p. 12 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 47. (11/30/1904)

FORBEARANCE IN THE HOME.

By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

BY MRS. L. D. AVERY-STUTTLE.

If we can all learn the grand lesson of patiently bearing the blame for our own faults and mistakes, instead of blaming some one else, we shall have gone a long way toward making our homes, as it were, the gates of heaven. But it is a lesson hard to learn. We have all been years and years trying to learn it. We have had line upon line and precept upon precept, and have read over and over again the sad results of a stubborn refusal to acknowledge and confess a wrong.

A great many centuries ago, thousands of people were encamped at the foot of a mountain. At its top, in full view and hearing of its tented people, were the blazing glory, the thunder and the lightning which told of the presence of the God of Israel. But their leader, the grand old man who had borne so patiently with all their murmurings, was hidden from their sight by the glory of Jehovah. They waited in vain for him to return to them. Day after day passed, and still the mighty Law-giver was enshrouded by the glory at the summit of Sinai.

Soon the murmurers in the camp began to show themselves, and in a moment of weakness and fear, Aaron made them the calf of gold. When at last Moses appeared on the scene, his elder brother was so fearful he would have to bear the blame of the trouble, that he even tried to throw a cloak of mystery over the whole affair.

“I only put the ornaments of the people into the fire,” he protested, “and there came out this calf!”

Well, it is this very disposition in a family that calls for the greatest forbearance. And alas! it is by no means confined to the children. Then, too, another evil calling for forbearance is the determination never to confess a fault.

But neither is this sin,—for sin it is—confined to the children of a family. I know a husband who is a professed Christian, and who, in a moment of temptation, yielded and sinned most grievously against the patient and long-suffering wife, yet, altho he ceased long ago to transgress in this respect any more, he has never in the remotest manner asked her forgiveness or confessed his sin.

Now all these things call loudly for forbearance. I think it would help us all in this direction, if we would only remember the long-suffering forbearance of the Lord toward us. Sinning, sinning, sinning, every day, every hour! And yet the mercy of our God never fails! When we become more like Him, we shall bear more and more the sweet fruits of charity and love.

“If Thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” O can we not learn to forgive, to forbear, and to be merciful to the erring? Some of us need to be perfected through the ministry of pain, and sorrow, and suffering. Sometimes our poor worn spirits forget the blessedness of trust, and we begin to worry and murmur. But He who has made these wonderful bodies and sensitive nerves of ours, that so often thrill with pain at the thoughtless word or unkind remark, knows every pain and every tear, and He will not send one too many. When the work of perfection is complete, we shall find rest, and that sweet peace that flows like a river.

A great sculptor is hewing away at his marble. Rough and uncouth it is. Blow after blow falls upon it, until finally the delicate sandpaper must finish the work. This last is like the little troubles, the small worries of life, which at times seem so exasperating. But who would presume to dictate to the sculptor and say, “Hold! it is enough!” Perhaps to the unpractised eye the statue may seem perfect. But the artist knows better. He sees the defects, and he knows just how much polishing is necessary.

Sometimes our patience is sorely tried, even with those whom we love. Well, what shall we do?—Forbear, forbear, FORBEAR! The brothers of the Lord Jesus did not believe in Him. Let us tell Him all about it in the privacy of our closets. He will give us so much of His forbearing grace, that what we had imagined we could not endure another day, will pass away, and sweet peace will take the place of unrest. O! I know it is so. Let us try the blessed experiment oftener; it will not fail us.

In the back yard stands a tree which is a wonder to every one. It has grown from a tiny, leafless, branchless stump in one short season, to be a thing of beauty, at least fifteen feet in height. The branches are graceful and willowy. The leaves quiver and wave in the summer breeze. Why, we can almost see it grow? “What is the secret of it all?”—I will tell you. Year after year that little tree has been trying to grow beautiful. But time after time somebody or something would break off the stem and so stop the growth in that direction. Well, in this way there was a fine, strong root developed. Instead of showy branch and leaf, there spread out under the dark, damp ground in every direction a large network of roots. Firmer and firmer they grew. Farther and farther they spread out. At last, with the coming of a new spring, the brave little stump made one more trial. Then, O how it grew! Too large now to be broken off, it stands preaching its sermon to every beholder.

We, too, need more root, most of us, and it is by constantly breaking off the branches that the root grows thriftier. The breaking and pruning process leaves us disfigured and bleeding, but be patient; the root is growing.

“Well,” says one, “I can stand almost everything, but there are certain things which touch me to the quick. Then, I forget myself, and instead of patiently forbearing, I become angry.”

A noble ship is sailing into port. It has braved a hundred storms and made many a voyage. But suddenly, as it nears the harbor, a loud report is heard, and a jet of flame shoots upward into the lurid sky. Ah, the keel has touched an electric wire. There is a buried mine beneath the doomed vessel, and the touching of that little wire meant death.

O I am afraid too many of us have those little electric wires in our make-up, somewhere, that nobody dares touch. Too bad! let us get rid of them.

We are all nearing port, and, as every heart knoweth its own bitterness; so we all know our own weaknesses. With some it is temper; with others it is impatience; with others it is neglect of secret prayer; with some it is vanity; with others, jealousy; and with the most of us, it is lack of forbearance toward others. Ah, look out for the little electric wire. It will ignite a whole mine of sin, and folly, and misery; and let us remember in our need and in our weakness, that “in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.”

HOME AT EVENING TIME

By James B. Kenyon

Up through the purple gloaming floats the tinkling of her bell: She's crossing now the brook that gurgles down yon grassy dell: For wherese'er mid woodlands dim or meadows she may roam, At milking time with lowings soft the evening brings her home.

Where huddled sheep by pasture bars lift many a plaintive bleat, Along the leaf-embowered lanes, with tinklings of bare feet, Mid daisies gleaming on the sward like glimmering flecks of foam, The children all come trooping back, for evening brings them home

Ah, when for me the day is done, and falls the twilight's hush, And from each sapphire peak dissolves the sunset's lingering flush— When one by one the slow stars kindle in night's shadowy dome, Then from my life's long wanderings may evening bring me home.

—James B. Kenyon.

MASTER OF HIMSELF.

A MERCHANT needed a boy and put the following sign in his window: “Boy Wanted—Wages, $4.00 a week; $6.00 to the right one. The boy must be master of himself.”

Many parents who had sons were interested, but the latter part of the notice puzzled them. They had never thought of teaching their boys to be masters of themselves. However, many sent their sons to the merchant to apply for the situation. As each boy applied, the merchant asked him, “Can you read?”

“Yes, sir,” was the frank reply.

“Can you read this?” asked the merchant, pointing to a certain passage in the paper.

“Yes, sir.”

The merchant then took the boy into the back room, where all was quiet and shut the door. Giving the boy the paper, he reminded him of his promise to read the passage through steadily without a break, and commanded him to read. The boy took the paper and bravely started. While he was reading the merchant opened a basket, in which were a number of little puppies, and tumbled them around the boy’s feet. The temptation to turn and see the puppies and note what they were doing was too strong, the boy looked away from his reading, blundered, and was at once dismissed.

Boy after boy underwent the same treatment, till seventy-six were thus tried and proved failures to master themselves. At last one was found, who, in spite of the puppies playing around his feet read the passage through. When he had finished the merchant was delighted, and asked him, “Did you see the puppies that were playing around your feet while you were reading?”

“No, sir.”

“Did you know that they were there?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Why did you not look to see what they were doing?”

“I couldn’t, sir, while I was reading what I said I would.”

“Do you always do what you say you will?”

“Yes, sir; I try to.”

“You are the boy I want,” said the merchant, enthusiastically.

“Come to-morrow. Your wages will start at six dollars, with good prospects of increase.”—Our Boys.

THE EFFECTS OF ALTITUDE.

THE British Tibet expedition, which has required the existence of troops at altitudes of from 10,000 to 15,700 feet above sea-level, has furnished a number of instances of the effect of a high elevation on life and habits. There has been considerable mountain sickness among the men, who are quite unused to such altitudes, and also a large amount of indigestion due to the undercooked food. At elevations of about 15,000 feet water boils at about 108 degrees Fahrenheit and, consequently, the ordinary amount of cooking is quite inadequate. At such a height it is almost impossible to boil rice properly, while of the several kinds of dal or ordinary red lentil of India, there is only one variety that can be cooked at heights over 10,000 feet.

For such elevations there should have been provided cooking vessels with air-tight lids, provided with safety valves which would blow off at a pressure of fifteen pounds to the square inch, or approximately that of the atmosphere at sea-level. Another effect of the latitude and temperature was the difficulty in the operations of the magazines of the rifles and the mechanism of the Maxim gun on account of the congealing of the oil, which lost its lubricating properties. This could have been remedied by supplying glycerine for lubricating purposes.

As automatic guns depend largely upon spring, it was also observed in this connection that their elasticity is effected by the temperature, and that such weapons should be tested for any condition of temperature they are likely to meet.—Harper's Weekly.

IMITATION IN ANIMALS.

Some animals have wonderful powers of imitation. Dogs brought up in the company of cats have been known to acquire the trick of licking the paws and then washing the face, says the Detroit News-Tribune. When a cat has been taught to sit up for her food her kittens have been known to imitate her action. Darwin tells of a cat that was in the habit of putting her paw into the mouth of a narrow milk pitcher every time she got the chance and then licking the cream off her paw. Her kitten soon learned the same trick. A lady tells of a rabbit that she keeps in a cage with a monkey, and says that Bunnie has caught many of the monkey’s ways. It is said that starving pigeons that have been brought up on grain will not eat peas to save their lives, but that if pea-eating pigeons are put with them they follow their example and eat peas.

The Sweetest Bird

By Swain

The sweetest bird builds near the ground, The loveliest flower springs low. —Swain.

HE CALLETH YOU.

By J. F. Olmsted

BY J. F. OLMSTED.

We all like sheep have gone astray, And wandered from the fold; We've failed to hear the Shepherd's voice And all His grace behold.

We've wandered in the paths of sin, And sought our will to do; But soon Christ cometh down the sky; Dear friend, “He calleth you.”

Are you ready for His coming, When the earth shall reel and quake? Are you ready for translation? If not, then awake! Awake!

Berrien Springs, Mich.

WHAT IS A “YEGG?”

[Jack Hazle, in The Pilgrim for September.]

THERE are a great number of tramps, not of the class you will meet begging, but who, nevertheless, travel the railroads, enter your cities under cover of night, and conduct their nefarious trades at your very doors. They crack safes, burglarize, steal, and sometimes even commit murder, to obtain forcibly a share of the living they are convinced the world owes them. These are known to the “profest” as “yeggs.” A “yegg” is usually a development from a somewhat milder type, one who is naturally criminally perverse, who would in any class of society have been an enemy to it; but under the abnormal conditions of tramp life these vicious natures fully develop and have greater opportunities to work their wicked will without any seriously deterrent influences. To a “yegg,” tramp life is a means, not an end; and to be a “yegg” is the ultima thule of every criminally-inclined hobo. It is only after a long and arduous apprenticeship, however, that he is admitted to the charmed circle of the select, over the working of whose guild as much secrecy is compelled as any masonic order maintains. A hobo that is admitted is sworn to silence concerning their proceedings; and if he “splits,” violent death will overtake him as surely as if pronounced by a court of justice. Unlike the rest of the gentry, these “yeggs” do not work singly or in pairs. They are organized gangs of desperadoes, who have headquarters in some of our largest cities; and, to the shame of our constabulary, be it said, that they frequently subsidize the police to “stand pat” with them.

FIRST IRON CASTING.

WHAT is believed to be the first iron casting made in the territory now included in the United States is preserved in Lynn, Mass., if history is well authenticated, says the Scientific American. It is a cooking pot, weighing a little over two pounds. It was made about 1642, near Lynn, where a small blast furnace was made that year. This furnace used charcoal for fuel, with bog ore found in the meadow along the Saugus River, and oyster shells as flux. The furnace was operated until 1688, with some intermissions.

Cheap eggs are as good as cheap lamp-chimneys.

By Macbeth

MACBETH.

If you use a wrong chimney, you lose a good deal of both light and comfort, and waste a dollar or two a year a lamp on chimneys.

Do you want the Index? Write me.

MACBETH, Pittsburgh.

AGENTS WANTED

For Wall Mottoes, New Imported Styles, Finest in the World. ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ YOU CAN EARN $4.00 Per Day Selling These Mottoes.

35c sample and agent's terms for 15cts. Write at once in MRS. O. E. CUMMINGS, Box 114, College View, Nebraska

MICHIGAN SANITARIUM TRAINING-SCHOOL FOR NURSES.

Next class will begin Jan. 4, 1905. Write at once for particulars. Address, T. H. Midgley, Michigan Sanitarium, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Devotional Songs

ONE-HALF NEW SONGS THAT WILL NEVER GROW OLD. ONE-HALF OLD SONGS THAT WILL ALWAYS BE NEW.

Devotional Songs

By three famous composers, Doane, Kirkpatrick and Main.

256 pages, cloth, $25 per 100; 30c. each by mail.

A returnable copy for examination will be mailed on request.

Published by the publishers of the famous “Gospel Hymns.”

THE BIGLOW & MAIN CO., New York and Chicago.

AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP A NEEDY CAUSE.

By Ellen G. White

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.

For years I have been deeply interested in Gospel work among the colored people in the South. It has been my privilege to visit this field a few times, and to become personally acquainted with its needs. During the nine years I spent in Australia, I kept pace with the advance of the work among the colored people in America. I knew of the struggles and makeshifts, the self-denial and self-sacrifice, of the laborers in the South, and I helped as much as I could.

Early this past summer I visited the South, and spent several weeks there. As I traveled from place to place, I saw anew the poverty-stricken condition of the field, and was reminded vividly of scenes that have often been presented to me in the night season.

The condition of the industrial school established for the training of Christian workers at Huntsville, Ala., appealed strongly to my sympathies. The large farm of three hundred and sixty acres, purchased by the General Conference as a home for this institution, will, with intelligent cultivation, meet a considerable portion of the running expenses of the school. But the buildings have been inadequate for the work that should be done. The teachers and students have very few schoolroom appliances. In the students’ home and on the farm there have been very few suitable facilities. Some new buildings must be erected and furnished. Good bathrooms are greatly needed. In connection with this school, students are to be trained for the medical missionary work.

Brother F. R. Rogers has been chosen to act as business manager and principal of the Huntsville School. For years he has labored in school work for the colored people in Mississippi, under the direction of the Southern Missionary Society. Associated with him will be a faculty competent to carry forward all branches of instruction, both in school lines and in industrial training. The efficiency of the school will be much improved this year. We desire to do a strong work in preparing the colored people of the South to accomplish that which must be done for their own race. Among the most promising youth are those who must be trained to labor as canvassers, missionary nurses, hygienic cooks, teachers, Bible workers, and ministers.

The mission schools that have been established in Mississippi and in other states, are doing a good work; and these should receive our continued support. Hundreds of these schools must be established. This line of effort has been especially presented before me as one of the most effectual and economical methods of giving the truth to the colored people. But the work is almost at a standstill for the lack of money to provide facilities and pay the wages of the teachers.

In Nashville I found a little sanitarium, fully equipped, and patronized by the better class of colored people. This is the only sanitarium we have for the colored people in the South. And it is sadly in need of assistance. Liberal gifts to this enterprise would be pleasing to the Lord. The establishment of this institution on a permanent basis will be but the beginning of a great work that must be done in the cities of the South. We have delayed long enough in the establishment of sanitariums and treatment-rooms in which colored men and women can minister to the physical as well as the spiritual necessities of their fellow-men.

My soul longs to see carried on in the South the work that has so long been in need of our assistance. The great necessity for schools in the cities and out of the cities, for sanitariums and treatment-rooms, and for evangelical work, demands that we do everything we possibly can. This barren field is sending up to Heaven its pitiful appeal for help. Where can we find another field in which the need is greater?

As I have been made acquainted with the poverty of the Southern field, I have earnestly desired that some method might be devised by which the work for the colored people could be sustained. One night, as I was praying for this needy field, a scene was presented to me, which I will describe.

I saw a company of men working, and asked what they were doing. One of them replied: “We are making little boxes to be placed in the home of every family that is willing to practise in order that they may send of their means to help the work among the colored people of the South. Such boxes will be a constant reminder of the needs of this destitute race; and the giving of money that is saved by economy and self-denial will be an excellent education to all the members of the family.”

Without delay I wrote to our brethren in the South to make little self-denial boxes, and circulate them extensively, to be used as silent messengers in the homes of our people,—to remind parents and children of their duty toward a neglected race. The Southern Missionary Society, of Edgefield Junction, Tenn., took up this matter at once, and are now prepared to send the boxes to all who desire to help in this way.

Fathers, mothers, teach your children lessons of self-denial, by encouraging them to unite with you in dispensing with the things we really do not need, and in giving to the colored work the money thus saved. Tell your children of the poor colored people and their necessities. Implant in each tender heart a desire to deny self in order to help others. Lead the children early to realize the close relationship existing between money and missions.

The fields are white for the harvest. Shall not the laborers have means for gathering in the precious grain? Will not those who know the truth see what they can do to help, just now? Will not every one cut off all needless expenditures? See what you can do in self-denial. Dispense with all that is not positively necessary. Come up to the measure of your God-given responsibility. Fulfil your duty toward the colored race.

Some may say: “We are being drawn upon continually for means. Will there be no end to these calls?” We hope not, so long as there are in our world souls perishing for the bread of life. Until all has been done that you can do to save the lost, we ask you not to become weary of our repeated calls. Many have not yet done that which they might do, that which God will enable them to do, if they will consecrate themselves unreservedly to Him.

The Lord’s servants are to feel a noble, generous sympathy for every line of work carried on in the great harvest field. We are to be interested in everything that concerns the human brotherhood. By our baptismal vows we are bound in covenant relation with God to make persevering, self-denying, self-sacrificing efforts to promote, in the hardest parts of the field, the work of soul-saving. God has placed upon every believer the responsibility of helping to rescue the most needy, the most helpless, the most oppressed. Christians are to enlighten the ignorance of their less-favored brothers. They are to break every yoke, and let the oppressed go free from the power of vicious habits and sinful practices. By imparting the knowledge sent from heaven, they are to enlarge the capabilities, and increase the usefulness, of those most in need of a helping hand.

ROMANISM IN PERU—AN APPEAL FROM AREQUIPA.

By A. R. Stark

[By A. R. Stark, of the British and Foreign Bible Society.]

PRESENT day Romanism in Peru is the Romanism of the Middle Ages. In no part of the world has Papal Rome been more dominant during the last four centuries, and probably no part of the civilized world is, morally and socially, in a more hopeless and backward condition. Huge churches and convents have been erected throughout the land, and the cities and villages swarm with priests in flowing robes of black, white, gray, and brown—Fathers of the Sacred Heart, Dominicians, Augustinians, Franciscans, Jesuits, Redemptorists, and barefooted friars. Over the dusky sons of the once prosperous Incas of the Andes, Rome has cast her gloomy mantle of moral and social degradation, and the democratic spirit which revolted against the yoke of Spain and overthrew the inquisition of Lima has never been able to throw off the bondage and breathe the free air of religious liberty. The restrictions and persecutions of Rome against Protestants in Peru to-day prove that she is always and everywhere the same relentless foe of human liberty and intellectual freedom; yet the democratic basis of the country must ever be in opposition to a system which strangles every claim which may be set up by the people to think for themselves about God's revelation to humanity.

Rome is a upas tree which has left her blight on every form of national life, political, social, educational, and religious. Tho, as in days past, she can not maim the limbs and burn the life out of the victims who dare to oppose her, she still stifles the mental freedom of her blind votaries by authoritative bulls and drafts of superstition. So recently as 1892 a priest in Peru, Celadone Vargas, was sentenced to a period of imprisonment for the crime of publicly burning to death an Indian girl, Benigna Huaman, as a witch in the mountain village of Bambamarca. The ladies of the “Catholic Union” of Lima, influenced by the church, petitioned his release through Congress, and his sentence was annulled, and the inquisitorial torturer set free.

Political questions are invariably affected by the power of the church. Is religious liberty the burning question in Congress? Then the archbishop and his great army at once raise a protest that they have a right to conserve a holy law which has the majesty of centuries behind it; and that the church ought to reign not only over individuals and families, but also over peoples and nations.

It has been well said that “South America is the most colossal example that ever was of religious unity, and the most striking example of bloody discord

.” Revolutions and international wars are apparently inseparable from the politics of South America, but in all these revolts against social order the church is ever upon the watch either to foment political strife or to gain some advantage by it.

And, unfortunately, the baneful influence of Rome is nowhere more visible than in the family life of the country.

It is true, the present Congress has inflicted a powerful blow against the priesthood by passing a civil marriage law which has made ample provision both for non-catholics and for those who have separated from the church; but that reform has been branded by the priests as the most repugnant concubinage, even altho it was estimated that before the passing of this law, sixty-five per cent. of the children were born out of wedlock, largely because of the exorbitant charges made by the priests for marriages.

Home life in Peru may be divided into two classes, that of the caballero (gentleman) and that of the clase obrera (working class). The house of the gentleman is large, but badly lighted, poorly ventilated, and characterized by insanitary conditions—quite a hundred years behind the times; while that of the working class is such as to make a pure moral life an impossibility. Before intellectual, moral, and social development is possible among the working class, better houses must be built, education advanced, and hope inspired.

In both homes the supreme lack is the family altar with the open Bible. The picture of a saint and a crucifix with an oil-lamp burning dimly before it are the paltry shrines which take the place of the living and sanctifying treasure which God has given to the world, and which has made the homes of Britain what they are to-day. Then again, there is no clear understanding between husband and wife as to their individual duties toward each other and their children. A Peruvian home is usually made up of three or four families, where too often the curse of liquor enters, bringing in its train rancor and jangling. All are infatuated with bull-fights and theaters, and the spirit of gambling, fostered by lottery tickets, pervades every scale of the social life, from the proud don to the beggar in the street.

As for education, only the Spanish-speaking element comes under its influence, altho the gratuitous diffusion of primary education is guaranteed by the Constitution of Peru. The Quechua Indians, who form the bulk of the population, are found in the grossest ignorance and apathy, few being able either to read or write.

The great weakness of the education given in the schools sustained by the municipalities and public charities is that it does not require the children to think, and of course they are taught Christian doctrine, and sacred and ecclesiastical history according to the creed of Rome.

Female instruction of the middle class is almost restricted to convent schools in the hands of nuns, with the result that at the age of fifteen or sixteen a girl leaves school with no high ideal or real preparation for the battle of life, but only fit to fritter away her time in aimless pursuits.

A CHINESE GIRL.

Only a little baby girl, Dead by the riverside; Only a little Chinese child, Drowned in the floating tide.

If she had only been a boy, They would have heard her cry; But she was just a baby girl, And she was left to die.

So they have left her little form Floating upon the wave; She was too young to have a soul, Why should she have a grave?

Yes, and there's many another lamb Perishing every day, Thrown by the road or the riverside, Flung to the beasts of prey.

Think, as you lie on your little cot, Smoothed by a mother's hand; Think of the little baby girls Over in China's land.

Ask if there is not something more Even a child may do, And if, perhaps, in China's land Jesus has need of you?

Only a little baby girl, Dead by the riverside; Only a little Chinese child, Drowned in the floating tide.

But it has brought a vision vast, Dark as a nation's woe; O, has it left some willing heart, Answering, “I will go!”

—Selected.

A HINDU MOTHER AND HER BABY GIRL.

“One evening,” a lady missionary says, “I was waiting for my husband outside our tent, when a young and handsome Hindu woman was brought along between two policemen, caught in the act of attempting to destroy her child. She had it in her arms—a poor little thing that had evidently been starved and neglected without love or care. My heart went out to the little mite, and I said to the mother, ‘Will you let me hold the baby for you?’ She almost threw it at me, not appearing to care in the least who had it, or what became of it. I took it into the tent and washed it, put some fresh clothes on it, and gave it something to eat. When I brought it out she seemed very much surprised, and said, ‘Why have you done all this for my child? If you, a stranger, think it worthy of such love and care, what ought I, its mother, to feel toward it? Give it to me; she shall never know want or wretchedness again,’ and she clasped the little thing to her bosom, and pressed her lips on its tiny face, while a tear trickled down her cheeks, as if she was ashamed that she had been such a cruel mother to it. My husband told me afterward that by my kindness to that child I had done more to check the crime of child murder in the district than all the laws which had been passed to prevent it, but which were being set at nought daily.”—Selected.

Our Work and Workers.

A new house of worship is being erected by the church at Levi, Texas.

Eight candidates were baptized at the camp-meeting held in Decatur, Ark., last month.

The baptism of six persons at Holton, Mich., is reported in the Herald by Brother W. C. Hebner.

The Kansas Worker notes the good work of church building at Leavenworth, El Dorado, Glen Elder, and Hepler.

Brother Wm. Covert notes the baptism of two candidates at Madison, Wis., the result of some meetings held at the sanitarium.

The church at Buffalo Gap, Texas, is much encouraged by the addition of sixteen members, the result of a recent local camp-meeting.

As a result of labor by Brethren R. C. Horton and others, a church of twenty-two members was organized at Bangor, Mich., October 22.

At the last quarterly-meeting of the church at Orange, Wis., five members were added, four of whom were baptized by Brother Swin Swinson.

At Checotah, I. T., where Brethren F. H. Conway and W. B. Toney have been holding meetings, five converts have taken their stand for the truth.

Reporting to the Minnesota Worker, Brother H. Steen notes the baptism of two persons at Bath and the addition of four members to the church in Minneapolis.

A note from Brother John F. Jones says: “A two-weeks’ revival effort at Ford’s Store, Md., has resulted in the baptism of twenty candidates, who have been added to the church.” This report was dated October 22.

The Southern Illinois Herald notes the organization of a church of twenty-two members in Danville, October 15. Also that fourteen persons have accepted the Lord’s Sabbath since the recent camp-meeting at that place.

The company (yet unorganized) at Mountain View, Cal., now hold Sabbath-school and preaching services in the chapel room of the Pacific Press Publishing Company’s new building. The enrolled membership on the 12th inst. numbered 123.

The Atlantic Union Gleaner says: “On October 1, six persons united with the Rutland, Vt., church. Three of these were persons who recently embraced the truth at Bennington, under the labors of Brother T. H. Purdon.” There were two other applicants for baptism.

A report which has been incidentally belated, informs us that fifteen persons signed the covenant to “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus,” at Fortuna, Cal., as a result of meetings held by Brethren D. T. Fero, A. Brorsen, and Prof. H. G. Lucas.

A most excellent brother in Israel, A. M. Way, of the Southern California Conference Committee, fell asleep in the Lord the 18th of last month. He died right in the midst of a life of usefulness, at the age of 48 years and 6 months. Our sympathies are with his family and with our brethren in that conference.

The addition of two members to the church at Brookhaven, Miss., is reported by Brother W. H. Sebastian, of Vicksburg, who had been laboring a short time at Brookhaven for the encouragement of the church. He adds: “We need the co-operation of our brethren and sisters to help us to forward this message to our race.”

In the Southwestern Union Recorder, Brother U. Bender reports the addition of five members to the church at Springdale, Ark., in connection with the last quarterly-meeting. On the following Monday he baptized five others in a country place, where a Brother J. F. Klump had been holding Bible-readings with his neighbors.

The Workers’ Bulletin of the 1st inst. says: “If you could have looked into the office of the Iowa Tract Society last Friday and seen the pleasure of the workers and heard the remarks of approval, you would have wondered what was the occasion for it all. The first issue of the special SIGNS had just been received and was being examined. It is fine, just what you need to assist in getting the truth before your friends and neighbors.”

The Indiana Reporter says: “There are now twelve new Sabbath-keepers at Martinsville. The regular meetings every night have been discontinued, but a building has been rented where meetings will be held three times a week, and several workers will remain there and continue the Bible work with many who are deeply interested.”

The training-school for colored workers at Huntsville, Ala., is the only institution of the kind sustained by Seventh-day Adventists. For a number of years it has struggled under adverse circumstances, and consequently has not been able to accomplish all the work for which it was established. This school should be well equipped, so that it can rapidly bring into the field teachers, Bible-workers, colporteurs, and ministers. A strong effort is being made this season to put the buildings into proper shape and provide the facilities necessary to make the work fully successful. Considerable outlay must be made at once, and the work is now in progress. Can you not help a little? It will be a good investment, for time and for eternity.

It is encouraging to know that workers for the “present truth” have at last entered Portugal. Brother C. E. Rentfro and wife, who recently left Iowa for that field, are now located in Lisbon. From a brief report of their journey, in the Worker’s Bulletin, we take the following: “We are quartered in a very nice part of the city, near the home of a former member of parliament, and also near a large English church. There is a large garden near by, which is full of tropical plants and trees. The climate is pleasant. We hope soon to be studying the Portuguese language with the aid of a teacher. The Lord blessed us much while traveling, and for this we thank and praise Him. We are alone now so far as human help is concerned, altho we have found a friend in the person of a Mr. Moriton, agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society of England, whom we do not intend to lose sight of.”

In the Eastern Tidings, Brother W. A. Balrow says: “God has been helping and blessing us in the work at Simultala [India] and the district, and we are full of faith and courage to go forward in His name. During Elder Shaw’s last visit, he had the pleasure of baptizing three Santhals, the first-fruits among the Santhals, as far as we know, as Sabbath-keepers. Two were school students and one a young woman, the wife of our school assistant, and, thank God, they are doing well in studying the message. The young woman will soon be able to read her Bible, altho she could not read until lately. The two newly baptized students lead the other students on Sabbath days into the villages to sing and preach the Gospel and circulate tracts and papers. We also have the Sabbath-school lessons translated into Santhali, and by the aid of our prophetic chart we spend a very profitable hour together.”

Continue reading: THE TIME IS AT HAND