Birmingham age-herald., 1894-09-16
HELPFUL INFLUENCE.

native of India named Telang writs in the Forum of "Home Life in India. Ia the outset of his article he admits that
 India has not made the progress that west- ern nations have and ascribes the cause to her religion. lie says ''the Americana especially are the most progressive nation and have, in some respects, left the Europ- cans behind because they have not been hampered with religion" To say that the Americans are not a religious nation is to assert what the facts in the case do not warrant. The proportion of church
 members in the United States is greater
 than in any other country, and the value
 of church property is greater. The state
 encourages the church by relieving of tax
 ation all church property and by the enact-
 ment of wise and liberal laws that prohibit interference with men's religious belief.
 The difference between India and America
 in this respect is the difference between
 their religions. The religion of Buddha teaches inactivity and encourages self-re- pression almost to annihilation. The soul is cut off from connection with the Great Being and from communion with kindred souls. It lives for itself alone. Buddhism is negative. It suppresses all the ties to existence. Its aim is to make it easy to
 die, without regard to the duties of living.
 Hence, the orientals have such slight
 hold on life and offer no resistance to death.
 IL stands to reason that a nation of
 Buddhists could not reach high degree of
 civilization. On the other hand, Christi
 ianity inspires an active, cheerful, hopeful
 spirit. It encourages one to high achieve
 ment, to helping others, to never weary in
 well-dojng. It fosters all movements for
 the elevation oi the human race. No won-
 der that a nation progresses to a high plane
 of civilization under the benign and stimu- lating influence of the Christian religion. S0 -
 THE Democratic campaign book will
 soon be ready for distribution. Advance
 proof-sheets- have gotten into the hands of some of the press reporters, and they give out the following outline of the plan upon
 which the battle on the Democratic side is to be fought. The book is to present Sem ator Mills' speech on the tariff. Governor Savers is the authority for the wonderful reduction of expenditures which the Dem- ocratic administration has made. There
 are articles prepared by the committee on the causes of the panic of 1898, the Republi- | can responsibility for contract labor im- portations, the Democratic restriction of Oniutoo lult COiuDdTlbOub Ot the present tariff law and the Mckinley bill, the vulnerable record of the Republi- can party in relation to the sugar trusts, the reduction and reforms in the govern. ment service under the Cookery Commis- sion, the record of the administration in diplomatic affairs, in Indian affairs, in pensions and in finance; the acts making
 Labor Day a national holiday and subject. ing national bank notes to state taxation are printed in full. McMillin's speech on the income tax, Piggott's on the dangers
 of populism and Bynum's on sham civil
 service reform accompany the Texas speeches. Three letters fromthe President the one accepting the nomination, the one to Chairman Wilson urging conference committee fight for further tariff reform,
 and the one to Representative Catchings giving his reasons for refusing to sign the tariff bill, but admitting its many ad- yantages-conclude the volume.
 IN yesterdays issue the AGE HERALD called attention to the congestion of money in the financial centers and suggested a
 remedy. If this policy is adopted and local National banks keep their money at home, it would not only increase the local circulation, but enhance the importance of siIver for if vuould piva mora permana1ca