much sincerity are now mainly devoted to pleasure and excesses. This state of things has become so dangerous and distasteful to the more thoughtful element of society that the town council of Lausanne on the last fast-day thought it fitting and advisable to issue an appeal to the people to obs rve it. Thus far it is comforting at least to know that both the republic and the monarchies of Europe think it desirable to instill into the popular mind the worth and significance of religious ways and guidance.

This appeal from a civil body addressed to the people in the interest of morality and religion is so rare and peculiar that we think it well worth transcribing in brief as an example. It runs as follows: "Justice elevates a people; sin is the shame of nations; order and prosperity are impossible without the fear of God. We trust in God, who has hitherto protected this land, and invite you, our fellow-citizens, to give him thanks for his ever-renewed deeds of mercy. Though a few erring spirits venture to demand the separation of religion from society, though they endeavor to exclude God from public and private life, from the hospitals and the schools, from the home and even from the Church, our people see, nevertheless, that without the help of a strong God and a firm faith social progress is but an imperfect work. Our nation is a Christian na tion because it is, and will remain, free. It believes in the kingdom of Christ, and that it is a rule of justice, peace, and truth, and that the Gospel is a power. Fellow-citizens, let us watch over ourselves, let us watch over our youth and make them the objects of our greatest care. The school shall endeavor to impart useful knowledge, but it is for the home hearth to impart those teachings that will make our youth good and great."

This refreshing admonition of a civic council was so different from the traditional phrases of thanksgiving documents that it produced a great impression throughout the land. The scoffers called it the "pastoral letter" of the city fathers, but all moral and Christian people rejoiced at this unexpected call from government circles for the cause of soberness and religion. The result was that a monster excursion to a neighboring town that was planned for the holiday was given up, and the good people of Lausanne spet the day as their fathers were wont to, in thoughtfulness and quiet hanksgiving and prayer.

That this action of the Council was needed may be learned from the influence exerted by it, and from a comparison with other localities on that same day. From Geneva, not far distant, from the city of John Calvin, from the "Protestant Rome," which is frequently quoted as the most intelligently Christian city of Europe, no less than twenty thousand persons went out to a great resort known as the Salvèe, and other pleasure resorts. This movement on the part of Lausanne ought to do good, and we sincerely hope that it will. But when popular customs are fastened on a people it is not very easy to uproot them. The good example of Lausanne should be tried another year in every center of Switzerland, because it is sorely needed.

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 I-abel, 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. The Republicans will do all they can against her ascent to the throne. They favor the son-inlaw of the emperor, a Saxon prince.

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. would reach the negroes by peaceful methods.

He

"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,