p. 23 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 8, No. 2. (1/12/1882)

Earlier text: The Life Promised to the Righteous

A Wise Father.

In one of the leading towns of central Iowa, a wealthy banker's eldest daughter became engaged to be married. As would be expected from the position of her family, this young lady had the benefit of the best social and intellectual advantages at home, beside having been a student at Vassar for some time, and traveled considerably, from all of which she had attained quite a degree of culture for a lady of only twenty years.

To an ordinary observer it would seem that her training had been all that could be desired; but her father thought otherwise. When he found that she had concluded to take upon herself the duties of wifehood, he knowing how greatly the happiness of families is affected by the housewifery qualities of a woman at the head, declared that the marriage should be delayed until she made herself thoroughly familiar with the duties of a housekeeper.

To be thorough he knew required more than a mere theoretical knowledge, so with wise forethought he carefully provided the means whereby the practical worth of instructions received could be fully tested; and for this purpose the mother was requested to retire in the back ground for a season, while the daughter should assume the responsibilities of house-keeper. The mother consented, and the young lady undertook the duties of her novel position with a will to do her very best. The family was very large, and being exceedingly hospitable, the house was seldom without the presence of guests from abroad; but inspired by the ambition to acquit herself creditably in the present, as well as by the sweet hope that in the future she should have a home of her own to preside over, her zeal and enthusiasm increased from day to day as experience added to her proficiency.

In order that her work might be systematic she was allowed a certain sum of money a month with which to supply the table, and as a special inducement to the exercise of economy, all that could be saved therefrom was placed to their private account for individual use. This monthly allowance by no means large, she was obliged to exercise care in its expenditure, therefore the minutest details were studied, and not a dish made its appearence upon the table without the cost having been fully estimated previous to its ordering. In this manner she learned many things that might be of great value to her in the future.

She was once heard to remark that it was really astonishing to discover the many ways of economizing possible to women; and as an instance of her own experience, she frequently found for some expensive dish desired, that something else equally as wholesome and fully as palatable, could be furnished at one-half the cost.

The father often accompanied her to market and instructed her in the selection of vegetables, the cutting of meats, etc., showing such as are suitable for different purposes, and how to avoid wasteful and unwholesome purchases.

Does not this sketch contain a valuable suggestion for the parents? This young lady gained in less than one year, at an expense of probably one-third the vital energy expended in the schoolroom, knowledge that will contribute a thousandfold more to the happiness of those depending upon her than any amount of school training could possibly do; yet how few think to give a daughter similar preparation for home cares and duties so sure to form a part of every woman's life. Were parents more thoughtful in this respect, the burden of young wives would be greatly lessened, while the amount of money which would be saved to young husbands would oftentimes be sufficient to lay the foundation of great wealth. The thought is worthy of consideration on the part of all those who may hold the shaping of a young girl's fortune.—Sel.

One Woman's Plan.

SOME years ago there lived in Philadelphia a thrifty pair; the husband's business was one that the wife could assist in, so she was in every way his helpmeet, besides his housekeeper and his savings bank. They were happy and prospering in their own little house—the Philadelphian's patent idea of comfort.

After a time the man grew ambitious to get on a more showy footing. He took to politics—as is the duty of all citizens, when this means politics and water. Unfortunately it was politics and whisky in his case, the sort of ward politics that is carried on in the liquor saloons. He grew to be such an important man in this "combination" that he could not attend to his private business any more.

If this were the story of "Mulhooly," the rest of it would be that in spite of his empty shop and unfinished orders, he went on getting rich. But X. was not a high politician of that kind. He was the sort that is used—not a master in the political trade.

His wife, left alone in the shop, did her best; but for the very fact that she was alone, that he was never seen, customers began to suspect something. Orders that he had taken went wrong; complaints were made of lost goods that had been trusted to him. She had to make them good.

Here again the story ought to turn that she built up the business herself again, and put up her own name as sole trader. But she was a poor, heart-broken woman. She wanted to reclaim him, and not even the business was important to her, as what was to become of her husband all the days and nights that he stayed away from her. They were half starved, but she kept up a decent appearance still, kept her children clean and herself tidy.

One day a strange thing happened. This respectable, neat woman, with her two pretty children, made her appearance in the tavern where this man spent his days. She did not make a scene; she did not come for that. She quietly took her seat there and waited for him. People came up to her and urged her to go home, saying that this low drinking place was no place for her and her children. "Wherever their father stays," she replied, "is the place for his children and for me." Of course he was ready soon to go home. Some men would have been brutal—have struck or cursed her for interference, but this man was only weak, not cowardly.

The next day he went to another place. She followed presently, with the bright little children. This was kept up for some weeks. The tavern keepers grew uneasy. They couldn't stand the mute witness of the man's weakness. They could not complain of her, for she said nothing, did nothing, only sat and watched. She did not cry or entreat while her husband lounged up to the bar to drink. She simply sat by pained and intent, with the two children kept very close to her, as if she would shut out from their eyes and ears such talk and such sights.

No tavern keeper could stand it. One after another refused to sell liquor to a man so guarded. Finally it began to tell on him—this gentle, faithful watch. He stopped drinking, dropped his "political" associates that had led him to it, and began to turn over a new leaf. He picked up his old business again, but finally concluded to move to another place and make a clean start. He is now prosperous, and his experience is not the least part of his gains.

This was the way one woman reformed her husband; with never a spoken word, she fairly shamed him out of his ruin, by letting him see that wherever he sank to, there she and the children were bound to be, and that even in danger or foulness she still looked to him to protect them. For better, for worse, she had married him, and even when he took the worse, there would she and his children be.

It was an appeal to his manhood, and very uncomfortable appeal to the manhood of all who stood around or dropped in to drink. Not a crying woman—not even a praying one, as any one could see—but by the mute appeal of her presence there, finally conquering for decency and happiness again.—Sel.

Little Things.

It was only a trifling thing to do, but Robbie Grey could not conscientiously pass on and leave that piece of banana skin lying on the sidewalk. So he paused on his way, and sent the skin spinning into the gutter near by.

"Come on, Rob!" shouted his companion, who had gotten a few yards ahead. "Do come on, and leave that old skin alone! What's the good of all that?"

"What's the good?" repeated Robbie. "S'pose I'm going to leave the chance of a broken leg lying around loose? Some one would have slipped on that thing, like as not, and I'll always kick 'em out of the way."

Yes, it was a trifling thing to do; but did it not show the boy's home training, and betray a noble, unselfish, and thoughtful nature?

It was only a little thing when Willie Brown paused in his game of marbles to pick up the old beggar-woman's cane, which had slipped from her shaking hand as she hobbled lamely along.

"Pooh! an old beggar!" laughed his companions.

But Willie replied:—

"I'd be ashamed of myself if I couldn't do that little thing for anybody, poor and old."

And somehow his game seemed more than ever enjoyable, after the beggar's lowspoken, "God bless you, little master!"

Down the street on his new velocipede came Alec Woods—a boy of ten years. He was racing with another boy, and just a little ahead. Very sure was Alec of winning the pocketful of marbles, which his big brother had jestingly offered to the winner of the race.

But a lady coming up the block, laden with parcels, chanced to drop one, as Alec's quick eye noticed, and in an instant he was off his steed, and picking up the parcel, restored it to its owner, while, with a shout of triumph, his playmate rode on and won the race.

"You goose!" laughed the big brother, who had seen the whole thing.

"I don't care!" said Alec. "Ill bet mamma would have been glad if any one had picked up a parcel for her!"

Well, little gentlemanly Alec didn't win the race, but he didn't lose a prize, either, for the big brother decided to "reward merit," as he called it, and Alec's pockets soon knew no lack of marbles. A messenger-boy stood waiting for a car. He was tired and warm, and longed for the rest of a few blocks' ride. Hardly had he seated himself when a lady entered. He had a right to his seat,

without question; but he or the lady must stand, as every seat was occupied. Without a moment's delay the boy rose, and the lady thanked him, as she took his seat.

Only a little thing, you will say, perhaps? Yes; but "a straw will show which way the wind blows," and that boy had the instincts and breeding of the future real gentleman.

When the poor, blind peddler came through the crowded street, the other day, and straying a little from his beaten path grew confused and timid, it seemed a little thing for rough Irish Johnny, the bootblack (only a little street Arab, in fact), to spring from his blacking box, and scamper after the peddler, simply to take the man's arm and guide him safely through the crowd to the right corner.

Johnny knew nothing of polite society, and could neither read nor write, but his heart was in the right place, and its manly, generous impulses would be sure to guide him toward the right path, and his kindly hand had turned the peddler from danger.

"Little things" make up our lives, remember, children, and whether human eyes note the kind actions, or whether they are done in secret, yet the heart is happier for the doing of kind deeds or the saying of kind words.

Great endings grow from small beginnings, and it is, after all, the little things, which make the sunshine of life.

The Home Circle.

THE YEARS ARE PASSING BY.

THE years are passing by! We watch, as through an open door. Their passage through time's corridor; Each shadow in its falling, slopes Across the grave of buried hopes; The pulse of being slower beats Through winter's snow, thro' summer's heats. And faith, and hope, and love grow cold As we grow old—as we grow old! The years are passing by!

The years are passing by! Time's record hath such pages blurred With hasty deed, with bitter word; Such sad mistakes mark all life's years; We scarce can read, because of tears; We see dead faces on the walls, We hear dead voices in the halls, We touch some hands on bended knee, We kiss some lips we cannot see— The years are passing by!

The years are passing by! They carry with them as they go, The rain, the sunshine and the snow; They leave behind the drift of days Wherein each soul some penance pays; Some hopes we have, but not our own, Some loves we cherish, not alone; And there are leaves and faded flowers That tell sad tales in memory's hours. The years are passing by!

The years are passing by! The seal of silence on our lips We closer press. Time's umbra dips To deeper darkness down the lane Through which we walk to hide our pain. We smile and smile as one who bears A life untouched by grief or cares, But when in solitude we wait, We bow our head at sorrow's gate. The years are passing by!

The years are passing by! Another joins the passing band! Oh, is there not some other land Where compensation for all ills The measure of life's being fills? We wait the answer, but in vain, The shadow falls, a sense of pain Rests on us wheresoe'er we go, And whispers of the sod and snow. The years are passing by!

The years are passing by! The sun dispels the winter's chill; The snow is gone from vale and hill. We wait the answer—not in vain; God's word brings light—relieves the pain. There is a land, a beauteous home, Where snow and chill shall never come. For death is now a vanquished foe, And faith and hope rejoice to know The years are passing by!

Items of News.

By Editor

—Richard Henry Dana died at Rome, Italy, January 7.

—Ex-Senator Timothy O. Howe, of Wisconsin, succeeds James as Postmaster General of the United States.

—The highest temperature in San Francisco during the month of December was 63°; the lowest temperature was 43°.

—The entire tenantry of the town land of Leacka, North Tipperary, were evicted Jan. 7. The military was present.

—The department for the insane in the Macon County, (Ill.) Poor-house was burned Jan. 5. Loss, $14,000. Three of the inmates perished.

—Two police officers in San Francisco recently captured two men who were smuggling opium from a steamer and seized $35,000 worth of the drug.

A fire-damp explosion occurred in a coal mine at Mauch Chunk, Pa., Jan. 7. Several miners were severely injured, and others are missing, and are believed to be dead.

—In the past three years eighty-seven murders have been committed in Cook County, Ill. Nineteen were in 1879, thirty in 1880, and thirty-eight in eleven months of 1881.

—Moderation is the name of a new monthly journal in New York, devoted to the encouragement of "moderation" in the use of intoxicating liquors, instead of total abstinence.

—Seven-tenths of the wheat used in England, are supplied by the United States. During December sixty-eight ships sailed out of California waters with wheat and flour for Europe.

—Seven murderers were hung Friday, Jan. 7, in different parts of the country. This seems quite a large number till we compare it with the number of unhung villains who deserve it.

—It is said that since telegraph wires have been carried throughout Norway wolves have disappeared. It is stated that a wolf will not dare to pass under a rope or line stretched between poles.

—Very interesting experiments have been made in Brazil, by M. De Lacerda, which have established the fact that permanganate of potash is one of the most energetic antidotes to the venom of snake bites.

—A man was shot and killed at Castroville, Cal., Jan. 7, in the interest of the Sunday law. He had been arrested, and on account of some trouble, not stated, was shot by the constable. The jury rendered a verdict of justifiable homicide.

—During a funeral in a church at Quincy, Ill., the 5th inst., a panic ensued in consequence of the breaking down of a seat in the gallery. The church was filled, and in the rush for the door several women were thrown down and trampled upon. Three or four were fatally injured.

—The Railway Age says that twenty-nine railroads, aggregating 2,617 miles, and having an apparent investment of $51,278,000 in capital stock, and $76,645,000 in bonds and other indebtedness, making a total of $128,000,000, have been sold during the year 1881, to wind up their long-standing obligations.

—A veteran watchmaker at Vouvry, Switzerland, claims to have invented a process by which watches will run for years without winding up. A sealed box containing two watches entrusted to the municipal authorities on the 19th of January, 1879, has just been opened, and the watches were found going.

—The boiling-house of Havemeyer's sugar works in New York, burned Jan. 8. The building was seven stories high, and contained the copper boiling-pans, weighing from fifteen to twenty tons each. The loss on building and machinery was over $1,500,000. One thousand men are thrown out of employment.

—Postmaster General James believes that the Post Office Department will be self-sustaining next year. For the quarter ending September 30, 1880, there was $1,386,000 less receipts than expenses; for the same quarter in 1881 the excess of expenses was only $196,403, and the quarter including January this year will be self-sustaining.

—A Frenchman who has been conducting a series of ingenious experiments to ascertain the muscular strength of insects as compared with vertebrate animals has found that, in proportion to their size, a bee is thirty times stronger than a horse. According to his experiments, the law is that muscular power is in inverse ratio to size—the smallest insects being capable of displaying the greatest effective force.

—Five hundred pounds of powder belonging to the American Powder Company, exploded at Oskaloosa, Iowa, on the 5th. Three boys, one of whom was the son of the Mayor, were using the wooden magazine in which the powder was stored as a target for their rifles, and the explosion was the result. The boys were mangled almost beyond recognition. Many were injured. The damage to property was about $35,000.

—January 5, the Rev. James Cameron, late pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church, Oakland, died from the effects of a dose of carbolic acid accidentally administered by his wife instead of a tonic which the physician had prescribed. Mr. Cameron had just been called to the pastorate of a Presbyterian Church in the Sandwich Islands. This is the second fatal mistake in the administration of medicine that has been made in Oakland within a few weeks.

—La Defense says: All arrangements are complete for the departure of the Pope for Malta, in case he deems it impossible to remain in Rome. It also publishes a telegram from Rome, saying that Bismarck has sent a courteous but very explicit note to the Quirinal, in which he states his opinion that the Pope's independence cannot be regarded as a question for Italian home politics, but should be held as an international question.

The note declares an intention on the part of Bismarck to promote the meeting of a congress of the Powers for the purpose of making the guarantees of the independence of the Holy See stronger and more effectual.

—Delegate McGinnis, of Montana, proposes the following solution of the Mormon problem: Let Congress divide the Territory of Utah, incorporating the western part with the State of Nevada, the southeastern part with the State of Colorado, and the small northern part with Idaho and Wyoming. A part of the Mormon population will then be citizens of States which have already established constitutions and laws, to which the Mormons would, of course, be amenable. Congress has a right to this, and he thinks that if it is done the Mormon power will be at an end.

—The Emperor William has addressed an edict to the Prussian Ministry in which he claims the sole right to direct the government and power of Prussia. He says: The official actions of the king require the counter-signature of a minister and are carried out by his ministers, but they remain official acts of the King, in whose resolve they originate, and who in them gives a constitutional expression to his will. Therefore it is not permissible to represent their exercise as proceeding from a responsible minister. It is my will that in Prussia, and also in the legislative bodies of the Empire, no doubt will be allowed to attach to my constitutional right, or that of my successors, to personally direct the policy of the Government. It is the duty of my ministers to support my constitutional rights by protecting them from doubt and obscurity, and I expect the same from all officials who have taken the oath of loyality to me. I am far from wishing to restrict the freedom of elections, but functionaries intrusted with the execution of my official acts are bound to support the policy of my Government, even at the elections.

Religious Notes.

By Editor

—According to a recent compilation, the General Baptists in England number 25,000 members, with 187 churches.

—The Sunday law is creating quite an excitement in Colusa County, Cal. Both parties are reported as being at fever heat.

—Kansas contains about 200,000 Germans. Among these may be found twenty congregations of Mennonites with 12,000 members.

—The English Baptists have now at least 400 missionaries in charge of nearly 600 stations and sub-stations, with an aggregate membership of about 40,000.

—The revision of the authorized version of the Old Testament has progressed as far as the second revision of the prophetical books to the end of Jeremiah 9.

—The Board of Revision of Taxes in Philadelphia have decided that parsonages and church property not forming an integral part of the church are subject to taxation and will be assessed.

—Mormon missionaries are preaching Mormonism in all its hideousness in Fayette County, Pa., and report success. The number of accessions to the ranks of polygamy is reported as daily increasing.

A correspondent of the London Tablet is authority for the statement that "during the past thirty years great numbers of the laity and over 300 of the clergy" of the Anglican Establishment have become converts to the Catholic Church.

—At the fifty-fifth anniversary of the New York City Mission and Tract Society, which was recently held, the following statistics of work were given: Mission churches and chapels, 5; missionaries, 45; missionary visits, 45,506; volunteer visitors and helpers, 161; Bibles and Testaments given, 936; books loaned and given, 4,056; children led to Sunday-schools, 1,821; to day school, 123; persons persuaded to attend churches and missions, 4,527; temperance pledges, 1,545; religious meetings, 4,359; persons united with churches, 177; three organized churches—whole number received, 1,833; four mission Sunday-schools, with 2,000 children taught during the year. Aggregate attendance upon religious services during the year, 250,000; tracts distributed, 750,000; 2,803 families and 7,891 persons aided, and $4,163 cash distributed. Receipts $48,060; payments for the support of the missions and missionaries, $55,662.

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 the comments on any text, or the statement of any historian.

Should be read by everybody. 528 pp. Price, $1.25. Address, Pacific Press, Oakland, Cal.

TEACHERS' BIBLES—OXFORD EDITION.

A CKNOWLEDGED to be the best in the market, and celebrated for CLEARNESS OF TYPE, EXCELLENCE OF BINDING, COMPACTNESS, Fullness and Comprehensiveness of Notes and Tables.

And prices which place them within the reach of all. They contain in addition to the authorized text, with References, all that is essential in the study of the Bible. Furnished with one of these Bibles, no teacher would be at a loss anywhere, or at any time, in the preparation of his lesson. With the notes and tables are embodied the results of the most recent and authentic research of Biblical scholars, and it is believed that nothing has been omitted that can be desired in a TEACHER'S BIBLE.

The following list is a careful selection of the best styles:

NOS. PEARL 16 mo. (Size 4 x 5 1/2 x 1 1/8 inches.)

French Morocco, boards.......................................$1.50
French Morocco, circuit......................................1.70
Persian Morocco, limp.......................................2.10
Turkey Morocco, boards......................................2.75
Turkey Morocco, limp........................................2.75
Levant Morocco, Divinity circuit, kid-lined and band, silk sewed, flexible back................................................4.60

RUBY 16 mo. (Size 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches.)

French Morocco, boards......................................2.25
Turkey Morocco, boards......................................3.15
Turkey Morocco, limp........................................3.15
Imitation Levant, Divinity circuit, leather-lined, silk sewed and band......................................................4.00
Levant, Divinity circuit, kid-lined, silk sewed, and band.....5.75

NONPAREIL 16 mo. (Size 4 x 6 x 1 3/8.)

French Morocco, gilt edges, stiff covers, silk book-mark......2.35
Persian Morocco, gilt edges, flexible covers, silk book-mark...2.75
Turkey Morocco, gilt edges, stiff covers.....................3.25
Turkey Morocco, gilt edges, flexible covers...................3.25
Levant Morocco, Divinity circuit, kid-lined, and band, silk sewed, flexible back, red under gold edges.....................5.75

NONPAREIL 8 vo. (Size 4 1/2 x 7 x 1 3/4.)

Turkey Morocco, boards......................................4.50
Turkey Morocco, limp........................................4.50
Levant, Divinity circuit, kid-lined, silk sewed, flexible back, and band......................................................6.75

MINION 8 vo. (Size 5 x 7 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches.)

Persian Morocco, limp.......................................4.60
Turkey Morocco, boards......................................5.50
Turkey Morocco, limp........................................5.50
Levant, Divinity circuit, kid-lined, silk sewed, flexible back, and band......................................................8.00

715 1/2 As No 715, with round covers.............................8.50 By mail, Post-paid. Address, PACIFIC PRESS, Oakland, Cal.

Obituary.

By Editor

WILSON.—Died, in Oakland, Jan. 8, 1882, James Wilson, aged 64 years. Brother Wilson was born in Kentucky. He was connected with the S. D. A. Church of Oakland about seven years. The difficulty which caused his death was supposed to be cancer in the stomach, from which he had long suffered a great deal. He had the appearance of a man of 80 years, so greatly had he been afflicted. His wife, who so patiently cared for him in his last sickness, has the sympathies of the church in her bereavement. Funeral, Jan. 10, from the house on Franklin Street. EDITOR.

Oakland Church—Quarterly Meeting.

THE late quarterly meeting in Oakland was one of unusual interest. Sister White, who had been visiting in Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Yolo, and Colusa Counties, arrived here on Friday, Jan. 6, and spoke Sabbath forenoon, on 1 Peter 2:9. As it was about a year and a half since she had spoken in Oakland, the church was much pleased with the privilege which her presence afforded. The sermon was "meat in due season;" it was truly a means of strength and encouragement to all.

In the afternoon at the calling of the roll, eighty-six members were present; nineteen were absent by reason of sickness or other unavoidable causes; twelve letters were received; and forty-eight were absent with no cause given. This is the best showing which has ever been made at a quarterly meeting of this church; not, however, such as is desired. Some of the absentees are non-residents, from whom letters should have been received. Some absented themselves without a reason, or without cause. We have been making efforts, for some time, to remedy this state of things and have hope of complete success. The members of our churches have not realized the responsibilities of church membership. No church can prosper, spiritually, in neglect of the ordinances of the Lord's house. "This do," and "ye ought," are expressions which do not admit of willful neglect. A resolution was offered and adopted, at this meeting, to the effect that any member who absents himself without cause when the ordinances are celebrated, thereby subjects himself to discipline. We are pleased to find this church coming up to a position where disorderly walk will not be countenanced. There is, however, no disposition to unduly press these matters, but to impress a just sense of responsibility on all.

Sunday evening Sister White spoke again, on Matt. 7:24-27—building on the rock. The house was filled with attentive listeners, and the speaker enjoyed excellent freedom.

The District T. & M. quarterly meeting was appointed for the evening after the Sabbath. But as the day was so well occupied, this meeting was postponed until Tuesday evening. It will be reported hereafter.

English Mission.

By Editor

Bro. Geo. R. Drew, of St. Helena, California, left here on the overland express train on Thursday afternoon, January 5, to meet Elder Loughborough in New York, where they take ship for England, the 14th inst. Bro. Drew has given himself specially to the missionary work, and we congratulate the mission on getting such a helper.

The American people naturally feel a lively interest in the mission to the nation speaking our own language, and the people of California feel a special interest in it because Elder Loughborough left this coast for that field. And now California gives another worker to England, and many prayers will go with them on their journey.

A note from Eld. Loughborough, received since Bro. Drew left, informs us that Eld. John and wife of Illinois, and Sister Jennie Thayer of Battle Creek, Mich., will also accompany him; Bro. and Sister Ings, who have heretofore assisted in the work in Southampton, are coming to California. We promise these workers a hearty welcome to this coast.

Dr. Noble's Confession.

By Editor

A SERMON was preached in the Plymouth Congregational Church in San Francisco on Sunday last, by Dr. Noble, on the enforcement of the Sunday law. In it he made the following remarkable statement :—

“If the law was put upon a religious rather than a civil basis, it might be an infringement on individual liberty. That should be borne in mind.”

Well, we hope all will bear it in mind, for it is put on a religious basis, and on no other. See extract from the argument of Mr. Brandon before the Supreme Court, in this paper. The law defines Sunday labor as an “offense against religion,” and it is for the protection of the “Christian Sabbath.” If this is not a religious basis what does it mean?

Appointments.

Meetings in Santa Rosa.

ELDER I. D. VAN HORN will commence a series of meetings in the Santa Rosa church, commencing Jan. 11, at 7 o'clock in the evening, and continuing as the interest may demand.

The Guiding Hand.

By John Norton Loughborough

MANY of the readers of the Signs will remember that when we went to England, having bought our tickets to sail by the steamer Minnesota we were shifted to the ship Homer, of the Warren Line, sailing from Boston to Liverpool; that as we were about to board the latter steamer, the Captain, strangely enough, refused to carry any passengers, and we were transferred to the steamer Nevada of the Guion Line, at an expense of $52 to the Warren Company; and that while the Nevada made a safe trip to England, the Homer was never heard from after leaving Boston.

Now we have another providence to record. When I decided to come to the General Conference, I negotiated for a ticket by the steamer Bristol, of the Great Western line. There was a delay in its arrival at Bristol, and the steamer Somerset was substituted for it. I went to their office, designing to buy my ticket, but seemed forbidden to do so. We prayed over it for another day, and our minds were all turned to the steamer Rhein, of the North German Lloyd Line, on which I embarked, Nov. 16. Although we made our passage during the terrible gales and ocean hurricane of the last of November, encountering head winds and storms all the way, and were sixteen days in making the voyage usually made in eleven days, we had no damage to our steamer, and I arrived in Battle Creek on the morning of the third day of the Conference; while the Somerset was reported, 24 days after leaving Bristol, as having used up all her coal in mid-ocean, and as having drifted under sail to St. Johns, Newfoundland, more than a thousand miles from New York. Had I taken that boat, I would not have arrived in Battle Creek until the Conference was over.

I am truly thankful that I have had the privilege of attending this solemn and profitable Conference, which has been so fully reported by others. I now expect to return to England by the steamer Rhein, appointed to sail from New York Jan. 14, 1882. As we think of God's providence toward his people, and his mercies to us in particular, we are constrained to say in the words of another,—

"The Lord is good, and all things show it. I thought so once, but now I know it."

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.

Battle Creek, Jan. 1, 1882.

Moses and His Decalogue

By Editor

SOME of our contemporaries still copy a floating paragraph concerning “Moses and his decalogue.” Will some one kindly inform us where the “decalogue of Moses” may be found?

Temperance.

By Editor

ANY persons wishing Temperance Certificates can receive them by applying to the Secretary, Mrs. Jessie F. Waggoner, Pacific Press, Oakland, Cal. She will also receive the annual dues. Send them along.

The Song Messenger.

By Editor

THIS monthly is holding its own well. The last number received contains a good piece of music—"Temperance and Liberty"—by Mr. D. S. Hakes, with words by F. E. Belden. Many thousands of our readers know that there is no discount on the music of Mr. Hakes.

The November number of the Messenger contained an exquisite piece of music—"Days Gone By," words by F. E. Belden—by our fellow-Oaklander, W. J. Bostwick. We feel justified in the use of the term above, as our singers in Oakland are in ecstacies over it.

Parliamentary Manual.

By Editor

If any of our readers wish to "get the best" they will send fifty cents to Uriah Smith, Battle Creek, Michigan, and get a splendid little book on Parliamentary rules, which will be sure to give satisfaction. The manuals heretofore published, need so much study to become acquainted with the rules, that only a few, comparatively, have ever acquired such a knowledge of the subject as to be at home as chairman of a meeting, or to know how to act as an active member of an assembly.

The diagram in this little manual of Elder Smith shows at a glance the exact relation that any given motion or rule sustains to every other one. With this diagram before him a person could make no mistake on the most intricate points of Parliamentary practice, even though he had had little or no experience before. It is a gem which will be thankfully received by every person who is called upon to preside over a deliberative assembly.

State Quarterly Meeting.

By M. C. Israel

THE California State quarterly meeting of the Tract and Missionary Society will be held at Healdsburg on Sabbath and Sunday Jan. 28, 29.

This will be an important meeting, and it will be necessary that as many of the directors be present as can, and also others of our brethren.

The recent Sunday movement in this State, has caused a general interest in the Sabbath question; and we should consider ways and means of bringing before the minds of the people the claims of the Lord's Sabbath, so that they may act understandingly in the coming conflict.

The Committee elected at the camp-meeting to locate and start a school in this State, will meet at this time. M. C. ISRAEL.

VALUABLE BOOKS FOR BIBLE STUDENTS.

SACRED GEOGRAPHY AND ANTIQUITIES.

WITH maps and illustrations, by Rev. E. P. Barrows, D. D. The investigations of missionaries and explorers during the last century have thrown a flood of light on many points once involved in obscurity, and it is the aim of this book to condense and put into methodical form what has thus been collected. 685 pp. $2.25.

BIBLE GEOGRAPHY. HAND-BOOK OF

Containing the name, pronunciation and meaning of every place, nation, and tribe mentioned in both the Canonical and Apocryphal Scriptures. By Rev. Geo. H. Whitney, A. M. Illustrated by one hundred engravings and forty maps and plans. 12 mo. 400 pp. $2.50.

BIBLE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. HAND-BOOK OF

Containing descriptions of the ancient manners and customs mentioned in the Bible, and explaining over three thousand Scripture Texts. By Jas. M. Freeman, D. D. Illustrated by 168 engravings, and accompanied by an Analytical Index, a Textual Index, and a Topical Index. 12 mo. 515 pp. $2.50.

SMITH'S NEW TESTAMENT HISTORY.

This work gives the connection between the Old and New Testament History, the relation of the Holy Land to the surrounding nations, a full account of the political and religious life of each separate section of the Jewish nation, and a clear and harmonized account of the Gospel and Apostolic History. 12 mo. 780 pp. $1.75.

THE WORLD'S PROGRESS, A DICTIONARY OF DATES.

Being a Chronological and Alphabetical Record of all essential facts in the progress of society, from the creation of the world to the present time, with chart. By T. B. Perkins. Octavo size. 1,020 pp. $3.00.

LIFE AND EPISTLES OF ST. PAUL,

By Conybeare and Howson, giving a living picture of St. Paul and the circumstances by which he was surrounded. Illustrated with maps and engravings. 764 pp. $1.50.

THE LIFE AND WORDS OF CHRIST.

By Cunningham Geikie, D. D., with marginal references to the Scriptures, notes and index. Two volumes complete in one book. Printed in pica type, octavo size. 1,260 pp. $1.75. We have just received the following commendation of this work from an earnest Christian worker in Maine :—

HAVING read Dr. Geikie's life and works of Christ, I find it more interesting the farther I read; and when he introduces us to the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, one can almost imagine himself present to witness the cruel mockery, and the terrible scenes of Calvary. Although I am not prepared to indorse all that is said in the book, yet I think it the best I ever read of the kind. J. B. GOODRICH. Address, PACIFIC PRESS, Oakland, Cal.

Continue reading: REVISED EDITION—JUST ISSUED