PARENTS are often blind, sometimes it seems wilfully blind. Because their children have joined the church, many of them suppose everything else will take care of itself. Their children cannot do wrong.
One mother was in the habit of putting her children to bed as soon as Sabbath was over. Then she went down town shopping, returning about ten o’clock.
As soon as their mother left the house, the children dressed, and went out on the streets to play until nearly time for her to return; then they went back to bed. That mother “knew she could trust her children,” and those children knew they could deceive their mother, and grew expert at it.
Another mother could give two or more hours to missionary work each afternoon,15provided she could find some one to care for her baby. A neighbor’s small girl was glad to help her, if she was allowed to wheel the baby up and down the street. Permission to that effect was given, and up and down the streets she went until she met a certain boy. That was kept up day after day, the girl receiving praise for being willing to give up her afternoons to the care of a baby. Not until the mother of the girl met her face to face, would she believe her child guilty of such conduct.
Dear mothers, when your boys and girls are converted, your work is not finished, but only begun. Train your children from the outset wisely and lovingly. Fill their lives so full of faith in mother’s word and wishes, that they will not dream of having any secret that she may not share. Trust your children, but trust them with your eyes wide open.
Clintonville, Conn.
Home Gardens
By Mrs. I. H. E.
EVERY day your little gardens,
Set within love’s circling wall,
Must be watered, kept, and tended
As their “tender plants” grow tall,
Strong and sturdy, fair and fragrant,
Bringing joy and hope to all.
Mothers, watch your little gardens,
Let no evil tares come in;
Guard the gates against intruders,—
Thoughts of evil, words of sin;
Firmly plant the seeds of service
And of love each heart within.
Daily, in your little gardens,
Let your smiles be as the sun,
And your prayers bring down a blessing
As the bright hours swiftly run.
So shall you win heaven’s approval
On the work that you have done.
MRS. I. H. E.
Answers to a Mother's Questions
By Agnes Lewis-Caviness
AGNES LEWIS-CAVINESS
THE following answers, which were written to a mother pursuing studies in the mothers' normal department of the Fireside Correspondence School, may prove helpful to other mothers under similar circumstances:—
As you have asked me several questions, I will number them, and answer the best I can. It is difficult for any one to advise another concerning little folks; for there are always so many peculiarities that only parents understand. One can only lay down principles, and let each mother interpret them as seems best in her own particular case.
1. Children near the same age often “pester” each other, though each really loves the other dearly. When they grow a little older, this will likely drop away. Since they miss each other so much, why not have your children play separately sometimes, and tell Florence you do it to help her remember not to tease her sister?
2. I should stop the teasing of company at once. Do not let her come in where you are receiving your callers for a few times, and tell her why. Such familiarity is very rude, and may annoy your friends greatly if allowed to go unchecked.
3. Put bitter aloes or solution of quinine on the thumb, and tell Florence what is often the effect of the constant sucking of the thumb. If she is not troubled with adenoids, thumb sucking may cause their growth.
4. Isolation is the best remedy I know for “getting mad.” Do not scold; tell her you are letting her stay in the bedroom or kitchen (not a dark closet) till she is sweet again; for nobody enjoys cross people. Tell her she may herself come out when she can come smiling. I know a mother who sends her little ones off to bed whenever they are naughty to each other or to her. It is a good idea; for naughtiness is a result of tiredness and nervousness more often than we realize.
5. I should not teach the letters formally. Show the children letters on corn flake or other boxes till they know the names of many without realizing that they are really learning them.
6. The form of punishment used for any disobedience depends entirely on the child, his attitude to his naughtiness, and upon the seriousness of the offense.
I hope these few suggestions will help you a bit, and that you may find more and more help in the lessons as the days go by.
Care of the Baby
Weight and Weighing of the Baby
THE baby’s weight is perhaps the best index the mother has of his condition. The average weights of babies of given ages are now pretty well established, and a weight noticeably lower than the average indicates a lack of development due either to deficient diet or to illness, while an excess of fat may point to improper feeding. If the baby’s weight either remains stationary for any considerable time or begins to fall off, it is always a sign that something is wrong; and the mother should seek the help of a good doctor without delay.
The average girl weighs seven pounds at birth, while boys average half a pound heavier.
During the first four days the baby may lose from one or two ounces to a pound, while waiting for the mother’s milk to be established, but as soon as he begins to nurse regularly, he should quickly regain this loss. During the first month he should gain about three quarters of an ounce each day; then up to the sixth month, from four to eight ounces a week, and from the sixth to the twelfth month two to four ounces a week.
At three months the average baby weighs from twelve to fourteen pounds; at six months, fifteen to sixteen pounds; at nine months, seventeen to eighteen pounds; and at one year, twenty to twenty-two pounds. The baby thus usually doubles his weight at five or six months, and at the end of his first year weighs three times as much as at birth.
Most babies do not gain quite steadily, week by week. During short periods, owing to excessive heat, when the food is reduced, a baby may show no gain, and may even fall off a little. This condition should be temporary, and he ought to begin to gain as soon as the disturbance subsides.
Bottle-fed infants do not gain as rapidly during the first months as do breast-fed babies; but after the ninth month they are apt to gain more steadily, because they do not lose weight as breast-fed babies usually do at the time of weaning.
A very fat baby is not to be desired. Although mothers are prone to believe that a fat baby is a healthy one, this is not necessarily true. An exclusive diet of certain of the proprietary infant foods, consisting largely of sugar or of starch, is very apt to produce excessive fat, and give a false impression of abounding health, since bones and muscles may thus be deprived of their proper nourishment. Overfat babies are very uncomfortable in the summer, from prickly heat and other ills.
A healthy baby has a well-rounded body, without wads and cushions of fat, or pendulous cheeks and pudgy legs. He has springy muscles, and is alert, active, and full of life and motion.
In order that the mother may be informed as to the baby’s progress, he should be weighed at regular intervals throughout at least the first year. For the first week or longer, he should be weighed every day; during the first six months, once a week; and later once in two weeks.
The best scales are ordinary platform balance scales, such as are used in grocery stores. A special basket or pan which fits on the platform, and which will hold the baby comfortably, is desirable. Spring scales are less accurate but are cheaper, and are better than no scales at all. Most country households have enough general use for a good scale so that such a purchase will not be an extravagance.
The Children’s Bureau has published a bulletin called Infant Care, which contains directions for weighing the baby, and also a chart for recording the weight. This publication is sent free to all who ask for it, addressing the Chief of the Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor, Washington, D. C.
After the Rain
By Mrs. Mary H. Williams
MRS. MARY H. WILLIAMS
The storms and clouds of dark despair
Which cross our path of life anon,
May be the background God sets there
To paint his bow of promise on.
Endure with patience “for a night”
The bitter weeping and the pain.
“Joy cometh with the morning light,”
As sunshine after clouds and rain.
When feeblest seems our own defense
Against a flood of doubts and fears,
The sunshine of God’s providence
Makes bright the rainbow through
our tears.
Charles City, Iowa.
Overcoming and True Living
Every low desire, every bad habit, all longings for ignoble things, all wrong feelings that we conquer and trample down, become ladder rounds for our feet, on which we climb upward out of groveling and sinfulness into nobler, grander life. If we are not living victoriously these little common days, we are not making any progress in true living. Only those who climb are getting toward the stars. Heaven at last, and the heavenly life here, are for those who overcome.—Scottish Reformer.
Lightening Others’ Burdens
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of it for any one else.”
North Pacific Union Conference
By G. B. Thompson
The fifth biennial session of the North Pacific Union Conference convened in College Place, Wash., Feb. 17-23, 1916. The daily services of the session were held in the commodious church building. The organization and arrangements of the meeting were excellent, and everything was conducted with promptness. Though serious floods had greatly disarranged railroad schedules, practically all the workers were present at the opening service.
The first few days of the session were devoted to institute work, conducted by Elder I. H. Evans and the writer, in which the privileges of a victorious Christian life and the duty of winning souls to Christ were emphasized. These studies found a responsive chord in the heart of every worker present. It was very encouraging to see such a large and experienced company of workers enter so prayerfully and enthusiastically into the spirit of the meeting. All present seemed to be desirous of gaining everything possible from the opportunities presented in the few days together. This contributed much to the success of the meeting. I do not know that I ever attended a gathering where the special presence of the Lord seemed to be any more marked from the beginning to the close than at this meeting.
Not only in this union, but throughout the field, the pillar of cloud is rising. A new spiritual experience is coming to God's people. The outlook never seemed more encouraging.
One inspiring feature of the meeting was the presence of a large company of students each day, the college program being so arranged that they could attend the Bible studies and the evening services. A number in the college are preparing definitely for the ministry. The writer spoke one evening to the foreign mission band of nearly one hundred.
The Lord has prospered the work in the union during the biennial period just closed. I take the following encouraging extracts from the report of the president:—
“We have employed an average of 45 ordained, and 17 licensed workers, and 18 Bible workers.
“During the biennial period our membership has grown from 7,659 to 9,504, a gain of 1,845, an average of 40 for each ordained worker, or 23 for each worker employed. The membership is grouped into 203 churches, a gain of 27 churches for the period.
“The various treasurers’ reports show that the total tithe received by union and local conferences aggregates $270,000, a gain of nearly $23,000 in the two years. Of this amount we have turned over to the Division Conference $2,700 as tithe, and $50,700 as division of tithe, a total of $53,400, and $1,620 on the Sustentation Fund; subtracting the tithe turned over to the Division from the amount received, leaves $216,591, which was used in carrying on our work in the union.
“Earnest efforts have been made to raise the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund. While we have made some gain, yet we have fallen considerably short of the amount called for. For the two years we should have raised $152,629, but the amount actually raised totaled $124,444, leaving a shortage of $28,185. Montana and Idaho were the only conferences in our union that passed the goal of twenty cents a week.
“Our total contributions to missions for the two years amounted to $126,277; the total amount contributed to work outside the union was $181,306, a gain of $23,781 over the previous biennial period. The total amount of tithes and offerings for the two years was $397,455, lacking but $2,545 of reaching the $400,000 mark.
“The immediate future is pregnant with events of the most solemn import to the people of this world. The stage is set for the enactment of the final drama in the history of human events. ‘The eleventh chapter of Daniel has nearly reached its complete fulfilment.’ It has seemed that the Turk was about to be driven from Europe, the way of the kings of the East prepared. Angel hands seem to be loosing the winds. The nations are angry, and gripped in mortal strife. The map of the world is changing. The highest civilization of the centuries is turned into barbarism, and is threatening to engulf all mankind.
“Governments are losing control, and anarchy is seething just under the veneer of formalism. Statesmen are struggling under their burdens, and know not which way to turn for relief, for it is a time of trouble such as the nations have never seen. Unseen hands seem to be hurrying the world to its fatal doom. Mankind seems to strike an attitude of expectancy, and asks, What next? The seer of Patmos replies, ‘Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldst destroy them which destroy the earth.’ Men are everywhere groping their way in the gathering gloom.
“Just now, it would seem, is the time for the third angel’s message to be proclaimed with the added power of the loud cry, and for God’s people to be filled with all the fulness of God, and ‘with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness.’”
The reports of the various conferences and departments indicated growth. The religious liberty department has found it necessary to enter into an active campaign against religious legislation, especially in Oregon. The secretary of the department, in his report, said, among other things:—
“A few months ago we reached a new era in the field of operation, and new demands were made upon the department in certain portions of the union conference.
“In 1854, the territorial days, a Sunday law was enacted in the territory now known as Oregon, which was adopted by the legislature in 1864. The law was amended in 1865 by eliminating one of the more radical phrases, and as then amended now stands on the statute books. It slumbered for sixty-two years. Recently it was dug up out of cold storage, and it was found that the blue law still had in it the venom of persecution.”
The agitation of the question will result, as usual, in calling the attention of the best people of the country to the work of the message.
The utmost unity of purpose marked all the deliberations of the conference. Elder C. W. Flaiz was reelected president. The other officers and departmental secretaries elected were practically the same as before. Some exchange of laborers is contemplated in the union, with a view of strengthening the work and preparing for a most vigorous and aggressive campaign. A laborer was voted to Alaska to push the work in that field.
The outlook in this great Northwest is more encouraging than ever. The workers returned to their fields of labor with renewed courage and determination to press the battle to the very gates of the enemy, to storm every citadel of error as never before, and to press home the truths of the message upon the hearts of sinners and lost souls everywhere, figuratively “pulling them out of the fire,” ere probation closes, and the time of rescue is over.
We confidently expect to see in the next two years the greatest ingathering of souls ever seen since the introduction of the message in this part of the vineyard.
G. B. THOMPSON.
A Growing Family
By D. D. FITCH
THE baptism of several new converts and the birth of a new church, the third in the family of churches in Porto Rico, called me to visit the inland town of Cayey, where Elder William Steele, superintendent of the field, assisted by Sister Jessie Butler, and by Brother Rafael Lopez, a native worker, have been developing an interest begun some time ago by a sister and some faithful canvassers.
The new church of eighteen members is composed entirely of natives. Three were transferred from the parent church, that of Santurce, and fifteen were converts recently baptized.
Inasmuch as the membership of this new church is composed largely of persons in the vigor of youth, it was thought wise to organize a Missionary Volunteer Society. This society is blest in having material from which can be developed good leadership.
Besides those who were brought into close relationship by these organizations, several responded when a call was made for the formation of a baptismal class. One young man of this class seems to give good promise of capable leadership.
With only three Seventh-day Adventist ministers in this country of more than a million inhabitants, this question17arises: When will the other cities and towns of the island be entered and the work finished? There seem but two answers that can be given: Either there must be more workers sent from other localities, or a school must be established for the development and training of workers from the field itself.
D. D. FITCH.
Colporteur Work in Southern Illinois
By A. J. CLARK
One of the most interesting meetings held in southern Illinois during the year was the colporteurs' institute at Springfield. This branch of our work has made a good showing the past few years, and I believe this is due to the fact that a strong corps of faithful workers have been engaged in the work. We have nineteen regular colporteurs in the field, and sixteen of them were at the institute.
COLPORTEURS WHO SOLD OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS’ WORTH OF BOOKS IN ONE YEAR
Of these nineteen, ten are married men with families, who devote all their time to the colporteur work, and have no other support. This demonstrates that this line of work can be followed by married men, and that families can be supported by it.
The accompanying illustration shows the workers in our field who sold over one thousand dollars' worth of our books during 1915. The two brethren standing in the front row with ribbons on their coats, sold over two thousand dollars' worth. Every man in this group is the head of a family and has two or more children. Six of them have spent about three years in the field, and are now starting out again with a determination to make 1916 their best year.
Living as near as we are to the end, should not many more be encouraged to enter this branch of God's work? It has been demonstrated that it pays both financially and spiritually.
A. J. CLARK.
Strengthening the Hands of the Builders
By Percy T. Magan
A Notable Meeting in Connection with the Founding of the Los Angeles Hospital and Dispensary
SOME time ago there came to our medical missionaries the message that their hearts must be “knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God.” And again it was written that “the medical missionary work is sick, and needs the restoring power of the Great Healer, before it can accomplish a work in harmony with his name.”
A number of those engaged in our medical work have been led of late to realize more and more the truths contained in both of these messages. Especially has this been true in Southern California, where there are probably more Seventh-day Adventist physicians than in any other area of similar size in the world. Many of these are not connected with our institutions, but are engaged in private practice. Quite a number were once in the service of our sanitariums or schools, and left these institutions for various reasons, some with a “root of bitterness” in their hearts. It is not necessary to discuss whether they or the institutions were in the wrong; the fact is mentioned only because of the happy circumstances about to be related.
Part of the work of the junior and all the work of the senior classes of the Loma Linda College of Medical Evangelists is done in the city of Los Angeles. The instruction, to a very great extent, is given by these Seventh-day Adventist physicians who support themselves by their private practice, and give their services free to our medical college.
Very shortly after it had been decided by the fall council at Loma Linda that the denomination would do all in its power to put the College of Medical Evangelists on its feet, and that to the Seventh-day Adventist women should be given a commission to raise the sixty-one thousand dollars for the building and equipment of a hospital and dispensary in the city of Los Angeles, an informal meeting of the Seventh-day Adventist physicians and dentists practicing in Southern California was called.
This gathering convened in the office of one of our doctors, in one of the principal office buildings in the city. Although the call had been issued only two days beforehand, about thirty-five were present. This was a far larger attendance than those responsible for the call had dared to expect, and caused a feeling of courage and joy to pervade the assembly from the beginning.
Dr. Newton Evans, president of the College of Medical Evangelists, was chosen chairman, and the meeting opened with an earnest season of prayer. After this Dr. Evans recounted the divine providences which had been so manifest in the council at Loma Linda in regard to the medical school. He told of the deep perplexity of the brethren concerning the heavy indebtedness resting upon the institution,—how many feared that it would be impossible to support the enterprise, with its growing needs and the constant demands of the medical authorities for larger and more expensive equipment and facilities. He told how, when the billows of perplexity were rolling the highest, men who, under God, had piloted this cause through many a stormy sea had been moved to exhort to courage and hope. He related how Elder George I. Butler, stalwart still beneath his increasing burden of years, had rallied his brethren to carry out the counsel of the sleeping prophet of the Lord; how Elder S. N. Haskell had cheered and encouraged those present with his ringing testimony that the counsel of the Lord would stand, and that our eyes would see him do all his pleasure; and how Elders Daniells and Evans had declared that we must set ourselves more resolutely than ever before to carry out the instruction of God, and courageously meet this first great test since the passing away of the servant of the Lord. Next Dr. Evans told of the progress being made in the medical school,—how the blessing of the Lord had attended our students, and every one had been successful in the State board examinations.
Dr. George A. Thomason gave a most helpful talk. He exhorted those who had formerly been employed in institutional work, but who were now engaged in private practice, to bury all strife and bitterness of feeling, and unselfishly give their services to our medical school, to aid in training medical missionaries for the great fields of the Orient and the world. He spoke of the work as being all one, and of the need that those in private practice do all in their power to uphold the hands of those who are carrying heavy burdens in the medical college.
Another speaker told of lessons he had learned from the Bible, and how nearly all its great men had passed through experiences which at first seemed destined to separate them from their chosen work, and how God had wondrously used the very things which seemed to them calamities to carry out his greatest purposes in their lives. He referred to Joseph, and told how he had called his first-born son Manasseh [forgetting]: “For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house. And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Sorrow, trial, and affliction are oftentimes heavenly guests in disguise, through whose instrumentality God designs to draw us nearer to himself.
Dr. W. W. Worster spoke in a most touching manner of the sadness which had filled his soul when he understood that the medical college was to be closed, and of the joy which inspired him when he learned of the final action of the council in voting to sustain it.
Dr. Roy Clark told of some of the hard times which had come into his experience, but how he and his wife had decided that their lives, whether in institutional or in private practice, were the purchase of the blood of Christ, and that they would be true to the religious18and medical faith which had been committed to this people; and how God had blessed them in their work, though separated from those of kindred faith.
Dr. Abbie Winegar Simpson, of Long Beach, Cal., and Dr. Florence Keller, of New Zealand, told of their hopes, now that the work of the medical college was to go forward with new vigor. They felt a deep burden that many young women in our ranks should consecrate their lives to the work of the Christian physician. A number of others told of the wonderful workings of God’s providence which had led them to their life calling, and how they were resolved to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they were called.
Toward the close of the meeting it was decided to perfect a society of the Seventh-day Adventist physicians of Southern California, having in view by this agency spiritual and scientific advancement, and the forwarding of the work of the College of Medical Evangelists. The Spirit of God came into the hearts of those present in a marked manner. A movement was set on foot to raise the sum of ten thousand dollars among the physicians of the denomination, and to present it to the women’s committee, to cover the cost of the dispensary to be built in connection with the hospital in Los Angeles. There was deep enthusiasm and consecrated loyalty manifested in the action taken to assist in this matter. Dr. Thomason, although possessing but little of this world’s goods, took the lead by pledging five hundred dollars. Dr. Florence Keller followed with a similar amount, and she has since turned the cash into the treasury. Others made liberal promises, and steps were taken for a campaign to raise the money, so that, if possible, the dispensary may be completed by the fall opening of the school.
The meeting closed leaving a feeling of joy in every heart, and a belief that God was burying past differences, drawing his people together, and stirring up hearts to offer willingly for the upbuilding of his cause.
Review the books of Judges and Ruth. Make a list of the six servitudes of Israel, with the judges raised up to deliver and defend them. Outline the book of Judges under the heads: (1) Preface; (2) Deliverances; (3) Narratives.
To Think about as You Read
March 19: Am I awake to the first subtle weaving of Satan's snares?
March 20: The duty of walking in all the light we have.
March 21: The evils that follow when every one does what is “right in his own eyes.”
March 22: The blessing of loyalty and obedience.
March 23: Do I listen when God's voice speaks to my heart?
March 24: The wonderful power of God.
March 25: Am I choosing another than God to rule over me?
The Book of Ruth
“The book of Ruth is properly a continuation of Judges, and was so classed in the Old Testament until about the middle of the fifth century after Christ. It is very important because it gives the lineage of David through the whole period of the Judges. We have here an exquisitely beautiful picture of the best family life of the times.”
The time covered by this book is about ten years. Its authorship is uncertain, but it is quite generally attributed to Samuel. From expressions in the book, some have thought that it was written when kings had begun to reign. Ruth is the third of the historical books.
Practical Lessons
Joshua is the book of conquests, Judges the book of deliverances, and Ruth the book of love. It shows how filial devotion and trust in God are rewarded; how all the trials and sorrows of life “work together” for good to those who love the Lord; and that our God is no respecter of persons, but “in every nation” those who fear him are accepted by him. “The incorporation of Ruth into the canon of the Old Testament may be regarded as an intimation of the future call of the Gentiles to the gospel of salvation.”
How God Speaks to Man
“In prayer, we talk to God; in the Bible, God speaks to us. The first disciples heard the words of divine truth as they dropped directly from the lips of the Great Teacher. They could bring their questions right to him, and he would answer them. They could ask him what he wanted them to do, and he would tell them. When they were in sorrow, the words of comfort fell, warm and tender, from the very lips of the Son of God into their sad hearts. One of his friends sat at his feet and listened reverently and lovingly to his instructions; another leaned his head on the Lord's bosom and whispered his confidential questions and received answers; an inquirer came by night to him, and had a long talk with him about the way to be saved.”
“Those were wonderful days when God himself was on this earth in human form, speaking in the tones of actual human speech the words of life, and answering men's questions with his own lips. We cannot any more hear the divine voice as men heard it then. Yet God still speaks. We can still sit at the Teacher's feet and hear his words. We can still rest our head on his bosom in our sorrow, and listen to his assurances of love. We can still ask him how to be saved, and get a plain, clear answer. God speaks to men in his written Word.”
—J. R. Miller, “In His Steps,” pp 64, 65.
Opportunity for a Teacher
By M. E. Kern
SOME months ago Elder F. A. Detamore, superintendent of our Malaysian Mission, sent me a picture of a private school near Singapore, taught by a Buddhist. I was very much impressed with the intelligent appearance of these children and their apparent thirst for knowledge. It seemed to me a pity that such young people could not have Christian teachers.
I wrote to Elder Detamore, asking if Christian young men could find opportunity for self-supporting work in the East Indies. He has replied as follows:—
“You ask if a young man could make his way teaching. I am very glad to assure you that this can easily be done in19almost any part of our field, and especially in the Dutch Indies. People want to learn English, and they are willing to pay for instruction. I am sending you a picture of our school at Padang, Sumatra. This school is made up entirely of children who are not Seventh-day Adventists. Quite a number take private lessons, also. The income is about eighty dollars a month, and this can be increased. Pastor Yates and his wife are teaching this school, and trying to look after the mission work also, but it is too much for them, and we are anxious to get some one to take the school. We want some one who is spiritual, and willing to cooperate in making the school a factor in bringing people into the truth. One should be able to teach, or at least learn to teach, the doctrines in such a way as to make real Seventh-day Adventists of people. Could we find such a young couple, we are willing to place them on our pay roll, and let them turn in their receipts from tuition, as donations are reported by our ministers. We think this will insure cooperation.
“Other places are waiting for this same work to be started. We have a small school in Borneo, but it is not paying so well. In Battakland a native started to teach English, and he soon had an income of more than eighty dollars a month, but he was unable to teach enough English to hold his pupils, so he lost quite a number of them. Several in that place have begun to keep the Sabbath. Thirteen young Battaks from central Sumatra came to our school here in Singapore. Some of these have been baptized and bid fair to become good workers. If we could get the right kind of young people, we could place a score of them where they could become self-supporting and at the same time hold up the light of truth.
“In Java, at Soekaboemi, Brother Sisley is teaching English, and is making enough to support himself and three or four native missionaries. He is over sixty years of age. Certainly a bright young man and his wife could do as well.”
Brother Sisley has been for several years supporting two native evangelists in China. These men were ordained to the gospel ministry at the time of Elder A. G. Daniells's visit to the Far East. How Brother Sisley's heart must rejoice to see such fruits of his efforts! Surely he is “in the work” just as truly as those who draw a salary from the conference.
It surely seems that here is a wide-open door for self-supporting missionary effort. It may be that the Lord is calling some of our young people to enter this work. Let any who may desire to respond, do so from the standpoint of service to God, and be sure to count the cost.
M. E. KERN.
BROTHER R. T. SISLEY AND HIS PET MONKEY
The Power of Invisible Forces
If we would do our best in life, we must take into account in all our activities and perplexities the reality and the power of invisible forces. There is an unseen power that works mightily among men, silently, invisibly, yet invincibly accomplishing spiritual results. We need to remember this in our moments of anxiety and alarm. Just as Elisha at Dothan prayed that God would open the eyes of the young man who was with him, so should we pray that God will open our eyes that we may see that “the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.”
—Christian Observer.
Making Someone Happy
By Talmage
THAT is a good day in which you make some one happy. It is astonishing how little it takes to make one happy. Feel that the day is wasted in which you have not succeeded in this.—Talmage.
God Is With Us
By Dr. Harry van Dyke
WHAT we want is to feel that God knows what happens to us, and is with us while it happens, and loves us steadily and tenderly through it all.—Dr. Harry van Dyke.
To Bible Year Members
By MRS. I. H. E.
ALL who began to read the Bible through in 1915, enrolling in the Bible Year, and who for any reason were unable to finish in 1915, but who faithfully complete the reading at any time during 1916, will be sent a copy of the William Miller Bible Card. This card shows a clear picture of the little Bible that William Miller used in his study of the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation. On the reverse side is a facsimile poem by Mr. Miller, written shortly after the disappointment in 1844.
In order to secure this card, those who enrolled in the Bible Year in 1915 should send a letter to their conference Missionary Volunteer secretary stating that fact, and also that they have completed the work.
MRS. I. H. E.
Missionary Volunteer Department
M. E. KERN . . . Secretary
MATILDA ERICKSON . . . Assistant Secretary
MRS. I. H. EVANS . . . Office Secretary
MEADE MACGUIRE } . . .
C. L. BENSON } . . . Field Secretaries
J. F. SIMON }
The Book
“THIS precious Book I’d rather own
Than all the golden gems
That are in monarchs’ coffers shown,
Or all their diadems.”
“Were all the seas one crystal light,
This earth a golden ball,
And all the stars were gems of night,
This Book is worth them all.”
