SIR: When in 1852 it became evident that my plans of forming a colony of French Canadians on the fertile plains of Illinois was to be a success, D’Arcy McGee, then editor of the Freeman’s Journal, the official paper of the Bishop of New York, wrote me to know my views, and he determined immediately to put himself at the head of a similar enterprise in favor of the Irish Roman Catholics. He published long and able articles to show how the Irish people, with few exceptions, were demoralized and kept down in the cities, and how they would soon be raised to the top if they could be induced to exchange city grog-shops and saloons for the rich lands of the West. Through his influence a large assembly, principally composed of Irish priests, to which I was invited, met at Buffalo in the spring of 1853. But what was his disappointment when he saw the greatest part of these priests were sent by the bishops of New York, Albany, Boston, etc., to oppose and defeat his plans! He vainly spoke with the most burning eloquence for the support of his pet scheme. The majority of the priests coldly answered him in the name of their bishops: “We are determined, like you, to take possession of the United States and rule them; but we cannot do that except by acting secretly, and by using the utmost wisdom. If our plans were known, they would certainly be defeated. What does a skillful general do when he wants to conquer a country? Does he scatter his soldiers over the farm lands, and spend their time and energies in plowing the fields and sowing the grain?—No; he keeps them well united around his banners, and marches at their head to the conquest of the strongholds. He subdues the large cities one after the other; he pulls down the high towers and the citadels which he meets on his way. Then the farming countries are conquered and become the price of his victory without moving a finger. So it is with us.”
“Silently and patiently we must mass our Irish Catholics in the great cities of the United States. Let us remember that in this country the vote of one of our poorest journeymen, covered with rags, has as much weight in the scale of power as the vote of the millionaire Astor, and that if we have two votes against the millionaire’s one, he becomes as powerless as an oyster. Then let us multiply our voters, let us call on poor but faithful Irish Catholics, and gather them from the far corners of the world into the very hearts of those proud citadels which the Yankees are so proudly building up under the name of New York, Boston, Chicago, Albany, Buffalo, Troy, etc. Under the shadows of those great cities the Americans consider themselves as a giant and an unconquerable race. They look upon the Irish Catholic with the utmost contempt, as only fit to dig their canals, sweep their streets, or humbly cook their meals in their kitchen. Let no one awake these sleeping lions to-day; let us pray God that they may sleep and dream their sweet dreams a few years more. How sad will be their awakening when, with our outnumbering votes, we will turn them out, and forever, from every position of power, honor, and profit! What will these hypocrite sons and daughters of the fanatical Pilgrim Fathers say when not a single judge, not a single school-teacher, not even a single policeman will be elected if he be not a devoted Irish Catholic? What will those so-called giants think and say of their unsurpassed ability, skill, and shrewdness when not a single governor, senator, or member of Congress will be elected if he be not sincerely devoted to our holy father, the pope?”
“What a sad figure those Protestant Yankees will cut when we will not only elect the president, but fill and command the armies, man the navy, and have the key of the public treasury in our hands! It will then be the time for our devoted Irish Catholics to give up their grog-shops to become the governors and judges of the land. Then our poor and humble Irish mechanics will come out from the damp ditches and the canals to rule the cities in all their departments, from the stately mansion of mayor to the humble, though not less noble, position of school-teacher. Then, yes, we will rule the United States, and lay them at the feet of the Vicar of Jesus Christ, that he may put an end to their godless system of education, and sweep away those impious laws of liberty of conscience which are an insult to God and man.”
Poor D’Arcy McGee was left almost alone when the vote was taken.
From that time the Roman Catholic priests, with the most admirable ability, have massed their Irish legions into the great cities of the United States, and the Americans must be very blind indeed if they do not see that the day is very near when the Jesuits will rule their cities, from the magnificent white house of Washington to the humblest civil or military departments of this vast republic. They are already the masters of New York, Baltimore, Chicago, St. Paul, Milwaukee, St. Louis, New Orleans, Cincinnati, and San Francisco, the great, the beautiful Queen of the West, — San Francisco, — is in the hands of the Jesuits.
From the very first days of the discovery of the gold mines of California, the Jesuits conceived the hope of becoming the masters of those inexhaustible treasures, and they laid their plans with the most admirable wisdom. They soon saw that the immense majority of the lucky miners of every creed and nation were going back home as soon as they had enough to secure an honorable position to their families. It became at first evident that very few of the multitudes which the thirst of gold had attracted from every corner of the United States and Canada and Europe to California would settle in a country where, from a thousand causes, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, for a number of years to find room for an honest woman, and raise a Christian family. It is a well-known fact that San Francisco—overcrowded with Americans, French, English, Scotch, Germans, Canadians—had thousands of adventurers and gold-seekers against a dozen men who had any idea of fixing themselves on her soil, and becoming her citizens. The shrewd Jesuits did not take many days to see that if they could persuade the Irish Roman Catholics to choose San Francisco for their homes, they would soon be the masters and the only rulers of that golden city whose future was so bright and so great; and that scheme, worked night and day with the utmost perseverance and ability, has been crowned with perfect success. When, with few exceptions, the lucky Frenchman, who had made himself rich in San Francisco, was going back to his “Belle France,” and the intelligent German, the industrious Scotchman, the shrewd New Yorker, the honest Canadian, had found gold enough to live on comfortably, they gladly bid an eternal farewell to San Francisco, and went back to enjoy their fortune in their own619dear old home. But the Irish Roman Catholics were taught to consider San Francisco as their “promised land,” and the rich inheritance God had in store for them.
The consequence is, that when you find only a few American, German, and English millionaires in San Francisco, you count more than fifty Irish Catholic millionaires in that city.
The richest bank of San Francisco—the Nevada Bank—is in the hands of the Irish Catholics. All the street railroads of the city belong to the Irish Roman Catholics. The principal offices of the city are filled with the Irish Roman Catholics. Almost all the policemen are Irish Roman Catholics. Almost all the voluntary military associations are composed of Irish Roman Catholics. The compact unity of the Irish Roman Catholics, with the enormous wealth, makes them almost supreme masters of the mines of California and Nevada.
When no one knows the absolute and abject submission of the Irish Roman Catholic, rich or poor, to his priests, how the mind, the will, the soul, and the intelligence of the Irish are firmly, irrevocably tied to the feet of the priests, he can see at a glance that the Jesuits of California form one of the richest and most powerful corporations the world has ever seen.
It is a public fact that those fifty Irish Catholic millionaires, with their myriads of rich employees, are, through their wives as well as by themselves, constantly at the feet of the Jesuits, who here, more than in any other place, really swim in a golden sea.
No man, if he be not a Roman Catholic, or if he be not one of those so-called Protestants who send their daughters to the nuns and their sons to the Jesuits for their education, need hope to have any lucrative or honorable position in San Francisco.
Entirely given up to quenching their thirst for gold, the Americans of San Francisco, with very few exceptions, do not give a single moment’s attention to this dark cloud which is rising here at the horizon of their country. Though it is visible to every eye that that cloud is filled with rivers of blood and tears, they let the cloud grow and rise, without even caring how to escape the impending hurricane. It does not take a long residence in San Francisco to see that the Jesuits have chosen that city for their citadel on this continent. Their incalculable treasures give them a power which we may call irresistible in a country and in days where gold is everything to every one. It is to San Francisco that you must come to have an idea of the number of great and powerful organizations with which the Church of Rome is preparing herself for the impending conflict, through which she hopes to destroy the system of education, and every vestige of liberty and human rights in the United States, as she bravely and publicly announced it not long ago in her most popular organs, the Catholic World, of New York, and the Catholic Review:—
“The Catholic Church numbers one third the American population, and if its membership shall increase for the next thirty years as it has for the thirty past, in 1900 Rome will have a majority, and be bound to this country and keep it. There is, ere long, to be a State religion in this country, and that State religion is to be Roman Catholic. The Catholic is to wield his vote for the purpose of securing Roman Catholic ascendancy in this country. All legislation must be governed by the will of God, unerringly indicated by the pope. Education must be controlled by Catholic authorities; and under education the opinions of the individual and the utterances of the press are included. Many opinions are to be furnished by the secular arm, under the authority of the Church, even to war and bloodshed.”—Catholic World, July, 1870.
“While a State has rights, she has them only in virtue and by permission of the superior authority, and that authority can only be expressed through the Church. Protestantism of every form has not and never can have any right where Catholicity has triumphed, and therefore we lose the breath we spend in declaiming against bigotry and intolerance and in favor of religious liberty, or the right of any man to be of any religion as best pleases him.”—Catholic Review, July, 1870.
In order more easily to drill the Irish Catholics, and prepare them for the impending conflict, the Jesuits have organized them into a great number of secret societies, the principal of which are: (1) Ancient Order of Hibernians; (2) Irish American Society; (3) Knights of St. Patrick; (4) St. Patrick’s Cadets; (5) Apostles of Liberty; (6) Benevolent Sons of the Emerald Isle; (7) Knights of St. Peter; (8) Knights of the Red Branch; (9) Knights of Columbkill.
Almost all these secret associations are military ones; they have their headquarters in San Francisco, but their rank and file are scattered all over the United States, from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. They number seven hundred thousand soldiers, who, under the name of United States Volunteer Militia, are officered by the most skillful and able generals of the great republic; for it is a fact to which the Americans do not sufficiently pay attention, that the Jesuits have been shrewd enough to have a vast majority of Roman Catholic officers and generals to command the armies and man the navy of the United States.
Who will be able to stand against a power which will be supported by seven hundred thousand soldiers well drilled, armed with the best modern arms, officered by the most skillful military men of the United States, and whose treasurers will not only have the key of the treasury of this great country, but will be, in great part, the masters of the untold millions dug out from, or yet concealed in, the inexhaustible gold and silver mines of California and Nevada?
And that you may know the Christian feelings of the Jesuit priests of San Francisco, Canada, and the whole world, toward England and her sons and daughters, read the following extract from the address of Father Rooney, last St. Patrick’s Day:—
“IRISH CATHOLIC: Trust your priests as you ever have as a nation, and when the propitious moment comes to settle accounts with brutal old England, the murderer of your priests and forefathers, the merciless despoilers of your sanctuaries, the pilferer of your possessions, and the starver of your people, those priests will bless the sword that you may use, that it may cut more keenly; the bullet, that it may perforate more deeply; and your hands, that they may wield the weapon more powerfully; and your nerves, that you may the more steadily avenge your injured mother and your noble ancestors. Never trust an enemy that has deceived us as often as England, and violated every treaty made with us. You need expect nothing from her except through the canon’s roar, the whizzing bullet, and the flashing scimeter! But let us be sure we are well prepared and ready for the fray.”
READING APPRECIATED.
By John N. Daniel
JOHN N. DANIEL.
I WRITE this that the dear friends of the colored race may know that I received the many parcels of REVIEWS and juvenile papers sent me for distribution, and that I find great pleasure in carrying out their desire with reference to papers sent me. I distribute all; and if I had one hundred in time to distribute each Sunday, I would be glad to do so. I was out distributing last Sunday, and every one seemed pleased to get a paper. The truth was never more clearly presented to a sinful world than it is in our Adventist literature.
Friends, never stop sending papers, as my ignorant brethren, especially in the South, need all helpful literature they can get. Pray for us. Address reading-matter to John N. Daniel, 386 Ayer St., Memphis, Tenn.
THE JUDGMENT.
By Mrs. C. M. Richardson
MRS. C. M. RICHARDSON.
(Kingston, Jamaica.)
Few realize what the Judgment means to them. The time will come when all will experience its true significance; but for many it will be too late. Oh that we as a people may awake from our slumber, and prepare for the scenes before us! Oh that there might be such a searching of heart as we have never experienced; for one sin, if cherished, will shut us out of heaven. As we begin to search our hearts by the aid of the Holy Spirit, how many things we see unlike the Saviour,—how much of self! And were it not for the fact that we have help promised by One who has all power in heaven and earth, we should despair. But thanks be to God, we can get the victory over every sin, if we appropriate the power that is given us; for we know “He is able to finish the work He has begun in us.”
What an inspiring thought!—the same One who helped our Saviour to overcome is our helper. Is it not time, in view of the help we have, that we were obtaining daily victories?
While many are absorbed in the pleasures and pursuits of this life, their names will come in review in the judgment, and they will be weighed in the balances and found wanting. What a sad revelation when they find it is too late to make their calling and election sure! Do we love these dear souls as we love ourselves? If so, we shall warn them of their danger; we shall take them the word of God that they may see how perishable are the things of earth, and may not set their affections upon them, but look to their Advocate and Saviour. What a privilege is ours to be co-workers with Christ in saving those around us. What a satisfaction to see in the kingdom those to whom we have carried the light, and to know that they are eternally saved. Time is short. Only a little while is left in which to work for the perishing. While many will be absorbed in the things of this world, and the great day find them unprepared, where will it find you, dear reader? It will find some with every sin put away; and these, trusting in the merits of the One who died for them, will be working for the salvation of those around them. God grant that every one who reads these lines may be among this number.
“O solemn thought! and can it be
The hour of judgment now is come,
Which soon must fix our destiny,
And seal the sinner’s fearful doom?
Yes, it is so; the judgment hour
Is swiftly hastening to its close;
Then will the Judge, in mighty power,
Descend in vengeance on His foes.”
“O blessed Saviour, may we feel
The full importance of this hour.
Inspire our hearts with holy zeal,
And aid us by thy Spirit’s power,
That we may, in thy strength, be strong,
And brave the conflict valiantly;
Then, on Mount Zion, join the song,
And swell the notes of victory.”
Overcoming Obstacles Through Trust in Jesus
By H. E. Sawyer-Hopkins
OBSTACLES present themselves, then we cherish the thought, “I don’t see how it can be done,” thus permitting doubt and unbelief to enter. If we learn to look away from these thoughts unto Jesus, relying wholly upon His merits, we may expect the Lord will do great things for us. H. E. SAWYER-HOPKINS.
SCOPE OF WORK FOR PRIMARY AND INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS.
By M. Bessie DeGraw
M. BESSIE DEGRAW.
When it is once established that the denomination should maintain schools for its children and youth, the next question is, What is the work to be done in the primary and intermediate schools? In planning a course of study, certain physical and spiritual laws must be followed. It is not right to launch out at random. These laws are outlined in the word of God, and the true educator is he who studies Christian education from this basis, and who conducts Christian schools upon this foundation. It is necessary, therefore, to give more than a passing glance to some Scriptural texts and some statements in the Testimonies. Let me say, before going further, that “The Desire of Ages” is the best text-book on psychology and child study that it is possible for you to find. If teachers will study this book,—not read, but study it,—they will find that it contains principles of eternal truth for the educator. The very basis of a course of study is given in the following words relating to the child Jesus: “The powers of mind and body developed gradually, in keeping with the laws of childhood.” From this we draw the following conclusions:—
I. Mental growth should follow the laws of spiritual growth; that is, an intelligent study of physiology will enable the teacher to plan a course of study. The criticism which it is necessary to make when considering the popular system of education, is that it does not conform to physiological laws. Many educators recognize this fact, and bemoan the consequences.
2. The development is gradual. Children must not be given meat when they should have milk. This is a divine law. See Heb. 5:12, 13. Human educators disregard this; hence the cramming system of to-day. With this agree the words found on page 8 of “Christian Education:” “Many have died in childhood because of the course pursued by injudicious parents and school-teachers in forcing their young intellects . . . when they were too young to see the inside of a schoolroom.” Think of it! Parents have been killing their own children; teachers have been murdering their pupils. Christian education is a call to separate from all the evils connected with overfeeding and improper feeding, mentally speaking.
Health reform takes the child from a table where he is fed on flesh foods, condiments, pastry, sweetmeats, and perhaps alcoholic drinks, and places before him a diet composed of but few articles, simply cooked and lightly seasoned. Christian education takes the child from mental food which is equally pernicious, a diet which is ruining his spiritual life. It offers a simple diet,—the milk of the Word, the fruit of the tree of life, the bread of heaven, and, as a drink, water from the fountains of eternity.
The new diet may at first appear insipid; this is because perverted human nature is unaccustomed to pure foods, and finds it hard to grasp truth by faith. Nevertheless, in a work of reform this is the first, the all-important step. Wisdom by faith is the fundamental principle of true education, as righteousness by faith is the key to all religious work. Moreover, we can go a step further, and say that righteousness by faith includes wisdom by faith (Proverbs 2), hence it can be said with all truthfulness: “Now, as never before, we need to understand the true science of education. If we fail to understand this, we shall never have a place in the kingdom of God.”
Your salvation and mine, then, depends upon an understanding of those principles which every true educator must understand before he can define the scope of work for the primary and intermediate schools. Christian education has its basis in the Bible, and we have a right to conclude that the work to be done in the Christian school is also outlined there.
THE HOME SCHOOL.
The first eight- or ten years of the child’s life belong to the parents. No mother who has seen the beauty of motherhood from the divine view-point will turn her child over to others to receive its training. Moreover, when God’s plan is followed, no woman will think herself prepared for the responsibilities of motherhood until she is a teacher in the true sense of the word; for in the catalogue of educators she holds the first and highest position.
The work of the parent is supplemented by that of the church-school teacher. For convenience, we will consider the home and primary schools together, covering the period from infancy to the teens. During the first eight or ten years, no text-book should be placed in the child’s hands. Quoting from “Christian Education,” page 9: “The only schoolroom for children from eight to ten years of age should be in the open air, amid the opening flowers and nature’s beautiful scenery; and their only text-book should be the treasures of nature. These lessons, imprinted upon the minds of young children amid the pleasant, attractive scenes of nature, will not soon be forgotten.”
What should be taught?
1. Nature lessons. “The mother should find time to cultivate in herself and in her children a love for the beautiful buds and opening flowers. By calling the attention of her children to their different colors and variety of forms, she can make them acquainted with God. . . . She can lead their minds to their Creator, and awaken in their young hearts a love for their Heavenly Father. . . . Parents can associate God with all His created works.”
2. “They taught them, even at the earliest dawn of intelligence, the sacred names of God and the Saviour. They sought to lead the infant minds of their children up to God, by familiar narratives from Scripture, of Joseph, of young Samuel, of Josiah, and of the holy child Jesus. The histories of the patriarchs and prophets, apostles, and holy men whose lives are narrated in the Holy Volume, were the nursery tales with which they sought to form the tender minds of their children. As the mind of the child expanded, the parents made it their sacred duty and delightful task daily to exercise him in the recital of selected passages of Scripture relating to the doctrines and duties of religion. The Bible was the entertainment of the fireside; it was the first, the last, the only schoolbook, almost, of the child, and sacred psalmody the only song with which his infant cry was hushed.”
This is Coleman’s description of education as carried on in the early Christian homes. In spirit it agrees with the words in “The Desire of Ages:” “The child Jesus did not receive instruction in the synagogue schools. His mother was His first human teacher. From her lips, and from the scrolls of the prophets, He learned of heavenly things. The very words which He himself had spoken to Moses for Israel, He was now taught at His mother’s knee. . . . He gathered stores of scientific knowledge from nature. He studied the life of plants and animals and of men.”
3. Instill principles, even though these principles may not be understood. This is the memory period of life, and things stored up now will be remembered later on. Did not the Saviour himself say, speaking of the Spirit: “He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you”? Through the mother, Jesus should be speaking to the child all its days, so that later in life the Spirit will bring to remembrance things learned in early childhood. “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it,” is a promise as well as an injunction.
CHURCH SCHOOLS.
The teacher who has children from ten to fourteen years old continues this work. The common branches are taught, but so taught that every subject reveals the working of Jehovah. Reading, writing, arithmetic, language, and geography are like windows into the realms of creation. They are at first curtained. The child learns to read; one window is opened. He now has in his hand a powerful instrument. Have you so educated his taste that he will read that which will strengthen? or will he use his ability to read to his own destruction? Here lies the responsibility of parents and teachers. The child’s future depends upon the education of the first ten years.
Geography is another window, which, opened, shows the hand of the Universal Artist at work. The picture in one of life; its trees are growing; the water of its rivers flows on to the ocean; its winds blow; its creatures are active; the Spirit of God actuates the whole. This is geography from the Christian standpoint. All science is the same. Are you, as teachers, opening these windows toward heaven? If not, how dare you plan a course of study for children and youth? You621are not doing it if you follow popular methods; for they do not claim to direct toward the spiritual. They are educating for this world, not for heaven. Faith, faith,—that is the ladder by which you must climb. Each year the child should reach a little farther, like the growth of the oak, which is each season “a little farther from the earth, a little nearer to the blue.”
It is a real thing, this faith teaching, this teaching the common branches as a means, not as the end. When you make them the means, you will find that proficiency in their use will be absolutely necessary. You cannot let your pupils do slipshod work in the common branches. It is like polishing a lens: they are dealing with fine things, and must have a perfect knowledge of their tools. Poor spelling becomes a sin when one wishes to deal with truth. A bungling reader, when it is the truth of God’s word which is to be read? I tell you that once this truth is grasped, the next generation of workers will go forth with a power beyond anything on earth.
INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS.
As a child passes into young manhood and womanhood, reason dawns; the physical change through which he passes makes a mental change. The true educator sees this, and the mental work immediately assumes a different character. The first six grades are passed in the primary school: faith has been cultivated in every class; it is the faith age; the child has had the rudiments of all the common branches. From the sixth to the tenth grade the work should deal more closely with the sciences. It is as if the magnifying glass has increased in power. The subjects begun in the primary school continue. Reading, spelling, bookkeeping, arithmetic, language, and the sciences,—these are his tools for work; and as he progresses, he develops a higher degree of skill. In his actual Bible study, biography gives place to the study of the principles. Here is scope for reason. Faith, developed during the early years, will guide reason into the truth. The fundamental doctrines should be understood. Every youth should be able to give a reason for his faith. This is the work of the intermediate school.
Manual training, which in childhood consisted of simple household duties, gardening, etc., should be replaced by more systematic labor. Youth is an energetic age, and the boy should be able to construct something, either about home or in the shops. Teach him to farm.
This is the time to direct his reason so that he will construct in harmony with divine principles. Utilize the force which nature has given him.
We conclude, therefore, that the work of the home and primary schools demands the teaching of faith. A biographical study of the word of God is adapted to the child’s mind. Thoroughness in the common branches is necessary. These are his tools. In the intermediate schools, faith is strengthened by further exercise; the growing reasoning powers are guided by faith. The common branches are now perfect tools. Trades are to be taught as a means of exercising the creative genius; for many will make their way in the world without further schooling.
—Agnes L. Pratt, in the Inland
By Agnes L. Pratt
FROM SHADOW TO SUNSHINE.
I LEARN, as the years roll onward,
And leave the past behind,
That much I have counted sorrow
But proves that our God is kind;
That many a flower I longed for
Had a hidden thorn of pain;
And many a rugged bypath
Led to fields of ripened grain.
The clouds but cover the sunshine;
They cannot banish the sun;
And the earth shines out the brighter
When the weary rain is done.
We must stand in the deepest shadow
To see the clearest light;
And often from wrong’s own darkness
Comes the very strength of right.
The sweetest rest is at even,
After a wearisome day,
When the heavy burden of labor
Has been borne from our hearts away.
And those who have never known sorrow
Cannot find the infinite peace
That falls on the troubled spirit
When it sees at last release.
So the heart from the hardest trial
Gains the purest joy of all,
And from lips that have tasted sadness
The sweetest songs will fall.
For as peace comes after suffering,
And love is reward for pain,
So after earth is heaven—
And out of our loss the gain.
—Agnes L. Pratt, in the Inland
LET IT REST.
By Gold Dust
LET it rest! Ah! how many hearts on the brink of anxiety and disquietude by this simple sentence have been made calm and happy!
Some proceeding has wounded us by its want of tact; let it rest; no one will think of it again.
A harsh or unjust sentence irritates us; let it rest; whoever may have given vent to it will be pleased to see it is forgotten.
A painful scandal is about to estrange us from an old friend; let it rest, and thus preserve our charity and peace of mind.
A suspicious look is on the point of cooling our affection; let it rest; and our look of trust will restore confidence.
Fancy! we who are so careful to remove the briars from our pathway, for fear they should wound, yet take pleasure in collecting and piercing our hearts with the thorns that meet us in our daily intercourse with one another. How childish and unreasonable we are! — Gold Dust.
THE MOTHER'S PERSONAL APPEARANCE IN THE HOME.
By Mrs. M. C. Dubois
MRS. M. C. DUBOIS.
(Grand Lodge, Mich.)
MANY women are very careless of their personal appearance in their home. From the pen of another I quote: “It is a part of every woman's duty to dress neatly and becomingly at home.” The mother is the center of the home circle; upon her depends, largely, the attractiveness of home; no woman should mar the beauty of her home by being habitually slack and untidy in her dress. If her hair is becomingly arranged, and her dress, although only a faded print, is clean and well fitting, with a bit of lace or ribbon around the neck, she need not blush to face the President. Far too many women think it matters not how they look when at home. True, women on the farm, who do their own work, look after the garden, milk, feed calves, and raise poultry, cannot keep as neat all the while as one who has none of this kind of work to do; but every woman can, if she will, find a little time to devote to her own personal appearance.
I knew a farmer's wife, the mother of three children, who took boarders, did her own work; and although she was not a strong woman, she never failed to tidy herself a bit and make some change in her dress after the dinner dishes were washed; for, she said, “I want my boys, after I am gone, to think of me as a neat woman, not a slattern.” Mothers, there is much food for thought right at this point. If every mother could realize her influence in this direction, it might help some to find time to “fix up” a little.
I know how it is with many mothers: they have to work so hard they neglect the duty they owe themselves, and then, becoming discouraged, they settle down in a “don't-care-how-I-look” state of mind, the very worst thing they can do.
If such would take a bath, comb their hair, and change their dress for a fresher one, and then rest for five minutes, I believe they would be well repaid for the time it took to make the change. The children like to see mama look pretty, and are pleased to bring a flower to put in her hair. The husband will notice the change, even though he may not mention the fact; and surely the mother herself will feel more cheerful, invigorated in mind and body.
By a little forethought, time might be gained for this purpose as well as for rest and the improvement of the mind, a short study of the Bible, and a little “talk with Jesus.” Many do their work in a haphazard way, “just as the spirit moves” them. Their work is made much harder because of their lack of order and system, and they are apt to look upon housework as mere drudgery, instead of doing it “as unto the Lord,” as every woman should. Our homes can be kept to glorify God, and should be.
If we would glorify God, we must be examples of neatness in dress at home as well as abroad. We should remember the rule laid down in the Word for Christian women to follow (1 Tim. 2:9) — modest apparel, not costly, showy apparel. Good, serviceable dress-goods are not here meant. There may be an excuse for some, but there can be none for the majority of women who go about their homes with uncombed hair, soiled and tattered garments. Such cast an influence, but against “the truth.” This untidy home appearance is especially noticeable in the country, although many in city and town homes need to reform. It does not take long to put one's self in a tidy condition while doing housework; and even on the farm, where woman's work lasts from the rising to the setting of the sun, she can find time to look neat and presentable any hour of the day. As Christian women, we should present a neat appearance in the home.
THE EVOLUTION OF SUCCESS.
By William Wood
WAKE up, wake up, the time is short,
There's very much to do;
Earth's harvest field is ripe,
The Lord has need of you.
Get up, get up. Do not delay.
To dally is a sin;
There's no reward for tardy men,
They fail e'er they begin.
Go at it when the time arrives
For action. Never yield;
Go at it as the hero brave
Upon the battle field.
Stick to it till the work is wrought,
The crown of life is won;
Stick to it till the Master calls,
“Servant of God, well done!”
— William Wood.
THE INFLUENCE OF OUR DAILY WALK.
By Mollie Crockett
MOLLIE CROCKETT.
(New Albany, Ind.)
Our words and our actions have a great influence on the lives of all with whom we come in contact. Our very thoughts tend either to purify or poison the moral atmosphere. By our example minds are directed in the path of purity and righteousness, or they are turned from the Source of all light and truth to the path that leads to perdition.
If Christ is abiding in the heart by faith, the thoughts will dwell upon holy and heavenly things. We shall follow in His footsteps, making Him our daily pattern. The life of Christ was one of fragrance and loveliness of character. All who were within His reach felt the influence of His godly life. So it is with His followers. Their influence is felt by all with whom they have to do, although they may be unconscious of it. By living in close communion with God, we are not only molded after the divine similitude ourselves, but others also are made better by our lives. One word or act may seem a small thing; yet it may decide the eternal destiny of a soul.
The eyes of the world are upon all who claim to be looking for the coming of their Lord. What is our deportment? Do our words and actions show that we are followers of the meek and lowly Jesus, or do things of minor importance absorb the mind? O the importance of keeping our eyes fixed upon Jesus, that by beholding we may become changed into the same image, and thus reflect the beauty of His character upon those around us!
A $100 RECIPE FOR NOTHING.
By A. J. Gordon
THE Church is more to be blamed for her guilty silence than for her vehement speech. She is slow to attack crying sins and outrages, public wrongs, for fear of getting the enmity of the world, when her Master told her plainly at the outset, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” The worst peril to which we are exposed is that we shall compromise with the enemy, and love our own ease better than God’s eternal war upon evil.— A. J. Gordon.