p. 15 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 3. (1/16/1901)

Earlier text: SAN FRANCISCO HELPING HAND AND MEDICAL MISSION

Spencerian Steel Pens

THE STANDARD AMERICAN BRAND

Established nearly 50 years ago.

Improved patterns for every style of writing.

Sample box 15 pens by mail 10 cents.

Ask for 15 assorted pens in box.

SPENCERIAN PEN CO., 349 Broadway, New York

C. H. Tyrrell

By C. H. Tyrrell

Barred Plymouth Rocks, Black Langshans, Fancy White Wyandottes—three best breeds, Poultry Extra Quality. Prices reasonable, satisfaction guaranteed, circular free.

C. H. Tyrrell

SIOUX RAPIDS, IOWA

Santa Fe Route

Only line with its own tracks from San Francisco to Chicago. Through Pullman Palace and Tourist Cars leave every morning at nine o'clock.

PERSONALLY CONDUCTED Tourist Excursions every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, in Vestibuled Tourist Cars.

The service on these Personally Conducted Excursions, in all that counts for comfort and convenience, is equal to the Palace Cars, and for elegance in finish and interior furnishings they are very pleasing. The wood-work is finished in imitation of mahogany, the seats are upholstered with clean, cool rattan with extension backs, as in the Palace Cars. A porter is in charge of each car to attend the wants of passengers. Clean linen and bedding, the proper lavatory and toilet accommodations are provided. These cars are built on the same plan as the Palace Cars and in the day the beds become comfortable seats. The aisles are carpeted and the windows double, to keep out the dust, and wide to allow an unobstructed view of the scenery en route.

Full information regarding the Santa Fe Route, with handsome folder and correct map of the section through which it runs, may be had at the Company's offices. Call or write

1118 Broadway, Oakland 641 Market Street, San Francisco

Do You Want Relief

From that troublesome catarrh? If so, send us ONE DOLLAR, and we will mail you, on Ten Days’ Trial, subject to return of money if unsatisfactory, the

Magic Pocket Vaporizer

As it Appears when in use in Treating Catarrh of

An instrument so simple in construction that the germ-destroying oils may be applied to the affected parts while you go about your every-day labors.

The many unsolicited testimonials which we have received from our gratified patrons from Maine to California are a sufficient guarantee of its effectiveness.

Read the following from Eld. Geo. I. Butler, of Bowling Green, Fla., which reached our office October 11th, 1900:—

“I consider the Vaporizer very valuable. Its use for a few minutes with the oil sent, allays the irritation to cough—the tickling sensation in my bronchial tubes—which is one of the unpleasant results of hay fever from which I suffered for many years in the North. I consider the Vaporizer a most valuable help.”

Our booklet, “Hygiene and Cure of Nasal Catarrh,” free on application.

Agents wanted in every community. Liberal terms to energetic men and women.

MODERN MEDICINE CO.

25 Washington Ave. N. Battle Creek, Mich.

The U. S. Department of Agriculture Still Prefers the Densmore

The Department of Agriculture has given us a contract for supplying all their typewriters for the current year.

This award, made by the most discriminating judges, to meet the most exacting conditions, and from the large number of machines offered, indicates high efficiency in the Densmore. It stands the “test of time”

United Typewriter and Supplies Company

The Chautauqua Literary Files

Classify and preserve literary notes, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, illustrations, and reading references on thousands of topics. Every item of information referred to as readily as a word in the dictionary. Stands on an ordinary book-shelf, table or desk. Resembles a set of office imperial volumes. Attractive appearance. Extremely useful. Low in price. Indispensable. Send for illustrated circular. Agents wanted.

The Educational Specialty Co., 245 Jefferson Ave. Detroit, Mich.

The Drink Traffic and Government

The influence that the drink traffic has on this world is one of the marked features of these times. It has so insinuated itself into the national life of this country that it has the regulation of law everywhere; and that amounts to legal sanction of the business. When the war revenues of the government were reduced by the present Congress, one of the first items to receive the benefit was beer. We would not argue in favor of the taxation of beer, for the reason that the only thing the government can consistently do with it is to prohibit its manufacture and sale altogether. Taxing beer is a tacit acknowledgment by the government that the business is all right. But when the government hastens to remove that tax, it thereby shows a friendliness to the beer interests, and a friendliness, too, that should not tend to strengthen the faith of those who think that this old world of ours is getting better. When officials that are members of the churches show such a warm feeling to the whisky and beer business, they show that they are governed by some other influence besides that exerted by the Author of the Decalog and the Sermon on the Mount.

Columbia Desk Calendar

The sixteenth annual Columbia desk calendar has come to our table. It has a leaf for memoranda for every day in the year, and is one of the best. It will be sent for five two-cent stamps to any address, by the American Bicycle Company, Columbia Sales Department, Hartford, Conn.

Pope Leo’s Encyclical and Catholic Federation

In Pope Leo’s latest encyclical occurs this statement: “About the rights of man, as they are called, the multitude has heard enough; it is time they should hear of the rights of God.” And yet the whole object of the federation of Catholic societies in America is to “secure to Catholics their rights,” which they fancy have been denied them. Now will the agitation for Catholic federation cease? or does the encyclical refer only to the rights of such men as are outside the church?

Massachusetts Reservoir Floods Two Towns

In building a new reservoir for Boston the State found it necessary to flood 5,000 acres of central Massachusetts. Ainslee’s for January tells us. A cemetery and railroad have to be moved; six large mills, eight schoolhouses, four churches, and 360 dwelling-houses have to be torn down. Two growing towns, Oakdale and West Boylston, are annihilated. The State of Massachusetts has made liberal award for all damages to property, even for the time of the workingmen thrown out of employment.

Christianity at the Grave of the Nineteenth Century

In the North American Review for December, Frederick Harrison writes upon the subject of “Christianity at the Grave of the Nineteenth Century.” He affirms that there has been a marked debasement in the purposes and ideals of Christians during recent decades. They are not so high as they were at the middle of the century. He thinks that the beginning of this degeneracy is quite largely traceable to Bismarck’s policy of “blood and iron,” and the war fever that has grown out of it in all the world. One of his paragraphs is as follows:—

“We have been dwelling to-day on the evil things in our modern life, on the chase after money, the rampant love of gambling, the extravagance, the coarseness, the materialistic spirit growing on all sides. What have the churches done to purify and check all this? Who would care if they did try? Who would believe them in earnest in doing so? What were they doing and saying yesterday? They were offering up, from 10,000 altars, prayers to the God of battles to bless our armies; that is, to enable us to slaughter our enemies and possess their land. Not a voice comes from the official churches to raise a doubt as to the justice, good faith and Christian charity of those who have thrust England into a wanton war of spoliation. Not a word is breathed from their pulpits of respect for the brave civilians who are defending their homes and their freedom.”

“Heaped Treasure Together for the Last Days.”—

It is estimated that in the year just closed twenty-three millionaires in this country added to their vast fortunes the sum of $297,000,000, or nearly an average of $13,000,000 each. John D. Rockefeller leads, with a profit of $150,000,000; next come William K. Vanderbilt and J. Pierpont Morgan, with profits respectively, $25,000,000 and $20,000,000; others, among whom are Russell Sage, Hetty Green, the Goulds, Thomas Lawson, from $15,000,000 to $1,000,000. This looks like a fulfilment in part of the above prophecy, doesn’t it?

ARTICLES OF INTEREST.

By Editor

Below are the titles of four excellent articles just received from Mrs. E. G. White, for this paper. We are sure that their publication will be awaited with interest.

Child Training,

Hope for the Intemperate,

Faith Not Feeling,

“Be Ye Kind One to Another.”

These are all intensely practical and truly scriptural.

An Awful Story.

It is said that there are 300,000 fallen girls in this country; that one-half of these are from professed Christian homes, and that three-fourths are from country homes. Thousands have been trapped, and are in the condition they are largely thru the fault of others. But how many are there because the church of Christ has failed to proclaim God’s great standard of right—His holy law? Truly now “the law is slacked.” If the Decalog does not mean what it says in the fourth commandment, why should it be supposed to in respect to the seventh? If a man is a law unto himself in respect to the Sabbath, why should not he be as respects sexual relations? But these are questions for which men must give answer at the bar of God. Live as in His sight.

Increase of Cancer.

Mortality statistics clearly show that cancerous affections are increasing, and especially among what are considered the most civilized peoples. In England the increase has been from 38.5 deaths from cancer in 1864 to 100,000 population, to 75.5 deaths from the same disease to 100,000 population in 1895, almost doubling in thirty-one years. On the same basis of calculation, the death rate from cancer in San Francisco springs from 16.5 persons in 1866 to 103.6 persons in 1898. Boston almost trebles its ratio in twenty-four years. The seven largest cities of America, exclusive of Chicago, in twenty-eight years double their rate. How much of this is due to flesh-eating is a question worthy of consideration.

The Christian Shovel

The Christian is to bear witness for God everywhere, everywhen. In business as well as in the sermon, in the shop or store as well as in the church, in trading and making as well as at the family altar, is he to witness for God. Dr. Louis Albert Banks, in his “Seed Thoughts for Public Speakers,” tells of a friend of his who went into a store in Philadelphia to buy a shovel. In testing one he asked the dealer, “Is this a first-class shovel?” The dealer replied: “My friend, I think you can know very little of shovels. You will notice that this shovel is made by ——. He is a Christian man, sir, and he makes a Christian shovel; and anything you see marked with his name you may know to be first-class—just what it claims to be.” That is the stamp that every Christian ought to put upon his work. Let every man in that calling wherein he is found abide with God. So do God’s children magnify Him.

THE OUTLOOK NUMBER.

Did you know that the issue of this paper dated December 5, 1900, was a special outlook number of the great opening century just before us? It does not deal in dreams, abstractions, theories, or vain opinions. It sounds out from the Watchtower of God's Word the message for this time, a message which has been confirmed by every century of past history. In more than a dozen articles it presents God's message for this time in plain, clear language, that he who desires may understand. Here are the titles to some of these articles:—

The Gospel Outlook, A Nineteenth Century Review, The American Outlook, The Church and State Outlook, The Papal Outlook, The Present Crisis, The Outlook in Europe, The Outpouring of the Spirit, The Protestant Outlook, Missions Outlook, Watchman, What of the Night? Tendencies to Imperialism.

These are not all. There are not less than nine more articles, a good story, a stirring original song and music, and from twelve to fifteen beautiful illustrations, which tell a story in themselves. It is still selling. It is just as good now as the day it was published. Its merits are generally admitted.

If your neighbors have not yet had the privilege of reading that issue of the SIGNS, why not send for some and give them the benefit of it? The price is, for single copy, 10 cents; 5 to 20 copies, 5 cents each; 25 or more copies, 4 cents each. Sent singly to lists of not less than five names, at 5 cents each. Address this office.

IS IT CHAFF OR WHEAT?

The prophecies concerning the new century are abundant and roseate, especially in the line of advanced science and prosperity. In the latter the wish is father to the thought. Some of the prophets finally say that they see no reason for the things they predict, but somehow they believe the better time will come. Men in all positions,—statesmen and clergymen, priests, politicians, and professors,—have prophesied for the daily press; but, strange to say, not one of them, so far as we have seen, has predicated what he has to say on the Word of God, or has given the predictions of that Word as to the future.

And yet God alone knows the future. He has foretold the fates of Rabbah, Edom, and No, and Babylon, and Tyre, and Nineveh, and other cities and kingdoms, and just as truly has He spoken of the nations which exist to-day. Why do not men heed these prophecies? Is it because the prophets do not indulge in pleasing dreams? Is it because they present unpleasing facts? Yet even then it is better to know the truth. O reader, take the Word of God, and know that it is truth! “What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord.” The Lord says: “I am against them that prophesy false dreams, . . . and cause My people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all.” “The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath My Word, let him speak My Word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord.” Upon which, reader, will you feed?