p. 15 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 33. (8/13/1902)

TO CONTRIBUTORS.

By Editor

THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES is a purely missionary enterprise. For this reason it has felt free to ask for contributions from its friends. It pays nothing for contributions, either prose or poetry, unless solicited by the editor, and then the fact is stated when the articles are asked for. This is a plan rarely followed, but sometimes deemed expedient.

Articles Desired.—Those which set forth in the Spirit of Christ the great saving truths of God, short and to the point. It is better to treat one important truth clearly, in a short article, than many points vaguely in a long one. We desire no caustic, critical productions, which might minister to personal pride or pleasure, but can not save souls.

How Prepared.—Write plainly, with typewriter or ink, with wide space between the lines, to freely admit of editing, writing of subheads, etc. Write on one side of the sheet only. Sign the name to the manuscript, as it becomes oftentimes separated from accompanying letter. Anonymous contributions are not used, whatever their merit. If the writer does not wish his name to appear, let him furnish a pseudonym for the public. But we wish the name.

CO-OPERATION CORNER.

By Editor

THE following two letters have just been received, which we thought might be of interest to those who are willing to help in sending the SIGNS OF THE TIMES to those who are unable to pay for their own subscriptions:—

"Enclosed find 25 cents, for which please continue the SIGNS two months longer to —. I take great delight in the SIGNS myself, but out of my small weekly pittance I can not pay for it for myself and for another at the same time, and so I forego the pleasure I would take in its regular visits, hoping to bring another to a knowledge of the truth."

"I am sorry to have my name dropped from your list, but it seems as if I could not help it, as I have been sick with rheumatism, and was among the storm sufferers of April 25 that visited our town (Joplin, Mo.), and as I have my family to support by the work of my own hands, I have fallen behind."

Donations for either of the above may be sent to SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal.

Increase of Crime.

By Editor

A daily paper prints a cartoon by a noted present day artist, depicting "The Crime of the World." Between two pillars is a large bulletin board covered with sheets inscribed with the word, "Crime." Old Father Time sits in a big armchair disconsolate, his head on his hand, his ragged-edged scythe leaning against his knee, and his sandaled feet resting on a pavement of the skulls of the victims of crime. A little in advance of Time, upon the ghastly pavement, with a sheet in his hand labeled "Crime," sits the child "20th Century," looking out over a long stretch of skulls to the dawning future, seeing naught but violence and its results, while above him towers a brutal figure with rawhide shield and drawn javelin over the prostrate form of a slain fellow. It is a gruesome picture; but many know that it is true to life. The editor of the paper takes issue. He admits the "shocking" "frequency" of crime, but tells us that "we often mistake widespread news of crime for increase in crime itself." It is true that the crime of the world comes before us daily as never before; but this is no just criticism of comparison between criminality of the past and present. This is better judged locally. Take almost any city, town, locality, in the best sections of the United States, where the blessings of Christianity and education have existed for two hundred years. Fifty years ago, thirty years ago, a great crime was indeed rare. Few thought of locking their houses nights. A murder trial in county or city was indeed infrequent, and became a topic of conversation for years. This was not because many crimes were unheard of; for each community knew all local news of importance. In those days there was almost no crime of importance. Now crime is plentiful everywhere, and that populous county is hard to find which does not have its murder trial every year, if not oftener, and lesser crimes galore. It is true that many of the brutal barbarities of heathenism are in the past, but how are lands progressing where Christianity has had room so long? The exposing of infants and infanticide are not permitted, but according to physicians the destruction of unborn offspring is constantly augmenting. This daily tells us that we do not have the old methods of torture to compel testimony, but we do have what another issue of this same paper calls the infamous "Third Degree," fruit of the Dark Ages, practised in police circles, and also not a few defending the practises of the Spanish and Papal Inquisitions with scarce a voice of protest. In it all we see the fulfilment of the prophetic word, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." In Noah's day "the earth was filled with violence." Jesus tells us that "as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be." The sad thing is that many will not believe the abounding evidence of increasing wickedness, hence will see no need of the only remedy, the "everlasting Gospel."

Prehistoric Pictures

By Editor

Prehistoric Pictures.—By the kindness of the Popular Science News we reproduce from that journal of June the prehistoric pictures on page 4. The same journal publishes two more, one the head of a horse with a bridle or halter, the other a group of miscellaneous animals, mostly of the horse family. Read the article in this issue in which our reproductions of these cuts are found, and also the one in our last.

The Child Series Concludes

By Editor

We close the excellent series of articles by Mrs. Mary Wood-Allen, M. D., on "The Child," in this issue. We give next week as supplementary to these, a most precious assurance to mothers from the pen of Mrs. E. G. White, just received. It seems to us that the mothers of the SIGNS ought to be better mothers than ever before, after this excellent instruction which has been given by these Christian mothers.

The Sad Fate of St. Pierre

By Editor

The sad fate of St. Pierre we again lay before our readers in a well-written article from our missionary in Barbados, a neighboring island. Some interesting photo-reproductions of actual scenes accompany this article, one of which is a view of St. Pierre a year ago, before she dreamed of her destruction. Next week we will give a view of St. Pierre taken June 4, 1902. These articles by Mr. Sweany are of great interest.

Articles Received from Mrs. White

By Editor

"Work for Christians," "The Strait Gate," "Christ's Sacrifice for Us," "What Have They Seen in Thine House?" "God's Justice and Love," "Let This Mind Be in You," "Words to Mothers," "Christ Our Mediator."

The above are the titles of interesting and instructive articles which we have just received from Mrs. White for the SIGNS OF THE TIMES. The last appears in this issue.

Are You Ready for Christ’s Coming?

Whether we believe it or not makes no difference, but just as surely as the Son of God came the first time as Jesus of Nazareth, a literal being, just so surely is He coming again as King of kings, a literal coming, to reign forever. Are you ready to meet Him?

Camping in the Russian River Valley

By Editor

One of the most fruitful and enjoyable sections of this State is that traversed by the California and Northwestern Railway. When elsewhere the meadows and fields are brown and sere, dry and bare, the living green shows throughout the Russian River Valley. All along this railway from San Francisco to Willits, away up among the redwoods of the Coast Range, are ideal camping places, where the wearied brain and body in communion with nature can obtain rest. Now is one of the best times to go. The rush of campers is over. There is more room for you and Nature; more water and grove and pure air, and time. One can obtain all he needs in the way of food, and the railway management is always accommodating. As we passed through the valley the other day on business, we heartily wished that the time and opportunity for a few days' run up to Guerneville were ours.

"CONSIDER HIM."

By Editor

THIS is what the writer of Hebrews exhorts us to do. He does not say, "Consider Christ," or "Consider Jesus," or "Consider our Great High Priest," or "Consider our King." He includes all the manifold glories of His character, all His various offices and revelations, in the pronoun "Him," "Consider Him."

Upon this wonderful subject we have a series of articles written by Prof. G. W. Rine of Healdsburg, Cal. These articles present the following themes and phases of this exhaustless subject:—

The Incentive,
Christ the Word with the Father before the World Was,
The Angel of the Covenant,
The Word Became Flesh, Immanuel,
The Life of Christ the Revelation and the Exemplification of the Divine Law,
Infinite Love Makes an Infinite Sacrifice,
Our Great High Priest,
Our Great High Priest,
The One to Whom All Judgment Is Committed,
Behold Your King,
"Thy Kingdom Come."

These articles will prove interesting and fruitful studies of Him in whom dwelt "all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

But these excellent articles are only a part of what the SIGNS will furnish its readers in the close of this volume.

The Only Element of Safety

The Only Element of Safety.—The story told in 1 Samuel 4 and 5 contains a wonderful lesson for the ages. Sin-loving Israel, having had committed to their trust the most precious of all things, God's law of truth, yet failing to keep the trust, thought that the presence of the law written on stone, and its receptacle, the ark, would save them from their enemies. But God showed them that He could not serve with sin; and He withdrew His protection. The sinful priests who cared for the ark were slain, and the ark was captured by the Philistines. But when the Philistines boasted of the superiority of their gods over Jehovah, the sanctity of the ark and law alone was sufficient to protect the holy vessel and to lay the fish-god of the Philistines prostrate on the threshold of his own temple. God will not serve with sin. In mercy He may spare the sinner despite his sin, but He will not compromise with sin. His holy institutions do not need human guards to protect them; but humanity does need God's holiness within to protect humanity. Of those who are truly His, tho they may die for their faith, Jesus says, "Not a hair of your head shall perish." The tomb may lock its sable doors upon them, but Christ will open them to light and glorious immortality.

Pitiful

By Editor

Pitiful.—A recent contemporary quotes the following in a letter from a correspondent:—

About two weeks ago I thought it would be interesting to have the opinions of the leaders of the different denominations on the state of the departed; I will not say dead, for there is no death; only to material forms. Well, the first I encountered was a Seventh-day Adventist minister; and I asked him, Where are the so-called dead? and he said, "They are nothing, so of course are nowhere, but they are as tho they had never been." Sweet, that! very! but comment is needless, for we know differently.

We are sorry if any Seventh-day Adventist minister answered in that way, because it is not true; it misrepresents God. Never will it be said of men that "they are as tho they had not been" till after the second death. The dead, according to the Bible, are asleep. Such a reply as above, if it were given, was pitiful.

Debasing Influence of Low Words.

Printers' Ink tells us of a dealer whose letter-heads are adorned with his wife's and his own pictures. Under the latter is the inscription, "That's me;" under the former, "That's the old woman." We should think seriously several times before patronizing such a dealer. It seems the height of vanity—and so many people of the most refined taste feel it to be—to place one's portrait prominently on letter-heads when to add to this such a vulgar allusion to one's wife, caps the climax. No man can think so much of his wife after thus referring to her as he did before. It demeans her in his eyes. The reflex influence of the word used belittles and vulgarizes and hardens the soul of the man. Use pure, refined words.