i ministry may be displaced by a war min- changed during the Chimean War. was A. It is my purpose to show that the Parliamentary form is the more efficient, because I. The Parliamentary system is the stronger in organization. (a.) Efficiency means strength to accomplish, and not strength to prevent. (b.) A co-ordination of the functions of government strengthens them, for II. The men. (1.) The fable of "The Body and Its Members" illustrates the value of coordination in government. Parliamentary system attracts better (a.) Statesmen are attracted to a legislature that has real power. (b.) The prime minister is an experienced leader. III. The Parliamentary system secures harmony, for (a.) The legislative and executive functions are co-ordinated. IV. The Parliamentary system secures unity of legislation, because (a.) Practically all bills originate with the Cabinet. (b.) The Cabinet is concerned for the country as a whole, and not for any particular district. (c.) This is a growing need in the United States. V. The Parliamentary system is educative in its reaction on the governed, for (a.) Democracy is educative, for (1.) Athens found this to be true. (b.) Responsibility is sobering. References: Governments and Parties in Continental Europe A. L. Lowell. Political Science and Constitutional Law-J. W. Burgess. Origin and Growth of the English ConstitutionTaylor. The Lesson of Popular Government-Bradford. The English Constitution-Bagehot. The American Commonwealth-Bryce. A History of the Presidency-Stanwood. Constitutional Government in the United States Wilson. The Working Constitution of the United Kingdom -Courtney. The Law of the Constitution-Dicey. The Government of England-Lowell. Unforeseen Tendencies of Democracy-Godkin. Civil Government in the United States-Fiske. Elements of Political Science-Leacock. So Many BY FRANK L. STANTON. So many stars in the infinite space- So many years, so many tears— Sighs and sorrows and pangs and prayers. ADDITIONAL LIST. Selections for religious occasions which have been printed in previous numbers of "The Speaker." The figures following each title refers to the number of "The Speaker" containing the selection: The Angel's Whisper-Samuel Lever At the Turn of the Road-Glaspel A Boy's Prayer-Beeching The Boy That Was Scaret o' Dyin'-Slosson The Branet Battle-Joaquin Miller ... 3 I 8 3 3 The Bugle Song-Tennyson The Chambered Nautilus-Holmes A Child's Grace-Burns The Children of the Poor-Theo. Parker The Children We Keep-Wilson Concord Hymn-Emerson Cradle Hymn-Martin Luther Cradle Hymn-Watts Crossing the Bar-Tennyson Cut Off from the People-Hall Caine Das Krist Kindel-Riley Death Stands Above Me-Landor Duty-Emerson Eulogy of Garfield-Blaine Even This Shall Pass Away-Tilton The First Nowell-(Old Carol). 7 12 12 12 3 2 II 3 4 4 12 9 5 5 8 3 ΙΟ His Mother's Sermon-Ian Maclaren Influence of Universities-Cleveland ΙΟ In the Children's Hospital-Tennyson Jean Valjean and the Bishop-Victor Hugo ..... 12 7 I John Anderson, My Jo-Burns The King's Great Victory-Anderson The Lost Leader-Browning The Motherless Bairn-Thom 9 II 12 4 II ... II My Heart Leaps Up-Wordsworth A Little Town of Bethlehem-Brooks The Other One-Peck Parsifal the Pure ... Recessional-Kipling ... The Shepherd Boy Sings-Bunyan ... ΙΟ 8 Sympathies of Religion and Art-Gunsaulus The Tapestry Weavers-Chester To-day-Thomas Carlyle Wages-Tennyson The Waiting Figure What is Religion-Waters ... ... Who Stole the Bird's Nest-Child ... A Man's a Man for a' That-Burns Volume IV. No. 3 Whole No. 15 HAVE never dreamed it sin to gladden this vale of sorrows with a wholesome laugh." Such is the attitude which Oliver Wen dell Holmes assumes toward laughter. As to the responsibility and source of his gift of humor, he says in the same poem, "The "If word of mine another's gloom has brightened, Through my dumb lips the heaven-sent message came; If hand of mine another's task has lightened, It felt the guidance that it dares not claim." THE LUDICROUS. Concerning the attitude which so many people have toward humor, Dr. Holmes makes the genial autocrat say in one of the breakfast-table talks: "The ludicrous has its place in the universe; it is not a human invention, but one of the Divine ideas, illustrated in the practical jokes of kittens and monkeys long before Aristophanes or Shakespeare. How curious it is that we always consider solemnity and the absence of all gay surprises and encounter of wits so essential to the idea of the future life of those whom we thus deprive of half their faculties, and then call blessed! There are not a few who, even in this life, seem to be preparing themselves for that smileless eternity to which they look forward by banishing all gayety from their hearts and all joyousness from their countenances. I meet one such in the streets not infrequently, a person of intelligence and education, but who gives me (and all that he passes) such a rayless and chilling look of recognition-something as if he were one of Heaven's assessors, come down to 'doom' every acquaintance he met-that I have sometimes begun to sneeze on the spot, and gone home with a violent cold, dating from that instant. I don't doubt he would cut his 257 |