The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-05-25
THE r1URT1UR OF THE WORLD.

Washington, May 24.-(Special Verify
this is a mad world, my masters. Relig-
ious controversies, changes in 'creeds, and
increased bigotry; mighty labor disputes;
partisan bitterness in Congress- intoler-
able rubbish regarding the new Repub-
lc;" decadent literature, growing more
noisome as it lower falls; and, over
shadowing it all, vast upheavals of ma
ture and vast destruction of human life
these conditions burden the brain of man,
and impel one to sigh for some far away
mountain top or some hidden low green
valley, beyond the reach of telegraph or
newspaper, or any written or printed
thing whatever, there to rest and pray as
on, best could.
In religion, our Methodist brethren in
conference have been unhappy ON ac-
count of an appropriation voted to them
by Congress for property destroyed dur
ing the war between the states. Aiming
at and praying for the best, they yet
know not what is best, most of them
rightfully jealous of the good name and
lofty honor of their church o. the pious
millions.
Our brethren the Baptists in convention
drawn together have been sorely troubled
because of their little church in Cuba DR..
Diaz their native Cuban preacher, seems
to have caused. directly or indirectly,
most of the annoyance. Seventeen years
ago that little cuban church caused the
Baptists of the South much concern. 1t
was charged at the time that Mr.. Will
liams, then and for years previous. the
American consul-general at Havana, had
not used proper zeal in caring for the
native Baptists there, those of whom DIR.
Diaz became the leader, and it was said
that three million American Baptists de-
manded of President Cleveland the re-
moval of the consul-general But if such
demand was made 1t was not needed, for
Mr.. Williams remained in office for more
than ten years longer, and then volun-
tarily resigned; Mr.. Cleveland appointing
General Fitzhugh Lee as Mr.. Williams
successor.
The Presbyterians appear to have very
nearly completed their new or revised
creed. and as one of their leaders said
to President Roosevelt the other night,
they are to "have a creed which every
body can understand" which reminds us
of the phrase of Holy And the
common people heard Him gladly"
The President himself in the extraor-
binary versatility of his remarkable
mind, delivered in one evening a speech
and a sermon, the one IN hall half filled
with three thousand five hundred enthus-
iastic hearers and the other in the pull
pit of a church that was crowded by
twelve hundred persons. The experience
of the twelve hundred was without pre-
cedent, for never before has a President
of the United States preached a sermon
in or out of a church, though one former
preacher, Mr.. Garfield, held the office of
President.
Mr.. Roosevelt is an extraordinary man,
and so his extraordinary act of preach
ing a sermon in a church does not ap
pear to have excited widespread con-
sideration. He is not held to be a very
religious man. and is nowhere regarded
as being in any sense pious. But he had
the zeal and energy to hurry from Wash
ington to New York one afternoon and
that night deliver a speech and a SER
mon, look in upon his social club, and
then return to Washington, arriving here
the next morning, after only eighteen
hours absence. That is another and alto
gether novel record for our strenuous
President.
Some of us who saw the President as
upon his unusual composure and appar-
ent contentment. For moment his mobile
face was actually in repose. A Gay or
two before that we had seen him at close
range reviewing some schoolboys In the
White Lot, and then his face was Won
derfully animated. AS lie left the enclos-
ure and entered his carriage, several hun
dred children cheered him. This seem to
please him greatly, for he took off~his
hat and bowed repeatedly and with great
rapidity, his historic smile suffusing his
entire face with the utmost geniality.
The eager public has been inform ed
that the callow son of the richest man
in the world has been in Chicago try
ing to discover how best to expend twen-
ty-five million dollars ito increase the
usefulness of university, the chief purpose
of which appears to be TO teach ungodli-
ness, and the fifty thousand dollar pres
ident" of which declares that the father
of the callow son is greater than Shakes
peare. At the moment of the Gallon ones
mission" we are informed that he
teaches a Bible class in New York
"sawbuth school. Recently elected hon
orary' members of that Bible class are
Mark Twain, District Attorney Jerome,
President Eliot of Harvard, and Bishop
| Potter.