p. 727 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 46. (12/2/1889)

CIVIL LAW TO FILL THE CHURCHES.

By R. F. Cottrell

It is not a new thing that the State is appealed to to keep "church members, and even deacons," in their places in the churches on Sunday. More than thirty years ago a writer in the Baptist Register spoke in this way:—

"How do the citizens of our State understand the law of the Sabbath? Our revised statutes sanction the Sabbath as a day of rest from servile toil. They impose penalties on those who violate the holy day; and still the canals of the State are kept open. Many hundreds of men and teams are constantly employed. The collectors must all be detained from public worship. Lock tenders must be at their stations. The store-houses must be open, and all the long train of systematic business is leagued against the holy day of sacred rest. . . . Is it not time for reform in this matter? We have reason to fear the judgments of God so long as we mock at his Sabbath, and trifle with his own civil laws. . . . To me it appears almost in vain that statute laws and pulpit addresses cry reformation while this sinful practice is tolerated by the canal commissioners and all their subordinate officers. How painful to see church members, and even deacons, vacating the sanctuary and the Sabbath-schools to take toll, to give clearance, etc., on the holy Sabbath!"

The writer looks to civil law for a remedy of the monstrous evil of which he complains, and which he seems to deprecate with so much piety. "How painful," he says, "to see church members, and even deacons, vacating the sanctuary and the Sabbath-schools to take toll, to give clearance, etc., on the holy Sabbath!"

Now I ask, Is there no law in the churches of sufficient power and authority to keep church members, and even deacons, in their places on what they are pleased to call the holy Sabbath? Must statute laws and "canal commissioners" be called on to keep church members and deacons at church or Sabbath-school on Sunday?

Men are free in this State to choose their own occupation. No one is compelled to take toll or give clearance who does not choose to do so. But the truth is, Sunday has but little or no dominion over men's consciences, in this land of Bibles, because there is no law of God for its observance. If there was, ministers would not be obliged to appeal to the State authorities to keep their members and deacons at their posts on that day. But as did the "mother church," so do the daughters; when arguments addressed to the understanding fail to induce respect for their unscriptural doctrines, the aid of civil law is invoked to open the eyes of men's understanding, and compel respect. R. F. COTTRELL. Ridgeway, N. Y.

WHO OWNS THE UNITED STATES?

By St. Louis Christian Advocate

In spite of the rapid increase in the number of millionaires in the United States in recent years, the popular notion is, that wealth is yet very much more evenly distributed in this country than in England. Mr. Thos. G. Shearman, the well-known New York statistician, has been engaged for some time in collecting facts to show as precisely as possible the proportion of the wealth of the country held by a few rich men and families; and he finds a greater concentration of wealth here than in any other country. The results of his investigation will appear in the Forum for November, from advance sheets of which the following facts are taken. Mr. Shearman makes the following enumeration of owners of more than $20,000,000 each:—

$150,000,000: J. J. Astor, Trinity Church. $100,000,000: C. Vanderbilt, W. K. Vanderbilt, Jay Gould, Leland Stanford, J. D. Rockefeller. $70,000,000: Estate of A. Packer. $60,000,000: John I. Blair, Estate of Charles Crocker. $50,000,000: Wm. Astor, W. W. Astor, Russell Sage, E. A. Stevens, Estate of Moses Taylor, Estate of Brown & Ives. $40,000,000: P. D. Armour, F. A. Ames, Wm. Rockefeller, H. M. Flagler, Power & Weightman, Estate of P. Goelet. $35,000,000: C. P. Huntington, D. O. Mills, Estates of T. A. Scott, J. W. Garrett. $30,000,000: G. B. Roberts, Charles Pratt, Ross Winans, E. B. Coxe, Claus Spreckels, A. Belmont, R. J. Livingston, Fred Weyerhauser, Mrs. Mark Hopkins, Mrs. Hetty Green, Estates of S. V. Harkness, R. W. Coleman, I. M. Singer. $25,000,000: A. J. Drexel, J. S. Morgan, J. P. Morgan, Marshall Field, David Dows, J. G. Fair, E. T. Gerry, Estates of Governor Fairbanks, A. T. Stewart, A. Schermerhorn. $22,500,000: O. H. Payne, Estates of F. A. Drexel, I. V. Williamson, W. F. Weld. $20,000,000: F. W. Vanderbilt, Theo. Havemeyer, H. O. Havemeyer, W. G. Warden, W. P. Thompson, Mrs. Schenley, J. B. Haggin, H. A. Hutchins, Estates of W. Sloan, E. S. Higgins, C. Tower, Wm. Thaw, Dr. Hostetter, Wm. Sharon, Peter Donohue.

These 70 names represent an aggregate wealth of $2,700,000,000, an average of more than $37,500,000 each. Although Mr. Shearman, in making this estimate, did not look for less than 20-millionaires, he discovered incidentally 50 others worth more than $10,000,000 each; and he says that a list of 10 persons can be made whose wealth averages $100,000,000 each, and another list of 100 persons whose wealth averages $25,000,000. No such lists can be made up in any other country. "The richest dukes of England," he says, "fall below the average wealth of a dozen American citizens; while the greatest bankers, merchants, and railway magnates of England cannot compare in wealth with many Americans."

The average annual income of the richest 100 Englishmen is about $450,000, but the average annual income of the richest 100 Americans cannot be less than $1,200,000, and probably exceeds $1,500,000. The richest of the Rothschilds, and the world-renowned banker, Baron Overstone, each left about $17,000,000. Earl Dudley, the owner of the richest iron mines, left $20,000,000. The duke of Buccleuch (and the duke of Buccleuch carries half of Scotland in his pocket) left about $30,000,000. The marquis of Bute was worth, in 1872, about $28,000,000 in land; and he may now be worth $40,000,000 in all. The duke of Norfolk may be worth $40,000,000, and the duke of Westminster perhaps $50,000,000.

Mr. Shearman's conclusion is that 25,000 persons own one-half the wealth of the United States, and that the whole wealth of the country is practically owned by 250,000 persons, or 1 in 60 of the adult male population; and he predicts, from the rapid recent concentration of wealth, that under present conditions 50,000 persons will practically own all the wealth of the country in thirty years—or less than 1 in 500 of the adult male population. —St. Louis Christian Advocate.

OVERCOMING OUR OWN SINS.

It is not hard to resist the devil in other folks. Many who fail to curb their own passions and prejudices, find it easy (at a safe distance) to fight the pope, or the whisky ring, or some evil combination, or some outward error. The scribes and Pharisees could drag a guilty woman before the Lord, but they failed to conquer their own hate and jealousy and lust. A mob, though made up of individuals who never think of fighting their own criminal faults, may wreak terrible vengeance on the crime of another. The right way to cure evil is to get every man to try to overcome his own sins. The place to begin to resist the devil is in your own heart and life.—Spiritual Gems.

THE SPIRIT AS A GUIDE.

By Ellet Joseph Waggoner

WHEN Christ told his disciples that he was about to go away, and that they could not follow him, their hearts were filled with sorrow and anxiety. They dreaded to face an unfriendly world alone. He had been their guide and instructor, and they had learned much from his teachings. They knew of no one who could fill his place. Peter had echoed the sentiments of all the disciples when, in answer to Christ's inquiry if they also would go away, he said: "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." They knew that no one else could do for them what Jesus had done; and the thought of being separated from him was a sad one.

To comfort them, Christ gave them the assurance that he would come again, and receive them unto himself, and that by this means they could again be with him. But even this promise was not sufficient, for there would still intervene a long period during which they would be left alone. How could they get along without the presence and counsel of their Lord?

Again Jesus meets the difficulty by promising that whatsoever they should ask in his name should be done for them; and he added, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth." John 14:16, 17. This Spirit was to be sent in his name, and was to take his place until his return. Said Christ, "I will not leave you comfortless [orphans]; I will come to you." This coming does not refer to his personal, visible coming, when he will receive his people to himself, but to the Spirit that should come in his name. The Spirit was to be their guide, to prepare them for his coming at the last day.

The offices of the Spirit are many; but there is a special one pointed out in this discourse of our Lord. Said he: "These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:25, 26. It is as a teacher that the Spirit is here brought to view.

Many persons entertain very erroneous views as to the manner in which the Spirit operates. They imagine that it will teach them something which the Bible does not contain. The Mormons claim that the canon of inspiration is not yet full, but that new and additional truths have been revealed to them. Others, who would not for a moment admit this position, make a claim that is in reality the same. When certain Bible truths are presented to them for their observance, they excuse themselves from all responsibility in the matter by saying that they are led by the Spirit of God, and do not feel it their duty to do that particular thing. They say the Spirit was given to guide into all truth; and, consequently, if it was necessary to obey that portion of the Scripture, it would have been brought to their notice. The fact that they do not feel impressed to obey, is proof to their minds that there is no necessity for obedience. To such persons the Bible is of no account; they make its truth depend entirely upon their own feelings. And they actually charge God with the inconsistency of authorizing his Spirit to speak in contradiction of his revealed word. The fact that God cannot lie should convince anyone that his Spirit and his word must always be in harmony.

Christ prayed for his disciples, "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth." The psalmist David said, "Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth." From these passages we learn that when Christ said, "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth," he meant that the Spirit would lead them into a proper understanding of that which had already been revealed. He plainly stated this when he said, "He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." Many things that Christ said were not understood at the time; but they were made plain by the Spirit, after Christ had ascended to heaven. And it is thus that the Spirit teaches us now; it leads those who are humble and teachable into a proper understanding of the written word of God.

Paul gives testimony on this point which is not uncertain. In Eph. 6:13-17 he describes the Christian's armor. The following is the concluding portion: "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Christ said that when the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, should come, he would "reprove [convince] the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." Paul says that "by the law is the knowledge of sin." Both these passages are harmonized by the one quoted from Paul to the Ephesians. The Spirit does indeed convince of sin, but it is by impressing on the minds and hearts of men the claims of God's word. The Bible is the sword, the instrument by which the Spirit pierces the heart and lays bare its wickedness. The Spirit is the active agent, but the word of God is that through which it works. The two always act in unison.

We should look with suspicion upon any spirit that counsels opposition to the word of God. John tells us that there are many spirits, and that we are to try them. In Isaiah we are told by what we are to try them: "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them." Isa. 8:20. It is the spirit of darkness that leads men to act contrary to the word of God.

WHAT IS SUCCESS?

By M. C. W.

"WHAT a foolish man!" exclaimed a lady on the train the other day, as a fool-hardy fellow attempted to ride one horse and lead another in the face of a puffing locomotive. It was foolish, for it was unnecessary. It only increased the nervousness of the horses. After several attempts he succeeded, and the same lady who had condemned his folly, remarked, "Well, he is a courageous fellow." Such, thought we, is the way of the world. If the fellow had been defeated, he would have been foolish still. But success, in the eyes of the world, vindicated his act. The petty thief is caught, punished, and execrated. The railway king, the coal baron, the wheat broker, the gigantic swindler, carry to success their nefarious schemes, ruin hundreds financially, and rob the poor of their bread. But they are feted, flattered, and honored. If they had made a failure, they would have been considered fools or knaves, but success crowns them as heroes.

Such is the apparent, the human. The worldling sees only what is near. But God measures by a different rule. The apparent earthly issue is not always the real. In fact, it is seldom so. The earth-mission of Christ was a success when the Rome-sealed stone was rolled to his tomb. The life of John, his forerunner, was a success when he entered the prison of Herod, and his head fell at the ax-man's block. And so was the life of Paul, when beheaded at Rome; of Peter, when crucified; and of James, and Philip, and Thomas, and Jude, who met death in various forms. They were victors. Their heroism was not the heroism stimulated by victory, but heroism developed by duty, by the love of the pure, the good, the true. Success in the eyes of the world is frequently the greatest failure; for that success has been purchased at the expense of honor, loyalty, truth, purity, and freedom. The man is successful in the eyes of the world, but in verity he is an absolute slave.

The only true way to view the issues of life is not from their apparent triumph or defeat, success or failure, but what is their effect upon eternal issues. Many a worldly success means eternal failure. If the light of eternity could be allowed to shine upon the enterprises of this world, what a change it would make! We may not always know the far-reaching effect of our work here; but this we may know: Any work, enterprise, or scheme which, to engage in, compromises honor, integrity, truth, or purity, which leads us to think more of self and what the world may say than of the approval of God and a good conscience, is an eternal failure, and only failure, whatever it may seem to be here.

M. C. W.

THE DESTINY OF THE WICKED.

By C. P. B.

THE nature and destiny of man is a subject of paramount importance, as it should be also of all-absorbing interest to every accountable member of the race. Numerous efforts have been made in every age of the world to solve the problem, and yet, unaided by divine revelation, men are as much in the dark to-day upon this important question as they were when men first forgot God, and would none of his counsel. Revelation alone answers the question, but in its pages the answer is so clear that the natural perversity of the human heart alone furnishes a clew to the reason why it has not been generally accepted.

When man was created and placed in the garden of Eden, and forbidden to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the threatened penalty of disobedience was death; and the nature of that death is clearly indicated by the sentence pronounced upon Adam: "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Clearly, man was to return to his original elements.

But even before the fall a doubt of this was instilled into the minds of our first parents. The tempter said to the woman, "Thou shalt not surely die," and believing Satan rather than God, she took of the forbidden fruit; and, though graciously granted a second probation, in time did die. But even in the face of certain death there was a divinely authorized hope for man, namely, the hope of the resurrection. How early this was made plain to our first parents we are not told, but it is clear from Job 19:23-27 that it was the hope of that patriarch who lived more than fifteen hundred years before Christ. Abraham, too, nearly two thousand years before Christ, must have been acquainted with the doctrine, for he died in full faith of the promise that with his seed he should inherit the earth, which would be possible only by a resurrection from the dead.

But men forgot God and lost sight of his power, though they did not relinquish the hope of a future life. The apostle says: "When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image

made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things." Rom. 1: 21-23. In exalting the creature, they exalted themselves in their own minds, and arrogated to themselves some of the attributes of Deity, namely, wisdom and immortality. Death had his hold upon the race, and on every hand men were falling before him; but those who survived refused alike to believe the word of God and the testimony of their own senses, and said, It is not death; this which we see is only change; man has within him that which cannot die; we are immortal. And so men continue to say unto this day.

But the Scriptures do not so teach, as anyone may speedily learn who will with an unprejudiced mind examine the question, not in the light of heathen philosophy, but in the light of revelation and sanctified reason. "The soul that sinneth it shall die," is the testimony of the word of God, and what is death but the extinction of life? Death is the cessation of all action and all perception. On this point Rev. E. Petavel, D.D., free lecturer at the university of Geneva, has aptly said:—

"Fire, according to Scripture, is the agent by which the enemies of God are to be finally consumed. The waters of the deluge are also typical of destruction, and as such frequently alluded to in the Bible. Water and fire alike are elements in which human life cannot exist; but while water buries and conceals its victims, fire causes them to disappear still more effectually. Isa. 43: 2; Matt. 3: 11.

"Fire symbolizes total destruction. Fire changes the diamond, hardest of all substances, into a subtle vapor, dissolves granite and converts it into lava. Referring to these dread phenomena of nature, impenitent sinners might well exclaim: ‘Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burning?’ Isa. 33: 14. The answer is, None! No sort of life is compatible with fire; and, according to the Bible, destruction by fire is the doom of the ungodly: ‘For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.’” Mal. 4: 1.

And again the same writer says:—

"In twelve passages of the New Testament the last abode of impenitent sinners is termed gehenna, a word which, we know, signifies the ‘Valley of Hinnom,’ in allusion to a gorge, situated at the base of the southwestern wall of Jerusalem, part of which was called Tophet, or Vale of the Oven, where certain kings of Judah had once caused their children to be burnt alive in honor of Moloch. When King Josiah ascended the throne, he ‘defiled’ this valley by making it the receptacle of all the refuse of the city, and the spot where the dead bodies of criminals and beasts of burden were flung. Fires were kept constantly burning to consume these corpses; whence arose the term gehennan tou puros, translated in the usual version ‘hell fire.’

"Such were the images suggested by the word gehenna, which Jesus used in order to make his hearers understand the terrible and final death of impenitent souls. ‘Fear,’ he said, ‘him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell,’ literally, ‘in gehenna.’” Matt. 10: 28.

This opinion accords exactly with the Scriptures, which teach that utter destruction is the fate of hardened sinners. They are like sheep which, fleeing from their shepherd, fall a prey to the wolf, or to tormenting hunger and thirst, and die a miserable death. Authors of their own ruin, they shall "utterly perish," says the apostle Peter, "as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed." 2 Pet. 2: 12. "They shall be as though they had not been" (Obad. 16; compare Job 10: 19); "as the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away" (Job 7: 9); "as a dream when one awaketh" (Ps. 73: 20); "like a potter’s vessel dashed in pieces" (Ps. 2: 9; Rev. 2: 27; Rom. 9: 22; Matt. 21: 44); as "ashes under the soles of your feet" (Mal. 4: 3); as "smoke that consumes away" (Ps. 37: 20); "the workers of iniquity shall be destroyed forever." Ps. 92: 7; compare 2 Thess. 1: 9.

Surely in the face of such testimony, not from men but from the Scriptures, there should be no doubt in the mind of the devout believer in the word of God, as to the final doom of the enemies of the Lord. C. P. B.

BIBLE ELECTION. NO. 3.

By M. C. W.

THAT God made the earth for the home of man, that he designed that a definite number should inhabit that home, that this definite number should be of a certain character, a character in harmony with the law of God, was proved in our last article. We wish to present in this article some additional characteristics and features of this election:—

4. Man must not only possess a character in harmony with the law of God, "holy and without blame before him in love" (Eph. 1:4), but he will also possess an individuality, or individual characteristics peculiar to himself, manifesting his identity and experience. God will not only have the earth peopled with a certain definite number of people, but he must have certain order and arrangement among them that are there. He is a God to whom order is his first law, and he "is not the author of confusion." In his realm are "thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers;" angels of lesser might, angels of greater.

In his church are various offices, filled with equally holy men of varied talents. He likens his people who will all be gathered home at last to the house of God (Heb. 3:6), to the household of God (Eph. 2:19), to a temple building (Eph. 2:20, 21; 1 Pet. 2:5), to the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27). This is the divine conception of the completed work of saving men. That work of gathering out the household of God is going on; Jesus is now quarrying stones and building that great temple of human characters, which will not be completed till Christ leaves his priestly throne, and grace is no more offered to mankind.

Every member in a well-regulated family has his appointed place and particular duties. In every building every stick of timber has its place and use. And just as in Solomon’s temple every stone was fitted for its place before it was brought to the building, so that when they were ready to erect the costly and beautiful structure, it went together without the sound of ax or hammer from foundation to the cap stone, rejected by the builders at first; so God’s people are fitted for that living temple of God, that church triumphant, that household of God, which will be without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, harmonious in every division and subdivision, from its Mighty Head to the least conspicuous in that shining army of immortals.

Here will be a unity of character as regards righteousness and holiness; here will be diversity of character as regards individuality, and position, and office. The highest beauty and the greatest wisdom is manifested in this diversity of unity, in this multifold display of the reflections of the excellencies of the "One altogether lovely." The most perfect organization is complete in this way. Every heart in an army may throb with life-giving loyalty to its king and cause, from commander-in-chief to private, yet how different their position, capacity, and individuality. It is even so in the plan of God’s everlasting kingdom on this earth.

5. In the purpose of God there are names indicative of the individual characters and positions which will people this kingdom. As every part of a building has its appropriate name, as every member of the body has its distinctive appellation, so every character in the perfect plan of God is designated by some name. This must be so. God’s plan is perfect. As he selected a certain number of certain character of various individualities, these individual characters must have names indicative of each character. This is the purpose for which names are given by God, as shown in the Bible. They are not mere fancies, as is manifest in the world, nor are they hereditary titles merely in the Lord’s plan. A few instances will show this:

When Jacob overcame his overreaching disposition, God called him by a new name, Israel, "prince of God," a prevailer, the generic name of the true prevailers by faith, those entitled victors in the conquest, worthy of crowns. The names of our Lord all have their meaning. Messiah and Christ mean anointed; Jesus means saviour; Michael, his angel, or messenger name, means, who is like God, or one like God. Gabriel means, God is my strength. Our Lord gave to Simon the son of Jonah the name of Peter, which signified stone. The false governor of the Lord’s house, Pashur, whose name meant, "prosperity everywhere," was changed to Magor-missabib, which means, "fear round about," the name denoting change of condition.

This will explain the names written in the book of life from the foundation of the world. Rev. 17:8. They are the names appropriate to the individual characters which in the plan of God were designed to people a perfect world.

6. As these characters would be overcomers, so would they have crowns, the crown of life, "the crown of glory that fadeth not away." 1 Peter 5:4, Revised Version.

7. We might state also another characteristic of this election. As God made the earth to be inhabited by a certain number, everyone saved would have his portion of the inheritance. Of course this would naturally follow from what has gone before.

This series of articles will be concluded in our next number. M. C. W.

NORTH AFRICA AS A MISSION FIELD.

By S. N. H.

THE African continent is almost an island, being connected with Asia by the Isthmus of Suez, and contains an area of 9,858,000 square miles, or 8,500,000 square miles exclusive of the islands. Its distance from Cape Bon on the north to the Cape of Good Hope on the south, is about 5,000 miles. About two-thirds of the continent lies north of the equator. The widest portion of Africa is from 5° to 20° north latitude. England possesses the controlling influence, holding sway over 1,000,000 square miles; Germany, over 740,000; France, over 700,000; whilst other civilized powers have possession of different smaller amounts, raising the whole to a total of 6,500,000 square miles.

From the civilized American standpoint, Africa is considered to be among the darkest portions of the globe. Its population is vaguely and variously estimated from 200,000,000 to 400,000,000 inhabitants. Mr. Hearne arranges seven distinct races in main groups according to their languages:—

Semitic, inhabiting the north coast and Abyssinia.
Hamitic, in Sahara, Egypt, Galla, and Somali.
Fulan-Nuba, in Western and Central Africa and Eastern Soudan.
Negro, in Western and Central Soudan, Upper Nile, Upper Guinea.
Bantir, south of 60° north latitude, except in Hottentot land.
Hottentot, extreme southwest from cape to tropic of Capricorn.
Malayo Polynesian, Madagascar.

Besides these, there are tribes almost without number which have sprung from these races and those that have been imported as slaves by the Boers from the East Indies, Jaya, Sumatra, Celebes, and other places. Some of these races were of royal blood in their native land, but other of the tribes are in such a low state of degradation that it almost seems to be a hopeless task to try to influence them with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some

of them, however, possess an intellect which, if cultivated, will equal that of the European.

In the southern parts of Africa the term Kaffir is applied to all the natives in a general sense. But they should never be classed with the negroes, who are woolly-haired, and some of them almost black. Frequently they are employed as herdsmen and shepherds, while many of them live around the large cities. The word Kaffir is Arabic, and was first applied by the Europeans to the inhabitants of the coast of Mozambique, because they were so called by the Mohammedans, in whose eyes they were Kaffirs, that is, infidels.

By consulting the map of Africa the reader will notice that in the northern portion are situated the Barbary States, embracing Algeria, Morocco, Tunis, and Tripoli, whilst in the northeastern corner lies Egypt. Morocco lies on the northwest corner, on the North Atlantic Ocean, and is separated from Spain by the Straits of Gibraltar. It has an area of 219,000 square miles, and a population that is estimated at 500,000 inhabitants. Two-thirds of these are Moors, a name given to the Arabs in Morocco; the others are chiefly Bedouins, Jews, and negroes. The sultan of Morocco is chief of the State and head of the church. They differ somewhat in their habits and customs from the Mohammedans in Turkey, Persia, and other countries. Joining Tripoli on the east is Algeria. The land occupied by this territory is almost identical with that of the ancient kingdom of Numidia. It is an important colonial possession of France, having an area of 318,344 square miles, and a population of about 3,400,000. Two-thirds of these are the French Mussulmen subjects, while the remainder are Spaniards, Jews, Italians, Anglo-Maltese, Germans, and over 22,000 other foreigners. There are also many Portuguese on the northern border of Morocco and Algeria. In 1881 the population of the city of Algiers alone was over 70,000; that of Oran nearly 59,000.

East of Algeria lies Tunis, with an area of 42,000 square miles, and a population of 1,500,000, the majority of which are Bedouins, Arabs, and Kalybes. There are also 45,000 Jews. Since 1881 Tunis has been under the protectorate of France.

Tripoli lies to the south and west of Tunis, and is under the regency of the Turkish Empire. It is governed by a pasha, subject to the Ottoman Empire. Its territory is 344,000 square miles, and its population 750,000. Most of these are Arabs. All of these countries just mentioned lie on the Mediterranean Sea.

Next comes Egypt proper, with a population of nearly 7,000,000, of whom about 91,000 are foreigners. The native Egyptians are of Arab descent; they compose the bulk of the population. Many of the foreigners are Europeans, not a few being English. Alexandria is a large city, but many of its inhabitants are European or English. Besides Egypt, and those countries which are subject to it, there are the territories of Nubia, Hordofan, Barfor, Soudan, and equatorial provinces, with an estimated area of 1,026,268 square miles, and a population of 11,000,000. The administration of Egypt is carried on by native ministers, subject to the rule of the khedive, and under the supervision of England.

The Moors, who inhabit large portions of Morocco, are spread all along the Mediterranean. They are a mixture of the Bedouins, Arabs, Africans, and ancient Spaniards, and are a handsome, intelligent race of people. The women gratify their intense pride by adorning their persons with the most costly apparel, silk, gold, and jewels, while the men indulge to excess their love for beautiful horses and arms.

The Protestant missions in North Africa are those conducted by the Kalybe Mission in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunis; the London Society for the promotion of Christianity among the Jews in Morocco, Tunis, and Abyssinia; the United Presbyterian, and the English Church Missionary Society in Egypt; the Saint Corisonia Society in Abyssinia; the British Bible Society in Algeria, Tunis, Morocco, Egypt, and Abyssinia. Then there is the American Mission Field Association, which has centers in Alexandria, Mousara, Cairo, Assiout, and Luxor, with over 2,000 communicants and 5,000 attendants. The Berlin Society is also doing work in Egypt.

In Tunis and Algeria alone the British Bible Society reports sales of Bibles, Testaments, and portions of the Scripture, to the amount of 3,712 volumes; in Morocco, 788; in Egypt, Bibles and Testaments to the amount of 9,651, with a value of $2,552; other religious publications amounting to 8,993 volumes. It is claimed that there are many thousands of communicants, and that there are thousands of others being instructed in the hundreds of mission schools.

Miss Whatley's medical mission has been in existence at Cairo for twenty-five years, and she reports a large and intelligent attendance. The influence of these missions is felt to a greater or less extent all through these countries. There are tribes and localities, however, where the people, to all appearances, never can be benefited, yet, besides those in the missions and their converts, there are many Europeans among them who have had the light of the gospel. Can it be supposed that God has not a people in these countries? Are not there numbers of these natives that will enter the kingdom of God? And has not God a purpose in dotting all over this dark continent families that are walking in the full splendor of the gospel light? The facts already stated show that in North Africa there is an area of over 2,000,000 square miles, with a population of nearly ten times that number. There are many noble men and women here who have taken their lives in their hands, and established many stations and schools where the inhabitants can be civilized and Christianized. Surely the Lord intends to gather from these a people who will shine in the brightness of his glory when earth is restored to her Edenic beauty. S. N. H.

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