In the center of this page is a photographic reproduction of some of the headlines that appeared on the first page of a recent issue of the New York daily World. There were some other similar headlines on the page, but the ones selected require no explanation in order for the reader to understand the character and import of the matter that would follow such headings.
As a general rule, newspapers put what they consider to be the most striking, and the most important news matter on the front page, and since the headings herewith reproduced were on the front page of that particular issue of the World, it follows that the things thus described were, in the mind of the editor, the most important happenings of that day.
The matter in the columns that followed these headings took up almost all the space on the front page, and no comment is needed to show that it is a record of crime and fraud. And, furthermore, any one who glances at the papers from day to day, knows that the records of crimes, vices, and iniquities form a large part of the news of our times. And on the days when the vices and crimes are not so prominently mentioned, it is often because of the fact that some strike, or some of the rumors of wars among the nations, or something of the kind, has become so prominent as to absorb and hold men’s minds.
These facts show the criminal and vicious tendencies of the times. They also show the strained and unsettled condition of society. These things are plainly before the minds of all men; yet in the very face of such overwhelming evidence, men vehemently tell us that the world is getting better instead of worse. There is no evidence before us that the world is getting better. Every vestige of the evidence surrounding us in society points in the other direction. Then how can we, in the name of reason and common sense, be asked to go directly contrary to the evidence?
But if this evidence that is so strikingly before us in the doings of the world were not so plain, there is still another witness, and its testimony can not be set aside. The Lord’s Word plainly says, “Evil men “and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, “and being deceived.” 2 Tim. 3:13. The Lord, who knows the end from the beginning, has foretold the conditions that would prevail in the world. And He plainly says that “evil men” “shall wax worse “and worse.” And not only will they be getting worse and worse, but they will be “deceiving” others because they are “being deceived” themselves.
The man who is under the spell of a deception can not see things straight. And this is the solution of the amazing mystery of men persisting in saying that the world is getting better, when the evidence of every one of our senses shows that things are getting so bad that society will soon be broken up by violent wars, revolutions, and every conceivable social disorder. Any one who is not “deceiving and being “deceived” can plainly see the conditions that surround us, and he can also see the impending disaster that these conditions portend.
Some Headings from the First Page of a Single Daily Paper.
Only those who know the Word of God will be saved from this terrible deception. The world is so intoxicated with the follies of fun, the people have gone so wild after pleasure, and are so absorbed in money-getting, that their sensibilities are largely stupefied. The god of this world has so blinded their eyes that they do not see things clearly. They do not want to be disturbed in their pleasure-seeking and money-getting, and so they endeavor, by every means, to persuade themselves that these bad things in the world are not so bad after all. And having entered upon this road, they fondly boast of being “optimists,” and say that they are not looking for the evil, and that they consequently see only the good. But in this they are greatly mistaken. They see the evil in the world just as much as any one, but are trying to make themselves believe that there is no evil worth mentioning. Since they are “optimists” they must not see the evil, no matter how prevalent it becomes.
Since God was able to look forward thousands of years and foresee the evil of this time, and since He caused His prophets of those ancient years to foretell it in the divine Book, we do well to give heed to the inspired utterances. Not that God’s Word changes the facts as they are in these days, but that Word faithfully presents just what the conditions are. And if the facts appear to us in a different light from what is said in the Bible, we may know that it is because we are under a delusion, and consequently can not see things as they really exist.
The last days are to be made “perilous,” because of the crimes and wickednesses of men. The first five verses of the third chapter of second Timothy plainly state this. And it will be observed that it is from that same chapter that we have quoted the statement that “evil men and seducers shall wax worse “and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” The events of the present time show that we are in the midst of these last-day perils. We are even in the days when evil men and seducers are waxing worse and worse with an unparalleled rapidity. And in this they are both “deceiving, and being deceived.”
It is not from the standpoint of arguing the case that we write this. For it seems to us when God’s Word is speaking with such a manifest clearness, and when the predictions of that Word are being so strikingly fulfilled, it is becoming to mortal man to give audience to our all-wise Father, rather than to argue.
T.
“IN RESPONSE TO AN ORDER,” INDEED!
By Editor
The relation of the army and navy of the United States to the government is so intimate and important that officers in these departments of service must needs be careful how they act toward the various religious denominations as such. Chaplains are chosen from Catholic and Protestant bodies according to the discretion of the President, who is at the head of the army and navy. But all movements which look toward preferring one denomination above another are supposed to be scrupulously avoided. The Army and Navy Journal of May 18 contains the following:—
“Cardinal Gibbons, of Baltimore, now on his way to Rome to visit his holiness Pope Leo XIII, paid a visit to the Brooklyn Navy-yard, May 10, in response to an invitation from Captain W. Reaney, of the receiving-ship Vermont. In response to an order from Rear Admiral Barker all the heads of the various departments of the yard assembled at the commandant’s office to greet his eminence and his party, and a general reception was held, during which Mrs. Barker was presented to the cardinal.”
The paper from which this paragraph is taken is the official gazette of the regular and volunteer forces of the United States, reporting from time to time whatever of public interest transpires in military and naval circles. The fact referred to above is reported without comment or criticism. It seems to us to be worthy of the widest publicity and the most careful attention.
For a chaplain to invite a brother minister, bishop, or high official of his own or any other denomination, to pay him a visit, is certainly proper. If the officers and heads of departments at any post or station shall, of their own motion or in response to personal invitations from an equal or superior officer, show particular respect to a clergyman who may happen among them, no one has a right to complain. But when the commandant of a navy-yard or army post, orders officers and men under his command to assemble for the purpose of greeting a minister, bishop, or cardinal, however eminent, many inquiries are started in the minds of loyal Americans. By what authority was such order issued? Is it not directly contrary to the spirit of the Constitution of the republic and the institutions of our country? Does it not tend toward an alliance of Church and State, which is positively prohibited by the Constitution? Must not such an official transaction create the impression that the official representative of the government who has taken it upon himself to do this thing, seeks to enthrone one particular denomination in the favor of the government? Was it because Cardinal Gibbons is a distinguished American citizen, or because he is the official representative of one particular denomination, that this public and conspicuous recognition was accorded him by the commandant of the Brooklyn Navy-yard in his official capacity? Is it just and right that “the heads of the various departments of the yard” who may happen to be Protestants should be compelled by an order from9a superior officer to pay special court to the leading prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in America? Who will answer?—Christian Advocate (New York).
THE GROWING BURDEN.
The nations of Europe have been sweating under taxes occasioned by war preparation, and have been groaning under the burden of enforced military service. That burden has been growing heavier with each new development in the military line. England has striven to maintain her army by voluntary service. The continental nations have not been so conscientious in the matter, and their armies have grown to tremendous proportions. Now England is beginning to see that to maintain her place among the nations as one of the great military powers, she may be forced to follow their example.
In the debate over the army reconstruction bill recently, in the House of Commons, Lord Raglan, the Under Secretary of War, frankly stated that if the army can not be increased by volunteering, the government will resort to conscription. To the British mind conscription has been specially repugnant; and yet the government sees before it the possibility of such a course, in view of possible European combinations against her. Their armies, combined, would tower above her like a mammoth, and she considers the risk too great. Thus is preparation begetting preparation, and none save those who know God's Word can tell where the end will be. To them it is not an enigma. It is all working to a definite end, and that end has been foretold. The growing burden will continue to grow, until the great clash comes that will involve the whole world in war,—the war of the end.
Sunday Observance and China’s Troubles
Sunday observance is a feature of the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, notwithstanding the determination of the directors to keep the gates open. The most significant point, however, is the closing of the government exhibit on that day. A press correspondent says:—
“A person visiting the fair on Sunday sees the grounds, the buildings, the people, the plants, the flowers, and not much besides. . . . No religious services are allowed on the grounds on Sundays. I suppose this is done to prevent complications between denominations, and to save the directors from conflict with the ‘Midway’ concessionaries. The Hawaiian people, however, have a religious service of their own, and among the 400 Indians there are frequent services.”
CHINA is not thru with her troubles yet. One report states that the entire province of Shantung is overrun by the Chinese rebels, and that neither the Russian forces nor the Chinese troops are able to maintain order. It is reported that in the vicinity of Moukden all the villages are being burned, and that hundreds of the inhabitants have been killed. One prominent missionary states that unless China is completely reorganized within a few years, the whole country will be menaced by 20,000,000 Boxers. The Chinese, he asserts, will never forget that the Boxer movement had the sanction of the Chinese court. By a peculiar discrepancy, it has developed that the Chinese have promised to pay $24,500,000 more than the total indemnity which the powers demanded. A despatch from Shanghai states that the empress dowager, fearing a plot to capture her, has refused to return to Peking, and has declared Kai-feng-fu to be the capital of the empire. The powers are now puzzled over the question of whether to recognize the civil administrator whom Russia has placed in the province of Manchuria. Some of the powers have done so, and others are still awaiting instructions from their governments.
THE War Department has ordered the commanders at the different military posts throughout the country to take exact memoranda of what occurs during and after each pay-day, including the number of arrests, the number of absentees, and the number of desertions. This is to be done at each of the next four pay-days, and the results placed before Congress at its next session. The department has been stirred up to this action by unofficial reports which have come in from the various posts from men who have always been opposed to the anti-canteen law. It is known that the department itself is opposed to the new law, and that the liquor element is doing all it can against the law in the circulation of false reports. These different elements appear to be working together to the end that the anti-canteen law shall be repealed.
THE fifth international convention of the Epworth League will be held in San Francisco, July 18 to 21. The grand opening concert will be given in Mechanics Pavilion on the evening of July 16. On the evening following, prayer-meeting receptions will be given to the visiting delegates.
ACCORDING to Zeal, the organ of the Federation of Young People’s Societies, the growth of cigaret-smoking among girls and women is becoming a dangerous menace. A New York manufacturer is quoted as saying: “In New York City, for instance, I have 1,000 ladies of the highest class of society as my regular patrons. While the use of cigarets among women of the better class is growing steadily in Chicago, it still does not compare in extent to the condition in this respect in other States.” According to the general statement made by another man, there are 100,000 women in New York City alone who smoke, and the practise is rapidly growing in all the other large cities. It is said to be the rule rather than the exception for women of “high society” to indulge in the use of the cigaret—a condition which is the direct result of idleness and luxury.
THE Navy League, an influential body of Englishmen, has begun an agitation which has for its purpose the strengthening of the English navy. The League’s members declare that there is a great deficiency in the English fleet; that it is not ready for war; that it is lacking in many things now considered necessary in the perfect equipment of a fleet, such as smokeless powder and telescopic sights. The League declares that the navy is supreme no longer, and that the contrast between what the navy really is and what the people suppose it to be is a dramatic one. The result, of course, will be greater expenditures both for increasing the navy and for bettering the condition of the ships already in service.
NOTWITHSTANDING the sharp set-back of Spain in her military and naval career, she is now making vigorous efforts to repair the depletion of her armament caused by the recent war. A special navy commission has placed with the Vickers-Maxim concern a large order for the finest make of high-power guns. These heavy guns are capable of firing 200-pound projectiles at the rate of eight per minute, the striking energy of which is six times as great as the same size guns now in use in the English navy. The spirit of preparing war will not down.
THE national debt of France at the present time has reached the enormous sum of $5,829,742,000, or about $151 for each person, man, woman and child, in that country. This probably has something to do with the fact that within the last six months French capitalists have drawn from their own banks and sent abroad more than $121,000,000. A panic seems to have seized the capitalists, and they are hurrying their wealth into other countries as fast as possible.
THE white fishermen on the Fraser River in British Columbia are on strike, having refused to furnish fish to the companies at 10 cents each. The Japanese, however, continue to fish. This has stirred up much bitter feeling between the rival fishers, and as each side numbers several thousand, it is feared there will be serious trouble before the matter is settled. The white fishermen and the Indians are preparing to patrol the river and prevent the Japanese from fishing.
A mob of anti-clericals in Valencia, Spain, on June 26, surrounded a church, broke all the windows, and fastened the congregation on the inside, to prevent the departure of a religious procession. The police dispersed the mob, which then proceeded to the residence of the archbishop and the convent, and broke all the windows in those buildings. The wrath of these mobs in Spain is directed principally against the Jesuits.
ON June 28 there came up for passage in the French Chamber of Deputies the famous Bill of Associations, aimed at the Catholic orders in France. The bill passed by a vote of 313 to 249, and only awaits the signature of the President to become a law. The Catholic members of the Chamber consider this bill to be the beginning of a war on Catholicism.
ONE hundred and fifty-five automobiles left Paris on June 27 in a race which was to terminate at Berlin. Many of these, thru one cause or another, fell out by the way; but a great many of them completed the race in remarkably fast time. The race was won by M. Fournier, a Frenchman, the speed of whose automobile averaged more than 45 miles an hour.
ON June 30, 4,000 soldiers from the Philippines were mustered out of the service at the Presidio in San Francisco. There are still three regiments on the way across the Pacific, and these will be mustered out of the service on arrival at San Francisco. This will complete the muster-out of the volunteers, leaving only the regulars in active service.
ON July 1 many of the special taxes levied on account of the war were repealed. These include the tax on bank checks, bills of lading, certificates of deposit, drafts, express receipts, insurance, custom-house manifests, leases, mortgages, promissory notes, telegraph messages, telephone messages, and warehouse receipts.
ACCORDING to the Vienna correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph, a conflict has occurred on the border between Albania and Montenegro between Mussulmans and “Christians,” in which a considerable number were killed and wounded.
THE president of the Iron, Steel, and Tin Workers’ Association is planning to call out all the laborers in those trades. He says that this strike will be one of the greatest importance, and will involve 50,000 men.
THE Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, in the course of their excavations in the island of Crete, have uncovered a large palace with extensive wings, stone staircases, and beautifully decorated halls and rooms. Many specimens have been secured of ancient Mycenaean, Egyptian, Nubian, and Italian work.
THE Earl of Dunmore, who recently came to America for the purpose of making a deeper study into Christian Science, and then returning to England to teach it, reports that this doctrine is making sweeping strides in the British Empire; that it is spreading rapidly in England, and is reaching all classes.
THE new tariff imposed upon the poor inhabitants of the island of Guam has driven from the island the most of what little trade it had, and the conditions there are reported to be distressing. It is reported that the people will starve unless they shall receive aid from the government.
DURING the past year more than $75,000,000 have been added to the cash in the Treasury of the United States. The aggregate amount of cash in the United States Treasury at the present time is $1,181,868,911. The national debt was reduced during the month of June $17,737,374.
A SALT trust, said to comprise 68 per cent. of the American salt manufacturers, has been organized for the purpose of “fighting the salt trust.” When the “fighting” is over, the two trusts will combine, and the trust will have a firmer hold on the people than it did before.
IT was announced by President Eliot, of Harvard University, at an alumni dinner on June 26, that J. Pierpont Morgan had given to the institution more than $1,000,000 for the erection of three of the five buildings planned for the Harvard Medical School in Boston.
A GENERAL order for a strike of all the union sheet-steel workers was issued by the president of the union on June 29. There are over 20,000 men affected by this order. The officials of the companies refuse to discuss the grievances of the strikers.
A REPORT from Korea states that about 300 native Catholics attacked a town mass-meeting at Quelpart, Korea, recently, and killed a number of the villagers. The latter returned to the scene, dispersed the Catholics, and finally massacred the whole company.
THE statue of Napoleon, which was removed from its pedestal during the reign of the commune, was found recently by accident in the Seine River. It will be taken in charge by the State Commission for the Preservation of Historical Landmarks.
IT is reported that martial law has been proclaimed in Panama, owing to the re-organization of the rebel forces. It appears that considerable fighting is in progress in the interior, and that the government is despatching re-enforcements.
THE amount of gold taken out of the Cripple Creek mining region since gold was discovered there in 1891, is $104,365,210, including the output of the month of June. The mining area is about five miles square.
AT the San Francisco mint, during the fiscal year just closed, there have been coined $80,000,000, of which $70,000,000 was in gold. This is the largest amount ever produced by any mint in the country.
THE oldest woman in California, Mrs. Ramona Garcia Barones Munos, died at Bolinas on June 24, at the age of 107 years. There are living now five generations of her descendants.
A DECREE has been issued in Cuba making the vaccination of all Cubans obligatory, and providing for the appointment of a commission to see to the carrying out of the decree.
A SMALL riot was caused in the town of Skagway, Alaska, on June 22, by the hauling down of the British flag over the Canadian custom house at that place.
THE recent census of Paris shows that the city has grown in population 177,234 during the last five years. The present population is 2,714,968.
IN three counties of California, namely, Stanislaus, San Joaquin, and Tulare, fire recently destroyed an aggregate of 23,000 acres of standing grain.
TWO UNITED STATES transports, bearing about 1,500 soldiers each, arrived in San Francisco harbor on June 26, direct from the Philippines.
THE discussion in the House of Commons on June 25 brought out the information that the war in South Africa is still costing $1,250,000 weekly.
IN the wreck of a passenger train near Peru, Indiana, on June 26, thirteen persons were killed and about fifty injured, many fatally.
THE labor riots in the St. Petersburg iron and cloth factories have been renewed, and have been again suppressed by the military.
DURING a severe thunder-storm in Chicago on July 1, lightning killed 11 boys and men who had taken refuge in a small building.
THE total value of the entire mineral output of the United States for the year 1900 amounted to $1,365,608,583.
JOSEPH COOK, the noted lecturer and author, died at his home in Ticonderoga, N.Y., on June 25, at the age of 53.
THE Leipziger Bank, of Leipzig, Germany, failed on June 25 for $22,000,000.
Despisers of Law.
By G.
The Examiner, the leading Baptist journal of the country, asks, the question, “Are we Americans coming to be a nation of despisers of law?” The question is easily answered in the affirmative. The prevalent mania for lynching, the fast increasing criminal list in the courts, and the general evasion of law by the great corporations, where their financial interests are at stake, are conspicuous witnesses. But the question of our contemporary has special reference to civil law. That the people are coming to be more and more inclined to despise the law of God is equally evident. And the persistent manner in which religious societies and the religious press are urging the intolerant enforcement of Sunday laws is the infallible proof of this proposition. No law is more emphatically stated than that known as the Golden Rule: “All ‘things whatsoever ye would that men should do to ‘you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and ‘the prophets.’” No Sunday law ever can be enforced on the basis of this law. Civil and religious liberty for all never can prevail where freedom of conscience is denied to a single individual. In the very article in which we found the foregoing question, there is complaint of a jury which failed to convict a defendant who admitted that he worked on Sunday. Where a religious journal insists on the violation of the law of God, in order that tyrannical human law shall predominate, it can not consistently complain of a growing disregard of law. Surely Christians ought to stand by the principle, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”—Acts 5: 29.
G.
MAKE HOME ATTRACTIVE.
By M. C. DuBois
Poets have sung of “home, sweet home,” since the world began; but the theme remains exhaustless, and will while time lasts. Around every home, no matter how humble, cluster deep and lasting interests.
There are many dwelling-places, but alas, how few homes; homes where heaven is represented; homes where love, pure and true, makes the atmosphere fragrant with its sweet perfume; homes where Christ is an abiding guest; homes where discord and jangle are never heard. Such homes are a blessing in the world; and the angels love to linger there to carry glad tidings therefrom.
Fretting is one of the banes of many homes. Not alone is the mother prone to this evil, but also the father. From the parents the children catch the evil habit, and the disease soon becomes chronic in the family. In some homes, scarce a pleasant word is heard from morn until eve, unless, perchance, company is present, and even then this habit often prevails. I have been in homes where the wife dealt out the short-comings of husband and children, and the husband, in turn, was not guiltless in this direction by any means. How unpleasant one feels when in such a home, and how glad to get away, tho that home may contain every comfort money can buy. If the spirit of love reigns not, the true home spirit is lacking.
It is the duty of parents after bringing children into existence, to make home as refining and attractive as their means will allow. This can be done without great outlays of money, but it does take time, patience, and energy to make a happy, attractive home.
The first step in this direction is the presence of Christ as an abiding inmate.
I will not attempt to give set rules by which parents shall govern their children, as child-training is an ingenious work, and different dispositions require different treatment. This much, however, I do say, Let truth and firmness be your motto. Keep your word with your child. Never make a promise to your child carelessly or unthinkingly. Seeds of falsehood are often sown in the heart of the child by parents themselves, thru making false promises. The child sees that papa and mama did not keep their word with him, and he soon loses confidence in their promises.
One great factor in making a happy home is that the parents agree and are united in training their family, and that they treat each other with respect and politeness. If mother is careful to treat father with due respect, and father in turn pays homage to mother as queen of the home, think you not the children will catch the same spirit? Children are great imitators. Often example with them is more potent than precept.
Too many ignore the little courtesies of home life which go far toward making home refining. The child who grows up in a neat, cheerful home, over which a spirit of love hovers, tho it be only a log cabin or sod house, will make a better man or woman, and have more correct views of life, than one who goes out from a cold, unloving home.
Music helps in making home attractive. Music refines, and soothes many of the irritabilities of life. If there is one member of the family with any musical talent at all, and you can possibly afford a musical instrument, have one by all means. Let parents and children mingle their voices in song. Music is a link to bind hearts together. Few there are who can not feel its refining power.
Pictures on the wall have a refining influence on the minds of children. They need not be the costly oil painting, in gilded frame, but a pure picture drawn from nature, or some such scene, will furnish study for a child who loves the beautiful.
Good books, papers, and magazines help in making home attractive, tho great caution is needed to select the best of reading matter. Great care must be exercised in selecting such as will be instructive, and not give false ideas of life. The Bible, first of all, should be carefully and earnestly studied, and a love for its teachings early impressed on the tender heart of your child.
Flowers make home refining and pleasant; cultivate them out-doors and in; call the attention of the little ones to their wonderful beauty. Tell them of Him who tinted the violet and rose; tell them the same kind Father who holds the worlds in His hand cares for the tiniest flower and loves also the children. Cultivate love in the hearts of your children for the works of God. Tell them of Him who said, “Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not.”
Seek to make your home the brightest spot in all the world to your family. Teach them to be helpful, and to render willing service at your request, to help you in the home work. If you wish to inspire confidence in your children, begin in their infancy. Never, by word or act, do aught to cause them to lose confidence in you. Think it not beneath you to study the happiness of your children. Let them see that it gives you pleasure to grant their requests. I would not, however, have you understand that I think it right or best to grant every wish of the child, far from it. A wise parent will withhold many things from his children, but never refuse a reasonable request without good reason. Never be so engrossed in business or pleasure that you have no time for a pleasant word or a smile.
There can not be affectionate confidence where there is no sympathy. Do not let a feeling of reserve come between you and your child. Take time to express an interest in his joys or sorrows; for the sorrows of children are as real to them as the sorrows of grown people are to them.
There are many appointments of the home which have a refining influence, but I can only mention a few more. The arrangement of the table and the kind of food we place before our children helps greatly in making a happy home. The table should always be neatly laid; tho the cloth be coarse, let it be clean, and the dishes arranged in a pleasing manner. We can not all afford choice silver, dainty china, costly glass, but such as we do have, can be bright and shining.
Plain food, properly cooked and tastefully arranged upon the board, adds much to the attractions of home. Children fed upon plain food with plenty of fresh fruit are healthier, hence happier, than those who are kept on rich pastry, meats, and highly seasoned foods. Plain food with plenty of fresh air, exercise, and sunshine, make laughing, happy children.
I might mention the appointments of the child's sleeping room, which ought to be bright, airy, and tastefully arranged, with a picture or two on the wall, tho they may be only prints from some magazine. Many of these are very beautiful, and convey sweet and tender lessons, which will not be lost upon your child. Let the windows be clean, with clean curtains, tho they may be only plain muslin or calico.
Mothers, do not darken the windows of your best room, and shut yourself and family in the little kitchen, seven days in the week; loop back the window curtains, let in the sunshine, call in the children, part of the time at least, and be cheerful and happy.
Hold the reins firmly, tho in love, and I think as your children leave the home circle to take their places in life's work, they will be better men and women for all the pains taken, and you will find a rich reward in the end.
Fathers, do your part in making home attractive. Think not a few dollars lost spent in beautifying home. Help and encourage your wife by a cheerful, appreciative word of praise, in her efforts to make home bright and pleasant for yourself and children. Lend a helping-hand whenever you can. You can help in preparing a place for plenty of flowers. Teach your boys to be helpful to mother by setting the daily example of doing helpful things for her comfort.
Mothers, I know to carry out the plans I've suggested, requires hard work and self-denial on your part. Your furniture will get marred, your carpets will wear out, and often you will feel discouraged and think your life a failure, just preparing food for your family, washing dirty little hands and faces, mending little tattered garments, mittens, socks, and aprons; but, O mothers, weary not; look beyond the present hour. Soon your boys and girls will be out in the world, making their mark for good or evil. Give yourself to the work, looking to God for help and wisdom to direct the feet of your child in paths of truth and virtue. You will not be sorry by and by that you have striven in the fear of God to plant right principles in the hearts of your children. These are perilous times for all, and especially so for young men and boys.
The gilded saloon, with strains of sweet music, beautiful pictures, and sweet flowers, stands open to tempt our boys. Then, too, they hear the obscene story fall from the lips of well-dressed beings called men; they hear the name of God profaned, and see professed Christians smoking the vile tobacco.
And are there no snares for our daughters?—Yes, we know we have to guard them well from evils too numerous to detail. How often are we made to shudder as we hear of the fate of some poor girl.
Parents, with these facts before us, do we not need to make our homes so bright and cheerful that our children will not care to spend their evenings away from home? Weary not in your work, but look to God for help. By and by your work will be finished. Perhaps some who read these lines may have done all they could for their children, and yet that dear son or daughter may be treading the downward road. To such I say, Despair not. A mother's prayers can not be lost. Leave that wayward child with God. If you have done your part, God will surely do His. Pray on, and trust Him still.
Grand Ledge, Mich. MRS. M. C. DuBois.
GUIDANCE DIVINE.
By M. Elisabeth Burns-Howell
'Tis a toilsome path,
A steep and rugged road,
My pilgrim feet have trod;
An upward way toward heaven and God
I've sought to climb.
Yet downward oft mine eyes were cast
Upon the cruel rocks
That cut into my weary feet;
And looking earthward thus,
I stumbled o'er and o'er.
But one close at my side,
My Saviour,
With gentle hand, yet strong,
Did lift me up again,
And start me on once more.
Sometimes His tender care
I would not heed,
Nor felt my need
Of His arm to hold
Me. Then, waxing bold
Within myself,
I launched me forth
Upon the wild sea,
To stem its raging tide alone.
Ah me! Vain child of earth!
Dost think to rule the elements
So madly tossing on the shores of sin,
While in thine yet impulsive breast
Waves of passion beat and surge?
Peace, child, peace!
Sit at thy Master's feet;
Learn of the meek and low.
In sweet humility get thee strength
Of Him who rules the wave and tide,
Yet in His ruling striveth not
Nor vaunts His might.
Be calm; wait on His will,
And He thy soul shall fill
With power and peace.
Then, on the wide, calm sea
Of His boundless love,
Thy bark shall find its harbor
And bring thee safe to anchor:
So at the last
Shalt thou find rest.
M. ELISABETH BURNS-HOWELL.
Alameda, Cal.
MAKING HOME HAPPY.
By Mrs. J. B. Cotten
Christianity, Love, Virtue, and Honor.
TO THE Household: There must be unity in the home. A house divided against itself can not stand. First we lay the corner-stones. First shall be Christianity; second, love; third, virtue; fourth, honor. If the foundation of a home be laid of such material, and then really and truly practised, it is bound to be a happy home. Christianity will make us stand where we would fall without the help of God. It will make us strive to make home happy; for when we have undergone the change of heart that is necessary to become a Christian, it elevates the mind, enriches the thought, and we have the good of the whole world at heart. The real Christian’s highest aim in life is to make people happy—happier in this life and the life to come. What prompts men and women to do this? Love is the next corner-stone. With love of God in our hearts, we will be more thoughtful of the happiness of others; and when we have taken the responsibility of making a home, if we are armed with these Christian graces—Christianity, love, virtue, and honor—it will be as a coat of mail to the soldier. We will be equipped for the pleasures and trials of life as they come.
First, I consider the greatest responsibility, our children; for in almost all homes there are found bright, beautiful, innocent children to be taught right or wrong; and, dear sisters, I think the responsibility far greater on us than on the men. We have the little ones with us all the time, to instruct and form their habits for this life and the life to come.
What a grand work to be engaged in! Battling with the evils of this life, striving to elevate our homes and make them happy! I think the grandest and most noble thoughts that ever surged in the human breast should be aroused when woman becomes a wife and mother. She should realize her life-work begun, not only for this life, but for vast eternity. Who could not work with all patience, and thru gathering clouds, tho you work thru many prayers and tears? The clouds will all be silver-lined when you see the fruits of your labor begin to expand; the buds God has given us for cultivation come forth noble men and women. What is grander and nobler than father and mother going hand in hand along the journey of life, united in bonds of Christianity, love, virtue, and honor?—Mrs. J. B. Cotten.
