davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09

This grave question Is just now agitating
the Congregational Church. and other re-
lisiouS bodies watch the discussion with In
tcrcst, well knowing that there Is also di-
vision Of opinion within their own borders
rs To the subject.
If the honest opinions OF orthodox minister's
generally were obtained, it is probable that it
would be found that very many Of them are
exceedingly shaky regarding the doctrine OF
eternal punishment, doctrine which Of old
was Numbered forth to trembling sinners
from every pulpit. Even majority of those
who announced their adherence to 1t would
he likely to 50 qualify their belief, TO SO re-
fine il down, that little would be left of the
Old-iashioncd hell.
We see how wide is the sympathy with the
Rev. MI. MERRIAM of the Congregational de-
nomination, the minister who rejects ctor-
nal punishment. Even in that staid centre
Of Purtansm, the city of Hartford, the
doubts Of Mr. MERRIAM provoke the sym
pathy rather than the hostility of his min
istcrial brethren The doctrine which Cor
TON MATTER and ParsOn MILLS had no hes
itation in accepting and preaching, and
which ,r =" haliefed was an essential part Of
the Christian faith Is n1~ reIegatod among
the "minor questions about wn.'' ortho-
dox ministers should bc expected TO diner
The old Puritans were right, however, and
their successors are wrong. II eternal pun
ishment awaits all those who do not rcgu-
late their lives and their opinions in accord
ancc with the teachings of the New Tcsta-
mcnt, 50 far from the doctrine which teaches
it being Of minor importance, 1t 10 one Of the
most momchtous in the whole creed. 1t is
not possible fox an honest minister 10 lodge
it, and it Is his duty to preach II with all the
power Of which he Is POSSESSED,
Shall IA Clergyman spend his time in lul-
| ing tho Conscicnccs OF his hearers with
! rhetorical essays on thcrcigiou5 sentiments
when he believes that among them are men
| and women vino are in danger Of eternal
woe Tho old preachers thought not, and
| they spoke with n realizing sense of tho
| awful peril of those who failed to sock the
appointed refuge from such fate. What
| ever else might he contained in tho SER
mon an imprisoned warning to the sinner
wa alwaya sure to be included in IL. These
men were worry much in earnest and they
produced n profound effect on their time
Indeed, ii Is not too much to say that the
orthodox church, ~ tho Puritan church WA
called, was built up on the doctrine of otor-
nal punishment. II wac a very definite
teaching which no reilncmcnts OF logic OF
casuistry could white away. II a Congrc-
geticnal minister of Ma Massachusetts, a hun
drod years ago, or even fifty years ago. had
rejected II, or expressed doubts about 1t :,
called IL q minor question of no essential i'm
portonro, he would spcodlly have been Gu,
on from the body as hereto and danger
Gus person.
| Nowadays. however, We find that most o.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09

the responsibilities OF third husband, even
though there be no disparity in the ages OF
the parties. When, however, the expert
enccd widow Is ten years tho mans senior,
he should think long before he makes the
venture. The trouble is that when our cor
respondent is at his best, the widow will be
an old woman; and that may make him I'M
happy. There IL vast difference between n
man forty or forty-fivc and woman OF fifty
or fifty-flvc. The one is Mt the fulncss OF
life. and the other has reached her decline.
There have been few cases when women Of
exceptional charms Of mind, heart, and per-
son have kept their youth and youthful
feelings so that they have outshone younger
women, but they are rare, and we doubt If
this widow is ono of them.
Our correspondent must beware, too, OF
her arts remembering that while he, as he
coniesscs, knows nothing about the ways Of
women, her two marriages must have given
her pretty fair knowledge OF those Of men.
II might be well for him also to instl-
tutc inquiries rs to how her dead hus-
bands got ON with her, whether she made
them happy or miserable, and what her dis
position was. Though she may seem very
amiable now rs q widow and converse with
great affability. perhaps In the married state
she so conducted herself rs to make death a
boon ~ the departed husbands. II is n dan
gerous thing 10 marry such a widow. unless
you know her thoroughly and all her ante
ccdents; and oven then il would be better
not to do it, unless love absolutely compcls
you.
But the difference in your ages ought
to settle the question. Her ten years adj
vantage Of YOU should be- decisive. That is
too much year or two or SO sometimes
is no harm, but decade Il bad A young
man at eight and twenty is pretty likely 10
soon find out his mistake II he inarrics q
woman Of eight and thirty.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09
The Duty Of Congress.

Congress can no longer dilly-dnlly with
the Mexican business. The feeble, sccrctivc
way in which Mr.. HAYES message at
tempted 10 treat it warns that body to take
che whole matter at once from his incompe-
cent hands, and to place it on foundation
Of national dignity and honor.
Let Congress inquire, to begin WITH why
thc recognition Of President DIAz has been
pcrsistcntly refused by Mr.. EvARTs. when
The military commander OF the Department
Of Texas has testified that this recognition
would Immediately tend to establish peace
and order in Mexico. European countries,
with less at stake In Mexico than ours, do
not feel the qualms OF conscience that
trouble Lawyer EvARTs our country, which
urgently needs to mend faulty treaty,
finds no Government in Mexico sufficiently
lawful and powerful to deal with
Let Congress inquire why BULLS and
YOUNG, n couple OF cavalry licutenants. are
now and have been for three weeks raiding
on Mexican tcrrItory--a deliberate raid be
II observed, for they took months ratons
In their wagons on leaving Fort Clark. The
excuse made for BuLLIs's first raids was that
he crossed the river on hot trails; but for
this current invasion no plea of fresh Indian
marauding is brought forward. And 1t
would he well, by the way, for Congress to
possess itself Of the exact orders Issued by
HAYES to ORD on the subject OF raiding.
We hear much about the extreme delicacy
and considerateness with which Mexican ter
ritory is TO be violated, but the particulars
do not appear.
DIAz, at the risk of popular discomfort.
directed his officers not to interfere with
United States regular troops crossing the
Rio Grandc in pursuit 4 outlaws, but to
permit them TO go n days march into
Mexico. DIAZ gave an inch and BULLS
seized an ell; and HAYES. while using the
concession of DIAz to justify his acts, yet re-
fuses to recognize the title Of the authority
that made the concession.
The monstrous folly of putting an inter-
national trouble, involving the issue of
peace or war into the hands OF a dashing cav
airy lieutenant, for him to decide by his
hostile raids, is the central theme for Con.
gress to seize II Congress has delayed in
order to see what the December message of
HAYES might bring forth. il has no such cx-
ruse for inaction now. That message trilcs
with n grave peril, and Congress must
quickly retrieve the honor and the self-rc-
spect of the country.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09
The Jay Commission and Gen. Arthur.

Tho Commission of which Mr.. JOIN JAY is
the head, was got up for the purpose Of fur
nishing Mr.. HAYES with some sort of Il pre-
text for the removal Of Gen. ARTHUR from
the Office of Collector of this port. What
ever may bc pretended, this was the real
reason for creating the Commission and
what the public desire to know Is whether
this Commission Is to continue in existence
until Gen ARTHUR IL turned out Of the Gus
tom House. 1t has been sitting at odd SPELLS
for seven or eight months, and has made an
equal number Of reports.
The Commission has not furnished one
solid reason for the removal Of Gen. ARTHUR.
II has gone over good deal Of the ground
which Is familiar To those who have been
acquainted with Custom House affairs for
twenty years past, and has pointed TO some
chronic abuses that are the rcsults of defects
in the system OF cole ting the revenue
rather than OF acknowledgement by the chief
officers who are charged with the duty OF
administering the system. SO far as Gen
ARTHUR Is personally concerned. IL has been
clearly shown that he has laborcd zcalously
to remedy these defects and has already
carried into practice. SO far as he was per-
mitted 10y the Treasury Department, all the
valuable reforms suggested by this Com
mission. Indeed. before the Commission
was dreamed Of. he had no, only recon-
mcndcd many of these very reforms. but
had succeeded in putting into effect some Of
the best Of them.
The senate Committee on Commerce Is
pretty certain to report against the coniirma-
tion of Mr.. ROOSEVELT, which is equivalent
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09
Ought Men to Marry Women Older than
Themselves.

The divorce cases before our courts have
been very many Of late. A narrow cynic or
"a SQUIRE old bachelor might therefore ask
III to conclude that marriages are likely to
turn out badly, and that matrimonial hap
pincse is not what IL l. assumed 10 be.
But these occasional divorces prove no.
thing Of the sort. They only serve to show
that here and there man or n woman Is too
selfish and too faithloss and frivolous to
sustain the cares and responsibilities of the
welded state. The newspapers are not
called upon to record the happiness Of do
mesticty, though they are Obliged to report
it, brolS, when they end IN divorce suits.
In nearly all these unfortunate marriages.
as the detail of the facts shows, the couple
started out wrongly. Interested motives
led to their union, or they so met as 10 know
little about each other. or neither 81 them
had won or deserved the others respect, or
they rushed into marriage with hcadlong
haste under the impulse Of n transient SON
tinlent, or one or both played decctful
part, or they were people without moral
stamina. In some way they began hadly,
and so ended badly. OF course there are
exceptions; but in most of the cases OF d.
vorcc. what we say is true.
1t therefore becomes very important for
young men and women TO think before they
leap into matrimony, and to De sure that
respect lies nj the foundation Of their love.
II is all very well before marriage to ahan-
don reason and pay heed only to passion,
but after the knot is tied repentance may
come II two people are to live together all
their livre, and to share their trial. and sue
co.scs thav should bo prcttN sure that they
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09

II seems that MI SCHUBz has expressed
his displcasurc 10 the Fox Indians now in
Washington because they left their reservation
without their agents permission. If Mr..
SCHuRz will look IA X u little into the records
OF his department, he will probably find his
ccnsurc to be misplaced.
The last previous visit Of the Fox Indians to
Washington was the one. if We rightly remcm.
Dor in which they complained of the perform
ances OF two attaches of the Interior Depart
mcnt. named WILEY and WHISTLER WILEY
was the reservation agent appointed hy the de-
partmrnt, and WHISTLER was the reservation
trader appointed by WILEY. Tho way this pre-
cioul pair worked into each others hands was
thia WILEY gave WHISTLER the exclusive right
90 trade on the reservation. and WHISTLER used
his monopoly TO charge twice as much for every
thing sold on the reservation a. the same thing
could he bought FOL oil the reservations In adj
dtion. they somehow succeeded in getting Il
claim upon nine square miles Of the land re-.
served 20 the Indians.
ThcrGupon fow of the chiefs got together.
and secretly started for Washington, 10 tell
their wrongs to the Grolt Father No sooner
had the agent. WILEY heard Of this than he inn
mcdiatey sot about to arrest thcm. and thoy
were In fact stopped at Lawrence and thrown
into Iail Some friends got them out by n writ
Of haboas corpus and they continued to Wash
lng'on Tho Great Father. ANDREW JOHNSON
when he heard their story. said Your agent
ought 10 havo boon put in ail. instead Of YOU
Whether the Foxes have rs good ground o.
complaint now ~ then. and whether, II they
have. they will find as hearty sympathy at The
White House. remains 10 be seen but it can al
ready DO understood why the chiefs Of this par
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09

Probably nineteen respectable citizens out
Of every twenty are entirely of DR.. CRosBY' :
mind ABOUT the corner Rrog shops. The
cheap and vile mixtures sold in these places
under the name Of liquor poison the blood
and madden the brain. They are RESPONSE
bic for very large percentage Of the
crimes Of violence committed in this city.
There are n great many too many Of them,
and the thinning out Of them by any lcgiti-
mate means would be so much clear gain in
public order health. and morals
But nothing l. ever gained in the long run
by seeking desirable end through illcgiti-
mate and immoral means. There was n
sound philosophy under the paradoxical
saying Of the public man who declared
that he would rather soc all England drunk
than single Englshman sober upon com
pulslon. Right things are not To be sought
10y wrong ways.
If they will think It over seriously we are
sure that nineteen respectable citizens in
twenty will agree with THE Sun that this
spasmodic police raiding on liquor sellers
who have tried TO comply with law about
whose requirements the officers of the law
are themselves in the fog. Is an unmitigated
wrong. II is not the liquor sellers alone
who are affected by il. The community has
interests at stake here. which II cannot pru.
IDENTIFY ignore. The harm done when the
law ia turned into a trap, and the machinery
of justice into an instr umcnt of caprcious
oppression IL greater than the harm done
by the unchecked flow Of bad whiskcy-
great as this H.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09

Tho recent stealing Of $4,000 worth OF
wedding presents from the dressing room Of
the Countess Of ABERDEEN, while she was
spending her honeymoon near Sevenoaks. in
England. conveys a suggestion. There are dis
advantages n well a. advantages in the task
which JENKISs 80 kindly performs of adver-
Using exactly what bridal gifts arc received at a
wedding. how valuable they are, and where the
pos-cssors are going. II is not at all impossi-
bic that the hint TO the thieves who robbed Lady
ABERDEEN may have been furnished 10y public
descriptions II the quantity of easily portable
jewels she had lust received at her marriage.
coupled with the announcemept Of where Lady
ABERDEEN was going.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09

ticular tribe. even at the risk of offending Mr.
CARL SEIZURE left their reservation without tho
consent OF the agent. Mr.. ScHuRz can also I'M
dcrstand why these visitors did not unbosom
their grievances to him, on arriving. whom he
recalls that on the former OCCASION until Presi-
dent JOHNSON intcrfcred. the Interior Depart
mcnt had sustained WILEY in arresting tho
Foxes at Lawrence. had proposed to arrest them
again at the national capital. and had threatened
them with severe penalties unless they should
20 back and present their alleged grievances
through that very agent on whose acts their
grievances we're founded.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09

IL the worlds gold supply giving out ?
Prof. SWISS Of Austria fears that II is the En-
0ineerino AMI Mining journal. on the other
hand scouts the Professors forehodings AS
visionary. and bids him cheer up. His argu-
ment is that the Weld has been falling of for n
quarter of century past that al the great gold
fields have now been discovered: that the Cali
forninn md Australian placer deposits are
nearly exhausted; and that the quartz veins
cannot be relied upon. The Engineering aud
Mining Journal finds this reasoning faulty and
inconclusivc There have been great hu,tua-
tons in the gold supply within the past two
centuries It says, as there doubtless were in
previous centuries. about which we have no ac-
curate information. Hence an argument based
on the figures for u single quarter Of u century
rests upon n very slender foundation. How
does the Professor know that there are no great
gold fields still left-in Africa, in Central and
Northern Asia. In the rs yet unexplorrd rea hes
Of the Serras and Andes-awaiting the discov-
erer2 Then. is II true that the placer
or alluvial deposits are approaching ex-
haustion? How were these deposits formed
Those in tho gulches by the erosion Of
mountain veins undoubtedly: but tho vast-
ly greater gravel deposits in tho old
channel beds OF California and tho similar
ones In Montana. Colorado. and Idaho. can
no. be accounted for in this way. Our scientific
| contemporary finds the explanation OF these
| formations in an outcrop OF what is believed to
be the Potsdam sandstone. which can now be
traced along both sides Of tho Rocky Mountains
| from the Rio Grandc to British America which
must originally have covered nm area OF 10000
square miles and which everywhere or almost
everywhere is found to contain gold. Suppos-
ing the vast tracts of this stone which have been
| eroded and disintegrated 10 have been OF the
same character as that which remains. tni
secondary gravel deposits are satisfactorily a.
counted for To all intents and purposes says
our contemporary, these deposits are mex
haustible. Al n low estimate they contain over
one hundred thousand millions OF gold. Prof
| SwEss may dismiss his fears
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09

Said the Rev. Mr., Talmage last night. The
world Will have TO learn that the newspaper is an inst
tuition and that requires INFINITE brains ami almost
finite capital II toS Tor any VINO cannot succeed
in anything else 10 try newspaperdom. Ty publish a
new spalfr requires tho skill precision huilrss, VIA
lance AMI strategy ol cumnuudrrtn chief To edit II
that be A statesman rsshNist. "a gVo,-
rnIhcr. In fact rncN copedia And 90 govern and rn-
pei II u II established fact demands qualities
than any business On earth
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09
Thnt e1traordinnry rcnort Of Mr. TnoMr.

That eXtraOrdnary report Of Mt, THOMP-
soS. which. nominaly naval. discusses such
topics as agriculture. labor; III" mechanic arts.
our mineral wealth. English coal fields. railroad
transportation and the grain crops. dcvotes it.
self chiefly TO arguing in favor Of subsidies for
steamship lines. The navy is not engaged in
commerce. and the argument for subsidies is
totally irrelevant 20 the department Of Mr..
THOMPSON, though the leading subject Of his
lucuhrations. AZ nearly rs We can make out
Mr. THOMSON thinks We ought to have u larger
commercial marine, as We nigh, then need a
larger navy 90 protect il; meanwhile he sug
gests that we had better get the larger navy
ready any way. because the commercial marine
ight come. Mr. THOMPSON is as iar-rcaching
in his provision for contingencies rs the re-
nowned Mrs TooDLEs who bought the door
ulaio. insrriboh THoMrsoN- with ap.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09

Tho Westminster Kennel Club has elected
Gen Alex webb President, = De Bot. wet-tlf. Vice
resident pr : Neih, Secretary AMI Tr, asurrr II
WAs decided to hphl the annual bench -lnN the
18Th, l7th. i-ih ant 18Th ol MAJ ncNt,l Gilmore :
Garden FclNien owners hloocd dogs have promised
g. nd tcir animals rri4rs nsgicgauns ~ p' ia value
~ o.. distributed The clubs Intention /, 90 eclipse
M Show VI lAsl snIIng
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09

Prom ne Courier, Oregon. m
II is live paper.
From he Pres. Minsn, ToiNr
II has more readers than any other paper III New York
From The Sun, Altoona, Pa
II goes for shhms and frauds with vim. and should
rot ~ ettrg ip,o,can cn,sen
FfoH he Journal hisysiHr. ONO.
One oil the sblest wspapers In tue United stAtea
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09

The police raid on the liquor sellers con-
tinucd yesterday. with spatterinG arrests
through the day and evening. More are ex-
pccted to-day. the Commissioners standing
s,uAhorny 10y their programmc-thc enforce
mcnt Of the letter Of the law against NIL viola
tors. wlful or involuntary. The Mayor has
promised to consult the Governor about the re-
moval If the Commissioners, hut is not sangulnc
Of success in getting them removed The bar
rooms not fortunate enough TO possess licenses
were generally closed yesterday-that j.. 10 all
outward appear lnce-hut regular patrons had
no difficulty in Obtaining admission.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09
The Yale Princeton football game at

The Yale Princeton football game at Ho-
bokcn yesterday was one OF the best If not the
very best. Of the season. The day was nearly
perfect. the turf in fine condition. the teams
very evenly matched. and the play brilliant.
In an hour and n half Of hard work neither
side was able 10 make goal. and the game was
accordingly declared drawn. Yale comes out II
little ahead. however, having won two touch
downs to Princeton none.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09

The horrible botch made at the hanging
Of BERdIN in Mount Vernon. Ohio. on Friday
adds another TO n long list of bunglngs. sug-
costing that. instead Of the new national uni
vcrsty that HAYES proposes. the country needs
much more school for the instruction OF
Shcrifs in the art OF hanging. Poor BERGIN.
when the fatal trap was sprung. dropped heav-
lily upon the wooden noor-the moose had
slipped. Amid ordinations of horror from
the crowd. the condemned man. Jared and
bruised by the fall. was carried M the stairs
and again put on the trap, and n second time
went through the prelimnarcs OF death. The
scene recalls the bungling at the execution Of
STERLING at Youngstown. in the same state.
and many similar horrors Of the scaflold in
other States. We repeat that If these mon
strous blundcrs are to 80 on. SherifIs had bet
ter be compelled to 20 to n school Of practice.
and obtain n diploma OF proficiency. before
being allowed to superintcnd public eXe"u-
ton; or. failing that. we had better abolish
hanging altogether. or substitute the quick.
sure work OF the guillotnc for the barbarities
OF the rope.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09
Gov McCormick's Retirement.

WAsHINGToN, Doc s.-Gov. Mccormick re-
tired from ts dutrs As~istnu the frrH.
ury tn, afternoon, and Mr. llhnN VIII enter actively
upon tAc Autlps ol that office on Monday
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09

Tho Military Ring at Washington arc
utterly unscrupuous in the means they adopt
to preserve n large military establishment for
the sake Of the rich pickings II affords Hostili-
ties with Mexico and general Indian war are
the m:in features OF the programme as far rs
dnyolonol
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-09
The brethren OF the Shiloh Baptist Church

The brethren OF the Shiloh Baptist Church
Of Harlem arr not dwelling together in unity
nj present; quite the contrary. At their last
prayer meeting six of the deacons put out the
lights and attempted To- throw their reverend
pnstor down stairs. Thereupon another dca-
con had his six colleagues arrested, and the cx-
animation developed such n state OF things tnat
the Justice threatened, in the event Of further
disturbance. 10 send the whole church-pastor.
dcacons and concrcGation-to the Island Pas
tor COLEMAN will bo protected to-day in the
discharge Of his sacred function by the police.