TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Thames Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 8603, 6 March 1897, Page 2

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

(By "The Admiral.")

The death of Mr Ehrenfried has removed one who from his many good qualities maybe called a model citizen. Apart altogether from any considerai tion of the nature of the business in | which he was engaged, his straightforward business manner and integrity | made him a pattern on which any could follow with credit to themselves and benefit to the community in which they live. In this age when to have been through the Bankruptcy Court is looked upon as almost a necessaiy condition to business life, it is so seldom that any who have lost their burdens through its means, ever trouble themselves about their unfortunate creditors that when one acts as honorably as did the deceased gentleman in paying in full creditors who had no legal claim to the money, such conduct cannot be too highly commended evincing'as it does the highest business morality. " The Baron " has so long been a familiar figure on our streets, that he will be greatly missed by a large circle of friends. During his residence on the Thames, his house was always open to them, and he showed them lie recognised the re- i sponsibility ol citizenship by taking an active part in public affairs.

It is a good many years now since he was made a J.P., and I can remember quite well the first occasion on which he sat on the Bench. It happened that a "drank' or two were in the hands of the police that morning, and it was his duty to sentence them. A day or two after irards, a letter appeared in the Advertiser calling attantion to the incongruity of a Magistrate, who manufactured beer,sitting in judgment on those who might be overcoat by its effects. Whether the letter had any effect on Mr E., I do not know, but, for some reason or other, he did not again sit on the Bench for a long time, and, indeed, very seldom during the remainder of his residence here did he sit as a Justice of the Peace at our local Police Court. Showing in this the common sense of which he had a large share.

XXX The following extract from an American newspaper' seems to put the matter of the saloon or public house in a new light, but one that the most of us can appreciate, and I commend it to thoughtful people as being worthy of their attention : " The saleon must hare boys, or it must Btop. Can't you furnish it one ? It is a great factory, and unless it can get about 2,000,000 boys from each generation for raw material some of these factories must close out, and its operators must be thrown on a cold world, and the public revenues will dwindle. ' Wanted— 2,000,000 boys,' is the notice. One family out of every five must furnish a boy to keep up the supply. Will you help ? Which of your boys will it j be ? The Minotaur of Crete had to have a trireme full of fair maidens every year, but the Minotaur of America demands a city full of boys each year. Are you a father ? Have you contributed a boy ? If not, some ' other family has to give more than its 'i share ? Are you not selfish, voting to : keep the saloon open to grind up boys, and then doing nothing to keep up the ! supply V" Is this an extravagant state- ! meat ? Does not the saloon deuiaud \ boys and girls, too, in order to keep j going ? On Thursday, Mr McKiufcy.- as-

om<kd the Presidential Chair of America, and the country agaiu comes under the control of the Republicans. It says a good deal for the lovo of law and order which distinguishes the Anglo-Saxon race that such an event is possible without recourse being had to arms. The position of President of the United States is one of the most important to which a man can attain on this globe. He is the representative and in. many things the dictator of 70,000,000 of people, the most enlighteued and progressive in the world, a. peoplo with a past of which they are justly proud and a future of unlimited possibilities. And every four years, in obedience to the dictates-of the constitution, the man who has been the outward and visible sign of their power and dignity steps down and out, and another, perhaps of totally opposite views and party, steps into his place and assumes the reins of office, the huge machine going on under its new director as if nothing had happened. The Republican party has had by far the largest share of power in the years which have passed since the great war of secession, and under Mr McKinley it again directs the policy of the nation, but, owing to the many safeguards provided by the framers of the constitution, no immediate change of importance can talc* place in the policy of the country. Mr McKinley has been elected primarily to keep the finances on a safe footing, to stand by the gold standard, so that American money and American merchandise may have a fair chance with those of other nations. His task is an arduous one, but assisted as he will be by some of the brightest minds in the country, we may reckon that he will succeed. ,• • x x y The world, and particularly Englishmen, will watch the progress of America under the new regime. The affairs of the two countries are so intimately bound together that the advancement of one reacts on the other and conversely, if one suffers from any financial or political trouble of serious nature the other is also visibly affected. Mr Mckinley, being an apostle oi protection, may not desire to draw closer the bonds which unite the two greatj Anglo-Saxon nations, but it is more than likely that he will find circumstances too strong for him, for what the people desire must in the end be granted, no matter how strong the individual or system which opposes the strongly expressed wish ot the people. I think that during the next four years we may look for a great deal more of cordiality in the relations of the nations than has been the case in the past.