The news & observer., 1905-11-05
GUAR a N r.

| the home Jews with the foreign Jews
| They quarreled about the distribu-
I ton of charity about -trine, about
meats and drinks, about their officers
Ministers may be criticised today, and
| of that they should not complain:
| we are mot insulted as the Apostle
| Paul was by the people who owned
| everything to him, and who suggested
sometimes that he was fool, and
sometimes that he was a SWindler.
| Scandals may occur in the modern
church, but nothing is known of the
hideOus sin which the Church of Cor
| inth tolerated. and the orgies which
preceded the Lords Supper. One has
| only to compare the life of congre-
CATION today with that of the first
century to discover how great has
been the advance in Christian ethics,
and how triumphant is the action of
Christ's Spirit.
We may not boast of the moral
tone of cities, and we have reason
to be concerned about certain fea-
lures both of the drama and fiction.
1t is literary as well as moral call
amity that the stage which might
cheer us by the winsome comedy of
life, and brace us by bringing our
hearts to the tears of things" should
so largely eXpend itself upon the
breach of the seventh commandment
or content itself with the modest role
of supplying frivolous amusement
And one is vexed when fiction occupies
itself even for a brief hour with the
neurOtic mood of unhealthy men and
women. But do not let us lose the
sense of proportion. If there be some
times a suggestion of lubricity in the
play of today had we lived in the
days of the Restoration we should
have drunk the cup full and neat
Does the lover of the old times know
what things were said and acted on
the stage Of Charles II? If anyone
can say that the standard of the pres
ent is not immeasurably higher than
that Of the past in moral decency
then surely he has not read our good
Chaucer, nor has he realised Scotland
in the days of Sir David Lindsay, nor
has he examined Hogarth or read
Sterne. Century by century the moral
taste of the people has been purified
and their moral indeals raised.
One cannot look upon the condi-
ton OF the people today without sad
ness, because there are still so many
living in cellars and single rooms, so
many filling our warehouses and dy-
ing in utter poverty, because there
is still so much drunkenness and
squaIor. Let us grid up our IONS and
work for the improvement OF our
cities and of our country places, for
the perfection of education, for the
closing of unnecessary public-houses,
for the opening of Libraries, museums,
gardens, and places OF recreation.
But let us work with thankfulness and
with hope as those who are on the
winning side. and whose past labours
nave not been in vain. Our cities
have never been SO well drained or
SO cleanly kept, or had so much
greenery, or such an abundance OF
pure water. Never have hospitals
been so thoroughly equlpped'or sound
education been brought so near, or
labor been so we'll recompensed, or
crime been so .inteligently treated.
Women and children have never been
| SO safe from dishonour, the helpless
nave never been so guarded the poor
mas never so lain upon the conscience
of the community If war, alas! has
not ceased. its horrors have oeen anne
liorated. and the peacemaker is the
nero of the world. were one given
1 his choice in what place and in what
age he would live. with ms wife and
children in safety. sei1-respect, Jus
tice, and knowledge, he had better