The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-08-09
CURRENT COMMENT.


lfnDadelpuld ITcSS.J
The attack made upon Speaker Reed in his
absence yesterday by Rogers of Arkansas,
called forth spirited replies from several Re
publlcans In defence of their much maligned
Speaker. When present Speaker Reed shows
himself so superior to all the noisy abuse Of
the Democrats and so supremacy well able to
take care of himself that Republican rarely
feels called upon to return the Ineffective fire
OF the small partisans whom the Speaker
will not allow to rule the House or obstruct
its business. The House Of Representatives
has done great deal of good work at this
session. but its best work consists in bring
ing Thomas b. Reed so prominently to the
fore and proving his magnificent qualities as
Speaker and party leader.
BELATED x. NJ. c.
Howell (Mass.) Courier.l
Some supreme silly man who signed HIM
North American. to tear to smithereens Mr..
Speaker Reeds position as to counting
quorum. The criticism OF Mr.. Reed, how
ever. was not near so foolish as the sub
stitue remedy for an acknowledged evil
Eea he hs "a M should e. %pese ns Of ys
on every member who should refuse to vote
when present. Such plan would be absurd,
and entirely Intellectual. A member cannot
be compelled to vote, nor could fines he col
lected against him for violating rule. But
the House can insist that every member
shall be in attendance, and can force the
rule by bringing in every absentee. 1t can
also insure their voting by counting them as
voting with the prevailing party, If they re-
main silent when their names are called.
This Is decidedly less violent than giving the
Speaker power to impose fine. There are
few mugwump sheets so determined that
nothing which Mr.. Reed or the republicans
in Congress can do shall be considered
proper, that they will continue to scold
about the rule.:enabling the Speaker to de-
ri q nc can1athinn revolutionary
and tyrannical. But most of the world has
come to acknowledge that the Speakers
position and the rule are in full accord with
both precedent and common sense. and that
the effect In Congress Is wonderfully salu-
tary. In fact there is no practice quotable
against 1t, except that OF Congress itself,
while there is ample usage to be found In its
favor, and judicial determinations to back it
up. Trying to oppose this decision Is back
number, and If the Democrats had dared to
run the risk. they would long ago have car
ried their grievance to the courts. The re-
form has come TO stay, and when the supreme
need for discrediting Mr. Reed has passed,
there will not be even mugwump silly
enough to admit that he ever held any other
Boston Unitarianisni 1821-185O A Study
OF the Life and Works of Nathaniel Lang
don rockingham. By Octayius Brooks
rockingham. New York: G. P. Putnam's
Sons; Portland: Loring, Short & Harmon.)
In the PREDATORY note to his delightful vol
ume Mr.. rockingham says: "Many years
ago proposed writing something in memory
OF Or. rockingham, but abandoned the pro-
Ject on account OF the meagreness of the BIZ
ographical material. Within the twelve
month warm friend and admirer of his
asked me to prepare memoir. Then the
matter was reviewed once more, and il oc-
Cured to me that soma "reminiscences of nv
Iather might be woven into sketch of his
time. This has been attempted, and with
what success others must judge. So much is
certain. that If did not undertake the task
nobody else would. This will account for
the mixture of UNCONVENTIONAL concerns with
personal details, 1t is needless to say that
the author writes as an historian, not as an
advocate" Hence this volume which will
be read with great pleasure by all who wish
to know the history of Boston Unitarianism
from 1920 to 1850 period of extreme inter
est in its development of the religious
thought and feeling of New England, and
Including the famous controversy between
Liberalism and Orthodoxy. All this the
author has put before US with grace of style,
power OF thought and acute discrimination,
while his sketches of the Unitarian leaders,
Channing, Parker. Emerson, Ripley, Clarke,
rockingham and many others, are true and
spirited portraits of the men themselves,
with remarkable setting forth of their
views, their influences and their methods.
or Dr. rockingham his son presents a
most engaging figure. To the generation of
today he is best known by his beautiful
hymns, the finest of all being the one begin
ming,
- God, whose presence CLOVIS 10 all
Mltnln, around us, and above,
Iny word we bless, thy name we CALL
whose word is truth, whose name is Love-"
and which Is, perhaps, one of the most fa-
mlliar hymns IN the English language.
But, after all, the present volume has less
70 do with the personality of the man whom
{ Is chiefly intended to commemorate. than
With his time-its theology. its lack of theol-
'iy' ana Its religious emotions, with which |
le was SO closely interviewer.
DIR. rockingham was admirably typical of |
he class of believers to which he belonged, |
class of men who in their day and genera
ION won the esteem Of their contemporaries |
nd are entitled to the reverence of those
Tho come after them.
In and Out of Central America, By Frank
,incent. With Maps and Illustrations.
new York: d. Appleton Il Co.; Portland:
1orinR' Short Il HARMONY Mr.. Vircents
sotKs Oh travel have been a great literary
Iooess' bis descriptions of foreign coun-
res and travellers experience in soma
u tne wonderlands which he visits are al
~: ro 1.nilahe and entertaining. The pres
r ,o,uno .eis OF Costa Rica, Nicaragua.
salvador and Guatemala. while
Illustrations after pbotoeranbs
no excellent maps, add to the interest and
alue Oh the work. The last chapters % tho
ook contain an interesting account of tba
wonderful Buddhist temples of Cambodia
Which the author pronOunces rival 10 the
.emple OF Solomon, description of nine
avs OF quarantine In the Antilles, and
oxen pages devoted to the wonderful white
lephants Of Burmah. 1t seems thatIhomage
nd superstition regarding the white ele-
hant are reflected In the very titles and
ihces OF the rulers and great men of Farther
ndia. In ancient Burmah the king assumed
he title Lord of the Spotted Elephant"
It the present day the King of Cambodia ID
tyled First Cousin of the White Ele-
hant," while the Kings of Burmah and ST.
N enjoy the still higher appellations. Lord
the Celestial Elephant" and master of
[any White Elephants"
A Social Departure. How Orthadocia and
Went Round the World by Ourselves. By
ara Jeanette Duncan. With Ill Illustra-
ons by F. II. Townsend. New York: d.
ppleton 81 Co.; Portland: Loring, She's