Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-13
LONDON GROWS QUIET
Society Follows the Court Out
of Town.
THE BLINDS ARE DRAWN
GENERAL EXODUS FOR THE
NEXT THREE WEEKS
Free Church Of Scotland Engaged In
Exciting Dispute Over
Union Of Factions.
THE BLINDSARE DRAWN

LONDON. August 5. 1904.
From now EDWARDS until cool October
comes again London will be restless and
an unsettled place The court has gone-go-
Ing by easy stages. so to speak. taking
Goodwood on its way to Cowes And after
Cowes comes for the king and queen. their
respective holidays. and for all those who
make up their attendant court come the
continental baths, the moors and autumn
journeyingS. They are few in numbers,
these favored ones, according to whose
presence or absence London is full or
empty" and who can put London for
eight months of the year. like asparagus
at Christmas. out of season. And yet few
in numbers though they be- they can UNI
make London. When they go the blinds
of whole streets and squares of mansions
are drawn, though there were no longer
any need for the daylight to enter, and the
area bell alone is troubled, and the area
belle alone remains to welcome callers
The block in Piccadilly ceases, and the
carriage gates of the palatiaI houses grow
rusty on their hinges, and the flowers In
the boxes on window sills droOp ana faoe
away; and the holiday cat roams lean ana
gaunt abroad and the gentlemens gentle
man, with his wasp-striped waistcoat, no
longer lounges in his leisured moments at
the Buffers Arms" by the Belgravian
news; and an occasional glimpse into the
drawing rooms Oh IaTk ldHe, "HcH a Soto
less housemaid has left window oiind
undrawn, reveals chairs and tables swath.
ed in winding sheets. ghosts OF the oea1
London season. And the smart cappies Oh
the West End become less smart and the
August sun does not shine on such polished
cabs, and the horses saunter drearily along
knowing well that London Is out OF season
Ia dead city, a deserted playground
The boards outside the theater show plank
placards though here and there Is a last et-
fort at courtesy by the management 10 .S
pa irons in the single word containing su-
perfluous intimation, Vacation. but even
Tho actor-manaeers are out of town. ana
| little insinuating paragraphs nave toio u'
where they have gone Ana 'neir less ~.
|: tunate brothers and sisters In the sred'
thespian family are out or town. too' SUM
taking holiday themselves others minister
ing to the amusements of holiday makers
on the sands at Margate. and trusting Una.
the disguise of burnt cork Is enectlVS, sovn
as the long vacation begins. and the Temple
ia left to the pigeons, the laundresses anu
the non-legal tenant. Even IN the CITY ~
self the lunch-hour crowd Is thinning, anu
the CITY clerk Is missing from his accus.
toned haunts in the bun shops. And we.
London Is a big barrel. and even "nen
empty remains tolerably full, or one
might better say. 1t Is huge milk PAIL
| SKINNED OF its cream.
crowds Of happy little children, whose only
holidays are passive and negative, meal
ing that there is break in school days
taken place and In the northern part OF
HYDE Park the strenuous atheists and So
cialists speak to dwindling and apatneuc
audiences. The season has passed , ~l.nou'
their having converted a single policeman
whose duty 1t is to hover round the cro"u.
| listening to arguments that sound 50
| futile in the lazy sunshine. In Rotten ROW
| YOU may catch a stray and belated memper
Of the liver brigade IL you are there De-
| fore ten: but In the forenoon few carriages
roll by and in the afternoon you may take
a chair under the trees and fancy your
self in Already. and see never another
human being down all the long vista OF
the Ladies' Mile.
For the next three weeks a great EXODUS
will he taking place-the artisan going TOT
his fortnight the tradesman and the minor
professional man for their month ana SIX
weeks-and London will only be properly
repopulated again when the leaves oesih
to fall.
Dispute Over Church Union.
It is really difficult to exaggerate the ef-
feet Of the judgment which the house or
lords has given in the dispute between the
rival sections in the Free Church or Scot
land-those who opposed and those who
favored union with the United Presbyte-
rians. By a large majority the members
of the Free Church in 1900 resolved to
amalgamate with the United Presbyterians
A minority-some twenty-seven or twenty
eight clergymen In the Free Church. the
union on the grounds that 1t was viola
ton of the trust deed upon which the Free
Church was founded at the time of the dis
rupton. They sed this opposition on the
ground that two of the fundamental prin-
ciples upon which the Free Church was
founded were the maintenance of the es-
Establishment principle and acceptance of the
Westminster confession of faith. The U.
P. Church was always hostile to the prin-
ciple of establishment, and lax. according
to Free Church views. In its acceptance of
the Westminster confession.
The dispute between the rival sections in
the church was carried to the law courts.
In Scotland the courts upheld the right of
the majority to enter into the union, but
the house of lords, after twice having the
case argued, decided that the judgments Of
the courts in Scotland were wrong. and
that the minOrity-a mere handful Of the
Free Church-were entitled to the whole of
the funds and property of the church,
amounting In the aggregate to close upon
E1O 600 600.
The judgment turns over to these few
clergymen and their $4,000 communicates
!, 100 churches and parSonages. several
colleges schools, halls and other build
ings besides this immense sum Of money.
The decision Is of the utmost Importance.
1t will raise an ecclesiastical question of
equal magnitude to the disruption itself.
for the bulk of the Free Churches will be
without funds or property.
The case has excited little interest in
London, where its import does not seem
Tweed the Judgment will be received
with mingled CONSERVATION and indigna-
ton. But. OF course, the Free Church ma
jority will never rest until 1T has found
some better solution of the question than
a decision which allows so much prop
erty to fall to twenty odd minister
bodies" and their congregations, whose
chief claim to popular sympathy Is that
they have refused to keep pace with the
progressive spirit Of their time in the
field Of theological thought. and 1t is
more than probable that the majority
will make desperate attempt to get the
matter more equitably settled by special
act Of parliament. A prominent Scots
man who well knows the temper of his
countrymen tells me that unless the gov
eminent can devise some means of salts
Tying the legitimate expectations of the
United Free Church 1t will not get one
single member of that body to vote for IL
at the next general election.
Looking for Free Passes.
An interesting bill has been introduced
In the house of commons. 1t was. I be-
lieve. drafted some time ago by Mr.. Mac
veagh. one Of the nationalist members, but
1t was thought well that it should be
brought in by a labor member. and
backed by millionaires. who could not