Year: 1872

stands. 1t argues, we think, great poverty of
ideas on the part of the conservatives. If they
have no grander cause to champion than that
of woman suffrage, they have but small
chance to succeed in putting down the Glad
stone Ministry. Mr.. Gladstone can, with
much more consistency than Mr.. Disraei,
adopt the woman suffrage question.
Christmas Week I'm tho Religious Press.


Christmas-tide and its eternal teaching OF
peace and good will to men receive from the
religious editors this week their usual need of
enthusiastic attention, and, indeed, somewhat
''crowds out" to use the technical slang OF
journalism, the discussion Of more disputed
topics. But this is at it should be. For surely,
if ever secular knights Of the quill can be
moved by the gentle influences Of this happy
season into charity and mutual forgiveness,
their religious brethren should at least ssdo
likewise" There are, however, q few excep-
tions to this pleasant rule, as will be seen by
our review below of the esprit of the religious
press.


The Christian Union indulges in some dreams
Of fancy about ''good time coming" in Con-
gress, when the political lambs and lions shall
lie down together and devote themselves to
the making Of good laws and not to the spout
ing Of ''rowdy rhetoric" This is about as re-.
mote, we think as the millennium itself but
it is wish which the genial influences of the
season may well engender. And if it ever
should be realized we quite agree with the
sentiment Of the following peroration:-


Is it hoping for too much to hope that, sooner or
later the District OF Columbia may cease to be the
ticss-that within It's limited area may be cOncen-
trated the best thought and the nOblest aspiration
Of the eonntrysmtnat free from the dangers and
fu cultivation OF religion, OF literature and OF artf
OF manly and womany graces! OF single-hearted
may well regard 1t as PECULIAR


The Methodist confesses to being a little as.
tonished to see show patronizing the new
school of sceptcal science is to the Almighty"
1t then adduces Professor Tyndalls already
famous criticism of the mechanism of the
human eye, which our readers remember he
indicted as marred by many defects. II
adds:-


He is bold man who can assume that he carries
in his own mind the absolute norm OF world crea-
tion Or what is the same thing that he can decide
that such and such is the absolute norm as 1t ex-
lists In the Creators mind. The answer to such an
assumption Is that neither he any other man
is in position to see all OF the Creators designs.
creative art-in q word. that the extent Of human
ignorance must be remembered In all our criticisms
Of nature.


The rebuke strikes us as needed. Taking
the eye we find it, it seems to us to fulfil its
purpose with fair degree of success. and
even if, as Professor Tyndall suggests, il
fort Of creative art, we are, on the whole,
quite content with what the Almighty has
given us. In heaven, we have no doubt, the
Professor will be permitted to model his own
eyes. But perhaps the Professor does not be-
lieve in heaven.


one, or nearly SO, in regard to the Louisiana
question, widely as they differed during the
course Of the campaign. The former cries
out for protection against domestic violence .
It says:- ~


We are not alarmists and certainly not hostile to
the President; yet the principles involved in this
Louisiana dispute go TO the very life OF our system
which we cannot be Indifferent. II the results Of
state elections can be determined In the way I'm
which they were determined in Louisiana, and II
the executive power OF the President may be In
y0ked to sustain these results, then, indeed, we
have reached the end OF state governments. They
exist only by sufcrance. The very provision OF the
constitution which was intended for their prOtec-
ton in an extreme case becomes the instrument
OF their destruction. We can have no sympathy
with and lend no support to such fatal centralt-
cation as this implies.


And the Golden Age expresses the same ideas
in eoually forcible words -


The policy pursued by the administration toward
louisiana is not only In violation or the constiIu-
tion and a marked departure from the traditions
ans shs tds n s II he
dent can unmake and make q State government In
Louisiana, what shall hinder his making govern
usurpations in New Orleans sanctioned by Con-
gress, and allowed to 60 unrebuked by the people,
tons in any and every state In the Union Admit
the right OF the federal authorities to unmake and
is virtually at an end. Doubtless President Grant
did not propose at the nrst to interfere with the
legitimate authorities and local AFFAIRS OF Louisi-
tary, and he insensibly inclines to arbitrary
methods and acts. He is more OF commander-in-
chief than a President, and forgets that the nation
is not an army Of which the states are merely
corps and detachments.


The Evangelist accounts for the recent cpl
demic of crime-and it seems to be still raging
as fercely as ever-by the theory that chang
ing is played out in New York" 1t therefore
thinks that the muttered threats Of swift JUS
tice, which we hear every now and then, ore
not very surprising. But, it sensibly con-
cludes-


The state of feeling thus Indicated Is ominous Of
those violations of public peace and order which,
however veied under the prestige OF vigilance
committees are ever odious and hazardous What
we demand and what all good citizens must de-
mand and insist on, Is not harshness or retalis-
tion in a bitter spirit, but justice simple Justice
and nothing more. Let the law be sternly en-
forced and let the exceptions be as few they
numerous now, and we may hope that ere long the
q check.


The FFeemans Journal after arraying from
the columns Of the HERALD the awful disasters
f-6,s.n Anoda md ufrrrrc In Graak Ilriknin