Signs of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 14.
One Law, One DiseasePage 1
Earlier text: THE CHRIST OF THE AGES“A GREAT DISCOVERY.”
By J. A. OPPY
“And there is no new thing under the sun. Is there anything whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before.” Eccl. 1:9, 10. By this it is evident that there is nothing new to be discovered, the discovery of a thing may be new, but the thing itself, or, if preferred, the principle of it, is old—as old as the plan of the universe. To illustrate: The principle of the triangle was in existence before it was discovered by man. The same is true of the science of chemistry, botany, astronomy, navigation, light, heat, motion, radiation, and of all the sciences and arts; above all existence, around it all, and beneath it all, and through it all, whether animal, vegetable, mineral, or Spirit, this great basic principle is firmly laid, established in fact and in truth, by the Master of the universe. Any discovery, therefore, which is not a discovery of216 fact, founded in truth, is not worthy the name of discovery, either great or small. “A great discovery” is claimed by the Rev. Gamble (Methodist) of the Kansas Conference. What is it?—Why, that the first day of the week and not the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord and of the Bible. Now what is the fact founded, in the truth of the God of the Bible? “He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Rev. 3:22. Now the sword of the Spirit is the “Word of God.” Eph. 6:17. Well, what does the “Word of God” say about the Sabbath?—“But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Ex. 20:10. Who will hear this?—Only those who have “ears” to hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. It is not what the churches as such say to the churches. Listen! “But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God”—not was or has been, or will be—but is NOW—this very day. Ever since God made the Sabbath, from the beginning, all down through the ages, to every one to whom the Sabbath fact has ever come, it has come in the present tense, just as it comes to you and me now, “the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Therefore any discovery of the Sabbath must, of absolute necessity, discover it as it is and not as it is not. To discover a thing as it is not, is no discovery at all. It is but disordered imagination—a fraud, a fiction, and not a fact. Apply this rule of Bible fact to the “great discovery” of the Christian Endeavorer through the Rev. Mr. Gamble, and what becomes of the Sunday sabbath? There is not one single text, line, or word between the lids of the Bible that commands, or even hints, that the first day of the week is a Sabbath, ever has been, or ever will be. Then on what is this “great discovery” founded? We submit to the candid reader that it stands only on fiction. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” 2 Tim. 3:1. These “last days” will be full of peril to the churches. And why so? “And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Tim. 4:4. In 2 Peter 1:16 the apostle speaks of “cunningly devised fables.” And how do you know but this “great discovery” is one? Look at that sliding scale, by which, at the will of the manipulator, the Sabbath is made to appear on any and all days of the week? Is it not a sort of sleight-of-hand performance—a “cunningly devised” thing? Witness the cunning set forth in the following quotation from the Endeavorer: “The first day of the week was the day which immediately followed the single or double weekly sabbath.” We are told by them that a double weekly sabbath is a week with two sabbaths in it. Is not that a cunning device? Who ever saw a week with eight days in it, or a week with two sabbaths? Where would we find a sabbath for the following week, or, if you prefer, for the week preceding, the eight-day week? One or the other of these weeks could have but six days, and who ever saw a week of only six days? Dear reader, when you have examined carefully the tangled threads of this “great discovery” web, you must certainly pronounce it to be a “cunningly devised fable.” “Behold, the name of the Lord cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy; his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire; and his breath as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity; and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.” Isa. 30:27, 28. These verses introduce the second coming of our dear Lord, and the terrible consequences that immediately follow, and also the terrible wickedness of the leaders of the people. Their cruel deceptive power is spoken of as a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to sin. This “great discovery” bridle is now being buckled onto the heads of the people, and its strong iron curb is being fastened in their jaws. Poor blind humanity will run into error fast enough without being saddled and bridled and ridden into ruin. “The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 were written by Moses before he went up into the mountain to get the tables.” So says the Endeavorer, but what says God? Listen: “And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there; and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.” Ex. 24:12. Dear reader, to which will you submit, the pull of the bridle or the truth of the Bible? Jesus says: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27. Dear wandering sheep, do you know the voice of the Master? If so you will not follow the voice of a stranger. “And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers.” John 10:5. Rev. Gamble tells the sheep, through the Endeavorer, that God did not write the Ten Commandments, but Moses wrote them. This sounds like the voice of a stranger. Will you follow it? “To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” Hark! “And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire; ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude, only ye heard a voice. And he [God] declared unto you his [God’s] covenant, which he [God] commanded you to perform, even ten [not nine or none as some teach] commandments; and he [God] wrote them upon two tables of stone.” Deut. 4:12, 13. This is the voice of God, and he has commanded us to keep the Ten Commandments, and the fourth one says: “But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Dear sheep, beware of the voice of strangers. Follow the tender Shepherd on and upward, and at last he will lead you through the pearly portals of the sheepfold above—the golden city of God. “Saturday is not mentioned in the Scriptures,” so says the Endeavorer. What is the force of this logic? It is this. “Saturday is not mentioned in the Scriptures,” therefore Saturday, or the seventh day, is not the Sabbath of the Bible. Apply this logic to the Sunday sabbath. Sunday is not mentioned in the Scriptures, therefore Sunday is not the Sabbath. The logic is as strong against the man-made Sunday sabbath as it is against the God-made, or Bible, Sabbath. Logic that proves too much proves nothing. Will the Endeavorer stand by its own logic? If so the “great discovery” is a “cunningly devised fable.” We are wholly indebted to the pagans for the names of the days: Sunday—dies solis—day of the sun; Monday—moon’s day—day of the moon; Tuesday—from the god Tuscan; Wednesday—from the god Woden; Thursday—from the god Thor; Saturday from the god Saturn. Eaton, Colorado. J. A. OPPY. Christ Reveals God’s Love
In words that a child could understand, Christ portrayed the simple majesty and beauty of God. No definition was given, no philosophy was fashioned, no articulated dogma wrought out. He simply unvailed before man's admiring vision the infinite One, whose solicitude for man was such that none were too great or too small to be loved.—Selected. Grace and Christian Conduct
If a man hasn't got grace enough to keep his temper and live right, the less he has to say for Jesus Christ the better.—Moody. Faith in a Divine Christ
By Brewin Grant
FAITH in a divine Christ is the church's strength in all dangers.—Brewin Grant. A MODERN BABYLONIAN PALACE.
The “Marvel of the Century” is what the new building is called which the Paris World's Fair for 1900 is going to build for religion. It originated in a Catholic source, and has received “the earnest support” of Leo XIII. It will not be situated on the regular fair grounds, as there will not be room, but will have a ground of its own. The plan is said to be indorsed by “the whole hierarchy of the Catholic Church, as well as of influential statesmen and other prominent men in every Christian country.” The promoter of the scheme is M. August Delaigue, a Roman Catholic churchman, now in this country. We quote a part of its description as given by him to a New York Journal reporter:— “The first point of the problem that requires to be solved,” said M. Delaigue, “was this: how to excite to the highest possible degree the curiosity of the crowd; to compel, as it were, the attention of the world. What was required was that no visitor to the great World's Fair, whatever his religious belief, should be able to quit Paris without having visited our own exhibition; that the latter, in a word, should be the star feature of the fair.” “It was decided to construct a palace of colossal proportions, the largest the world has ever seen. It was conceived by the greatest architects in France, and you know that anything can be done with iron nowadays.” “Despite its enormous dimensions, however, nothing will be sacrificed from the esthetic point of view. The boldness and harmony of its proportions have excited the admiration of every artist who has seen the design. The dome will assuredly be one of the wonders of Paris. It will measure no fewer than one hundred meters at its base, whereas the largest dome hitherto constructed barely measures forty. Belied, as it will be, by a series of delicate and graceful colonnettes, its effect interiorly will be simply prodigious. Richly colored windows will illuminate it with a thousand tints, that will also light the eight naves that will converge to the circular space surmounted by the dome.” “Encircling the palace, spacious terraces will rise to the first and second stories, supporting hanging gardens around the dome. Ten thousand persons will be able to circulate as freely upon them as they now can in the gardens of the Trocadero, and visit the divers aerial installations ere they proceed to the summit of the central spire, situated at a height of over 550 feet.” “The basilica of St. Peter's, at Rome, whose boldness of proportion exceeds anything hitherto invented by human ingenuity, is only two-fifths of the size of our palace, which will be supported by immense pillars and columns innumerable.” “Under the cupolas that will surround the central dome, panoramas on a new system will be installed, which will reproduce life-size and with the completest illusion the principal events of Christianity. First, the life and death of Jesus Christ will be faithfully depicted in the luminous and melancholy landscapes of the east.” “Then the Colosseum, immense altar where from the blood of the martyrs burst the new faith, the Catacombs and their divine mysteries, Constantine in imperial Byzantine pomp proclaiming the Christian religion, the first bishops converting the barbarians, St. Genevieve stopping Attila, Charlemagne at St. Peter's tomb, Urban II. preaching the crusade, the taking of Jerusalem by Godfrey de Bouillon, the battle of Lepanto, Joan of Arc at Chinon and Rouen, the landing of Christopher Columbus in America, the council of the Vatican, the jubilee of Leo XIII., etc.” “In the great garden, suspended 300 feet above the earth, the world-famous pilgrimages will be reconstituted—the grotto of Bethlehem, the house at Nazareth, Lourdes, La Salette, Einsiedeln, Our Lady of Pilar and St. James of Compostello.” “Next will come the museums, such, for instance, as that of the foreign missions at Lyons, where specimens of all the instruments of torture by which the martyrs earned their palms of champions of the faith have been collected, and the Eucharistic Museum of Paray-le-Monial, which contains everything appertaining to the cult of the Holy Eucharist. A special section will be reserved for the cult of the Sacred Heart, another for the cult of the Virgin Mary.” “A number of splendid religious theatrical performances, covering all periods of the era, will be given, with the aid of a special mechanism that is destined to bring about a revolution in theatrical art, and monster concerts of 1,000 voices, 300 instruments, and the largest and most powerful organ in the world, will illustrate the progress of religious music from the Gregorian chants onward. The famous silver trumpets of St. Peter's and the choir of the Sixtine9 Chapel will also be heard. An economic and social congress has also been provided for.” This and much more, which we have not space to quote, will be exhibited of Rome's doing and misdoing in the world. Of course she will not show the martyrs of the Inquisition, altho Ignatius Loyola will be numbered among her heroes. Neither will there be represented the martyred Waldenses, or Albigenses, or Huguenots. It will be a display to overawe, to charm, to hypnotize all those whose religion rests in outward form ornate display, and gorgeous ceremony. “It is expected,” continued M. Delaigue, “that from sixty to seventy million persons will visit the World's Fair. Think of the immense moral influence this imposing and practical demonstration of what Christianity [save the mark!] has accomplished is calculated to exercise upon the millions of those who will inevitably be subjected to it!” “Each Christian [?] nation will contribute to its success; and who knows but what it may be the means of bringing about what the combined efforts of the greatest intellects that expound the faith have failed to do—namely, the union of all divisions of the Christian religion?” “Much is hoped from this mighty country, the United States, which has risen to its present eminence among the nations by its steadfast adherence to the principles of Christianity, and has taken the first step toward the establishment of universal peace by nobly coming forward with the treaty of arbitration with Great Britain. Think what such a proposition, representing the will of seventy million freemen, means! It is meet, it is essential, that the New World, discovered by Columbus, which has proudly upheld the banner of the faith, should take a foremost place in this universal exposé of what that faith has accomplished.” And we say, Who knows but then and there will be the complete surrender of nominal Christianity to Rome, and Rev. 13: 3; 17: 13, 18: 7, will be fulfilled? But there is a beyond, and it may be learned in the history of a Babylonian monarch of old. Read Dan. 4: 29-31. The man who won the prize offered by an English paper for the best definition of money, put it thus: “An article which may be used as a universal passport to everywhere except heaven, and as a universal provider for everything except happiness.” THE SHOEMAKER AND THE LITTLE WHITE SHOES.
By Frances E. Willard
I write down the following story from memory. It was related by one of the original Crusaders of Ohio, in an audience where I was present:— One morning, during the crusade, a drunkard’s wife came to my door. She carried in her arms a baby six weeks old. Her pale, pinched face was sad to see, and she told me this sorrowful story: “My husband is drinking himself to death; he is lost to all human feeling; our rent is unpaid, and we are liable to be put out into the street; and there is no food in the house for me and the children. He has a good trade, but his earnings all go into the saloon on the corner near us. He is becoming more and more brutal and abusive. We seem to be on the verge of ruin. How can I, feeble as I am, with a babe in my arms, earn bread for myself and children?” Quick as thought the question came to me, and I asked it, “Why not have this husband of yours converted?” But she answered, hopelessly, “O, there’s no hope of such a thing; he cares for nothing but strong drink!” “I’ll come and see him this afternoon,” said I. “He’ll insult you,” she replied. “No matter,” said I; “my Saviour was insulted, and the servant is not above his Lord.” That very afternoon I called at the little tenement house. The husband was at work at his trade in a back room, and his little girl was sent to tell him that a lady wished to see him. The child, however, soon returned with the message, “My pa says he won’t see any one.” But I sent him a message proving that I was indeed in earnest. I said, “Go back and tell your pa that a lady wishes to see him on very important business, and she must see him, if she has to stay till after supper.” I knew very well that there was nothing in the house to eat. A moment afterward a poor, bloated, besotted wreck of a man stood before me. “What do you want?” he demanded, as he came shuffling into the room. “Please be seated and look at this paper,” I answered, pointing to a vacant chair at the other end of the table where I was sitting, and handing a printed pledge to him.10 He read it slowly, and then, throwing it down upon the table, broke out violently: “Do you think I’m a fool? I drink when I please, and let it alone when I please. I’m not going to sign away my personal liberty.” “Do you think you can stop drinking?” “Yes, I could if I wanted.” “On the contrary, I think you’re a slave to the rum-shop down on the corner.” “No, I ain’t any such thing.” “I think, too, that you love the saloon-keeper’s daughter better than you do your own little girl.” “Well, let us see about that. When I passed the saloon-keeper’s house I saw his little girl coming down the steps, and she had on white shoes, and a white dress, and a blue sash. Your money helped to buy them. I came here, and your little girl, more beautiful than she, has on a faded, ragged dress, and her feet are bare.” “And you love the saloon-keeper’s wife better than you do your own wife. When I passed the saloon-keeper’s house I saw his wife come out with the little girl, and she was dressed in silks and laces, and a carriage waited for her. Your money helped to buy the silks and laces, and the horses and the carriage. I came here and I find your wife in a faded calico gown, doing her work. If she goes anywhere she must walk.” “You speak the truth, madam.” “You love the saloon-keeper better than you love yourself. You say you can keep from drinking if you choose, but you helped the saloon-keeper to build himself a fine brick house, and you live in this poor, tumble-down old house yourself.” “I never saw it in that light before.” Then holding out his hand, that shook like an aspen leaf, he continued: “You speak the truth, madam; I am a slave. Do you see that hand? I’ve got a piece of work to finish, and I must have a mug of beer to steady my nerves, or I can not do it; but to-morrow, if you call, I will sign the pledge.” “That’s a temptation of the devil. I did not ask you to sign the pledge. You are a slave and can not help it. But I do want to tell you this: There is One who can break your chains and set you free.” “Well, Christ can set you free if you’ll submit to him and let him break the chains of sin and appetite that bind you.” “It’s been many a long year since I prayed.” “No matter; the sooner you begin the better for you.” He threw himself at once upon his knees, and while I prayed I heard him sobbing out the cry of his soul to God. His wife knelt beside me and followed me in earnest prayer. The words were simple and broken with sobs, but somehow they went straight up from her crushed heart to God, and the poor man began to cry in earnest for mercy. “O God! break these chains that are burning into my soul! Pity me, and pity my wife and children, and break the chains that are dragging me down to hell. O God! be merciful to me a sinner.” And thus out of the depths he cried to God, and he heard him and had compassion upon him, and broke every chain and lifted every burden; and he arose a free and redeemed man. “When he arose from his knees he said, ‘Now I will sign the pledge and keep it.’” And he did. A family altar was established; the comforts of life were soon secured—for he had a good trade—and two weeks after this scene his little girl came into my husband’s Sunday-school with white shoes and a white dress, and a blue sash on, as a token that her father’s money no longer went into the saloon-keeper’s till. But what struck me most of all was that it took less than two hours of my time to be an ambassador for Christ in declaring the terms of heaven’s great treaty whereby a soul was saved from death, a multitude of sins were covered, and a home restored to purity and peace.—Frances E. Willard. SUNDAY LEGISLATION IN CONNECTICUT
The Congregationalist Conference of Connecticut is endeavoring to strengthen the existing Sunday law of that State, by broadening the application of the law and increasing the penalty for its violation. A bill drafted by a committee of the conference was introduced in the Legislature, and the joint Judiciary Committees of the two houses appointed a hearing on March 16, when the friends and opponents of the measure were given an opportunity to discuss its provisions. A half dozen or more ministers spoke in its favor, and then Elders G. E. Fifield and C. H. Edwards (Seventh-day Adventists) and others spoke against it. From Elder Fifield’s report in the New England Gleaner we take the following:— “It was shown that the Sabbath of the Lord does not depend for its existence upon any human enactments, but upon the laws of Jehovah, and his spiritual power over the consciences of men. . . . It was proved that the bill proposed sought to make people ‘conscientiously’ observe one day, and therefore it sought that of earthly power which only the divine power could accomplish. It was pointed out that such a law would compel the courts to render decisions on man’s conscientious convictions, and therefore arrogate to themselves a prerogative which belonged only to God. The bill was shown to be in direct conflict with the guarantees of liberty in the State constitution, and also with the principles of true Americanism as laid down by the fathers of the republic, and at one time recognized in the supreme courts of some of the States. The danger of such a religious combination for political purposes as was here represented was pointed out. The whole movement was shown to be a denial of the power of the living God, and a revival of the worship of those lifeless creeds once personified by images, which, having no power to care for themselves or their worshipers, must be themselves protected by law. “A lawyer, evidently an agnostic, followed with a most telling speech, full of truth and of the most biting sarcasm. He said that the history of religious legislation in the State ran thus: ‘First, “You must go to my church, or I will imprison you, or hang you, or banish you.” When that had grown unpopular, secondly, “You must go to some church, or I will imprison you or fine you.” And, thirdly now, since even that is unpopular, “If you don’t go to some church, you shan’t go anywhere else, or do anything else.”’ He told the preachers that, as the preceding speaker had shown, it was because they did not live the life of Christ, or do the works of Christ, but sought thus to force men, that they had lost their power over the masses.” “Then Elder Edwards followed with a ringing speech, which closed with the presentation of the fact that the Sunday institution, which they were trying to bolster up by these pagan methods, was only a pagan fraud anyhow, and so worthy of the means used in its support. The preachers sat as if stupefied through it all, or one by one, as if pricked in their hearts, silently disappeared.” Modern “Christian” Teaching.—
The teaching of Christ was:— “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.” Luke 6:27, 28. “Put up again thy sword into his place; for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” Matt. 26:52. The example of Christ was:— “Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed his cause to Him that judgeth righteously.” 1 Peter 2:23, margin. But Henry M. Turner, bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, editor of the Missionary Voice, in a late issue, referring to the lynchings of Johnson and Joiner on suspicion, thus addresses his people:— “Let every negro in this country with a spark of manhood in him supply his house with one, two, or three guns, or with a seven or a sixteen shooter, and we advise him to keep them loaded and ready for immediate use, and when his domicile is invaded by bloody lynchers or any mob by day or night, Sabbath or week day, turn loose your missiles of death, and blow your fiendish invaders into a thousand giblets. “We have had it in our mind to say this for over seven years, but on account of our Episcopal status we hesitated to express ourselves thus, fearing it would meet the disapproval of the House of Bishops; but their approval or disapproval has done nothing to stop the fiendish murderers who stalk abroad and are exterminating my race, so we have now said it, and hereafter we shall speak it, preach it, tell it, and write it. “Again we say, Get guns, negroes, get guns, and may God give you good aim when you shoot.” Surely the teaching of the bishop is not the Christianity of Christ; but what different is it from that which we hear from every quarter, demanding a “Christian” crusade against the Turk? We have no appeal to make for the Turk, nor for those who hate any race on earth; but we have a plea to make for Christianity, that of our Lord; and we know from his teaching and his life that it is better to put our cause in his hands than it is to depend on the arm of flesh, whether our own or the great powers of earth. The latter may help us a little here, but never hereafter; all eternity is for God and those who trust him. The majority plea is a favorite argument of those who advocate Sunday laws. This argument is based on the fact that many more people observe Sunday as a sabbath than observe the seventh day. This is a flimsy attempt to create the impression that the sentiment of the masses favors Sunday laws. Even if the majority of the people were so disposed, and had a right to enforce religious rites upon the minority, the District of Columbia Sunday Bill, which has been so persistently urged upon Congress by petitions from all parts of the country, would be a notable exception. It is a fact that Sunday laws are advocated only by religious people, and by such other individuals as hope to gain by having the favor of that class. From this point of view it is a significant fact that, according to the census of 1890, only five per cent. of the adult males of the District of Columbia were church-members; only fifteen per cent. attended church regularly, and only twenty-five per cent. attended church at all. And if there were anything like a unanimous voice in favor of such a law even among this minority, it would be a condition not found anywhere else in the country. “They tell me you work for a dollar a day;
How is it you clothe your six boys on such pay?”
“I know you will think it conceited and queer,
But I do it because ‘I’m a good financier.’
There’s Pete, John, Jim, and Joe, and William, and Ned,
A half dozen boys to be clothed up and fed,
And I buy for them all, good plain victuals to eat.
But clothing—I only buy clothing for Pete.
When Pete’s clothes are too small for him to get on,
My wife makes ’em over and gives ’em to John.
When John, who is ten, they have grown out of date,
She just makes ’em over for Jim, who is eight.
When for Jim they become too ragged to fix,
She just makes ’em over for Joe, who is six;
And when little Joseph can wear ’em no more,
She just makes ’em over for Bill, who is four.
And when for young Bill they no longer will do,
She just makes ’em over for Ned, who is two.
So you see, if I get enough clothing for Pete,
The family is furnished with clothing complete.”
“And when Ned has got through with the clothing, and when
He has thrown it aside, what do you do with it then?”
“Why, once we go round the circle complete,
We begin to use it for patches for Pete.” TOBACCO AND THE SIGHT.
By Dr. J. H. Hansford
It is probable that no one cause produces so much disturbance of the sight of men, so much blurring and weakness, as the use of tobacco, immoderate or otherwise. Of thirty-seven cases of impaired sight, according to the observations of a distinguished surgeon, not long since, thirty-five were excessive users of the vile weed. This unfortunate result is not wholly caused by the direct action of the smoke on the eyes, but by a general poisoning of the system. While the more intelligent users of tobacco, the more honest and candid, will usually admit that it is a foolish and harmful habit, it is not so easy to induce them to give up the slavish habit—which has almost a complete mastery over them—making them more abject slaves than were the colored people of the south a few years since. It is strange and lamentable that humanity can be degraded to such an extent, while it is possible, if not probable, that could such fully appreciate the extent to which tobacco can degrade mortals, they would not allow themselves to become thus under the sway of such a vile habit—they would stop while the bands are less potent.—Dr. J. H. Hansford. A LADY correspondent, referring to an article in the SIGNS recently, writes us the following words, which we take the liberty to present to our readers:— The article “Noble Sport,” in March 4, is much to the point. In this country the “rifle woman” is greatly lionized. As I am known as an equestrienne, and have had much experience in daring frontier life, I have been rather ridiculed that I never hunt. But I will not see anything harmless killed, much less kill it myself; for I can see no sport in pain. Even a vicious animal can feel, altho it may not reason; and every humane feeling revolts at this wanton slaughter and sportive mangling of innocent game. That man was given dominion over fowl and beast is no excuse for heartless cruelty toward any dumb creature. The abuse of such power will fail of the promise, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy,” but rather will merit, “With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.” When the book of life is opened, and every man is judged “according to the deeds done in the body,” where will such “noble sport” be found? It is not noble, it is not even brave; it is merely pitiless, and savors of egotism and savagery. In the same line is the “broncho buster,” who amid cheers of merriment goads the dumb animal to make it rear and pitch, anything to try to get rid of its tormentor. It is the spirit of Spain and barbarism. It is anything but Christlike, therefore not Christian; and the cultivation of all such spirit tends toward demoralization. It deadens the finer, purer feelings, so essential to a Christian life and Christian character. No joke can be harmless that has its source in pain. No sport can be elevating (it is therefore ignoble) which has for its enjoyment scenes of suffering. MRS. BEECHER ON MARRIAGE.
“I see unrest, discontent, strife, and sin; I see girls from whose cheeks the first blush of innocence, from whose soul the last vestige of youth, have vanished; women sold to frivolity, women wasting most precious gifts, women whose ambition has no higher object than to mislead and triumph over men, and men growing hard, selfish, and wicked, going down to death with no hand to save—all for the lack of a true home,” said Mrs. Henry Ward Beecher, in a recent address. “Then I remember that the home is the true kingdom of woman, where her rights can never be dethroned; that all pure love, all right thoughts, all religion, if you would have them live, must have their roots beneath its altar. This conviction impels me to say to every woman who has a home. Let home stand first before other things. No matter how high your ambition may transcend its duties, no matter how far your talents or your influence may reach beyond its doors, before everything else, build up a true home. Be not its slave; be its minister. Let it not be enough that it is swept and garnished, that its silver glistens, that its food is delicious. Feed the love in it, feed the truth in it, feed thought and aspiration, feed all charity and gentleness in it. Then from its walls shall come forth the true woman and the true man, who together shall rule and bless the land.” PARENTS can not be too careful in holding up the highest ideals before their children. There is all the difference in the world between worthy and unworthy motives for doing the same act. A few days ago a mother was heard reprimanding her little daughter in this wise: “There, Ethel! Mrs. Lee heard you say those naughty words to your brother. What will she think of you?” Not a word about the right or the wrong of the naughty words, only that they had chanced to be overheard, and would create an unfavorable impression upon the mind of the visitor. What impression can the child possibly receive but that the principal harm in saying naughty words is that they may be overheard? How much better to judge all such things by the one standard of right or wrong; to bring all actions to that bar for testing, so that a child shall habitually ask himself before doing or refraining from doing an act, “Is it right?” Precept must be backed by example, too; for a child is not long in finding out whether his parent’s preaching and practise correspond.—Advance. DISTILLED water is considered in the line of a luxury, but it can be made easily at home, and be kept continually on hand for cooking, drinking, and bathing. It is the only water that should be used upon the face, while for a drink for dyspeptics it is unequaled, causing no discomfort after it is taken. To make arrangements for distilling water, take a tea-kettle with a close-fitting cover, and a gutta-percha or lead pipe fastened to the spout. The pipe should lead through a pail of cold water into a receptacle for holding the distilled water. The steam from the boiling water goes through the tube, condenses under the cold water, and runs off pure into the receiver. Where houses are heated by steam, the family may be amply provided with distilled water by adding a pipe to one of the tubular heaters, which will carry steam into a cooler, from which pure water will run day and night. It should be in action all the time, that for bathing running into a close reservoir, while that for cooking and drinking should be freshly distilled every day.—Good Housekeeping. THE sweet-toned bell rings out sweetness, however gently or rudely it is struck, while the clanging gong can not be so touched as not to respond with a jangle. There is the same difference in people. From some you learn to expect always a snarl, or a whine, or a groan, while others ever give words of cheerfulness and joy. When the grace of God fully possesses mind and heart, you will respond with a sweet spirit to every touch, kind or unkind, rude or loving. You will be a voice for God, in whatever place or company you are thrown, a witness for charity and kindness and truth. “When a man lives with God,” says Emerson, “his voice shall be as sweet as the murmur of the brook and the rustle of the corn.” Be a sweet-toned bell.—Cumberland Presbyterian.