JERUSALEM AND BETHLEHEM are receiving an unusual meed of attention just now. Five churches are in course of construction. Two Russian grand princes are expected to be present at the dedication of the Gethsemane Church, an event which clearly has a sort of ecclesiastical and political bearing combined. The Second Russian Church, just beside that of the Holy Sepulcher, is rising in costly material and stately proportions, and will be ready for consecration next year. The hospice for aristocratic Russian pilgrims, north of the Russian New Jerusalem, is also rising in stately outlines, with a cloister and girls' school in the vicinity. One wondered for awhile where the money came from for all these enterprises, but it has recently come to light that it is provided by the Russian Palestine Association, whose members are wealthy Russians.

The Abyssinian Coptic Church is a beautiful circular building with a cupola, and is now under roof, making quite an ornament to the surroundings. In Bethlehem the church of the friar Belloni is about half up, and the Protestant Church is now rising above the foundation. The Greeks recently placed a cross on the cupola of the Church of the Sepulcher, and this work was done in a single night and caused great excitement in the Romish camp; for, according to Oriental ideas, whatever nation sets a cross on a church has a right to all it contains.

Nothing of special political importance has occurred in Palestine of late. The last coup d'état was the Sultan's blow at the Jews, prohibiting their immigration to the Holy Land. But their leaders obtained the privilege of remaining three months in the holy city, visiting the graves and holy places. But on the other hand the government seems to allow all sorts of wild tribes, as the Turcomans and Circassians, to settle east of the Jordan. This commingling of strangers with the native Bedouins gives rise to a good deal of fighting and skirmishing that does not always end without bloodshed. This antagonism of races is sometimes very bitter and fatal. A party of Mohammedans were discovered by Christian customs officers smuggling tobacco into Beyroot. This interference of the Christian with the Turk caused a great deal of bitterness, and the whole town took sides in the squabble, the line being clearly drawn between the creeds. For a time there was great danger of a bloody riot, but by some means the tumult was quieted. Palestine seems on the eve of a great struggle between nationalities and creeds, in which Russians and Jews will be prominent.

BRAZIL is in quite a flutter of excitement because of the rejection of a petition of the Protestants of the realm to be allowed to worship in a public manner. The matter was received well in the Senate, but failed in the House. The members of the Cabinet who in the Senate seemed to favor the request, evidently soon received a hint from the higher power, and thought it better to put off the matter for a season. The appeal comes from a large body of German Protestants settled in the province of Rio Grande do Sul.

The cause of this treatment was the appearance of a counter petition with

twelve thousand signatures, mainly from the ladies of the upper classes of Rio; and it is said that at the head of this petition stands the name of the Crown Princess Isabel, the late regent during the absence of the Emperor Dom Pedro. This suspicion puts a very serious phase on the matter, for a lady so devoid of tact in the present crisis of the country as to do so unwise a thing can hardly be safely intrusted with the regency. The excitement among the Protestant population is very great, and it is considered as an insult that light and air are denied to their form of worship. It has been hard to bear the legacy of former times in this matter, when Protestantism was not at all known and the rule came from Portugal. But that the same feeling should now exist in the higher regions of government, notwithstanding the unanimous request of all Protestant congregations of the land, it is hard to conceive.

The truth is, that there is a good deal of tinder heaped up in Brazil, and all have the feeling that it will soon come to an explosion. The Emperor has returned, but he is a sick man, and must soon die, and the succession is a matter of much doubt. He was evidently not very well pleased with the regency of his daughter, and hurried back at the risk of dying on the way to resume the reins of government. The crown princess during his absence committed a great stroke of policy in liberating all the slaves a little before the legally appointed time, but the feeling is that she has received too much credit for it. At least it is hazardous for her to believe that this act permits her with impunity to be unjust to a large body of intelligent and valuable citizens who came into the land in the expectation that their inborn rights should be regarded. In her policy she did violence to the parliamentary system, and in religious matters she is thought to be under the influence of the Jesuits. It is now thought that the Senate would not receive the abdication of the monarch in favor of his daughter. do all they can against her ascent to the throne. law of the emperor, a Saxon prince.

The Republicans will They favor the son-in

CARDINAL LAVIGERIE, the Archbishop of Algiers and Primate of Africa, is entering the African arena with much vigor, and the avowed. determination of stamping out the huge vice of slavery from the entire continent. It is sad to know that this is a very heavy contract, but he proposes to go at his work with the Bible in one hand and the sword in the other. The Cardinal has been busy for twenty years in the mission work in Africa. He began by founding the congregations of the " White Fathers," or missionaries of the Holy Virgin of Algiers, which body sent to Leo XIII. in 1878 an address wherein they say that they have but one wish, namely, to save the souls of these unbelievers by bringing to them the words of the Gospel until they die in the service.

This order now has a novitiate in the Maison Carrée in Algiers, wherein are prepared all the novices for mission service in Africa. Since that time these White Fathers have founded a series of mission schools in various parts of Europe-in France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany.

They have also settlements in Jerusalem, and in the vicinity of Rome. Although within the last ten years twelve of these White Fathers have met a martyr's death in Africa the result of their missionary activity has not been especially gratifying, and but few negroes have been brought over to Christianity. But notwithstanding this they have already founded eleven stations in the region of Lake Albert Nyanza, and an apostolic vicariate. To aid in this work the cardinal is now about to send out female missionaries.

In the summer of 1887 he established in the Dutch city of Maestricht a missionary cloister for Africa, and soon had twelve women under vows for the work. As to the province of the sword in this work of suppressing slavery, the Cardinal is endeavoring to create an international armed body which shall be composed entirely of volunteers, who shall be supported by a fund contributed by all the States interested in African matters. To effect this purpose Lavigerie is now making the tour of European States. It is said that the Pope will send a circular to the Powers in the interest of this enterprise. For the volunteer legion that is to operate on Tanganyika Lake one hundred and fifty have already enlisted, and anti-slavery committees have been formed to collect funds in Belgium and elsewhere. The King is not very favorable to the movement. He would reach the negroes by peaceful methods.

“VACATION COLONIES" are a new move on the part of the Germans. An international convention recently held in Zurich, called together at the instigation of German philanthropists, discussed the plan of forming so-called vacation colonies for the retreat of children of the cities during the summer months. The experiment is a brilliant success in Germany, having been in progress for some time. Nearly ten thousand children were assembled last summer from seventy-two cities. The reports of the convention were interesting and encouraging. The founding of these summer colonies under careful hygienic control was declared to be a fitting work for the friends of childhood every-where. In these establishments the children are not idle, but are usually engaged in some sort of object-lesson training while gaining health and strength for the winter.

BISHOP STROSSMAYER, of Croatia, has rather a hard time with the authorities, who are in favor of the Ultramontane Church. When the Emperor of Austria was recently in Pesth with the Crown Prince he gave a reception to the Catholic clergy of Hungary. The Emperor, having greeted very kindly several of the archbishops and bishops, turned to Strossmayer, and openly said, concerning a certain telegram expressed in liberal terms, sent to Kiev on the occasion of the assembling of the RussoGreek Church in that ancient city: "I would not have thought that one of my subjects could have been guilty of such an act. This telegram was an insult to the Catholic Church and the monarchy. You appeared not to know what you were doing; you were sick." Bishop Strossmayer,

bowing to the Emperor, said quite loud: "My conscience is clean, your majesty." The Bishop is the leader of the Croatian opposition to the Hungarian rule. Were it not for this such an unusual scene between an emperor and a bishop would never have occurred.

II. LITERARY.

THE SCHOOLS OF FRANCE are not in a very cordial condition in the matter of religion and conscience. Relations are so strained that the courts are frequently called in to settle disputes. The Court of Appeals in Paris recently found it necessary to sit in judgment on the decree of a lower court from the following cause: A wealthy Protestant in central France conceived the praiseworthy idea of collecting in his own house a number of little girls from ten to twelve years of age to enjoy with his own children the religious instruction of a special teacher, engaged and paid by himself. For this act he was summoned before the school inspector of the district and condemned to a fine because he had established a primary school in his own house. He appealed to a local court and lost his case, and then came to the higher court of Paris, which reversed the decision. The Court of Appeals decided that as religious instruction is no longer imparted in the primary schools, therefore it is the privilege of every Frenchman to have his children instructed in that branch privately without a special permit from the government.

This decision is of great importance for French Protestants, and greatly pleases them; otherwise the Thursday schools and Sunday-schools were in danger, which are taught mostly by laymen, without a certificate from the higher schools. But the wonder and the pity are, that such a question could be raised in liberal France as whether a parent may be permitted to have his children taught in his own house by a teacher of his own choice, and this in the matter of religion. The government supports the public schools, and licenses schools carried on by private teachers who have certificates of competency from the higher schools. Here it certainly ought to stop. The public school system in France has been greatly developed since the decree for taking the schools out of the hands of the Church. There are now about 80,000 primary schools and 13,000 so-called private schools, that is, taught by professional teachers on their own terms. The pupils now run up into the millions, and the increase has been steady and rapid. The great trouble has been to obtain lay teachers, because of the almost universal custom until lately of employing the priests and the nuns. But the demand has produced a supply that is yearly growing in number and quality. In the rural regions the influence of the Church is still very strong, and it makes out to control them with teachers that assume to be from the laity, though every body knows that in time and place these same teachers are of the Church.

CARDINAL BONNECHOSE has just re-appeared to a French audience in a very interesting biography. In life he was very active and outspoken,

To

and his biography revives many of the incidents in the life of Pius IX. The future cardinal was the child of a Protestant mother, his father was indifferent, and the son was allowed to embrace the Catholic faith. this he was more than loyal-he was partial. Every thing in his way had to yield before the authority of the Church. For forty years he was the constant plenipotentiary between the various governments and the court of Rome. He asked but one thing of them, and that was to serve the papacy. He was the friend of the third Napoleon as long as he governed for the profit of Catholicism. When the King of Prussia was crowned Emperor of Germany at Versailles this prelate hastened to demand of him the restoration of the temporal power. The Cardinal was the sworn enemy of every liberal tendency, and declared before the Senate, "I govern my clergy as a regiment."

FREDERICK RUCKERT was one of the purest and sweetest poets of his age, and his centenary was recently celebrated with great enthusiasm. At the age of twenty-two his "German Poems" appeared, and immediately stamped him as a patriot and Christian. His life-long aspiration was the unity of Germany, which he did not live to see. Orientalism was his favorite field, and he published the Wisdom of Brahma, in twenty volumes, containing the richest creations of Hindoo philosophy. He became professor of Oriental tongues at Erlangen and then at Berlin. His Life of Jesus in verse did not meet the welcome that it perhaps deserved, and he then turned to lyrical poetry, in which he occupied a large place in German letters. The very titles of some of these are most attractive to childhood-childlike and simple, but containing great truths in the garb of simplicity, as for example: "A Little Story to put to Sleep a Little Sister;" "The Little Boy who Wished to be Taken Every-where;" "The Little Tree that Wanted Other Leaves."

THE SWISS PROTESTANTS recently met in a convocation at Lausanne, and their words savored of the true spirit of broad Christianity. In several of the addresses tender allusions were made to the beloved Vinet, so well known in this country by his works. In his words they declared that they wished, as did Christ, nothing but to save men. In this beautiful reunion of Christian workers on the borders of Leman there was no dissonance and no bitter discussion. The eminent president alluded with real satisfaction to the softening of theological strife in Switzerland. The Protestants have become more liberal, and the Liberals more pious. But with this progress there is no abandonment of essential Christianity. It was in necessariis unitas, and only in dubiis libertas. Ecclesiastical peace will be very dear to the Swiss if it can be obtained without too much sacrifice, and the general tenor of all the utterances on this occasion was unity among the evangelical population of the country.

9-FIFTH SERIES, VOL. V.