THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 1906.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8156, 9 June 1906, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 1906.

la the midst of the sroubles precipitated by John Alexander Dowie, self-styled Elijah the Restorer, the American pablio is wondering what will become of Zion Oity, the little theoeraoy founded by the outcast prophet. To begin with, will the citizens 'of Zion remain Dowieites? Dowieism is the rook upon which they stand, and yet the rock upon which they split is Dowie. Already the whole community is heterodox, the Koohester Democrat and Chronicle points oat, Dowie alone remains orthodox. Besides, legally, much of the property stands in

Dowie's name, and the community cannot tamper with the State law. In the opinion of many newspapers, Zion City, with its population of neaily £IO,OOO, will continue td flourish, Elijah or no Elijah. After all, Mr Voliva, the new leader, is a young man of great commercial and executive ability, and his regime, thinks the Atlanta Constitution, "starts as auspiciously" as that of the deposed prophet. Monument though it is to Dowie's "bizarre methods," Zion City, in ihe opinion of the New York World, is a "substantial" monument. It is a peaceful, orderly community, and, granted "an energetic leader of good principles," The World cannot see why the prophet's dreams should not "materialise in a useful permanent settlement." The Chicago Tribune and many other papers are of preoisely the same way of thinkiug, and the Toledo Blade adds as a rider that Mr Voliva may suoaeed in turning its people "away from Dowie's heresies." For, of course, in clinging to Dowieism, he would encounter difficulty, As the New York Tribune puts it: "Can the disciple of a false prophet say, 'My master was a fakir, but 1 am the real thing?' Or, if he does, can he expect sane people to look at him without grinning?" Indeed, the Chicago Chronicle feels that "death and dissolution are inevitable"—certainly so far as ooncerns the religious side. And just as, in the words of the old song, "the light of a whole life dies when love is gone," so thinks the New York Times, Dowieism must fail with no Dowie behind it. And when it comes to uninspired communism, well, the advice of The Times is that Mr Voliva had better "not read history if he would aleep o' nights." Judging from appearanes, adds The Times, "the experiment at Zion City has now degenerated into a fight for the assets." Dowie is ill and stricken, but the Chicago Chroniole, quoted above, prediots that "Zion City will never be quiet even after his death."

Referring to the Morocoan question, the Saturday Review states that the real interest of the recent conference for the unbiassed observer, lies in its European results. "It has shown at all events tliat there is a great deal of common sense and goodwill in the common stoobr, and also that the profession of diplomacy, even under modern conditions, has a great deal to say for itself. So far as this country is concerned, we have no ground for quarrelling with the result. We have with perfect loyalty stood to our agreement with France, and if in the end we seem to have gained everything we desired while Prance has lost the main part of her own share, that is not due to any fault of ours. Spain, too, has been no less loyal, and we may hope that by working together on the side of France something has been done to smooth over animosities too justly excited by our blatant partisansbip during her war with the iJnited States. Good results in a similar directiou oaunot fail to flow from the close accord with Russia into which wo have heen brought throughout these negotiations. It will be folly to expect too much, but churlish net to admit the plain facts that ooufrunt us. Of all the Powers Italy bad the most delicate game to play. She has emerged with credit from a position of some difficulty, but it is not strange that leading Gorman newspapers find some cause to grumble in her clearly incli ing to the support of France rather than of her own ally. But the gradual rapproachment of Italy and France is an admitted fact of the last few years, and it is olear that the Triple Alliance has been to some extent impaired by reoent events, ' How far it would prove valid at all in the event of a war is a problem uo one desires; to see put to the proof, but which everyone speculates vpon. Germany perhaps gets silt of the conference quite as much a s she expeoted. She has establiahed the right of Europe to • control the future of Morocco, and the prinoiple of the 'open door.' An interesting point arises out of this for our own consideration. Is our right to participate in this benefit limited by our agreement with France to 30 years, or do we share and dhare alike with the rest of Europe for all time?"