p. 15 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 20. (5/15/1901)

Earlier text: Discounted Musical Instruments for Readers

LADY AGENTS WANTED

By W. S. Dann

For a line of health garments. See cut of All-ways Ready Shirt Waist and Skirt Supporter.

Holds waist down and skirts up. No sewing. Its equal never made. Price, 30 cents. Stamps taken. Catalogue free.

W. S. Dann, 1916 Cuming St., Omaha, Neb.

EGGS

By C. H. Tyrrell

EACH VARIETY $1.00 AND $2.00 PER 15

Fancy Black Langshans, White Wyandottes and Barred Plymouth Rocks

Illustrated Price-list and Valuable Information free for stamp.

C. H. TYRRELL SIOUX RAPIDS, IOWA

BAPTISM: Its Significance, Its Nature, and the Necessity for It.

By Ellet Joseph Waggoner

By E. J. Waggoner. Bible Students' Library, No. 79. Pacific Press Pub. Co., Oakland, Cal. 16 pp.; 2 cents.

OUR PREMIUMS.

By Editor

Our premium watches are of the best makes. They are no shams or cheap things made simply to sell. They are good, substantial time-keepers, neat and handsome in appearance; and the best of it is they are being secured by a number of agents who are sending us the required number of new subscriptions. What one has done, another can do. If the reader is in need of a watch, why not set about securing one of ours? A description of our watch and our offer will appear in new form next week.

It is encouraging to see so many securing our premium Bible. Others may avail themselves of this offer. The Bible is just as represented. The size of the book 8x6x1½ inches. See the advertisement in another column.

SHOW THE PEOPLE THE SIGNS.

One of our agents sends a subscription, and says, under date of April 24:— “I showed him the Outlook number, and before I had opened it he said, ‘I’ll take that,’ and gave me the money for a year’s subscription. He said he heard a course of lectures in Alabama several years ago on the prophecies, and that a man was getting subscribers for the Signs and wanted him to subscribe too; but he did not, and he said that he had been sorry ever since, and that was the first one of the papers he had seen since, and he seemed glad to see it. It made me think of the scripture that says, ‘In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand; for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.’”

THE TALENTS.

By M. C. Wilcox

By M. C. Wilcox. A brief essay on “The Parable of the Talents,” showing that the talents represent the various gifts of the Spirit which God bestows as he will upon those who are consecrated to him, with the duties and blessed privileges involved therein. Bible Students’ Library, No. 77; 16 pp., price 2 cents.

Testimonies for the Church

Volume Six, Number Thirty-four

The world is full of stirring events and portentous signs, showing us how rapidly we are being borne toward the end.

The subject matter of Volume Six deals with present-day issues, and questions which confront us now.

This volume is uniform in size and binding with the previous numbers, and will complete your set. All profits on this book will go toward the relief of the Christiania Publishing House.

Prices

Muslin : : : : : : $1.00

Leather : : : : : : 1.50

Thin Paper, Limp Leather 1.50

Address Your State Tract Society

Pacific Press Publishing Company or Branches

Review and Herald Publishing Company or Branches

Manual for Canvassers

The matter contained in the “Manual for Canvassers” is largely taken from late Testimonies, and is therefore applicable to the present conditions and needs of the book work. Its contents will commend it to workers in all lines, but especially to those engaged in the circulation of publications.

70 Pages, Russia, 25 Cents

Obtainable of your State Tract Society, or

PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY or Branches

REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING CO. or Branches

What Uncle Sam Thinks of the Densmore and New Century

During the year 1899, the U. S. Department of Agriculture purchased 25 Densmores; the U. S. Department of Justice, 52 Densmores; the U. S. Interior Department, 71 Densmores; and the U. S. Weather Bureau purchased 50 New Centurys.

The Densmore and New Century include sterling features of permanent merit; otherwise they would not be selected from the many machines offered, and be re-ordered year after year.

United Typewriter and Supplies Co.

BIBLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS CONCERNING MAN.

By Alonzo T. Jones

By Alonzo T. Jones. Bible Students’ Library, No. 76. Pacific Press Pub. Co., Oakland, Cal. 16 pp.; 2 cents.

Living by Faith

"Living by Faith." (Spanish.) A translation of Bible Students' Library No. 75; 16 pp.; price, 2 cents. Address, PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO., Oakland, Cal.

Storms as Signs of the Approaching Day

The reports of great storms and floods continue to be written up by the daily press. We should keep our eye on these things, and mark the significance of them. The individual does not need to be more than eighteen or twenty years of age in order to be perfectly aware of the fact from his own observation that these storms are greatly on the increase. What do they signify? Have you ever thought upon it? The Master has said: “There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:25-28. It is certainly plain enough that this scripture tells what is the significance of this unusual activity of the elements. The expression “the sea and the waves roaring,” could not have reference to anything aside from the great prevalence of the storm-king's fury. And every one knows that the Lord has put something right in the storm itself that compels the conviction, as we see the elements in this furious commotion, that the end of all things is at hand. Will we be admonished by these evidences of the approaching day, or will we go on in our course of carelessness until we bring ruin upon ourselves?

NOTES ON THE CONFERENCE.

THERE is one branch of the work which we will mention in these notes, namely, the educational. For many years the central school of the denomination has been Battle Creek College, designed primarily as a school for Christian workers. At the first it was situated in the outskirts of the city, but since the first building was erected the city has more than doubled its population, and the college buildings are in the midst of a residence portion of the town.

A TRUE Christian school of the highest character must be an industrial, practical school, as well as a school in which are taught science, history, philosophy, ethics, etc. Physical exercise is necessary in order to preserve the equilibrium of the system and conserve physical health. If this physical exercise can be largely taken in educating the student in those pursuits of life which minister to the good of humanity, how much better it is than to expend it in games or sports which minister broken limbs and ruined constitutions, excite the spirit of gambling, and often lead to direful results. Not all students engage in such sports in the large schools of the country, but those who use all possible time in study frequently find themselves life-long dyspeptics and nervous wrecks. All these evils are, to a great extent, corrected by a properly-conducted Christian industrial school.

ANOTHER thought: Education among men of various characters, education in the town and city, is frequently of a superficial character, and at its best, incomplete. It breeds insincerity from constant contact with men who hide their true purposes and motives. On the contrary, nature and its associations inculcate sincerity. Nature and its works do not deceive. A strength of character is developed in association with nature in all her moods that the city can not give. And strength of character and pureness of purpose are more than mere culture or polish. The great men of the land are those from rural communities. The cities must be replenished from the country, at least after one or two generations.

APPRECIATING the truth of the foregoing, Battle Creek College stockholders and board of directors have planned to sell the college to the sanitarium, and move the school to a point farther west, in the fruit belt of Michigan, where the school may be made an industrial school indeed, and the book of nature may be studied and compared with the Book of life, God's Holy Word. We shall say more hereafter, as plans more fully develop.

In an address before the Southern Educational Conference, recently held in Greensboro, N. C., Dr. Chas. H. Parkhurst had a good deal to say about the corruption of the New York City government. Among other things he told of an insult that was given to his wife on the streets of New York by an officer of the law. Speaking of this experience he said of his wife that she “walked a few blocks up town to a certain street. There she was accosted and addressed in a manner of the grossest impropriety by one of our so-called uniformed protectors. I mean that one of the men who are supposed to be the guardians of lives and property, the protectors of the weak, addressed her in a gross and outrageous way. I can not here repeat what he said.” It seems incredible that conditions have reached the place where an officer of the law can feel safe in offering insult to a lady in the open streets of a great city. How can public indignation keep from rising so high that it will drive such occurrences from the face of the earth? There can be but one solution, and that is that the public conscience has become so callous to the crimes and vices of the time that it does not notice them. And right in the midst of this social gangrene men are proclaiming the fable that the world is getting better. The facts will not warrant the statement. Let us learn to look at facts rather than to fanciful theories.

Truth Manifested in Life

Christian brother or sister, it is not the theory of the truth which you speak that will save souls, but it is the truth that you manifest in your life that wins.

“God is Spirit,” and every part of God’s work is spiritual or should be in its purpose, in its life, in its fruitage. If this be not the case, it is because that work is operated by unconsecrated persons or on wrong principles.

The world, the unconsecrated, the carnal-minded, study facts; but the child of God feeds upon, absorbs, truth. Facts are cold and dead; truth is living, life-giving, mighty. It is well to know facts, but facts will not of themselves save. Truth alone sanctifies and saves; for Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life.”

“New light on the Bible” is quite a common expression in connection with the discoveries of archaeologists. It would often be more correct to say that the Bible gives the light on the discoveries. After all, the best light on the Scriptures of truth comes thru implicit faith in what they say. The “Spirit of truth,” which is given to “guide us into all truth,” is the infallible guide of the true believer; and true faith is manifested in practical obedience.

Prosperity of the Review and Herald Publishing House

Our sister institution, the Central publishing house at Battle Creek, Michigan, commonly known as the Review and Herald Publishing House, has had a prosperous year. At a meeting of its forty-first annual session held in the Tabernacle, April 16, 1901, reports showed that the net gain of the institution for the year 1900, was over $16,600. Of this $6,800 had been variously donated, leaving an actual net gain of $9,857.78. The net profit on the Review and Herald was $3,852.55. Five other periodicals are published. The increase in book sales amounts to $16,353. We are glad of this prosperity, and bid our brethren God speed in their work.

A CORRECT PRINCIPLE.

HON. POPE BROWN is one of the prospective candidates for Governor of Georgia in the next campaign in that State. He was recently a delegate to a Baptist convention in Georgia, and the report got out that he did some electioneering while there. He was communicated with direct upon the subject, and a part of his reply is these sound sentiments:—

“I do not regard a Baptist convention as the proper body for nominating political candidates, either Democrat or Prohibitionist. It will certainly be a sad day for Georgia when our religious assemblies resolve themselves into political caucuses, and any man who would seek to prostitute them for such purpose is unfit to be the candidate of any party.”

The Baptists have made some splendid history in the cause of religious freedom. Heroic work along this line is still needed, and it is cheering to read such strong, sound sentiments as these. There are some who think that the battle for religious freedom has been fought, and that the victory is forever won. But there was never a greater delusion. The very fact that such a large majority feel so secure in their freedom for the time being gives the old enemy of liberty the chance that he desires to work out his evil designs and foist them upon the world. And the sad part of it is, that as he does it the people still think they are exercising their liberties in the very transactions that give them away. It is only when men recognize the danger, that they feel for the foundation principles, and lay hold upon the solid rock of truth. There is much that passes for freedom which, when examined properly, is nothing less than the seed of tyranny and oppression.

Business Despotism and the Need of God’s Power

It is stated that as a result of his recent maneuvers in the steel business, J. Pierpont Morgan has brought under his control about one-third of the working capital of the nation. Such money power as that means business despotism. And business despotism carries with it every other form of despotism. All forms of tyranny are wrapped up in the same package. And the individual can not be a very close observer who does not see that in many different ways this country is being dragged from her democratic principles, and business despotism, and ecclesiastical despotism, and civil despotism, are before her. The time is not very far off when these things will be strongly exercised, and no one will be able to stand before them unless he is possessed of power from on high. We need the wisdom of God to guide us and the power of God to keep us in these times.

Jesus Christ, the One Saviour

The false religions of the world are so many varied efforts of man to save himself. They are all acknowledgments on the part of the devotees that they are in a lost condition. There is almost a universal acknowledgment that man needs a Saviour; that he is out of harmony with his God. The matter of which he is really ignorant is how to find a way out of his trouble; how to find a Saviour that can give him peace. There is just one way of salvation, one Saviour that can make peace between the sinner and his Creator. That one way, that one Saviour, is Jesus Christ. “Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12.

BOUND VOLUMES.

Bound Volumes of the Signs of the Times for the year 1900 can now be had. They will be sent, postpaid, at the following prices:—

Bound, cloth sides, leather back and corners $2 50

heavy manila paper 1 50