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Signs of the Times, Vol. 39, No. 25.

To the Reader
Earlier text: An Appeal to Christians

A Noble Utterance for Liberty

(From Speech of Senator Crockett, in the Senate of the State of Arkansas, in February, 1887)
SIR, I take shame to myself as a member of the General Assembly of 1885, which repealed the act of religious protection which this bill is intended to restore. It was hasty and ill-advised legislation, and, like all such, has been only productive of oppressive persecution upon many of our best citizens, and of shame to the fair fame of our young and glorious State. Wrong in conception, it has proved infamous in execution, and under it such ill deeds and foul oppressions have been perpetrated upon an inoffensive class of free American citizens in Arkansas, for conscience' sake, as should mantle the cheek of every lover of his State and country with indignant shame.
For nearly half a century, the laws of our State, constitutional and statutory, were in accord with our national Constitution, in guaranteeing to every citizen the right to worship God in the manner prescribed by his own conscience, and that alone. The noble patriots who framed our nation's fundamental law, with the wisdom taught by the history of disastrous results in other nations from joining Church and State, and fully alive to so great a danger to our republican institutions and their perpetuity, so wisely constructed that safeguard of our American liberties, that for forty years after its ratification there was no effort to interfere with its grand principle of equal protection to all, in the full enjoyment and exercise of their religious convictions. Then petitions began to pour in from the New England States upon the United States Senate "to prevent the carrying and delivery of the mails upon Sunday"—which they declared was set aside by "divine authority as a day to be kept holy."
The petitions were referred to the committee on postal matters, and the report was made by the Hon. Richard M. Johnson, one of the Fathers of the Democratic Party. I quote the following from that report, which was adopted unanimously, and "committee discharged":
"Among all the religious persecutions with which almost every page of modern history is stained, no victim ever suffered but for violation of what government denominated the law of God. To prevent a similar train of evils in this country, the Constitution has withheld the power of defining the divine law. It is a right reserved to each citizen. And while he respects the rights of others, he can not be held amenable to any human tribunal for his conclusions. . . . The obligation of the Government is the same on both these classes [Sabbatarians and Sunday keepers]; and the committee can discover no principle on which the claims of one should be more respected than those of the other, unless it be admitted that the consciences of the minority are less sacred than those of the majority."
Listen to that last sentence! But again I quote:
"What other nations call religious toleration, we call religious rights. They are not exercised in virtue of governmental indulgence, but as rights, of which government can not deprive any portion of citizens, however small. Despotic power may invade those rights, but justice still confirms them."
And again:
"Let the national legislature once perform an act which involves the decision of a religious controversy, and it will have passed its legitimate bounds. The precedent will then be established, and the foundation laid, for the usurpation of the divine prerogative in this country, which has been the desolating scourge to the fairest portions of the Old World. Our Constitution recognizes no other power than that of persuasion, for enforcing religious observances."
Sir, it was my privilege during the last two years to travel through our Northwestern States in the interest of immigration. I delivered public lectures upon the material resources of Arkansas, and the inducements held out by her to those who desired homes in a new State. I told them of her cloudless skies and tropical climes, and bird songs as sweet as vesper chimes. I told them of her mountains and valleys, of her forests of valuable timber, her thousands of miles of navigable waters, her gushing springs, her broad, flower-decked and grass-carpeted prairies, sleeping in the golden sunshine of unsettled solitude. I told them, sir, of the rich stores of mineral wealth sleeping in the sunless depths of her bosom. I told them of our God-inspired liquor laws, of our "pistol laws," of our exemption laws, and O, sir!—God forgive me the lie—I told them that our constitution and laws protected all men equally in the enjoyment and exercise of their religious convictions. I told them that the sectional feeling engendered by the war was a thing of the past, and that her citizens, through me, cordially invited them to come and share this glorious land with us, and aid us to develop it.
Many came and settled up our wild lands and prairies, and where but a few years ago were heard in the stillness of the night the howl of the wolf, the scream of the panther, and the wail of the wildcat, these people for whom I am pleading, came and settled—and behold the change! Instead of the savage sounds incident to the wilderness, now are heard the tap, tap, tap, of the mechanic's hammer, the rattle and roar of the railroad, the busy hum of industry, and softer, sweeter far than all these, is heard the music of the church bells as they ring in silvery chimes across the prairies and valleys, and are echoed back from the hillsides throughout the borders of our whole State.
These people are, many of them, Seventh-day Adventists and Seventh-day Baptists. They are people who religiously and conscientiously keep Saturday, the seventh day, as the Sabbath, in accordance with the fourth commandment. They find no authority in the Scripture for keeping Sunday, the first day of the week, nor can any one else. All commentators agree that Saturday is and was the Scriptural Sabbath, and that the keeping of Sunday, the first day of the week, as the Sabbath, is of human origin, and not by divine injunction. The Catholic writers and all theologians agree in this.
These people understand the Decalogue to be fully as binding upon them to-day as when handed down amid the thunders of Sinai. They do not feel at liberty to abstain from their usual avocations, because they read the commandment, "Six days shalt thou labor," as mandatory, and they believe that they have no more right to abstain from labor on the first day of the week than they have to neglect the observance of Saturday as their Sabbath. They agree with their Christian brethren of other denominations in all essential points of doctrine, the one great difference being upon the day to be kept as the Sabbath. They follow no avocations tending to demoralize the community in which they live. They came among us expecting the same protection in the exercise of their religious faith as is accorded to them in all the States of Europe, in South Africa, Australia, the Sandwich Islands, and every State in the Union except—alas that I should say it!—Arkansas! Sir, under the existing law, there have been in Arkansas, within the last two years, three times as many cases of persecution for conscience' sake as there have been in all the other States combined since the adoption of our national Constitution. [That is not true now. See elsewhere in this issue.—Ed. S. of T.]
Let me, sir, illustrate the operation of the present law by one or two examples. A Mr. Swearingen came from a Northern State and settled a farm in Benton County. His farm was four miles from town, and far away from any house of religious worship. He was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and after having sacredly observed the Sabbath of his people (Saturday) by abstaining from all secular work, he and his son, a lad of seventeen, on the first day of the week went quietly about their usual avocations. They disturbed no one—interfered with the rights of no one. But they were observed, and reported to the grand jury—indicted, arrested, tried, convicted, fined; and having no money to pay the fine, these moral Christian citizens of Arkansas were dragged to the county jail and imprisoned like felons for twenty-five days—and for what?—For daring in this so-called land of liberty, in the year of our Lord 1887, to worship God!
Was this the end of the story?—Alas, no, sir! They were turned out; and the old man's only horse, his sole reliance to make bread for his children, was levied on to pay the fine and costs, amounting to thirty-eight dollars. The horse sold at auction for twenty-seven dollars. A few days afterward the sheriff came again, and demanded thirty-six dollars,—eleven dollars balance due on fine and costs, and twenty-five dollars for board for himself and son while in jail. And when the poor old man—a Christian, mind you—told him with tears that he had no money, he promptly levied on his only cow, but was persuaded to accept bond, and the amount was paid by contributions from his friends of the same faith. Sir, my heart swells to bursting with indignation as I repeat to you the infamous story. . . .
On next Monday, at Malvern, six as honest, good, and virtuous citizens as live in Arkansas are to be tried as criminals for daring to worship God in accordance with the dictates of their own consciences, for exercising a right which this Government, under the Constitution, has no power to abridge. Sir, I plead, in the name of justice, in the name of our republican institutions, in the name of these inoffensive, God-fearing, God-serving people, our fellow citizens, and last, sir, in the name of Arkansas, I plead that this bill may pass, and this one foul blot be wiped from the escutcheon of our glorious commonwealth.

A Proposed Constitutional Amendment

DECEMBER 14, 1875, the Hon. James G. Blaine proposed a constitutional amendment which ought to have carried:
"No State shall make any law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; and no money raised by school taxation in any State, for the support of public schools, or derived from any public fund therefor, nor any public lands devoted thereto, shall ever be under the control of any religious sect; nor shall any money so raised, or lands so devoted, be divided between religious sects or denominations."
The House passed this August 14, 1876, by a vote of "Yeas" 180 to "Nays" 7, and added the words, "This article shall not vest, enlarge, or diminish legislative power in Congress." It was further amended in the Senate, but failed to secure the necessary two-thirds vote, the vote standing, "Yeas" 28 to "Nays" 16. Both of the political parties that year inserted in their platforms declarations on the subject of religious freedom. (See "American State Papers," page 349, new edition.)

Freedom of Sunday Observance

"The enforced observance of a day held sacred by one of the sects is a discrimination in favor of that sect, and a violation of the freedom of the others. . . . Considered as a municipal regulation, the legislature has no right to forbid or enjoin the lawful pursuit of a lawful occupation on one day of the week, any more than it can forbid it altogether."—Chief Justice Terry, of the Supreme Court of California.

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Sabbath

The day of the Sabbath confuses many honest inquirers. What day is it? or is it any particular day? These questions are carefully answered in "The Day of the Sabbath," Apples of Gold Library, No. 50. A copy of this little help, post-paid, 2 cents; $1.00 a hundred. This office.

The Law

That question of "Under the law? or under grace?" is a constantly recurring one. Bible Students' Library tract No. 163 gives a careful answer from the Bible. Single copy, 2 cents; a hundred, $1.00. This office.

A Needed and Useful Work

WE commend to our readers a book entitled "American State Papers, Bearing on Sunday Legislation — Legislative, Executive, and Judicial." The first edition was compiled and annotated by William Addison Blakely, of the Chicago Bar, for some years Doctor of Philosophy and Lecturer on Political Science and History in the University of Chicago, member of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. The last edition has been edited by Willard Allen Colcord, of Washington, D. C., author of "The Rights of Man." Contents and Foreword by Judge Thomas M. Cooley, author of "Constitution Limitations." Published by the Religious Liberty Association, of Washington, D. C. This compilation brings together in convenient form, with excellent index, more upon the subject of religious liberty, the utterances of the Government in its threefold phase, and of prominent men, than any other work in existence. It gives the Sunday laws of the various States, the progress which has been made toward religious legislation in this country. Its nearly 800 pages are packed full of just such material as every judge, legislator, executive officer, of any nation, State, or municipality, every teacher, every professional man, and every patriotic citizen, ought to have. We cordially commend it. Its price is only, cloth, $1.25; full law sheep, $2.00; flexible leather, $2.50. It may be obtained at this office.

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A small work which you will appreciate as a help in the study of the prophetic Word is "The Sure Word of Prophecy," by Pastor M. H. Brown. Primarily it deals with the prophecies of the book of Daniel and their fulfilment, shedding forth the light that this book contains upon present-day movements and conditions. Price, 10 cents. This office.
Whether fully acquainted, or partially so, with the history given in Daniel 7, you will find its careful outline in "Waymarks to the Holy City" intensely interesting. It is what its name suggests, a tract pointing out the events which are truly waymarks of prophecy. Single copy, 2 cents, post-paid; $1.00 a hundred. This office.

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True Love Begins at Home

HOME is the door whence our best blessings flow, And they who, like that Roman dame of old, Prize home's wealth first, they best can feel and know How to reach kindly hands into the cold Of this great world, and call the wanderer back, And bear God's message far across the seas, Where Arabs cower in the simoon's track, Or billows harden in the Arctic breeze.
True love begins at home. The children dear Whom God has sent to cheer my earthly way, Clasp tendril hands about my nature here, And link me fast to others far away. What easy lessons God gives first to learn! Love father, mother, sister, brother, friend, And wife and children; then may we discern To love our neighbors to the great earth's end.
True love begins at home, and, reaching thence, Twines sympathetic arms round all our race, And fills our interval of time and sense With airs from heaven, its native dwelling- place. Love's royal banner floats above our heads; Beneath its folds majestic do we rest. Home's window-star its radiance outward sheds,— Come in, lone heart, be thou a welcome guest. — T. R. Williamson.

A Christian Home a Light in the World

By Mary Alice Hare Loper, M.S.
On the rock-bound shore, where the harbor is dangerous, stands the lighthouse, which by being kept constantly illuminated at night, guides incoming ships, lest they be stranded or broken to pieces on the treacherous rocks. The Christian home stands on the shores of time, and looks out upon the sea of life, its ever-constant gleam directing seafaring souls to a safe harbor. "Ye are the light of the world," applies to every Christian; and altho his home may be humble, the light may be far-reaching. Never did a home send forth such a light as that which emanated from the rude manger in Bethlehem, when He came who was and is the Light of the world. And the home in which this Light abides to-day, sheds saving rays which guide tempest-tossed souls to the haven of eternal rest. One can scarcely think of such a home without contrasting it with that in which Christlike characteristics are wanting.
The twining rose of love so softly clambers About the threshold, while the ivy green Of happiness so delicately wanders, And spreads o'er all, its friendly emerald sheen.
Such a home is a resting-place for the weary; a wayside inn where the deserving guest may find extended to him a sincere welcome and true hospitality. His greeting does not include the uncomfortable inquiry, "How long are you going to stay?" Here he finds the congenial atmosphere of unselfishness; for the sentiment seems to be, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." "When the wandering wind finds out an eolian harp, it becomes musical." Likewise when an opportunity to cheer a fellow traveler on the path of life comes to one who rightly appreciates it, his benignant soul immediately responds.
In the cherished autograph album of my school-days a thoughtful girl friend inscribed the helpful quotation, "Trifles make perfection, but perfection is no trifle." The great billowy sea is made up of single drops of water, and its boundless shores are composed of single grains of sand. The single touches of the artist's brush one by one bring out the marvelous beauty of the completed picture. The single blows from the sculptor's chisel gradually reveal the outlines of the perfected statue. Similarly, the single opportunities for making others happy, rightly improved, little by little give to life's panoramic picture its marvelous tints and radiant hues; one by one shape the beautiful monument of a Christian character. Christianity is of the heart and soul; it is living; while affectation is but outward show, an artificial flower, devoid of the living luster and inward fragrance which so endear the genuine to human hearts.
There is a work of kindness, sympathy, and helpfulness to be done in every neighborhood, and the Christian appreciates the "day of small things." There are many occasions for lightening sorrows, alleviating suffering, and adding to the comfort and happiness of those in need. Only by improving them does one find the highest happiness himself. One sorrowing heart made joyful affords more true pleasure than all the selfish enterprises of a whole lifetime.
The Christian dwells in an atmosphere of usefulness. He stoops to pluck thorns from the pathway of others when his own inclinations would lure him on to more inviting employment. He yields cheerfully his preferences, and believes in the lesson taught by the story of the good Samaritan,—that kindness is never so beautiful as when exercised in behalf of an enemy. His courage, cheerfulness, and happiness in times of trial prove him to be the happiest person in the world. To him every storm-cloud has its rainbow, every shadow has its sunshine, and every tempest has its "Peace, be still." And it matters not how trackless may be his course over the sea of life, his ear catches the sweet, familiar echo through the mist of nineteen hundred years, "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid."
There is an air of refinement and culture about the Christian home. It is not a dispensary for gossip, nor does it represent neighborhood difficulties. The library reveals appreciation of the greatest thoughts ever given to man—the blessed Bible; and the members of the household seek to practise its precepts. They remember to pay back as much as they borrow, and are honest in every detail of business. Their word is as reliable as their note, for their promises are made in sincerity. They have not joined the church for the sake of brightening their business prospects. Genuine Christians are Christlike, and for this reason they refrain from doing that which is hypocritical. Their Christianity is the same every day in the week, and does not change with the seasons. The old colored woman's remark, "Dey get religion in de wintah, and sweat it out in de summah," does not apply to them.
Young people who go out from Christian homes, carry with them an influence for right and truth, and set such an example of integrity of character as the world admires.
Others may know us better than we know ourselves; but they appreciate most him who is upright in all his ways, who is most thoughtful in performing little acts of kindness which add to their happiness. The Christian sometimes makes mistakes; but when he does, he seeks to correct them, and to keep his "conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men."
From the Christian homes of the Bible there come to us to-day precious rays of light. After three thousand years we still see shining from the tented homes of Israel, on the fatal night when the first-born of Egypt were slain, a gleam of light which attests to God's protecting care for those who implicitly believe and obey Him. The light of hospitality in that humble home at Shunem, where a little room was added for the accommodation of Elisha and his servant when they might be passing that way, is still visible through the mist of twenty-eight centuries. King David kindled a ray of immortal hope for orphans and homeless cripples when he welcomed as his own son, to his palace in Jerusalem, Mephibosheth, the grandson of Saul. From a cottage prayer-meeting at the home of Mary in the suburb of Jerusalem, comes the light of effectual prayer, when Peter was miraculously delivered from prison. Who has not beheld the light which gleams from the little home at Bethany which so often served as a stopping-place for Jesus as He quietly "went about doing good"? Mary and Martha and Lazarus, two sisters and one brother, were all that remained of that broken family circle. They were not all perfect, but in some way the atmosphere about the place was such that the Master loved to be there, and they greatly enjoyed entertaining Him. From every Christian home to-day there shines a beacon light which speaks of the Master's presence, and invites the world to participate in the joys of His companionship.
There are those amid the darkness of this world who appreciate the light which shines from the Christian home, where are extended the thoughtful courtesies of life, and the pleasing hospitality which bespeaks faith in Him who has given us the kindly admonition, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

The Power of Example

“A good example before one’s neighbor’s children is the most potent power for good. It far excels words; and a bad example destroys more than every other agency can build up.”

A Family Without Prayer

"A FAMILY without prayer is like a house without a roof, exposed to all injury of weather, and to every storm that blows."

The Cost of Low Living

“O THAT the nation was one thousandth part as alarmed over the cost of low living as over the high cost of living!”

The Irretrievable Unkind Word

“An unkind word falls easily from the tongue, but a coach with six horses can not bring it back.”

The Brave Soul and Disaster

"The brave soul can mend even disaster."

Features of the Coming Issues

6. Man’s nature. What is man? Is he mortal, or immortal? What has he lost by sin? What gain is there in righteousness? There will be seven articles dealing with man’s nature.
7. What is the reason of the spirit of lawlessness that there is in the world at the present time? Is there any standard of law other than man’s own impulses? We have six articles on the law of God, written in an entirely original way, which will be of interest and help to our readers.
8. Has God a message for this time? He has had for other ages of the world. There will be seven articles on God’s great message of to-day, a message which this world needs.
9. There will be twenty-five articles from Mrs. E. G. White along Gospel lines, dealing with practical godliness and home religion.
10. There will be twenty-five Bible readings on various phases of Bible doctrine and teaching.
11. There will be eleven soul-inspiring articles for the home circle, not only on its moral and social side but on its health side as well.
12. The great mission fields of the world will be continually kept before our readers, that they may know how God’s Gospel is going to the world.
13. The question page will still, as in the past, be full of answers to various inquiries from our readers.
Besides this there will be many other articles which we may not mention. The editorial columns will keep our readers in touch with the great world movements, and the “Signs of the Times” will be in every way a live, up-to-date journal, helpful to the minister, helpful to the lay member, helpful in the home.
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The Next Six Months

There are living issues in the world to-day — religious, political, social — and nearly all of these great issues have religious phases. The great nations of the world are in a ferment. Uneasiness, unrest, uncertainty, characterize the great mass of people everywhere. What is to be the outcome of it all? If there ever was a time when the watchmen of God should be lifting faithful voices in warning, it is now. This the “Signs of the Times” will endeavor to do in its issues for the next six months. Let us give again briefly some of the things planned for our next series by writers well informed, lucid, and interesting:
1. What is the meaning of the great world movements? What do the signs of the times denote? the federation and the peace movement? the war preparations? the increase of spiritism and kindred cults? the spirit of unrest and revolution? the church-and-state movements which are sweeping over the world? These will be presented, and in the light of prophecy, by various writers, and correspondents from the great world centers.
2. The coming of our Lord, and what it means. There will be six special articles upon this. There are many who are predicting a change in dispensation of some kind, some great revolution to sweep over the earth. These articles will tell us what we may expect.
3. The Sabbath question has become a world-wide question. It enters not only theological circles, but social and political circles as well. There will be seven articles on the great Sabbath question.
4. The world needs a Saviour. The one Being above all others in whom dwells the fulness which the world’s emptiness demands is Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore Christ, in nine different phases of office and work, will be presented in a series of articles entitled “The Fulness of Christ.”
5. The priesthood of our Lord will be a study of interest as compared with the various conceptions of priests, pagan, Jewish, and Christian.

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Limiting Yourself

MR. SUNDAY LAW PROMOTER, You are jeopardizing your own liberty in working for a Sunday law. Suppose you are successful, and are enabled to enact as stringent a law as the Lord's Day Alliance of Canada has done, or as exists in the State of Georgia, for instance. After you have accomplished this, you might wish to become a seventh-day observer, and under such circumstances could not afford to observe two days; you would find it necessary to employ Sunday in proper, legitimate labor. But in this you would find yourself hampered, limited, made a criminal, by your own law. You would find that you had by your human unwisdom in a decided way limited your own freedom. But you say you will not change. You do not know. Saul of Tarsus found that it was "hard to kick against the goads," and changed his course in harmony with God's way. From his exceeding madness against heretics, he came to that state of mind in which he thus expresses the ruling principle of his life: "For the love of Christ constraineth us."
"Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men." Do not place upon the statute-books any law that will limit your own freedom of choice.

Bible Version and Quotation Policy

Our authority is the Bible, the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. When the Common ("King James" or "Authorized") Version or the American Standard Revised Version is used, the version will not generally be designated in reference. Any Bible quotation in this paper, therefore, differing from the Common Version, unless otherwise indicated, will be almost invariably from the American Standard edition of the Revised Bible, copyright 1910, by Thomas Nelson & Sons.
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Contained in This Issue

Question Corner

3788 — 2 Tim. 3:14-17; 3789 — The Power of the Potter; 3790 — The Heart of the Earth; 3791 — The Millennium; 3792 — Observing the Sabbath; 3793 — Where Judgment Begins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Our Bible Band

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General

America and Religious Liberty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Not for Ourselves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 A State Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 California and Religious Liberty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 The Seven Days of the Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 A Representation of God's Love for the Sinner . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Editorial

An Appeal to Christians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 What a Sunday Law Means . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Seventh-Day Observers and the Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 To the Women Voters of California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 A Mighty Advocate of Liberty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Spirit of the Sunday Law Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 A Noble Utterance for Liberty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 A Proposed Constitutional Amendment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Home and Fireside

A Christian Home a Light in the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Poetry

Freedom Ever Progressive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The Crisis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Church Federation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 True Love Begins at Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
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