Earlier text: General ArticlesCALMNESS and equanimity ought to be a part of every one's religion. "I dare no more fret," said John Wesley, "than to curse and swear." One who knew him well said he never saw him low-spirited or fretful in his life. He could not endure the society of people who were of this habit. He says of them: "To have persons at my ears murmuring and fretting at everything is like tearing the flesh from my bones. By the grace of God, I am discontented at nothing. I see God sitting upon the throne and ruling all things." If every one was of this spirit, it would wonderfully improve the world. Christians lose wayside comforts, and dishonor the Master, by their fretfulness over little troubles. Some who can bear the great sorrows of life with a martyr's faith and patience, will even show anger over the loss of a button, the mislaying of a cane, or fifteen minutes' delay of dinner, though they have stood calmly by the graves of dear ones gone, and comforted others whose hearts were breaking with grief. Doubtless physical infirmity is the cause of much of the agitation and fretfulness which many good people exhibit; but they must guard against this. Not only must they watch against yielding to such things, but they must watch against the overwork, the stimulation, the excess, the gluttony, and the dyspepsia, which rob men of peace, and which leave them nervous, fretful, and impatient. God would have us well. It is small credit to a watchmaker to have his watches continually out of order, even though it may wholly be the fault of those who carry them; and the perpetual sickness and fretfulness of Christians does not honor him whose apostle has said, "Glorify God in your body."—Christian Progress. To BE humble is not to think meanly of one's self. Christ was humble; but he knew he was Lord and Master, and told his disciples so. To be humble is, knowing your character and abilities, to be willing to take a lower place, and perform a menial service. A private may know more than his superior officer; he is humble if, knowing that, he is willing to work faithfully under him. Not to know evil, that is innocence; but to know evil and choose the good, that is virtue. IN these times when a pseudo-charity fevers the public mind—when the defenders of "liberal Christianity," so called, are so bold, it becomes every lover of the gospel order to go back to first principles. The tempest-tossed mariner who has been for days the plaything of the storm and of darkness, takes the first bursts of sunshine to make his reckoning, and see in which direction he is drifting—so should we ever and anon in the heated discussions of our times, make our spiritual reckoning, and as honestly as may be, determine whether our course be according to the great chart given by the Master himself. Our theme is moral and positive law, their relation to each other, whence they emanate, and the light in which God regards them. I shall venture no definition of my own, but will give some that I have collated, to which I heartily subscribe. Bishop Butler, than whom perhaps we can find no better writer on moral philosophy, says: "Moral precepts are precepts the reason for which we can see; positive precepts are precepts the reason for which we cannot see. Moral duties arise out of the nature of the case itself, prior to external command; positive duties do not arise out of the nature of the case, but from external command, nor would they be duties at all were it not from such command from Him whose creatures and subjects we are. . . . How great presumption it is to make light of the positive institutions of divine appointment." Dr. Doddridge, the author of the "Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul," a grand, good book, says: "Positive institutions and precepts are to be observed merely because some superior has commanded them." Jonathan Edwards: "Positive precepts are the greatest and most proper trial of obedience; because in them the mere authority and will of the legislator is the sole ground of the obligation, and nothing in the nature of the things themselves, and therefore they are the greatest trial to any person's respect to that authority and will." Bishop Sherlock: "When a lawgiver has declared his will and pleasure by a law, it is not fit that subjects should be allowed to guess at his mind, and dispute an express law by some surmises and consequences, how probable soever they may appear; for at this rate a law signifies nothing, if we may guess at the will of the lawgiver without and against an express law." Bishop Taylor: "All positive precepts that depend upon the mere will of the lawgiver admit no degrees. . . . It is that in which He (God) will make the trial of our obedience, it is that in which He will so perfectly be obeyed that he will not be disputed with or inquired of why and how, but just according to the measures there set down, so and no more, and no less and no otherwise. For when the will of the lawgiver is all the reason, the first instance of the law is all the measure, and there can be no product but what is just set down." Dr. Grosvenor: "It is at any man's peril how he came not to know the will of God, as not to do it." Dr. Hodge, of Princeton: "When in human governments the law prescribes a particular mode in which we are to acknowledge our allegiance to our country, it is not competent for us to neglect that mode. Nor have we a right to adopt a different method of acknowledgment, or to suffer our allegiance to be inferred from our conduct. . . . If we wish to be recognized as citizens, we must in the prescribed form acknowledge ourselves as such. And if Christ has prescribed a particular way in which he will be acknowledged by his followers, intelligently, willfully to refuse obedience to his command is to renounce our allegiance to him, and to forfeit the benefits of his kingdom." We see then that in the estimation of these writers the difference between moral and positive law is that "moral precepts are precepts the reason for which we can see; positive precepts are precepts the reason of which we cannot see." In other words, moral law is commanded because it is right, and positive law is right because it is commanded. Neither positive nor moral law can be amended or abrogated unless the lawgiver sees proper to do so. According to these distinguished divines (and the number can be indefinitely increased) we learn that positive laws must be plain and express; that the obligation to observe them proceeds not from the goodness of the laws themselves but from the authority of God; that the law enacting them is determinative as to their matter, manner, and signification; that human authority cannot commute, mutilate, or alter the law; that the will of the lawgiver is the all-sufficient reason for a most scrupulous compliance with his law; that there are no accidental parts in such law; that it is at our peril we remain ignorant of God's positive law; that a strict compliance with his law is a part of that holiness without which no man can see the Lord. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart" is a moral command, and at once commends itself to the head and heart of all reasoning creatures. "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" is another, the importance of which cannot be easily exaggerated. All classes and conditions of people need only to hear the declarations of the decalogue to cause them in their hearts to admit their rightfulness. I would not be understood as saying that readiness of apprehension as to its rightfulness constitutes a necessary part of moral law. All moral laws are not equally patent. The reason for the enactment of a positive law we may never know, and yet our duty is as imperative as though we understood all about it. Positive law is God asserting his sovereignty, demanding obedience to his will; obedience is seen, not in reasoning about the command, but in doing whatever it enjoins. God has in every age enacted positive laws, and has always demanded prompt and explicit obedience to them. Nor is this habit, so to speak of God, confined to religious institutions of his appointment, but it is as evident in physics as in religion. But we have to do now with positive law in its relation to the worship we are to render to God our Creator. We examine, first, the positive laws of the Old Testament, and the punishments inflicted upon those who violated them. The first law laid down was that given to Adam and Eve, in the garden of Eden: "Of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." This was a positive law. It was violated—the result was sin and suffering, disease and death. Lot was ordered to flee from Sodom. "Look not behind thee;" this was the command. What harm in looking back? Why look forward altogether? Solicitude for their children might have induced the backward look. But the command was plain and express. Lot's wife did look back, and became a pillar of salt. And Jesus says to us, "Remember Lot's wife!" Circumcision was nothing more than a ceremony. Yet it almost cost Moses his life for neglecting to circumcise his son; for the Lord stood ready to slay him with the sword if his wife had not prevented by a ready compliance with the law. Under the Mosaic law God commanded the people to offer the daily burnt offering. The color of the beast was in this case a mere circumstance such as God laid no stress upon. But for the heifer whose ashes were to make the water of separation, there the color was by divine command a substantial part of the service. To be red was as much as to be an heifer, and to substitute a white heifer, or a red bullock, was to disobey God, to be guilty of will worship. Had any Jew dared to say, "What difference as to color, the heifer is the thing; I am indulging the freer spirit, for bursting off Levitical buttons, and giving according to the law of self pleasing, do you not suppose in that case the sad fate of Nadab and Abihu would have been his?" Saul, king of Israel, was commanded to exterminate the Amalekites—not to spare man, woman, child, cattle, sheep, or anything of Amalek's—yet he did spare Agag, the king, and the best of the sheep and oxen. "The evil and the refuse he destroyed utterly." Coming from the battle he met the prophet Samuel, and exclaimed, "Blessed be thou of the Lord, I have performed the commandment of the Lord." Samuel replied, "What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of oxen which I hear?" Saul replies, "I have spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice unto the Lord." The king pleads his piety as his excuse for not obeying God's command. He had the "freer spirit;" he worked upon "the broad gauge," so lauded nowadays. He thought exact obedience of but little moment, so the intent, the spirit, was right. But listen to Samuel's reply: "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offering and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken, than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king." It would be wrong in enumerating the instances in which God has shown his jealous care of his positive law, not to mention the fate of Uzzah. God had ordained that the sons of Kohath should bear the ark of the covenant wherever it was moved, upon their shoulders. David, in removing the ark from Kirjath-Jearim, put it upon a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio drove; and as the oxen moved along, they stumbled and the ark was in danger of being thrown to the ground; Uzzah put forth his hand to steady it—and for his rashness God struck him dead. Here we have great carefulness in steadying the ark, but great carelessness in obeying the divine command. Other instances might be adduced showing the same carefulness upon the part of God in preserving his law, and in punishing those who under the old regime violated the law.—C. C. Chaplin, in Christian Repository. Wisdom to Keep the Law
By H. Clay Trumbull
"Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding. . . . that thou mayest keep the law of the Lord." It requires a good deal of wisdom to know enough to do as the Lord has told us to do; to keep the law of the Lord, after we know what that law is. It requires large understanding, as well as strong faith, to perceive that it is always safe, and always best, to do right. Most of us know just enough to suppose that our way, the way of our longing or of our temptation, is a better way than the Lord's way; and most of us are resting on our own wisdom just because we don't know enough to know what fools we are. Lord, make that truth clear to us, and we shall be in a good state to begin to do better!—H. Clay Trumbull. The Peace of the Humble Man
The humble man, though surrounded with the scorn and reproach of the world, is still in peace, for the stability of his peace resteth not upon the world, but upon God. The needle of the compass will not settle until it points toward the pole star, and so the soul can find no lasting peace until it turns with full purpose of faith to Christ. The Sabbath-School.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
LESSON FOR THE PACIFIC COAST—JAN. 17.
Punishment of the Wicked.
- How many classes of people does the Bible recognize as existing in the world? Matt. 13:24, 25.
- What are these classes? Verse 38.
- How long do they remain mingled together? Verses 28-30.
- When is the harvest? Verse 39.
- Is there any class between these two? Matt. 12:30.
- Can one be in both these classes at the same time? Matt. 6:24.
- When will the separation between the two classes be made? Matt. 25:31-33.
- Briefly describe the character of the two classes? Verses 34-45.
- What will finally become of them both? Verse 46.
- When it is said that the righteous shall go into "life eternal," what is meant? Luke 20:35, 36.
- Define the words "everlasting" and "eternal."
- How much difference in duration will there be between the reward of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked? Matt. 25:46.
- What is to be the punishment of the wicked? Rom. 6:23.
- Since their punishment is to be everlasting, or eternal, what can you say of the death which is the wages of sin?
- What is said of the punishment of those who do not obey the gospel? 2 Thess. 1:7-9.
- From whom does the apostle say the everlasting destruction comes?
- What is it that comes from God and destroys the wicked? Rev. 20:9.
- Will any wicked person escape the wrath of God? Nahum 1:3.
- How many of earth's inhabitants have never sinned? Rom. 10:23.
- Then how will it be possible for anybody to escape eternal death? 1 John 1:7.
THERE are innumerable classes of people in this world, according to human reckoning, but according to God's standard—the Bible—there are only two. These are the righteous and the wicked. God made man upright, and designed that he should remain so; but the enemy came in and marred the handywork of the Creator. Since the fall of Adam there has not been a time when there have not been wicked persons on the earth. Indeed, so great has been the contamination that there has been no man since that time who was not to a greater or less extent a sinner. It is evident, then, that if at that time the tares—the wicked of earth—had been plucked up, there would have been no wheat left. Both are to grow together until the harvest—the end of the world. Then a separation will be made by the only one who is able to distinguish between the good grain and the worthless matter. FROM these facts two things are evident. 1. There are only the two classes. There is no middle ground. Christ said: "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." Matt. 12:30. There is no provision made for people who are "as good as the average." To be only as good as the average of mankind, is to be very bad. The standard is—good. Anything different from that is bad. 2. None receive their reward until the Lord comes. In the end of the world—the harvest—the Master sends forth his angels, and they "sever the wicked from among the just." The farmer does not reap one portion of his wheat-field in the spring, another in midsummer, and still another in the fall. There is a special harvest-time, and then all his grain is reaped. So the Lord has not been all the time gathering from his field that he has sown, but has "appointed a day in the which he will judge the world." "The harvest is the end of the world," not the beginning, middle, and end. FROM Matt. 25:34-45 we learn that the Lord weighs not only actions but intentions. Those to whom the king says, "Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom," etc., have not an exalted opinion of their merit. They have had such exalted ideas of right that their humble deeds seem as nothing in comparison. But love to Christ is the mainspring of all their action, and that glorifies every deed however small. Christ identifies himself with his people so closely that whatever is done to them is accounted as done directly to him. On the other hand, we learn that no act, however worthy in itself, is of any value in the sight of God unless done for love to Christ. The heathen did many good things. Their philosophers taught what they called "virtue," some things in which were really good. But all their boasted virtue was only for the exaltation of self. Selfishness was the motive that prompted all their deeds; and since a fountain cannot send forth at the same time both sweet water and bitter, neither can good come from evil, it follows that even their seeming good deeds were really evil. On this same basis, whatever is done "in order that we may have eternal life," with the idea that good deeds are going to make one worthy of the reward, is all in vain. Love must be the ruling motive. If we serve God because of gratitude to him for his love that has already been manifested to us, his love will be still further manifested in giving us eternal life. His love will always be as much greater than ours as he is greater than we; consequently the utmost efforts that our love can prompt will fall infinitely short of compensating for his benefits to us. "AND these [the wicked] shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal." Matt. 25:46. The words "eternal" and "everlasting" are from the same word in the original, and mean the same. We know that in this case they mean "without end," for Christ tells us that those who obtain that world, cannot die any more (Luke 20:35, 36); hence eternal life means life without end. Then eternal or everlasting punishment means punishment without end. This will be the fate of the wicked. But mark; this verse does not tell the nature of the punishment; it only tells us that the punishment will be inflicted, and that it will last eternally. Rom. 6:23 tells us what the punishment is to be: "The wages of sin is death." Then Matt. 25:46 might very properly be paraphrased thus: "And these—wicked—shall go away into eternal death; but the righteous into eternal life." This is exactly what the text teaches. In harmony with this Paul says of those who know not God, and do not obey the gospel, that they "shall be punished with everlasting destruction." This cannot be the case if they are never destroyed. The agent of this destruction is to be fire, which is to come "from the presence of the Lord." See 2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 20:9. "THE Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked." Nahum 1:3. No guilty person can escape the wrath of God. How then can anybody escape eternal death, since "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"? Only by having their guilt taken away by the blood of the Lamb of God. If we do not come to Christ, we can never have life; but if he is "made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification," he will also be unto us "redemption." IT was a very pretty reply made by a little girl, to the statement that our Saviour was never seen to smile: "Didn't he say, 'Suffer little children to come unto me?' and they would not have come unless he had smiled." NOTES ON THE INTERNATIONAL LESSON.
By Alonzo T. Jones
"TAKE heed therefore unto yourselves." This is the first duty that is presented in the Scriptures, for the consideration of those who are placed in authority in the church. And here in his final charge to the elders of the church at Ephesus Paul does not fail to set it before them. You, elders, are the guides, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves." Jesus said: "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Those will not be called great in the kingdom of heaven who teach the commandments but do not do them. It is only those who do and teach them that shall be called great there. For it is only those who do them, whose teaching will be of any avail. IT is so likewise with the elders of the churches. They are to be "ensamples to the flock;" they "must be blameless, sober, of good behavior," &c. 1 Tim. 3:1, 2. He who will fulfill those scriptures which are given for the special guidance of the elders must take heed unto himself. So Paul again in writing, to Timothy says: "Take heed unto thyself and to the doctrine." One of the qualifications of an elder is that he shall be "apt to teach," and that he shall hold "fast the faithful word, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers." Titus 1:9. Yet before any of these, comes the duty, "take heed unto thyself." Then take heed unto the doctrine; "for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee." 1 Tim. 4:16. The office of a bishop (elder) is indeed "a good work," and he who will fulfill its obligations will thereby be a good man. And to fulfill those obligations he needs to study diligently the chart laid down in Timothy, Titus, and 1 Peter 5. "TAKE heed to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers." Watching for souls as they that "must give account." Heb. 13:17. Taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind, being ensamples to the flock. "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." 1 Peter 5:2-4. To "FEED the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." "Feed the flock of God." "Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds: Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? . . . The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd; and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill; yea my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them." Eze. 34:2-6. "He that entereth in by the door [Christ is the door. John 10:9] is the shepherd of the sheep, . . . and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him; for they know his voice." John 10:2-4. Feed the7 flock of God. "FOR I know this that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock." From Paul's first letter to Timothy it seems that these grievous wolves were the Judaizing teachers, who made a great merit of long genealogies (1 Tim. 1:3, 4), and pretended to be apostles (Rev. 2:2). These were the greatest enemies of the church all through the apostolic age, at Ephesus and almost everywhere else, even following Paul from one place to another, stirring up the people against him, and making the brethren evil affected toward him. And it was only a manifestation of his faithfulness to the church when he gave this warning and charge to the elders; and afterward he left Timothy there specially to guard the church against these evil influences as well as against the other class mentioned. "ALSO of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them." Hymeneus and Alexander, mentioned in 1 Tim. 1:20, were of these, and made "shipwreck of faith," and went so far as to "blaspheme," and had to be delivered unto Satan. Hymeneus is again named in 2 Tim. 2:17, and with him another, Philetus, who had so far erred from the truth as to say that the resurrection was past already; and these were thus trying to "overthrow the faith of some." Another one, Diotrephes, loved to have the "pre-eminence among them." So much so, in fact, as to refuse to receive John, the beloved disciple, "prating" against him with malicious words; and not content with that he would not receive any of the ministering brethren, and still more, forbade others who were willing to entertain them, and if any did receive them he cast them out of the church. 3 John 9, 10. He not only would draw away disciples after him, but he was not willing that anybody but himself should have any disciples. REMEMBER the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." It is true. How many believe it. Temperance.
By Dr. Holland
THERE is, probably, no hallucination so obstinate as that which attributes to alcoholic drink a certain virtue which it never possessed. After all the influences of the pulpit and the press, after all the warning examples of drunkenness and consequent destruction, after all the testimony of experience and science, there lingers in the average mind an impression that there is something good in alcohol, even for the healthy man. Boys and young men do not shun the wine cup, as a poisoner of blood and thought, and the most dangerous drug that they can possibly handle; but they have an idea that the temperance man is a fogy, or foe to a free, social life, whose practices are ascetic, and whose warnings are to be laughed at and disregarded. Now, in alcohol in its various forms, we have a foe to the human race so subtle and so powerful that it destroys human beings by the million, vitiates all the processes of those who indulge in it, degrades morals, induces pauperism and crime in the superlative degree when compared with other causes, and corrupts the homes of millions. It is a cruel thing to send a boy out into the world untaught that alcohol in any form is fire, and will certainly burn him if he puts it into his stomach. It is a cruel thing to educate a boy in such a way that he has no adequate idea of the dangers that beset his path. It is a mean thing to send a boy out to take his place in society without understanding the relations of temperance to his own safety and prosperity, and to the safety and prosperity of society. What we want in our schools is to do away with the force of a pernicious example and a long-cherished error, by making the children thoroughly intelligent on this subject of alcohol. They should be taught the effect of alcohol upon the processes of animal life. 1. They should be taught that it can add nothing whatever to the vital tissues, that it does not enter into the elements of structure, and in the healthy organism, it is always a burden or disturbing force. 2. They should be taught that it invariably disturbs the operations of the brain, and that the mind can get nothing that is to be relied upon. 3. They should be taught that alcohol inflames the baser passions, blunts the sensibilities, and debases the feelings. 4. They should be taught that the appetite for drink is certainly developed by those who use it, which is dangerous to life, destructive to health of body and peace of mind, and in millions of instances ruinous to fortune and to all the high interests of the soul. 5. They should be taught that the crime and pauperism of society flow as naturally from alcohol as any effect whatever naturally flows from its competent cause. 6. They should be taught that drink is the responsible cause of most of the poverty and want of the world. So long as six hundred million dollars are annually spent for drink in this country, every ounce of which was made by the destruction of bread, and not one ounce of which has ever entered into the sum of national wealth, having nothing to show for its cost but destroyed stomachs, degraded homes, destroyed industry, increased pauperism, and aggravated crime, these boys should understand the facts and be able to act upon them in their first responsible conduct. The national wealth goes into the ground. If we could only manage to bury it without having it pass thitherward in the form of a poisonous fluid through the inflamed bodies of our neighbors and friends, happy should we be. But this great, abominable curse dominates the world. The tramp reminds us of it as he begs for a night's lodging. The widow and the fatherless tell us of it as they ask for bread. It scowls upon us from hovels and haunts of the poor everywhere. Even the clean, hard-working man of prosperity cannot enjoy his earnings, because the world is full of misery from drink. The more thoroughly we can instruct the young concerning this dominating evil of our time, the better will it be for them and for the world.—Dr. Holland. Who Support the Grog-Shops?
In a recent address at a temperance meeting in Brooklyn, a speaker said what it would be well for Christians to think about: "It is Christian people who support the grog-shops. Eighty-seven per cent. of all liquor holes in Brooklyn are owned by people who profess to love God and to believe the gospel. I will also say that eighty-seven per cent. of the property in New York City used for the sale of rum and other abominations is owned by professed Christians and church members. It is all well enough to blame the politicians for the success of the rum traffic, but the politicians are what the people make them, and rum will never be put down so long as Christian people vote with the rum-seller.—Exchange. ONCE upon a time a hog drank from a trough into which a barrel of beer had been emptied. He became very much intoxicated. When he came to himself, he was very much ashamed of his conduct. He was truly penitent and said to his friends, "I have always been a beast until this unlucky slip, and I promise you I'll never make a man of myself again." It Doesn't Pay.
By Christian Secretary
It doesn't pay to hang one citizen because another citizen sells him liquor. It doesn't pay to have one citizen in the county jail because another citizen sells him liquor. It doesn't pay to have one citizen in the lunatic asylum, because another citizen sold him liquor. It doesn't pay to have fifty workmen ragged, to have one saloon-keeper dressed in broadcloth, and flush with money. It doesn't pay to have ten smart, active, intelligent boys transformed into thieves, to enable one man to lead an easy life by selling them liquor. It doesn't pay to have fifty workingmen and their families live on bone soup and half rations, in order that one saloon-keeper may flourish on roast turkey and champagne. It doesn't pay to have one thousand homes blasted, ruined, defiled, and turned into a hell of discord and misery, in order that one wholesale liquor dealer may amass a large fortune. It doesn't pay to give one man, for $15.00 a quarter, a license to sell liquor, and then spend $5,000 on the trial of another man for buying that liquor and committing murder under its influences.—Christian Secretary. Intoxicants in Germany.
By Independent
NOTWITHSTANDING all statements to the contrary, the extensive use of intoxicating drinks is doing Germany an immense harm. The temperance problem is there, too, becoming a "burning" question, which is being widely discussed by theological, medical, and social journals. A medical periodical of high reputation recently gave statistics that tell their own tale. It says that in Germany no less than 10,000 people die of delirium tremens every year; of the male prisoners in the country, over 75 per cent. are constant drinkers; of the female prisoners, over 50 per cent. indulge constantly. In Berlin, with its 1,123,000 inhabitants, there are 11,169 saloons, while in 1860 there were but 3,637; in 1870, 5,393; in 1877, 7,969. In Prussia the number of saloons increased 67 per cent. from 1869 to 1877; in Mecklenburg, 95 per cent.; in the smaller States, 109 per cent.; in Weimar, 126 per cent.—Independent. HIGHWAYMAN VS. RUM-SELLERS.
A noted temperance lecturer once stated in a public meeting that the rum-seller was a greater enemy of mankind than the highwayman. Upon this being denied, he proved it before a large audience by having two pictures painted on canvas. He said: "Ladies and gentlemen, the first picture is that of a highwayman, who presents his pistol and demands your money or your life; the other is that of a rum-seller passing the glass to his victim, and receiving his money and his life. Nay more, he also demands his reputation, character, and happiness."—Sel. The Perils of Beer Drinking
THE extraordinary peril to which a beer drinker is subject, is evinced in the death of W. J. Flynn, of Chicago, from a slight bruise, and now we find published the following: "Men working about breweries, drinking beer constantly, dare not so much as to scratch their hands or bruise their limbs for fear of lockjaw or amputation in either case. Some of the large brewers in the East and West do not indulge in beer." This all speaks of poisoned blood.—Sel. Intemperance in Public Office
By Thomas Jefferson
THE habit of intemperance by men in office has occasioned more injury to the public, and more trouble to me, than all other causes; and, were I to commence my administration again, the first question I would ask respecting a candidate for office would be, "Does he use ardent spirits?"—Thomas Jefferson.