicate that the war has begun."

—The "Armed Brothers of the Sahara" is the title of a new Catholic organization formed to assist and protect the white fathers in their mission work in Africa. In criticism of this movement the Cynosure says, "The gospel is entirely opposed to all secret and armed forces." But how about enforcing religious dogmas by the civil power? Secular power is an "armed force."

—A Mr. Grein, of London, not long ago set on foot a movement for popularizing the English Sunday by having a series of Sunday evening lectures and debates on dramatic questions at the Royal Theater. Now it is said the Lord's Day Observance Society threaten to prosecute him, and it is intimated that the case will be a notable one, inasmuch as Mr. Grein is backed by many people of wealth and influence.

—The National Christian League for the promotion of Social Purity has deemed it necessary to publicly "resolve" against the conduct of Congressman Breckinridge because of his scandalous conduct as exposed in the recent breach of promise suit. It ought to be known as a matter of course where professedly Christian people and societies stand on such matters, without the ostentation of public resolutions.

—The incident of Rev. Dr. Eddie, of this city, having gone over from the Congregational to the Episcopal Church, calls forth the following comment from the Evening Tribune: "The announcement is in keeping with the drift of the times in that denomination. Of late several others have done the same thing. Twenty-five or thirty years back—and, for that matter, at a more recent date—the drift of the Congregational body was toward Unitarianism. As the stronger churches in the body have grown rich, there has been a growing tendency in them toward the ritualism of the Anglican Church—a leaning toward the observance of fast and fixed days and the adoration of the saints—matters which were regarded as abominations by the Puritan fathers of the denomination."

—The Christian Statesman is overanxious to represent to the world that Californians are very wicked on Sundays, because they have no Sunday law. In a recent issue it said: "Sabbath, April 1, was made children's day at the Midwinter Fair, and an immense number were present." True enough, Sabbath was made children's day at the Fair, but it was the Sabbath of the Lord, the seventh day of the week, March 31, and not Sunday, the first day of April, as the Statesman would fain represent. There is plenty of wickedness in California, and plenty of Sabbath breaking at the Fair and in every other locality; but the wickedness does not consist in doing on Sunday anything that would be proper on any other secular day. Nevertheless, there is not a city in the Union where a stronger protest would have been raised against making Sunday a children's holiday at the Fair than in San Francisco.

SECULAR.

—Two men have filed gold mining claims within the residence portion of the city of Tacoma, Wash.

—Two of the public schools of Chicago were closed last week because of the prevalence of smallpox.

—On the 17th inst. all the employees of the Milwaukee Street Railroad Company, 450 in number, went on a strike.

—After a cessation of operations for one year, the Illinois Still Mill at Joliet has again started work, giving employment to 2,000 men.

—There is dread of a wheat crisis in Australia, owing to the extremely low price, which is said to be far below the cost of production.

—The village of Jerome, the largest mining camp in Arizona, was entirely destroyed by fire on the 17th inst. The fire started in the post office.

—The latest crop bulletin of the State Agricultural Society of California gives a good prospect for the fruit yield but a very poor outlook for the grain and hay crops.

—The Woman's Club, of Denver, Colo., have set the present week as the time when 100 of the membership are to appear simultaneously in a new dress-reform costume.

—A cyclone struck portions of Lincoln and Pottawatomie Counties, O. T., on the 17th inst., doing great damage to property. Two persons were killed and several others injured.

—The gold decrease in the national treasury has been so rapid recently that the $100,000,000 reserve is again threatened, notwithstanding the recent issue of $50,000,000 in bonds to keep it intact.

—The dignity of the lower house of Congress was pretty well gauged on the 19th inst., when so many of the members were absent at a ball game that business had to be suspended for want of a quorum.

—San Francisco authorities are in the midst of an extensive police scandal, and several old and heretofore trusted officers have been detected in their collusion with gambling and other unlawful enterprises.

—The little kingdom of Greece experienced several severe earthquake shocks on the 21st inst. Six villages are said to be in ruins, and fifty houses fell at the city of Thebes during one shock. It is said that a large number of persons were injured. At Athens the damage was slight, although the royal palace was somewhat injured.

—The last steamer from Japan brings news of a great fire in Yokohama, when a quarter of a mile of buildings were destroyed and six people were burned to death. Two of the latter were U. S. marines.

—The South Carolina State Dispensary Liquor Law has been declared unconstitutional by the State Supreme Court, as was authoritatively predicted at the time of the late troubles over its enforcement.

—Japan is to have an exposition in 1895, at Hiogo. It is to cover manufactures, fine arts, agriculture, education, water productions, mines, mining, and machinery. Foreign goods will be admitted for purposes of comparison.

—The latest report from the Brazilian rebellion is to the effect that a government torpedo boat had sunk the Aquadaban, the mainstay of the rebel fleet, and that Admiral Mello had surrendered his five other vessels to the Government of Argentina.

—Fresno County, Cal., is prolific of criminal sensations. The latest is the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy rancher named Wootton, aged 70 years, and the arrest of a well-known citizen named Sanders on charge of having murdered him.

—Last week a San Francisco wife murderer named Patrick Sullivan was hung at the San Quentin penitentiary, and Fredericks, the murderer of cashier Herrick and former partner of bandit Chris Evans, was convicted of murder in the first degree.

—The Detroit Water Board's refusal to pay the wages demanded by 500 Polish laborers employed on water works extension near the city, was the pretext for a strike and riot on the 18th inst. Two men were killed outright. The sheriff and one deputy and three strikers were fatally wounded, and a dozen or so other strikers and another deputy were less seriously injured.

—Of the venality of the criminal courts in San Francisco the Examiner says: "Cases are juggled on the calendars until they are lost sight of. Criminals are passed from court to court in such bewildering succession that they at last escape entirely from the clutches of the law. Even convicted felons are hocus-pocused out of the penitentiary right under the eyes of the officers of the law, if not with their collusion."

—The British East Africa Company's forces have defeated King Kabba Regas in Uganda. Fifty of the king's warriors were killed and the rest put to flight. He was a powerful slave dealer, and it is claimed that his capital was a rendezvous for Arab slavers. It is probable that the East Africa Company will get entire control of Kabba Regas' dominions, on the plea of humanity, and then King Rum will reign in his stead, with even a more cruel hand.

—The Secretary of the Treasury has instructed the collector of customs at Tacoma, Wash., that "Chinese merchants domiciled in the United States, and who departed prior to November 3 last, may be permitted to land on evidence sufficient to satisfy the collector of their identity as returning merchants. Those who left the United States since November last, and whose names do not appear in a firm name, must be excluded under the opinion of the Attorney General of the 6th inst."

—The steamer Los Angeles, of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company, was wrecked on the rocks off Point Sur, on the Southern California coast, on the night of the 21st inst., and is a total loss. Eight persons were drowned, and it was with great difficulty that any were saved. There was much suffering, especially amongst those who were compelled to cling to the rigging for several hours. The vessel was an old condemned government boat, and it is claimed was unseaworthy.

—A German tailor has invented a bullet-proof cloth, which is attracting much attention in army and navy circles. A test was made last week in presence of a large number of officials, in which the inventor, Herr Dowe, submitted himself for a target, clothed in a coat of his new cloth. The regulation rifle and ball were used, and two shots fired. Mr. Dowe was uninjured, while both the bullets were imbedded in the cloth. A horse was then blanketed with the new cloth and several shots fired, without the slightest injury to the animal.

—Three explorers have secured seven well-preserved mummies from the ruins of cliff dwellers' domiciles in Southeastern Utah. These mummies are well preserved, probably on account of the absence of moisture in the atmosphere and earth in that region. Because of their resemblance to the Caucasian race, rather than to the cliff dwellers, speculators are supposing them to have been residents of the country anterior to the advent of the cliff dwellers. But this fact would be equally good proof of a more recent existence. It is said that one of the mummies shows marks of death by violence, which, considering the locality, does not preclude the idea of comparatively modern existence.