p. 16 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 38. (9/20/1905)

Maori Girl Detained at San Francisco

A twelve-year-old Maori girl recently arrived at San Francisco from New Zealand, en route to Salt Lake City, Utah. She was in the company of four Mormon elders, and the immigration commissioner refused to allow her to land until he had inquired into the case. The commissioner said his action was caused by the fact that "there is a constant stream of young girls passing through San Francisco in the custody of Mormon elders," and thinks it wise to make inquiry about them. The elders explained that the girl's father is a Mormon, and was sending her to Salt Lake City to be educated. They also stated that she would be cared for there by an uncle.

Discomfited, but Persistent.

By Editor

Our Washington correspondent informs us that Dr. Crafts, of Reform Bureau, or "Christian lobby," fame, is much discomfited by the extensive airing given to his franking frauds by the press. He complains that the publications and criticisms for which certain influential journals are responsible have caused "certain philanthropic Christians," who have hitherto liberally supported the bureau's "reforms," to cut down their contributions. Mr. Crafts wrote and telegraphed to the papers about it, but they paid little attention to his explanations. His attempts to reconcile his position with strict integrity, while they deny some minor detail of the reports, are acknowledgements of his use of certain Congressmen's franking privilege to send out the bureau's matter free of postage. Even if he had their permission, such use is clearly illegal; and the doctor has always been such a stickler for law enforcement—especially the enforcement of Sunday laws. His explanations and modifications of reports do not affect the main charge of fraudulent use of the franks; in fact he defends this course, on the ground that the assumed good work justifies the means used to further it.

Whom to Fear.

Our Saviour admonishes us to "fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Matt. 10:28. In order to force this text into a contradiction of the Scriptures which explicitly declare that the wicked shall be utterly put out of existence (Ps. 37:9, 10; Mal. 4:1; Rom. 6:23), a certain "holiness" publication construes the Lord's words in this way: "He says He is ABLE so to do, but He does not say that He will annihilate the wicked." Then, we would ask, Where is the force of the admonition of the Lord? Wherein is one who we know will not destroy us any more to be feared than one who can not do so? Such juggling of the Lord's words to make way for the doctrine of the never-ending conscious agony of soul is a reproach to the just character of God, who says that "the wages of sin is death," not eternal life in misery. "The dead know not anything." Eccl. 9:5, 6.

Accept God’s Offer of Eternal Life

God's offer of eternal life to man is a standing offer. It is offered in abundance. Accept it, and live. But tho it be a standing offer, men and women are every hour of the day, yea, every moment, dropping into their graves, where they are beyond the possibility of accepting it; and, tho it be a standing offer now, there is coming a day beyond which no offer is held out to man—the day that closes probation's work. Do not slight that offer; do not put off the day of its acceptance. Man has no mortgage on the morrow. It may not be yours to enjoy; but eternal life is certain, if we listen to the voice of God, and accept His gracious offer.

The Meaning of Fervent Charity

Fervent charity is thus described by Rev. F. W. Robertson, the noted English Churchman:

Give us the man who can be insulted and not retaliate; meet rudeness and still be courteous; the man who, like the apostle Paul, buffeted and disliked, can yet be generous and make allowances, and say: "I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, tho the more abundantly I love you the less I be loved." That is "fervent charity."

This is brief and to the point, yet it is all comprehended in the command, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

Spiritualism and the Latter Rain

By Editor

You will be interested in the article on "Spiritualism" on page 10, and the study on the latter rain on page 11. The former will present the counterfeit of the latter. Only the latter will save us from the deception of the former.