A NUMBER of articles have recently appeared in the daily journals of Pittsburg, Pa., in agitation of enforced Sunday observance. In support of the Sunday institution, Dr. Wylie, associate editor of the Christian Statesman, submits, among other testimony, that of Augustine, in which he declares that "the holy doctors of the church enjoined that all the glory of the Jewish Sabbath should be transferred to the Lord's day, so that what they celebrated in figure we should celebrate in reality, abstaining from all agricultural work and from all business, that we may be at liberty for divine service alone."
Thus the advocates of Sunday laws feel the necessity of appealing to human authority, an authority that assumed to call a day the Lord's day which the Lord never so designated or recognized. And it is pertinent to note that the "holy doctors" referred to "enjoined" the transference mentioned during the council at Laodicea, as late as A.D. 364. It is well to remember also that the same council of "holy doctors" took it upon themselves to pronounce anathema upon all who should continue to observe the seventh-day Sabbath, enjoined by the commandment of the Lord, and to excommunicate them from the church.
So, citing the authority, and in imitation of the example, of these "holy doctors," the National Reformers of our day would enforce a like injunction upon all people.
It is of interest to note that a Jewish Rabbi of Pittsburg manifests a clearer understanding of Christian principle on this subject than the National Reform ministers who have been preaching and writing upon it. From one of a series of lectures by Rabbi J. Leonard Levy, D.D., reported in the Pittsburg Times, we take the following extract:
Those who believe in the Sunday laws and those who clamor for their observance, either know or ought to know that Sunday is not the Sabbath, that it was not so regarded by Jesus of Nazareth, nor by the apostles, nor is there any statement in the Scriptures which warrants the transfer of the seventh day Sabbath to the first day of the week. The student of history knows full well that it was not until the time of Constantine, or nearly 300 years after the death of Jesus of Nazareth, that the pagan day, "the venerable day of the sun," became established as the basis of the modern "Sun-day." At that time Sunday was a mere heathen holiday, and it has been left to the theologians, acting on human11authority, to gradually transfer the Sabbath idea of the fourth commandment to the pagan and heathen holiday instituted by Constantine the Great. It was but a step from the Lord Apollo's day (as Sunday was originally known), to the Lord's day, as it was only a step from God's Sun's day to God's Son's day.
Whatever be the peculiar logic which has established this transfer; whatever be the arguments adduced to warrant the infringement of the fourth commandment; whatever be the special appeal by means of which God's law uttered on Sinai might be changed by the deeds of man, there is no logic and there is no argument and there is no plea in the court of reason which should prevent the human institution of 1794, human, and therefore erring; human, and therefore variable, from being changed to meet the entirely new condition of affairs concerning which the brave ancestors of the American people knew nothing, and about which they could not dream.
As a reader of the New Testament, I have been greatly charmed by the picture of the gentle Nazarene going about doing good, healing the sick, curing the blind, lifting the fallen, helping the lame to walk, and I well remember with what a sense of approbation I have always read of His plucking the ears of corn on the Sabbath day, and justifying His action by the splendid Jewish saying that "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." Were this gentle and loving Jew to come to Allegheny County on a summer's day, and desire to practise His generous art, by the modern method of purchasing ice, forsooth, His followers would cry out against Him and charge Him with breaking the laws of 1794, for doing the very thing they so highly approve when reported in the Scriptures.
But this is merely a detail and unworthy of men who are pledged to the high calling of teaching religion. If there be no better way of displaying love for an ennobling faith than to become part and parcel of an inquisitorial system; if there be no better way of proving witnesses to the truth, than by persecuting in a manner (in my judgment contrary to the true intent of the Constitution of this land), those who deal in what we in our day feel to be necessities on Sunday, then wo worth religion, and wo worth the men who thus malign and misrepresent the true principle of religion, and wo worth those shepherds who are the primary cause, through maintaining the blue laws, of forcing many to make Sunday a red-letter day.
Let those who agitate for a legal Sunday remember that when it is instituted, they will obtain that which Jesus opposed.
THE INCREASE OF LAWLESSNESS IN THE UNITED STATES.
By Editor
UNDER the above title, McClure's Magazine for December presents an array of facts that should be dampening to the "national pride" of this "Christian nation." The fact is shown by official statistics that in the United States there are more murders and homicides in proportion to population than in any other country in the world, excepting autocratic Russia, and that this country, of whose institutions so much boast is made, is but little behind that great absolute monarchy. Thus it is further shown that the claim that our lawlessness is due to foreign influence is without foundation, and that the tendency of the foreign population to lawlessness is rather acquired after a period of association in the United States. And in further vindication of the foreigner against the blame for the increase of crime, the evidence shows that in states which claim the purest American blood, the full quota of crime is on record.
That there is a surprising relish for crime is shown by the patronizing and even lionizing of criminals in many instances. Many people encourage the idea that criminal retaliation for wrongs is a commendable virtue. The New York World is quoted as follows:
In Rochester a woman, who under admittedly grave provocation stabbed another woman dead, was found in a legal trial, "not guilty." She was lionized by the jurors, and plainly made to feel herself a heroine in the public estimation. That she should suffer the extreme penalty was not to be expected; neither was it meet to praise one who took the law in her own hands, and by killing avenged an offense for which no law provides the death penalty.
The idea of enlisting crime as an avenger of wrong, real or imaginary, is further illustrated by another extract from the same paper:
In New York a labor leader, in an interview in the World, boldly stated that he had recruited in this city a powerful and pivotal labor union by the simple method of beating into subjection individual men who hesitated to join it, and that the union thus formed had discouraged non-union competition by "some gorgeous fights." He boasted of "twenty mixups in one day."
The Chicago Daily News is quoted, in evidence of increasing crime as follows:
Not only are robberies increasing in number in Chicago, but the highwaymen are more bold and more desperate than formerly. There has been a marked and significant change in the character of these crimes during recent years. Formerly the foot-pad rarely resorted to violence save as a means of avoiding arrest. To-day the robber's weapon is used to injure, maim, and kill.
Of the desperate situation in that city the Chicago Record-Herald says:
With the city so held in the grasp of criminals that for neither life nor property is there security, the people are becoming aroused to one of the most serious problems that can confront a municipality. . . . Acting Mayor McGann has declared that matters have come to such a pass that to-day crime and the criminal form the greatest question before the people of the nation.
President Henry Hopkins, of Williams College, in a recent address, gave expression to the following sentiment:
The foundation of personal character and our national life are seriously threatened. There are some very ugly features in the present situation. There is abounding evidence of an alarming increase in crime of every sort, but especially of the kind that undermines honesty, chastity, and respect for law.
In an address before the Universal Peace Union, Justice Lore, of the Supreme Court of Delaware, said:
Lawlessness pervades the land, unrest and discontent breed over-apparent prosperity. We have become the money center of the world, but this has bred a feverish appetite for gold, with all its vulgar accompaniments.
And as indicating that the crime throughout the land is not confined to statistical reports of convictions for crime, we quote the judge further:
We would call a halt upon our captains of industry who have brought our country to its present height of frenzied speculation. Plants worth only thousands of dollars are, by the magic of watered stocks and glittering advertisements, swollen into millions. Gigantic frauds are palmed upon the people as successful business enterprises. Our greatest financiers are racking their brains to circumvent the law and the people, and by lawlessness to achieve wealth, caring only to keep outside of actual violence and the common jail. When their cunning evasions of the law are crowned with success, all men are tempted to lawlessness. Captains of industry, how much of the unrest, the mob violence, and the labor troubles of the time, have been bred and fostered by your methods? We ask for an answer.
Another judge's testimony is adduced, and editorially noted as follows:
In his charge to the grand jury at Montgomery, Ala., recently, Judge Thomas uttered strong warning against the increase in the number of homicides in this country, and emphasized the necessity for stricter enforcement of the law, especially in the punishment of crimes of violence. He quoted figures to show that the number of homicides in the United States for three years was one-third larger than either the total number of persons killed upon the American railroads in the same period, or the total losses of the British army in the war in South Africa. The exact figures given by the judge were: Killed on railroads, 21,847; British soldiers killed in Boer War, 22,000; homicides in the United States, 31,395.
The New York Sun, in noting the fact that 222 homicides had been committed in a certain state during 1903, says that a prominent citizen of that state was asked his opinion as to the causes of such a ghastly record, and he replied as follows:
Our own citizens were less shocked by the bloody record than were the people of other states, for we had by degrees become accustomed to homicide. It did not appear to be a phenomenal record, even to our law-abiding conservative citizens. They understood how it was brought about. It would be well for people outside of the state to learn that this record is only the logical result of many year's infraction of law. Some of the jurors are always in sympathy with this sentiment, which has led to the reckless taking of life, and it is impossible to find twelve men who will convict for murder. Especially is this the case when the accused belongs to the party in control, and which has had much to do in the election of judges. Men who are good and true under ordinary circumstances can not stand the pressure of the church and partisan politics when brought to bear in trials for murder.
SORROW AND DEATH IN TURKEY.
By Editor
WE hear little to-day about the terrible conditions now prevalent in stricken Macedonia, and yet the suffering and persecution of the inhabitants at the hands of the Turkish soldiery is beyond description. The following quotation from Christian Work, commenting on the report of American Consul Norton, of Harput, will give a little insight into the terrible conditions existing there:
It is a pertinent inquiry whether our State Department has received any protest from the Turkish Government, because of the publicity which it has first given regarding the awful condition of affairs in the Sassun district, effected by the Turks. Whether it has or has not, the fact of fresh massacres seems undisputed. The information put forth by our State Department is official, and comes from Consul Norton, of Harput. Mr. Norton tells us that, after the tide of massacre swept over that country, the survivors "number nearly 10,000"—he does not tell us how many thousand were killed. These survivors, Mr. Wilson tells us, have "saved little but their lives."
These particulars are given: "Nearly every house in the region was completely plundered, and then burned. Worst of all, their flocks and herds, practically the only source of food, raiment, and income, were completely swept away. These unfortunates, after receiving for a short period an allowance from the government of one cent per capitaper diem for subsistence, now are without food, and without a prospect of food for the coming winter. The diseases usually following fright, exposure, exhaustion, and insufficient food are rapidly becoming epidemic, especially among the children." Three vital conditions, as we learn from Consul Wilson, remain to be met, namely, want of warm clothing, bedding, and good food. The situation, we are further told, is practically identical with that of many parts of Macedonia twelve months ago, altho, while the number involved is less, the remoteness from the sea-coast and the greater severity of the climate increase the danger of widespread suffering and mortality. The helplessness of this mountain folk in their need is heightened by the enforcement of administrative measures which prevent them from leaving their ruined villages, and seeking assistance or work in more favored localities. It is further to be stated that several thousand destitute villagers upon the great plain of Mush, adjoining the Sassun Mountains, are in equally sore straits. The advantage over the Sassun folk lies in the fact that they are less exposed to the rigor of winter, and they can at least beg from surrounding villages, where the torch has not brought destruction.
The distance from New York to Constantinople is 5,800 miles; to the region of the recent massacres some 6,000 miles. Is this too far for the loving arm of Charity, or too distant for the voice of humanity going forth from Washington, to reach? The winter is upon those suffering people, as it is upon us. Meantime the European powers seem to care nothing about disturbances in Macedonia or Armenia. The Macedonian Relief Committee in London exhausts itself in fruitless appeals to Lord Lansdowne, while the sultan gives orders for a hundred batteries of quick-firing field artillery to the gun-makers of England and Germany. And so we go.
CHURCH AND STATE NOTES.
By John D. Bradley
BY JOHN D. BRADLEY.
ON the day of the convening of Congress, December 5, Dr. Wilbur F. Crafts of the "Reform Bureau" had a communication in the Washington Post calling attention to "numerous bills" which that bureau is interested in and is pushing, "that were introduced in the last session of Congress and are still pending." He stated that "it is anticipated that some of them will be earnestly contested in the short session." Among the things for the "repression" of which these "numerous bills" are designed he named "Sabbath-breaking," and stated that "the Sunday work that has been going on in the capitol in connection with the new depot and filtration plant will be used as an argument for pressing again for a District Sunday law." He also stated that "the movement for the expulsion of Smoot will be renewed."
"A LESSON for Lawmakers," drawn from "The Example and Influence of Hezekiah," was proclaimed to a large congregation in the national capital on Sunday, December 4, the day before the convening of Congress, by Dr. Wallace Radcliffe, moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly and pastor of Washington's most prominent Presbyterian Church. He is reported to have declared in the course of his sermon that "the sacred must impress the secular," that "there is an immense difference between the union of church and state and the union of Christianity and the state," that "the successful life, individual and national, begins at Calvary," and "enthrone God's Word and day in the legislation of the nation and then all things else will come." It is evident that there is still opportunity for opposition to the theocratic idea of government. The notion that "there is an immense difference between the union of church and state and the union of Christianity and the state," as Christianity is conceived of and held by those
who entertain this notion, is utterly false. There is no difference whatever between a union of Christianity and the state in which Christianity is recognized as such and the union of church and state. Christianity can legitimately become incorporated with the state only to the degree in which its principles lose their Christian character and become a part of the warp and woof of secular civilization, so that they stand not by virtue of any religious sanction or as having any religious character, but solely upon their own merits as principles of right and justice that appeal to men as men regardless of religion. This is not the sort of union of Christianity and the state that is contemplated by those representatives of official and dogmatic Christianity who talk about and advocate "the union of Christianity and the state." They are thinking not of that union in which Christianity sacrifices itself, as it were, in the process of becoming incorporated in the life of human society, and which is the only way in which it can properly become united with civil society, but of that union in which Christianity, if not as a religious organization, as a dogmatic religious system dominates or is connected with the state.
ONE feature of the recent Roman Catholic celebration in Washington in which President Roosevelt and District Commissioner MacFarland participated was the presence of a large assignment of policemen. There were 120 on hand, a much larger number than were needed for the purpose of preserving order in such an assemblage, it would seem. This is a feature that almost invariably marks important Roman Catholic celebrations in the large cities, and is suggestive of the thought that the assignments of policemen for these occasions are made by the authorities not so much for the purpose of preserving order as for the purpose of adding to the show of the occasions and extending to them special recognition.
Labor Items.—A current press item notes that girls are now employed in Newcastle, Ind., to operate nail-cutting machines. The large steel manufacturing company of that place, being unable to secure the services of boys, have filled vacancies with girls, and report much satisfaction with the experiment...... The Child-labor Law of Illinois went into effect on the 12th ult. Under its provisions boys under sixteen years of age are not permitted to work in mines...... At the late convention of the Federation of Labor in San Francisco, it was unanimously voted to petition Congress to exclude Japanese laborers from the United States, and also from the possessions acquired in recent years. It is claimed by some advocates of this measure that, as the Japanese are more enterprising and progressive than the Chinese, their unrestricted introduction into the industrial fields of this country is more of a menace than the influx of the Chinese would be. The subject is likely to provoke a lively discussion. It seems that the greater the expansion of our republican domain, the farther we depart from the whilom boast of its being the "home of the oppressed of all nations." Three questions are presented in this connection: (1) Was this boast based on a correct principle in the beginning? or (2) has it become impracticable through its weight of responsibility? (3) If it has become impracticable, what becomes of the claim that "This is a Christian nation?" A "Christian nation" must logically harbor all for whom Christ died. "If any man [or nation] have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." Rom. 8:9. Either we must welcome all nationalities, as being of our blood (Acts 17:26), and love our neighbors as ourselves, or drop the "Christian nation" boast—which has no legitimate claim at best, because it has no practical demonstration to present as evidence.
WAR IN THE ORIENT.
ON December 23 the Japanese forces besieging Port Arthur stormed and carried the heights east of Houyangshukou. This marks the capture by them of another important position in the Port Arthur defenses. A considerable number of prisoners were taken, and these report that two Russian generals were killed in the battle, and another was wounded. The battle-ship Savastapol, which sought to escape the shells of the Japanese siege guns by going into the outer harbor, was attacked by Japanese torpedo boats, and now lies partially under water on the beach. While a detachment of the Japanese fleet is scouting in the direction from which the Russian fleet is expected to approach, the remainder of the fleet stands ready for a sudden dash to any locality where the Baltic fleet may be discovered.
In Manchuria the two great armies continue to face each other, with only slight skirmishes reported. The soldiers on both sides are living in dugouts, and there seems no present prospect of a collision of any consequence.
Russia has floated another loan to pay war expenses, and the work of mobilizing the war reserves goes on. Many of these thousands that are now going to Kuropatkin's assistance are utterly unskilled in the work of war. Pitiable scenes are reported taking place in the Polish provinces, where the men are being sent away to the war, leaving families in the most destitute circumstances. All Russia's plans now contemplate a long war.
Venezuela, Railroads, and Morocco
Trouble is brewing again in the Republic of Venezuela. European nations are becoming impatient over the failure of Venezuela to pay the money awarded to them by the court of arbitration, and there is talk of the United States becoming involved in the matter. In view of the fact that the United States still holds to the Monroe doctrine, an attempt on the part of European nations to take Venezuelan territory would be resisted by the United States. Therefore those nations will look to the United States to see to it that their awards are paid. It is reported that President Castro of Venezuela has been ordering new and powerful artillery, and this is interpreted to mean that he would forcibly resist any attempt on the part of the United States to interfere in Venezuelan affairs.
A recent decision of the United States Supreme Court makes obligatory upon railroad companies the equipment of all cars with automatic couplers, and these must be made to couple with all makes of couplers. The Interstate Commerce Commission's report of casualties during the past year in the railroad business shows that 43,266 railway employees were injured and 3,367 killed during that time. A large number of these casualties occurred in the coupling of cars which were not equipped with the automatic couplers.
The French Foreign Office considers the condition in Morocco very grave. All foreigners have been ordered to leave Fez. Tribesmen who have surrounded Alcazar have been demanding the possession of the persons of the French consul and an English resident. It is expected that France will make a demonstration in force.
The Turkish Government is arranging for the borrowing of $15,000,000 to be used in the purchase of new quick-firing guns. This course was decided upon after learning that Bulgaria had made a large purchase of modern artillery. Disturbances continue to occur on the Bulgarian frontier.
A campaign for reform in the American navy is being started by the New York Sun. Sweeping charges are brought by that publication against the present system of promotion in the navy, which is said to permit incompetent men to be advanced to the most responsible positions.
The warfare between Thomas W. Lawson and the men whose methods of business he is exposing continues unabated. Threats and counter threats are indulged in, and it is reported that twice within the last three weeks attempts have been made to take Mr. Lawson's life by means of poison.
The Pulajanese, of the island of Samar, Philippines, have ambushed and killed a lieutenant and 37 enlisted men of the native scouts. The officer in charge of the native scouts reports that the village of Dolores is threatened by a band of 2,000 Pulajanese, and requests that aid be sent.
A disastrous conflagration occurred at Sioux City, Iowa, on December 23. The financial loss is placed at $2,000,000. The buildings destroyed included stores, wholesale establishments, and banks.
A most serious drought now extends over western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. Many mills have been forced to close because they can not get water enough to make steam.
The losses among the German troops operating in German Southwest Africa are as follows: Officers, 49; men, 510. The rebellion is not yet quelled.
Forty persons have lost their lives in the great storm which has recently swept the coast of Portugal.
MISSIONS
By L. D. Santee
CHRIST WILL COME, 'TWILL NOT BE LONG.
BY L. D. SANTEE.
"Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed."
In the days of sunny youth,
When my heart received the truth,
Read the promise: "Christ shall come,"
Then I longed for heaven and home,
Looked above with eager eyes
For His token in the skies;
And I sang with joy the song,
Christ shall come, 'twill not be long.
Years rolled on, and mother died;
Brothers, sisters scattered wide,
Some are married, some are dead,
As the wheels of time have sped;
But there is a brighter land,
Where will meet our broken band,
And with joy we sing the song,
Christ will come, 'twill not be long.
O, I wait that glorious time,
When shall come the King sublime;
When the trump of God shall sound,
Waking sleepers in the ground;
When the loved and lost shall rise,
And we'll greet them in the skies,
And with joy we sing the song,
Christ will come, 'twill not be long.
He has tarried, and the years
Each have brought their joy and tears,
Brown locks interspersed with white,
Sea-foam sprinkled through the night;
Wrinkles slowly seam my brow,
But His coming's nearer now,
And I sing in faith the song,
Christ will come, 'twill not be long.
CHINA'S RELIGION.
By A. C. Selmon, M. D.
BY A. C. SELMON, M. D.
The principle that man can save himself by his own works, lies at the foundation of every heathen religion. Satan's purpose is accomplished when he succeeds in leading a man to look within himself for saving power. The pitiable condition of the Chinese at the present time is but the fruit that must come from such a form of religion, and it shows how utterly hopeless are those who are trying to attain to a better life and yet have no knowledge of the true Saviour.
The national religion of China, if it may be said that there is such, is ancestral worship. Every inhabitant of the Flowery kingdom, from the emperor to the humblest coolie, whether rich or poor, old or young, worships his ancestors. Ancestral worship has been grafted into, and is an essential part of, the three religions of China.
Of the three great sects—Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism,—Buddhism was the last to enter the field. It was introduced into China about the middle of the first Christian century. The ruler of China at that time was the emperor Ming. He had a dream in which he was instructed to send men to the west, and they would learn of the law. An embassy was accordingly despatched, but instead of going west and meeting Paul or some of the apostles, and thus learning of the Christ, they turned southward and entered Buddha's country. This account, whether true or not, at least is full of interest, when one thinks of the conditions that might exist now, had China received the knowledge of the One who is not only "The Light of Asia," but "The Light of the World."
From the first, the spread of the doctrine was very rapid, because of the patronage of the emperors. At times there was some persecution. But in spite of this, the adherents of Buddha have increased so rapidly that at the present time this sect ranks next to Confucianism.
Chinese Pagoda or Temple of Worship.
Since Buddhism has borrowed from the Confucian doctrine "its reverence for ancestors and for state, and from Taoism its demi-gods and its geomantic superstitions, men of every creed rejoice in its banyan-like shade."
In the Sacred Edict, one of the Chinese classics, both Buddhism and Taoism are denounced as heretical, Confucianism being considered orthodox. The Buddhist priests are called a set of swindlers. The writer further states that it is the wildest extravagance to chant prayers in the barbarous lingo of Buddha's country.
The Buddhist temple worship is carried on in Sanskrit, and resembles the use of Latin in the Catholic Church, since it is simply a meaningless jargon to the people. In the temple service the priests repeat over and over again I-mi-to-fuh (Amida Buddha). There is thought to be great merit attached to repeating this and similar expressions over and over again hundreds of times in the course of the day. These same expressions, if uttered sufficiently often, are supposed to cure diseases.
The doctrine of the transmigration of souls underlies all the Buddhist teaching. The wheel of transmigration is ceaselessly turning in Hades, with its six order of beings, viz., insects, fishes, birds, animals, poor men, and mandarins. The credits gained in this life by carrying out the precepts of Buddha, or the demerits received by disobeying them, determines which of these six the soul of the person will inhabit after death. The highest state of perfection they can hope to attain to on this earth is a condition in which the body needs no care, and the mind is devoid of all thought or care for the common concerns of life.13By sitting for hours in a state of contemplation, they may in time become immortals. Their idea is to refine and stimulate the spiritual part of their nature by abstraction from the things which concern this present life.
The Buddhist heaven which the ordinary worshiper hopes to reach is called the Western Paradise. They have other heavens higher than this, where the liberated soul reaches a state bordering on absolute nothingness.
The Buddhist hells pictured so graphically in the temples are enough to frighten the bravest. The victims, usually women, are shown suffering in the hell of the chopping knife, the caldron of boiling oil, the lake of blood, the bridge of snakes, and other terrible scenes of a like nature.
Buddhist temples are found in every city and community of any size. Many of them have immense compounds of twenty or thirty acres, numerous temples and other buildings. The priests wear no queue, and keep the head shaved clean. On top of the head is a spot where the hair has been destroyed by burning. Their statement is that in case they start to do some wrong, this spot will begin to pain; thus it acts as a sort of monitor. They wear long gowns with large, loose sleeves, and, like the Catholic Church, they are celibates. Their support comes from the land which they till, and from the money extorted from the people.
The pagodas of China are also a Buddhist contribution. When a rich Buddhist dies, his wealth is used to build a pagoda, the size of the structure depending upon the amount of resources left. This serves as a monument to keep his memory fresh.
The Buddhist teaching is largely responsible for the sorcery which is so common in China. Almost every village will number among its residents one or more old women who are sorcerers.
Recently I was called to see a case of lock-jaw. The woman's jaws were firmly set, and the native doctor had already been treating her by thrusting red-hot needles into the flesh of the jaws. A few days after, seeing the woman, I learned that she had also employed a sorcerer; and the treatment we used having helped her some, the credit was given to the sorcerer.
It is very common for the Chinese, when sick, to employ sorcery. Believing, as they do, that the disease has been caused by demons, they have great faith in this satanic practise. As one mingles with the Chinese from day to day, it seems that there is hardly an act in the every-day life of the common people that is not influenced in some way by their heathen practises and superstitious beliefs. It is these practises which form a veritable Gibraltar to the entrance of the truth. As you think of these conditions, can you feel that you have no responsibility in giving the Gospel message to those who are groping in these midnight practises? "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest."
Shang Cheng Hsien, Henan, China.
Our New Mottoes
By Editor
Help the work for the blind by selling
Our New Mottoes.
Eight different designs. New in the United States. E. W. Hampton has sold 4,800 in the vicinity of Lincoln during the summer. It paid him; it will pay you.
These are pictures that speak. We are publishing literature for the blind, and the proceeds from the sale of these mottoes is used for carrying forward this work.
BUY YOUR MOTTOES OF US
Five doz. or more sent flat, express prepaid. Less than five doz. sent by mail, post-paid, rolled. Sample of any 35c motto 15c, post-paid.
WRITE TO-DAY
L. N. Muck, Office of Christian Record, College View, Neb.
