If society is right in licensing the sale of whisky it is wrong in not licensing the dens for smoking opium and the bagnios for the plying of an infamous vocation, and, conversely, if it be wrong to license opium-smoking and courtezanship, it is wrong to license the selling of whisky.
Within a few days a man named Walsh stood up before the criminal court of this county and plead guilty to an indictment for the murder of his wife. It was shown that he and his wife were in the habit of getting drunk together, and furthermore, that it was an agreed thing as to the mutual intoxication. When he was drunk, and she was drunk, he was in the habit, if, in his drunken fancy, he thought she had taken too much, of chastising her. The last time this chastisement took place he continued it until he killed her. He beat her with a heavy trunk strap until her strength was so reduced that she had no power left to recuperate. After having been beaten she crawled into bed, and soon after, in the sweet consciousness that he had performed an imperative duty, he followed her example. When he awoke the next morning he found a cold and stiff body beside him, and then he knew that he had spent the most of the night beside a corpse.
A little girl, an only child, stood by and saw the chastisement. Accustomed as she was to these whippings, even she was convinced that her father was going too far, and piteously said, "For my sake, papa, don't whip mamma any more!"
When Walsh pleaded guilty, he was weeping; when he came into court to receive sentence his eyes were red and swollen with weeping; when his lawyer made an appeal for a lenient sentence, he, too, was in tears; and had the little girl been there, she would also have added her share to the rivulets of grief which ran through the tragedy. The murderer asserted that he loved his wife devotedly and tenderly; that she was equally attached to him.
What more doleful tragedy has ever come before the courts and the public than this one? Now, suppose that this wretched husband had procured the stimulus which led to the crime from an opium den, would not denunciation of the iniquities of the opium den been developed with all the vigor of a righteous and universal indignation? Would not the police have suppressed the place within the very hour of the discovery of the crime? Would not public opinion have hotly demanded that every opium den in the city be instantly swept from existence? Why is the cause of the crime any the less tolerable because it is located in a whisky den instead of an opium den? Why is there not a public demand that a place which breeds such crimes should be suppressed instanter? Why look with indifference upon the whisky shop, which is in every possible aspect associated with crime of every quality, and become so indignant against an opium den, which, whatever its defects, has no crime of murder laid at its door?
It is right to suppress the opium dens; and, if this be so, it is ten times, a thousand times, more imperative to suppress the whisky dens with their unbroken inducements to hideous crimes.
— Chicago News.
A Short Life and a Merry One
"A SHORT life and a merry one!" is the exclamation of the man who has deliberately surrendered himself to a life of guilty pleasure. He who utters it proclaims himself the most reckless of fools, since he declares it to be his deliberate choice to give eternity as the price of a day's indulgence. Against such folly the awful thunders of eternity mutter unutterable condemnation; and when the day of passionate indulgence is past and the soul of the sensualist awakens in perdition to a perception that he has actually thrown away immortal happiness for a day of unsatisfying delight, those fearful thunders will awaken echoes within his soul that will torture and terrify him forever. The refrains of his moans will be, "I have destroyed myself!" —Zion's Herald.
A Bad Man and a Good Man
A BAD man is like an earthen vessel—easy to break and hard to mend. A good man is like a golden vessel—hard to break and easy to mend.—From the Hindoo.
Heaven Is Worth the Whole World
HEAVEN is worth the whole world.
The Spirit of the Brahman
In the appendix to his discourse on the studies of the University of Cambridge, the late Rev. Adam Sedgwick says truly: "A Brahman crushed with a stone the microscope that first showed him living things among the vegetables of his daily food. The spirit of the Brahman lives in Christendom. The bad principles of our nature are not bounded by caste or climate; and men are still to be found who, if not restrained by the wise and humane laws of their country, would try to stifle by personal violence and crush by brute force every truth not hatched among their own conceits, and confined within the narrow fences of their own ignorance."
A Lesson for Girls.
"Oh, Robert, what a tease you are! Whenever Stella and I settle down for a nice quiet talk, you are sure to spoil it all. I wish you'd go away!" and a very unsightly frown disfigured Ella Ashley's pretty face.
"Very well, Miss Ella, I will go. I don't care to stay with such a cross-patch anyhow. If Fred Grant could only see the beautiful expression on your face, he would be charmed, I know!" and Robert left the room in quite a "state of mind."
"Dear me," sighed Ella, "I wish he had been a girl! How he acts!"
"I expect he hardly knows how to act," replied the kinder hearted sister. "If he acts like a man, you make fun of him because he is only fifteen; and if he romps like a boy you scold him. But he is provokingly saucy sometimes."
"I should say he was! Forever teasing me about that Fred Grant, as if I cared whether he is charmed or not. Rob knows better than to act so. Now just hear him thump that piano and sing at the top of his voice!"
"Never mind; he'll soon tire of that. Let us talk again. You were talking of that literary society in prospect."
Still the music filled the house. "Hail Columbia," "Red, White, and Blue," and "Yankee Doodle," followed each other in quick succession. Then came "Home Sweet Home," impromptu variations, which was intended to be sarcastic, and Robert was tired.
"Wish the girls were not so stuck up," he exclaimed. "They're only two years older than I am anyhow, and not long ago they liked to romp and play as well as any one. But now it's all the time 'Rob, what a tease you are,' and 'Robert do behave yourself,' until a fellow has to clear out to have any peace. I suppose I am hateful. But I wouldn't tease Ella if she didn't fly so quick. My! how she will snap. It's no use to plague Stell, for she don't care a cent. I wouldn't tease either of 'em, if they would use a fellow decently. It seems as if they never wanted to see me around. If I had a brother I would not care. But I guess they'll know when I bother 'em again. I'm too big to be snubbed."
They were orphans, these twin girls and Robert, and had lived for seven years as members of their uncle's family. Mr. Dinsmore, absorbed in business, and being at home only to eat and sleep, left the orphans to the care of his wife. She was a weak, frivolous woman of the world, and left them very much to themselves, caring only that they should be educated and accomplished.
Robert sat alone in the drawing-room. In the parlor the girls were entertaining a few young friends. Rob listened to the singing, and murmur of voices, and the soft ripple of merry laughter, until he longed to go in and enjoy himself with the rest. His hand was upon the door when he recalled a thoughtless speech of Ella's which he had that very morning overheard. "If Rob comes in the parlor to-night I hope he'll behave himself. He is distressingly awkward at times, and really he is old enough to be quite gentlemanly." The boy was proud and sensitive, and remembering Ella's words, he turned from the parlor and left the house.
Down the street he wandered aimlessly, his heart filled with bitterness, under which lay a great desire to find some one who would care for him and his company.
"Hallo, Rob, where ye going?"
"Right straight ahead," replied Robert, as he recognized the voice of Dick Hall, a boy with whom he seldom associated.
"You needn't be so sharp, old fellow, I was going to the Young American Club Rooms, and thought maybe you would like to go along; ever been there?"
"No; what do you do there?"
"Oh, anything in the line of amusements. Come on, it's a nice place to go evenings when you don't know what else to do."
The "club" room proved to be the back parlor of a saloon, which was made pleasant and attractive by books, pictures, tables, and easy chairs.
Both men and boys were lounging in the room. Some were reading as they smoked or sipped their wines.
At one table some boys were playing dominoes; at another a game of cards was in progress, while a glance into an adjoining room revealed a billiard table.
"It's a jolly place, isn't it, Rob?"
"It looks pleasant," replied he, as he recognized a few boys of his "set."
Just then the proprietor, seeing a new customer, came to speak with the boys.
Robert scarcely knew what he said, but when he deferentially inquired, "What shall I get you to drink, young man?" Rob felt that for once he was appreciated, and straightening up, he replied with all the dignity he could command:—
"Wine, sir, wine, if you please."
The proprietor repressed a smile as he stepped from the room to order it, and he chuckled to himself:—
"That's old Dinsmore's nephew—a fine catch. I'll stick to him. Dick must be treated for this. It's not the first one he's introduced here."
"Robert," said Ella, a few months later, "I heard you come in last night just as the clock struck two. You've been out every night for two months, I'd like to know where you spend your evenings."
"It makes no difference where I spend my evenings, so I do not trouble you," and Robert left the room.
"Stella, you did ever see such airs as that boy is putting on? In a short time we won't be able to live in the same house with him!"
"Well, you know he is going to college soon. But seriously, Ella, I feel uneasy about him. Don't you remember, when father died, he said: 'Watch over Robbie, don't let him go astray.' I know that he smokes cigars, and I almost believe that he drinks some."
"You might talk to him, Stella, before he goes to college. It would be awful to have him expelled."
"I think I will if I can, but he avoids us so much that I never find an opportunity to talk to him alone."
"I say, Stanley, I'm tired to death of living in such a straight-jacket as this old college is," and throwing his book down, Robert confronted his room-mate, Stanley.
"I'm tired, too, Rob—just sick of it! Plague take the books. I was never cut out for a scholar. I wish we could have a little fun."
"Well, you can just keep shady, my boy, and we will. I got some money last night from home, and we will have something that isn't down in the 'course of study.' Let me see, how would a supper go?"
"Just the thing, Rob! I'll add an 'extra' or two, and we'll invite a dozen boys or so."
"I'm ready. Anything for a little excitement. This humdrum life is killing me. When shall we have it?"
"To-night, by all means. I heard the professor tell Norman to keep an eye to-night, as he was obliged to be away, and some of the boys might turn the college upside down."
"Ha, ha, that's good! Come on, Stanley, we'll get Bob Slade to get us something to drink. Never'll do for us to be seen bringing anything of the kind."
"Bob's just the fellow. He can get plenty handed right through the back windows of Poole's. His father's store adjoins, you know. We'll go down town and order the things. I tell you, this is boss."
It was a wild, stormy day. The wind, moaning and shrieking, whirled the snow into huge white drifts. But how warm and pleasant it was in the cosy drawing-room where Stella and her sister sat chatting.
Ella, with her lap full of soft, bright zephyrs, was trying to think of something pretty to make. Stella was industriously embroidering a new table spread. Pausing, she smoothed it out, saying:—
"How does that look, Ell?"
"Oh, perfectly lovely! How can you do anything so nicely? You'll soon have it done, too. Hark, there's the postman. I hope he has some letters, it's too stormy for company—such days are dull."
The servant entered with letters and a magazine, and soon the girls were both busily reading.
"Oh! Ella—Ella, what shall we do?"
The cry was full of pain, and Ella sprang up, exclaiming:—
"What is the matter, Stella? Tell me quick."
"A letter from Robbie—oh, Ella, read it!"
And this was the sad, sad letter:—
"DEAR SISTERS: When you read this I shall be far from my native land—a fugitive—a wretch fleeing from punishment. The fact is, I got into a miserable scrape at the college—got drunk and disgraced myself and family. Rather than to hear your reproaches, or witness your sorrow, I have fled; and it will be useless to search for me. I shall never come back. If you think of me as dead, it will be best, for I am worse than dead. My life so far is wasted, and now I am reckless, defiant, and desperate. Oh, girls! You have each other. You don't know what it is to feel alone. YOUR ERRING BROTHER."
Together, with tearful faces, the sisters read the terrible words, while all gladness seemed to fade from their hearts; and over them fell a shadow—the dark shadow of remorse—which never again was lifted.—The Advance.
The Home Circle.
By Alice Cary
NOBILITY.
TRUE worth is in being, not seeming;
In doing each day that goes by
Some little good—not in the dreaming
Of great things to do by and by.
For whatever men say in blindness,
And spite of the fancies of youth,
There's nothing so kingly as kindness,
And nothing so royal as truth.
We get back our mete as we measure,
We cannot do wrong and feel right;
Nor can we give pain and gain pleasure,
For justice avenges each slight.
The air for the wing of the sparrow,
The bush for the robin and wren,
But always the path that is narrow
And strait for the children of men.
We cannot make bargains for blisses,
Nor catch them like fishes in nets;
And sometimes the things our life misses
Help more than the things which it gets.
For good lieth not in pursuing,
Nor gaining of great nor of small;
But just in the doing, and doing
As we would be done by, is all.
Through envy, through malice, through hating,
Against the world, early and late,
No jot of our courage abating,
Our part is to work and to wait.
And slight is the sting of his trouble
Whose winnings are less than his worth;
For he who is honest is noble,
Whatever his fortunes or birth.
—Alice Cary.
SCOLDING.
With some, scolding is chronic. Life is one long fret. The flesh is feverish, the nerves unstrung, the spirit perturbed and in a state of unrest. The physical condition and the material surroundings may have a strong tendency to disturb our equanimity and to exasperate our feelings; but we are apt to bear in mind that the scolding never did anybody any good, and withal grows to be very uncomfortable to the party who indulges in it. Inappropriate in everybody, scolding appears most hateful in parents. Set to be dispensers of kindness and love to those with whom they are more especially associated, it is horrible to see gall distilled instead of charity. Scolding turns a household into a pandemonium, and a church into an inquisition. Bear in mind that kindness and gentle speech are a great deal easier to practice than their opposites. Why practice the worse thing when harder? Arrest yourself in the indulgence of this bad habit right here. Begin now, and put yourself under bonds to be good-natured.—Ex.
AND BE YE THANKFUL.
By Editor
"I suppose that for one Christian who fails in prayer, there are four Christians who fail in praise." These were the first words of a telling address delivered recently by Mr. Ralph Wells at one of the "Week of Prayer" meetings in New York. We are sorry to think that Mr. Wells was about right. One of our pastors says he is asked to offer the prayers for "persons going to sea," or dangerously sick, fifty times for once that he is asked to give thanks for a safe voyage, or a recovery from illness.—Episcopal Recorder.
Care and Diligence Bring Love
CARE and diligence bring love.
Religious Notes.
By Editor
—A church for deaf mutes is in contemplation in Philadelphia.
—A "Gospel Tent," under the direction of the Baptists, has been opened for service in New York City.
—A Roman Catholic paper, of New York City, says that "five-eighths of the army of the United States are Catholics."
—Rev. Minot Savage, President of the Unitarian Association of Boston, has declared his abandonment of the belief in a personal God.
—By a vote of two to one, the United Presbyterians have decided that churches desiring to do so can have the help of an organ in singing.
—It is stated that after the mission of Moody and Sankey to Belfast, Ireland, seventy young men gave themselves to foreign missionary work.
—It is stated that only one minister in the New England Conference of the M. E. Church receives as high a salary as $2,000, the average being about $560.
—The latest on record from the ubiquitous small boy is his statement that he saw a donkey in the "theological garden." We agree with the Christian at Work, that he was not very far out of the way.
—The Jewish Times aptly puts the case thus: "The Brooklyn police have shut down on Sunday excursions and picnics. This is right. Nothing should be allowed to interfere with the side-door business of the gin-mills."
—A society "to perpetuate the memory and to foster and promote the principles and virtues of the Huguenots," has been formed in New York City. Next to a society for perpetuating and fostering Bible Christianity, that is the best move that could be made. New York and one or two other cities stand greatly in need of some such society.
—Dr. Cuyler, in an article in the Christian at Work, says: "There is no lack of lawyers, or of physicians, or of civil and mining engineers, or of editors; but there is a lamentable lack of men who cannot only occupy but fill the 'sacred desk,' as our Yankee forefathers called it. In a republic of fifty million souls, the mighty work to be done increases; the trained workmen diminish."
—Dr. Duryea, of Boston, writes to the Christian at Work: "I think the theological ship has been in the water so long since the Reformation, that it has been subject to the growth of a mass of barnacles, and needs to be hauled on the dry-dock and scraped." And we might add that it did not have an entirely clean bottom when it was launched, and that makes an overhauling the more necessary.
—Here is a statement of a fact that should be emphasized; it is by Prof. F. A. Gast, of the Reformed Theological Seminary, Lancaster, Pa., in an article in the Hebrew Student, on "The Relation of the Old Testament to the New:" "There is no New Testament doctrine that is entirely new, and whose roots do not strike far back into the Old. On the other hand, there is no Old Testament doctrine that is peculiar to the Old, and that does not assume a higher form in the New."
—The Missionary Review says that the Hindus "not only believe in probation in one state of existence after death, but they believe in 8,400,000 successive periods of existence, each beginning with birth and ending with death, and probation continued in each and all of them." Some professed Christians believe in two probations, one before, and one after death, but they lack a great deal of being as "advanced" as the Hindus. If they would only add 8,399,999 probations to their list, they would be one ahead of the Hindus, and the most "advanced" theologians in the world; and they would also have just as much Scripture evidence in support of their position as they have now.
—The Kentucky correspondent of the N. Y. Examiner, gives some reasons for the prevalence of murder in that State, chief among which is the time-serving policy of the churches. If a man commits murder, and is acquitted in court, his church relations remain the same as though nothing had happened; and when there are several such in one church, the pastor does not care to say anything about the sin of murder, lest some unpleasantness might occur. So the churches bow to crime. The correspondent further says: "Again, the business that of all others promotes murder and all other forms of crime is strongly intrenched in the churches. Capital owned by professed Christian men is largely invested in the manufacture and wholesale trade in whisky. There is no use to try to disguise this state of things. Take out the capital owned and controlled by church members from under the whisky business and the trade would collapse."
—The N. Y. Tribune recently published letters from seven prominent ministers, who gave their opinions on Sunday observance. The most of them took a reasonable view of the matter. Dr. Howard Crosby said: "Personally, I believe in a strict Puritanical Sabbath [Sunday], and such I observe every week; but I have no right to force my belief on others, or make my belief the guide of their conduct." Dr. Wm. Taylor thinks that Christians must determine, not by law, but by their own actions, the kind of Sunday the country will have. Dr. Armitage, of the Baptist Church, believes in laws to require the irreligious and thoughtless to preserve order; but the best means to preserve the religious character of the day is by extending the influence of the religion with which it is identified. Dr. Ormiston, of the Dutch Reformed Church, is the only one who takes strong grounds in favor of legislative restrictions. He says: "The people will not keep Sunday unless required to do so by laws which are rigidly enforced." And we can add to this last remark the statement that some will not even under such circumstances.
News and Notes.
By Editor
-There are no Sunday newspapers in Australia.
-A tornado on Long Island, on the 13th inst., did $50,000 damage.
-Beebetown, a small village in Iowa, was destroyed by a heavy wind, June 14.
-American manufacturers of fire-arms are now shipping large quantities to China.
-The record of the star-route trial, printed in small type and octavo size, makes over 6,000 pages.
-Last week tornadoes were reported from Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Texas, and Pennsylvania.
-During the week ending June 16, the number of immigrants arriving in San Francisco by the overland trains, was 1,141.
-The season of severe storms in the East has fully come. Nearly every morning paper has an article headed, "Another Tornado."
-By the recent explosion of a powder magazine at Scutari, 153 persons were killed, and 53 wounded. The explosion was caused by lightning.
-George H. Corliss, at whose works in Rhode Island the big centennial engine was built, is building the engines for the first cotton mills to be erected in China.
-The village of Valoires, in the department of Savoy, France, was burned, on the 14th inst., the inhabitants barely escaping with their lives. All the livestock perished.
-At Los Gatos, Cal., June 17, two Mexicans engaged in a fight over a game of cards. One of them was stabbed to the heart, and the other was immediately hung by the citizens.
-There has been fighting in Albania since the 12th inst. Other tribes are expected to join in the revolt. Montenegro has established a cordon on the frontier to prevent the belligerents entering her territory.
-Ernest Hart, agent of the Irish Political Committee says that in Donegal there are 14,000 destitute persons living on alms from America. Four million acres in Ireland have been allowed to fall out of cultivation.
-A Hamburg dispatch of June 11, says: "A number of prominent shipping firms to-day expressed sympathy with the prospect of a second Suez Canal and resolved to communicate with the British committee with a view of eventual participation in the undertaking.
-From the Los Angeles Times we clip the following item: "Some of the wells in Santa Barbara that have not been dry for thirty years, are now yielding no water, and several heretofore living springs upon the foot-hills to the north of the city are also failing. Does this foretell the coming of an earthquake?"
-General Crook has returned from Mexico victorious, bringing over 200 Apache prisoners with him, and now the query is, What shall be done with them? They are not wanted on the Reservation, and the probability is that they will be turned loose to make another raid. The captives are reported as having a large amount of gold in their possession.
-For the first time in four years the books of the City Clerk and Treasurer of Oakland were examined last week. The examination showed that there was about $50,000 less cash in the treasury than the books called for. The Treasurer, James Dods, confessed that he took the money, and he is now in jail awaiting trial. Gambling in stocks was the cause of his downfall.
-A telegram from Mansfield, La., June 16, says: "Rev. Ben. T. Jenkins, Jr. this morning killed Rev. J. Lane Borden, President of Mansfield College." The dispatch says further that Jenkins has the sympathy of the community. This may be gratifying to him, but we are left to wonder what position he will take hereafter in his preaching in regard to the ten commandments.
-The S. F. Chronicle says of the temperance issue in the Ohio Republican platform: "Total abstinence is not proposed, but the platform declares in favor of a tax on the liquor traffic, which will aid in supporting the jails, penitentiary, and poor-houses, rendered necessary by excessive use of stimulants, and in paying the expenses of the police and of courts, a large part of whose business comes from the same source." Very well stated.
-A terrible calamity occurred in the town of Sunderland, Eng., on the 16th inst. An entertainment was given in a theater, at which several thousand children were in attendance. At its close 1,200 little ones came rushing down from the gallery. At the top of a flight of stairs was a door which opened only twenty inches, in passing through which one of the children fell. The crowd behind kept pushing ahead; and as the result 197 children were trampled to death.
-Governor Irwin, of Idaho, recently stated that politics in Idaho turned only upon the Mormon question. Said he: "The Mormon element is a strong one. The Mormons are subservient to the dictation of the priesthood, and slavery in the South was never half so dangerous and bad as Mormonism in Idaho. The Edmunds bill is all right, so far as it goes, but being founded upon the basis that the Mormons will not commit perjury, the provisions of the bill are inadequate to the situation."
-The trial of the star-route conspirators closed last week with a verdict of not guilty. The verdict was received by the mob with yells of joy, and was fittingly celebrated by drunken orgies. One of the counsel says, "It was a day of debauch to be remembered by the citizens of the capital." The feeling of sympathy for criminals seems to be growing stronger, and shows a low state of morals. One cannot read the record of this and other trials, without recalling the words of the psalmist: "The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted." The only satisfaction that honest men can take in the outcome of this case is the poor one that the conspirators have had to disgorge the greater part of their ill-gotten wealth in defending themselves.
THE BIBLICAL INSTITUTE.
This book is a synopsis of the lectures delivered at the Biblical Institute in Oakland, April, 1877, by Elders James White and U. Smith. It covers the principal points of doctrine held by Seventh-day Adventists, treating of the Millennium, Second Coming of Christ, the Prophecies of Daniel 2, 7, and 8, the Messages of Rev. 14, Two-horned Beast of Rev. 13, Sanctuary, the Seven Churches and the Seven Seals of Rev. 2-8, Seven Last Plagues, Nature and Destiny of Man, Saints' Inheritance, Bible View of the Sabbath, Examination of alleged reasons for Sunday-keeping, etc. Although the book contains only 352 pages, these different subjects are treated at sufficient length to make them very plain.
The book may be used to good advantage in class recitations, as questions are appended to each lecture. It is just the thing for those new in the faith, or those who wish to investigate. Price, $1.00.
THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY; OR THE GREAT CONTROVERSY BETWEEN CHRIST AND SATAN.
By MRS. E. G. WHITE.
THIS is a series of four volumes, covering the entire period from the creation and fall of man to his final redemption. Volume One is devoted to Old Testament history. It is not merely a narrative of the leading events in the lives of the patriarchs and prophets; but moral lessons are drawn therefrom, in such a way as to make the book practically useful to the men and women of to-day. Volume Two commences with the life and mission of John the Baptist, and considers the first advent of Christ, his life and mission, as manifested by his miracles and teachings, and the nature and necessity of his life-work. It closes with Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Volume Three takes up the subject at this point, and brings to view the most thrillingly interesting portion of Christ's earthly career—his betrayal, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection. It closes with a brief history of the early church, including the missionary labors of Peter and Paul. Volume Four (in press) contains a history of the church from that time to the end, closing with the coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the establishment of the everlasting kingdom of Christ on earth.
These books are not argumentative, but they throw a vast flood of light upon the sacred page. They are written in a clear, simple style, and are of absorbing interest to both young and old. They offer special encouragement and instruction to Christians; and there is nothing better to place in the hands of skeptics, to convince them of the truth of the Bible. 400 pp. Price per volume $1.
Address, SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal.
OUR COUNTRY'S FUTURE FORETOLD.
By Uriah Smith
THE UNITED STATES IN PROPHECY.
By Eld. U. Smith.
This is a full exposition of a portion of prophecy which applies to our own Government, showing the position the United States holds in prophecy, and the part it has to act in the closing scenes of time.
THE SUNDAY MOVEMENT,
Which is now attracting such general attention, is thoroughly canvassed, and abundant testimony is given to prove that it is fast coming to be the ALL-IMPORTANT QUESTION in this country. Facts and statistics are largely presented, showing in the most conclusive manner that this Government is the one pointed out in the prophecy quoted.
200 pp. Bound, 40 cents. Paper covers, 20 cents. Address, SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal.
LIFE OF WILLIAM MILLER,
WITH PORTRAIT.
THIS book contains sketches of the Christian experience and public labors of this remarkable man. No other man in this century has been more widely spoken of, and more generally misunderstood. These sketches were prepared by those who were his co-laborers, and are a true presentation of the leading events of his life and labors. In addition to the life and character of the man, the character of the Great Advent Movement, in which he acted so prominent a part, is clearly set forth. It is shown that Mr. Miller was no mere enthusiast, but a man of calm judgment, and his interpretation of the prophecies was mainly correct, his only mistake being in regard to the nature of the event to take place at the close of the 2300 days, in 1844. No one can consider himself well versed in the history of the advent movement in this country who has not read this book. 408 pages. Price, $1.00
Address, SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal.
Unanswerable Argument.
By Editor
The opponents of prohibition are wont to say that the prohibitory laws of Maine do not prohibit the sale or lessen the use of liquors in that State. To the contrary, they affirm that more liquor is sold there, and saloons are in greater number in proportion to the number of inhabitants than in those States where the sale is licensed. We do not offer as any argument our assertion that we know better, as they are not accustomed to take the word of those who have been in that State enough to know that the stories about the frequency of saloons and the open sale of liquors is false. But "the logic of facts" is unanswerable. Look at the following item of news:—
"The American Express Company has given orders to their agents in Maine not to take orders or receive pay for packages supposed to contain liquors. By the courts an express agent has been declared liable as a violator of the Maine law for delivering and collecting for C. O. D. packages of liquors."
Why does not this order extend to the express agents in other States as well as to those in Maine? The courts of Maine decide as follows:—
"Any complicity in aiding liquor dealers to evade our laws will make an express company liable. Liquors believed to be intended for unlawful sale may be seized in transit or wherever found under circumstances indicating this intent, and the burden of proof is upon the owner to show that it is not so intended."
The thoughtful reader will be astonished at these things, if it be true that liquor is so openly sold in Maine as the anti-prohibitionists constantly affirm. We have not yet heard of any such action on the part of the express companies in States where the sale is licensed. Why not? Nor have we ever heard of the courts treating the matter in such a light in any other State but Maine, except in regard to the sale of liquor to Indians; but it is well known that such sale is prohibited by the United States.
Jehovah—Adonai.
By Editor
A WRITER in the Herald of Life endeavors to prove that Christ is called Jehovah in the Scriptures. The following is part of his argument:—
“In Isa. 6:1-5 we read, ‘In the year that King Uzziah died I saw also Jehovah, sitting on a throne high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim; and one cried to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is Jehovah of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. Then said I, Woe is me, for I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts.’ ‘And he said, Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed but understand not; and see ye indeed, and perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes,’ etc. Verses 9, 10. John the evangelist quotes this latter passage, speaking of the Jews rejecting the testimony of Jesus Christ, and adds, ‘These things said Esaias when he saw his glory, and spoke of him.’ John 12:40, 41. Here Isaiah informs us he saw Jehovah, and the evangelist says he saw the glory of Christ, and spoke of him. The question then recurs, has the evangelist made a mistake? If Isaiah was inspired, he must have written the truth; and if John has justly applied this vision, this Jehovah, whose glory Isaiah saw, was Christ himself. If John has misapplied the vision, his authority falls to the ground. Either Isaiah or John made a mistake, or Christ is Jehovah; and to maintain that he is not is to deny the inspiration and authority of one of these writers.”
We could recommend a compound which would greatly benefit this writer, made of equal parts of reverence, modesty, and knowledge. By this he might be saved the humiliation of accusing Isaiah or John of making a mistake, when the mistake is all with himself. The name Jehovah is not found in Isaiah 6:1, 8-11. Adonai is the name used in these verses. It is true that in the Greek there is no distinction, as there is none in the English, but the translators of the Old Testament have placed it within the power of the common English reader to distinguish these names by placing LORD in small capitals when it is from Jehovah. Any one venturing to write for a religious paper ought to know this much at least.
This distinction is most clearly shown in Ps. 110:1, “The LORD said unto my Lord sit thou at my right hand,” &c. Jehovah said unto Adonai. Jehovah is the proper name of “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ;” Adonai is the Hebrew proper name of the Messiah.
Of course Isa. 6:1 is misrepresented in the above extract. Isaiah said: “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw also Adonai, sitting on a throne,” &c. Adonai is also used in verse 8, and therefore John, in quoting verses 9, 10, applies them to Christ under that name, and not the name Jehovah.
Time of Camp-Meetings.
By Editor
DAKOTA, Parker, Turner Co., June 27 to July 2
TEXAS, Waxahachie, July 13-23
VIRGINIA, New Market, Aug. 2-7
OHIO, Galion, Crawford Co., “ 14-21
MASSACHUSETTS, “ 23-28
VERMONT, Aug. 30 to Sept. 4
MAINE, Waterville, Sept. 6-11
ILLINOIS, “ 11-18
NEBRASKA, “ 19-25
ALABAMA, Choctaw Co.,