The Herald of Wales and Monmouthshire Recorder. — 1883-12-08 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

TIMES.  TO THE EDITOR.  Sir—What is in the wind? What do these things portend? Suicides and murders; fires and floods; terrible storms and shipwrecks; fearful railway deur, ters ; earthquakes and tidal waves; bankruptcies innumerable; a never ending war between labour aud capital, muter and man: famine and pestilence continually stalking somewhere, though we can speak with the uttermost parts of the earth in a few minutes, and steamships can carry. if they be sent, help in a few days to the remotest parts of the globe. Free trade and reform was to bring. and quickly. universal peace and plenty. After the (slued Ixhibiti, n of 1851, our emlons said there we: e to he no more want, OF rumours of wars ; yet its, a fact to-day that gum] starvation is pushing many a one into an untimely grave, and the word bristles around with rifler., bayonets and cannon to a far greater extent than was ever known before in the history of man. Such guns too, and proje tiles; such ships and armour plates; such means of attack; oriels odes of defence; such ace nee brought into operation for the pre during of heaven's blessings, and such science again rewired to for its destruction, and the destruction by man of his fellow man along with them. The tramp of armed men dilsd i to ' the severest discipline is continually echoing day and nigl.t, from nation to nation, while their rulers—like birds aud beasts of prey—are scowling and growling at each other; yet when they speak for the people to hear, it is with leaaant smiles and honeyed words. They "look like lambs, but speak as dragons." And all this from those, chiefly, who profess to be disciples of the meek and lowly Nazarene, They have set themselves up as His appointed teaches s, and this; is what they have at length brought it to. He taught peace, but they tenth and pi actice war. It is not time that the suet, power and authority pass into other hands? How many thousands are see, in honest work and cannot find it? Yet they shall not ti.l God's earth until they pay, or agree to do to, more for the leave to do it, than the crop is worth when harvested. The bad ieasons and all the tria's and miser eel have noted above are sent, doubtless, providentially for a purpose—to bring proud, foolish man to his senses. Who can govern F Mr. Gladstone cannot govern in England; and if he cannot, who can? I ask again, who can? Heaven ferbid the day Lord SAlisbury ehould be put to try his 'prentice hand. There is a tire smouldering underneath the governments and systems of all nations. The people have commenced to learn, so they have begun to think; and pride, avarice, monopoly and lust will go sky-high just now, then tumble into dust. I say, sir, they have professed to teach the poor the doctrines of the Chri-t, and they have insisted through hundreds of years that no carpenter or fisherman shall presume to de so under pain of imprisonment, and, perhaps, tire. Of late, through the determinatinn of the people, this has been somewhat relaxed; the fashions has changed; although much of the spirit still remains. But what is the outcome of it all? Just this, sr: - that mothers have bit upon a plan of sending their children to heaven back again to God, to the God who gave them. Did Jesus, or his fishermen of Galilee. or his college•tau .ht and faithful servant Paul teach such thiegs? I do not me .1. to .y broadly that priests have taught this, but it is the natural outcome of such teaching as they do give, and to read such things makes one shudder. Does not the whole system reed overhauling, overturning, and truth, wisdom and justice, in all their glory, set up in its stead? The signs show its coming. Taeve.m.xn. Swansea, Nov. 29th, 1883.