THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE C. L. S. C.

The Chautauqua Circle is unlike all other circles. It possesses three centers. Its intellectual center is the place where the superintendent happens to be at any given moment; for where the king is, there is the court. The center of its enthusiasm, the Mecca of its members, is the Hall of Philosophy, among the beeches of St. Paul’s Grove, where once a year the gates are opened, the Arches are garlanded, and the Watch-Fires are kindled. Its business center, which may properly be called the headquarters of the C. L. S. C., is in Plainfield, New Jersey. Few who pass around the corner of a modest brick building near the railway station in that lovely country city, are aware that they are in the shadow of the walls within which is transacted the business of an organization numbering more than fifty thousand, and extending its arms around the world. Two rooms upon the second floor are all the space at present afforded for the work of the office. There is great need of more enlarged quarters. Its home was assigned when the Circle was about a fourth of its present dimensions, and its business has far outgrown the capacity of its capitol.

One of the two rooms is the place where most of the clerical work of the Circle is carried on by the efficient young secretary and her lady assistants, who number from five to ten at different seasons in the scholastic year. One young lady opens the letters received, which sometimes number twenty-three hundred in a week, and never fall below eleven hundred, and assorts them. Another finds constant employment in answering inquiries, addressing circulars of information, in changing the names and addresses of members who change their residences, or of lady members who get married and change their names. About ten per cent. of these people forget to state to which class they belong, and consequently their names must be hunted up in the different class-registers. [Mem. Whenever you write to the office, always mention the graduating year of your class.] Another young lady keeps account of the fees, and writes receipts to those who pay them, and quite frequently finds it necessary to search the big books for the address of a member who has forgotten to tell in what State he lives, and forgotten also that there are twenty-seven towns of that same name in the United States. [Mem. Always be sure to give your postoffice address fully.] A couple more of the staff are busy at certain seasons in filling and addressing the envelopes which are sent three or four times a year to upward of forty thousand people. It requires most of the time of one person to file the letters, postal cards and outline memoranda received from the members, for every scrap of writing sent by members of the C. L. S. C. is duly arranged in its alphabetical place, so that it can be referred to at any minute. The secretary herself sits at a table whereon stands a formidable pile of letters containing questions upon every subject imaginable (beside others unimaginable); outline memoranda to be examined, inquiries concerning seals on diplomas, a labyrinth so intricate that nobody except the secretary has the clue; requests for permission to substitute for the Required Reading Mac-Somebody’s history of which nobody else has ever heard the name; and occasionally a letter which warms one’s heart, as it tells of the blessing which the C. L. S. C. has brought to a far-away home. No letter remains long unanswered, and no inquiry, however slight, is passed by.

A very careful account is kept with each member of the C. L. S. C., so that quite a history could be written of each student’s relation to the office. To each class of the Circle is assigned a large volume, ruled to supply blanks for all the data. In this the names of the members are enrolled in alphabetical order. Opposite each name are recorded the answers upon the application blank; receipts of fees of membership, with dates; receipts of outline memoranda, and a space for report as to the member’s final destiny in the C. L. S. C., whether diploma or withdrawal.

The second of the two rooms at the headquarters might be, from its general appearance, either a postoffice or a dove-cote. It is cut up into pigeon holes, which fill it in every part, leaving only narrow aisles for passage. In these boxes are kept the envelopes which represent the members of the C. L. S. C. To every member is assigned a large manilla envelope, upon which is written the name and address; and into that envelope goes every letter received from the said member, with his outline memoranda, and answers to the questions on the application blank. The envelopes are constantly called into use, as letters from the members are frequent; and even after the class which they represent has graduated they are still kept, so that every application, letter, or outline memoranda, from the first day of the Circle’s history can be recalled to view. Thus each member can be assured that his name will have a double title to be remembered in the generations to come. In the archives of the C. L. S. C. will be found his enrollment, upon the page of the volume containing the record of his class, and the envelope which bears his name and contains several specimens of his handwriting and signature.

We look forward to a day, it is to be hoped not far distant, when the office work of the C. L. S. C. shall enjoy more ample accommodations. Its growing numbers give increasing work and require larger room, and not long can the headquarters of the C. L. S. C. be kept within their present narrow bounds.

EVANGELISTS.

The term Evangelist literally means “publisher of glad tidings.” It is met in the book of the Acts of the Apostles and in the writings of Paul, and though from the meager accounts we have of the organization and practical workings of the church in Paul’s time it is difficult to determine the precise functions of those to whom it was applied, yet there is general accord in the notion that the Evangelists of the early church were a sort of under-missionaries working under direction of the apostles and preceding the pastors whose business it was to watch over and minister to the local organizations. The position of Evangelist was of great importance and usefulness. The name is bestowed in praise and honor by Paul on one of his most esteemed co-workers.

Although in the literal and best sense every man called to preach the Gospel is an Evangelist in that he is called to proclaim the “glad tidings,” yet even in this nineteenth century as well as in the first, there is room and work for the Evangelist as he is conceived in the mind of Paul when he delivers his exhortation to Timothy. So long as there remain, whether within or without the pale of civilization, districts or localities whither the proclamation of “good news” has not come, there is a glorious sphere and mission for the Evangelist.

But not such is our latter-day, nineteenth century Evangelist, as he is commonly seen and known. He is not sent out by and under direction of the apostles, nor does he, as a rule, go in the name of any branch of the organized church. Not unto the heathen or pagan, not even unto the “waste places” where souls are in ignorance, perishing for lack of opportunity to hear the Gospel. No, the “Evangelist” in this age and country is an individual whose call has come in such a way that the organized church is often ignored. He does not precede civilization, but follows it on the railway train—not to the frontier, but to the goodly town or city. Once there, if his preference is consulted, it is not the “ragged portion,” with its sin and neglect, but the most popular church with all its auxiliaries of organ, choir, comfortable inquiry room, and the pastor as first subordinate. For gathering a crowd he calls to his aid that valuable assistant, the press. He is a “magnetic” man. He usually brings along with him some marked improvements in methods and theology. The latter sometimes consist in a new and improved definition of conversion, and a short-cut path through the old-fashioned wilderness of repentance. A few weeks of “work,” “hundreds of souls,” a goodly number of collections for the Evangelist interlarded, and he moves on to the next engagement.

Now that he is gone let us look around and see what he has left behind him. He has made his impression, men say. Yes, and he has left impressions, also. Here is one of them: It is that the regular pastor, to whose zeal and faithfulness the whole work must be indebted if it is to abide and amount to anything, as a servant and workman of the Lord, is very inferior to the stranger who made such a stir during the few weeks of his sojourn. The impression obtains in the church that they need not expect conversions under the regular ministry, but must await the coming of another Evangelist. The result is the lessening of the pastor’s influence in his church and community, and the education of the people to expect no more than a “tiding over” of the church till the time of another effort under similar leadership.

But not alone the church is educated to so think and expect, but the education reaches the minister also, and when this is so the result is simply deplorable. Bishop R. S. Foster in a recent address to a conference class has so well and truthfully expressed this result that we give his words: “It has become common in these days to say of preachers, ‘this is a revival preacher, and this is not.’ There is great harmfulness in the suggestion, for we tend to arrange ourselves around this point: We will be of the revival class, or not of the revival; as if any ministry dare to be anything but a revival ministry; as if a man could be a minister without this power of the Holy Ghost. We must set out to make ourselves revival preachers, working preachers, that will make sinners feel the power of the truth. And perhaps at this point I may say that it will be well for us to take time and consider the field, for it has become a popular idea for us to supplement our ministry by calling in other people to help us out, by employing evangelists, irresponsibles, running over the land, and burning it to a cinder in many places, asking them to come in and do the work God expects us to do.” If any one offers as an objection or protest against the above views the question, “What of Mr. Moody and others of signal success in this field of work?” we answer that when to the name of Moody is added a few others the list of their kind is exhausted. So we cite the proverb, “The exception proves the rule.”

THE NEW TIME STANDARDS.

One of our humorists has wittily depicted the blank astonishment of ocean voyagers whose watches, “never out of order at home,” utterly failed, as their owners journeyed to eastern lands, to keep pace with the flight of time. Each noon as the vessel’s officers made their observations and set their chronometers with the advanced meridian reached, found the passengers’ “Frodshams” lagging rearward. A matter, however, easily explained. Time is regulated by the sun. Wherever the sun is on a north and south line, or meridian, at that place it is noon, and the time obtained by such an observation (to say nothing of the equation of time) is “local” time. As, then, the vessel moved east, each day it met the sun (or rather the sun reached the meridian) earlier than on the day preceding, and all the watches and clocks had to be put ahead just as many minutes as equaled the number of minutes of longitude made by the vessel. In sailing west, the sun would arrive at the meridian later each day, and time-pieces would be too fast, and would have each day to be correspondingly “turned back.”

Of course, the same thing occurs on land. If we travel east our watches become too slow; if west, too fast; and the traveler is constantly occupied comparing his local time with those of the places he visits and of the trains on which he is carried. If in Pittsburgh, he finds western trains running by Columbus time, twelve minutes slower than Pittsburgh; eastern trains via Pennsylvania Central R. R., nineteen minutes faster; and eastern trains on the Baltimore and Ohio road fourteen minutes faster—just four standards for one city.

After some fourteen years of discussion among scientists and railroad men, an expedient has been finally adopted by which one clock will exhibit the “time” of the whole world. And it is simply this: Since by the earth’s revolution on its axis, any (all) point on the earth’s surface passes through 360° every twenty-four hours, or at the rate of 15° each hour, the surface can be divided into twenty-four sections, each 15° of arc, or one hour of time, in breadth, having for its standard time, the time of its (the section’s) middle meridian. This makes the difference in time between any two adjacent sections exactly one hour. Thus, if at Greenwich it is noon, from 7½° to 22½° west of Greenwich it is only 11:00 a. m., while in the section included by the meridians 7½° to 22½° east, it is 1:00 p. m. Or, when it is 3:25 p. m. at Greenwich, it is 2:25 and 4:25 p. m. respectively in the sections directly west and east of the Greenwich section; and 1:25 and 5:25 p. m. respectively in the next adjoining sections; and so on. Now applying this principle to our own country, we have the following scheme:

Meridian Standard.	Local time compared with Greenwich time.			Boundaries of Sections.		Name of time.
60° W.	4	hours	slow.	52½° to	67½° W.	Atlantic.
75° W.	5	“	“	67½° to	82½° W.	Eastern.
90° W.	6	“	“	82½° to	97½° W.	Valley or Central.
105° W.	7	“	“	97½° to	112½° W.	Mountain.
120° W.	8	“	“	112½° to	127½° W.	Pacific.

From which it is readily seen we have but five instead of over fifty standards as heretofore; and that the time of any place can not vary more than thirty minutes from its own local time.

It is proposed that places located between the meridians given in the column headed “Boundaries of Sections,” shall adopt the time named in the same line in the next right hand column headed “Name of Time;” for example, places located between the meridians 67½ and 82½ west will adopt “Eastern” time, which is the local time of the 75th meridian, and is five hours slower than Greenwich and eight minutes 12.09 seconds faster than Washington time. It is not supposed, however, that this will be done as exactly as laid down in the table; for a railroad may be located principally in one section and extend a short distance into another; in which case it would not be worth while to change the standard for the short part. Thus, the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway has its eastern terminus in Pittsburgh, something over 100 miles east of the Central section, in which the main body of the road lies; and this road adopts Central time throughout its whole extent. In like manner, San Antonio and Austin, Texas, are both in the “Mountain” section, but will probably prefer to adopt “Central” time and be respectively thirty-three and thirty-one minutes slower, than to adopt “Mountain” time and be respectively twenty-seven and twenty-nine minutes faster than their local time; and this for the obvious reason that their business connections are much more extensive with the Central than the Mountain region. But these cases do not in the least interfere with the integrity of the general scheme. The minute-hands of all properly regulated time-pieces will always indicate the same minute, and all “times” can be estimated by the addition or subtraction of entire hours. And in this lies the beauty and simplicity of the device.

With great unanimity the railroads of the United States, and most of the principal cities of the Union have already and without a “jar” adjusted their business to this new basis; and it is to be presumed that as soon as the advantages are fully understood, some cities that are now hesitating will fall into line. The fact is, that while the adoption of the new plan would produce a wonderful uniformity, there would be a few cases in which the disturbance of local time seems great; but it is not any greater than in hundreds of cases where the old method is used. To exhibit the changes we give a few samples: In New Orleans the time is fourteen seconds slower than local time; in St. Louis, forty-nine seconds slower; in Denver, no difference; in Philadelphia, 38.45 seconds slower; in New York, three minutes 58.38 seconds faster; in Baltimore, six minutes slower; in Washington City, eight minutes twelve seconds slower; while in Kansas City the time is eighteen minutes 21.7 seconds slower; in Pittsburgh, twenty minutes three seconds faster; in Cincinnati, twenty-two minutes 18.58 seconds faster; and in Omaha, twenty-four minutes slower than the respective local times.

RESULTS.

By the new system, railroad towns would have a great advantage in that they could obtain their time with greater precision from the railroad clocks, which are regulated by signals from astronomical observatories. Inland towns having no observatories or telegraphs would of course, as they do now, obtain their time as best they could from adjoining cities.

In some places there would still have to be two standards, as in railroad centers; but there never need be more than two, and as these two will always be exactly one hour apart, the adjustment of working hours, business hours, school hours, etc., is a problem involving nothing more than the addition or subtraction of an hour.

The Geodetic Congress which met in Rome a few weeks since, and in which the United States was officially represented by General Cutts, of the Coast Survey, passed, unanimously, resolutions urging the adoption of this system for the whole world, with the meridian of Greenwich, as it always has been and is now for all nautical calculations, the universal standard. A compliance with this recommendation would reduce, with our present time-pieces, the time of the world to twelve standards (our watches and clocks merely repeating themselves after crossing the 180th meridian), and enable a man to “circumnavigate the globe,” and always have correct time without once changing the minute-hand of his watch.

PÈRE HYACINTHE.

This distinguished orator is again visiting our shores, and very many will avail themselves of the opportunity to listen to his almost peerless eloquence. His mission this time is to raise money, by means of lectures and appeals to the benevolent, for the work in which he is engaged in Paris. A glance just now at this man’s remarkable career will be timely.

Father Hyacinthe’s real name is Charles Loyson. He was born in Orleans, France, March 10, 1827, and is therefore now nearly fifty-seven years of age. He showed in boyhood some precocity, writing verses which were regarded remarkable for his years. For some years he was a student at the academy of Pau, which institution he left at the age of eighteen to become a student of theology in the school of St. Sulpice. After receiving priest’s orders, he taught philosophy for a time at Avignon and theology at Nantes; then for ten years he was in charge of the parish of St. Sulpice. He was past thirty when he entered the convent of the Carmelites at Lyons as a novice. Two years after he became a member of the order, and began preaching in the lyceum at Lyons. He soon acquired great popularity here; and on visiting Bordeaux, Perigneux, and Paris, and giving courses of sermons in these several places, he made a wide and deep impression. It was about 1867 that the liberality of some of Father Hyacinthe’s sentiments attracted notice. His orthodoxy became suspected, but his popularity continued to grow. We see him, in 1869, examined by the pope as to his doctrines, whom he seems to have convinced of his substantial soundness. A little later, however, a great sensation was produced by some of his liberal utterances. The general of the order of Carmelites at Rome warned him that he must change his tone or cease from preaching. His reply to this order was so outspoken against certain practices of the church as to draw from Rome a threat of the major excommunication. He had been preaching in the church of Notre Dame, Paris, and was now prohibited from doing so longer.

It was soon after the opening of the breach between himself and the authorities of his church, in the autumn of 1869, that the great preacher made his first visit to America. His fame had preceded him, and by Protestants he was warmly welcomed. His stay was short, but those permitted to hear him in his few public addresses were ready to admit that his reputation was not amiss as one of the most consummate orators of modern times. The breach with Rome became wider. In 1870 the Pope released him from his monastic vows, and he has since been a secular priest. He earnestly protested against the dogma of papal infallibility proclaimed by the council of that year, and cast his lot for a time with the Old Catholics, headed by Döllinger. He soon chose for himself, however, an independent basis of action. Having, in public address, defended the right of the clergy to marry, he himself married an American lady in 1873, and is now the father of interesting children. His work latterly has been that of an independent preacher in the city of Paris. Like most independent movements, his own has not been a success. In breaking with Rome, he chose not to ally himself with Protestant Christians, and found himself unable to go with Old Catholics. He stands by himself, claiming to be a Catholic, but not a Papist. Of his perfect sincerity those who know him entertain no doubt; but the regret has doubtless been felt by very many that he could not have seen his way clear to devote his brilliant gifts to the cause of Protestant Christianity. The fame of his captivating oratory will long live; but he, perhaps, missed his opportunity to do a great work for the cause of truth in the earth.

[EDITOR’S NOTE-BOOK.]

The Chautauquan has steadily grown in favor with the public from the time it was first issued. Our old subscribers continue with us, and new ones are being added to the list daily. We are now printing thirty-five thousand copies every month. This circulation is evidence in itself of the rapid growth of the C. L. S. C., and of an increasing demand among reading people for substantial literature. The future of The Chautauquan and the whole Chautauqua movement has never been so full of promise to those who are directing the work as it now is, as we enter the year 1884.

Sojourner Truth is dead. For more than half a century she has been a conspicuous figure, a negro woman, firmly advocating abolition and woman suffrage. Her musical bass voice was often used with tremendous effect in assemblies where she spoke for her favorite cause. Redeemed from slavery herself, she saw her children sold into bondage, but she lived to speak on the same platform with Garrison and Wendell Phillips for her cause, and at last to see her race enjoying freedom.

Two great religious celebrations marked the month of November. The anniversary of Martin Luther was observed by church people in all parts of the land, sermons and lectures made the air vocal with the praises of Luther and his deeds in behalf of spiritual Christianity. Our national Thanksgiving day was generally kept by a suspension of business, the holding of religious services, family gatherings and feasting. The observance of these two days indicates how strong a hold Christianity has upon the American people. Though God is not recognized in the Constitution of the United States, he is honored in a more practical way by being worshiped at the altars of his church, and in the hearts of his people.

Miss Frances E. Willard shows a degree of enterprise unequaled, in the naming of objects, when in her article elsewhere in this number she proposes to change the name of the world. She pays a fine compliment to the Pacific coast as a land of many charms, not the least of which are its elegant homes.

Lewis Miller, Esq., president of the Chautauqua Assembly and the C. L. S. C., has rendered an invaluable service to the Assembly by his wise counsel and unceasing labors ever since the death of Mr. A. K. Warren, last summer. It is expected that the trustees will elect a secretary to succeed Mr. Warren at their meeting in January.

In the fall elections the Republicans defeated General Butler in Massachusetts, retrieved themselves in Pennsylvania, and elected part of their ticket in New York State, in the face of nearly 200,000 majority against them one year ago, but in Ohio they lost the control of the State government, and in Virginia the Mahone party received a terrible reverse. The immediate effect of these changes is, new hope springs up in the hearts of the Republican leaders that they shall be able to elect the next President.

The contest for the election of Speaker of the House of Representatives presented this new phase of politics in the Democratic party: There was a Northern faction which supported Mr. Randall, of Pennsylvania, and a Southern faction, which proved to be the stronger of the two, which elected Mr. Carlisle, of Kentucky. In the history of this nation a great party has been hopelessly divided by a cause of less import than is seen in this contest for the Speakership.

The tariff may come into prominence as a great political issue in the Presidential contest of 1884, and it may be kept out of the battle entirely. The Democratic party has the power to choose the battle ground, and to say over what issue the voters shall wage the war.

The divorce laws of the states are so diversified and are working so much mischief to the family and society, that it would be a safe and easy way out of our troubles if our National Congress would give us a wholesome law on divorce. Eminent lawyers say “there is no principle in the Constitution to prevent it.” It would be in the interest of the whole people—and guard the family, which is the very foundation of national life. A copyright law or a bankrupt law are no more national than a divorce law would be.

The lace industry is a most valuable business in France. We know little about it, only as the article is used for decorating the persons and homes of the American people. To Culbert, the protectionist, the rise and growth of this business may be traced. Two hundred and fifty thousand people in France are engaged in its manufacture, and its products are valued at about $20,000,000 annually. Here is an opening for enterprising American capitalists who are seeking places to invest their money, and as a branch of manufacturing in this country, it would be an opportunity for thousands of needy women to find remunerative and agreeable employment.

It is reported in literary circles that “Anthony Trollope was excluded from Good Words (a London religious magazine) because he introduced a dance into a story.” If this be true, it shows the sentiment of religious society in England on the dance; to say the least, it is strong evidence that the editor of Good Words knows what would offend the taste of his readers, and has the courage to exclude it from his columns.

“The Boston School Committee has tried the experiment of industrial training for about two years on a small scale among the boys in the Dwight school building. About five hours per week have been devoted to mechanical work. The boys have been taught the proper use of tools, and many of the lads have shown such proficiency and have made such rapid progress in this new branch of education that it has been decided to make it a permanent feature of the Boston schools for boys. The subject was brought up in November at a meeting of the School Board, and was favorably considered. The Superintendent of Schools, Professor Seaver, said the objection had been raised that too much time might be taken from other studies. His belief was that, if necessary, it would be better to abandon some other studies and give more time to one that was calculated to give the boys some information of practical value—one that would enable them to become useful members of society early in life, rather than ornamental boys. It was finally voted to request the City Council to appropriate $2,500 for the equipment and maintenance of a manual training school in the basement of the Latin school building. It is the intention to devote ten hours per week to the new system.”

The average daily movement of the wind on the top of Mount Washington in October last was 619 miles; highest temperature 54° 5′; lowest, 6°. The highest velocity of the wind was 94 miles an hour, from the west. There were three inches of snow on the summit at the close of October.

With the introduction of the electric light into the streets of our towns and cities, we meet a new danger from broken wires, charged with electricity, hanging in the air. In New York City, last month, an electric light pole was broken and the wires fell to the ground, when a runaway horse had a strange experience. An officer at Mr. Bergh’s office said: “We had no occasion to use the ambulance. The horse seemed to have become entangled in the wires after falling and to have become so charged with electricity that it was unable to get up. The driver received a shock from the horse’s body in attempting to lift it, and was thrown violently to the ground. I understood that several others who attempted to help the horse had the same experience. Word was finally sent to the Brush supply office in Twenty-fifth street, and I understood the electricity was cut off from the circuit while the horse was released. The animal was able to walk, and was taken to the stables. I am told that even the harness was so charged with electricity that it was dangerous to touch it.” The people must be educated to keep hands off these wires, or what would be a better plan, all companies should be obliged to lay their wires underground.

A Law and Order League has been organized in St. Louis for the purpose of securing to the city an honest local government.

“The traveler along the highway a mile or so above the village of North Haverhill, N. H., finds,” says The Boston Journal, “a small graveyard which contains the remains of brave McIntosh, the leader of the Boston Tea Party. For seventy years spring flowers have blossomed and winter winds have blown over a grave unmarked by stone and known to but a few aged people now living who remember his burial. He fills a pauper’s grave, having died in the vicinity of 1810 or 1811, at the house of a Mr. Hurlburt, who resided at what is now known as the Poor Farm, and to whose care he had been bid off as a public pauper by public auction as the lowest bidder, according to ye ancient custom, and as recorded upon the town records. That he was the leader without a doubt there is abundant proof, and that to his memory should be erected a suitable monument commemorative of the man and deed would be simple justice.”

The unusual fact is reported that in Chicago the wife of the bookkeeper in a National Bank, on discovering recently that her husband was dishonest, went to the president and told him of the fact. In noticing this remarkable circumstance the Inter-Ocean says: “Although hundreds of women hold positions of financial trust in Chicago and elsewhere in the country, we have yet to hear of one of them being guilty of embezzlement or defalcation.” The same is true, almost or quite without exception, of the female employes of the government, and their superior skill in counting and handling money has been attested by General Spinner. They are not only more expert in this, but they are sharper eyed than the men. A counterfeit can seldom pass their scrutiny undetected. Indeed, they seem to have a sort of clairvoyance for fraud. Yet some Congressmen, who are chiefly anxious to wield patronage to reward their constituents, favor the exclusion of women from clerkships. They are not merely ungallant, but opposed to faithfulness and economy in the public service.

The great cantilever bridge just completed over Niagara River has been constructed for a double railroad track. It is about three hundred feet above the old railroad suspension bridge, spanning a chasm eight hundred and seventy feet wide between the bluffs, and over two hundred feet deep.

In the Chautauqua School of Theology the reports from departments show a large increase of students for the past month. The total number now enrolled is as follows: Hebrew, 38; Greek, 132; Doctrinal Theology, 85; Practical Theology, 116; Historical Theology, 25.

The Hon. James G. Blaine excited considerable discussion in the political world during the past month by a letter he published in the Philadelphia Press. He objects to distributing the surplus revenue collected by the government among the States, but believes that the income from the tax on distilled spirits might be so divided. This places both Mr. Blaine and the government in an unenviable position. It is blood-money—yes—blood-money. Like the money Judas received for betraying Jesus Christ into the hands of his enemies, so the tax on rum is the price the government has received for betraying innocent wives and children and weak men into the hands of their enemies. Mr. Blaine is a pronounced prohibitionist, and as such he would do well to have as little as possible to do with the tax on rum. It is a dangerous question to handle, in any but one way, and that is for the government to abolish this particular tax by prohibiting the traffic in spirituous liquors.

Any one west of the Mississippi desiring a class badge of ’85 can procure it of the Secretary, Mamie M. Schenck, Osage City, Kansas, by sending the sum of ten (10) cents.

Every one in the northeastern States remembers the brilliant sunsets that occurred in the latter part of November. The persistent, intense, red light that streamed up the sky almost to the zenith, was so unusual a phenomenon that many theories have been given in explanation. Of course the first was that of unusual refraction produced by differences of density in the atmosphere; but as the light was observed so far, so long, and before sunrise as well as after sunset, another explanation seems necessary. Prof. Brooks, of western New York, has advanced a reasonable explanation in the suggestion that it was caused by reflection from clouds of meteoric dust in the upper portion of the atmosphere. In confirmation of this, Prof. Brooks claims to have discovered, on the night of November 28, a shower of telescopic meteors near the place in the sky where the sun had set.

The annual report from the United States Mint shows that the total amount of gold and silver received and worked during the year was $87,758,154, of which $49,145,559 was gold and $38,612,595 was silver. The coinage consisted of 98,666,624 pieces, worth $66,200,705. Of this amount $28,111,119 was in standard silver dollars. The total amount of fractional silver in the country is $235,000,000. The earnings of the mints during the year were $5,215,509, and the expenses $1,726,285. The total value of the gold and silver wasted at the four coining mints was $30,084, while there was a gain from surplus bullion recovered amounting to $62,658. The director estimates the total coin circulation of the United States, on July 1, 1883, at $765,000,000, of which $537,000,000 was gold and $228,000,000 silver. The estimate on October 1, 1883, was $544,512,699 of gold, and $235,291,623 of silver.

The “Children’s Aid Society” of New York City held its annual meeting in the American Exchange Bank, in December. It could appropriately be called a society for “diminishing crime and vice,” because that is just what the Society is doing among neglected and wicked children. The secretary said: “There were during the past year, in our six lodging houses, 13,717 different boys and girls; 297,399 meals and 231,245 lodgings were supplied. In the twenty-one day and fourteen evening schools were 14,132 children, who were taught, and partly fed and clothed; 3,449 were sent to homes, mainly in the West; 1,599 were aided with food, medicine, etc., through the ‘Sick Children’s Mission;’ 4,140 children enjoyed the benefits of the ‘Summer Home’ at Bath, L. I. (averaging about 300 per week); 489 girls have been instructed in the use of the sewing machine in the Girls’ Lodging House and in the industrial schools; $10,136.12 has been deposited in the Penny Savings Banks. Total number under charge of the Society during the year, 37,037. The treasurer, George S. Coe, reports that $251,713.94 was received and $255,865 paid out.”

Any person owning a complete set of The Chautauquan for 1880-1881, with which they are willing to part, may dispose of the same at our office. We will send for the first volume of The Chautauquan the fourth volume, or will pay the original price, $1.50.

The holiday season will bring a brief respite from study, to members of the C. L. S. C. as it does to students in colleges and universities, and indeed we may say, as it does to business and professional men, and everybody. It is a time of good cheer, of merry-making and rejoicing, for Christmas-tide is the most joyful of all our holiday seasons in the suggestions of the day itself, and in the freedom and intensity of feeling with which it is observed. It marks the end of the old year with an exclamation point, and we bow it out with a shout of joy. As the year 1884 comes in, to our scores of thousands of readers we say, A Happy New Year to you all.