The Portland daily press., 1900-01-10
"a DAY OF HUMILIATION"
(Nsw York PcstsD

Nv ~ 800
A widespread demand has been spaas
In England for the app ointment Of dAy
Of nationai humiliation. tasting, and
prayer. The London Times has printed
columns of lsttsrs from Indignant peopls
Who want TO know what the civil and
church M thorities are thinking Of not h
have called upon the people 10 pros
trats themselves before ths Almighty.
now that His displsasurs has been %
clearly shown In this reverses which have
bsfailsn the British arms In South Afri-
CO 10 might seem that every man 10 ID
liberty 10 20 on and humiiiats himssif
all alons-go into his closet, shut the
door, aud pray 10 the Father who sseth
In secret But no, what IL wanted 10 m
tissal humiliation and supplioAsion.
Hence the impatient CRY for the Queen,
or the Archbishop of Canterbury, or
Lord Salisbury, or tbs Commander Of the
Forces, or the newspapers -somsbody,
any how-to name day for the nation %
put on sackcioth and ashes.
Nothing has been done, however, and
10 10 probable that nothing viii be done.
The difficulties arv too numerous and
great II is doubtful N the Non-conforu-
lists could be aos 10 humble themselves
on . day named by the Church Of Eng
land authorities. or vioe-vsrsa. And the
cis II rulers will surely be slow 10 move.
10 would look too much like call ng up.
on the people TO pray 9od to deliver them
from the disasters into which the folly OF
their government had brought the m.
This would De too incon veniently Of the
nature Of . Liberal election placard and
dissolution cannot be long adjourned) for
Conservative Ministry to issue 1t. So
we think that, however richly entitled
to day OF humiliation England may
think herself, no day formally and
officially 30 call-d will lie set apart.
And IL it not true that devout English
men would md q good many awkward
questions rising IN their minds II such q
day were 60 be appointedY Would they
be beating their breasts and crying cut
"Misersre Nobis," simply because tbeir
armies had been whipped, CT because they
had been fighting In a bad causey What
does the Divine dispieasure mean when
expressed In lost battlep II the English
had wen, would they have shown tina,
they wsrs men after Gods own hearth
Then what are We to say Of the Beers,
who did win2 1hess are but specimens
Of the moral and religious psrple xities
which arise rs soon IS q nation at war
begins TO feel 1t Is losing because 1t has
been forgetting God. Perhaps 1t forgot
Him when IL tesan the war. And the
complication becomes amply terrible
when the war IL against 50 notoriouflv
pious q people a. the Beers, who hold
pray err meetings In their camps. go to
battle SINGING hymns. and devoutly as.
cribe every victory to the good hand CT
Then, again, II England Is to repent In
dus. and ashes, It would DO necessary to
specify what for. Repentance IL good for
the soul only when IL oeasss to be general
and comes right down to the facts. Here
would be fresh dangers All the Liberals
would atass themselves before the Most
High for belonging to country which
had tolerated Conservative govern
msnt. Imagine that dsvout churchman,
Sir William Haroourt, making his oonfes.
sion; would IL nos surely run: Lord,
have mercy ON Joseph Chsmbe lain, mis-.
cradle sipnsTf II MIR. Leoky were to
do an act Of public penancs In Dublin.
what would it be NEST apt to bsy We
think 1t would be to humtls himself be-
fore his Maker on account OF the univer-
sity which he represents In Parliament.
hs him self had described mir. Chamber
lAin's conduct In terms of the sevtresl
moral condemnation; yet Trinity College,
Du DIN, bne Obntr uly couicrreu tuo Hou
| orary degree of LII. ID. upon that states
man. What 10 more, the Latin orator,
Prof. Tyrrell, spoke Of him ss . man
whom all locked up to with the utmost
| confidence ('su NINA fiducia suspici-
musr). We think that Mr.. Leoky could
make out q strong argument for the be-
lief that IL was upon this fact, more
than upon the unlucky British soldiers,
that the Divine displasssre had been
visited, and that 1t was for this that re
psntancs is In order.
The truth Ia, we suppose, that tine
| whole order of ideas invDls ed In the OBJ
| servanoe Of days Of national humiliation
Is Ill at ease In the modern world. The
heather way, OF course, was to abuse dt
whites, Instead of woIsbipping then
with fresh devoutness, when disasters be
fell. A fetioh gets sadly banged about
| when its tribe loses battle. Something
| Of lurking reproaoh used to appear ever
| In Old Testament addresses to Jehovah
| In times Of calamity. 1t is possible otter
prostrations before God today. WIZ
hast Thou cast US otfi" "Do not dis
grace the throne of Thy glory" W,
know, OF course, that none OF the mora
difficulties va have spoken OF ever cross
the consciousness OF thousands OF devon,
souls who simply turn TO God. In public
as they do In private distresses, ms a very
present help In time Of trouble. But
when the hum iliation Ia made official ant
ostentatious, all sorts OF awkward things
come In. In England, for example, a
, ed day for public penitence, with bus
insss suspended. would neoe ssarily be
treated by multitudss as holiday, and
amusement and irreversnce would b,
rife. And would not the most sanity
minded Englishman jump FROM his knee
to rush out aud buy an extra" with
| news OF u great victory on the Tugelas