The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-03-16
Notes and News.

| LOT SIX CENTS u QAy.
Every time Christian goes wrong
he makes it harder for some sinner to go
right.
The oldest Protestant church in the
United States is St. Luke's, near Smith
field, Va 1t was built in 1852.
Those projects which abridge dis
lance have done most for the civilization
and happiness of our species.-Lord
Mdcoulay.
The Westminster Gazette tells
story of person who insisted upon pray
ing before an English congregation in
Gaelic, because he said, "in serious
case none but the Gaelic language would
be effective above"
1t is now estimated, that the loss by
the coldsnap of December in Florida
will amount to s7.0O0.0OO, In addition
to this affection the Florida towns are
menaced by hordes of tramps thown out
of work by the sudden cessation of the
picking and packing industry in the
orchards.
Some people fancy they see the fret
| Apostles going about preaching, and
travelling from nation to nation, with
Bible in their pockets. There is a He
brew Old Testament in the Vatican that
weighs 800 lbs. 1t is all manuscript, as
all Bibles were in the days of the Apos
ties.
The monument to be erected at
Washington's birthplace, Wakefield, Va,
will be visible from the decks of vessels
on the Potomac, and will be almost
| duplicate eff the obelisk over Mary
| Washington's grave in fredericksburg.
The shaft will be of light granite. fifty
one feet high, and there will be simple
inscription on the base.
"A richly bound manuscript copy of
the Koran was recently found in cess
pool at Amasia, Turkey. Suspicion was
cast upon the Armenian Christians, of
whom no fewer than 40 we're at once
arrested. They remand in gaol for four
days, and we're then liberated, investi-
cation having shown that the act had
been committed by some Mahommedan
students. The savage reason was pal
pable.
The Pekin Gazette, said to be the
oldest newspaper in the world, recently
cele brated it's one thousandth annivers-
airy. Among the vicissitudes Of its long
life in a despotically governed country
have been the vacancies caused in its
| editorial staff by the executioner. 1t
| lie said hundreds Of it's editors have been
| beheaded. There is no record of the
kind of blunders which were thus pun
ished.
| 20 mother! amid all your anxieties
and labors, be assured that the time is
coming when your name and image will
| fill the chambers of the memories of
your children as no other can. You are
| garnering up love, respect, and venera-
ton which will gather round your coffin,
if not round your dwelling. You will
grow in the hearts of your children as
long as they live"
The official utterances of the Ger
man war minister are unusually pacific
this year, but the fact remains that more
than 5000 workmen are kept engaged
night and day in making cartridges and
other ammunition. Forts along both and
the eastern andwestern boundaries have
been newly equipped, and, while the en-
pire is talking of peace, only the but
ton need be touched to bring about a
transformation for war.
AT the folk lore congress, in Mem
phis, the other day DR.. Selim II. Pea
body delivered lecture on the fire stick,
or "swastika.' DIR. Peabody said that
probably the first discovery Of import
ance made by the primitive man after
he had become aware Of the fact that
death would surely occur and that the
sun was the earth's torchlight. was the
discovery of the fire-stick, by which a
blaze was made. The speaker pointed
out the varied symbols taken from an
cient drawings and inscriptions and said
the fire-stick was the stepping stone by
which the prehistoric man seems to have
gone from things earthly to things
heavenly.
The first known celebration of
Washfngton's birthday was on Feb. IL,
1854. The old style date was still ad-
hered to. This was during the lifetime
of the first President and completed his
fifty third year. The following is from
the Pennsylvania Packet, of Philadel-
phia, of the date of Tuesday, Feb. IT,
1884: "New York. friday, February 13.
Wednesday last being the birthday of
his Excellency, General Washington, the
same was celebrated by all the true
friendc of American independence and
constitutional liberty with that hilarity
and manly decorum ever attendant on
the sons of freedom. In the evening an
entertainment was given on board the
East India ship in this harbor to very
brilliant and respectable company, and
discharge of thirteen cannon was fred