Mrs. Ormiston Chant

This eloquent lady frorn London, Engiand, was not permitted to speak in TTniversity hall, for what reason we do aot know ; but it is a pity because the XJnitarian church could not contain all who desired to hear her. She gave a most vivid picture of the distress among the poor of London, and made a noble plea for the solution of the question and the abolition of poverty. The Rbgjbter has been hammering away on this subject a good deal, at the risk of being tiresorne ; for unquestionably it ia thegreatest of all questions. Prohibiticn, free trade, protection, woniansuffrage, and alltogethersink into insigniflcance before this great fact of povertv. Mr. St. John who spoke Saturday aight in Ann Arbor, dreams of a time nrhen prohibition will eradicate the drink habit; but prohibition, althoueh aeeful in itself, can never do that while poverty remains, for poverty and the fear af poverty and its consequent ery arethegreat causes of drunkeuness. Poverty of the most alarming kind exist in countries where there is free trade, and in countries where there is protection. The churches have no other so great s fos as poverty. It is useless trying to ooBvert people to Christ's gentle ways jrho are suffering from poverty or who iwve a dreadful fear of it which causes selfishness. Hungry people wil! not iiaten toa sermón. It is time, therefore, that the churches were discussing this question. If poverty is a necessary ïhing decreed by God, then the enemies of the church have a powerful weaDon: because it doesn't at first íhonght look right that a supreme power should ordain any such thing as poverty. But if poverty is not a law of &oá ; if it arises from some bad adjustaaentby man himself, then the churches ougM to see that the remedy is applied. It -was thought for a long time that God was m favor of aristocracies, of kingships, slavery, and other forms of evil; But that idea has been moetly given up. Perhaps it may be found that He never established poverty as one of the laws Of nature, and that it is man's selfishness or ignorance which causes it. The Church cannot afford to turn away from a -wrong. lts great enemy, Col. sol!, has declared that he believes povarty will be banisLed. He Idoes not mean that there will ever be a time irhen all men will be equally well off in this world's goods and Jn ability ; but he believes that the scramble and struggle for the bare necessities of life ie not necessary. There is sufncient indocement for effort even if every pereon who is willing to work can be sure of a good living.