1. WHAT blessing is promised to those who have part in the first resurrection?
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." Rev. 20:6.
2. To what are they called? To the marriage supper of the Lamb.
3. What blessing is recorded in Luke 14:15?
"And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God."
4. How is the same blessing recorded in Rev. 19:9?
"And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."
5. What is said in verse 7 about the marriage of the Lamb?
"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready."
6. What is meant by the Lamb's wife?
"And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."
"And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife." Rev. 21:2, 9.
7. When is this bride presented to him? At his coronation. Dan. 7:13, 14.
8. What does he do on receiving this bride, the capital of his earthly kingdom? He comes to the earth for his saints, and takes them to the marriage supper.
9. Describe the scene that will take place when they all arrive in Heaven. Rev. 7:9-12.
10. How are the saints to be engaged during this thousand years? In a work of judgment. Rev. 20:4.
11. What will be the nature of this work? They will unite with Christ in examining the cases of wicked men and fallen angels.
12. How is this work alluded to in 1 Cor. 6:2, 3?
"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?"
13. What will be the condition of the wicked during the thousand years? They will all be silent in death. Rev. 20:5.
14. What will be the condition of Satan during this period?
"And I saw an angel come down from Heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." Verses 1-3.
15. What do we understand by the bottomless pit? See note.
16. What will take place at the end of the thousand years? The wicked will have a resurrection, and Satan will be loosed. Rev. 20:5, 7.
17. What will Satan induce the wicked nations to do?
"And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; and fire came down from God out of Heaven, and devoured them." Verses 8 and 9.
18. How does the beloved city come to be upon the earth?
"And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Rev. 21:2.
19. How are those to be destroyed who besiege the holy city? Rev. 20:9.
20. What is to be done with Satan?
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever." Verse 10.
21. What will be the fate of all those whose names are not found written in the book of life?
"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Verse 15.
22. What did John see after this?
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." Rev. 21:1.
23. Who will inhabit the new earth? The righteous. See 2 Pet. 3:13.
24. Seeing we look for such things, what admonition is given us?
"Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless." Verse 14.
Note.
The bottomless pit. The original word signifies an abyss, bottomless, deep, profound. Its use seems to be such as to show that the word denotes any place of darkness, desolation, and death. Thus in Rev. 9:1, 2, it is applied to the barren wastes of the Arabian desert, and in Rom. 10:7, to the grave. But the passage which specially throws light upon the meaning of the word here, is Gen. 1:2, where we read that "darkness was upon the face of the deep." The word there rendered deep, is the same word that is here rendered bottomless pit; so that that might have been translated, "Darkness was upon the face of the abyss, or bottomless pit." But we all know what is meant by the word "deep" as there used; it is applied to this earth in its chaotic state. Precisely this we believe it means in this third verse of Revelation 20. At this time, let it be borne in mind, the earth is a vast charnel-house of desolation and death. The voice of God has shaken it to its foundations, the islands and mountains have been moved out of their places, the great earthquake has leveled to the earth the mightiest works of man, the seven last plagues have left their all-desolating footprints over the earth, the burning glory attending the coming of the Son of man has borne its part in accomplishing the general desolation, the wicked have been given to the slaughter. . . . Thus is the earth made empty and waste, and turned upside down. Isa. 24:1. Thus is it brought back again, partially at least, to its original state of confusion and chaos. See Jer. 4:19-26, especially verse 23. And what better term could be used to describe the earth thus rolling on its course of darkness and desolation for a thousand years, than that of the abyss, or bottomless pit? Here, we understand, Satan will be confined during this time, amid the ruin which, indirectly, his own hands have wrought, unable to flee from his habitation of woe, or to repair in the least degree its hideous ruin.
What Is Praying?
You say you can't pray. What is praying, my brother? It is just asking the Lord for what you want. I'll tell you why so many can't pray: they don't want anything. A sense of need inspires utterance always. Hence, also, there is much that is called prayer that is not prayer at all.—Sel.
Increasing Use of the English Language.
THE Missionary Review of December, 1885, publishes the following extract from the report of Mr. John T. Gulick, a missionary to Japan:—
"The most remarkable feature in the present literary history of Japan is the strenuous effort that is being made to introduce the study of English into all the schools of the people. Owing to the lack of teachers, it is impossible to bring it into the curriculum of the common schools this year; but notice has been given that next year the teachers of these schools will be required to pass an examination proving their ability to teach the rudiments of the English language. This has given an immense impulse to the study of English, resulting, I am told, in the sale of many tens of thousands of spelling-books and readers during the past few months. What results will be gained in the knowledge of English, it is impossible definitely to predict; but it seems probable that, by the end of eight or ten years, hundreds of thousands of the people will be able to read English with more or less ease, and that the score of English books now published in Japan will have been increased to hundreds. We shall all watch with the deepest interest the remoter results of this most remarkable experiment."
This report is of interest; for it shows how the providence of God is preparing the way for the last gospel message, which is to go to "many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings."
Getting Ready for a Divorce.
By Mrs. M. S. Butts
“KATE HARDY has gone to housekeeping.”
“Housekeeping! I didn’t know that she was married.”
“Oh, yes; she has been married six months and more.”
“Why, she isn’t sixteen years old, is she? It seems only yesterday that she was a little girl in short dresses.”
“She will be seventeen on her next birthday.”
“What kind of a man has she married?”
“Oh, a ‘man of words and not of deeds,’ as our school copybook used to say. One of those fellows that sit in corner groceries with their heels braced against the stove, smoking a cigar—more than twelve years older than Kate. By the time she’s grown up, they’ll be ready for a divorce.”
This conclusion struck me forcibly. I had been hearing a great deal about divorce lately—sermons on divorce, newspaper articles, dismal croakings and prophecies, promulgations of remedies, etc. I was reminded of the old saying: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Here was Kate Hardy, but the other day going to school with the other children of the neighborhood, a bright, forward, rather willful girl, fretting a little, as she grew older, at the monotony of her life and the prosiness of her surroundings; longing for a journey, new books, a pretty room. Her home was hopelessly commonplace. Cooking, cleaning, sleeping, was the daily, monthly, and yearly routine. Once when Kate petted some geraniums and coaxed them into bloom, her mother found fault because they were in the way.
“I want something to cheer me up a little,” said Kate pleasantly.
“My work is enough to cheer me up,” said Mrs. Hardy.
At that moment she was dressed in a faded calico, with her hair drawn back in a tight little knot; she was minus a collar, and her dark apron was soiled and greasy. She was not a slattern, but she believed in saving washing and dressing according to her work. Kate looked from her flowers to her mother, and something not entirely unlike disgust dawned in her face. Feeling such as was then awakened in the young girl rapidly develops into character. We do not realize how plastic is character in the young; indeed, it only exists in emotion. But in some sudden heat it takes form, and if a wrong form, can only be changed by great suffering.
Here, then, was my little friend married, and to a man unworthy of her; a man who, by and by, would be sure to arouse her repulsion. She would grow into a strong woman and find herself mated to a weak man. There would be antagonism, bickering, wearisome efforts at adjustment, and in a moment of irrepressible and maybe righteous anger, a resolve to separate.
This is how many divorces are prepared. We often hear it said that the stream cannot rise higher than the fountain. The fountain is the home. There is where our efforts should be directed, concentrated. There are certain crimes that justly rouse the horror of the community where they are committed; there are other crimes that are smiled upon or ignored. These latter are committed in respectable homes where children are brought into the world and then left to chance. Their bodies, indeed, are cared for after a fashion; but we have it on the highest authority that “the life is more than meat, and the body more than raiment.” Do not the parents need teaching upon this vital subject? The unwritten law of every-day life must be expounded, with all its wonderful and unlooked-for and unexplainable variations. To teach the parents is more important to-day than to teach the children.
There is a need of studying first principles in a restated form. The law should be delivered anew, and with thunderings and lightnings.
If, then, the question is asked, How shall divorces be prevented? we may safely answer, By doing all in our power to prevent marriages, so called, that naturally lead to divorce. And here a vast field of education is opened.—Mrs. M. S. Butts, in Phrenological Journal.
Ashamed of a Father.
TWO MEN had entered into an agreement to rob one of their neighbors. Everything was planned. They were to enter his house at midnight, break open his chests and drawers, and carry off all the silver and gold they could find.
“He is rich and we are poor,” said they to each other, by way of encouragement in the evil they were about to perform. “He will never miss a little gold, while its possession will make us happy. Besides, what right has one man to all of this world’s goods?”
Thus they talked together. One of these men had a wife and children, but the other had no one in the world to care for but himself. The man who had children went home and joined his family, after agreeing upon a place of meeting with the other at the darkest hour of the coming night.
“Dear father,” said one of the children, climbing upon his knee, “I am so glad you have come home again.”
The presence of his child troubled the man, and he tried to push him away; but his arms clung tightly about his neck, and he laid his face against his cheek, and said in a sweet and gentle voice,—
“I love you, father!”
Involuntarily the man drew the innocent and loving one to his bosom, and kissed him.
There were two older children in the man’s dwelling, a boy and a girl. They were poor, and these children worked daily to keep up the supply of bread, made deficient more through idleness in the father than from lack of employment. These children came home soon after their father’s return, and brought him their earnings for the day.
“O father,” said the boy, “such a dreadful thing happened! Henry Lee’s father was arrested to-day for robbing; they took him out of our shop when Henry was there, and carried him off to prison. I was so sad when I saw Henry weeping. And he hung his head for shame of his own father! Only think of that!”
“Ashamed of his father!” thought the man. “And will my children hang their heads, also, in shame? No, no; that shall never be.”
At the hour of midnight, the man who had no children to throw around him a sphere of better influence, was waiting at the place of rendezvous for him whose children had saved him. But he waited in vain. Then he said, “I will do the deed myself, and take the entire reward.”
And he did according to his word. When the other man went forth to his labor on the next day, he learned that his accomplice had been taken in the act of robbery, and was already in prison.
“Thank Heaven for virtuous children!” said he with fervor. “They have saved me. Never will I do an act that will cause them to blush for their father.”—Sel.
True Courtesy.
GENUINE politeness is not any too common; for this quality is not a matter of mere form or ceremony, but comes from that sincere kindness of heart that tenderly regards the rights and the comforts of others. There is a class of people who are very scrupulous as to certain forms, and would rather violate one of the ten commandments than disregard a rule or practice of table etiquette. Such persons regard it a grave impropriety to raise the knife to the lips in eating instead of the fork. A beautiful fact on this subject is related of Prince Albert, the excellent husband of Queen Victoria. On one occasion a humble, worthy man, who had befriended the prince in early life, called to see him, and was invited to come to the family table. He began to eat with his knife, as he had been accustomed, and the young people smiled. Prince Albert looked around upon them as if to say, “Stop that,” and at once he himself began to eat with his knife, and did so to the end of the meal. After dinner, one of the children asked him why he did so. Prince Albert replied: “It is well enough for us to observe the etiquette of the day, but it is far more important to avoid insulting people. I wanted my old friend to enjoy his dinner, which he could not if he had seen you laughing at him. He is accustomed to use his knife, and it would be quite difficult for him to use his fork instead.” This was genuine politeness. The world would be happier and better if there were more of it. There may be the most scrupulous following out of forms where the very essence of politeness is lacking. And parents make a very great mistake who insist upon their children observing the forms of etiquette, while they neglect to inculcate that kindness of heart, that unselfish regard for the welfare of others, which is the only source from which genuine courtesy can come.—Sel.
The Home Circle.
LIFT THY BROTHER'S BURDEN.
LIFT thy struggling brother's burden,
It may seem to thee but small,
Still like coil of strongest cable
Holds him in its baleful thrall.
Ask not is he Jew or Gentile,
Pause not, be he bond or free;
Simply do thy bounden duty,
What are name and state to thee?
Lift it in a kindly spirit,
Leave in place no needless smart;
Thou art but thy brother's helper,
Not the censor of his heart.
Though he be not of thy household,
Pass not on the other side;
Give him present aid and comfort,
That no greater ill betide.
Lift it in a humble spirit,
Though it come through sin and shame;
Hast thou in thy moral armor
Warrant of a shield from blame?
Thou perchance mayst fall or stumble
Ere thine earthly race be run,
Thou mayst need some friendly succor,
Ere life's conflicts all are done.
Our Best.
The Working Class.
THE working-class is the only class which is not a class. It is the nation. It represents, so to speak, the body as a whole, of which the other classes only represent special organs. These organs, no doubt, have great and indispensable functions; but for most purposes of government the State consists of the vast laboring majority. Its welfare depends on what their lives are like.—Frederic Harrison.
That is a terse statement of a great truth. Adam was a laborer. All his descendants are or ought to be laborers, and the vast majority must always be manual laborers. Hence the rights and interests of laborers are not the rights and interests of a class, but of humanity, of the race.—Interior.
Soft Words Heal Injuries
Hasty words often rankle in the wound which injury inflicts; but soft words assuage it; for forgiving cures the hurt, and forgetting takes away the scar.
Temperance and Health.
By Lyman Abbott
TEMPERANCE, in the Scripture use of that term, is a much broader and deeper word than in our modern use of it. We might expect that with enlarged life, words would take on an enlarged meaning; in fact, the history of language shows that spiritual words grow narrower rather than broader, and shallower rather than deeper. Faith, which in the New Testament writings signifies the profoundest spiritual experience, has come oftentimes simply to mean an intellectual opinion. Charity, the warmest word in the New Testament, has been so chilled in the progress of time that “cold as charity” has become a proverb. And temperance, which in its original import signifies the power of self-restraint, the entire mastership of the animal nature by the moral and spiritual, has come to mean simply abstinence from intoxicating liquors. Even in its most restricted sense, temperance should mean more than that. The virtue of temperance should carry with it simplicity in life and daily self-denial. It is the reverse of luxury and the gratification of the flesh; it is, to use Paul’s phrase, “keeping the body under,” or, to use the child’s paraphrase, “keeping the soul on top.”
The story of Daniel at the court of Babylon furnishes out of experience an answer to the only argument which has even any speciousness in it in favor of what is commonly termed “high living.” The king appointed a luxurious table for the children of Israel who were to stand before him. Daniel requested permission to abstain from this luxurious table, and live on a vegetable diet and on water. The eunuch objected. This asceticism, he said, will impair your health and good looks, and so endanger my life. Try us, replied Daniel, for ten days, and see what is the result. This seemed reasonable, and the eunuch consented; and at the end of ten days they appeared better in health and in countenance than all those who fed at the king’s table.
The experience of Daniel is confirmed by the experience of the world. The water-drinkers are healthier and stronger, do more work, sleep more soundly, endure more fatigue, and are less liable to disease, than the moderate drinkers. My readers will remember the experience of Franklin in England, drinking his water, while his fellow-workmen drank their six pints of beer, and defended their course by the argument that they needed strong beer to make them strong. He refuted their theory by carrying two forms of type, one in each hand, up the stairs; a feat which none of the old beer-drinkers could perform. Let any reader of these lines run in mind over the circle of his acquaintances, and see how many he can remember whose health appears to him to have been impaired by simple living and by water-drinking, on the one hand, and how many he can enumerate who have impaired their vital forces, or even absolutely incapacitated themselves for their life-work, by the use of wine and beer.
A few years ago Mr. Arthur Reade brought together a large number of letters from men of letters and science, giving the results of their personal experience and observation in respect to the effect on the brain and the intellectual life of the use of wine and tobacco. There was a considerable difference of opinion as to the use of tobacco, a number holding that it was serviceable as a means of rest; but there was an almost unanimous testimony that the use of alcohol and stimulants was either absolutely injurious or simply non-serviceable. Mr. Reade embodied the results of the letters in these declarations: 1. Alcohol and tobacco are of no value to a healthy student; 2. The most vigorous thinkers and head-workers abstain from both stimulants; 3. Those who have tried both moderation and total abstinence find the latter the most healthful practice.
Mr. Gustafson, in “The Foundation of Death,” gives the statistics of some English life-insurance companies. These show a considerable less death-rate among the total abstainers than among moderate drinkers; and some of the life-insurance companies charge a materially less premium to the total abstainer. Thus experience on a large scale, and scientifically formulated, appears to bear out the experience of Daniel, that water-drinking is better for health than wine-drinking.
If from the result of extended observation we turn to a scientific consideration of the physiological effects of alcohol on the human body, observation is sustained and confirmed by analysis. The human body is constantly undergoing destruction and repair. Every vital activity, whether of mind, brain, or muscle, destroys some tissue, which must be carried away and replaced by new tissue. In order that vitality be maintained, a certain specific temperature of the body must be maintained. The consumption of tissue maintains it. Thus the operations of vitality in the human body may be compared to those of a furnace in a dwelling-house. New coal must be put upon the fire, and as it is burned out the ashes must be removed. That body is in the healthiest condition in which this process of combustion is going on in the most normal manner; in which the twofold process of destruction and repair suffers the least possible hindrance.
Early Impressions.
It is a very important fact, and one never to be lost sight of by mothers, that the education of an infant begins at birth. The moral atmosphere by which it is surrounded will, in great measure, determine its future character. Parents often do and say things in the sight and hearing of little children which they would be ashamed of in the presence of an older person. Every outburst of temper, every peevish or fretful word, is photographed upon the mental constitution of the child, never to be effaced, although, of course, after-training may modify the impression. It is not to be wondered at that mothers, worn down with a weight of care and overwork, are sometimes fretful; but if they would remember that every hasty word in baby's presence must come back to them in still greater weight of care, perhaps they would exercise a higher degree of self-control.
Poor, tired mothers! What but the wonderful mother-love could carry them through the many trials incident to the bringing up of a young family? But there are many ways in which we can lighten our cares, and one of them is self-control in our conduct toward the little ones. It may not seem quite plain to one who had never thought upon the subject how a moral act of any kind could influence a little creature unable to comprehend anything beyond the mere physical needs of his little body. Of course, it does not know why a loving word and smile give it pleasure and the reverse pain. But you and I ought to be able to understand that every manifestation of emotion, of whatever nature, always acts upon the feelings of the child; therefore every deed of ours ought to be such as to call into action the best feelings of their nature, since the mind will become biased in the direction toward which it is oftenest drawn. It is, then, a fact easy of comprehension, that whatever we wish our children to become we must ourselves be; for whether we will it or not, our every-day actions are our baby's teachers.—Babyhood.
Under a Shadow.
By Christian Union
THERE are very few of us who are not at some time in our lives brought under the shadow of a false accusation. The natural way to meet it is by denial and self-defense. But that is not the New Testament way, nor the most effective way. There is a better, surer, and higher way. It is to give the false accusation a plain, simple, square denial, and then leave the life and the truth to do the rest. It is not my business to take care of my reputation; it is all I can do to take care of my character. If that is clean and pure and luminous, the light that is in me will shine on and out, and by and by will pierce the clouds and dispel them. For clouds are temporary, because earthly; but sunshine is eternal, because divine.
Do not run after accusers. Do not trouble yourself about false accusations. Only be sure to make them false; then leave the falsehood to die. Go on with your life-work, and accept the position in which false accusation and consequent scandal and reproach place you as only a new opportunity to bear witness to the truth and the life by your own manifest and glorious possession of them.—Christian Union.
Life Force.
LIFE force may go into words or it may go into deeds. The power of steam may expend itself through the cylinder or through the whistle. Steady living under the sweet pressure of genuine love for God, is vastly more eloquent than the most rhetorically sweet sounding declarations by the human voice. There may be a religion without words; there can be none without deeds.—Sel.
Alcohol’s Harmful Effects
ALCOHOL is a substance entirely alien to the body, and incapable of being transformed into anything useful to it; it hinders the digestion, wastes the digestive fluids, tends to dissolve and damage the blood-cells, and thus vitiates and retards all the life-processes—its action on the stomach and blood producing structural degeneration throughout the system.—Sel.
The Tobacco Habit.
By R. F. Cottrell
THE following testimony will bear the strictest scientific investigation:—
"Tobacco, in whatever form it is used, tells upon the constitution. It is a slow poison. It affects the brain and benumbs the sensibilities, so that the mind cannot discern spiritual things, especially those truths which have a tendency to correct this filthy indulgence. Those who use tobacco in any form are not clear before God. In such a filthy practice it is impossible for them to glorify God in their bodies and spirits, which are his. And while they are using slow and sure poisons, which are ruining their health, and debasing the faculties of the mind, God cannot approve them. He may be merciful to them while they indulge in this pernicious habit in ignorance of the injury it is doing them; but when the matter is set before them in its true light, then they are guilty before God if they continue to indulge this gross appetite." "Tobacco is a poison of the most deceitful and malignant kind, having an exciting, then a paralyzing influence upon the nerves of the body." "Multitudes have fallen victims to its poisonous influence. They have surely murdered themselves by this slow poison."
It is false for any one to say, as many have said, "It does not hurt me." A poison so virulent is hurtful to every one who takes it. There are no exceptions in natural laws. Tobacco using has not one redeeming quality. It is useless, expensive, injurious, and filthy. It makes the near presence of the user repulsive to those who are free from the habit. A Christian ought to be free from its disgusting taint. And is it not evident that it is a sin against self and society? If so, is it not a sin against God?
R. F. COTTRELL.
SECULAR.
—It is said that a force of 12,000 rebels is about to march on Mandalay, Burmah.
—On the 13th inst. $350,000 worth of cotton was destroyed by fire at Oldham, England.
—The time fixed by law for holding the Utah Legislature has expired, and Governor Murray refuses to have any further official communication with that refractory body; but the members seem determined to prolong the session. It is understood that they are now engaged in preparing a memorial to Congress, censuring Governor Murray for the deadlock on the appropriation bill and condemning his use of the veto power.
—A general state of anarchy prevails in Anam, and bands of robbers are scouring the country.
—There is great dissatisfaction in the British House of Commons over the extravagance of the royal family.
—The Brunswick cotton mill at Mosley, England, has been burned, throwing three hundred operatives out of employment.
—Two men were killed and twelve others injured, some of them fatally, by a fire-damp explosion in a mine near Dunbar, Pa., March 8.
—The Mormons expect to complete their great temple at Salt Lake City in about two years. It is estimated that it will cost $3,000,000.
—Professor Huxley says it would take nearly 1,000,000 barrels of herring to supply the cod on the Norwegian Coast with one breakfast.
—A telegram of the 9th inst. states that the attitude of Greece is still belligerent, and fears are entertained that she will yet precipitate war.
—On the 9th inst. the navvies working on the Turkish railways near Trajja were attacked by a desperate mob. Several engineers and thirty workmen were killed.
—The dock of the Monarch Steamship Line at Jersey City, N. J., burned March 8. Two steamers were badly damaged, and the Erie Company’s milk depot was destroyed.
—Prince Bismarck’s bill giving the German Government a monopoly of the traffic in spirituous liquors has been rejected by the committee of the Reichstag to which it was referred.
—A large and enthusiastic meeting of Mormon women was held in Salt Lake City, March 6, in which many speeches were made declaring their inalienable right to vote and to practice polygamy.
—A fire has completely destroyed the great Convent of the Ursulines at Laeken, Belgium. The inmates of the convent—30 nuns and 105 young girls, boarders at the convent school—were all saved.
—A verdict of $3,000 was rendered last week in Westchester County, N. Y., in favor of a widow whose husband committed suicide while under the influence of liquor purchased in the saloon of the defendant.
—On the night of March 12, a daring robbery was committed on a Rock Island train between Joliet and Morris, Ill. The express messenger, who stubbornly defended the property committed to his care, was killed, and over $20,000 in money was secured.
—M. Pasteur claims that his system of treatment has proved successful in 325 cases of persons bitten by mad dogs. He is ambitious to found an international establishment for the treatment of hydrophobia patients, and $10,000 of the $400,000 needed for this purpose has been subscribed.
—The largest breech-loading gun ever made on this continent has just been completed at Washington. It is an 8-inch gun nearly 80 feet long; it carries a ball weighing 250 pounds and a charge of powder of fully half that weight. Still larger guns are in process of construction.
—On Tuesday, March 9, some person threw poison into the coffee used at the almshouse at Lebanon, Pa. The almshouse has 80 inmates; and the doctor in attendance thinks that more than half of them would have been killed, had not the poison been so strong as to cause vomiting. As it is, several are in a critical condition.
—An extensive strike, involving many thousand men, railroad employees, coal miners, and men of other occupations, was commenced in several of the Eastern States last week. In some instances the employers have acceded to the demands of the laborers, and work has been resumed; in others the contest is still maintained.
—The Times of Osage Mission, Kan., gives an account of a horrible murder that has recently been committed in that vicinity. A young boy is believed to be the murderer, and the victims are his father, mother, brother, and sister. No cause is assigned for the terrible deed, and the most charitable conclusion is that the boy has been corrupted by dime-novel literature.
—It costs Russia $5,000,000 a year to maintain the royal household; $20,000,000 go to the navy and $105,000,000 to the army, and the annual interest on the national debt is $100,000,000 more. And for the last ten years the national debt has been constantly increasing at the rate of about $20,000,000 annually, until this year, when the deficit has been reduced to $13,000,000.
News and Notes.
By Editor
RELIGIOUS.
—A temple is to be erected for the use of Spiritualists at Neshaminy Falls, Pa.
—The Bavarian Parliament proposes to give all the employes on its railways half of the Sunday.
—The increase in the membership of the Methodist Episcopal Church South last year is said to be 50,000.
—A Sioux Indian, a graduate of the school at Hampton, Va., is studying in the theological seminary at Alexandria.
—Prague, in Bohemia, where Jerome was born, and the martyr Huss preached, has elected a Protestant mayor for the first time in 200 years.
—The Methodist Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society is taking measures to establish a Home in Seoul, the capital of Corea. The ground has already been purchased.
—The Pope has appointed Mgr. Gossens to be Chief of Clergy in Congo State. A Catholic seminary is being founded at Douvain, where students will be especially trained for service in Congo.
—Hundreds of persons attended a “faith cure” convention recently held in a Methodist church in Brooklyn, and a number of persons claimed that they were cured of diseases of years’ standing.
—Two influential schools in Tokio, Japan, that have formerly been opposed to Christianity, have each employed a missionary as one of the teachers; and regular instruction in the Bible will be given.
—The news comes from Rome that the pope has decided to appoint another American cardinal besides Archbishop Gibbons of Baltimore. The favored recipient of the honor is Archbishop Taschereau of Quebec.
—Bishop William Taylor, who is in charge of an extensive missionary enterprise in Central Africa, calls for 15 or 20 volunteers, men and women, who will be self-supporting. He wants a number of artisans, and asks for donations of mechanic’s tools, farming implements, etc.
—Four missionaries have already been assigned to the newly opened field of Upper Burmah, and two or three of them are on the ground. The missionaries do not mean to lose all their labor through the influence of the rumseller either; for the Missionary Conference at Rangoon has taken steps to prevent the introduction of liquor and opium into this province.
—Dr. Howard Crosby, in an article published in the Christian at Work not a great while ago, took the singular position that the Sunday-sabbath is twofold in its nature, having both a religious and a political character; and that while as a religious institution it is a matter of conscience, as a civil institution it is a legitimate subject of legislation. The Christian at Work quotes Justice Field of the United States Supreme Court in support of this position, as follows: “Laws setting aside Sunday as a day of rest are upheld, not from any right of the Government to legislate for the promotion of religious observances, but from its right to protect all persons from the physical and moral debasement which comes from uninterrupted labor. Such laws have always been deemed beneficent and merciful, . . . and their validity has been sustained by the highest courts of the States.” This theory is a good illustration of the ingenuity that is required to sustain a weak cause. But Dr. Crosby makes one statement that every one who has watched the Sabbath controversy can readily indorse, when he says that this “question needs to be stripped of many of its foggy points.”