Secular News | AdventAI

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Mar 20, 1879

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 5, No. 12.

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Secular News.

—A railroad is to be built to the top of Vesuvius.

—The effort to impeach the late French Cabinet has failed.

—The Insane Asylum at Napa, Cal., is full, and “more are coming.”

—The Nihilists are giving things an unpleasant outlook in Russia.

—In Muncie, Ind., they have put phonography in the school course of studies.

—A vessel from Rio Janeiro is quarantined off New Orleans with yellow fever on board.

—The Kern County Gazette reports, March 8, about one inch of rain for the season; prospects dull.

—The clerk of the Pullman Car Company who stole the funds, has received a ten year's sentence.

—In one district of Sheffield, Eng., there are 4,000 destitute persons, and 400 families actually starving.

—Militia companies are organizing in San Joaquin Valley to resist the demands of the “Railroad monopoly.”

—Two powder explosions in Pennsylvania, —Pottsville, March 2, one killed, and Danville, March 3, three killed.

—The Democrats have a majority in both Houses of Congress. The scramble for the nomination of Speaker has been unusually sharp.

—The “Passion Play” is being performed only in part in San Francisco. The crucifixion scene was omitted in regard for public feeling.

—At Gilmore's Gardens, New York, March 12, a section of seats about 45 feet long and 20 deep fell, creating a panic, as a great crowd was present. About twenty persons were injured.

—In North Berwick, Me., March 10, the floor of a hall gave way during town meeting, precipitating about 150 persons to the floor below, seriously injuring many. Much indignation is felt against the builder of the hall.

—In France everything has a stormy outlook in government affairs. In Germany Bismarck seems to be losing his influence. It is greatly feared that his strong measures will give controlling power to the communists or socialists.

—And now reports come from St. Petersburg of terrible mortality from a virulent form of typhus, and some cases of plague. As some symptoms of the plague resemble those of the typhus, it seems likely that the plague is really raging there.

—An alliance has been lately consummated between two Royal houses; Prince Arthur of England married Louisa of Prussia. A two-column description of the wedding in daily American papers will appease the general taste for snobbery.

—The Raleigh Observer says the people of North Carolina annually pay $8,500,960 for intoxicating liquors, which exceeds the value of her cotton crop by over one million dollars. And her legislature is trying to devise some way to evade the full payment of the public debt.

—When Cardinal McCloskey returned from Rome he rebuked the editor of The Freeman's Journal for being more papal than the Pope. And now the Bishop of Alton has forbid the clergy of his diocese reading the Journal. Converts are apt to be zealous—sometimes too much so.

—Congressman Whiteaker of Oregon landed in Oakland 26 hours behind the leaving of the train which would take him in time to reach Washington at the organization of the House. An extra train overtook the other at Green River, making double time. It is said he will make the trip to Washington in five days.

—The United States Inspectors exonerate the officers of the Alameda and El Capitan from blame in the recent collision. They report a good lookout, and that the fog was so dense that the sound of the whistles recoiled, deceiving all in regard to the distance. The whistle of a tug not over 600 feet distant could not be heard.

—The excitement in New York is almost equal to that of a money panic. Three or four men have tramped themselves nearly to death, and unknown thousands have been spent in seeing. A few things can be spared from several other States if New York requires. Really, this is enough to make a man ashamed of his kind.

—Accounts from Brazil are very gloomy. A New York paper says,—The land is dried up for want of rain, and even the birds have perished by millions. The inhabitants themselves seem to have been devoted exclusively to agriculture and pasturage, but for nearly twelve months the parched earth has refused to give her increase, and the cattle have died side by side with their late owners.