The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-12-19
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10.
EDITORIAL.

allSLlc tneOlOgy relSn-
ed supreme, is now only a "reminiscences,
or in the vernacular of the present. "a
back number" Hei is rarely heard of, and
has few believers, except in the case of
some of his old friends, like DR. Henson,
of this city, who still believes that the
devil is personality and continues to
lead the hosts of sin in his own i'm.
proper person. Recent literature, .how-
ever, is giving the devil attention, and
unfolding some of the curious super
stitions which has been associated with
him in the past. Several books on
Demonology have lately been published
in Europe. which are interesting read
ing, and may be commended to the at
tention of all who propose to make
his Internal Majesty factor in human
affairs,
Prof. Johnson, of Trinity College,
England, has recently written four
"Sonnets to Satan" He is evidently not
friendly to the arch Enemy" and dips
into poetry only it would appear to
make the ancient faith in the personal
ity of Satan theme for ridicule. The
general style of these sonnets may be
seen in the opening lines of the first one,
here given.
''Grand devil of old days, where art
thou hid9
In what oblivious limbo dost thou lie,
H., f,,of
OF fiends, while earth remains unvisitedl
On what food has our noble Satan fed
That he should lose his ancient energy,
And, like some worn out heather deity,
Should hide with Jove and Mars his dis
crowned head2n
DECIDEDLY the most
Europe and the interesting and i'm.
Turk. nortant news evant If
the past week is the announcement. ap-
parently we'll authenticated. that Eu
rope is at last united as to its policy as
regards the Turk. All the leading Lon
don papers, including the Times and
Chronicle, print articles which seem to
be officially inspired. and which agree
that fresh scheme of reform for Arme
MIA and Turkey is to be presented to the
Sultan, and this time with definite an
nouncement, as the Times states it, that
"unless it lie adopted and put in practice
within fixed period. steps Of a decisive
nature will be taken by the Powers"
In view of the terrible revelations
of the past years this announcement that
at last Europe is united and determi ned
that these atrocities against the Chris
tian people of Armenia must cease will
be welcomed with gratitude throughout
the civilized and Chris tianized world.
Turkey as it exists today is an anomaly
in Christian Europe and unless it can
demonstrate conclusively that hereafter
Christians, whether Armenians or others,
can be protected in the exercise of their
civil and religious rights. it is time that
Europe should abolish the anomaly itself.
This would have been done eighteen
years ago had not Europe interfered in
favor of Turkey as against Russia. The
years. however. since the Congress of
Berlin. have revealed that the promises
of the Sultan of Turkey are made
only to be broken. Some better guaran-
tee than even the Sultan's word will
probably now be asked, and it seems
probable that to Russia, as the only
country in position to deal effectively
with Turkey. will be delegated the task
of seeing to the reorganization and re-
construction of the Turkish Empire in
Europe.
Miss SLACK. the Sec
DiuHHT~0'' rotary Of the Women's
A"ons "onien' Christian Temper
ance Union of the World, is reported by
a special correspondent Of The Inter
Ocean, as saying that she is "afraid that
drunkenness is on the increase among
the women of this country" To reach |
such conclusion as this, even we're the |
facts accessible to bear it out, would re-
quire a very careful and exact survey of
the situation throughout the United
States. Miss Slack is an Englishwoman
who has been in this country only few
weeks, and certainly has not had oppor.
tunity for the necessary examination of
statistics and acquaintance with our
society affairs, which would entitls her
to pronounce any such judgment. The
Inter Ocean resents her conclusion. and
repudiates it by some well conceived
observations. 1t remarks: Newspapers
know the world much more deeply and
much more accurately than specialists,
temperance or otherwise. do. And the
newspapers Of the United States will
declare upon their knowledge and upon