A RECENT New York World has a description of Sir Thomas Lipton’s “cheap-meal scheme” for feeding the poor of London. His plan is to have restaurants where they can get a good meal for four cents, and something a little extra good (for poor folks) for eight cents. Mr. Lipton said to the reporter who interviewed him:—
“There will also be a labor bureau. One headquarters will be able to supply food for 10,000 persons a day. The hours between breakfast and the midday meal will be set aside for feeding poor children.
“Other branch establishments all over London will serve 2,000 people a day.
“Not the least important part of the scheme is what I may call the outside department, whereby poor people will be given facilities to take food to their homes and invalids will be supplied with beef tea.
“Three meals will be supplied daily, including Sundays. At the headquarters there will be a band of music occasionally.
“If the scheme works as I expect it will, I have promised another $500,000.”
Anything that looks toward the work of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked must be a commendable work. It is hard to see how it could be otherwise. And Mr. Lipton’s hope is that his plan may be copied by other nations. Let the good work spread, and it is to be hoped that more than one sum of $500,000 will be given to feed and clothe the destitute.
But it should be seen that this rapidly-increasing army of the dependent and destitute, not in one nation alone, but in every nation on the whole earth, is presenting one of the greatest problems of this time. And yet when the question is viewed from the correct standpoint there is really no problem in it. It is simply and clearly an indication of the times in which we are living. It is one of the unmistakable signs that we are in the days when the prophecy of James is fulfilling right before our literal eyes. His prophecy reads as follows:—
“Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth; and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you. Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”
It is to be observed that the apostle speaks of the “treasure” that is “heaped together for the last days.” He also speaks of the “hire of the laborers” which is “kept back by fraud.” And so flagrant is the evil that the laborers’ hire that has been fraudulently kept back, “crieth.” And at the same time that the cries of the poverty-stricken and oppressed are forced from their lips, the Word of God lays the charge against the rich, “Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.”
In view of this condition of things in these “last days” the Lord sends the ringing message, “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.” James 5:1. This immense army of despairing, destitute men, women, and children, will rise in a furious revolution by and by. And the rich men who have had no scruples in their oppressive methods in “heaping together their treasure,” will reap the awful harvest from the seed that they have sown.
This scripture that we have quoted from James is a positive, divine evidence of it. Its graphic description of these scenes among the rich in the last days should thrill every soul. Surely their position is a most unenviable one if they persist in their wanton living, and continue to heap up treasure.
It is good that some still have the sparks of generosity that will lead them to provide cheap as well as free living for the host of the destitute. But how much better it would be to give them their just pay and help them to be manly and womanly enough to work for their own independent living, rather than to be beggarly paupers! The man is far better when he makes his own living than when he is dependent on the charities of others. And while cheap restaurants and free soup houses are good in their way, it is far better to lead men into some useful occupation where they enjoy the blessing of making their own way.
For instance, there are several men, and among them a titled gentleman or two of England, who each owns all the way from 50,000 to 1,750,000 acres of land in this country. Now it is perfectly evident that no man can use any such quantity of real estate. The baron who holds the 1,750,000 might lead 47,750 families into homes where each could possess 40 acres of land. And any family can make a good living on 40 acres. If the people were led away from the cities and set to work at farming, they could live comfortably, and the destitution and discontent would vanish of themselves.
But can we hope for any reforms?—Indeed, there is such a strong tide running in the direction of concentration and oppression, that there is but little to hope for. And yet let us hope and pray and work for that little. Let us hope and pray and work to the end that some eyes may be opened to the true meaning of this terrible situation. Some of these rich men will surely be reached, and turn their great abilities in the direction of helping the poor to help themselves, and leave off their oppressions. Some of the poor will also be reached, and so be saved from the fearful revolution into which they are driving. And the message to all is:—
“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned; behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”
T.
An Illustration.
By W. N. G.
A “judge” in Anderson County, Tenn., recently had two of our brethren brought before him for working on Sunday. A trial was unnecessary, as it was alleged that they had worked in the “judge’s” presence. However, he had only seen them in working apparel going toward the coal mine in which they labored. Without the formality of a trial, therefore, they were fined, and denied the right of appeal. To this a lawyer objected, and threatened to prosecute the “judge” for denying a right due to every defendant. Then the two brethren were allowed to give bonds for their appearance in the Circuit Court the first Monday in September. Many other people in that vicinity, and to the “judge’s” knowledge, work on Sunday, but they do not observe the seventh-day Sabbath. Therefore it is evident that keeping the Sabbath “according to the commandment” was their real offense. And the “Lord’s Day Defense Committee, in affiliation with the State Sunday Rest Day Association and the Reform Bureau, Washington, D. C.,” has inaugurated a scheme for educating the people all over the country to the point of making such action as that of the Tennessee “judge” popular and common. Moreover, the Y. P. S. C. E. is unwittingly being made the principal medium of the committee’s work. But our Saviour says: “Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. [The Father’s will is His law. Ps. 40:7, 8.] Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” Matt. 7:21–23. W. N. G.
SEEKING RIGHTEOUSNESS.
By W. N. G.
THE National Citizenship League purports, “in general, to seek the reign of whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report.” That is a good purpose, and the same idea is given in the words of Christ, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness.” Matt. 6:33. But we never can find it by seeking for it through a “national citizenship.” That experiment was tried by ancient Israel under the old covenant, and it failed; it failed, even tho the Lord appointed rulers and gave laws direct from heaven. Can the National Citizenship League outdo the Almighty in the matter of electing officers and making laws? “Shall mortal man be more just than God?”
Abraham did not seek it in that way. He came out from his own country and was a “pilgrim and a sojourner” in this world. “He looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:10), but he didn’t look for it in this world. He sought “the reign of whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report;” but he sought it by faith, and had the assurance of it, for he saw it “afar off” (verse 13). Jesus told those Jews who were looking for a reign of righteousness through a “national citizenship” that they would “see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God,” and themselves “thrust out.” Luke 13:28.
Where, then, will Abraham find that reign of righteousness? Let Peter answer. He says the heavens and earth which are now, are “reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:7, 13. As yet the “kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20, 21), and righteousness can reign only in the heart in which the reign of sin has been overcome (Rom. 6:12). W. N. G.
Union with Christ
The “Independent Catholic Church” is the name of a recent organization started in this country, and seemingly doing its greatest work among the Poles. So we should judge from a pastoral letter written the Polish Church in Baltimore by Cardinal Gibbons. The cardinal says:—
“This is the first time in the history of your people that a pernicious religious sect has risen in your midst. . . . The ‘Independent Church’ has been condemned and solemnly anathematized by Pope Leo XIII., and is a sect all the more dangerous because its external appearance and ceremonies, so closely resembling Catholic rites, are apt to lead many unsuspecting Catholics astray.”
The earthly character of what the cardinal considers the true church is shown in the paragraph which immediately follows the above. He says:—
“You must always remember that our holy church, built upon the rock of St. Peter, does not rest upon ceremonies and rites, but upon faith and good works, obedience and union with Rome.”
But the true church rests upon faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and this is good works, obedience, and union with Him.
Rome and the Government.
The Pueblo, Colorado, Individual of July 28 has the following:—
“The Transatlantic Steamship Co. that has the contract for carrying home to Spain the Spanish prisoners is a company owned and controlled by the Jesuit order. It first bid $30 a private and $60 an officer, but after all bids were in, was allowed to change to $20 and $55 respectively and got the job. Who says Rome doesn’t run our government?”
Pray and Speak Before Folks
Do NOT be afraid to pray or speak “before folks,” even if you are uneducated and untrained. When the heart employs the mouth, God does not pause to parse its utterances.—The Evangel.
AN UNRECOGNIZED RELATIVE.
By Verbena Hawthorn
[“Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.” Matt. 25:40.]
“Mama, don’t you like that lady?”
Queried Mamie on the street,
“Else why did you not salute her
Like the others that you meet?”
“She’s a negro, Mamie darling,
And I can not speak to such.”
“Do you think,” came back the answer,
“That ’twould hurt you very much?”
Silence then ensued some moments,
Till abruptly Mamie said,
“Will the negroes go to heaven?”
“Of course; what’s now in Mamie’s
head?”
“O, I thought that up in heaven
If you did not treat them right,
Maybe Jesus wouldn’t like it,
’Cause He made them black, us white!
“For you will not speak in heaven
If you don’t begin it here;
Anyhow that’s what you tell me
’Bout my doings, mama dear.
“And some day He might get sorry
That He let you, ma, be saved;
If you wouldn’t speak to His folks
He would think you bad behaved.”
Then again came welcome silence,
As we trod that busy street,
Till she figured out the problem
Of a kinship quite complete.
‘Mama, don’t you know the negroes
Are your brothers, sisters too?
And you scolded me one morning
’Cause I wouldn’t speak to Sue.
“But you slighted your own sister—
God’s the Father of us all—
Tho you called her just a negro
She’s relation after all.”
Again they met the colored lady,
This time with a cheery word;
And ’twas plain to see the message
Had a tender spirit stirred.
But the lips ne’er missed the tonic
That the tongue had wisely spent,
And the speaker felt a love-light
Burning in her as she went.
When again she reached her dwelling,
Lighter, brighter seemed her cares,
With conviction that an Angel
She had greeted unawares.
VERBENA HAWTHORN.
CALIFORNIA SCENERY. No. 24.—The best equipped ferry service in the world is that which plies between San Francisco and Oakland, and between San Francisco and Alameda. The Oakland boats connect also with Alameda by rail, and the Alameda boats connect also with Oakland by rail. The cars connecting with the boats and running the entire length of Oakland and Alameda are part of the ferry system; and one fare (10 cents) carries the passenger to any point along the line in either city by either route. The boats on each line make half-hour trips, alternating every fifteen minutes during the day, and alternating every half hour at night up to midnight. The picture above shows one of the boats entering the slip at the Oakland landing.
RELIGION IN THE HOME LIFE.
By Ellen G. White
God designs the family to be a symbol of the great family in heaven. In the home the foundation is laid for the prosperity of the church. The influences that rule in the home life are carried into the church life; therefore, church duties should first begin in the home.
The home is to be regarded as a sacred place. Those who are united by the ties of nature have the strongest claims upon one another. In their dealings with each other they should manifest kindness and the tenderest love. The words spoken and the deeds performed should be in accordance with Christian principles. Every word should be guarded; for we are responsible to God to represent in our lives the character of Christ. The cross is to be borne daily. Every day we should surrender ourselves to God. Thus we may gain special help and daily victories. In this way the home may become a school, where workers for Christ may be trained.
But too often the duties of the home life, the duties of husband and wife, brother and sister, parent and child, are misunderstood. By our words and deportment in the home we can degrade our religion. By manifesting a wrong spirit, we can misrepresent the principles which should rule the life. The members of a family should manifest honesty, candor, frankness, forbearance, and tenderness toward one another. By speaking encouraging words each should seek to help the other. Such words often exert an influence that makes reproof unnecessary. Look upon matters in a cheerful light, seeking to lift the shadows that, if cherished, will envelop the soul. Cultivate sympathy for others. Let cheerfulness, kindness, and love pervade the home. This will increase a love for religious exercises, and duties large and small will be performed with a light heart.
Every one who names the name of Christ has pledged himself to represent his Master in character. He is under pledge to Christ to do his best; for provision has been made that divine grace shall so work that the characters of men and women may be moulded after the similitude of the character of Christ. To those who receive Him, Christ gives power to become the sons of God. Jesus is to be uplifted, talked of, thought of. When He dwells in the heart, family worship will not be a form of dry, set phrases. The heart will be imbued with love for the Saviour, and this love will be expressed in praise and prayer. Dark words of hopelessness and discouragement will not be heard.
Religion is to be cherished in the home life. The members of the family are to show that they are in possession of a power received from Christ. They are to improve in every habit and practise, thus showing that they realize constantly that to be a Christian means nothing less than conformity to the character of Christ.
They are to show by a good example that they have that faith which works by love and purifies the soul, making the character true and undefiled, until by growth in grace the natural bent of the thoughts and feelings is heavenward.
The right principles followed daily, hourly, in the home, bring Jesus very near, and where He is, there is light and peace and joy. What are the conditions of Christ’s indwelling presence?—“If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.” “He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.” “These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
Precious charge, given to every believer! A Christlike influence surrounds him who has given himself to the Lord. He feels that he is under obligation to serve God, and he manifests a love that makes all duties pleasant. But if Christians allow themselves to be selfish, they become impatient, petulant, harsh. Satan takes the reins into his own hands, and controls them. They speak and act without regard to the influence they exert on others. They do not stop to think that the enemy is using them to bring confusion, sadness, and discouragement into the home. Their thoughts are unsanctified and unholy; for God is forgotten. Yet some who act thus are professedly servants of Christ. They think they have a great duty to perform, but it is outside the home. They have no time to do missionary work at home; but they are anxious to work for sinners afar off. A desire for outward effect controls their thoughts and actions.
Missionary work is to be done in the home. Here those who have received Christ are to show what grace has done for them. A divine influence controls the true believer in Christ, and this influence makes itself felt throughout the home, and is favorable for the perfection of the characters of all in the home.
The faithful performance of home duties has an influence upon those not in the home. Our spiritual progress in the home is carried into10our missionary work abroad. In the father’s house is to be given the evidence of a fitness to work for the church. With earnest, humble hearts the members of the family are to seek to know that Christ is abiding in the heart. Then they can go forth fully armed and equipped for service.
The reason why there are so many decided failures in missionary lines is that self is not under God’s discipline, but is wrestling for recognition. Any one could take up the work, as some professed missionaries do, making short visits to this one and that one, talking of the mistakes others have made, and giving the impression that the speaker has wisdom which enables him to shun such weakness. But this kind of work places human ability in the control of a power from beneath. Let souls fear for themselves and for others. Let missionaries have a living experience in spiritual conflict. Envy, love of the supremacy, evil-speaking, self-gratification, are altogether too common among professed Christians. No one can be a laborer together with God, and yet manifest a desire for the highest place. “Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth); proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.” If this instruction had been followed, there would to-day be more men with well-balanced minds, men fit to be “laborers together with God.”
By practising self-denial in the home, we are fitted to work for others. The effort to make the home what it should be,—a symbol of the home in heaven,—prepares us for work in a larger sphere. The education received by showing a tender regard for each other, enables us to know how to reach hearts that need to be taught the principles of true religion. The church needs all the cultivated spiritual force which can be obtained, that all, and especially the younger members of the Lord’s family, may be carefully guarded. The truth lived at home makes itself felt in disinterested labor abroad. He who lives Christianity in the home will be a bright and shining light everywhere.
Home duties should be performed with the consciousness that if they are done in the right spirit, they give an experience that will enable us to work for Christ in the most permanent and thorough manner. O, what might not a living Christian do in missionary lines by performing faithfully the daily duties, cheerfully lifting the cross, not neglecting any work, however disagreeable to the natural feelings! In the Christian household, where God is feared, where God is loved, where God is worshiped, where faithfulness has become second nature, where a haphazard, careless inattention to duties is not permitted, where quiet communion with God is looked upon as essential to the faithful performance of these duties, ministers are best prepared for work abroad.
MRS. E. G. WHITE.
CUSTOMS AND CONDITIONS OF TOKYO, JAPAN.
By William C. Grainger
WHEN a man has been in this country a week, he feels that he could easily write a book. After he has been here a year or two, he has serious doubts about being able to write anything that would be worth reading. At first everything is new and strange—a world of wonders; but the novelty soon passes away, and most things seem commonplace enough.
That which makes the most deep and lasting impression on his mind probably is the sight of men and women engaged in labor which in our country is done only by domestic animals and machinery. Doubtless there are more tons of freight moved in Tokyo in one day by man-power than by horse-power. And it is no uncommon sight to see women engaged in the dray business. Nothing arouses one’s sympathy so much as the sight of a poor woman with a babe on her back, pulling like an ox at a heavy load. This many do all day long, for from five to ten cents. Much light outdoor work is performed by women, such as pulling weeds from the parks and gardens, delivering light packages, etc., for which they receive from three to five cents a day. Women’s wages rarely exceed ten cents a day even among those who are artisans. In all cases they board themselves. House-maids receive fifty cents a month and board.
In passing through the streets you can see goods being transported in many different ways. The poorest people use a pole, from the ends of which the goods are suspended as the Chinese vegetable pedlers of San Francisco carry their burdens. Others who are not so poor use hand carts, of which there are many varieties, each adapted to the business of its owner. The milk carts, the street-sprinkling carts, express carts, mail carts, vegetable carts, pedler’s carts, are drawn by men—in fact, all light hauling is done by men, women, and boys, and much of the heavy hauling also. In heavy hauling men use a kind of harness by which they pull; and often two men work together so as to assist each other up steep places. Oftentimes there is to all appearance but little difference between the size of their loads and those of the horse carts in the same street. The jinrikisha—a little top buggy drawn by man—is the cab of the East. The men who draw them are the aristocrats among the draymen. There are more than forty thousand of them in this city alone. There is a horse-car line extending through this city from north to south. Those who do not patronize this, except the nobility and the11very rich, either travel by foot or jinrikisha. Their charges are very reasonable to their own countrymen; but they, like most others with whom you have to deal, seem to think that foreigners have plenty of money, and it is their duty to get as much of it as possible. Unless you have a clear understanding when you engage them, at the end of your journey you will have to pay two prices or have trouble with them. The newcomer gets “squeezed” on every hand until he has learned their ways, or has a friend to protect him. There are a few dealers who do not take advantage of foreigners’ ignorance, but the great majority do not scruple to take all they can get. With all the advantage of having a Japanese friend with us, we have several times discovered that we had been for months paying twice the value of some things of common consumption. These things are not to be wondered at, however, for these people recognize no such moral standard as that furnished by Christianity, and yet in so-called Christian countries lying and cheating are not uncommon practises.
The Jinrikisha.
Ox and Cart.
There is as great difference among jinrikisha men as there is among horses—some are slow and short-winded, while others are fast and enduring during. A good one can travel thirty or forty miles a day and be ready to repeat it the next day. For short distances he can travel six miles an hour without undue exertion. Like pugilists, baseball and football players, and professional cyclists, jinrikisha men usually die young, pneumonia and heart disease being the prevailing causes of death.
Everything in this country seems to have been cast in small molds. It is a well-known fact that the people of Japan are much below the average in stature. So the dogs, chickens, horses, and cattle are not as large as such things are at home. Dogs, chickens, and children have the freedom of the streets. In the central portions of the city there are no such things as back yards, consequently there are no other places than the streets to go for outdoor exercise. Being very narrow, one would think that playing in the streets would be accompanied with great danger. Not so. No one ever gets run over. Neither do vehicles stop for anything to get out of the way. The jinrikisha man or teamster calls out, “Hai [Hi], hai,” short and quick, when all scamper to one side.
I have often heard it said that the poorer a man is the larger family he has and the greater number of dogs he keeps. This saying will apply well to this country, for in some parts of the city the dogs seem to well nigh have possession. I do not know but that the first part of the saying will apply also, for Japanese families are, as far as I am acquainted, of good size. How they ever live on the small earnings of the father is difficult to understand. But they not only live, but the father and oftentimes the mother indulge in the use of tobacco. Tobacco-using among men is almost a universal habit, the cigarette being the favorite form in which it is taken. A large per cent. of the women and boys also indulge in the smoking habit. The women usually smoke pipes without any effort at concealment.
The Japanese are great lovers of pets. Besides dogs and cats, many kinds of birds are kept, and it is a rare thing to find a house without its cages of birds and pots of flowers. There are great numbers of wild birds in the city,—crows, hawks, swallows, sparrows, and ducks. In the winter it is no uncommon thing to see flocks of ducks floating on the canals right in the heart of the city. No one being permitted to molest them, they seem to be wholly indifferent to passers-by. It is just so with the crows. They alight in the streets and in the door-yards, apparently without fear of molestation, to pick morsels of food which their keen eyes have discovered. The hawks are more shy. They do not seem to have so much confidence in man, and as their food consists largely of smaller birds, there is no necessity of their coming so near the surface. They may be seen flying around or perched on the tall trees. The most sociable of all is the swallow. Since the shops are mostly constructed with the whole front open to the streets, the swallows come in and build their nests wherever they think best. They and the people seem to be on the best of terms.
The small boy in this country seems to have had better training than his contemporary of other lands, or it may be that he is naturally of a gentler and kinder disposition.
While there is much in the habits of this people to be lamented, there is much to commend. People who love birds and flowers can not be wholly bad. God grant that they may soon learn to love Him who made the birds and the flowers.
W. C. GRAINGER.
TRANSGRESSION OF PHYSICAL LAW.
It is strange, indeed, that intelligent human beings should entertain for a moment the idea that the natural human figure, whether masculine or feminine, needs to be modified or molded, with the idea of making it more perfect or beautiful or shapely than the Master Artist Himself is capable of making it. Such modifications can not be produced without damage to the physical health as well as to natural beauty and symmetry. There is a great decalogue which grasps the whole man in its scope. Not a single principle can be violated without resulting in injury and suffering. The principle of obedience is just as essential a factor in the physical as in the moral well-being of man. The laws which relate to our physical welfare are as inexorable and unchanging as the principles outlined in that great moral code, the Ten Commandments.—J. H. Kellogg, M.D., in Good Health.
AN APPEAL TO WOMEN.
In the Union Signal of August 11 Margaret Organ, M.D., makes a strong appeal to women, under the heading, “The Slaughter of the Birds,” which ought to move the hearts of women. Below are some extracts:—
“In 1886 the report of the ornithologists was: ‘From carefully-gathered statistics it is proved that on the most moderate calculation five million song birds are annually required to fill the demands for the ornamentation of the hats of American women.’”
“Rare it is, indeed, to see a woman’s hat or bonnet without the corpse of a bird upon it, or a part of its corpse. If not these, then the egrets, which can only be procured by the killing of the bird. If this heartless, cruel devastation goes on, the whole bird creation must inevitably be exterminated. All the greater is the danger of this utter extinction, all the more barbarous, heartless, and fiendish the slaughter, because it is done in the mating season, or when the birds are rearing their young. Therefore, the killing of one bird by lead means the killing of three, four, or five younglings by starvation. Birds are killed at this season because their plumage is then the most beautiful.”
“The attempt to excuse woman’s wearing of birds or their plumage upon the plea of ignorance—as has so often been done—will not avail, for every woman knows that birds must be killed in order that her millinery may be thus decorated. This is so palpable a fact that to say women wear birds through ignorance, is a reflection upon their intelligence or sanity. That they are worn through thoughtlessness, we may readily admit—thoughtlessness in conjunction with the all-embracing, all-permeating desire to be in fashion, no matter how absurd, ridiculous, unbeautiful, or hideous that fashion may be.”
“I appeal most earnestly to all women to use their influence, both by precept and example, against this barbarous, cruel, and conscienceless slaughter of the birds. Never let an apropos opportunity pass without pleading earnestly, soulfully, for the dear, beautiful, innocent little creatures that have no power to plead for themselves. Do this, not only for their sake, but for the sake of the boys and girls, and for children of mature growth—physically. For just so sure as effect follows cause, just so sure will this debasing, dehumanizing practise of killing the birds—our fellow-creatures—tend to deaden the finer and more tender susceptibilities of mind and heart.”
NEMESIS
By Thomas Tyron
Creatures of sea and land we slay
And in our maws do bury,
And, worse by half than beasts of prey,
Are at their funerals merry.
How can they but bestial grow
That thus to feed on beasts are willing?
And why should they a long life know
Who daily practise killing?
—Thomas Tyron.
The Sweet of Tomorrow
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox
LET no man pray that he know not sorrow,
Let no man ask to be free from pain;
For the gall of to-day is the sweet of to-morrow,
And the moment’s loss is the lifetime’s gain.
—Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
O, praise ye the Lord, all ye nations and people,
O, praise ye the Lord every hour of the day;
For His merciful kindness is new every morning,
And the truth of the Lord is forever and aye!
Then praise Him, O, praise Him with songs of rejoicing;
His blessings are new from morning till night!
Let anthems of joy flow from hearts warm and tender,
Till we join in glad songs with the angels of light.
