EVIL TIMES.

BY THE EDITOR.

WE have never admired croakers. We are not given to croaking ourselves. We do not intend to inflict upon our readers a croaking article. That the times are evil, we verily believe-we see it, and feel it; but there is a salt in the earth, and a light in the world, in which we have full confidence. We believe not for a moment that christianity is dying out, or that the church will perish, or that the world is losing its christians. Individuals may make fools of themselves by sin-families may rot away because they separate themselves from the life of God--nations may knock out their brains against the thick bosses of Jehovah's buckler; but the victory in the world belongs to Jesus Christ and his church and the saints; and triumphant over prostrate men, and families, and nations, will stand the cross and they that cling to it.

Of the success of the right, and the pure, and the good, then, we entertain no fear in our heart—no not for a moment. We speak of the evils of the times not from fear in regard to the good, but from pity toward those who are found with the evil. As Christ wept over Jerusalem, and as Lot vexed his righteous soul over the wickedness of the Sodomites, and as David and Jeremiah wished for tears that should flow like fountains for those who were perishing through sin; so must every rightly disposed christian heart lament the madness of men, families and nations who consider not the things that belong to their peace, and rush with infatuation into the merciless arms of ruin.

That the foundations of society in our land are fearfully disordered no one can doubt. It needs only eyes, to see it, and reflection, to know it. Our public papers are mirrors which reflect the sores of society in a way to make good men tremble, and to make angels weep. Can you pick up a paper without beholding records of murders, suicides, riots, defalcatious, public frauds, social corruptions, lawlessness, and every kind of disorder. Deeds of sin and shame are daily revealed, which like blotches and boils upon the body only show how deeply the whole constitution of society is pervaded with the seeds of disease and death. So common and shameless are the displays made in our public papers of scenes of such truly satanic originality in evil, that the only way to keep our children from being corrupted by the knowledge of sins of which the innocence of early life cannot even dream, is to exclude secular newspapers from our doors. This suggests to the reflecting mind at once one of the most fruitful evils of the times-an unsanctified press. We are not ignorant of what has been said in praise of newspapers as vehicles of common intelligence. We appreciate it fully; but such praise applies only to a pure press. We hail every clean newspaper sheet as a leaf of life; but we deprecate every time-serving, filthy sheet as the leaf of the poisonous night-shade. Nor do we hesitate in saying that one-half of our daily and weekly secular newspapers are a curse to the land. They indicate in many of their advertisements, and even of their selections, yea, even often in their edi

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torials, that they are designed to be congenial with the lowest haunts of vice, and suited to the most debased tastes in the meanest strata of society. There they may be regarded as in place. But with what a blast of moral death do such sheets enter the families of the pure! What a wound do they inflict on many an uncorrupted heart! Indeed there are many of our newspapers who can lay claim to no higher mission than to equalize the moral degradation of the land, and bear the filth of cities in all its damning originality, to the quiet country, and spread it in all its loathsomeness over the homes devoted to the higher and purer aims and ends of life.

We do not intend to say that editors generally intend to do evil by filthy advertisements, but they do intend to print such shame for money. A paper that speaks in praise of morals and religion, and social purity in one column, will sell another column to puff a theater, a gaming house, a humbug, or any enterprise that may be sufficiently successful to pay well out of the weaknesses and lusts of men. It is to be remembered that the meanest advertisements pay best. Only a few weeks ago one was sent to us, offering $35 for a few insertions. We did not take the bait, of course. But other papers did. Money once sold Jesus Christ; and money sells his pure cause now. Money!-money!-money!-truly great is this Diana which the whole world worshipeth!

Here again we have a sore evil of the times-the omnipotence of money. Of no other vice is it said that it is the root of all evil, except the love of money. It is said that "every man has his price." We take this with some limitations. There are still some men who cannot be bought. Well that it is so; for if there were no more true men to be found beyond the reach of corruption, Sodom would soon be given over to the cleansing virtues of fire and brimstone. But it all men cannot be bought, any thing can be. You can buy office, votes, laws, decision on laws, verdicts, sentences, witnesses. You can buy me to keep silence when they ought to speak, and buy them to speak when they ought to keep silence.

A very intelligent gentleman from one of our principal Atlantic cities, lately remarked to us, when speaking on this subject, that almost any verdict which a man pleases to have can be secured by money. I will tell you, said he, how these matters are managed. There is a class of men in our cities-the respectable, well-doing, business men-who do not wish to be on juries. When the officer makes up the jury list, some beg off, some buy themselves off. They can make more money and make it more pleasantly at their business, than by waiting about the Court House. There is another class who want to be jurors; these are such as have little else to do, and are too idle to do what is properly their business. These beg themselves on the list, or if begging will not succeed, it is worth $5 or $10 to be on; for they can make more than that out of it. As soon as they are on the list, and in the jury, they are for sale! It is known that they are for sale; and the party wanting a certain verdict, finds no difficulty in approaching them through friends. Like those who were to watch our Saviour's tomb and report that his disciples stole him away while they slept, "They receive the money and go and do as they are bid."

This was stated as a well-known fact by our friend; and we have no

hesitation in believing it. If the fountains of justice and judgment are not corrupt if bribes are not taken-how is it that almost all monied rogues escape the penalties due their crimes? Let any one refer to the numerous instances of fraud lately committed throughout the land, and then remember that there has not been a single instance of punishment in all of them together, and then tell us on what other principle the fact is to be explained. It is not so in other lands. In England, but a short time ago, a defaulter, who had been a member of Parliament, was banished for ten years for committing a public fraud. Still later, posters offering £10,000 reward for a similar rogue could be seen along the streets of London; there the law takes its course. It is not asked how much money is he worth, or what has been his previous standing, but is he guilty of the crime. So it should always be; and so it will be when the administration of justice is in the hands of the pure and patriotic. The sentiment begins more and more to prevail that the law which submits to the people the election of judges, magistrates, and other smaller executive and judicial officers, is working badly for the cause of justice. Many good men raised their voices against it, when it was first proposed; but the popular idea prevailed. It is certain, however, that the practical operations of the law, have caused many reflecting persons to change their opinions. Can the judicial ermine be dragged around in the small riot that commonly surrounds our polls without being soiled? He that administers justice ought to be removed from the cry of the popular voice. He ought in no way to be dependent upon popular opinion. Above all, no such temptation as besets the way of any candidate for an office where success depends upon a majority of votes, ought to be held out to a judge.

There is not the least doubt that the increase of lawlessness and crime in the land is properly traced to a defective administration of law. The fault is not in the law itself for facts show that it is abundantly adequate to reach all rogues of the lowest grade, and all penniless sinners against it. Our jails and penitentiaries are full of ragged rogues,-but the law cannot bring broad-cloth to the same penalty. It is easy to see that this failure of the law in administering justice to monied criminals must work disastrously for the honor of law and justice among all on a lower social level. Who has not seen that even public papers have advocated the acquital of poor rogues on the ground that the rich have escaped. False as the ground is, there is a large class in every community whose sympathies can be reached by such arguments and appeals. In proportion as the administration of justice is seen to be slow and uncertain in that degree does law lose its dignity and power in the public mind. In minds where the higher principle of religion does not govern, crime will increase in proportion as the hope of escape is seen to exist.

The highest conservative and reformatory power which a nation possesses, as a nation, is law. There is a higher power in each nation, it is true, namely its religion; but that is a power in the church, not in the nation. The nation itself has its foundations in its laws; and in the faithful administration of these its permanancy and peace are to be found. Let its laws be bad, or if good, uncertain in their execution, and the foundations are destroyed—the fair fabric begins to totter, and all its glory departs.

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What we begin to need as a nation is true and worthy men in office. We mistake the signs of the times if things are not fast tending to the point when dire necessity will bring about two parties who shall aim at the control of all elections of public officers-the primitive division of good and bad. Already in some places have things been forced into this position; and tendencies indicate that the same thing will become more general. There is enough of virtue, patriotism, and religious principle in the land to conserve its highest interests should ever circumstances compel the lines to be clearly drawn between the evil and the good. So weary are many of the best men in the land of demagogism and official corruption that we believe a nomination of men to office on the ground of their purity of life and principles, would now rally a ruling party around its standard,

DEAL GENTLY WITH THE LITTLE ONES.

A child when asked why a certain tree grew crooked replied, "Somebody trod on it, I suppose, when it was little."

HE who checks a child with terror,
Stops its play and stills its song,
Not alone commits an error,

But a grievous moral wrong.

Give it play and never fear it,
Active life is no defect;
Never, never break its spirit,
Curb it only to direct.

Would you stop the flowing river,

Thinking it would cease to flow!

Onward must it flow forever;

Better teach it where to go.

"AT THE COFFIN.

HERE she lieth, white and chill,

Put your hand upon her brow,

For her heart is very still,

And she does not know you now.

Ah, the grave's a quiet bed!

She shall sleep a pleasant sleep,
And the tears that you may shed

Will not wake her-therefore weep!

Weep-for you have wrought her woe!
Mourn-she mourned and died for you!

Ah! too late we come to know

What is false and what is true.