The Far-away Battle.—In the quiet home the sounds of the far-away strife are not heard. The war of the cannon is determining the destiny of empires, but it is unheard in the cottage. The myriad sounds of commerce in the city do not disturb the quiet of that home. Its quiet life attracts no attention. But there is something in that home more important than war or commerce or king-craft—something that concerns human welfare more profoundly. In that quiet home, a human life is developing; a human soul preparing for its life work—a work that will change the destiny of coming generations. In many quiet homes such a work is in progress, determining a nation’s future.

All important movements are quiet and obscure in their origin. As the magnificent forest was slowly and obscurely germinated in darkness, in the seeds from which it sprung, so are the great discoveries in science and philosophy matured in quietness and obscurity. The thinker hears afar the sound of strife and the agitation of parties warring for power. He knows the follies and errors that agitate mankind, but he is withheld from entering the strife, for he has a more important work to accomplish—a work for the future. It is to such work that the Journal of Man is devoted; laying the foundation of that philosophy in which future thinkers shall find the principles of social reorganization. It does not join in the strife of contending parties, nor does it recognize any existing party as entirely free from error. It gives its care to new and growing truths, knowing that, as Carlyle says, “The weak thing weaker than a child becomes strong one day if it be a true thing.”

How not to do it.—The Seybert commission having made a splendid failure to find interesting and valuable facts where other investigators have succeeded, their blundering ignorance is now assisted by newspaper mendacity. The New York Times, of Aug. 22, concludes an extremely stupid article on this subject, by the following paragraph, which, if the writer gave any indications of intelligence, would be set down as a pure specimen of mendacity, but is more probably a specimen of indolent ignorance:

“If Spiritualists could furnish one clearly-proved case of a spirit from the other world, seen and tested by those now living on the earth, there would be some sense and reason in their claims to be heard; but until they do, the great mass of intelligent people will refuse to listen, and rightly, too.”

There must be an immense mass of the same kind of lazy ignorance in the community, when such stuff is tolerated in a newspaper. The contents of daily newspapers show that they expect more patronage from the debased and ignorant classes than from the intelligent and honorable.

Robbery of Public Lands.—The report of Surveyor General Geo. W. Julian, of Colorado, shows that of the patented and unpatented lands referred to, aggregating 8,694,965 acres, it will be safe to estimate that at least one-half have been illegally devoted to private uses under invalid grants, or unauthorized surveys.

He thinks it would not be extravagance to say that these land claimants, with their enormous interests, have exercised a shaping influence upon Congress. Congress has approved 47 out of 49 of these claims. In this connection the report calls attention to the action of Congress in 1860, and the Interior Department in 1879 in the famous Maxwell land grant case, which he characterizes as a wanton and shameful surrender to the rapacity of monopolists of 1,662,764 acres of the public domain, on which hundreds of poor men had settled in good faith and made valuable improvements. It has been as calamitous to New Mexico, says the Surveyor General, as it is humiliating to the United States. The report says:

“During the last Congress several members of both Houses, including the delegate from this Territory, reported bills for the confirmation of the Socorro grant, which is one of the most shocking of the many attempts yet made to plunder the public domain. I do not say that the men who introduced these bills intended to make themselves parties to any scheme of robbery, but their action shows that the hidden hand of roguery is still feeling its way in Congress for a friendly go-between.”

As a remedy for this condition of affairs, Mr. Julian recommends resurveys of all grants about which there is any doubt, and the entering of suits to set aside patents obtained by fraud.

Land Reform in England.—One hundred and twenty-four members of the English Parliament are in favor of the following land scheme propounded by Charles Bradlaugh:

“Ownership of land should carry with it the duty of cultivation.

“Where land capable of cultivation with profit, and not devoted to some purpose of public utility or enjoyment, is held in a waste or uncultivated state, the local authorities ought to have the power to compulsorily acquire such land.

“The compensation is to be only the ‘payment to the owner for a limited term of an annual sum not exceeding the then average net annual produce of the said lands.’

“The local authorities are to let the lands thus acquired to tenant cultivators.

“The conditions of tenure are to be such ‘as shall afford reasonable encouragement, opportunities, facilities, and security for the due cultivation and development of the said land.’”

Life in Europe.—Senator Frye, of Maine, having returned from Europe, spoke thus to a reporter, at Lewiston:

“We have taken a tour of the continent and of Great Britain, and although we have seen many places, we have seen no place like home—no place in all respects equal to America. You will find in the Old World much that is admirable, but what impressed me most painfully was the poverty of the masses of the people. Why, the people in Europe live on the poorest food, and mighty little of it. I found that laborers in Glasgow work for 2s. 6d. a day—sixty-two cents. I was charmed with Edinburgh, but when I saw women drunk and fighting in her beautiful streets, the modern Athens lost her charms. I cannot convey to you the picture of the degradation and want throughout Great Britain, caused by drink. I come back a stouter cold-water man than when I went away. The drink