The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-11 00:00:00

SENTENCE ON MR. MARDIMENT.

Mr. Justice Blackburn pronounced the sentence of the
court in this case, which was that taking the two months'
imprisonment into consideration the defendant had
suffered, he should be further imprisoned for 10 calendar
months from this date, making twelve calendar months'
imprisonment altogether. Four of those months he should
be a second-class misdemeanant according to the previous
sentence, and six months as a first-class misdemeanant.
Then, considering that he was a poor man, they would
inflict only a fine of £lOO.
Mr. Soper applied to the court for a respite of the sen-
tence against Mr. Fennelly for a week, in order that he
might have an opportunity of conferring with the Home
Secretary.
The Lord Chief Justice said an application of that kind
would have to be made elsewhere, otherwise it would ap-
pear that they sanctioned the proceeding.

EXPLOSION ON BOARD A STEAMER.—The London
screw steamer J. M. Strachan, from Newcastle toLondon,
put into Great Yarmouth roadstead to land a seaman named
Fairbrother. It appears that gas, generated from the coal
carried by the steamear, exploded, and Fairbrother was
much burned ; one of his legs was also broken. He was
conveyed to the Great Yarmouth Hospital, where he lies
in a precarious state. Two other men were also injured.
The steamer was not much damaged, and proceeded.
THE MARRIAGE OF LORD DERBY.—A London
correspondent of the Leeds Mercury says :—Like one or
two other distinguished members of the nobility, Lord
Derby had for so many years shewn himself indifferent to
the feminine charms of society, that the idea had become
universal that he would never change his condition. The
lady to whom it is now announced that he is shortly to be
married is well known in London society. She is the
stepmother, not the mother, of Lord Salisbury, and
is two years older than Lord Derby. As to Lord
Derby's age, only those who are in the habit of consulting
" Dod " and " Debrett" can have any idea of what it
really is. When in the House of Commons, he looked at
least as old as Mr. Disraeli or Mr. Gladstone, and
those, therefore, who have judged him by his appearance
will be astonished to hear that he has not yet reached his
45th year. The day has gone by in which marriages
had much political significance. Indeed, durinc, the
past eighteen months we have seen some remarkable
alliances amongst families consistently opposed to each
other in politics. It is, therefore, rather as an agree-
able social surprise than as anything more important,
that the announcement made is to be regarded.
WATER FOR THE GARDEN.—The water of a river
or pond, and the water of a tank filled by rainfall, may as
a rule be considered the best possible for every purpose in
the garden • but water procured from a well is almost
certain to be more or less hard, and therefore unfavourable
to vegetable life, according to the nature of the soil from
which it is derived. It is a matter of fact that
rain water was scarce throughout the summer
of 1868, and that crops supplied with water
obtained from deep wells perished, while similar
crops on the same ground that had no water prospered un-
affected by the drought. There can be no doubt that
water is of vast importance even in our most ordinary
seasons. Last year heavy crops of rye-grass were ob-
tained from pure sand that was constantly irrigated.
When, however, the water supply is limited, and newly-
, planted shrubs require aid, much more good may be done
by frequently sprinkling it over the foliage than by apply-
ing it to the roots. Indeed, growing crops
of all kinds receive an immense amount of
benefit from having the foliage sprinkled, even when
copious supplies are available for the roots. The manner
of watering is of equal importance as to the quantity and
the time. It is a singular fact that all summer crops are
planted or sown, as the case may be, on the ordinary
level, thus rendering it a matter of extreme difficulty to
reach their roots with water. We have frequently in
these pages urged the importance of sowing peas and
beans, and planting lettuce, in trenches, and we fail to see
why all summer crops should not be planted in trenches.
—The Gardener's Magazine.

SACRED SUBJECTS AND THE NEWS-

PAPERS.

A great institution of the United States is what
is called the religious press. There is a religious press
in England also, but it has never attained to the
proportions of that in America, nor are the two
alike. In England the papers are the organs of
sects, and, whether Catholic or Protestant, repre-
sent shades of opinion. In America sects have
their organs too, but there are leading rsEwspapers
which are termed religious, which mix up the
things of this world and the next. If asked to
name the leading characteristics of these papers, we
would answer Mammon; for though-there are many
exceptions, the majority might take as their motto
part of verse fourteen of the 24th chapter of Num-
bers,—Come, therefore, and 1 will advertise thee.
That is the general cry, coupled with earnest
appeals to their friends to get up clubs for sub-
scriptions, to encourage at all times the increased
circulation among neig'bours and acquaintances,
to attract attention to the premiums offered, but,
above all, for prompt remittances. One ad, lresses the
publishers in such a way as this—" See what nice no-
tices and reviews we give of books, and consider
how large is our circulation among a reading and
thoughtful class." In other words, that paper
said, " Advertise extensively with us, and we will
puff your works," or, " Come and 1 will advertise thee
at 25 cents a line." Religious papers are nearly
always edited by clergymen, who so get into the
habit of collecting money from all classes for the pro-
motion of Christianity and objects of charity that
they carry the cry for cash into the editorial chair.
At any rate, these appeals more abound in religious
I apers than in secular sheets, and give a mate-
rialistic air, which grates on the reader who looks
for something very different. But if this sort of
charity abounds, other sorts are by no means so
common. The organ of one sect handles without
gloves another sect, and rival papers of the same
persuasion keep up a lively skirinisli. The great reli-
gious paper is the New York Independent, and on it the
brethren pour out many vials of wrath. Lately it
has been compelled by what a leading Boston paper
terms the indignant feeling which its reckless utter-
aaces have called for, to enter on a laboured ex-
planation of its religious sentiments and belief :
" It proposed to settle for evermore its character
vs a representative of Evangelical Christianity by
publishing before the world a ► Confession of Faith'
which would challenge the severest criticism. It
called upon all concerned to witness to its unim-
peachable,orthodoxy, as seen in its solemnly avowed
creed, and thereafter followed, word for word, the.
sermon which CHRIST uttered on the Mount."
1 hen the Independent stopped, and no nagging has
succeeded in extracting from it anything more. It
is in New England that' the religiouspress flourishes,
and many excellent papers are published there.
Many of these discuss secular matters, and give all
the news, political as well as religious. Generally
speaking, they are strongly anti-Papist, Leing of the
straitest sect of the Puritan, and it is with dismay
they find Romanism on the increase in what they re-
gard as the stronghold of Protestantism, and no small
degree too of immorality prevailing. The conflict
on the Bible in Schools' question has ranged ell that
c as, of papers on one side. The movement is reg arded
as a device of the enemy to break down the National
system, and to establish sectarian schools. One says
that the controversy has brought this fact to light,
that that portion of Cincinnati where crimes most
abound cast the heaviest vote against the Bible,
while exactly in proportion as the Wards improved
in intelligence and good conduct was the Bible
sustained ; and, calling attention to this fact, it
asks the thoughtless persons joining the party for
its expu'sionto consider the sortof company they are
keeping. It is slid that there are 10,000,000 of
children in the Union between the ages of five and
15, of whom 4,000,000 do not attend Sunday school,
the average being not over that even in Massachu-
setts ; and this is us,2cl as an argument for the
reading of the Bible in the common day-schools.,
From the whole tone of the religious press, which
exercises so powerful an influence in America, it
is clear that the Evangelical world has set its
foot firmly down on the principle that, the Bible
shall be read in the public schools, and perhaps
there ate no men more difficult to drive from a po-'.
sit ion they have resolutely and deliberat ely,taken up.
In New York meetings and petitions are nume-
rous against the Jesuitical movement, as the reli-
gious press term the Catholic attempts to obtain
appropriations from the State for their schools, in
which they have been to a small extent successful,
in that State as well as in California. At San
Francisco, however, the money voted was not paid
by the Treasurer on the plea that the funds N ere
not in the Treasury. The High and Low Church
Episcopalians of New York have split, the osten-
sible cause of the quarrel being a charitable in-
stitution in New York City called "The Sheltering
Arms." A bazaar was to have been held for its
benefit, and a question arose as to the part to
be taken in it by the High-Church party, for
the Low Churchmen, alleging anti-Protestant-.
ism, indeed Popery, against the Sisterhood of St.
liary, which controlled the institution, compelle I
them 'to resign: One of these accusations was
that tee Sisters practised confession to the Rev.
Dr. Dix, chaplain to the institution. The High
Church party is wealthy and influential, and they
regard this as an insidious movement at the insti-
gation of the two TYNGS and the Rev. JOHN C.
SMITH. The Episcopalian merely announces that,
a bazaar for the benefit of The Sheltering Arms
was to be held on the 18th April, but it does not
allude, so far as we can see, to a quarrel which has
assumed considerable importance, though it discusses
the High Mass at St. Alban's, and the departure from
that plainness and simplicity which formerly charac-
terised the Episcopal Churches. What the Episcopa-
lian does, however, with a will, is to censure in the
strongest way the habit of some of the New York
dailies "which subsist on sensations of one kind and
another, to devote the greater part of their Mon-
day's issue to rehashed reports of what are (some-
times facetiously) called, Sunday sermons. For the
most part they consist of the spasm() _lie and dis-
jointed m terances of persons of very loose notions of
religion, theology, and Christian morals even, and
include the whole range of the modern mental anar-
chy which covers the whole ground between French
Positivism and Spiritualism and Rationalism."
While admitting their motives to be good, it is
asserted that the most imprudent and mischievous
things are done every day with the best intentions,
and if the editors were aware of the injury ensuing
they would discontinue the practice. The preface
of " Reverend" to some of the names only adds
to the mischief by throwing the unwary off their
guard. But the most extraordinary of the rhapso-
dies of blasphemy is that uttered by GEORGE FRAN-
CIS TRAIN. The New York Star thus heads its
account of what it terms " the valedictory sermon
of the Rev. GEORGE FRANCIS TRAIN, being the
seventeenth discourse given by this original cler-
gyman :"

"A crowded house and a slashing sermon - Enthusiasm
of the congregatien—A brilliant going out of the sensa-
tional divine—Effective hits at every head."

The Star has thus arranged its front page—Easter
Services, Religion in New York, Brooklyn, and
Jersey, all the principal churches being mentioned
of every denomination, with their decorations and
the leading points of the sermon, which, as might
be expected, take up four columns in small type.
Then come M'FARLAND'S trial and TRAIN'S ser-
mon. When religion is thus treated, it is time for
such journals as the Episcopalian to speak out.
The increasing observance of Easter in America
was strikingly exemplified by the decorations of

'the -churches, and even the houses on Easter Sun-
day. Americans are passionately fond of flowers,
and-they were lavishly expended in ornamenting the
churches. The cost of floral ,decorations in Trimly
alone was said to be £2OO, and other wealthy l'n.
rishes were equally liberal, even Mr. B EECIIEN.S 121tlin
Puritanical pulpit presenting the appearance Of 3
conservatory. We may add, too, that II ot Cross
Buns made their appearance in New York. en Good
Friday.—Anglo-American Times.