The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-09-11

shanen in iniouity." 1t is Satanic, in
satiable, remorseless. The Trusts can
never be coddled into mlldness, nor
restored to sound, healthful Vlgor by
gentle reforms and the application Of
legislative poultices. Such course
will be penny wise, pound foollsh.
I select some points gathered from
my studies that may interest ana IN
struct:
England is very careful in its staN
tistics. and they can be trusted. II
1903, in the United Kingdom, lhefG
We're 2S,611 500 persons VINO neid
membership in registered cooperative
and other societies, trades unions ana
post offices savings banks. The amount
of the funds in which this great num-
Der of people were interested aggfe-
gated $2,OO0,000, 900. Another inter
esting statistical fact concerns the
railroads. Last year, exclusive OF sea
son ticket-holders, there were l,l94'-
$4,000 passengers on the railways or
the United Kingdom. Sir HERBERT
JekylI, in his annual report to the
Board of Trade on railway accidents,
says one passenger in 47,793,320 was
killed and one in 1,540,745 was injured
in train accidents. In 1902 the pro
portions were one in 1913. 036, 545 killed
and one in 1,628,250 injured. More
than half of the accidents, it is stated,
are due to want of care and caution
on the part of the killed and injured
Themselves
According to recent figures the ne
groes have a church membership of
100000, out of a population of some
5000, 000--or nearly half of the
whole. They are much inclined to
''jine de chuch,' and it would be in
deed g. great blessing to the country
and humanity at large if all of the
100000 were genuine Christians,
and kept rigidly the Ten Command
ments. What proportion are really
true disciples of Christ may not be
guessed at. The celebrated evangel-
ist, Rev. DIR. Pearson, puts among the
whites but one true Christian in TWEEN
ty members If this is correct it may
not be severe if among the negro
members the estimate should be made
at one in fifty, if SO many. The num-
Der Of negro churches in 1903 was put
at 10000. The Baptists have the
largest number and the church prop
erty is put at $4,000, 600, while the
African MethodiSts are supposed to
have 81, 100000 worth of property
with but 100000 members. There
are 100000 of Zion Methodists and
100000 Methodist Episcopal blacks.
That most sanity and spiritual
minded Christian Thomas A. Kempis
in his most remarkable and able little
work. Limitation OF Christ, written
in the fifteenth century, before 1471,
has tEis-"Man proposes, but God
diSposes'-a most wise and true
aphorism. / find in two different
works that this saying is recorded as
being taken from THE Imitation OF
Christ" Book /. Chapter 3. ! have
examined m" own copy l purchased
in 1853, but do not find the reported
saying in the place Indicated. n
writer before me says it is quoted in
Latin as HON a perponit. sed Deus
dispont." He says it "antedates the
saint by hundreds if not thousands OF
years. IN sentiment it is analogous TO
the Biblical: "A mans heart de-
viseth his way; but the Lord directeth
his steps" (Proverbs xvi, 81 Its
badly in William Langland'S ''Nision
of Piers PioWman," the first draft Of
which was written about 1862"
George Meredith is an old man now,
probably seventy five. He has more
popularity now than he had twenty
wears ago. He has been a long time
{ oming to his own. Even now he is read
by few. Probably not more than one
novel reader in fifty knows anything
CauseWays,' "Richard Feverel," or
the other half dozen or more novels
that his admirers love to read He is
no little of q master and | lately gave
il as my own opinion that his one
rival among living English noveliats
was Thomas Hardy, unless possibly
Mr.. Hewitt can measure up, but OF
his novels | have read none. Mr..
Meredith is an old writer, beginning
to publish as far back as 1857, when
he sent out a book of poems. His
first novel followed after some years
lin 1S56-which he called by the
strange name of THE Shaving of
Shagpat: An Arabian Entertainment"
1t is probable that his greatest book
lies between "Ieichard Feverel' and
THE Egoist." He has a great deal of
originality and power, and is too great
a writer to be overlooked. His style
is not at all inviting at times.
THEODORE BRYANT KINGSBURY.
Wilmington N. c., Sept. 6, 1904.