THINGS HERE AND THERE
MONTE CARLO
A RECENT horrible tragedy, of a kind not un-
. related to other have had a
similar origin, has again called Monte Carlo
into more than the usual notice.
crimes which
If a man were to hunt the world over he
could hardly find a place which more absolutely
fits the lines —
“Where every prospect pleases,
And only man is vile.”
than does the little principality of Monaco, in
the choicest part of the Riviera; and yet it
is known as “the plague-spot of Europe” and
the “international nursery of crime.”
Two popular British novelists, Hall Caine
and Max Pemberton, have lately discussed in
the London papers the evils of the place and
the possibility of suppressing them.
The gambling gdmes which have
Monte Carlo famous —or infamous —the
world over are carried on by a company which
pays all the expenses of the government of
the principality, and gives the Prince of Mon-
aco three hundred and fifty thousand dollars
a year besides.
lne prince himself, instead of being the
roué one might expect, is a most cultivated
and amiable gentleman, who is recognized as
the leading authority in Europe on ocean-
ography. But he does not gamble. The peo-
ple of Monaco, too, are quiet in their tastes,
modest in their style of living, and contented.
But neither do they gamble.
Of the visitors, many of course go for the
climate and scenery, but more are there to
try a “system” by which they hope to “break
the bank "— a hopeless task.
The suicides, crimes, and tragedies
traced to Monte Carlo are uncounted. But
the attendants are both courteous and sym-
pathetic. “Monsieur has been unfortunate,”
says one of them to a ruined man. “Ile has
lost all? Truly most sad! Have the good-
ness to allow us to advance monsicur a trifle.”
He slips him a hundred dollars, and continues,
do anything
made
other
“Of course monsieur will not
rash, but — perhaps it would be well to go
quite away for a time.” Suicides on the spot
are not regarded with favor.
There are, of course, international difficulties
PN ND NI ND ND ND eT aaa a a a
larger and grander scale was the barren shore
of Savaii lighted up on that memorable night.
It is barren on this side of the island, be-
cause of the devastating streams of boiling
lava which have already spoiled twelve villages
and many cocoanut plantations, Since this
eruption on Savaii, carthquake
not heen so frequent and severe in the Samoan
Group and the Friendly Islands. Poor old
mother earth has a terrihle vent-hole in Savaii.
Tt is undoubtedly a vent-hole for the whole
of ‘the South Sea groups. We realize that we
shocks have
are surely amid the perils of the last days.
and actually safe only when in the path of
duty.
Tonga, South Pacific.
Ly M. THORPE.
THE WATCHMAN
in the way of suppressing Monte Carlo, but
they are not insuperable.— The Youth's Com-
panion.
I I
TurkEY holds the record for tardy delivery
of mail matter. The time taken was sev-
enty-three years. A letter was sent in July,
1834, from a convent in Mount Athos to a
woman in the island of Corfu, announcing the
departure of a begging mission. The letter
has just recently reached the island, and been
delivered to the woman's grandson.
OUR SCRAP-BOOK
REPUDIATING THE DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE
Tug following is a quotation from the re-
port of a speech by Senator Platt, of Con-
necticut, in the U. S. Senate :—
“ Mr. Hoar— ‘May I ask the senator from
Connecticut a question?’
“Myr. Platt, of Connecticut.—"* Certainly.’
“ Mr. Hoar— ‘It is whether, in his opin-
ion, governments derive their just powers
from the consent of the governed.
“Mr. Platt, of Connecticut— ‘From the
consent of some of the governed.’
“ Mr. Hoar— From the consent of some of
the governed?’
“Mr. Platt, of Connecticut.— "Yes. —
Congressional Record, Dec. 19. 1898, p. 330.
The U. S. Senate agreed with Senator Platt
that governments derive their just powers
“from the consent of some of the governed.”
and Congress has never receded from this
position since. The following from the New
York Sun is a sample of the utterances of
many papers at the time, regarding the Dec-
laration. which molded public sentiment and
led up to the repudiation of the Declaration
by the national legislature :—
“The Declaration meant that the
colonies had hecome tired of British domina-
tion, deeming it oppressive, and intended to
simply
set up a government of their own by the right
of revolution. They were not laying down
a principle for anybody except themselves: and
they had no conception of the “consent of the
governed,” as it is proclaimed by . . . the
generally hypoeritical gang who are sympa-
thizing with him [Bryan] in the hope of cheat-
ing us out of our rightful conquests.” — Re-
ole and Herald, Feb, 7. 1809, p. oI.
CIEE ES
THE UNITED STATES AS A WORLD POWER
“Ttaly wanted to grab a portion of China.
Before finally deciding to do so, she ‘endeav-
ored to ascertain what attitude would be as-
sumed by the United States in case of her oc-
cupation of Chinese territory.” While the
United States refused to take any position on
the subject, it is said that ‘the startling posi-
tion greatly astonished the administration:’
hecause ‘never before has the United States
heen consulted by any European power’ with
reference to Fastern affairs. ‘This ‘is con-
sidered by the authorities as a formal recog-
nition of the new position in international af-
fairs that the United States has assumed as a
result of the war with Spain, and of the im-
mensity of the commercial interests of this
government in Asia” — Review and Herald,
ol. 76, p. 176.
One of the leading Washington correspond-
ents, writing Dec. 3, 1899, presents the follow-
ing view of the position of the United States
in the eyes of the nations: —
“One of the oldest employees of the State
Department, one who has occupied an im-
portant and confidential post through many
administrations, was speaking to me to-day
of the remarkable change that had come in
these two years in the status of the United
States. ‘It seems but a year or two ago, he
said, ‘that Washington was looked upon in
diplomatic circles throughout the world as a
sort of place of banishment. No first-class
We
were regarded as of such small importance
diplomatists were sent to this capital.
that the legations here were used as a sort of
makeshifts, and the diplomats nearly always
tried their best to avoid assignment to this
city. Now the best men in every diplomatic
service are selected for Washington. Prob-
ably there is not a capital in Europe that con-
tains a higher average quality of skill and
ability among the foreign embassies and le-
gations than we have accredited to us here.
“¢ Another and most gratifying evidence of
our improved status in the eyes of the world.
found in the
continued this old official, “is
manner in which all the nations are trying to
get on good terms with us. We men here in
the State Department arc amazed at the con-
trast which the present shows with the past
in this respect. We see it and fecl it every
day. We can all remember when the diplo-
mats scarcely took the trouble to veil behind
their traditional politeness a certain contempt
for America and for our
times they were inclined to be just a trifle ar-
rogant with us. Now it is all the other way.
There is not a government in the world that
fails to show us, in its every-day contact with
us through the visits of its diplomatic repre-
sentatives, that it wishes to cultivate the most
friendly and cordial relations with the new
If Secretary Hay dared do it.
government. At
world-power.
he could tell vou of many instances of this,
some of them of a rather amazing character.
“C1 will venture one illustration: Not long
ago Italy wanted to gobble up a slice of ter-
ritory in China. The Ttalians had caught the
fever from the larger European nations. Onc
of the frst things the diplomatic representa-
tives of Ttaly at this capital did was to come
to the State Department, seeking aid and com-
fort. They had not much more than got out
the door when the Chinese minister came in.
asking the help of the United States govern-
the threatened
Of course,
ment in resisting encroach-
ment of the Ttalians,
nothing for us to do hut tell hoth of them
that the affair was out of our line. Only a
dav or twn after, the Chinese minister was
here, asking the United States to take charge
of his country's interests in Colombia during
there. So it
there was
the present troubles goes.
Scarcely a dav passes that some such request.
or other evidence of the world's friendliness
and confidence in us, is not brought
rn
to us,
to our attention.