St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-29
roo MELLOW FOR A BISHOP.

Those who have been advocating the
elevation of Miss FRANCES WILLARD
to the ecclesiastical station in the great
denomination that she is distinguished
member of, will feel some share of re-
spOnSibility for her recent gushing
championship of Banker KEAN, of Chi
cagO, whose financial collapse has
caused general reprobation. 1t is true
it is an exhibition of the qualities of the
female heart that have made woman the
salvation of man, and domestic life pos
sible. To love FRANCES still more
ferventiy. if possible, in view of this
Observation-Disclosures, is quite natural,
but it is not exactly the quality that will
afford the desired and impressive pose
of bi shop. The business standards of
honesty, as we'll as the higher ones,
condemn this banker for his trans
actions that have deprived many
of their savings, but Miss WILL
ARD comes to lift and kiss the con-
temned and break the voice of denun-
citation. 1t is her deliberate Judgment,
and not the impulse of the moment, as
she says, that for days she waited to
see some leader in the pulpit or pew
leap into the arena of public contro-
versY in defense of S. A. KEAN." The
way did not open for an eXtenuation on
principles recognized in the business re-
lations of life, and consequently FRAN
CEs is compelled to do the courageous
act of defending him from the heart
when the head can find no room. The
charges of dishonesty, fraud and hypoc-
risy seem too we'll based for her to ques-
ton. She does not attempt to dissipate
the aspefsions, but would have him up
held because he had been active
in churchly and humane associa-
lions and had talked like one who cared
only to benefit others. She says 1.-THE
worlds people stand by each other bet
ter than do the members of tine house
hold of faith,'' and propounds this
conundrum: eff mike MCDONALD
had been so universally assaulted, would
there have been so few voices raised in
his behalf?" That IS the great mistake
| in FRANCES. She would eondone
wrongdoing because it was perpetrated
| by one who knew better and professed
to stand above the general plane. Incl
dentally, it may be suspected that
FRANCES might not have been quite as
| forgiving if the associations of which
she is the head had suffered more. She
| speaks of one losing $1,000 and the
other $1,000 as if were trivial but fOrtu-
nate. She has no words for the many
| who could not so well afford to lose their
| few thousands or hundreds. Miss WILL
ARD might be supposed to look for eX-
| amples to hold up for imitation in a
! different class than she evidently as
| signs MIKE MCDONALD to. The pub
lie, or even the secular element, does
not gloat over the fall of Banker KEAN
because he stood high and has been
Inundated. The average of reputable
sentiment is not of that sort. The
banker fails to secure the sympathy of
the considerable because his acts show
that he was dishonest in his moral pro-
fessions. Men dislike to be imposed on
They accepted KEAN at his own esti-
mate until he proved by his acts that he
was playing the sanity role tor profit
only. Miss WILLARD might be tempted
TO idolatry if the image had he celestial
hue, and willhardly do to trust with the
highest ecclesiastical frock.