p. 623 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 39. (10/7/1886)

Earlier text: The Foolish Rich Man’s Will

OUR COUNTRY:

By Uriah Smith

THE MARVEL OF NATIONS.

ITS PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE,

AND WHAT THE SCRIPTURES SAY OF IT.

BY URIAH SMITH,

Author of “Smith’s Parliamentary Rules” and Other Popular Works.

This is a new and popular work on a subject of the deepest interest to all American Citizens. It takes a brief but comprehensive view of our Government from a

Historical, Political, and Religious Standpoint.

It also shows that the United States is a subject of prophecy, that an outline of its history was written nearly two thousand years ago. It calls the attention of the reader to

A CHAIN OF PROPHECY.

Of which our Government is an important link, and shows that the location, the time of its rise, the nature of its constitution, and its wonderful growth and subsequent influence, as well as its future attitude, were all clearly foreseen and pointed out by the Prophet of God, hundreds of years ago. Other great nations of the world are subjects of prophecy, and Why not our own?

THE SUNDAY QUESTION,

MODERN SPIRITUALISM, AND NATIONAL REFORM,

Are prominent among the topics ably discussed in this work.

“THE MARVEL OF NATIONS” is a work of 289 pages. It contains a steel plate of the author, and

FORTY-ONE ILLUSTRATIONS.

It is printed in clear type, and elegantly bound. Price, $1.00.

Address, PACIFIC PRESS, Oakland, Cal.

TEMPERANCE PACKAGES.

By Editor

We have put up in neat packages, with printed wrappers, three different assortments of our health and temperance works which we will furnish, post-paid, at the prices named.

Ten Cent Package.

This package contains 100 pages in twenty-five tracts, as follows:—The Code of Health—How to Live a Century—Pure Air—How to Ventilate a House—A Back Yard Examined—Inventory of a Cellar—What is in the Well—Cayenne and Its Cousins—A Live Hog Examined—A Peep into a Packing House—The Contents of a Tea-Pot—Tea Tasters—Tea Drinking and Nervousness—Tea Lovers—Tea and Tippling—Tobacco Poisoning—A Relic of Barbarism—Tobacco Blindness—Science vs. Tobacco-Using—The Smoke Nuisance—The Rum Family—A Drunkard's Stomach—Gin Livers—A Rum Blossom—Alcoholism.

Of the twenty-five tracts, ten are devoted to general hygiene, five to the subject of temperance, five to alcoholic drinks, and five to tea and coffee. Twelve packages, post paid, for $1.00

Forty Cent Package.

The second package, costing forty cents, post-paid, contains the following tracts and pamphlets:—True Temperance—Alcohol, What is it?—Our Nation's Curse—Cause and Cure of Intemperance—Effects of Intemperance—The Drunkard's Arguments Answered—Alcoholic Medication—Alcoholic Poison—Tobacco Poisoning—Tobacco-Using a Cause of Disease—Tobacco-Using a Relic of Barbarism—Evil Effects of Tea and Coffee—Ten Arguments on Tea and Coffee—Pork, the Dangers of its Use—Diphtheria, its Causes, Prevention, and Proper Treatment. By J. H. Kellogg, M. D. This book should be in every household.

One Dollar Package.

The Third Package, costing $1.00, post-paid, contains in addition to the forty cent package the following pamphlets:—Proper Diet for Man, price 15c—The Uses of Water, price 25c—Dyspepsia, Its Cause and Cure, price 25c.

The Object in Arranging these packages is to get them in a convenient form for sale and for selection. Address,

PACIFIC HEALTH JOURNAL, Oakland, Cal.

A “Practical” Proposition.

By Editor

The Independent of September 9 contains the following note:— “We have sometimes said that one way of settling practically the difference between those who keep Saturday and those who keep Sunday as their real day, would be for the adherents of the seventh day of the week to begin their week on Monday, which would bring Sunday to be the seventh day. That this would not be impracticable we can learn from the Sunday School Times, which has already adopted the week as beginning on Monday. It has a series of ‘Daily Home Readings’ of Scripture, to be read in connection with the Sunday-school lesson. The days and readings are arranged to put Monday as the first day, and Sunday as the seventh in the week. In the Sunday-school calendar Sunday is then the seventh day of the week. Here is an example that might well be followed for the great Christian end of unity.”

We did not suppose that it was possible for the editor of the Independent to make so silly a proposition. Just as though the Sabbath question could be settled by simply calling Sunday the seventh day of the week. We are reminded of a catch question that used to be popular among children. One would ask, “How many legs has a calf, if you call his tail a leg?” The unwary person would answer, “Five,” when the questioner would reply, “No; he has just four; calling a calf’s tail a leg doesn’t make it one,” and any child could see the truth of this. But the wise Independent, in its zeal for Sunday, has fallen below the wisdom of childhood; for calling Sunday the seventh day of the week doesn’t make it so. Sunday is the first day of the week; the day commonly called Saturday is the seventh day of the week; and no man can make them any other by calling them by other numbers, any more than he can make the moon green cheese by simply calling it green cheese. This being a fact, we must fall back on those words that were thundered from Sinai: “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in IT thou shalt not do any work.”

Here is a point for the serious consideration of those who incline to the opinion that there is possibly some divine authority for Sunday-keeping. If the Bible gave any countenance whatever to the claims of Sunday as a sabbath, would learned men resort to such transparent puerilities in support of Sunday?

Infallible Rome In America.

A GOOD many of the leading papers of the country, both religious and secular, have been considerably exercised over the two contradictory decisions made by Cardinal Gibbons of the United States, and Cardinal Taschereau of Canada, upon the way in which the Church of Rome views the organization known as the Knights of Labor. Cardinal Gibbons pronouncing the decree of Rome says, they are all right; Cardinal Taschereau, pronouncing the decree of Rome says, they are all wrong. The query with the papers is, How can both be right? The answer is easy. They are both right, for is not Rome infallible? Is not all the history of the Popes a whole bundle of just such contradictions? and have they not been declared, by a world's Council, to be infallible? This is only an instance of Papal infallibility, brought to the doors of the American people. The matter needs no explanation; Rome has spoken, and the question is settled. But the large discussion of the question, by the prominent papers of the country, and the efforts made by them to find some consistent explanation of the contradiction, shows what a respectable influence Rome is gaining in Protestant circles in this country. It shows how completely the eyes of Protestantism are being closed to all that Rome has been and is. For what Rome has been, that Rome is. And has she not been declared infallible?

Protective Calamities.

THERE are certain diseases which physicians denominate “protective” diseases. Among them are small-pox, scarlet fever, measles, etc. They are called “protective,” because once having them is a protection against any future attack of them. It would seem that the journals of this country are determined to class destructive earthquakes as a “protective” calamity. They nearly all, the religious journals especially, agree that now that Charleston and vicinity has suffered, “it will doubtless be centuries before another serious earthquake will occur.” But the history of the past demonstrates the fact that earthquakes are not “protective” in any sense. They protect nothing when they occur, nor is the occurrence of one an assurance that another may not soon follow. The persistence with which the papers exclaim, “We shall have no more earthquakes,” savors very much of the boy who whistles to keep his courage up as he goes through the graveyard on a dark night. Their assertions may quiet their own apprehensions, but they cannot keep the earth from shaking.

Notice About Papers Sent Without Payment

By Editor

We send no papers from this office without pay in advance, unless by special arrangement. When persons receive copies without ordering them, they are sent by other parties, and we can give no information in regard to them. Persons thus receiving copies of the Signs are not indebted to the office, and will not be called upon for pay. Please read the papers and hand them to your friends to read.

No Paper Next Week

By Editor

In order to allow the employés of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES to attend the Woodland camp-meeting, there will be no paper issued next week. The next number of the SIGNS (No. 40) will bear date of October 21.

International Lesson Notes

By Editor

THERE being no paper next week we have inserted two sets of notes on the International Lesson for the two days, October 17 and 24. The notes will be found very full and valuable. On this account our editorial matter is somewhat less than usual, but, as the case stands, we are sure our readers will not complain.

Degraded, Not Made Martyrs

IT is said that the mayor of Chicago thinks that it will be a mistake if the condemned Anarchists are hanged. He thinks that “they should be degraded, not made martyrs.” Very fine; but how could such men be degraded? They have accomplished that for themselves.

Reports from Melbourne and Honolulu

By the steamer Alameda, which arrived October 2, we received a letter dated September 7, from Sister E. J. Burnham, who went from this office to labor in connection with the Bible Echo, at Melbourne. She reports a rather rough voyage, but has fully recovered from the effects of it, and is full of zeal for the work there, of which she reports favorably. By the same steamer, brethren L. A. Scott and A. La Rue came from Honolulu to attend the camp-meeting in Woodland.

The Sabbath Controversy

SAYS Rev. Henry A. Stimson, in the Independent of September 2: “When a teacher of morals or religion has a plain ‘Thus saith the Lord’ to adduce, his course is clear, and his task comparatively easy. He can leave it to his antagonists to remove possible difficulties, or can safely defer dealing with them himself until his duly authenticated message has been delivered. One not thus furnished has a very different duty.” Any one who is acquainted with the controversy over the Sabbath can vouch for the truth of this statement.

Names of Ecclesiastical Bodies

THE Sunday School Times must be given the palm of aptness in illustration. Speaking of the names of ecclesiastical bodies it says: “Denominational designations mean much or little according to the personal views of the one who uses them, or who notes their use. There are high-sounding claims in the titles of denominations of very modest numbers. Thus there is ‘The Church of God.’ There are ‘Christians’ and ‘Bible Christians,’ and ‘The Catholic Apostolic Church.’” And then to show that in using these titles we do not necessarily imply that we think them descriptive of the people who wear them, it relates the following anecdote:—

“The story is told of a colored man crying, ‘Hot mutton pies’ in the streets of Boston on a winter morning. A countryman, longing for a hot morsel, bought one of those pies; but on putting his teeth into it, he found it as cold as ice. Calling the sable vender to account for his misrepresentation, he was met by the cheering response: ‘Why, boss, dat’s de name ob ’em—dat’s all! Hot mutton pies, dat’s de name ob ’em.’”

No one can fail to see the point in this.

Santa Ana Camp-Meeting.

LET all who wish tents for the Santa Ana camp-meeting write to Elder J. N. Loughborough, Pacific Press, Oakland, Cal. The rent of tents will be as follows: 10x12, $4.00; 12x16, $6.00. If any have tents of their own to pitch, write also, stating the size of your tents. We wish to know these things so as to plan our camp, and to know beforehand how many, and what tents to ship to Santa Ana. Let all who are going to the Santa Ana meeting make a note of this and report as above immediately. Remember the date of the meeting,—October 28 to November 8.

New Hymn and Tune Book

FOLLOWING are the various styles and prices of the new Hymn and Tune Book:— Cloth sides with leather back, $1.50 Library style, bound in sheep, 1.75 Turkey morocco, gilt, 2.25 English calf, gilt, 2.50 Levant Morocco, gilt, 2.50

The firmer styles of binding will in the end be the cheapest. Some may think these prices high, but when they see the book and compare its size and quality with those of the books now in use, they will find that in comparison it is much cheaper.

Besides the above there is a smaller book, containing no music, but hymns only, numbered to correspond with those in the larger book, for those who do not read music. There are three styles of this, as follows:—

Library, bound in sheep, $1.00 Morocco, or calf, gilt, 1.50

Suffering from Strikes and Earthquakes

THERE is more suffering in Augusta among the laboring people on account of the strike than there is in Charleston on account of the earthquake.—Atlanta Constitution.

Yes, but there is vastly more sympathy for Charleston, for hers is the suffering of adversity, while the sufferings of the strikers are for the most part those of perversity.—New York Observer.

THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES,

PUBLISHED WEEKLY, AT OAKLAND, CAL., FOR THE

International Tract and Missionary Society.

A sixteen-page Religious Family Paper, devoted to a discussion of the Prophecies, Signs of the Times, Second Coming of Christ, Harmony of the Law and Gospel; with Departments devoted to Health and Temperance, the Home Circle, the Missionary Work, and the Sabbath-school.

Price Per Year, post-paid, - - - - - $2.00

In clubs of five or more copies to one name and address, to be used in Missionary work, each, 1.50

To foreign countries, single subscriptions, post-paid, - - - 10s

address, SIGNS OF THE TIMES,

Twelfth and Castro Streets, OAKLAND, CAL., U. S. A.