p. 15 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 22, No. 48. (12/3/1896)

Earlier text: LESSON XII.—SABBATH, DECEMBER 19, 1896

DOMESTIC.

—The rainfall during the storm of the last few days measured about four inches in the region of San Francisco Bay.

—Cornell University Library now numbers 186,000 volumes and 30,000 pamphlets. About four thousand volumes are donated each year.

—As might have been expected, the aggregate divided Prohibition vote in California fell notably short of the united vote of four years ago.

—By the rain-storm of last week, the unharvested sugar beets in Alameda County, Cal., amounting to some three thousand tons, were destroyed.

—A Tacoma, Wash., despatch of date November 26, says that within ten days there had been over twenty hold-ups by footpads in that vicinity, but no arrests.

—A Chicago despatch says that contracts to the amount of $3,000,000 for lake vessels have been let at the Calumet River shipyards, and employment will soon be given to 3,500 men.

—George Cheshire ended a week’s hypnotic sleep in San Francisco on the 22d ult. He had been put to sleep by Professor Kennedy, and had been closely watched all the time. He lost thirteen pounds in weight.

—Last week the Salvation Army brought to the health office in San Francisco a Christian Chinaman who was suffering with leprosy. It was pronounced a genuine case, and the patient was taken to the pest-house.

—The Sacramento County, Cal., Grand Jury reveals the fact that there are 267 licensed places for selling liquors by the glass in that county—one for every thirty-seven voters. This is certainly a heavy tax for hard times.

—The controversy between the coal miners and operators near Terre Haute, Ind., has assumed a serious aspect. The latest move of the operators is to order the houses occupied by employees to be vacated by the 2d inst. Only ten days’ notice was given.

—The Central Lumber Company, the great lumber “trust” that went into operation a year ago, is threatened with dissolution. The war of the lumbermen has been revived, and the mill men are about to enter the contest. The “trust” included nearly all the greatest lumber firms and mills on the Pacific Coast, and it has come to pass that these firms which were combined to dictate prices to weaker competitors and the purchasing public can no longer trust each other. So the great combination is expected to expire with the year. The price of lumber is going down, as the Jobbing and Retail Lumber Dealers’ Association was dissolved a week ago.

—A press despatch says that Governor-elect Pingree of Michigan will not resign the office of mayor of Detroit when he becomes governor. He claims that there is no law compelling him to do so, and he can perform the duties of both offices.

—A San Joaquin Valley Citrus Fair is to be held at Fresno, Cal., the present month, commencing on the 14th and closing on the evening of the 19th. Extensive preparations are being made, and it is expected that every county in the valley will be represented.

—The officers of a charitable association in Topeka, Kansas, recently made the statement that there are 400 deserted wives in that city, and that there are daily additions to the list of deserted or divorced women seeking work or bread for themselves and children.

—A press despatch from Guthrie, O. T., says that sixteen persons were burned to death in a raging prairie fire near Rochelle, on the 24th ult. Two Sisters of Charity fought the flames for two hours with blankets, and saved their mission and the lives of twenty Indian children under their care.

—The United States Government is pushing the work of fortifying the seaports on the Southern Atlantic and gulf coasts. Several million dollars was appropriated for coast defense at Charleston, S. C., and when the work is done it is expected that foreign fleets can be kept from coming near enough to bombard the city.

—Rev. Dr. H. C. Bonte, for many years secretary of the board of regents of the University of California, died at Sacramento on the 24th ult., aged 64 years. While acting as secretary he was also professor of legal ethics in the Hastings College of Law, an adjunct of the University. He was an Episcopal clergyman, and at one time chaplain of the House of Representatives of Congress.

—Education is a curious thing. A Russian Nihilist, a graduate of the University of St. Petersburg, was recently pursuing advanced studies in Cornell University. He was professing his great admiration for President Lincoln, when someone chanced to mention his assassination. The Russian’s look of astonishment would have made his fortune on the stage. Yet this same man, who did not know Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, had read every one of Cooper’s novels in a Russian translation.

—The steamer San Benito was beached in a fog off Point Arena, Cal., on the 22nd ult., broke in two and sunk. The crew took refuge in the rigging, which was above the water, but owing to the roughness of the sea, relief could not reach them, until they had been in that perilous position twenty-eight hours, and six of their number succumbed to cold and fatigue and were drowned. The San Benito is the fifth steamer that has been lost on the United States Pacific Coast within a few months.

—Southern California reports some disastrous results of last week’s rain-storm. For over an hour, on the 25th ult., the water poured down from three elevated points into the business portion of San Pedro, completely flooding the large area at the water front, and many of the streets were covered. Near Redlands, also, a large portion of the Southern Pacific track was washed away. And at San Diego the rain was accompanied by a gale, which uprooted trees and did much damage to shipping.

—John P. Newman, D. D., LL. D., the newly-appointed resident bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church in California, arrived in San Francisco last week, and took up permanent quarters at the Occidental Hotel. The bishop is quite a noted man, having resided nine years in Washington, D. C., and takes pride in claiming “a personal acquaintance with all the great men of the nation, from Lincoln down.” He keeps a daily journal, in which is chronicled all his interviews with great men.

—Secretary of the Interior Francis is reported to have said in a recent letter to political friends: “If some legislation is not enacted to check the growing influence of wealth and circumscribe the powers of the trusts and monopolies there will be an uprising of the people before the century closes which will endanger our institutions.” It is a fact, however, that when men, either through logical foresight or a belief of the Scriptures, express the opinion that such a danger really confronts us, they are apt to be accused of advocating such an uprising.

—Rev. Edwards Davis, of the Central Christian Church of this city, has challenged Dr. C. W. Wendte, of the Unitarian Church, to a public discussion of Unitarianism. The latter looks lightly upon the challenge, and says: “When the young man has attained a more thorough acquaintance with Unitarian principles and a larger experimental knowledge of Christianity, he may be better qualified to discuss the issues involved in their reconciliation.” As a matter of fact, however, Christianity does not reconcile with anything in this world save a life in harmony with the law of God. It does have charity for all professors of religion, or irreligion, but it recognizes only one principle of reconciliation—the reconciliation, or surrender, of the sinner to his God.

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FIGHTING AGAINST GOD

Is the title of a sixteen-page tract just issued as No. 41 of the Religious Liberty Library

In which PICTURE, POETRY, and PROSE unite in teaching Christian principles of freedom of conscience

7 FINE HALF-TONE ILLUSTRATIONS 7

The pages shown below are reduced facsimiles of pages 6 and 7 of this tract

CAN NATIONS CONTEND WITH GOD?

"At his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation."

For a nation to compel a subject to disobey the laws of a foreign nation, when it knows it is powerless to protect him in so doing, is but to murder its citizen in cold blood, and merit international contempt.

Will the government attempt to protect its citizens against the wrath of an offended God? Will it declare war on the King of kings? Can it marshal its hosts and hurl its serried columns against the Eternal City?

"WE OUGHT TO OBEY GOD RATHER THAN MEN."

"When they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people; he suffered no man to do them wrong: . . . saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm."

If God had intended that his children should submit to governments in matters of conscience, he would not have protected Daniel in the lions' den, the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace, nor have delivered Peter and John, Paul and Silas, from their prison cells, where they were placed for disobeying human enactments.

GOD AND THE POWERS THAT BE.

"Render therefore unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's; and unto God the things that are God's."

God has ordained that governments should exist among men. To these governments he has commanded his people to render tribute, honor, and respect. He has commanded them to be obedient to every ordinance of man, not for fear of punishment, but for the Lord's sake. So long as a government enforces ordinances of men, — such laws only as are necessary for the protection of men in the enjoyment of their equal, natural rights, — they will not come in conflict with the Christian.

Wilt thou rally thy legions to battle, And march on the City of Light, Whence angels excelling in power Were hurled to the regions of night? Wilt thou compass the city eternal, Its towers and battlements raze, And train thy batteries brazen On the throne of the Ancient of Days?

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Angels of God

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"Angels of God." (Spanish.) A collection of five Bible readings on the following subjects: 1. The Angels of God. 2. Satan and His Work. 3. Christ the Resurrection and the Life. 4. The Second Chapter of Daniel. 5. Signs of the Coming of Christ. Two illustrations; paper; price, 6 cents. Address, PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO., Oakland, Cal.

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"Through Storyland to Sunset Seas,"

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ISOM, Brooks Co., Ga., Oct. 5, 1896. MESSRS. COON BROS., BATTLE CREEK, Mich.—Gentlemen: I received the machine all right. Have given it a trial, and like it splendidly. I am now ready to take the agency. Yours truly, I. T. MERCHANTS.

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BAPTISM: Its Significance, Its Nature, and the Necessity for It. By E. J. Waggoner. Bible Students' Library, No. 79. Pacific Press Pub. Co., Oakland, Cal. 16 pp.; 2 cents.

Current Events and Publications

By Editor

An article next week by Prof. W. W. Prescott, M. A., entitled "Christ or Creed, Which?"

No. 36 of the Apples of Gold Library is entitled "The True Church," with the subtitle, "How May We Know It?" Eight pages.

No. 146 of the Bible Students' Library is entitled "The Rich Man and Lazarus," the author of which is W. H. Littlejohn. The tract will have sixteen pages.

Cuba, Armenia, Madagascar, and history does not record how many other countries and fertile islands, have been depopulated and ravaged because of the lust of power and greed of men. In Cuba and Armenia the work still goes on. The last report from Armenia is the massacre of 500 Armenians near Diarbekir. It is horrible; and yet the great powers of the world know not what to do. They fear if rash moves should be made, they would precipitate a still greater conflict, which would bring untold loss of life. The Christian, torn as heart may be by anguish, knows that at the Great Assize of the Judge of all, every wrong will be made right, and the guilty will receive his just deserts.

Rain, Snow, Cold, and Cyclones.—Fearful and almost unprecedented storms are reported from the middle west. Following on the great floods from the northwest come terrible tales of the severe snow-storms of the east. Throughout South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, and North Dakota relentless blizzards howled and raged the 26th and 27th ult. Trains were blocked, business suspended, and it is estimated that on the great cattle ranges not less than 200,000 head of cattle perished by cold and starvation. Snow has fallen all the way from twelve inches to twenty inches, and in many places drifts are as high as buildings. The mercury is below zero in the storm belt, and communication by wire is cut off in many places by prostrated and broken telegraph poles and wires. In parts of Nebraska not half the corn crop is gathered, and is now covered with a thick coating of ice. Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas have been visited by cyclones, doing much damage. Severe cold, without a precedent, is reported from Astoria and Pendleton, Oregon, and from Butte, Mont., the mercury registering ten degrees below zero in Astoria, and twenty-four degrees below in the last two places. Great damage is done to water-pipes.

Christian Endeavorers.—No society or organization within Christendom has made such a surprisingly rapid growth as has the society of Christian Endeavor. The total number of societies is now 46,125, and membership 2,750,000. Young people's societies allied to the Christian Endeavor aggregate a membership of 2,000,000 more. What a power for Christianity this force would be for good if used in Gospel lines! But it is a sad fact that this great army is being influenced and mobilized along so-called "Christian Citizenship" lines, and directly contrary to true Christian Endeavor. Their whole force is being thrown in favor of a Sunday law for California, an anti-American and anti-Christian measure in every respect.

How Shall the Sabbath Be Kept?

"How Shall the Sabbath Be Kept?"—"According to the commandment;" that is the way the holy women who followed Jesus observed the day. The Lord declares: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." This does not mean a lazy rest. The rest is from our own labor for our own profit, or pleasure. The best commentaries on the Sabbath law are those given through the prophet Isaiah and Jesus Christ. The former reads: "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." Self is not to be served, but God.

"But are we to do no work, build no fire, cook no food?" asks one. That depends on the purpose, the object for which, and the spirit in which, these things are done. Our Saviour's life is a guide in this. The raving demoniac stood before our Lord on the Sabbath day, and Jesus restored him. He saw, one Sabbath, an impotent man lying at the pool, and he bade him to rise, take up his mat and walk. He goes to the sick bed of Peter's mother-in-law, touches her with divine power, and she rises on that Sabbath day and serves him and his disciples. He places his holy hand on the bowed back of a daughter of Israel, on another Sabbath, and she is made whole. His disciples pluck the heads of wheat, shell out the grain, and eat it on another Sabbath day, and Jesus justifies the act. "It is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days." "The Sabbath was made for man." Works of necessity, of worship, of direct labor for God, have ever been in harmony with the Sabbath law (Matt. 12:3-5); yet works not of necessity, but of presumption and defiant rebellion against God, will be as surely punished as were the same in the wilderness. Num. 15:30-36. He who delights in God will delight in God's commandments.

The Sum of the Matter

By Editor

The Sum of the Matter.—It seems to us that the Sabbath question is very easily settled if one will submit it to the word of God. Certainly the Lord instituted the Sabbath. Gen. 2:1-3. He commanded it with nine other unchangeable moral precepts. Ex. 20:1-17. He declares that "all his commandments are sure;" that "they stand fast forever and ever." Ps. 111:7, 8. Jesus Christ, in whose heart was God's law (Ps. 40:7, 8), declared that he came not to destroy the law, and that one jot or one tittle should not pass from the law. Matt. 5:17-20; Luke 16:17. Moreover he kept all God's law, as declared by himself and others (John 15:10; 1 Peter 2:22); and that in all his obedience we are to follow, to walk as he walked (John 21:22; 1 John 2:6). He who would obey God and follow Christ will keep the Sabbath commanded of God. To what other conclusion could we come?

THE "MORAL AND CIVIL RIGHT" OF A SUNDAY LAW.

SAYS a Christian minister, Mr. James Small:—

"If there comes a time in the history of the Legislature in this state when they see fit to pass a Sunday law for the benefit of the people, I for one would certainly say the Legislature had a moral and civil right to do so."

That is, the Legislature has the right to draw class lines between citizens of this state otherwise equal before the law. By the one act of a Sunday law it makes Sunday-keepers law-abiding citizens, while it declares that thousands of others—Sabbath-keepers, who before the law existed were law-abiding citizens, and who after the law pursue the same course as before—are criminals. This is not done by reason of a change in the Sabbath-keeper or in the Sunday-keeper; the state by religious class legislation exalts one class and abases another.

If it be said that the Sabbath-keeper may rest on Sunday, then we reply: He has already rested on the day which he believes is set apart by divine command. He has as good right to keep this day as the Sunday-keeper has to keep Sunday. And now for the state to step in and demand that he shall keep another day is to compel him to pay a tribute of one-sixth of his time, or sixteen and two-thirds per cent of his income, to the belief of the Sunday-keepers; but the state does not require this of those who keep Sunday. There are still other considerations more far-reaching still. But in the light of these, are Sunday laws civilly or morally right?

Boston’s Saloon Spending

Of the 496,920 inhabitants of Boston, no fewer than 226,752 persons, according to Prof. F. G. Peabody, patronize daily the 606 licensed saloons. In this case each patron is counted every time he enters, and of course there are many "repeaters." It is estimated that an average of ten cents is spent by the average patron every time he enters. This foots up the enormous sum of $22,675 a day, or in a year of three hundred days, $6,802,500. This is more than was paid in the year 1894-95 for the total outlay of Boston's public schools ($2,061,160), total cost of Boston's fire department ($1,041,296), total cost of Boston's police department ($1,318,186), total expense of Boston's city park system ($2,214,814), by $166,044. Boston is probably no worse than other cities. This is an indication of the power and influence of appetite and the saloon.

Restlessness; Turmoil, Strife.—Says the Christian Work, Presbyterian:—

"A prominent Presbyterian, an ex-moderator, is quoted by the Mid-Continent as saying to a caller the other day, in deep distress: 'I do not know what has come over the Presbyterian Church. Look at my desk. It is literally covered with letters from churches seeking new pastors, and from pastors seeking new churches. There is a spirit of restlessness and dissatisfaction everywhere. I do not know what to make of it.'"

It is a sign of the times, not only in religious circles, but everywhere. A decisive election has just taken place in America, and yet men are unsettled. In the Old World the recent revelations of Prince Bismarck show that no dependence is to be put upon human compacts in the highest relations of life. We see the very condition of things now which the Lord predicted in Isaiah 59, and the reason given there is that men have departed from the Lord and his commandments. It is true. God calls them back by his Gospel. He tells them to prepare for his coming; to return to his word and the keeping of his commandments, and turn away from the traditions and commandments of men. This great message in its threefold aspect is given in Rev. 14:6-14, and elsewhere. Many people long to hear these things, but the pastors will not preach them. Many pastors long to preach simple Bible truth, but fear some of the people. There is "restlessness and dissatisfaction everywhere" in the earth, and men are so because they are hoping in the things of earth. But nevertheless there is one place of rest in all this sea of strife, and that is upon the rock of God's eternal truth as it is in Christ Jesus.