Earlier text: Week of Prayer in Canton, ChinaBUILDINGS have no voice with which to portray the experience of being shaken like a reed in the wind, and of then falling prostrate in ruins; and the experience of living beings in such a time is, after all, of the most real interest, and touches humanity most closely. Knowing that our people everywhere would be glad to read a well-written account of the great disaster in Mountain View, Cal., prepared by one who has passed through it, we present herewith the greater part of a private letter from Brother E. R. Palmer, whose home is five blocks from the Pacific Press printing plant. This letter was written the day after the earthquake. We quote as follows:— “Yesterday morning, April 18, I awoke about five o'clock, and as I was lying in bed planning the work of the day, I felt a sudden jarring of the house as if some one had sprung suddenly out of bed, and was running along the floor. . . . Almost immediately we realized that it was an earthquake, but did not think it would be serious, and did not apprehend that any harm would come to us or to the house, but we got outside as quickly as we could, so as to be safe from danger and to see whether harm was being done to the many water-towers and chimneys. In less than ten seconds the earthquake was at its worst. We were pitched one way and another as if we were trying to walk in a rapidly moving cart over rough ground. As we went through the sitting-room, the three bookcases fell. Pictures, and clocks, and everything movable were thrown violently to the floor. The piano rocked as if it were a dry-goods box, and every time it went back to the wall, it cut a hole. It punched the wall that way three times. The beds were rolled out from the walls, the couch rolled part way across to the piano, and dishes, lamps, and everything that could be pitched and broken, were hurled to the floor and broken. “I suppose in less than ten seconds we were outside, but on the ground we were as unable to stand as in the house. I dropped down on one knee on the narrow sidewalk, and held on with all my might with both hands, and while in that position, I saw the most awful evidences of power and calamity that I have ever witnessed.” “The tanks which supplied the town water system, and which I believe were one hundred and fifty feet high, fell and smashed like kindling wood. The Pacific Press water-tower just back of our house swayed so much that the electric wires which were attached only about twelve feet from the ground were stretched so that they sag down several feet. It reeled back and forth several times, and the water poured over the tops of the tanks in sheets, but the tower stood, though it leans to the east more than a foot. In every direction, there was a crash of water-towers and buildings.” “The shaking was over in precisely twenty-eight seconds, according to the report of astronomical observations. We have heard that it lasted a minute. The majority of people were under the impression that it lasted five minutes. Personally, we did not suffer any harm. We lost many things that were cherished very highly. As you know, our home contained the relics and keepsakes of three homes. Some of them were brought from far-off lands, and we prized them very much. Perhaps we thought too much of them. At any rate, nearly everything of that kind was crushed into fragments, or if not breakable was crushed or wet so as to be ruined.” “The little boys came very near being seriously hurt. Only one of our chimneys fell. That was the back one, and it fell directly over the head of their bed. It partially cut through the roof, and one brick came through the ceiling and knocked off the plaster, which fell directly into the boys' faces. It then rolled off onto the ground, doing no more damage than to break both the gutters of the house on the back piazza. Our house is plastered with fiber plaster, which does not yield very readily, and as far as we can see, the walls are intact. Houses that were plastered with ordinary lime plaster were nearly stripped.16 “This will seem more wonderful to you when I tell you that the house was moved from one to three inches on its foundation. This house is so low and broad on its foundation that it fared better than the most of houses. Some escaped as well as we did.” “In Brother H. H. Hall's house, the chimney, fireplace, etc., dropped down into his cellar, and his was a new house. In other respects, his house was severely damaged. All houses were strained and rocked so that there is hardly a house in town with a perpendicular wall. In some cases, the house is thrown three inches to one side. The front of the house is perhaps thrown two or three inches in one direction, while the middle remains in place, and many houses lean over one way or the other. This is how the one-story frame houses stood.” “I believe that only one or two brick buildings in the town remained standing, and those are racked to such an extent that they will probably have to be taken down. . . .” “We are well. Our lives were spared, and all that was of real value to us remains. This morning Cora and I were saying to each other that while we had ourselves and our family and the third angel's message to work for, we were rich, and could have no reason to complain, though everything else were taken away. We trust that under God's blessing we may ever feel like this. I am sure we do hold ourselves and what little we have wholly subject to the closing work, and it is our intention so to relate ourselves to the closing work of the message that we shall not be fearful, nor complain, when the earth is shaken, and God's judgments are seen in the land.” “How many times yesterday, as we experienced shake after shake of the earthquake, although all the succeeding shakes were faint compared with the first, we thought of some of those grand scriptures which describe the shaking of all things that can be shaken during the last days, and the stability of God's people during that time. Surely character is the only thing which can not be shaken. While we are assured of a standing place upon God's truth, why should we fear though the mountains be removed, etc.” “As the reports, although they were only rumor, came in, telling of the dire catastrophe in San Francisco, the prophecy often came to our minds, ‘and the cities of the nations fell.’ We have no reason to mourn, or weep, or wonder at God's providences. We have expected this, and still expect many times worse than this. . . .” “Up to the present time we are in ignorance of what has taken place farther away than Los Angeles and San Francisco. A rumor has reached us this afternoon that Chicago is on fire, and that New York is under water. Probably there is not the remotest truthfulness to this rumor, but it will give you an idea of the sort of rumors flying here. . . .” “I think I never retired with such a feeling of mingled sorrow and apprehension as last night. The day throughout was a terrible experience, starting in as it did so early with the wreckage of the town here and of the things in our home, then with earthquake tremors coming rapidly all day, the Pacific Press buildings in ruins, reports coming in of the most terrible catastrophes, and with a climax at night in the shape of the terrible news from San Francisco. But we were all exhausted completely, and our nerves were worn to the quick, and we felt that above all things we needed forgetfulness and sleep. . . .” “Before we retired, we had a very precious season of family worship, in which all the children took part with us, as they usually do Friday and Sabbath evenings. Then we retired about a quarter to nine, and I slept, even without dreaming or awaking, until nearly five o'clock this morning. . . .” “Well, here we are picking up the ruins, straightening things out, writing letters and putting them in the post-office, having no idea when they will leave, writing telegrams and filing them at the telegraph office with no knowledge of when they will be sent, and entirely cut off from information beyond our nearest environment, but we are all trusting in our God, and are not afraid. Of course there is a great feeling of apprehension.” “Groceries can hardly be secured at any price. Every bank in the State of California is closed, and we are unable to get a dollar of our relief funds, or of our little private deposits. This does not mean that the banks have failed, and I suppose there is not the least danger of it, particularly here in Mountain View, where the bank is one of the most conservative, solid banks in the State, but this is one item to tell how we are tied up, and how little we know of what is going on outside.” An Earthquake Special
By Editor
On the very day of the earthquake, and amid the ruins of their own building, the brethren of the Pacific Press issued a two-page supplement to The Signs of the Times, giving a brief statement of their own situation, and such news from other places in California as they were able to obtain. In this Supplement our brethren announce that they will at once issue an “earthquake special” of the Signs, the plans for which they state as follows: “We shall tell you in this number of the condition of San Francisco, as it was and as it is; of the great Stanford University before and after the earthquake; how the great seismic throb affected the large city of Oakland, also Santa Rosa, one of the fairest towns in California; of how San Jose, Sebastopol, Healdsburg, and other towns were shattered by the shock. “We shall endeavor to tell you what these things mean in the light of sober common sense, and of the warnings which God has presented in his Word. As to the material damages, we shall endeavor to give a plain, unvarnished tale, just as far as we can obtain accurate reports. We are sending our representatives to different towns and cities of the afflicted districts, so as to give them the very best opportunities for presenting accurate reports of the great calamity. “The date of this earthquake special will be May 1. Any of our friends in the East who may wish large quantities would better order them direct from the office of publication. This number will cost us much more than the regular issue. The price will be as follows: Less than 1,000 copies to one name and address, 3 cents a copy; all over 1,000 copies to one name and address, 2½ cents a copy.” We hope there will be a prompt and hearty response to this announcement. There is no time for delay, and orders should be sent direct to the Pacific Press, Mountain View, Cal. A united effort will place many thousand copies of this special number in the homes of the people throughout the United States. Send in your order as soon as you have read this statement. The Effect of the Earthquake in Various Places
By L. A. S.
DURING the first few days following the earthquake in California, public attention was so centered upon San Francisco as being the point of overshadowing disaster, and the means of communication were so meager, that comparatively little news found its way into the press reports regarding the effects of the earthquake in other places. From later reports it appears that some smaller cities suffered quite as much, if not even more, proportionately, than did the metropolis. A Los Angeles telegram says of the situation at Santa Rosa: “Compared to population, it is now believed that in Santa Rosa the greatest loss of life occurred from earthquake and fire, even if this unfortunate city does not lead in the actual number of victims. A quotation from a letter is given which states: ‘This town is in awful shape. There is not a single brick or stone building standing, and scores of fine residences are in ruins. Fires broke out in the business district right after the shock, and burned dead and living alike. There were three large three-story hotels, and while all of them fell, but one took fire. . . . There would undoubtedly have been a great many lives saved if they could have been gotten out in the first twenty-four hours, but the task was so great it was an impossibility.’” Our readers will be interested to learn of the effects of the shock at Oakland, situated across the bay from San Francisco, and which has been until recently the center of our work on the Pacific Coast. From a description published in the Washington Star, taken from letters received from Oakland residents, we quote the following:— “In many places in the city of Oakland the ground has settled several feet, and in several places on Twelfth Street [the former Pacific Press headquarters was on this street] the street is about six feet lower than its former position. . . . In one section of Oakland there is a fissure in the street near the pavement about three feet wide that is so deep that one can not see the bottom of the crevice.” A description in a private letter states: “My chimney went down, of course, as did all in Oakland, but I got all my family out of the house safely. I was more lucky than my neighbors, whose chimneys fell in, crushing through the bedrooms, down to the basement. We assembled on the sidewalk with our neighbors in our night clothes. The inside of the house looks like a wreck. . . . Hundreds of fine buildings in Oakland are wrecked.17 Another description in a private letter states: “The new Prescott school, which is not quite finished, is a total wreck, for it fell down. The Empire theater fell in, crushing five people, and one man was killed at a bakery. They say the walls of the stores up-town fell in, and all the windows are broken. No cars are running, and all the telegraph and telephone wires are down. The water was cut off, and talk about fire bells ringing! All along the streets are nothing but bricks, and scarcely two chimneys remain. Some men from below Seventh Street said, ‘Around our way we all got off easy, for down there houses came right down.’” San Jose, a city of thirty thousand people, suffered almost as severely as did Santa Rosa, though the reported loss of life was much less. Near San Jose was the Agnew Insane Asylum, which was totally wrecked, burying most of the demented inmates in its ruins. Those who escaped were tied to trees, while all hands sought to release those buried out of sight, but who could be distinctly heard shouting and talking after the manner of crazy people. From a private letter it is learned that neither the sanitarium nor the food store at St. Helena was greatly damaged. No definite information from Healdsburg has yet been received. The latest estimate of the loss of life in San Francisco places the number at less than five hundred. This does not include the lives lost (said to number hundreds) by the reckless shooting of the improvised soldiers of the “vigilance committees,” who under pretense of maintaining necessary order in the city shot down both men and women for the most trivial causes. Among the victims of this class was Mr. H. C. Tilden, a member of Governor Pardee’s staff, who was shot dead in his automobile while engaged in relief work. Mayor Schmitz was finally obliged to issue orders for the rigorous suppression of these martial bands. An idea of the number of people seriously affected by the disaster may be gathered from the statement that the relief bureaus issued rations on April 24 to 349,440 persons. Among the side-lights which reveal the sad features of such a stupendous calamity, is the following telegram from Governor Chamberlain of Oregon to Governor Pardee of California: “Many children and some babies are coming through here [Salem] unidentified and unaccompanied by any one, cared for only by strangers. Can they not be gathered together at Oakland, and kept together for subsequent identification? As it is, they will be forever lost to their parents.” It is estimated that insurance companies will suffer from the fire to the extent of two hundred million dollars. This of course falls far short of representing the total property loss. Earthquake losses carry no insurance, and the property destroyed by fire was not insured for its full value. In the Baltimore fire the insurance paid was thirty-five million dollars, while the total property loss was nearly twice this sum. A strange feature of the catastrophe, according to press statements, is that Alcatraz Island, which lies in the bay close to San Francisco, felt no shock. Hearing Before the Sunday Observance Bill Committee
By W. H. Thurston
Hearing Before the Sunday Observance Bill Committee
The special committee on Bill No. 12 respecting the better observance of Sunday held their meeting April 19, as appointed, and we appeared before the committee according to arrangements, and presented our views relative to the bill. Elder H. E. Rickard, of Quebec, Elders Burrill and Leland, of Ontario, and Brother Folinsbee, of Ontario, came to Ottawa on Wednesday, April 18, and we had a good time for counsel and prayer, and had our plans well formulated, subject to the Lord’s will. When the meeting opened, there were a goodly number present to oppose the bill, and they all seemed anxious to be first, or to have a definite time set when they could be heard, and there was considerable noise and confusion for an hour. In the meantime I informed the chairman that we had early filed an application to be heard at this meeting, but we did not desire to urge the matter. My application for a hearing was read by the secretary of the committee, and all understood that we were there to be heard. Railroad companies, smelting companies, transportation companies, and corporations of various kinds were there represented in opposition to the bill, and all were urgent. We patiently waited, believing that the Lord would direct in it all, and about noon things quieted down, and we were allowed to present our protest. We saw that only one would be allowed to present the argument, and Brother Folinsbee was introduced and occupied a half-hour in laying before the committee our position and the result of the bill if passed. His argument seemed to make a favorable impression upon the committee, and we felt that the Lord directed in it all. The truth was made clear to them, and we hope for the best. Brother Folinsbee is a lawyer, the mayor of Strathroy, Ontario, and has been keeping the Sabbath ten years. He is an earnest Christian and a man of influence. Mr. Shearer, the secretary of the Lord’s Day Alliance, was present, and at the close of Brother Folinsbee’s talk he stated that he would like the privilege of replying to the Adventists; he was granted the privilege of doing so at the next sitting of the committee, which will be April 24. After he is through, we shall have the privilege of replying to him, and I will report to the REVIEW further as matters develop. To Those Willing to Loan Money to Our Nashville Office
By George I. Butler
We need at this office a few thousand dollars at a low rate of interest, or without interest, if our friends are willing to loan it on such terms. It is known to many of the readers of the REVIEW that our Nashville office has moved from its old place of business on Jefferson Street, to a nice location outside of the city limits. A new building, seventy by one hundred feet, has been erected, one story in height, and our office installed in the large building, practically fireproof, where our work can be carried on far more advantageously, and at considerably less expense, than in the old quarters. It is a great relief to get out into the open country air, away from the fog and smoke of the city. The main city is built on both sides of the Cumberland River; the ground, of course, is comparatively low along the river, and the fog and smoke coming from a large number of chimneys where bituminous coal is burned, the air becomes in damp weather very unpleasant and unhealthful, and especially in the winter season. We have much more sunshine, and far better air to breathe, with good water, and many things that are desirable, in our new locality. The cost of moving was considerable. We very much need a few thousand dollars; and to secure from our friends loans for a term of a few years, so that we can pay off some accounts at the bank, and some other pressing debts, would be a great help to us. The prospects before our office were never so encouraging as at the present time. We hope to save three thousand dollars a year in the running expenses of the office in our new quarters. We consider the office a safe place of investment. Its credit has been maintained18 in the city, and we have never yet failed to pay debts to those who have trusted us. It would be a help in a time of some embarrassment because of the expenses of moving, etc., could we receive loans at a low rate of interest. It would be helpful to the cause in the South. This money is not desired for the purpose of making new investments, but merely for relieving the office of some pressing claims. We have not been, for some two years past, making earnest pleas for gifts, though they would be very acceptable indeed, but there are so many other calls for other institutions that we have tried to get along without begging for money, believing that we shall, after a little, be able to run our business on a self-supporting basis wholly. Great improvements have been made in the past. We are usually running with sixty to seventy employees, doing quite an important work in printing. Will those who have love for the cause of God, especially in the Southern field, not be willing to make us loans at this time, when they are needed? We ask those who have money that they would be willing to loan to correspond with our office on Twenty-fourth Avenue, North, Nashville, Tenn. GEORGE I. BUTLER, President Southern Publishing Assn. IN a letter written at the Glendale Sanitarium, April 20, Elder W. C. White says: “Yesterday afternoon I received a letter from May, telling us that the houses were much shaken in the Napa Valley, and many chimneys thrown down. She said nothing about the [St. Helena] Sanitarium; therefore we conclude that it has not suffered more than the homes. No one was hurt in our ‘Elmshaven’ buildings. . . . Yesterday afternoon, at 12:35, there was a distinct shock here in Los Angeles. Our people were assembled in the meeting-house on Carr Street. The house was just comfortably filled. We felt a little tremble, then a heaving, and then a shake. Half of the audience rose, and some rushed to the doors; but it was soon over—so soon that the people were persuaded to take their seats, and the business went on.” Writing from St. Helena on April 20, Brother L. M. Bowen, business manager of the sanitarium at that place, says: “The restaurant [in San Francisco] was practically uninjured by the earthquake, but caught fire about ten o’clock. Brother Fulton and his faithful workers served a very heavy breakfast, as this was the last restaurant to close. All our people and workers, as far as I have learned, have escaped. Some have been injured, but no one fatally. The treatment rooms and food store were burned Thursday morning about four o’clock. Up to yesterday morning about eleven o’clock the fire had not reached Dr. Sanderson’s, but from recent reports I learn that all that part of the city was also burned. While the shock here was very severe, the damage was small. The food factory is in working order, and the damage to the sanitarium will not exceed two hundred dollars.” It is surprising that no report is received from Healdsburg, either directly or indirectly. It is possibly safe to regard no news as good news, and we hope that the sequel will justify this interpretation of the silence. Give It a Wide Circulation
By W. A. Colcord
We are exceedingly anxious that our new magazine, Liberty, shall have a wide circulation. We are years behind in our work, and the people are greatly in need of the light which this magazine gives, and of a knowledge of the principles which it sets forth. Rapidly we are nearing the great crisis for which we have so long looked. There are evidences of this on every hand. As we approach this crisis, and the people are called to take their stand for or against the truth, they must be enlightened as to the great principles involved in their action and decision, in order that they may take their stand intelligently. National Reform principles are rapidly gaining ground. To-day we find not a few men in official positions who are not only friends of these principles, but who are openly and actively championing them, and, as far as is in their power, are putting them into practise. Under the heading, “Some of Our Present Governors,” the Christian Statesman for March, 1906, says:— “It is not chance which has placed in the gubernatorial chair of so many of our States men of the type of Hanly, of Indiana; Pattison, of Ohio; and Polk, of Missouri. They are the outcome of forces which have been ‘making for righteousness’ for a quarter of a century or more.”
As is well known, these men have lately inaugurated regular Sunday enforcement campaigns in their States, calling upon the officers of the law to enforce the Sunday laws. In his inaugural address, Gov. John M. Pattison said:— “While the disobeying of any law is demoralizing and degrading to a citizen or community, the disobeying of Sunday laws is doubly so. Hence the so-called Sunday laws should be obeyed and enforced, not only in the country and in the small villages, but in the large towns and cities as well. The village, county, community, city, State, or people that disobeys the divine law of the Sabbath which makes it a day of rest and worship, fails to realize the teachings and commands of the Almighty. It was this sentiment of Sabbath observance that made our forefathers strong and mighty, and it is found in the warp and woof of every constitution of the original States. If America is to maintain her position as the nation peculiarly favored by God, and the one of all others that is to have a great destiny, we must forever maintain our respect and reverence for his holy day.”
Almost constantly efforts are being made to secure more stringent Sunday laws in the States, and no less than five Sunday bills have been introduced into the present Congress. All this is the result of the dissemination of National Reform principles. The people of this country are being led to believe that religious legislation is right and necessary. In view of this, is there not a duty devolving upon us to do what we can to show the people the evils of such legislation? A wide circulation of Liberty will be one excellent and inexpensive means of doing this. At present it is to be issued as a quarterly at twenty-five cents a year, or at the rate of only fifteen cents a copy annually in orders of five or more to different addresses. Now, first of all, we wish every legislator in the country, both State and national, supplied with it. If there is any class of men who should understand the principles of religious liberty and the evils of religious legislation, it is that class who make our laws. The Religious Liberty Bureau will see that all the members of Congress, about five hundred in number, are supplied regularly with this journal; and we have asked the conferences in the different States to see that every legislator in their respective legislatures is likewise furnished with it. Following the example thus set by the Religious Liberty Bureau and the State conferences, we wish to urge our brethren and sisters everywhere to take up at once in their missionary meeting the question of the circulation of this magazine, and see that mayors, city and town councils, judges, lawyers, school-teachers, and business men are furnished with it. In this way a great and grand work can be done, and the rising spirit of intolerance and oppression be held in check until the message is more fully given, and God's time for the closing scenes in the final struggle between truth and error has come. As far as possible, let all these classes be supplied with this magazine from the very first number. Will you not, brethren and sisters, give this matter prompt attention, and without delay take whatever steps are necessary to put this plan into operation? Though you may not find it possible at present to supply all the classes named, do something, and do it now. Make a beginning. Remember that it will cost only fifteen cents to supply a mayor, a lawyer, a judge, or a school-teacher with this publication, sent post-paid from the office of publication, for a year. We trust that we shall have your immediate and hearty co-operation in this matter. This work will help to bring new life and interest into the missionary meeting. In addition to what is here suggested, we wish to urge that every church be canvassed for subscriptions for Liberty, and we hope that many in our churches will take up the work of canvassing their friends and neighbors for subscriptions for it. Many churches will, no doubt, desire to take regular clubs of the magazine to distribute in their neighborhoods, and, when special issues arise from efforts to enforce Sunday laws, will wish to order quite large supplies for more general circulation. Here is a work for church elders, church librarians, Young People's Societies, and live missionary workers to look after. We urge that it be given immediate attention. San Francisco
By E. J. Hibbard
THE earthquake is past, the fires have subsided; but San Francisco, in the main, lies in ruins. You have read the harrowing details in the daily papers. You will want to know, however, how “our people” fared. This the papers have not recorded. They have not told of any class or creed. At this writing, I do not know of a single instance where a hair of our heads has been injured. Homes, furniture, business places (if such they had) are wrecked or burned; but life is spared, thank God. The vegetarian café survived the shock, but was afterward burned, as was also the “home” for the workers. The Branch Sanitarium and food store near it, both suffered heavily from the tremblers, and then burned to the ground. Practically nothing was saved. Dr. Lamb’s place was ruined by the shock, but no patient was injured, though the rooms were full. All life was saved; but the “stuff” was burned. Our house, 20 Pearl Street, was practically uninjured until the second day. It was surrounded by fire, and went with the rest. We are encamped for the present, one block from where we lived, in a vacant lot, corner of Market and Laguna Streets. Our people are scattered throughout the various temporary camps. We do not care to collect them. They are witnessing for God and truth better as they are, mingled among the people. All hearts are now open, and all conventionalities laid aside. One can address any one—man or woman—on the streets, anywhere, and converse freely. The huge multitude act like the people of a country village. We get acquainted without the formality of an introduction. In my opinion this is the time to tell San Francisco what is coming next. It will listen. Specially prepared literature bearing on the signs of the times should be sent to 916 Laguna Street, our church address. Our church was spared. It is uninjured, save for the fall of plaster and the warping of windows. Valencia Street Hall, our second meeting place, is also spared. The fire came within two blocks of the Laguna Street church and four blocks of the Valencia Street Hall. This morning I looked over the San Francisco church directory. Out of a total of seventy Protestant churches and missions there remain not more than19 twenty-seven not burned. Of these, very few, I fear, are fit to admit assemblies. For the present, we have offered our church and dispensary for emergency purposes. Some four or five doctors and about eight nurses among us have also offered more or less free service. Brethren, we now know something of how it will feel when “the earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard.” To know and trust God in such an hour is worth more than the price of this material world. How heavenly was our meeting in the church yesterday—the holy Sabbath day! How good the brethren looked! We read Isaiah 24, sang, prayed, and told our experiences. All thanked God that their lives were spared. They reconsecrated all to him. We all felt, and said, and voted that now is the time for us—unless God has special work for us here to perform—to vacate this wicked place. Men expect to rebuild, larger and grander than before. Yes, men will rebuild, and God will throw down. I tremble when I think of the final visitation of the Almighty. Brethren, O my brethren! be ready for the great day of God. “It is near, and hasteth greatly.” The Papacy Imitated
By C. S. Longacre
Dr. WILBUR F. CRAFTS, superintendent of the National Reform Bureau, who is now touring this country and delivering a lecture every night in some church, and expects to continue in this line of work for two years, is seeking public indorsement of his Sunday bills before Congress. The first thing he announces in his lectures (for they are the same every night in each place) is the statement that “our government is a wheelbarrow government.” You must get behind it and push it if you want it to move. By your vote here in favor of the bills which our Bureau has now before Congress, you are taking hold of the handles of the wheelbarrow and giving it a tremendous push. There is nothing that has so much influence upon Congressmen and Senators as a unanimous vote on a certain measure by a local mass-meeting. The church people in a church are then asked to vote on the affirmative side of his separate bills before Congress, the first of which is to close the doors of the Jamestown (Va.) Tri-Centennial Fair on Sundays. It is an easy thing to make a vote unanimous when only an affirmative vote is called for, as was done at Washington, Pa. Dr. Crafts says the Reform Bureau has drawn up a bill before Congress that shall require the gates of the Jamestown Fair to be closed on Sundays under contract that Congress shall reserve the right to seize the property of the fair to the amount of the entire appropriation that Congress shall grant, which is estimated to be three million dollars. If they violate the agreement, as they did at the World's Fair of Chicago, then Congress shall seize the property to the appropriated amount and confiscate it. Dr. Crafts said this contract was the only thing that kept the St. Louis people from opening the doors on Sunday, and that the Bureau deserved the credit for the wisdom of the excellent scheme. You touch a man's pocketbook, and you can bring him to time on every issue, said he. If this is not going back to the Dark Ages and walking in the steps of the papacy, then I do not know the black horse and his rider in the apocalyptic vision. Well might this modern agitator of religious intolerance be styled the Pope of the “Christian Lobby,” to the Image of the Papacy. This is no new scheme, but the same old scheme of the Church of Rome and the court of Rome. A few quotations will show whether we are drifting. I quote from “Pope Marcellus’s Decrees, Corpus Juris Canonici,” part 2, chap. 18: “It is permitted neither to think nor to teach otherwise than the court of Rome directs.” Also “Decretals of Gregory IX,” book 5, title 7: “The secular powers shall swear to exterminate all heretics condemned by the church; and if they do not, they shall be anathema.” Here is a sample of Dr. Crafts’ policy and scheme, of which Pope Boniface VIII is the author: “Inquisitors may compel the heirs of those who favored heretics to fulfil the penance enjoined by delivering up their goods. After the death of a man, he may be declared a heretic, that his property may be confiscated.”—“Decretals.” The Church of Rome never had a more effective weapon in whipping the world into forced obedience to her mandates than the coalition with the civil court of Rome to carry out her biddings, to confiscate the property and goods of heretics condemned by the church. That a free people should allow such a wicked scheme to be enacted into law is a marvel. May the friends of religious liberty raise a loud cry of warning against the papal scheme that is so zealously fostered by apostate Protestantism. A NEW church building was dedicated free from debt at Florence, Mo., March 4. FIVE persons were recently added to the membership of the Coleman church, in western Texas. A YOUNG PEOPLE'S SOCIETY with a membership of thirty-seven was recently organized at St. Charles, Mich. A CHURCH of ten members was organized recently at Dannebrog, Neb. Others at that place desire baptism. BROTHER F. W. STRAY reports that initial steps are being taken toward a church organization in Pittsfield, Mass. SISTER HELEN BIDWELL reports that a Sabbath-school of eleven members has been organized at Adams Center, Wis., and that one family of Seventh-day Baptists has joined with them. BROTHER J. G. HANNA says in a report from Halifax, Nova Scotia: “Three, who have been keeping the Sabbath for some time, have publicly expressed their desire to unite fully with us in church fellowship, and three others also made a start for the kingdom, and will unite in due time. The church has been strengthened spiritually.” IN a report of recent meetings held in Liberty Center, Iowa, Elder J. H. Kraft says: “The result of the work done here was a church of seventeen members fully established in the truth. Several of the members had been keeping the Sabbath for years, but had never identified themselves with us as a people. These, with those recently taking their stand for the truth, are praising God for the work done here. There are several who we hope will follow the Lord soon in baptism.”