Chapter 3

Few are aware of the progress of negro education. We have already 16,000 colored teachers. In the Southern States alone there are said to be 1,000,000 of pupils,--in the male and female high schools, 15,000. There are sixty normal schools, fifty colleges and universities, twenty-five theological seminaries, and in the churches 3,000,000 worshippers. The colored population pays taxes on from 150 to 200 millions of dollars.

The black race will be free from slavery at the close of this century. The Brazilian Parliament passed a law for gradual emancipation in 1871, when there were about 2,000,000 slaves. In 1885, the number was reduced to 1,200,000, and measures have been introduced to hasten the completion of emancipation.

In Cuba, slavery seems to be at an end. The queen regent of Spain has signed a decree freeing the Cuban slaves, some 300,000, from the remainder of their term of servitude. The work, thus consummated, began in 1869, which provided for the conditional emancipation of certain classes of slaves in Cuba, and for the payment of recompense to the owners of the men and women liberated. From the first, slave-owners have been paid for their slaves.

FOREIGN PROGRESS.

When we look abroad the most encouraging progress is in the race to which this republic owes its origin. In spite of the cruel oppression in Ireland, Great Britain has been prospering in the last twelve years. Mr. Mulhall, the able statistician, has shown in the contemporary _Review_ that in the United Kingdom, since 1875, the population has increased twelve per cent., the wealth twenty-two per cent., trade twenty-nine per cent., shipping sixty-seven per cent., and instruction sixty-eight per cent. Hence there is a marked increase of knowledge and wealth. During this period the natural increase of population has been 1200 daily and the immigration to the United States and Colonies has averaged 600 daily. In addition to the national increase, there has been an immigration of 1,317,000, consisting of foreign settlers and returned colonists. Two-thirds of the emigration went to the United States.

This healthy increase of population contrasts favorably with the condition in France. England had in 1883 a surplus of births over deaths of 367,000 in a population less than 27,000,000. In France the surplus of births in 1881 was but 108,229, in 1884 but 79,000, and in 1885, 85,464. The excessive militarism cultivated in France is adverse to national growth, and justly so; while the peaceful condition of America insures great national growth--a beneficent law. No nation has ever grown with the rapidity of ours, but our rate of growth has greatly diminished during the present century. Dr. Fonce's statistics show that twice as many children were born in proportion to population at the beginning of the century, as have been born since 1850. What is the reason?

PROGRESS IN FRANCE.

France has taken a very important step in emancipating education from the power of the church--completely secularizing education. Under the present law religious associations are no longer allowed, as such, to give instruction in public schools, and all schools taught by priests are to be superseded by public schools. The Ultramontanes are bitterly hostile to this law, and call it religious oppression, but it is firmly maintained. The Minister of Instruction says that in public instruction there cannot be two authorities, church and state, with equal sovereignty. There is but one sovereignty, that of the State.

Clerical studies do not now attract young men as formerly, either in America or France. The University of Paris last year had 11,000 alumni, but only thirty-five theological students. 3,786 studied for the legal profession, 3,696 for the medical, 1,767 attended to pharmacy, 928 to letters and 467 to science. There were 167 female students, 108 of them preparing for medicine, fifty-one in literary studies, seven in science and one preparing as a lawyer.

When France shall be sufficiently civilized to abolish duels and dismiss her standing army, she may have an opportunity of reaching the front rank in civilization and progress. Even at present France has many elements of the highest civilization in courtesy and refinement of manners, artistic skill, scientific progress and advancing wealth. The French might give some valuable lessons to Americans, especially in journalism. Mrs. J. C. Croly (Jennie June) in her recent address to the Women's Press Association in Boston, gave a pungent criticism on American journalism which, in justice it must be said, is not applicable to the press generally, although the immense space given to baseball, pugilism, races, and all species of crime, by our leading journals, is disgraceful. "If the tail were large enough," said Dundreary, "the tail would waggle the dog!" certainly the tail end of society wags its journals. Mrs. Croly said:--

"What the newspaper seems to be principally valued for, just now, is for doing individual gossiping, scolding and backbiting on a large scale, and in a way that relieves the individual from responsibility. The old women of the past have been royally revenged for all the sneers and slights put upon their spectacled talks, and tea parties; for back-door tittle-tattle of the meanest, most reckless sort, has been made a business, has become the staple of some journals. That people read such stuff does not seem to me reason enough for printing it. Shall we not have a daily paper some time, that is at once bright, clear, pure, honest and strong; one that works upward, instead of downward; that has its hold upon the best things, and inspires us with new faith in them, and in their power to work out race redemption."

Such criticisms do not apply to the Parisian press, which employs and pays liberally the ablest writers.

The French have at last begun the publication of cheap literature for the people. A firm in Paris "have begun the issue of what is termed the Nouvelle Bibliotheque Populaire (the New Popular Library), at ten centimes, or two cents, an issue, this to be a collection of the most remarkable works of all literature, histories voyages, romances, plays, religious and philosophical treatises, and poetry, etc. Each volume is to be complete, and is to have thirty-two pages, printed in clear text, the equivalent in its entirety to one hundred pages of an ordinary French book. These volumes are to be published one each week, at a subscription price of seven francs, or a little less than $1.40 per year."

They propose "to give a resume of those parts of secondary interest, and to publish in their entirety those salient passages which cannot be ignored, the works thus presented having the appearance and the interest of the originals. The reader who cannot spare the time to carefully read the original may thus in a few hours acquire a fair idea of its purpose and value. The second class will be a large number of works that are now out of print, or which can only be procured at a very high price. The third, and perhaps more popular class, will be the works of authors of all ages, of all countries, and of all schools, such as Shakespeare, Corneille, Pascal, Chateaubriand, Sophocles, Racine, Lord Byron, etc. Ten of these volumes have already been published."

In this country, John B. Alden of New York has taken the lead in publishing valuable literature at the lowest possible prices.

PEACEFUL INDICATIONS.

Europe is now profoundly at peace as predicted by psychometry, and the dreary history of royal government assumes a more pleasing aspect to-day. Victoria is an improvement on her predecessors, for she has but drifted along with parliamentary government, and doing neither good nor harm, has behaved with decorum, and preserved the devoted loyalty of her subjects.

The old Emperor William, too, has a loyal nation, and has led a life which does not attract censure. He is fond of military parades, but seeks to avoid war.

As Austria and its rulers do not receive much attention from American journals, I thought it well to look into the royal sphere by Psychometry, and having a photograph of the emperor, I placed it under the hands of Mrs. Buchanan, who pronounces without seeing the object investigated. The following is her language:

"This is a male. There is a good deal of character and intellect, and he carries with him a good deal of power. I think he has been sometimes engaged in some great public movement. He is philanthropic. He has power to sway and carries force with the people both from his position and his ability.

"I think he is a foreigner with a very high rank. He seems a magnate of great distinction. He has about as high an office as can be given, like an emperor or czar.

"There is a good deal of forgiveness in his nature; he forgives wrongs; he has no cruelty. He is not as selfish as men of his rank generally are. He is more with the people, less aristocratic and proud. It is difficult to tell his nationality--Servia and Austria come into my mind. There is a great empire about him. There seems to be some dissatisfaction in the country, some apprehension of invasion and disturbance. There's a good deal of trepidation. They do not want to go to war, though there is no cowardice there. They are uneasy and suspicious of other nations. He is not ambitious for war. I do not feel that there will be any war. The difficulty is about some question of territory.

"It is an agricultural country, with a loyal peasantry. They are not well educated, but naturally intelligent. It is a pleasant, temperate climate.

"He does not desire to show off kingly power. There's a good deal of modesty. He is not aggressive. He is quite advanced in science, but is not a spiritualist. He is orthodox in religion, but liberal to science."

If she had known the subject of these remarks, and studied European politics and travelers' descriptions, she could not have been more correct.

The Emperor of Austria has introduced a great improvement in royal deportment. The _London Times_ says of him:

"One or two days a week his Majesty receives all comers who have applied to be received, and he receives them alone. Every applicant takes his turn. A master of ceremonies opens a door, the visitor walks in and finds himself face to face with the Emperor, who is unattended. The door closes and the petitioner may say to the Emperor what he likes.

"There is no chamberlain or secretary to intimidate him. The Emperor stands in a plainly furnished study, in undress uniform, without a star or grand cordon, and greets everybody with an engaging smile and a good-natured gesture of the hand which seems to say: 'There is no ceremony here. Tell me your business, and if I can help you I will.'

"There is nothing petty or evasive in him. He is a monarch who replies by 'Yes' or 'No,' but always with so much courtesy that the humblest of his subjects receives from him at departing the same bow as he vouchsafes to ambassadors. A most lovable trait in him is that whenever he sees anybody nervous at his presence he makes the audience last until, by his kind endeavors, the nervousness has been completely dispelled."

There is nothing like this elsewhere in royal courts, nor anything like their religious observances, which will probably astonish my readers. The following statement appears to be authentic, and was given in the _Sun_:

On Holy Thursday the Emperor and Empress of Austria, in the presence of their whole court, of the Privy Council, the Diplomatic Corps, and the superior officers of the Vienna garrison, washed the feet of twenty-four poor old men and women, having previously served these venerable paupers with a plentiful meal, placing the several dishes before them with their own hands. After the old people had partaken of the good things provided for them by the imperial bounty, the tables were cleared by imperial archdukes and ladies of honor. Subsequently a purse containing thirty pieces of silver was presented by the Emperor to each of the old men, and by the Empress to each of the venerable dames, one of whom had all but attained her hundredth year, while the youngest of the twelve was a hearty octogenarian.

This religious rite is rarely seen in this country. It was celebrated on the twenty-first of August by the Primitive Baptists of Hillsville, Va., a mountainous region of South West Va. There were about 800 present, some coming from hundreds of miles. "The preliminary exercises were singing and exhortation or discussion, the speaker first announcing some point of doctrine or religious thought. The hymns were lined by reading one line only at a time. The arrangements for administering the ordinances were circles of seats, those allotted to the sisters being in a double row and facing the brothers, who were seated in a single row. Within the circle was another seat for the ordained and officiating elders. There was a table with bread and wine, and under it were buckets of water, basins, and towels. The bread and wine were first passed around by the officers of the church, after which came the feet-washing. The elder who began the ceremony drew off his coat and vest, and girded a towel around his waist. He then began on the right, washing and wiping the feet of the brother at the head of the line, who in turn arose and remaining barefooted, performed the office to the one next him, and so on until the feet of all had been washed. The elder who was the first to perform the rite was the last to receive it. The sisters performed the rite in the same manner as did the brothers. At the conclusion the elders, while singing, passed around and shook the hands of all the brothers and sisters."

King Humbert, of Italy, and his wife, are making themselves quite popular by their unassuming manners and sympathy with the people.

King Humbert objects to taking his pleasures at shows and exhibitions as a solitary; he likes his people to be present and share them with him. At the opening of the exhibition at Venice the king gave expression to his disappointment at the loneliness and emptiness of the halls. An official told him that the public had been kept out from loyal consideration for the comfort of himself and the queen. "I am sorry for this," said his majesty, "though you have done it in good part; it is my belief that the king belongs to the people as well as the people to the king." Before leaving the exhibition he recurred to the subject, again expressing his deep regret. "I hope that none of you believe," said he, "that I am the sort of man who is shy of being seen among the people. I have no grounds whatever for such a feeling."

King Humbert, according to an _American Register_ correspondent, is known for his temperance in all things except that of smoking. It has often been noticed what an exceedingly small eater the King had shown himself on all occasions, and as to drink, his guests may have it in plenty, but his favorite "tipple" is water. His one great weakness was (for it is a thing of the past) a good cigar. He was a formidable smoker, but he abused his taste in that line to such an extent that he has taken a new departure and has "sworn off" from the fragrant weed. His nerves had begun to suffer, he had asthmatic turns, could sleep but little, and then had to be propped up by plenty of pillows. Some weeks ago his physician told him what was the matter, and King Humbert said: "From this day forth I will not smoke another cigar, or anything in the shape of tobacco." His majesty has kept his word, and the result has been a most noticeable improvement in his health. King Humbert is a man of iron will, and no one doubts that he will keep his self-made pledge.

His wife, Queen Margaret, is soon to figure as an author--with stories founded on the legends of the Middle Ages. She speaks several languages and reads English literature, keeping herself posted on English views and politics. She is described as being devout but liberal, lovely and graceful, quite attractive, and much idolized by the Roman people.

The Queen of Roumania is a poetess of romantic sentiments, and lately underwent examination for a diploma, giving her a right to do certain teaching in the schools. In fact, all the continental queens are much brighter than Victoria.

THE REIGN OF PEACE.

We find another very pleasant indication of the coming peace that was psychometrically prophesied for all the world, before 1889, in the Central American States. Advices from Panama of April 25th, said:

"Of great present and future interest to the republics of Central America are the treaties recently accepted by the Diet, which assembled in Guatemala. The aim was 'to establish an intimate relationship between the five republics, and, by making the continuance of peace certain, to provide for their final fusion into one country.' The treaty contains 32 articles, which provide that perpetual peace shall exist between the republics, that all differences shall be arranged, and that in the event of this proving impossible, such differences shall be submitted to arbitration. The idea which appears to have been prominent among the members of the convention was the establishment of settled rules, which, governing all the republics, shall simplify the government of each. The fortunes of each one of these industrial and agricultural States is so intimately allied to those of the others, that it really appears that they are destined to form one common nation.

"To prevent further shedding of blood the Central American Congress made provision, in case of discord, that the States at variance should agree upon an arbitrator. For this reason a nomination is made in advance, and regulations were drawn up in order to prevent, under any circumstances, the outbreak of war. Should, however, armed disputes arise between two or more of the republics, the others bind themselves to observe the strictest neutrality.

"All the republics bind themselves in the most solemn manner to respect the independence of each State, and to prohibit the preparation in any one of armed expeditions against any of the others, and that all citizens of the different States shall enjoy similar privileges and rights throughout all of them."

Finally--John Bright and 173 members of the British House of Commons have signed the American Peace Memorial, nine of whom will come with the deputation to America.

THE SINALOA COLONY.--Co-operation in some form is the only hope of philanthropists for a harmonious settlement of the labor question. Hence we must feel an interest in the Sinaloa Colony. I have always maintained that there are very few of the present generation (who are the outcome of war and competition) fit for co-operative life. Mr. Owen in his letter of last August says:

"The work we have laid out in Sinaloa requires, at first, men of frontier experience--those who can fish, hunt, cook, work the land and hold to a purpose in the face of privations and even death.

"We repeat again that if the women wish us to succeed they must not go to Sinaloa until we have gotten water, garden, and houses for them, and _never_ without _first_ obtaining permission from our New York office.

"The Credit Foncier company was conceived in kindness and love for mankind, and its mission was and is peace on earth and good will to every human being. It is to be regretted that the Company was not financially able from the beginning to guard its friends from discomforts and disease. Such was its endeavor, but the circumstances surrounding our movement have made this impossible. Of all times during the 19th century, perhaps, we struck Sinaloa when it was the least prepared for us. Our friends, however, would not be advised. Their idea of co-operation was that every one was to act as he or she pleased, at the time and place he or she selected; and that the Company was to be responsible for his and her employment, food, shelter, health and comfort at all times and in every place. So thoroughly did they believe this that they did not even think it was necessary to give the Company a hint that they were going to Sinaloa, how, when, or for what purpose.

"Well! what was the result of each acting for him and herself? Some 400 and more persons were dumped off at Topolobampo into the brush and cacti, and over fifty per cent of these were women, children, and aged persons, who became at once a heavy, constant, and ever increasing care to those who were physically capable of meeting the requirements of the movement. This actually put upon every able-bodied pioneer a child, woman, or aged person to attend to, to see sheltered, to have fed, etc., etc., besides his duties, and it added five times to the expenses in the field which the Company proposed at first to meet. But this was not the worst. The attention which it was necessary to give to these non-combatants took the men from the work that the Company expected to be done. This discouraged those who were able and willing to work and piled anxieties upon our best friends until they tottered under loads other than belonged to the cause. Disease, death, and discouragement followed. Those who remained in the States were frightened, and the Company was left almost moneyless and powerless to assist, even when it was most earnest in its work and in its wish to do so.

"Had an army preparing for a campaign been recruited in such a way, its friends would have demoralized and defeated it before an enemy had been met. The United States Army, during the late rebellion, was recruited in the following way: every man had to be stripped naked, measured, weighed, examined, and reported by a medical officer to be physically and mentally capable of enduring camp life, before he was enlisted, and even after this test and care, the records will show that thirty per cent each year, without going into battle, became sick, died, deserted, or went home, _i.e._, only 70 per cent of all those recruited for the war stood the trials, even to get the first smell of the burnt powder.

"Now that we have gotten our pioneers reduced to about 200, to a few more than we had in December at Topolobampo, and to which number we then urged that no more be added, we can organize and begin anew to follow out the details laid down in _Integral Co-operation_, strengthened by having veterans in the field and by an experience with our people which will be of value to them and to the Company.