p. 767 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 48. (10/9/1893)

SECULAR.

—Denver, Colo., had a snowstorm on the 1st inst., and considerable snow is reported on the mountains.

—All of the leading street car lines of San Francisco will shortly be consolidated under one management.

—A cabinet crisis is said to be imminent in Vienna, because the emperor opposes a new civil marriage bill.

—The strike on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad is spreading, and threatens to involve the entire train service.

—The ease with which great modern war ships go to the bottom would indicate that they are not so formidable as is generally supposed.

—The last steamer from Australia and New Zealand brought over a half million dollars in gold to San Francisco last week, consigned to local houses.

—The House Committee on Territories will shortly report bills for the admission of New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Utah into the Union of States.

—On the 26th ult. a railroad collision occurred near Hillsboro, Texas, causing the death of nine men, all being workmen employed on the road.

—An epidemic of measles is reported among the natives of the Tonga Islands, resulting in many deaths. The disease is also reported at Samoa.

—Increasing distress is reported among the thousands of striking coal miners of England, and many large mills are obliged to stop operations on account of lack of fuel.

—A cave in the Mansfield mine, Crystal Falls District, Mich., on the night of September 28, caused the death of twenty-eight miners and a property loss of $600,000

—In honor of the celebration of the 69th birthday of the queen regent of China, the streets of Peking are to be decorated with pieces of red silk for a distance of 40 miles.

—Two members of the Congress of this "Christian nation" indulged in the courtesy of calling each other liars in the course of the proceedings of the House on the 28th ult.

—The town of Jalapan, Mexico, was swept by a terrible storm on the 30th ult. Many people were killed or injured, houses were demolished, and crops destroyed, all of which is causing much suffering.

—About 4,000 miners have resumed work in the various leading silver mines of Colorado within the past two weeks. It is said this has been made possible by a rise in lead ore and a reduction in wages.

—There is now every indication that the San Francisco Midwinter Fair will be a much more extensive affair than was at first contemplated. More than a score of foreign nations are to be represented.

—L'Eclair, a Paris journal, announces the discovery of a second Pompeii, said to be an entire town consisting of a number of streets, houses, etc., unearthed in the promontory of Laurium, in Southwest Attica, Greece.

—The New York Christian Advocate says there are 946 papers and magazines published in that city. One-half of these, 473, are issued monthly; 46 are issued daily. About 65 are advocates of some phase of religion.

—All switchmen and freight brakemen on the Ohio Valley Division of the Newport News and Mississippi Valley Railroad are out on a strike, having refused to accept the 10 per cent. reduction, which went into effect on the 1st inst.

—Mr. Gladstone, the English premier, delivered an address at Edinburgh, Scotland, on the 27th ult., in which he severely censured the House of Lords for defeating the Irish Home Rule Bill. He had an enthusiastic reception in the Scottish capital.

—The situation in the much disturbed Argentine Republic is said to be growing worse. The States in the northern part of the republic have also revolted. Rosario, one of the chief commercial cities of the country, is in the hands of the revolutionists.

—After the 10th inst. the privilege of free riding on the Seventh Street local trains in this city, which the people have enjoyed for over twenty years, will be discontinued. The company's claim is that the burden has become too heavy a tax on the facilities.

—The annual increase in the Post Office Department is usually about eight per cent. Since June it has been noticeably falling below that ratio, the month of August showing a decrease of four per cent from the business of the corresponding month last year. This is a pretty sure indicator of the general business condition.

—The town of Mentone, San Bernardino County, Cal., is said to be in a state of excitement over the Chinese question. A dispatch of the 26th ult. says that when the vegetable peddlers make their appearance they are stoned and otherwise maltreated. Seldom does a night pass without some lawless act being committed against the Chinese.

—The rebellious navy is still carrying on war in Brazil. Rio Janeiro, the capital city, was bombarded, causing considerable destruction of property and loss of life. The latest reports were to the effect that the government was in a cramped condition. The U. S. cruiser Charleston was on hand to look after the interest of United States citizens.

—Poor Siam has been compelled to sign just such a treaty as France was pleased to present, and while the little heathen kingdom will be held rigorously to her enforced agreement, the great "Christian nation" of France will do as she pleases about her part. But France has been making wonderful progress lately in the matter of Sunday observance.

—At Warsaw, on the 28th ult., a false alarm of fire so startled a Hebrew assembly in the synagogue that a fierce struggle ensued in attempting to vacate the building. After the excitement had cooled down, nine dead bodies were found, and twenty persons lay unconscious. It was thought that fifteen would die, and about 100 in all were considerably injured.

—Last week Judge Ross, of the U. S. District Court at Los Angeles, Cal., ordered the deportation of five more Chinamen, four of whom are of the high-binder class. A dispatch had been received from Attorney General Olney stating that money would be forthcoming for necessary expenses, which greatly relieved the anxiety of the marshal who has the convicts in charge.

—The steamer Carlor was recently refused permission to land at any Brazilian port because of cholera on board. A Rome dispatch of the 28th ult. notices her arrival at Asinasa, off Sardinia, where she is held in quarantine. During her voyage, after being driven off from the coast of Brazil, 144 deaths occurred on board, and there were still seventeen sick, including the doctor.

—The Idaho Wool Growers' Association has offered a reward of $500 for the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who have been poisoning a large number of sheep of late in Owyhee County. Hundreds of sheep have been killed by eating salt-peter or a mixture of salt and strychnine sprinkled over the ranges. The sheep men charge the cattle men with wholesale poisoning.

—A foolish remark and an insulting rejoinder brought out a pistol at the corner of Broadway and Seventh Streets, in this city, on the night of the 1st inst. And when the excitement was over, three young men were mortally wounded and hundreds of people were terribly frightened. Indeed, it is a wonder that more were not hurt, as twenty shots were fired.

—At a recent review of troops at Barcelona, Spain, an attempt was made by Anarchists to kill General Campos with bombs. Not only were Generals Campos and Clemente badly wounded, but thirteen members of the staff were injured. Twenty-three arrests were made. Documents have been found showing a widespread conspiracy to assassinate prominent men. One culprit has been sentenced to be shot.

—A committee of the Labor Council in San Francisco began anti-Chinese operations last week by having four wool sorters arrested on charges of violating the Registration law. There are about forty more employed in the same establishment, but Judge McKenna would not issue "John Doe" warrants. The parties complaining must give the names of the individuals for whom warrants are issued. Eleven warrants were issued.

—The Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, Cal., recently passed resolutions favoring the extension of the time for registering Chinamen under the Geary Act for three months, indorsing Geary's bill suspending all immigration for five years, setting forth that there is no demand for outside labor in Southern California at the present time, and protesting against the repeal or modification of the duty on crystallized fruits and similar products.

—The Gilbert islanders who were wiled away from their homes and carried to plantations in Mexico two years ago, are said to be proving a sad failure as laborers. The plantations are at an average elevation of 3,000 feet, and the islanders do not seem to be able to acclimate themselves to residence away from the sea and its level. They have been terribly thinned in number by disease, and another year or two will see the unfortunate slaves almost if not completely exterminated.

—Late reports from the Samoan Islands state that there is still a feeling of unrest among the old adherents of the exiled Mataafa, and all they lack is a leader, to again become troublesome. It is said that the Samoans seem to be incapable of establishing a government whose inherent strength will enable it to stand. The only evidence the natives outside of Apia have of the existence of a government is the occasional and unwelcome visit of a tax collector, who sometimes succeeds but often fails to collect the prescribed tax.

—The city of Oakland, Cal., has been the scene of great excitement for several days, because the railroad company, claiming nearly all the water front, determined to fence off the foot of Castro Street, cutting off access to certain business enterprises near the water's edge. The fences were torn down by crowds of citizens as often as the company's forces erected them. On several occasions the people turned out in hundreds and thousands. At last the company gave up the unequal contest, and decided to bide the decision of the courts.

—A factional warfare among the Yuma tribe of Indians became so hot last week that the sheriff of Yuma County (Ariz.) had to interfere. Ex-chief Miguel and one Walter Scott were arrested for inducing Indian children to leave the government school. They were turned over to Chief Jose. The Indian court sentenced them to receive twenty-five lashes on the bare back for inciting rebellion in the tribe, and after the execution of the sentence the prisoners were turned over to the United States authorities to be tried on charges of violating the United States laws.

FOR THE WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 2

By Editor

RELIGIOUS.

—Major E. W. Halford, formerly private secretary to President Harrison, has organized a Bible class in the First Methodist Sunday school at Omaha.

—There has been a new and serious disagreement between King Humbert and the Vatican. The pope refuses to recognize the king's right to nominate a patriarch for Venice; so the Italian ministry has decided to refuse an official recognition to all bishops nominated at the last consistory.

—A Mormon elder who had been selected to represent that church at the World's Congress of Religions, is out with a statement showing that he was slighted to the extent of not being recognized on the program, and therefore did not have an opportunity to present the "distinguishing characteristics of the faith."

—One of the Hindu representatives at the World's Congress of Religions gave some wholesome advice to Christians about their missionaries abroad. He said: "Tell your missionaries to go about from house to house in humble garb; tell them to preach gentleness and mildness, and to practice what they preach. Tell them to preach Christianity, but tell them not to teach that in order to become a Christian it is necessary to become a carnivore."

—The Ministerial Alliance of Tacoma, Wash., recently adopted the following resolution: "Resolved, That the Ministerial Alliance of Tacoma recommends that the custom which now almost universally prevails in other cities become the habit here, viz., that the funeral service be completed at the house and the minister be not expected to accompany the procession to the place of burial." As a service at the grave, they recommend that those who attend there repeat the Lord's prayer in unison.

—In the great contest of religions at the Columbian Exposition, Buddha seems to have taken the first prize. The only convert reported is that of a Jewish merchant of New York City, named Charles T. Strauss, who renounced the faith of his fathers and became a Buddhist. However, those who professed to represent Christianity there were the first to make hostile attack upon the representative of other faiths they had invited to participate in the display. A Rev. Mr. Pentecost made several vicious thrusts at oriental delegates, and was particularly severe on the Hindus. A Mr. Ghandi replied in a manner, it is said, to gain the applause of the audience. Among other things he said that it was beneath his profession as a member of the Jain faith to stoop to depths which Mr. Pentecost had reached.

CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE

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BIBLE HYGIENE.

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treats the subjects of Temperance and Hygiene from a BIBLE STANDPOINT.

A good idea of the scope of the work can be formed by a glance at a few of the chapter headings: "Effects of Stimulants," "Extremes in Diet," "Home Education," "Relation of Diet to Health and Morals," "Parental Responsibility," "Dress," "Consulting Spiritualistic Physicians," "Social Purity," "Hope for the Tempted," "Diet and Cleanliness of the Hebrews," "The Gospel of Health," etc., etc.

The book contains 268 large pages, is printed on heavy paper, bound in cloth, embossed, with gold title on back and front cover. It is a book that all should have in their homes. Price, marbled edges, $1.25; gilt edges, $1.50.

Address, PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO., OAKLAND, CAL. 43 Bond Street, NEW YORK.

Warnings, Peace, and Sabbath Duty

By Editor

Do NOT fail to read "Sodom's Last Warning." Another will follow on the same subject.

We have received a copy of the Fiji Times, published at Suva, dated August 19, containing an article by Dr. M. G. Kellogg, one of the Pitcairn missionaries, descriptive of the island of Niue, or Savage Island. This article, or extracts from it, will be given in a future issue of this paper.

SINNER, reader, have you peace, the peace of Christ? If not, why not? Read the article in another column entitled "The Reign of Peace," and right in this connection the article by Elder Durland, "The Struggle of Sin Within." The King of peace will overcome all sin, and in the place of the struggle and conflict will give you the restfulness of peace, —"quietness and assurance forever."

We sometimes hear or read in private correspondence expressions something like this: "I believe that the seventh day is the Sabbath, and I would keep it if I were where others were who kept it, or if I could get work to do among those who kept the day. But as I cannot, I shall have to work on Saturday." We pity these souls. They see duty, but they look upon duty wholly from a worldly standpoint, that of policy or expediency. They have never really given themselves to God, have never really tasted of the love of Christ; they do not know his Spirit. Those who do will know that he will care for those who do his will.

OUR readers are reminded that we printed an extra edition of last week's issue (October 2), on account of the editorial article on "The Sunday Closing of the Midwinter Fair," and other important matters which ought to be presented to the public at this time. We confidently expect that our brethren, especially on the Pacific Coast, will see the importance of giving this number more than the ordinary circulation. Another article on the same subject will appear next week (October 16), and we expect to issue an extra edition of that number also. The price of these extra copies is $1.50 per hundred, just one-half the ordinary subscription price. It would seem that every tract society, and every individual, for that matter, could afford to make use of a good number at so low a rate.

We would like to ask two questions of that class of Sunday advocates who seem to think the closing of a public exhibition the acme of Sabbath observance: 1. Do they indorse the actions of all the people in Chicago on Sunday who do not attend the Fair? 2. Will they indorse the Sunday doings of the people in San Francisco who will remain outside on that day? Their lauding of the virtues of national, State, or communal religion, as expressed in the simple act of closing the gates of a fair on Sunday, would indicate that staying outside on that day would entitle one to an indulgence in any other pastime he might choose. The "Christian sentiment" of the whole people is sufficiently expressed by the closed gates! Such is only one of the vagaries of lump religion.

THERE may be those among our readers who have struggled in their own strength against some evil habit, like the use of tobacco, of alcoholic liquors, or some other thraldom, and have struggled in vain. Such may find help in the article "My Last Cigar." The real secret lies right here: Are they willing, yea, anxious, to give up the habit? are they willing that God should do the work, so that the glory should be all his own? If they are, whether the desire of the flesh be taken away at once or not, God, through them, will conquer. When we would prefer to die physically for Christ's sake rather than yield to what we know to be sin, God will help. His victory will be ours.

BUNYAN represents the prisoner of Doubting Castle as finding in his own bosom the key called Promise, which opened every door in that gloomy prison house. We often lie in durance vile when the means of obtaining fullest liberty proffers itself to us. Christ is ever near to us in his word, and in him we have all needed blessings. Only believe.

ROMAN INFLUENCE IN THE UNITED STATES.

MONSIGNORE SATOLLI manages to keep himself and his doings constantly before the public eye, and to magnify his office to the utmost. If he receives a communication from the pope, the secular press chronicles the fact as though it was a communication of vast importance to the whole American nation. If he speaks concerning any of our institutions, his words are quoted as the utterance of an oracle. If he invests an archbishop with a pallium, or a bishop with a crozier, the fact is given a prominent place in the news record of the day. It seems a matter worthy of comment, and of condemnation, also, that the deeds and words of this foreign ecclesiastic, who has recently come to our shores representing a foreign ecclesiastical dignitary, should receive larger mention and more obsequious attention than all the Protestant ecclesiastical dignitaries in the country put together, at the hands of the secular press. It gives color to the statement made already without contradiction, that on the editorial staff of all the large dailies of the land are to be found one or more Jesuits who see to it that everything favorable to the Roman Catholic hierarchy gets into the daily press dispatches, and is thus circulated far and wide, while everything inimical to its interests is either suppressed or toned down as much as possible. The whole thing is becoming wearisome.—California Christian Advocate.

Every word of this utterance is true; yet the so-called "Protestant" churches, the so-called "orthodox" churches, and their organs, are doing far more in the matter of establishing Roman rule in the United States than all other elements combined. Do you ask, Wherein?—In this: For years they have been doing their utmost to implant the Roman Church's special badge of authority (Sunday) in the laws of the country. And they advocate the use of Rome's favorite weapon, compulsion, in the matter of securing observance of this purely Roman dogma—this, too, in face of the fact that Roman prelates and journals openly say that Protestants are doing their work for them in the United States. Thus the organs of the professed Protestant churches steadfastly cultivate the roots of the great Roman tree, while the secular press simply sport in the shade of its branches. It would be well if the Advocate and its colaborers would occasionally ponder the part they are so persistently playing in the inoculation of the government with the principles of Rome.

A Unitarian minister in San Francisco recently preached a sermon in advocacy of opening the Midwinter Fair on Sunday. A press report of his discourse says:—

The ministers who have so strenuously advocated the closing of the World's Fair, were severely hauled over the coals for the manner in which they threatened legislators, and were set down as a lot of corrupt politicians themselves.

The tendency of the modern Protestant ministry to force special legislation through the coercion of legislators, is becoming a conspicuous feature of their warfare. As there is no example of Christ or his apostles operating in that line, it is clear that those who do endeavor to "persuade" men by the argument of threatened political defeat, are preaching "another gospel" than that preached "in the beginning;" for the gospel of the Founder of the faith was not urged in that way, nor is it possible to reach the hearts of men by any process of civil law.

"APPLES OF GOLD LIBRARY."

By Editor

Envelope Series.

THIS is the title of a little monthly publication recently started by the Pacific Press Publishing Co., and is designed especially for use in personal correspondence. Each number will contain from four to eight pages of a size convenient to go into a number six envelope without folding. It is printed on thin super-calendered paper, and one or two numbers can be put in with an ordinary letter without increasing the postage.

It is the object of the publishers to present in this Library the leading truths, in a short, attractive style, that will at once arrest the attention, and create a favorable impression and a desire to read more. The themes presented will embrace "The Love of God," "Justification by Faith," "Christ Our Righteousness," and kindred subjects.

It is not intended that these tracts shall take the place of our Bible Students' Library, or any other publication, but they are to be used in personal correspondence. A package should be kept on hand, and when writing to a friend, or any person, just inclose one or more of these tracts. It will not usually add to the postage, and in doing this work we shall be "sowing beside all waters."

We have a membership of say 40,000. Allowing that each person writes only one letter each week, it makes over two million letters per year. If each one of these letters contained a tract, what a vast amount of good might be accomplished!

We feel confident that our friends everywhere will avail themselves of this simple method of spreading the gospel message.

The subscription price has been placed at 10 cents per year, postpaid.

These tracts are published in Library style in order to secure the pound rate of postage. The first five numbers are now ready and bear the following titles:— No. 1.—Looking unto Jesus. No. 2.—The Christian's Privilege. No. 3.—The Sure Promises of God. No. 4.—How to Get Knowledge. No. 5.—The Church and the World.

These will be sent to any address at the rate of 50 cents per hundred, $4.00 per thousand, postpaid. Sample copies free.

Address, Pacific Press Publishing Co., New York and Kansas City. Oakland, Cal.