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Notes of the Week.

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Notes of the Week. The Death of Dr. Barnardo.—The cause of humanity has suffered an almost incalculable loss through the death of Dr. Barnardo, the waifs' friend and foster father. Though he had been in a precarious state of health for some time the end came very unexpectedly, and when the sad news was promulgated members of every class of society felt the shadow of personal sorrow cast over them. For more than thirty- five years Dr. Barnardo stood in the front rank of philanthropic and benevolent men, and of all that make up that noble army there was none better known and more universally loved than he. He was the very spirit of Christianity incarnated, his heart as tender as that of any woman, whilst that tenderness was guided and directed by a well balanced and highly trained intellect. As an organiser he was unrivalled, his working powers were well nigh inexhaustible. The care of so many institutions and such a large family of children as he had must have been a terrible burden upon head and heart; and it is no great wonder that his health gave way at last. The story of his life is a romance. Trained for the medical profession, he had decided to go out to China as a medical missionary. But a conversation with a young boy one evening, when the ragged school in which he taught was breaking up, changed the course of Barnardo's life. The boy pleaded hard that he might stay behind in the warm schoolroom. "What would your mother think?" asked the young doctor. 'Ain't got no mother." "But your father ? 'Ain't got no father." Stuff and nonsense, boy, don't tell me such stories You say you have not got a mother or a father. Where are your friends ? Where do you live ? "'Ain't got no friends. Don't live nowhere." That conver- sation was an eye opener to Barnardo. He had not realised before that there were destitute children in London. From that night he felt that the proper field of his mission was not China but London. He got the sympathy of the good Earl of Shaftesbury and others, and in 1867 the first beginning was made, when a Home for eighteen destitute lads was opened in Stepney Causeway. "I had not capital," said Dr. Barnardo, not a penny in the bank, nor the prospect of a shilling." He walked and worked by faith, and was not disappointed. Money always came in as it was needed. Home after Home was built, both in London and in the country, and the work of rescuing the children was thoroughly organised. Last year nearly 11,000 children were wholly maintained in the various Homes, and the number rescued and placed since 1867 is fully 60,000. Over 16,000 have been emigrated and placed in comfortable situations in the Colonies. The total amount received by Barnardo from the time he first started this good work in 1867 up to the end of 1904 was Z3,1 ig,646, all of it freewill offerings. It is a marvellous story, and proves what one man of burning zeal, accompanied by clear intelligence and good business methods, may accomplish. It is a great consolation to know that, through the foresight of the Doctor in incorporating the Homes, this splendid work will be continued upon the original principles which he laid down. •* The Latest Development in the Welsh Struggle. -For quite two months there have been rumours that some of the Welsh County Councils were contemplating a new move in the Educational struggle that would bring matters to a crisis. What that move would be was kept a profound secret, though some people ventured to suggest that it would be to throw upon the Education Department in Whitehall the whole responsibility of carrying on all the schools. Anyhow, that is what has been done in Mont- gomeryshire. Last week the majority of the Members of the Local Authority withdrew from the meeting, thereby leaving less than a quorum of members behind. Later in the same day the County Council passed a resolution withdrawing from the Education Committee all the powers previously conferred upon it. That resolution makes the minority powerless to do anything, even if it were willing to act and also numerous enough to form a quorum. Whether any other county will follow the example of Montgomery remains to be seen. But the situation in that county has been made exceedingly serious for all concerned. The question now is, what will the Education Department do ? or, rather, what can it do ? It cannot now apply the grants earned by the provided schools to supply the needs of the non-provided, or else the provided schools will be starved. Can it take possession of other Treasury grants to the county and use those to carry on the schools? That seems exceedingly doubtful. If it cannot do that, then it must either proceed against the Council by mandamus, or ask the Prime Minister to call Parliament together to pass another Defaulters Act. Under the Defaulters Act of 1903 it has no power to levy rate, nor the machinery to collect a rate. The general opinion seems to be that it will proceed against the Council for neglect of duty. This will mean delay, and in the meantime the children and teachers must suffer bitterly. This new move ought to do one thing-it ought to convince the Department and the Government that the opposition of Wales to the Education Act is both deep and steadfast. Once again we ask the question that we have asked before, Is there no means of bringing the strife to an end ? Is there among Welsh public men no Roosevelt who can bring the parties together to consider the terms of peace ? The Congo Atrocities.-The more we know of the state of things on the Upper Congo, the greater is our wonder that such abominable cruelties are allowed to be practised there with- out a protest from every civilised nation in Europe. Great Britain especially ought to be ashamed of her silence in the matter, because she is one of the parties to the original treaty, which guaranteed the protection of the natives of the Congo Free States. As to the truth of the allegations against the State officials, there is not a shadow of a doubt. The Commission sent out to investigate the matter, though known to be inclined to pooh-pooh the stories brought over to Europe, has been convinced against its will that unspeakable cruelties are being prac- tised with the virtual sanction of the ruling authorities. The Rev. J. H. Harris, a Baptist Missionary, stationed at Baringa, over 1,000 miles in the interior, who has just returned to this country, gives particulars of some of the revolting practices of the servants of the King of the Belgians. He writes :— The Congo authorities say they are anxious to put an end to these constantly recurring outrages this desire could be carried into effect to-morrow if it were genuine, but if it does exist it is so absolutely subordinate to all other considerations' as to render it non-effective. "The point we are anxious to fasten fairly upon the minds of all civilised people is this- these outrages are, and must necessarily be, the natural outcome of the Congo system of slave trade a system at once vicious, immoral, and without precedent in the history of the world. Its only object is to force from a defenceless and primitive people the largest quantity of rubber, ivory, and copal in the shortest possible space of time." He then goes on to describe certain acts of cruelty that took place within a few hours paddle of his own station "The fortnightly supply of rubber was short, therefore a band of these 'collectors' was sent to punish them; prisoners were taken, and Ntoeli, trying to avoid arrest by running into the forest with his little baby, both were caught and shot. At the same time, Yanga-lia and her child, also a young girl, were caught, ravaged, and then murdered. On another occasion the fortnightly supply was one basket short. Raiders (the wise call them soldiers) were let loose with an un restricted supply of ammunition, and Liteji, the grandfather of my personal boy Bomolo, was shot. Again, for the same reason, the white man 'sent a fight,' and Isekitomba, standing unsuspectingly in his village, was shot in cold blood by Efulama. They also killed at this time Etoko and his mother, Bongwalanga. Liwanga, the same collector,' raider, soldier, or whatever you like to call him, that you quote in your issue, went to Losilo section and shot Iscongoli, a chief, also the daughter of Lokekya, and a little boy named Boko. In this raid also a baby was brained against a tree stump. Again, the soldiers' were sent to fight because the rubber was short. Loyango saw them emerge from the forest path, and imme- diately endeavoured to escape-too late, how- ever, to avoid the bullet, which penetrated his heart. At the same time they took two little girls, tied them together, and shot them, put them in the hut to die, and then set fire to the thatch. Their parents found their charred and mutilated bodies the next day." These are only specimen cases. Hundreds of similar acts are practised month by month in the dense Congo forests by demons in human flesh. Is Britain's silence due to the fact that there are too many Britishers financially interested in the industries of the Congo region ? It looks very much as if it were so.

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