Our memory is a boundless plain,
Through which run trails of thought,
Of good and ill, of God and man,
Of ought not and of ought.
We leave the impress of our deeds
Upon its bosom white,
And can not shield its many faults
From truth's pure, searching light.
We try to cover up the trail
Where sin has made it red;
But time will bring to light each deed,
And lift each hiding head.
Ah, people! make the path of life
So full of virtues rare
That truth may search the trail you make
And find but treasures there.
Leave all along your trodden path
Landmarks of good intent,
That all may see the good you've done
As through the plain you went.
Build barracks of religious thought.
Good deeds are soldiers true.
Leave not a seed in time to come
To grow reproach for you.
And, as you travel on your way,
Let truth join in your train;
Then peace will soothe your weary heart,
And hope bedew the pain.
Good-will is always friendly, too;
Faith will be quickly won;
A virtue rare is charity;
Benevolence her son.
And with these powers, pure and strong,
Right closely will be found
Intelligence, to guide you to
High heaven's holy ground.
H. M. RYAN.
Pendleton, Oregon.
A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING.
By Miss A. C. Hudson
[Republished from the Signs.]
NEVER leave things lying about,—a shawl here, a pair of shoes there, and a hat or a bonnet somewhere else,—trusting to a servant or a member of the family to set things to rights. No matter how many servants you have, it is a miserable habit. If you use the dipper, towel, or tumbler, put it back in its place, and you will know where to find it when you want it again. Or if you set an example of carelessness, do not blame your servants and children for following it.
Children should be taught to put things back in their places as soon as they are old enough to use them. If each member of the family were to observe this simple rule, the house would never get much out of order.
MISS A. C. HUDSON.
LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR.
By AVA ELTHYN BARNES
DOROTHY DEEN sat before the old-fashioned fireplace, lost in deep thought. The clock on the mantle chimed eleven, and still she sat gazing absently at the smoldering embers. How quiet the old house seemed, —not a sound save the monotonous tick of the clock and the moan of the wind in the treetops without. Suddenly Dorothy arose and walked rapidly toward the piano, which stood in one corner of the room. She ran her fingers over the keys, and strains of sweet, sad music filled the room; but the loneliness seemed too intense even for music, and she buried her face in her hands and began to sob.
Poor Dorothy! life seemed dark to her just then. She remembered how, two years before, her dear mama had told her husband and children that soon she would leave them, and, telling them to meet her when the earth should be made new, had gone peacefully to sleep. She remembered the sweet face the last time she had looked upon it, beneath the coffin lid. But she and her sister Dealia, altho they missed their mother's loving voice and soothing presence, had soon learned to manage the household duties, and then what good times they had together! How tenderly each cared for the wants of the other, and tried to make home happy for the sorrowing father! and as time went on they grew still dearer to each other, until the strong bands bound them together in perfect love. Then, Dealia, her darling sister, began to fade,—slowly, but O, so surely!—and she too was laid to rest.
Six long, lonely weeks had passed since then, and the father had stayed down town so long of late, and then returned with the odor of liquor upon his breath. All of these things came before Dorothy so forcibly to-night, and then she remembered what Dealia had said just before she closed her eyes in death, "Dorothy, little sister, God knows what is best; be brave, dear, 'twill not be for long;" and, with a whispered "good-by" for father and sister, she passed away.
The old clock on the mantle chimed twelve, still Mr. Deen did not return to his waiting child. It seemed to Dorothy that she could bear the awful silence no longer. She took her Bible and opened it. The first verse she saw was this, "Lo, I am with you alway."
A soft, sweet voice seemed to have spoken the words to her, and with thanksgiving she lifted her heart in prayer. Soon she heard the sound of footsteps, and then her father's voice saying:—
"Why, Dorothy! you up yet?"
"Yes, father; I could not sleep while you were away."
"Well, well," said her father, not unkindly, "I do not think it is best for you to be up so late."
Dorothy Deen sat before the old-fashioned fireplace, lost in deep thought,
Dorothy rose early the next morning and looked out of her window upon a world of snowy whiteness. "How pure!" thought she. "O that my life might be as pure and spotless as is the scene before me!" She turned from the window, took her Bible, and read, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." How many times Dorothy had read this verse, and yet as she read it now it seemed almost as if she had never heard it before. "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." "Have I been doing this?" mused Dorothy, "No; there is Grandma Finly, to whom Dealia used to read a chapter each week; because grandma's eyes are no longer bright, and she loves the Word so much. How lonesome she must have been all of these weeks, and how much she must have longed for some one to read to her.
Then there's little crippled Grace, that Dealia used to sing to and cheer her dreary life; and O, so many more that I might have visited, and so helped to fill Dealia's place, and served my Master better by so doing. Then there's papa,—have I done all I could for him? Have I not been selfish in my sorrow, and failed to remember that mama and Dealia were his as well as mine,—and thought him unsympathetic when his heart was filled with grief? How selfish I have been! God being my helper, I mean to follow Christ's command."
Then, asking the Lord for His help and guidance, she hurried down-stairs. Her father was just coming to the stairway to call her. She met him with a smile and cheery "good-morning," and noticed with a pang of remorse the look of surprise and gladness which stole into his eyes. Dorothy chatted as merrily as possible during the breakfast hour, and was amply repaid when her father stooped and kissed her, and said, "Good-by, Dorothy dear, be a good girl."
Ruth Wiley rushed into the sitting-room,13where her mother sat making aprons for Esther's school wear.
"Mr. Deen is the meanest man I ever saw!"
Mrs. Wiley glanced up from her work and said, "Softly, Ruth, softly."
"Well, I don't care," said Ruth. "There Dorothy has had so much sorrow of late, and Ed. Turner said that he went to the saloon at twelve o'clock last night, to look for old Mr. Addison, and Mr. Deen was there playing cards."
"Did you say Dorothy told you this?" asked Mrs. Wiley.
"O no!" said Ruth, "She always tries to make you believe that her father is the best man that ever lived."
"Then, dear, do you think that if you loved your neighbor as yourself, you would wound Dorothy's feelings by repeating these things you have just heard concerning her father?"
The thought was new to Ruth, and she did not answer immediately
"Suppose," her mother continued, "that it was your father, Ruth; would you like Dorothy to tell that he was there at that time of night, playing cards?"
"Well, but my father would not do such a thing," said Ruth, proudly.
"Ah, my child," replied her mother, "we do not know what papa might do under the same circumstances. Mr. Deen has always had a good name, and if the same sorrow were sent upon papa, and his trust was not stayed on God, he might fall in the same way. Another thing, dear; when we repeat anything of that sort about our neighbors, we do it with a spirit of 'I am better than thou,' and you know that our great Example once said, 'Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but One.' And if He said that, should we not be very careful what we say or repeat about others? Of course I do not think, Ruth, that you would repeat these things outside of the family, but I do not think it best to repeat them even here; because if each one that heard it would do this, then a good many families would hear it, and soon, in some way, the news would be carried among all of their acquaintances, and would be pretty well known by that time. I think, Ruth, you had better go over and see Dorothy, and see if you can not cheer her some."
"I shall, mama," said Ruth. "I had never thought of what you have said, and I shall try not to repeat ill of others any more."
"That is right, daughter."
Ruth ran up-stairs to her room. "I am thankful I have a mother," she said, addressing a vase of roses which stood on the window-sill; "because," she continued, "she teaches me more good lessons than any preacher could, I'm sure."
When Mr. Deen came home to dinner that day, Dorothy told him of all the pleasant things that had happened during the morning. "This afternoon, papa, I think I shall go to see Grandma Finly, and some other people, too," she said, as her father was leaving for his work.
"Very well," replied her father. "I think it will do you good to get away from home a while."
AVA ELTHYN BARNES.
(Concluded next week.)
TAKE TIME.
LET us take time for the good-by kiss. We shall go to the day's work with a sweeter spirit for it. Let us take time to speak kind words to those we love. By and by, when they can no longer hear us, our foolishness will seem more wise than our best wisdom. Let us take time to be pleasant. The small courtesies which we often omit because they are small will some day look larger to us than the wealth which we have coveted, or the fame for which we have struggled. Let us take time to get acquainted with our families. The wealth you are accumulating may be a doubtful blessing to the son who is a stranger to you. Your beautifully kept house, busy mother, can never be a home to the daughter whom you have no time to caress.—Christian Herald.
HOME HAPPINESS.
PROBABLY nineteen-twentieths of the happiness you will ever have, you will get at home. The independence that comes to a man when his work is over, and he feels that he has run out of the storm into the quiet harbor of home, where he can rest in peace with his family, is something real. It does not make much difference whether you own your house, or have one little room in that house, you can make that little room a home to you. You can people it with such moods, you can turn to it with such sweet fancies, that it will be fairly luminous with their presence, and will be to you the very perfection of a home. Against this home none of you should ever transgress. You should always treat each other with courtesy. It is often not so difficult to love a person as it is to be courteous to him. Courtesy is of greater value and a more royal grace than some people seem to think. If you will but be courteous to each other, you will soon learn to love each other more wisely, profoundly, not to say lastingly, than you ever did before.—Selected.
VITALITY OF THE "RED SNOW" PLANT.
WHILE most plants at least cease to grow when the temperature falls to freezing point, some of the microscopic forms will only grow when the temperature is very high or very low. The phenomenon known as red snow is produced by a small plant of this character, long known as Protococcus nivalis, more recently called Sphaerella nivalis, as an illustration of this. It only grows prosperously in snow-banks in various parts of the Swiss Alps, where it has been noted for nearly a hundred years as giving a red character to the snow. In the arctic region it was noted, in 1818, by Capt. John Ross, and also has been found on some of the snow-covered hills of Greenland. A new species has recently been described under the name Sphaerella pluvialis, which comes down apparently with the rain, so as to give the idea in Northern regions that it is raining blood. These have been called, in Northern Germany, blood showers. The little plant propagates with great rapidity. The little spores have scarcely been caught by the rain-drops in the atmosphere before they commence to reproduce themselves in large numbers, and in that way give the red color to the rain as it reaches the ground. It is believed that these spores will retain their germinating power for immense periods under a continually warm temperature, only starting to grow when the atmosphere is near the freezing point.—Independent, Dec. 19, 1895.
THE BRAVEST BATTLE.
By Joaquin Miller
THE bravest battle that ever was fought—
Shall I tell you where and when?
On the maps of the world you will find it not;
It was fought by the mothers of men.
Nay, not with cannon or battle shot,
With sword or nobler pen;
Nay, not with eloquent word or thought
From mouths of wonderful men.
But deep in a walled-up woman's heart—
Of woman that would not yield,
But patiently, silently bore her part—
Lo! There is that battle-field.
No marshaling troop; no bivouac song;
No banner to gleam and wave.
And oh, these battles they last so long—
From babyhood to the grave!
Yet, faithful still as a bridge of stars,
She fights in her walled up town—
Fights on and on in the endless wars,
Then silent, unseen, goes down.
—Joaquin Miller.
Battle Creek Bakery Company
Established 1881.
MANUFACTURERS OF HEALTH FOOD CRACKERS, BISCUITS, AND CEREOLA
STRICTLY HIGH GRADE GOODS AT REASONABLE VALUE
Below is our Confidential Circular of Facts and Prices
READ EVERYBODY
You do read the daily news, and you do know from facts and statements there presented, the urgent necessity of Food Reform. Do you know that the crackers commonly sold for butter crackers are such in name only, they are lard shortened? Do you wish healthful crackers and biscuits that are both highly palatable and nutritious, and are received everywhere with favor and commendation? Do you wish a food supplied your tables the year round, made only of first-class material, and guaranteed to contain neither lard, cotton-seed compounds, imitation or inferior grades of butter? Do you wish a pure food cracker in the composition of which the products of slaughtered animals form no part? Do you want the best health food crackers and biscuits the market affords? Do you want a food that is prepared from a variety of the choicest cereals, thoroughly cooked and ready for immediate use? (Cereola.) Is it a satisfaction to know that you can obtain foods that have not been aerated with the fumes of liquor and the smoke of tobacco? Do you know that the Battle Creek Bakery Co. is prepared to furnish you just the class of goods above described. Do you want graham flour that is made from the cream of wheat, and not a compound of bran and middlings? Do you want deliverance from all that troubles you in making good graham bread? Our Perfection Graham Flour is your remedy. It is a perfect flour.
Per lb.
Cereola
in bulk $.08
Cereola
in packages .10
Gem "Oatmeal Biscuit"
.10
Lemon Biscuit
.10
Graham Biscuit
.10
Fruit Biscuit
.15
Whole Wheat Crackers
.08
"A" Graham Crackers
.08
"B" Graham Crackers
.08
New Era Butter Crackers
.08
Per bbl.
Perfection Graham Flour
$4.50
Per lb.
Perfection Graham Flour, in less quantities
$.03
Cereola is ready for immediate use by the addition of milk and cream or fruit juice, or may be eaten dry. It is a food for all, both great and small, sick and well. New Era Butter Crackers are especially suitable for soups, etc., "A" Graham are slightly sweetened, "B" Graham and Whole Wheat are unsweetened.
In ordering please remember that the freight on 100 lbs. costs no more than on any number of pounds less than 100.
Save your money by ordering 100 lbs. or more. We offer a discount of 10 per cent. from the above prices on all orders of 100 lbs. or more. This does not apply to Perfection Graham Flour.
A sample box of the various Crackers, Biscuits, and Cereola will be sent prepaid by mail or express on receipt of 35c.
In making your selections be careful to state the number of pounds of each you wish sent, and enclose amount of purchase with order.
Our Institution is well known to the publishers of this journal, and we doubt this will be a sufficient guarantee to the public of good faith on our part to do precisely what we have here agreed to do. To those who wish other references, we refer you to the City Bank of Battle Creek, Mich.
Please send all remittances by Post-Office Order, Express Order, or Bank Draft, and make all
BATTLE CREEK BAKERY
COMPANY
Battle Creek, Mich.
Flee Youthful Lusts
"FLEE also youthful lusts; but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
The Law of the Mind
"It is a law of the mind that it gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is trained to dwell. If occupied with commonplace matters only, it will become dwarfed and enfeebled. If never required to grapple with difficult problems, it will after a time almost lose the power of growth."
PUT THE BUTTON ON THE BOY.
A FRIEND of ours tells the following story: It was Sunday; all day long father, mother, and auntie had been kept busy caring for Jimmie. He had been forbidden again and again to go outside the gate, but the moment their backs were turned, out he would go to join the boys in the street.
A button had been put on the gate to keep him in, but he had grown, and now was tall enough to reach up and turn it. "Ah! I see," said the indulgent father, "I must put another button on that gate."
"Hadn't you better put the button on the boy instead of the gate?" suggested his sister. "The time will come when you can't keep him in by buttons on the gate; a little wholesome restraint now may keep the feet from straying when they get too big to be held back by a button on the gate."—Selected.
History Repeating.
By Editor
A century ago and fickle France had rejected God and was worshiping "reason" in the person of a dissolute woman. Worship of humanity is one of the marked signs of to-day. A noted fancy dancer has recently set the French capital, especially the higher classes of that city, wild, and they are bowing at her feet. A recent entertainment took place in that city. "The guests represented science, art, literature, and the drama. Toward midnight they were invited to the garden, where presently a cherubic-looking figure, dressed in vaporous, trailing garments, descended, or rather seemed to float, down-stairs. The figure passed into the garden, selecting a smooth patch of lawn lighted by a pale moon and by yellow Chinese lanterns, and began a mixture of skirt, serpentine, and Turkish dances. It was a wild success. Even the great Chinese representative in his yellow riding habit was carried off his feet. Benjamin Constant, the famous painter, in his excess of enthusiasm, pressed a couple of sounding kisses on the cheeks of the fair ——,
Editorial Notes.
The above is only one instance of many. God's message, His present message, to the people of earth is, "Fear God, and give glory to Him; . . . and worship Him."
International
International.—There are persistent reports from the Orient to the effect that China is tiring of giving away valuable concessions to the great powers and receiving nothing in return but further demands, and that she is preparing to throw down the gauntlet to Germany or Russia or both. Russia has notified China that she intends to begin at once surveying the railroad to connect her Manchurian system with Peking, in spite of China's refusal to grant her the right of way. Russia will send in her engineers, backed by her troops, and push the line through to Peking. The Chinese troops on the border of Thibet have driven back a detachment of Russians who were attempting an invasion and a capture of Chinese territory. The Germans are preparing more extensive demands in the region of Shantung, on account of the killing of three German officers a few days ago.
The eightieth birthday of Queen Victoria was celebrated in all parts of the world by British subjects, on May 24. The circumstance was the occasion of felicitations between Englishmen and Americans everywhere. At Port Tampa, Florida, 200 English marines were landed from two British war-ships, and took part with a detachment of the Florida Naval Reserves in a grand procession. The queen received congratulatory telegrams from all parts of the world, and there were brilliant gatherings in all foreign capitals to celebrate the event.....It is reported that the French Court of Cassation will order a revision of the Dreyfus case, but there was not sufficient evidence to quash his conviction..... A tuberculosis congress was opened in Berlin on May 24, with representatives from all the principal countries in the world. There were 2,000 delegates in attendance, and the emperor and empress were present during the first session.....Admiral Dewey was given an enthusiastic reception by the British at Hongkong on his arrival there May 23.
The State Department at Washington has been notified that Japan has seized and occupied Marcus Island, in the Pacific Ocean, which action will necessitate a change in the route of the proposed American cable.....The proposal of the United States to send troops to a certain portion of Alaska where the boundary is in dispute is objected to by England.
Religious.—At the Presbyterian General Assembly at Minneapolis, May 19, the time was given to a discussion of Sabbath observance and Sunday desecration. A special committee reported that it had been unable to keep Congress and the President from granting Roman Catholics the privilege of building a chapel on the West Point Military Academy grounds. Resolutions were adopted deprecating the secularizing of Sunday; urging the legislatures and Congress to protect the American Sabbath; recommending that every pastor preach on Sabbath observance on some Sunday in October and take a collection for the Sabbath Union; requesting the Board of Publication to prepare a specific Sabbath observance leaflet for the use of Sunday-school superintendents; and expressing sympathy with "the 3,000,000 Americans, who, because of Sabbath desecration, are compelled to do secular work on Sunday."
At the national congress of reform-school faculties, held at Cincinnati on May 22, the superintendent of the Illinois State Reformatory made the important statement that the smoking of cigarettes is making more criminals than are being turned out by the saloon. In his reformatory, out of 63 wayward boys averaging twelve years of age, 58 were cigarette smokers; out of 82 averaging fifteen years of age, 73 were cigarette smokers; demonstrating that 92 per cent. of the number were cigarette fiends at the time of committing the crimes which caused them to be sent to the institution......New Sunday-law bills have been introduced in the Senate of Tennessee and Rhode Island. That in the former State would prohibit all work on Sunday of any kind except household duties and works of charity, the expressed purpose of the bill being "to secure a more rigid observance of the sabbath." The purpose of that introduced in the Senate of the latter-named State is ostensibly to prevent all business and amusements on Sunday, except on the part of those who religiously observe the seventh day; the real object of the bill is to prevent a portion of the barbers of Providence from barbering on Sunday, lest they draw custom from shops whose proprietors do not care to work on that day.
Casualties and Calamities.—The bubonic plague has made its appearance in Alexandria, Egypt.....Cholera is raging in Karachi, India, and deaths are reported at the rate of over 200 per day.....Yellow fever of a virulent type is raging at Vera Cruz, Mexico, and fifty per cent. of those contracting the disease die.....The Atlantic liner Paris, which ran aground off the southwest coast of England on May 21, is fast on the rocks, with five holes in her bottom, and attempts to float her have thus far been ineffectual.....Reports from the scene of the recent hurricane off the north Queensland coast, Australia, show that the coast for a distance of fifty miles was completely devastated by the fury of the elements. The ground appeared as tho it had been plowed, and dead bodies were found wedged in the branches of many of the trees which were able to stand the gale. The number of persons who lost their lives in this memorable storm is 385.....On May 25 a fire occurred at St. Johns, N. B., which destroyed 150 buildings, leaving about 1,000 persons homeless. The insurance companies estimate the loss at $500,000.....Three white men were lynched near Aley, Harrison County, Texas, on May 24, because they were believed to have assisted in the escape of a man accused of murder.
Domestic.—Commercial reports indicate a considerable increase of trade between the Pacific Coast and the Hawaiian Islands, and quite a number of vessels are fitting out as carriers in addition to the regular lines to these islands.....The Standard Oil Company has secured control of the coal fields in the region of Cook's Inlet, Alaska, and has sent a corps of miners and engineers to Alaska to develop the property.....On May 23 there was inaugurated at Washington, D. C., a three days' peace jubilee, ushered in with a display of fireworks, speech-making, and military parades.....The grain-shovelers' strike on the lakes has been declared off, and the shipping of grain has been again resumed.
Trusts.—The governor of Missouri, on May 24, signed an anti-trust bill, which requires corporations doing business in the State to have a State license. The bill empowers the Secretary of State to refuse a license to trusts attempting to do business in Missouri.....Two powerful cream-tartar trusts, one located in San Francisco and the other in New York City, have declared war upon each other, and each is trying to drive the other out of the field by under-selling its rival.....A beggars' trust is said to have been organized in Philadelphia. Amount of capital not stated.
The Philippines.—The opposing forces in the island of Luzon are still engaged in hostilities, tho the list of casualties is small. Reports from the other islands of the group that have been occupied by the Americans seem to indicate that there is little friction. The peace commissioners are still negotiating for the surrender of the Filipinos, but nothing definite or material has thus far been achieved.
Cuba.—Generals Brooke and Gomez are reported to be in harmony in regard to arrangements for paying the Cuban troops; but many of the Cubans are said to be disbanding on their own account, taking their arms with them to their homes, and declaring they will accept no money from the United States.
PUBLICATIONS ON THE
SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
MATTHEW 24, OR THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. An exposition of the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew's Gospel. 96 pages, paper covers. Price 10 cents.
SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. A brief resumé of the advents of Christ and the prophecies which cluster around these events. Two diagrams assist in the study. 80 pages, paper covers. Price 10 cents.
CHRIST OUR ADVOCATE. Showing the work that Christ accomplishes in the Sanctuary in Heaven, before his second coming. 112 pages, paper covers. Price 10 cents.
SURE WORD OF PROPHECY. A consideration of the important prophecies of the book of Daniel, the last chapter of which brings us to the "time of the end," just previous to Christ's second coming. 96 pages, paper covers. Price 10 cents.
Send for complete catalogue with description and price list of other publications on this and kindred topics.
PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO.
Oakland, Cal.Kansas City, Mo.N. Y. City, N. Y.
BIBLE SANCTIFICATION:
A CONTRAST OF
TRUE AND FALSE THEORIES.
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
This is a pamphlet of only 84 pages, but its value is not to be judged by its size. It is just what its title indicates: a faithful presentation of Bible truth on this important subject, and an exposure of the false theories prevailing in regard to it. Every believer in Bible truth should read it. Buy it, read it, and lend it to your neighbor. Price, 10 cents.
Address, PACIFIC PRESS, Oakland, Cal.
Severity Against Shad Poachers
By Editor
A New Jersey justice fines two boys $100 for the illegal catching of shad in Puritan River, or, as an alternative, to go to jail three months. There is some popular feeling over the hard sentence. It might be well if New Jersey severity could be made effectual against some of the illegal trusts which are nesting in that State.
A National Reform Method of Argument.
The following may not be true to incident, but it is to principle, on a far larger scale: 'What was your father whipping you for last night?' asked the small boy of another. 'O,' replied the other, 'we had an argument about my Sunday-school lesson, and he was proving to me that the whale actually did swallow Jonah!'
God Is No Respecter of Persons
Another precious lesson is taught in the record of God's dealing with Cornelius, for which the writer did not have space on the first page of the paper. God's knowing and caring for us is indeed precious. Peter thought that God cared for Jews only in this way. But God taught him in this matter of Cornelius that "God is no respecter of persons." Acts 10:34. Then God cares for each one of all men of all nations and races. Each one may then say, God cares for me, He knows me, He is my Friend.
The Prospects for International Peace
Mr. William T. Stead thinks that the great bar to peace or international arbitration will be Germany. Mr. Bryce, author of "The American Commonwealth," does not write so hopefully. He declares that there is little enthusiasm over the matter in Europe. In England enthusiastic meetings have been held, but the enthusiastic ones were so before the meeting. The great majority take little interest in the peace congress, and believe it will amount to nothing. The general feeling is that Russia wishes time to complete her great railway.
Is the Whipping-Post to Be Revived?
By Editor
Is the Whipping-post to Be Revived?—It looks like it, from the frequent expression of sentiment in its favor. In a report of a recent meeting of the New York Medico-Legal Society, the whipping-post was advocated for certain things, such as wife-beating and cruelty to children. These sentiments were heartily applauded by the thirty women who were present. It was thought that it would be efficacious in checking many youthful offenders. Such punishment may be a necessity, but it argues ill against the "advanced civilization" and "Christian nation" claim.
The Ultimate Trust
The Ultimate Trust it would seem it ought to be called, but it is not. The story comes from Philadelphia that the beggars of that city have formed a trust in order to reduce competition. They will be districted, and each beggar will be given his territory. Each beggar is expected to pay a small sum into the general treasury; and if arrested, his fine will be paid. If a beggar refuses to join the trust, his district will be flooded with competitors; and if he still persists in refusal, well-dressed beggars, posing as citizens, will make complaint to the police, and have him arrested. The boycott is everywhere, always the result of the innate selfishness of man. This boycott is a matter of prophecy, one of the last phases of which will be religious. See Rev. 13:16, 17.
Acquired from Spain
Acquired from Spain.—For one thing Spain has been famous, namely her toreadors, or bull-fighters. Her superiority in this respect has not been questioned, and she has thus far had no competitors. Refinement and civilization, perhaps, had something to do with this. But this is true no longer. Americans have sprung into the arena—or bull-ring. In Durango, Mexico, recently, an affair of this kind took place with amateurs, Americans. The excitement and cruelty was above Spain's average. Three poor horses and four bulls were killed. The human animals escaped; and it is now announced that a series of such exhibitions will be given under American management, with American actors. Is this to be credited as one of the gains of the recent war?
The Winning of Margaret
How Margaret and her skeptical friend Ralph were converted. A well-told story.
Price, $1.00 per 100.
PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO.
New York City Oakland, Cal. Kansas City, Mo.
A NEW TRACT.
Spiritual Gifts. By Elder J. N. Loughborough. B. S. Library, No. 156; 40 pages; price, $2.50 per 100.
Especially good for general distribution, as it deals with principles only. It explains what the Spirit of prophecy is and how it is manifested. It contrasts true and false manifestations, and tells how to distinguish them. It gives the meaning of "open visions" and "night visions;" it speaks of "women as prophets;" of "prophecy in the early church," and the reason for its discontinuance, etc., etc. The main object, however, is to show from the Scriptures that this gift will be prominently connected with the remnant church. It is the very best publication ever issued with which to introduce the Spirit of prophecy.
Pacific Press Pub. Co., Oakland, Cal.
89 Bond St.,
New York City.
18 West Fifth St.,
Kansas City, Mo.
Instructions for Ordering.
By Editor
1. REMIT by P. O. Money Order, Express Order, or Bank Draft on New York, Chicago, or San Francisco.
2. If paper money or silver is sent, register the letter.
3. Orders and Drafts should be made payable to the PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO., or to SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
Postage-stamps.—Please do not send postage-stamps, as they are liable to stick together, and are useless in this condition.
Foreign Money.—Do not send any.
Receipt.—No formal receipt is sent unless by special request. The address label on your paper will indicate the time to which your subscription is paid. In case of non-receipt of papers, or any other irregularity, please notify us immediately.
Expiration of Subscription.—All papers are discontinued at the expiration of the time paid for. Notification will be sent several weeks before date of expiration, thus enabling you to renew in ample time to secure unbroken files. Please be prompt, as we can not always furnish back numbers.
Change of Address.—When ordering change of address, please give both the old and the new address.
Important.—Use a separate sheet for SIGNS orders, separate for other papers, separate for books, for tracts, etc., and if you address the editor, use a separate sheet. All can be sent in one envelope, and the money all sent in one order, but write each kind of business on a separate sheet. In this way each order can be handed to the proper clerk and filled at once.
TO CONTRIBUTORS.
By Editor
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES is a purely missionary enterprise. For this reason it has felt free to ask for contributions from its friends. It pays nothing for contributions, either prose or poetry, unless solicited by the editor, and then the fact is stated when the articles are asked for. This is a plan rarely followed, but sometimes deemed expedient.
Articles Desired.—Those which set forth in the Spirit of Christ the great saving truths of God, short and to the point. It is better to treat one important truth clearly, in a short article, than many points vaguely in a long one. We desire no caustic, critical productions, which might minister to personal pride or pleasure, but can not save souls.
How Prepared.—Write plainly, with typewriter or ink, with wide space between the lines, to freely admit of editing, writing of subheads, etc. Write on one side of the sheet only. Sign the name to the manuscript, as it becomes oftentimes separated from accompanying letter. Anonymous contributions are not used, whatever their merit. If the writer does not wish his name to appear, let him furnish a pseudonym for the public. But we wish the name.
Manuscript Returned.—We will return all unused manuscript desired if stamp and directions are inclosed. We are forced sometimes to return good manuscript mainly for three reasons: (a) Sometimes the articles are too long; (b) sometimes we have a number on the same subject; (c) sometimes our plans are such that an article can not be used till it is out of date. We therefore hope that no offense will be taken by those who have freely contributed their best thought if their productions are returned. When we receive so much matter, we can not use all.
To ALL interested in carrying the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the inhabitants of other lands, and who desire to assist in supporting missionaries already there and others who may engage in the work, the opportunity is given to make an offering to the FOREIGN MISSION BOARD of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. Address, 1730 North Fifteenth Street, Philadelphia, Penn.
