but he would add and emphasize the supply strong character, amiable disposition, and of intelligent, competent, and regular instruction. Left to its own devices, the system will break down. The qualifications of the man selected for this purpose will be the determining element in the results obtained. On the executive side, he ought to be a man of rare ability; on the personal side, of large experience in managing men and boys. By the careful adoption of some such system of tutorage it is hoped that the question of the supply of all-around mechanics may be solved, and that the permanency of our industrial system may not be impaired by the lack of them. A HINDU ON "THE WORLD'S SPIRITUAL OUTLOOK." WHILE recognizing the "strong torrent of materialism that is now sweep ing over the consciousness of the average man," the Baba Bharati, the Hindu teacher who is now in this country preaching the simple faith of Hinduism, believes that all over the world to-day there is "distinctly perceptible an undercurrent of a genuine spiritual hunger and spiritual appetite." In his little magazine, the Light of India, published at Los Angeles, California, the Baba Bharati surveys the spiritual status of the world during the closing days of 1906. The modern church, this Hindu teacher believes, cannot give light on the subject of our future and aim in life, because it has none to give, having sold it all for material gain." And yet, says the Hindu teacher, "in spite of the dying embers on its altar, the Christian church has really kept human souls in the West from being killed by the frosts and snows of absolute materialism." Souls that are near the altar receive some warmth from even the thick ash-covered, smouldering fire of the faith and character of Jesus the flame, because of their want of faith in its existence, have sustained themselves by absorbing the warmth from those near the fire by pressing themselves close to their side. In plainer English, the vibrations of churchworship, though feeble and getting feebler every day, are still sustaining the soul of the Western man and are keeping the Western lands above of Nazareth; and those souls that are far from the waters. The really intelligent religious people of to-day, he continues, are between two fires: -between the rank materialism of modern science and the soulless Christianity of the churches encased in the narrow beliefs and bigotry born of spiritual ignorance. They do not know what to do to satisfy their inner craving the craving which they feel has its roots somewhere back of the mind-the craving which is becoming keener and keener every day. They have tried, many of them, almost all the newfangled cults dished up with savory smell to satisfy that appetite, and have left them and are leaving them, after a while, more hungry than before. They have even tried Christian Science the feeling of that hunger gnawing at their heart, and come out of it with the same feeling, with with the additional experience of chill-the chill of a cold semblance of love for God and a colder philosophy and science. 66 Continuing in a survey of the spiritual influences of to-day, the Baba (a term which means father" or teacher") pays a tribute to many of the leaders of theosophy for their wonderful earnestness of spirit joined to a keen spiritual hunger and a genius in facility of expression." The Russo-Japanese war, he believes, brought great good to the cause of the world's spirituality in reviving, - or at least in bringing to the notice of the Western world, the Oriental "ideal morale." Baba Bharati explains Shintoism, Confucianism, Mohammedanism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, pointing out the respects in which each makes for real spirituality. Japan, he believes, will never become a Christian nation. Indeed, her war with Russia has confirmed her in her belief in the benefits of Orientalism. China, also, is awakening, and in her national awakening will come the arousing of the spiritual consciousness of her people, but it will be toward Confucianism. Even Mohammedanism is not dead, and its future is brighter than ever before, because the Mohammedan religion, "with all its greed and violent ethics, has not been commercialized." As for modern Christianity, "it only needs to really know Jesus Christ, only needs to understand the spirit of its founder's teachings, to drop its conceit, its insincerity, and its subtle aggressiveness." Of course, this Hindu teacher is most interested in expounding and exalting the Hindu religious spirit and form. "India is the heart of the earth, and the Hindu religion the soul of all religions." Religion, even in these degenerated days of materialism, he continues, is the chief business of life of the Hindus. They are loyal to their age-long beliefs. "Not the sophistry of Buddhism, the aggressive imperialism of Mohammedanism, nor the matter-wedded blandishments of muscular Christianity has been able to make the least abiding impression upon the world-old spiritual consciousness of the Hindu people." Many years ago the fate of Christianity in India was sealed, he declares. "The totally un-Christian conduct, character and ways of life of the English rulers, whose political, social and arbitrary aggression of the ruled is the worst outrage the world has ever known, decided the fate of the evangelization of India to a finality." There has been, recently, a great upheaval of Hinduism, declares this teacher, and the significant sign is the coming of Indian missionaries to Europe and America to preach the truths of Hinduism. These Hindoo missionaries are all selfappointed and backed by no missionary funds from their own country. They have come here, prompted by the purely spiritual instincts of their own world-large ascetic heart, to give of their store of spiritual knowledge, realized by the light of renunciation and true love of God, to hungering souls of liberal America as they did or do give them to the people of their own country. Bereft of all worldy goods through their renunciation, they have to make their living to be able to exist in order to preach. They have to accept money in this land for teaching spiritual wisdom which they have never done in their own land where spiritual wisdom and cooked food are never sold for pecuniary consideration; sustenance for the soul and sustenance for the body are to be given free, is the teaching of the Hindoo Scriptures, the teaching followed and lived up to by even the poorest pariahs. The coming of the Hindoo preachers of Hindooism-the enlightener of all religious beliefs-to Western lands is a Godordained dispensation in the march of the world's spiritual events, a dispensation pregnant * * BABA BHARATI. with all its divine potentialities, a dispensation big with the fate of the spiritual consciousness of the Western world-a dispensation destined to illuminate, with Christ's own illumination, the Christ religion for those within the churches and to feed the God-hungry souls outside of them. Already the Hindoo preachers are fulfilling the first mission, the mission of illuminating Christ and Christianity by the light of the Vedas. People who hear them and learners of their lessons have learned to love Jesus Christ, to whom their attitude of mind had hitherto been one either of indifference or of small regard, with greater love than that experienced by the orthodox church-goers and most of their ministers; for the Hindoo has come to help the cause of spirituality. He is taught by his own religion to construct, not to destroy, genuine spiritual ideals of peoples. THE CHRISTIAN-NATIONAL LABOR MOVEMENT IN GERMANY. THAT it is not alone the upper classes that antagonize Socialism in Germany is abundantly proved by those labor movements which oppose its principles and tendencies. An elaborate article avowedly treating of the German labor movement in general, but actually almost entirely devoted to an examination of the anti-Socialist organizations, appears in the Deutsche Monatsschrift. The argument is like this: sumed a development so rapid and having such momentous bearing upon the national interests as the modern labor movement. It is the most burning question of to-day, whose solution is not the last factor in the determination of the future of the country and its people. The bulk of this movement espouses Social-Democratic views, with the existing social and political order. The great question is: Will it be possible to eventually incorporate the modern labor movement in the present state and social organism, or are the pessimists right who consider a social cataclysm whose ultimate ends are at absolute variance Instead of assuming the rôle of prophet, the writings of the Bishop of Mainz, Emanthe writer directs attention to the Christian- uel Ketteler. The Christian-Social moveNational Labor movement, which, branching ment of that time was not a pronounced away from the great stream of Socialism, labor agitation. Its essential objects were honestly attempts to harmonize with actual religious and ethical. The labor unions were conditions, that is, to attain independence to be meeting places for the workmen; to enfor the working classes within the framework of the national and economic organism. Although the founders of the theories of Socialism, Marx and Engels, based these mainly upon the English development of capital and industry, Socialism has found least foothold in England. The labor movement in England had only a passing political aspect,-just sufficient to secure certain rights for the strivings of the workingmen. In Germany it avowed itself at once as a political movement. The realization of Socialist aims is not to be the fruit of persistent trade and social reform agitation, but of the political conflict of classes. Hence the constant desire of the German Socialists for political supremacy. Only as the prospect of success grew ever more remote did the idea of self-defense through trades unions gain ground among the Social-Democratic laborers themselves. In spite of its 3,000,000 votes, the Social Democracy has not now, or within any calculable time can it have, the writer insists, the faintest chance of possessing itself of political dominion. The vigor of German civic society will not, it may be hoped, ever permit the Utopian theories of the Socialists to be realized. The chief interest, therefore, of the German laboring class has in the last 25 years been concentrated upon the trades unions, which have had a remarkable, unexpected development. There is no doubt that their efforts, directed to practical ends, have had a sobering effect upon the Social-Democratic workingmen. The best evidence of this is the numerous conflicts between the leaders of the trades unions and those of the Social-Democratic party. But the chief point to which the writer draws attention is that a new labor movement has been developed alongside of the Social-Democratic one. The Christian-National Labor movement deserves the attention of all classes of people. It is only a pity that it has entered the lists so late; but this is less the fault of the Christian workers than of the citizens generally, who are prone to look upon every labor movement from the angle of Social Democracy. lighten them in regard to Socialist ideas and their perversity, to inculcate religious and moral principles, to educate them, were the chief ends. The contest for better wages and conditions of labor were not among them. A marked change, particularly in the last 10 years, has, however, taken place, the predominating idea now being to make the workingmen independent, that is, the labor unions are consciously striving not only to do something for the workingmen but they aim to fit them to do something for themselves. With this end in view, courses of instruction have been organized where the most intelligent and able workmen may study the relations of economic phenomena, the legitimate aims of labor movements, etc. The religious instruction, too, is now of a nature which enables them to cope with the foes of religion, in the workship, the factory, in social intercourse. The form of organization has likewise changed. Among the Protestants they have the close, general union of the Protestant labor unions of Germany, which gives the whole movement a homogeneous character. The Catholics have not this homogeneousness; they have three great associations in south, west, and north Germany. These denominational labor unions have, beyond doubt, an extraordinarily important mission in the German labor agitation. Their essential concern is to further the ideal sides of the social movement, to fortify religious and moral principles, to awaken a feeling for art and science, for patriotic ideals as opposed to the subversive principles of Socialism. One can not but deplore the fact that with objects of such moment so much indifference should be displayed toward labor unions. The strength of these groups is thus estimated: Protestant labor unions, 130,000; Catholic, 300,000; Catholic journeymen's unions, 75,000; Protestant, 405,000. The second of the more important groups of the Christian-National Labor movement The Christian-National Labor movement manifests itself in various forms, two of are the Christian trades unions. These which are pre-eminent: the labor-union movement and the Christian trades-union movement. There are, besides, other organizations, which, though not affiliated with these, have entirely like tendencies. We may trace the first of these unions to the close of the '60's and to the influence of have been developed from and alongside of the labor unions. They supplement the activity of the latter by making the bettering of the wages and the conditions of labor their chief concern, without, however, undervaluing the ideal problems. The founding of the Christian trades unions occurred in the be way for the amelioration of his condition and for salutary social reforms. The radical separation of the Christian. trades unions is the ultimate cause of the ginning of the '90's. First a miners' union second, that the political conflict of classes, was formed; this was soon followed by which the Socialist trades-union movement also avowed, was decidedly calculated to bring the unions of many other branches of occupation. workingman more and more into opposition to The first congress convened at Mainz, the political and social order of the state and to where about 90,000 Christian organized the employers of labor, instead of paving the workmen were represented. Its essential task was to establish a course of action for the new movement. This was done by formulating concise tenets wherein the movement was avowed as Christian and interdenomin- violent crusade of the Social-Democrats ational, that is, in which Catholics and Protestants were to co-operate; and, furthermore, it was to keep entirely aloof from politics, to be purely a trades union, intent upon complete harmony between capital and labor, and this to be attained through the principles of Christianity. against them. They see in it a danger to that solidarity of the proletarian movement upon which alone they base their future. The Christian trade unions, still comparatively young, and with no special political party behind them, have a difficult task in defending themselves; yet, in spite of all, the The most noteworthy feature of the Christian movement is making gratifying headway. trades union movement is the great prominence They particularly do not desire to form a given to the ideal view of life, although its near- separate party or to be identified with any est concerns are of a purely economic nature. existing one; their aim being to interest peoThis is not accidental; it is the natural develop- ple of any party in their cause, and to be inerance from the Social-Democratic trades unions dependent of undue party influence. was essentially based, the writer, who is himself numerical development of the Christian a member of this new movement, continues. trades unions is briefly given: in 1898 there upon two moments: first, the circumstance were 82,290 members; increasing yearly, the were not respected; nay, more, that the entire latest statistics,—for 1905,-give the number tendency was to rob them of their belief; and, as 265,035. Las ment of the German labor movement. The sev that the Christian convictions of the members The THE DANGER FROM DUST EXPLOSIONS. T is hard to realize that mere pulveriza- for the latter is simply an intimate mixture tion may convert an innocent lump of of powdered charcoal and sulphur,—both coal, an unoffending piece of cork, or a hand- combustible and both yielding gaseous prodful of harmless grains of wheat, into a pow- ucts when they burn,—with niter, which der more dangerous under many conditions furnishes, when heated, the necessary oxygen. than a like amount of " villainous saltpeter." Just as the flame spreads through the ignited Yet this is the simple truth. Coal-dust ex- gunpowder, so it may flash through the pasplosions, flour-dust explosions, mean much to sages of a coal mine or the rooms of a flour those who have experienced them. This is mill or elevator, feeding as it goes upon the due to the fact that solids, especially in a fine dust which fills the air and which prostate of powder, have the peculiar power of vides all the raw material for a conflagration. causing gases and vapors to become con- A given case of "burning" becomes an "exdensed upon their surfaces, they "occlude" plosion" when it is very rapid and when the gases, as the scientist says. volume of the (gaseous) product is very large as compared with that of the material originally ignited. Confinement of the explosion within a limited space generally increases the rapidity of its propagation and always magnifies its expansive force. Hence, dust explosions in mines and mills may exhibit terrific power, just as the burning of powder in the gun barrel is a very different. matter from its burning in the open air. As a powder exposes a vast area of surface to a circumambient gas, as compared with that of the same mass of material in a single lump, the finer the powder the greater the proportion of occluded gas to solid nuclei. If the gas be air and the powder that of a readily combustible material, we have produced an intimate mixture of fuel and the oxygen necessary for its burning, awaiting the spark that is to start the fire. In In the year 1844 a terrible explosion, cost lieries in northern England. Faraday and Lyell, who were called upon to examine into the causes of the disaster and to recommend precautions to be taken to prevent its recurrence, published in the following year the results of the first careful investigation of the question of dust explosions. They point ed out the fact that fire-damp explosions which might in themselves not be especially dangerous might, nevertheless, become terrible on account of the coal dust raised, car ried along, and, finally ignited by the incipient fire-damp explosion. In the same year Faraday elsewhere stated the case in these words: "The ignition and explosion of the mixture (fire damp) would raise and then kindle the coal dust which is always pervadkindle the coal dust which is always pervading the passages, and these effects must in a moment have made the part of the mine which was the scene of the calamity glow like a furnace." According to Mr. Watson Smith, from whose paper in the Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry the above quotation is taken, the words of Faraday and Lyell fell upon deaf ears. Owners of mills failed to see their application to the dangers by which they were surrounded. To quote: There are many kinds of carbonaceous dust besides coal dust; for example, flour dust, rice dust, soot, and lampblack, also the dust of sugar, and rosin, and finely divided cotton, etc. Cork, pulverized and sifted for linoleum manufacture, forms with air a mixture so inflammable and explosive that Mr. W. F. Reid declares he would rather handle dynamite in bulk than ground cork in a loose state. Cotton mills have become rapidly fired by the ignition of mixtures of cotton dust and air. It only needs the use or occurrence on a sufficiently large scale of any of these or similar substances, dry or in a fine state of division, to give rise, under suitable conditions, to dangerous explosions. The truth of this remark is borne out in the case of flour dust, which, in the flour mills of this and other countries, has caused very many disastrous explosions. There were two reasons why stood. The first was that their cause was obscure. The bare idea that flour might explode, on the face of it, appeared absurd. The second these flour-mill disasters were not earlier under carried a lamp"; so it is clear that open lights might at that time be used without any idea of danger, showing the ignorance then of any risk from firing a mixture of flour and air. Experience finally showed that the stoppage of feed on its way to the millstones was in contact and strike sparks. In old-fasha source of danger, for the stones then come in contact and strike sparks. In old-fashdrew the dust-laden air from all the chamioned mills, where the system of ventilation bers to one outlet, the most nearly perfect plosions through the ventilation shafts to means was provided for the spread of exevery part of the building. Wherever, therefore, the original ignition took place, it was certain to spread practically instantaneously through the tubes filled with air and flour dust, carrying destruction from cellar to roof. At first there seemed to be no practicable had to be withdrawn, it was difficult to conmeans for meeting these difficulties: the dust ceive of any but a suction process for accomplishing this, and equally difficult to devise an efficient ventilating system which should be economical to maintain in operation and at the same time free from the danger clearly Not long attaching to that already in use. ago, however, the late Henry Simon, C.E., brought about the introduction into England of steel rollers in the place of stones in flour mills, and of the so-called "Cyclone" dust separators. According to Mr. Watson, the use of the latter apparatus has practically solved the dust problem. The separator consists of a funnel-shaped hopper, or bin, into which, through an opening in the side, the dust-laden air is sent with considerable force. The direction of the jet is toward the side and downward, and as a result the dust and air are whirled around the hopper at great speed, the dust collecting on the walls and sifting down to the bottom, while the air rises and escapes at the top. The air which leaves the separator is practically free from dust; the solid matter which is withdrawn from the bottom of the hopper is used for cattle food. "Cyclone" dust collectors are now in use in many other kinds of mills than those for flour, serving to prevent danger from explosions, and, by freeing the air from dust, making the work rooms much less injurious to employees. The recent movement to compel employers to protect as far as possible the eyes and breathing apparatus of workThe explosion men from flying particles of metal, etc., and following being of from dust, is receiving much assistance reason was that, until the larger flour mills of excessive ferocity, the flames shooting up 100 feet high at times. Adjoining property was much through the invention and general introducinjured. A surviving workman said he "had tion of the "Cyclone" separator. |