Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-09-09
TIMELY TOPICS.

A DREABY writer is distressing himself in
an elaborate effort to prove Tennyson a
plagiarist. He illustrates by citing pas
sage from Tennyson's Enoch Arden, charg-
ing that he plagierized from an older
poem, "Homeward Bound" written
by Miss Adelaide Proctor.
The critic acknowledges that
the language is not alike, but charges that
Tennyson stole his "plot" from Home
ward Bound" published six years before
Enoch Arden; and, yet, an entire similarity
of plot is not alleged. 1t is not impossi
bic that two authors should fall into sim
liar or parallel invention of incident, in
nocently and Independently, without
knowledge of the other. The criticism is
doubtless very strained and far fetched.
The 'Freethinkers' convention, lust
held at Rochester, New York, assumed the
easy task of excluding God from the uni
VERGE and abolishing the Bible The elements
of the convention were deism, ath eism,
positivism, ration8lism, agnosti clsm,
spiritism, materialism, and free-lovism;
and with all this conglomeration of isms,
they reached entire unanimity in abolishing
deity and the Bible. The cow ention
lacked only the presence of those distin
crushed free-thinkers, Ingersoll with his
sneers, and Beecher with his evolutionary
denial of the fall of man and the as
sertion of the felsity of the atonement, to
round it up in due proportion. Add to
the list of free-thinkers' isms, above no.
ted, Ingersollism and Beecherism, and the
catalogue will be quite complete.
A CERTA1N colored congregation in one
of the southern states was plague to the
whole neighborhood by their open disre-
gard of even the ordinary rules of moral
ity-stealing, lying, and cheating without
apparently single prick of conscience on
the subject. And yet their nightly meet
ings were times of the greatest emotion
and power" Some one finally spoke to
The preacher about it, and begged him to
preach q sermon on morality, which would
lead his people to see their sins. "Ah
missus," he replied, Il know dey's bad, but
'AOn II dlhdJ OIAIS q OSANAOCO AAIAO O'OL IliS
meeting when preach about dem tings.
We have noticed this same Goodness"
among white people in Northern congre-
cations. and have heard certain complaints
that the meeting was spoiled because some
body had dared to reprove some prevailing
in. An unmerited reproof may deepen
4 true Christians 10y, and abuse and por-
aecution will increase his zeal. LET the
righteous smite me; it shall be kindness;
and let him reprove; it shall b9 an excellent
Gil, which shall not break my head.''
TRUE politeness is thus illustrated by
fable:
A poor Arab going through the desert
met with q sparkling spring. Accustomed
TO hrackish water, draught from this
sweet we'll in the wilderness seemed, to his
simple mind. present to the caliph. So
he filed the leather bottle, and, after a
weary tramp, laid his gift at his SOW
erelgn's feet. The monarch, with mag
uauimity that may put many'a Christian
30 blush, called for cup and drank
freely, and then with a smile thanked the
Arab, and presented him with a reward.
The courtiers pressed eagerly around for a
draught of the wonderful water which was
regarded as worthy such princely &C,
acknowledgement. To their surprise the ca
liph forbade them to touch drop. Then
after the simple hearted giver left the
royal presence with q new spring of Joy
yelling up in his heart the monarch ex-
planned his motive of prohibition: During
his long journey the water in his leathern
bottle had become impure and distasteful;
but it was an offering of love, and as such
I accepted it with pleasure. l feared,how-
ever, that if l allowed another to taste it,
ne would not conceal his disgust. There
fore it was that l forbade you to partake,
lest the heart of the poor man would be
wounded
GOVERNOR BENJAMIN +. Bur
rEK, of Massachusetts, seems
to have a level head in regard TO theo-
logical dogmas, as we'll as a Legal mind"
as it is styled, in regard to ''the glorious
uncertainty of the law" He attended the