p. 12 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 13, No. 50. (12/29/1887)

NOTES ON THE INTERNATIONAL LESSON.

By Ellen G. White

JESUS WALKING ON THE SEA.

IMMEDIATELY after Jesus had fed the multitude, he sent them away, and "constrained his disciples to go before him unto the other side." This was in opposition to their plan of making him their king. "And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray; and when the evening was come, he was there alone."

MEANWHILE the disciples were in trouble. A storm had arisen, and the lake was lashed into fury. Hour after hour they labored at the oars, being driven hither and thither by the resistless force of the waves. All night they were tossed upon the raging billows, feeling liable at any moment to be engulfed beneath them. It was but a few hours' work, in ordinary weather, to reach the opposite shore, from the place they had left; but their frail bark was driven farther and farther from the port they sought, the plaything of the angry tempest. They had left Jesus with dissatisfied hearts. They had set out, murmuring among themselves because their wishes had not been gratified in the matter of exalting their Lord to be the King of Israel. They had blamed themselves for being so easily turned from their purpose, and yielding so readily to the commands of Jesus. They reasoned that if they had remained and persisted in their intention, they might have finally gained the point.

WHEN the storm arose they still more deeply regretted having left Jesus. Had they remained this peril would have been avoided. This was a severe trial of their faith. In the darkness and tempest they sought to gain the point where he had promised to meet them, but the driving wind forced them from their course and made all their efforts futile. They were strong men and accustomed to the water, but now their hearts failed them with terror; they longed for the calm, commanding presence of the Master, and felt that were he with them they would be secure. But Jesus had not forgotten his disciples. From the distant shore his eye pierced the darkness, saw their danger, and read their thoughts. He would not suffer one of them to perish. As a fond mother watches the child she has in kindness corrected, so the compassionate Master watched his disciples; and when their hearts were subdued, their unholy ambition quelled, and they humbly prayed for help, it was given them. At the very moment they believed themselves lost, a flash of lightning revealed the figure of a man walking toward them upon the water. An unspeakable terror seized them. The hands that had grasped the oars with muscle like iron, relaxed their hold, and fell powerless by their sides. The boat rocked at the will of the waves, while their eyes were riveted upon this vision of a man stepping firmly upon the white-capped billows.

THEY thought it must be a spirit, which omened their immediate destruction. Jesus calmly advanced as though he would pass them, but they recognize his form, and feel that he will not leave them in their distress. They cry out, supplicating his help! The figure turns! It is their beloved Master, whose well-known voice speaks, silencing their fear, "Be of good cheer. It is I, be not afraid." Were ever words so welcome, so reassuring as these! The disciples are speechless with joy. Their apprehensions are gone. The storm is forgotten. They hail Jesus as their Deliverer!

ARDENT Peter is nearly beside himself with delight. He sees his Master treading the foam-wreathed waves, coming to save his followers, and he loves his Lord as never before. He yearns to embrace and worship him. He longs to meet him and walk by his side upon the stormy water. He cries, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." Jesus granted his request; but Peter had taken only a step upon the surface of the boiling deep, when he looked back proudly toward his companions to see if they were watching his movements, and admiring the ease with which he trod upon the yielding water.

IN taking his eyes from Jesus, they fell upon the boisterous waves that seemed greedily threatening to swallow him; their roaring filled his ears, his head swam, his heart failed him with fear. As he is sinking, he recovers presence of mind sufficient to remember that there is One near who can rescue him. He stretches out his arms toward Jesus, crying, "Lord, save me, or I perish!" The pitying Saviour grasps the trembling hands that are reached toward him, and lifts the sinking form beside his own. Never does that kindly face and that arm of strength turn from the supplicating hands that are stretched out for mercy. Peter clings to his Lord with humble trust, while Jesus mildly reproaches him: "O thou of little faith! wherefore didst thou doubt?"

THE trembling disciple now clings firmly to the hand of the Master till they are both safely seated in the boat among their joyful companions. But Peter was subdued and silent; he had no reason to boast over his fellows, for he had very nearly lost his life through exaltation and unbelief. When he took his eyes from Jesus in order to note the admiration of others, he lost guidance, and doubt and fear seized upon him. So it is in the Christian life; nothing but an eye firmly fixed upon the Saviour will enable us to tread the stormy billows of the world. Immediately upon Jesus taking his place in the boat they were at the land. The tempest had ceased, and the night of horror was succeeded by the light of dawn. The disciples, and others who were also on board, bowed at the feet of Jesus with thankful hearts, saying, "Of a truth thou art the Son of God!"

THE multitude that had been fed the preceding day had left Jesus on the barren shore, and they knew that there was no boat left by which he could depart. They therefore on the following morning returned to the spot where they had last seen him watching their departure with compassionate eyes. The news of his wonderful miracle of feeding the multitude had spread far and near, and at an early hour they began to arrive, by land and water, in large numbers.—Mrs. E. G. White, in Great Controversy, Vol. 2.

Success Through Failure

It is a mistake to suppose that men succeed through success; they much oftener succeed through failure.

Hold Fast to Truth

WHATEVER comes, hold to truth; keep it unsullied.

WAS IT LUCK?

The curtains were drawn to keep out the wintry blasts, and the bright fire light aided the shaded gas light in revealing all the comfort of that pleasant room. The number and variety of books in the elegant book-case, and the numerous papers on the table, indicated that the owner was a man of culture and familiar with the world's daily doings, while luxurious chairs and lounges proved that he was not unmindful of physical comfort. Indeed, as we look at the owner of this beautiful establishment, as he is seated in an easy-chair, reading a paper, we feel that he is every inch a man, and worthy of our entire respect. The merry group by the fire, who are visitors for the holidays, evidently share our opinion. Suddenly one of the boys, turning to his uncle, said:—

“Uncle Harry, do you believe in luck?”

“Well, boys,” said he, “that is rather a leading question. I will tell you a little story, and you can call it what you please:—

“When I was about ten years old, my father died, after a lingering illness. He had been unfortunate in some business ventures and his sickness had entirely exhausted our funds. I left school, and felt that, as I was the oldest, I must help mother to support the family.

“Poor mother! it grieved me greatly to see her patiently stitching away on the coarse work she received such a pittance for from the shops. I tried to get a place in some store, but could not succeed. My efforts in that line and my rebuffs would astonish you.

“I concluded I would sell papers, but at first it was very hard work. I did not mind the fatigue. I sold evening papers, but I could not call my papers out loud and clear, and then some other boys would get ahead of me. I was better dressed than the other ‘newsies;’ and so they looked upon me as an interloper and tried to run me out of the trade. But I thought of my mother at work at home, and determined I would succeed.

“One evening I jumped on a car, crying my papers in my best style. I sold several, and was just leaving the car, when a gentleman, who was busily talking with his neighbor, while both occupied uncertain standing room, called me: ‘Here boy, a Chronicle.’ I gave him one, and he put his hand in his pocket and drew out and gave me what he supposed was a three-cent piece, but I saw it was a gold piece.

“I jumped off the car in a hurry, and soon went home. I felt a little uncertain as to how mother would view the matter, but I never had any secrets from her, so I told her all about it, adding that I considered it a rare piece of luck, for we did need the money more than you children can imagine.

“But mother argued that morally I had no right to any more than the price of the paper, unless it was given me; that it was a mistake. But I insisted that any man so careless ought to lose his money, and that it was intended to relieve our own necessities. But mother said: ‘My son, He in whom I have put all my trust has never deserted me yet, and I cannot so distrust him now. I would rather starve than have my boy become dishonest.’

“I believe there comes to everyone some supreme crisis in life, when good and evil strive for his soul, and that night was the crisis in mine.”

Mr. Morton had forgotten his eager listeners, but was recalled by the question:—

“But what did you do?”

“Well, your grandmother finally got me to promise that if I saw the man again I would return the money. No fear of my not knowing him; his face was before me all the time. Next evening I began my work as usual. I had been through several cars, and almost hoped I could not find my generous (?) patron. But at last I came face to face with him. I spoke quickly, for fear my courage would fail.

“‘You bought a paper of me last evening, sir,’ I exclaimed.”

“‘Well,’ said he, ‘I suppose I did. I bought one from some boy. What’s wrong? Didn’t I pay you?’”

“I told him what was the matter, and his astonishment was great; he looked at me as if I was a curiosity, asked my name and where I lived. Others heard the conversation, and my papers were soon sold at double their price—the gentlemen laughingly telling me that they knew what they were about. I fairly flew home that night, and I never felt so proud and happy as when I poured that money into my mother’s lap, and heard her say:— ‘Thank God, for having kept you honest, my boy.’

“The next day mother had a call from the gentleman, and the result was that my career as a newsboy ceased, and mercantile life began—very low down, to be sure, but I worked away. I attended night school, too, and by degrees I rose, till, as you know, I am a partner in the house. Now you may judge whether I believe in luck, or in the ‘Divinity that shapes our ends, rough hew them how we will.’”—Kind Words.

THE INVENTION OF SPECTACLES.

FEW inventions have conferred a greater blessing on the human race than that which assists impaired visions. It is impossible to say how many there are at the present day whose lives would be almost valueless were it not for the use of spectacles. Indeed, Dr. Johnson rightly expressed his surprise that such a benefactor as the discoverer of spectacles should have been regarded with indifference, and found no worthy biographer to celebrate his ingenuity. Unfortunately, however, his name is a matter of much uncertainty; and hence a grateful posterity have been prevented bestowing upon his memory that honor which it has so richly merited. And it may be noted that popular opinion has long ago pronounced in favor of Spina, a Florentine monk, as the rightful claimant, although some are in favor of Roger Bacon. Monsieur Spoon, in his "Researches Curieuses d'Antique," fixes the date of the invention of spectacles between the years 1280 and 1311, and says that Alexander de Spina, having seen a pair made by some other person, who was unwilling to communicate the secret of their construction, ordered a pair himself and found them so useful that he cheerfully and promptly made the invention public. According to an Italian antiquarian, the person to whom Spina was indebted for his information was Salvino, who died in the year 1318, and he quotes from a manuscript in his possession an epitaph which records the circumstance: "Here lies Salvino Armoto d'Armati, of Florence, the inventor of spectacles. May God pardon his sins. The year 1318."

TOO NICE FOR COMFORT.

By Helen P. Barnard

THAT ottoman, covered with real lace and satin ribbon, who would dare rest a weary foot upon it? That sofa-pillow, shaped most alluringly for repose, who would venture a tired head upon such elegant fabric bound together by countless stitches of embroidery silk? Out in the library is a table-desk, just the thing for a family to gather about on a winter evening, with its drop-light, but even that has been made a household idol with a scarf that cost the ladies of the house infinite trouble and money; and although unique pen-holders, paper-cutters, and fancy weights are arranged upon it as if for convenience, it is all to look at—the elegant inkstand is empty, for fear of accident, and all writing must be done elsewhere.

The same obstacle to comfort is in every part of the house. The dining-room crumb-cloth is so elegant that the mistress is constantly distressed lest a morsel fall upon it. Even the nursery is invaded by this law—the children's best toys are used for decoration, to give the room the semblance of luxurious playing!

A lady was admiring a French doll in one of these show nurseries. "What wouldn't I have given for this when a child!" she said. "And a whole trunk full of clothes! What hours of fun these must bring!"

The small owner of so much, gazing mournfully at the Parisian belle, replied, "She isn't made to play with—she's my look-at dolly!"

My friend found that the doll was a type of the restrictions placed upon all the simple pleasures of childhood. Everything was too nice for every-day use. Her clothes were not to romp in; she wore silk and velvet to school, and fine shoes that she was daily admonished not to get scratched. Even the lawn about her father's house was too nice to step upon; a man was kept at work all summer, trimming and raking it, until, instead of being something spontaneous and useful for children to sport upon, it was as nearly as possible like a vivid green carpet from the manufactory.

Sometimes the master of the house, coming home weary of business, longed for less luxury, and more comfortable arrangements. If he ventured to rest in an easy-chair, he was gently, but firmly, dislodged by wife or daughters with—"O father, you'll spoil that!" or, "Father, that's for company!"

"I'd give more for mother's kitchen, with its chintz-cushioned rocker, than for all the fancy fixings in this whole house!" he often said. "There isn't one spot of solid comfort in it!"

This only provoked that pitying superior smile that women accord the masculine who cannot rise to their ideal. They could not see the pathos under his half-playful protest. Why shouldn't the gods they worship satisfy him? Well for them that the man loved home, and instinctively turned to that when pressed with care, or else he might have drifted far away. O blind wives and mothers, who allow the love of beautifying, possibly the desire for display, to clash with the true

object of home! Where are your boys tonight, mother, while you anxiously match the shades for that silken banner? Under whose banner are they enlisting? Homes ought to be as lovely as time and means will allow, but let comfort be united with beauty.

—Helen P. Barnard, in Watchman.

The Home Circle.

By John Godfrey Saxe

THE OLD YEAR AND THE NEW.

Good-by, Old Year! I can but say, Sadly I see thee passing away; Passing away with the hopes and fears, The bliss and pain, the smiles and tears, They come to us in all the years.

Good-by, Old Year! Little indeed Thy friendly voice we were wont to heed, Telling us, warning us, every day: “Transient mortals, work and pray; You, like me, are passing away!”

Good-by Old Year! Whatever may be The sins and stains thou hast chanced to see, Consider, O Year, to purge the same, And wash away the sin and shame. Whilst thou wert passing, Christmas came.

Good-by, Old Year! With words of grace Leave us to him who takes thy place; And say, Old Year, unto the New, “Kindly, carefully, carry them through, For much, I ween, they have yet to do.” —J. G. Saxe.

THE COMMUNE OF PARIS.

By E. B. Washburn

But few people are fully aware of the immense proportions which the Paris Commune had taken on before its final suppression. Its military strength was simply enormous. Cluseret told me of his furnishing rations at the time he was delegate to the Ministry of War, to one hundred and twenty-five thousand soldiers in Paris. And the amount of war material found in possession of the Commune at the time of its collapse was prodigious. There were 548,000 guns, of different models, with saber bayonets; 56,000 cavalry sabers, of every form and description; 14,000 Enfield rifles; 39,000 revolvers; making a total of nearly 700,000 weapons of every kind taken from the hands of the Communards. Independently of the vast amount of this particular material, the military authorities of the Commune had 1,700 pieces of cannon and mitrailleuses, which they had robbed from the city, and which they had used with such terrible effect. But what must ever excite amazement is the knowledge of the vast number of the people in Paris at this time who not only were in sympathy with the Commune, but who abetted and sustained it in its career of crime and blood. The minority, embracing the better class of Paris, was completely cowed and subdued by this vast insurrectionary mass of population.—Ex-Minister E. B. Washburn, in Scribner's Magazine for April.

WRITING BY ELECTRICITY.

ONE of the most beautiful of modern inventions—it remains to be seen whether it is as useful as it is beautiful—the instrument devised by Mr. John Robertson for the transmission of writing by electricity, may now be seen at work at the American exhibition. Out of the top of a box, which is about the size of an ordinary dispatch box, protrudes what has the appearance of a stylographic pen. This, however, is not a pen but the handle of the “transmitter,” and its lower end is fixed to a light brass perpendicular bar. Any motion given by the hand—you hold it just like a pen—to the handle of the transmitter is communicated by this bar to two series of carbon disks contained within the box, and, after various adventures among magnets, etc., is carried again to the top of the box, where it is reproduced exactly by a small ink-holding pen, whose point rests on a white paper tape. A clock-work apparatus pulls this tape along at a gentle pace; and after a little practice you find that it is quite easy to move the handle of the transmitter so that the pen shall write legibly on the moving tape. Now, whatever is written on the tape before you is written simultaneously a mile off, or it may be fifty miles off, on a similar tape, by a similar instrument at the other end of the wire. The instrument is very compact, and apparently efficient, and, as it is quite silent, there seems no reason why a reporter sitting in the House of Commons should not straightway write off his report of a debate to be instantaneously read off in Printing House Square or Northumberland Street. A name will be wanted for his machine. Perhaps the “wire writer” will do.—Pall Mall Gazette.

TOBACCO AS A CAUSE OF HEART TROUBLE AND SUDDEN DEATH.

By Thomas G. Roberts, M. D.

THAT tobacco, through the nervous system, greatly disturbs the action of the heart, is well known to all who have given the subject any attention. Tobacco-users are often afflicted with fatty heart, angina pectoris, with its terrible pain, palpitation, and other affections both functional and organic.

It is stated by good authority that one-fifth of all the boys examined for the United States Navy fail to pass, from heart disease caused by the use of tobacco in some form. The cigarette is responsible for many failures to pass.

Readers of the early numbers of the People's Health Journal will recognize the following quotation, which well illustrates the disturbing effects of tobacco upon the heart of one apparently in good health:—

“One evening recently a gentleman of fine physical development, and to all outward appearances in perfect health, remarked, ‘I have smoked twenty cigars to-day.’ ‘Do you not feel some ill effects from it?’ the writer inquired. ‘No, sir,’ was the prompt reply; ‘not a particle; I feel splendid; I am as sound as a dollar.’ ‘Let us time your pulse,’ said we. Exactly one hundred and eight per minute! The heart was making thirty-six beats per minute more than it should; or, in other words, was beating too rapidly by fifty per cent. It does not take much of a mathematician to figure out the final result of such an excessive action of the heart.”

It is a lamentable fact that many otherwise well-informed physicians are not fully aware of the very great injury that the heart may sustain through the use of tobacco, as the following case, reported some years ago by Dr. Corson, of New York, well shows.

A young man at the age of seventeen began the use of tobacco, and as he thought so much spitting would injure his lungs, he contracted the habit of swallowing the juice. For some years he suffered “from gnawing, capricious appetite, nausea, vomiting of meals, emaciation, nervousness, and palpitation of the heart.”

The patient thus describes his suffering: “Seven years thus miserably passed, when one day after dinner I was suddenly seized with intense pain in the chest, gasping for breath, and a sensation as if a crowbar were pressed tightly from the right breast to the left, till it came and twisted in a knot round the heart, which now stopped deathly still for a minute, and then leaped like a dozen frogs. After two hours of death-like suffering the attack ceased, and I found that ever after my heart missed every fourth beat.”

These attacks continued in a milder and shorter form for the next twenty-seven years, the paroxysms sometimes being as often as two or three times in twelve hours. Neither the patient nor his physician seem to have had the slightest idea that tobacco was the cause of this long-continued suffering; but having become disgusted at the thought of being a slave to a degrading habit—the sufferer altogether quit the use of the captivating drug.

In a month the paroxysms had nearly ceased, and not long after they disappeared never to return. He soon became transformed from an emaciated invalid to a stout, healthy man. Here was a case of angina pectoris, of twenty-seven years' duration, directly caused by tobacco. He had suffered, more or less, from the use of tobacco for thirty-three years. Had his physician understood the real cause of the malady, he might have given advice that, perhaps, would have led to the abandonment of the use of the weed, and thus the twenty-seven long years of suffering might have been averted.—Thomas G. Roberts, M. D., in People's Health Journal.

Health and Temperance.

By J. M. Sturtevant

HOW TO BE STRONG.

WHEN men are preparing for a boat-race, their first care is to have a good boat. It must be light and perfectly shaped, or the strong arms of the rowers will never win the race. Our bodies are like boats, in which we row the race of life. Young bodies endure a great deal of abuse, and for that reason most girls and boys dislike to read lectures about health. They do not wish to seem puny. They are right that it is very silly for young people to bundle up their heads and necks like the very aged, to be afraid of a draught of fresh air, or of getting a little tired, or even sometimes a little wet. Little babies and old people need a kind of care which is unnecessary for them.

A bright, strong mind in a weak and sickly body is a painful sight. Such a sight would seldom be seen if young folks would remember to care for the boat in which they are to row the race of life. Vigorous muscles, healthy stomachs, and large lungs generally make healthy bodies. If you have these three things, you will enjoy life, so far as eating, working, and sleeping are concerned. Young bodies naturally grow strong, and we need think about them only to avoid mistakes. Growing powers need to be used. Use makes the muscles strong and the lungs large. Proper exercise of the arms is worth much more than back-boards and braces to keep young shoulders straight. A little exercise, and a few long breaths taken regularly every morning, will be of great use to you.

I hope that few in this day need to be reminded of the relation of cleanliness and exercise to health. A more important matter is the government of our rising appetites and passions. The subject is not more important than is it difficult. First, let me say, do not regret that yours are strong. If you are so hungry that it is hard to keep from helping yourself in the forbidden pantry, or from eating so much at the table that you are dull and stupid for hours after dinner, the appetite is a good sign; well governed, it will give you enjoyment and strength for many years. If you have what is called a violent temper, it indicates an intensity and force which, under good control, will make you a power in the world. Only avoid that which is evil, and your growth will be natural and beautiful. God made the plan, and his loving care will watch every step of your development.

Use your powers in proper ways, and they will gain strength. Absolutely resist, by the grace of God, the slightest improper indulgence of passion, and it will seem to lose its strength, because it becomes your servant. Yet will it live to make you a blessing to those that love you, and a helper to others that are tempted.—Rev. J. M. Sturtevant, D. D., in Congregationalist.

Liquor Consumption and Social Evils in Belgium

By Censor

BELGIUM annually spends 450,000,000 francs for spirituous liquors. Throughout the kingdom there is a beer or liquor saloon to every 44 inhabitants. The amount consumed per annum is, for every person, women and children included, 12 quarts of whisky and 240 quarts of beer. The number of suicides has recently increased 80 per cent.; of insane, 104; of criminals, 141.—Censor.

Borax Safeguard Against Ants

PULVERIZED borax sprinkled on shelves and in corners of store-closets, is a safeguard from ants. If pulverized borax is mixed with Persian powder, the powder will be more effective.

Items of General News

—A railroad accident in New Brunswick, a few days since, caused the death of ten men. Three others were more or less injured.

—A New York paper recently published a list of nineteen Hebrews in that city, whose fortunes range from $1,000,000 up to $8,000,000 each.

—The “boomers” are organizing for another raid into Oklahoma, Indian Territory. The movement will probably not take place till April, 1888.

—A cave has recently been discovered in Ohio, on the shore of Lake Erie, which is said to rival in extent the great Mammoth Cave of Kentucky.

—The results of the survey and last census of India are that the area of the peninsula of Hindoostan is 1,382,624 square miles, and the population 253,891,821.

—A young woman was sentenced to one month's imprisonment in the penitentiary in New York City the other day for maliciously killing two canary birds.

—Advices from Presa Aldama, Tamaulipas, Mexico, state that extensive deposits of gold and cinnabar, or quick-silver bearing ore, have been discovered near there.

—Thirteen thousand dollars is the sum of money which Herman Stricker, of Reading, Pa., recently refused for his collection of butterflies, said to be the largest in the world.

—Lack of fuel and extreme cold weather have recently caused great suffering in some of the prairie States. In Kansas quite a number of people have been frozen to death.

—Late advices from Syria report an engagement between Bedouins and Druses, in which the latter had 160 killed and 300 wounded. The loss of the Bedouins is not stated.

—The fastest trip ever made by an east-bound vessel, between New York and Queenstown, was completed by the steamer Etruria, on the 17th inst. in six days and two hours.

—The Audubon Society for the protection of birds, founded in February, 1886, has attained a membership roll of 40,000, representing all parts of the United States and Canada.

—On the 21st inst. a small coasting steamer from San Francisco bound to Santa Cruz was burned to the water's edge off Pigeon Point, fifty miles from San Francisco. Twelve men were lost.

—In a speech to his regiment on the evening of the 19th inst. Prince William, of Germany, said: "Since we celebrated Christmas last year times have changed. They have become very serious."

—A funeral-reform association has been organized in New York, with Bishop Potter as president. The object is to abolish ostentatious display and secure a simple and impressive observance of funeral rites.

—Under date of December 19, a report was telegraphed from London that a revolt had, a few days previously, broken out on the convict ship Orne, bound for Cayenne, and that eleven leaders were shot.

—Recent advices received from the West Indies state that December 6, 7, and 8, a heavy norther swept the islands, doing considerable damage to shipping. Thirteen mariners drowned from one vessel.

—Recent experiments in England with Nordenfeldt torpedo boats are said to be a perfect demonstration of the value of these crafts in attacking ironclads from beneath the surface, and in running blockades.

—A leak in a gas pipe at Findlay, Ohio, the other day, caused a disastrous explosion, wrecking a house, injuring seriously an entire family, and killing one child outright. A few hours later the mother died a raving maniac.

—A colored man near Cincinnati, put some frozen dynamite cartridges in the oven of his stove, a few days since, to thaw them out. Two of his children were killed and himself and wife were seriously injured.

—It is an interesting and suggestive fact that Kansas, with 100,000 more population than Texas, has one penitentiary with 996 prisoners, while Texas has two large prisons with 5,000 convicts. Kansas has prohibition, Texas has not.

—It may not be generally known that as a copper-producing country Arizona ranks next to the Lake Superior district. Its copper is also regarded second in favor with workers. The mines, however, are too far from railroads to be worked at very large profit.

—Delegate Gifford, of Dakota, has expressed the opinion that the people of that Territory will refuse admission to the Union unless the Territory be divided. He says that there is no sympathy between the northern and southern portions of the Territory.

—The largest cotton crop ever grown by slave labor was in 1860, when the production reached 4,669,770 bales; in 1883 there were produced 6,992,234 bales; and this year's crop is estimated at 7,500,000 bales, an increase of 2,830,230 bales over the crop of 1860.

—The Keeley Brewing Company, of Chicago, has resolved to buy no barley grown in or shipped from Iowa or Kansas. The company's secretary says: "If they won't buy our beer, it's quite proper that we should refuse to buy their barley." Other brewers will, it is thought, join in the boycott.

—At Rochester, N. Y., December 21, Poole's large flouring mills were destroyed by a succession of naphtha gas explosions and by the fire which resulted from them. The naphtha was being pumped through leaky pipes to the gas works. Some of it found its way into the sewers and thence into the mills; hence the explosions. Several lives were lost.

—A bomb containing enough giant powder to have blown the entire house to atoms and killed all the inmates, was thrown into the house of a Canadian bailiff a few days since. The fuse was, however, promptly extinguished by the official's wife. The bailiff had been threatened with violence for his efforts to enforce the liquor laws of the Dominion.

—For years, five brothers named Terry have defied the laws in Stone County, Mo., committing various crimes from time to time, and successfully resisting arrest. A few days since a vigilant committee was organized to arrest the brothers, or drive them from the country. Thus far ten men have been killed, and the outlaws are still master of the situation. The Governor has been appealed to for aid.

—The officials of the Post-office Department say that they have found the Mormon postmasters in Utah and Idaho uniformly dishonest. The opinion is freely expressed that no honest officials can be found among the Mormons; and special agents of the department have been instructed to put the offices in these Territories in the hands of Gentiles; if in any case this is not possible, the office is to be closed.

—A monster cigar-shaped raft containing timber enough to load a hundred vessels, longer than any vessel afloat, and drawing more water than a large ocean steamer, is adrift in the Atlantic Ocean somewhere in the track of European steamers. Ship captains are much excited and say that the huge mass must be secured or blown up. The raft, which was from Nova Scotia, was abandoned in a storm by the vessel which was towing it to New York.

—In Russia there are 32,000 schools, having an average of 36 scholars each. This is one school for 2,300 inhabitants. In Austria there are 29,000 schools, or one school for 1,275 inhabitants, with an average attendance at each of 104. Germany has one school for every 700 inhabitants, and England, Italy, and Spain have each one school for every 600 inhabitants. France is better provided with schools than any other European country, having 71,000, or one for every 500 inhabitants.

News and Notes.

By Editor

RELIGIOUS.

—It is stated that the Presbyterian and the Congregational Churches in Japan have agreed upon a plan of union by which they will become one church.

—According to the census of 1881 Canada had a population of 4,324,810, of whom 1,791,982 were Roman Catholics; nearly 70 per cent. of these were in the Province of Quebec.

—Dr. Munhall claims that by a single sermon of his, “Sins of Impurity and the Open Saloon,” delivered sixty times in as many different cities, “about eighteen thousand men have been awakened to desires for a better life.”

—The “Office of the Dead” was “sung” on a recent evening in sixty-seven so-called Protestant churches in England, Scotland, and Wales; and on the following morning masses for the dead were offered up in no fewer than one hundred and seventeen churches.

—Professor E. B. Hulbert, D. D., of the American Baptist Publication Society, makes the statement that thirty-five years ago Catholic priests in this country held a church property of $9,000,000; twenty-five years ago, $25,000,000; fifteen years ago $60,000,000; to-day more than $150,000,000. Since 1800, the Roman Catholic numbers have run up from 100,000 to 7,000,000.

SECULAR.

—The European war cloud seems to be gathering blackness.

—A cigar stump caused a $200,000 fire in Pittsburg, Pa., one day last week.

—The Pope, it is said, has utterly refused to further interfere in Irish affairs.

—The Dominion of Canada has decided to reorganize her military force.

—Two men were killed by the falling of a new wall at Joliet, Ill., on the 20th inst.

—Of the 400,000 Hebrews in the United States, at least 125,000 are settled in New York.

—The Bulgarian Minister of War has demanded a credit for the purchase of 100,000 rifles.

—Three inches of snow fell at Tucson, Arizona, on the 21st inst., the first for several years.

—December 19 two men were instantly killed at Tilton, Tenn., by the explosion of a boiler.

—At Sharon, Pa., one day last week, two children were burned to death by the explosion of a lamp.

—January 2 all freight rates between Chicago and the Atlantic seaboard will be advanced 10 per cent.

—Daniel Manning, ex-Secretary of the Treasury, died in Albany, N. Y., on the afternoon of the 24th inst.

—A gas explosion in a mine at Wilkesbarre, Pa., December 21, killed four men and seriously burned two others.

—The first silver and nickel coinage in France will appear shortly, to the amount of 70,000,000 francs—about $14,000,000.

—It is officially stated that large quantities of opium are being smuggled into this country through British Columbia.

—The National Prohibition Committee has issued a call for a National Convention, to be held at Indianapolis, June 6, 1888.

—The annual report, submitted December 20, shows that 31,000,000 persons crossed Brooklyn bridge during the year.

—A railroad accident in Illinois, a few days since, injured forty persons, many of them seriously, and two it is thought fatally.

—It is stated that on account of the great unhealthfulness of the climate, the Panama Canal has already cost 40,000 lives.

—On the 4th inst. 300 houses were swept away at Baracoa, Cuba, by a huge tidal wave. No lives were lost, the people having fled.

—Three men were killed at Fleming, Kan., December 18, by the premature explosion of a blast in the Missouri Pacific coal mine.

—A recent earthquake in Mexico has caused terrible suffering at Bavispe. The people have food but are without shelter or clothing.

BIBLE-READINGS.

By Ellet Joseph Waggoner

IN TWO NUMBERS EMBRACING A PORTION OF THE BIBLE COURSE AT HEALDSBURG COLLEGE.

BY ELD. E. J. WAGGONER.

THESE Readings were prepared especially for the use of colporteurs and those who intend to conduct Bible-readings in missionary fields, and they present a connected chain of argument upon the fundamental doctrines of Present Truth.

NUMBER ONE contains 57 pages, embracing sixteen readings, as follows:—

	No. Ques.		No. Ques.
Daniel 2	93	The Law of God, No. 4	32
Daniel 7	93	" " 5	31
Daniel 8	60	Ephesians 2:15	26
Daniel 9	94	Romans 6:14	23
The Sanctuary	179	Romans 10:4	17
The Law of God, No. 1	30	Galatians 3:13	19
" " 2	31	Romans 3:20	10
" " 3	28	Tithing	99

NUMBER TWO contains 46 pages, embracing twenty-two readings, as follows:—

	No. Ques.		No. Ques.
The Sabbath, No. 1	51	2 Corinthians 5:8	18
" " 2	49	Luke 23:39-43	16
" " 3	42	1 Peter 3:18-20	10
Colossians 2:14-17	19	Luke 16:19-31	37
Psalms 118:24	13	Living Souls	14
Penalty of Transgression	10	Nature of Man	18
Sanctification	43	Punishment of the Wicked	70
Second Coming of Christ	64	Work of the Spirit, No. 1	47
The Resurrection	59	" " 2	51
Immortality	18	Church Membership	61
Philippians 1:23	5	Missionary Labor	52

Price for the Two, 50 Cents.

Address, PACIFIC PRESS, Oakland, Cal.

WHO CHANGED THE SABBATH?

A TRACT of 24 pages, which fully answers this question, and shows how Sunday displaced the Bible Sabbath. Extracts given from Catholic writers. Price, 3 cents.

Address, PACIFIC PRESS, Oakland, Cal.

Publishers' Department.

By Editor

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RECEIPTS.

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Continue reading: SACRED CHRONOLOGY, AND THE PEOPLING OF THE EARTH