davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-09-03

it may be, reprosch on religion. Such
cases are, alas only too common, and
they are the melancholy commentary on
the stupendous folly and recklessness of
living beyond ones means. Well did the
wise man utter the warming Pride
goeth before fall But suppose the
husband and father is not made bank
rupt; nevertheless this insane passion
for display produces disastrous eff
fects on character. Here, indeed, is an
evil as inevitable as it is deep and seri-
GUS. The members Of community who
are bent on surprising one another in
STYLE who feel mortified to the point of
dying unless they are in the pink of
fashion, are themselves the victims of the
most demoralizing vanity, Of utterly
worldly, selfish and belittling influences
It is plain to the keen observer of human
nature that woman wholly absorbed in
the effort to make show is monster of
mingled cunning and cruelty. For this
she is willing TO sacrifice the character of
her children, the business of her husband,
her own happiness, and all the highest
duties she owes to the best welfare of So
ciety and the glory of God. When style
fastens its greedy and remorseless fangs
upon the human heart it sucks the life
blood of piety and paralyzes the sources
of sober thoughts and upright action.
What we need just now is more of the
gospel of honest, simple living, of homely
fare, of plain clothing, of unostentatious
yet comfortable homes. Let us so live as
not to consume completely each days
earnings, or, what is still worse, mortgage
the future, but so as to lay something by
to have goodly portion of honest money
to help forward charitable objects, to feel
happy and contented with our lot, and to
leave an honorable and worthy name in
this world when leaving it for q grander
realm beyond"
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-09-03

lege year cannot be secured without them
They are needed chiefly for the support Of stu
dents. Our twenty-nnth academical wear
opens early In September. Many young men
OF good character, and OF promising ability,
well prepared for our classes, are earnestly APP
plying for admission, But we hesitate to send
them an invitation till we hear from you What
will the friends OF negro education authorize
us to say TO them? May we say Come
May we say Come to every one Judged
worthy, 10 two hundred Of them, and to twenty
or thirty more till our dormitories are full 4? To
carry each student through the year we need
from one hundred to one hundred and fifty dol
lars. Tell us, without delay, what reply TO
make-that Is, say how much you will do. II
you cannot send your contribution now, let us
know what you purpose to do, that time may
not be lost. These young men, anxiousiy
waiting for word from u.s. shall have their place
at once In the classes. We appeal to Christian
men and women-the Lord's stewards to our
churches and congregations, through the pas
tors and sessions; to the missionary associa-
tons OF the young people, and to our Sunday
schools The mental and spiritual darkness Of
the negroes In our land-seven millions OF them
cry aloud to us for we'll educated Christian
men TO teach In their own schools and colleges.
Several hundred who were trained here are
now doing this work all through the
South. But what are these among so many
DO they not also need able men to preach to
them at least as much as we? How can they
believe except they hear2 And how can they
hear without a preacher? But who shall fur
nish the preachers ? That is the work which
Lincoln University, under the direction OF the
Presbyterian Church. Is doing. More than one
hundred OF our former students are preaching
the word OF life in this land and in Africa.
Would thousand more of such be too many
God, by his providence and grace, has called
and fitted many young men to enter Lincoln
University. His call is now to us to train them
10 HuDDOTt them thnra for
detailed statements of this work. or for cata
logues, and remit your contributions, or send
notices of intended contributions, to the finan-
cial secretary"
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-09-03
The State Election.

Interest in yesterdays election can
hardly be said to have been overmaster-
ing The degree of excitement at the
polls was somewhat lower than fever heat
| In fact, both interest aud excitement were
of very mild type for an election in
Vermont in the year when the states
choose president. The semblance of
canvass was made in some portions of the
state, but nothing that could be Justly
called a canvass, judged by the efforts
made at previous state elections in the
year of the national contest. Returns are
yet far from being complete. The few
points heard from indicate lighter vote
than was cast four years ago, and though
some local majorities are larger, the
aggregate vote will probably show that
Colonel Pingree has been elected by
majority few Thousand less than was
given Colonel Farnham in 1880. Mont.
pelier honors Governor Pingree with
larger majority than the town has given
since 1868. Burlington changes its ma
jority of one hundred aud sixty-six for
Farnham, republican, four years ago, to
one hundred and eleven for Redington,
democratic. These two cases, it is be-
lieved, will mark the extremes of the
fuctuation on the governor vote. They
afford wide margin for speculation as to
the probable republican maj GRITTY. If the
result in Washington county is an index
OF the general result, the majority, on a
somewhat lighter vote, will come we'll up
to Farnham's in 1880. We apprehend,
however, that the majority will settle not
far from twenty thousand, which, con-
sidering the fact that no special effort
has been made to get out the voters, that
the canvass has been left very much to
its own drift, should be quite satisfactory.
Among the prominent representatives
elected are Josiah Grout of Derby, F. S.
Stranahan of st. Adams, w. p. Fair
banks of st. Johnsbury, w. p. Dillingham;
of Waterbury, j. W. Brock of Montpelier,
u. S. Stanton of Roxbury, lockwood
Barrett of Rutland, B. F. Van Vliet of |
Shelburne and DR.. Conland of Brattle-
boro' Many of the names which figure in
the meager reports of members elected are
new. The insufficiency of the returns
renders it quite improbable to form an
estimate as to the general character of the |
new house for ability. Very important
changes in its makeup seem to have been
made. The development of its temper in
respect to important matters of state
policy and its tendency regarding new
matters of legislative action will be
watched with interest.
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-09-03

have reached. 1t is the heart OF the mat
ter, and the fight over it is hot The cry
for reform rests on the sound principle
that the administration of the govern
ment is its vital and influential connec-
ton with the life and character of the
people. A good administration will 90
far to neutralze defective laws but I'M
der the corrupt administration of the best
laws the noblest nation in the world will
sink. The Independent is not and never
has been tinctured with free trade, but
we are not too blind to see that high
tariff system like ours contains in il pos.
sibilities and opportunities for corruption
which make the administration of the
government more difficult and increase
the temptation to corruption and the mis-.
chief to be dreaded from it. A protective
system like ours is temptation TO the
officers at the port and the people who
import. There are many phases of the
smuggler's conscience, and under an ad-
ministration which is not high above sus-
picion conscience that begins with
smuggling develops rapidly into all sorts of
evasion and general political dry rot.
The same is true of government which
has large taxes of any kind to collect, and
when its administration involves great
sums, complex duties, and comes into COL
lision with the selfshness of the citizen.
Every step of development in this d.
rection increases the difficulty of govern.
mental administration, makes corruption
more to be apprehended, more to be feared
and more to be resisted. This is the
question of the moment. People who
make light of the independent movement
and of the reform it implies, do so be-
cause they do not see or will not see that
the power of the government for good or
evil lies in its administration, and that
this has been so strangely neglected here
that both the morals and the liberties of
the people, as we'll as their rights and priv.
ileges under the laws, have been seriously
compromised. Corrupt political admins
tration has done more to let the nation
down than all other influences combined
have achieved to hold it up. 1t is not
heresy that is doing it, though heresies of
all kinds will flourish under such en-.
couragement. 1t is not atheism, though
political corruption makes more atheists.
1t is not rum, nor vice, nor irreligion,
though full crops of each and all are to be
expected when the corruption of the
political administration is permitted. 1t
is even true that, the freer the people, the
more the influence of corrupt admins
tration is to be dreaded. In free and
representative state the government which |
comes directly from the people reacts d.
rectly on them. No other people have so
much at stake in the administration as
we, and none have passed it by with so
much indifference"
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-09-03

hundred thousand dollars as q salve for
Frances insulted dignity and as an aims
to the families of soldiers killed in
the action at Langson. Chinese state
craft succeeded in staving off the
hour of retribution, but not in further
moderating the demands of France. Per-
sisting in her refusal to comply with the
latters ultimatum, the French feet pro-
ceeded to take satisfaction in the bonn
bardment of Ke.lung, commercial town
in the north of the island of Formosa.
Sunday, August "a, powerful fleet of
French iron-,lads began the lombard
ment of the forts on the river Min, which
guard the approach to the city of Foo
chow. After week of heavy firing the
Chinese fleet has been sunk, a costly arse
nal on Pagoda island, in the river, has
been destroyed, powerful line of fortif-
cations silenced, several Thousand Chinese
killed and many more wounded. With
the departure of the foreign fleet from
Foo-chow the foreign quarter of the city,
1t is reported, has been burned and
"looted." France indicates her purpose
to seize Formosa and hold it, together
with certain ports of China, till full and
complete satisfaction has been given. In
these terrible retributive measures Prime
Minister Ferry of France disavows a
policy of colonial conquest. France wants,
he says, peaceful occupation of Ton
quin, and to enforce on China the respect
she owes her. Admitting that Frances
right to the occupation of Tonquin is
clear. in destroying many million dollars
worth of property and sacrificing thou.
sands of human lives as reparation for the
comparatively trifling affair at Langson,
impartial and enlightened public opinion
will convict her of degree of severity
that constitutes an outrage upon China
aud every civilized people upon the globe.
The humane and pacific avowals of her
prime minister are put to the blush by
the barbarity and vindictiveness of her
conduct. This nation is not unmindful
of its obligation to France. Its people
have watched the struggles of the republic
with lively interest, and delight in op.
portunities for speaking words of en-
couragement and expressing sentiments
of esteem and admiration but, on the
face of things, Frances conduct toward
China cannot be counted as an oppor-
tunity of this character. She seems to
be the aggressor, and her moral right to
be in Tonquin at all a matter of grave
doubt. The Chinaman's diagnosis of the
position of France seems to be very near |
the facts in the case: at likee this: |
come to your door and lickee you, and 1 |
wantee you to pay money to me for l |
lickee you. You think that light ? What |
kind 'ligion that p
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-09-03

RETURNS from the state election are
obtained very slowly. Less than half the
state has been heard from at the time we
go to press. The details of returns re-
ceived will be found on the fifth page of
this issue. The republican majority for
Pingree, it is believed, will be about
twenty thousand, which is five thousand
less than the majority for Fsrnham in
1880. Four years ago there were nine
teen democrats elected to the house of
representatives. Returns indicate that
the number will be materially increased
in 1854. Among the prominent towns
which have chosen democratic members
are Burlington and Brattleboro, the latter
giving in 1880 republican majority of
six hundred and sixty-fve. In Frank.
lin the republican county ticket is defeated,
excepting probate and assistant judges.
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-09-03

WASHINGTON county has elected the
local republican ticket by about the usual
majorities, and the county's majority for
governor will not fall much, if any, below
that of 1880. Indeed the earlier, but
possibly incomplete returns, show hand.
some increase in the majority for governor.
In canvass which has been utterly de-
void of spectacular appeals to voters, in
which few speeches have been made-snd
those, for the most part, by home talent
if the county shall have maintained the
majority given after the exhaustive can
vass of the brilliant Garfield campaign it
will be honor enough for this year, and
compliment which Governor Pingree
and his associates on the state ticket
should not be slow to mark. Four years
ago, however, the nineteen towns of the
county sent nineteen republican repre-
sentatives to the legislature. The division
of local sentiment this year here, as else
where in the state, is indicated by the
fact that four towns have chosen demo-
cratic representatives. Among the casu-
alties, we regret to say, is Plumley of
Mortified, who is defeated by his demo.
cratic competitor, DR.. Mayo, a bright
and popular young physician of that
town. The personnel of the republican
members-elect is materially changed.
Waitsfield sends L. D. Savage to succeed
DIR. Jones, and Waterbury, we'll repre-
sented in 1882 by Randall, found in that
gentleman the chief spokesman of w. P.
Dillingham; for his successor. Barrels
efficient representative in two legislatures,
Henry Priest, is succeeded by H. H. Wet
more, and the talented Wing of Mont
pelier by j. W. Brock, sturdy, practical
man of affairs, level.headed and of tried
judgment. Washington's senators, Jones
and Chaplin, have each had legislative
experience. They are men of approved
fitness, and, all things considered, the
capital county of the state will make a
very creditable showing in the next gen.
eral assembly.
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-09-03

w. P. DILLINGHAM; of Waterbury was
the recipient of an unaccustomed honor at
the republican caucus in that town last
Saturday afternoon. In meeting which
contained an unusual number of the
republican voters, called out by no
contest between rival aspirants for NOM
ination to the Office of representative, he
was presented to the body with words of
just and sincere eulogy, and his nomina.
ton was urged upon high grounds of prin-
ciple and regard for the public welfare.
The caucus chose to emphasize by ris.
ing vote the honor it proposed to confer
upon him, and in an assembly which num-
bered nearly four-score representative
republican voters of the town the chair
man was left without solitary reason for
calling the opposing vote. Mr.. Dilling-
ham was elected at the polls on the first
ballot by distinctive majority in town
which has often contested the election of
its representative till the going down of
the sun. We are not surprised to hear
his name mentioned in connection with
the speakership of the house. He has the
ability, the parliamentary skill, the readi-
ness, the personal qualities for the rou-
tine duties of the Office, and the sound
judgment, integrity and impartiality for
the important work of an efficient and
Independent construction of the CON-
mittees. Whoever may be elected among
the representatives, and whoever may be
chosen to preside over the house, it is
quite certain that no one would fill the
office of speaker, in all respects, more &C
ceptably to the state and to the members
themselves. Mr.. Dillingham; has not been
consulted on this subject. We do not
know that he would consent to enter the
canvass for the speakership. He may
prefer to serve his constituents and the
state on the floor of the house, but the
fact that his name has been instantly and
spontaneously mentioned for the speaker
ship by many individuals, as soon as it
was known that Waterbury proposed to
send him to the legislature, Is q quick and
gratifying recognition of clear and un-
enable qualifications for the office.
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-09-03
Extravaganza In Living.

We fiud the following timely words in
the last issue of the Christian at Work
"The besetting sin of the American peo-
pie to-day is an inordinate and ungovern-
able desire for display. To outshine our
neighbors in dress, furniture, equipages,
splendid table service and dinners, sea.
side and mountain cottages, magnificent
parties, costly music and wonderful cater
ing, seems to be the supreme and absorb
ing passion of multitudes of men and
women. 1t is this craze which is doing
more than anything else to sap the honor,
honesty and spirituality of the people,
while it is also the source of endless phys
ical evils and vast unhappiness. The ex.
travagance to which the love of finery
leads often converts the husband and
father into beast of burden, condemning
him to toll and struggle all his life long,
without hope of ever getting anything
ahead, and of obtaining the. means of
needed rest in old age and broken health.
If he is day laborer, that extra silk dress
for his wife, or that extra set of jewelry
for his daughter-both of which were alb.
solutely unnecessary, nor would have been
thought of had not an equally ambitious
and poor neighbor set the example-will
drive him to unusual piece work for which
he really has not the strength, or will dis
count his regular wages for months in ad-
vance. If he is farmer, that fine pair of
road horses and flashing carriage, pur.
chased along with other needless things,
in order to enable the family to vie with
somebody else, may end in fixing a mort.
gage on the farm, which is added to from
time to time, until the home goes under
the auctioneer's hammer. What sweat,
what gnawing anxieties, what wretched-
ness of despair follow many fond and too
indulgent head of household, because, for
sooth, his family hunger and thirst with
remorseless energy after luxuries and "trip
peries which they know well enough can.
not be afforded, and yet which they exact
from him whom they see fairly dying with
overwork and mental strain, on purpose to
crafty their vanity. Nor is this all. The
business man who might make comfort
able support for his wife and children,
and provide cheerful, happy and lasting
home, if their desires could only be mod
Grated according to his income, and they
had only learned the wholesome lesson of
contentment, is often tempted to engage
in outside and dangerous speculations in
order to restore his capital, which has
been wasted by extravaganza, or to grasp
the enlarged profits, which have become
necessary to meet the ever growing wants
of those dependent on him. Debt stares
him in the face, ruin threatens; mean
while the dresses, the jewelry, the dinner
entertainments, must multiply as usual
80 to meet all these expenditures he takes
immense risks in Wall street, borrows
other peoples money under false pretenses,
possibly embezzles trust funds or FORCES,
or does some other criminal act in his des-
peration, and suddenly goes down with q
crash, FORGETTING forever his previous good
name, disgraoing his family, and casti ng,
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-09-03
France and China.

European nations have valiant way of
dealing with the semi-barbarous people of
the eastern hemisphere. In South AT.
RIGA, and more recently in the lombard
ment and burning of Alexandria, England
showed how bravely she can chastise and
reduce Hottentots and Arabiaus to passive
submission to her will by the power of her
arms, or by the perfection and destruc-
tiveness of her terrible iron C lads. And
now France has been giving the world an
edifying exhibition of the superiority of
Christian over pagan institutions, both in
their influence upon the human heart and
in the development of the means of de-
structive warfare. For about q quarter
of century France has had foothold
upon the peninsula that forms the south.
eastern portion of Asia. For nearly two
years she has been engaged in war with
the ruler of Anam for the extension of
her sovereignty there, for the establish
ment OF some sort of protectorate over
Anam and Tonquin. To repeat in
Farther India the scheme of conquest she
attempted century ago and more in
India, and which England sn atched from
hands enervated by the rule of the last of
the Bourbon kings, seems, in fact, to be
the real purpose of France in the East.
Her arms and her diplomacy seem to
have been measurably successful. China,
on whose southeastern border Tonquin
lies, has a superior claim upon the ALE
glance of the province. By the late
treaty of Tien.Tsin, France secured its
late conquests in that quarter. China
recognized present and futu re treaties be
tween France and Anam, and France
abandoned all claim to indemnity for
losses instituted between the nations.
French military occupation of all strategic
points in Anam and Tonquin was per.
mitted by China, if necessary, and per-
manent French garrison was to hold a
portion of the citadel of the capital of
Anam. A treaty, looking to the estab-
lishment of trade between France, China
and Anam, was contemplated in their ne
gotiations. The cause of the sudden out
break of war between France and China
is an alleged violation of this treaty by
China. China, it is said, entered into
treaty with respect to the portion of Ton
quin claimed by France, but did not in.
tend fully and finally to surrender its su.
perior dominion over the province. 1t
meant to regain possession if possible.
The treaty was diplomatic expedient, to
be ignored when occasion offered. On
the 23d of June the opportunity came.
Four Thousand Chinese regulars attacked
the French forces at Langson, in Ton.
quin, in violation of the treaty of Ten
Tsin. The Chinese were repulsed, with
loss TO the French of eleven killed and
thirty-three wounded. China had broken
the treaty before the ink with which it
was written had dried. France indig-
nantly demanded an apology and an
enormous indemnity, and instructed the
commander OF her forces in that quarter
to lombard Chinese towns if the demand
were not complied with. France lowered
her demands to forty million dollars and
finally to sixteen million dollars. The
Cslestials made much lower appraisal of
the value Of few Christian soldiers,
killed and wounded, and rendered one