OCTOBER 23 the Huguenots of New York City celebrated the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, at the Marble Collegiate Reformed Church at Fifth Avenue and Twenty-ninth Street, and were addressed by Rev. Charles Merle d'Aubigne, who is here as delegate of the Evangelical churches of France to the churches of America. Mr. d'Aubigne pleads for the friendship of the United States for France, and American aid in lifting the French people out of their low conditions. . . . Mr. d'Aubigne spoke of his countrymen with deep discouragement, and a severer judgment could hardly be framed. He said, as reported:— "The moral standard of France is very low. The people have abandoned the use of light wines, and now that deadly poison, absinthe, is what I might safely call the regular drink of the French people. France now stands next to Belgium in intemperance. There are more than 500,000 public houses, nearly one to every 76 persons. The spread of immorality is appalling. Immoral literature is circulated throughout the country and is obtainable by any one. There are also numerous immoral newspapers freely distributed. The criminality of France is now three times as great as it was 50 years ago, and the immoral influence upon the young is pathetic and astounding." Speaking of the predominance of the Roman Catholic Church, which owns a tenth of the land property of France, he noted that the faith of the people was very low, and in many districts had no hold whatever. Yet, he said, the Roman Church, while establishing 20 convents a year, is doing little to raise the morals of the people, and the Protestants are the leaders of every movement against vice.