TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10757, 10 September 1900, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Bow -would Charles Lamb, Chilian who wrote of the WhitstmEndeavoor tide Quakers "whitening the Convention, easterly sstreets of the metropolis, lake troops of the shining ones," have described t3» latest ■religious conference? The "Christian Endeavour World's Convention" had its assemblage in London during the week following July 14th, at which time about tweaty thousand persons were arriving as delegates, not only from all parts of the British Isles, but from ail pazrte of the world. As to "garb and stillness," these visitors would certainly differ from the assembly of Friends. Accounts are given of special trains and ordinary ones crowded with bright, voting faces, full of eager expectation, stations ringing

witUi stipring KjTnns, wJxila on every side flashed tbe brooch or badga of fc!i« Society, or "am asray of local insignia suggesting an exbibitioii of samples of ribbon."" An axmy of C!hirastian Endeavourera is really a formidable body to entertain; the appetite of these young people for sermons (150 meetings in four days were on the programme of tbis oonference) being naturally balanced by a readiness for the more every day bill-of-fare. An exhausted waiter, at one such gathering, asked what was the meaning of the letters C.E. upon the badge worn by the guests, is said to ihave answered, "Whatever else they may stand! for, I know one tMng, they don't mean Can't Eat!" This had, however, to bathe reading of the motto on the first day, when Mr Sheldon was to speak, and nhe attendance at the Alexandra Palace and Park (chosen for the centre of the proceedings) was overwhelming. "We have nothing to eat, , ' said a waiter, about half-past two in the day; "tihe-re are 50,000 people 'bere, and they only provided meat for 2000." The estimate of numbers was slightly exaggerated, but there is no doubt that the Endavourers had: to pay for Mr Sheldon's presence with the inconveniences of an enormous throng on one of the hottest I July days, while food ran short, and the ! small supplj r . of fruit ran to "Mafeking prices." Other features of the conference -vrere a presidential address by Dr. ]?. E. Clark, the founder of the movement; a service, afc St. Paul's; and a visit to her Majesty at Windsor. Apart from the special programme and objects of the Convention itself, there is considerable interest in this gathering. In 1881 there -was but one "Society for Christian Endeavour,* , with fifty members; 1900 can show nearly 50,000 societies, with over 3£ million members. And wJiila gloomy things are sometimes said about young folks declining from moral excellence, it should be heartening to note how many are to be found in an association formed for active service in all good ways.

Mr Richard Harding Davis's Ladysmith account of the relief of LadyStories, smith might be entitled "Engglishnien aa they Strike an American." What surprised Mr Davis most seems to have been the imperturbable calm with whidh the relieving force was at first received. When Lord Dundonald's 200 men- galloped into the town on that eventful February evening, tha majority of the soldiers looked' up, remarked, "Oh, they've got here, have, they?" and went on making tea. When iMr Davis tried to get in next diajy mifla th« other correspondents, he found it a most depressing experience. First of all, a< Gordon Highlander stopped him and demanded his pass—as if anyone relieving i a besieged town would supply himself with a pass! When foe really got there, he says "a Sabbath-like caiim hnng upon the town ; officers in the smartest khaki observed us askance; little girls in white pinafores past us with eyes cast down; a man on a bicycle looked up, and , then in terror, lest we might speak to him, glued his eyes on his wheel and 'scorched' rapidly." The correspondents looked longingly round for. someone to nod; to them, but, says Mr Davis, the German ni-my marching into Paris received a heartier welcome. At Hast lie fell in with, two officers, who rode with him some way in carefully preserved silence. Finally one of ' them, with an obvious struggle, brought ihimself to ask, "Are you from tihe out-side?" (Mr Davis -was forced to admit the soft impeachment. "I felt," he writes, "that we had taken an unwarrantable liberty in intruding on a besieged gamrison. I wanted to say that I hud lost my way, and had riddien into town by mistake, and. begged'to be allowed to withdraw witti apologies." However, the other officer then created a diversion by handing the strangers a list of the prices paid during the siege for the necessaries of life. Then Mr Davis admits that fos was torn by conflicting emotions between rising sympathy and terror at offending tbe haughty garrison; but he succeeded in offering his new friends a heedful of cigars and a box of matches. With many protests they took one each; they would take no more; and then, says the American correspondent, "a beautiful thing happened , . They lit the cigars, and at t3i-e first taste of tbem—and they were not good eigats —an almost human expres-! sion of peace and goodwill and utter abandonment of joy spread over their yellow skdna and cracked lips and fever-lit eyes. I felt I hadi intruded at a moment which should hare been left sacred." But though Mr Davis as slightly cynical at the expense of the national peculiarities of Britishers, he does full justice £o their more generous enthusiasms. The march past of the reliev- J ing force, and their reception of General i White, is most impressively and sympathetically described. Of the meeting of the two battalions of ths Devons, oae in the relieving the other in the besieged force, he writes: "Ifc -was a sight very few men j watched unmoved. Indeed, the whole three hours was one of the most brutal assaults upon the feelings that it has been my lot to endure. One felt Ihe had been entirely \ lifted out of the politics of ths war, and the | questions of the rights and wrongs of the j Boers and yitlandere disappeared before a ] simple [proposition of brave men saluting brare men," For in Jiis heart Harding Davis, with all his is really English. He deiigh/ts in observing the curious idiosyncracies of the Anglo-Saxon; but he tens his stories without any trace of malevolence. Wihen Captain Casy«r, in charge of the heliograph, got his first message through to Ladysraiti, to test the signaller "at the other end," fob flashed to them this message, "Find Brooks, of the Gordons, and ask him the name of Casyers country place in Scotland." Brooks of the Gordons was duly found, and ibis ireply, as quoted by Mr Davis, was as follows: "Well, I always did tia-ak Casyer was an ass, but I didn't tliink he'd forget the name of his own honie." But there 33 no bitterness in such tmmour. It is well for both nations that American pubHc opinion on the war.and its character will, be largely formed by the comments of so kindly and sympathetic a critic as Mr Harding Davis.

Kentucky is just subaidAmerican ing. from its excitement State Politics, over a series of highly

dramatic events concerning its State Legislature. There was in Frankfort, an that State, a certain lawyer named Goebsl, who aspired to be a politician and a Democratic "boss." By various means be gained complete control over the State Legislature, and last year managed to pass an election law which would, if made operative, render it very difficult for any Republican, whatever bis majority, to gain office. Then this year, by a combination of fraud and bribery, h* managed to secure his own nomination, to the State Governorship on the Democratic "ticket." In spite of all his precautions, Ms rival, Taylor, was elected by a majority—we beg pardon of the American language^—a "plurality" of 30,000. But Mr Goebel was an obstinate man, and he-ljad learned to appreciate at its full worth the maxim of the ingenious author of "Solid for Mulhooley"—"lt doesn't matter to mc who does the voting, so long as I do the counting." His agents therefore proceeded solemnly "count out" Taylor—that is, by

a jtidicious process of addition and sohf. £ Tien, to reduce his "plurality" into a 1. rity. However, 30,000 must take a ] 0( '* * reduction, and in the end, after thoy \°l f got Taylor's majority "boiled down" to I , even these well seasoned 1' "machinists" struck. They told Mr G«wj I that they could go no further, and they c-. p a certificate of election to Taylor. (j fe was not at fche end of his- resources a | knew that in the State's Assembly he & I supreme, and to the Legislature he appeal | with all the ardour of conscious imu! ?' § But the Republicans were by this tim» rono f in earnest. Taylor gathered a force o f jjnp | militia and seized and barricaded the I House. Goebel was confident that T 1 Legislature would "see him through" ■ I lie took the precaution of appearing i,,' ? I lie along with two gentlemen of appjLj : reputation with the. revolver. Goebel b? the way. bad something of a "past" behiji him, and had shot a man named Sandtv! ! about four years before. At Sandfoitf * funeral a certain Senator Blackburce »J' :s, according to American newspayeri U" of the world's greatest orators, denote!' *' ! Goebel in an impassioned speech, and v~2 h to take vengeance on the murderer ft r this by the way. As Goebel was ' m J* y | I the State House, a shot was fired from C $ bind by some person unknown. He Wfl s ciried to a neighbouring hotel, and the W S lature then proceeded to ignore Tavlw," r "plurality," and to declare Goebel GoveW ! - Then Qoebel died, and the authorities b\, " I since been trying to identify the man vi )a shot him. At last taey caught a cerh'n Caleb Powers, aoid they have just seiitealv d [ him to imprisonment for life « s an T spry before the fact. Taylor, who, be'Jt remembered, was really elected Govern n ' "by the people, for the people, , * seewedV feel that circumstances were against h™" ' and resigned himself to the course of evttis! " And Goebel was buried with great ' and splendour; and over his grave on =* quent eulogy was pronounced by that V(s T " Senator Blackburne, who four years btfej [ liad taken an oath to punish Goebel forjy t crimes. Really, the Kentuckians must, h [ an extraordinary people, even for Amelia r