Earlier text: The Harvest Is the End of the WorldEncouraging Counsel
By Ellen G. White
ELMSHAVEN, SANITARIUM,
July 6, 1902. To Our Teachers at Berrien Springs.
MY DEAR BRETHREN AND SISTERS: I have an earnest desire that you shall every day be learning of the great Teacher. If you will draw near to God, and then to your students, you can do a very precious work. If you are diligent and humble, God will daily give you knowledge and an aptitude to teach. Do your very best to impart to others the blessings he has given you. With a deep, earnest interest to help your students, carry them over the ground of knowledge. Come close to them. Unless teachers have the love and gentleness of Christ abounding in their hearts, they will manifest too much of the spirit of a harsh, domineering master. The Lord wishes you to learn how to use the gospel net. In order for you to be successful in your work, the meshes of your net must be close. The application of the Scriptures must be such that the meaning shall be easily discerned. Then make the most of drawing in the net. Come right to the point. However great a man's knowledge, it is of no avail unless he is able to communicate it to others. Let the pathos of your voice, its deep feeling, make an impression on hearts. Urge your students to surrender themselves to God. “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference; and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” Teachers, remember that the Lord is your strength. Strive to give the students ideas that will be to them a savor of life unto life. Teach by illustrations. Make your illustrations self-evident. Ask God to give you words that all can understand. A little girl once asked me, “Are you going to speak this afternoon?” “No, not this afternoon,” I replied. “I am very sorry,” she said. “I thought you were going to speak, and I asked several of my companions to come. Will you please ask the minister to speak easy words, that we can understand. Please tell him that we do not understand big words, like ‘justification’ and ‘sanctification.’ We do not know what they mean.” The little girl's complaint contains a lesson worthy of consideration by teachers and ministers. Are there not many who would do well to heed the request, “Speak easy words, that we may know what you mean”? Make your explanations clear. I know that there are many who do not understand much of what is said to them. Let the light flowing from the great Teacher flood your mind. Let his Spirit mold and fashion your speech, cleansing it from all dross. Speak as to little children, remembering that there are many well advanced in years who are but little children in understanding. By earnest prayer and diligent effort we are to obtain a fitness for speaking. This fitness includes the ability to articulate every syllable distinctly, placing the force and emphasis where they belong. Speak slowly. Many speak rapidly, hurrying one word after another so fast that the effect of what they say is lost. Into what you say put the spirit and life of Christ. On a certain occasion, when Betterton, the celebrated actor, was dining with Dr. Sheldon, archbishop of Canterbury the archbishop said to him, “Pray, Mr. Betterton, tell me why it is that you actors can affect your audiences so powerfully by speaking of things imaginary.” “My lord,” replied Betterton, “with due submission to your grace, the reason is very plain: it lies in the power of enthusiasm. We actors on the stage speak of things imaginary as if they were real, and you in the pulpit speak of things real as if they were imaginary.” “Feed my sheep;” “feed my lambs,” was the commission given to Peter. “And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” To those who hear, the gospel is to be made the power of God unto salvation. Present the truth in its simplicity. Follow Christ's example, and you will have the precious reward of seeing your students won to him. We need now not merely resolutions but decided action. Our youth are in the highest sense to be learners, seeing God behind the teacher, and the teacher co-operating with him. Wherever students are trained, a work is to be done that will establish them in the principles of our faith. The religious phase of their work is of the greatest importance; for, like Daniel and his fellows, they are to bear witness for God. By diligent, persevering effort, they are to acquire knowledge. By self-denial, by obedience to the principles of strict temperance, they are to prepare themselves to endure trial. The students should have abundant opportunity to gain an education in physical labor; for thus they will be better prepared to acquire the knowledge they need for their work. In the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah the Lord tells us plainly what the work is that he requires of us. In order that our young people may be fully prepared to do this work, small sanitariums are to be connected with our schools. The students are to be taught how to use nature's simple remedies in the treatment of disease. And as they learn to care for the sick, they are to be taught to act under the direction of the Lord Jesus Christ. Students, prepare yourselves to co-operate with your teachers. As you co-operate with them, you give them hope and courage. You are helping them, and at the same time you are helping yourselves to advance. Remember that it rests largely with you whether your teachers stand on vantage ground, their work an acknowledged success. Our time for work is short. We have no time to spend in self-pleasing. You will gain true satisfaction and happiness only when you have a determined purpose to succeed. Make your student-life as perfect as possible. You will pass over the way but once. Precious are the opportunities granted you. You are not only to learn, but to practice the lessons of Christ. It rests with you yourself whether your work is a success or a failure. As you succeed in gaining a knowledge of the Bible, you are storing up treasures to impart. It is your privilege to make the advancement spoken of in the first chapter of second Peter. Working on the plan of addition, you will add daily to your store of the knowledge of God and of Christ; and God will work for you on the plan of multiplication. Be assured that as you advance, you will gain increased capabilities. If you see a fellow student who is backward, try to help him. Explain to him the lesson that he does not understand. This will be an aid to your own understanding. Use simple words. State your ideas in clear, comprehensive language. Thus you are helping your teachers. Often minds apparently stolid will catch ideas more quickly from a fellow student than from a teacher. This is the co-operation that Christ commends as a good work. The great Teacher stands beside you, helping you to help the one who is backward. The Lord Jesus meets every one, old or young, just where he is. While obtaining your education, you may have opportunity8 . The grace of God will bless every minute spent in this way. My brethren and sisters at Berrien Springs, you are doing a good work. The Lord is leading you. Just as long as you follow Christ, you will be guided aright. Maintain your simplicity and your love for souls, and the Lord will lead you in safe paths. The rich experience you will gain will be of more value to you than gold or silver or precious stones. ELLEN G. WHITE. Two Kinds of Prayer
By Selected
THE Pharisee informed the Lord
How good a life he led;
The publican shrank back in shame,
And smote his breast instead:
But when the Lord, in tender love,
The penitent commended,
The hypocrite, with heart unchanged,
Straightway his prayer amended. Said he, “The man who says he’s worst,
Is by the Lord thought best;”
So next when he to worship went,
As publican he dressed,
And smote upon his hollow heart,
And bowed him down and groaned,
And, proud of his humility,
His unfelt sins he owned. The publican — an altered man —
Came too, with lifted head,
And joyfully gave thanks to God
For the new life he led:
The Lord again his offering took,
Still spurned the Pharisee’s;
For sometimes tears and sometimes
thanks,
But only truth, can please. Prophecies Fulfilled in Jesus Christ at His First Advent
By D. T. Bourdeau
As the prophecies fulfilled in Jesus Christ at the time of his first advent are indispensable to prove that he is the Saviour whom God in his infinite love sent into the world; as they lie at the very foundation of the plan of salvation, and aid us in determining the sense of other prophecies, they bear with them palpable proof that they should be carefully and prayerfully studied, and can certainly be understood. The following are samples of these important prophecies:— 1. Christ was to descend from Abraham. Gen. 12:7: “And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land.” Fulfilled, Gal. 3:16: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” 2. He was to belong to the tribe of Judah. Gen. 49:10: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” Fulfilled, Heb. 6:14, first part: “For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah.” 3. He was to be born of a virgin. Isa. 7:14, last part, marginal reading: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and thou, O virgin, shalt call his name Immanuel.” Fulfilled, Matt. 1:18, last part: “Before they [Mary and Joseph] came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” 4. There was to be a weeping of mothers at that time, because of the loss of their children. Jer. 31:15: “Thus saith the Lord: A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.” Fulfilled, Matt. 2:17, 18: “Then [at the time of the slaying of the infants by Herod] was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.” 5. Messiah was to be called out of Egypt. Hosea 11:1: “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” Here is a retrospective as well as typical prophecy, Israel’s call out of Egypt being made typical of the call of Jesus out of the same country. Fulfilled, Matt. 2:15: “And was there [in Egypt] until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.” 6. He was to have a forerunner. Isa. 40:3: “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Fulfilled, Matt. 3:1-3: “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” 7. He was to be poor. Ps. 69:29: “But I am poor and sorrowful.” Let the story of Christ’s birth in the manger, that of his humble occupation as a laboring man, and his own declaration, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (Luke 9:58), show this prophecy to be true. 8. He was to be plain. Isa. 53:2, last part: “He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” The following are among the scriptures proving that this prophecy has had its fulfillment: “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.” John 19:23. “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation [“or, with outward show,” margin].” Luke 17:20, last part. 9. He was to be despised. Isa. 53:3: “He is despised and rejected of men; . . . and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” Fulfilled, Matt. 13:55-57: “Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended at him.” Other texts could be advanced showing that this prophecy was fulfilled in our blessed Lord. 10. He was to be “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” Isa. 53:3. Fulfilled, Luke 19:41; Matt. 26:38: “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it.” “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” 11. He was to have the Spirit of the Lord. Isa. 61:1, first part: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach,” etc. Fulfilled, Matt. 3:16; John 3:34: “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he [John] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him.” “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.” 12. He was “to preach good tidings unto the meek; . . . to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Isa. 61:1, 2. Fulfilled, Luke 4:17-21: “And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. . . . And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” 13. His testimony was not to be generally believed. Isa. 53:1: “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” Fulfilled, John 12:37, 38: “But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: that the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 14. He was to be zealous for the Lord’s house. Ps. 69:9: “For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” Fulfilled, John 2:13-17: “And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence, make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” 15. His own brethren were to regard him as a stranger and an alien; in other words, they were not to be congenial with him and give him their support in his work. Ps. 69:8: “I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children.” Fulfilled, John 7:3-5: “His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth anything in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, show thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him.” 16. He was to bear the griefs and sorrows of others, or relieve them of their sufferings and pains. Isa. 53:4: “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.” The French translation by Segond reads: “Howbeit, he hath borne our sufferings, and loaded himself with our pains.” Fulfilled, Matt. 8:16, 17: “When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: that it might be fulfilled which was9 spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” 17. His familiar friend was to turn against him. Ps. 41:9: “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.” Fulfilled, John 13:18: “I speak not of you all [he was referring to Judas]: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.” 18. He was to be prized at thirty pieces of silver. Zech. 11:11, 12: “And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price [Judas negotiating with the priests and selling his Lord]; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prized at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.” Fulfilled, Matt. 27:9, 10: “Then [when Judas had sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, repented, returned the money, cast it into the temple, and the priests had bought with the money a potter’s field] was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy [rather Zechariah, there being an error of the copyist] the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; and gave them for the potter’s field as the Lord appointed me.” Real and Unreal
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
THE one great lesson for people in this world to learn, is the reality of things. The world is so taken up with the unreal, with fiction and mere play-acting, that they have almost lost the power to grasp the real. Even what is called “realism,” is only a poor picture of things which, just because they are dramatized, people do not really believe actually exist. The material things which they handle are virtually unreal, because the end for which they use them is unsubstantial. Everything which has for its object this world only, is unreal; for “the world passeth away, and the lust thereof.” This spirit of the world has also seized professed Christians, so much so that the promises and the work of God are to the most of them unreal. They read the Bible too much as though its characters were the mystical inhabitants of the moon, instead of real flesh and blood. To many, the thrilling narratives of Scripture, even of the life and miracles of Christ, and especially of the experiences of ancient Israel, are, unconsciously to themselves, read as though they were pages of a novel. They are to them at best but a “true story,” or “a story founded on fact.” That is to say, we all of us too often fail to live in the events of the Bible history, and to realize that “whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning,” and that the same God still lives to do the same things for his people,—that the experiences of God’s people in past ages may and should be the experiences of his people to-day. We should know not only that the things which are recorded in the Bible are real occurrences, but that they are not unique, exceptional instances, but illustrations of God’s ordinary working. God does not produce “monstrosities.” The Bible records the faith of Enoch and Abraham, the meekness of Moses, the patience of Job, the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Samson, the miraculous things among ancient Israel and in the early church, to show the power that all God’s people ought to possess, for “there is no respect of persons with God.” Half a Century
By H. F. Phelps
“HE which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.” And from the heart I can respond, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” By the time this comes before the readers of our dear paper, fifty years will have passed away since I was baptized in the waters of Buffalo Lake, in Wisconsin, by the late Elder J. H. Waggoner. It is now a trifle more than fifty-two years since I first heard the blessed news of a soon-coming Saviour. And all these years the testimony of the angels to the men of Galilee, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven,” has been sweet to my ears; but never more so than at the present time. I am not yet weary, nor do I ever expect to be, of looking for the return of my blessed Lord and Saviour. And though there has been a seeming delay, I know that there will be delay no longer. Fifty years ago the roving tribes of the red man were ever present, and means of travel were not as now. My uncle, Waterman Phelps, walked seventy-five miles, with a pack on his back, wading streams, and blistering his feet, to give the message of the soon-coming kingdom to his brother’s family, and not without result. At that time believers were few, and did not often see a minister. A little later Elder Waggoner came to strengthen the believers, of whom there were seven; and afterward Elders Loughborough and Cornell came to see us. All who heard and received the message at that time have fallen asleep, except the writer. As I look back over these years, I can say that life is short. These have been eventful years with me. Four times the Lord has saved me from the jaws of death: three times, when, because of sickness, many had lost hope, I said, “I shall not die, but live and praise the Lord;” and once when bathing, I was rescued by a companion, though I had gone down to the bottom for the third time. I can say with David, with a change in one word, “Surely goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life: and [blessed thought!] I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” But the best of all these mercies and blessings is that he has given me a part in his work, and by his blessing some fruit of my labor. And does the reader suppose that I have any regrets that I made choice of the Lord when his message appealed to my soul? Not at all! Never in all these years have I felt that some other course might have been better. But all these years the coming of the Lord has seemed near. And to-day I am sure that “now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” God cares for little things. He is as careful about the painting of a tiny moss blossom as he is about the splendid rhododendrons. He has made delicate little insects, so small that you could hold ten thousand of them in the palm of your hand, as carefully and as perfectly as he has formed the human body. Neither does he forget his creatures after they are made. He who has great choruses of angels, and in whose ears the morning stars sing anthems, does not despise the little bird’s song. He is not more thoughtful about the eagle, that flies in the face of the sun, than he is about the dainty sparrow. Where a sparrow has built her nest and reared her brood and sung her song of thanksgiving was, in David’s thought, one of the altars of God. Think of it—a bird’s nest temple!—a tiny cathedral of green leaves, where a sparrow’s chirping incense goes up to God! Is your nest so true a temple as that? How abundantly God has dealt with you! In what full measure he has given you blessings! What have you given back in return? Is your heart a place of worship? Is your home an altar of God? There is no sweeter thought for a human heart than the thought that God cares about us, and that it is impossible that we are lost in the crowd so that we are forgotten of him. If you feel as David did once, when he said, “My days are consumed like smoke, . . . my heart is smitten, and withered like grass; . . . I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert. I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top,” you may still have the comfort that even the sparrow alone upon the house top is not forgotten of God, but is tenderly cared for by him. Happy will it be for us when we can obey the injunction of the Scripture to cast our care on him, and let it rest there.—Christian Intelligencer. Forward Movements Traced to Secret Places
EVERY forward movement, if we get at the facts, would be traceable to some secret place. The streams that turn the machinery of the world rise in solitary places. The Spirit of Christ Possessing Speech and Powers
By Ellen G. White
The Spirit of Christ is to take possession of the organs of speech, of the mental powers, of the physical and moral powers.—Mrs. E. G. White. SAID a mother to me one day: “When my children were young, I thought the very best thing I could do for them was to give them myself. So I spared no pains to talk with them, to read to them, to teach them, to pray with them, to be a loving companion and friend to my children. I had to neglect my house often. I had no time to indulge myself in many things I should have liked to do. I was so busy adorning their minds and cultivating their hearts’ best affections that I could not adorn their bodies in fine clothes, though I kept them neat and comfortable at all times. I have my reward now. My sons are ministers of the gospel; my grown-up daughter is a Christian woman. I have plenty of time now to sit down and rest, plenty of time to keep my house in order, plenty of time to indulge myself, besides going about my Master’s business wherever he has need of me. I have a thousand beautiful memories of their childhood to comfort me. Now that they have gone out into the world, I have the sweet consciousness of having done all I could to make them ready for whatever work God calls them to do.” — Life and Faith. Home Education
By Mrs. M. A. Loper
WHEN the great Creator instituted the earthly home, he meant that it should be the abode of happiness, where love should be the ruling principle, and where the household should be “all taught of God.” But Satan has well-nigh crushed out the great principle of love, and undermined the very foundations of domestic happiness; so that only here and there is to be found a home in which the divine purpose is fulfilled. “God is love;” and the earthly home should be governed by the same great principle which rules the universe. “Home should be made a little heaven to go to heaven in.” Parents who secure from their children obedience which is actuated by love; who possess that wisdom from above which enables them so to direct their children’s education that they do not willfully disobey, are surely following the injunction, “Provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Eph. 6:4. There is just one thing to be aimed at in all proper education, and that is salvation,—the salvation of the individual, and the fitting of that individual to be of the greatest service possible in the salvation of others. Compulsory obedience is not the ideal to be reached. He who professes Christianity, thinking thereby to escape punishment, should not censure his child who renders outward obedience through the same selfish motive. A child may be compelled to go to bed promptly at eight o’clock. But how many parents have retired to rest, fondly believing that their boys or girls were safe from contaminating influences, when in reality they had secretly stolen away, and were even then among their cherished companions of the street. Home education is an immensely practical thing; and as a child grows older, the fact becomes more and more apparent that love, and not compulsion or fear of punishment, must be the keynote of obedience. It is not so much that a child is compelled to do a certain thing, as it is that his hearty co-operation is secured in the doing of it,—that he learns to “do right because it is right.” The child who has been allowed to run the streets may be broken of his evil habit, but not by mere compulsion. His co-operation must be secured in the reform. He must be furnished with better employment. Compelling a child to remain at home, and at the same time providing nothing with which to employ his time, is like adopting a starvation diet after abandoning everything that is regarded objectionable. The consistent reformer substitutes something better than a meat diet, something that is both palatable and nourishing. So with the child; he must be allowed to substitute employment that is both agreeable and profitable; and it is the parents’ duty to teach him to love labor. “If children were taught to regard the humble round of everyday duties as the course marked out for them by the Lord, as a school in which they were to be trained to render faithful and efficient service, how much more pleasant and honorable would their work appear. To perform every duty as unto the Lord throws a charm around the humblest employment, and links the workers on earth with the holy beings who do God’s will in heaven.” — “Patriarchs and Prophets,” page 574. What a wonderful example of proper home education we have in the life of Samuel! How carefully his pious mother trained him for the service of God, and how richly were her faithful labors rewarded! “Young as he was when brought to minister in the tabernacle, Samuel had even then duties to perform in the service of God, according to his capacity. These were at first very humble, and not always pleasant; but they were performed to the best of his ability, and with a willing heart. His religion was carried into every duty of life. He regarded himself as God’s servant, and his work as God’s work. His efforts were accepted, because they were prompted by love to God and a sincere desire to do his will. . . . The youth of our time may become as precious in the sight of God as was Samuel.” — Ibid., pages 573, 574. Many a mother, becoming weary of the task of looking after her children, feels a sense of relief when she starts them to the kindergarten or the public school. In fact, she prefers two sessions a day; for she “knows where the children are,” and—she will not be bothered with their noise. Some mothers even send their children to the neighbors, that they may enjoy their absence, seemingly forgetting the principle of the golden rule, or the fact that in time the neighbors may tire of the extra burden. Children know more than we sometimes give them credit for. A child of five years was heard to remark at a neighbor’s house. “My mama don’t want me at home.” The child who knows that he is not wanted at home has learned a very sad lesson. His parents may see the time when they will long to have him at home, when he has drifted11 far beyond their reach. If a child is not welcome at home, there are plenty of places where he is welcome; and should he fall a victim to Satan’s snares, who will be responsible for his downfall? If a mother tires of the companionship of her child, it is indeed difficult for that child to love home. “Home is where mother is;” and if mother tires of his presence, what is there left for him to love? That mother who realizes what school life means, what the street means for her children, is glad when the hour arrives for them to be at home. She does not want prolonged school hours in order to “know where the children are.” Her children know that they are missed when they are absent, and that they are welcome when they return home. Home should be the center of attraction for every member of the household. It should afford the greatest enjoyment, the most profitable pastimes, the most useful employment, for every child. Its morning and evening devotions should be such as will still link the soul to heaven, even when the family circle has been broken. Its influence should lead the mind into ever-widening fields of usefulness, inspire courage to surmount every obstacle in the way to the highest success, and ever impress the great truth, “Without me ye can do nothing.” The loftiest ideal of which man can conceive, is reached in rendering the greatest possible service to humanity. Home education should recognize God in nature, in every stage of development from the tiny acorn to the stately oak, from the dormant seed to the bursting blossom. It should recognize that every bird song is a carol of praise to the Creator; that every tiny insect is a miracle of his power; that “the heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork;” that the body is his temple, and that whosoever defileth “the temple of God, him shall God destroy.” O what a world of truth may be imparted to a child during the few precious years which constitute the period of his home education! The Two Leaders
By Priscilla Leonard
WHEN Luck and Pluck, one summer day,
Went faring forth together,
Pluck wore a suit of homespun gray,
Luck had a cap and feather,—
A handsome, dashing fellow he,
And full of careless pleasure.
“Come, follow me; I hold the key,”
He cried, “of boundless treasure!” He looked so gay, and bold, and strong
That listening ears were plenty;
His train of followers grew long,—
A dozen — fifteen — twenty —
A hundred — still they come; while Pluck
Tramped on, with few behind him.
“Poor, plodding fools!” cried laughing Luck,
“A stupid guide you’ll find him!” Luck led his careless troop ahead
With boasting and with revel,
The sun shone radiant overhead,
The road was smooth and level;
But as the day wore on, behold!
Athwart the way a river
Without a bridge flowed deep and cold,
A sight to make one shiver. “Well, well,” cried Luck, “we’ll sit and wait;
It may run dry to-morrow,
Or we’ll see coming, soon or late,
Some boat that we can borrow!”
So down they sat—and there they stayed
To wait and hope at leisure,
While Luck assured them, undismayed,
They still would reach the treasure. But Pluck, with those who tramped behind
His sturdy figure, waited
No moment on the bank, to find
Whether the stream abated;
They plunged, they swam, they fought their way,
The shore in safety gaining;
And theirs the treasure is to-day,
While Luck looks on, complaining! To take a tablet for headache! A tablet is swallowed, and, presto! the headache is gone! Can anything be simpler? What difference does it make what they are made of, so they do the work? Anything to get rid of the headache. People with the headache are not always reasoning creatures. That is, they do not always look into the future. They have a headache—which must be stopped at all hazards. The simplest way to stop it is to paralyze the nerves. The headache is usually a danger signal, giving warning that the stomach has been abused. If the offending mass is washed out by means of a stomach tube, or if a large quantity of water is swallowed, and the throat tickled with the finger, the decomposing stuff will usually be brought up, and when seen, any one would be glad that the corruption is out, where it can do no more harm. But this is troublesome—not nearly so handy as a tablet. If the poor headache-tablet devotee, the indulger in Bromo compounds, or in anti-pains, knew that he (or more often she) is only putting off the evil day, and that sooner or later he must pay the debt with interest,—if he could only realize that the only way to get rid of disease is to treat the cause, he might be induced to discard the poisonous and dangerous headache tablets.—Pacific Health Journal. The Value of Natural Treatment
THE following extract from the life of Catherine Booth speaks for itself of the value of the rational application of the remedies that God has provided in nature:— “I was told that one of our most devoted cadets was raging mad. He had flown at Ballington, of whom he is most fond, and it took eight men to master him. They had a clever doctor, and he stated that it was a case of hopeless insanity, and ordered him to be taken to an asylum, as their lives were in danger. I came in just as they were negotiating this, and said that he should not go. I felt sure that it was a case of inflammation of the membrane of the brain. I sent the commissioner of lunacy off when he came, and dismissed the doctor, taking charge myself. They had him tied with ropes, hand and foot, and four men to watch him. I instructed them to take the ropes off one hand at a time, substituting strips of wet linen, leaving the ends for them to hold, let them undress him, got a sheet ready, and we had him in a pack and asleep in three quarters of an hour. He had not slept for three nights and days. I have had him packed morning and night, and a hot mustard blanket applied up to the loins at noon, ever since, and he will be well in eight or nine days. We have given him nothing but milk and fruit. I sent for Dr. Metcalf yesterday, to confirm our people in the course I had taken; and he says that I am quite right, that it is inflammation and congestion, and that I could not have done better, only that I should not have taken all the anxiety of it upon myself, but have sent for him, which I should have done except that I feared he would not let us persevere. Dr. Metcalf says that hundreds of people who are in our asylums might have been saved in the first instance by these measures, and I am sure of it. I have told you all this to confirm your faith in hydrotherapy.” Sweep, sweep, sweep,
With trailing skirt, O maid,
Through the filthy flood and slush and mud,
Till thy dress is tattered and frayed! What matters though men may smile,
And street cleaners stop their work?
When fashion’s decree says a thing must be.
No woman will dare to shirk. So sweep, sweep, sweep,
Gather microbe, and mud, and dirt,
For style and wealth beat comfort and health,
And that is the song of the skirt. THEY are the people who love to diffuse happiness. They are happy themselves because they have made others so. They are thoughtful, considerate, and courteous — ever seeking to provide joy and peace for others, ever striving to avoid and remove anything and everything that wounds unnecessarily. It is an unspeakable delight to be near such people. “Why are you always thinking of others?” asked a friend of a winsome lady beloved by everybody. “I wouldn’t wear my life out bearing other people’s burdens.” “Wouldn’t you?” came the questioning answer, with a sweet but reproving smile. “I could not wear it out doing better work than helping the weary and heavy laden.” “To do God’s will — that’s all
That need concern us; not to carry
or ask
The meaning of it, but to ply our
task
Whatever may befall.” It is a great mistake to think any kindly act too insignificant to be noticed by our Father in heaven. Faber says, “Every solitary kind action that is done, the world over, is working briskly in its own sphere to restore the balance between right and wrong. Kindness has converted more sinners than either zeal, eloquence, or learning; and these three never converted any one unless they were kind also. The continual sense which a kind heart has of its need of kindness keeps it humble. Perhaps an act of kindness never dies, but extends the invisible undulations of its influence over the breadth of centuries.” — Christian Work.