rupted. Mountains and seas have segregated the race, insulating sections from the common life. In our own age of steam and electricity the connection is being restored, and the ends of the earth, as never before, are flowing together, enabling us to touch the man at the antipodes, and to realize, to some extent, the solidarity of the race.

In this cosmopolitan solidarity is found the greatest social problem of our time. It underlies all the other troublesome questions-political, financial, social; labor, tariff, reform, immigration. These are old questions, but they come to us with new aspects and difficulties. Once considered in relation to small sections, they have now to be adjusted to the scale of the world. Take, for illustration, the labor question. It was once a question of the locality, the county, state, or section; men competed with those near them. New England was a world by herself, having her own markets, industries, and type of labor; now Dakota competes with Massachusetts, Europe with America, and Asia with both. The disturbance in the labor market is due to this wide interaction of labor. Exclude the cheap laborer and the trouble ends; but steamships and railways make him a factor in the problem. In theology we find the same thing. We have taken our discussions from a narrow circle to an arena common to all religions. This opening of communication and sympathy with the race is a stage preparatory to an immense advance of Christianity. The preacher touches the total lump of humanity; the savor of the Gospel penetrates the mass; no single people can now be saved without salting the whole. D. SHERMAN. Easthampton, Mass.

THE NEGRO WOMAN OF THE SOUTH.

ONE of the most important phases in the great negro problem is very sharply outlined in the relationship which the negro woman sustains to the elevation of the race. This question invites the attention of all thoughtful people. No nation can rise above the morals of its women. Hence, in the important work of elevating the race to higher social conditions, and to nobler regions of thought and action, the cultivation of the moral character of its women must enter as an essential condition of success.

Centuries of oppression rendered impossible the cultivation of that sound morality which is one of the fundamental principles in the development of the nobler races of mankind. That training which begins in the home, and furnishes the inspiration to a purer life and the incentive to true womanly virtue, must be the nucleus around which the character of the race must develop. The various enterprises which seek to promote the intellectual, moral, social, and domestic training of the women and girls of the negro race are among the most important steps in the development of its character, and will make its future generations the equals of those who shall compete for the mastery of the world.

Covington, Ky.

E. W. S. HAMMOND.

EDITORIAL REVIEWS.

FOREIGN RÉSUMÉ.

THE GENERAL SITUATION.

THE air of the continent is full of the cry of "counter-reformation." The Kulturkampf is about to be issued in a second and enlarged edition, and the strife is revived by the party that was lately thought to be defeated. The counter-reformation of the Romish Church is the order of the day. Some prefer already to designate it as the "self-dissolution" of Protestantism and the evangelical Church, and these boldly announce the restoration of the Romish Church to all its ancient ecclesiastical and temporal power and glory.

And the Catholic champions say that they announce no new thing, for in English history there is a precedent of the period of James the Second, now two hundred years ago, when an effort was made to effect the Romish counter-reformation in England. This was the first example in modern history for Romish policy, with conscious intent, to demand the dissolution of Protestantism; and this was to be done by a combination with radical partisans, in order to restore the rule of the Romish Church. The plan was shaped thus; namely, At first, with the help of the dissenters and the radical parties, to destroy the Established Church, and afterward to bring forth the Romish Church as the only firm ecclesiastical and reliable spiritual authority.

But what makes this move now quite inconvenient is the fact that in the Catholic world, and especially in the center of papal power, the masses reject the temporal rule of the Romish See, and that in France they now stand ready at the first show of battle to have a struggle with "Clericalism," as they call it, with the intent of preventing its meddling with worldly affairs, and, above all, of excluding it from the schools. Another obstacle is the fact that the Italian people were never more determined than now to maintain their independent nationality, and never was the national idea more rife and active in Germany. Cardinal Manning will find it very difficult to fulfill his theory in Italy; in the future it will not be princes and parliaments that will deal with the Church, but rather the masses of the nation. It is a significant sign of the state of the great contest that the Pope has just determined to carry the question to the polls. The order has just gone forth from the Vatican for every friend of the Church to vote at the next election.

The Catholic leaders of Belgium are in the strife with all their weapons, but so far they seem to have laid more emphasis on Peter's pence than on social and political reforms. The condition of the masses in Belgium 'is very bad, and it is more than the government can do to control them. The

Church will doubtless let the unrest go on a little longer, and then come in generously to assist the State in restoring order. The Curia has just issued the order in Italy that the Church must appear at the ballot-box, and thus the Kulturkampf is fairly legitimated between king and pope. That the latter will toy with the masses there as he has done in Ireland, in France, and indeed to a certain extent with us, is doubtless true. The aim is to make the Church indispensable to the State in periods of unrest, and thus to obtain a hold on it that cannot easily be shaken off, and the motto the world over is now that of the political conspirator"Boldness, and always boldness."

I. RELIGIOUS.

THE ARMENIAN CHRISTIANS OF CONSTANTINOPLE seem to be in quite an uneasy condition. It is affirmed that they are ready for almost any change, and some favor going over to the Protestant Church, while others incline to the Catholic. What they desire is to escape, as it were, from their loneliness and secure the protection of some outside power. The ignorant masses incline to Catholicism, while the more intelligent bend to Protestantism. There will probably be a division, one part turning to the Catholic and another to the Protestant Church, if this report is true. It is partially denied in the most influential Armenian sheet, but this denial is not accepted, because of the recent publication of a papal encyclical to the United Armenians. There was a division among these latter caused by a papal bull of Pius the Ninth. The wound is now healed, and in congratulating them the Pope takes occasion in his letter to say: "Those who have the same name and origin as yourselves, but are not with the sacred flock whose head shepherd we are, might perhaps be induced by your example to restore the ancient unity between the Romish and the Armenian Churches."

Of this ancient unity between the Churches nobody has thus far been aware, but the Pope kindly gives them historical proofs that the Armenian Church was in reality founded by Rome, and that in the olden time they were under the jurisdiction of the papal see. This revived story sounds more like fable than history, and is regarded as falling clearly into the former of these categories. But to come down to solid facts, the Pope points to the great favors that he has conferred on the Armenian Christians in recent times—namely, the erection of an Armenian College in Rome, and the founding of patriarchates in Sicily and Constantinople, as well as the increase of the Armenian bishops, and above all the appointment of a papal nuncio to the Ottoman Porte.

It is quite doubtful whether all these gifts will be regarded as benefits by the Armenians. This remarkable document ends with the reminder that Armenian history was never so brilliant as when in unity with Rome, and then repeats the admonition to hasten to ally themselves with the sacred flock, and thus to give a good example to other nations. As the contents and the conclusion show, it was by no means directed alone to

The famous

the United Armenians, but rather to all bearing the name. letter was translated into Armenian and Turkish, and not only read in all the Catholic churches of Constantinople, but thousands of copies were distributed to those who are not Catholics. The people therefore assume that the report was true, and that the Pope considered this a propitious period to make an announcement that would insure success to his effort to bring over to his fold all Armenian Christians. But this has failed, for the Armenians have just issued a counterblast to it.

THE DEACONESSES OF PROTESTANT GERMANY have made a record of the most brilliant character. To-day there are many thousands of them working with untiring zeal in public and private institutions. A series of hospitals owe their existence to them in co-operation with benefactors of humanity; and in many cities of Germany they are daily seen quietly and unassumingly going about doing good. The Christian people of the land are becoming more and more attached to them, and thus they are yearly growing in influence and power.

As a tender plant this phase of Christian benevolence commenced in Germany in 1836, and in the course of the fifty-two years of its existence it has grown to be a great tree whose fruit and shade have been a bless ing to hundreds of thousands. A recent census of these institutions now shows about 57 deaconess houses, and 7,129 sisters, a third of these being on the usual probation of new-comers, and not therefore fully accepted. This represents during the last year an increase of about 1,400. And when we examine the extent of the field of operations we are still more impressed with the extent of their usefulness. During the last year the stations have been increased by about 500; these figures including all the evangelical deaconesses in connection with the German Mother-house.

As we glance at these figures we can scarcely imagine the amount of activity represented by them, for every little group is the center of a power that radiates all around it. Its workers are often called the weaker vessels; but from them flows a steady stream of consolation and assistance, for their hearts and hands are busy in a work of pure Christian charity. And these magnificent results are not a finality-they have simply begun to leaven the Christian world which is now awaking to their import and weight. The cry is still for more in every section of the civilized world, and the question is now being gravely discussed in Europe as to the supply of workers. Hitherto they have come from the poorer intelligent classes, but of late many women of social position have offered their services. These have been largely engaged in the work of the Red Cross, and pass naturally from that to the work of the deaconess in time of peace. In Germany these ladies are not quite so acceptable, because of their want of experience in the rougher work of life, as are the more sternly trained women of the middle classes.

THE PROTESTANTS OF HUNGARY are beginning to acquire strength and importance, and have had the courage to meet lately in convention to discuss their situation and their duty. They are all Lutherans, and are

assisted by the Lutheran Churches of Germany in keeping up their church organization. The Hungarians are quite inclined to liberty of thought and speech, and it is not very easy to keep them within strict church lines. Even the Hungarian Catholics are peculiarly outspoken, and their Bishop Strossmayer has been in bad odor with the Curia because he has not been willing to accept all his convictions from Rome.

He is a Slavonian, and represents especially the Slavonic element of the Church, which is very independent. He is the bishop who was lately in a public recep tion so severely chided by the Emperor of Austria, and replied, “I have followed my convictions, your Majesty."

The unrest of the Catholic element in Hungary has helped the Protestants into notice, and on the occasion of their recent convention they were quite surprised to see their proceedings noticed by the daily press. Long leading articles in some of the journals caused the breasts of the Protestants to swell with pride at the advent of the day when they should receive something else than blows and sneers. But this light thrown on their proceedings has also exposed some facts that will make them trouble. A standing trouble in all large assemblages in Hungary is that of speech; the legal idiom is the Hungarian, but in popular representative assemblies of all the land there are likely to be as many Slavonians as Hungarians, and the question immediately comes up as to whose tongue shall be used, and it is one that not infrequently leads to blows. Added to this, in the present instance, is the fact that many of these Lutherans are of German birth, and that the Church virtually receives its support from German funds, which complicates the situation of these Protestants in Hungary.

IN ITALY the waves of agitation will not cease that were caused by the visit of the German Emperor. The war-cry of the Vatican has been growing louder and louder, urged on by the numerous pilgrim visits to the Papal Jubilee. The plan of campaign with the politicians of the Curia was to make capital out of what they call the "Piedmontese usurpation.” They received a great set-back at the municipal election, when two thirds of the voters were against the clerical party. But this rebuff only spurred them on to greater energy. About two weeks before the visit of the German Emperor, from whom they expected great encouragement, Cardinal Alimonda, of Turin, came to Rome at the head of 1,700 Italian priests and 400 theological students. This stately crowd of pilgrims came not on foot, but by rail-some in the first-class cars, but most of them in the secondto tell the aged occupant of St. Peter's throne how in their dioceses they were spreading the flames of truth into the hearts of the people in order to fetter them to Christ and the Pope.

And behold, the Pontiff received them in his most generous style, and assured them that the papacy does not strive after temporal rule because of the lust of power, but solely in the interest of the "great cause of the liberty and independence of the Church." But liberty of the Pope means, in the style of the Curia, nothing less than the application of the most effective means of opposing and subduing all who do not follow his nod.