Earlier text: The Prayer-MeetingPresent-Day Claims of Romanists
THAT Romanists claim for the Pope to-day the same as they have claimed for him in the past is shown from time to time by the utterances of many of their present-day representatives. One of the most recent of these is that put forward by Jeremiah Prendergast, S. J., of the Church of St. John the Baptist, Syracuse, N. Y., according to the Syracuse Post-Standard of March 14, 1912. He says:— The Pope is the vicar of Christ, or the visible head of the church on earth. The claims of the Pope are the same as the claims of Christ. Christ wanted all souls saved. So does the Pope. Christ can forgive all sin. So can the Pope. The Pope is the only man who claims the vicarage of Christ. His claim is not seriously opposed, and this establishes his authority. The powers given the Pope by Christ were given him not as a mere man, but as the representative of Christ. The Pope is more than the representative of Christ, for he is the fruit of his divinity and of the divine institution of the church. Spiritual authority is one thing, and temporal authority another. A man can be a good Catholic and a good American citizen. The church has seldom, if ever, infringed upon the authority of the state, but the state has often infringed upon the authority of the church. The Pope interprets the teachings of Christ without error. In his private life the Pope is fallible and may commit sin. For this reason he goes to confession every week, as all good Catholics should. Important Considerations
By Frederick M. Wilcox
Considering the nature of the Sabbath commandment and the circumstances attending its institution, we are brought to important conclusions with reference to its perpetuity and its binding obligations upon mankind. These we may enumerate as follows:— 1. The Sabbath was designed as the great memorial of creation. Every recurring seventh day would speak to the races of men of the Creator of the universe, of the Author of their beings. "God ordained it for an everlasting testimony against atheism and idolatry, for a testimony that the world did not spring into existence by chance or some fortuitous concurrence of atoms, but that his own hand had fashioned everything in beauteous order and made all things very good." It is safe to say that had the Sabbath institution always been remembered by the children of Adam, they would have been saved from the blasting scourge of atheism and infidelity which has taken to a Christless grave so many thousands of our fellows. Just so long as men regard this day, they will see in it a memorial of the handiwork of God, above, beneath, and round about them. 2. The Sabbath institution was designed for the whole race of mankind. This is proved by the fact that it was given to the father and mother of the race. In giving the Sabbath to Adam and his companion, God designed it for their children in every age. The Sabbath was coeval with marriage. It was given at the same time and under the same circumstances. Like the marriage relationship, its use and blessings were to be extended to every race of mankind. 3. The Sabbath was originally designated for a holy race. It was not given to man after sin entered, but before. It was set apart for his use while he still was in his purity and innocency. It is interesting to contemplate that had sin never enshrouded the world, had Adam and his descendants always remained pure and holy, the Sabbath would still be kept by them as the memorial of God. In that event, we who are now living, the whole world, including reader and writer, would be observing the one true Sabbath given to man at the beginning. The Sabbath being designed for a holy race, the contentions of some that those cleansed by the blood of Christ are above its claims are groundless. The vilest sinner who comes to Christ to-day, in the observance of the Sabbath of the Lord is but following God's purpose concerning the inhabitants of this earth in their innocency. Rom. 6:12, 14; Ps. 119:97. 4. The Sabbath is equally adapted to the needs of a sinful race. The change wrought by sin in the character of the human family did not change their relation to Sabbath observance, nor the relation of the Sabbath to them. After the fall the children of God were still required to keep his commandments, and to observe his rest day. Gen. 26:5; Ex. 20:8-11. 5. As the Sabbath was instituted before sin entered, it had no natural organic relation to the sin-offerings, types, ceremonies, or sacrifices introduced in consequence of sin. Hence, when these types met the antitype in the offering of Christ, when the sacrifices ceased at the cross, the Sabbath institution was affected in no degree. Matt. 5:18; Rom. 3:31. 6. The Sabbath existed two thousand years before the Jews existed as a nation; hence it is in no sense Jewish in its origin or character. The passing of the Jewish economy leaves the integrity of the Sabbath institution unimpaired. 7. The Sabbath was not local. It was not confined to the patriarchal age. After the patriarchs had passed away, we find the Lord at Sinai reaffirming its binding obligations upon the children of men. It was recognized by prophet, priest, and apostle, and by Christ. 8. The Sabbath is a moral precept, and imposes a moral obligation. Moral obligations are such as grow out of the attributes of God. Creative power is one of God's distinguishing attributes, that which distinguishes him from the other gods that are worshiped in the world. The Sabbath stands as the memorial of this creative attribute. That the Sabbath is moral in its nature and imposes a moral obligation is shown by the fact that in giving the law from Sinai, God placed the Sabbath in the very bosom of a law that is recognized as the embodiment of all moral principles. This indicates the classification which God gives to this institution. Moral principles are eternal in their existence, and universal in their application. Ex. 20:1-17. 9. While the Sabbath was given to the Jewish nation, God demonstrated even to them its universality by the fact that it was made a binding obligation upon foreigners or strangers and all within the gates of the Jewish people. 10. The universal scope of the Sabbath institution is shown further by the fact that the prophecies of the Bible represent its blessings as extending not alone to one age or to one people, but to all mankind. We must therefore conclude that the Sabbath formed a part of God's great eternal purpose, related alike to all nations, conditions, climes, and countries. No local claims of time or nations or circumstances would affect its far-reaching import or its perpetuity. Isa. 56:1-7. It must therefore be concluded that the Sabbath day is as binding upon the nations of men to-day as when instituted by the Lord six thousand years ago. To deny its claims is to deny the power of God, and to honor and revere the day that God has made is to honor and revere the Lord of the Sabbath, even our Creator and Redeemer. "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Isa. 58:13, 14. The new British naval estimates call for an expenditure of $214,253,100, with an increased construction of four large armored vessels, eight light-armored cruisers, and twenty destroyers, together with submarines and subsidiary vessels. Through Our Wintry Strife
By Worthie Harris Holden
THE rain froze where it fell,
And borne down by their icy weight
The trees were torn to compensate,
As severed boughs could tell. The sun shone fervently,
But over many a hill and dale
The storm had blazed its wondrous trail
Of shattered symmetry. Methought we do not see
How different God's sovereign will
Through rain and tempest to fulfil
His purpose constantly; For through our wintry strife,
By Christ a perfect tree is wrought
For man who hath His pruning sought
To yield a godly life. Some Things About the Philippine Islands
By Elbridge M. Adams
It has been about two months since we came to Manila, and longer still since we left California. A few of our friends have remembered us with good letters. We would like to write to each one personally, but this being impossible, we must write one letter for all. Be sure, however, that a word from any of you will be very acceptable to us. About the second day that we were here, Elder L. V. Finster took me down to the tent that he had just pitched. We drove the stakes for the seats, and fixed the rostrum. We held the first meeting in the new location that night. It would have done you good to see the eager people flock in; the tent was filled to overflowing. The next night, although it rained, the tent was full. That is the way it has been through nearly the whole series, which closed only last Sunday night. Now we are conducting a class of about thirty who are candidates for baptism. To-day the lesson was about jewelry. One good feature is that the same persons come each night. It is not necessary to hurry to the door after meeting, in order to get the people to take tracts; they receive them eagerly. I have seen those handing out tracts hold up their hands to keep the people from taking the tracts away from them. It is very natural that we should be able to see the needs of the field in which we are. But I believe there are vitally important times in the history of a field, and I also believe that now is that time in the Philippines. The church now numbers seventy-five, although it was organized only a year ago this March, with a charter membership of twenty. There are four Sabbath-schools, the smallest of which has a membership of twelve. The young people's work has just been organized. There are two societies, and the young people are taking an active interest in the work. I feel sure that the brethren have done all that they have felt they could for this place. But it makes one's heart sick to see these hungry souls eagerly grasping for the bread of life and having to wait so long because there are so few to give it to them. I wish our brethren at home could get a panoramic view of the foreign fields. I have a feeling that were their vision extended, their purse-strings would loosen. Elder Finster has done exceptionally well, but his hands have been tied. He has had to do nearly all the evangelistic work, and to be the manager and bookkeeper of the mission, besides preparing literature. He has carried too much. And yet what could he do when the crying need was ringing in his ears, with no one to answer the call but himself? There are openings for meetings in other places in this city, besides the openings in adjoining towns. And there are capable young men who need to work, and the work needs them; but how can they do it without support? There are many things in Oriental countries that are new and strange to the Occident. Even in the Philippine Islands, where the progressive hand of the United States has been felt for a few years in the past, one will see not a few strange things and primitive methods. But when it comes to describing these, language seems to fail, or at least to do very poor work. However, there are a few things that we can tell. One thing that seemed very odd to us is the method of turning to the left in passing. The cars and vehicles all pass on the left. The street-cars have a first- and second-class fare. The front seats, usually about four, are reserved for first-class. The first-class fare is twelve centavos, while the second is ten, unless tickets are used, when they are respectively eleven and eight centavos. A centavo is one half the American cent. The peso is the unit of currency. It is worth fifty cents in American money. Hongkong has first- and second-rate fares on the street-cars, while in Japan, on the steam lines, one is obliged to choose from three classes. Shanghai has a system of its own. The passenger, instead of paying so much for a ride to any part of the city, is required to pay so many cents for each section. A section is about two or three blocks long. There are horses, large and small, and mules; but for plowing and for handling freight the natives use the carabao (water-buffalo). The women carry things on their heads, and the men, like the Chinamen, carry two articles suspended from the ends of a pole placed over the shoulder. There are a great many Chinese and Spanish here. Although the Spaniards had control of these islands for many years, Spanish is not the language spoken by the natives. There are about thirty dialects. The one used in Manila is called the Tagalog, while the one spoken in the island where Brother Ashbaugh is canvassing, and where we expect to go as soon as Elder and Mrs. Finster return from their furlough, is the Visayan. Still, as one would suppose, there is much of the Spanish in the vernacular; consequently, a knowledge of the Spanish would be of great assistance in learning the native tongue. It is no more unusual to see the women smoke here than the men. Even little girls smoke. The native people are very sociable, and as sensitive as sociable. Sometimes we hold our meetings at their homes. If it is near meal-time when the service closes, it is difficult to get away without eating. Of course, the hospitality is enjoyed more than the food. Still, well-cooked rice with some eggs and possibly some bread, is not a bad meal. Rice is the chief article of diet in these islands. A great deal of fish is also used. Sister Lily M. Thorpe, in writing home to Australia regarding the great need in Fiji and adjacent islands, gives a very interesting and instructive account of present-day conditions as well as some early history in that island field. She says:— "The native population of Fiji is 50,000. There are about 500 converts to the truth and work of the message. Is there still scope for our work among the native Fijian?
"Let those of us who stretch out our hands to India's teeming millions, with their sordid misery and degradation, consider that the new India, fed and mothered by the old, lies at our very doors, not more than seven days' journey. Latest statistics show that 46,000 Hindus, an increase of 20,000 in ten years, have settled on the fertile shores of prosperous Fiji, and also that they have not come without their ancient religions. Can you see the picture—Hinduism, Mohammedanism, and Buddhism, with their mysticism, their theosophy, their phantasies, and the degradation of their women, and their attendant sorrows, here at our doors? Do you ask for a greater field? Here are the needy native Fijians, willing to14 be taught, calling for schools; and the great concourse of Hindu people subject to the call of the soft-toned, sandal-footed priests of Eastern mysteries. There is a Hindu temple near a certain mission station at Navau, and a Mohammedan mosque just across the river, where Indian priests daily chant the five calls to prayer, and the Islam formula, 'Allah is God, and Mohammed is his prophet.' Those of you who have looked forward to work in Java, consider that Mohammedanism has been brought to your doors. Eastern life, with its color and its customs, just seven days' journey from Sydney, opens an avenue through which your longings and aspirations may find vent. Is the Master beckoning you to this new India?
"Samoa, two days' and four hours' journey from Fiji, has already yielded workers for the Master from among its warm blood. Our Samoan translator accepted the message there.
"In Samoa we find many Chinese in addition to the native population. I learned a few interesting things concerning that field as we passed through this time, which I pass on to you with feelings of deep interest. It is not generally known that the Samoans originally came from Sumatra, over eight hundred years ago. A party of fifty set out in crazy canoes, it is said, in pursuit of some imaginary devils, whom they wished to overtake and destroy. They visited several points in the Philippines, and finally crossed the great expanse of the Pacific far enough north to take advantage of the westerly breezes. Tossed about by wind and wave, thirsting under a burning sun, and suffering untold agonies in their flimsy canoes, they resorted to cannibalism in order to preserve their lives. They finally reached the island of Oahu, in the neighborhood of Honolulu, where they were treated very kindly by the islanders, and after a long sojourn with their newly made friends, they set sail again, taking with them a Hawaiian chief and some others. Before reaching Samoa, the fleet of canoes reached the Hervey group and several uninhabited coral isles. Arriving at Upolu (Samoa) from the eastward, weary with travel and tired with straining their eyes for the fair country they hoped to gain, it would be difficult to describe their frantic delight to see the high peak of Manua in the dim distance. And so Samoa became peopled. It was many years before this little colony increased sufficiently to occupy to any great extent the westward isles of the group.
"About six hundred years ago the Tongans first visited Samoa, and an intercourse sprang up, and many important marriages between chiefs and high families were contracted. Later the Tongans sought to gain control of the whole country. All the natives in the group fled to the mountain fastnesses, and defended the rugged passes and almost inaccessible cliffs against their active and cruelly relentless enemies. From time to time, the Fijians came to assist the Tongans, and the remains of their slain enemies were eaten, until finally the hitherto mild Samoans adopted the horrible custom of cannibalism. For nearly eighty years the Tongans held disputed possession of Samoa, and also the coast line of the three largest islands of the group, thus depriving the original inhabitants of the fisheries and the use of sea water in their cookery. During this time the Samoans built substantial roads over the roughest part of the mountains, some of which are still in use. Severe adversity finally drove the Samoans to desperate warfare, and after a comparatively short time they compelled the Tongans to leave the island. The practise of cannibalism survived the departure of the Tongans and Fijians for three hundred years, but was abandoned before the advent of the first white man. The missionaries first landed in Samoa in 1833." Experience of a Bible Colporteur in Brazil
FROM the Bible Society Record, published by the American Bible Society, we take the following report of one of their faithful colporteurs, Mr. R. A. Beufill. It gives his experiences in a town in Brazil where Protestants have nothing to say in the management of affairs:— “In this city we sold eight Bibles, twelve Testaments, four Psalms, and nine Gospels. I expect to sell two other Bibles. We might have sold more books, but when the padre [father, or priest] got word we were in the city, he began to work against us. There is not one Protestant living in this city. Two persons are interested in the gospel, but still hold to the Roman Church. When we arrived, we found the hotel price very dear, but the man in whose paddock I put the animals offered to keep us for a reasonable price. We accepted his offer. The second day we were here, in the evening the padre came to the door and inquired of our host if he knew who the two men were that he had accommodated in his house, and what their business was in the city. Our host informed him that he knew we were Protestants, and that we were here to sell Bibles. “Then the padre, in an angry tone, asked him what he was doing sheltering heretics in his house who were here in the devil's service. To this our host replied: ‘These men are more religious than your lordship, for they know God and practise what they preach.’ “At this the padre became very angry, and said: ‘You as a Catholic have no right to keep these men in your house, and you must put them out.’ “Again our host replied, this time rather angrily because of the padre's interference, ‘Every man governs his own house, Your Lordship, and you may govern yours, but you shall not govern mine; and as to these men, they shall stay in my house as long as they wish to.’ “This conversation took place on the street, and at this point I passed through the sala, and the padre took a hasty leave. I did not hear the conversation, but it was related to us afterward by our host. “On the Sunday following, at mass, the padre, according to what I was told, preached in the following manner: ‘There are two Protestants in the city who are going from house to house selling false Bibles. I counsel you to be good Catholics and not buy any of these books, or you will make shipwreck of your most holy faith. Those of you who have bought books should burn them ere they poison your minds.’ “The gentleman who narrated this to us said the padre spoke in bitter tones. Later in the day two persons who had bought Bibles, took them to the padre at the church for his approval, when he tore them to pieces, and burned them. “I have not yet met the padre. Two or three times he has been seen coming toward this house, but when he sees Joao or me, he turns and goes back again as if he had not the courage to meet us. Last Monday he met our host in the road, and wished to know when we were going to leave, but he gave him no satisfaction, saying: ‘I don't know. They may stop all the year if they like, as far as I am concerned.’ “There is a young man belonging to one of the best families of this city, who bought a New Testament from me, and afterward his mother wished him to destroy it, and would not let him read it. So he took the book to the house of a companion for him to guard. I am told that he goes practically every night to this companion's home, where the two are reading it together. “I have been surprised to find quite a number who speak in anything but mild terms of the padre's action in preaching against and burning Bibles.” The Broken Sword
By Edmund Rowland Sill
THIS I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream:
There spread a cloud of dust along the plain,
And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged
A furious battle; and men yelled, and swords
Shocked upon swords and shields. A prince's banner
Wavered, then staggered backward, hemmed by foes. A coward hung along the battle's edge,
And thought: "Had I a sword of keener steel,—
That blue blade that the king's son bears,
— but this
Blunt thing —" he snapped, and flung it from his hand,
And lowering, crept away and left the field. Then came the king's son, wounded, sore bestead,
And weaponless. He saw the broken sword,
Hilt-buried in the dry and trodden sand,
And ran and snatched it, and with battle shout
Lifted afresh, he hewed his foemen down,
And saved a great cause that heroic day.
— Edmund Rowland Sill. May-Time
By Inita S. Chilson
O FAIR May morn when every thorn
Is glistening with its drop of dew;
When leaf and blade, in sun and shade,
Are shimmering in their green robes
new!
The bluebird sings in the apple-tree
boughs,
And the oriole swings 'neath the lilac
flowers;
On a fair May morn life's every thorn
Is sheathed with drops of grateful dew. O bright May noon that fades too soon,
Sweet promise of the rose-crowned
June!
The humming-bird sips from the flowers'
red lips
Sweet perfume, and the honey-bee dips
Rich nectar, and quaffs each lily-cup's
draft;
O bright May noon! with glad hearts
attune,
We rest in the shade while the crickets
croon. O May-time eve, thou wouldst deceive
Us into dreams of paradise!
The radiant light of moonbeams white,
From earth to heaven allures our eyes.
O star-decked dome! our promised home
Seems near, so near and dear to-night!
Dear Saviour mine, my heart doth pine
For the land where 'tis May-time ever-
more! Mothers' Meeting at Camp-Meeting
By Mrs. W. E. A. Aul
WHY do we go to the camp-meeting each year? — To promote our spiritual life. In "Testimonies for the Church," Vol. VI, pages 32, 33, I read: "God has committed to our hands a most sacred work, and we need to meet together to receive instruction, that we may be fitted to perform this work. . . . We need to meet together and receive the divine touch that we may understand our work in the home. Parents need to understand how they may send forth from the sanctuary of the home their sons and daughters so trained and educated that they will be fitted to shine as lights in the world." Again, on page 49: "Parents who come to camp-meeting should take special heed to the lessons given for their instruction. Then in the home life, by precept and example, let them impart these lessons to their children. As they thus strive to save their children from the corrupting influences of the world, they will see an improvement in their families." Is it not time that this work received special attention? Is there anything of more importance than our children? They are God's own heritage. At this special time when there are so many things to lead our children and youth from the path of right, we must put forth greater effort to save them from the snares of Satan. Many parents come to the camp-meeting realizing their insufficiency for these things, and then go home no better prepared for lifting these burdens than when they came. It is to be hoped that conference committees will consider this subject, and see if they can not arrange in their program an hour a day for mothers' meetings. I have attended camp-meetings where this was done, and much good was accomplished. If the meeting could be held at the same hour in the afternoon that the meetings for the young people and children are held, and could be well advertised, there would be a good attendance from the city. Let practical subjects be taken up at each meeting, and presented by paper, by discussion, by questions, etc. It is none too soon to begin now to arrange for the work. Let a competent woman or, better still, two women be selected to take charge of the work, they to arrange with others to assist. We have in College View a regularly organized department of the church called the Mothers' Association, with the president a member of the church council. The object of this association is to create a bond of union among our mothers, to educate ourselves along the lines of temperance, proper conduct of our homes, and the highest obtainable perfection in the development of our children. Much good has been accomplished through the efforts of this association. Sacrificing an Outing for Missions
By John N. Quinn
Two families in an Eastern city having decided to spend the midsummer holiday together at the beach, the day was looked forward to in keen anticipation of a "good time." There were nine children in the two families, ranging in ages from nine to twenty years. The question of the midsummer offering for missions was raised in one of the families, and a vote was proposed as to whether the trip to the beach should not be surrendered, and the money which might be thus spent given to missions. The vote was unanimous in favor of missions. After consulting together, a trip costing a five-cent car fare was agreed upon. The wife of a colporteur who was at work in a distant city, with her two children, was invited to join the party. With lunch-baskets well filled with wholesome food, the start was made; and from the very beginning a spirit of delightful good-fellowship prevailed. A ride of an hour and a half brought them to their destination, where they found two springs of water, clear as crystal. Hammocks were stretched, swings put in operation, and each one sought the thing that brought the most enjoyment. Table-cloths were spread on the greensward under the shade of trees, God's blessing was invoked upon the bounties of a loving Creator, and it was a happy company that partook of the midday meal. The afternoon passed away all too quickly, and at eight o'clock they started home. On the car a tract was offered to a gentleman, evidently a stranger, which led to an interesting conversation. Two persons in an adjoining seat turned to listen. They also were offered tracts. One of them accepted. On arriving home, all heartily agreed that the day had been a most enjoyable one, and the sacrifice for missions in no way detracted from the pleasure of the outing, but rather enhanced it. "The Ordinance of Humiliation"
By A. W. Spaulding
RECENTLY I asked a student what the church called the practise of feet-washing. She said, "The ordinance of humiliation." Not infrequently is it so called and so felt to be. What is the difference between the ordinance of humiliation and the ordinance of humility? The difference is just this: If I wish to be servant to my brethren, I meet this ceremony as the ordinance of humility; but if church discipline compels me through fear or pride to be servant to another, I regard this act as an ordinance of humiliation. Humility dwells within, humiliation assaults from without; humility leads, humiliation drives; humility builds up, humiliation crushes. To Jesus the act was according to the ordinance, the law, of humility; to Judas it was a humiliation. To him who maintains his pride of position or worth, the duty of a servant must forever be a badge of humiliation. It does not follow, however, that the ordinance of humiliation must humble the proud. To the proud novice it may be a bitter medicine; but the proud old church-member has learned to capsule his religious quinin with the thought that he is performing a recognized rite of the church; and he is proud of his regularity, proud to be so humble. The real test of humility comes just as it came to the disciples, in the daily duties of life. Washing the feet was to the disciples that Sixth-day evening no ordinance of the church; it was simply the work of a servant, a lackey, a scullion. And to-day I shall find other menial16 tasks which represent far more fairly to me the test of humility put upon the disciples. I know a little boy who would rather bring in wood than wash dishes, because "washing dishes is girls' work;" I know a woman who will not learn to milk a cow, because the task might sometime fall on her. A man of my acquaintance leaves his work-clothes and hat lying around, because his wife has a better knack of straightening up than he, and he never was intended for a housekeeper. I may find the fever-stricken patient an onerous care, because I can not bear the sick-room; I may let tools rust in the field, because their care belongs to another. I may keep my seat in the easy chair when father comes in, because I got there first; I may leave mother to clean up the dirty baby, because he isn't my baby. I may neglect to sew on buttons, or shine shoes, or press clothes for another, because nobody does those things for me. I may refuse to read aloud to an importuning friend, because I hate to read aloud, and can't read well enough anyway; I may leave a stupid pupil with only a half-understanding of a lesson, because the task of teaching him is a thankless one. I may think the dirty little cabin with frowzy-headed children and slatternly father and mother a hopeless case, and offer no helping hand; I may see a brother doing wrong, and meet him with coldness and frowns and censure, rather than with cheer and help. And if I am compelled, by force or by a sense of duty, to do any of these things, I do indeed pass under the ordinance of humiliation. But if my love of Christ and of souls who may be won by the work of a servant blots out my selfish pride, I can rejoice in the ordinance of humility. And only he who does these menial duties as the Greatest of our brethren did them, can participate in the true spirit in the church's ordinance of humility. A Morning Prayer
By Mrs. L. R. Reynolds
LET my first waking moments be drawn from the world,
Ere the tempter can whisper of doubt or of fear;
Then my hope will be brighter, and faith stronger grow,
And communion be sweeter. How precious to know
Every blessing I need Thou wilt surely bestow!
And this world will recede, and heaven draw near. Let my first waking thoughts fly swiftly to thee,
Ere their pinions are pressed with the day's busy care.
Give me wisdom and strength, I earnestly pray,
To labor for thee; and if only I may
Bring some wanderer into thy haven to-day,
Then I can rejoice; thou hast answered my prayer. "Our work here is becoming more interesting as the days go by," writes one of our nurses in Java. "As we meet with the Javanese in the villages, we find opportunity to scatter some seeds of truth, which we hope will fall into good ground. Often they listen attentively as we, in simple words, tell of God's love to man, and his plan of redemption.17"We have been treating one poor man for eleven months. He had a dreadful leg, nearly half the skin from the knee down to the toes having come off. It has almost healed now, and he walks about quite nimbly. He told Brother Hungerford the other day that the way to get the people to listen would be to treat the sick, and then they would come to listen. This is a bit of his own experience. I read to him from Matt. 5: 1-8 the last time I went to see him, and he told me he understood it all. "We have many times spoken of the truth, in a very simple manner, to him and others who gathered in his home, and prayed with and for them, and he says he believes the gospel. "A poor lad came to us yesterday who has had malaria for a long time. He asked to stay until he was better, saying he would do whatever we wanted him to do in return for help. He gets out into the sunshine, cleaning up the pathways by pulling up the weeds, etc., thus getting a little exercise. "Whenever we find an opportunity, we endeavor to distribute literature among the people. Very few in the villages can read,—not one, perhaps, in two or three hundred. However, schools are being opened in various places, so some of the rising generation will soon be able to read. Thus Java is being prepared to receive the printed page. May God help us to be wise in scattering the seeds of truth." The Scandinavian Union and Danish Conferences
By Guy Dail
THE eighth session of the Scandinavian Union Conference and the thirty-third annual session of the Danish Conference were held conjointly at Copenhagen, Denmark, April 29 to May 5. The proceedings have been conducted without one discordant note, and the delegates have shown a willingness to sacrifice their own interests for the good of the work in general. Although Elder L. R. Conradi was detained at the Skodsborg Sanatorium for several days after the meeting of the European Division Committee, yet all were glad to avail themselves of his counsel. Elder J. T. Boettcher assisted in the two conferences, and all were edified by the experiences which he related concerning the dealings of God in the Russian empire, and by the spiritual nature of the instruction given. The past two years of the Scandinavian Union have been characterized by a steady growth in membership, but there has not been seen that increase in the tithe that we would be glad to report. The brethren and sisters seemed to take this to heart, and we confidently expect a healthy growth in this respect during 1912. There has been manifested a vital interest in the advancement of the cause throughout the mission field, and after the Danish Conference held its last meeting to-day, 1,608 kroner ($430.94) were received in cash and pledges for the work in the regions beyond. Sabbath forenoon, at the close of Elder Boettcher's sermon, a number responded to the call to rededicate themselves to the Lord, and many took part in the afternoon special season of prayer held with those who desired to make things right with God. There were one hundred fifty or two hundred young people in the Sabbath meeting, and their hearts were touched by the appeals made to them. Twenty-one were baptized. Our institutional work at Skodsborg and Frederikshavn has been blessed. Managers, physicians, and helpers have been united in their efforts to bless the suffering, who have been guests at the sanitarium in larger numbers than before, and the earnings of the medical missionary department are on the increase. The Skodsborg Sanatorium has been enlarged by the addition of a new wing, which contains a dining-hall, parlor, writing-room, and eleven rooms for patients. About one hundred fifty workers are employed here during the summer. In the union school, located also at Skodsborg, there were about fifty students the past year. A number of them will engage in some branch of the Lord's work this summer, and then return to further prosecute their studies this autumn. We confidently hope that erelong many calls for laborers in the destitute mission fields will be answered from Scandinavia. Our canvassing work here is in a prosperous condition. The book business for Norway and Denmark has been combined for one year, and we find that while there are some difficulties that have to be overcome by our colporteurs in offering Danish-Norwegian literature to the public of Norway, instead of strictly Norwegian publications, yet our book business does not seem to have suffered in consequence of having the imprint of the Scandinavian Publishing House. One of the most important changes voted at this time was the organization of the Scandinavian Union District, which takes from the Danish Conference the island of Zealand, with a population of about 900,000 and a membership of 518. The union president will thus have a distinct field in which he himself can hold public lectures, and superintend the development of young men from the school. Elder J. C. Raft was reelected president of the union, and Elder C. C. Jensen was chosen president of the Danish Conference for another year. The work in these fields is onward, and all feel of good cheer. A BRIGHT, beautiful boy, a minister's son, a student in a college in Pennsylvania, smoked cigarettes, read novels and tales of murder and suicide, and one day, after threatening another student with a pistol, took a dose of strychnin, and died in a few moments. The arrest of several boys for an attempt to rob a Burlington passenger-train in August, 1898, and the verdict of ten years in the penitentiary as a result, should arouse people to the fact that the depravity of human nature is liable to show itself at a very early age, if the surroundings are favorable. These boys belonged to well-to-do families. They had the privilege of buying and reading the corrupt literature that tells of robbers and daring wickedness. It was a natural result that they should admire the adventure and daring attributed to the heroes of their vicious novels; and, in due time, such seed-sowing brings the results.—Selected.