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Signs of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 34.

SUN-WORSHIP
Earlier text: (Concluded next week.)

AND THE BAPTISTS, TOO?

By G.

The theological seminaries, the drill-grounds of the future teachers of any sect, give an unerring index of its trend and destiny. From this point of view it is evident that the Baptists are in danger of being drawn into the popular current of skepticism concerning the Word of God, and the supposed superior value of human research. This might be deemed unwarranted comment, but for the fact that staunch Baptists are themselves the ones to note and deplore the manifest tendency, and to sound the alarm. Those who view with anxiety the departure of the great churches from the old landmarks of the sacred Word, feel a special sadness to see the old champion of “Thus saith the Lord” falling in behind the procession under the banner of learned investigation by skeptical scholars. Under the caption, “The Down Grade Movement,” in Watchword and Truth, a Baptist writer comments as follows:—
It is said the Baptist theological seminaries have over 1,000 students preparing to enter the ministry. They, with other young men, shall assist largely in making or marring the twentieth century for the Baptist churches of this country. The question uppermost in every thoughtful mind is in relation to the present pabulum doled out to these fine and vigorous minds by the religious teachers under whose instruction they are placed. Naturalists declare that insects generally take on the color of the leaves upon which they feed, and this is largely the case with our theological students. One teacher with perverted conceptions of the fundamentals of Christianity can work unspeakable harm in moulding the thoughts of his pupils.
Not long since a prominent Baptist speaker declared, “Our beliefs represent our conception of ‘things where we stopped thinking.’” The thought is both misleading and skeptical, for it implies that nothing can be fixed or real in the mind beyond our ability to think, and that our highest beliefs are subject to change as the ability to think expands. How very unwise is such a statement, in the face of facts which are so patent that they need not be declared. Such declarations sweep away the fundamentals of our holy Christianity, and relegate all beliefs to the narrow limits of human investigation, independent of divine revelation.
There are limits beyond which no teacher should be permitted to go, in his teaching of theological students. Prof. Gilbert, of the Chicago Theological Seminary, teaches in lectures and through the printed page, that Jesus had no pre-existent life; declaring that such doctrine is not a reality, but only a poetic conception. With such distorted views of Christ’s utterances concerning Himself, the future preacher, as taught in our theological seminaries, will have but a sorry Christ to present to men. When we throw overboard a complete Biblical Christ, then a complete theology will cease to exist.
But other seminaries are catching this monstrous disease of infidelity, impregnating the atmosphere of religious thought. Prof. Payne, of the Bangor Theological Seminary, in his recently-issued work, rejects entirely the miraculous birth of Jesus, making Him the child of Joseph and Mary. He silences the voices declaring the supernatural birth found in Matthew and Luke, by eliminating such chapters from the New Testament as spurious, and only fabrications of legend-makers. Thus he strips Jesus Christ of His essential divinity. Such teaching demands attention from every thoughtful mind; and the time has come for those in authority to investigate very carefully the utterances of the so-called religious teachers, both in the class-room and the public print. Is it any wonder the world is shaking off the former faiths of our fathers? Behold the array of infidel teaching! Pfleiderer of Berlin declares that Jesus’ words are not to be taken as an “unconditional and binding authority.” McGiffert asserts that “Luke has not hesitated to misrepresent, ‘perhaps through ignorance.’” Gould says, “Mark ‘misunderstood Christ’s words.’” Payne adds that “Matthew falsified the text.” Pray tell me how much New Testament we have left us, or who is to see Jesus through such thick fog and blasphemy? Is it not time for the professed church of God to call a halt, until her theological seminaries are swept clean of such rubbish? Why have so many professed religious teachers such an antipathy toward the Son of God? J. D. H.
When the Baptists have fallen in with the new popular idea that the Scriptures of truth must needs be subsidiary to the wisdom of man, who of the great “Protestant,” “evangelical” forces are left to stand in the gap? When the Baptists have become infested by this leaven of human wisdom, is not the “whole lump” well-nigh leavened? Is it not time to seek the old paths, and to walk therein? G.

Education in the New Possessions

The Pan-American Exposition, unhelped by the government, is making money.
The National Educational Association, at its fortieth annual meeting recently held in Detroit, demands “provision for free education under the auspices of the Federal Government in all Federal territories, including the new possessions; it urges that all such public education in United States territory should be placed under the direction of the Bureau of Education; the school-house in every State and Territory should be the center of the educational life of the community, the place where literary and social meetings may be held, and where the public library should be housed; education should include the development of the ethical, physical, and æsthetic nature of the child as well as its purely intellectual nature; the system of education should include every grade of school, from the kindergarten up to and including the university, open to every boy and girl of our country.” The Outlook, from which the above is taken, remarks that if the first provisions had been carried out immediately after the civil war, we would not now have the present negro problem; if carried out in Utah, we would not now have the Mormon problem; but that they should be carried out in Porto Rico and the Philippines, or serious problems will arise there. But the government will not carry them out. The principal education of these islands, it may be safely said, will be in the hands of Roman Catholics. And mere education alone will not save.
The government transport Thomas, which recently sailed for Manila, carried 600 American school teachers for the public schools of the islands. These teachers were selected with considerable care, and are all college or normal graduates with several years of experience in school work. Knowledge of the Spanish language was not required, as the Filipinos are anxious to learn English, and that will be the language of the schools. This consignment of teachers ought to prove the most influential “battalion” for good that has gone to that unfortunate country. The public school system now inaugurated is certainly an improvement upon former conditions. There is, however, one feature which is at least questionable, namely, the teaching of religion by priests or other ministers a half hour every other day to children whose parents so request in writing. This, however, is in keeping with the tendency at home to gradually but surely depart from the Protestant-republican doctrine of a separation of the Church and the State.
Rev. James A. O’Connor, founder of the noted Christ’s Mission in New York City, has gone to Europe, to observe the work for the evangelization of Roman Catholics. His attention has been especially called to France, where it is said many priests have left the church. It is also said that in Austria even, thousands of Roman Catholics have turned away from the church and are organizing into independent evangelical churches. Mr. O’Connor’s mission was established especially to work for the conversion of Catholics, and as a temporary resort for priests who should accept the Protestant faith. Educated as they are, and persecuted as they are when they turn from Catholicism, they are often unprepared to cope with the difficulties that suddenly confront them on such a radical change in religion, in means of livelihood and general environment.
“A Southern railway has issued an order that cigarette-smoking will not be allowed among its employees, and has given notice that nobody who is known to be a cigarette-smoker will be taken into its service. This is another sign of a growing disposition on the part of transportation companies to weed out not only men who use liquor and are liable to get drunk, but also men whose personal habits are offensive. There are plenty of men to be had in every line of work who are neither dissipated nor disagreeable in conduct, and the man who is open to criticism in either of these respects finds it constantly harder to get a job. Business principles force the improvement in character which is thus coming about, and the railroad companies prove civilizing agencies in a way that nobody ever expected.”
Prof. Angelo Mosso says, in Nuova Antologia, Rome, Italy, according to the Outlook, that the Catholic universities at Washington were not founded so much because of actual educational needs, as to have in Washington a center of Roman Catholic influence and action; and that the American Catholic University was designed to oppose the educational ascendency of the Jesuits, who control the Georgetown University. At the present the Jesuits have 500 students, while the opposing Catholic university has only 160. The union among our Catholic friends is nothing of which to boast. A union consisting in superstition, excommunication, and anathema could not be otherwise.
Among the interesting things at the Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, is the Esquimau exhibit. There are present three tribes of Esquimaux, three teams of sledge dogs, five seal-skin topeks, five seal-skin kayaks (canoes), a whalebone igloo (said to be the only one), six snow igloos (houses), three Esquimau komatiks. These are all said to be genuine. But what are topeks and komatiks? Perhaps Manager Faber can tell us. The hot weather greatly affects the children of the icy north.
The Presbyterians have taken hold of the idea of tent missionary work in the large cities, and are encouraged by the results. Special mention is made by the Observer of tent work in Philadelphia and of two tents in St. Louis.
The city of New York has a new Sunday-closing movement. It is under the auspices of the Grocery Clerks’ Union, recently formed. Some three months ago the Benchmen’s Association of Butchers began an agitation for Sunday-closing, in order, as they claimed, that they might be enabled to attend church. The present movement of the grocery clerks is in harmony with that of the butchers, and appeals are being made to clergymen to assist them in the enforcement of their demands. Several years ago this paper called attention to the probability that labor unions would be extensively utilized in the scheme of enforced Sunday observance. They begin with the plea for recreation and religious privilege, but, as their influence increases, demand is made ostensibly in their interest for legal enforcement.
France has at last passed the much-agitated bill for dissolving a lot of religious orders. The Chamber of Deputies, the popular branch of the legislative department of the republic, passed the measure some time ago, but the Senate delayed action until recently. The government is now authorized to dissolve these orders (Catholic of course), and escheat to the State. It is suggested, however, that the government will not press its rights, except in regard to a few, which, as M. Waldeck-Rousseau says, “employ their resources in raising up a generation of officers without republican feeling.” But the associations connected with the Jesuits will be especially watched, as the public suspects them, and there will be much dissatisfaction if they are spared.
Postage-stamps in Brussels, Belgium, have printed on them in French and German, “Not to be delivered on Sunday.” This injunction is printed on the bottom of the stamp and is perforated, so that the person sending it may remove that part if he so desires. The New York Observer commends this idea to the New York Sabbath Committee, the American Sabbath Union, the Standing Committee on Sabbath Observance of the Presbyterian General Assembly, and the United States Government. But is there not danger in thus importing that “Continental Sunday,” against which we hear such vigorous protest?
The Chinese Reform Association has for one of its objects to lift China from her antiquated customs, so that she may become a powerful nation as well as Japan, the acknowledged power of the Orient. One part of the proposed reform is to cut off the Chinaman’s queue, and this particular thing is meeting no small amount of opposition.
It is hard to see that Pennsylvania is governed any better than the Southern States during the period of negro legislatures. The plunder is not in the form of State bonds, but in municipal franchises, far more valuable, because they are held to be contracts enforceable by the courts directly upon the municipalities.—San Francisco Chronicle.
On the night of Aug. 6, burglars stole $275,000 in gold bullion from the Selby smelting works at Vallejo, Cal. They entered the vault through a tunnel that it must have taken them several weeks to dig. There is no clue to the perpetrators of the crime.
A ledge of lithographic limestone was recently discovered on Chicagoff Island, Alaska. This is the only ledge of the kind that has been discovered in the Western Continent, and the owners consider it of as much value as a gold mine.
As a result of the failures to settle the Steel Workers’ strike, the stock of the big steel combine dropped $35,000,000 on Aug. 5. This was done despite the strong efforts of the trust to keep its stock from falling below par.
A crusade has been started in Milwaukee, Wis., against the ringing of church bells. It is affirmed that the loud clanging of bells and chimes of bells is disastrous to the nervous system of persons living near the churches.
Recent despatches state that France is having a serious quarrel with Turkey over some Constantinople quays. The dispute is so serious that it is likely to break diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The Dowager-Empress Frederic of Germany died Aug. 5. She was a daughter of the late Queen Victoria, and Germany feels that in her one of the most ardent supporters of true freedom is lost.
Not less than 2,000,000 rats have been killed in oriental cities as a means of preventing the spread of the bubonic plague. Premiums have been given by the authorities to stimulate the slaughter.
All the business houses except one, and ten residences, in the village of Calistoga, Cal., were destroyed by fire Aug. 2. The loss is placed at about $100,000.
The Celtic, of the White Star Line, the biggest ship in the world, landed in New York Aug. 4, having made her initial trip in eight days and forty-six minutes.
England fears an outbreak in her India possessions, and it is said that 40,000 troops are to be called from the South African war to assist in the fighting.
The indications are that the withdrawal of the European troops will be the signal for new Boxer outbreaks in China.
Phillips, the man who for so long controlled the corn market in Chicago, is said to be ruined financially.

MORE JEALOUSY OF AMERICA.

The Spectator of London, noting the remark of a distinguished naval officer, ex-Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, says that his suggestion that European nations may have to unite against America, Africa, and Asia, is quite in harmony with what the Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister has recently said. The cause of annoyance to the continent of Europe is, first, the fear or conviction that competition with America is nearly impossible, her wealth and energy being so great. The second reason is that America is sadly in the way in Asia. It charges that the whole action of our government supports the conclusion that, tho we took the Philippines, we are not willing to see any but native powers in control of the richest countries of Asia. And the third reason is, America's attitude in South America, which she will neither take nor let anybody else have. The Spectator aims to warn the Americans against an illusion, to induce them to increase their fleet, and to persuade them steadily to think out what they are doing. It warns this country that the continent will lose nothing in the way of planning; and if such an alliance is ever formed, it will appear full-grown and full-armed at once.—Christian Advocate.

PREPARATION FOR CONFLICT.

THE theory that greater facilities for the destruction of human life will deter the nations from going to war may be true to a certain extent. But there is another feature of the subject that men in general do not consider. The construction of great war vessels and fortifications and guns, and the maintenance of immense armies, are becoming very oppressive to the people. They see certain classes of men growing wealthy through these vast expenditures of the governments, and themselves growing proportionately poor, and the spirit of revolution is rankling in their breasts. In all the leading nations, while it may seem that a great military armament averts war abroad, it only creates dissatisfaction at home.
As has been the case in the past, governments will be obliged to seek conflict abroad in order to find excuse for the vast expense at home, and thus in a foreign war to seek refuge behind the patriotism of the people, who might be otherwise hard to manage. The men who are making fortunes out of the enormous war preparations will find some way to force a continuation of their speculations; and the use of these vast productions will soon be the only excuse for the outlay. The inordinate use of the people's substance in implements of destruction, and the training of vast armies in the art of war, will surely result in conflict abroad or revolution at home—or both—and that before very long. Preparation for conflict will naturally bring forth conflict.

INFLUENCE OF WEALTH AND WAR.

Fighting Those Fighting for Freedom.

A SOLDIER, Custer Henderson, Company H., U. S. V., writes, November 1, from Manila to his parents: “It goes against the grain to fight people ‘who fight for their freedom, all because the wealthy class of Americans see another chance to make more millions. Another thing I wish to tell you. Last October there were brought here from China about 800 of the lowest type of Chinese women, and they are installed in houses, some for officers, some for privates, and each inmate pays a tax of $4 to the military authorities, which includes a license to sell beer and wine; and the worst of it is, these houses are all decorated, inside and out, with the stars and stripes, and at night the streets are a mass of howling, drunken women and American soldiers.” Moreover, these women, probably sold as slaves in their own country, are compelled to go to army physicians for medical inspection. Sodom and Gomorrah were bad, but could not have been worse, and are not charged with hypocrisy.—Woman’s Ensign (W.C.T.U.).

A MESSAGE TO YOUNG MEN.

By Mrs. M. C. DuBois

I AM permitted to make use of the following extract from a letter written by a young man to his mother, as a foundation for a short talk to young men; with the desire to point them to the only path of security, the sure platform upon which a young man (or older man, for the matter of that) can stand and be safe. The extract in question is as follows:—
Mother, you do not know what temptations a young man has to meet in the company of most of the young women. Nine out of ten have lost their good name, and gone to ruin. I tell you, mother, it is frightful; the temptations we meet in the country are fully as bad as in the city.
My heart aches over these words. Are they true? God knows. Take your Bible and turn to the one-hundred and nineteenth psalm, verses 9 to 11. Here a question is asked and answered: “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy Word. . . . Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.”
Men have always had to meet temptations from evil women. Joseph met such temptation, and by having the Word of God hid in his heart, he came out pure, unsullied, and strong in character.
God has put within the reach of every young man the means of escape from every temptation; so that any one who really wants to stand pure can do so. Joseph said, How “can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Gen. 39:9.
Not only once was the temptation put before him; day by day, the Record says, was the same repeated. But he resisted, even when the delicate, detaining hand was laid upon him. He stayed not to listen to the seducing words of his exalted temptress, he heeded not the witchery of her smiles, but turned and fled, casting off his outer garment in his haste to get away from the siren voice. Had he lingered, trusting in his power to resist, he probably would have fallen, as many a man has fallen under similar temptation.
Young man, no matter what temptation may confront you,—wine, women, any sin Satan can invent,—there is help for you. Be a Joseph, in the strength of God, and overcome the temptations of life. Do not think because some thoughtless girl or evil-minded woman puts temptation before you, you must fall. There is power in Christ to keep you from sin if you will let Him keep you, but do as did Joseph, flee. It has become the universal excuse from Adam down, The woman tempted me, and I did yield. O my brother, young or old, make use of this plea no more, but in the fear of Joseph’s God say, How “can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” “I will not; I can not.” Then like Joseph, flee, and you are safe.
I know that there are strong temptations set for young men. There are those in quiet country homes who do not fully realize the corruption of society, and how evil is cloaked under a garb of professed religion; that as we come near the close of probation, sin of every hue waxes stronger. There is, however, a tendency to gloss over evils and to prophesy smooth things; but to the student of God’s Word, the true condition of society is revealed in these words, “Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” We dare not refrain from sounding the note of warning, and holding up the only safe way out of the perils of these last days. I am sorry, O so sorry, that any woman should allow Satan to use her to tempt others from right paths. Some young girls are innocent of all intent or purpose of acting the part of a temptress. They have not been wisely taught to shun the very appearance of evil upon these subjects, and know not that their free and easy ways in the company of young men, act as fuel to the fires of evil burning in the veins of many young men. Mothers, do your duty in the fear of God, and teach your girl to be careful of every word and act when in the company of young men.
Some may feel that I have written too plainly upon a subject which ought not to appear in the columns of this paper, but when I see young men falling, and going to ruin on every side, I feel that I must point such to a way of safety, a sure refuge from the evils which beset their path. Take the Word of God as your chart and compass. Hide its teachings in your heart, and it will be a “light unto your path.”
“Flee also youthful lusts; but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 2 Tim. 2:22.
“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.” Prov. 1:10.
“For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil: But her latter end is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold on hell.”
“Let not thine heart decline to her ways, Go not astray in her paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: Yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, Going down to the chambers of death.”
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, And let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; Remove thy foot from evil.”
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.”
“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” 1 Cor. 16:13.
“But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.” 2 Thess. 3:3.
May God bless every young man who may read these lines, and give him victory over every temptation and hurtful lust, is my prayer.
MRS. M. C. DuBois.
Grand Lodge, Mich.

A BOY'S THOUGHT.

By Hope Onslow

The following story is told of a minister in the M. E. Church, who has not lived beyond the years when he can say, “One day ‘my Lord was old as I.” Dear boys, let the inspiration of this thought have a moulding influence in your life also and may the same noble comradeship make you kings and priests unto Him who loves you, and gave Himself for you, that He might save you.
“As HE was in the world, are we,” Was written on a card That led a mother and her boys To talk about the Lord, And think of Jesus’ early life, And dwell upon His love, From child to youth, from youth to man, And of His works above.
One day the eldest lad came in With features all aglow. “O mamma! I have had a thought You’ll surely want to know!” His eyes grew very dark and deep, As if in some amaze,— “One day my Lord was old as I, Had lived as many days.
“And one day Jesus measured up In height the same as I.” He took his tape-line from its place, And measured just how high: Then grew an earnest, solemn peace O’er all his youthful grace; It seemed we caught a look divine Upon his boyish face.
And day by day the pleasant thought Took hold upon his heart: It seemed the Saviour was a boy, Nor walked from Him apart; Companion of His youthful days, He learned the heavenly plan, And grew in stature and in grace, Beloved of God and man.
We thought, How graceful is the lad, How upright, and how pure, How eager for the true and high, For good that shall endure! And guessed how, day by day, he took Anew the measuring line, And squared his shoulders and his soul To meet the height divine.
To-day within the sacred desk He stands as Jesus stood, And breaks the bread of life divine To give the hungry food. His face aglow with heavenly light, He spreads the Saviour’s fame; And still he says, “My Lord and I Of days have lived the same.”
Still, morn by morn, the thought sweeps in, With solemn, holy joy: “My Lord and I still measure up As when I was a boy, As He was in the world, am I; He keeps me by His grace, And lets His love-light fill my eyes, And smile upon my face.
“His love still pleads with men through me; My arms are reached as His; Through dark Gethsemane to the cross We’ll walk, and will not miss. Through Joseph’s tomb to God’s high throne, My Lord and I will go: As He was in the world, so I Shall all His pathway know.
“And day of days shall come at last, When I shall find my place, When that sweet presence by my side Will meet me face to face: O, heart to heart we long have been; And on through endless ways, I still shall measure by my Lord, And live as many days!”
Hope Onslow.

RAISING A SUNKEN FERRY-BOAT.

WRECKING is expensive work. Over $25,000 was spent in raising the big barge Independent, which sank in New York harbor. This harbor has been the scene of innumerable wrecks, but among them none involved such tremendous labor as the salvage of the sunken ferry-boat Chicago. The value of this ferry-boat was at least $100,000, and besides hundreds of human beings, a number of horses and wagons went down with her, among them an express wagon which contained a load of silver bricks worth $30,000.
Not only did the divers save these and many other articles of value, but they recovered several human bodies. The work of saving the boat then commenced. As a preliminary, the entire upper deck, the smoke-stacks, and other impeding parts were cut away. Before this was completed, the hull had finally settled in forty-three feet of mud and water. The giant wrecking derricks Monarch and Reliance were already on the scene.
All the superstructure having been cut away, the next operation was to pass the chains by which the wreck was ultimately to be raised, under the hull. Through the mud a passage had to be bored beneath the boat, the divers using a strong wire for the purpose. This accomplished, a thin chain was attached to the wire, and then a still larger chain, and so on, gradually working up to a monster cable 2½in. in diameter, and weighing about eight tons. Finally, with infinite labor, ten of these cables were banded about the hull, which represented a dead weight of more than 1000 tons to be lifted. Two kinds of pontoons were employed to raise the wreck, and it was a critical moment when the great hull rose slowly through the forty feet of water and finally rested on the surface.—Pearson’s Magazine.

Self-Conquest

SELF-CONQUEST is the greatest of victories.—Plato.

WHY DO MEN SMOKE TOBACCO?

THIS is a very simple question.
When a man takes up his pipe or cigar, he is aiming at something. He may never have put the thought into words; still, there is a thought which words might express. What, then, does he really propose to himself? Is he seeking merely to escape the uneasiness caused by a few hours’ abstinence? Does he look for a subtle, sensuous enjoyment? To these plain questions it seems impossible to obtain an intelligible reply from those who certainly ought to know. Replies such as these are, may not indeed be refused.
Some say they smoke “because they like it,” or because it is a “habit they acquired long ago,” but these answers leave the darkness as dense as ever. What, then, is the nature of the effect which tobacco produces upon the mind and body, and from which arises its power to please and to enslave?
The experience of the novice is not hard to comprehend. In ordinary cases it amounts to about this: A very few puffs of the cigar create a tremor of the nerves, a giddiness of the brain, which shows that an enemy is at work. As the smoking proceeds, the symptoms grow more decided, the physical distress more apparent, and soon the daring experimenter is, as he thinks, almost dying. His face is livid, like that of a corpse, the breathing is labored, cold drops of sweat stand upon the forehead, the muscles of the whole frame are relaxed and powerless; and the victim of his own folly, or of some one else’s cruel sport, pants in an agony of nausea and loathing indescribable. After the lapse of an hour or two the effects subside, and the smoker revives, and laughs in a dubious, sickly way at results which God designed to make a warning so plain that even a fool may not err in regard to its meaning.
But take the case of the confirmed smoker, who has been for years cultivating the habit, and who now consumes daily a dozen cigars. Suppose him to come home at night, after a busy afternoon, during which he has found no time to eat, rest, or smoke. He is weary and hungry; but the strongest, most clamorous appetite is the hunger for tobacco. He therefore eats his supper in haste, that he may smoke at his leisure afterward. His hurried meal being over, he seizes his cigar, and the first three whiffs give him more apparent pleasure than all the healthful food, or even luxuries, of which he has partaken. As he puffs away, his enjoyment seems to increase. The powerful narcotic begins to operate; his nerves sink into a delicious quiet, and his whole being yields to a pleasant repose.
His weariness is at an end; his cares no longer perplex him; the annoyances of the day are forgotten. Lighting a second cigar at the stump of the first, he slides down lower in his chair, gets his feet a little higher, and feels the tide of pleasure still rising. He is conscious of a high state of enjoyment which does not connect itself with any thought, yet seems too ethereal to belong to the body alone. The brain, too, responds to the power of the drug, and he appears to himself to possess unusual clearness and fertility of ideas, and unwonted power of expression. In fact, the man is under the influence of one of the milder forms of intoxication. And this gentle inebriation is the precise thing for which those hunger and thirst, who are the victims of the habit, and the intoxicating element in tobacco is the deadly poison already described. Without the power to intoxicate, tobacco would cease to be what it is. The appetite is not satisfied till enough of the venom has been absorbed to produce a certain effect.
All this is a mere pretence, a self-deception. If a man who is thoroughly committed to tobacco habits uses mild tobacco, he uses more of it. If he uses the fresh, long clay pipe, he will smoke the longer. He will not be content until the brain and nerves are affected to a certain definite degree, and anything short of this is only an aggravation. A man with a cigar in his mouth, and fully under its influence, is slower in thought, slower in action, has fewer ideas, has less feeling, is less of a man in every respect, than at other times. His drug dulls and belittles him at every point. He may not be conscious of his loss. He may aver stoutly that his mind never works with more freedom and force than when he thus indulges. But impartial observers, not addicted to the habit, know better.
Note the progress of things at some little gathering of friends for an evening’s entertainment. Before supper, and at the table, how animated the conversation, how full of mind, wit, humor, intelligence, force. There is a steady rise in interest and the mental enjoyment, till the time comes when the host, knowing the habits of his guests, deems it polite to invite them to another room and offer them cigars. From that moment everything declines; the mental interest and pleasure die out, the company tend to be silent, or utter speech which is no improvement on silence, and the affair is over.
The habit is unclean; the tobacco-user can not gratify his desires without poisoning the very air for others to breathe; his clothes, his books, the house in which he lives, everything that belongs to him becomes tainted, and exhales an ill odor which he does not suspect, but of which others are painfully conscious. Many who chew keep up an incessant spatter of saliva. The defilement of public conveyances will hardly bear an allusion.
Why not give up the dirty habit? Why be a slave any longer? Don’t waste the money that God has given you for other purposes; don’t pollute the pure, life-giving air that God has given to take into our lungs. Stop! friend, stop! You say you can’t. I say you can. There is a sovereign remedy for the tobacco habit, I care not how strong the habit may be, and it is found in the all-atoning blood of Jesus Christ. Believe on Him, and He will save you from all sin, and cleanse you from all iniquity; and that includes the tobacco question.—Selected.

PRESERVATION OF EGGS.

The results of experiments made recently in Germany on various modes of keeping eggs are published in the Markthallen Zeitung (Berlin). Fresh eggs were taken in June last, treated for preservation in various ways, and examined in February with the following results, which speak for themselves:—
METHOD. PERCENTAGE SPOILED.
Kept in salt water 100
Wrapped in paper 80
In a mixture of salicylic acid and glycerin 80
Rubbed with salt 70
Painted with salicylic acid and glycerin 70
Dipped 12 to 15 seconds in boiling water 50
Dipped in a solution of alum 50
Dipped in a solution of salicylic acid 50
Painted with silicate of potassium 40
Painted with collodion 40
Kept in wood ashes 20
Varnished with gum-lac 20
Treated with permanganate of potassium 20
With a mixture of boric acid and silicate of potassium 20
Covered with vaseline 0
Kept in lime-water 0
Kept in a solution of silicate of potassium 0

NEWLY DISCOVERED METALS HAVE STRANGE USES.

A NUMBER of newly discovered metals are now used in the arts. A short while ago they were only laboratory curiosities, owing to their high cost and the fact that no industrial application had been found for them.
Thorium and cerium, which are worth $400 a pound, are used in the manufacture of fireproof curtains.
Vanadium, worth $600 a pound, is used in colored glass and certain aniline dyes. Uranium, which costs $90 a pound, is much more extensively used in the manufacture of glass and porcelain. It is also added to steel, which it makes extremely hard. The hardest metal known is iridium, which is used for the points of gold pens. It is often found in connection with gold, and its price is $800 a pound.
Palladium, worth $500 a pound, is remarkable for its small expansion by heat, on which account it is used in making standards of length and measuring instruments.
Lithium in the metallic state is worth $1200 a pound. It is used, however, only in combination. Its salts, which are comparatively cheap, are well-known remedies for rheumatism.
Selenium, worth $90 a pound, is employed in some electrical experiments and apparatus. It possesses the singular property of conducting electricity well in the dark, and losing its conducting power instantly in exposure to light.
From these facts it will be seen that many metals are now more valuable than gold, which is worth only $288 a pound.—Selected.
Continue reading: SOME WORDS FOR ALL CONCERNING RICHES