The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-11-17
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Pe99n' |ohuAVlon vi ESypC is not so
bright as it has been painted. He says
that slave hunts still go on in the Sou
dan; that rescued slaves are merely
handed over to Egyptian masters that
the DEGREES against slavery are unknown
to the people at large, and that the
Khedive is pursuing the Oriental policy
of promising much and doing nothing.
He declares that two thirds of the people
of Darfour have been led into slavery;
and it is limited that the reason why this
state of affairs does not arouse storm
of indignation in England, and Europe
generally, is because the Khedive now
pays the interest on his bonds and that
hiss throne is based on that foundation
which gives the largest immunity to the
occupant-the support of the capitalists.
Christian Union
Professor A. Balmain Bruce explana-
ton of the denominational divisions in
his own country will be of interest to
many who want to know the exact rela-
ton of the various branches of Scotch
Presbyterianism
The doctrine, of course, is the same;
they only differ in few questions of
Church government. The Free Church
of Scotland admits the right of the State
IN moulding certain forms of Church gov
eminent, but has resisted the manner of
interference. 1t has always held to the.
opinion that the State interferes too much
with the liberty of private judgment,
and hence has separated from its de-
pendence and support In its principles
the Free Church of Scotland resembles
very much the Presbyterian Church Of
America, which in its action and delib-
erations is entirely free from the inter
ference of the State. The Established
Church Of Scotland, of course, enjoys the
full privileges of church protection. The
United Presbyterian Church of Scotland
denies totally the right of any inter-
ference on the part of the State with
Church government.
The London Record, in an article on
the investigations made by the Bribery
Committee of the British House of Com
mons, says: "The evidence is, as a whole,
deeply Illuminating to the national char
acter. Between the year 1882 and the
present time there has been an accumu-
lating body of evidence, sufficient to prove
that all the advantages undoubtedly de-
rived from Parliamentary Reform have
been counterpoised to great extent by
new developments of the corrupt tenden-
cies Of our fallen nature"
After enumerating specific cases of
wholesale bribery in the election of Mem
bers of Parliament, it says: 1.-The revela-
lions OF these investigations go to prove
that bribery is a thing accompanied with
very little Of social disgrace. AS things
exist at present it is, as has been Justly
remarked, both inconvenient and dis
creditable that the Government of this
great Empire should be periodically put
up to sale to the highest bidder. ."
AMERICAN LEATHER IN ENGLAND
The most vitality important fact which
the exhibition at Agricultural Hall had
to tell, says the London Times of 25th,
was the extent to which the primary
leather trades of the United Kingdom
are suffering from foreign and colonial
competition. Both the United States
and Australia send this country enormous
quantities of the heavier or sole leather
ready tanned, and some comes from Sin
gapore. But the Americans do more
than this. They come into our market
and buy pelts and hides, both English
and imported; they take them to Amer
lea and tan them and they send back to
England the finished leather. They do
even more. American tanners buy the
hides Of the living animals that are ex-
ported from America to this country alive,
and, when the animals are killed in this
country they send back the hides to
America to be tanned The explanation
Of all this is said to be that the Amer
lean tanning operations are carried on
advantageously on very large scale,
with large and cheap supply of hem
lock, which gives great weight and gives
1t quickly, and as the tanner is paid by
weight the conditions in the Uuited
States are all in his favor"
Mr.. Henry Ward Beecher gave the
right hand of fellowship" to Colonel
Robert Ingersoll, but it was at political
meeting. Col. Ingersoll worked through
little period Of embarrassment, and
then said, The world waited thousands
OF years for Henry Ward Beecher, and the
world will wait long time for another"
Afterwards, Colonel Tngersoll told Gen
eral Butler that it was conjunction of
the Lord and the Devil, 4" or as the
Scriptures say, Of " Christ" and Belial,"
which, we beg leave to say. the same