p. 16 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 24, No. 15. (4/14/1898)

TEACHING TRUTH

By Mary Wood Allen

By Mary Wood Allen, M. D.

National Lecturer W. C. T. U.

A little brochure brimful of helpful suggestions to parents who wish to teach their children the truth in regard to the mystery of life.

Price, 25c.

PACIFIC PRESS PUB. CO., Oakland, Cal.

Christ Our Advocate

The great truths of the remedial system are here made clear and plain.

Bible Students’ Library, No. 128, 10c.

The Lord’s Day

The new third edition of this remarkable pamphlet is now ready. It is a brief but comprehensive setting forth of the Sabbath question from creation to the present time, showing its importance in the Patriarchal, Levitical and Christian dispensations.

Bible Students’ Library, No. 134, 15c.

The Earthquake.

On another page will be found illustrations of the earthquake’s scientific signature written upon the sensitive plate of the seismograph, and its actual signature written among the old buildings of Mare Island Navy Yard. These occasional tremblings, growing more frequent, indicate indeed that “the earth has waxed old like a garment,” and these quakings in its bones are the result of age and the increase of sin. Many men now laugh at these things, but when that time comes that the “great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great” (Rev. 16: 18), shall occur, when “the earth is utterly broken down,” when “the earth is clean dissolved,” when “the earth is moved exceedingly,” when “the earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage” (Isa. 24: 19, 20), then will those who have no hope in God be left without hope. The reason of these coming calamities is the presence and increasing burden of sin upon the earth; for “the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.” Isa. 24: 20. Then will the people of God realize the preciousness of the divinely inspired song of triumph: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, tho the earth be removed, and tho the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; tho the waters thereof roar and be troubled, tho the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.” Ps. 46: 1–3. He who enables His children to triumph over sin here, will enable them to triumph over all the results of sin there.

War

War.—It would be well for some of our “Christian,” patriotic Americans who desire to plunge the nation and perhaps the world into the eager pursuit of taking life, to consider the following words by an American whose patriotism and intelligence can not be questioned, namely, the late James Russell Lowell, in “Biglow Papers”:—

“Ez fer war, I call it murder,— There you hev it plain and flat; I don’t want to go no further Than my Testyment fer that; God hez sed so plump and fairly, It’s ez long ez it is broad, An’ you’ve gut to git up airly— Ef you want to take in God.

“’Taint your eppyletts an’ feathers Make the thing a grain more right; ’Taint afollerin’ your bell-wethers Will excuse ye in His sight; Ef you take a sword an’ dror it, An’ go stick a feller thru, Guv’ment ain’t to answer fer it, God’ll send the bill to you.

“Wut’s the use o’ meetin’-goin’ Every Sabbath, wet or dry, Ef it’s right to go a-mowin’ Feller-men like oats and rye? I dunno but wut it’s pooty Trainin’ round in bobtail coats,— But it’s curus Christian dooty This ’ere cuttin’ folks’s throats.”

But this, in these days of martial “Christian Citizenship” men-made theocracies, and Boys’ Brigades, will, we opine, be considered old-fashioned. But in some circles the Bible is really out of date and style.

A PLACE OF REFUGE.

By Editor

THERE are many thousands of women and girls in the cities of San Francisco and Oakland who are considered outcasts of society. Some doubtless are victims of their own lascivious tendencies. Thousands more are victims of vanity, and have been corrupted through the lusts and hire of men. Thousands have been betrayed by men who won their affections and then basely deserted them, and then they have been crushed down into a lower life. Many of these have been educated to such a life by early days of indulgence in “pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness,” even as the daughters of Sodom of old. Many more from the ranks of girls just in their teens are constantly swelling the throngs of those doomed to destruction. Many of these desire to reform, but the frown of those who compose society, oftentimes worse sinners themselves measured by the rule of God, keeps back and down the weary, struggling soul, longing for purity, and light, and strength, and rest.

When the SIGNS OF THE TIMES became financially responsible for the Helping Hand Mission in San Francisco it knew that it was lifting a mighty load, a load that could not be borne save as God through His providence and by His children among our great family, assisted. In this He has not disappointed us, and we are grateful to our friends who have stood with us.

But as we began to labor for men, the problem of needier women has pressed and forced itself upon us. Imploring eyes and extended hands entreat us in Christ’s name for help, and we can not refuse; and we enter this work believing that our family of readers will stand by us here and help us to save some of the poor souls being engulfed in the great maelstrom of sin and vice in these great cities by the bay.

We have already secured a house of fifteen rooms, pleasant, beautiful for situation and surroundings, for a home in one of the suburbs of Oakland. We wish to place there a good man and woman, husband and wife, with a good, motherly, Christian woman as the earthly head of that home, and take there those whom we can by God’s help gather out from the breakers of death, give them Christian instruction, teach them to do housework, sewing, etc., and so fit them for useful positions. The home will be under the same general management as the Helping Hand Mission.

This is a simple statement. We believe God has guided so far. Who desires the privilege of assisting? Those who do may write to the secretary and treasurer, S. N. Curtiss, care SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal.

We send no papers from this office to individuals without pay in advance

By Editor

When persons receive copies without ordering them, they are sent by other parties, and we can give no information in regard to them. Persons thus receiving copies of the “Signs” are not indebted to the office, and will not be called upon to pay for them. Please read the papers you may receive, and hand them to your friends to read.

War Finds No Place

War finds no place in the hearts of men where “the peace of God” rules.

Can a Christian Believe in War?

If it is true that “war is hell,” as General Sherman once remarked, can that heart be heavenly or Christian which believes in war?

The Dead Know Nothing

It sounds strangely to read in such an intelligent and well-edited paper as the Sunday School Times of the “larger knowledge that death may bring,” when the Word assures us that “the dead know not anything,” and that in the very day that they die “their thoughts perish;” that they “sleep” profoundly, to be wakened only at the last day.

Our Helping Hand Mission

Our secretary records on another page some hard, dry, yet interesting facts concerning Our Helping Hand Mission. And yet could we hear the prayers, the pleading of the speakers; could we hear the penitent’s cry or the forgiven soul’s rejoicing; could we see the ministrations of those laboring at a sacrifice; could we see the struggle in unseen circles between angels of light and darkness, we would read the report with moistened eyes and glad heart.

True Words

From an absent brother and sister, to our church here, comes a good letter, of which the following is a paragraph: “But it is for every one to accept or reject God’s plan as he will, and upon his choice pivots his eternal destiny. It is the one who fills the place God offers him, whose life is an eternal success. It is the one who refuses to fill the place that God opens before him, whose life is an eternal failure. Praise the Lord, we are of good courage, looking forward, not with fear and trembling, but with hope and courage.”

“Prayers for Our Country.”

—The American Humane Education Society, through its president, Geo. T. Angell, and organ, Our Dumb Animals, “representing over thirty thousand bands of mercy,” “earnestly asks every clergyman in America to pray in his home and in his pulpit the Almighty to save our nation from the curse of war—and that union prayer-meetings be held so far as possible in all our churches for the same purpose. If this is faithfully done, we shall have no war.” And this last is doubtless true; but for what can we hope in this quarter, when so many of these clergymen are preaching war?

A Shut-In’s Work for Christ

“I have called you friends,” said Jesus, “for all things that I have heard of My Father, I have made known unto you.” He brings His children into His own sweet confidences. A letter comes to us, written by one of the Lord’s pilgrims, living five years on borrowed time, but who has trusted Him for seventy years. She is now almost a shut-in, yet still finds work to do in the Master’s vineyard. Here is a paragraph: “You in the SIGNS OF THE TIMES work, who are filled with its importance and glory, do not, perhaps, realize what comes to a woman like myself. How should you? I seldom go out, but my Saviour does not let me feel that I am useless; He sends enough to fill my heart and hands. Some of it is a secret between Himself and me. How happy I am that He trusts me!” Blessed secrets are these, proved by years of trust. Who would not have such a Saviour?

The Federal Convention of Australia and Religious Liberty

From the Bible Echo, of Melbourne, of March 14, we learn that on Wednesday, March 2, the Federal Convention, by a majority of nine votes, passed the following clause, introduced by Mr. H. B. Higgins:—

“The commonwealth shall not make any law prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, or for the establishment of any religion, or imposing any religious observance, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office of public trust under the commonwealth.”

The Echo remarks: “This is straight so far as the commonwealth is concerned. It sets forth the correct principle upon which civil government should stand respecting the matter of religion. It has but one defect, one weak point. Like the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States, it leaves the States free to make religious laws and enforce religious observances.” It gives a slight basis for this in the recognition of God in the preamble of its constitution.

The Resurrection of Christ.

About this time of the year we meet in the religious press and in many sermons, expressions like this, quoted from a religious paper: “The season has again come when our thoughts are especially directed to the resurrection of our Lord.” But this ought not to be the case with the Christian. The resurrection of Christ was the demonstrated victory of eternal righteousness over sin and death. It ought to be an every-day fact to the Christian, nay, more, an every-day power in the life. Eph. 1: 19, 20; Phil. 3: 10. It should be more than a dead fact, called to remembrance but once a year. Every Christian, walking in newness of life, is a living, every-day evidence to the world of the fact of Christ’s resurrection more potent than ten thousand “Easters,” with all their pagan and ornate display.

National Honor

“National Honor.”—There are many who believe that “national honor” can be vindicated over the Maine affair only by war, by “thrashing Spain;” there are many more who believe that it could be as truly vindicated by arbitration without more murder; and as to the starving Cubans, one editor suggests that “the feeding of starving Cubans would do more for our ‘national honor’ than the killing of a hundred thousand men,” and that “nobody will blow up vessels that carry food to the starving Cubans.” And this is doubtless true. War, from a purely worldly and civil point of view, will always by the world be considered expedient and necessary, but in the light of Christianity, it is carnal and cruel. The Christian seeks first God’s honor.

“And those who have wisely taught shall shine as the bright-