Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-02-01
AN ETHERIDGE EPISODE.


bank thief, she can surely boast of first
class penitent in the same person. He is as
lachrymose and prayerful as w. G. Gilman
but rather moro satisfying in partial re-
turn of his plumber. Mr.. Etheridge has
given three pronounced surprises: First,
in his flight; second, in his repentance, and
third, in the medium Of his restitution.
First, in his flight q man of grace. an
edifying, if mot an active member of the
House Of Hope, which means the boss meet
ing-house Of this enterprising town, fugi-
than if he had slipped his cable from any
other UNCONVENTIONAL mooring, where the
commercial theory of salvation wasn't quite
so pronounced. But the House of Hope,
the church of the heavenly elimination, 1s
vel and exclusively named, for, seemingly,
there isn't very much faith, and less charity
i'll it. Possibly it may be forecast of the
temple of the future, wherein, like the
music of Wagner, tLere are many discordant
elements, yet with an occult reference to
harmony, and the lukewarm leaning toward
the Almighty may be so trained as not to
disturb the inner life of conscience, which,
without the patent piety process, often brings
self abnegatiOn and benevolence into
heroic relief. The minister's name is Breed,
and in his sphere of effort it is about as
merciiess a misnomer as Douglas said the
name Of Doolittle was in the Senate-a
standing veto on himself. Breed forsooth!
Breed what just there? The man is not one
of those who study and analyze his own in
telectual and moral nature just for the de-
light Of self, but he is one who would like to
see Z direct practical equivalent for all his
preaching. So when he expatiates on brother
ly love and the sweetness of Christian union
and intercourse, it must be oiscourag:ng to
see the SOC al strata SO hard that the sur
rounding common clay is only useful in con-
traSt. Hence some of his parochial visits
are an apostolic amend for the GOODNESS and
neglect of his chosen people. With tender
ness and tact does he soothe the hearts sore
with social Sights, cut through poverty,
ranking with all the sings and arrows of
outrageous exctusiveness. Sunday after
Sunday, as he looks down upon the Same
faces, whereon are legble dissatisfaction
and we!l-fed, well-housed sensual content,
apt to find this terrestrial scene too satisfy
ing to bother much with q self-denying or
scientific solution of the great mysteries of
life and more especially death-he might as
we'll wear veil, like Hawthorne's eccentric
parson, as fer any genuine reflex of his own
glow and strength. No wonder, when such
a conyenticle has sinner, a rousing, Titanic
thief, it doesn't give him q chance to get
to the end of his tether, like Judas Iscariot,
but it suspends him in advance, chokes him
OFF without 'God have mercy on his soul.''
And now, with dash of remorse, or des-
pair, or family, this unfortunate wants to get
back in his place among the select strata,
and, although he is on penitence bent, he
has business mind in asking for copy of
the ecclesiastical charges against him; which
is about as cool an Identification with his
late place of worship as the most malevo-
lent could WISH Next to repentance follows
the most convincing sign of his return to
grace in restitution, which, strangely enough,
is not made through any channel Of sanctity
kown and honored in his ,nourned-for con-
venticle, nor through any Of the legal wor-
shippers at the influential shrine. What is
the use of q scnorous profession of faith
and good works unless it can now and then
take the lead in advising and helping a
prominent evil doer to renounce his wicked
ways? The force of example is awfully an
nulied when the collective goodness and the
pious legal acumen Of the House Of Hope
ara Ignored, and the signs and lamentations
of this contrite soul, together with his ill
gotten funds, are all given to a man Of the
world, who is rather unnlindful of the Pc
cohar confirmation of that sanctimonious
body, and deals with it professionally in re-
turning its strayed sheep, and what is more
to the purpose, the treasure Reasonable in
the banks beside which the redeemed
soul is cipher. Repentance and restitu-
ton should have taken a more acceptable
CHI ~, Ibon hot vubinb tod tbo al
ambition of Alexander Ramsey, and thus
gave us that bullying lip, and pretsrnaturally
wise look to gaze upon daily in our home
streets, instead of sending them to Washing
ton for six years.
While diphtheria is disagreeably prevalent
in many parts of the State, elocution is the
throat distemper in St. Paul. It has seized
individuals and broken out in classes treated
by great Eastern expert, who puts money
in her purse, and trains the epidemic until
there is no escaping from it. Even little
children who look harmless enough when
YOU enter room are set at you with Gre
citotion,'' which is. understood to be a Joy
forever to the blood relations, but it is the
barest nonsense to you, and you wonder why
more children can't be born dumb or stupid,
Or something the reverse Or precocious. Who
invented the industrious machine of elocu-
ton as it is now set up in the land, beguiling
numbers of the present generation to turn to
it as an easy way of making a living? AS a
very seasick man oncesaid it was the desire
Of his life to find the author of a ''Life Oh
the Ocean Wave," SO a surfeited minority
hsre would like to know the inventor of the
present system of character elocution.
Was it Helen Potter? Alas, Potter is q ma
tional nuisance, and Helen caused as much
trouble in her way as Eve. Poly CARP.
A STRONG REPUBLICAN, ALLY.
The IFestern Union Telegraph Company IN
on U,aenvidbie Role.
Washington Special (Jan. 2S) to Cincinnati
Enquirer.
The testimony taken before the Potter
committee to-day proved rather conclusively
that the Western Union Telegraph company
was powerful ally of the Republican party,
and that it did all in it's power te screen the
Inisdeeds of the Republican managers, while
it was not overscrupulous to accord the same
advantages to Democrats. It also demon
stated that Tyner and Zach Chandler traded
away tho fadnra] Offices for SO 900 each and