Evening star., 1894-04-05

Question Of "Jesus or Caesar,
To the Editor OF The Evening Star:
The words quoted above form the title of
a st, org paper in a recent number of the
Arena from the pen of the editor. B. o.
Flower, a trenchant writer and indefatig-
able worker in the cause of humanity.
Therein are contrasted the methods of the
sympathetic friend of mankind with those
OF the military despot; the methods OF the
helping hand with those of the murderous
sword; the methods of education and moral
elevation with those Of repression and CO.
ercion. All this is in application to the
condition Of the times which are unoues-
tionably characterized by more than an or
dinary degree of misery, discomfort with
the present order of things, activity in
cropping after something better. Let us
bring Mr.. Flowers discussion home TO ms
here In the city of Washington in view oT
the approach Of small but increa sing
army or the discontented. Newspaper re-
ports lead us to believesthat this army will.
In all probability. actually reach our city-
IL may be 900 or 1000 or 5000 strong And
however mistaken the conception how
ever :. e Luti,e the aims Of this undertaking.
IL is deeply significant of the readiness with
which the slumbering forces of discomfort
and protest may be aroused into action
Though II is likely that a large portion of
0oAey army are professional vagrants,
yet a large number must come from the
ranks OF workmen who have exhausted
every means to obtain honest emplovrnant
Now, what is the attitude of the peonle
OF this District toward these coming yis,,
ors? Amid the various shades OF ind;sfar-
ence, curiosity and apprehension which
may be traced in the comments OF the
press and the people one sentiment is rail
pable, viz. that the authorities must he IN
readiness with the instruments of their
power. the police, the militia, the regulars
10 suppress disorder, to crush the disor-
derly. 1t cannot be denied that this is
a "a naIuraI ana proper expectation. But, in
the meantime, why should we not s1so
expect to hear Of some preparation for
these visitors on the part of those elements
or our population who profess to believe
In the supremacy OF Jesus and the su
periority of his methods over those -,
Caesar? Is the moral power of the thirty
thousands (or Is II a much larger nurherH
OF Christians In this city to count for ah-
solutely naught In coping with this vista
ton, professedly peaceable and undouhtad
ly springing from conditions of profound
and widespread unhappiness? Are NOT
these men brothers? Are they not Ameri-
can citizens? Then why should thev NO,
meet with some tender Of aid some ASSN
ance OF sympathy, some intelligent dissna
sion from misguided effort on their or
rival at the gates Of our city from the m
holders OF the faith OF the lowly Nazarena,
Is our reliance to be altogether on tba
hand of Caesar and not at all on the POS
pei Of Jesus? Have 100 years of Amcricon
CIVILIZATION brought no improvement upon
the ways of Goddess eighteenth-rent,,r,,
France in meeting marches on Versailles
nor a half millennium OF reform CmostIy
ProtestanO upon those of mediaeval Enr
land in dealing with her Wat Tylers ana
Jack Cades? Such questions appear almost
grotesque in their impracticableness and
sentimentslity, strange as II is that II
snould De So AMIGO.
A meeting of the shareholders of the
po 81 vaflr
day at San Francisco. No change was made
In the board Of directors