i lie ' taroima " watcflmaiii-; ; : VOL. IX .-THIRD SERIES SALISBURY. N. C, DECEHBEB, 20, 1877. HO 9 tom theaslmllc Christian Advocate. FROM BISHOP MARVIN, no, xxxm, DAMASCUS AND THE BAXIADA, As we approached the city, that most re markable oasis in which 'it stands came juto fall view. It is about eighteen miles square, and I presume there is no greener spot the face of the earth. Trees and gardens cover it with a verdure that is indescribable; We saw it in the early I L ...l.,.., if vviiji nt. its freshest and , spring, ucu " - - . T - pest. Tie citv stands at the foot of the moun tain, ust where the river Barada the Abanaoi uieociitii;o - This is a small stream, but rushing down g-om the inountavtras it does, with great rapidity, it delivers a large amount of water! So soon as it emergies from the mountain it is tapped by canals, which distribute the water m every direction through the citv, and through the plain around and below the city, to the lagoon, eighteen miles east, in which it is lost. Xo city could be better supplied with water! The canals, sometimes open, sometimes ruuuiug under archways be neath streets and -houses, traverse it in every part. In walking through the city oucisofteu taken by-surprise, coming upon ed to no friction, it still seems to be wear a spot where the water rushes from under a ing out. It looks as if it might date from wall: and at every turn you will find foun- the period when Darwin's ancestors were Jains in the bazaar, in the market, and in tadpoles. We noticed the same thiag in iiclies in the walls of the houses. One several places. - setof canals furnishes pure water for use, while, another serves for drainage. All the field" and gardens in this oasis are protected by concrete fences such as I havi seen in, South-western Texas, and juadein the same way. The gravel and earth tire thrown together intoi frame on '. the spot where the wall is to be made, and beateiji down solid w ith a mall. Upon : every jfew spadefuls being thrown in it i$ beaten down; thus it becomes extremely hard. The frame is then removed, leav- ing the w all naked. These fences, or more properly walls, are two feet, or more, in thickness, and five or six feet high, so that ui nianv cases the traveler on horse back can scarcely see the- ground inside. They ittar the general beauty of the place -very greatly, being very clumsy, and ob . ntnieting the view so largely. .The population of Damascus is consider ably over lOOXX), but its buildings and -bazaars are not whafc-onc expects. There "4s -Very little good aiehiUMtui horo. Drforc leftving mr crnn Lro we roW jtv houses are low, and nearly all rath- out to see one of the places where Saul Vr shabby. The bazaar eoutrasts strong- j yas struck down by the manifestation of , ly with that of Cairo. The one very cele- (he Son 0f God. This locality is now just Iratcd mosque is in u poor style of art. J outside the eastern gate, near the Chris The "street-that is called Straight" is tian burial ground. Formerly, I uuder- sometliing ridiculed by superficial tourists. 8taud, it was at a more distant point, and - It is not, in fact, perfectly straight, but is jn a different direction. It seems to be the only street in the city which holds a persistently straight course through from these who make tradition a trade, with one side to the other a general course . Terv little concern about the probable di wkich is very direct, and which the short . rection in which Saul approached the city. offsets here and there do not interfere with. It is emiueutlyAe straight street of Damascus. In any city having such a system of streets or, rather, such a no tijstem with one thoroughfare from side teeule, bent a little here and there, but keeping a direct course throughout, this very name w ould be most naturally given ! to it. All the prophets and patriarchs are honored by the Mussulmans. You will find m Damascus the Mosque of the ''Proph- et Solomon." In fact, you haves, to come j to this country to learn that Abel and Seth, and almost every man whose name ; appears in tho Old Testament, were 1 prophets. Iam told -that the average " Arab Mussulman thinks that Abraham, 1 Moses, Christ, and Mohammed, all lived at the same time, all beins inspired prophels. i the greatest of whom was Mohammed, is the only striking peculiarity discovered . The dense ignorance, even of men who in the .view, except that which distiur wem to be intelligent in many respects, 1 guishes this from all other cities in the in regard to religion is beyond belief. i world its rich emerald setting, -yz There is a Christian and a Jewish quar- From this position there is nothing to ter of the city. The Christian population ' mar the beauty of the gardens, the con is much larger than I supposed, some of crete fences scarcely appearing in the dis ,the leading business men are Of-tb is faith, j tance. It looks like a forest, the trees We had been told that it would be worth ; being distributed so as to eonceal the cul while to see the inside of one or two dwell- j tivated parts. Everywhere the slender iugs of wealthy Mohammedan merchants, ; poplar towers above the other trees, giv and that there would be no objection on ! ing a most picturesque expressing to tho the p-.ut of the proprietors. Our guide, ! landscape by its graceTul figure, and the however, assured us that it was impracti cable, but that we could get admission to the private residences of -Christians. ! Moreover, he assured us -that the most elegant residences of the city were the property of Christians. But it must be - understood that the number of really ele gant houses here is very limited. Th one we visited did not impress us favora bly on the outside, though we were in- formed it was the best in the city. Inside we found things wearing an aspect of Oriental magnificence that exceeded our expectation. ye were very politely re ceived by a woman of thirty five or forty, who was no doubt the housekeeper. .She- had au air of good sense, aud a propriety f deportment that impressed us very favorably. The master of the house was Beyroot, with his family. We were shown scats in a very magnificent drawing room, Paved w ith marble elegantly laid in mosa ic, and invited to take coffee, which, for jwant of time we declined. The house was of two stories, and-ihe ppper apartments were not at all iu keep ug with the magnificence ofj those below. The rooms were small, aud the plain pine rs not even painted. What a contrast between the part which was for use and that which was for show ! Our; guide 4ook us to the "house of Ananias," but wo did not go in. The Christians, scarcely less ignorant than the Mohammendans, seem to have no question this modern dwelling is the very one in which the good Ananias lived. They will show you also the window-the very game window -from which St. Paul was let down in a basket. We saw, in fact, a number of windows from which a man might be very well lowered over the wall, and so make his escape from the city. There are many-houses which "have the city wall for their back wall, with bay windows projecting over the wall of the city, that of the house rising a story above Nothing would bo more inevitable than that a man's friends would let him down from such a window, if he were in danger an&ilesired to escape. We saw two and only two business houses of good size, Ioth of which were wholesale establishments, and warehouses for grain and provisions They were really spacious, having massive walls, and each being surmounted by a rotunda, having agallery around it at the base. The wooden work of the gallery had X look of age that was indeed impressive. Protected from the weather, and subject- Among other places our guide slowed us the slave market, where people come two days in the week to purchase Nubian WOmen. It was not a market diy, but we saw two of the women that wire there ou Side. They were bad stock, one of them being luuatic, and the other aflect- n,r lunacy with so much skill as to keep purchasers off. I was glad to set, that though they were only an expense to their owners, they were evidently treated with humanity. There is a large school here, founded and maintained by some English ladies, jt seems to be doing a good wcrk. The American Presbyterians liave a branch of their Syrian Mission here. So far as we had time to inquire, the work seems to be faithfully done, and as good a yield of fruit appears as could be expected from the agencies employed. But it is only a drop fir the bucket. Yet the leaven will doubtless spread. shifted about the suit the convenience of If this is the place, then he came by a very roundabout way. One is perpetually disgusted by the absence of all reason and probability in -these traditions. Having spent Monday in seeing the city, we broke up camp on Tuesday morn Ugf ami started for Baalbec. But before taking a final leave of what is believed by many to be the oldest city in the world, we must ascend the mountain and see it from a commanding point. We soon left all vendure behind us, and our horses were toiling up the steep mountaiu.path toward the "lomb of the orty,postles.' Up, up we climbed for near an hour, From this elevated point we had the city and the entire oasis in full view. The form of the city has been compared to a spoon it is much more like a huge pipe with a loiur stem a very singular contour. This darker and more decided hue of its foliage. It was an eveut in a man's life to touch upon this scene, and we indulged ourselves in reverie for some time. This was al- rp.if1- .an old ritv when Romulus aud Remas were quarrelling over the mud huts of their village on' the Tiber, when i.fi.B.ian.afTWwp.wl!.Ml.w!.Pn J the Jebusite built his first rude fort on Mount Zion. This was a center of com merce as long ago as there was any com merce. When Abram's affairs became so large as to be unwieldly he employed "this Eliezer of Damascus," a man trained to business here, to take charge of them. Perhaps only Babylon was as old or older. But Babylon is gone, Tadmor is gone, commerce has been shifting its centers a thousand limes, nations have come into existence, played their great tragedies on the stage and disappeared, while here still stands Damascus. A hundred revolutions have been consummated within its walls. It has changed masters, perhaps, tenliun dred times. It saw the dawn of history it is likely to witness the end of time. . The Mohammedanshave a tradition to the effect that the prophet, in one of his mercantile journeys, approached Damas- eus, but on coming in sight of it up here I on the mountain, he exclaimed that as no mau could have but one paradise he would not forfeit that in the future by entering this. ' So he never set foot in the city. Once he had got well inside he would have dismissed all apprehensions of that sort. We descended the mountain on the western side, and in two or three miles came to the diligence road to Beyroot, which followed the course of the , Barada for some miles. We were to make camp to night at Suk Wady Barada, so that our course in the main would be along the river, though at one point our dragoman insisted on leaving it for a better road. This we regretted, when we learned that by taking this -course we missed seeing the great fountain iu which the principal part of the waters of the lower Barada come out of the mountain iu a body. All along this stream it is fringed with poplar and other growths, and where the precipitous mountains retreat a little here and there, leaving space for small valleys, every foot is in cultivation. In many places irrigating ditches are taken out and trained along the steep mountain sides, so that even they are made fruitful. I doubt if any one stream of the same volume iu all the world nourishes as much lite as this one. Villages stand along in the gorge it makes in the .-mountain, often at intervals of only a mile or two. All around them is a mass of desert mountains except thosa acres that are touched by the water of the life giving river. Our tent was piched in a gorge, and we had a very disagreeable night on ac count of a fierce, chilly wind. Here we fell in with a oarty traveling under Cook's auspices, one of whom was Dr. Philip Schaff, with whom we spent a delightful evening. On our leaving his tent at 0 o'clock, the gray, barren mountains, tow ering above us on all sides, took on an aspect of weird beauty in the bright moon light that seemed to uie the most peculiar I had ever seen. The next morning wc climbed the moun tains to the right of the road, about a mile from the village where we had camped, ti see the remains of an old Roman road, which, at that poiut, was cut through a mass of solid and very hard rock. It was just wide enough for two cliajiots to pass. The sides of the rock though which it was dug are perfectly perpendicular, show ing even yet the tool-marks, and contrast ing strikingly with the powder-blasted road bds of our time, which leave the walls all left and ragged. At one point a space was polished and surrounded by moulding. In the panel thus made is a inscription, setting forth that this road was made by the Emperor Lucius Yerus at the expense of the people of Abila. So solid is this rock that the lettering is per fect to this day. This was in the second century of the Christian era. We followed the course of the upper Barada to its head, passing over on to a confluent of the Litany where we camped for the night. It was difficult to tell where we passed from the waters of one stream to those of the other, as there is a continuous depression between the moan tains from one to the other. On the upper waters of the Barada its valleys are wide, and the mountains slopes less precipitous, while every availa ble acre is in cultivation, but much of it is sterile and will scarcely return the seed committed to it. f E. M. Makvin. Steamer Espero, Egean Sea, May 4, 1877. Deceiving. The newspaper accounts of the results of lay evangelistic efforts, especially of the results of protracted meet- tings of this order, are calculaed greatly to deceive those who read them, aud to cause misdirection of effort on the part of good people. One paper states that as a result of a wonderful meeting conducted by most won derful men full of the Holy Ghost, there were let us say, three hundred conversions. Another says three hundred additions to the churches. Still another devotes its spafc space to eulogy of the "godly men" whose work gives such "unmistakable evidence of God's own favor." In all this we hesitate not to say, even at ther isk of being called a godless, uncovertcd sinner, there is a great deal of religious clap trap. Editors, ignorant of the facts, may take it for granted that all who are called converts unite with churches, but they have . i i. 4.., : no S "" '" knowing whereof they write, as it is simply a matter of fact that very. many of the so- named converts do not unite with any church. Again, when so many conversions are pub lished as the results of a meeting, conducted oy an order of men, self-constituted, and nence unknown to the Church, and in use of measure novel and startling, it might be well for editors of at least religious papers, and their contributors, to state what test or tests are adopted by which converts are dis tinguished, or known. Let thi be under- l stood, and deception is avoided, and alsoe harm that often follows such deception. Kentucky Presbyterian. HoLiXE8s Conference. A " National Conference to consider the subject of Chris tian Holiness" has-recently been held in Cin cinnati. O. A similar conference for the Eastern States is to be held m Isew lork City during the present month. COTTON FACTORIES SOUTH. XOBTH AND (N. Y, Times ) Iu reply to a statement to the effect that the cotton manufactories of New England had seen their best days, "and that their trade would soon be controlled by the Southern States, exGo, Straw, of New.Hampshirc, has recently' given ex pression to views which have excited a very warm, and not uninstructive, con troversy between the leading mill-owners of the two sections. In the publication referred to Mr. Straw is represented as having stated, among other things, that the cotton factories of the South could never hope to successfully compete with those of New-England. Jbecaase the cli mate rendered it impossible for any but the negroes, who never become good op- eratives, to work ten and eleven hours a day, and because "manufacturing could never hope to prosper iu a locality iu which men and women can earn as much by working the soil as in the mill." In proof of these aud similar assertions, he stated that the mills of Georgia were not as a rule, successful, that only those which could supply a local demand were profi table, and that many of the most exten sive enterprises had resulted in such losses that the men who had undertaken them were not able to pay for theiv machinery. As might have been expected, these as sertions have excited, the people of the South to a degree which is altogether out of proportion to the demands of the occas ion. It cannot le denied, however, that Mr. Straw has made one or two grave blunders iu regard to tho conditions under which cotton can be and is manufactured in the Southern States. For instance, his statement to the effect that none but ne groes can eudure the work in the mills of the section named is entirely a mistake. In Columbus, Augusta, Oraniteville, and several other places of minor importance, the white operatives, nineteen out of twenty of whom are natives of the South, work for ten and eleven hours a day from one year s enu to me other, ihey are contented, well satisfied with the com pensation they received aud nerer even talked of a strike. Further than this, it must bo admitted that the South has many natural advan tages for cotton manufacturing which are uot possessed by the North. The mills of Georgia and the other Southern States have an unfailing supply of water. The streams that run their spiudles are never frozen, and up to this time they have never been seriously affected by the droughts of Summer. The climate is particularly adapted for the first manipu lation of the delicate raw material. In the North the an- is frequently so dry that steam has to be introduced into the weaving-rooms to keep the threads moist and prevent them from breaking. Such an expedieut is never necessary iu the South; even in Midsummer, the atmospher is always sufficiently humid to allow low the spinning aud weaving process to go on without interruption. Further than this, the Southern mills require less gas and less fuel than their Northern rivals, and the original eost of their construction is invariably much smaller. Their owners derive still greater advantages, however, from the fact that they can buy the raw material at a reduced price, andcau have it delivered .at their doors fresh from the fields and without any charge for freight, brok erage, or factors' commissions, Mr. W. H. Young, of Columbus, Ga., who is one of the best known and 'most reliable man ufacturers in the. South, estimates that ou this one item alone the proprietors, as compared with those of New-England, save six to eight dollars ou every bale of raw material. After conceding all these and many other advantages to the South, however, we can still find no sufficient proof of the statement made in certain quarters that the Southern States will, in the not far- distnut future, control the greater part of j the trade now held by the manufacturers of New-England. It cannot be denied that the cottou mills of the South have rapidly increased during the past eight or ten years, or that iu the majority of cases they have, even in dull times, made large profits.' There is every reason to believe that under intelligent and enterprising management this prosperity will not ouly coutiuue but increase. Indeed, it is now certain, according to reliable statements recently published, that the Southern mills will be doubled in number and capacity during the next two years. But all this does not argue that the New-England factories must close their doors and go out of business. They still have, and will continue to have, over their rivals the advantage of abundant capital, the latest improvements in machinery, skill; ed labor that cannot be excelled in the world, and a situation which makes it impossible for them to deal direct ly with all the markets of this country and Europe. The mills of the South have increased and are increasing in number, the same statement is also true of the North. They will continue to multiply as long as they continue to find the mark ets, and that they are doing daily. Ac cording to competent and trustworthy authority, it appears that during the elev en months of the year already passed, 11 5,333 packages of cotton goods of North ern manufacture were exported from New York and Boston, while during the same period in 1870 only 87,000 packages were sent out, and in 1875 only 44,500. There are every reason to believe that this for eign trade will continue to increase, and as it is chiefly in the finer sorts of cotton goods, there need be no fear of successful competition from the South. That section will doubtless find abundant opportunity, at home to dispose of the admirable quali ty of coarse cloths made there ; , and for the excellent cotton blankets manufactur ed in Columbus there will doubtless con tinue to be a good market in the West. The trade in shirtings, sheetings, and other fine goods, however, will naturally and for obvious reasons remain for an in definite period in the hands of the New England manufacturers. DANIEL WEBSTER'S LIFE. OUTSET IN From Harvev' Webster Reminiscence!. He was studying law in Boston in the office of Christopher Gore, after ward Governor of Massachusetts. At that time his father was very poor, and it was with great difficulty that either father or son could make both ends meet. Very op portunely, as the elder Webster thought, the clerkship of the Merrimac county (N. II.) court became vacant. This office was in the appointment of tho Judges, with whom Capt. Webster happened to be on influential terms, and was worth $2,000 a year. He applied for it in behalf of his son Daniel, and his application was suc cessful. Cant. Webster, with visions of domestic comfort rising before him, joy fully sent news of his success to Daniel. The young lawyer student was also, at first, rejoiced. He went to Mr. Gore to communicate his good fortuue. To his surprise, that eminent lawyer at once ad vised him to decline the office. "I have a notion," said Mr. Gore, "that your mis sion is to make opinions for other men to record, and not to be a clerk to record the opinions of courts." Fiually Daniel was persuaded to promise that he would refuse the clerkship. The next thine was to break this decision to his poor old father. "The next day," relates Webster, "I started it being a cold winter's day to visit my father and break to him ray de cisiou. That was the hardest of all ; but my mind was made up, and Mr. Gore had inspired me with a good deal of Confidence in myself. He made me feel there was something iu me, and I started for New Hampshire with that feeling. 1 reached Concord iu the afternoon of the third day, aud there hired a man to carry me four teen miles in a pung to my father's, where I arrived in the early evening. As I approached the door, jumped out of the sleigh, and mounted the 6toop or portico, I looked through the window. saw a blazing fire, and a nice, clean, paint ed hearth ; and there was my father, a venerable man, seated iu his chair, with his white locks streaming down, looking into the fire. I stood and watched him with filial reverence. I thought to my self how happy he is now, contemplating all the good that is to come ; and I am go ing in to mar and dash it all away ! I went in. He never greeted me more warmly How glad I am to see you !' he, exclamed as he kissed me. My mother came in, and it was a jubi lee for five minutes. At last supper was brought in, and I was making up my mind how to break this thing to my father. almost regrcted the rash promise I had made to Mr. Gore. I wished a hundred times that I could retract it. Then, again there was something that prompted me to think that I could do better than to re cord other men's opinions. My father broached the subject by say ing, 4I think you had better ride over to Judge Smith's in the morning, aud be qualified at once.' I shall write to Judge Smith and Judge Farrell to-morrow, I replied, thank them for their favor as warmly as I know how and for their kindness aud friendship for you which has procured me this appoint ment. And, while Freudcr these thanks I am goiug to decline the office My father stood and looked at me iu amazement. "Decliue ! Are you crazy ? You are jok iug, you are trifling !' No, sir, I am serious. Mr. Gore 'None of your Mr. Gores to me! Don' you talk about Mr. Gore !' "And. ' said Mr. Webster, "1 can see now that look of mingled anger, incredu lity, aud pity that he wore, as he said: 'Mr. Gore! telliug a young fool to re fuse a good office ! a sillj- boy that knows nothing about life ! filling his head with some foolish fancies about what he is go ing to do, when this opportunity offers to give him all a reasonable man requires ! None of your Mr. Gores to me ! a man who is driving his coach with four horses, with his livercd servants, who knows no thing about the struggles of life ! filling a young fool's head with nonsense ! You are crazy ! You vex me ! You never an noyed me so much in your life before !' He began to scold, for the first time in his life, and I thought it was time for me to speak. My father, I wish to say to you that no man living, no son, appreciates more than I do the trials you have gone through for me ; and no one could be more grateful than I. I appreciate all you have done for my welfare, and the sacrifices you and my mother have made. But still, I am now of age, and am a man for myself. My education has costyou many sacrifices, and ought to bring you something in re- turn. You may need money ; but that is not everything we live for. Yon your- self would be glad to see your son rise to J eminence, and be a man among his fel- I ows which no man ever was as a clerk J ot a court. I am more than half inclined to think Mr. Gore's advice is good. It may seem otherwise just now, but I feel a prompting within mo that tells me there s something better for me than to be a I clerk of courts. . My mind Is made up. 'Are you fully resolved V said my father. I Yes, sir ; I am. He did not say another word for a long Hine, perhaps half an hbtrr: Then tie wenti on: 'Daniel, in the long struggle with pover- ty and adverse fortune that your mother and I have made to give you and Ezekiel an education,, we have often talked over these sacrifices, and the prospects of our I children. Your mother has often said to I me that she had no fears about Ezekiel ; that he had fixed and steady habits, and an indomitable energy. She had no doubt of his snecess in life. But' as for Daniel well, she didn't know about him; he would be either something or nothing, I think your mother was a prophetess, and that the problem is solved to-night. You I have fulfilled her prophecy you have come to nothing,' r5.Tl.4. il. a: l. iLiuat nus iuu lust Lime no eer men tioned the clerkship to nie. I wrote a letter to the Judges, declin ing the office." Daxiei, V ebsteu. Law axu CuxJtit- ISO- "About a year and a half afterwad, just before graduating, I thought that, before leaving Hanover, I would go and pay another visit to the Hansons. 1 found that they had improved somewhat, for they now had a cow and plenty of plain7homely fare. I spent tho uight, and was about to leave the next morning wlien Hanson said to me: V ell, Danile, you are about tograd- uate. You've got through college, and have got college larniu', and now, what are you goiug to do with it?" "I told him I had not decided on a pro- fession." " 'Well,' said he, 'you are a good boy; your father was a kind man to me, and was always kind to tho poor. 1 should like to do a kind turn for him and his. You've got through college; aud people that go through college either become ministers or doctors or lawyers. As for bein' a minister, I would never think of dom' that; they never get paid anything. Doctorin' is.a miserable profession; they live upon other people's ailin's, are up nights, and have no peace. And as for bein' a lawyer, I would never propose that to any body. Now,' S"d he 'Daniel, I'll tell you what ! You are a boy of parts; you understand this book larniu', and you are bright. I knew a man who had col- lege lornin' down in Ryty where I lived when I was a boy. I hat man w as a con- jurer; he emld tell, by consultin' his books, aud study, if a man had lost his cowy where she was. This was a great thing; ana 11 people lost anything, tney wouiu,tninK notiiin- 01 payin' three, or lour dollars to a man like that, so as to nna tneir property. 1 ncre is not a con- ... r.,. I jurer within a nunurea nines 01 this place; and you area bright boy, and have got this college lamin.' The best thing you cando,istostudy that and tea cowrer'" Harvey's Webster lleminisenccs. Mllleu's Life of Faith axi Tki:st. George Muller's practice of buying sup plies for his orphan house is ou the "C. O D." plan, and when the cash runs out, .in stead of goiug to the grocery and butcher stores, and asking fot provisions on trust, he goes directly to the Lord. lie says that the children have always had their meals regularly, although some times as late as ten o'clock in the morning uo means had been supplied for dinner. In such a case, he tells us "Then we had a prayer meeting, and God helped us before it was necessary to provide for dinner. Some- times it so happened that now we had the means for dinner, but we had not the means for supper. Then we had another prayer meeting together, that God would graciously be pleased toappear on our bet half and to help us; and so he did." These remarkable statements, together with others just as extraordinary, are not from hearsay, but may be found on page 23 of his recently published addresses. But he puts a wet blanket ou the ambi tion of people who might desire to do their housekeeping in this apparently eco nomical manner, by telling them that oth er Christians must not imitate him in this respect, and the that only way he succeeds in it is to lay his wants before the Lord in the most implicit confidence that they will be relieved. Mr. Muller says that the whole amount received by him in auswer to prayer up to the 26th of May is $3,850. 000 in cash, exclusive of a vast amount of provisions and material for clothing. The expenses of conducting the various opera tions under his management are now about $620 a day. X. Y. Sun. Blaine's recent sickness it is said has made him look much older and greatly enfeebled him. The United States Senate, by a vote of 40 to 18 taken last Thursday, set apart to - day for the consideration of tluTBland Silver Bill. Those opposed to it generally ,?. favored postponing its consideration un-. til after the holiday recess. Those1 whi were in favor of it were anxious to begin the discussion of it at once. The vote therefore may be taken as ladlcative of the sense of the Senate. Hill, Lamar and Whyte were the only three Southern Senators who voted against the silver par- ty ; that is, in favor of the postponement Ransom and Merrimon were present and voted for early action. The advocates of the bill are represented as bciner elated at w the result of Thursday's vote. It cannot be denied that there is an apparent-jna- jority in the Senate iu favortof jChe meas- ure. : The hooe is indnlired verv freely I mr w among the silver men that a two-thirds majority will be obtained, aud that the bill finally passed over the threatened veto of the President. The South and West are standing shoulder to shoulder iu support of this bill, ajrainst the mohied powers of the east. Should they fail of success with it, their growing ascendancy in National affairs will have received its first strong check. For our part we havo little hope that a bill which doesnot meet the objections urged by the President in his message can obtain a two-thirds voto in both houses. Hal. Xevrs. The llussians are jubilent over tho trron- ir?trrv nt. ' Plsvnd mill 1 - tlPV may be, for it opens up to their gaze the beginning of an end they long havo sought. We doubt not that the success of the Russian arms will eventually prove a great blessing to the world generally; not even excepting the Turks themselvs, but in this the hour ot.- their defeat our sympathies spontaneously go out to a people who have so long and o bravely fought against such great odds for all that men hold dear. UuforFunately the people of our own South-land know what are tho feelings of men who, havingjfought to tho last ditch, are then compelled to surren- der to a hated foe. They know what it is to stack their arms and furl their flags before a victorious enemy, and march awav disarmed, helpless prisoners. No man who went through the agony of Ap- pomattox can think of Plevna, and tho brave Turks, who sallied from its wall in a last desperate attempt to cut through ' the Russian lines, without having his heart atirrc-d to its lowest depths. llaU ciah Observer. x 13oniiioldkr's Wire's Paktv Co3 tume. According to the correspondence of the Washington Capital the wife of a Xcw York banker appeared the other eve- ning at a party as Capital. The dress was covered on the skirt, so as to make it ap- pear one piece, with one hundred and five hundred dollar bills. Tho waist and sieves were $1,000 bonds sewed in,aBd her fingers and ears blazed with diamonds. The tiara was said to havebeen worth ftsn.000. and the total value of the notes and diamonds on her person was $200,000. The pages carried her train and watched Me.st the jewels and greenbacks should fall 0 the lioor. Ti,eio is a speck nf war tiown n Mis. I sissi ,, pinot over the negro, theontraccd uoliticians will be sorrv to hear, but in TOrard to some government timber stolen from tlie nuWic iand8 TIie United States Inarsi,aia have been routrhlv haudled bv the woodsmen, and a revenue cutter has heu sent out with reinforcements from j ew Orleans. Mormon Pkopagandism. John Taylor, the new president of the Mormon Church, has sent the following order to a " brother" living in Nevada: "You arc hereby or dered to start right away to the Sandwich Islands, there to preach the gosplc of the Everlasting Faith. By order of the Twelve Apostles." Tiui.m.ng Scuoou The Southern Pres byterian Church has established, a school for the training of colored ministers at Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Six candidates attended during the last session. The Gen- eral Synod of the Reformed (Dutch) Church has promised co-operation with the South- ern Presbyterians in sustaining this semi- I nary. pKESBVTEKiAX. - The Presbyterian Board of Publication at Richmond have made an arrangement with the Presbyterian Publish ing Company of St. Louis, to do their print ing lor them, except the papers, Earnest Wirler. ChiUren't Friend and Leon Papers these are still to be issued from Rich mond, IlereafterThere will be two-depositories for the books of the committee : one in Richmond, with Mr. J. D. K. Sleight as business manager, and-the other at St. Louis, with Rev. A, Shotwell as manager. Touacco vs. Missions. The following la from the Method it; - Methodist clergy man mentioned to Rev. M. B. Branitz, an earnest anti-tobacco missionary, one member of """"his church who last year gave fl for missions who admitted tht he paid dnriag the year, at least $100 for tobacco, and an other member, wlio gave $3 for bible, tract, and mission purposes, whose tobacco bill for the year was $200! Mr.' Barujtz has made a carefuTcomputation from tho best available statistics, which shows that the professing Christians of Auierica expend, at least, (25,00,000 annually for tobacco. -V- 1 'J "I- ,'1 - V 1