Earlier text: THE BOOK OF BOOKS"If the Foundations Be Destroyed, What Can the Righteous Do?"
By Francis M. Wilcox
THE world is filled to-day with the spirit of unrest. Particularly in the religious world and in the channels of religious thought and investigation, there is a breaking away from old positions and standards, and the creation of new ideals. This spirit of study and investigation is commendable in so far as it keeps within the limitations of sound logic and does not become wise above that which is written. When, however, the very foundations of Christian faith are assailed, and the great standard for testing truth is discounted, and men are left to their own vain imaginings, the result is that false philosophy and idle speculation are substituted for the vital truth of God. Error takes the place of truth, and men walk in the sparks of their own kindling rather than in the guiding light of divine revelation. This is the marked tendency of the world around us. We need to guard ourselves that this spirit does not in some measure come into our experience. There is danger that while we deplore the assaults of higher criticism upon the Scriptures of Truth, unconsciously the same spirit will affect in some degree our study of the Scriptures and our interpretation of Bible doctrine. The truth of God never loses anything by honest investigation. Every position of truth will be fortified and strengthened by faithful, conscientious study. The spirit, however, which we bring to the study of the Bible oftentimes determines in our own estimation the worth of evidence. It is one thing to study a recognized and established position with a view to strengthening the same, and quite another thing to study the subject with the view of undermining and weakening the position that has been held. There is a wide range in the prophecy of the Scriptures. There are many coincidences in history. Before we decide to reject an old interpretation and substitute therefor a new one, let us be sure that we have studied the question so deeply and broadly, and that the preponderance of evidence is so great on the side of the new view, that we are justified in making the change. We confidently believe that the great fundamental principles of truth upon which this message is based, and upon which this cause has been built up, are impregnable. They were developed not as a result of speculation, but of long and faithful Bible study and earnest pleading with God for light and leading. The pioneers in this message were fallible men. They had access to no resources of wisdom or power which are denied to us. They, as are we, were compassed about with human limitations. But they were men of prayer and faith and Bible knowledge; and because of this, they found in the Scriptures of Truth a great system of symmetrical doctrine. This system we accept to-day not because of the wisdom or piety of the instruments whom God used in its development, but because it has its foundation in the Word of the living God. It was in this manner that the Thessalonians received the message of Paul, not because it came from Paul, even though he stood as the great apostle of the Gentile world. He says in 1 Thess. 2:13: "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." We, as did the apostles, as did the fathers in this message, have the same access to the great mine of truth. If we have accepted the faith of the fathers for the fathers' sake, and have failed to find for that faith authority in the Scriptures of Truth as they found it, it will be no wonder if we are shaken loose from our anchorage and find ourselves adrift, the prey of every fanciful theory. But if we have accepted truth for truth's sake, and because we ourselves see it as the word of God and not as the opinion of man, we shall not be easily moved from our moorings, nor turned aside to false interpretations. Strange it would now seem if further study on our part made it appear necessary for us to change our past bases of reckoning, readjusting prophetic periods, and receding from positions which in the past we have deemed as impregnable as Gibraltar. This we believe will never become necessary in the history of this movement, for the reason that this message has for its authority the Scriptures of Truth, and not the theories of men. This is not saying that we have by any means reached the end of investigation or the fulness of gospel light, nor does it say that our position upon every detail of truth has been correct. Whenever it is demonstrated that we are in error, we should change our way, not unwillingly but gladly, because error, however hoary-headed or honored and revered, must never take the place of the truth of God. We need a conservatism that will not reject the new if it is demonstrated to be truth, and a progressiveness that shall not discount the old because it is old. But we have that confidence in this message and this movement, and in the great principles of truth by which this people have been developed, that we believe further investigation will only serve to strengthen the vital positions of the past, and that new rays of light and new details of truth which may be developed will naturally take their place as a part of the setting in the great truths which have been enunciated, and will serve to strengthen our faith in the positions that are already held. We have reached, as has been stated, a period of great unrest in the religious world. Idle speculation abounds. Specious theories are proclaimed on every side. We ourselves will be tempted by the great perverter of truth to wander8 off into side issues, and unduly magnify unimportant details. We shall need in the times before us great wisdom. We shall need to keep sober judgment, humble hearts, and teachable spirits, guarding against mistaking emotion or impulse for the leading of the Spirit. It is the study of a lifetime to know not only what is truth, but how to present truth in the spirit of the Master, and place the emphasis where God would place it. We may differ on many details of interpretation. Wherein we do, let us maintain a kindly spirit. Let us love as brethren, being pitiful and courteous, not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, but contrariwise blessing; and let us above all else be careful that we are not tempted to turn from the beaten track, from the old paths, till we are sure of their dangerous trend, and in a new and better way can see the trail blazed out plainly before us. Let us make the great principles of God's everlasting truth our anchor, and refuse to be moved from them by the logic of human reasoning unattested by unequivocal Scriptural statement or plain historical fact. This is our only safety in the days before us. "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Ps. 11:3. To no people in the world was there ever committed a greater responsibility than rests upon Seventh-day Adventists. We are made the conservators of solemn and important truth. We are a part of a great religious movement which is extending to all the world. Weighty and perplexing problems confront us. We have to deal with large questions of finance, of plan, of policy. The various boards and committees of our conferences and institutions are perplexed at times beyond measure to know what to do to meet the growing demand of the work and the exigencies and emergencies that continually arise. We spend much time in counsel and discussion, but O, how little time comparatively do we spend in prayer! We need to plan. We need to think and to think hard over the questions with which we have to deal; but O, let us not plan without divine guidance! If half the time we spend in idle talk and theorizing were spent in the study of God's Word and earnest supplication, the results attained would amply justify the employment of these means in our work. We need in our work to pray more and talk less. We need to place less dependence upon human reasoning, and reach out after the wisdom that comes from above. The guidance of the Holy Spirit is worth more than any human philosophy. A few moments spent in earnest supplication will accomplish more than any human devising. "The Love of Christ Constraineth Us"
By William A. Spicer
As I talked with Sister F. A. Stahl of her work among the Indians of the Lake Titicaca mission, in Peru, it seemed to me I caught in an incident or two the secret of success in winning the hearts of those women and children of the Andean plateau. She loves them, and her heart goes out to them in a warm affection that melts down every barrier. From notes made as I asked her for incidents of mission life, I may give a few illustrative experiences. "As I was riding horseback along the road," said Sister Stahl, speaking of the first days of the mission, "I would see two or three women coming. I was so glad; for I wanted to meet them and to speak to them. But as I drew near, they went out of the road and into the fields, and took a round-about path to get round me and back into the road, so as to avoid meeting me. I felt so bad, for I wanted to get to them. One day a woman whom I was meeting just hurried away. I had to cry, I felt so disappointed. "I asked Brother Camacho what the trouble was. He said, 'The priest teaches these people that they must never meet you, or they will have bad luck.' 'But,' he said, 'never mind, they will soon be sick, and will need you.'" "And so we have found it. As soon as we began to help some who were in trouble, their prejudice gave way, and now they are always glad to have us notice them." Again, Sister Stahl told me of a call that came to her to visit a sick family in a distant village. When she got there, she found the mother sick, and the children sick, all lying about on the ground in the little mud hut. Things were in a wretched condition. "It was so terrible and so pitiful," Sister Stahl said, "that I just had to sit down and cry before I could begin to do anything." The loving sympathy for souls in darkness that brought those tears is the power that has melted down barriers and enabled our sister to win the confidence and the love of the people among whom she labors. To weep with those who weep and to rejoice with those who rejoice is the divine gift to the missionary that comes with the shedding abroad of the love of Christ in the heart through the Holy Spirit. No Substitute for the Gospel
By C. M. S.
THE evil conditions that exist in this world are the fruit of sin. So long as that evil tree exists in the world, it will bear its fruit. Those conditions can not be eradicated by law. Their eradication depends upon the eradication of sin from human hearts. We do not put an end to the production of fruit by plucking it off the branches of the tree that bears it. The tree will keep on bearing until it is uprooted. Now the socialist and the National Reformer propose to drive out sin and bring in the kingdom of righteousness in this world by enacting laws to change conditions. It can not be done. The conditions are results of sin. Men do not eradicate malaria from a community by giving quinin to persons suffering from that disease. They eradicate the mosquitoes, and the malaria, which is the fruit of the mosquitoes' activity, vanishes with surprising suddenness. When the cause is removed, the result goes with it. Characters are not formed, souls are not born into the kingdom of righteousness, by any process of legislation whatever. He whose Christianity depends upon a favorable environment, will awake one day to the fearful reality that his Christianity was a sham, a counterfeit; that he had no Christianity, and that the foundation of his hope and trust was built on quicksand. Daniel, whose faith and trust and loyalty and fortitude the world will never cease to admire, was a true child of God in spite of the most adverse environment. There is nothing to admire in the man who is good because he has no opportunity to be bad; who acts like a Christian because every occasion for acting otherwise has been removed. Others would never be moved to sing his praise for doing as he did, when they know that he would have done very differently if he could. We admire a Joseph, true to his God under temptation and false accusation; we admire the three Hebrews who were willing to go to their death in the sevenfold-heated furnace if that must be, but unwilling to yield principle as the price of life; and how we admire and how we love Him who, though tempted in all points like as we are, yet rose above that most unpromising and unfavorable environment, and "did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." Such characters are the precious stones of the palace of the King, the jewels of divine grace, the pearls that shine with brighter luster because of the friction of their hard and rough environments. The National Reformer, the church federationist, and the socialist propose to create more promising environments for the people of this world so that better Christians may be produced, forgetful of the fact that spiritual strength as well as physical strength comes only as a result of vigorous contest against the power or force that opposes. We have no brilliant record of Christian character save where we see it contending against the adversary in some unpromising environment. The cases mentioned are examples in this particular. The Saviour's warning and admonition to his followers indicate beyond question that he did not expect his followers to be in any sense or to any degree the creatures of environment. He said: "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." And the apostle declares that Christ left us an example that we should walk "even as he walked." We are to expect tribulation if we are children of God; and tribulation enters very materially into our environment. But "be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." That means that the Christian must rise above "the world," above environment; that he must not yield to it; that if he finally goes down in defeat, the excuse of environment will not avail him. In conquering environment for himself, our Lord conquered it for every soul that will trust in his keeping power. If it be true that environment is responsible for sin, then Satan goes free as sin's originator, and the blame rests upon heaven itself; for was not Satan in heaven, surrounded by the environment of heaven, when he conceived the ugly monster of wickedness that disrupted heaven and filled the world with graves? If sin was conceived in heaven, with such an environment as that which there existed, what reason have we to suppose that by altering men's environment9 in this world, we shall put an end to sin? The germ of sin infests the human heart, and nothing but true heart conversion, no power but the power of God in the life, can overcome that disease and set men free from the power of sin. That is the purpose of the gospel in the world, and there never can be a substitute for it. Human laws to change men's environment will never accomplish the work. "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation." Sin will be in the world, and the struggle of the faithful children of God against it will be going on, until the day when the Son of man shall come to reward his saints and put an end to sin and sinners. There is only one escape from the power of that thralldom, and that is through complete surrender of the heart to God. Then comes true that wonderful paradox that by surrendering we become conquerors,—"conquerors through him that loved us," over all that had conspired for our ruin. And that work is an individual work. No man can do it for another. The mass can not do it for the individual, nor the individual for the mass. Every heart is a citadel; and God will not force its walls. He enters and conquers by love alone. We may know, therefore, that any system built up on the idea of saving society independent of the individual, is a system not born of heaven, and not commissioned of heaven to do its work. The hope of the race does not rest in changing the environment of the people so that it will be easy to do good and hard to do evil. It does not rest in human legislation to compel conformity to the customs, practises, and rituals of the church, but in individual submission to a personal Saviour. There is no substitute for the gospel. Let Us Pull in Even Lines
By Francis M. Wilcox
WE need to pull together. Christian unity is essential to success in organized Christian work. We need as well to pull in even lines. Only by preserving an even balance, by the exercise of sanctified common sense, can we be kept from extremes. The human mind, left to itself, follows the pendulous extremes of caprice and passion, of impulse and excitement. Thousands are adrift on the great sea of human thought and philosophy without rudder or sail, the prey of every wind, the sport of every wave. Unless these can recover their chart and compass, a new hold upon God, and a new faith in his Word, they are doomed to inevitable wreck on the shoals and rocks of human reasoning. Many important principles are brought to view in the Scriptures of Truth which constitute the basis of our faith as a people. This denominational movement is made up of many important lines of work. It is not wise for us to neglect or ignore any feature of the movement. It is not wise for us to press to the front one doctrine or one department to the neglect or disparagement of others. We should preach Christ as the only source of righteousness, and faith in him as the only condition of salvation; we should stand stiffly for the defense of the downtrodden Sabbath of Jehovah; we should carry in the forefront of our advance the message of the soon coming of the Lord; we should present the ministry of our great High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary; we should advocate the principles of religious liberty, and sound the warning against the beast and the formation of the image to the beast; we should advocate earnestly and consistently the principles of Christian temperance and healthful living; we should warn our fellows against the great deception of Spiritualism; we should show the place of the work of the spirit of prophecy in this movement; we should teach the Bible method for the support of the ministry, and other cardinal doctrines composing the system of truth comprehended in the third angel's message,—all this we should do earnestly, faithfully, considerately, and wisely, giving each truth its proper setting and relative importance. We need in our work as a church to pull in even lines. If we would have a well-balanced, well-planned work, every department must receive its due share of attention and fostering care. We must be considerate in seeking to restrain the impulsive, patient in seeking to quicken the pace of the slow and conservative. The writer well remembers two horses which he drove in his youthful days. One was quick and fiery, ready to respond to the slightest impulse. The other was slow and plodding. It required constant watchfulness and steady reining to lead them to pull in even lines. It is only as the members of the church of God are governed and controlled by his Holy Spirit, and held in by the bonds of Christian unity and love, that they will be able to labor together as brethren, and their natures be blended into harmonious working. Naturally froward, as is the human heart, it is possible through the operation of divine grace for the church of Christ to be one in faith and one in service. Let us pray constantly that God may give us sound minds, well-balanced judgment, good common sense, and the tempering of his Holy Spirit, in the work that we are seeking to carry forward for him. Let us seek to form in our Christian lives well-balanced, well-rounded experiences, and in carrying forward the work of God pull together and pull in even lines. F. M. W. The Nature and Disposition of the Tithe
By W. T. Knox
"AND all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord." Lev. 27:30. "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day." Isa. 58:13. In these scriptures, the Lord speaks in similar terms of the tithe and the Sabbath. He speaks of both as being peculiarly his own, and of both as being holy. The seventh day has been by God reserved from the weekly cycle and set apart to a sacred use, the remaining six days being allotted to man's use, under, of course, the limitations of God's government. So likewise the tithe has been reserved by the Lord from all the increase or substance he places in man's hands, and has been set apart by him for a sacred use, the remaining nine tenths being at man's disposal, also, of course, under the limitations of God's government. Some additional idea concerning the sacred character of the tithe is obtained from Num. 18:24, 7-11, where the tithe is designated as a heave-offering belonging to the service of the altar, so sacred that it was to be handled only by the priests, with the warning that if touched by others, they were to be put to death. Having thus reserved to himself the tithe, and sanctified it, we read in Num. 18:21 the disposition the Lord made of it: "And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation." The reader will not fail to note that when God called this nation into existence, and instructed them concerning their relationship to him, and the service required of them, he did not find it necessary under these new conditions to inaugurate some new plan to support his sanctuary service. Instead, he took something that had from the beginning been required by him,—the tithe,—and for the time being transferred it from the Melchizedek priesthood, which in the days before Israel had been its recipient, to the Levitical priesthood. There was no additional obligation placed upon his people; they were instructed only as to its disposition. It was to be placed with the Aaronic instead of the Melchizedek priesthood. This was to be devoted to the priests in lieu of an inheritance among their10 brethren, and for the service they rendered to the tribes. According to instruction given through Moses, the tithe was to be used only for the benefit of the Levite. It was to be handled only by men selected from the priests and Levites that were counted faithful. Neh. 13:13; 2 Chron. 31:12, 13. Disobedience to this instruction called for the penalty of death. Num. 18:24, 7-11. The entire teaching of the Bible on the subject makes it evident that to the individual there was left no discretion concerning this subject, either as to its use or as to the individual to be benefited by it, nor yet as to the place where it was to be paid. Deut. 12:11. It was to be brought to Jerusalem, where the Lord had placed his name, and delivered into the hands of the treasurers appointed from among the priests and Levites, and by them it was to be distributed to their brethren according to their needs. Neh. 13:13. In this manner the tithe was protected from the demands of selfish men, and being in charge of men that "were counted faithful," the people had confidence to bring to them their substance, knowing that a correct use would be made of it. A proper appreciation of the tithing system is dependent upon the recognition of the fact that the tithe is the Lord's absolutely, and that over that one tenth he has never surrendered control, and therefore that to God, the only owner, belongs the right to dispose of it. This responsibility can not be assumed by the individual to any degree and Bible tithe paying be preserved. It is true there is a second and a third tithe spoken of in Deut. 14:22-29, over which the individual had some control. The cited scriptures make evident the nature and use of these tithes. They could be used to defray the expense of attending the yearly gatherings at Jerusalem, in making offerings to the Lord, in caring for the poor, in ministering to the Levite, or to any other object desired. One tithe was to be consumed at Jerusalem, the other at home, but the tithe was to be delivered to the priest for its devoted use, thus furnishing a sure and definite support for the priests of God. In the second and the third tithe is seen the simple yet very effective method devised by the Lord to enable Israel at all times to respond to the calls from the poor, to attend the feasts at Jerusalem, and to render free-will offerings to the Lord. The mistaken idea prevails with some that Lev. 27:31 grants to the individual the right to borrow or temporarily use the tithe, by the payment of interest at the rate of one fifth the amount thus borrowed or used for personal purposes. A little consideration will show this to be a mistaken conclusion. The scripture reads, "And if a man will at all redeem aught of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof." To redeem means to buy back, and has no significance of borrowing. In early days the tithe was paid in kind,—a tenth part of the cattle or sheep,—each tenth animal that passed under the rod, be it good or bad, the tenth part of the fruit of the field. The people were not permitted to substitute an inferior for a superior animal upon which the rod had fallen, but if they desired, for any reason, to redeem such as belonged to the Lord, its value was to be determined, and one fifth added thereto. Thus by this arrangement the Lord again impressed upon his people the sacredness of the tithe. As well might we plan to borrow for our own use the time made holy by God, as to borrow that portion of our substance made holy by him. Note and Comment
By Editor
THE New York Weekly Witness bears sensible testimony as to the enactment of legislation by the method of tacking some measure onto annual appropriation bills, thus making them a part of a bill which must be passed, when on their own merits they would be unlikely to command serious consideration. We quote:— During the present session of Congress there have been conspicuous instances of a vicious legislative practise which ought to be made impossible, if not by constitutional prohibition at least by the creation of a wholesome tradition in condemnation. Reference is made to the mischievous "tacking" of original legislation to appropriation and other bills with which the subject-matter of such legislation has no legitimate connection. The motive for the practise is sufficiently obvious, and the practise is not confined to one party nor to recent times nor even to our own country. There are certain great measures the passage of which is compulsory upon Congress, as, for example, the annual supply bills; and the temptation to carry through various projects under the cover and by means of the urgency and prestige of the greater measures has been too great for legislators to resist. The practise is most commonly employed in behalf of measures which by themselves, as independent legislative projects, would have small chance of passage, because of their triviality, or because of the popular opposition they would be certain to arouse, or because of the prospect of an executive veto. Many projects slip through in this way because the executive is unwilling to risk the greater convenience for the minor defect, and the custom has grown and waxed strong until it has reached the proportions almost of a national scandal. It was by that unwise method that the closing of post-offices on Sunday was effected. It was made a rider on the Post-office Appropriation Bill, and became a law when that became a law. As a separate bill there is serious doubt as to its enactment. American Influence in the Balkans
By Editor
THE influence of the United States as a factor for freedom has been felt in all the nations. Dr. Dameff, president of the Bulgarian chamber of deputies, in speaking of the possible mediation of the United States between the Balkans and Turkey, bears this interesting testimony:— I believe that American intervention will be most opportune and will be received as justifiable, on account of American interests in the Balkans and Turkey, which are not lacking and have sufficient importance to entitle Washington to offer its good offices for an impartial settlement of the conflict. The United States has colleges, commercial firms, maritime lines, and missionaries11 throughout the Balkan States and Turkey. Besides, she has with Bulgaria ties of culture, many among us having been educated in the United States, and having brought from that land of liberty and independence that worship for freedom which has hastened the explosion and our natural vindication. Our people have the same spirit of enterprise as the Americans, and with a few years of resurrection we shall change the face of our country. Indeed, we aspire to become the Americans of Europe.—London despatch to the Washington Post of Dec. 12, 1912. It is to be hoped that if the Balkan allies copy anything American, it may be the principles of religious liberty enunciated by the founders of our nation. Whatever greatness or whatever influence America has achieved has come through the freedom of her people in matters religious. Without that freedom, no people have any freedom that is worthy of the name. Mayor Gaynor on the Sabbath
TESTIMONY in reference to which day is the true Sabbath has come to us from a somewhat unexpected source. A woman living in New York City had written to Mayor Gaynor, of that city, twice in reference to "Sabbath observance," and to the second letter the mayor replies as follows, the reply being quoted in the New York Evening Sun of November 15:— DEAR MADAM: I have just received your second letter to me about Sabbath observance, by which you mean Sunday observance. I agree with you about observing the day of rest. But we must be fair and charitable to others. The Christians do not observe the Sabbath day, namely, the seventh day, established by God according to the fourth commandment, or the third, as some number it. The Christians abandoned that day and adopted Sunday, which is the first day of the week. It is all right for us to observe Sunday, but let us have no miserable little prejudice against the Jews because they stick to the Sabbath. Some Christian sects also adhere to the Sabbath, stoutly maintaining that no one had the right to change the day of rest ordained of God from the seventh to the first day of the week. Very truly yours,
W. J. GAYNOR, Mayor. Mayor Gaynor, having been a member of the Catholic Church in former years, learned by the teachings of that church the distinction between Sabbath and Sunday. This testimony should cause some who conscientiously worship on Sunday to examine the foundations of their faith, and know for themselves whether they are obeying God or men in observing the first day of the week. Christ's Gospel
By N. W. Vincent
(Tune: "Sunlight in the Heart," "Christ in Song," page 202.) THERE is power in the gospel
As proclaimed by God's dear Son;
There is comfort in his Spirit,
Witnessing our pardon won;
For he tells the love of Jesus,
How he died for fallen men;
And he cheers us with the promise,
"I will quickly come again!" Christ is coming, soon he's coming,
Son of God, our King, our Friend!
Anxious labor, pain, and sorrow,
When he comes, forever end. When he comes, the saints immortal,
Angel-borne, to him repair;
Bright and pure, our love made perfect,
We shall meet him in the air.
Christ will welcome each dear servant
With the glad and true "Well done!"
Now joint heirs with him in glory,
In his kingdom sought and won! Wai-chau, China
By J. P. ANDERSON
HAVING been away from home a month, on a very profitable trip, I will tell you something about the stations in the order that I visited them. I took boat from Wai-chau to Sam To Chuk, a distance of one hundred fifty li [a li being one third of a mile], and from Sam To Chuk I walked to Moi Lung, a distance of one hundred twenty li. Here I found the canvasser and the brethren of good courage. There has been no evangelist stationed here since last November, so the people were glad to welcome a man to work among them. About thirty were out to Sabbath services, and more would have come had they known we were there. The evening meetings were well attended, about fifty being present. I enjoyed my stay very much, and was glad to note the improvement the people had made. When we first went there, they were just like a herd of wild cattle; but now the meetings are orderly and quiet. Some from there will be baptized at our next general meeting, or possibly on my next visit. I have confidence that our evangelist in this place will in time make a strong worker. From Moi Lung I walked to Swabue, seventy li, intending to take a boat to Swatow; but finding none, and the boat service being irregular, I thought best not to wait, so took a boat to Hong-kong, and from there took a Japanese coast steamer to Swatow. Here I had a good visit with Brethren W. F. Hills and B. L. Anderson, who arrived the very day I did. From Swatow I went by rail to Chow Chu Fu, and then by boat to Tsung Khen. From the latter place I walked to Chin Phim, a distance of ninety li. I received a hearty welcome. We held two meetings a day while I remained. About forty came out to the Sabbath services. One woman sixty-five years old, formerly a heathen, has not missed a Sabbath service for eight months. Hers is one of the sweetest old faces I ever saw. It was worth the trip up there to see her. She has the reputation in the neighborhood of being a saint for peace and quiet. Would to God there were more such people. They are jewels, and worth the effort to get them. Here, as elsewhere, I noticed that the country people are the most reverent. The woman already mentioned came three miles to services. We could have a school here of fifty boys almost any day we would open one. However, we have no teacher, and I think it better to wait until a church is organized before we start one. I should like to live and work here a whole year. Prospects are bright, and we shall surely reap if we faint not. All we need is to be humble, have plenty of patience, and do much work, and we are sure to raise up a church. On my way back, while falating down the river in a small boat, at midnight a typhoon swept down upon us, and I feared for a while it would be my last trip in China. It was dark, and the wind blew fearfully. The boatman seemed so scared that he lost his presence of mind, and I did not know where we were. The boat was dipping water, and what to do I did not know. Finally, the Lord allowed the boat to strike a sand-bar, on which we anchored. The sand blew into our boat so we could not sleep, and it seemed that morning would never come. When daylight appeared, I hired a wood-cutter to carry my baggage to Chow Chu Fu, because the river was so rough the boat could not go. I was indeed glad to get back home. I found everything in good order, and the attendance at our services, I was told, was more than we had room for. At Pat Wei the people have already collected among themselves $140, and with my personal donation, and that of the evangelists and the teachers, it will make about $230 available at any time, with which to build a church. We hope to raise five hundred dollars or six hundred12 dollars in all. It will be not only a church, but a school, and a sort of parsonage will also be built. All we pay for the labor is the board of the worker. I have this work very much at heart, and am anxious to make it a real success, for I feel we are on the right road. MUCH is said to-day, and that too justly, about the increased cost of living. Many necessities of life have materially increased in price during the last few years. It must be admitted, however, that many families spend for luxuries, and for articles of wholly unnecessary use, a large amount of money which, if expended in more moderate ways and for life's necessities, would do much to offset the increased cost of food products. Of the extent to which the spirit of indulgence, intemperance, and costly living has entered into the life of the higher-school men of the country, the Advance of Dec. 19, 1912, says:— The tobacco habit is gaining a tremendous hold upon the young men of the schools and colleges of the country. According to the Harvard University Register, the undergraduates spend more money for cigarettes than they do for books. The amount spent annually for cigarettes and cigars is figured at $98,225, whereas the expense for books is only $71,250. The cost of wines and liquors is also higher than that of books, being $73,500. The cost of the students' clothing heads the list, at $334,250. None of the other items approach it. Cigarettes are the second largest item. The cost of eating is apparently less than that of smoking, for the figures as given in the list are only $88,340, while the up-keep and buying of automobiles is rated at $83,790. The haberdasheries glean $45,300, and over $53,000 is spent for taxi hire. Smokers constitute more than ninety per cent of the boys who fail in grammar and high schools, according to Prof. M. V. O'Shea, of the University of Wisconsin. The tobacco evil, he declared, is the most serious one with which the public schools have to contend. He showed a statement made by high-school principals, which declared that fifty to eighty per cent of high-school boys use cigarettes. Unruly boys, Professor O'Shea declared, are almost always addicted to the cigarette habit.