The Integrity of the Fourth Commandment.

Southland Times, Issue 90106, 4 January 1886, Page 3

The Integrity of the Fourth Commandm cn t.

>"i : OT' V '- %*'■'■ .;- • -i, ■'■■•■.;■• /' r: :?■•".•' - : 3HT ' The idea that certain localities are favourable, to. the preservation of certun ] Titlaes is rapidly passing, away. Rural ; Minylicity is becoming -an obsolete and roanjngiess , term under the •., influence of cfieapi and travelling, post-offices, and telegraphs. , r ,Tbe fable of ibecoantry : mon»e and the town moaee will coon lose all its application, and a great many jokes ■nd storftiJ.lt the expense of " provincials", to go into the melting-pot. ' Welre^Tgf^aiOv Ji^?^?? 1 ?^ interestißgyMrfle'rtt'pf I the earth, "close to civilisa- ■ ti«n7 »nd*y et ehri t oft- by their inaccessr WHtysfrom'ihat levelling process which is ; called-! 1 moving, with" Hhe- : times:?' 1 A Glai|%^ oe|jßgap«r gives a curions account" from ' its special correspondent ctf^-th© voyage- of—the steamer -Hebridean, ;V6icMwas despatched .; by some kind people in Glasgow and. Edin- ; barffb i -with provisions for the relief ! ( £ JMg S£ Kildi inlanders. ,Thia " lone beacon of tfee onter Hebrides," wlfich^ Uw9,^Mty(btHhi-Mlttiii<i)sit the. iw«tteraiOiJt;linßit:of fthe,;Hebridean groap, : Was swept by a terrific storm on ihe 12t1f, 1 13tb, and 14th September. *The salt spray ' wm carried a6;^heigbt'Of 200 ft across the i wjipl|\!ijtandi r tot ally destroying the crops , ofWery kind. For eight months of every! year StKildais- shut off from the rest of • the worjlj^nd Vessel dares 4 jo'face the? Break on "its shores,: v and 4 the islanders, having lost both crops; gguglg »9?d> founts tKemselveS; in danger o f starva|Upjb>^.L ; ke CharleY Read c's hero on ; the aeseff island .in the Pacific, the cast! KtnesßAges;describing their straits aadmisaiot times adrift in boxes and sealed cam'sstfcrs/ iOJhe answer reached tbem J in aboqtj r in?the Shape of a: small steamer,: fJadenTwithTmtfmfic^nt.-gi^ lilopnnl^aind^wram 'flcXTallam, having Captain Alexrider,; "t&WlSJfir Zealand, and^thV*special;|<Mr-| TesDpndent.alao on board*^^X* '" '■ It waslbalfjpaßt 4 o'clock in the after-; noon^.wbeVl : the steamer anchored about sflO^fras^fifpui jthe shore, on one of 4hose when ia boat could; live off the rocks. Unfortunately, it was also' Sunday. As soon as Oaptain McGallam! was recogplsed,tlthe peopip who flocked; do\f nW me store "uttered 4 a titter of joy| which was only suppressed from welling ®Vm%ftisTW thf im 3ba't it was -the , &bbath^ had gone far JlJbwttiey were confronted by the Free Kith, minister; and leader ot the island: community^ Captain McOallum introduced! . hlmaelf) and BBfcod when his consignment ce^ld 8 bVtaken on shore ? Tbe^r special |IJbr*ii^ndent s gl*ei theT^ly^ : &-}** \ •«f ! Npt 'tc^ay| f and the Minieter, sternljr; ■%(swßMWiribie i weather iri t^e.;jin6K!ti|igi of the -^-l^pbj ; J&e / Q.ouid'pniy. r pro.misAthat the men 1 w^oald be readyito.man the boats as jooa as ■itte^Babbath wasdot, notaJ minute before, Httid ha truftsd that the same Providence int^ men's hearts to send them com and, potatoes) .would keep the! Wind stoadyJ|(thenprth^aßt.'V . ... ■ .. n tg^^iiiu&t&f V!|Hsy,wjad/:k(BpViai.;th.e'Tight tjSN Qmilateja '"'4|^.^!wgUii4e"--8/' f 3e^V*3o';_9.ini i.^WQft-:bf- Green wicb, the provisions were landed safety, and the islanders put out of dangeroff starvation during the coming "•*.wl4t«r.'w^-: -.-^- .. ; ; ■" '>* .-.w : A Talffiodic legend relates that the fish oT r iheßed Sea^ used to come ashore on jH^eyeof' the Sabbath to tempt the Jews to viblatrfti^^^est, and that David put a stop to theW unnatural blandish*, ttents by ap^sV The v; f re^PKirif jin|nister at Kilda was tnore „m«gif u|j*n disposing of McOallorn. ;^pft»f-fi«f iniputseLmiigKt be to"'de« oonoce the minister for bis riarrowmindedneis,§nd for imperilling tbs safety; of the , little steameit .and the succes of the relief expeditioM. ! It is to be hope?, also, that the pastor himself had no" concealed store of meal and potatoes which would carry - him tbrongb the winter. The Irish land* /lord in; Jthe story; wrote ; from London to his agent requesting him to' assure /the tenantry that "rip threats to shoot y&u i cpwardi7--and:the minister may^have been comfortably proTided for, and serenely independent of tbV^reliefi'from^ thei mainland, It is "notjlikely, of course, that he was, and the well-known relations of the crofters with ; " stheif ministers is sufficient to' dispose of : "iocha;sußpicipri^ At any rate, as far as - : his flock are concerned, i there is something ; ; ibrarjin^ and retrestiing, and touching also, X in tiie picture pi a primeval community in : ) "ibeir^bleais maiA home, patient, disci* "plmed, and faithfnl%o2itheir 'creed, even :^lwh*h an alterniitive of Babbath breaking |sw possible^ before them. &There are only four-v months in the year seemingly when the St. Eilda people could even-^et'hints from the mainland thatdarring and unorthodox critics had begun to undermine th« suzerainty of the Scotch Sabbath. *' The isplation of the crofters saves them probably from a great deal of wearisome^ Jpubtjand contrpverijy v a freat^linytemptationp, and, it is to be oped, from a great many acts of Parliament, also. . • » ; „-I t may be admitted that the stern and unflinching SabbatarianTflin of these inhabitants of the Wes^int^es l?as a picturt^que charm of ?SHi^& ; < and although ; there ir nological reaseh why we shorild, expect to find other virtues combined with this rigid observance of the Sabbath, extells ob that the same spirit and .'.■ disposition which enable men to conform *t>ioi ■conscience' Jake to;a 'reading of a vWre^^ich:^ exceedingly irksomi ai d s ,v apparently quite irrational, will also enable > tnem^to - practise a nurafer of other vi> -»tues.«'The connection between Sabbathkeeping and good citizenship is not. at first jight very clear, but that it can .t-be 4faoed^all^tbr<•llgh the bwtpry^of tbe^ Scottish/ peopl.e,j at all times and in ;all| plapes is certain* vQa^ the^ other hahfi," get ibackjr^m the remote At- "■. ■ ; lantic islands and a long way sou th of ihejn. a conscious burlesque of Babbatariani^^timiti 66th aXTepulsive and a ludicrous "-■•VV; igactticliej^-^.'Tbiß :--. : 'a|iti:..Jßdndft7'r' : trun'-- : .niifi'n;--fcnd ibe ma^ who i for the blood of tfee pnb)l(?an wbo i.c Ci«ght eellio^ X>w

\ on the .Sabbath, .withi!wJhdtn.^wa arftjQnly., ; too familiar in these southern _ latitudes, bears the tanne relation to the simple and conscientious. itilatidctirautEthe Hebrides, as the. welßhing bookmaker bean to the genuine epor tern ao. ••^Melbourne Argus.