A POCKET SPELLER, DICTIONARY, AND MEMORANDUM BOOK COMBINED.
It gives the right orthography of all words (over 22,800) in common use, and in nearly every instance their definition. It also gives rules for the use of capitals and punctuation marks, abbreviations of names of States and Territories, letters of introduction and recommendation, definitions of commercial terms, forms of notes, due bills, receipts, letters of credit, orders for money, merchandise and goods stored, principal holidays, marriage anniversaries, combination of shades, and carefully selected laws of etiquette in social and business life, also a silicate slate for memorandums.
This Speller gives the most complete list of words in common use; it is a Speller, Dictionary, Handy Companion, and Memorandum Book combined; it is indexed; it prints all words pronounced alike but spelled differently, so they can be distinguished at a glance; it shows where the letter e at the end of a word is to be dropped when adding ed or ing; it gives a complete list of the most practical business forms; it gives the laws of etiquette in social and business life; these rules alone are worth the price of the Speller.
This Speller is bound in leather, is of convenient size to be carried in vest pocket, and its price brings it within the reach of all. American Russia leather, gilt edge, 50 cents. Sent post-paid to any address on receipt of price. Address Pacific Press Publishing Co., 43 Bond St., New York City.
A PITTSBURG dispatch of the 4th inst. says that the Law and Order Society is well pleased with the action of the State Supreme Court in upholding the Sunday law regarding the publication of newspapers, but will make no effort to stop their publication. It will aim to stop their delivery and all traffic in Sunday papers.
President James W. Houston, speaking for the Law and Order Society, said: “The decision is just what we expected, and will in no way affect our movements. We will pursue the even tenor of our way, filing informations with magistrates for every Sunday’s work done by carriers and agents of newspapers, and others engaged in promoting their circulation and distribution. We have no intention of prosecuting editors, reporters or compositors. The reporters and editors are a specially formed class generally, and will be exempt from any responsibility shifted on them by their mercenary employers.”
They “Did Whip the Dog.”
A CORRESPONDENT writing from Marietta, Ga., gives us the following, illustrative of the practical workings of the Sunday law of that State:—
Two colored boys have just been tried in the Superior Court of this, Cobb County, for hunting on Sunday. The facts as brought out in court, and related to me by the foreman of the jury, were substantially as follows: The boys were delivering milk on Sunday. While passing through an old field, a dog which they had allowed to follow them found a rabbit to which he gave chase, and which he presently caught. The boys took the rabbit from the dog and carried it home. For this they were indicted under Section 4580 of the Georgia Code, which provides that “Any person or persons who shall hunt any kind of game with gun or dogs, or both, on the Sabbath day, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction, shall be punished as prescribed in section 4310 of this code.”
Section 4310 provides a fine not to exceed $1,000, imprisonment not to exceed six months, work in the chain-gang, etc., and these boys escaped conviction only because certain members of the jury would not agree to convict them, because, as they said, they had all done the same thing.
In discharging the prisoners the judge reprimanded them, and gave them a few words of caution, when the boys assured him that they “did whip the dog for running the rabbit on Sunday.”
And thus the dignity of the State of Georgia and of the “American Sabbath” was maintained, and justice satisfied!
Of the persecution of Seventh-day Adventists in Tennessee, that excellent publication, the Sabbath Outlook, says: “This un-American, un-Christian persecution of Sabbath-keepers is a blot on the history of our time which will cloud the name of Tennessee for years to come; and the comparative silence of the religious press, in condemnation of it, gives too much color to the idea that better men than those who have instigated the wrong thus done, are willing that it should go unrebuked.”
A CHRISTIAN lady residing in Aurora, Ill., writes thus of the Tennessee persecutions:—
I have no sympathy at all with that kind of law executing. It is done more for spite than for the good of the land. I consider it an outrage and would like an opportunity of saying so to those who are prying into the privacy of homes, and striving to bind the very conscience.
This lady is a firm believer in Sunday sacredness, but, like thousands of others, revolts at the injustice that is being practiced in Tennessee.
A NEW National Reform organ of the “straitest sect” has been started at Johnstown, Pa., by Rev. M. L. Weaver. The motto of the new paper is, “God’s will should be the supreme law of all people and nations,” which in this case means, of course, Mr. Weaver’s interpretation of God’s will. No National Reformer is willing to take the Bible just as it reads and make it the supreme law of even his own life. National Reform means giving some men power to compel others to accept their views of the will of God.
If anything were wanting to convince people generally that the scripture is true which says, “Great men are not always wise,” it ought certainly to be afforded by the recent opinion of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, sustaining the Sunday law of that State.
In their opinion, the judges said: “The act of 1794 is a wise and beneficent statute, and we would regret to see it interfered with.” But following this is a caution against enforcing the law too strictly. The law is “wise and beneficent,” but should not be enforced! A strange law, truly! And not the least peculiar thing about this law is, that while they caution others not to enforce this “wise and beneficent” statute, they say that it is their “plain duty” to enforce it just as they find it!!
A NEW movement has been set on foot to enforce Sunday observance in Bradford, Pa. But as usual the Sunday forces are not having clear sailing. Mr. George H. Lyon, a civil engineer, and a member of the Seventh-day Baptist Church, is opposing them in the public prints, and not only denies their right to force anybody to keep Sunday, but challenges them to show from the Bible that Sunday is the Sabbath. Of course, this is very inconsiderate in Mr. Lyon, for he knows very well that there is no scriptural authority whatever for Sunday keeping, and he could have no other motive in raising the question than to embarrass the Sunday preachers who are back of the Sunday movement. Mr. Lyon ought to know—and probably does—that such questions as he is asking will ruin the best Sunday theology in the world.
BE sure to read, on page 19, in the article headed, “A Day of Contending Parties,” the statement made by Rev. Mr. Cross, concerning the manner of securing petitions for the Sunday closing of the World’s Fair.
On the 13th inst., Judge Wise, of the District Criminal Court of New Orleans, announced his decision in the case of Chief of Police Gaster, charged with misdemeanor for refusing to make arrests for violation of the Sunday law. As noted in these columns last week, a crusade was inaugurated some weeks ago for the purpose of enforcing the Sunday law, which has been a dead letter several years. The chief of police would not make arrests and was charged by the district attorney with misdemeanor. His first trial by jury resulted in a mis-trial; the jury standing eleven to one for conviction.
The case was then tried by the judge of the Criminal District Court, who pronounced Gaster guilty, and fined him three hundred and one dollars, and one hour in the parish prison. The case has been appealed to the Supreme Court. It is a test case, and the fate of the Sunday law and its enforcement depends largely upon the result. The law is very unpopular.
It is announced that “the Czar has decided upon new hardships for the Jews within his realm. Six edicts have just been issued, declaring no mercy for the Jews, and directly aiming to destroy their influence and crush out their religion.” In our own country the last Monday in this month will witness the trial of a number of Seventh-day Adventists in a Tennessee court for fidelity to their faith. There is indeed slight difference between intolerance in a monarchy and in a republic.
ACCORDING to the Cincinnati Post the anti-Sunday-theater law of that city is being used by the authorities to feather their nests in a financial way. There are eight theatres in that city and each, it seems, contributes $34.50 hush money each Sunday, amounting to $278 per week.
