General News.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3651, 8 September 1880, Page 3

General News.

In a late re-issue of the autobiography of Thomas Cooper, author of "The Purgatory of Suicides" whose works have several times been referred to in the theological discussion in these columns, the following passages occur: —"I had discussions in after years with big and little champions of atheism; but their proceedings seemed to me crooked and unprincipled, and I shall therefore pass them by without recording even their names. My clear conviction is that public discussions on the evidences of Christianity never do any good, but often do great _ harm. The sceptical champion, and his friends too, generally come up to the encounter to win, by fair means or foul; they are in too great a heat to hear the truth ; it cannot get any fair entrance into their minds. On the other hand, young, fresh minds, unused to these inquiries, are often caught by the 1 new and startling words they hear, and become doubters, perhaps eventually confirmed unbelievers . I cannot help thinking that the Christian world will awake to the necessity of sending out champions for the truth ere long. If the next generation are to be saved from the deluge of unbelief this cfeampionship should be entered upon. I wish one Hundred intelligent, studious, pious, and courageous young Christian men would resolve, to .enter upon it."

A correspondent of the English Mechanic says :—•" In very many things our manufactures are not fit to be shown in the same street with American ones; and this is not merely in knick-knacks and little ingenuities, as to which it is tolerably evident we have no pretensions to enter into comparison. I only invite anyone who doubts my statement to compare such rough common matter as 'cut nails.' Our rubbish, with half of them split up, which tends to turn round in the wood and split it, and with conical heads, look very poor against the straight clean nail, with well-formed heads, which the Americans used to send*to Australia, arid which, when I had once seen them, prevented me from ever buying an English nail again as long as I could get the American ones."