President Alonzo, of Bolivia, has been forced by the rebels to abandon his position at Oruro, fearing that he would be cut off from communication with Potosi.....It is reported that the rebellion in Nicaragua has been quelled by the government.....The tension is increasing between the government at Rome and the Vatican over the matter of representation at the czar's congress. Italy refuses to send a delegate if the Vatican is to be represented. It is reported that the czar has assured Italy that the pope will not be represented at the congress......In view of Russia's progress in Persia, the German Government has decided to replace its principal representatives in that country with military men of high standing, hoping thereby to counteract Russia's rapid gain in influence......The Government of Mexico has sent twenty of its foremost teachers into the country of the Yaqui Indians in response to their request for teachers. This is the Indian nation that up to two years ago had been at war with Mexico for the past twenty-five years......A battle has occurred on the frontier between Brazil and French Guiana between the French and Brazilians. A number were killed and wounded on both sides......By a bill recently introduced in Parliament, London is to be divided into sixteen different municipalities, each with a mayor of its own.....According to a report from the Immigrant Office at New York, the immigration from Spain has increased 100 per cent. since the war......A discovery has recently been made in London of an extraordinary traffic in human skin. It is made up by jewelers into card-cases and other novelties, and being scarce commands a high price. It is said that the skins are procured from the bodies of indigent people who have been turned over to medical institutions for dissection.
Two members of the French Chamber of Deputies have been arrested and imprisoned for an attempt to overturn the government. These deputies sought to influence the troops to take possession of the government buildings, as the first step in accomplishing their designs. A plot of the Duke of Orleans to overthrow the republic has also been discovered by the Parisian police. A much better condition has prevailed in Paris within the last few days. There has been less insulting of the president and less rioting. Stringent orders have been issued for the suppression of disorders in the streets, and policemen who fail to do their duty are threatened with instant dismissal. On the whole the new president, Loubet, is growing in popularity......It is reported that the czar of Russia is very ill, and that the government is being carried on by his uncle, the grand duke.
The Khalifa, leader of the Dervishes in the Soudan, has recruited an army of from 15,000 to 20,000, and is marching towards Omdurman to attack the Anglo-Egyptian forces there. The latter are preparing to meet him, and another bloody battle is expected soon. There is much criticism throughout England over the desecration of the Mahdi's tomb at Omdurman by the British. The tomb was demolished and the Mahdi's body was dismembered and parceled out......The sultan of Oman has yielded to the demand of England and refused France a naval station on the coast of that country......Italy, like the other powers, has become entangled in the Orient, having just secured from China a ninety-nine-year lease of San Mun Bay, in the province of Chekian.... The German war ship which recently anchored in Manila Bay has been ordered to Chinese waters, and Germany has requested that her subjects in Manila and other Philippine ports be taken under the protection of the American army and navy. The president promptly agreed to the request. This is regarded as an indication of Germany's desire for more friendly relations with the United States......There is a strong probability that the Spanish Cortes will not ratify the peace treaty with the United States, the opposition coming chiefly over the matter of the cession of the Philippines.
The Philippines.
General Otis has captured and had translated an order from the native Filipino Government commanding the Philippine troops and the secret militia within the city of Manila to unite in a general massacre of all foreigners. The work was to have been accomplished on the night of February 15, and an attempt was made to do so, which was quickly checked by the American troops......A report from Manila states that the inhabitants of the island of Negros have submitted to American rule, and voluntarily raised the Stars and Stripes. The island is styled by its inhabitants the Canton Federal Americano. The president of that island government offers to raise an army of 100,000 men to help the Americans subdue the Tagalos around Manila......On the night of February 21 native Filipinos set fire to the city of Manila in three different places, and a large part of the city was laid in ashes. The loss is estimated at $500,000, and hundreds of natives are homeless. This conflagration was systematically planned by the natives with the intention of destroying the whole city.
An engagement took place on February 22 between natives and a Nebraska regiment. The natives were driven back three miles, leaving twenty-one dead on the field......Several hundred Filipinos have been arrested in the city of Manila, being suspected of belonging to the secret militia.....A fight occurred in the suburbs of Manila on February 23, in which the natives lost heavily, being confined between the fire of the American soldiers on land and the ships in the bay.....Admiral Dewey has telegraphed the Navy Department asking that the battle-ship Oregon be sent him at once, for political reasons. She has sailed from Honolulu already for the Philippines......It is reported that at least 8,000 of the Filipinos are desirous of surrendering. A commission from the Filipino Government attempted recently to hold a conference with General Otis, but the American commander refused to see them......On February 26 the Filipinos burned the village of Marraquina, near Manila.....The island of Cebu has been taken possession of by the Americans, and marines were landed to hold it until the troops should arrive, which are now on their way to that island. The natives protested against American occupation, and claimed allegiance to Aguinaldo.
New Trusts.
The amalgamation of the big chemical firms of the country into a $25,000,000 trust has been going on quietly for several months, and has been finally consummated. The name of this concern is the General Chemical Company of Philipstown, New York......The American Hide and Leather Company is the latest combination in leather trusts. This trust is yet in process of formation, but its promoters assert that its formation is certain, and that its capitalization will be $60,000,000......A combination of trusts with a capitalization of $60,000,000 is seeking control of all the public utilities of Denver, Colorado. A bitter fight is being waged against it, but there is a prospect that the scheme will be successful in spite of all opposition... The Union Paper and Bag Company was incorporated at Trenton, N. J., on February 27, with a capitalization of $27,000,000......The American Last Company has been incorporated at Dayton, Ohio, with a capitalization of $3,500,000......Articles of incorporation were filed on February 23 at Trenton, N. J., by the New York Electric Vehicle Transportation Company. Their capitalization is placed at $25,000,000. The trust will manufacture, sell, and operate all kinds of motor vehicles......A silk thread manufacturing trust has been formed at New London, Connecticut, whose capital is placed at $12,500,000. It is reported that eighty-five per cent. of the silk manufacturing concerns in the country have entered the combine.
Domestic.
A mass of testimony has been presented during the week before the board appointed to inquire into the validity of the charges made by General Miles against the meat furnished the army. A great deal of this testimony has been from enlisted men, and goes to prove that the canned roast beef furnished the soldiers was not only nauseating and unhealthful, but was absolutely dangerous to use; that much of the sickness in the army was directly due to its effects......The Compromise Army Reorganization Bill was passed by the Senate on February 27, after having attached to it the Gorman amendment. The bill, as it stands, authorizes a regular army of 65,000 men, and another of 35,000 volunteers. The Gorman amendment provides that this increase shall not be permanent, but that it must cease on Jan. 1, 1901.....The officers of the United States gunboat Bennington raised the American flag over the island of Guam, in the Ladrones, on February 1, and an American governor was installed.
Casualties and Calamities.
Five men were killed in a mine at Blocton, Alabama, on February 21, by an explosion of dynamite.....Citizens of the United States residing in the province of Shan Tung, China, have appealed to the charitably inclined of the United States for a steamer-load of corn for the starving inhabitants of that Chinese province. The report states that fully 2,000,000 persons are actually in a destitute, starving condition.....The steamer Bulgaria, which was given up for lost, and which carried a large crew and a large number of passengers, is reported safe at the Azores, after a long and desperate battle with the sea and wind.
Relief for the Sick and Despairing
EVERY
SICK
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DESPAIRING
MAN OR
WOMAN
CAN
GET
RELIEF
BY
USING
The Kellogg Sanitas Bath
BE GOOD TO YOURSELF, quit taking poisonous drugs and use Nature's remedy. Booklet treating on Health and Hygiene mailed to you free. There are any number of men and women who are sick from some disease. They have struggled for years, perhaps, to find some remedy that will release them from the pain and torture of Rheumatism, Liver and Kidney Troubles, Sciatica, Neuralgia, Eczema, Obesity, Night Sweats, and Indigestion.
The use of the Sanitas Cabinet Bath makes a healthy skin and beautifies the complexion. Recommended by leading physicians; managers of agencies and bath parlors wanted. Enclose 2c stamp for booklet and full information. Address,
The Kellogg Sanitas Co.
Battle Creek, Mich. U. S. A.
You Have Been Wanting
By Editor
A College Education
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A FAIR OFFER.
By W. W. Giles
I will lease my fruit farm one year to prove that it will pay 10 times as much as a grain farm—short winters, climate mild and healthful. Will sell cheap, in order to invest means in a Gospel enterprise.
W. W. GILES, Occoquan, Virginia.
The Gospel Song Sheaf
By Editor
Is Still Popular
It is being used the world over. The missionary brig "Pitcairn" has just taken a supply to some of the island schools; last month a large case was sent to Australia; and we recently shipped out a thousand copies in less than a week to fill home orders. Six large editions have already been printed, and another will follow in a few months. The book is, therefore, no longer an experiment, but the recognized Sabbath-school song book of the denomination. If your school has not yet adopted it, allow us to send you a sample copy—it costs only thirty-five cents, post-paid—that you can examine its fresh, new music and become convinced that it is just what you need.
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RECENT A. G. LIBRARY NUMBERS.
By Editor
There Is Help in God. By Mrs. E. G. White. No. 56. Price, 50 cents per 100.
This little tract emphasizes the possibility and fitness of living in harmony with the laws of our being. Note a sample sentence: "Those who indulge in forbidden things work directly against their own interests and hopes." Those who are struggling with the power of appetite—and who is not—will find this tract filled with encouragement and hope.
The Divine Law; Its Nature, Properties, and Uses. No. 57. $1.00 per 100.
An extract from a sermon by John Wesley, the great founder of Methodism. He shows, first, that the law exists in the nature of God Himself, and is therefore eternal. Second, that it is holy, just, and good. Third, that its particular office is to convince the world of sin by entirely destroying the broken reed of self-righteousness upon which it naturally leans. Fourth, to bring the sinner to Christ. Fifth, to keep us all alive in Him. It is a good tract for study.
Three Sabbaths. By E. J. Waggoner. No. 58. 50 cents per 100.
The author explains the above title thus: "One can speak of sabbaths in the plural as one can speak of 'many gods. There is no God but one.'"
Its sub-titles are, The Lord's Sabbath—The Jewish Sabbath—The Papal Sabbath; and the distinctions are clearly made. You will enjoy reading it and gain new thoughts therefrom.
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THE ATONEMENT.
AN EXAMINATION OF
A REMEDIAL SYSTEM, IN THE LIGHT OF
NATURE AND OF REVELATION.
BY ELD. J. H. WAGGONER.
THIRD EDITION, REVISED AND GREATLY ENLARGED.
This work is a critical and exhaustive treatise on the plan of salvation as revealed in the Scriptures, showing its harmony with the principles of justice and mercy, its consistency with reason, and its final results as affecting the destiny of the human race. 368 pp.; cloth, $1.00.
Address, PACIFIC PRESS, Oakland, Cal.
The Winning of Margaret
How Margaret and her skeptical friend Ralph were converted. A well-told story.
Price, $1.00 per 100.
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Bible Tracts
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SIGNS OF OUR TIMES
Without Excuse, ½c, B. S. L. No. 46
Great Day of the Lord, 2½c, B. S. L. No. 65
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Truth for the Times, 1c, B. S. L. No. 143
America's Crisis 2c, B. S. L. No. 138
Eastern Question 1c, B. S. L. No. 144
Alarm of War, 2c, B. S. L. No. 152
Wonders of the 19th Century, 2c, B. S. L. No. 155
Heralds of His Coming, 1½c, A. G. L. No. 51
Winning of Margaret, 1c, A. G. L. No. 53
The Coming of Our Lord, ½c, A. G. L. No. 40
NATURE OF MAN
Thoughts for the Candid, ½c, B. S. L. No. 47
Tormented Forever and Ever, 1c, B. S. L. No. 111
Rich Man and Lazarus, 1c, B. S. L. No. 146
Immortality of the Soul, 2c, B. S. L. No. 70
Is Man Immortal? ½c, B. S. L. No. 51
Jesus and the Resurrection, ½c, A. G. L. No. 42
The Thief on the Cross, ½c, A. G. L. No. 8
How Esther Read Her Bible, ½c, A. G. L. No. 7
MILLENNIUM
Great Day of the Lord, 2½c, B. S. L. No. 65
Temporal Millennium, 1½c, B. S. L. No. 121
The Millennial Age, 1c, B. S. L. No. 136
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The Kingdom of Christ, 1c, B. S. L. No. 119
Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King, 1c, B. S. L. No. 127
THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE
God's Message for To-day, ½c, B. S. L. No. 81
The Great Threefold Message, 1c, A. G. L. No. 47
THE SABBATH
Elihu on the Sabbath, 1c, B. S. L. No. 42
Which Day Do You Keep? ½c, B. S. L. No. 48
From Sabbath to Sunday, ½c, B. S. L. No. 95
Who Changed the Sabbath? 1½c, B. S. L. No. 107
Identical Seventh Day, 1c, B. S. L. No. 114
New Testament Sabbath, 1c, B. S. L. No. 137
Rome's Arraignment, 1c, B. S. L. No. 150
Sunday in the Greek, ½c, B. S. L. No. 154
The Seventh or One-Seventh, ½c, A. G. L. No. 39
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Day of the Sabbath, 1c, A. G. L. No. 50
How the Sabbath Came to Me, 1½c, W. of T. No. 2
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Wonders OF THE 19TH CENTURY
Is a 32-page tract. Its object is to recount and describe some of the principal inventions of this closing century, and to show their significance.
It contains fifteen illustrations. Is an easy seller.
Price, 5c each or $3.00 per 100.
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WONDROUS LOVE
By Editor
This beautiful piece of music which first appeared in the Centennial Number of this paper is now published in sheet form. An attractive cover has been added, and the price placed at twenty-five cents post-paid
PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO. OAKLAND, CAL.
The Prince of Peace and War
By Editor
"Wars and rumors of wars" continue to be the order of the day. The possibility of forming alliances for mutual protection is a most favorable theme among the representatives of all the countries. But there is a feeling of insecurity. The nations are afraid to trust each other, and so the alliances do not materialize. The conditions all over the world to-day show that the great battle of Armageddon can not be long delayed. But it should ever be borne in mind that in the midst of Armageddon's awful fight Jesus will appear in the clouds of heaven to immortalize and take all who are ready to Himself. What think you? Can those who are bathed in blood and furiously fighting to kill their fellowmen be ready to meet Him? Now is the time for us to take our stand for the right along with the Prince of Peace and not with the god of bloody war.
The editor, who is in South Lancaster, Mass., attending the General Conference, writes of some most interesting experiences with the severe weather that has been sweeping all over the East and South. Some of the things that he has written upon the subject appear in our Outlook department, page 8, of this issue, under the title, "The Earth Waxes Old." The world is filled with significant omens, not only in the social and political realm, but in the physical earth, and sea, and air as well. It is important that we should study the meaning of all these things.
ANY PRETEXT FOR SUNDAY LEGISLATION.
By W. N. G.
HAVING seen the futility of endeavoring to secure the enactment of the original drastic Sunday Bill by the California Legislature, and having failed to secure even a favorable report of the modified bill, the devotees of religious legislation feel that it would be too much of a damper on their political influence not to get some recognition of their labors for Sunday elevation. So they have prevailed upon Senator Simpson to introduce another bill, which he is careful to add is "by request," as was the former one. Here it is:—
AN ACT
TO PREVENT THE SALE OF INTOXICATING LIQUORS ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, COMMONLY CALLED SUNDAY.
The people of the State of California, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:—
SECTION 1. Any person who, on the Christian sabbath, commonly called Sunday, or between the hour of twelve o'clock Saturday night and twelve o'clock sabbath night, will keep open any saloon or any other place where any kind of intoxicating liquor is sold or given away, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty dollars, nor more than two hundred, or by imprisonment not less than one month, nor more than four.
SEC. 2. Prosecution for violations of this act may be by complaint to a magistrate, or justice of the peace, or by indictment by a grand jury, or by a police officer in an incorporate town or city; and all fines collected upon convictions under this act shall be paid into the common-school fund of the county.
SEC. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force on and after the eleventh day of March, eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.
The first point in the bill is a State declaration that Sunday, the first day of the week, is the Christian sabbath. Evidently this is the principal object of the bill, as it carefully defines the hours. The former Sunday Bill contained similar expressions, but its friends saw that it could not go through bearing such a load, so its champions had it amended so as to eliminate such expressions, and thus, if possible, whitewash over the religious intent. But that attempt having failed, they have taken another tack. This time it is under the guise of temperance legislation, but the real design crops out in bold relief,—it is Sunday legislation pure and simple.
Somehow these Church-and-State advocates can not hide their colors, do what they will. They weep over the oppressions of the laboring man, but their suggestions for relief culminate in a Sunday law, and that, too, while admitting that the wealthy corporations which cause most of the oppression must be overlooked in its operation. Then they come with a pretense of a temperance measure, and that also stops with a Sunday law. Somehow their ideas of reform, of whatever character, begin and end with proposed compulsory Sunday observance. The peculiarity of this Sunday-closing temperance effort bears with it the tacit admission that the saloon, altho very bad on Sunday, is legitimate on every other day. In fact, such a law emphatically says so. How can ministers of the Gospel consistently warn their flocks or the public against the baneful influences of the saloon, after giving their sanction to a State law that recognizes the propriety of such institutions six days in the week? They simply shut themselves up to preaching a temperance gospel for Sunday only, and even that is made unnecessary by legal prohibition on that day.
All this inconsistency and much more is boldly upheld that a certain class of religious people may secure a law of the State by which they can dominate the actions of other people. And the worst of it all is, it is done in the name of Christianity, whose basic principle is, "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them."
W. N. G.
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.
By Editor
OUR General Conference, by the time this paper reaches its readers, will have largely completed its work. We have received only a few issues of the Conference Daily Bulletin as yet, owing, as we suppose, to the blocking of trains in the East by the blizzards that have been sweeping over that part of the country. But the news that has reached us shows that this is the best conference ever held by our people. A spirit of harmony and union prevails, and the power and rich blessing of God are manifest in all the meetings.
The subject of true Christian education is receiving much attention in the earlier part of the meeting. And the principles that are announced as representing the convictions of those present give great reason to hope for most marked advance moves in all our educational institutions.
The divine message, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost," as announced by the Master, is being presented, with the demonstrations of the Spirit and of power, by Elder Ballenger and others. And Elder Brunson's discourse on the preparation for translation at the Lord's soon coming brings vividly to mind some most vital and serious thoughts concerning these times in which we live.
Elders Waggoner and Jones are also presenting most valuable Bible studies each day. And we can only wish that all our readers may have the General Conference Daily Bulletin and receive through its columns the full reports of this most timely instruction. Those who do not have the Bulletin can hardly be made to realize what they are missing.
The reports that have reached us so far of the business transacted tell only of the preliminary steps that are being taken. We hope to have something definite next week to tell in this direction. T.
The Shifting Policies of Nations
By Editor
Yesterday a representative of the German emperor declared that the United States needs watching by the powers of Europe, and to-day the Kaiser asks this country to protect his subjects in the Philippines. This is only characteristic of the sudden shifting and turning among the great nations, and shows that they are so bewildered that they hardly know which is the best way to turn. But we should have no doubt as to what it means.
Articles on the Mystery
By Editor
In the last issue of the Signs we commenced a series of seven articles on the "Mystery," by our well-known correspondent, John Orr. While each article is complete in itself, yet the reader will get much benefit by reading all the articles in the series. These articles discuss themes upon which there is much questioning, and we know that those who will thoughtfully read them can not help being richly repaid.
Not Enough Rank
By Editor
Not Enough Rank.—There is evidently not rank enough in the United States to satisfy the ambition of officers and their influential friends. So it is now a mooted question in Congress whether to create higher grades with more officers with nothing to do, or to build more ships just to furnish commanding positions for the supernumeraries. Not only in the navy, but in the army and in civil life, there is a great burden of souls to create more public functions at the expense of the common toilers and producers.
THE PAULIST FATHERS.
By T.
The Paulist Fathers, an order of the Catholic Church in this country, have been causing considerable discussion in Catholic circles because of certain views that they have been advancing in regard to casting off many of the old notions of the past, and bringing themselves into harmony with the spirit of intellectual freedom that characterizes this age. The matter has called forth a letter from the pope to the Catholics of America. There can be no mistaking the import of what Leo has to say. He holds strenuously to the ancient Catholic doctrine that the Catholic Church should do all of a man's religious thinking for him, and of course the logic of that is that his political and social and every other form of thought should be guided by the Papal Church.
Such a doctrine as this might still pass in countries filled with superstition, and holding an idolatrous reverence and dreadful fear of priests, but in free America it should be promptly rejected. Catholics should see this clearly. They should recognize that it is nothing short of turning the world back into the grossest mental and spiritual darkness to allow our thinking to be circumscribed. And while Catholics ought to see it, Protestants are blind if they do not see it and recognize it as one of the strong evidences that Rome still clings to her ancient notions of ruling the minds of men.
The despotic principles of the Papacy are wrong. And when the pope asks men to throw aside their mental faculties so far that they are allowed to think only in certain prescribed grooves it should be an eye-opener. Jesus Christ gives freedom. And the highest type and the only true type of freedom is freedom to think, and freedom to express those thoughts as one sees fit. Will we follow Christ, or will we follow mere men? T.
