Diet.—The Sunnyvale Standard, a bright, local paper of California, says editorially, “While Mohammedans and the true Buddhists observe strict rules of diet, chiefly relating to the eating of animal flesh, there is practically but one Christian denomination which has gone into the subject in a strictly religious sense; namely, the Seventh-day Adventists.” In a way this is true, and yet it is likely to be misunderstood. Seventh-day Adventists impose no test upon their members as to what food they shall or shall not eat. They do, however, believe in the principle laid down by the apostle Paul that “whether therefore, ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” They hold that man has a threefold nature, body, soul, and spirit; that the condition of the body itself has a great effect upon the man; that he who is truly a Christian gives not simply his soul to God, but his body as well; and that it is his duty to maintain his body in the very best condition for the very best service of the Master. This seems to be the way the Standard looks at the matter, for it truly says, “When it is considered that at least two-thirds of the ills of the human race come from the abuse of the stomach, it would seem that this should be made a most important topic for Sunday sermons.” It certainly ought to be made an important topic for individual consideration.
Kansas City’s Sunday Law Agony
Kansas City is still in the agony of the Sunday law. Judge Wallace has indicted 1,100 violators, and seemingly lifted up with his great importance, preaches in connection with his work as judge, tells us that it is a mistake to suppose that the Sabbath is purely a religious institution, and that its enforcement is for the benefit of the church, the Sabbath was ordained before man had fallen or there was a church or the need of a Redeemer. And all that is true, but at that time man was wholly a religious man; and never has it been God's design since man fell to enforce the Sabbath for the benefit of either the church or the world, for the very simple reason which a man in Judge Wallace's position ought to understand, that God is a spiritual Being, and that His law, as He has declared in His word, is also spiritual; and no civil statute can enforce spiritual law. At best it will but result in trouble, as Kansas City and the whole United States will find.}
At midnight was I filled with pain;
A vision robbed my soul of rest:
Methought I gazed on heaps of slain,
While nameless terror thrilled my breast.
I saw the nations of the earth
Preparing for the bloody fray,
And marked the flaming skies which told
The dawn of Armageddon's day.
I heard, in clarion tones, a Voice
Which shook the sky and earth below:
"Ye mighty angels, loose your hold,
And let the winds of heaven blow."
Then desolation filled the earth,
Her cities fell mid smoke and flame,
While awful streams of crimson blood
Unto the horses' bridles came.
And quick the avenging angels haste
To pour upon earth's withering sod,
Unmixed with mercy, fierce, and swift,
The vials of the wrath of God.
Then not alone on Egypt's land,
As in the wondrous days of yore,
The vengeance of the Almighty's hand
Is felt by men from shore to shore.
And croaking spirits, dread and vile,
Held carnival by night and day,
And hasted to the kings of earth
To gather them in fierce array.
The sun poured out a fiery flame,
The seas and rivers rolled with blood,
Till earth one charnel-house became,
Encompassed with her ghastly flood.
And every island fled away,
The hoary mountains were not found,
And heaven's hosts in dread array
Poured awful hail upon the ground.
Then from the darkening heavens afar,
Beyond the fierce and fiery sun,
I heard a mighty Voice proclaim
The thrilling sentence: "IT IS DONE!"
*
I turned and cried: "O angel guide,
Pray when shall all these wonders be?"
And quick a Voice from heaven replied:
"Go bid My people, far and wide,
From pole to pole, from sea to sea,
Haste; warn earth's nations of their doom;
Behold, behold, I quickly come."
War-Talk and War-Scares.
By Editor
Notwithstanding all that is being said in favor of peace, and notwithstanding the fact that so many people are declaring that there will never be any more war, yet we find the question of war continually to the front.
For quite a time past the papers of this country, and of the Old World too, for that matter, have been discussing the probability of a war with Japan. The movement of the fleet from the Atlantic to the Pacific has been seized upon by many as a sure evidence that a war with Japan was more than a probability. The possibility that such a war is imminent has been denied again and again, and then in a little while there is some fresh evidence brought out by some one, and so the discussion is gone all over again.
But now the scene of discussion has shifted to England. According to the despatches, Count Okuma made a speech a few days ago in London before the Kobe Chamber of Commerce. In that speech he spoke of the "European oppression of India," and said that the natives are now "looking to Japan for protection."
This statement has caused a good deal of newspaper comment in England under startling display headings. We, of course, may always expect the newspapers to make out things fully as bad as they are. But the point we desire to make is that there is serious discussion over the matter, and, as stated in the London despatch, "the Japanese question is quite as acute with the British as it is with the Americans."
We do not pretend to know whether or not there is any danger of war between either of these countries and Japan. That is a question that is not particularly in our line of discussion. But we do know this, that there is a constant uneasiness among the nations, and that they feel that there is danger of war. And we know also that the prophecy points out that when the judgment day is imminent the nations of earth will be in an angry condition. Keep your eye on passing events and your mind on the prophecy and see how literally the one is fulfilling the other.
A New Box Material
A New Box Material.—According to Eastern despatches cardboard cases are taking the place of wooden boxes for freighting purposes. Cardboard is made from heavy jute and said to embrace all the qualities of wooden cases, at an approximate saving of 50 per cent in the manufacture of the cases, besides weighing much less.
Literary Notices.
"The Service of Missions to Science and to Society." By M. W. Keen, M.D., LL.D., American Baptist Missionary Union, Boston, Mass. Price, ten cents.
This little brochure, very neatly printed, is the presidential address delivered before the American Baptist Missionary Union, at Dayton, Ohio, May 21, 1906, by Dr. Keen. It reviews the evolution of missions, demanding in later days trained experts as well as earnest Christianity, the manifold services of the missionary, the development of the medical missionary, the gospel of cleanliness, the vices common on heathen soil, and the effect of mission work in changing these conditions. This thoughtful address certainly presents facts that are worthy of the consideration of him who is interested in missions.
Class Struggles in America
"Class Struggles in America." By A. M. Simons, editor of the International Socialistic Review, third edition, revised and enlarged, with notes and references. Chas. H. Kerr & Co., Chicago.
The author frankly tells us that he writes from the point of view of the working classes, because he believes that the Socialistic philosophy of history offers the true key to the progress of events. He discusses class struggles in America, In the Colonies, Causes of the Revolution, Condition of the Working Classes under "Independence," Conquest of Power by Planter and Pioneer, The Industrial Revolution, Wage versus Chattel Slavery, Rise of the Capitalist Class, The Civil War, Effects of the War on Industries and Men, The Rise of Plutocracy to Power, Organization of Labor Classes, and so on. It probably is one of the best little works from the Socialist standpoint.
Looking Forward
"Looking Forward." A treatise on the status of woman and the origin and growth of the family and the state. By Philip Rappaport, 234 pages, Charles H. Kerr & Company, Chicago.
The author traces the history of woman thru various barbarous lands and times, and gives to evolution the credit for all the benefits that the women of this time enjoy over what their sisters enjoyed in other times. He is evidently at outs with the Bible, for he claims that the privileges that women now enjoy are theirs in spite of what the apostles and church fathers taught. He thinks that the economic system advocated by Socialism is the one and only thing that will help women in particular and the world in general to a higher plane of civilization. It is very evident that his close study of the doctrine of Socialism has kept him from seeing that the Bible is not responsible for what many men called "church fathers" have taught in the name of the Bible. Despite all the hypocrisies and superstitions that have been practised and enforced in the name of the religion of Jesus Christ, yet has that religion gone right on with its uplifting power; and none have had greater benefits from it than the women who have been ground down by the slaveries practised by the men in so many countries at different periods of the world's history.
101 Desserts
"101 Desserts." Compiled by May E. Southworth. Paul Elder & Co., San Francisco and New York. Price 50 cents, net.
For those who live and fare sumptuously every day we should judge that this would contain the very recipes which they need. They certainly present to one whose chief delight is to dine some very attractive dishes. Very nice print, in two colors, in very convenient form, with blank pages for manuscript recipes; but the true Christian or temperance worker could not approve of many of the recipes, which minister to intemperance.
Some of Our Exchanges.
"The Caribbean Watchman," published at Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, is a live, twelve-page journal, with cover. The November issue is a special treating on the Sabbath question, with several strong articles on the subject, and with others on present truth. The subscription price is fifty cents a year. Address Caribbean Watchman, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, B. W. I.
"The Educational Messenger," published by the Central Union Conference, College View, Neb., now appears weekly instead of semi-monthly as before the college press burned. Its four pages are devoted to the advancement of the cause, especially as concerns students of Union College, who labor in all parts of the harvest field. The subscription price is fifty cents a year. Address as above.
"Progress" is a little paper issued in the interests of the education of colored youth in the South, now a regular publication by the Oakwood Manual Training School, Huntsville, Ala. The subscription price will not exceed twenty-five cents a year. Subscribers will be helping a worthy cause, and will thus be kept in touch with the work in that field.
Annual Meeting of the Pacific Press Publishing Association.
The fourth annual meeting of the members of the Pacific Press Publishing Association will be held at the office of the Pacific Press Publishing Company, in Mountain View, Cal., Monday, Jan. 27, 1908, at 11:00 o'clock A.M.
This meeting is called for the purpose of electing a board of seven directors and transacting such other business as may properly and legally come before the meeting.
M. C. Wilcox, President.
E. A. Chapman, Secretary.
Notice of the Annual Meeting of the Stockholders of the Pacific Press Publishing Company.
NOTICE is hereby given to all whom it may concern, that the annual meeting of the stockholders of the Pacific Press Publishing Company, a corporation, organized, and existing under, and by virtue of, the laws of the State of California, will be held at the office of the company, on Villa Street, in the town of Mountain View, County of Santa Clara, state of California, on Monday, the 27th day of January, A.D., 1908, at 9:30 o'clock A.M.
The election of directors for the ensuing year, the advisability of amending, repealing, or adopting new by-laws, and such other business as may be necessary or proper to be transacted will come before the meeting.
By order of the directors.
H. W. Cottrell, President.H. G. Childs, Secretary.
Annual Meeting of the California Conference Association.
THE twelfth annual meeting of the California Conference Association of Seventh-day Adventists will be held in connection with the thirty-seventh annual session of the California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, at Fresno, Cal., January 31 to February 5, 1908, for the purpose of electing a board of seven directors and transacting any other business that may come before the meeting.
W. T. Knox, President.
E. A. Chapman, Secretary.
Annual Meeting of the California Conference.
The thirty-seventh annual meeting of the California Conference will convene at Fresno, Cal., Jan. 31, 1908, at 7:30 P.M., continuing until February 5.
Each church is entitled to one delegate for the church, and one additional delegate for every twenty members.
A full delegation is earnestly desired.
W. T. Knox, President.
E. A. Chapman, Secretary.
North Pacific Union Conference.
NOTICE is hereby given that the first biennial session of the North Pacific Union Conference will be held at College Place, Wash., Jan. 31 to Feb. 9, 1908. The first meeting of this session will take place at 9:00 A.M. January 31. All accredited delegates are requested to be present, if possible, at the first meeting.
W. B. WHITE, President.
The True Education Readers
True Education Readers, The. This series consists of seven books, designed for use in the corresponding first seven grades, or years, of school work. Book Seven will also be found suitable for advanced reading in intermediate and higher schools.
The subject-matter in books Nos. 1, 2, and 3 has been so carefully selected and prepared that no other text-book is required by the child in those grades. For example: These Readers while giving excellent drill in reading, present in printed form truths from the child's oral lessons in Bible, nature study, physiology, etc., and from these subjects the spelling and language lessons are carefully developed. They follow the course of study as outlined and adopted by the General Conference Educational Convention, the subject-matter being based upon, and developed from, the regular Bible and nature lessons that are used in grades 1, 2, and 3. Thus they include not only the reading lessons, but language, spelling, Bible, nature study, physiology, etc.
Careful attention has been given to the illustrations, as it is well known that a child's character is molded by that which appeals to the eye. Many of the illustrations used have been especially prepared for these books. Others are copies from famous paintings by the great masters.
A leader in the church-school work writes, "I feel that your readers will prove a great blessing to our primary school work. They will fill a place that has not been filled in the history of our schools. They ought to come into general use in the schools of this denomination."
The books are well bound in cloth. The prices are as follows: No. 1, 75 cents; No. 2, 75 cents; No. 3, 90 cents. Nos. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are not yet completed. Address this office.
The LORD'S DAY
A Brief but Comprehensive Treatise covering the History and Doctrine of the Sabbath and Sunday
The LORD'S DAY
The Test of the Ages
Controversy from Creation to the Present. Truth supported by Scripture, Historical fact, and Argument. A Multum in Parvo on the Sabbath Question. Illustrated; 128 pp; price, 10 cents post-paid. PACIFIC PRESS Mountain View, Cal.
Dollar Missionary Package
For $1.00 we will send you 100 copies of the Signs of the Times and 100 copies of Our Little Friend.
Not 100 of the Signs all one number, but the best assortment we can make from the recent Gospel Series since May 1—beautiful copies just as they came from press.
The Little Friends also a careful selection of attractive issues. Address:
UNSURPASSED IN ACCURACY AND COMPLETENESS
"In thoroughness, completeness, accuracy, typography, style, and illustration, it challenges criticism and commands admiration."—Journal of Education.
THE FUNK & WAGNALLS
STANDARD DICTIONARY
is the latest, most complete, and most sumptuous dictionary in existence; a necessity in every school, office, and study. It is the result of the highest scholarship and expert skill of over two hundred and fifty of the world's most distinguished scholars and specialists. One hundred universities and colleges and twenty government departments are represented among its compilers.
STATISTICS OF ITS GREATNESS
Over 300,000 Vocabulary Terms; 250 Editors and Specialists; 533 Readers for Quotations; 125,000 Synonyms and Antonyms; 5,000 Illustrations; Appendix of 535,000 Facts; Cost over a Million Dollars.
"The Standard Dictionary is truly magnificent, and worthy of the great continent which has produced it. It is more than complete. . . . It is certain to supersede all other existing dictionaries of the English Language."
—Prof. A. H. Sayce (Oxford).
(Send for Prospectus and Terms.)
THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE ABRIDGED DICTIONARY
"This is a treasure. No one can conceive the wealth of information, the convenience for reference, the elimination of non-essentials which make this book worth much more than the price to any student, teacher, or writer."
—Journal of Education, Boston.
The Office Standard Dictionary
Abridged from the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary
DESIGNED to meet the most exacting requirements of the modern abridged dictionary, 62,284 terms, besides 1,224 illustrations, 2,000 antonyms, full etymologies, use of prepositions indicated, etc. With complete index.
SOME OF ITS EXCLUSIVE FEATURES
EXCLUSIVELY capitalizes only such words as require capitals. Sure guide to capitalizing.
EXCLUSIVELY supplies prepositions (over 1,000) and illustrates their correct use.
EXCLUSIVELY gives antonyms (2,000) or opposite words as indispensable as synonyms.
EXCLUSIVELY indicates the difference between compound words and phrases.
EXCLUSIVELY contains thousands of new words and appendix features of great value.
A FULL AND RICH APPENDIX. Large 8vo, 915 Pages, Cloth, Leather Back, $2.50. Full Leather, $4.00. Thumb Index, 50 cents extra.
THE MOST AMPLE INTERMEDIATE DICTIONARY
"I deem your Comprehensive Standard Dictionary superior to any similar volume that has yet come under my notice. I fail to see any feature of the work that can not be commended."—Gen. James Grant Wilson, President of the American Authors' Guild.
The Comprehensive Standard Dictionary
Abridged from the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary
This is the latest and most perfect handy dictionary of the English language. It gives the orthography, pronunciation, meaning, and etymology of 38,000 words and phrases. There are 800 tasteful illustrations. No other intermediate dictionary approaches this work in quality or completeness. The design has been to meet fully the most recent and exacting requirements.
8vo, Cloth. Price, $1.00, Post-paid.
The Standard Dictionary Co.
1 Union Square
New York
Science in the Bible
By Prof. M. E. Cady
"Science in the Bible." By Prof. M. E. Cady, author of "Bible Nature Studies." Can be obtained of the Pacific Press, Mountain View, Cal. Cloth, 30 cents.
This is a compilation of Scripture passages under topics alphabetically arranged, designed to help the student of nature to perceive that all true science has for its foundation the word of God, the Bible.
Helps to Bible Study
Helps to Bible Study. A series of Bible-readings, simple and easy, designed as an aid to the personal study of the Scriptures, and adapted to the use of individuals or families: also a valuable assistant for Bible workers. 125 pages. Paper covers, 25 cents; cloth, net, 50 cents. Address this office.
Bible Text-Book.—By O. A. Johnson.
By O. A. Johnson
A pocket edition of Bible-readings on 49 subjects, covering in a concise and complete way the prophecies, the Third Angel's Message, Two Covenants, Law of God, Sabbath Question, and many other kindred topics. 208 pages. Cloth, net, 30 cents; leather, 50 cents. Address this office.
Adventist Hymnbook and Tune Book
Seventh-day Adventist Hymn and Tune Book. The best selected and arranged hymn and tune book ever issued. Contains 1,413 hymns and 568 of the choicest tunes and sacred songs ever written. 640 large pages. Cloth, plain edges, 75 cents; half leather, marbled edges, $1.50; Russia, marbled edges, $2.00; Turkey morocco, gilt edges, $2.25; Levant, round corners, gilt edges, leather lined, $3.25. Address this office.
Bibles
Bibles.—Remember that we are headquarters for anything in the Bible line. We shall be pleased to send you our catalog of Bible selections on application. Pacific Press Publishing Co., Mountain View, Cal.
Store Space for Rent in Oakland
For Rent.—To Seventh-day Adventists. A part of good store in center of Oakland, Cal. Address or inquire, 1260 Clay St., Oakland, Cal.
The Building of a Home
By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle
By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle
The Part of the Wife.
THERE!” exclaims Mrs. Nagging. “Good enough! I’m glad some one has the courage to arise and tell these men what’s what!”
But, my good woman, not so fast. There are always two sides to every question; and the part which the wife should act in the home life is as difficult, perhaps, as that of the husband, and perfection is as rarely attained by her as by him. We must be careful. Possibly our clear eyesight may be blinded by something almost as large and as opaque as the proverbial “beam.”
“But,” continues Mrs. Nagging,—now Mrs. Nagging is very prone to continue a conversation when once begun, especially if it will reflect blame on some one else,—“but I never spend money on horse-races or games or anything at all questionable—not even theaters. I’m almost always at home evenings. I try to attend to the needs of my family, I am kind and thoughtful of the comfort of my loved ones, I never scold—that is, I don’t call it scolding when I am obliged to remind my husband of his shortcomings—I never even——”
Negative virtues, all of them. Do you remember the admonition of the good Book, to “let another man praise thee and not thine own mouth, a stranger and not thine own lips”?
You remind me very much of a lady I met a number of years ago, a professed Christian, by the way, who actually assured me with the utmost earnestness and gravity, that she didn’t believe that she had a single selfish hair in her head! You may not be greatly surprised when I tell you that this paragon of unselfishness very shortly afterward gave up even a profession of Christianity. O there is nothing so utterly blinding to the spiritual eyesight as selfishness; and the saddest feature of the case is the poor victims themselves think they can see perfectly well.
“But, pray tell us, what are some of the most important duties of a wife?” exclaim a multitude of earnest young matrons, anxious, I am sure, to live up to their high privilege.
My friends, let me whisper a secret in your ear—the true key to the whole situation: Sincere and perfect love is the best teacher in the world. Circumstances differ so widely in the lives of all that it is quite impossible to lay down any cast-iron rules which must be followed upon all occasions and by all women. But true love makes few mistakes. Let this be your guide, your director, your teacher, your mentor.
But there are some general principles which it is always safe to follow. One of these is this: Confide in your husband,—give him your perfect confidence. Allow no secrecy to come between you; hearts are easily sundered, sometimes, and if we would be of the class of whom it is written, “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her,” we must avoid anything like underhand deceit. Be frank, loyal, truthful. If a lapse is sometimes made,—for we all of us are but dust,—be quick to admit your fault. “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath;” sometimes a few words of candid explanation will clear a cloudy sky in a moment.
Happy as the Day Is Long.
Then, avoid the disagreeable traits of Mrs. Nagging. Don’t nag. The nagging habit will do more to ruin the happiness of an otherwise pleasant home than almost anything else. When you have quietly and pleasantly spoken your mind, LET THAT END IT. Don’t keep referring to the same unpleasantness. The first thing you know, you will talk about it until somebody loses his temper.
As a rule, men like their wives to study their little likes and dislikes,—especially in the matter of their food. We all remember the old saying: “The easiest way to a man’s heart is thru his stomach.” If John doesn’t like salt, do be careful not to put so much into the beans that he pushes back his plate, with a wry face,—but if you do happen to make such a blunder, don’t cry because he tells you, without mincing the matter, that “these beans are too salt!” It will be more sensible to agree with him, and tell him you will do better next time.
And O! I wish I could be heard and heeded by all the women in all the world, young and old. I would say to them, Cultivate a pleasing, soft voice. Don’t whine—DON’T! and never, never raise your voice, no matter how much in earnest you are. It sounds as if you were angry, whether you are or not.
“Well, but”—you hasten to explain that you are sick so much that it seems impossible to avoid whining. But it is possible. Your voice may be weak and faint, but you need not whine. To most men, I’ll venture to say, there is nothing more irritating than to hear the whining voice of the wife from morning till night. So, if you feel that as soon as you open your lips you must whine, keep them fast shut until you are brave enough to speak in quiet, pleasant tones.
It was said of the Empress Josephine, of France, that altho her face and features were not beautiful, she was possessed of such a sweet disposition and such wonderfully pleasing tones (they generally go together), that she was accounted one of the most lovely women in Europe. Her biographer says: “Like the harp of David to the troubled breast of Israel’s king, this charm is known to have wrought profoundly upon Napoleon. His own admission was: ‘The first applause of the French people sounded to my ear sweet as the voice of Josephine.’”
[This article on the part of the wife concluded next week.]
Resolutions and Acts of the Apostles
I HAVE never heard anything about the resolutions of the disciples, but a great deal about the Acts of the Apostles.—Horace Mann.
The Secret of Happiness
I HAVE lived to know that the secret of happiness is never to allow your energies to stagnate.—Adam Clarke.
Adam Clarke.
Every Good Thing Costs Effort
It has taken the labor and experience of a third of a century to bring the Remington Typewriter to its present state of incomparable excellence.
THE BUYER GETS THE BENEFIT
Remington Typewriter Co.
(Incorporated)
New York and Everywhere1015 Golden Gate AvenueSan Francisco, California
DATE OF EXPIRATION
THE SIGNS wrapper bears date of last issue due on your subscription. Unless renewed in advance, paper stops with expiration date. If herewith is an order-blank, you will know you have overlooked sending renewal. You will not wish to miss a single issue. Back numbers often can not be furnished.
A GREAT WINTER RESORT.
Do you know that Colorado, and especially the valley in which is situated the Boulder-Colorado Sanitarium, is a most delightful winter climate, equal in every respect to that of California or the sunny South?
The Boulder-Colorado Sanitarium is a well-equipped medical institution, employing the very best and most approved methods of treatment.
The medical staff comprises four physicians—two men and two women—graduates of leading medical schools, together with a large corps of nurses of both sexes.
No tubercular or consumptive patients received. Special reduced rates are afforded during the winter months. Write to-day for large illustrated catalog, with card of rates. Address, Boulder-Colorado Sanitarium, Boulder, Colorado.
PAMPHLETS:
Each
Matthew 24, or The Second Coming of Christ . . . . . (B. S. L., 58) .10
Christ Our Advocate, His Ministry in the True Tabernacle, illustrated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (B. S. L., 128) .10
The Lord's Day the Test of the Ages, illustrated . . (B. S. L., 134) .10
Saints' Inheritance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (B. S. L., 140) .10
San Francisco Grand Jury Report
The famous grand jury of San Francisco which indicted Mayor Schmitz and so many of the graft fraternity makes a notable report. It returned 441 indictments, involving forty-seven persons. Among other things it says, 'We can not even outline the vast amount of evidence received by us showing corruption and vice of the lowest kind, involving the greatest moral turpitude, such as the participation of the former mayor of our city in the profits earned by the prostitution of the lowest of fallen women, which constitutes a recital of seemingly inconceivable sin, shame, and violation of the law.' In a speech which Mr. Langdon recently made in the East he declared that two hours after his arrival in New York he discovered that two private detectives were at his heels and were in the hall the night he was speaking.
