How often, when in contact with others, are we reminded of the fact that all lives have their Marah, or bitter drafts. Some are more successful than others in disguising them, but, oh, the sadness and grief that sin has brought! We ask ourselves the question, What is its mission, and how can we bear the load? Our Saviour expressed the same thought in the garden when he cried, “If it be possible, let this cup pass;” but no, he suffered on, and well for us that he drank it to the dregs. “Though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” It was after they had been tested that we read that Caleb and Joshua wholly followed the Lord. Num. 32: 11, 12.
Moses had a forty years’ experience, but he became the meekest man upon the earth. Job exclaimed, “When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Oh, that we, too, might cease struggling, and submit to him who has undertaken our salvation. If we bend to the storm, instead of defying it, we shall not be broken. We must have this experience, to loosen the cords earthward; then welcome the storm that serves to draw us nearer home.
So many lives are wrecked on this wheel of sorrow and trial. In spite of them, take up life’s round of duty without complaint or protest, and enter whole-heartedly into the interests of others, not permitting our experience to cast a shadow upon another’s joy.
The mission of grief and trial is not to destroy nor stultify life, but illumine and intensify it; not to make the sufferer a useless member of society, but to develop a quickened sympathy and keener insight, to the end that life may become richer and more fruitful. Learn to sing away the pain, and use the comfort given from above to brighten and cheer less fortunate lives. By so doing, we pass on living light rather than drag out a meaningless existence. Sometimes life’s greatest lessons are learned while passing through some supreme test or sorrow. At any rate, the lesser griefs lose much of their power to vex or annoy. We speak of being in darkness, or under a cloud, at such times. David says in Ps. 97: 2 that God dwells in the midst of clouds; so he is nearer us in trial. He was seen standing by the side of the three in the midst of the fiery furnace. Should not we learn to rejoice in hope, to be patient in tribulation, and to continue instant in prayer? The gardener prunes only those plants which he sees are capable of bearing fruit.
“The fact that we are called upon to endure trial, proves that the Lord Jesus sees in us something very precious, which he desires to develop. If he saw in us nothing whereby he might glorify his name, he would not spend time in refining us. . . . Christ does not cast worthless stones into his furnace. It is valuable ore that he tests. . . . The Lord allows his chosen ones to be placed in the furnace of affliction, in order that he may see what temper they are of, and whether he can mold and fashion them for his work.”
“It may be that much work needs to be done in your character building, that you are a rough stone which must be squared and polished before it can fill a place in God’s temple. You need not be surprised if with hammer and chisel God cuts away the sharp corners of your character, until you are prepared to fill the place he has for you. No human being can accomplish this work. Only by God can it be done. And be assured that he will not strike one useless blow. His every blow is struck in love, for your eternal happiness. He knows your infirmities, and works to restore, not to destroy.” Nowhere are we promised salvation from trial, but we are promised salvation from defeat. Though severely tried, Paul called his afflictions light, and died a conqueror. 2 Cor. 11: 24-27; 4: 15. May we, too, with courage hold, let love grow warm, amid the sunshine and the storm, and come a conqueror to our rest.
Lansing, Mich.
A Triumphant Resurrection
By H. A. ST. JOHN
Seven Great Triumphs — No. 3
A Triumphant Resurrection
H. A. ST. JOHN
EARLY in the morning of the third day after the triumphant death of the Lord Jesus, he had a most glorious and triumphant resurrection. Weeping women, bearing spices to anoint the dead body of Jesus, were on their way to the Calvary sepulcher. Suddenly, the early dawn was lighted up by the descent of a mighty, shining angel, right from the presence of the loving Father above. This mighty angel alighted at the sepulcher of Jesus, while the earth trembled at his presence, and the Roman soldiers that were guarding the sepulcher fell to the earth like dead men.
The angel rolled away the stone from the mouth of the sepulcher, and sat upon it. He then awakened Jesus from the sleep of death, and delivered his loving message from the heavenly throne, “Jesus, thy Father calls thee; come forth.” Jesus came forth to die no more, having the keys of death and the grave. He came forth from the sepulcher a mighty conqueror. This was indeed a triumphant resurrection. This triumphant resurrection of Jesus makes possible the resurrection of all the dead. By one man, Adam, came death, and by one man, the man Christ Jesus, came the resurrection of the dead. “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order.”
There are only two orders: The righteous, who died in the Lord a triumphant death; and the wicked, who died a wretched death, in their sins. The wicked do not have a triumphant resurrection.8They recognize Jesus, and wail because of him, and cry for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them and hide them from his wrath. After beholding the glory and righteousness of God, and the glory and reward of the saints, they will meet their just and eternal doom in the lake of fire, which is the second death.
The righteous will hear Jesus calling them to arise. As they awaken, they look up and see the lovely Jesus, accompanied by all the holy angels, and they will exclaim with ecstatic joy, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us.” They can say with Jesus, “We were dead,” but now we are alive forevermore. And they will say triumphantly, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Surely this is a triumphant resurrection.
Sanitarium, Cal.
A Particular God
By O. J. CALKINS
O. J. CALKINS
Is God particular which day one observes as the Sabbath? That it “makes no difference which day of the week one observes as the Sabbath” is the assurance so frequently given by both clergy and laity. Probably many honest people advance this as a reason for Sunday keeping, and many more advance it as an excuse for not observing the Sabbath of the Lord. When other excuses fail to satisfy the quickened conscience, this man-invented theory seems to act like a hypnotic, and lulls again the awakened soul into carnal security. In other words, they claim God is not particular and exacting in his demands, and that he overlooks implicit obedience to his commands, giving man a little leeway in the matter of following the plan his Omniscience has adopted for his creatures.
Some have supposed that God overlooks a slight deviation of his commands, providing some imaginary good could be accomplished. That may have been Saul’s motive in not obeying the command of the Lord to destroy the Amalekites, their flocks and herds, and spare none. The record says that he “spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord.” 1 Samuel 15. He was told, however, that “to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams,” and “because thou rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” A similar motive may have actuated Uzzah when he put forth his hand to hold the ark when the oxen stumbled on the threshing floor of Chidon (1 Chron. 13:9) although all Israel well knew that the ark of the Lord was sacred and that none but the priests were permitted to touch it. Yes, God is particular, and by that act, Uzzah, regardless of a possible motive of doing good, forfeited his life.
Thousands are excusing themselves from observing the seventh-day Sabbath because it is not customary and convenient, so they have accepted a substitute, congratulating themselves that it answers the purpose, and that “it makes no difference;” yet Protestants assert that among the great spiritual crimes of the Papacy, the most pronounced are her flagrant acts of substitution. For instance, justification by works for justification by faith; forms and ceremonies for the graces of the Spirit; and above all, mortal man is substituted in the place of God. 2 Thess. 2:4. The first recorded attempt at substitution is that of Cain, when he, being a tiller of the ground, found it convenient to bring the fruit of the ground as an offering unto the Lord; but the record says that God had not respect unto Cain’s offering. Undoubtedly the Creator had instructed man after the fall what offering was acceptable to him, but Cain may have reasoned that God is not particular, and “it makes no difference.” There was nothing in the offering of the vegetable kingdom to typify the offering of the blood of Christ on Calvary, neither is there anything in Sunday observance to memorialize a completed creation.
Suppose Eve had suggested to Adam that, because the tree of knowledge of good and evil was more convenient of access, God would permit them to substitute another tree that resembled it. If the Creator would have justified them in such an act, then I can see how he could justify those who substitute for the Sabbath another day that he never blessed, sanctified, nor hallowed. So-called Sunday sacredness was not brought about by mere chance. It is the legitimate child of paganism, and came into the Christian world by adoption; and, like sin, it has no excuse for existence. Its legitimate ancestor, paganism, and foster parent, the Papacy, have both a very questionable spiritual reputation. Paganism is the hugest false system of theology Satan ever devised, and the Word of the Lord designates the Papacy as “the man of sin, . . . the son of perdition,” and its unwarranted power as presumptuous, blasphemous, and the abomination of the earth. One prominent form of paganism devoted Sunday to the honor and worship of the sun. The Papacy, because of its hatred of Judaism and its solicitation of the heathen world, soon found it convenient to adopt it and finally enforced it by law.
In view of this “authority” for Sunday sacredness, let us notice another historical fact as recorded in Scripture. The Lord directed that the tent of the tabernacle should be placed at the west end of the court inclosure, so that when Israel worshiped before the sanctuary they would face the west instead of the east, as the idolatrous heathen did when worshiping the rising sun. If God was then so particular that his people should not even simulate the heathen in their worship, is it a great stretch of logic to suppose that he is not now pleased to have his professed followers substitute another day for the only day that truly commemorates his power to create and his power to save?
It is said that any day of the week is the seventh day; that it depends upon where one begins to count. A true child of God will count as his great Teacher directs, and there is no question as to the method the Author outlined in his Book. Suppose you hold an interest-bearing note for ten thousand dollars due the thirtieth of the month. Would it make any difference to you if the maker of the note called any day the thirtieth? But, it is argued, the Lord specifies only a seventh part of time as holy. Very well, then I could find it possible to observe a different day each week, according to my personal convenience. No, you say, the rest days must come in their regular order; and so they must, for the weekly Sabbath is not a question of the seventh part of time but of the order of days, and in that way only can the finality of creation be memorialized; for God began his work on the first day and ended it on the seventh. The completed creation cannot be celebrated the day it was begun.
If in your business dealings with a very dear friend there arose some doubt as to the exact amount of your indebtedness to him, would you not cheerfully give him the benefit of the doubt? Now if after what you have read there is still a shadow of a doubt as to your obligation to your Creator in this matter, as one professing love for God, to whom will you give the benefit of the doubt? “If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments.” “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
Moore, Mont.
Is It a Sin to Dance?
By C. P. WHITFORD
C. P. WHITFORD
In answer to the question, “Is it a sin to dance?” listen to the following scriptures: “Praise ye the Lord. . . . Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people.” Ps. 149: 1-4. “Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary. . . . Praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.” Ps. 150: 1-4.
In these scriptures we are exhorted to praise the Lord with the dance. In the time of David, dancing was a form of religious worship. The question is frequently asked, Cannot we dance to the praise of the Lord now? I would answer, Certainly. But is it not a fact that but very few people who are anxious to dance, and who do dance, are found at the weekly prayer meeting? I read in 1 Cor. 10: 31: “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” In our day do those who dance engage in the exercise in a way that will glorify God? Before going to the dance hall, do they bow down and reverently ask God to send the holy angels with them, and bless them in all that they do during the time they9are engaged in dancing? Are they dancing to the praise of the name of the Lord, or for their own amusement? Can one dance for his own amusement or for the entertainment of the public, and thereby praise the Lord? When David danced to the praise of the Lord, his worldly-minded wife looked through a window and saw him as he danced before the ark of God, and the Bible says that “she despised him in her heart.” 2 Sam. 6: 12-16. One cannot dance in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord and thereby please worldly-minded people; neither can one dance in a manner that is pleasing to the world, and thereby please the Lord.
But to return to the question, “Is it a sin to dance?” From what we have learned we conclude that the sin of dancing depends upon where one dances. Anciently the people danced in the sanctuary, or the house of God. The sin of dancing depends also upon how one dances, and the object had in view in dancing. In olden times the sexes danced separately. Ex. 15: 20. They danced at proper seasons. They danced in moderation, instead of excess. They danced to the glory of God. If you want to dance to the glory of God, be sure that you do not rather gratify the flesh, and thus please the adversary of all righteousness.
All Things Possible With God
By T. E. BOWEN
T. E. BOWEN
Down at the end of Jesus’ life, when from a human viewpoint his work on earth had almost proved a failure, as he prayed in the garden, he said: “My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death.” “Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” Mark 14: 34-36.
God’s Infinite Power Our Basis for Faith
“All things are possible unto thee.” Here is the very foundation stone of faith. That which to us, from our human standpoint, appears an impossibility, is quite possible with God. That which to us may seem as loss and failure, may be the very means by which God is working out his great design. Christ’s work was wholly successful, yet it did not have that appearance, as the Jewish nation rejected him, his closest disciples forsook him, and even his own mother counted it that his mission as Messiah had failed, as she sorrowfully followed her son to Calvary. Yet these disappointing experiences were the very means by which Christ’s mission gloriously triumphed.
The Apparent Failure of Noah’s Work
No doubt as Noah neared the end of his work in warning his generation of the approaching flood, it was quite a query in his mind as to whether his work had proved a success. Possibly, as he viewed it, there were yet many whose attention had not been called to the deluge that was coming. No doubt in his earnest desire that others should be saved his heart yearned to rescue these. A generation or two had arisen since he began his work. Many who first believed had either died, or given up their faith in a coming flood, so that it must have seemed to this aged servant of God, who had put his life and his all into the ark, that his efforts had about the same as come to naught. He certainly could see but little effect upon the people. A scoffing world was arrayed against him. And the very fact that the people scoffed, showed that they had had ample warning. At last the hour came when God sent his messenger to Noah with this word: “Come thou and all thy house into the ark.”
Israel Facing a Sea
To Israel, as they came to the Red Sea, it appeared from their viewpoint an utter impossibility for them to go up into the goodly Promised Land. But the sea opened, and that which to them was impossible, became quite possible to God.
The Great Work Confronting the Apostles
A band of followers faced a world with the unpopular doctrine that Jesus of Nazareth, who had taught throughout Galilee and Judea, healing the sick, forgiving sin, and uttering words of hope and cheer to sin-sick souls, who had been rejected, condemned by the chief priests and Pharisees as a blasphemer and disturber of the people, and crucified, had been brought back to life again on the third day, and that it was through faith in that name that they must be saved. “Neither is there salvation in any other,” Peter exhorted, “for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
It seemed an impossibility to impress a world with such a message as this. They were despised, talked about, talked against, driven through persecution from one city to another, everywhere the sect being spoken against. But they preached on, loved on, believed on. They had faith in their message, and taught it publicly and privately from house to house until they not only filled Jerusalem with “their doctrine”—God’s message for that hour—but the sound in a few brief years went out into “all the world” for a witness to that generation.
Again it comes to pass that that which to human understanding appeared an impossibility, verily becomes true. God was with them, working for them, and manifesting his power through them.
Another Impossibility Confronting the Last Generation
Down near the end another seemingly impossible task is undertaken by God. A world is to hear about the near advent of Jesus. Coupled with that, the law of God, so long trampled underfoot, is to be restored to its proper place. The Sabbath, rejected and downtrodden by men, is to be preached as still binding upon believers—apparently a hopeless undertaking. But the message is of God. He is in it. He begins it. A few believers espouse the heaven-sent message; only a few at first, and they poor, without worldly honor or distinction. But they begin preaching the unpopular truth, by voice and by pen. Believers multiply. The tidings at last break the bounds of native shores, and lights are kindled in another land. Soon other shores are reached, and the message speeds on. After four or five decades go by, the message, which was at first small and apparently obscure, becomes a world-wide one, gathering greater momentum in its onward progress.
Shall It Be Fulfilled in This Generation?
This is indeed a vital question. From our human viewpoint it seems to be an utter impossibility. But shall we leave God out of our reckoning? Shall we forget that that which is wholly impossible with men, is quite possible with the Infinite? Is it an opportune time to yield our faith in the ultimate triumph of this message when almost every mail is burdened with tidings of its progress in nearly every land upon the globe, and that, too, at a time when world conditions are unfavorable for its advancement? War cannot stop it. Hard times do not stop it. Opposition retards not its progress. Although everywhere spoken against and unpopular, a disturber of the peace, generally unwelcome as requiring people to give up too much, since it is founded upon the Word of God, it reaches hearts seeking for the light, everywhere, in every nation, bringing peace and joy and comfort and soul rest to those who receive it.
Christ Within
By MRS. S. L. STOUT
MRS. S. L. STOUT
WHAT means this longing to be free
From sin and death and infamy,
From lust of eye and pride of life
And fleshly idols' daily strife?
I turn to wisdom's lore in vain;
I struggle, moan, and try again:
Can aught release and give me peace,
And bid my bosom's strife to cease?
Amazing thought! and can it be
That Christ will deign to dwell in me,
Nay, ask to come and make his home
If I will only give him room?
My heart is faint, my soul is still,
At such revealings of his will.
Shall I now turn from hopes that yearn,
And crush desires that in me burn?
Yet like a wall I bar the way;
More fierce the battle day by day.
O friends that call, 'tis life, 'tis all;
And yet with his, the gift how small!
How can I feel, or see, or know?
I simply yield and find it so.
Myself bequeath, and find relief
In him who seems a rock beneath.
My Saviour makes a holy shrine
Within this lowly heart of mine.
The deed is done: the victory won.
Amazing grace! sin's load is gone.
Mackinaw, Ill.
Hope, Preparation, and Equanimity
“A WISE man ought to hope for the best, be prepared for the worst, and bear with equanimity whatever may happen.”
The Tanganyika Mission, Africa
By J. C. ROGERS
J. C. ROGERS
WE returned Oct. 29, 1914, from an eight days’ trip among the villages where we intend to locate our mission station. On this tour we traveled one hundred and fifty miles by bicycle and on foot. In some places we found the paths too rough and crooked for the bicycle; but for seventy-five miles on the Boma road, we found the going good. We hope to secure a site on or near this road, so that it will not be necessary for the mission to build its own roads. I was glad to find cattle in some of the villages, indicating that the locality is free from tsetse.
The district is well watered. There have been no rains for five or six months, yet we crossed many fine streams. In one place, which is the best site I have yet seen, there is a splendid little stream rising in the midst of a fine clump of trees two or three acres in extent. A little waterfall from this stream could be heard for a half mile in the still morning as we passed. In July I spent several days in this neighborhood, examining this site. East of the spring an open, rolling plain extends for two miles, where we saw plenty of game grazing. It is a fine place for cattle. North and south are large belts of timber, where the soil is good for cultivation. The timber is small and easily cleared.
The only objection we could find to start this place is that the population is not as large as we should like to see. There are ten or twelve villages within a radius of seven miles, but they are not large villages, averaging only about one hundred and twenty-five persons each. Twelve miles north is a village of six hundred, and another of five hundred ten miles away. The two chiefs of the districts were friendly, and would favor our locating near them. We spent one night in each of their villages. The people of the village nearest the site just described begged my wife to locate there. The women of this village had never seen a white woman, and were at first afraid to come to our tent. Next morning they all came and asked for a school.
The first heavy rain of the season fell on the day of our return. We found the temporary house we had been occupying flooded; but we are now putting on new thatch, which we hope will keep out the next rain. We are making some gardens for vegetables and corn. Some seeds that we planted before starting on our trip are now growing nicely. While out this time we found a kind of wild fruit like a plum that is quite good eaten from the tree, and its juice makes good jelly. But sugar at a shilling a pound forbids much jelly making.
I intend making one more trip alone during November, probably traveling about three hundred miles. On this trip I shall find whether there is any suitable site where the population is more numerous. We believe that many of our people are praying that God will direct us to the proper site, and we believe that their prayers with ours will bring the desired help in this important matter.
Mporokoso, North Rhodesia.
Fifteen Hundred Miles Through Venezuela With the Scriptures
[The introduction of the Bible into the spiritually dark countries is a very important part of God's work on earth. We feel sure the readers of the REVIEW will follow with deep interest the experiences of Stephen B. Adams, a colporteur of the British and Foreign Bible Society, on a recent tour into the interior of Venezuela, as published in the Bible in the World, from the leaves of his diary.]
ON a July morning I set out from Caracas on a long tour down into the valley of the great Orinoco River. I was fortunate in having as my companion Mr. Williams, of Valencia, a much-traveled missionary, whose experience was invaluable. A young Brazilian also accompanied us part of the way. We started on horseback upon the long journey to San Fernando de Apure, which lies right in the heart of the republic. Descending from Caracas, we found our first stopping place at Cagua. With as little loss of time as possible we offered our books from door to door; but the priest warned the people not to buy. His presence hindered our sales, but we sold a few copies. Leaving Cagua, after much trouble with our pack horse we reached Villa de Cura. Here the people were very poor and under the power of the priest; nevertheless our sales were good. One young woman assured me that of all men I was “the most wicked,” because I had sold a New Testament to her mother.
The Fever-Haunted Llanos
Near a village called Para-para, we encountered a melancholy sight—a poor native being carried to his last resting place; the corpse was wound in a sheet, with the head and feet uncovered. There was neither coffin, nor priest, nor funeral ceremony for him; he was just dumped into a hole like a dead animal. We were astonished at the number of empty houses, but these and the telltale faces of the inhabitants reminded us that we were on the border of the great fever-haunted plains, the much-dreaded llanos. Para-para we found half deserted and in ruins, with a sick person in every house. Considering the circumstances, our sales were good in this stricken village.
At another place, which merited its name of “Deserted Village,” war and malaria had done their deadly work, and what was once a thriving town with 12,000 citizens had been reduced to less than 4,000 inhabitants. We found the streets overgrown with grass, up to the very church door. We made good sales here, better than we had expected.
Fording Rivers
The river Guanico was reached one evening, and we saw the cattle taking their evening bath. We did not feel overconfident of getting across without a wetting. I was riding the pack horse; and by carefully following the ripple on the water, we avoided the deep parts, and got safely across before dark. In a few moments we left behind the beautiful foliage that grows on either bank, and found ourselves again in the open plain, where more than ever we needed to use our eyes to discover the path among the long grass, where a false step might lead us miles out of our way. The hosts of mosquitoes that attacked us were beyond description; to draw one's hand over his horse's neck meant to get it covered with blood. When the welcome moon made its appearance, and the track grew more visible, we rode forward singing. At 10 P. M. we reached a hut, where we tethered our horses, slung our hammocks, and in a few moments gained respite from the mosquitoes under our mosquito nets. We rose refreshed next morning, and the good man of the hut gave us a cup of coffee and milk, all he had to offer us; on the strength of that we had to ride three miles.
At another lonely hut where we stayed all night we preached to some cowboys, and our host bought three New Testaments. Next morning we came to another river. This had to be crossed by canoe, the horses swimming alongside, while a dusky native paddled us over. It was an ideal day for traveling, so we pushed on to catch the ferry for Camaguan, on the Portuguesa River; but we11missed it by a few minutes. There was nothing left but to wait under a broiling sun for three hours, without shelter of any description. We had had nothing to eat since the previous evening, and while our thirst was terrible; at last we gave in, and drank from a muddy water hole. All our strong resolutions to drink nothing but boiled water failed before that unbearable thirst. Finally there arrived the ferryboat, a long, narrow canoe dug out of a tree trunk, and in this we crossed, while the poor tired horses had to swim for over a mile. We spent that night at Camaguan, a quaint little town by the river, composed chiefly of huts built of mud and wood and thatched with palm leaves. The streets were merely deep sand, where pigs, donkeys, chickens, and children could all enjoy a good sand bath.
Alligators
The sound of war was in the air; a strong detachment of government troops had passed the day before and had commandeered all the canoes, so we had difficulty in hiring one. Finally we made arrangements with an old man who had a canoe hidden away; but he could find no one to help him, so his wife and little son had to be the “seamen.” It was very pleasant to glide down this river after a hard month in the saddle. The boatman sat at the stern and steered with a big flat paddle, while his wife and son took turns at paddling with a smaller one. These boat people are perfectly at home on the water, and it was amusing to watch the woman wash a garment over the side, and then dry it on the large brim of her hat, at the same time enjoying one of the usual long native cigars. We were now in the home of the alligator, and anxious to see a real, live specimen in his native element. We had not long to wait, for a large brute lay sunning himself on the bank, with his head under water. As we drew nearer, he quietly slid into the stream. Alligators soon ceased to be a novelty, however, for all down the river they lay basking until dusk, sometimes with their huge mouths gaping wide open. The boatman told us some weird stories about alligators and the people they had killed. He said that their great enemy was the tiger, which caught them asleep on the bank. We passed hour after hour admiring the rich vegetation, the beautiful birds, and the strange, singing monkeys, one species of which makes a noise like the howling of the November wind in Scotland. At 5 P. M. we drew to the bank for a meal of black coffee, with a piece of new maize bread and two sugar canes.
San Fernando
In the evening we reached San Fernando, the end of the first stage of our journey—360 miles from Caracas. San Fernando is a big town for Venezuela, and a very good business center; but on this occasion it was all unrest, and every second man seemed to be a soldier. It lies on the bank of the Apure River, and is perfectly flat. I cannot describe the very unsanitary condition of this place. The sewage from the houses runs in cement drains into the open street, where it lies and forms a wallowing pool for the pigs, a home for the croaking frogs, and a breeding place for mosquitoes, while the odor is unbearable. Nor shall we soon forget the first night in our lodgings; the fleas and mosquitoes made our bodies one mass of blisters. The following night, before going to bed we bathed ourselves with creolin, and flooded the floor with a strong sheep wash, which had good results. Staying four days here, we had excellent sales. Among the people who came to buy was an Arab visitor to the town, who said he wanted to make his wife a present of the novel entitled “The Love of the Devil.” We spoke to him, however, of the love of God, and he left us with a copy of the Book which proclaims that love.
(Concluded next week)
Blessedness of Christian Service
By Worthie Harris Holden
WORTHIE HARRIS HOLDEN
Rejoice in thy salvation.
Declare both far and near
The world-wide proclamation,
That every soul may hear.
Redeemed to tell the story
Of God's amazing love!
Redeemed to share the glory
That circles him above!
A voice, and echoes waken
That pierce the vales of night;
A word, and doubt is shaken
Till faith illumes the sight.
Be glad to thee 'tis given
To live and work and pray;
A crown awaits in heaven,
And joy through endless day.
Porto Rico
By MRS. MARY A. FITCH
MRS. MARY A. FITCH
The superintendent of the field and five of our faithful canvassers came to Santurce, Sabbath, July 24, because of the colporteurs’ institute and the general meeting of the workers on the island during the visit of Brother N. Z. Town. The time of the Spanish service in the morning and of the English in the afternoon was given to these brethren. I wish words could be made to convey a proper conception of the earnestness and consecration that were expressed by their faces and remarks as they spoke of their experiences in traveling over land and sea, mountain and valley, to place the message-filled literature in the homes of the people.
One brother spoke of the famine for the Word of God that he knew was just before us, as an inspiration to him to sow beside all waters.
One told of approaching a druggist to obtain a subscription for one of our periodicals. Before leaving he obtained the subscription of a passer-by whom the druggist had called in, and to whom he explained the significance of the present war. In Porto Rico the drug store is a place for men to congregate in the evening. Our worker had occasion to pass this place again in the evening, and was halted by the druggist, who announced to the men that this man could tell them all about the present war, what it meant and what was going to take place in the future. You may be sure he improved the opportunity. This same worker spoke of spending three hours in getting a three-dollar order, and immediately afterwards secured nineteen dollars’ worth in fifteen minutes.
Another told of an interesting experience with a Catholic priest, who, after examining the prospectus and accusing the colporteur of trying to evade him, threatened to have him arrested.
One who is canvassing in the rural sections, traveling on horseback, referred to his difficulty in getting a desirable place to spend the Sabbath. On one occasion, after repeated failures to find a place where he and his horse could be cared for, he came to a place where only the son was at home, and he about to leave. The colporteur was given permission, however, to remain as long as he wished. He was greatly rejoiced to find upon the man’s table a recent copy of the REVIEW Extra. With this he spent the Sabbath quietly, reading the articles several times.
Our workers out in the hills and mountains of these remote districts appreciate more than they can express some of our good papers, which are as welcome as a letter from home. Will not some of our people who are using these for waste paper, or in other ways allowing them to do no good, send them to a field where they will be appreciated and read with delight?
It is a great privilege and inspiration to be coworkers with this faithful band of colporteurs. The seeds of truth sown by them are already springing up and bearing fruit, and eternity alone will reveal and reward their untiring devotion. Let us remember them daily in our prayers.
As to You
Did you give him a lift? He's a brother of man,
And bearing about all the burden he can.
Did you give him a smile? He was downcast and blue,
And the smile would have helped him to battle it through.
Did you give him your hand? He was slipping downhill,
And the world, so I fancied, was using him ill.
Did you give him a word? Did you show him the road?
Or did you just let him go on with his load?
Did you help him along? He's a sinner like you,
But the clasp of your hand might have carried him through.
Did you bid him good cheer? Just a word and a smile
Were what he most needed that last weary mile.
Did you know what he bore in that burden of cares
That is every man's load and that sympathy shares?
Did you try to find out what he needed from you?
Or did you just leave him to battle it through?
Do you know what it means to be losing the fight,
When a lift just in time might set everything right?
Do you know what it means, just the clasp of the hand,
When a man has been bearing just all he can stand?
Did you stop when he asked you to give him a lift?
Or were you so busy you left him to drift?
O, I know what you meant! What you say may be true,
But the test of your manhood is, What did you do?
Did you reach out a hand? Did you find him the road?
Or did you just let him go by with his load?
— Selected.
Conducted by Mrs. I. H. Evans, Takoma Park, Washington D. C
By Mrs. I. H. Evans; Miss Lora E. Clement
Assisted by Miss Lora E. Clement
Through the columns of this department, hints will be given on all matters pertaining to the home life. Short articles and letters are solicited from home makers, telling of their everyday experiences,—their joys and sorrows, their failures and successes.