AFTER laboring two days with the Samaritans, Jesus left them to continue his journey to Galilee. He made no tarry at Nazareth, where he had spent his youth and early manhood. His reception in the synagogue there, when he announced himself as the Anointed One, was so unfavorable that he decided to seek more fruitful fields, to preach to ears that would listen, and to hearts that would receive his message. He declared to his disciples that a prophet hath no honor in his own country. This saying sets forth that natural reluctance which many people have to acknowledge any wonderfully admirable development in one who has unostentatiously lived in their midst, and whom they have intimately known from childhood. At the same time, these same persons might become wildly excited over the pretensions of a stranger and an adventurer.
The miracle that Jesus had performed in Cana prepared the way for his cordial reception. The people who had returned from the passover had brought back the report of his marvelous cleansing of the desecrated temple, followed by his miracles of healing the sick and restoring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. The judgment passed upon his acts by the dignitaries of the temple, opened his way at Galilee; for many of the people lamented the abuse of the temple and the lofty arrogance of the priests, and hoped that this man, who had the power to put these rulers to flight, might indeed be the looked-for Deliverer.
The news that Jesus had returned from Judea to Cana soon spread throughout Galilee and the region round about. It reached the ears of a nobleman in Capernaum, who was a Jew of some honor. He was much interested in what he had heard of the power of Jesus to heal the sick, for he had a son suffering with disease. The father had consulted the most learned physicians among the Jews, and they had pronounced the case incurable, and told him that his son must soon die.
But when he heard that Jesus was in Galilee his heart was encouraged; for he believed that one who could miraculously change water into wine, and drive out the desecrators of the temple, could raise his son to health even from the brink of the grave. Capernaum was quite a distance from Cana, and the nobleman feared that, if he left his home to seek Jesus and present his plea to him, the child, who was very low, might die in his absence. Yet he dared not trust this errand to a servant; for he hoped that the prayers of a fond parent might touch the heart of the great Physician with pity, and induce him to accompany the father to the bedside of his dying son.
He went to Cana, hastening for fear of being too late. Forcing a passage through the crowd that surrounded Jesus, he at length stood before him. But his faith faltered when he saw only a plainly dressed man, dusty and worn with travel. He doubted that this person could do what he had come to ask of him; yet he determined to make a trial. He secured a hearing from Jesus, told him his errand, and besought the Saviour to accompany him to his home for the purpose of healing his son. But Jesus already knew of his sorrow. Even before the nobleman had left his home, the pitying Redeemer had read the father's grief, and his great heart of love had gone out in sympathy for the suffering child.
But he was also aware that the father had made conditions in his mind concerning his belief in the Saviour. Unless his petition should be granted he would not have faith in him as the Messiah. While the father waited in an agony of suspense, Jesus addressed him, "Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe." He here revealed the superficial faith of the nobleman, that would lead him to accept or reject Christ according as he did or did not perform the work required of him.
Jesus designed, not only to heal the child, but to illuminate the darkened mind of the father. He saw unbelief struggling with his faith. He knew that this man had sought his help as a last and only hope. In this nobleman he saw represented the condition of many of his nation. They were interested in Jesus from selfish motives; they desired some special benefit that they hoped to receive through his power, but they were ignorant as to their spiritual disease, and saw not their terrible need of divine grace, but staked their faith on the granting of some temporal favor. Jesus met this case as illustrating the position of many of the Jewish people. He contrasted this questioning unbelief with the faith of the Samaritans, who were ready to receive him as a teacher sent by God, and to accept him as the promised Messiah without a sign or miracle to establish his divinity.
The father's soul was stirred to its depths with the thought that his doubts might cost him the life of his son. The words of Jesus had the desired effect; the nobleman saw that his motives in seeking the Saviour were purely selfish; his vacillating faith appeared before him in its true light; he realized that he was indeed in the presence of One who could read the hearts of men, and to whom all things were possible. This thought brings his suffering child to mind with new vividness, and he cries out in an agony of supplication, "Sir, come down ere my child die!"
He fears that while he has been doubting and questioning, death may have closed the scene. This was enough. The father in his need seizes the merits of Jesus as his Saviour. In demanding him to come down ere his child dies, he267clings alone to the strength of Jesus as his only hope. His faith is as imperative as was that of Jacob, when, wrestling with the mighty angel, he cried, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me!"
Jesus responds to the demands of the nobleman by commanding him, "Go thy way; thy son liveth." These brief and simple words thrill through the heart of the father; he feels the holy power of the speaker in every tone. Instead of going to Capernaum, Jesus, by a flash of divine telegraphy, sends the message of healing to the bedside of the suffering son. He dismisses the suppliant, who, with unspeakable gratitude, and perfect faith in the words of the Saviour, turns his steps homeward with a peace and joy he has never felt before.
At the same hour the watchers stood around the dying child, in the distant home of the nobleman. The form that had been so strong and symmetrical in its youthful grace, was worn and emaciated. The hollow cheeks burned with a hectic fire. Suddenly the fever leaves him, intelligence beams from his eyes, his mind becomes clear, and health and strength return to his body. The fever has left him in the very heat of the day. The attendants behold the change with amazement; the family is summoned, and great is the rejoicing. No signs of his malady linger about the child, his burning flesh has become soft and moist, and he sinks into the peaceful slumber of childhood.
Meanwhile the father hastens on his way with a hopeful heart. He went to Jesus with grief and trembling. He leaves him in joy and confidence. He feels the solemn assurance that he has talked with one whose power is unlimited. No doubt crosses his mind that Jesus has really healed his son at Capernaum. While still some distance from home, his servants meet him with the glad tidings that his son has recovered. With a light heart he hurries on, and as he approaches his house, is met by the child, bounding out to receive him, radiant in health and beauty. He clasps him to his heart as one restored from the dead, and thanks God again and again for this miraculous restoration.
This case of the nobleman should be a lesson to all the followers of Christ. He would have them place implicit faith in him as their Redeemer, ready and willing to save all who come unto him. But he sometimes delays bestowing his precious gifts, in order to impress our hearts with a sense of our deep need of that true piety which entitles us to ask of him what we will. We are to lay by the selfishness that is frequently the sole cause of seeking him, and, confessing our helplessness and bitter need, trust in his promises. He invites all who are weary and heavy-laden to come unto him, and he will give them rest.—Great Controversy, vol. 2, chap. 11.
E. A. BRIGGS
By E. A. Briggs
From Los Angeles County.
APRIL 7 I began a short series of meetings in the church at Los Angeles City. This church has long been weighed down with debt. They have, however, just exchanged the lot on which their meeting-house stood for a more central one, and received about a thousand dollars in money besides. Thus the church is cleared of debt, and all the members seem to be of good courage.
We had several well-attended meetings at Norwalk, and on Sabbath, April 17, the Lord's Supper was celebrated and a local elder was ordained.
I also visited Santa Ana and found there a Sabbath-school containing forty-four members, which seems to be in a prosperous condition.
I have just begun a course of meetings in a school-house at Duarte, a thickly settled rural district where the present truth has never been preached. The people here seem willing to listen, and we trust that, with the blessing of God, some good will be accomplished.
My post-office address for several weeks to come will be Duarte, Los Angeles Co., Cal.
E. A. BRIGGS
April 28, 1886.
THE LAW OF GOD.
Breadth of the Law.
(Lesson 4.—Sabbath, May 15.)
1. WHAT can you say of the perfection of the ten commandments?
"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." Ps. 19:7.
2. Of whose character are they a likeness?
In Isa. 51:6, the Lord, after speaking of the passing away of the heavens and the earth, says in contrast: "But my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished." The next verse clearly indicates what is meant by the term "my righteousness," in these words: "Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law." The law of God is the righteousness of God, that which cannot be abolished. As still further proof that it is the law that is referred to as righteousness, verses 4 and 5 say: "Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation; for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people. My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people." Since God is the embodiment of righteousness, all righteousness must proceed from him; therefore the law of God, being righteousness (Ps. 119:172) must necessarily be God's righteousness.
3. How much of our duty is comprised in the ten commandments?
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man." Eccl. 12:13.
4. If we do the ten commandments, what sort of characters will we have?
"And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us." Deut. 6:25.
5. Of whose righteousness will we be partakers?
"Little children, let no man deceive you; he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous." 1 John 3:7. Compare Isa. 51:6, 7.
6. If to do the commandments is righteousness, what must it be to fail to do them?
It can be nothing else than unrighteousness.
7. And what is all unrighteousness?
"All unrighteousness is sin; and there is a sin not unto death." 1 John 5:17.
8. Then what is sin?
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4.
9. How may we know that any action is sinful?
"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law; for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." Rom. 7:7.
10. To what law does Paul here refer as pointing out sin?
To the law which contains the commandment, "Thou shalt not covet."
11. Then of what law is it that John speaks when he says that "sin is the transgression of the law?"
Of the law of ten commandments.
12. Can there be any sin committed that is not covered by the law?
"Because the law worketh wrath; for where no law is, there is no transgression." Rom. 4:15. "For until the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law." Rom. 5:13.
13. What did David say of the law?
"I have seen an end of all perfection; but thy commandment is exceeding broad." Ps. 119:96.
14. How broad is the law?
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Heb. 4:12.
15. How did Jesus illustrate this in the case of the sixth commandment?
"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the Judgment; but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the Judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." Matt. 5:21, 22.
16. Do the commandments also forbid evil thoughts and desires as well as open sins?
"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Matt. 5:27, 28.
18. What reason is given why we should do our duty by keeping the commandments?
"For God shall bring every work into Judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Eccl. 12:14.
19. What does this statement indicate?
"Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into Judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Eccl. 12:13, 14. Keeping the commandments is declared to be the whole duty of man. The reason given why we should thus do our whole duty, is that "God will bring every work into Judgment, with every secret thing." This statement, coming in the connection that it does, can indicate nothing else than that the commandments of God cover every work, with every secret thing. Whosoever therefore keeps the commandments will be perfect, even in his secret thoughts.
Extent of the Law's Jurisdiction.
(Lesson 5.—Sabbath, May 22.)
1. WHAT is sin?
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4.
2. Is everything that is wrong a violation of the law?
"All unrighteousness is sin; and there is a sin not unto death." 1 John 5:17.
3. Is sin ever imputed where there is law?
"Because the law worketh wrath; for where no law is, there is no transgression." Rom. 4:15.
4. Then when we find sin imputed to any people, of what may we be sure?
That they have the law of God.
5. What does the Bible say of Cain?
"If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door; and unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him." Gen. 4:7, 8. "Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." 1 John 3:12.
6. What is said of the men of Sodom?
"But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly." Gen. 13:13.
7. Then, according to Romans 4:15, what must we conclude concerning Cain and the men of Sodom?
We must conclude that they knew the law of God, since sin is imputed to them.
8. Why would not God allow Abraham and his family to occupy the land of Canaan as soon as the promise was made?
"And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years." "But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." Gen. 15:13, 16.
9. What was the particular sin of the Amorites?
"And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel." 1 Kings 21:26.
10. What law forbids idolatry?
The ten-commandment law; "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
11. What other positive proof have we that
(Continued on page 270.)
He Left It All.
THE following incident occurred, a few years ago, in New York City at a meeting of gentlemen, who had under their management the most extensive system of railways on the continent. It is related by one who was present, and who vouches for the truth of the narrative. The directors were assembled from many parts of the country, and together represented millions upon millions of dollars. Perhaps any one glancing at the company, with a knowledge of their immense pecuniary power and resources, would have fancied that they were all happy, and that they occupied a most enviable position in the world.
Before proceeding to business, while awaiting the arrival of some director who was absent, one said to another in a loud tone that instantly commanded attention, "Have you heard that — is dead?" "Why, no; you surprise me. I saw him on the streets last week, apparently in the enjoyment of perfect health; when did he die?" "He died day before yesterday." A moment of silence ensued, and one of the gentlemen said to the first speaker, "He was very rich, was he not?" "Oh, yes, very." "How much did he leave?" "He left it all," was the answer, uttered with a deep, solemn voice, as if on purpose; and another not altogether agreeable silence fell upon the company of millionaires.
Yes, he left it all; and so must the richest man on the earth leave it all very soon; "for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out." 1 Tim. 6: 7. Death is the great leveler in more respects than one. It not only brings the king and the hod-carrier to the same level of dependence upon others for burial, but in a little while it sweeps away all distinction between a Rothschild and a beggar. Neither of them owns a penny when he dies. True, the dead body of the one may be borne in royal pomp from the doors of a palace, and the dead body of the other may be trundled off in a cart from the poor-house; but of each it must be said, "He left it all."
It is amazing that men of sense who have money do not reflect upon this, and it is unaccountable that rich men, professing to be Christians, so often fail to see the purpose for which wealth has been put into their hands. They frequently cling to it with a grasp that grows tighter and tighter, and when they are at last compelled to leave it all, they have accomplished far less good in the world than if they had never possessed a farthing. Nay, money expended in selfish gratification, or hoarded for the sake of accumulating a larger sum, is a positive injury to the cause of Christ, and becomes a burning curse to the unfaithful steward.
What says the unerring word of God? "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days." James 5: 1-3.
Hence while in one sense the rich man leaves it all at death, in another sense he does not leave it, or rather it does not leave him, but it is a witness for or against him at the bar of God. "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they may be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." 1 Tim. 6: 17-19. It is needless to say that this is addressed to men already professing to be Christians, and hence it does not touch the ground of our salvation in the finished work of Christ. But faithfulness or unfaithfulness in the use of the means God has conferred will enter largely into the question of our approval or disapproval at the appearing of the Lord, and determine largely the measure of our enjoyment of what is truly life. In the context, Timothy is exhorted to "lay hold on eternal life," and yet we know he was already delivered from condemnation.
God often warns men about the proper use of riches: "For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. . . . Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dieth he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him" (Ps. 49); "If riches increase, set not your heart upon them" (Ps. 62: 10); "Riches profit not in the day of wrath" (Prov. 11: 4); "There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing" (Prov. 13: 7); "There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt" (Eccl. 5: 13); "God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12: 20, 21); "How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God?" (Luke 18: 24.)
Yet with such admonitions scattered all through the sacred Scriptures, money is still the god of this world; alas! it is the god of many who profess to have been crucified unto the world. It is worshiped; it is regarded as the chief good; it is sought for with an eagerness that overlooks all dishonor in the method of its attainment. Women are bought with it every day, and are led to be offered as sacrifices upon the altar of mammon, exulting in their degradation and slavery. Men barter for it nobility, conscience, the soul, Christ himself. Truly "the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 1 Tim. 6: 10. Yet the sure and speedy outcome of this shameful idolatry and debasing vice is the inscription written on the tomb of the richest, "HE LEFT IT ALL."
The Home Circle.
By Wade Robinson
"WHY ART THOU CAST DOWN?"
WHAT is it ails thee, heart? why dost thou weep?
All my sweet hopings are withered and strewn;
Sweetest communion we oft time did keep,
Now they have left me, and I am alone.
Barren the earth appears, gazing around,
Barren the heavens seem, gazing above,
Dead is the music that joyed me with sound,
Silent forever the whispers of love.
Hast thou forgotten, heart? God is not dead!
Gloomy and dark may the present appear,
But from the present thou soon shalt be led
Into a daylight unspeakably clear.
Over thee, under thee, close at thy side,
Never a moment he leaves or forsakes.
Trust him, abide in him, leave him to guide,
Follow the way that in wisdom he takes.
Waker, or dreamer, or what am I now?
Oceans of loveliness—oceans of light!
Heaven itself to my vision doth bow,
Glory on glory unfolds to my sight.
Why so disquieted? why so cast down?
Hope thou in him whom thou shortly shalt praise;
Soon shall the cross be forgot in the crown,
Darkness be lost in eternity's days!
—Wade Robinson.
Population and Size of Japan
JAPAN has a population of 38,500,000, or about the same as that of the United States in 1870. In area Japan is about the size of California.
Faith and Obedience
FAITH and obedience are bound up in the same bundle. He that obeys God trusts God; and he that trusts God obeys God. He that is without faith is without works; and he that is without works is without faith.—Sel.
Persian Street Scenes.
S. G. W. BENJAMIN, recently United States Minister at the court of Persia, describes in the January Century his impressions of that country. From an illustrated paper in the number, on "Teheran," we take the following:—
"In such a climate as that of Teheran, life is naturally passed chiefly in the open air. The chill of winter, rarely severe, seems to make little difference in the habits of the people. The shops are all open to the streets; the customers stand outside, and even the shop-keeper attends to most of his business from the exterior of the shop. If he is a baker, grocer, or costermonger, in all probability he and the customer both stand in the street, retreating into the shop only when a string of camels or a dashing cortege forces them to move out of the way. A carpenter may frequently be seen arranging a piece of joinery on the pavement in front of his shop. The schools often in nowise differ from the shops; in the midst of a crowded thoroughfare one may see twenty or thirty lads seated on their heels repeating the lesson together in monotonous tone.
"Another common sight in the streets of Teheran is the itinerant barber. The Koran enjoins the masculine Mohammedan to shave his crown. The Sunnees shave the entire head, excepting a long lock in the center, whereby, it is said, the archangel may pluck them out of the grave. But the Sheahs of Persian Mussulmans shave from the forehead to the nap of the neck, leaving a highly prized lock on each side. It is, therefore, common to see a man of the lower classes seated on the pavement, going through the operation of having his head shaved. The remaining hair and the beard are dyed, and it is rare that one sees gray hairs in Teheran. The first tint applied is henna, an orange-yellow vegetable dye. Many consider this so handsome as to prefer it without the further application of indigo, which most select. The last tint combined with the henna, imparts a durable and rather agreeable dark-brown color to the hair. The women, also, have their hair dyed, and join the eyebrows with the pencil.
"All classes make use of the bath at least once a week, the wealthy having steam-baths attached to their dwellings. No Christian is ever permitted admittance to the baths of the Persians. The public baths answer the purpose of clubs and sewing-circles; the women go in the morning, take their sewing with them, and, after being thoroughly steamed and scrubbed, devote several hours to smoking the kalian, embroidering, and discussing the scandal of the neighborhood, which they assiduously circulate on their way home.
"Another street sight of Teheran is the tea-house, equivalent to the coffee-house of Constantinople, or the beer-garden of Munich. These establishments are generally thronged towards the close of the day. Both wine-drinking and card-playing are forbidden to true believers, and, therefore, neither is seen in those places of public resort. But both are indulged in at home.
"Another characteristic sight in the streets of Teheran is the bread. Persian bread is made in sheets the thickness of sole leather; the best quality is somewhat thinner. It is formed in the shape and size of a side of leather. This bread is cheap, one cent a sheet, and, what is more, it is sweet and nourishing, and, with curds, cheese, and fruit, forms a staple article of diet with a large part of the population. Consequently, one constantly meets with people carrying sheets of bread home with them, the women holding them in front like leather aprons."
Giving Up Tobacco.
THE following case, from the Half-Yearly Abstract of the Medical Sciences, for January onward to July, 1854, page 70, satisfactorily shows that tobacco can be given up. It is likewise a terrible illustration of its baneful effects on the constitution. Drs. Rankin and Radcliffe, the editors, head it, "A case of Angina Pectoris resulting from the use of tobacco," and thus introduce it: "The following case possesses a very high degree of interest." The history of the case is thus related by Dr. Corson, of New York:—
"A highly intelligent man, aged sixty-five, stout, ruddy, early married, temperate, managing a large business, after premising that he commenced chewing tobacco at seventeen, swallowing the juice, as is sometimes customary, to prevent injuring his lungs from constant spitting, and that years after he suffered from a gnawing, capricious appetite, nausea, vomiting of meals, emaciation, nervousness, and palpitation of the heart, dictated to Dr. Corson, recently, the following story:—
"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. My physician said that I had organic disease of the heart, must die suddenly, and need only take a little brandy for the painful paroxysms; and I soon found it the only thing that gave them any relief. For the next twenty-seven years I continued to suffer milder attacks like the above, lasting from one to several minutes, sometimes as often as two or three times a day or night; and to be sickly looking, thin, and pale as a ghost. Simply from revolting at the idea of being a slave to one vile habit alone, and without dreaming of the suffering it had cost me, after thirty-three year's use, I one day threw away tobacco forever.
"Words cannot describe my suffering and desire for a time. I was reminded of the Indian, who, next to all the rum in the world, wanted all the tobacco. But my firm will conquered. In a month my paroxysms nearly ceased, and soon after left entirely. I was directly a new man, and grew stout and hale as you see. With the exception of a little asthmatic breathing, in close rooms and the like, for nearly twenty years since I have enjoyed excellent health."
On examination, Dr. Corson found the heart seemingly healthy in size and structure, only irregular, intermitting still at every fourth pulsation.
After such a well-marked example of manly firmness, no one need pretend to affirm that the luxury of smoking, snuffing, plugging, or chewing, or quidding, cannot be given up; or that the stimulus of wine, or spirits, or malt liquors, cannot be relinquished.—Use and Abuse of Tobacco.
Health and Temperance.
By C. P. Bollman
Choice Tidbits for the Table.
THE following item, clipped from an Oakland daily of recent date, will be of interest to those who buy fowls or eggs from city markets:—
“DUCK FEED.
“This morning, in Justice Nusbaumer's court, John Corges, a duck merchant, pleaded guilty to maintaining a nuisance and was fined one dollar. Corges was accused of piling up offal from the slaughter house and allowing it to rot into maggots, which he fed to his ducks. Corges promised to feed his ducks on less nutritious food hereafter, that the odor of the maggity meat might not offend the nostrils of his neighbors.”
And this is not an isolated case: it is the general practice of a certain class of poultry raisers to feed their fowls in this way. Only a few days since, the writer was informed of a case near this city where a man keeps a dead horse or two constantly in his chicken yard, in order that his fowls may feed upon the putrefying flesh, and fatten upon the maggots which it produces.
What choice tidbits for the table must those carrion-fed fowls make? And what delicious eggs, composed largely of the albumen extracted from maggots and putrid horse flesh! Bah! Will the greed of those who produce food for our cities ever be curbed? and will the greediness which leads people to unquestioningly devour all sorts of dietetic abominations, ever cease? C. P. BOLLMAN.
Frescoes Discovered at Stratford Church
In restoring the church at Stratford-on-Avon, where Shakespeare was buried, frescos made before the time of the reformation were discovered on the walls.—Sel.
Deep Sea Soundings.
SOUNDINGS are taken with iron balls similar to nine-inch shot slung with wire. A hole three inches in diameter through the middle of the ball reduces its weight from ninety-six pounds (the weight of nine-inch shot) to sixty-four pounds. Through this hole a brass plunger several inches longer than the diameter of the shot is inserted. The plunger is filled with a worm, a cup, and a hook by which the shot is fastened to a reel containing 5,000 fathoms of steel wire fastened to a swivel forming the head of the plunger and led over a wheel in an iron frame several feet clear of the ship's side, and over another wheel a little below the frame. This leads the wire still further clear of the ship. The frame on which the upper wheel hangs has five hollow stanchions in which are springs, to each of which a rope is fastened, roll over roll, as in the top of the frame, and to which the wheel hangs so as to give way several feet to pass the strain which naturally comes on the wire, and would surely break it on a heavy roll of the ship, as it has done once, causing a loss of 1,600 fathoms of wire. When everything is ready, the shot is dropped overboard, and the wire runs off the reel at the rate of 1,000 fathoms in ten minutes. As soon as the plunger reaches the bottom, the hook to which the shot is fastened turns over by the slackening of the strain, and so releases it. A telltale on the axle of the reel tells how many fathoms of wire have run off. A little steam engine then winds the wire with the plunger on the reel, minus the shot which forever remains at the bottom of the ocean. The plunger consists of a hollow brass tube ten inches long, in which is inserted a worm with a cup on the lower end. The worm serves for the purpose of twisting the cup into the bed of the ocean and so fetch up a sample from the bottom. The cup is the invention of Lieutenant Belknap, United States Navy, and named after him. He has invented three different cups, but the one used on board the Enterprise is Belknap cup No. 2, and the best adapted for the purpose. The contents of the cup, after the water is drained off, are put in small bottles and labeled with latitude, longitude, and depth. These bottles are packed into boxes, to be sent to the hydrographic office in Washington.
When under steam alone the engines are stopped for sounding, but when under sail alone steam has to be gotten up and all sail taken in, as the ship has to be perfectly quiet, and to be under control, which is impossible under sail. Soundings were taken about every 100 miles, the depth usually being two or three thousand fathoms. The greatest encountered was 3,800 fathoms, or about four and a half miles. In latitude 30 degrees south and longitude 30 degrees west, shoal water of about 400 or 500 fathoms was found, revealing the existence of a range of mountains on the bottom of the ocean. (These the Challenger, an English man-of-war, on a deep-sea sounding expedition around the world ten years ago, had failed to discover.) That day fifteen soundings were taken, one every five miles, till deep water was reached again. The cost of a shot is $4.00. Lieutenant Marix, the navigator, had charge of the work, and it required a quartermaster, an assistant, and a fireman to run the engine to take a sounding, which altogether lasts about one hour. Should the shot fail to discharge, as it did once during the cruise, the whole has to be wound up again by hand, which takes three hours for a depth of 3,000 fathoms, as the engine is not powerful enough to wind up wire, shot, and all.—Baltimore Sun.
Illiteracy and Moral Education
THERE are in the United States more than six million persons over ten years of age who can neither read nor write. This class produces twenty-two times its proportion of paupers, and ten times its proportion of criminals, as compared with the rest of the population. It is estimated that these persons furnish thirty per cent. more than their proportion of the drunkards of our land. If this is an argument in favor of secular education, it is still more an argument in favor of moral and religious education. Nearly two million of these ignorant persons are voters.—Christian Hour.
Local Option Laws in the South
By Independent
Two more Southern States have local option laws—Virginia and Mississippi. The Mississippi law is a stringent one. In its general features it resembles the Georgia law, providing for elections by counties and preserving the present restrictions concerning license. If a county votes for liquor, no license can issue in any town or municipality, except upon petition signed by twenty-five free-holders. This petition must lie over for thirty days, and if in the meantime a counter-petition, signed by a majority of the legal voters of such town or municipality, is presented, license cannot be granted. This gives the friends of temperance a mighty grip on the liquor fiend, and it will go hard with them if they do not cut short his existence in Mississippi.—Independent.
The Poisonous Effects of Alcohol
M. Girard says that the grain spirit would be fairly wholesome if it were sufficiently rectified; but this is, it appears, never the case. As for the other forms of alcohol enumerated, they are one and all charged with poisonous elements of the most deadly character—acids, ethers, and essential oils—and M. Girard attributes the increase of insanity in certain of the departments mainly to the growing consumption of this vile stuff.—St. James's Gazette.
Brandy Now Made in France.
It appears from a report just furnished to the Academy of Science by M. Girard, the chief of the Paris municipal laboratory, that the production of genuine brandy has almost ceased in France. During the decade 1840-1850, the quantity of alcohol annually distilled in the country averaged some 25,000,000 gallons, seven-eighths of which were obtained from wine. In 1883, though the quantity of spirits manufactured had more than doubled, not quite 500,000 gallons were the distilled juice of the grape. Most of the alcohol now produced is made from grain, but a certain proportion of it is obtained from the distillation of cider and perry; and even beet-root, molasses, and potatoes are made to furnish a spirit, though of a very inferior kind.