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Signs of the Times, Vol. 8, No. 36.

General Articles
Earlier text: The Third Angel's Message of Rev. XIV

The Two Clerks.

In Market Square, in the pleasant city of Merryport, was a crockeryware store, over the door of which was a black sign bearing in gilt letters the name of Benjamin Hudson. For many years this crockery store had been there, with the great pitcher hanging in front for a sign; indeed, when Mr. Hudson first opened the store, some forty years previous, he was quite a young man, and the sign over his door was bright and handsome; but now his eyes had grown dim, and the owner was called “Old Hudson” by all the boys and girls of the city.
Mr. Benjamin Hudson had grown rich in business, for he had conducted it all himself, and taken care that nothing should be wasted or lost by neglect. He had made mistakes, to be sure, as every man will make some blunders during a lifetime, but by skillful management he quickly recovered from them. Sixty-five years had begun to bend over Mr. Hudson’s shoulders and dim the brightness of his eye, and he found business more irksome than it had formerly been.
“I must have a partner,” said he one day to himself, as he sat down before a cheerful fire. “I must have some one interested in the business, who is young and active, and who will take the weight off my shoulders, for I do not care to do as I used to.”
Now, in Mr. Hudson’s employ were two young men—Herbert Bond and Charles Seymour. They had been with him an equal length of time, and had performed their duties faithfully and well. Charles did his work quickly, and had a smart way about him that made people think he was greatly superior to Herbert, who had a more quiet demeanor and accomplished quite as much without making a great stir about it.
“I must have Herbert or Charles for a partner,” soliloquized Mr. Hudson; “on which can I decide? They both do very well in the store, but I ought to know something of them out of the store, and I am sorry to say that is a point I never have paid proper attention to. My clerks come here in the morning and go away at night; what becomes of them over night, I know not, and yet I ought to know. Neither of them have parents in the city; they live in some of the numerous boarding-houses, and I hope are steady and well-behaved. I must see them in their homes, and then decide which shall be my partner.
The next day Mr. Hudson ascertained the boarding-places of his clerks, without letting them know for what purpose, and after supper that evening his wife and daughters were somewhat astonished to see him go to the hall and put on his coat and hat.
“Where are you going, papa?” asked Lily, the youngest daughter, who could hardly remember the evening when her father had not remained at home.
“I am going to make a call, Lily, on two young men of my acquaintance, I shall not be gone long,” replied Mr. Hudson, and bidding them good-by, immediately started out.
Herbert’s boarding-house was the nearer of the two, and here Mr. Hudson stopped first.
It was a neat-looking house, on a very pleasant street. Mrs. Buntin, the landlady, opened the door when Mr. Hudson rang.
“Does a young man named Herbert Bond board here?”
“He does. Walk in, sir, and I will call him,” replied the woman.
“I will go to his room, if you will show me where it is,” answered Mr. Hudson; “I presume he is in it?”
“I think so; he is seldom out in the evening. You can step up there if you like, sir; go up two flights, and the first door to the right is the one,” replied Mrs. Buntin.
Mr. Hudson puffed up the stairs, and knocked with his cane at the designated door. It was opened by Herbert, who looked very much amazed when he saw his employer, and said:—
“Why, Mr. Hudson, is anything the matter in the store? Nothing happened out of the way, I hope?”
“No—nothing—nothing at all, said Mr. Hudson, walking in and taking a chair. “I took a notion to call around and see how you were this evening.”
Bond expressed himself very glad to see his employer, and while he took his hat and cane, Mr. Hudson glanced around the room. It was an attic room, with dormer windows; a good fire was burning in an open grate; a book-rack filled with books adorned one side of the room, and the center of the floor was occupied by a table on which were writing materials.
You look very cozy here, Herbert; but why do you have an attic room? Are there none you can have below stairs?”
“Oh, yes sir! But this is a dollar a week cheaper, and I have all the more money to send to my father,” replied Herbert.
“Isn’t your father well off?” inquired Mr. Hudson.
“Not very, sir; he used to be pretty rich, but his business was disastrous, and he lost a good deal of money,” said Bond.
“What do you find to do evenings? Does not time hang very heavy?”
“Oh, no, sir! I have books to read and letters to write. To-day I am writing home; they want me to make them a visit, but I write that it is a pretty busy time just now, but when it is over I shall ask you for a few days of absence,” answered Herbert.
“You shall have it willingly,” said Mr. Hudson, and then he added, “Does Charles ever call upon you?”
“No sir; I have asked him to several times, but he has never called.”
“Are you contented here in this boarding-house?” inquired Mr. Hudson.
“It is a very good boarding-house, and Mrs. Buntin is very kind; but I have often wished that I could live at home,” answered Herbert.
“And why can’t you? How far is it from here?” asked his employer.
“Twenty-five miles, sir; rather far to travel every day, and then I can’t afford the expense,” was Herbert’s reply.
“What time could you reach the store in the morning?”
“At half-past eight, sir.”
“And you would have to leave at what hour in the afternoon?”
“At about half-past five, sir.”
“Not very bad hours for the business. Perhaps it can be arranged so that you can live at home, Herbert.”
“Oh, I should like it so much, if I could! I am so homesick here in the city!” was the clerk’s reply.
“Well, I’ll look into the matter, Herbert. It seems a pity that one who is so fond of his home can’t live there, in these times of railroads and fast traveling,” said Mr. Hudson, as he arose to depart. Herbert thanked him for his visit, and said it would please him to have Mr. Hudson call again.
The old gentleman descended the stairs well satisfied with the call, and said to himself:—
“Now for Charles Seymour. I hope I shall find him as well occupied as Herbert Bond.”
The boarding-house was reached, the bell rang, and Mr. Hudson was admitted. The servant said Seymour was in, and ushered him to the chamber door. Mr. Hudson knocked, and the door immediately swung wide open, and a voice exclaimed, “Well, old fellow, got along at last, have you? We’re all ready for you; have got the—” Charles Seymour stopped here, and his face turned suddenly pale at seeing, instead of one of his boon companions, his venerable employer. It was several seconds before he could recover his speech. “I beg your pardon, Mr. Hudson, you must excuse me; I expected a friend this evening, and in the dim light of the entry I thought you were he. Walk in, sir, and sit down.”
Mr. Hudson entered the room, and was somewhat surprised to see the identical three young men who had insulted him on the street; they were smoking cigars, and had their feet elevated on the bureau, mantelpiece, and bedstead. Mr. Hudson saw at once that he was in confusion, and Seymour’s action was painful and awkward. Nevertheless his employer started a conversation, and had been there but a few minutes when footsteps were heard on the stairs; the door opened a little, and a bottle of champagne came rolling across the floor, followed by a round Dutch cheese, a box of cigars, and two more bottles. Seymour looked dreadfully distressed, but could do nothing. It was a fourth friend, who had been out after refreshments, and took this facetious mode of introducing them into the chamber. Mr. Hudson thought it was time for him to go, so he took his leave and returned to his home.
Mr. Hudson was not long in making up his mind which one of his clerks would make the most faithful and efficient partner, and in less than a week it was announced in the papers that Herbert Bond was a member of the firm of Benjamin Hudson & Co. It was a happy day for Herbert, and it was not many years before he managed the whole business himself; and he became a wealthy man.
Charles Seymour knew very well the reason of Mr. Hudson’s choice, and he always had to regret having formed such unprofitable acquaintances as were assembled in his room that unlucky night.

The Home Circle.

By Lillie E. Barr

A MOTHER'S ANSWER.—A TRUE INCIDENT.

OVER the lofty Ben-Lomond, The charm of the sunset fell; And sweet in the purple twilight The chime of the old kirk bell. And lo! in the grassy kirkyard Was the white-haired Dominie; Men and women on either hand, And the children at his knee.
And there, in the still warm evening, Low sitting among the dead, The good man took the sacred book, And the trial of Abraham read. Until in the solemn shadows, The sorrow grew wondrous near— Fathers looked at their own bright sons, And the mothers dropped a tear.
Thoughtful all sat a little space, And then the Dominie said: "David, could'st thou have done this thing?" And the old man bowed his head, And standing up with lifted face, Answered, "I think I could, For I have found through eighty years That the Lord our God is good!"
"Janet, you've been a mother oft, Could your faith have stood the test?" She raised her grandchild in her arms, And she held it to her breast— "God knows a mother's love," she said, While the tears dropped from her eyes; "And never from a mother's heart Would have asked such sacrifice."
"Oh, mother wise," the preacher said, "Oh, mother wise and good! A deeper depth than man can reach, Thy heart hath understood. Take Janet's sermon with you, friends, And, as your years go by, Believe your Father no poor soul Beyond its strength will try." —Lillie E. Barr, in Christian Union.

Sound Advice.

WE advise all young people to acquire early in life the habit of using good language, both in speaking and writing, and also to abandon the use of slang words and phrases. The longer they live, the more difficult the acquisition of good language will be; and if the golden age of youth, the proper time for the acquisition of language, be passed in abuse, the unfortunate victim of neglected education is very probably doomed to talk slang for life. Money is not necessary to procure this education.
Every man has it in his power to use the language which he reads, instead of the slang which he hears; to form taste from the best speakers and poets of the country; to treasure up choice phrases in his memory, and habituate himself to their use, avoiding, at the same time, that pedantic precision and bombast, which show rather the weakness of vain ambition than the polish of an educated mind.—Ex.

Cattle Know Their Salting Days

GEORGE ANDRUS, an extensive farmer of Goguac Prairie, Mich., and one who has had much success in stock-raising, recently stated as a most singular fact that his drove of cattle always knew on what day they were to be salted. It has been the custom to give them salt at the barn-yard every Sunday morning during the spring, and once in two weeks, or every other Sunday morning during the hot weather. This the cattle have well learned, and during the spring they will come up the lane regularly each Sunday morning, and stand there bellowing and making a great noise until they are salted, when they will return to their pasture lot, which is some distance away. This they do regularly every Sunday morning, and never make a mistake of coming in on any other day. The same fact is still more strange in summer, when they only come up once in two weeks.—Chicago Inter-Ocean.

Religious Notes.

By Editor

-The State of Michigan has 239 Congregational churches. The total membership is 16,957.
-The London Sunday-school Union suggests that the 15th and 16th of October next be set apart for universal prayer in behalf of Sunday-schools.
-Two Mormon Missionaries who have been very successful in making converts in York Co., N. C., have been warned by the citizens to leave or they will be hanged to a tree.
-The 21st of August was the 150th aniversary of the beginning of the foreign mission work of the Moravian Church. A missionary jubilee was held on that day at Bethlehem, Pa.
-The principal political speakers are unanimous in saying that the Sunday-law and the anti-monopoly questions are the two great issues of the day, and they invariably give Sunday the first place.
-The Presbyterian Church of Canada has started a building fund of $100,000, to which $65,000 has been already subscribed, for the purpose of erecting churches in Manitoba, for the immigrants who are pouring into that Territory.
-The Tokio Christian Association makes the remarkable statement that "a large proportion of the Japanese who went to America for education became Christians; but that not a single instance was known to them of one who had gone to Germany, France, or England becoming a Christian."
Last week we recorded the fact that a Sunday-school near Atlanta, Ga., had a Superintendent who had held office for twenty-five years. And now comes the statement, "the Honorable Jacob Sleeper has been Superintendent of a Methodist Episcopal Sunday-school in Boston for fifty-two consecutive years." Next.
-There is a superabundance of ministers in all the nonconformist denominations of Great Britain. The Primitive Methodist Colleges have been closed for a time, and the Wesleyan Conference is at its wits' end to know what is to be done for the probationers who have honorably completed their career, but for whom no suitable positions are vacant.
-Rabbi Levi, of the Jewish Congregation in Oakland, recently delivered an address to the Young Men's Hebrew Union, of San Francisco, on Jewish feasts. Speaking of the general belief that the world has been in existence only about 6,000 years, he said: "This prevalent idea is an absurdity, as it is now scientifically established that the world is much older."
-A young negro, who was formerly a slave, was recently undergoing an examination in New York, with reference to his going as a missionary to Africa. When he was asked his habit as to the use of tobacco, he replied that he did not use it at all; that a gentleman would not use it, and that a Christian gentleman would not want to use it. Who could give a better answer?
-The Christian at Work gives a very good hit at the almost indiscriminate giving of the title "D. D." It says that if a minister has reached the age of forty years, has married, and has not been tried for heresy, he may reasonably expect the title. The title is often given, also, to the pastors of city churches who do not like to have the name of being served by a man without "D. D." to his name.
-There is a Congregational Church of over 200 members at Nantucket, R. I., whose acting pastor is a woman, Miss Louise S. Baker. She gives satisfaction in every way, yet the church over which she presides is declared vacant in the Year Book, owing to the prejudice against women acting in such capacity. A writer in the Advance asks: "Is there any reason why this earnest servant of Christ should not be ordained according to the Congregational idea? Is there any unwritten or written law forbidding it, providing she is sound in the faith, apt to teach, and full of the Holy Spirit?"
-The story is told that at prayer-meeting one night a brother proceeded to give his ideas of future punishment. He believed there would be punishment—he even believed in the orthodox hell—but there was a way out; there was final restoration to happiness for all the impenitent. When he sat down there was silence, till at last the old pastor arose and said slowly and deliberately: "The brother who last spoke told us of a way to Heaven that leads through hell. Those that want to try the road to Heaven via hell may take it if they choose, but as for me, I am going to Heaven by the direct road, and I advise others to take that road too. Let us pray."
-It is a homely adage that "curses, like chickens, come home to roost." Certain parties in California are now experiencing the truth of this. During the excitement over the Sunday Law last winter, it was quite the fashion to denounce the SIGNS OF THE TIMES as working in the interest of the whisky party, "playing into the hands of the League of Freedom," etc., because, on purely religious grounds, it opposed the Sunday Law. These same parties are now kicking against the Sunday-Law plank of the Republican platform, because it is not stringent enough; and now the Christian Advocate says of them: "Men who pretend to be temperance men, and now threaten to bolt the Republican ticket and to defeat it, are simply tools and agents of the League of Freedom." Although this is severe on the Rescue, we confess to being somewhat amused. There is the promise of a lively tempest in the Sunday teapot.
-And still we have another mystical interpretation. On Mark 13:27, "And then shall he send his angels and shall gather together his elect from the four winds," &c. The Christian at Work comments thus: "The Son of man would send his angels, i. e., his messengers or preachers to proclaim the gospel—the good tidings of the new kingdom—to all his chosen or elect ones in all quarters of the globe. And all this took place as Jesus predicted it would, before the 'generation' then around him passed away. In the year 70, i. e., 40 years after his crucifixion, the Holy City fell, and some of his disciples then present lived to see the gospel preached, and the Messianic kingdom established throughout the whole known world." Just one question: If the kingdom was established throughout the whole world, at the destruction of Jerusalem, why do we still pray, "Thy kingdom come"? And again, to what place were the elect then gathered? And if the gathering took place then, what becomes of the righteous since that time?
-It seems that Christians are not alone in missionary work. The Hindus and Mohammedans are using the printing-press to combat Christianity. The Advance says: "Based on their old books, fascinating stories of gods and ancient heroes are issued by the million, as are also translations of popular infidel books. These are peddled at the doors of all the schools in the hope of holding young India to the old beliefs. In Lucknow and Cawnpore there are no less than forty-five publishing houses doing this work. One of their publishers received $4,000 from a well-to-do Mohammedan to assist in printing the Mohammedan books. Another issued a million of Hindu tracts at the expense of a Hindu prince. One hundred and three newspapers, mostly weeklies, are issued to abet paganism and Mohammedanism and to attack Christianity. 'The native presses,' says Joseph Cook, 'are exceedingly active. They throw off immense editions of books intended to defend paganism, and of heathen classics notoriously stained by passages of immoral tendency, sometimes of positive indecency."
-The Jewish World thinks that the most important question now before the Jewish people is instruction in the Jewish laws of health, for pupils in the communal schools. It says: "The one essential purpose for which these schools have been established is, we are told, the maintenance of Judaism; and yet the only specially Jewish instruction imparted in these institutions refer to that portion of Judaism which is its least consistent and persistent element. Jewish pupils are taught Hebrew, the rudiments of Jewish theology, the order of our prayers, the traditional meaning of our festivals and holidays—in fact, everything of a purely ritualistic and consequently a transient nature; but the physical laws which we have conserved in their integrity during nearly five thousand years, and to which we owe the bodily strength, and mental capacity, and the moral feeling, that have alone enabled us to maintain our religion against the onslaughts of fifty centuries of ignorance—these are almost totally neglected." It further says: "We may rest assured that if such instruction is not introduced, and our Jewish 'legalism' made to appeal to our intelligence, this 'legalism' will soon cease to be observed altogether. The result, however, can only be the disappearance of Judaism."

News and Notes.

By Editor

-Great damage has been done by storms and floods in the south of Spain.
-Ohio has thirty-four distilleries and eighty-nine rectifying establishments.
-A large boot and shoe factory was burned Sept. 16, at Elmira, N. Y. Loss, $3,000,000.
-The recent election in Maine resulted in victory for the Republicans by a large majority.
-Six hundred and forty-six new converts to Mormonism have lately arrived in New York.
-Track is being laid on the Northern Pacific Railroad at the rate of twenty miles a day.
-The Rothschilds have presented the British army in Egypt with twelve tons of tobacco, and 5,000 pipes.
-Yellow fever is not diminishing in the South, but is breaking out in a very malignant form in new places
-A morning paper speaks of Australia as a hemisphere. Can some school-boy tell how many hemispheres there are?
-In the Wisconsin Democratic Convention 1,601 ballots were taken before a nomination was made for Governor.
-The Chronicle states that fully two-thirds of the suits brought in the Superior Court each day are actions for divorce.
-During the storm on Thursday of last week, an unknown schooner on Lake Huron was sunk, with all hands on board.
-News has been received that a party of thirteen, including two women, were murdered by Apaches in Chihuahua, Mexico.
-The steamer Asia was wrecked on Lake Ontario, Sept. 15, with 100 passengers on board. Only two are known to have escaped.
-Chief Engineer Melville and two sailors, survivors of the Jeannette Arctic Exploring Expedition, arrived in New York the 13th inst. An enthusiastic reception was given to Melville.
-The Star-route trial has ended in what might well be termed a fizzle. The jury disagreed on the three principal defendants, convicted two who were tools of the others, and acquitted two others.
-The Republican candidate for Sheriff of Sierra Co., Cal., was shot and killed last week. He had received the nomination only after a hard struggle, and political jealousy was the sole cause of the murder.
-The telephone is now conneced with diving apparatus, and the diver receives his instructions by means of it, at the bottom of the sea. It is thought that it will tend to lessen the danger of accidents.
-A prominent financier estimates that Egypt will lose about £70,000,000 by the war. The cotton crop, which would have been worth £40,000,000, is entirely lost, and there is little hope of saving any of the sugar crop.
-The estimated value of real and personal property in the United States, in 1880, was $33,805,000,000, against $24,169,000,000 in 1860, That is, the gain in twenty years has been $1,320,000 a day, or nearly $1,000 a minute.
-A terrible hurricane passed over the village of Winsted, Conn., on the evening of the 15th, destroying much property and injuring several persons. Western and Central New York also suffered severely from wind and lightning.
-The special committee appointed by the Prohibition Convention that was held in July last, has issued a call for the Convention to reassemble on the 28th inst., to place a ticket in the field, on a distinctly Sunday and Temperance platform.
-In the Italian Parliament, the voting is done by electricity. Three buttons marked "aye," "no," and "abstain," on each member's desk, are connected with a central printing apparatus which records the votes automatically as the members touch the buttons.
-California has already had a touch of winter. On the 16th there was rain in the valleys and snow on the mountains quite generally through the State. Thunder and lightning accompanied the rain. In some places the storm is reported as having been very severe.
-Since the passage of the prohibition amendment in Iowa, the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad Company have issued an order that no ale, beer, wine, or spirituous liquors of any kind shall be sold on their dining-cars while passing through that State.
-While a Tennessee Sheriff and his deputy were on their way to Knoxville, with a murderer, several men boarded the train, killed both the officers, released the prisoner, took possession of the train, and when they had reached a convenient place, forcibly seized some horses and made for the mountains. The excitement is very great.
-The Anti-Prohibition Convention held at Omaha, Sept. 11, is said to have been an "eminently respectable gathering." Of course. "So are they all, all honorable men." They oppose prohibition in any form, and the Convention pledges its members to do everything to defeat prohibition. A resolution was passed to support no man for office unless he satisfactorily pledges himself to oppose any and all attempts to force upon the people a prohibitory law.
-Greece is very firm in her demands upon Turkey regarding the cession of points and the settlement of the frontier line. There are five points which she demands of the Porte, and the latest news is that unless four of them are conceded she will commence hostilities at once. Turkey will probably parley as usual, but Greece and Turkey so thoroughly understand each other's insincerity in politics, and Greece is so determined in her demands, that we may expect at once either war or concession.—Alta.
-The war in Egypt is virtually ended for the present, so far as actual fighting is concerned. On the 12th the British made a night attack upon the Egyptians, and completely routed them. Arabi Bey fled to Cairo, where he unconditionally surrendered to the British, who closely followed. The Khedive rules nominally, but everything is done through the English. Now that Egypt is conquered, the interesting question arises, What will England do with it? A dispatch from London says: "The ultimate fate of Egypt excites keen discussion here and abroad. The strongest feeling prevails in England that what has been gallantly won by the sword must not be whittled away by diplomacy, and Gladstone will have a difficult task to reconcile the wishes of the country with the demands of Europe." It is the general opinion that the most difficult part of England's self-imposed task is yet to come.

BIBLE SANCTIFICATION:

A CONTRAST OF

TRUE AND FALSE THEORIES.

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
THIS is a pamphlet of only 84 pages, but its value is not to be judged by its size. It is just what its title indicates: a faithful presentation of Bible truth on this important subject, and an exposure of the false theories prevailing in regard to it. Every believer in Bible truth should read it. Buy it, read it, and lend it to your neighbor. Price 10 cts.
Address, SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal.

Sunday Law of Texas.

PREVIOUS to 1879 there were three States in the Union which had what we call rigid or rigorous Sunday Laws; that is, they had no exemption in favor of those who keep the seventh-day Sabbath. These were Pennsylvania, Texas, and California. But a revision of the Statutes of Texas, which took effect May 28, 1879, reads as follows:—
“Any person who shall hereafter labor, or compel, force, or oblige his or her employés, workmen, or apprentices, to labor on Sunday, shall be fined not less than $10 nor more than $50.” Penal Code, title 7, chap. 2, article 183. Article 184 reads thus:—
“The preceding article shall not apply to household duties, works of necessity or charity, . . . nor to any person who conscientiously believes that the seventh or any other day of the week ought to be observed as the Sabbath, and who actually refrains from business and labor on that day for other than secular reasons.”
Not long since we copied a similar exemption from the laws of Connecticut. This is just what we desire in the State of California, but our observation at Sacramento convinced us that there is very little disposition to grant it.
While there we were introduced to a clergyman to whom we stated the object of our going there. He very decidedly said that could not be done. We replied that it was done in almost every State of the Union which had a Sunday Law; but he was incredulous, and declared it impossible! From the spirit manifested by many—very many—of the Sunday people in this State, we are becoming convinced that it is impossible for them to consent to it, unless they become much more imbued with the spirit of the “golden rule” than they are at present.
The truth is, and it cannot be disguised, that there is a deep-seated prejudice, leading even to intolerance, in the Protestant churches, against the seventh-day Sabbath and all who keep it. We are convinced that one word in our favor in the platform adopted at Sacramento would have caused the immediate destruction of that resolution. Those who, in private conversation, admitted that our claim was just and reasonable, rejoiced in the resolution, and after its introduction said it was exactly right.
Texas has been supposed to stand on the extreme of irreligion, and Connecticut on the other extreme of Puritanism. These agree in granting just what we ask here. But the religion of California is in advance of that in Texas or in Connecticut! But how long since?

Appointments.

California Conference.

THE eleventh annual meeting of the California Conference will be held in connection with the camp-meeting at Healdsburgh, commencing October 5, 1882. Every organized church of twenty or less members is entitled to one delegate, and an additional one for every fifteen members over that number. Unorganized companies and isolated brethren should also be represented in person or by letter, so that the wants of the cause in the State may be known.
Ministers and licentiates, and others laboring in the Conference, are requested to make out a written report of labor, time, and expenses, to October 1, the close of the present Conference year, and hand it in at the first session. Conference business will be disposed of during the early part of the meeting, that all the time possible may be devoted to spiritual matters; delegates are therefore requested to be on the ground at the commencement. All letters pertaining to Conference business should be addressed to Mrs. Barbara C. Rice, Healdsburgh.
Brethren and Sisters, we would invite every one of you to read Mal. 3:10, and fulfill that scripture that we may have the promised blessing at our camp-meeting, and also that the expenses of the Conference which have been larger than usual this year, may be met. We have purchased three new preaching tents, a 50 ft., a 40 ft., and a 24x36 ft. We have had more laborers in the field this year than ever before, which will account for the increase of expenses.
Church Clerks and Treasurers will please bring their books.
CAL. CONFERENCE COMMITTEE.

California State T. and M. Society.

THE next annual meeting of the California T. and M. Society will be held in connection with the camp-meeting at Healdsburgh, commencing Oct. 5, 1882. As far as consistent all pledges to this society or the Reserve Fund should be paid at or before the meeting.
All District Secretaries and Church Librarians are requested to have their books there that they may be audited.
ALICE MORRISON, Secretary.

Lakeport.

NO PROVIDENCE preventing, I will meet the Lakeport Church at their quarterly-meeting, Sabbath and Sunday, Sept. 23, 24. We hope to see a full attendance.
J. D. RICE.

Camp-Meetings.

MICHIGAN, Lansing, Sept. 27 to Oct. 2. INDIANA, Marion, Oct. 2-9. KANSAS, Moline, " 5-19. KENTUCKY, Custar, " 4-10. CALIFORNIA, Healdsburgh, " 5-16. TENNESSEE, — " 12-17. ALABAMA, Choctaw Co., " 18-24.

Health of Sister White.

WE mentioned the sickness of Sister White, which was very severe. But many earnest prayers were offered for her recovery, and lately she has been recovering very fast. Friday morning, the 15th, she started for St. Helena. She endured the journey quite well, only getting very tired. Information to the 17th says she was comfortable. We are glad she is where she can enjoy the pure air and health-giving aids of the Health Retreat. We confidently believe she will be able to render the cause good assistance at the camp-meeting.

Old Soldiers' Home.

THE people of California donated liberally for an Old Soldiers' Home. That was done last Christmas, and we were promised that the old soldiers should be comfortably housed in a short time. Now the public are anxiously inquiring what the Committee intend to do with the money. According to the papers, no move has yet been made to appropriate it for the purpose for which it was given.

Camp-Meeting.

ONLY two weeks from the date of this paper remain until the commencement of camp-meeting at Healdsburgh. There never was a time when the reasons were so urgent for all our people to attend our annual gathering. Everything indicates that our work is fast drawing toward its close. All the forces of the opposition to the Sabbath of the Lord are being brought into action. Unreasoning prejudice refuses to accept the plainest Bible proofs, while tradition is readily taken to uphold popular error. But the way is opening before us for the proclamation of the truth of God. The present agitation is designed to overshadow the truth, but God will turn it in favor of the truth if we faithfully improve our opportunities.
Let all come to the camp-meeting, and unite in devotion to God, and in devising means to spread the knowledge of the truth.

Quarantine.

The San Francisco papers, or some of them, manifested considerable feeling over the inquiries made by the United States authorities concerning the small-pox quarantine. We should only find fault because the United States authorities do nothing in the matter. To shut up a ship-load of people in an old hulk, or on any vessel, with a contagious disease on board, is a disgrace to our civilization. The Government owns several islands in the bay, on some one of which a quarantine station could be located, where the sick might be properly cared for, and the others made at least comfortable, and protected from further danger. Now that the yellow fever is prevailing in some sections, this subject ought to be considered.

THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES,

By Editor

PUBLISHED WEEKLY, AT OAKLAND, CAL., FOR THE Missionary Society of Seventh-day Adventists.
A twelve-page Religious Family Paper, devoted to a discussion of the Prophecies, Signs of the Times, Second Coming of Christ, Harmony of the Law and Gospel, with Departments devoted to Temperance, The Home Circle, The Missionary Work, and the Sabbath-school.
Price Per Year, - - - - - - - - - - - - - $2.00
In Clubs of five or more copies to one address, to be used in Missionary Work, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1.50
Address, SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal. —OR—
REVIEW AND HERALD, Battle Creek, Michigan.
MISS ELIZA THAYER, Sec. N. E. Tract Society, South Lancaster, Mass.
ELD. J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH, Ravenswood, Snitley Road, Southampton, England.
W. L. RAYMOND, Gaston, Oregon.

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Signs of the Times · Sep 21, 1882