Earlier text: LESSONS FROM MATTHEW 24WE CAN NOT INDORSE IT.
By Editor
We are asked by a reader and a professedly good friend of the SIGNS, to indorse a pamphlet which advocates the doctrine of universal salvation. A specimen argument is 1 Tim. 2:5, 6: "For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." The pamphlet uses a number of scriptures in the same way; we need not refer to any others, as the principle is involved in this one. Christ is a ransom for all; He purchased all, but we are saved "through faith," and salvation can come in no other way. Christ died for all, but only those whose faith appropriates the sacrifice can gain any benefit from it. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." It is true that the promise to Abraham was, "In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed," but the promise is "through faith." All the world is blessed in having the opportunity of salvation, but a failure to accept the conditions is a rejection of the blessing. Salvation is not forced upon any who do not appreciate it. God does not accept enforced service, nor does He in anywise save people against their will. Salvation means salvation from sin (which is disobedience of the law); and a heart obedience can not be compelled even by the Lord Himself. The pamphlet to which we refer teaches that after death there will be another probation, and men who have not believed will then believe. But the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16) is against that doctrine. There it is very clearly stated that "if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, tho one rose from the dead." If all are to be saved, how is it that "the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch" (Mal. 4:1)? G. "MEN'S HEARTS FAILING THEM."
The Master made the prediction nearly two thousand years ago that there would be such distress of nations in the last days, and so many calamities coming on the earth, that "men's hearts" would be "failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." See Luke 21: 15-27. We know from the prophecies that we are in the last days. And, therefore, we should expect to find men everywhere who are filled with gloomy forebodings for the immediate future. It is not the professional "calamity howler" that is making it appear that there are difficulties around and ahead of us. But the actual conditions are such that the most conservative as well as the most hopeful are filled with fear as they meditate upon the days that lie just before us. Any one who truly knows the Word of God knows from that Word just what is portended by all these conditions that are about us to-day. Just as the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even so is He about to destroy this whole evil world. But in the midst of this world of evil there are thousands of souls who are not partaking of the evil. Their faces are turned steadfastly toward the God of righteousness and truth. Their hearts are not failing them for fear, because they have a knowledge of the fact that Jesus is soon coming. And this thought swells their hearts with the richest joys. Knowing that the world is rapidly filling with men whose hearts are failing them for fear, every one who knows the Lord Jesus Christ and the joys of looking for His speedy appearing should be full of activity. They should be earnestly working to show to every one the knowledge of the fact that the end of this reign of sin is about reached, and that all the inexpressible and indescribable joys of the great day of the second coming of Christ are about to become a glorious reality. The man whose heart is failing him because of his fears and perplexities may have those fears turned into joys by being informed that the same Saviour who died to show His fathomless love toward him is about to return in person to rescue him bodily from this world of sin and distress. Are you a possessor of the definite knowledge that Jesus is coming soon, yes, very soon? And are you exerting all your powers to tell the glorious news to all you can possibly reach? T. THE BURDEN OF MILITARISM.
It is well for Americans, and especially in the light of the prophecy of Rev. 13:11-18, to study in the path which a sister republic in Europe—France—is now treading, the path upon which this republic is just entering. The prophecy declares that this nation shall make an image to Romanism, a government imperial in civil rule and religion, and that out of this image will come persecution. In fact, unless the spirit of imperialism is dominant, there can be no persecution to any extent. It is the spirit of imperialism which made Rome the great, cruel, iron monarchy. It is the spirit of imperialism which made the Papacy. And an image to the Papacy will have the same spirit of imperialism. In the Independent of January 25 was an article by M. Urbain Gohier, editor of L'Aurore, and author of "L'Armie Contre la Nation." The title of the article is "The Danger of Militarism." He refers to the military display and spirit manifested at the return of Admiral Dewey to this country, and says:— "Assuredly it is not the business of a foreigner to urge his advice at such a moment. And yet it may well be permitted to a Frenchman to recall that his forefathers sustained the first steps made by the other side of the Atlantic in its struggles for liberty; it may also well be granted that a Frenchman who sees liberty so compromised in his own country should hope that it will remain intact in the New World. The trials which France is undergoing to-day and the evils which threaten her, because she is sacrificing herself to the militarist idol, may serve the cause of political liberty in America as much as the material succor long ago rendered by the companions of Lafayette. "Imperialism is intoxicating at present a large part of the two great English-speaking nations. Imperialism can not be conceived of without militarism, which is its instrument. Even the most liberal of the citizens of the United States know the terrible consequences of militarism only by an effort of intuition and reason, since their country so far has had the good fortune to be saved from it. Let them open their eyes and let them consider what is taking place in France; they will tremble. They will see what militarism has made of a nation formerly famous in the world for its spirit of justice, humanity, and fraternity. The Anglo-Saxons, at this end of the nineteenth century, seem to offer, in the midst of other races, the true type of man in the highest degree of energy, activity, and courage. I have often asked myself whether this were the case because they had escaped militarism, or whether they had always turned their backs on militarism because they were such men. Whatever be the answer, it is certain that the Anglo-Saxon would lose all that makes his strength and originality if, like continental Europeans, he allowed himself to be degraded and debased by the military scourge." After declaring what France might have been in leading the world, Mr. Gohier thus speaks of militarism and its influence on the nation:— "The militarist idea was planted in France by the long wars of the First Empire. A brigand of genius, at the head of our armies, killed four million men, pillaged, burnt, sacked Europe from one end to the other, while at the same time he was reducing the French people to the basest servitude. To fool the world, and also to delude herself, France gave the name of Glory to the crimes of Napoleon. She was stunned with this sham glory, and with it she poisoned the soul of generations, giving a subordinate place to the studies and the arts which had formerly gained her her finest prestige, valuing henceforth only the triumphs of arms. In seeking these triumphs she met the awful disasters of 1870. And by a funereal chance, the very catastrophe which should have forever disgusted her with the military folly made her more blindly and puerilely the adorer of the soldier, of the uniform, of the barracks, and of all of the farce and paraphernalia of war. France transferred herself into a vast camp, burdened herself with huge taxes, spent 30,000,000,000 francs in a quarter of a century, in order to parade a few hundred thousand men up and down the continent of Europe, drove herself to economic ruin, to intellectual decay, to moral feebleness, and to political anarchy." "Examine the facts still closer. What has happened in France shows you what would be fatally sure to happen in any other great republic deluded into the same errors. "To begin with the effects of militarism from the soldier's standpoint. Since the soldiers in a vast army make up a large part or even the whole of the youth of a country, the effects of militarism on them are reflected on the whole nation. Thus it is that militarism makes such ravages in the social, intellectual, economic, and moral orders. Formerly the French soldier served seven years; since the establishment of a universal obligatory service he has served five years, then three. The sons of the rich class, through different pretexts, more or less worthy, manage to leave the barracks at the end of a year; but the sons of the farmers, of the workmen, and the whole laboring class of the nation, remain three years in the army. The men who get off with the service of one year escape the necessity of serving in the colonial wars; the victims of the three years' service furnish all the prey of the murderous expeditions into Africa and the far East. This fact, alone, shows a revolting inequality in a society which pretends to be democratic. But the barracks are a source of evil still more fearful. During three years, far from their parents, unable to engage in any intellectual occupation, with nothing to suggest a single elevated thought, the unhappy young men, from twenty to twenty-three years of age, stagnate in the midst of the greatest physical dirt and in the extremest moral degradation. They forget there all they learned that would be practical in the exercise of a profession, and everything that would develop them into healthy, honest men. They contract the habits of idleness, moral inertia, and of low debauch. The barracks are the hearthstone of alcoholism and of the shameful diseases which are spread all through the country to the very heart of the rural districts, bastardizing the race and decimating the population. Loose discipline, the fear of initiative and responsibilities, the attempt to avoid disciplinary punishments by all sorts of ruses, make the barracks, moreover, the very school of lying, hypocrisy, and moral chaos. It is impossible for a human being to come out from such surroundings after a three years' sojourn without having lost all sense of shame and those moral qualities which should give him his value and dignity as a man and his significance as a citizen. The young industrial workman no longer knows his trade; the young farmer, after having loafed so long in the wine shops of garrison towns, no longer desires to return to the soil, and agriculture is abandoned. . . . The economic equilibrium of the nation is therefore destroyed, and at the same time its moral and intellectual strength is ruined. Do not for a moment think that in these forlorn conclusions there is any exaggeration; you will find them developed by every writer, politician, or novelist, who has studied the matter; they are also found, if I may speak of it, in 'The Army against the Nation,' my book, for which I was prosecuted by the French Government at the beginning of last year, and honorably acquitted by the jury, as having told only the truth." He goes on to tell us of the class which the army builds up among the officials, and the political consequences. The "high grades" in the army, he declares, "are the entire monopoly of a few dynasties or coteries, of their kindred or of their fawning creatures. Carrying arms in the midst of a peaceful, unarmed people, they live as tho in a conquered territory, drawing their swords on every occasion, encouraging the violence of intoxicated young soldiers, terrorizing the population in all the little towns, where the democratic element is not numerous enough or sufficiently strong to oppose them. They are a State within a State." Discussing the "honor of the army" and its "conscience," he says: "Just as these officers have their peculiar justice, their special honor, so they have their peculiar kind of conscience, which allows them to be guilty of extortion, theft, violence, and massacre in the four corners of our colonial empire, where rank and honors are acquired by plundering inoffensive population." Of the fearful expense of militarism and the expenditure of money, he declares: "According to the terms of our republican constitution, the people's representatives appropriate money for the public expenses; they control the disbursement of sums furnished by the revenue. During twenty-five years they have voted 30,000,000,000 francs credit for military expenses; they have never obtained any accounts or auditors' reports of the manner of expenditure of this huge sum. For form's sake they send to the ministers lists of expenses, and the ministers communicate them to Parliament; but it is known and loudly proclaimed that these lists are false, and that the Budget Committee repeats each year, with sadness and resignation, that it is impossible for France to know what the military administration does with its money." This article, from which we have taken copious extracts, thus concludes:— "At present twelve million French citizens live in terror of the twenty thousand petty military employees whom they support; the normal development of the French Democracy is paralyzed, its very existence is compromised, by the threatening attitude of its army. And this army is an army which has never gotten over the humiliating defeats it has suffered, and which, on the contrary, is stained by the most wretched failures. . . . I leave this situation for the meditation of the citizens of any country which is careful of the dignity of its men and its own greatness." This will give somewhat of an idea of the evils of militarism in a republic,—the military education the whole world is receiving. But this is not all. Behind the army is something else; and this we will lay before our readers in our next. THE CHINESE QUESTION.
By Editor
PERHAPS the most important item of the week in reference to the Chinese imbroglio was the announcement of the compact between England and Germany in reference to affairs in China. The terms of the compact were arrived at on October 16. The first article of this agreement declares the intention of the two governments to see that the ports on the rivers and littoral of China shall remain open and free to trade for the peoples of all countries. By the second article both governments agree that they will not make use of the present complications to obtain for themselves any territorial advantage in China, but will use their power to maintain the present territorial conditions there. Article 3 indicates that if other powers attempt to take advantage of the present complications to secure territory in China, England and Germany reserve the right to protect their interests there. This may mean that England and Germany would make war on such power or powers, or that they will themselves take9 portions of the country. This agreement is looked upon with favor by the officials at Washington. The Chinese peace envoys at Peking have submitted peace propositions to the representatives of the powers there. The envoys declare that the guilty Chinese officials will be surrendered to the courts for punishment, and that full indemnity will be paid for the destruction of the lives and property of foreigners. The propositions of the Chinese, however, are not regarded with favor by the powers. It is felt that the Chinese envoys have assumed an arrogant attitude, as tho China, instead of Europe, was to hold the position of dictating the terms of peace. The allied expedition which started for Pao Ting Fu has captured that place, having encountered little opposition on the way. The French troops arrived first, and occupied the railroad depot. The troops are repairing the railroad and reconnoitering north and south of the city. The Russians have been meeting with serious opposition in the vicinity of Moukden, but defeated the Chinese, with considerable loss of life on both sides, and have occupied the city. The rebels in the south of China are massing in the districts surrounding Canton. The Chinese authorities are calling for re-enforcements, as a battle with the insurgents is expected soon which will either crush the rebellion in that locality or give it greater impetus. The imperial troops are reported to have met defeat in a battle with the rebels in the province of Kwang Tung, and all the Chinese generals in this province are calling for more troops. The governor of Shantung reports a battle with the Boxers, in which he claims to have killed 2,000. There have been several minor engagements between the troops of the different nations and the Chinese at small villages in the neighborhood of the cities already occupied. The number of lives lost in these battles, tho considerable, is not given definitely. Circulars emanating from Prince Tuan, leader of the Boxers, have been widely distributed, urging his followers to exterminate all foreigners, and the empress dowager is reported to be making heavy collections from the viceroys, and punishing or threatening those who have been friendly to the foreigners. Sir Robert Hart, director of Chinese customs, takes a very gloomy view of the Chinese situation. He regards the Boxer movement as national and next to impossible to control. On the whole, the outlook for the restoration of peace in China in the near future is not promising. THE REIGN OF CRIME.
By C. M. S.
IN spite of the pleading and protests of moral people of New York, the ruling power of crime and criminals in that city is augmented from day to day. Ministers of the Gospel have denounced the "rule of the boss," but the reign of crime continues unabated. In a recent issue of Harper's Weekly, Mr. Franklin Matthews publishes what the New York Evening Post calls "the most terrible story that has thus far appeared of the way in which Mr. Croker's institution is corrupting and brutalizing the city of New York." The writer gives facts and figures to show that during the last three years of "boss rule" the death rate in the tenement districts has greatly increased; and that there has been "an enormous increase in crimes against children, of the most inhuman and depraved character;" an increase in the number of burials in the Potter's Field; an increase of three hundred per cent. in the number of murders; and the rapid rise of a regular traffic in bringing girls, under promise of good situations, to New York for immoral purposes. In referring to this last item, Mr. Matthews declares that this business was never more flourishing than at present. From the figures given it is seen that in the year 1899 there was an increase of 1,244 in the number of felonies, and an increase of 610 in the number of grand larceny cases; but the arrests of liquor men for violation of law fell off 326, and the number of arrests for keeping gambling houses was less than for any year since 1885. Mr. Matthews asks why this is, and declares that the answer is found in the fact that the gambling-house keepers subscribed $100,000 to the election fund of the mayor. The number of arrests for keeping disorderly houses has fallen from 488 in 1895 to 180 in 1899. "And yet," says Mr. Matthews, "the town is wide open, notoriously wide open." This record of sin, official bribery, and the covering up of wickedness is an exact fulfilment of that remarkable prophecy of Micah: "They all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire; so they wrap it up. . . . The day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity." Micah 7: 2-4. The world is now entering upon its period of "perplexity," and the day of its "visitation" is nigh at hand. Nothing could more fittingly describe the present condition of things in the world than the utterance of the Word of God. The "judge asketh for a reward," and he gets it, and the guilty go free, while the innocent suffer; and the "great man" is often in league with the promoters of the most "mischievous" schemes; while evil men and women accumulate wealth in the service of sin, under the protection of those who should have enforced the law against them. It is a terrible picture, and the only consolation is in the fact that the very terribleness of the times is an unmistakable evidence that this work of evil will soon and suddenly be cut short. Darkness folds a denser mantle over the earth just before the break of day. We are in that darkness now, and the day is at hand. C. M. S. Disorder at London Volunteers’ Reception
THE City of London Imperial Volunteers returned from South Africa on October 29, and in the reception given them by the inhabitants of London, as they marched through the streets, over two hundred persons were injured, and ten are reported to have lost their lives. The press report of the reception states that it “was a scene of unchecked saturnalia that met the eye. Fighting and swearing throngs struggled among themselves for the right of way. Policemen were borne helpless upon the tide of patriotic enthusiasm, whose invariable characteristic was drunkenness, partial or complete. London was turned over to the worst elements of its population. Many of the returning volunteers sought to disguise themselves in order to avoid the recognition of the crowd. As it was, several were nearly pulled to pieces by the rough embracings and hand-shakings of drunken men. After clearing one street, forty persons requiring the aid of the ambulance surgeons were left lying on the ground, several suffering from serious injuries.” Boer Guerrilla Tactics Continue
The Boers are keeping up their guerrilla tactics in the Orange River Colony, and are causing much trouble to scouting parties or small companies of the British. The British garrison at Jacobsdahl was attacked on October 27; but the attack was repelled, tho the garrison had fourteen killed and twenty wounded. On the same day an engagement between General Knox and General De Wett occurred at Rensburg Drift, in which the Boers were defeated and compelled to abandon some of their guns and ammunition. Several thousand Boers are still in the field, operating in small comandos, but easily concentrating when occasion demands. Coal Miners’ Strike Nears End
THE strike of coal miners is practically at an end. The men will return to work at an advance of ten per cent. in wages. All of the companies have not yet agreed to the increase of wages and the reduction in the price of powder; but in such as have, operations will begin at once. On the 23d of October considerable property belonging to the Lehigh and Wilkesbarre Coal Company was destroyed by a mob of strikers. The deputies and police appointed to guard the property were powerless against the rioters. American Troops Defeated in Philippines
Two COMPANIES of American troops, under command of Lieutenant Febiger, were defeated by an overwhelming force of Filipinos on October 24. The commanding officer was among those killed on the American side. Detachments from two American regiments were attacked at Looc by 400 Filipinos. The latter were routed, with a loss of 75. In certain districts of the Philippines there is a daily increase of the numbers of those opposing the American troops. Military Reorganization in Cuba
By order of the President, on October 29, the military management of Cuba was so changed as to agree with the regular military departments of the United States. General Wood has been placed in charge of that department, and General Fitzhugh Lee, who had charge of one division of Cuba, has been placed in charge of the Department of the Missouri. Gen. E. S. Otis has been placed in charge of the Department of the Lakes. Deadly Explosion in New York
An explosion occurred in the building occupied by Tarrant & Co., druggists, of New York City, on October 29, which completely wrecked that building and all buildings in its immediate vicinity. In all twelve large brick buildings were shattered, and many of their occupants killed or maimed. The number of dead is not known, but it is believed that not less than thirty or forty lost their lives. Assault on Governor Roosevelt’s Party
At Elmira, New York, on October 29, Governor Roosevelt and party were assaulted with various kinds of missiles while on the way to a political meeting. A fight ensued, in which a number of persons were seriously injured. Protest Against Sale of Danish West Indies
THE report that the Danish West Indies were to be sold to the United States is said to have aroused a storm of protest from the inhabitants of the islands, who say that they “do not wish to be sold.” On former occasions when the matter of the purchase of these islands by the United States has been discussed, no protest was heard from the islanders. America’s present course seems to have aroused the suspicion of the islanders. Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Cylinder
MARCONI, the promoter of the wireless telegraph system, has abandoned the tall tower, with its upright wire, and relies only upon a cylinder four feet high standing on the instrument table. The messages radiated from this cylinder have been read over a distance of sixty miles. With the exception of the cylinder, the system is operated substantially the same as with the tower. Death of Frederick Max Muller
FREDERICK MAX MULLER, professor of comparative philology at Oxford University, England, died at London on October 28. Professor Muller was one of the greatest linguists of the world, and, tho a German by birth, spent the greater part of his life in England, and four years ago became a member of the queen's privy council. Gold in the United States Treasury
The total amount of gold in the United States Treasury is now $451,477,404, the highest point ever reached. This is more than the amount held by the Bank of France, and with the exception of the secret hoard of Russia, is believed to be the largest single accumulation of gold in the world. Yaqui Indians on the War-Path
A REPORT from Mexico states that the Yaqui Indians are again on the war-path in the State of Sonora, and mining and railroad operations have had to be abandoned. Six thousand Mexican troops are in the field, but, on account of the rough country, can do little against the Indians. Telegraph to Dawson Delayed
Owing to an engineering error, the telegraph to Dawson will not be in operation this winter. Very bad weather has been encountered, and seventy miles of the wire have been overlapped, the ends of the two lines being on opposite sides of a mountain range. Railroad Employees Killed or Injured
DURING the year ending June 30, 1900, 51,000 railroad employees were killed or injured, out of a total of 227,000 employed. This means that more than twenty-five per cent. of the men so employed were killed or maimed during those twelve months. A SEVERE earthquake occurred at Caracas, Venezuela, on October 29, in which fifteen persons lost their lives, and many more were injured. The president of the republic was among the injured, having suffered a broken leg. C. L. ALVORD, the defaulting teller of the First National Bank of New York, who is charged with having stolen $700,000 from that institution, was arrested at Boston, on October 29, and taken to New York for trial. Largest Battleship Built in America
THE largest battle-ship ever built in this country was launched at the Cramps shipyard, Philadelphia, on October 24, for the Russian Government. The ship is 376 feet in length, and has a displacement of 12,700 tons. American Squadron Causes Uneasiness in Constantinople
A CORRESPONDENT of the London Daily Mail, at Constantinople, states that great uneasiness has been caused in political circles there, by the report that an American squadron was approaching. Hayes Heads Southern Pacific Railway
Charles M. Hayes, of the Grand Trunk Railway, has been appointed to the presidency of the Southern Pacific Railway, filling the vacancy caused by the death of Collis P. Huntington. Strike Clash at Valley Field
In a conflict between striking mill hands and the militia at Valley Field, near Montreal, Canada, on October 25, more than a score of persons were wounded, some fatally. Canadian Gold Lump Weighs 753 Pounds
A CANADIAN mining company recently shipped to the assay office on Wall Street, New York, a solid lump of gold weighing 753 pounds, and valued at $154,000. Transport Lawton Brings 545 Destitute Miners
The U. S. transport Lawton arrived at Seattle, Wash., on October 26, bringing 545 destitute miners from Cape Nome, free of transportation charges. French Steamer Collision Kills 24
In a collision between two French steamers off the coast of Spain on October 24, one was sunk, and twenty-four members of her crew were drowned. California Population Reaches 1,485,053
The present population of the State of California, as announced by the census bureau, is 1,485,053, representing an increase since 1890 of 276,923. Somaliland Tribes in Rebellion
Two of the tribes of Somaliland are reported to be in rebellion, and Emperor Menelek has interfered to preserve the peace in that part of Africa. American Troops Await Transportation
It is reported that all the American troops that have been ordered to leave China are now at Tientsin awaiting transportation to Manila. Serious Train Wreck at Dehart
A SERIOUS train wreck occurred at Dehart, Montana, on October 29, in which seven persons were instantly killed and seven others injured. SENATOR JOHN SHERMAN was buried at Mansfield, Ohio, on October 25. Senator Sherman left an estate valued at over $2,000,000. Iron Mountain Miners Strike
At the Iron Mountain mines, near Redding, Cal., 350 men went out on strike, October 24, for an eight-hour work day. Thanksgiving Day Proclaimed
By Editor
President McKinley has proclaimed Thursday, November 29, Thanksgiving day. Alcohol and Its Effects
By W. H. Riley
ALCOHOL; ITS HISTORY, AND ITS EFFECTS UPON SOCIETY.
By W. H. Riley, M.D., Superintendent of Colorado Sanitarium, Boulder, Colo.
[All rights reserved.] THE quantity of intoxicating liquor sold and consumed in even one day is something almost incredible. In a letter written ten years since by Mr. Powderly, master workman of the Knights of Labor, this statement occurs, "In the city of New York alone it is estimated that not less than $250,000 a day are spent for drink." If a fortune like this is squandered in one day in one city, what must be the total for the country! and what the grand total for the world! Mr. F. N. Barrett, editor of the New York Grocer, made an estimate of the annual "cost of alcoholic beverages to consumers in the United States" (1886), and, after deducting 10 per cent. for various forms of useful consumption, places his estimate at $711,000,000. This estimate is none too low, for one of the purposes of this computation was "to put a stop to the wild stories constantly circulated regarding the enormous sum annually spent in the United States for alcoholic beverages." Yet do these figures look at all flattering? Dr. William Hargreaves, author of "Alcohol and Science," taking figures from the U. S. Bureau of Statistics as to the quantity of liquor used in 1886, prepared the following table:—
Domestic spirits, 70,751,355 gals., at $6 per gal. . $424,508,130
Domestic malt liquors, 20,669,235 bbls. (640,746,288 gals.), at $20 per bbl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413,384,700
Imported spirits, 1,410,259 gals., at $10 per gal. . . . 14,102,590
Imported wines, 4,700,827 gals., at $5 per gal. . . . . . 23,504,135
Imported malt liquors, 2,221,432 gals., at $2 per gal. . 4,442,864
Domestic wines, 17,366,393 gals., at $2 per gal. . . . . 34,732,786
Total, 737,196,554 gals., costing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $914,675,205 The prices upon which this calculation is based are those used by Dr. Young, chief of the Bureau of Statistics, and the estimated liquor bill for the country for the year 1886 must, therefore, be in the neighborhood of $900,000,000. Taking the prices used by Dr. Young, and the consumption of alcoholic liquors in 1896 as given in the World Almanac, we compile the following table for that year:—
Domestic spirits, 69,510,373 gals., at $6 per gal. . . $417,062,238
Domestic malt liquors, 34,752,439 bbls. (1,077,325,634 gals.), at $20 per bbl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 695,048,780
Imported spirits, 1,541,594 gals., at $10 per gal. . . . 15,415,940
Imported wines, 4,101,649 gals., at $5 per gal. . . . . . 20,508,245
Imported malt liquor, 3,300,531 gals., at $2 per gal. . 6,601,062
Domestic wines, 14,599,757 gals., at $2 per gal. . . . . 29,199,514
Total, 1,170,379,448 gallons, costing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,183,835,776 This immense sum of money is beyond our comprehension. Assuming the population of the United States to be 70,000,000, the amount spent for liquor would average $17 annually for every man, woman, and child in the country,—enough to pay the salaries of the 400,000 public school-teachers for five years. The eleven hundred million gallons would fill a reservoir 100 feet wide, 30 feet deep, and 12 miles long, and would float all the war ships of the United States. The reports for 1896 show 216,358 retail and 10,397 wholesale liquor dealers in the United States, making a total of 230,476 engaged in this business, or one liquor firm to every 60 voters. The capital invested in the liquor business is estimated at more than a billion dollars. The grain consumed in one year in the manufacture of malt liquors would, if made into bread instead, supply each family of the land with 150 large loaves of bread. And, large as these numbers are, they are increasing. The accompanying diagram of the nation's drink bill for twenty years makes this very evident. From 1881 to 1896 the annual consumption of liquor has increased from 538,000,000 gallons to 1,170,000,000 gallons—more than 100 per cent. During the same time the population has increased from 50,000,000 to 70,000,000, or 40 per cent. Thus the consumption of liquor has increased two and one-half times as fast as the population. To what will this in a few years bring us? LIKE AS A BIRD.
By C. A. Smith
LIKE as a bird in the clear, sunny morning,
Flying and singing toward heaven above,
So sings my soul to the praise of my Saviour,
Flying toward Him on the pinions of love;
Praising His name for the blessings He gives me,
Strength for each task and His love for my song,
Gladly I bask in the light of His glory,
Trusting His hand as He guides me along. Like as a bird in the midst of the tempest,
Resting secure in the Father's own care,
So rests my soul in the midst of the trial,
Knowing how sure all His promises are;
Storm clouds of wrath may be bursting about me,
Satan in hate send his fiercest alarms,
Safe in the strength of my Saviour I'm trusting,
Resting at peace in His almighty arms. Like as a bird calmly watches the nightfall,
Waiting in peace for the bright, golden dawn,
So rest, my soul, when death's shadows steal o'er thee,
Sleeping in Him till its darkness is gone,
Knowing that soon from the tomb He will call thee
Forth in the glorious morning so bright;
Swift to Him then, like the bird in the morning,
Fly to His arms on the pinions of light.
Oakland, Cal. C. A. SMITH. Two MEN stood at the same table in a large factory, at the same trade. Having an hour for their nooning every day, each undertook to use it in accomplishing a definite purpose; each persevered for about the same number of months, and each won success at last. One of these two mechanics used his daily leisure hour in working out his invention of a machine for sawing a block of wood in almost any desired shape. When he completed his invention, he sold the patent for a fortune. The other man—what did he do?—Well, he spent an hour each day during the most of a year in the very difficult undertaking of teaching a little dog to stand on his hind feet and dance a jig. At last accounts he was working ten hours a day at the same trade and at his old wages, finding fault with the fate that made his fellow-workman rich while leaving him poor. Leisure moments may bring golden grain to the mind as well as to the purse, if one harvests wheat instead of chaff.—Wide Awake. THE starling is a pretty little bird, and it is often, when tamed, taught to whistle tunes, and even to speak a few words. This story is told of how one starling used its gift of speech:— A lawyer had a cage hanging on the wall in his office in which was a starling. He had taught the little fellow to answer when he called it. A boy named Charlie came in one morning. The lawyer left the boy there while he went out for a few minutes. When he returned, the bird was gone. "Where is my bird?" he asked. Charlie replied that he did not know anything about it. "But, Charlie, that bird was in the cage when I went out. Now tell me all about it; where is it?" Charlie declared that he knew nothing about it, that the cage door was open, and he guessed the bird had flown out. The lawyer called out, "Starling, where are you?" The bird spoke right out of the boy's pocket, and just as plain as it could, "Here I am." Ah, what a fix that boy was in! He had stolen the bird, had hidden it, as he supposed, in a safe place, and had told two lies to conceal his guilt. It was a testimony that all the world would believe. The boy had nothing to say. THE German botanist, Alfred Möller, tho not a sluggard, has gone to the ant and considered her ways, and a writer in Good Words tells of the wisdom which accrued therefrom. He discovered that tropical ants never eat the pieces of leaves which they may sometimes be seen carrying. Instead, they knead them for a quarter of an hour, forming them into doughy little pellets. These form a vegetable soil, over which a fungus grows, on the surface of which appear little knobs of mushrooms about the size of a pin-head. These mushrooms are the only food of the ants, who work hard at fetching and kneading leaves all their lives.