HONGKONG, China, May 25, 1894.
DEAR SIR: Thinking that perhaps it would interest and also enlighten a few of your readers, I would like to contribute to your valuable paper a true description of how Sunday is observed in the British navy, and what influences the Sunday service and daily morning prayers have on the men.
The Church of England service is compulsory at least once a week, on Sunday, and prayers are supposed to be read every morning, circumstances permitting. When lying in harbors where there are nonconformist chapels, nonconformists are permitted to land to attend their different chapels, under the command of an officer or petty officer. Now, this looks very well, and I wish myself that every man would attend church or chapel; but I wonder how many of the people who admire the marines as they march through the streets to and from church, know the real feelings in many hearts at being compelled to attend church whether they like it or not. How many of the people have been on board a British man-of-war between the hours of six and ten o'clock, and have heard the cursing against church and navy for this so-called day of rest? How many of these men who advocate the compulsory attendance of these men at church, would continue to do so could they hear the fearful language of the men on a Sunday morning, as I have heard and am still compelled to hear? Ask any man who has served in the British service afloat, and he will tell you that there is more cursing and swearing on a Sunday morning than on all the remaining six days; and yet we bear the name of "Christian nation."
I will give a few details of a man-of-war's routine on Sunday morning. At 5:30 A.M. the men are turned out and the hammocks stowed. Breakfast is piped at from 5 to 6. At 6:15 the hands fall in, and in most ships the upper deck is swept and sprinkled with water, after which the decks are dried and the men coil down the ropes and clean the brass work about the upper deck. At 7 o'clock the watch below are piped to clean mess deck. At 8 A.M. the men repair to their guns and clean them. At 8:30 the hands are piped to clean, that is, put on their best clothes. In hot climates this is white clothing. They are allowed half an hour in which to dress themselves; but before the time is half gone, ship's corporals and the master at arms, who is responsible for the cleanliness of the mess deck, are ordering the men off the deck, half dressed, to the upper deck, where they are at once found fault with by the boatswain of the upper deck. In fact, Sunday morning in the British service causes a man to be in a continual state of excitement as to whether he is doing right or wrong; and can you wonder that men who are only human, curse the day on which God has ordered men to rest, or at least the day to which man has changed it?
At 9 A.M. the decks are swept, and the final touches given for the captain's inspection. The men fall in for inspection at 9:30, the captain inspecting the men as well as the ship; and as a rule more of the men get into trouble on Sunday than on any other day of the week.
After divisions, the men are allowed to stand easy for ten minutes, after which the watch and carpenters are piped to "rig church." Ships without a chaplain, when lying close to a ship that has one, usually send their men to that ship. Church rigged, the bell is tolled for church, and the men are compelled to go whether they wish it or not. If slack in moving, they are very soon moved along by the ship's corporals. So you can imagine the state of mind which the men are in when they get to church. Ships carrying three hundred hands are provided with a chaplain, who, as far as my experience extends, interests himself very little in the spiritual welfare of the men, beyond reading the church service, preaching a sermon, and reading the prayers every morning.
In ships carrying less than three hundred men the captain performs the chaplain's duties, and is it reasonable to suppose that the men can have any respect for a service which is conducted by a man who they know is not, in a good many instances, even a moral man? This is not so much the fault of the captain of the ship as the system which compels him to make a hypocrite of himself.
On one occasion when holding church on board, we were not permitted even time to say, "Amen," the commanding officer shouting out, "Clear lower deck;" and this happened when we were lying in harbor, with the anchors at bottom. The worst men in the ship, with no respect whatever for religion, remarked very strongly upon this. What a farce in reality is the British service!
I ask you whether this is doing the men any good, first, to drive them to church; second, to permit men who are not even in a good many instances moral men, to conduct the service of God on board ship; and, thirdly, why do the souls of three hundred men require a spiritual adviser, and all below that number none at all? Is it not time that such things as these were altered, and men allowed to attend church of their own free will? God says that he has given man a free will, to serve him as man pleases; so, surely, it is not the place of man to compel men to attend the service of God whether they wish it or not.
I have had nearly seven years' experience in the British navy, four of them being spent afloat, and, though a Christian man, I am decidedly against compelling men to attend church, as it is contrary to the word of God. If Sunday is to be kept as the Sabbath, let its observance be voluntary and not a mockery. I am sure the British public do not know the truth on this subject. In fact, even the majority of the officers know nothing about it, for it does not interest them. To them the men are simply human machines. This is one of the reasons that the men are embittered against the service. They say, "We are treated like dogs," as in reality they are as far as the value of their salvation is concerned.
The workingman ashore has his day of rest to himself, and can attend church or not as he pleases; but the man of the service has none of this. He is driven here and there as his superiors please, and if he were to even hint that he requires the Sabbath of God, would most likely be taken before the captain and punished. The present system is demoralizing in every way, and the sooner it is done away with the better for both men and country.
I will now conclude, hoping that this wrong may soon be righted, and the men allowed to have a free will in their service to God.
I remain your friend in His service,
A. BARTHOLOMEW, Sergt. R. M. L. I.
H. M. S. Linnet, China Station.
Workers Together with God
GOD has been working for ages and ages in storing up oil, coal, gold, silver, and soil. Man, as a child of God, is his heir. We go out and work with God, and find a pocket of gold, plant a vineyard, or save a soul. As someone has said, We think God's thoughts after him. Knowing this, Paul commanded if any would not work neither should he eat. Without work very little can be accomplished. When we awake to righteousness, all things will become sacred. Whether we plant or reap, teach or preach, we are workers together with God.—The Occident.
THE FEVER OF "DOING."
By The Christian
ONE symptom of this malady may be entitled "too much to do." How many Christians there are who are not Christlike; and were we to search out the cause, we should find that the perfect work of God has been hindered by the fever of "do and go." This has become a sort of perpetuum mobile in the life, that not only raises the physical pulse to irritation point in brain and nerve, but too often destroys the good we are seeking to do. "I can't stop to listen to you now, I am so hurried;" or, "A committee or meeting is waiting for me, and I must go." How often have we not thus hindered some troubled or anxious soul, some tempted and tried one, who came to pour it all out into our heart, who chose us in his hour of need as the one most likely to help him!
The pernicious effect of this fever in the home life is sadly apparent; father or mother, or both, are so much away from their children, so absorbed in the outside life, that their family grow up with a grudge against that which makes their own life so dreary, or they get accustomed to do without the parental friend or counselor appointed of God for their instruction and happiness. By and by, when illness comes into the schoolroom or nursery, or the cold, pale Reaper with the scythe removes some sweet bud, some blooming flower, the mother is pained and wounded to the quick to find that the presence of governess or nurse is more welcome beside the bed of suffering than her own. Those "fever-stricken" parents know less of their own hearth and home, of their children's lives and characters, than of many others. Such people wake up some day in startled surprise to find their children undutiful, ungodly, self-willed, resenting an authority which has not been established by loving intercourse and respect.
It may be that this "doing" fever is raging, not in the parents, but in some bright young girl, whose idea of serving the Lord takes roots anywhere except in the home circle. A tired or delicate mother longs for her companionship of an evening, when, the young members having retired for the night, there is an opportunity for quiet intercourse. But the sewing class or club makes it impossible to remain at home. If by chance she can do so, the sudden rebound from fever point to normal tranquillity produces physical depression and not-to-be-restrained yawns, which prove how necessary this stimulant of "do and go" has become to her existence.
What antidote is there for this disease?—Let us strive to "be" more and "do" less. "Being" implies rest, yet not idleness; life, yet not activity; steady growth rootwards, not profuse ramifications which constantly need the pruning knife. Being and abiding are twin sisters, dearly loved by the Lord. "I am," was God's first declared revelation of himself, not "I do." Let us pray for this blessed spirit of quietness and calm, so that the "doing" fever may be cast out of our life, leaving us time to sit down at His feet whose yoke is easy, whose burden is light, there to find rest for our souls.—The Christian.
NO TIME TO PRAY.
Some years ago, when the country around Cincinnati was newer than it is now, a pious farmer was busy clearing his lands. He had a number of hands employed, and was anxious to accomplish a large amount of work while the weather was favorable. He called them early, and went out with them before breakfast was ready. A horn was blown, and they came and ate, and returned again to their work.
The farmer had been accustomed to have prayers every morning in his family. But to keep so many men from chopping and log rolling while he read and prayed was more than he could afford; so Satan suggested, and the good man yielded. His pious wife saw with grief that the family altar was neglected, and her husband, in haste to get rich, was departing from God. She talked with him, she pleaded with him, but in vain. At last she determined to try another experiment.
The next morning the farmer and his men went out, as usual, to their work. The sun began to climb up the sky, but no breakfast horn was heard. They grew hungry; and looked anxiously toward the house; they listened, but still the expected summons did not come. After waiting an hour or two beyond the usual time, they went into the house. No table was set, no coffee boiling on the fire, no cook over or before it. The good wife was knitting quietly, with the Bible on her lap.
"What does this mean?" cried the husband. "Why isn't our breakfast ready?"
"I thought you were in such a hurry about your work that you hadn't time to eat."
"Haven't time to eat! Do you think we can live without eating?"
"You can live without eating as well as without praying. The spirit needs the bread of heaven as much as the body needs the bread of earth."
"Well, well," said the farmer, "get us some breakfast, and we will have prayers every morning, no matter how busy we are, or how many workmen I have."
She got the breakfast, and he kept his word. The lesson was a good one, and never forgotten.—Selected.
HOW TO RUN.
By Theo B. Wilson
BY THEO B. WILSON.
VERY few boys know how to run.
"Ho, ho!" say a dozen boys. "Just bring on the boy that can run faster than I can."
But stop a moment. I don't mean that most boys can run fast—I mean they can't run fast. I don't believe there is one boy in fifty of those who may read this who can run a quarter of a mile at a good smart pace without having to blow like a porpoise by the time he has made his distance. And how many boys are there who can run, fast or slow, a full mile without stopping?
It hardly speaks well for our race, does it, that almost any animal in creation that pretends to run at all can outrun any of us?
Take the smallest terrier dog you can find, that is sound and not a puppy, and try a race with him. He'll beat you badly. He'll run a third faster than you can, and ten times as far, and this with legs not more than six inches long. I have a hound so active that he always runs at least seventy-five miles when I stay a day in the woods with him, for he certainly runs more than seven miles an hour, and if I am gone ten hours, you see he must travel about seventy-five miles of distance. And then a good hound will sometimes follow a fox for two days and nights without stopping, going more than three hundred and fifty miles, and he will do it without eating or sleeping.
Then you may have heard how some of the runners in the South African tribes will run for long distances—hundreds of miles—carrying dispatches, and making very few stops.
I make these comparisons to show that our boys who cannot run a mile without being badly winded are very poor runners.
But I believe I can tell the boys something that will help them to run better. I was a pretty old boy when I first found it out, but the first time I tried it, I ran a mile and a602quarter at one dash, and I was not weary nor blown. And now I'm going to give you the secret:—
Breathe through your nose.
I had been thinking what poor runners we are, and wondering why the animals can run so far, and it came to me that perhaps this might account for the difference, that they always take air through the nose, while we usually begin to puff through our mouths before we have gone many rods. Some animals, such as the dog and the fox, do open their mouths and pant while running, but they do this to cool themselves, and not because they cannot get air enough through their noses.
I found once, through a sad experience with a pet dog, that dogs must die if their nostrils become stopped. They will breathe through the mouth only while it is forcibly held open; if left to themselves, they always breathe through the nose. So, possibly, we are intended to take all our breath through the nose, unless necessity drives us to breathe through the mouth.
There are many other reasons why we ought to make our noses furnish all the air to our lungs. One is, the nose is filled with a little forest of hair, which is always kept moist, like all the inner surfaces of the nose, and particles of dust that would otherwise rush into the lungs and make trouble, are caught and kept out by this little hairy network. Then the passages of the nose are longer, and smaller, and more crooked than that of the mouth, so that as it passes through them the air becomes warm; but these are only a few reasons why the nose ought not to be switched off and left idle, as so many noses are, while their owners go puffing through their mouths.
All trainers of men for racing and rowing and all other athletic contests, understand this, and teach their pupils accordingly. If the boys will try this plan, they will soon see what a difference it will make in their endurance. After you have run a few rods holding your mouth tightly closed, there will come a time when it will seem as though you could not get air enough through the nose alone; but don't give up; keep right on, and in a few moments you will overcome it. A little practice of this method will go far to make you the best runner in the neighborhood.—St. Nicholas.
COMMONPLACE LIVES.
"A COMMONPLACE life," we say and we sigh,
But why should we sigh as we say?
The commonplace sun in the commonplace sky
Makes up the commonplace day.
The moon and the stars are commonplace things,
And the flower that blooms, and the bird that sings;
And dark were the world, and sad our lot,
If the flowers should fail and the sun shine not—
And God, who studies each separate soul,
Out of the commonplace lives makes his beautiful whole.
—Home and Country Magazine.
HOME INFLUENCES.
BEFORE the Christian father leaves his home to go to his labor, he will gather his family around him, and, bowing before God, will commit them to the care of the Chief Shepherd. He will then go forth to his labor with the love and blessing of his wife, and the love of his children, to make his heart cheerful through his laboring hours. And that mother who is aroused to her duty, realizes the obligations resting upon her to her children, in the absence of the father. She will feel that she lives for her husband and children. By training her children aright, teaching them habits of temperance and self-control, and in teaching them their duty to God, she is qualifying them to become useful in the world, to elevate the standard of morals in society, and to reverence and obey the law of God. Patiently and perseveringly will the godly mother instruct her children, giving them line upon line, and precept upon precept, not in a harsh and compelling manner, but in love and in tenderness will she win them. They will consider her lessons of love, and will happily listen to her words of instruction.
Instead of sending her children from her presence, that she may not be troubled with their noise, and be annoyed with the numerous attentions they would desire, she will feel that her time cannot be better employed than in soothing and diverting their restless, active minds with some amusement or light, happy employment. The mother will be amply repaid for her efforts in taking time to invent amusement for her children.
Young children love society. They cannot, as a general thing, enjoy themselves alone, and the mother should feel that, in most cases, the place for her children, when they are in the house, is in the room she occupies. She can then have a general oversight of them, and be prepared to set little differences right, when appealed to by them, and correct wrong habits, or the manifestation of selfishness or passion, and can give their minds a turn in the right direction. That which children enjoy, they think mother can be pleased with, and it is perfectly natural for them to consult mother in little matters of perplexity. And the mother should not wound the heart of her sensitive child by treating the matter with indifference, or by refusing to be troubled with such small matters. That which may be small to the mother is large to them. And a word of direction or caution at the right time will often prove of great value. An approving glance, a word of encouragement and praise from the mother, will often cast a sunbeam into their young hearts for a whole day.—How to Live.
WANG'S TRIALS AND TRIUMPHS.
By The Gleaner
MR. WILLIAMS, of the China Inland Mission, gives us some account of the work in Pau-ning, and the history of one of the native converts, Mr. Wang, interested us much. He was formerly in the Chinese army, but left that, being troubled and unhappy in his mind, and set out to seek peace. He tried first the arts and divinations of sorcery and witchcraft, and then went to some Roman Catholic missionaries, and burned candles and repeated prayers as directed, but neither the one nor the other brought him rest or peace. Then someone told him of some of our missionaries, and he went and had a long talk with one of them, and bought an Old and New Testament, which he thoughtfully and carefully read through.
When Mr. and Mrs. C. Polhill-Turner wanted to open Song-pan near Pau-ning, they told the Chinese Christians that they wanted a man to go with them as servant, to carry a light load, and to do anything which might be required. Mr. Turner pointed out the dangers of trying to settle down in a new and hostile city, and said he wanted anyone who came to do so for Christ's sake, as he could not give them any money for their services, but would supply them with food. This man Wang came forward and said he would go. Mr. Turner again pointed out the dangers and difficulties of the undertaking, but Mr. Wang said:—
"I long sought peace in vain, but now I have read of Jesus and his power to save from sin. I have found the truth; it has brought rest to my soul, and I am ready to go for him."
So he set off with the load slung across his shoulders, but, not being a coolie, he was unused to carry burdens, and soon found it too heavy for him. He did not want to turn back, as he had volunteered to go, yet what was he to do?
"Why, I'll just tell the Lord about it," he thought, "and ask him to get me out of my difficulty."
So he prayed like a little child:—
"Lord, I have undertaken to carry this load for thy servants, and now I find it is too heavy for me; I pray thee provide some help for me."
Just as he got done praying, a strong countryman came up, and as they were going the same way, they walked on together, and Wang soon began to tell him of the Saviour he had lately found. The man became so interested that he said:—
"I must hear more of this; I will go along with you; let me carry your load; I see it is too heavy for you."
"But I cannot pay you for carrying it," said Wang.
"Never mind, I'll carry the load if you will tell me more about Jesus," said the man.
So the load was handed over to his strong shoulders, and while they went along together, his thirsty soul drank in the water of life.
Wang stood firm when the missionaries were driven out of Song-pan, and still manifests his faith by his fruit.—The Gleaner.
TEMPERANCE IN JAPAN.
By John L. Dearing
BY THE REV. JOHN L. DEARING.
THE "no-license law," against which so many good people have laughed and argued in America, and which has so often been declared to be a failure, and always destined to be, has received a practical illustration of its value in far-off Japan. Off the north coast of Japan there lies the most peculiar island in the world. Though small, its peculiarities are so great that its exact location is worth knowing. It is situated in latitude 42° 10' north and longitude 139° 33' east, and its name is Okushiri. Its greatest length is only fourteen miles, and its width about half that. Its area is fifty-six square miles. Its soil is fertile, and there is considerable lumber on the island. The farmer would find it a profitable place, or a lumberman either; but fish are so abundant off its shores, and are so easily taken, that the few inhabitants have always been fishermen, and have depended upon the herring, which approach the coast in great quantities in the spring, for their chief support, and from the sale of these fish get sufficient to feed and clothe themselves for the year, and thus live most of the time an easy, indolent life. In 1884, the time when the island began to attract attention and to distinguish itself from all others, it was the home of about 260 people. They were more addicted to the use of intoxicating drinks than Japanese fishermen usually are, and the use of sake (Japanese liquor) is a fault of most fishermen. So strong had the habit become that the people of this small island spent annually $3,000 for one kind of liquor alone, or more than $1.00 per month for every man, woman, and child on the island.
When it is realized that this was a very much larger proportion of their annual income than it would at first be thought to be by Americans, the sad results of such an expenditure for drink will be better realized, four or five dollars per month being amply sufficient for the entire support of a family at a fishing village. What wonder, then, that, in the face of such an outlay for liquor, the people often suffered severely from hunger and cold! Their houses were thatched with coarse grass, and were very poor shelter from the cold in winter. They had no roads, and but one poor school; and for their fishing they had only four good fishing nets on the island. Finally the government authorities, seeing their wretched state, urged them to adopt a system of storing provisions, so that the midwinter months' famine would not threaten them as it had; but they found themselves unable to do this on account of the payment of their sake, and nothing was left for provisions.
At this time two or three bold men began to openly denounce the sake and all alcoholic drinks, and to declare that their sufferings were all caused by the liquor. The crusade they started was met by strong opposition, but finally the inhabitants of the island entered into a compact, in July, 1884. We would like to give the compact in full, but space forbids. Suffice it to say that in its introduction it is claimed that the amount of money spent for sake has been very great, and that they are threatened by great misery; that the only way they see possible to avert ruin is by ceasing to use the liquors, and, instead, to apply the money saved to more useful purposes. They pledge themselves thus:—
ARTICLE I. We, the inhabitants of Okushiri Island, jointly and severally, in accordance with the covenant hereby required, do pledge ourselves to603abandon wholly the sale, purchase, and use of alcoholic beverages.
ARTICLE II. Any islander refusing to sign this covenant, and engaging in the sale, purchase, or use of alcohol, shall not receive sympathy or aid from his fellow-islanders as a whole, no matter what circumstances he may be placed in.
Further articles provide for heavy fines on the sale of liquor, these fines to be used in the purchase of grains to be stored in the public granary. All immigrants shall be made acquainted with the rules, and must agree to observe them, before they can be allowed to settle on the island. This covenant was to remain in force for five years, at the end of which time suitable changes could be made.
Briefly observe the results. The covenant was rigorously observed. Even government officials, of whatever rank, had to give up sake drinking when they visited the island. Of course every drinker had to reform or leave the island. In five years the population increased fivefold, and the capital invested in fishing tenfold. The bad roofs were replaced by shingles; good roads were built all over the island; four large public granaries were erected and filled with rice, and each family had a private store in reserve. At the present time it is said that they have sufficient food on hand if the fisheries should fail entirely for five years in succession. New land has been brought into cultivation, and $2,000 worth of hemp is grown annually for the manufacture of fishing nets.—The Independent.
"TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE!"
By Anonymous
Be what thou seemest; live thy creed;
Hold up to earth the torch divine;
Be what thou prayest to be made;
Let the great Master's steps be thine.
Fill up each hour with what will last;
Buy up the moments as they go;
The life above, when this is past,
Is the ripe fruit of life below.
—Anonymous.
Prejudice in Small Minds
"THERE is one thing that small minds always find room for,—large prejudices."
HEALTH A DUTY.
By Herbert Spencer
PERHAPS nothing will so much hasten the time when body and mind will both be adequately cared for, as a diffusion of the belief that the preservation of health is a duty. Few seem conscious that there is such a thing as physical morality.
Men's habitual words and acts imply that they are at liberty to treat their bodies as they please. Disorder entailed by disobedience to nature's dictates they regard as grievances, not as the effects of a conduct more or less flagitious. Though the evil consequences inflicted on their descendants and on future generations are often as great as those caused by crime, they do not think themselves in any degree criminal.
It is true that in the case of drunkenness the viciousness of a bodily transgression is recognized; but none appear to infer that if this bodily transgression is vicious, so, too, is every bodily transgression. The fact is, all breaches of the law of health are physical sins.
When this is generally seen, then, and perhaps not till then, will the physical training of the young receive all the attention it deserves.—Herbert Spencer.
The Serenity of Japanese Women
"The secret, perhaps," says a traveler, "of the sweet expression and habitual serenity of the Japanese women can be found in their freedom from small worries. The fashion of dress never varying saves the wear of the mind on that subject; and the bareness of the houses and simplicity of diet make housekeeping a mere bagatelle. Everything is exquisitely clean and easily kept so. There is no paint, no drapery, no crowd of ornaments, no coming into the house with foot gear worn in the dusty streets. And there is the peaceful feeling of living in rooms that can be turned into balconies and verandas at a moment's notice, of having walls that slide away as freely as do the scenes on the stage, and let in all out-of-doors, or change the suit of rooms to the shape and size that the whim of the day or the hour requires."—Missionary Review.
SUPERSTITIOUS WORSHIP IN INDIA.
By W. B. Boggs
THREE miles from Ramapatam, one of the stations of the Telugu mission, and on the high road leading from Nellore to Ongole, is a small village called Tettoo. Here we have a chapel, where a school and regular Sunday services are maintained.
In the early part of last year cholera was very prevalent in all that region. Many people died of it in the villages, and also travelers by the road and the canal. A woman traveling to Madras was attacked by it and died at Tettoo, under a mango tree, just opposite our chapel. As she died of cholera the people would not allow her to be buried in the village, but cast her body out among the cactus and thorn bushes near the jungle, and threw some earth over it.
About three months afterwards a very superstitious man, one of the potters of the village, on returning home one evening, reported that as he was passing the place where the woman had been buried, he heard a voice, as if it were her spirit, saying that if he would clear away the cactus and build her a proper tomb he would be cured of a disease from which he was suffering. As soon as he told his foolish fancy or willful falsehood, it was believed, and those who heard it told it to others. And the next day they went to the place and began clearing the ground, and brought stones and mortar, and built a tomb over the remains of the woman. And soon people began to flock to the place from all quarters to be cured of their infirmities and diseases. The blind, the lame, the lepers, those who were supposed to be possessed by evil spirits, and all sorts of ailing ones, came to worship. Most of them could not tell what they worshiped, whether it was the grave or the body or the spirit of the deceased woman, and when questioned they would say they came because others came, and they did as others did.
So rapidly did the superstition spread that within a few weeks thousands were coming, not only sick people, but also their relatives and friends, and multitudes more out of mere curiosity, and all sorts of tramps and adventurers, fortune tellers, jugglers, acrobats, religious beggars, etc. People came hundreds of miles, Hindus of all castes, and Mohammedans, rich people and poor, old and young. Within a month or six weeks from the time the folly commenced, the crowds had increased so that there were ten thousand people there at one time. Shopkeepers set up booths made of mats for the sale of supplies for the worshipers, peddlers of all sorts of trinkets flocked to the place, and side shows of various kinds were started.
The great majority of the worshipers were women, and the manner of their worship was as follows: They first went to the place where the woman died, under the mango tree, and there each one paid a small fee, equal to about two-thirds of a cent. The money was received by two men, who sat there for that purpose, and it was placed in safe keeping by the village officials. The promoters of the worship had taken the clothes of the dead woman, or at least what they said were her clothes, and tied them up in a bundle and hung them on the tree under which she died. And they had also the old dirty, ragged palmleaf mat on which she lay when dying. After the worshipers had paid their fee, they first walked round the tree several times with clasped hands and bowed heads, and then devoutly pressed their foreheads against the bundle of clothes and kissed them, and then walked round the old mat and bowed reverently to it, and, coming to the spot where the body of the woman had lain as soon as she was dead, each one took up a pinch of earth from the place and put it in her mouth and swallowed it.
Although each one took only as much of this sacred earth as could be held between the thumb and finger, the number of worshipers was so great that within two months an excavation had been made in the ground about six feet wide and two feet deep. They then went to the tank, or artificial lake, near by, which was muddy and thick with the tramping and bathing of the multitudes, and, having immersed themselves there, they went to the tomb, about a quarter of a mile distant, and, after having walked around it several times, presenting offerings of cocoanuts and sweetmeats and burning sticks of scented wood, they prostrated themselves, in their wet clothes, flat on the ground, with their faces to the earth, and their hands stretched out in an imploring attitude toward the grave. And there they would lie for hours, motionless, in concentric ranks, the head of all lying towards the sacred spot. We walked round about them on several occasions and among the prostrate ranks, and on one afternoon we made a rough estimate as to their number, and concluded that there must have been nearly a thousand women lying thus, their minds fixed on the poor, wretched victim of cholera, and hoping for some help or blessing. I think it was the most pitiable sight I ever witnessed, the poor lost creatures, in the depths of their depraved superstition.
THE . . . . JUDGMENT
ITS EVENTS AND THEIR ORDER.
God "hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness."
A book that will interest every student of the Bible.
This subject is treated in nine chapters, as follows: "The Investigative Judgment;" "Examination of the Books;" "God the Father, the Judge;" "Offices of Christ;" "Messages to the World;" "The Sanctuary in Heaven;" "The Crowning of Christ;" "The Executive Judgment;" "The Saints Sitting in Judgment."
The work contains 133 pages, is printed on good paper in clear type. Paper covers. Price, postpaid, 15 cents. Address,
PACIFIC PRESS PUB. CO.,
OAKLAND, CAL.
43 Bond Street, New York.
451 Holloway Road, London, N.
LIFE OF WILLIAM MILLER,
By Editor
WITH PORTRAIT.
THIS book contains sketches of the Christian experience and public labors of this remarkable man. No other man in this century has been more widely spoken of, and more generally misunderstood. These sketches were prepared by those who were his co-laborers, and are a true presentation of the leading events of his life and labors. In addition to the life and character of the man, the character of the Great Advent Movement, in which he acted so prominent a part, is clearly set forth. It is shown that Mr. Miller was no mere enthusiast, but a man of calm judgment, and his interpretation of the prophecies was mainly correct, his only mistake being in regard to the nature of the event to take place at the close of the 2300 days, in 1844. No one can consider himself well versed in the history of the advent movement in this country who has not read this book.
Contains 408 pp. Price, $1.00.
Address, PACIFIC PRESS, Oakland, Cal.
OUR LITTLE FRIEND
By Editor
An Eight-page Illustrated Weekly Paper for Children.
OUR LITTLE FRIEND is designed to be practically useful. The matter all contains the best moral and religious sentiment. It contains two grades of Sabbath-school lessons on the same subject, one for children nine years old and under, and one for children from nine to fourteen.
TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION.
By Editor
One copy, one year, postpaid, . . . 50c.
Five to nine copies to one address, each, - 45c.
Ten copies, and over, each, . . . 40c.
Sample copies free.
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MAN'S NATURE AND DESTINY.—Assorted tract package No. 5. Six subjects or chapters in one; price, 10 cents. Address, Pacific Press, Oakland, Cal.
Who Is a Missionary?
ANYONE sent to do God's errands is a missionary. Whether the service be great or small, in the home, in the church, or in the uttermost parts of the earth, if it is work for God, it is a mission, and whoever performs it is a missionary. We solemnly set apart those going out to a foreign field. We may be just as truly set apart to our work here. A successful missionary society must have missionaries at both ends of the line.—Occident.
Chinese Christians’ Missionary Giving
Thirty-two thousand native Christians in China two years ago gave $38,000 for missionary work, more than $1.00 per member, while the best report the wealthy churches of America can make is twenty-five cents per member.
Missionary Needs in Assam
At a recent Baptist Missionary Conference in Assam, the missionaries, after careful consideration of the needs of the field, felt constrained to ask for twenty-one new missionaries.
WHAT A LITTLE GIRL DID.
By Methodist Recorder
A GOOD many years ago a little girl of twelve years of age was passing an old brick prison in the city of Chicago, on her way to school, when she saw a hand beckoning from behind a cell window, and heard a weary voice asking her to please bring him something to read.
For many weeks after, she went to the prison every Sunday, carrying the poor prisoner a book to read from her father’s library. At last, one day, she was called to his deathbed.
"Little girl," said he, "you have saved my soul. Promise me that you will do all your life for the poor people in prison what you have done for me."
The little girl promised, and she kept her promise. Linda Gilbert has been all her life the steadfast friend of the prisoner. She has established good libraries in many prisons, and visited and helped hundreds of prisoners; and from the great number whom she has helped, six hundred are now, to her certain knowledge, leading honest lives. Prisoners from all parts of the country know and love her name, and surely the God of prisoners must look upon her work with interest. And all this because a little girl heard and heeded the call to help a suffering soul.—Methodist Recorder.