Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-12
COAL FOR RUSSIA
Jap Protest Against Supply
by British Shippers.
BALFOUR'S POSITION
CHURCH CONTROVERSY IN SCOT
LAND WAKES WARM.
Bishop of London Gives Some Informa-
ton About Church Emoluments
and Expenses.
BALFOUR,s POSITION
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

| Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
| LONDON, November 30. 1904
1t was perhaps inevitable that there
| should be Japanese protest against the
| action of British shippers in supplying the
| Russian fleet with COAL and against the
| lack of official vigilance which made pos
| sble the now famous cruise of the caro-
| line 1t is natural that Japan should be
| severely exercised by such conduct on the
| part of her ally" especially when the
| aid thus granted to her enemy comes at
| perhaps the most critical period of the
| war for her. 1t is customary to deride the
| Baltic squadron and to take it for granted
that it will either never reach the scene
| of operations it will be quickly and
| effectually vanquished when it does.
But if the opposite be assumed if the
| Baltic fleet does reach the Gulf of Pechi-H
| and if Admiral Togo does not succeed In
| annihilating it, then Japan will be in
| most dangerous position and the war Will
| have to start afresh. Her communications
| will be threatened, the safety of her i'm
| mense armies imperiled and her retreat IN
case of defeat. cut off, while her base.
| which is now on the sea, would be Destroy
| ed. All the elements of final and irretriev-
| able disaster are present if Admiral Togo
| does not succeed in destroying the fleet
| altogether so Gripping 1t without dis
| aster to himself that it will henceforward
| be no menace to him. To understand the
Indignation of the Japanese at the assist
| ance given by the British to this fleet SO
full of menace to her ultimate victory 1t
| is necessary to remember these significant
facts.
| But however natural Japan's feelings
| on this matter may be, there are other
| aspects of the situation which must be
| taken into consideration A great authority
on international law pointed out to me to-
| day that strictly speaking Great Britain
| is not Japan's ally at all. Britain's treaty
| with her merely stipulates that this coun-
| try shall be found on her side should GER
tain circumstances arise. But allowing that
| to be SO, the Japanese protest is directed
more against British action as neutrals
| than as allies. The point of view of the
ordinary man is that it would be bad
policy and bad practice for one not to
| sell Goals when one is offered good
price for them. and that no one need
| worry over he uses to which the Goals are
| to be put.
AS a matter of fact, this is practically
the view of the government. Mr.. Balfour
has declared that it is perfectly within the
rights of private individuals to sell con-
| traband of war to bellgerents, but that
they tC do SO at their own risk. The stop
page of the exports of coal to foreigners
| through a fear that the supplies might be
| destined for the use of one of the belliger-
ents would cause such dslocation of the
ordinary trade of the country that no
| government would like to risk the storm
| that would be sure to follow. Japan can
hardly expect British coal exporters and
shippers to be so unseifish and high minded
as to refuse profitable deal. If they are
appealed to allies the enforcement of
| such an order would mean a sudden and
violent death for the treaty of alliance.
There is much curiosity in government
circles here as to the exact source from
which China is obtaining the large sup
plies of arms and ammunition which have
been admittedly bought during the last
| three or four months There is official
evidence to prove that since March last
| war material to the value of two million
| taels has passed through the customs at
Tenstin alone and it is estimated that
| China has bought since January last arms
| and ammunition to the value of quite ten
| million taels This fact is the more impor-
| tant the condition imposed by the pow
! ers after their relief of Picking in 1900 pro-
| hibiting the import of arms and ammunition
from foreign countries has never been abol-
ished, although it was recognized at the
| time that ii would be impossible to en-
force it. having regard to the almost uni
| versal practice of smuggling in China. Still,
it was never contemplated that the pro-
hibition would be so openly ignored as it
is now, or that some, at least of the
| powers would fail to make protest.
Church Fight in Scotland.
The church fight in Scotland about which
| l have written in former letters is being
waged in bitter fashion, but a Scots CORE
| spondent assures me that the action of the
Wee Kirkers'' in endeavoring to take over
all the churches, manses, colleges and other
properties allotted to them by the house of
lords Judgment is not to be attributed to
vindictiveness. The small majority through
out the whole course of this dispute have
been more ably generated and advised than
their opponents, and the superior wisdom of
their counSellors is again demonstrated by
their most recent action, although it ap-
pears arbitrary and revengeful.
| In the highlands large numbers of the
| United Free congregation are remaining in
the old fabrics, needless who the minister
or what the denomination is. They have
| indeed a hankering after the old Free
| Church. and they gladly seize this opportun-
| ity to go back to their first love 1t is on
| this attachment to old buildings and old
customs that the Wee Kirkers now rely
| ing and according to my correspondent,
| with remarkable success
| They are also wing with desperate en-
ergy to fill up their empty college, and to
| obtain recruits for the ministry. They are
| Offering young men bursaries of G1OO a
| year, with three free meals a day. In a
| few years they will thus be able to fill many
| puIpits and be in position to administer
| the great trust that has devolved upon
| them. They also anxious being fully
! aware that parliament will endeavor to
rescind the lords judgment, at least in part.
| to enter into possession OF as much property
| as possible before they are made subject to
an interdict Once in possession and carry
| ing on the work of their church. it will be
| exceedingly difficult to obtain their removal.
| Several London churches are being pulled
| down because they are in the way of Inn
| provements' now being made on such a
| large scale in the metropolis. The doomed
| churches at the present moment include the
| Sardinia Chapel, on the west side of Lin
| coins Inn Fields, the whole of which will
| in due course be demolished in the Strand
| improvement scheme. Antiquaries were
| aware that 1t was the Oldest Roman Cath
| ole Church in London, but the public in
| general have of late years associated it with
| the annual celebration of the Red Mass
| Not only by its proximity to the law courts,
| but by reason of it's antiquity the Sardinia
| Chapel-formerly attached to the Sandman
| embassy. and the scene of Infatuated at
| tack by the Gordon rioters-was year after
| year selected for the celebration of mass
by those occupants of the bench and other
members of the legal profession who were
| communicates of the Church of Rome.
| The Red Mass, so-called from the scarlet
hue of the judges robes, was In it's latest
revival some dozen years ago an importa-
| ton from Paris. but was originally a sur
| yival of custom of the middle ages Then
as now the judges attended the celebration
| of mass in the morning of the day on which
| the Michaelmas term of the law courts open
! ed. There was an alteration of the practice
| this year when the locale was changed to
| the new Westminster Cathedral Stimuli
| taneously with the revival of the old custom