News and Comment by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jul 12, 1910

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 37, No. 27.

News and Comment

By Editor

There is a proposal to erect a statue to the Honorable Samuel J. Tilden. Of him the New York World says, "Tilden never held a federal office; he was never a representative, or a senator, or a cabinet minister, yet it may be doubted if any other man since Lincoln exerted so great an influence upon national affairs." He will always be remembered because of his sucessful fight against the Tweed ring.

The feeling of California toward Japanese labor has taken several interesting little turns recently. Two years ago it was necessary for the Federal Government to restrain the anti-Japanese trend of the California legislature. Now the commissioner of labor, Mr. McKenzie, of the same state, in a final report on the Japanese labor problem, which involved two years' work and a careful census of all the farms employing Japanese, tells us that Japanese labor is essential not alone in developing our farming interests, but also in maintaining our present plane in the agricultural world. The report, 200,000 words long, cuts directly at many of the anti-oriental party of California, yet most of the Eastern papers are pleased with the report. The Independent calls it "the repentance of California."

According to a newspaper report, the greatest celebration that has ever occurred in Lincoln County, Arkansas, followed the lynching of a Negro which had been attended by "every man, woman, child, and dog in the county." Prize-fights are not the only brutalizing factors in the country. Frequently lynchings take a full share in mixing the elements of ugly, brutal passions into American life. Few things are worse than the taking of life by a mob, and fewer still are as bad as making such occasions pleasure celebrations.

The Roman Catholic Church is arousing itself to greater missionary activity. Whereas the Protestants of America gave more than $11,000,000 to missions, the whole Catholic body raised only $1,342,000 last year. This contrast is used by Catholic journals to urge the development of Catholic missions. There are about 54,000 Catholic missionaries at present. Of these, 10,000 are priests.

While other nations are spending more in naval lines, France is spending a great deal of money in air-ships. A despatch from Paris, May 7, says that France will spend four million dollars on her air-ship fleet. Germany just now is ahead; but the French are determined in this line, as they have led in the development of the navigation of the air.

How Little Mortals Know!—We use electricity, we explain and record its phenomena, and cause their repetition, but we guess as to what it is. Wireless telegraphy seems almost uncanny; it is partially understood, but not wholly. For instance, messages can be sent by night better than by day, but no one knows why.

At a late meeting of the Woman's Total Abstinence Union of England, a speaker declared that about 300,000 London children are alcoholists; that is, forty per cent of the young drink intoxicants regularly. It was also stated that fifty-eight per cent of New York children belong to the same class.

A car accident occurred the other day in New York City in which a car jumped a track and then turned over; yet nobody was injured, because an official immediately called out, "Hold on tight." The passengers held on tight and saved their bones. That is pretty good advice in most emergencies.

Spain is at last attempting to withdraw the disabilities that have lain on non-Catholic citizens for many centuries. It is a pleasure to record so happy an action. It will open the way to more Christian activity among Protestants.

The French navy department has decided that the day of the torpedo-boat is over. No more vessels of this type are to be constructed, but destroyers and submarines will gradually take their place.

Cottonseed flour is arousing attention in the South. It is said that a number of good things can be made of it, and, as well, that it is much cheaper than wheat flour.

The new German cruiser Von der Tann, of 19,000 tons, developed on her trial trip a speed of twenty-eight knots an hour.