Earlier text: THE NECESSITY OF A RESURRECTIONA RESULT OF THE WAR WITH SPAIN.
By Editor
STATESMEN of all political creeds sometimes state in a few words facts and principles which express the shortness of human vision, and at the same time (altho unwittingly) confirm the inerrancy of the "more sure word of prophecy." A case in point is the opening sentence of a speech by Hon. Horace Chilton, of Texas, in the United States Senate:— "The course of events since the beginning of our war with Spain shows how impossible it is to see ahead whenever an armed conflict between modern nations is set in motion. Some of the results of the war can be anticipated, but others are beyond the vision of the most far-reaching statesmanship." This short-sightedness as to the possible results of war never was more emphatically illustrated than in the war between the United States and Spain. It is safe to say that not one individual in the world had even dreamed, at the outset of the war, that present conditions and present political issues would grow out of a war which the people urged and indorsed on the sole pretext of aiding the downtrodden Cubans. But when war is once fairly begun, and full vent has been given to the war spirit, the theretofore unseen complications and strategical necessities (real and imaginary) begin to arise thick and fast. The popular fallacy that patriotism forbids a government to do anything that looks like backing out—no matter what inconsistency of principle may lie in going forward—is the foundation of pretext upon pretext for continuing war. There is nothing in this world that will throw otherwise cool, sensible people into a blind frenzy of enthusiasm, like the glamour of military display. It kindles and inflames an impulse that refuses to recognize bounds short of absolute defeat or a dearth of plausible pretext. Hon. Whitelaw Reid, in his recent address at the University of California, expressed the popular idea briefly and tersely, when he said that the only point in the war at which the government could have stopped with honor to itself was before it began. And President McKinley claimed, and, we believe, still claims, that if the people had been patient he could have procured the desired concessions from Spain by diplomacy. But the war "broke out," and, altho Spain was defeated more than a year ago, and is now on our list of national friends, the war goes on. That war was dovetailed into another, with a people with whom the United States were in sympathy at the beginning of the war with Spain, and who were enemies of their enemies. Without even a change in the original formal declaration of war, the war is continued in a territory and with a people where and with whom war was not even dreamed of at the outset. The prophet who would have dared to predict in the beginning of the war with Spain in behalf of Cuba, that it would end in a war in the Philippines with the Filipinos, would have been branded as an arrant fanatic, and the insinuation would have been denounced as a slander upon the people of this "Christian nation." But still another controversy, a logical sequence of war with the Filipinos, has been attached to the tail of the war kite. We say logical sequence, because war against Filipino independence is primarily Rome's war. While it has ceased to be a common cause between Rome and Spain, Rome has simply mounted a fresh horse, because the old one broke down. It is now Rome and the United States against Filipino independence. This, in part, explains why Rome is sometimes favorable to a nominally republican government. It can sometimes use such a government to its advantage. But a real republic, such as this government was while its two lamb-like horns (Revelation 13) stood for more than mere profession, never could have been drawn into such a complication. This new controversy that has arisen out of the war, as must necessarily be the case when Rome comes in as a factor, is religious in character. Shall Rome be permitted to retain all the vast landed estates that it is alleged have been acquired from the people through coercion and extortion? And shall the people be compelled to retain and support a dominating clergy that is repugnant to them? The United States, through the vicissitudes of war, has been drawn into a partnership in this controversy. If the former question is settled favorably to Rome, the latter will by force of circumstances be settled that way too—sooner or later. Leading up to the questions above cited, is the primary one of damage to church property through the war waged by the United States; and the arbiters are three—two being Roman prelates, and one an officer of the United States army. Thus the United States, in the outset of this religious controversy in the Philippines, allows Rome to hold the balance of power. Consequently the key to the whole situation is placed in the hands of Rome by the United States. But what has all this to do with prophecy?—It has much to do with it. There is to be set up by this country an image to Rome, that is, a Church-and-State government. That can only be done by a departure from the republican principles upon which the government was founded, and from the Protestant principles which actuated the masses of those who professed the Christian religion. While these two ideas predominated, there could not be any dominant impulse to make an image to Rome. But there came a gradual departure from republican principles, when, during and immediately after the Civil War, there came up a spirit of militarism and centralization. From that time on to the present there has been a growing spirit of imperialism in the government, insomuch that expressions, by both politicians and professed ministers of the Gospel, derogatory of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, are by no means uncommon. And a significant coincidence is the fact that just at the time this transformation began to work in the government, there arose the National Reform Association, proposing religious amendments to the Constitution, and advocating more general enforcement of Sunday laws, and the enactment of other forms of religious legislation. As the spirit of imperialism grew in the government, the spirit of religious intolerance waxed stronger in the church. National Reformism—which is the spirit of Rome under Protestant guise—has gained many allies in organized societies and in the popular churches. During the past ten years it has succeeded in imprisoning its opponents in as many different States of the Union, and in 1893 it succeeded in cajoling Congress into officially interpreting the seventh day of the fourth commandment to mean the first day of the week. And since the commencement of the war with Spain this National Reform-Roman spirit has increased to an unprecedented degree, and its influence is becoming stronger and stronger in many of the more influential political centers. Now mark: The growth of the spirit of religious intolerance and clamor for religious legislation is in proportion to the growth of imperialism in the government. And note this: It is not possible for religious legislation to obtain where true republicanism has a firm seat in the government. Religious legislation is of Rome, and Rome is essentially imperial. The Roman religion—which is religious coercion, even if such coercion be advocated by professed Protestants—can only predominate where the government is imperial in principle, no matter if it be republican in form. Imperial government and Roman (or enforced) religion go together, because they mingle, and the government enforces the religion. True republican government and true Protestantism harmonize and live happily in the same territory because they instinctively let each other alone. Each moves in its own legitimate sphere, attending to its own specific business. And, in this sinful world, it is only under such a régime that liberty of conscience can have the assurance of undisturbed action. The effect, then, of the war with Spain upon the prophecy to which we have referred, comes through the fact that all the territory which has come under the control of the United States by virtue of the war, is dominated by the Roman religion. And Rome has had sufficient influence with the government to impress the idea that Roman prelates know better than any other class how to manage the natives in all these islands. This theory is based upon the fact that the priests have dominated the people so long that no other system can be successful. The government has adopted this idea to a sufficient extent to involve the principle of giving that church the prestige of recognition in the management of civil affairs. Thus the door which already stood ajar in this country to the entrance of united Church and State has, by the war, been thrown open to a far greater extent than ever before; and this wider opening has been in the interest of that ecclesiastical power which, by long experience, knows how to make the most of it. This is one of the unforeseen effects of the war with Spain—unforeseen even by Rome herself, for at the outset the papal blessing was put upon the Spanish army and cause, deeming that Rome's interest lay in the success of Spain. But the influence which that power has already attained in the affairs of the United States in the islands affected by the change, shows her shrewdness and alertness in adjusting herself to new conditions. We have said this is one of the unforeseen effects of the war; we might add that is the most far-reaching effect, the most ominous result, fraught with the most imminent danger to what is left of the true principles of republicanism in the home government, and of religious liberty for the people. More has been accomplished in the way of fully developing what the prophecy calls the "image of the beast" (Revelation, chapters 13 and 14), and in giving life to it, since the commencement of the war with Spain than in all the years before. And this sad condition has been brought about through a war inaugurated solely on the plea of humanity. G. IMPERIALISTIC TENDENCIES.
By C. M. Snow
In connection with the imperialistic tendencies of this republic there is being agitated the question of the control by the United States of the Central American governments. Indeed, the idea is beginning to assume life and material shape. It was but a few days ago that a bill was introduced in one of the houses of Congress inviting one of these Central American States to become one of the States of the United States. General Vasquez, a former president of Honduras, in speaking upon the subject, is reported to have said:— “There will never be permanent peace in the Central American republics until the United States assumes control of them. It will come as sure as anything in this world. I do not know just how it will come, whether in a moral and commercial power, or whether by some military demonstration, but it is written in the book of destiny that the United States shall govern at some time the South Americans. I believe in that theory. The hope of those countries rests in that doctrine.” And it is not hard to believe that it will come. The tendencies of the republic toward imperialism read in only one way. We are repeating the history of the Roman Government; but we are doing by steam and electricity what they did with sail power and galley slaves. It has been prophesied of this country that she would repudiate her principles of Republicanism and Protestantism. Her principles of Protestantism have nearly vanished already, and her principles of Republicanism are fading fast in the gloom of taxation without representation, and in the military domination of a foreign people. Imperialistic tendencies are also cropping out in the contemplated arrangements for maintaining a strong military force in this country in time of peace. According to the existing law, the size of the present army must be reduced on July 1, 1901; but there is strong indication of the passage of a proposed bill which will make military service compulsory upon all men between the ages of 18 and 45. This bill will create out of the militia a “reserve volunteer army,” established on the same lines as the regular army, similarly equipped, and supported by the national government; and the bill appropriates $4,000,000 annually for the maintenance of military equipment. The bill is obviously for the purpose of making a large standing regular army unnecessary, by making the whole male population between the ages named, a drilled and equipped fighting force, which could be called upon at a moment’s notice.9 Previous to our contest with Spain and the taste of foreign conquest which it gave to the country, no such provision was deemed necessary. The citizen soldiery were relied upon for the defense of the nation; but now times have changed. The Finns are fleeing from Finland by the thousands, and coming to the United States and Canada, to escape compulsory military service in the Russian army, and other peoples are fleeing from military service in other countries to find asylum in the Americas. That asylum is on the verge of dissolution, for America is preparing to exact from them the very thing from which they fled in the Old World. The American people are losing their hold on the principles which made them a nation. The glitter of gold and the pomp of imperialism are dazzling the eyes of those who are now shaping the country’s course. The old blue room at the Capitol is now the “court room,” and reception days are “court days,” and America has her governors-general ruling a subject people—the very thing for which the colonies fought the mother country. These United States have reached the most acute stage in all their history. The structure which they builded is crumbling under the ponderous weight of military ambition, political religion, greed, and criminal aggression. There is an ominous meaning in this departure of the nation from its fundamental principles. The times themselves are ominous and terribly important. To the student of God’s Word it says that the time of Christ’s return is even at the door. Repudiation.—When Great Britain imposed a tax upon her American colonists, the colonists declared that "taxation without representation was tyranny." In 1773 all taxes were removed, save that on tea—threepence a pound. Export duty was remitted to the East India Company, so as to furnish the tea to the Americans as cheaply as tho it were duty free. "But," as Lossing tells us, "there was a principle which the colonists would not yield. However small the tax, if levied without their consent, they regarded it as oppressive." "It was not the petty amount of the duties imposed, for none of this species of taxation was burdensome; it was the principle involved, which lay at the foundation of their liberties." Then followed the "Boston Tea Party." Two and one-half years later the great dominant major chord of human liberty was struck in the Declaration of Independence, one of the notes of which was that "governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed." Nearly 124 years later the American Congress repudiates the principle by imposing upon Puerto Rico tariff contrary to Puerto Rico's protest, and the protest of eminent Americans of all classes and parties. Just as we are closing our forms, word comes that the bill has passed the Senate 40 to 31. Practically, it only awaits the signature of the President to become a law. We do not mention this as a political measure. It is a matter of divine prophecy which this nation is fulfilling—it is the beginning of the end. Timber Syndicates Control Lumber
THE great forests of valuable timber in the Puget Sound country are being rapidly acquired by two wealthy syndicates, and the smaller lumber dealers are being forced out of the business. This has already increased the stumpage price one hundred per cent. to those who are permitted by the syndicates to carry on lumbering operations. Some of the lumbermen are not permitted to cut the timber at any price. In this way the cost of lumber to the consumer is being gradually and permanently increased. By refusing to allow as many lumbermen to engage in the business as formerly, they decrease the supply. This artificial decrease in the supply, together with the increase in stumpage rates, has already greatly increased the price of lumber, as it was intended by the syndicates that it should do. In this way will the price of the product be controlled and gradually increased, as has been the case with every other product that has come under the control of the trusts. Great wealth is being systematically used to gather more wealth. The heaping together of treasure, the sign of the last days, is truly here. Celibacy of the Clergy
By Editor
The celibacy of the clergy, Monsignor Martinelli, the papal delegate to this country, tells us in Harper's Bazar is not a doctrine of the Church of Rome, but merely disciplinary. It is "in no sense an article of faith." It was decreed by Gregory VII., and the order could be withdrawn by Leo XIII. This we have noted before. British Reverse Near Bloemfontein
The British troops near Bloemfontein suffered a reverse on March 31, losing 7 guns and 350 men, killed and captured. The British were trapped in a ravine, and were unable to fight their way out. The mules and Kafir drivers stampeded, and only the rear battery was able to extricate itself. The Boers now have control of the water supply of Bloemfontein, Lord Roberts' headquarters, and it is reported that they have cut off the water supply of the city. Nothing has been reported from the column which was despatched to the relief of Mafeking, and it is believed that this part of the campaign has been abandoned, for the present at least. It is stated that in the relief of Kimberley General French lost 3,000 horses, and that 7,000 other transport animals have been lost since the forward movement began on February 13. D. Appleton & Co. in Receivership
The old publishing house of D. Appleton & Co., established by Daniel Appleton in 1825, went into the hands of a receiver on March 21. Some two or three years ago the firm went into the business of selling books on the instalment plan. This plan as practised by them is to deliver an entire set of books to a person on the payment of the price of a single volume, and then pay for the rest at the rate of a volume a month. Many sets of their books contain from one to two dozen volumes, and hence from twelve to twenty-four months would be required to get their capital returned to them. They were successful in selling so many books in this way that they used up their surplus capital and had to borrow heavily to meet the expense. Their creditors were not willing to extend their loans, and as large sums of borrowed capital are now coming due, the only thing left for them is to go into the hands of a receiver. But the heaviest creditors think that the firm can be reorganized, and more capital put into it, and the business still be made to pay well. This failure, coming so soon after the failure of the great Harper publishing house, is very much regretted in book circles. Russia Prepares to Confront Turkey
A DESPATCH from Sebastopol, Russia, to the London Graphic says: "War alarms fill the navy headquarters here. The whole Euxine squadron is fully equipped for instant service. Troops with full war kits are daily arriving from the interior. The garrison will soon be a powerful army corps. There is much excitement among the staffs of both services, and all the talk is of bringing Turkey to her senses by forcible measures." For several months Russia has been gathering troops on her southern borders, but it has not been entirely for the purpose of frightening Turkey. Report has it that Russia promised not to embarrass England during her war with the Boers; but her preparation for eventualities goes on unchecked, and the presence of her soldiers and navy at Sebastopol secured for her, it seems, the railway concessions she was demanding in Asia Minor. Russia and Japan Contest Korea
EVER since Japan was compelled by Russia to give up what she considered the legitimate fruits of her victory over China, the two first-mentioned countries have been struggling for supremacy in Korea. According to reports, Russia has just secured an important land lease on the coast of Korea. Now Japan is demanding mining concessions in Korea, and is not in a temper to be refused, altho Russia has previously demanded that none but Russians be granted any concessions in that country. As Russia has a large fleet in the vicinity of the coast she has secured, and as Japan also has a powerful fleet not far away, the outcome of these demands and counter demands is looked to with a considerable degree of anxiety. The Increase of Liquor Drinking
By Editor
The New Voice points out from unquestionable statistics that the evil of liquor-drinking is on the increase. These statistics cover the years 1877 to 1898 inclusive. The per capita consumption has increased from 8.33 gallons in 1877 to 17.03 gallons in 1898. And in the figures accessible for the fiscal year of 1899 the drink bill of the American people foots up the immense sum of $1,069,649,852, or $28,506,769 more than for the fiscal year of 1898. This is horrible. It certainly does not argue for a converted world. Corn for India’s Famine Sufferers
Citizens of Kansas are preparing to send a million bushels of Kansas corn to the starving people of India, and the proprietor of the Christian Herald, of New York, is also arranging for a cargo of corn for the Indian famine sufferers. Conversions from Roman Catholicism
DURING the last three months we learn from the Evangelische Kirchenzeitung für Oesterreich, the official Protestant organ of Austria, through the Literary Digest, that in German Bohemia alone the number of converts from Roman Catholicism to Protestantism was 836,374 men, 246 women, and 216 children. Since the movement from Rome in this province there has been a total of 2,794 persons who have left the Roman Church, consisting of 1,404 men, 759 women, and 631 children. Most of these are in the cities, and enter the Lutheran Church. But it is safe to say that many of these, if not most of them, are not mere political changes from one form to another. The Philippine Commission
By Editor
The members of the Philippine Commission are to leave San Francisco for Manila on April 18. This commission has been given power by the President to rule the islands; and the army and all the civil governments established in the Philippine group will be under the control of this civil commission. It is a civil commission, but it will rule by virtue of the military force under it. The natives may be able to distinguish between this kind of civil rule and the military rule which has existed thus far, but the chances are they will not. The army will be the executive, as it has been, and the love of liberty will be as strong as ever. Strikes.—Sixteen hundred carpenters went on a strike in New York City on April 2, as the beginning of a strike in the building and other trades. On the same day strikes were instituted in the following cities: Orange, N. J., 1,000 mechanics; Pittsburg, Pa., 22,000 coal miners; Indianapolis, Ind., several hundred plumbers and carpenters; Joliet, Ill., about 200 men in the building trade; Cleveland, Ohio, 300 plumbers and 125 lathers; St. Louis, Mo., 2,000 painters and 1,500 carpenters. About half of the 5,500 Chicago machinists are still out, the rest having been granted ten hours' pay for nine hours' work. The Navy Department has just finished its plans for the construction of six formidable war ships, three cruisers of the most powerful and destructive type, and three battle-ships that will outrank anything yet constructed. The cruisers are to have 13,000 tons displacement and a speed of twenty-three knots, and are to carry sixty-six guns each of the latest patterns. The weight, armament, and construction of the battle-ships have not yet been published. "Prepare war!" is the order of the times; and every nation on the globe is drinking in the intoxicating spirit of that preparation. A NEW paper, American Progress, published in Chicago, says: "We are following in the footsteps of decayed Babylon and Persia, for the ownership of land is being constantly confined to fewer numbers. The greater part of the far West, especially, is owned by foreigners, who have never seen this continent. They have bought, for purely nominal sums, the land which the government might have saved for the benefit of its people, and they will sell only at startling prices." This is progress backwards. The Loud Postal Bill
By Editor
The Loud Postal Bill, which was referred back to the Committee on Post-offices and Post Roads, has been amended, and will be again brought up for passage. The amended bill eliminates the points upon which the greatest objection was made, viz., the restrictions which it placed upon country newspapers. In its amended form there is more danger of the passage of this bill than there has been at any previous time. Socialist Disturbances in Italy
REPORTS from Italy state that Socialist disturbances have occurred during the week at Bologna, Turin, Naples, and Forlì, the police being compelled again and again to disperse clamoring crowds. The contemplated visit of Queen Victoria to Italy this year was abandoned by advice of the king of Italy, who stated that he was unable to assure her safety. The king himself is said to be fearful of his own safety. French Expedition Battles Arab Army
It is reported that the French expedition, which recently occupied the oasis of Insalah, south of Algeria, fought a battle with an Arab army at Inrahr on March 19, in which the Arabs had 600 men killed. English Syndicate Buys Alabama Coal
An English syndicate has recently closed a deal for 2,000,000 tons of Alabama coal at the remarkably low price of seventy-five cents per ton at the coal pits. THE PLAY SPIRIT.
By Frederick Griggs
It is a fact that needs no careful observation, that the young of all forms of animal life have a spirit of playfulness. This may be seen in some of the lowest forms of life. They manifest in infancy activities, which, as they become older, cease. All enjoy the gambols of lambs, colts, calves, and the many other animals. Now this playful spirit manifests itself perhaps more in children than in any other form of life. We must all grant that it is given by the Creator for some wise purpose, and, because this is so, it needs to be studied and turned to a right use. I recently heard of a young girl who was to play a difficult concerto in a musical program. As it came her time to play, she turned to her teacher, and in an animated manner whispered, “Isn’t this fun?” That spirit was a fortune, for it brought into her work a sprightliness and joy that is bound to win success. Some time ago a paper announced that Dr. Adam Miller had propounded a new theory of the sun’s light. Dr. Miller was eighty-eight years old. In speaking of his experience, the paper said, “Of late he has been badly handicapped by the absence of sunlight, but when the clouds finally dispersed, he pitched into his investigations with the delight of a youth of twenty.” If the spirit manifested by this young miss, who played the difficult concerto, is continued until eighty-eight, she will always have the same joy and enthusiasm in her work that she had that evening. It is this spirit that brings pleasure into work. But this is nothing more nor less than the play spirit developed and trained. This is that which lifts us above the sordid cares of life, and fills our hours and days, even tho the sun is behind clouds, with joy. Its absence makes Jack, whether he be a boy or a man, dull. “A moody child, and widely wise,
Pursues a game with dullest eyes.” With children, playing is something more than simply a manifestation of animal activities, as it is with colts and lambs. Play is a manifestation of animal activities, it is true, but in the child there is a mind which controls these activities. Thus play becomes a means of calling forth thought. In this view it possesses a seriousness which is often overlooked. Play tends to establish more harmonious relations between the mind and the body. The mind thinks, the body acts, or, vice versa, the spontaneous activities of the body demand thought. Play has too long been considered as the wasting of energy on the part of children, and, therefore, too many parents feel that they must have that energy employed in a “more useful way,” and, as a result, the children of such parents have not had the opportunity to develop spontaneity of thought and action. Work does not call forth all the spontaneous activities of the child, and it is these spontaneous activities that are needed to do work thoroughly and well; for, if developed, they bring joy and energy to our work. I do not mean to intimate in what I have here said, in contrasting work and play, that I do not believe that children should be given definite duties, which are to be faithfully performed, for I most certainly do, but I am simply emphasizing the trite old saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” This is true, but the opposite is just as true, that “all play and no work makes Jack a big shirk.” Let me again affirm that the small child’s mode of thinking is through play, as any one observant of little children knows; and to disregard this is to misjudge the child and to do violence to his nature. As a result, many children’s minds are darkened and their dispositions soured, because they are continually being dealt with from the adult point of view, forgetting that the little one is capable of possessing thought. This method of dealing with children is driving more than one child into the firm belief that it is absolutely impossible for him to do anything right. This only manifests the great necessity of illustrations in dealing with the child mind. Games are the natural way for the play activities of the small child to manifest themselves, but, in speaking of games, I do so with some hesitation, for fear of being misunderstood, because it is charged that many games are followed by harmful results. But games may be the means of accomplishing very much in the education of the child. It must not be forgotten, in this connection, that imagination plays an exceedingly important part in the mental operations of the child, and this causes a reality to all that he does. It may be seriously questioned whether a child does not have more real enjoyment in getting astride a broomstick and riding it around, than he would were it a real horse. Accordingly, whether a child is playing tag, driving horse, building a playhouse, or in whatever manner his playfulness is manifesting itself, the means of educating him are offered in a most practical manner, practical because he is thoroughly in agreement with these means. Those games which involve a training of the various sense faculties, are to be most highly approved. Every year, examiners of men required to fill various places in which good clear senses, such as sight and hearing, are required, turn away an incredible number of applicants because of color-blindness or some other deficient sense. We are told that this is due not so much to anything that has been inherited as to a lack of proper development, and that the use of these senses has been lost because of atrophy through non-use. This is true of any one of the senses. Now children enjoy everything through the senses. A little fellow in a school-room solemnly arose and announced, “Oi loike that noise,” when a man was pounding in the room. Much might be said of the delight of children over color. The same is true of feeling, taste, and smell. The flowers never seem so sweet, the pumpkin pie never tastes so good, the kitty’s fur generally does not seem so soft, after childhood days are gone. This must be due to a lack of proper training of the senses. “O, the world is so full of a number of things,
I am sure we ought all to be as happy as kings!” We sigh for the touch of a vanished hand,
The hand of a friend most dear,
Who has passed from our side to the shadowy land,
But what of the hand that is near?
To the living's touch is the soul inert
That weeps o'er the silent urn?
For the love that lives is our hand alert
To make some sweet return?
Do we answer back in a fretful tone
When life's duties press us sore?
Is our praise as full as if they were gone,
And could hear our praise no more?
As the days go by are our hands more swift
For a trifle beyond their share
Than to grasp, for a kindly, helpful lift,
The burden some one must bear?
We sigh for the touch of a vanished hand,
And we think ourselves sincere,
But what of the friends that about us stand,
And the touch of the hand that is here?
—Selected. THE VALUE OF FRUIT AS A DIET.
By David Paulson, M.D.
NATURE is not so kind to us in the ripening of potatoes as she is in fruits. In potatoes nature creates raw starch, and leaves it in this condition, but this is not the case with the apple, and in this respect the apple represents the majority of fruits. Nature has done to the starch of the apple, by ripening it, what we do to the starch of grain by baking it, and, even more—and another thing as well—it has produced an acid which is antagonistic to the growth of germs. That is the reason the coating disappears from the tongue after living exclusively on fruit for a few days. The reason fruit is a good thing is because the starch has been digested by nature. It is a great deal better to let the sunshine do the digesting of starch than for the stomach to undertake it all. There are plenty of things in this world which are calculated to worry us without adding to our troubles the digestion of raw starch. It has been demonstrated by careful experimentation upon stomach fluids in the laboratory that fruit hinders the development of those particular germs that create the most mischief in the stomach. We found, however, that they flourished in beef tea—in fact, that beef tea is a perfect paradise for germs. On the contrary, when planted in fruit juices they are as thoroughly starved out by such a soil as a crop of grain would be if sown on the mountains of Gilboa, "where there is neither dew nor rain." For this reason we often place our patients on a diet of fruits for a few days. Fasting has always been considered beneficial, and this is a good way to fast; and we may sometimes extend this kind of fast a few days, until the germs are destroyed. This may require a week. The value of this discovery can not be estimated in dollars and cents. There are some very acid fruits that people with weak stomachs, and especially with hyperpepsia, should leave alone. Hyperpepsia means that there is too much acid present in the stomach, and, hence, it is not a good thing to add more. "Then," you say, "is it not a good thing to eat a large quantity of very acid fruit in hyperpepsia, which is a condition where there is a deficiency in the normal digestive fluids?" No, because the acid in fruit does not digest food, and so does not supply the deficiency. The presence of this acid rather hinders the production of the natural acid. That is one reason why it is not good to take hydrochloric acid continually. Such patients should take sub-acid fruits, such as peaches, pears, and prunes. Baked sweet apples are not very acid, and in such cases are, therefore, excellent. DAVID PAULSON, M.D. NUT FOODS.
By H. E. S. Hopkins
NOTICING an inquiry concerning nut foods prompts me to make a few suggestions. "To many these foods seem too expensive." "Many can not eat them without distress." I find that boiled peanuts are preferable to browning them in the oven. First blanch the nuts, or heat them in the oven just enough to crack the skins, so they can be rubbed off easily. Soak in cold water overnight; then to one pint of nuts add two quarts of water; boil them from ten to twelve hours. Rub through a colander, or fine wire sieve is best (milk-pan size), make into a cake, and keep in a cool place. When wanted for use, dilute with water, for butter, cream, or milk. With this nut preparation one can season any kind of food, where they have been in the habit of using butter, cream, or milk from the cow. A nut mill is something every family should possess. They are a great help. Not every one can afford one. But any one who is in possession of a rolling-pin, board, and a fine wire sieve, and a hammer, with a good coarse-cloth sack, need not think they must have a mill, or that they are obliged to send to the Sanitarium, where all these health foods are manufactured, in order to have such foods. With the rolling-pin and board they can crush their own nuts, then run them through the sieve; thus they have nut meal. Crush and roll the coarse part over again. From good, light, home-made bread, zwieback is made. To make granola, take two cups of flour, one cup of corn-meal, one-third cup of oatmeal, and three-fourths cup of water. Bake in crackers until crisp, then pound fine or run through a coffee-mill. Nut sticks and rolls, or pie-crust, can be made with crushed and sifted nuts (any kind), or nut butter, with the addition of a little water. Roasts can be made of either cooked beans, split peas, corn, or lentils, by using stale bread crumbs—one cup of crumbs to one and one-half or two cups of the legumes, one-half cup of peanut cream (one-half cup nut meal if preferred), one tablespoonful of browned flour; season with salt, a little sage, thyme, celery, or parsley; bake half an hour. Some use chopped onion, but it is not necessary. I see no reason why one should make any complaints concerning their inability to get health foods, which the Lord sent us to prolong life. It is surprising how many good, wholesome, appetizing dishes can be prepared with but a trifle of expense and a little knowledge, by the use of legumes and nut-butter preparations, when properly prepared. It is just as important to study up on this question as any other in order to understand how to prepare them properly. With practise, perseverance, and a little faith mixed in, we can certainly make a success of it; and every one who earnestly desires to render obedience to all of God's requirements will never wish to return to the old way of saturating his foods with animal grease so as "to be able to swallow them." It used to be said by certain interpreters that the references to countries in the Scriptures where tin is found must refer to England; for she is the great tin producer. But from the following from the Scientific American it will be seen that the mines of England furnish but a small per cent. of the tin of the world:— The total production of tin in 1898 has been estimated at 77,300 tons; in 1890 it was but 55,100 tons.