Social Legislation in France.

The wave of semi socialist legislation is submerging all Europe. M. Constans, the one pre-eminently strong man whom France has produced since the death of M. Gambetta, has decided that the time has come for responding to the German initiative by introducing an Old Age Insurance bill, which is to secure for French workmen an annual pension of from $60 to $120 after they reach the age of sixty-five. There are to be payments made by the workmen, other payments made by the employers, and a grant by the state which will ultimately amount to $20,000,000 per annum. Whatever may be the immediate fate of this measure, it can hardly fail to stimulate the movement in England towards old-age insurance, which is associated with the name of Canon Blackley and which Mr. Joseph Chamberlain is now working at with a view to practical legislation. The influence of France on England, and England on France, in such matters is very remarkable.

on foot in London for the same limitation of a day's work. Mr. Sutherst, a barrister, organized a strike for the twelve-hours day, and after London had been without 'buses for a week, the men carried their point. It remains to be seen whether, in England as in France, the twelve-hours day will be extended to all railway, tram, omnibus, and steamboat men throughout the country.

Old Age Insurance.

The example of Germany and France in the matter of insurance against old age, will not be followed so rapidly in Great Britain, but Mr. Chamberlain's letter last month shows that he is working away at the elaboration of a practical scheme. He has not as yet advanced so far as to discover that the scheme must be compulsory, but he has arrived at one or two conclusions which are worth noting. First, it will not do to begin the pension before sixty-five. To begin it at sixty would diminish the sum that could be paid by more than one-half. Second, it will not do to forfeit the payment in case of death before sixtyfive. It is true that this limitation will reduce the four shillings per week pension to two shillings or less; but notwithstanding this, he thinks "it will be necessary to permit the amount of the subscriptions which may have been paid to be allocated without interest to surviving relatives in the event of death before the age of sixty-five." He has not made up his mind as to the extent to which the state should subsidize the scheme. He has placed himself in communication with the leading of the post-office and with some of the officials representatives of the friendly societies, and with their assistance he hopes to prepare a definite and practical scheme which "will be popular with the working classes generally."

Free Education.

One by one all the schemes of the Radicals of twenty years ago are being carried into effect by the Tory government. Mr. Balfour has no sooner carried the Irish land bill giving effect to Mr. Bright's proposal of 1870, than Sir W. Hart Dyke comes to the front with his bill for granting a state subsidy of ten shillings per head on all elementary scholars between the ages of five and fourteen. The effect of the measure will be to make education free in two-thirds of the English schools. The Liberals object to this increased endowment of denominational schools without securing at the same time a corresponding increase of popular control. But until the local government system is extended to include village councils, that question may well be left over. When the County Councils have been supplemented by parish and district councils, there will be a representative administrative apparatus ready to hand to undertake the popular control of all schools maintained out of the rates and taxes. In the mean time, after effect ing a few amendments in the bill, Liberals should accept it gladly as a great stride in the right direction.

Both Houses of Parliament have deManipur and Tarquinius bated recent events in Manipur to little Superbus. purpose. The debate in the Commons was notable, however, for the delivery of a cynical speech by Sir John Gorst, who has this session achieved for himself a unique position in the Ministerial ranks. Speaking in defence of the action taken by the Indian government in deciding upon the suppression of the Senaputty of Manipur, the Under-Secretary for India cynically remarked that such a decision was in accord with precedents, and represented the unbroken practice of British administrators "That policy," he said, "is as old as the days of Tarquinius Superbus. Whenever a vassal showed too much independence and strength of character, the suzerain power got rid of him. Governments have always hated and discouraged independent talent and promoted mediocrity; in my own time I have known cases of this kind." As he proceeded to illustrate his point by referring, not to the promotion of Lord Cross to the secretaryship while Sir John Gorst was kept as his subordinate, but to the cases of Cetewayo, Arabi, and Zebehr. Naturally there was a hubbub, and Lord Cross was put up to explain that his under-secretary did not mean what he actually said. Sir John Gorst, however, did not resign, and the incident passed. Sir John may have been right in his reference to the suppression of Arabi as an illustration of the adop tion of the Tarquinian policy by Mr. Gladstone ; but no one can read the admirable interview with Mr. Alfred Milner, published in the Pall Mall Gazette of June 15th, without feeling that out of that evil great good has come.

Sir John Gorst.

case.

Sir John Gorst, being a man of independent talent, who was not sacrificed, à la Tarquin, survived in order to make his colleagues regret that they made an exception in his For a few days later, when the question of raising the age of half-timers in English factories came on for discussion, Sir John, by defending the action which he had taken at the Berlin congress in advocating the raising of the age to twelve, succeeded in inflicting an ugly defeat upon the government, which, in the person of the home secretary, resisted Mr. Buxton's amendment raising the age to eleven, and got badly beaten in consequence by 189 to 164. After this the government had no option but to give way, thus for a second time this session being overruled by a colleague to whom Lord Salisbury has not yet conceded cabinet rank. The labor commission was of Sir John Gorst's appointment, but that was managed behind the scenes without inflicting upon the administration the humilation of an open defeat. On the factory bill, although he did not vote, he put the government into a minority. Notwithstanding this, Sir John continues to act as Under-Secretary for India, deriving such satisfaction as he can from the fact that he is now recognized as the strongest man, after Mr. Balfour, on the Conservative side of the House.

Women to the Front.

Mrs. Grimwood, the widowed heroine of Manipur, has been decorated by Her Majesty with the Order of the Red Cross -the Victoria Cross as yet being a monopoly of the male. These unjust monopolies are, however, disappearing before the growing sense of justice in the democracy. Lady Macdonald, the widow of "Sir John A.," has addressed a spirited appeal to the Conservatives of Canada to remain true to the cause which her husband so often led to victory; but although while he lived Lady Macdonald was a potent force in Canadian politics, suffragists would say that civilization has not advanced far enough in the Dominion for the widow to be allowed to survive-politically-the decease of her husband, this being an attenuated form of the Indian suttee, the bitterness of which is only slightly modified by the peerage conferred upon her by the Queen. It may be noted as a remarkable indication of the trend of Democratic thought that the governments of the two leading Australian colonies, New South Wales and Victoria, are both committed to woman suffrage. Woman suffrage was one of the planks in Sir Henry Parkes's programme, and last month the Governor of Victoria opened Parliament with a speech promising woman suffrage as the natural corollary of the bill for "One man one vote."

As to Mr. Parnell.

When Mr. O'Shea obtained a divorce, Mr. Carnegie is reported to have tele graphed to the co-respondent, Mr. Parnell, "Retire, marry, return." Mr. Parnell refused to retire; but he has married, and according to the information from Ireland, his marriage will be a fatal obstacle to his return. Until he married, many of his followers refused to believe that there was any truth in Mr. O'Shea's evidence; now they reluc tantly admit that they were mistaken. The news of the wedding in the registrar's office at Steyning on June 25th fell like a thunderclap on Mr. Parnell's agents who were fighting his battle at Carlow, and the Irish hierarchy regarded the battle as practically won; nor do they think that the "religious ceremony" which is promised at an early date will do anything to rehabilitate Mr. Parnell in the eyes of his followers. An action for libel brought by Mr. Campbell, his private secretary, against a Cork newspaper which assumed that he had written the letters to which Mrs. O'Shea Parnell seems to have signed his name, although it brought Mr. Campbell £250 damages still further compromised the reputa tion of his chief. He avoided a subpoena calling upon him to appear as witness in the case, and then wrote a letter making statements which ought to have been made in court. Mr. Parnell's candidate, Kettle, received only 1539 votes at Carlow, as against 3755 cast for Hammond, who was the candidate of the McCarthy wing. Inasmuch as Mr. Parnell had claimed Carlow as an impregnable personal stronghold, nothing could be more significant of the decline and collapse of the "discrowned king" as a party leader in Ireland. He can but remain to some extent

a striking and at times an effective personality; but as the authoritive leader of a considerable body of men he must be regarded as wholly defunct.

Sir Charles Dilke.

Having pledged his honor, publicly and privately, that he would not attempt to return to public life until he had cleared his character, Sir Charles Dilke has acted in thorough harmony with his previous record in breaking his pledged word by accepting the invitation to stand for the Forest of Dean. It is only one falsehood the more, and conclusively demonstrates the impossibility of ever trusting his word whenever it suits his interests to break it. Not a single person with any claim to respect, religious, social, or political, supports him in this latest outrage on good faith and public morality, the impudence of which has even provoked a protest from the London Times. The argument of some of his supporters, who, when pressed, will admit that he is this, that, and the other, but who still assert that he is too valuable a ublic man to be excluded from public life on that ccount, reminds us of a grim little incident that was reported last month from Frankfort. A poor, half-witted servant girl, dreading death from starvation, sought death by entering the bear-pit in the Frankfort Zoological Gardens. The bear seized her at once, and as he began to tear the flesh in strips from her face, she shrieked for help. The keepers arrived, saw what the bear was doing, and expostulated with it mildly by means of a long pole. the animal took no notice of their expostulations, they allowed him to go on with his hideous repast of living human flesh until, after half an hour of agony, the poor girl expired. When the keepers were asked afterwards why they had not shot the bear and saved the girl, they replied that the bear was much too valuable an animal to be destroyed. They have been indicted for manslaughter. Considerations as to the "value" of such a "statesman" will, however, not restrain the national conscience from effective action. Note as an indication of Nonconformist opinion on this subject, that the General Baptist Association, at Burnley, last month, unanimously passed the following resolution :

As

to moral and religious sentiments that are alike prevalent in all the English-speaking countries. His use of the mother tongue, simple and idiomatic while marvellously rich and expressive, has probably done more than that of any other man in this century to influence its prevailing forms and to promote its international unity. He has earned his rank among the great historic names of the race. A nation is indeed fortunate when it has such exponents of its conscience and its religious feeling, and such wise and eloquent preachers of the righteousness that exalts a people. It is gratifying to observe the world-wide concern with which the news of Mr. Spurgeon's illness has been received. He is not an old man, as years are counted; and if he should even yet conquer the malady that appears to have conquered him, there might remain for him many years of useful and eloquent service in the cause of humanity. The precise lines of Mr. Spurgeon's theology are quite forgotten in view of his serious illness, and controversy over "down grades" and conservatism are silent for the moment. It is not as a theologian, but as a great-souled man and an inspiring preacher, that Charles Spurgeon will be remembered.

olution in the Argentine Republic quelled.... William II. of Germany arrived in Holland.

July 2-Balmaceda's army retreated from Muasco: the city occupied by Congress party's forces.... William E. Simonds of Connecticut appointed commissioner of patents.

July 3.A railroad wreck occurred near Ravenna, Ohio, in which nineteen lives were lost.... Reunion of the Army of the Potomac took place at Buffalo, N. Y.... Congress party of Chili failed in an attempt to obtain recognition by the British courts. July 4.-The day celebrated throughout the country.... Fourteen persons killed in a railway accident near Charleston, W. Va.... Emperor William arrived in England.... Prince George of Greece sailed from New York for Europe....Statue of "Sunset" Cox unveiled in New York city.... The Charleston and the Itata arrived in San Diego, Cal.

July 5.-The Seaside Assembly was opened at Avon-by-theSea.

July 6-The penitentiary at Baton Rouge, La., destroyed and ten convicts killed by a cyclone....Announcement of a gift of $700.000 from the estate of William B. Ogden to the University of Chicago.... Marriage of Princess Louise of Schleswig-Holstein and Prince Albert of Anhalt.... Forty-sixth annual

again seized on charge of violating neutrality laws ....The Belgian strike, which had been in progress seventy days, was ended.

July 10.-The university convocation at Albany came to a close with a discussion on University Extension.... Sir George Baden-Powell and Dr. Dawson, the British commissioners to Bering Sea, started on their mission. . . The census of England and Wales as announced, shows a total population of 29.001,018, an increase of 3,026,572 since the last census was taken.... The convention of the Theosophic Society opened in London; 246 branches of the society present. . . . Baron Skerheilm resigned as minister of state for Sweden and was succeeded by Baron Bostrom.... The election of Rev. Dr. Phillips Brooks to the bishopric of the diocese of Massachusetts confirmed by the House of Bishops.

July 11.-A proposed duty on yarn rejected in the French Chamber of Deputies.... Plans for the dedicatory exercises of the World's Fair from October 11 to 14, 1892, adopted by the committee on ceremony.

July 12-The United States attorney at San Diego filed a libel against the arms and ammunition of the Itata. A plot to destroy Balmaceda's squadron at Valparaiso failed.

meeting of the teachers of New York opened at Saratoga, N. Y. ....Labor demonstrations in Steubenville, Ohio.

July 7-Nanpie, Chief of Ponape, Caroline Islands, arrived in the United States; he came in behalf of his people, who are threatened with the ruin of their property by Spanish soldiers. .... Four murderers executed by electricity at Sing Sing, N. Y. The twenty-third annual meeting of the American Philo logical Association met at Princeton, N. J... The Persian gov. ernment accepted the invitation to take part in the World's Fair to be held at Chicago.

July 8.-The election at Carlow, Ireland, for a successor to the late O'Gorman-Mahon resulted in a defeat of the Parnellites by a majority of over two thousand votes.... The French Chamber of Deputies adopted a bill to establish a government labor bureau to collect information useful to workingmen... The Dutch cabinet, which had governed Holland since 1888. resigned..... The Guatemalan minister at Washington received ample instruction from his home government to arrange for a treaty of reciprocity with the United States.... The German emperor has issued orders for the fortification of Heligoland. .... Bank of Portugal and the Portuguese banks of issue signed an agreement by which all notes are to be withdrawn from circulation except those of the Bank of Portugal.... University Convocation assembled at Albany.

July 9.-The German government has relaxed the AlsaceLorraine passport regulations.... The Chilian vessel Itata

THE LATE EX-SENATOR M'DONALD OF INDIANA.

July 13.-M. Carnot, the French president, fired at by a madman.... Emperor William of Germany left England for Scotland.... The Spanish Cortes granted amnesty to all political exiles.

July 14. The International Congregational Council formally opened in London. . . . The annual convention of the National Educational Association formally opened in Toronto. . . . The National Editorial Association met in St. Paul, Minn. . . . Two Chilian government vessels almost destroyed in a naval engagement with the insurgent cruiser Magellanes. . . . The Roumanian government placed a guard on its frontier borders to prevent the influx of Hebrews fleeing from Russia. Emperor William sailed from Scotland to Norway.... The anniversary of the fall of the Bastile celebrated throughout France.

July 15.-James E. Campbell renominated for governor by the Democrats of Ohio.... Notice issued by Postmaster-General Wanamaker to bidders to carry the United States mails in accordance with the provisions of the act of March 3, 1891... The source of the water in the Sultan Lake discovered to be the Colorado River.... 4000 railroad employees on the roads entering Paris decided to go on strik.... The assassins of Baltcheff, the Bulgarian minister of finance, arrested. ... The French Chamber of Deputies place a duty of 18 franes upon raw petroleum and of 23 franes upon refine1