THE following is by a correspondent of the Sabbath Recorder (Seventh-day Baptist), but it applies as well to Seventh-day Adventists and the special work entrusted to them:—
It seems to me that missionary work is the work assigned to Christian men and women to do. If I understand the commission of our blessed Lord, uttered as he was about to depart, having completed his earth mission, it was first to publish salvation through Jesus to a world in darkness, and follow up the work thus begun by teaching them the principles requisite to a fully developed Christian character. And I do not understand that the commission has terminated, or will lose any of its binding force, so long as a single soul remains in ignorance of salvation through Jesus, nor that we can be excused until the very best effort, yea, every effort of which we are capable, has been made.
It is indeed encouraging to see by the reports of last year's work that our people have made some progress in real consecration to the missionary cause, as is shown by the greater amount of work done, better and more extensive plans for the future, and, what more practically indicates the increased interest and devotion of the people, the larger contributions which have flowed into the treasury. But the question continues to repeat itself, and with increased force at each repetition, Have "all the tithes and offerings" been brought to the "storehouse?" Some no doubt are doing nobly; perhaps their full proportion, if proportion was a thing to be considered here; but I feel sustained in asserting that the masses of our people have scarcely begun to realize their obligations in this matter. There can be no clearer statement made than that one-tenth of the income of God's ancient people was his. "All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's; it is holy unto the Lord." Lev. 27:30. And I have been unable to find when or where God has modified that stipulation, or that it is any less robbery for his people now to withhold any part of that amount from the Lord's treasury.
It is a question of no little perplexity to know how, as a pastor, to relieve myself from responsibility for any degree of failure in this matter, either by securing, by my influence, the full contribution, or at least leave nothing undone that a pastor should do to make duty plain in this respect, as well as in every other. I presume there are men who have the tact to bring their churches up to a proper financial standard; but for me it is one of the most difficult of problems to solve.
I do hope and pray that some way will be provided to answer the pressing calls for laborers that continue to multiply. "Where are the reapers?" May the Master speedily find such as will answer the call to the honor of his name.
A Faith That Works.
By R. F. Cottrell
WHAT is demanded at the present time is a faith that works. As a people we are not doing what we ought to do. Our publications are the most efficient agents to spread the truth everywhere. Hence all may be efficient laborers in the cause. All things have been made ready, in the providence of God, so that all may be laborers that will. All can do something in the work of spreading the truth and saving men. Do you realize it? Or do you think it of no use to try? Are you discouraged because your past efforts are fruitless? Are your friends and neighbors callous to all your endeavors to do them good? Extend your efforts to a wider circle. In due time you shall reap, if you faint not.
The SIGNS OF THE TIMES should be sent in every direction. All can share in this work. Some can help pay for them that cannot do much more. Others can take the labor of scattering them, and finding interested readers, such as may be benefited. And frequently the bow that is drawn at a venture will hit the mark, though it may not be the mark that we aimed at. Well-directed efforts will not fail to accomplish good. Our labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Then let us press on and know no halting till the work is done, till the last sheaf is gathered in. Then what joy to the faithful worker when angels join with men in the shout of the "harvest home."
Shall we not consecrate ourselves to the blessed work of saving souls? Let no one be contented to let these precious opportunities pass unimproved. Think, O think, that in a little while it will be too late,—the harvest past, redemption's work all done, and the fiat gone forth, "He that is filthy, let him be filthy still. And, behold, I come quickly, to give to every man according as his work shall be."
R. F. COTTRELL.
The Danger of Self-Imitation
PEOPLE seldom improve when they have no other model than themselves to copy after.
Work and Trust.
DURING a long course of years, even to the closing fortnight of his life, in his last sickness, Dr. Judson lamented that all his efforts in behalf of the Jews had been a failure. He was departing from the world saddened with that thought. Then, at last, there came a gleam of light that thrilled his heart with grateful joy. How did it come? Unexpectedly, Mrs. Judson was sitting by his side while he was in a state of great languor, with a newspaper, a copy of the Watchman and Reflector, in her hand. She read to her husband one of Dr. Hague's letters from Constantinople. That letter contained some items of information that filled him with wonder. At a meeting of missionaries at Constantinople, Mr. Schauffler stated that a little book had been published in Germany, giving an account of Dr. Judson's life and labors; that it had fallen into the hands of some Jews, and had been the means of their conversion; that a Jew had translated it for a community of Jews on the borders of the Euxine, and that a messenger had arrived in Constantinople, asking that a teacher might be sent to them.
When Dr. Judson heard this, his eyes were filled with tears; a look of almost unearthly solemnity came over him; and clinging fast to his wife's hand, as if to assure himself of being really in the world, he said:—
"Love, this frightens me. I do not know what to make of it."
"To make of what?" said Mrs. Judson.
"Why, what you have just been reading. I never was deeply interested in any object, I never prayed sincerely and earnestly for anything, but it came; at some time—no matter at how distant a day—somehow—in some shape—probably the last I should have devised, it came!"
What a testimony was that! It lingered on the lips of the dying Judson; it was embalmed with grateful tears, and is worthy to be transmitted as a legacy to the coming generation.—Sel.
The Certainty of Punishment
The certainty of punishment is of much greater value than its severity.
Light Spreading.
A BROTHER writing from Ohio says:—
“I have been spending some time in this county, where the light of the Third Angel's Message had never shone before. The gloom which had settled down upon the minds of some honest ones is now being driven away, as rays of light burst upon their vision. At N—, in this county, the Disciple Church has gone down. Their only elder is a converted man; he has accepted the truth in every particular except the perpetuity of spiritual gifts, and that subject he is now investigating.
“One minister of that church, a liberal, has opposed us, and tried to prove to his people that the ten commandments were abrogated, and that the first day of the week, or Lord's day, as he termed it, had been set apart, by the example of Christ and his apostles, as a Sabbath for us. He also claimed that redemption was a greater work than creation, and therefore we should keep the first day of the week in commemoration of that event.
“Soon after this minister left, another of his brethren, a conservative, came and preached in the same place, and labored to convince the same people, from Heb. 4, that we now have no Sabbath or rest day, and that the seventh day was typical of the rest spoken of in Heb. 4:9, which remains for the people of God. After this another minister, of the same denomination, came along and preached for the same people, and tried to prove by Rom. 14 that it makes no difference what day we keep. Surely their folly was manifested unto all men. 2 Tim. 3.”
Discontented Boys at Home.
It has been said by those who knew him best that Joe Davis, when at home, was one of the most discontented boys that could be found in Hampden, and yet none of the other fellows could understand why. If Joe didn't feel like doing up his chores at night, his poor old mother, although she was not able to do such work, would bring in the wood and water, milk the cow, prepare the kindlings, and never scold or complain.
Joe could go out coasting or skating the moment he had finished his supper, and stay just as long as any one would remain with him, positive that nothing would be said, no matter what time it was when he got home. Then he could lie in bed until eight o'clock, if he didn't chance to feel like getting up earlier, for he knew that not only his work would be done for him, but that a nice warm breakfast would be prepared as soon as he should say he was ready to eat it.
Every boy in town thought that Joe was one of the most fortunate fellows in the world, and more than once, when some of them were prevented from joining their companions at play, because of work to be done, they would wish that they were in Joe Davis' shoes. But yet Joe was discontented. Somehow, he never seemed to enjoy his sport as much as the other fellows did who were obliged to do their work before they could play; and as for his privilege of lying in bed mornings it is certain that he never appreciated it fully.
He never could seem to understand why some of the other boys always kissed their mother before they went out of the house, nor why they would be so anxious to save her any labor, when by so doing they were losing a game of ball, or the first of the coasting. In fact, he was thoroughly discontented, even though he had a much easier time than his companions, and he never understood why it was.
But there came a day when Joe understood fully, and knowledge brought with it a sorrow from which he will probably never be free.
His mother died. Congestion of the lungs, the doctors said. Overwork, the neighbors decided, and Joe knew that it was because she had taken cold one rainy night when she went after the cow, because he was trying an experiment with a new water-wheel at the brook.
Now, strange as it may seem, the moment Joe's mother was dead, and he had kissed the cold lips that would never more answer him, and pressed the white hands that had grown rough and calloused working for him, he understood all that he had wondered at before. It seemed to him that his play had not been enjoyable as was the other fellows' because he had not had the tasks to make it an agreeable relief. He knew that if he had done his work the hours of recreation would have been sweeter; that if it had been impossible for him to do just as he wanted to at all times, he would have had more zest in his sports when he did have perfect freedom.
When it was too late, Joe realized how dear a kiss from a mother might be, more especially when accompanied by the thought that he had done all he could to make her life-burden lighter. He realized, also, that the best and truest friend a boy can ever have is his mother, and it is little wonder that Joe's heart was heavy—that the tears he shed did not lessen his grief.
The reason of Joe Davis' sorrow, which will last through all his life, has not been told with an idea that a single boy who reads this has ever neglected his mother, although it is just possible that some of them have at times forgotten to do a certain piece of work or deliver a message that they were charged with. I chanced to be thinking, when I began to write, of my own dear old mother, whose love and kindness have been tried in many ways, and of Joe Davis, and it is not strange that, with these memories, I should wonder if any other boy had done, or would do, anything that would cause him unutterable grief when he should look upon his mother for the last time in this world.
Now, boys, when you get discontented with your home or anything about it, stop and think if your discontentment does not come from the fact that you are getting less work with your play than is good for you. Look about to see if you cannot find something to do which shall make you feel better after it is done; and above all, remember that a contented heart comes from knowledge of some good accomplished.
No fellow who truly loves his mother, who does all he can to help her, who is willing to give up his pleasure for hers, will ever be discontented at home. And no fellow who does all this will ever feel as Joe Davis does to-day, even though he is now a man, as he remembers that his discontent came from actual neglect of his dear old mother.
But there is really no need of writing all this, for, of course, no fellow now-a-days would ever neglect in any way, or cause sorrow to, his best and truest friend on earth.—Congregationalist.
Heroism at Home.
How useless our lives seem to us sometimes! How we long for an opportunity to perform some great action! We become tired of the routine of home life, and imagine we would be far happier in other scenes. We think of life's great battle-field, and wish to be heroes. We think of the good we might do if our lot had been cast in other scenes. We forget that the world bestows no such titles as noble as father, mother, sister, or brother. In the sacred precincts of home we have many chances of heroism. The daily acts of self-denial for the good of a loved one, the gentle word of soothing for another's trouble, the care for the sick, may all seem as nothing; yet who can tell the good they may accomplish? Our slightest word may have an influence over another for good or evil. We are daily sowing the seed which will bring forth some sort of harvest. Well will it be for us if the harvest will be one we will be proud to garner. If some one in that dear home circle can look back in after years, and, as he tenderly utters our name, say: "Her words and example prepared me for a life of usefulness; to her I owe my present happiness;" we may well say, I have not lived in vain.
What Our Girls Read.
By Harper's Bazar
It is very unusual to find a mother who is indifferent to her daughter's clothes. Even when that daughter is but a wee tot, the petty details of costume are scrupulously looked after and the maternal mind allows itself to be painfully disturbed over incongruousness of tint between the ribbons serving as fillet and necktie, and by meagerness of garniture on frock and apron. Practical-minded women will ever, in spite of girlish remonstrance, insist on low heels, loose clothes, and warm wraps, and with wise saws and hygienic maxims crush the fashionable yearnings of budding womanhood for French heels, a genteel waist, and sleeveless jackets.
But what can be said about the endeavor to provide for our daughters' mental nourishment and intellectual adornments? To develop in them a taste for great and noble thoughts, and the capacity to enjoy companionship with pure and elevating writers, and association in ideal worlds filled with honest men and pure women? To arouse that instinct for pure knowledge which is indeed the main purpose of education, certainly of that kind of education which is "the leading of human souls to what is best and making what is best out of them?"
There is no more amazing phase of nineteenth century feminine development than its passionate and enervating indulgence in nauseous mental pabulum, and the appalling extent to which an unlimited supply of such stuff is furnished to the young. The same woman who is conscientiously careful of the school companionship of her daughter of 12 or 13 years, is apparently criminally indifferent to the character of her associates in the world of books. She will watch what boy carries her girl's books home from school, but forgets to look below the cover of the new novel that same daughter has brought back from the circulating library, stopping there for it on the way home.
Now this apathy or ignorance in regard to what young girls read is responsible for the destruction of the finer tone of character of many of our children developing into womanhood, and explains a good deal of the frivolity, demoralizing coquetry, and unfortunate "affairs" which from time to time startle the community and bring sorrow and disgrace on highly respectable families.
During the formative period of life, when both mind and body are changing and unfolding from the chrysalis state of the child into the completeness of the woman, the future stamina, moral powers of resistance, and physical capacity of endurance—the purer mental tone and healthy bodily muscles—are dependent upon the manner in which both body and mind are exercised, fed, and trained, and to the quantity of the nutritious particles of matter, material and intellectual, which go to make the substance of the one and the spirit of the other.
Feed your child on pickles and sweetmeats, allow her to wear paper-soled shoes and an insufficiency of flannel, and we all know what the consequences will be—dyspepsia and a hectic cough. Does it never occur to you that the analogy applies to her mental sustenance and equipment? That if we feed her uniformed and emotional nature with high-spiced, morbid, unreal fiction, she will become incapable of digesting better literature, and that by the time she is a woman anything solid will be rejected by the pampered appetite? Have you ever seen this, you mothers?
The Home Circle.
By The Watchman
HOW EASY IT IS.
How easy it is to spoil a day!
The thoughtless word of a cherished friend,
The selfish act of a child at play,
The strength of a will that will not bend,
The slight of a comrade, the scorn of a foe,
The smile that is full of bitter things—
They all can tarnish its golden glow,
And take the grace from its airy wings.
How easy it is to spoil a day
By the force of a thought we did not check;
Little by little we mould the clay,
And little flaws may the vessel wreck.
The careless waste of a white-winged hour,
That held the blessings we long had sought,
The sudden failure of wealth or power,
And, lo! the day is with ill inwrought.
How easy it is to spoil a life—
And many are spoiled ere well begun—
In home-light darkened by sin and strife,
Or downward course of a cherished one;
By toil that robs the form of its grace
And undermines till health gives way;
By the peevish temper, the frowning face,
The hopes that go and the cares that stay.
A day is too long to be spent in vain;
Some good should come as the hours go by;
Some tangled maze may be made more plain,
Some lowered glance may be raised on high.
And life is too short to spoil like this;
If only a prelude, it may be sweet.
Let us bind together its thread of bliss,
And nourish the flowers around our feet.
—The Watchman.
The Brightness of Good Temper
Good temper is like a sunny day; it sheds its brightness everywhere.
Books Made of Clay.
By Harper's Young People
FAR away beyond the plains of Mesopotamia, on the banks of the river Tigris, lie the ruins of the ancient city of Nineveh. Not long since, huge mounds of earth and stone marked the place where the palaces and walls of the proud capital of the great Assyrian empire stood. The spade, first of the Frenchman, then of the Englishman, has cleared all the earth away, and laid bare all that remains of the old streets and palaces where the princes of Assyria walked and lived. The gods they worshiped and the books they read have all been revealed to the sight of a wondering world. The most curious of all the curious things preserved in this wonderful manner are the clay books of Nineveh.
The chief library of Nineveh was contained in the palace of Konyunjik. The clay books which it contains are composed of sets of tablets covered with very small writing. The tablets are oblong in shape; and, when several of them are used for one book, the first line of the tablet following was written at the end of the one preceding it. The writing on the tablets was of course done when the clay was soft, and then it was baked to harden it. Then, each tablet or book was numbered, and assigned to a place in the library with a corresponding number, so that the librarian could readily find it, just as our librarians of to-day number the books we read.
Among these books are to be found collections of hymns (to the gods), descriptions of animals and birds, stones and vegetables, as well as history, travels, etc. Perhaps those little Ninevite children of long ago took the same delight that young readers now do in stories of the birds, beasts, and insects of Assyria.
The Assyrians and Babylonians were great students of astronomy. The method of telling time by the sun, and marking it by the instrument called a sun-dial, was invented by the latter nation. None of our modern clocks and watches can be compared to the sun-dial for accuracy. Indeed, we have to regulate our modern inventions by the old Babylonian one.—Harper's Young People.
A Law for "Wayward" Young Men.
WHEN a young man steals a sheep or a pair of boots, which, by the way, have probably not been placed in his safe-keeping, society has little doubt what to do with him. It comes to the conclusion in short order that he is a thief, and puts him in jail at hard labor or in State prison. But if he has had a place of trust in some financial institution, and grossly betrays the confidence reposed in him, society is somehow struck all of a heap, and does not know what to do with him. The crime must be covered up, the deficiency made up by friends, there must be no prosecution, no publicity, and no penalty whatever, and the young man must be sent off to begin life again.
Now we believe this is all a mistaken policy as regards the young man himself. We believe it is a terribly mistaken kindness. Some of our readers probably know cases in which this policy has been pursued, and the young men in whose behalf it has been tried generally become wanderers on the face of the earth, pursued by the phantom of that old concealed crime left behind, and often rushing into new ones. They were not vicious originally, but they were weak, flabby morally; they had about as much moral backbone as a jelly-fish, or a butterfly, and seeing older men indulging in expensive luxuries and vices, they began to run the same course until they were caught in the trap of crime.
Leniency and sending off into new associations are simply wasted on such men. They need "taking down" to the foundation and a new start—a real one, not one of those new-birth conversions which do not enable a man to confess his sin till he has been found out. If conviction, penalty, and disgrace are the fit portion, and the best thing for the ordinary thief, they certainly are the best things for the embezzler. Let him take his punishment, with such professions of repentance as he feels justified in making, and such as courts are always ready to take into account in fixing the penalty.
Then let him return to his home, where we all know him, and his father before him, and begin again. He will be better off than in some distant locality where vague rumors of crime greater than the fact may at any time penetrate to damn his peace of mind. But here, at the seat of his crime and failure, he will always have friends to welcome and encourage every effort for a more promising career, and who know the worst as well as the best.—Springfield Republican.
A MINE OF INFORMATION.
By John Nevins Andrews
HISTORY OF THE SABBATH AND FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK.
By Eld. J. N. Andrews.
The Bible record of the Sabbath, the secular history concerning it; the successive steps by which the change to the first day was made and the work of restoration, are given in detail.
EVERY TEXT OF SCRIPTURE concerning the Sabbath is commented on at length; and the COMPLETE TESTIMONY OF THE FATHERS in regard to the Sabbath and first day is given. The comparative merits of the seventh and the first-day Sabbaths are fully shown. A copious index enables the reader to find any text, or the statement of any historian.
Should be read by everybody. 528 pp. Price, $1.25.
Address, SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal.
THOUGHTS ON DANIEL, CRITICAL AND PRACTICAL.
By Uriah Smith
BY ELD. U. SMITH.
EXPOSITION OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL, VERSE BY VERSE.
We are now living in times plainly pointed out in this prophecy, and it is important to understand it; for Daniel himself says that in the time of the end, the wise shall understand; while, if we fail, we are equally guilty with the Jews, who knew not the time of their visitation (Luke 19: 42-44), and shall meet a similar fate.
416 pp. Price, $1.25.
Address, SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal.
THOUGHTS ON REVELATION, CRITICAL AND PRACTICAL.
By Uriah Smith
By Eld. U. Smith
This work presents every verse in the book of Revelation, with such remarks as serve to illustrate or explain the meaning of the text. It is a new and harmonious exposition of that important book, and is designed to create an interest in its study.
416 pp. Price, $1.25.
Address, SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal.
THOUGHTS ON BAPTISM.
By Joseph Harvey Waggoner
By Eld. J. H. Waggoner.
AN EXAMINATION OF THE ACTION, SUBJECTS, AND RELATIONS OF THE ORDINANCE OF BAPTISM.
Also, a Brief Refutation of the
HISTORICAL CLAIMS FOR TRINE IMMERSION.
SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED.
Prices, post-paid,—In flexible cloth, 35 cents; paper covers, 25 cents.
Address, SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal.
MATTER AND SPIRIT;
By Dudley Marvin Canright
OR, THE PROBLEM OF HUMAN THOUGHT.
By Eld. D. M. Canright.
A PHILOSOPHICAL argument on an important theme, indicated by its title. 66 pp. Price, 10 cents.
Address, SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal.
SOUTH LANCASTER ACADEMY.
This school is located in the village of South Lancaster, Mass., on the Worcester and Nashua Railroad, about sixteen miles from Worcester and thirty from Boston.
It is conducted upon the most approved method of teaching, the aim of the managers being to combine the practical with the theoretical in such a manner that each student in going to the school shall be prepared for some position of usefulness.
Successful preachers, colporters, teachers, and canvassers have already entered the field from this school and, at the present time, are laboring in at least eight of the Eastern States.
Students are instructed in four useful trades, and preparation are making to connect still other industries with the school.
Those wishing to attend this school or to place their children here, can depend upon their physical, mental, and spiritual interests being well cared for.
A specialty is made of the Bible, Language, and missionary work; the instruction in these branches being adapted to men and women of mature years.
ELD. S. N. HASKELL, President,
ELD. D. A. ROBINSON, Secretary.
Those students wishing to attend the school please address,
PROF. G. H. BELL.
Internal Revenue Receipts
MORE than half of the internal revenue receipts of the Government come from the States of Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Kentucky.
The Homes and Habits of Ants.
SOME warm day, when you do not know what to do, find an ant-hill under a shady tree and watch the little fellows at their work. This is what I have been doing. The ring of earth around the hole, like the wall of a fort, is familiar, but the most interesting part of their home is under ground. See them drag the pebbles out of the hole in the center. If you could follow it down you would find the way irregular, and at the end a number of galleries, each supported by little pillars of earth. The young ants are kept on these shelves, and, in fact, it is their city.
Here the chief men meet to talk over the matters of the colony. But how can they talk? Put an ant under a microscope and you will see two little projections on the head, called mandibles. The ant touches its mandibles to those of its neighbor and thus they speak. Ants are very strong, persevering, and industrious, some working all night; and I have seen an ant carry a stone three or four times its size. They are fond of sweet things. Once I laid a piece of sugar near a hole. An ant soon found it, and though the piece was many times as large as itself, it lifted the sugar above its head and started for the hill; all went well until the hill was reached. It would get hold of the sugar and attempt to drag it up, but when the first pebble was struck it would roll over and over. At last, by leveling a place so as to get a start, by the occasional help of a passing ant, the sugar was pulled over the hill.
I noticed a spider, one day, stop to rest near an ant-hill. The ants soon saw him and four or five came out. They took hold of his legs and swarmed on his back. He was dragged to the hole and the rest flocked out to help eat him up. The ants carry their young out every pleasant day to lie in the sun, and at the first sight of rain they hurry them into their house. These little creatures have good memories, and never forget their friends. If an ant be taken out of an ant-hill, kept for two months and then put back into the same hill, it will be received; but if it be placed in another, it will be killed.
In Texas there is found the "agricultural" ant. These clear a place from weeds and grass for about two feet around their house. They then drop the seed of a kind of grass, whose grain they like very much. The ants take care of the young blades, protecting them from insects, and when the grain is ripe carry it into their homes. But what is more peculiar, if the store of food should become damp during a rain it will all be carried out on the first sunny day and dried, and then brought back.—Congregationalist.
News and Notes.
By Editor
RELIGIOUS.
—The Protestant statistics of Japan, which have for the first time been collected, show eighty-eight churches, with a total membership of 5,591, a gain of 1,822 during 1883.
—The Reformed Catholic Church, New York, of which Rev. Jas. A. O'Connor is pastor, meets in the United Presbyterian Church, 25th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues. It has an average attendance of about 2,000 persons.
—In Beecher's church, on the 18th inst., after the sermon, Remenyi, the Hungarian violinist, entertained the congregation with several airs on his "stringed instrument," sitting for the performance on the steps of the pulpit.
—At the Methodist General Conference the salaries of bishops were fixed at $2,000 per annum and traveling expenses, and the salaries of general officers at $1,350 each and traveling expenses. Worn-out bishops are to receive $1,000 a year, and a bishop's widow $25 a month while she continues a widow.
—The law awakens the sense of responsibility and gives us a high aim, which the gospel enables us to reach. Without the moral law to awaken conscience and arouse the sense of responsibility, grace would be ineffective. It is the united action of law and gospel which produces spiritual progress.—Christian Union.
—Dr. Mark Hopkins says that most young ministers do more harm than good the first year after leaving the seminary. No wonder the Christian at Work thinks "there is a screw loose somewhere in the ministerial mill." Perhaps the "mill" itself is not consecrated on the right principle. We wish that the harm-doing of all ministers might be confined to the first years of their ministry.
—The Arlington Street Unitarian Church, Boston, now includes in its membership "any person of full age, habitually attending the services, and contributing to their support either as proprietor or pew-holder, including the adult members of their households, and persons statedly occupying sittings with them." If all churches should adopt this plan, they could report a large increase in their membership; and there are doubtless many persons who would be surprised to find themselves suddenly transformed into good church members.
—Dr. Virchow, of Germany, probably the greatest master of physical science now living, at the tercentennial celebration of Edinburg University, declared that "evolution has no scientific basis." This is no news to us, for we know that it has no Biblical basis, and that true science cannot contradict the Bible. But how will Prof. Virchow's testimony affect those ministers who have accepted evolution as a fact because some infidel scientist (?) has "supposed" that it might be true, and have diligently sought to make the Bible seem to uphold the theory? What excuse will they now have for disbelieving the Bible?
—The circulation of indecent literature amongst the young is becoming somewhat alarming in San Francisco, according to a report of a discussion in the Congregational Club last week. Rev. Aaron Williams said that as he was riding in a street-car several school-girls entered, with their books. One of them had a Police Gazette, and they all seemed impatient to get at the contents. Rev. Joseph Rowell said that the managers of some young ladies' schools were afraid to publish catalogues lest the vendors of vile literature should get hold of them and mail specimens of their books to the girls. A young lady of his church told him that books with the vilest of pictures had been in circulation amongst the High School girls. Another clergyman said that books of that character had been found in one of the Grammar Schools where his children attended, and some boys and girls of prominent families had been expelled for promoting their circulation.