Earlier text: One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollar FundThe Author of Order
By J. S. WASHBURN
“God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” A pamphlet recently written conveys the idea that every church is independent, and that there should be no conference organization. All general organization is branded as Babylon and the papacy. But if this principle were to prevail, there would indeed be a very Babylon of confusion and disorder among us. Each church sending out its workers here and there without co-operation, with no central executive committees to carry out the wishes of all the churches, everything would certainly be running at cross-purposes. But the whole plan is contrary to the plan of God and the order of heaven, and the order among his own people, as indicated by many scriptures. “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.” “We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.” We are members one of another. Heaven is not conducted on the principle of independent congregations. There was a high and mighty angel, who started the idea in heaven of congregational independence. He gathered together his followers. But the Lord had no room for an independent congregation in heaven, and that mighty angel was cast out, and all the members of his church with him, out of the unity of the one family in heaven, separated from the family, cut off by the divine surgeon from the great body. This surgical operation has caused him pain, and has caused us all much tribulation. We have had enough of this experiment of congregational independence. It is true that in the New Testament, the church in Jerusalem, the church in Antioch, the church in Rome, are mentioned; but it is also true that the whole body of God’s people is many times called “the church of Christ,” “the church of the living God,” etc. Matt. 16:18: “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” What church was this? I ask. Was it the church in Jerusalem, the church in Antioch, the church in Corinth?—No. It was the church, the whole church, the body of believers. Again: “God hath set some in the church, first apostles,” etc. In what church?—In the church. Of Jesus, Paul writes that God “hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” What local church is this? This is not a local church. This is the church of the living God. “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.” “Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.” Eph. 5:25. “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Verse 27. “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth,” 1 Tim. 3:15. The Scripture speaks clearly of the “general assembly and church of the First-born, which are written in heaven.” Thus it is plain that the divine plan does not contemplate independent, unrelated organizations scattered here and there, but the church as one united whole. There is one Lord, one Spirit, one faith, and logically the church of God is one church. The Lord is bringing out such a people from the Babylon and confusion of the world, and forming them into one, welding them together. The most wonderfully organized people the world has ever known was Israel. The excellent advice of Jethro to Moses that there should be companies and order by divisions, and yet all recognizing a common church government (for Israel was “the church in the wilderness”), is still good counsel, written for our learning. And when Israel was divided and scattered among the hills and valleys of Palestine, they were still one church, one body in government and organization. The council at Jerusalem is an evidence that the disciples believed in and practised an organized unity. Note that at this council certain orders were given. These were the result of their counsel. Note the expression, “It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us.” Read further Acts 16:4, 5: “And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.” These decrees that were ordained of the apostles and elders were not popery. Here was a central council, a conference, that had ordained certain things; and they went through all the different churches, delivering these decrees for them to keep; and so, that is, by this means, was the church established in the faith, and increased in number daily. In this connection read also Acts 15:41: “And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.” This certainly is as clear as the resolutions that are passed by the General Conference and are sent out to all our people; though our General Conference has never taken upon itself as yet to call10 them decrees, as the decisions of the apostles were called in the early days after their General Conference at Jerusalem. What can be more clear than this: “So were the churches confirmed”? And any work that pulls down this organization will not confirm the church, but rather bring in disintegration, division, and ruin. General organization, organized unity, is God’s plan and purpose. The whole principle is laid out in what we know of the order of heaven, in the order of Israel, and in the order of the apostolic church. But God has given men brains and common sense to apply the principles of his Word to their daily life and the daily perplexities and difficulties which they meet. Through much labor and perplexity there has been formed among the people who believe in the near coming of the Lord an organization which has been indorsed from beginning to end by the spirit of prophecy. Whoever seeks to overthrow it is doing the work of the enemy who sought to bring an independent organization into the family of heaven. No man liveth unto himself; neither does any church live unto itself, or any conference. We are all one, members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Let us abide in the body. Let us stay on board the ship. Many have arisen in days that are past, and are arising to-day, preaching independence and false liberty, which is license. The liberty of organized unity, wherein each feels definitely related to every other one of the church of the living God, is true liberty. He who is cut off can no more live, prosper, and bear fruit than the branch severed from the vine. If ever there was a time when organization and unity were essential, it is to-day. A small people, united with God, and welded together as one, can face the divided interests of the world’s great Babylon, and win eternal victory. Short Sermons on the Ten Commandments
By W. A. MCCUTCHEN
“Thou shalt not steal.” Ex. 20:15. The recognized definition of to steal is: “1. To take, and carry away feloniously, as the personal goods of another; to take without right or leave. 2. To withdraw or convey without notice, or clandestinely. 3. To gain or win by duress or gradual and imperceptible means. 4. To accomplish in a concealed or unobserved manner.” It is plainly seen again in this commandment that this division of the law touching man’s relation to his fellow man is based upon man’s natural rights. It is wrong for one man to steal from another, because the one stolen from has a right to his property, and no one has a right to deprive him of it. It is on the principle laid down in this division of the law that proper civil government is founded. The chief province of civil government is the protection of people in their rights of person and property. If man had always been prompted by that higher motive of love for his fellow man underlying this division of the law, civil governments would never have been needed; for the provisions of the law would have been carried out voluntarily among men. But because of sin and selfishness, and man’s disregard of the rights of his neighbor, civil governments were necessary, and were instituted for the protection and enforcement of these rights — mark it, for the protection of man’s rights, and the punishment of crime, which is a violation of these rights; and not for the punishment of sin and the enforcement of God’s law; for that takes hold of the very “thoughts and intents of the heart,” which governments can not reach nor take cognizance of. It should be borne in mind that there is a vast difference between sin and crime; one has to do with the violation of God’s law as such, the other with the violation of rightful human law, which, though based upon some of the principles underlying God’s law, are nevertheless far from being the same. No earthly government can rightly undertake to enforce God’s law, because it is not the province of civil governments to enforce religious laws and duties, and every attempt to do so has always resulted in persecution, and always will. And even if it should be thought to be its province, it could not do it, for the reason that the government has no way of detecting the secret violations of God’s law in the thoughts of the heart. Earthly governments can deal only with overt acts. Every one recognizes that to take another’s goods “without notice, or clandestinely” (secretly), is stealing. Every one knows what it is to steal within the meaning of the first and second definitions as given above; and whenever one is spoken of as a thief, or an act is referred to as thievery, the mind goes at once to something of this kind. But how few look at stealing in the sense of the third and fourth definitions given above. In the light of these definitions it appears that anything obtained by unfair, dishonest, or secret methods, that are afraid of daylight, is stealing. Misrepresentation of an article or property in a deal, is stealing. Extortion, by charging an excessive rate of interest or much more than a thing is worth, because some poor man has to borrow or buy on time and can not help himself, thus taking advantage of his situation, is stealing. The extortioner is classed right along with the thief, the drunkard, the adulterer, etc. See 1 Cor. 5:10, 11; 6:9, 10. Anything obtained by unfair, unjust, or oppressive measures, even though the methods employed may never be discovered or suspected by the ones from whom the things are gotten, is thievery. Definitions two and three give it: “To gain or win by duress or gradual and imperceptible means; to accomplish in a concealed or unobserved manner.” In short, however one may get a thing that does not rightfully belong to him, it is stealing. The word “rightfully” covers it all; for if not rightfully owned, it was taken “without right,” which is the very first definition of stealing. And how numerous the ways, and in this age how varied the forms, of polite stealing in the business world — in bond manipulations, on stock exchange, dealings in “futures,” in various defalcations, and in many instances of improper personal profit from public trusts and political and official life covered by the modern word “graft.” This honest interpretation of God’s command will doubtless be called by some the fogyisms of a bygone day, unsuited to this commercial age; but God never changes, and right is right all the time and everywhere. His command, “Thou shalt not steal,” comes thundering down to us in this age with all the majesty of a burning Sinai back of it, and with increased necessity for its frequent repetition. “Let him that stole steal no more.” Eph. 4:28. The Blessing of Trials
By G. B. THOMPSON
PEARLS are much sought after; and the rich, in their luxurious mansions, at great expense adorn themselves with pearls. The best pearls are found in a certain kind of oyster shell which is found in the waters of a tropic sea. They are secured by divers from the bottom of the sea. In one day the diver may find one worth a fortune, or he may work many days, and open tons of shells, without finding a single pearl. How are these pearls formed in the shell? They do not grow there naturally. It is thought that some foreign substance, such as a grain of sand or something similar, gets into the shell. This wounds and bruises the delicate body of the mollusk, and this offending substance becomes covered with the same secretion with which the interior of the shell is covered. So this beautiful and much-sought-after gem is really produced by this little creature on the inside of the shell, struggling against the hardship which besets its very existence. The lesson: There is in this a beautiful and helpful lesson for each of us. Trials and temptations beset the pathway of each. Sometimes they seem hard to bear, and we are tempted to murmur and complain, and to wonder why we have to endure so much. But these are necessary that the pearl of patience may be perfected in us, and in order that the “pearl of great price” may be bestowed upon us at last. Though they may wound and hurt, if endured, they will perfect in us the graces of the Holy Spirit, and when the Master comes to gather home his “jewels,” we may be numbered among them. Even jewels of rare merit and worth must pass under the polishing process of the lapidary before they can shine11 with the greatest brilliancy. So we, too, have to be polished. After being washed, we need to pass beneath the hot iron of trial and affliction that the wrinkles of sin may be smoothed out. But “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” Obedience Better Than Sacrifice
By T. E. BOWEN
No amount of sacrifice will atone for headstrong disobedience. The human heart is so apt to fill with pride, and entertain such lofty opinions of the greatness of its own wisdom and far-sightedness, that the Lord is compelled often to give object-lessons illustrating the foolishness of human devisings apart from the counsel of God. A few years ago the Lord sent his servant to Australia. While there, very important instruction was given concerning changes that must be brought about in the manner and methods of conducting his work in the earth. Solemn messages were sent to America. Some of them involved such reversals of the then-present methods that some men were staggered. Others pronounced the instruction utterly impractical, and others said it would be even ruinous to the work of God, if followed. Some have lived long enough, however, to see that God is wiser than men, and that to obey his counsel is indeed very prudent. Very important instruction was also given concerning the Australasian field. It was pointed out that they were not to follow precedents, as to manner and methods of labor in America, but that it was God's design to make Australia a training-center for workers in that part of the field. The school work and publishing interests were to be cast in entirely new molds. Some men there saw no light in this instruction; but faithful ones were found who, through faith, obeyed the Lord. As a result, marvelous prosperity has attended every branch of the work there, not because certain select men were connected with it, but because God's own plans were being followed. In a letter written by Brother Anderson, editor of the Australasian Signs, to one of the brethren associated with the Mission Board, is such a striking illustration of what it has meant to the publishing work implicitly to follow God's instruction, that we take the liberty of quoting from his letter. He says:— “You will be glad to know that our office here is just flooded with work. As you have heard frequently, we do not cater for commercial work in our Warburton office. To give you some idea of how our business has increased, I will say that one year ago we thought that two presses would be all that we should require to cope with our own denominational work. We find that we can keep five going, and even then very frequently have to labor overtime for weeks together. Our difficulty is not how to get work, but how to get workers to cope with the enormous volume of business that is going through our office. We had no idea one year ago but that our premises and plant would be large enough to meet all the demands that would be made upon us. But we have altogether underestimated our needs, and have already had to make some extensions to our building. “One pleasing feature which has arisen in connection with our move into the country is the large number of visitors who desire to see through our premises. When we were in the city of Melbourne, it was an extremely rare thing to have any outside of our own ranks become even interested in our plant: there was nothing notable about a factory in the city. But somehow a factory in the country seems to be an object of very great attraction. We are here surrounded by mountains on all sides. Half a mile away there is a little village, which, on account of the natural scenery, is becoming a tourists' resort. Just recently some new country has been explored from twenty to thirty miles back in the mountains, and some new waterfalls have been discovered. The State governor and a party of gentlemen made a trip a few days ago to view the scenery. Many other parties are also making this trip. In order to get to this place, they have to pass right by our factory; and when they come across a place like ours in the midst of heavily timbered country, it causes no small amount of surprise. “While the governor was going through, he at once pulled up, and wanted to see what was going on here, and asked to be shown through. Many other notable persons have also in like manner been attracted to this place, and thus we have been brought into contact with classes of people who hitherto did not even know of our existence, or if they did, thought we were some little body of fanatics who kept Sunday on Saturday. When they come and see an up-to-date printing plant, and inspect our literature, and, as they do almost invariably, purchase some of it, they go away with a very different opinion. “We were told over and over again by those who were opposed to the idea of going into the country, that we would be buried, and would not be able to do any missionary work whatever in a wild, out-of-the-way place such as we had chosen. But the reverse has been the case. Instead of being buried in the country, we are actually in a place where more people are brought into direct contact with our work every week than hitherto came in contact with it in a year. I think if the exact figures could be ascertained, we should find that this statement, strange as it seems, is very much under the mark. “Never in my connection with the work have I seen so much interest manifested by the general public in any of our institutions. Several references have been made to our plant by the large metropolitan daily papers, and they have sent special reporters from Melbourne to inspect the place. Many writers have referred to our work as an object-lesson worthy of imitation by other manufacturers. So far as I have heard, not one person who has visited our institution has ever made an unfavorable comment regarding the change of location from city to country, but, on the other hand; almost every one of them has expressed himself in terms of admiration concerning the wisdom of bringing our employees with their families, away from the evil surroundings of city life. ‘Thinking you may be interested in the results which have accrued from the move of our factory from the city to the country, I have penned the above thoughts; for to me the unlooked-for effects of this move are a source of great pleasure, and a powerful witness to the value of the spirit of prophecy, by which the Lord urged us to change our location.’ May God forgive us for our slowness of heart to believe. Let us heed the inspired counsel of King Jehoshaphat to his people: ‘O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem: believe in Jehovah your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.’ It is the solemn duty of the servants of God to warn the wicked of the evil of his way, to warn men of dangers which they may foresee, to warn the unruly that they may yield obedience to the precepts of the Lord, and to warn the careless of the approach of the sword which shall devour the unwary, to warn the faithless and disobedient to flee from the wrath to come. It is not enough to say soft words, and prophesy smooth things, and sing pleasant songs, and cry, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace. The solemn warning of God must be given, and if men neglect it, it must be at their peril. They must be left without excuse, and no man should be allowed to sink into the abyss of darkness without a faithful warning of his danger. If perdition is a dream, then men may be allowed to dream their way on thither. If the damnation of hell is a fable and a phantom, then we may allow persons to go on unwarned and unadmonished; but if there are stern and terrible realities before us, if there is a doom which is the second death, then those who perceive the danger, who see the sword coming, are bound by the most solemn obligations to warn the wicked of the error and danger of his way. Let every man of God realize his responsibility. Let him hold fast the faithful word which God has spoken. Let him put away his own wisdom and his own words, and testify and repeat what Christ has said, and warn men to beware, lest in their carelessness and presumption, they meet an awful doom, from which there will be no way of escape.—Selected. Cheerfulness
By Anna R. Henderson
As bright as are sun-rays through cloud-rifts,
As welcome as flowers in May,
As fair as a clear, golden sunset
At the close of a dark, rainy day,
Unto hearts that are fainting and weary,
Unto feet that are slow in life's race,
Are the words of a glad, cheerful spirit,
Or the smiles of a bright, cheerful face. Then speak not the words of repining,
Though oft to the lips they arise;
Proclaim that the sun is still shining,
When his light is not seen in our skies.
To your own heart and other hearts
round you,
Keep singing a joyous refrain,
For the sweetest of songs that e'er found
you
Was the bird-song you heard through
the rain. Ah, the long, dusty highway grows
weary
To thousands of worn, marching feet,
But they change to the steps of the
victor,
When music comes down the long
street.
Fling out, then, the spirit's own music,
To comfort, to lift, and to bless,
And march to the jubilant measures
Of the chords of Cheerfulness.
— Anna R. Henderson. The Wife as a Home Maker
By Mrs. M. C. Du Bois
“Homes,” says a writer, “are the springs among the hills, whose many streamlets form, like great rivers, society, the community, the nation, the church. If the springs run low, the river wastes; if they pour out bounteous currents, the rivers are full. Homes are divinely ordained.” One person alone can not make a home what it ought to be. Each member of the family, the husband, the wife, the son, the daughter, must have a part in the home making. As in music when all the parts are combined we have perfect harmony, but if one part fails the harmony is broken and the effect destroyed, so in the home life. When each is faithful, doing his allotted part lovingly, the harmony is sweet and sacred; but if any member fails in love or duty, the harmony is marred. I will endeavor, from a Bible standpoint, to speak of the wife’s part in making a happy home. When a good and noble man chooses from among his acquaintances one to be his wife, he raises her to a position of honor, of dignity. She is now a queen, over a small realm to be sure, but a queen, nevertheless. In her hand is placed a scepter of power, which she will wield for good or ill. Destinies most sacred are now trusted to her keeping. Will she prove faithful to the trust reposed in her? Will her realm be a peaceful one, or will anarchy prevail? No woman should marry without asking herself a few heart-searching questions. Does she truly love the one who asks her to go with him to the marriage altar? Can she be a true wife, a real blessing to him who would lift her to his heart throne? Can and will she be true to him “through better or worse”? Can she cherish and comfort him until death severs the tie? These are a few of the questions every woman should put to her inmost soul before she consents to become a wife. The relation existing between husband and wife is the most sacred of all earthly relations. Love is the first essential in this relation, and faithfulness is one of the chiefest of wifely duties. By love and faithfulness she may make her husband’s life purer, stronger, grander, and she who fails here fails in one of the most important duties of life. Remember, dear reader, I am writing of the home as God would have it be, as he intended it should be, not as it really exists to-day or has existed since the purity of the Eden home was lost. There are few if any ideal homes in the world at the present time; but few husbands and wives who measure up to the standard of the Word of God. Sad, sad indeed it is that so many homes are darkened by sin that should be heavens of peace and joy in this sin-cursed earth. The Bible portrays the model wife. You will find her sketched in Proverbs 31. She is here set before us with all the virtues needful for her exalted station. ‘The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her. . . . She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.’ ‘Her price is far above rubies.’ Prov. 31 : 11, 12, 10. ‘She is a crown to her husband.’ Prov. 12:4. The virtuous woman is set forth as her husband’s gem of many virtues. She is the guardian of his interests, her economy is his safe steward; for she will make his interests her own, and will exercise economy and carefulness in the family expenditure. From her lips sweet words of counsel and encouragement should fall, and her prayers should daily ascend for heaven’s blessings upon him. There is need of solid foundation upon which to build the home structure; that foundation I will call good housekeeping. The lover may exist upon smiles and caresses, but the husband desires more substantial food, in the shape of good bread and other well-cooked viands. Every girl before she marries, ought, as she values the love and respect of her husband, to be able to cook a good plain meal, and to arrange it upon the table in a neat, inviting manner. The art of making good bread, from both bolted and unbolted flour, should be mastered by every woman before she becomes a wife. The husband fed upon griddle-cakes, sour bread, and poorly cooked, highly seasoned food is liable to partake of the nature of the food he eats; and when day after day he goes home to an untidy, disorderly house, where only fretting and complaining greet his ear, is it any wonder that he turns from such a home to seek scenes more cheerful? A woman’s best and grandest energies should center in her home. This field should be the first to be cultivated, before going very far to help others. Be faithful in the home duties first; then reach out the helping hand to others. Woman has her divinely appointed work, her place to fill in God’s plan; and one of her divinely appointed offices is that of motherhood. But motherhood should never be forced upon any woman without her consent. She should have the privilege of deciding for herself. No true husband will go contrary to the mind of the wife in this matter. Many women are not physically able to become mothers, and should not be compelled to. In Eph. 5:22-24 we read these words: “Wives, submit yourselves unto your husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church. . . . Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” Again: “Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.” “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives.” “Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord.” Col. 3:18; 1 Peter 3:1, 6. Let no husband conclude that in these divine commands there is the least license granted him to be tyrannical or unjust. The wife is only to submit as is fit in the Lord. The husband who fills his part of the divine command, and loves his wife as his own body, yea, even as Christ loved the church, giving himself for it, will ask nothing of his wife but what is right, nothing to which she will not be willing to yield cheerful obedience. If the husband first fails in fulfilling his part, ought he to expect more of his wife than of himself? Certainly the marriage relation, when both husband and wife are faithful to all the commands of God, is a most happy state. That much depends upon the wife and mother I freely admit. I think I may truthfully say she is the home maker; for if she is a sweet, patient woman, it is her presence which makes the home. The space within the walls of the dwelling you inhabit, does not of itself make a home. Home, whether the palace of the millionaire or the cottage of the poor man, is made by the sweet spirit of love and contentment13 that dwells there. Where these elements exist, with the love of God in the heart, there you will find the true home. Let no wife who reads these lines look upon her home duties as of little account, but rather let her look to God for strength to be a more faithful wife, a more patient, tender mother. May no mother belittle the work of home making; rather let her realize the greatness of her work, and that from her home is going out an influence far-reaching for good or ill. Satan is seeking in these last days to demoralize the homes, and to make wives and mothers dissatisfied and restless, forgetful of the sacredness of their duties. May God help every wife and mother to seek to do her home work “as unto the Lord,” to feel the sacredness of the mother’s calling.—Mrs. M. C. Du Bois. Yes, fathers and mothers, it is your boys who need your most thoughtful care. It seems to be instinctive with parents to shield their girls from the sight or the sound of sinful things. What mother would rest if, when evening comes, her little daughter were at large in the street, frequenting the village store, or hanging about the door of a drinking-saloon? How many times is the son, only a ten-year-old, away from the sight and sound of the mother at nightfall, breathing in a worse malaria than that from stagnant pools, from the rude talk of older boys, or of coarse vulgar men? Outgrow it, will they? Do they? Now and then a boy poisoned in childhood by vicious associates does live down the poison, and comes out a clean, pure man; but look over any community in search of the young men without guile, whose souls and bodies are clean, and are they the rule or the exception? Scrutinize the sisters of these same young men, and do you expect to find the spotless among them the rule or the exception? It is the curse of the world that its boys are cherished less sacredly than its girls, that they whose temptations to physical vices are strongest, have the least done to fortify them against evil. Do not say that because of the difference in their natures, boys and girls can not be trained by the same standard of morality. It is a base libel upon manhood, fostered so long in the world that it has come almost to be believed. If boys have greater temptations, so have they stronger powers, were they only cultivated. But too often they are wholly neglected. Do not trust to the future to bring your boys out right, for it will almost certainly bring them out scarred. Neither trust to their being above temptation. Know always where they are, and what are their inmost thoughts; and this, not by prying, tyrannical oversight of their movements, but by such a loving, yearning interest for their well-being that they love to open their souls to you. Some day these boys of yours will be seeking out mates, and you expect them to bring you spotless, high-minded girls. In receiving them how can you think it honorable to give less in return than spotless, high-minded boys?—The Christian. The Decay of Family Life
By C. S. Robinson.
THE family is a divine institution founded by God and hedged in by his laws. To-day, however, its religious significance is largely lost sight of, and both before and after marriage, convenience is the principle that regulates everything. Christ’s teaching on the subject of divorce was plain; but when it is proclaimed from the pulpit now, the hearer goes his way and says, “Our minister thinks thus about divorce,” as if it were merely an individual opinion and could be disregarded. The old romance and sanctity that lay about the home has been largely destroyed by what we call increasing civilization. When I was a boy, I used to declaim the stirring lines, “Strike for your altars and your fires; strike for the green graves of your sires.” But now the altars and fires are register-holes in the wall, and the green graves of the sires are vaults of stone made to look as much like small palaces as wealth can make them; and nobody would care to fight for either. I saw the other day a motto, “God Bless Our Flat;” that was all that there was left of the home. I do not oppose the flat system; but I say that anything that breaks up the home feeling aims a blow at the morals of the family. When the romance and sacredness of home is gone, then it seems as if even decency very soon departs. Bickerings arise, recriminations follow; and one of the pair goes across the State line to get permission to break the sacred union. How can there be any home life among our rich people, with one house in the country, another in town, and two months in Florida between? And as if this were not bad enough, they take their children abroad for some years. I have lived in Paris and watched the effect of these European sojourns; and I know whereof I speak, when I say that they are bad for our sons, and still worse for our daughters. They come back having lost all idea of love of home life, and happy only when counting the days before they return to their beloved Europe. When this family life is destroyed, the church has lost its chief ally.—C. S. Robinson. DEATH had taken the father, and the mother with her little boy was leaving the old home. They had walked a long and weary way. The dear familiar sights had long been left behind, and they were amid new and strange surroundings. Suddenly the boy looked up and noticed that the sky was the same, the same lovely blue, the same fleecy clouds. “Mama,” he exclaimed, “the sky goes along with us!” Happy little philosopher! Constantly in life’s journey are we leaving familiar scenes and associations behind us. Well for us that God’s overarching sky, with its blue canopy by day and starlit dome by night, goes along with us. And there is so much of it. There was another boy, born in the slums of a great city, his home a dark room in a tenement-house in a narrow alley. It was not his to know the green fields, the daisies in the meadow, the cool brooks, or the whispering trees. Even the sky was to him a tiny patch seen through the encroaching fronts of rickety houses in a dingy street. One day, through some kind providence, the boy found himself in “God’s out of doors.” With shining face and wide-open eyes he cried out, “Why, how much sky there is!” Yes, there is a great deal of sky for those who will look up.—Selected. Teaching the Children to Help
A WRITER in Housewife says: “Many mothers, overworked and longing for relief, do not realize that at hand they have a large reserve force of unskilled, but willing and affectionate labor. The little ones who add so largely to our duties are the very ones who, if directed rightly, will spring to our relief and ease the heat and burden of our day wonderfully. It is the ‘step, step’ about the housework that is so fatiguing; the larger tasks, gone systematically about, are not so exhausting; but the various little, uncounted things which, if not done, show so blackly on a background of otherwise good housekeeping, and the doing or not doing of these is what tries our nerves and our tempers. Without in the least overworking the child, its little hands and feet can yet be made of great help to us, and even a very young child will save many steps if properly set about it. The tiny feet must trot, and they will cross the room many times joyously if the little one can feel that he is working for mama.”—Selected. A Real Home
By O. W. Holmes
I NEVER saw a garment too fine for a man or maid; there never was a chair too good for a cobbler or a cooper or a king to sit in; never a house too fine to shelter the human head. But do we not value these tools a little more than they are worth, and sometimes mortgage a house for the mahogany we bring into it? I had rather eat my dinner off the head of a barrel, or dress after the fashion of John the Baptist in the wilderness, or sit on a block all my life, than consume all myself before I got to a home, and take so much pains with the outside that the inside was as hollow as an empty nut. Beauty is a great thing, but beauty of garment, house, and furniture are tawdry ornaments compared with domestic love. All the elegance in the world will not make a home, and I would give more for a spoonful of real hearty love than for whole ship-loads of furniture and all the gorgeousness the world can gather.—O. W. Holmes.