"WHAT the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Rom. 8:3, 4.
What was it the law could not do?—It could not justify those who transgressed it. In what particular was it weak?—It was "weak through the flesh," or through the natural man. The natural man has a "carnal mind," a mind that impels him to walk after the lusts of the flesh, a mind that is "enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." That was the condition of the whole race (Ch. 3:23), therefore the law could do nothing but condemn them.
Then why did not the Lord change the law so that it would be available for justification?—Because it was "perfect" (Ps. 19:7) and could not be changed without making it imperfect (Luke 16:17). It is "holy, and just, and good" (Rom. 7:12); therefore it could not be changed by a "holy, and just, and good" Lawgiver. Then, it, being "weak" in the matter of accomplishing a desired purpose, why was it not abolished?—Because it is the righteousness of God (Ps. 119:172), and His righteousness is "an everlasting righteousness," and His "law is the truth" (verse 142). Truth and righteousness can not be abolished. The Lord says, "My salvation shall be forever, and My righteousness shall not be abolished." Isa. 51:6.
Therefore God sent His Son to do what the unchangeable law could not do—to provide a way by which righteousness might be imputed to the sinner. This He did by overcoming temptation, and thus condemning sin (the "transgression of the law") in the flesh, and then He suffered death for every man (Heb. 2:9), as a propitiation for sins that are past. The benefit of this humiliation and sacrifice is made available to every one who will accept it by faith. Rom. 3:19-31.
Christ came not only to fulfil the law Himself, and thus prove Himself an acceptable sacrifice and an efficient helper of those who are tempted; but His purpose was also that "the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us." This is possible only to those "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Hence the necessity of being born again, born of the Spirit. So then, Christ came not to abolish, or to change, the law, but to change the sinner, the transgressor of the law. He came to take away that enmity that exists in every carnal mind against God, that he may be "subject to the law of God."
That is just what it means to be reconciled to God. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." His righteousness is imputed to us for all time past, and in Christ we become new creatures, walking after, or being guided by, the Spirit. "Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Cor. 5:17. "Behold!" yes, it is wonderful to behold. "All things are become new." An entirely new life is before us—new purposes, new prospects, new aspirations. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." The law is not taken away, but it is "fulfilled" in those who thus walk; therefore there is nothing in them against the law for it to condemn. The law itself is written in the hearts of those who enter this new covenant relation with God. Jer. 31:31-34.
It is not that which is perfect that needs to be changed, but that which is faulty. So Christ came to change men's hearts, and reconcile them to God. There is no change in the attitude of God, for He changes not. Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8. He has not gone out of the way. Man has departed from the right way, and he must turn about or be lost. This is God's unchangeable appeal to the estranged race: "Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin." Eze. 18:30. "Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matt. 3:2; 4:17.
God does not want men to perish (2 Peter 3:9); He gave His only-begotten Son as a sacrifice to honor the unchangeable law of righteousness, that condemned man might have life (John 3:16; Isa. 42:21). He has patiently overlooked the days of ignorance, "but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent [to change]; because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness." See Acts 17:29-31. It is the transgressor of the law that must change, in order to be reconciled to God; for the law, in every jot and tittle, is unalterably fixed.
"AGITATORS" VERSUS "SMOOTH THINGS."
THE adversary of the Gospel of peace is a great promoter of discord. And one of his schemes is to stir up strife and then endeavor to veil it with a glamour of peace. Moreover, this sinister purpose is greatly helped if professed ministers of the Gospel can be allured into the cry of "Peace, peace," when there is no peace. Jer. 6:14; 4:10.
When Jeremiah persisted in telling the king of Judah and the people of Jerusalem that trouble was coming upon them, other prophets declared that it was not so. The people believed those who said that there would be no trouble, and the agitator was imprisoned and otherwise maltreated because he firmly held to the testimony of the Spirit.
So it is not surprising that, when the growing conflict between capital and labor is portrayed under the light of God's Word, there should be even pulpit charges that those who turn on the light are only agitators. Such things are to be expected from those who seek popularity in flattering the people that conditions are growing better. That is what the popular ear likes to hear.
It was also Isaiah's experience that even the professed people of God did not like to hear the truth when it portended evil. And the Lord told him to "note it in a book" concerning those "rebellious people," who "say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits." See Isa. 30:8-10. Of course the people did not say those things in so many words, but they said them by their actions in rejecting the counsel of him who spoke the word of Jehovah, and in accepting the "smooth things" uttered by the false prophets.
As to the controversy between capital and labor, it is plainly stated in the Word that such a condition would prevail in the last days; therefore, when we see the conflict actually on, and see the organization of labor against capital and of capital against labor, for the avowed purpose of a prolonged struggle for the mastery, we know that it means just what the Scriptures say. No cry of "agitator" or proclamation of "smooth things," can turn aside the "sure Word of prophecy." They can only serve to deceive the people.
The Positive Side of God’s Law
There is a positive, as well as a negative, side to the law of God. Eight of the commandments begin with the negative form of command, "Thou shalt not," etc. Two, the fourth and fifth, enjoin positive action. Yet when Jesus epitomizes the principles of the whole law into two comprehensive commandments, He gives them in the positive form: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Unless one's effort to keep the commandments be actuated by faith in Christ, "made perfect" (James 2:22) by positive action, his effort to refrain from the things forbidden will surely prove futile. A faithful obedience of that which God has positively commanded us to do, is the only safe guaranty against doing that which He has forbidden.
Question Corner
By Editor
1477.—Melchizedek.
Please explain who Melchizedek was, and his priesthood.T. R. C.
We know absolutely nothing of the antecedents of Melchizedek save what the record in Genesis 14 and Hebrews 7 give. He was a priest-king, "priest of the Most High God." No record is given of his pedigree, which is the meaning of the expression, "without father or mother." No record is given as to when he began his priesthood, or when he ended it. No predecessor or successor is known. For this reason he could be well taken as a type of Christ, who received His priesthood from no predecessor, and who yields it to none to come. Like Melchizedek Jesus was a priest-king, king of righteousness, and, therefore, king of peace.
1478.—A Second Tithe.
Is it necessary to pay a second tithe?T. R. C.
That depends upon the individual's understanding of duty and his conscience respecting it. Does the Bible teach it? Let that settle the question. The duty, if it is a duty, lies between us and God.
1479.—How Long Was It?
How many thousands of years, or how many dispensations was it, at an estimate, from the time of the first creation until God created Adam?J. J. L.
What is meant by "the first creation"? If that of Gen. 1:1 is referred to, we do not know how long a period elapsed between that and verse 3, nor do we need to know. We have no desire to estimate how long ago the beginning was. That it was previous to the six days is clearly evident from the record. Between verse three and Adam's creation was less than six literal days. "There was not a man to till the soil" refers to the time of the sixth day before man was created at all.
1480.—The Rich Man and Lazarus.
Please explain Luke 16:19-31.A. C. McC.
It requires too much space for this department. See tract, "The Rich Man and Lazarus," or chapter entitled "A Great Gulf Fixed," pages 263-271 in "Christ's Object Lessons."
1481.—The Prophet Foretold. Acts 3:21, 22.
Does this mean that a prophet must come in these last days and restore all things before Christ can come?A. C. McC.
If you will read carefully the third chapter of Acts, from verse 12 to the close, you will see that the prophet predicted by Moses in Deut. 18:15, was Jesus Himself, the Restorer. Stephen uses the same scripture and applies it to Jesus as that prophet. Acts 7:37, 58. Jesus is the One like unto His brethren. Heb. 2:17.
ONE IN PURPOSE.
By Editor
A PROMINENT daily newspaper that has been waging a bitter warfare against the great combines of capital, and has been equally zealous in support of labor unions, admits in a recent issue that the two antagonistic forces are working on the same principle and to the same end. This is what the SIGNS OF THE TIMES has been showing all along, for which reason Christians can not unite with either class. If there were nothing in prospect but the possible selfish gains of this short life, in which one man's elevation means another's humiliation, or, perhaps, the downfall of many others, then there might be some ground for the doctrine that "the end justifies the means." There might be some pretext for retaliation in kind against grievances (after the manner of savages) or even of maintaining unprovoked combinations equally oppressive upon others. But the Christian can not enter into the world's contests, especially into contests such as that between organized capital and organized labor, in which the rights and interests of the masses are utterly ignored. When men argue solely from the standpoint of worldly interest, it is not at all surprising that they will condemn one class of combines and uphold another which admittedly aims at a similar object by similar means. Here is the point in the press argument to which we allude:—
Why do business men combine?—In order to reduce competition and raise profits.
And that, precisely, is the reason why workingmen combine.
When union men resort to violence to accomplish their end they break the law.
Are trusts slow to break the law in order to accomplish their purposes? The lawlessness of the trusts is, of course, no excuse for any lawlessness of which trades-union may have been guilty, but it does stop the trusts from virtuously lecturing organized labor on the duty of respecting the law at all costs.
It is an undisputed fact that the reduction of competition is against the people at large; it is always in the interest of the few who combine to reduce it,9and against public interest. This is a standing, stereotyped argument of all opposition to the capital combines, yet we have here the frank admission of a labor-union journal that the unions have in view the same principle that the capital combines have. Hence they must stand in the same light toward the people at large. Surely, then, it is unreasonable to condone law-breaking on the part of the unions because the capital trusts have been guilty in that respect. Shall we do evil that good may come?—Nay; but “recompense to no man evil for evil.” The Christian can well afford to follow this counsel, and to rely on the promise, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” Ps. 37:3.
THE VICE OF GAMBLING.
THE extent to which the vice of gambling has invaded polite society at this time is the subject of some comments by the "Spectator" in a recent issue of the Outlook. Having overheard on a street-car two "well-dressed and apparently refined" ladies telling each other how they had used their recent winnings at "bridge whist," he was the same day informed by a wealthy friend that it was common for ladies and gentlemen who were entire strangers to each other to gamble over this game, he himself having, not long before, paid over money on such an occasion to a lady he had never met before, who took it without the least hesitation. Continuing his investigations into the matter, the "Spectator" noted that "a London periodical of high standing asserted that very week that the decline of book-selling was due to the fact that five hundred packs of cards were sold this season to every book purchased. The Englishwoman, instead of reading, plays bridge whist nowadays. In both England and America, it was also asserted, young men who are wise refuse invitations to houses where bridge is played by the hostesses and feminine guests, because of the impossibility of getting out of playing for high stakes, with consequent losses, which they can not afford."
This is but one of many things which make the social degeneracy of these times comparable with that of the days of Noah, or of the last days of the Roman Republic. The end of the age, and the end of all ages, is at hand.—Review and Herald.
A BOY LOST.
By Editor
It is not supposition or invention that is pictured in the following extract from the Ram's Horn. It is all too true. It is a condition, and not a theory; and it is not only a boy lost, but a girl lost, and not one of each only, but many, very many of both. The condition is the result of that waning of natural affection, which the Word foretells as one of the signs of the last days. 2 Tim. 3:3.
A boy is lost! The papers describe him as the only child of his parents, who are heart-broken over his absence, and who say that he is the best boy in the world. Sixteen years old; he is tall and large for his age, and wore when he went away, a dark, mixed striped suit, blue cotton shirt, white, turned-down collar, dark-blue peaked cap, and a dark Oxford gray overcoat. His mother, who is a member of the State Federation of Women's Clubs and of the Daughters of the American Revolution, appeals to all friends and club women to aid in the search for her missing son. The father is a well-known traveling man, and he, too, asks his friends to render whatever help they can in locating the boy. The boy is lost, and, if we read rightly between the lines, the mother is lost, too. The father, a well-known traveling man, has to be away from home, of course, most of the time. The mother is a club woman. That tells the story. Is it any wonder the boy is lost? Who trained him in the way he should go? Who warned him of certain temptations that lurk in the pathway of every boy and girl of sixteen years? Who tucked in the blankets at night, and kissed his pure eyelids to sleep and whispered, "God loves you, and mother loves you, my boy"? His mother was at the club wrestling with problems which look bigger in print than those of menial drudgery in the kitchen and in the nursery. Will they look bigger in eternity? Perhaps they will when some lost mothers meet their lost boys and reflect that it is they, the mothers, who abandoned the most priceless charge that God commits to human beings. All eternity can not rectify the error. A lot of us may rectify it now, if we will take warning of lost boys and lost girls all around us.
The discussion of domestic problems in clubs is taking the place of their working out in the home, surrounded by the young lives entrusted to the parents of that home. Club life is driving a wedge between parents and children, splitting the family circle into fragments, and disintegrating the otherwise powerful holding influence of the home. While the mother discusses problems that may exist, the children are creating problems that can not be settled by discussion. Among them is the problem of their growing away from parental influence. That question can be settled only by close association, constant Christian sympathy personally applied, tender, impelling love abundantly made manifest, and all directed by the Spirit of the Master in the life of the parent. But this manner of dealing with that problem is on the wane rather than on the increase, and, as a result, children are growing out into the world rather than up into Christlikeness. They are being lost, lost in the world, lost out of the lives of fathers and mothers, lost to the influences of the Gospel, and are helping to swell the great army of those who are finally and eternally lost. The condition which is bringing this about is fast increasing in the world, and is one of the signs of its approaching dissolution.
THE SOCIETY-SAVING DELUSION.
THE organ of the National Reform Association is giving a series of "Studies in Christian Citizenship," and one of the propositions is that "society is a part of human nature, then it must have shared in the ruin of man's fall." The fallacy of this proposition is plain from the fact that there was no such thing as "society" among men until after the fall.
Saving society is a quite popular fad even among evangelists, many of whom seem to think the plan of individual salvation is antiquated and too slow for our time. The trouble with society among men is that it originated in sin, growing out of the association of sinful individuals, and as long as the individuals remain in sin their society, or association, will be sinful. There is no provision for the salvation of anything but individuals. It is "whosoever believeth" that will be saved. But the individual's sinful association can not be saved; he must be cleansed from that. Society is simply an association of individuals, therefore it takes its character from the individuals who compose it. The individuals who are converted to Christ, in their association solely with one another, compose a new society, an association of a different character from that in which they moved before. Their association is one actuated by the Spirit of Christ, and, therefore, has His approval.
But it is a condition of society, or association, that could not have existed until the individuals composing the society were rescued from their old association. No association of men ever can become spiritual while the individuals composing it are carnal, or sinful. To talk of saving society without first converting the individual is reversing God's order. A society-saving effort is entirely superfluous; for while it is impossible to save it without saving the individuals, it naturally follows that its character will partake of the character of the transformed individuals. The society that misguided "reformers" would save by reversing the logic of God's plan of salvation is not "a part of human nature," but a result of human nature. Remove the cause, and the disease, or the effect, dies of itself. But human nature can not be reformed; it must die before the individual can become a partaker of the divine nature. So the old society, the old product of human nature, must become extinct, by the death of the human nature in those who compose it, before a new, not a reformed, society can find place. To deceive men by drawing them into impossible schemes of "reform" under the guise of the Gospel of Christ, is one of the delusions of the adversary. The individual who depends upon gliding into the kingdom with the masses on a saved-society basis will be wofully disappointed in the end.
EVOLUTION AND THE MINISTRY.
THE popular clergy have, in these days, wandered far away from the example of Paul, to say nothing of the example of Jesus Christ. Paul, the peer of the learned of his time, declared, when among those who made philosophy a religion, that he determined to "know nothing among them, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified." But we do not find this true of popular religious leaders of the present time. A ministers' meeting recently held in San Francisco furnished evidence of this wide difference between Paul's preaching and Paul's study, and the preaching and study of the popular clergy of to-day.
One of the attending ministers started a brisk discussion by introducing some "questions for information concerning evolution." The questions were so framed as to show that the questioner did not believe in evolution, or was averse to it. Because of this fact, a spirited discussion arose, showing that the speakers were prepared to defend the evolutionary theory. The questions were not answered, because they were viewed as objections to the statements embodied in them. Treated as such, they are reported to have brought forth doctrines of Darwinian evolution and various forms of theistic evolution, the last form of belief finding many supporters.
With that condition among the clergy, it is inevitable that the infidelity of Darwinianism should permeate their teachings and the people taught. It is proper to ask such why they continue to stand in Christian pulpits, seeing that they are seeking to turn the truth of God into a lie. Like a cancerous growth, evolution is feeding upon the vitals of the popular church. Like a roily river, it is eating away the foundations of those buildings which have not been securely built upon the Rock. Again we ask the question which Christ asked, "When the Son of Man cometh, will He find faith on the earth?" It is well to remember those other words of the Saviour, "Every plant which My heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up." Nowhere in the Bible, even by inference, can the plant of evolution be found. With every other deception of the enemy, it will soon be rooted up and consumed, and those who tie themselves to it in preference to the Word of God will perish with it. It is one of the pitfalls of Satan, and no minister of the Gospel of Christ will allow himself to dally with it.
THE WAR IN THE ORIENT.
GRIM-VISAGED war is stalking at large in the Orient. Without a formal declaration of war, but after waiting forty-eight hours from the time of severing diplomatic relations, the Japanese fleet attacked the Russian fleet and fortress at Port Arthur. The attack began at night, and as the Russian ships steamed out to accept the challenge, the Japanese torpedo-boats slipped in between the Russian ships and the shore, and delivered their deadly missiles. Exact details of the engagement are lacking, as the censorship by both powers engaged is exceptionally strict. Absolutely no information is obtainable from Japanese official sources; but the result of this engagement, and at least two others which followed it at Port Arthur and Chemulpo, Korea, is that twelve Russian ships have been sunk or disabled and eight have been captured. The whereabouts of Russia’s Vladivostock squadron is not known, tho it is reported that three vessels of this squadron were sunk by Japanese torpedoes, in Tsugaro Straits. A number of Russian and Japanese warships that have passed through the Suez Canal are now on their way to the East, and these are expected either to encounter each other or be met by other vessels of one or both of the belligerents. In either case there is certain to be more fighting. A Russian torpedo-boat has been sunk by contact with one of their own floating torpedoes, resulting in the loss of four officers and ninety-one men. It is also reported that three Russian torpedo-boats were sunk by guns of their own fortress, having been mistaken for Japanese boats. One report states that 1,800 Japanese soldiers were lost by the sinking of a transport; but few of the reports are possible of confirmation.
Street Scene in Tokio, Japan.
Japan, through her masterful stroke at Port Arthur, has gained for herself actual command of the sea. Russia’s ships that have not been captured or sunk are now so scattered that it will be practically impossible for her to concentrate a fleet of any size to oppose the ships of the Japanese. This is considered a most important factor in the outcome, as the elimination of the Russian fleet will release about 150,000 of Japan’s home guards, who can now be added to the Japanese army of invasion.
Japan is landing troops on both sides of Korea, and these are marching toward the Yalu River, which forms the western boundary of Korea. The Russians have already established some of their forces on the banks of this river, and are hurrying others to that vicinity. They have also taken up a position near the mouth of the Yalu River, in Chinese territory, outside of Manchuria. It is along the Yalu River that the first great land battle of the present war is expected to occur. Japanese forces have attempted to land at two places near Port Arthur, but have been repulsed in both cases, losing about 450 men altogether. It is reported that they have cut the railroad back of Port Arthur, thus isolating this port, and have blown up the railroad in Manchuria for a distance of seventy miles.
The attitude of the other nations is about as follows: All the principal nations of the world, including China, have now declared their neutrality. France, however, has openly notified the world that she is still Russia’s ally, and will see that Russia’s interests are protected in the East in case of her defeat. Germany sympathizes with Russia, simply because she prefers to see the white race rule in the Orient. England sympathizes with Japan, but refrains from openly rejoicing at Russia’s initial defeat. The sympathy of the American people seems generally to be with the Japanese. There is considerable talk of war between England and France as a result of the present hostilities, in which case the course of Germany would be uncertain. In view of the war in the East, Turkey and Bulgaria show signs of an intention to go to war. If they should do so, a general war would be probable. The world’s peace prospect is far from reassuring.
Museum in Uyeno Park, Tokio, Japan.
DEATH IN PATENT MEDICINES.
DOCTOR BAUMGARDNER, in “Transactions Colorado State Medical Society for 1902,” says that the following patent medicines contain the percentages given of alcohol:—
Think of a crusade against beer, which contains only from two per cent to five per cent of alcohol, while allowing the free sale of “bitters” containing ten times as much! The “bitters” are stronger than whisky, far stronger than sherry, port, etc., and claret and champagne far behind.
Is it beyond the truth to say that alcohol causes from one-third to one-half of all criminals, defectives, insane and dependents, which the State is compelled to support? What proportion of these are the products of the patent medicine syndicates no one can tell. It is surely large.—American Medicine, November 8, 1902.
New York Evictions in 1903
By Editor
The reason that we hear so many optimistic expressions about the world’s growing better is apparently because men are becoming blind to actual conditions, or callous toward suffering and oppression. The following item from the Labor Leader is evidence of this fact:—
How American sympathy went out to the evicted Irish some years ago, when as many as 3,000 families were turned out of their homes for non-payment of rent! But 60,463 families were evicted in the city of New York, Manhattan borough, alone, during the year 1903, without exciting special wonder. Yet where is the difference? Apparently the only difference is in the fact that New York evictions last year were about 20 times as many as in the worst year of Irish evictions. In proportion to population the disparity is much greater. Whereas the Irish evictions of the heaviest year numbered about 1 to every 1,300 of population, those of New York numbered about 1 to every 35 of population.
A Note to the Powers.
Secretary of State Hay has addressed an identical note to the different powers of the world to ascertain if they are willing to join in a collective note to Russia and Japan, notifying them that during hostilities and thereafter the neutrality and “administrative entity” of China must not be violated. The principal powers have signified their willingness to join in such a note; and, tho the belligerents have not sent their formal acquiescence, it is understood that they will do so. The Hay note is now looked upon in many quarters as a triumph of diplomacy. It is even reported that Emperor William was the originator of the idea, having suggested to United States Ambassador Tower that such an arrangement would be for the interests of the nations. Whether or not Manchuria will be included in the provisions of the joint note is not known. That America has taken the initiative in this matter brings her more prominently into the affairs of the Old World, and makes the likelihood of her entanglement in their disputes more probable.
The special organ of the Vatican, in an article referring to the war in the East, says that “illegitimate interference” prevented the late Pope Leo from participating in the peace conference at The Hague, and then adds that, “the absence of a papal representative has brought no good fortune to the conceiver of the conference, as the czar is the first to fight with a foreign country, and Europe has separated herself from the questions in dispute. If the late pope had participated in the Hague conference, perhaps the influence of the present pope might have resulted in avoiding a conflict, the consequences of which are unmeasurable.” It is the purpose of the Papacy to make herself the arbiter of nations, and it is beyond question that in time she will succeed in this by laying the blame for all international conflicts that may come upon her exclusion from the Hague peace conference. “It is written,” however, that her occupancy of this position will be short.
It seems probable that some action will soon be taken in San Domingo by the United States. The rebels have destroyed much property belonging to foreigners, principally German, French, and American, and it is feared that the other nations may take severe action unless the United States, in some way, induces or compels the rebels to desist in their aggressive actions against foreigners. An American launch was fired upon by the rebels, and one man killed, and American signalmen have been under fire there. A force of 450 marines from Panama is reported to have sailed for San Domingo, but whether these are to take part in active operations there is not known.
The Federal Grand Jury of the District of Columbia has, for a number of days, been hearing testimony on the subject of the land frauds of California, Oregon, Washington, and other western States. The fraudulent transactions in this matter are said to be worse than the postal scandal, and involve millions of acres of the public land. The frauds involve people of reputation, government officials in Washington, government agents in the field, and a number of prominent men in San Francisco. The testimony thus far given shows unmistakable collusion on the part of those referred to for the purpose of illegally acquiring vast areas of the public domain.
The Baltimore fire resulted in the destruction of 140 acres of buildings. No accurate summing-up of the financial losses has yet been made public. The city building inspector estimates the loss in buildings alone at $150,000,000. Millions of dollars’ worth of stocks and bonds that it was feared were destroyed have been found safe in the vaults and safes where they were deposited. Street-cars are again in operation, and active preparations are now going on for the rebuilding of the burned district.
The special envoy of Colombia to the United States, having failed to secure any aid from this government in the matter of the return of Panama to the Colombian Government, sailed for Europe on February 8. He will represent Colombia before the French courts, seeking to obtain the recognition of Colombia as a stockholder in the Panama Canal. There have been reports of an invasion of Panama territory by Colombian troops, but no conflict has taken place.
The Senate, on February 8, passed the Mitchell Bill to assist the Lewis and Clark Exposition at Portland, Oregon, to the extent of $2,000,000. Like all the gifts to expositions within recent years, it was made with a proviso that the exposition should not be opened on Sunday. This amendment passed by a vote of 25 to 17. It is of some encouragement to know that there were seventeen men in the Senate who were opposed to paying the people for keeping Sunday.
An uprising against Americans and loyal Filipinos has occurred at Vigan, Luzon, P. I. Ninety-seven members of the constabulary stationed there have deserted, taking with them their arms, ammunition, and $700 in money. A cavalry company and a force of native constabulary have gone in pursuit.
The largest starch factory in the world was practically destroyed by fire on February 10. It was located at Oswego, N. Y. The loss is placed at more than a million dollars.
