p. 44 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 3. (1/17/1884)

The Missionary.

By Stephen Nelson Haskell

"The Way of Life."

THE question has arisen, What connection has "The Way of Life" with present truth, and is it advisable for our brethren to purchase it? We think "Christ the Way of Life," as illustrated in the new steel engraving, assists greatly in impressing the mind with divine things.

There is a power in pictures. We receive more information through the eye than through either of the other senses, and the impressions made upon the mind are deeper and more lasting than those received through any other avenue: It was the great metallic image brought before the mind of Nebuchadnezzar in a dream, that taught him what would come to pass in the last days. The four beasts of Dan. 7, the ram, the he-goat, and the little horn of Dan. 8, and the visions of John as given in the Revelation, are the clearest prophetic chains we have in the Scriptures.

The "Way of Life" is a work of art. It is a steel engraving of the finest quality. Mr. Sartain designed it for the engraver, and was paid five thousand dollars for his work, a price paid only to artists of great skill.

Nothing can be more instructive than the design of this picture. It gives at a glance the whole plan of salvation, and the relation that man sustains to the "law of God." It represents Christ as the great center of all worship, from the fall of man to the final deliverance of God's people. It shows the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden; and by the shadow of the cross, which reaches back to the fall of man, it offers hope to the transgressor through repentance and faith in Christ. As Cain goes out from the presence of God, he leaves the shadow of the cross in hopeless despair. Abel dies by his altar in the shadow of the cross, having hope in Christ. The priest stands pointing the sinner to the cross, his only source of life and hope, as he kneels before the lamb with his hand upon its head, confessing his sin. Hence, in the former dispensation every ceremony was acceptable to God only as the individual had faith in Christ.

In the background are placed the ruins of heathen temples, while Christ is in the front, indicating that the Christian religion has ever triumphed over superstition and idolatry. The blackness of the clouds and the glaring of the lightnings represent the state of nature when Christ died. The Lord's Supper and the baptismal scene, which are so vividly illustrated, reveal the relation which Christ sustains to his people in the present dispensation. The holy city descending from God out of Heaven, brings to mind the glorious new earth, which will be the final reward of the saints. All this, and much more, is seen at a glance.

Is not an engraving which teaches such momentous truths suitable to adorn the home of every Christian? Is there anything more appropriate? If there is any virtue at all in a picture, if the mind can be impressed by what we see, then every family of Seventh-Day Adventists should have at least one copy of this picture, and it should be placed in the room where the family are most accustomed to assemble. Then it should be studied until even the children are prepared to explain it. If anciently parents were to teach the law to their children when they rose up and when they lay down, when they came in and when they went out, then the truth taught in this picture should not be neglected by those who believe that the seven last plagues are soon to be poured out, and that Christ is to come in their generation. Evil thoughts produce evil communications, and evil communications corrupt good manners; while good thoughts manifested in good works are the light of the world.

We have two of these pictures in our house; one on the wall at the foot of our bed, so that the first thing we see in the morning, upon opening our eyes, is the cross of Christ; another, in the sitting-room, so placed that the attention of callers may be directed to it, should a fitting opportunity present itself. We recommend that every family of our brethren and sisters have this picture hung in the most commonly-used room in the house, and that it be carefully studied in connection with the key which has been prepared to go with it. The article on the sufferings of Christ, accompanying the key should receive careful attention.

If our people could realize the refining and elevating influence which such pictures have upon the mind, as well as the truth of the great plan of salvation illustrated in the "Way of Life," every family of Seventh-day Adventists would have this picture hung upon the walls of their dwellings, if at all consistent with their means. S. N. HASKELL.

Wherein the Corinthians Were "Inferior."

By William N. Glenn

2 Cor. 12:13.

THERE is no greater stumbling-block in the church to-day than the idea that many have of a free gospel. Some apparently suppose that because salvation is free, they may selfishly get all they can and keep all they get, giving nothing to the spread of the truth. True the Creator charged nothing for the gift of his Son; it would not have been a gift if he had. The Son charged nothing for the sacrifice of his life to procure for us salvation; it would not have been a sacrifice if he had. Suppose a commensurate price had been demanded, who could have paid it?

"Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a tribute far too small."

Pity the man who imagines, when he gives a tithe or even all of his possessions to the gospel cause, that he pays for salvation. His conception of the value of eternal life must be small indeed. Simon the sorcerer thought to purchase but the gift of healing, with money, and brought upon himself the apostle's curse for his presumption.

Salvation is free, and out of this very fact grows our obligation to send or carry the news to our fellow-men. The Saviour himself, when acting in the capacity of a teacher of men, allowed believers to "minister unto him of their substance." Luke 8:3. The truly converted soul recognizes the obligation to devote at least a liberality of his goods to the furtherance of the cause of truth. Notable examples are found in the church at Jerusalem, when under the undoubted influence of the Holy Spirit, as they sold their possessions and laid the proceeds at the apostles' feet. "Freely ye have received, freely give," is the principle laid down by the Master for all of his followers.

The apostle Paul steadfastly determined to receive no support from the Corinthian church. He did so even when in want, and at the expense of other churches. For some cause he made an exception of this church. In 1 Cor. 9:12 he gives as a reason, "lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ." In 2 Cor. 11:12 it is, "that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion." He refers here to certain "false apostles" whom he wished to cut off from an excuse to claim the support due to true apostles. He had no doubt good reason for his course, or he would not have denied the church the privilege of his support. He acknowledges that this was a detriment to the church, and the only thing in which they were "inferior" to other churches. They were "behind in no gift" (1 Cor. 1:7), and were inferior only in the point that he had not been "burdensome" to them, and for this "wrong" he asked their forgiveness. 2 Cor. 12:13. A most natural result of too much indulgence is alluded to in verse 15,—"the more abundantly I love you the less I be loved."

This example is one that needs to be emphasized at this time, and the lesson impressed, as an antidote for the prevailing selfishness of the age. There are many churches in the land, as well as individuals, who are "inferior" in this respect; and there are no doubt some instances where the ministry are responsible for the lack. "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." W. N. GLENN.

WORK WHILE THE DAY LASTS.

By R. F. Cottrell

BY R. F. COTTRELL.

Work while 'tis day; soon cometh the night In which no work is done; Improve the precious hours of light, Ere they shall all be gone.

Days, months, and years, swift passing by, Pause not, though you may sleep; A faithful record up on high The holy angels keep.

That record, though another write, Is dictated by you; Deeds, words, and thoughts, in living light, Delineated true.

And soon that record you shall meet, And then it will be known Whether "Well done," your ear shall greet, "Sit down upon my throne;"

Or you shall hear the word, "Depart, You are not known of Heaven;" And you shall wail with broken heart, Too late to be forgiven.

Let these few, fleeting moments write A record true above, Of actions that will bear the light, Of words and works of love!

Energy in Church Work

WE live in a stirring age. One in which no enterprise can succeed unless it is entered into with great energy and prosecuted with ceaseless activity. None succeed who are not in earnest. Especially is this true with regard to church work and religious enterprises. The church that does not manifest a good degree of zeal and activity will not be likely to effect much—will exert but little influence in a community, especially on the business classes. They will conclude that an enterprise that requires but little energy, and awakens but little enthusiasm, is of but little account. Business men are too shrewd not to observe these things; and anything that is entered into and carried on in a tame and half-hearted way does not command their respect, much less their co-operation.—Christian at Work.

Confession and Salvation

PAUL, in Rom. 10:9, says, “With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Bishop Thompson once said that the mass of Christian professors were “like the rivers emptying into the Arctic Sea, frozen over at the mouth.”

Responsibility and Opportunity

THE measure of man's responsibility is his opportunities. A young man placed under the care of an efficient and attentive tutor to learn German, refused to attend to instruction. At the expiration of a year his father, finding him unable to read the simplest passage in that language, censured him very severely. The censure was deserved. The son was responsible for his ignorance, because it was the fruit of neglected opportunity. Richard Watson applies this principle to a man in his relation to God and the gospel, pithily remarking that "God holds every one guilty of the violation of all that he is by nature and habit unable to perform, if the remedy—the gospel—be neglected." To despise the gracious opportunities of to-day, is to invite the fearful retribution which in eternity is inseparable from guilt which the sinner would not, when in time, wash away in the blood of Christ.—Zion's Herald.

Little Victories.

By Miss E. T. Morgan

CHARLEY SAUDEK possessed far greater enthusiasm as a young naturalist than the average school-boy of fourteen. He had acquainted himself with the varied styles of bird-architecture in his neighborhood, from the little brown sparrow's lowly home in the grass-plot in the orchard, to that of the hanging-bird, ingeniously built on some branches overlapping a deep flowing brook on his father's farm; from the twittering swallow's dusky nest in the chimney, to the lordly eagle's crude aerie on a steep cliff five miles distant. He had watched the frog-spawn, had hailed the big-headed, flat-bodied tadpole, followed its development till it pushed out two legs on each side, and shed its hinder appendage, becoming a genuine young frog, taking on the life and habits of its acknowledged parents, and he wondered if the animal preserved a single recollection of its different metamorphoses. These pursuits gave zest to everything that Charley saw, and now he was, as he said, nearly on his head to buy a ten-dollar microscope; "None of your cheap affairs, because I shall want to use it all my life, father."

"Ten dollars is a good round sum, my boy, to pay for a mere microscope, and perhaps might be expended to a better advantage."

"Perhaps," returned Charley, doubtfully; "but, father, if you will only get me one, I'll take splendid care of my clothes, and you needn't get me a new suit this fall."

Mr. Saudek looked at his bright, promising son, and at length replied, "Your mother must decide that matter. She has the right to say whether she will be willing for one of her household to be clad less respectably than people about her."

Charlie appealed instantly to his mother, and she gravely answered, "My son is entirely too indifferent now to his personal appearance, and I cannot give my consent. He must seek some other plan to supply his want."

Perhaps the look upon her husband's face biased the decision of Mrs. Saudek, for they were a unit in family government. Charley was nonplussed for a moment; then lifting his clear, brave eyes to his father's, he said, "Mother goes against me, father. Let me take a hand's place in the harvest-field, then; I can do as good work as any boy of my age, and will work faithfully, and that shall save one hand. You are entitled to my work without pay; but you promised me a visit of two months at Uncle Ernest's, and if I stay at home and work ever so hard, won't you give me five dollars a month and my board?"

"Who will accompany your mother in that case? Besides, your cousins are all looking for you."

"That's what I hate about it, father; but I shall be more disappointed than they if Cousin Ben, who has been sick so long, cannot go with mother. The trip will be the making of him, and he is too poor to pay his own expenses. He yesterday said he'd give anything if he could go with us, and he is such a downright good fellow that cousins will be as glad to see him as me. It won't cost any more for him to go than me, and I can be earning my microscope; and, father, you won't be anything more out of pocket than if I went." Turning to his mother he laid his dear, boyish cheek to hers, and said, "If I go, mother dear, sick Ben will lose his chance of a pleasure-trip, while I shall be minus the coveted instrument. Of course, mother, it must and shall be just as you and father decide."

"If I leave my darling boy, Charley, with you, Mr. Saudek, will you hire him for two months, and let me take Ben with me?"

"I certainly will," replied the gentleman. "Furthermore, I must say, I am very much pleased with the entire arrangement. I am glad Charley has shown some consideration for Ben, and is independent enough to work for something that will be lasting benefit to him, even at the expense of a long-anticipated visit."

The two harvest months didn't seem a whit shorter to Charley because he expected his microscope at the end of them. The days were long and hot, not at all like the days he had looked for at the close of the school, to be spent in the cool woods and shady lawn of his uncle's beautiful home, according as he and his cousins should agree. And there were fifty-two such days to be passed under the broiling sun, unless some friendly clouds drifted along to temper its rays; and then mother was gone and he had to bear his little headaches and weariness all alone. His father was near at hand, which was a comfort; but then Charley had put himself on footing with the other laborers, and must manfully take their fare, and bravely bear his pain and fatigue. Twice a week there came a letter from his mother, which almost unsettled him; but Ben's, with its deep, grateful lines, telling how fast he was growing strong, and what long rambles he could take already, quieted his longings, and put him to rights again. There is no cloud so dark that it will not pass, no day so long that it will not close; and so the months of toil came to an end for Charley, and his father placed two new, crisp, five-dollar bills into his brown hand, and his mother, who had shortened her visit a few days to see him paid off, kissed his forehead, and said, "I am proud of my boy!"

Her kiss of approval thrilled him with joy, as he grasped the thought, "Father and mother have fully understood and appreciated my effort all along, and I am glad for their sakes, as well as for Ben's and my own, that I was able to carry it through."

Every day Charley, like the very boy that he was, took a good look at his two bills, looking proudly upon them as a pledge of surety for the microscope. One more day and night must pass before he could place them in the hands of his Uncle Ernest, who would call on his route to New York, and who would gladly make the purchase for him.

"Father, here is Tom Harris. Mr. Saunders has turned him off without paying him, or letting him even have his clothes, and what is the boy to do? Can't you find some work on the farm for him to do? He was saving up his money to go to school this winter at the Old Academy; but now his money and clothes are gone," continued indignant Charley, growing more and more excited as he went on; "and you know, father, that that is precisely the way that 'stingy old hunks' serves every boy he gets into his clutches."

"To whom are you speaking, and of whom are you speaking?" asked the father quietly.

"Excuse me, father, but I feel so vexed at the way old Saunders always acts towards poor boys, and there is not a man in the neighborhood that dares say nay to his beggarly acts."

"I shall be much obliged if Master Charles Saudek will not forget himself in the presence of his superiors, or apply disrespectful epithets to people older than himself. It is neither sensible, manly, nor polite. If Mr. Saunders does wrong, it does not help the cause in the least for you to call him vile names. It simply brings you to a level with him. You have a right, and it is your duty, to dissent from his conduct. As to Tom, he can stay here till he can do better, and in that way he can get some clothes for winter; but with regard to his schooling and books, I promise nothing. It is a great thing to feel sure of food, shelter, and clothing. If your mother and I look after most of his temporal wants, you must make some sacrifice, and let him room with you."

That was the one thing of all others that touched Charley on a tender spot. He had stored up so many specimens and queer things, which he could not bear to have meddled with, that he scarcely ever invited a school associate to share his room for a single night. How, then, could he stand it to have a constant roommate? It seemed out of the question.

Father and son eyed each other steadily, and Charley, convinced that his father was in "dead earnest," knew that Tom's chance depended on him.

"Very well, sir, Tom must not leave because I am selfish; he may room with me."

"Give me your hand, my boy, for you have achieved a great victory. I acknowledge it is hard for an only son not to grow up a little selfish, but your father is not afraid of his Charley. Perhaps you can help Tom in his studies as well."

"I might if he were not so close on my heels now," answered Charley, laughing; "but I'll look after them in some way."

Next morning he showed his parents a note he held on Tom for ten dollars he had loaned to pay Tom's way to the academy, and to buy his books. "Tom didn't want to do it one bit, but I insisted. My microscope can wait a spell longer, and don't let us say one word to Uncle Ernest about it."

The mother mutely kissed her child, and the father smiled his approval. Their approbation, with the pleasant consciousness of having obeyed the "Golden Rule," was worth more than a dozen microscopes. He had come unexpectedly upon a deep spring of joy, new and exquisitely sweet. His parents did not disturb his serenity by questioning the value of the bit of paper he held, and which bore Tom Harris' name. It was a boyish transaction, and, if held inviolate, would prove of incalculable value to both lads.

The academy opened with an unusual flush of pupils, and our lads, eager and ambitious, were enrolled among the number. Charley found Tom, as time went on, a help rather than a hindrance in arranging his old curiosities, and in gathering new ones for his cabinet.

After awhile the time for sleet and snow came, and many a person, as one darkey in town said, "tumbled down promiscuous like." One man had fallen on the outskirts of town, whom young Harris, who was hurrying on as fast as the ice would let him, found to be Mr. Saunders. He had fallen and badly sprained his ankle, and lay there helpless and in pain. By a prodigious effort, Tom succeeded in getting his enemy home. Next evening Charley and Tom walked over to Mr. Saunders' to inquire after him, and make themselves generally useful. When the boys were about to leave, Mr. Saunders asked, "Tom will you come back and try me once more? I have no child, and need some boy about. I will settle with you for the past, and do better by you for the future;" and he paid him on the spot.

"Indeed, sir, I would try you awhile again under the circumstances; but, sir, Mr. Saudek advanced money to get my clothes, and I must work out my time as I agreed."

"That is right, Tom; but you send Mr. Saudek to me. Tell him what a fix I am in, and he'll come."

The result was Tom lifted his note and went back to live at Mr. Saunders', that gentleman having paid Mr. Saudek for the clothes; and by Christmas Charley had in his possession a first-class microscope.

"My darling boy," said his mother as she fondly stroked his hair, "you can see now how many good influences have flowed from your one unselfish act towards your cousin Ben, and your manly effort to buy what you most desired. Your cheerful loan to Tom, and your sharing your room with him, kept him here, and ended in changing parsimonious Mr. Saunders into Tom's kind benefactor."

"Yet, mother, lump it all, and it was but a little thing for me to do," replied the happy boy.—Miss. E. T. Morgan, in Christian Union.

The Home Circle.

By Henry Stanton

THE MONEYLESS MAN.

Is THERE no place on the face of the earth Where charity dwelleth, where virtue has birth? Where bosoms in kindness and mercy will heave, And the poor and the wretched shall ask and receive? Is there no place on earth where a knock from the poor Will bring a kind angel to open the door? Ah! search the wide world wherever you can, There is no open door for the moneyless man.

Go look in the hall where the chandelier light Drives off with its splendor the darkness of night; Where the rich hanging velvet, in shadowy fold, Sweeps gracefully down, with its trimming of gold; And mirrors of silver take up and renew In long lighted vistas the 'wildering view; Go there in your patches, and find if you can, A welcoming smile for the moneyless man.

Go look in your church of the cloud-reaching spire, Which gives back to the sun his same look of fire; Where the arches and columns are gorgeous within, And the walls seem as pure a soul without sin. Go down the long aisle—see the rich and the great, In the pomp and the pride of their worldly estate; Walk down in your patches, and find if you can, Who opens a pew for the moneyless man.

Go look to your judges, in dark flowing gown, With the scales wherein law weigheth quietly down; Where he frowns on the weak and smiles on the strong, And punishes right while he justifies wrong; Where jurors their lips on the Bible have laid, To render a verdict they've already made; Go there in the court-room, and find if you can, Any law for the case of a moneyless man.

Go look in the banks where Mammon has told His hundreds and thousands of silver and gold; Where, safe from the hands of the starving and poor, Lies pile upon pile of the glittering ore. Walk up to the counter—ah, there you may stay, Till your limbs have grown old and your hair turned gray, And you'll find at the bank not one of the clan With money to lend to a moneyless man.

Then go to your hovel—no raven has fed The wife who has suffered so long for her bread; Kneel down by her pallet and kiss the death frost From the lips of the angel your poverty lost. Then turn in your agony upward to God, And bless, while it smites you, the chastening rod; And you'll find at the end of your life's little span There's a welcome above for the moneyless man. —Henry Stanton, Marysville, Kentucky.

Behaviour in Church.

A WRITER in the Sunday-School Times gives some excellent hints regarding the attitude of the pew to the pulpit which are worth preserving:—

“If any one of us is entertaining the minister in the home drawing-room, the minister may be sure of being treated with courtesy. We shall not, though we find his call fatiguing, glance furtively at the clock on the mantel, fidget in our chairs, nor, drawing forth our watches, snap their cases in his face. Yet well-bred people, with barbaric rudeness, constantly consult time-pieces, and move uneasily in their seats in church, if the sermon be overlong, or it does not interest them, or they dislike the ministerial manner.

“You, sir or madam, who are grown up, do not, of course, need such a reminder; but children ought not to pitch their hymn-books into the rack when a tune is concluded, so that, simultaneously with the last notes, there ensues a sharp rat-tat-tat all over the auditorium.

“Clothing, overcoats, mufflers, wraps of all sorts, should not be assumed during the doxology, or the final prayer. It is a manifest impoliteness to other worshipers, and a slight to the occasion, to be struggling into coats and cloaks, and adjusting reluctant fastenings, while the service is in progress. Good taste awaits the close, after the benediction.

“And why the frantic haste with which so many flee the sacred edifice, when the blessing has been pronounced? Why not a slight and reverent tarrying, a waiting till the echoes of prayer have died into silence?”

The Art of Being Agreeable

THE ART OF BEING AGREEABLE.—The true art of being agreeable is to appear well pleased with all the company, and rather to seem well entertained with them than to give entertainment to them. A man thus disposed, perhaps, may not have much learning, nor any wit; but if he have common sense, and something friendly in his behaviour, it concilliates men's minds more than the brightest talents without this disposition; and when a man of such a turn comes to old age, he is almost sure to be treated with respect. It is true, indeed, that we should not dissemble and flatter in company; but a man may be very agreeable, strictly consistent with truth and sincerity, by a prudent silence where he cannot concur and a pleasant assent where he can. Now and then you meet with a person so exactly formed to please that he will gain upon every one that hears or beholds him; this disposition is not merely the gift of nature, but frequently the effect of much knowledge of the world and a command over the passions.

The Household.

It is in the household, more than anywhere else, that personal character receives its early direction and subsequent shaping. The sublime order of the material universe is the result of law acting upon each particular atom and holding it in its proper place. Equally in the sphere of human life the general good is the product of special obedience rendered to the spirit of truth by the individuals composing a community. Making due account of the general appliances of education, whether secular or religious, nevertheless we must come back at last to the household as the chief source of right training. Fathers and mothers are and must be, for good or evil, the main educators of their children.

ESTABLISHED 1882

By S. Brownsberger

HEALDSBURG COLLEGE.

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.

DISCIPLINE.

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

NORTH COLLEGE HALL,

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.

A PRIMARY DEPARTMENT

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 calender sent on application.

Address, S. BROWNBERGER, A. M., President, Healdsburg, Cal.

The Influence of Example

ONE watch set right will do to set many by; on the other hand, one that goes wrong may be the means of misleading a whole neighborhood; and the same may be said of the example we each set to those around us.

Bad Habits

BAD habits are the thistles of the heart, and every indulgence of them is a seed from which comes forth a crop of weeds.

Teaching an Elephant to Obey Written Commands.

LOUIS E. COOK, agent of Cole's Circus, tells a remarkable story that illustrates the elephant's wonderful capacity for receiving and retaining impressions, and at the same time shows the great possibilities still offered in the direction of educating the pachyderm.

'Our trainer, George Conklin,' said Mr. Cook, 'while in New York last winter, had several conversations with an eminent zoologist, who among other theories advanced this: That the elephant could be taught to read written characters. He explained that the education of the great beast had gone even farther than mere feats of memory, either in the matter of language or judging of shapes and forms. It had been trained to do work of many kinds in the East, such as piling lumber in systematical columns, and even setting the heavy stones in masonry so that expert workmen found it seldom necessary to make any changes in their position. The cunning of the elephant was well known, for the trained monster was often used to lure his wild brethren into snares, and frequently assisted in throwing and holding down the captive until the chains were placed upon him.

'The zoologist used other arguments of the same kind, and Conklin at last determined to make the attempt and determine the possibility of teaching the elephant how to read. He selected 'Rajah,' a fifteen-year-old, for the experiment. He got a blackboard two feet long and eight inches wide, on which to inscribe the letters. He did not begin, however, by teaching the animal the alphabet. He did not seem to want to make the experiment in that way, as it might be too tedious; but, as you know, ring or trained elephants know all the words of command spoken by the trainer. They will stop when he cries 'halt,' move on when he says 'march,' run at the order to 'double-quick,' and, indeed, obey every word spoken to them. Well, Conklin hit upon this plan. He took Rajah into the ring at least once every day, and writing the word 'March' in Roman characters about five or six inches long on the board, placed it before the animal's eyes, and after allowing him to scan it, then pointing to the white letters, shouted the order 'March,' which, of course, was complied with. He found that writing the letters while the board was held before the elephant, was a surer way of attracting the animal's attention to the characters, so he now writes in this way. Rajah soon grew accustomed to the board and the letters and now very seldom makes a mistake when a written command is presented to him. He will march the moment the last letter is finished, halt when the trainer shows him the word, and, indeed, recognizes every inscription of this kind Conklin places on the board. The elephant will not be introduced into the ring in this new act until next season, by which time the trainer thinks it possible to educate the whole herd in reading, so that the words of command may be given in writing on a large blackboard. Having succeeded so well in teaching Rajah to read words, he will now try to advance backward by teaching him the alphabet, and I myself think it possible that the elephant, which is quick and intelligent, may be taught by means of lettered blocks to spell the words that he is familiar with in the ring.'—New Orleans Times-Democrat.

Meditations.

By Joseph Clarke

THIS word is defined, "Close continued thought upon any subject." To arrange our thoughts and put them in order, and keep them in their proper place and upon profitable subjects, is certainly a noble employment, and one that will, in the end, yield a large reward. To do this aright, it is of the first importance that one should have rules to be governed by, in harmony with the mind of Him who created us, and made us reasonable and intelligent beings, else we might err in our mental pursuits, and waste our time in idle fancies and reveries which would be of no use to us or any one else, but rather a detriment. Jesus told his disciples that he would send them the Comforter, who would bring to mind the words he had spoken to them; such words as these: "Blessed are the pure in heart;" "Blessed are the meek;" "Blessed are the merciful;" "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness." And the apostle Paul gives us topics of thought. Whatsoever things are of good report, true, pure, lovely, think on these things.

The Bible, if carefully read, furnishes an abundant supply of material for meditation, which can never be exhausted. The description of faith, as given by Paul in the 11th chapter of Hebrews, is a subject of great interest,—all interwoven with the experience of good men in all ages, and under all circumstances. Whether in prosperity or adversity, on the throne or in the dungeon, honored or dishonored, in poverty or wealth, faith is the same crowning virtue to the overcomer. The history of the favored people of God, from Abraham to Moses, and from Moses to Paul, and from Paul to Luther, and from Luther to Wesley, and from Wesley to the present time, is a subject of surpassing interest. And when we consider their many trials, as well as their comforts and blessings and encouragements, we find abundant food for meditation.

But the one great theme of our meditations should ever be (while here), how we may best overcome the world, the flesh, and the arch-enemy of all good; how we may best serve God and how win souls to him; how we may avoid the mistakes of the past, and the sins to which we are in bondage, and grow in grace every day. Certainly it will not be by meditating upon the failures of others, but rather by drawing near to God in prayer, at all times and under all circumstances.

To attempt to lay out a particular plan of meditation for all, would be in vain. The Bible, the history of the church, the history of the rise and fall of nations, all furnish vast fields for thought; and each one can begin where he pleases, only let him have one end in view—the will of God. This will lead out in profitable meditation, as one subject well received only opens the door to others, more and more interesting as we advance. Whatever hinders or forbids meditation should be put far away from us and kept out of the heart. Often let us, as we have opportunity and leisure, think of God's dealings with us and with the world; often let us think of the lives of holy men, and their joyous departure, and of the fate of evil men and wicked nations.

The fall of man from his first high and holy state of happiness and of innocence, and the grand, comprehensive scheme of redemption, are subjects on which we may meditate with ever-increasing interest and profit. At no time in the history of the church has there been so much light upon these points as at the present time. The efforts of those opposed to the moral law of ten commands to evade the force of that law, and their ingeniously-framed methods of sustaining their errors, have called forth the eloquence and zeal of good men to sustain the all-important principles embodied in the decalogue, and the position which the moral law holds in the great and benevolent plan of redemption. Never before in the history of man has this subject been so thoroughly discussed as it has within the past thirty-five years; the effort made by Sunday advocates to sustain that child of the papacy has led them to an unscrupulous freedom in handling the word of God, and they have in numberless ways sought to evade the force of the fourth precept of the moral law. At each point, however, they have been met by the advocates of truth, and with tireless vigilance the watchmen upon the walls of Zion still meeting these armies of the enemy.

Not less interesting are the battles which truth is waging with other errors, all hoary with age; and never was the hydra-headed monster of error so fully supplied with heads as now. Spiritualism (witchcraft), Mormonism, and the various shades of apostasy, are represented by men whose brains are addled by Darwin or Ingersoll; and new and complex forms of error are the result. Complications of error, such as never before existed, are arising. Men, who a few years ago were considered sound in the faith, are changing their views gradually, and introducing ideas more in harmony with the carnal mind. Never before was there so great danger of apostasy, and never before were apostasies so frequent. Satan's influence was never before so widely felt, nor was it ever before so seductive and powerful; amid all these, and ten thousand dangers and perils, we are living and laboring.

How few are they who meditate to any good purpose; how few are preparing for the battle which is already being fought. Truth and error are even now in the field; the armies have been skirmishing for many years. The law of God is the great issue of the day; opposite armies represent the two great principles,—one is for the law of God, the other is anti-law, or antinomian. Zeal to prop up the Sunday prompts men who have the appearance of being good to place themselves firmly on antinomian ground; custom holds the multitude in the fatal net, and the war-cry is even now arising. Very soon a pitched battle will be fought; a battle of arguments and of votes; a battle in which God's people will uphold his truth, and the multitude will uphold the opinions and traditions of men. Contrary to the foresight of blind error, the minority will sustain the banner of the cross; and, like their Master before them, will gain ultimately the victory through deep affliction.

To keep from backsliding and apostasy, we may well apply ourselves to meditation and prayer; this will stimulate us to action, and prepare us for right action. Perils are now thickening around us; we must be thoroughly educated to this work. JOSEPH CLARKE.

Continue reading: The Church of Rome