Earlier text: SOME OF THE DOCTRINES"I DON'T HAVE TO."
By Eleanor Scott
"I DON'T have to!" The words were so quick and defiant, they came fairly bounding up the stairs, and dashed into Aunt Meg's half-open door. It was the first time during her week's visit that those words had rudely intruded themselves into the stillness of her room. And yet Jack had not the least intention that Aunt Meg should know he talked that way. He thought she was the jolliest aunt, and knew the most nice things, and in another minute he was knocking at her door. "Aunt Meg, may I come in?" How different his voice sounded! "Yes, walk right in. Have you been home from school long?" "Only writing letters, and that can wait. What is it?" "Some of us are going skating on the dam. Won't you come along? I can almost cut a circle. And lots of folks are out, and it will be glorious fun." "Yes, indeed, I want to go." In a few minutes they started off, laughing and talking; and the lamps were lighted, and supper on the table, before they came back. After supper, while mother was putting Baby Meg to bed, and father was out getting the evening mail, Aunt Meg looked up from her reading and said:— "Jack, what don't you have to do?" "'Have to do?' I don't know what you mean." "Just before we went skating, there seemed to be something you did not have to do." "Oh!" said Jack, his face reddening as he realized his aunt had heard his hasty words. "Kate said I must wipe up the snow I brought in on my shoes before I went out." He looked down at his St. Nicholas again, although Aunt Meg knew he was not reading, but wondering what she was going to say next. And her next words surprised him so he looked up at her, quite forgetting his embarrassment. "Those words, 'I don't have to,' have helped me more than I can tell you, for a good many years, Jack." "Why Aunt Meg! They're always coming out when I am cross and in a hurry. And mother says they're ugly. I didn't suppose you'd ever say them, and don't see how they could help you." "Once in school I had a nice piece of candy, and two or three times I took a taste while the teacher was not looking, and once while she was looking and I thought she was not." Jack was all attention now. It was such a new idea to think of Aunt Meg doing as boys and girls do now. "But instead of making me throw away my candy, my teacher merely looked straight at me, and said, 'It is a great temptation, I know, but you don't have to yield.' All the boys and girls looked around at me, and I felt very uncomfortable, but the words kept ringing in my ears, 'You don't have to yield.' And, Jack dear, so many times when I have wanted to do some pleasant but wrong thing—and so many of our temptations are pleasant things—I have said to myself, 'Yes, it might be a pleasure to yield, but I don't have to.' And God has made me strong enough, and will make you strong enough, so that you 'won't have to yield,' either." The room was very still; the creaking of mother's rocking-chair could be heard overhead. Jack's elbow was resting on the table; the St. Nicholas lay forgotten as he looked seriously at his aunt, and she went on. "I wonder, Jack, if you ever noticed Christ's first temptation in the wilderness? He was hungry, and he could have turned the stones into bread, but he said he did not need to yield to his appetite, he did 'not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.' God's word tells God's will. And it is so with us. Many a thing would gratify us, but our life is a nobler, grander thing than pleasing ourselves—it is doing God's will. It is doing what is right, even if that is only wiping up snow when Kate says so, or not eating'— Just here the latch key turned in the lock, and father walked in. And Jack still continues to say, "I don't have to—yield."—S. S. Times. "RAINING again!" I exclaimed, as I raised my head from the pillow and listened to the steady drip, drip. "What shall I do? The children will be shut in the house all day, and that awful ironing on hand, too. But it won't help the matter to grumble; one has to bear these things, I suppose." Of course I was discouraged before beginning my day's work, and when the children appeared there was no cheerful word to set them right, and, as one of them said, with tears in her eyes, "Oh, dear! I'm so sorry it's a stormy day, for we were going to have so much fun under the big tree," I took up the strain. "You can't be more sorry than I am. I suppose you'll all try what mischief you can get into to-day, for I've that basketful of clothes to iron, and I never knew it to fail but you'd exert yourselves if I'd anything special to do." "I'll take care of Mame and Fred," said Elinor, who forgot her own disappointment in pity, which I felt was altogether undeserved, for my annoyance. "I shall be very glad of your help," I answered, smothering my ill temper as I went to work. The breakfast things were soon washed, and everything in readiness to commence ironing; but the first sheet was barely folded and hung upon the rack when little Mame fell with her doll. A broken arm for dolly and almost a broken heart for Mame was the result. I looked despairingly at the huge pile of unironed clothes, then cried:— "Go along with that doll, for pity's sake! If you could keep one whole for five minutes it would be a blessing. Take it to Elinor; she can fix it as well as I can." Elinor tried most faithfully, but failed. Mame cried and cried, until, in sheer desperation I stopped and tied up the broken arm. By that time the irons were cool and the fire almost burned out. The fresh coal was slow to heat, and by lunch time only half a dozen plain pieces were finished. I hurried through luncheon and placed the dishes on the kitchen table, determined to get the benefit of the irons while they were hot. But no sooner was I well at work than Mame's jumping rope pulled a pitcher from the table. The crash brought me to the spot, but not in time to save Elinor, who, in her anxiety to catch the pitcher, lost her balance and fell upon one of the broken bits, cutting her hand and frightening us both. Fred in the meantime had upset the syrup jug while trying to reach some twine from the pantry shelf, and this proved the last feather weight I could bear. Elinor's hand was wrapped up, Fred reduced to a more presentable condition, and then we all indulged in a "good cry." Fred, Elinor, Mame, and myself all wept in sincere sympathy with each other, and pity for ourselves. At this juncture I heard a light rap; the door opened, and Mrs. Herril, my neighbor, appeared. "I didn't wait for any ceremony," she said, "for it's raining as if it never rained before; but I wanted you to have some of these biscuits—raised ones, you know. Why, what are you all crying about?" I hesitated to enumerate my woes, and she continued, taking in the situation at a glance: "I know exactly what you've been doing,—you got up tired; it's a dreary day, and you've tried to do an unusual amount of work. The children have been awfully troublesome—" I smiled through my tears as she paused, for the picture was true to life. "Now, my dear," she went on, "put that basket away. I don't believe in giving advice, but I've learned two or three things by actual experience. The wisest thing any mother can do, when she awakens tired and out of sorts, and hears the patter of the rain outside, is to consider how little she can possibly manage to do on that particular day. There's always mending on hand, or some such work, that may be accomplished while you are cozily ensconced in the pleasantest corner of the sitting room. Let the children bring their playthings into this same cheerful nook, and you will be able to watch them and take a good many stitches beside. They will appreciate having a day with mamma, and, instead of dreading the inclement weather that compels them to stop indoors, they'll soon look forward to a rainy morning as the harbinger of a red-letter day. If several stormy mornings follow each other, adhere to the same plan for the day, and take a couple of evenings for the ironing after the little ones are asleep, and both you and the children will be the better for it." I had scarcely time to thank her when she was gone, but the sunshine she brought with her still remained. Fortunately, the next day was fine and the ironing completed without difficulty. But ever since that memorable afternoon I have worked according to the plan suggested by my kind-hearted neighbor, in whom I had the fullest faith, as she has the most cheerful, happy family I have ever known. Her prophecy has been fulfilled, and Mame will shout gleefully:— "It's raining, Fred! did you know it? We'll get our playthings right away and be all ready to visit when mamma gets the mending basket."—Babyhood. WHAT ONE BOY DID.
By Union Gospel News
A CHRISTIAN worker tells an interesting story of a boy who had come out for Christ in a series of evangelistic meetings. He was associated with a class of boys in the shop who were very profane and very vulgar, and whose influences were downward entirely. When he made the start for Christ, he realized in quite a measure what was before him, for he said, with his hands clenched:— "I want you to pray for me, for the whole shop will be down on me before to-morrow night. I can't chew and serve Jesus Christ. I can't swear and serve him. Neither can I hear the vulgar stories going on and not say anything." He went to the shop at the usual time. One boy who had heard of his going to meeting, immediately, when he came in sight, said: "There comes Jake. I believe he is going to get converted up there at that meeting. He looks terribly sober, boys. Look out, or he will begin to preach to us. Good-morn458ing, Jake. Have a chew this morning? What, no chew?" "No, boys, I have decided to leave off those things, and I have taken up with Jesus Christ, and I am going to try to serve him, and I want you boys to serve him, too." This was met by a prolonged series of jeers and taunts. Before the day was over, it seemed as if it were more than flesh could bear. He was derided. He heard more swearing going on than ever. Even the foreman made light of him and called him a little baby. Almost discouraged, he was on his way home when one of the boys stepped up to him and said:— "Jake, I would give anything if I was where you are. I am terribly ashamed of myself to-day. I don't see how you can stand it. You used to fight. Tell me about this. What is it you have got?" And Jake did tell him, and he decided, too, to follow that Saviour. And, although trials continued and persecution was very hot at times, yet that one boy stood before that crowd of men and boys a staunch soldier of Jesus Christ. The result was that inside of two months there was no more swearing to be heard in that whole shop, nor was there vulgar talk that had heretofore been customary. To the surprise of a great many of his friends, the foreman accepted Christ, through an invitation to the meetings by that boy whom he had previously called a baby. First one and then another in that shop were drawn into the fold, until a large number, through this one boy's influence, are following Christ. Is your influence and mine as strong as this in our everyday life for the Master?—Union Gospel News. THE MOHAMMEDANISM OF NORTHERN INDIA.
By Rev. R. M'Cheyne Paterson
BY REV. R. M'CHEYNE PATERSON, OF GUJERAT. THE contest between Islam and Hinduism presents one of the most wonderful and at the same time most instructive spectacles of modern history. On the one hand we have a religion (Mohammedan) which inspired a fiery zeal that nothing could for centuries withstand; it overturned the most ancient empires, and was based on principles which the most civilized as well as the most barbarous nations of its age were enabled to accept. On the other hand, there is a faith (that of the Hindus), stationary and fixed, frozen to its past, unable to advance beyond the limits imposed upon it by caste and custom, and incapable of being aroused out of its blind, unprogressive conservatism. Everything seems to favor the religion of Islam, and yet history tells us that for six centuries it was repulsed again and again by its stolid opponent, like waves on a rock-bound coast. At length, in the latter half of the sixteenth century, one man learned the lesson which history had for ages sought to teach. Akbar the Great laid aside the pure faith of Islam, and by this means seated himself on the throne of India. But this victory was dearly bought. A Mohammedan is king, but it is at the sacrifice of his religion. Akbar's successors close their eyes to the teachings of their times, and once again seek to clothe their dynasty with the robe of their ancient faith, but in so doing they sound the knell of Mohammedan rule in India. The beginning of the eighteenth century sees the Mogul Empire rent in pieces by religious revolts, which its own intolerance had aroused. Such was the political effect of the great conflict between these powers. What of the religious effect? In other words, have the two faiths retained their special characteristics, or have they mingled with the other? Has Islam suffered by its contact with Hinduism, or has it remained undefiled? This question can be answered only by mixing with the people and by learning, not their so-called creed (which they assume at odd times for the sake of argument), but their everyday beliefs—the faith of their lives. The outstanding feature of the practical religion of Indian Mussulmans is their worship of saints and holy men. Go where you will, there is always some "fakir's" tomb to which the common people at all times resort. The passer-by takes his shoes from off his feet on approaching the sacred spot, and bows his head as he offers up a prayer to the holy man that he may intercede with the Judge of all the earth on his behalf. The devout who live in its neighborhood are not content with simple offerings, such as flowers, rice, and gaudy rags; they even make clay images—generally of horses—with which they cover the grave. These tombs are carefully built and protected by a wall or hedge, that nothing may profane the sacred spot. The reputed devoutness and zeal of any community may always be gauged by the number and magnificence of their saints' tombs. These have always a headstone with a number of square holes, in which every Thursday evening lamps are placed and lighted at dusk. Thus they hope to illuminate for a time the darkness in which the holy man rests below, and so they will secure his eternal gratitude. Let a man but build a tomb over some saint's grave, and that pious act secures paradise for him. But holy men are thought by many to grow in their graves; so these require to be lengthened periodically. I measured one in the Sialkot District which had reached nine yards in length. But then this saint had been a particularly holy man. This superstition colors their whole lives and plays a part in their every act. Is a man going to bring an action against an ancient family enemy? He should entreat the assistance of some holy man and propitiate him with various offerings. Are they about to dig a well? A fakir must be called in to scare away the evil spirits and counteract any bad effects which the evil eye of an enemy might occasion. This custom is so universal that the workmen were shocked at my beginning a well which had to be dug for the new house belonging to the Ladies' Association in Gujarat, without calling in a fakir. They predicted all sorts of misfortunes, but my servants calmed their fears by pointing out that I was a fakir myself, and so did not require the services of any other holy man. Yet all these men were devout Mussulmans. There was not a Hindu among them. Even if fakirs were holy and pious, the evils of worshiping at their graves would still be deplorable; but it must be remembered that these men have always been, as a class, extremely dissolute. Protected by the superstitious fears of the people, they practice every form of sin in a most shameless, open manner. They are the opium eaters of this country, and they are looked upon as raised above and freed from even the most binding commands of their holy book. Drunkenness—aye, vice of every kind—puts on the yellow dress of the fakir and goes into the wilderness, and straightway it is hailed by all as a prophet of God. This fusion of Hindu idolatry with the faith of Islam in the form of fakir worship dates, without doubt, from the sixteenth century, and is due to the influence of Akbar the Great. He was no zealous Moslem himself, and sought to unite Hindus and Mohammedans under his rule; then his marriage with a Hindu princess gave his already liberal views a broader tinge. Unfortunately, he could not unite these two religions except by suppressing the distinctive features of his own faith. Since the days of Akbar the Mohammedanism of India has been absorbing more and more the worship of saints native to this idolatrous country, until almost every village and hamlet throughout the land can boast its own special saint, at whose grave the people bow their heads in prayer, and to which they go for relief from all the ills of life. The pernicious system of caste has formed for centuries one of the principal features of Hindu idolatry. It has paralyzed its vital power by raising up barriers beyond which this faith could not pass, and so, by forcing it to be stationary, has pronounced upon it its final doom.459 Surely there was nothing in Islam which would permit of its embracing such a system! And yet the Mohammedans of India have eagerly opened their arms to receive this Hindu innovation, and have so assimilated it that it has become an article of their practical religion. As a consequence a second fatal blight rests upon Islam in India, which has withered up its missionary zeal and made it almost as rigid and unprogressive as its neighbor. It is part of the faith of Islam to look upon the words and letters of the Koran as possessing a sacred influence. That which has been prepared and completed in the heavens, and thereafter let down to earth through the medium of their prophet, must be regarded with a veneration amounting to actual worship. Hence the strong objections all Mussulmans have to translations of their holy book. Owing to the sacred character of the words themselves, their simple recital must convey a blessing, even although no one understands the meaning. As a consequence, there is little inducement to learn the language of their sacred book. Again, the loose morality of the Mussulmans of India is notorious. It, too, is due in great measure to the influence of Hinduism, which, like the Greek religion, has defied heroes, with all their weaknesses and passions, and so introduced a sensuous worship. The Mussulman has always some excuse for his sins. Hindus imagine that Brahma has written the record of every man's life on his head. Influenced by this belief, the Mohammedan has so magnified the fatalist verses of the Koran that he has swept away all traces of free will. It is a common thing when a man falls into sin for him to excuse himself by saying: "It is my fate; it was all written down before I was born. What can I do?" It is a belief such as this which paralyzes not only the moral but also the intellectual life of the Mohammedan. The Hindu, with his more elastic creed, takes advantage of education, and is rapidly rising in the scale of civilization. But the Mohammedan dwells in the darkness of his fatalism, where no ray of hope nor aspiration for a higher and nobler life reaches him. And this is true, not of India only, but of all Mohammedan countries. Islam at the present day is a mighty sepulcher, engulfing all advance, and fossilizing every noble aim and lofty ideal.—Mission Record. "A GENIUS FOR HELPING FOLKS."
"There is a man," said his neighbor, speaking of a village carpenter, "who has done more good, I really believe, in this community than any other man who ever lived in it. He cannot talk very well in prayer meeting, and he doesn't often try. He isn't worth two thousand dollars, and it is very little he can put down on subscription papers for any object. But a new family never moves into the village that he does not find them out, to give them a neighborly welcome, and offer any little service he can render. He is usually on the outlook to give strangers a seat in his pew in church. He is always ready to watch with a sick neighbor, and look after his affairs for him; and I've sometimes thought he and his wife kept house plants in winter just for the sake of being able to send little bouquets to invalids. He finds time for a pleasant word for every child he meets, and you'll always see them climbing into his one-horse wagon when he has no other load. He really seems to have a genius for helping folks in all sorts of common ways, and it does me good, every day, just to meet him on the streets."—Christian Observer. O God, for men to lead, not for mere selfish gain,
But swift in generous, knightly deed,
To help a brother in his need,
Or break a bondsman's chain! O God, for men to write more than high-sounding praise,
Brave words that borrow heaven's light,
To pierce the clouds of selfish night,
And lead to brighter days! O God, for men to sing, not simply pleasing rhymes,
But earnest songs, whose notes shall ring
In trumpet call, and swiftly bring
Thy power to mould the times! O God, for men to preach, not empty creed and form,
But Christly words, whose help shall reach
Poor souls in need, and prove for each
Thy anchor in a storm! O God, for faith to own men, words, and powers are thine,
The shuttles which thy hand doth throw
In ceaseless action to and fro,
Until the finished fabric show complete thine own design! The Danger of Moderate Drinking
Dr. Richardson, an authority on such questions, says: "I know of no such person as a moderate drinker. Those who take a nominal amount of alcohol daily are the sirens sitting on the rock of intemperance and luring the weak to their destruction. Whenever a person, however moderate, believes that to him alcohol is a necessity, he is in at least the first stage of alcoholic disease." "CONTENTMENT is a pearl of great price, and whoever procures it at the expense of ten thousand desires makes a wise and happy purchase." "BORROWING is the canker and the death of every man's estate." A BAPTISM IN TAHITI.
By Elliot C. Chapman
THROUGH the months that have elapsed since the Pitcairn first arrived in Tahiti, the Spirit of the Lord has been working upon the hearts of many of the natives of this island. Some have decided for life and dropped off their evil ways as the Spirit of the Lord has led, while others have clung to their rum and tobacco, and journeyed on apart from the Lord. Among the company who meet every Sabbath at Arue, Tahiti, for worship, there are some who have given evidence of conversion, and as the time apparently drew near for the baptism of these precious souls, special meetings were held by Elder Read, and such instruction given as would lead them to fully realize the solemnity of the step to be taken. Sunday, April 8, was at last decided upon as the day for baptism, and a letter was sent to the Director of the Interior asking for permission for the meeting, which was granted in due time. As a real baptism, to which all are free to attend, is something comparatively new to the Tahitians, quite a company of natives strolled along the highway to the mission premises as the appointed hour drew near, and gathered near the baptismal pool. It is doubtful if a more beautiful place could be found anywhere for celebrating this ordinance than the one on our mission premises. The stream is clear and peaceful, the surrounding majestic trees keep out the burning rays of a tropical sun, while the ground gradually rises from the water's edge, making it convenient for all to see. The day was beautiful, though as usual quite warm. As the people gathered around for this important proceeding, a deep sense of the solemnity of the occasion seemed to pervade the company, and the usually noisy native children and gay and worldly ones who came through curiosity, looked on with interest, and received impressions that will "hang on memory's walls" forever. Some of the leading French officials also gazed upon the scene, which to them was novel. "Tarry by the Living Waters" (Pape Ora) was sung for the opening song. The music, which has been translated into the native characters, sounded beautiful as it echoed through the surrounding woods. After singing all united in prayer with Brother460 Paul Dean. "Wait, Meekly Wait" (Tiai ã) was then sung, followed by some appropriate remarks by Brother Dean. After singing again, Brother Read led the candidates forward one by one, where they were buried in the watery grave, to arise to walk in newness of life. Fourteen in all went forward at this time, including four men and ten women. We were all much pleased and thankful for the measure of the Spirit of the Lord which prevailed throughout the proceedings, and so closed the day with grateful hearts to our Lord and Master. The day following, two old gray-headed men, who were both deaf and very infirm with age, were helped along to the baptismal pool and buried with their Saviour. They came from the water rejoicing, though not able to walk alone because of physical infirmities, and went to their homes happy, looking with renewed courage into the future. THE following from Mr. Ransom, of the Zulu missions of the Congregationalists, reveals a little of one of the great evils which the missionary has to meet in Africa:— “Some of these girls have been tied, whipped, and their books have been burned. But their enthusiasm is not quenched, and there came an order to-day for five new primers. Some of them are engaged to old polygamists, and pine to escape the horrid bondage. They sounded me to see if there would be a place for them should they run away to the station. We have five kraal girls in a space which is not too large for one, and do not feel as if we could take any more. Nor does it seem possible for the others to add to present cares. “Umzumbe and Inanda are a long way off, and beset with some danger, even if they screw up their courage to go and we pay for a guide. Two whom we sent under good conduct this term were pursued and taken back to their homes. Some of these runaways, of course, do not do well; but must the hungering few be left to starve and die in hopeless bondage? “Oh, this curse, this curse of polygamy! As I study the hellish system, and see it entrenched by English law and growing stronger year by year, and, perhaps, becoming more and more a source of revenue, my heart burns within me, and I long for the voice of a prophet. The preachers at the out-station come to me, saying, ‘What use is it for us to go and awaken these aspirations for a better life?’ And it is hard when those awakened simply beat against their chains. It seems as if we must provide more homes for these little ones, who, it must be remembered, have only a little measure of light and courage. They sometimes have enough to run here, but their hearts fail them when we suggest a journey of sixty or seventy miles. But even this provision at best is temporary, and does not strike at the root.” TURKISH IGNORANCE AND INTOLERANCE.
By Editor
WE were glad to report last month that the censorship upon the press in Turkey had been relaxed somewhat, but we learn from other sources that the restrictions upon books and other printed matter are, in some parts of the empire, at least, growing more severe. The index expurgatorius is growing rapidly. Libraries have been compelled to cut out leaves and paragraphs from their encyclopedias, histories, and other standard works. Some books are altogether proscribed. Intelligent people the world over will smile at learning that Milton's "Paradise Lost" has now been added to the list. The right of missionaries to tour their districts has recently been called in question, though this right is plainly given them by the capitulations. All this is transpiring because of the mistaken notion entertained by the Turks that missionaries have some political ends in view. It seems difficult for the Turks to believe what is so manifestly true, that these missionaries seek to promote education, good citizenship, and the peace and order of society. Manifestly, their labors promote the prosperity and welfare of communities in which they live, and, for its own interests, the Turkish Government should favor in all ways their peaceful enterprises.—Missionary Herald. MY PRAYER.
By M. E. Durkee
FROM all earth's hurtful, wily snares,
From covetousness, or anxious cares,
From hasty words that wound and sting
Like poisoned arrows from a sling,
Deliver me, O Lord, I pray;
Be thou my refuge day by day. When those I've loved do treat me ill,
And anger doth their bosom fill,
Let me be calm, and trust and wait,
And pity them instead of hate.
Help me to bow to thy decree,
But ne'er to Baal bend the knee. When comes a time, as come it will,
When men of wrath desire to kill
Those whom the law of God obey,
And from men's precepts turn away,
Oh, guide decisions for the right,
That truth may triumph in her might! Let calm, sweet patience keep the soul;
Let hope and dignity control;
Let meekness be the ornament,
The most desired, the heaven sent;
Let faith reach up and grasp the prize
But dimly seen by mortal eyes. The history of many of the interesting island groups of the Pacific are comparatively unknown to ordinary readers except through the writings of missionaries. When international complications arise, as a year ago at Samoa, or, more lately, at Ponape, so little is known of the locality or the people that it is like showing pictures to the blind. This little volume gives something of the history of the Tongas, the Hervey group, and the Marquesas Islands, before they were visited by the missionaries, and indeed were hardly known to the first navigators of those seas. The habits of the people, their government, the vegetable wonders on shore, and the great wonders of the sea about them, are graphically told in a manner that cannot fail to entertain and instruct young readers.—The Christian Cynosure. This is the second in a series of "Jottings from the Pacific." The author has produced a series of picturesque, descriptive articles written from a missionary point of view and tending to excite interest in these Pacific islands and people, to show how promising the field is for evangelical work, what has been done, and what may be done.—The Independent. This book is one volume of the Young People's Library series. It contains 160 pages, is fully illustrated, and will be sent postpaid for 60 cents. Send for circular giving complete list of books published in the Library with press notices and description of each book. Address,
Pacific Press Pub. Co.,
OAKLAND, CAL.,
OR 43 BOND ST., N. Y. ELDER A. O. BURRILL reports five additions to the church at Coldwater, Mich. TENT meetings are now in progress at Tampa, Fla., conducted by Elder J. W. Collie, and a good interest is reported. ONE of our canvassers in Kansas recently came across a Baptist minister who said he would "take pleasure in causing the arrest of Seventh-day Adventists." Of the work in the vicinity of Knoxville, Tenn., Brother C. E. Sturtevant says, "It would be a great help if a good medical missionary could labor in this city." He also reports several persons awaiting opportunity for baptism. ELDER J. F. HANSEN, who labors among the Scandinavians in Chicago, baptized six converts on the 28th ult., making eighteen during thirteen months. Some others have accepted the Sabbath of the Lord who have not yet been baptized. ELDER GEORGE I. BUTLER is now engaged in tent work at Asheville, N. C. Of the place he says it is said to have 10,000 to 12,000 inhabitants, and contains many evidences of wealth. Many of the mountain peaks in that region are over 5,000 feet high. IN Jackson, Tenn., as a result of liberal distribution of our denominational literature, the people are reported as calling upon their various pastors to explain "why, when, and by whom the Sabbath was changed." This they are not disposed to undertake in a public way. AT MacGregor, Manitoba, Elder G. W. Flaiz reports sixteen converts, together with a widespread interest, to the extent that the municipal council has enacted a strict Sunday observance by-law. One of the leading papers accorded Brother Flaiz space in which to set forth the principles of religious liberty. DURING the progress of tent meetings at Rolyat, Texas, conducted by Elder W. S. Cruzan, a Baptist minister was permitted to use the tent to speak against our positions on immortality and the Sabbath; but his efforts only served to increase the interest to hear more of the truths advocated by our brethren. ELDER O. O. FARNSWORTH, writing to the American Sentinel from Belfast, gives the following information: "The spirit and animus of Sunday laws is not confined to the United States. Here in Ireland the same steps are being taken that have been traveled by the agitators in America. The Sabbath (Sunday) Observance Society is making itself felt in different ways. Through its influence twenty-four ministers of different denominations advertised to speak on the Sabbath question April 15. Large audiences were reported from many churches." AT Butler, Pa., where Brother A. F. Anderson has been laboring, there have been organized a Sabbath school of twenty-one members and a missionary society of fourteen members. THE California State camp meeting closed in the midst of a rain shower on the night of the 20th inst. Elder M. C. Wilcox preached the closing sermon, from Eph. 2:8: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." The following Conference officers were elected: President, N. C. McClure; Executive Committee, N. C. McClure, R. S. Owen, H. A. St. John, Wm. Ings, M. C. Wilcox, M. H. Brown, E. E. Andross; Secretary, E. A. Chapman; Treasurer, Pacific Press Publishing Company. Officers of the California Tract Society were chosen as follows: President, N. C. McClure; Vice President, R. S. Owen; Secretary and Treasurer, J. J. Ireland; Corresponding Secretary, Hannah S. Mott. The officers chosen by the California Sabbath School Association were as follows: President, A. J. Osborne; Vice President, George A. Snyder; Secretary and Treasurer, Mrs. M. T. Poston. The camp comprised about 2,000 persons, and at times the attendance from the outside was very large. The preaching was of unusual power. Besides the ministers of the California Conference, there were present from the general field, Elders O. A. Olsen, W. W. Prescott, A. J. Breed, J. H. Morrison, and A. T. Jones. CAMP MEETINGS FOR 1894.
By Editor
- Pennsylvania.............................May 30 to June 11
- Quebec.....................................June 14-25
- New York..................................July 26 to Aug. 6
- Virginia.......................................Aug. 7-14
- West Virginia...............................Aug. 16-27
- Vermont..................................Aug. 23 to Sept. 3
- New England..........................Aug. 30 to Sept. 10
- Maine, Bath...............................Sept. 6-17
Green......................................Aug. 27 to Sept. 7- Florida, Seffner............................Nov. 8-18
Ohio, Newark..................................Aug. 10-20- Indiana, Indianapolis.....................Aug. 7-13
- Illinois.........................................Aug. 22-28
- Michigan..................................Sept. 19 to Oct. 1
- Iowa, Ingleside Park, Des
Moines....................................May 29 to June 5- Minnesota, Minneapolis..................June 5-12
- Wisconsin, Portage........................June 12-18
- South Dakota, Madison................Aug. 21-28
- Nebraska, Seward..........................Aug. 21-28
Texas, Cleburne...............................Aug. 9-20
Arkansas, Chester...........................Aug. 16-27
Oklahoma................................Aug. 23 to Sept. 3
Colorado, Denver.....................Aug. 30 to Sept. 10
Kansas, Emporia...........................Sept. 6-17
Missouri....................................Sept. 19 to Oct. 1 - Upper Columbia, near Walla
Walla......................................May 30 to June 6- Montana......................................June 13-20
Denmark.......................................June 1-10
Norway.......................................June 13-24
Sweden..................................June 28 to July 8
Central Europe, Neuchâtel............July 12-22 Appointments marked by a star will be preceded by a workers' meeting.
GEN. CONF. COM. THE NATIONAL SUNDAY LAW.—A pamphlet of 190 pages; price, 25 cents. It is the argument of Alonzo T. Jones before the United States Senate Committee on Education and Labor, together with the text of the Blair Sunday Bill introduced in the U. S. Senate. Address orders to your State Tract Society secretary or to Pacific Press Publishing Co., Oakland, Cal. CHURCH SERVICES.
By Editor
All of our churches, especially on this coast, who desire their regular weekly services announced in this column, may have it done by reporting through the proper officers. Oakland.—Church at corner of Twelfth and Brush Streets. Regular preaching services or Bible study. Sunday at 7:30 P.M., Friday at 7 P.M., and Sabbath at 11 A.M. Sabbath school at 9:30 A.M. Sabbath. Prayer and missionary meeting Wednesday at 7:30 P.M. All are cordially invited. San Francisco.—Church at 914 Laguna Street. Regular preaching services at 7:30 P.M. Sunday and 11 A.M. Sabbath. Sabbath school at 9:45 A.M. Prayer meeting Wednesday 7:30 P.M. Missionary meeting Thursday 7:30 P.M. Seats free. Los Angeles.—Church at 143 Carr Street. Preaching service Sunday evening 7:30. Missionary meeting Wednesday evening 7:30. Sabbath school on Sabbath at 9:45, and preaching service at 11 A.M. All are welcome. East Portland, Oregon.—Church, No. 507 East Ankeny St. Services every Sabbath 11:30 A.M., Sabbath school 10 A.M. Missionary meeting evening after Sabbath 7 P.M. Prayer meeting every Wednesday evening 7 o'clock. All welcome. Seats free. Chicago, Illinois.—Church on Forty-sixth Street, corner of Champlain Avenue. Regular preaching service at 11 A.M. Sabbath school at 9:30 A.M. every Sabbath. Prayer meeting, Monday evening at 7:30 P.M. The above services are held in the Forestville Congregationalist Church building until our own church will be completed, when proper notice will be given. All are cordially invited. Washington, D. C.—Church on Eighth Street between F and G Streets, N. E. Regular preaching service at 11 A.M. Sabbaths. Sabbath school 9:15 A.M. Sunday, 7:30 P.M., Bible study. Prayer meeting Friday at 7:30 P.M. All are welcome. H. W. HERRELL, Clerk. Sacramento.—Church on G Street between Eighteenth and Nineteenth Streets. Regular services: Sabbath school at 10 A.M., preaching service at 11 A.M., Sunday at 7:30 P.M. Prayer and missionary meeting Wednesday evening at 7:30. Seats free. All are cordially invited. Pasadena.—Church at corner of Summit Ave. and Mountain Street. Sabbath services every Sabbath at 11:30 A.M. Sabbath school 10 A.M. Prayer meeting every Sunday evening 7:30. Missionary meeting Tuesday 7:30 P.M. All are cordially invited. Box 261. O. S. SMYTH, Clerk.