Earlier text: Visions and Revelation of the LordWhich Is the More Valuable?
By John Nevins Andrews
“FOR they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” John 12:43. For this reason, many of the chief rulers did not confess their faith in Christ. For the same reason, in all ages the greater part of all who have had knowledge of Christ have failed to confess him in their lives. One of two things must be true: Either the religion of Christ is over-estimated; or these persons make a fatal mistake. Christ has promised that those who serve him shall be honored by his Father. John 12:26. But he has also informed us that, if we serve him, we shall have our names cast out as evil, and shall suffer shame for his sake, even as he suffered it for us. Matt. 10:25. Those who seek the honor that comes from God, must be willing to have their names lightly esteemed by men. Those who seek the honor that comes from men, must expect at the last day to come short of that honor which God shall bestow upon those that honor the Saviour. We cannot have the praise of men, and that which comes from God also. We must choose which we will have. What are the grounds of choice? 1. The praise that comes from men is often bestowed upon those whose conduct is prompted by motives that are base, unworthy, and selfish; while actions that are truly generous, noble, and self-sacrificing, are only derided and despised. Moreover the praise of men is only fleeting, and may at any time turn to reproach and scorn. 2. But the praise that comes from God is given only to those who are worthy in his pure and all-discerning sight. The honor that God bestows will elevate those who receive it to the throne of Christ, and will endure forever. Surely there can be no question that this is of infinite value. Now God tests us by giving us to suffer reproach for his truth. But he promises that this reproach shall turn to glory and honor when he vindicates his cause and manifests his people, as he will at the last day. It is best to believe God. And if it be necessary to have our names cast out as evil, let us only be anxious to know that they are in the book of life, and we may leave all the rest to him. Plymouth Church Declines Under Beecher's Ministry
THE great Plymouth Church of New York seems to be on the wane. Of over 2,500 members, only 60 were present at the annual meeting. The assistant pastor commented disparagingly, saying that the Sunday-school was at a standstill, and contributions sadly falling off. Mr. Beecher also acknowledged the situation, and said he felt as if he was losing his power in the church; he should be glad to be at seventy what he was at forty-five. But he laid the blame on the “order of Providence,” instead of natural results. “Like priest, like people.” If the minister ignores the Bible, the flock will, if they follow him, ignore it also. Evolutionists, in the pulpit or pew, have never been gospel supporters. How Much for Christ?
By Editor
The N. Y. Independent speaks thus on the subject of penuriousness in regard to the cause of God in the churches:— “There is a sad poverty of ‘tithes and offerings’ in the treasury of the Lord. To see the mass of pennies and other small coin in the collection plates that are passed among the well-dressed and bejeweled Christians who worship in the Lord’s house is saddening. That there are noble and generous givers in the church, we have to acknowledge and thank God for; but that the great mass of those who profess his name have never learned how to abound in ‘this grace also’ is sadly true. That the giving on the part of those who do give, in most cases, is not proportionate with their means and their own self-indulgence is also true. We could name many a Christian man whose yearly benevolence does not equal his half-yearly cigar bill; and many a Christian woman whose annual gift to the Lord’s work does not equal her kid glove expenditure; many a young man whose gifts are not equal to the amount he spends on an occasional concert and opera, to say nothing of an hundred other amusements with which he indulges himself; and any number of young ladies in the church of Christ who spend annually twice as much for caramels and bonbons as they give outright to the cause of Christ. And it goes without saying that the scale of expenditure in all manner of living indulged in by the average Christian of to-day is altogether out of proportion to the scale of their beneficence.” We believe this is “true to the letter” of the great mass of professed Christians; but wherever it is true there is no consecration—no following of Christ. We are happy to say that what it says of the “cigar bill” will not apply to Seventh-day Adventists; they are free from that waste and indulgence. But in how many other points are some of them in fault? Can all reply, Not guilty? EDITOR. Still Westward.
By W. N. Glenn
BUT a few years ago California was a new field of operation in the missionary work. It was a long journey westward from the farthest pioneer station of the work in this direction. The venture has proved an important move, and the field a valuable one. From this Conference the “present truth” has gone to the “uttermost parts of the earth,” in printed form and by missionary letter. But the time is at hand when California cannot longer be deemed a frontier station. The cause is a progressive one, and cannot be confined to metes and bounds as long as there is an unoccupied region or an unwarned people on the globe. Australia and the islands of the Pacific present a vast field for missionary work, and the experience of others has shown that it is a fruitful field. The denizens of these islands have shown a susceptibility to the gospel of salvation, which gives warrant that many will gladly hear the warning messages of the last days, and the proclamation of the coming King. Will our Pacific Coast brethren arouse to a sense of the importance of our location? Instead of being the frontier of the work, this State will soon occupy a central place, from which the rays of the truth will radiate in every direction. Are we ready to assume the responsibility of so important a trust? Have we employed our talents in such a manner as to be ready for the grand campaign that is just opening before us? Are we who have been so graciously tendered, and have professedly received, the message of truth, with the attendant missionary privileges, alive to the great extent of our commission? The work before us is going to be done, and that shortly. Shall we do our part? or shall we neglect even the preparation until others shall have stepped into our opportunity—doing our work and taking our crown? Over all the vast territory opening before us the enemy has for centuries held sway. But the Lord has a people in every nation, kindred, and tongue; and the message given to us to sound forth bids them to come out and be separate. Have we faith enough in the work to go forth to the conflict; bearing the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of the Lord. If a worldly army were to undertake to conquer such a domain, what a preparation would be made. Everything else, especially such as would retard the one grand move, would be laid aside. The geography of the country would be studied, the languages, the habits of the people, the climate, the most accessible routes of travel, etc. And especially would the army be drilled in the use of necessary weapons, offensive and defensive. Nor would it for a moment be thought expedient to go forward without means. The move having been decided by competent authority, no possible appropriation of means would be deemed too great. California is the legitimate “base of supplies” for this westward move. Shall our people not come to the front with all the readiness and zeal of soldiers that fight but for a cold grave or a perishable crown? Brethren, think on these things. This light was not given to us to be hidden, or used for a selfish purpose. It is God’s message to his creatures; he entrusts it to us; all we have and are, are his by right of creation and purchase; our services are all due to him. Let us labor, then, as those who must give an account. W. N. GLENN. From the distant lands appealing,
There comes a cry for aid;
The day of Christ’s revealing
Breaks from the midnight shade;
While each expectant nation
Stands waiting on the shore,
O heralds of Salvation,
Behold the open door. CHORUS—Behold the open door,
Behold the open door,
O heralds of salvation,
Behold the open door. God’s lightning cleaves the ocean
To bear his words of cheer,
He guides the storm’s commotion
To draw the lands more near;
He breaks the bands asunder,
They melt his love before,
And men cry out in wonder,
“Behold the open door.” God’s finger points thee onward,
Fear not the tempest’s frown,
The world is rolling onward,
The cross shines out a crown.
Ye, to whom much is given,
O love and labor more;
Then sweet the voice from Heaven,
“Behold the open door.” —American Temperance Union. A VERY pious lady in a town in Illinois, not many years ago, was pondering how she could be most useful in promoting the spiritual welfare of the people. She finally settled upon this plan; to purchase with her own money a carefully selected library of interesting and appropriate books, and lend them gratuitously to such persons as she could induce to read them. She was not wealthy, but had received a small sum of money as her portion of her recently deceased mother's estate. A portion of this money was expended for the library of religious books. This proved to be quite as profitable an investment, financially considered, as many a less considerate Christian has put into silver-mining or petroleum stocks. The books obtained, she visits from house to house; calls the attention of each lady friend to such a book as she deems most suitable to her present spiritual condition, and leaves it with her to read. The entire field was gradually cultivated by this kind of judicious labor, and well covered with the seed of books. Never obtrusive, never giving offense, cautiously and kindly feeling her way to the sanctuary of the heart, she worked on patiently like the secret agencies of nature, with little noise and no pretension, until, after weeks of delay, the signs of hopeful promise appeared. The result was that, with other laborers in the field, a powerful and widespread reformation swept over and through the town, in which many nearly hopeless cases were happily and thoroughly converted to God.—Temperance Advocate. Scorning the Advent and Its Hidden Benefits
Those who most scorn the idea of the Advent, may perhaps be spared to see the last of the terrors of that event without experiencing its benefits. Faith, Love, and Obedience to Christ's Commandments
By Thomas Adam
If I have faith in Christ, I shall love him; if I love him, I shall keep his commandments; if I do not keep his commandments, I do not love him, I do not believe in him.—Thomas Adam. A Plea for the Daughters.
I WANT to write a few words to the mothers; those who rock the cradles of our baby-girls, or whose daughters are growing up to womanhood around you. Among the golden threads of my girlhood are woven many dark ones. With the bright memories are mingled bitter ones. And am I wrong in thinking that my experience is similar to that of many others? That more than one mother could re-echo the words a sad-faced woman said to me but yesterday: “My life has been spent in toiling for my children, and now my daughters are like strangers to me. They do not confide in me or seem to care for me. It is very hard.” The old law, as unchanging and immovable as the everlasting hills, came to my mind, but I would not wound more deeply the already sore heart by uttering it. “As ye have sown, so shall ye also reap.” But you, mother, whose girls are babies yet, you who are followed about the house by mother-calls and pattering feet, surely you can steer clear of the rocks where her bark of happiness went down. I remember a house whose mother was always first; not because she sought the first place, but because it was cheerfully, gladly given to her. Where no plan for enjoyment was complete unless “mother” would take part, and by sons and daughters alike she was eagerly sought for as confidant. It seems to me that such a woman fills the place God meant she should fill by right of her motherhood. She is a queen, ruling over her little kingdom with wise and gentle sway; and as such her children give her most willing and faithful homage. She is counselor, and many a tangled skein is brought to her to unravel; for, from childish quarrels to love affairs, her children come to her for advice. She is teacher—giving here a gentle reproof, here a kindly criticism, and here a word of praise. She is a friend to her sons and daughters, and to her is first brought the story of every failure and success. Her hold upon their hearts only deepens with the years. And above all she is “Mother,” a word that is lovely, and grand, and sweet. I know another home, where “My word is law,” was laid down by the mother as soon as her children could understand anything. Her daughters are grown women now, but the rule has never been relaxed, and between ruler and subjects there is constant friction. Mutiny in the camp is of almost daily occurrence. One of the daughters, a bonny, sweet-faced lassie, of whom any mother should be proud, said to me, not long ago:— “Mother never praises me, but finds fault with me all the time, no matter how hard I try to please her. I cannot give away a piece of bread, or alter the position of a chair, without asking her. I shall marry the first man who asks me, for the sake of having a home of my own.” “All wrong,” you say; but whose fault is it? Why do the lassies in the other household say—as I have often heard them say, laughingly—“We do not care to marry; for we could never have another home as pleasant as this one.” O my sisters, could I only make you see as plainly as I do, that you are working out for yourselves the happiness or misery of your future—the brightness or bitterness of your middle life. It is for you to say whether your children shall honor, and reverence, and love you. It is for you to say whether the little hands which cling to you now shall retain their clasp as the years slip by. Just as surely as you guide the baby’s tottering steps, do you mould the mind and heart, which are like clay in your hands. Don’t “turn off” the little ones. Don’t say, as I have heard mothers say, often: “I have no time to pet my children, and play with them, and answer their endless questions. It is all I can do to keep the little stockings mended, and the aprons clean and whole.” Don’t think that the little daughter can do without the caresses you gave her when she lay a helpless little thing in your arms. She needs them more now. Even if you are tired, too tired to breathe almost, go to her bed with a good-night kiss before she falls asleep. Don’t think it is too much trouble to check, very kindly and carefully the faults, as they first spring up. Never be too busy to speak the word of praise that makes a child wonderfully happy. Leave unspoken the harsh word, which might never be wholly forgotten. Above all, never be scornful or sarcastic, for there is no surer way to lose a child’s respect; the scornful words may leave a sting you little dream of; for childish mortifications cut very deep. Keep the confidence of your daughters, for, once lost, it may never be recovered. This can be done only by infinite patience with their follies and mistakes. Endeavor to keep your own youth fresh before you. Encourage their little plans. Be interested in their school-life, and, when maidenhood is upon them, in their society-life. Be friend and sister, as well as mother, and you will never mourn lost confidence. Teach them early to be helpful, and if the dishes slip from the little hands, if the towels are scorched and the cake burned, be patient. Remember that your skill was acquired only after years of experience, and do not expect too much from the children. Don’t say with one dear, good soul: “It takes so much longer to teach the girls, that I prefer to do the work myself.” Of course your skillful hands could do the work in half the time it takes to guide the little awkward ones, but the helpful ways they are trained to now will smooth your path down the hill. Give them early some special charge, if it be only the care of the plants or the dusting of the parlors; let it be entirely their own care, with which no one else is allowed to interfere. Don’t sneer at their plans, but as much as possible consult with them. Be sure that if you confer with them, they will with you. I had almost said, above all give the girls an allowance. Perhaps your purse is scanty, but you can, at least, give them something they can call their own. Never fear their being wasteful; it will teach them self-reliance and economy, and they will be spared the humiliation I know about from bitter experience. Set before them constantly an example of noble womanhood. Guide them so gently that they hardly know they are being guided, and their feet will walk side-by-side with yours; you will not find yourself in your middle age a sour, embittered woman, shoved aside by the children you have given the best years of your life for, but reverenced, waited upon by willing hands, given loving service. “And your children shall rise up and call you blessed.” “For as you have sown, so shall you also reap.”—Arthur’s Home Magazine. The Home Circle.
By Jane Cavanaugh
SPEAK NO EVIL OF YOUR NEIGHBOR.
Speak no evil of your neighbor,
Let no words of cruel blame
Cause your neighbor’s cheek to mantle
With the burning blush of shame.
Can you do a Christian’s duty
While you blight your neighbor’s fame? Do not judge him very hardly,
Though his ways may erring be;
He may carry heavy burdens
That perhaps you do not see;
Many a heart bears secret sorrow,
Though its pain may hidden be. You perhaps have never wandered
From the path of right away;
Nor have met the strong temptations
That have led his feet astray;
You perhaps are safely sheltered
From the dangers in his way. Then, if so, how can you judge him,—
In your strength his weakness blame?
Had you met the same temptations
You perhaps would feel his shame.
Speak no evil word of slander
That may blight your neighbor’s name. Life is full enough of sorrow,
Every heart its anguish knows;
Would you add the sting of slander
To a fellow-being’s woes?
Slander with its sting so deadly
Sometimes deals such cruel blows. Rather try to cheer and help him;
In this fight with adverse fate
Kindly words from you may save him—
Speak them ere it be too late,
Lest you some remorse may suffer
In your pity for his fate. —Jane Cavanaugh, in N. Y. Weekly. HONOR thy father and thy mother.
Anecdote of Mrs. Washington.
An old number of the Newark Daily contains the following pleasant anecdote of Lady Washington, which was furnished by one of its correspondents, who obtained it from a family in Whippany, N. J., named Vail:— Mrs. Vail's first husband's mother, Mrs. Tuttle, was a sensible and agreeable woman, whose company was much sought by those who, owing to their wealth, moved in more fashionable circles. Among other frequent visitors was Mrs. Troupe, the lady of a half-pay captain in the British navy. She is described as a lady of affable manners, and of intelligence, and very much esteemed. One day she visited Mrs. Tuttle, and the usual compliments were hardly passed before she said: “Well, what do you think, Mrs. T.? I have been to see Lady Washington!” “Have you, indeed! Then tell me all about how you found her ladyship, how she appeared, and what she said.” “Well, I will honestly tell you,” answered Mrs. Troupe, “I never was so ashamed in all my life. You see Madame —, and Madame —, and Madame Budd and myself thought we would visit Lady Washington, and as she was said to be so grand a lady, we thought we must put on our best bibs and bands. So we dressed ourselves in our most elegant ruffles and silks, and were introduced to her ladyship. And don't you think we found her knitting, and with a specked (check) apron on! She received us very graciously and easily, but after the compliments were over she resumed her knitting. There we were without a stitch of work, and sitting in state, and General Washington's lady with her own hands was knitting stockings for herself and her husband!” “And that was not all. In the afternoon her ladyship took occasion to say, in a way that we could not be offended at, that at this time it was very important that American ladies should be patterns of industry to their countrywomen, because the separation from the mother country will dry up the sources whence many of our comforts have been derived. We must become independent by our determination to do without what we cannot make ourselves. Whilst our husbands and brothers are examples of patriotism, we must be patterns of industry!” According to Mrs. Troupe's story, Mrs. Washington gave her visitors some excellent advice, the meanwhile adding force to her words by her actions, and withal in such a way that they could not take offense. In this she proved herself more worthy to occupy her distinguished position than she could have done by all the graceful and elegant accomplishments which are often found in princesses and queens. In the relation she occupied, her knitting-work and her check apron were queenly ornaments, and we may be proud to know that such a woman as Martha Washington set such an admirable example to her countrywomen! The Fresno Expositor says the vineyards of that region were last year infested with vine slugs which threatened their total destruction, when one day they were entered by a stream of hawks estimated to number 50,000; these went through the vineyard in a few days, devouring the last of the slugs, and then disappeared as mysteriously as they came. This year worms attacked a vineyard and the hawks again came, thought to number at least 250,000, and repeated the operation of clearing out the crawling intruders. The hawks are described as large and black, with a broad tail, and very unlike an ordinary bird of that species. The Expositor thinks they were sent by the Ruler who “doeth all things well,” and that vineyardists should nourish and protect the bird. In the fall of 1852, in Sacramento Valley, between Butte Creek and the Sacramento River, there came an infinite number of grasshoppers. These were attacked by dark colored hawks, evidently the same species as above described. The grasshoppers took flight, and the hawks, in vast numbers filling the sky as far as the eye could reach, sailed among the fleeing swarms, gracefully reaching out their talons and grasping the insects, and transferring them to their beaks; and thus, during an entire day, the pursued and the pursuers were passing to the southwest, where they disappeared. The hawks in conspicuous numbers were seen only on that occasion. Where they came from and where they remain ordinarily, is a mystery.—Sel. A PORTION of the crew of a vessel which was anchored off the coast of India once went ashore for the purpose of cutting some wood, and one of the sailors, having through some cause become separated from his companions, was considerably frightened by the appearance of a huge lioness which he saw approaching him. Much to his surprise, however, she did not on coming up appear to have any evil designs on him, but instead crouched at his feet, and looked steadfastly first at his face and then at a tree some little distance away. For a time the man could not understand this conduct; but presently, on the lioness rising and walking toward the tree, looking back at him as she went, he found out what it meant. Up in the branches of a tree was a large baboon with two little lion cubs in his arms, and it was because of this that the lioness was in such trouble. The difficulty now presented itself of how to save the cubs, for the sailor was afraid to climb the tree. So, having his ax with him, he resolved to cut down the tree; and this he did, the lioness watching him most anxiously during the whole time. When the tree fell, and the three animals with it, the lioness, it is said, dashed with fury upon the baboon and destroyed it; then having gently caressed her cubs for some time, she returned to the sailor, showed her gratitude by fawning upon him and rubbing her head fondly against him, and at length carried away her offspring one by one.—Harper's Young People. Children’s Love of the Beautiful.
PLACE a young girl under the care of a kind-hearted, graceful woman and she, unconsciously to herself, grows to a graceful lady. Place a boy in the establishment of a thorough-going, straightforward business man, and the boy becomes a self-reliant, practical business man. Children are susceptible creatures, and circumstances, scenes, and actions always impress them. As you influence them not by arbitrary rules, not by stern example alone, but in the thousand other ways that speak through bright scenes, soft utterance, and pretty pictures, so will they grow. Teach your children then to love the beautiful. Give them a corner in the garden for flowers, encourage them to put in shape the hanging-baskets, allow them to have their favorite trees, lead them to wander in the prettiest wood lots, show them where they can best view the sunset, rouse them in the morning, but with the enthusiastic “See the beautiful sunrise,” buy for them pretty pictures, and encourage them to decorate their rooms, each in his or her childish way. The instinct is in them. Give them an inch and they will go a mile. Allow them the privilege, and they will make your homes beautiful.—The Household. If you your lips
Would keep from slips,
Five things, observe with care:
Of whom you speak,
With whom you speak,
And how, and when, and where. If you your ears
Would save from jeers,
These things keep meekly hid:
Myself, and I,
Me, mine, and my,
And how I do or did. Inferior Women Ruling Superior Men
By Mrs. Jameson
I KNOW very few instances of a very inferior man ruling the mind of a superior woman; whereas I know twenty, fifty, very inferior women ruling superior men.—Mrs. Jameson. Of all unpleasant visitors, the most annoying is the man who is so thoroughly satisfied with himself and all his belongings that he cannot bestow a thought upon you or yours. Whatever may be shown him he at once institutes a comparison with his own possessions, and begins to tell that “mine are much better than that,” “I can beat you on so-and-so,” and ignoring the thing before him, tells us, “Ah! you should see my strawberries,” “my roses,” “my tomatoes,” and so on all through—in short, the man who does not “shut his own gate behind him.” Those who are so thoroughly satisfied with their own that they cannot forget it for a few hours should not visit, but remain upon the scene of their remarkable achievements—at home. We would not imply that one in visiting the grounds of another may not on occasion drop a useful hint drawn from his own experience, or that he may not give his host any information that he may ask for; but we have been so annoyed by receiving visitors, and, worse still, in visiting strange grounds in company with those whose only object in visiting appears to be to boast of their own affairs, that we feel called upon to protest against it. Those who thoughtlessly fall into this unpleasant error need only to be reminded of it, and they will sensibly avoid it. From the chronic boaster of his own achievements we hope to be delivered, whatever phase his vanity may assume.—Sel. Rough Manners Disguise True Character
Those that affect to seem rough and rugged in their carriage, put the beast upon the man, and really shame themselves by thus disguising themselves. The family go about silent, or nodding, scolding, and snarling, and apparently without the least thought that they are to restrain any emotion, or the indulgence of any whim. Old clothes, shabby dressing-gowns, slippers, petulance, and selfishness, are quite good enough for the home. But if the same persons are to go out to call, or to dine, or to a ball, nothing is too pretty to wear, nothing too sweet to say, no politeness too fine to display. Now you young fellow at the table, reading the evening paper and nodding in a surly way to your mother and sister, take a test. If your clothes breathe a delicious fragrance—say of heliotrope or roses—but would do so only when you were at home, or only when you went abroad, which would you choose? Would you smell sweet at home, or when you went away from home? Would you have a perpetual climate of rare odors in your own house, or elsewhere? Of course you would have it at home, for your own comfort and enjoyment, you curmudgeon, if for nothing else. But what is domestic courtesy but the breath of heliotropes and roses at home? It is as much for your own pleasure that you should be pleasant, as it is for that of others. The happiest household in the world is that in which the wishes of the thoughtful mother are made the laws of conduct, and where courtesy is new every morning and fresh every evening, like the celestial benediction. How many of us, brethren and sisters, make home the rag-bag of ill-humors and caprices, and wretched moods of every kind, while we carefully hide them from the stranger? When the guest arrives, we slide a chair over the rent in the carpet, and slip a tidy over the worn edge of the sofa-cushion, and lay a prettily bound book over the ink-stain on the parlor table-cloth; and so at his coming the flying hair is smoothed, and the sullen look is gilded with a smile, and the sour tone is suddenly wonderfully sweet. Shriveled old autumn blooms in a moment into rosy spring. And how, as this mother writes—how is a youth to know that this house, where everything seems to smile, is not always as warm and sunny as he finds it? Yet this young woman, so neatly dressed, so quietly mannered, so fascinating to the young man, may be the most “inefficient” of human beings.—Harper’s Magazine. A Model Institution for General Culture. Instruction Given in the Branches of the Usual College Curriculum. Special Attention to Common Branches and the Elements of Learning. Physical Culture and Experience in the Most Common Affairs of Practical Life, and the Useful Trades are Combined in This College with the Study of the Regular School Branches. This College Is Very Successful in the Education of Youth, Because It Is Founded on Correct Principles. 1. The Bible is made the Text-book of Morals and Religion, and nearly every member of the school has Daily Recitations in Biblical History. 2. The union of manual and mental labor among the students will secure to them habits of industry, as well as a knowledge of the most common methods of obtaining a livelihood, and will thus make of them practical men and women. 3. The strong Moral and Religious influence finds its equal in no other Institution of the kind. 4. The expenses of Students for Board, Tuition, etc., come within the ability of all, 5. The Discipline is rigid, and the Instruction is thorough and Practical throughout. One of the most prominent features of Healdsburg College is the effort to impress upon its students the claims and benefits of morals and religion. Any one of known evil habits, who is exerting a pernicious influence upon his fellow-students, is not tolerated in the school. During the year 1883 there was completed a large building called Upon a tract of five acres of ground, the whole designed for a Students' Home, where will be afforded the best home influence, and an opportunity for combining manual labor with study. No other institution offers so favorable facilities on so reasonable terms. To those who wish to obtain instruction in the Bible, Old and New Testament History, &c., special inducements are offered. A class will be opened at the beginning of the Spring Term, for old and young. Is connected with the College to accommodate those children whose parents desire to place them under the instruction and moral influence of the school. The Spring Term began January 2, 1884, and closes May 29, 1884. Any information, and calendar sent on application. Address, S. BROWNSBERGER. A. M., President, Healdsburg, Cal. —A Chinaman in Santa Rosa is said to be 114 years old. —Premier Gladstone of England celebrated his 74th birthday Dec. 29. —The pope has received a letter containing threats against his life. —A new theater was burned at Cleveland, on the 5th inst.; loss $200,000. —Four men charged with murder at Yazoo, Miss., were lynched on the 29th ult. —A new committee, on Alcoholic Liquor Traffic, has been created in Congress. —The old St. Nicholas Hotel, at St. Louis, was burned last week; loss, $100,000. —P. T. Barnum, the great showman, has made his will, bequeathing $10,000,000. —Two negro murderers were taken from jail at Brookville, Ala., and shot, Dec. 28. —The Supervisors of Butte County, Cal., have levied a tax of $50 a month on saloons. —The English Government has determined to crush the “False Prophet” in Egypt. —The rain-storm of the 5th inst. was quite general throughout the interior of California. —The Balmoral estate, Queen Victoria’s favorite residence, covers 25,350 acres of land. —The railroad companies in London are guarding their tracks against Fenian depredations. —The Egyptian insurrectionary movement is spreading along the coast of the Red Sea. —Gen. Hancock has returned to the East. His reception in California was very flattering. —The estimated reduction of the public debt of the United States for December, is $12,000,000. —The earnings of the Central Pacific Railroad for eleven months ending Nov. 30, were $27,353,779. —A State Prison labor contractor, at Pine Bluff, Ark., is on trial for whipping a prisoner to death. —A railroad is to be commenced at once to connect Cheyenne, Wy. T., with the Black Hills region. —There is some alarm in Canada regarding supposed Fenian plots to avenge the death of O’Donnell. —Saylor, the California express robber, has been arrested in Baltimore, and will be returned to this State. —Small and insignificant as Portugal may appear, it is exercising a wonderful influence upon civilization in Africa. —A Nihilist printing office was recently discovered in a back street in the city of Warsaw, but the compositors escaped. —The average of life in England is eleven years longer than in France, although the latter is supposed to have a superior climate. —Sixteen persons were poisoned in a convent at Montreal, last week, by eating pies which the doctors allege were made of tainted meat. —Robert A. Murray, a Boston broker, has absconded, leaving liabilities to the amount of $400,000, mostly raised on forged mortgages. —The French have taken Sontay, in Tonquin, and are jubilant all over the world, wherever there is a Frenchman that has heard the news. —A man named James W. Cooke, living near Cove Springs, Mo., has been sentenced to ninety-nine years’ imprisonment for killing his wife. —A heavy sand-storm is reported on Mohave desert, Jan. 1; the same thing occurred last New Year’s day—in fact, is liable to occur at any time. —A wave of cold weather was experienced throughout the East, West, North and Northwest, last week. Heavy storms and cold are also reported from Canada. —Four children, named Garner, aged from 1 to 6 years, were burned to death at Pittsburg on the 4th inst. The house caught fire in the absence of the parents. —French Commercial circles are becoming alarmed lest the United States will retaliate upon French wines, for the prohibition of American pork by that Government. —The Canadian Government is making inquiry into the statement that two deserters from the U. S. Army were seized upon Canadian soil and taken into Minnesota. —A Washington dispatch says that six U. S. Army officers and a skillful bridge-builder have gone to China to assist the army of that Government against France. —Frank R. Sherwin, the millionaire stock man of the West, has been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and $500 fine for contempt of Court in a defalcation suit at Albany, N. Y. —Henry Villard has resigned the Presidency of the Northern Pacific Railroad, and is said to be financially wrecked. Not long ago he was reckoned to be worth $10,000,000, all made in five years. —A serious fight between Orangemen and Nationalists occurred at Dromore, N. F., on New Year’s day. The military charged the Orangemen, wounding several, and escorted the Nationalists away. —The Secretary of the Treasury has decided, in the case of some Chinamen recently brought to New York, that they cannot be landed, but may be transferred to any vessel going to some foreign country. —The leper hospital at Honolulu, where suspected cases from all parts of the kingdom are brought for examination before being sent to the leper island, has accommodation for 120 patients, and it is filled every two months. A writer says: “Once declared a leper, the person is civilly dead, and is incapable of suing or being sued.” —Thomas Flaherty, a prisoner in the Marysville, Cal., jail, is said to have fasted forty days. He then acknowledged that he had been feigning sickness in order to get into the hospital. He lost forty pounds in flesh. —Another Nihilist movement is reported from Russia, alleging the wounding of the Czar, while returning from a shooting excursion; also the murder of a Lieutenant-Colonel. Two assailants of the latter have died from wounds received. —The Argentine Republic is about to issue a loan of $4,000,000 for the purpose of establishing 300 schools throughout the realm. That Government is beginning to realize that ignorance is the great bane of the Spanish-American countries. —There are hundreds of farm-houses in Arkansas that have not yet had a cooking-stove. Many farmers in the southern part of the State have set their faces resolutely against railroads, on the ground that they would scare game out of the country. —A syndicate of stock men is engaged in fencing into ranges a tract of 6,000,000 acres, leased from the Cherokees for five years, at an annual rental of $100,000. It is believed that 1,000,000 head of cattle will be placed on the inclosed grounds by April 1st. —A pugilistic match between two “society gentlemen” was part of the proceedings in the back parlor of an aristocratic dwelling in Baltimore on New Year’s day. Large bets were made, and some blood flowed; but friendly relations were maintained. What next? —The railroad bridge over the St. Lawrence from Morrisburg to Waddington is to be two and one-half miles long, and will cross the St. Lawrence canal with a swinging bridge 338 feet long. The city of Ottawa agrees to pay $350,000 of the cost, if the Railroad Company will make a wagon-road on the bridge. —In accordance with resolutions of the Western Nail Association, all factories in the West were shut down Dec. 29. The Jefferson Iron Works of Steubenville, O., did not close, and this is said to be the only case of rebellion in the history of the association. The hope of the manufacturers was to improve trade by a restriction of production for six weeks. The move affects 5,000 employes.