The national convention of the Brotherhood of Railroad Carmen was held recently in the city of Atlanta, Ga., delegates being present from every State in the United States, from Canada and from Panama. At an open air meeting held in the immense Auditorium, and attended by thousands of citizens of Atlanta, there were utterances from the speakers which were very significant, indicating the spirit that is gaining control of the minds of men and women, and showing what may be expected when the angels are bidden to loose the four winds. The address that met with the heartiest approval, and was cheered to the echo, was presented by a woman. It was filled with expressions of denunciation of the money power, the trusts, corporations, etc., designating them as tyrants, plunderers, murderers, blood-suckers, and applying to them many other names too horrible to mention. The paper was read with telling effect upon the audience.
The writer has no words of justification for the wicked and oppressive acts of the rich, neither can he condone deeds of violence on the part of those who are not rich. The principles of right and wrong are applicable to all classes and conditions, and human nature is the same in all mankind. Ex-Governor Hoke Smith, who was present, said, “Do not feel hard toward the rich man; if you were in his place, you would do just as he does,” which is, in the main, true.
We are fast hastening to that time when, as in the days that were before the flood, the earth will be filled with violence. Knowing that this time is so close upon us, do we realize what we owe to our Heavenly Father for warning us of these things? May we make haste to finish the gospel work quickly.
There are millions yet to be warned, many of whom are just as honest as we, and will accept the message for these times when their attention is called to it. We must not rest content with the assurance that we are saved. The gospel must go to “every creature” in this generation, and we must each do our part. Then when the storm breaks, we can say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. . . . Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.”
Growing Older
By Richard L. Swain
THERE is but one way to prevent growing old, and that simple way is to grow older. The child has the true instinct, for every child wants to grow older. The thought of growing old rarely ever enters his mind, but the thought of growing older fills his heart all the day long, and even at night the boy will dream of being a man; and happy is the boy if the time never comes when he would like to turn the flight of time backward. The boy feels, in spite of all warnings and all the caution that come from his seniors, feels all through his expanding being, that there is something better ahead. We can remember how people used to say to us, “These are your best days.” The same remark is still made to the youth in high school, “You will have no more days like these;” and the college student is constantly hearing from his seniors, “Just about the second day after commencement you will strike the real thing, and then you will learn how poor and mean life is.”
The only redeeming feature of this situation is that neither children nor youth will believe it. Thank God for that! And it is a profound pity that any one should so live that he could believe it.
Browning, with his familiar lines in “Rabbi Ben Ezra,” has furnished us a most excellent outline of this theme:—
“Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life for which the first was made;
Our times are in his hand
Who saith, ‘A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid.’”
On the coast of Maine I sat talking with a friend when a passing stranger called out, “Gentlemen, excuse me, but I must ask you to share with me the glory of this sunset.” Our friends say, “You simply must enjoy the coming concert with me,” or, “Do let us climb this favorite mountain of mine.” Men and women are exclaiming, “Look at the beautiful flowers,” “Listen to the bird’s song,” “Let us enjoy together mountain and lake;” but here is a man who says, “O come along with me, and let us grow older together, and let us see something more splendid than we have ever yet seen!” Now, if men and women were generally saying to their friends who are lagging behind: “Let us get this splendid vision that lies beyond,” what fine service they might do for their fellow men, and how perfectly delightful it would be if men and women always believed what the youth believes. “I shall never be satisfied until I know the things which lie in the depths of God’s heart.”—Richard L. Swain, Ph. D., in Homiletic Review.
A Little Child Shall Lead Them
“DADDY! daddy! And you said you wouldn’t.” There was a world of disappointment in the tiny tot’s voice that sounded strangely out of harmony with the surroundings in the kitchen of the old-fashioned country inn where Jack Mitchel and two companions sat drinking their half-pints. “Us’ll cry again,” she continued, and then, putting her finger into her mouth, stood strangely silent.
Dot, the apple of Jack’s eye, from her home on the opposite side of the road, had caught sight of her father entering the saloon. Before her mother could stop her, away she toddled as fast as her legs could carry her, gleefully calling out, “Daddy! daddy! Dot’s coming,” for she loved daddy, and she knew daddy loved her.
But when she entered and saw him with a mug of liquor raised to his mouth, her voice lost its sweetness; she looked, stopped, and then uttered her childish reproach.
It didn’t mean much to the others, but to Jack it meant a lot. As if stricken nerveless, the mug fell from his grasp, and, ashamed of himself, he hid his face.
Jack was a good man, hard working, full of affection and devotion to his wife and child. Yet the enemy had been gaining the mastery over him. Only the other day, he had gone home under the influence of liquor, his nature for the first time being quite changed.
Snappy and churlish, he had reproached his wife, and when little Dot sought to clamber onto his knee, he had pushed her away.
“Daddy won’t love me!” cried the child, and tears trickled down her cheeks, to keep company with those that welled from her mother’s eyes.
A sensible woman, she said nothing then, but when he was sober, she had pleaded with him, “Jack, do give it up!” and he had promised he would, and his little daughter coming in just at the moment, he had picked her up in his arms and said, “Daddy won’t have any more of the horrid stuff!”
And now his promise was broken.
But it was the last time. What preaching could not have done, that childish reproach had done. “The young teetotaler,” as Jack Brown called her, fixed his resolve. Pulling himself together, he paid his money, gathered his heart’s treasure into his arms, then turning to his mates, said: “Chaps, no more for me! I’ve taken my last. The little ’un’s made a man of me. She sha’n’t reproach me again.” He went out of the house, and the saloonkeeper never welcomed him as a customer again.
“A little child shall lead them.”
A little child led him, just when he needed to be led.—The Water Lily.
Spiritual Rheumatism
ONE cause for rheumatism is eating too much and exercising too little. The body does not get a chance to burn up its nourishment, so it accumulates as waste matter, and the system becomes filled with clinkers.
That is what is the matter with some Christians. They go to meeting, they read good books, they eat plenty of spiritual food, but they never do anything for anybody. They become spiritually surfeited, and they soon get so full of spiritual rheumatism that it is actually painful for them to do anything for God, even if it be so small a thing as take part in a prayer-meeting, much less speak to some needy person of how to get his soul saved, or to cause the widow's heart to sing for joy. Are you afflicted with spiritual rheumatism?—Life Boat.
Faith in God
“FAITH says not, ‘I see that it is good for me, and so God must have sent it,’ but, ‘God sent it, and so it must be good for me.’ Have faith in God.”
Samoa
By JOS. E. STEED
JOS. E. STEED
“The wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.” Were it not that God has spoken these words, it would be very hard for his servants to bear up under some of the experiences through which they pass while trying to give the message in these island fields. For many reasons, the Samoans object to German rule over them. One great reason is that many of their ancient customs are being ignored and discarded, and other customs are being introduced. To this they have a great aversion. They do not like taking up anything of European form. If one does anything of that kind, he becomes the object of ridicule.
On that account some of the tribes of Savai'i have objected to German rule. For a long time the governor tried to reason with them that these were for their good, until finally they rebelled against his rule. It seemed as if war would take place. A fleet of war-ships was sent here from the China Sea. An ultimatum was sent to the rebelling factions to surrender at a given time, with their arms. This made all anxious to know what would take place. Every preparation was made for an attack on the rebels, if they failed to surrender, even to the painting of the guns and dyeing to make them in harmony with the surrounding verdure of the bush.
Just before the time came for an attack to begin, the rebels began to surrender. The result was peace, instead of war, for which we thank our Heavenly Father. We began to work for the soldiers, and invited many of them to our home, and gave them what literature we had in their language. Some of them attended our meetings, with the result that several have left us with the intention of further investigating the truth. One told us that he had made up his mind to leave the navy when his time was finished in October, and connect with our people. He said, “The Sabbath is right, and I am going to keep it.”
Our hearts rejoice because, after waiting some time, we have now some literature in the language of the Samoans and Chinese. We are glad that it is our Leader who says that the gospel message shall go to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” Were it not for this, we could not hope to do so great a work as we see before us, in reaching forty thousand Samoans, one thousand Chinese, and about five hundred natives from the Solomon and other islands.
In the opposition that is raised against us, we are beginning to see the effect of our work. But the Lord has said, “Every controversy, every reproach, every slander, will be God's means of provoking inquiry, and awakening minds that would otherwise slumber.” There is much to encourage us in our work among the Chinese. We have distributed quite a number of tracts among them, and have been taking a club of Chinese Gospel Herald for this year, and have yearly subscribers for nearly all our club. Those who know a little English speak well of the paper.
This work is certainly done under difficulties. Many of the Chinese can not understand us, nor can we understand them. Our hearts go out to them. Of all the people in these islands, the poor Chinese are having the hardest time. They do the very hard work here, and receive but few kind words from any one.
A SAMOAN PRINCESS
The life of the Solomon and New British islanders is also very hard here. Many of them are away from their own land against their will. No one thinks of doing anything for them, and they left their native islands before they learned to read their own language. Some of them have been to Australia, and have learned a little English. We have started a night school to try to help them, teaching them God's Word as we teach them English. This to us is a mountain of difficulty. But faith removes the mountain, and we are determined to do what we can for them.
We have quite a good number of Fijians. For them our friends in Buresala, Fiji, are sending a club of Raramas. And so in these ways we are trying to work for all in our field, trusting the Lord to give the increase, as we are sure he will do.
We desire to thank our kind friends for the literature sent to us. We are using it in every way we can, and are still glad to receive anything bearing on the message, in English or German. We will promise to use it to the best advantage.
India
By B. A. Kurtz
B. A. KURTZ
PRIOR to this year I spent most of my time in language study, canvassing for our literature, and nursing. But last April I came to Bhaluty, a native village in the Himalayas, where there were a few who had heard of the message and were interested. On my arrival, I was taken to the home of a native sister, where the best room in the house was given me. A few days later we began a course of Bible studies on present truth. From six to eight attended every day. They seemed much interested, and often in their prayers would thank God for the light they were receiving in regard to his Word. A native Christian and his wife came fourteen miles to study the message, and they are now both observing the true Sabbath. While on their journey here, the woman was thrown from her horse, and had her back severely injured, so that she could scarcely walk, and was unable to stand erect. Fomentations were given her, which entirely relieved the pain. The Lord certainly answered prayer in her case.
One day a native Christian, living at some distance, came to inquire about our religious teaching. We were having a study on the spirit of prophecy. He listened very intently, and at the close said, “This is all very wonderful, and entirely new to me. Could you not let me have some books from which I could learn more in regard to this new teaching?” I gave him several tracts, one on the seal of God and the mark of the beast. The following week I received a letter from him, stating that he had read this, and was thoroughly convinced that what it taught was the truth, and that if he wished to be true to God, he would have to observe the seventh day. From the tone of his letter, he seemed to be in great distress, as he was in government employ. He has a wife and six children dependent upon him. Some time later I received another letter, saying that he had had no peace of mind, and had decided to resign his position, and trust the Lord to provide for him. This he did on the first of August. Last week he wrote to me, saying, “You no doubt will rejoice to learn that your prayers for me have been heard, and that I am now among the number who refuse to have the mark of the beast.” After reading this, I felt strongly impressed to write and ask him if he would not like to canvass for a little pamphlet, the one written13by Brother L. J. Burgess, as he could in this way help to spread the message, and at the same time provide for his family. I thought this would be a test, as the people of this country do not take very kindly to canvassing. A few days after, he came, saying that he was ready to engage in the work. I gave him a number of the pamphlets, and he seemed quite happy as he started out. I believe he is sincere, and I ask that you especially remember him in prayer, that God may greatly bless him in this work.
I had been in Bhaluty only a few weeks when some of the children came and requested me to open a day school, as they wished to learn English. On May 18 we opened a school, with seven pupils. It has grown steadily, until now we have thirty-five enrolled, ranging in age from five to twenty-six years. They study both Hindi and English. One of our native sisters teaches the former, and I the latter. It is certainly encouraging to notice the progress they are making, and it is a pleasure to teach them. Some, when they entered, did not know one English letter from another, but they are now able to spell quite a number of short words, and give the translation, also to translate short sentences. Some, when they entered, did not know reading. At present we are teaching reading, spelling, writing, and arithmetic in both languages.
When we opened our school, we held our classes under the trees; but since the rainy season began, we have been conducting our school work, under difficulties, in the house at which I am staying, of which I will give you a description. The house is of one story, about forty feet long and fifteen feet wide, including the veranda. At one end I have my room—bedroom, dining-room, and kitchen, all in one. This is about twelve by twelve feet, and has a little iron grated opening, about twelve by fourteen inches, which takes the place of a window. I also have part of the veranda curtained off, which I use as a study room. In two small rooms not so large as mine, the family lives; and in the next room the goats are stabled.
Now do not imagine that we have wood floors, or even cement; it is simply the bare ground; and when the floor needs cleaning, it is given a fresh coat of mud. I do not mean that this takes the place of sweeping; but when the ground becomes broken from walking on it, it is given a coat of mud, which hardens when dry, and so keeps the dust from rising.
We now have to crowd our pupils on the narrow veranda, which is about twenty feet long and four feet wide. I hope that in the near future we may be able to put up a school building in this vicinity, so that the work can be conducted under more favorable conditions. I am in hopes that through the education of the children we shall be able to gain the confidence of the parents, to win them for the Master. Nearly all our pupils are of Hindu parentage, observing the caste system and worshiping idols. My prayer is that God may give me wisdom to know how to instruct these children so that they will see the folly of both these systems, and worship only the true God. When we first opened the school, quite a number of them would attend Sabbath-school. Lately there have been only a few attending; but the books we use in the school are of a religious character, and I trust that the seeds of truth that shall be sown through this means may be blessed of God to their salvation.
I am enjoying the work, and sincerely thank God for giving me a part in proclaiming this last message to these people. The Lord is also blessing me with health, for which I am truly thankful. I think I have never enjoyed better health than at present.
Jeolikote.
In the Roman-Swiss Conference
By Guy Dail
GUY DAIL
THE twenty-fourth annual session of the Roman-Swiss (the old Central European) Conference was held August 16-21, at Yverdon, a city of nearly ten thousand inhabitants. The camp was beautifully located in an orchard near the town. The outside interest was the largest we ever had in Switzerland, as many as six or seven hundred strangers coming to the public lectures. There were about three hundred fifty of our own people present. Eleven were baptized Sabbath afternoon. In the revival service of the morning, about sixty came forward for prayer. It was gratifying to see the spirit of union that prevailed, and to note how many promising young people were on the grounds, and to witness the liberality that characterized the brethren in their efforts to assist the Latin Union school secure its own permanent quarters, to which over ten thousand seven hundred francs was pledged and three hundred francs given in cash.
GENERAL VIEW OF YVERDON
Little Roman- or French-Switzerland has ever been a great financial strength to our work in the Latin Union Conference. To-day the conference not only gives two tithes to the union conference to aid in carrying on the evangelization of the union mission fields, but it carries the wage of the head teacher in the union school at Gland, and supports a laborer in the Northern France Mission. One might almost think that, in their attitude toward the Latin Union Missions, the five hundred sixty-four members of this small conference were in some ways trying to follow the example of the illustrious Pestalozzi, whose monument is before his old school at Yverdon, and of whom it is said: “His greatest merit is that he set an example of absolute self-abnegation, that he lived with his pupils, played, starved, and suffered with them.” It was from 1805-25 that this self-sacrificing man worked and labored for the children here in Yverdon. Such devotion as he showed to his work will enable us in all parts of the world to be successful in bringing others into present truth.
The labors of the young people in scattering literature have been crowned with much success in some of the Roman-Swiss churches. In one place over four hundred francs net income has been realized from the distribution of the French Signs of the Times by the youth alone. We believe that missionary effort of this kind will prove a great blessing to those who take part in it, desiring only the honor of God. This will aid us in practically educating missionaries; and the large French-speaking colonies must be worked by those who are masters of the language. We look with hope to the youth of French-Switzerland, expecting that they will so dedicate their powers to the Master's service that we shall see many of them volunteering for hard, active labor at the front. Although the country is small, so far as territory is concerned, yet there are whole cantons, especially in the Italian-speaking districts, that we have as yet not touched by ministerial labor, and there is still plenty of room for the students of the Gland school to get a practical experience in the field at home, before they are called to take up the cross in remote and unfavorable climes.
The assistance of the ten native workers at the meeting, as well as the efforts of the visiting brethren (Elders L. R. Conradi and J. N. Loughborough of the General Conference, and Elder L. P. Tieche, president of the Latin Union14Conference), was encouraging, helpful, and upbuilding. The people have gained a new experience in the things of God. Last year fifty-three were received into membership in this field. Elder Joseph Curdy was re-elected president, and we believe that he, with his fellow laborers, and all the dear Roman-Swiss brethren will be able to go forth to their labor this year with renewed courage and faith in the final triumph of the message among the eight hundred thousand inhabitants of their conference. Just now there is quite a standstill in the watch-making business, so that financially times are rather hard; but we know that if these things drive the workers and the people to God in earnest prayer, the scripture will be fulfilled which assures those that love him that all things work together for good (Rom. 8: 28), and the publishing, the educational, and the sanitarian work will see still greater blessing in the future, and many souls will be gathered in to prepare to meet their God.
Vergeze, France.
The Work of the Missionary’s Wife
By T. T. Williams
SCANT justice would be done to the work of missions, if no account were taken of the work done by the wives of the missionaries. Their work is seldom reported, and is not always reportable, but it has to be done all the same. In one sense, their work is never done, for they are always at it, helping in a score of unnumbered and unsentimental ways. They visit the schools, conduct the sewing classes, look after the Bible women, and teach the female Bible classes, look after the women of the churches,—old folk, young folk, well folk, feeble folk, and all sorts of folk who need bits of help, and odds and ends of guidance, good advice, and wise suggestion,—besides that which cometh upon them daily—the care of their households, their small families, and the attention native servants all require.
They have to make the most of the preparations for their husbands when they go off on itinerating tours—see to their cooking utensils, stores, stretcher, bedding, etc. Some of these men would starve by the way if their good wives did not look after them. If there are any social amenities to be observed in order to good standing in the community, as there are sometimes, the wives have to see to them, or they will not be done. They have to see that their husbands are not barbarized while about their work. Some of the husbands would go round with sleeves out at the elbows, or in their cook’s white drill coat which the washerman had by mistake put along with the missionary’s, or in shoes careened over on one side and tied with twine, if their wives did not look after them. They would get to taking their breakfast in the pantry, or on their desks, or even go off into the country without breakfast, if left to themselves. Every time they return from an itinerating tour, their wives have to put them through their facings, make them presentable to society, and not a discredit to those that sent them out. Nor is this all that missionaries’ wives have to do and see after. They have to be the general supplementers in most mission fields of all manner of minor unfinished items in the round of missionary life.
In some fields the wives have to mix medicines, spread plasters, give out doses of “pain-killer,” quinin, castor-oil, warn the children against green fruit and colic, put on patches, sew on buttons, deal out bits of thread and needles, doctor the children, ask the children how their mothers are, and the mothers how the children are, keep count of the baptizing gowns, look after the preparations for the communion service, keep the desk supplied with pens, ink, paper, and postage-stamps; and so on, and so on, with twenty other things of no account in making up a “report,” but all of which are most valuable items of solid missionary usefulness, and go a very long way in making the work of their husbands a success or a failure.
There are many gifted, cultured, gracious women, whose devotion to the cause of foreign missions is soul-refreshing to see or to read about. But there are also others, equally gracious women, although not equally gifted and cultured, whose labors, sacrifices, and influence are and have been such as even their more gifted and cultured sisters have never come near—gentle, sweet-tempered, tender-hearted, unobtrusive women, who, seldom seen on platforms and never in the pulpit, and little heard of even in missionary circles, are not much reckoned among the workers and forces making for righteousness; and yet the influence, example, and work of such are among the most powerful factors in the mission field. For not only do they reign as queens in their own homes,—which are always models of what such ought to be in cleanliness, comfort, and hospitality (“Marys in the house of God, Marthas in their own”),—but also in the huts and homes of the natives, because they reign in the hearts of the native women, who adore them, and look up to them as their highest example of all that is Christian, womanly, and motherly.
With limited gifts and but little culture—as those words are generally understood—they are greatly gifted in tact, mother-wit, and sanctified common sense, and rich in that heart-culture which counts for so much in all Christian work, but especially in foreign mission work. Like their prototype, Mary of old, they do what they can, and their influence and example, like the odor of her ointment, are felt far and near. For they fill their fields of labor with their aroma, penetrating to the most unthought-of places, and permeating all the ways and walks of native and missionary home, social, and public life. Such are not only mothers in Israel, sisters in sorrow, and helpers in every season of affliction and time of need, but they are the Marys, Marthas, Dorcases, Priscillas, and Phoebe’s of the mission field, and rare and precious blessings they are to it and to all connected with it.—Rev. T. T. Williams, in “Thirty Years in Madagascar.”
The New Earth
By L. D. Santee
L. D. SANTEE
“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Matt. 5:5.
I HAVE heard of a land full of beauty,
Of pleasures unmixed with alloy,
Where lives that are faithful to duty,
Shall rejoice in a bright dream of joy.
I have heard of the evergreen mountains,
Where the feet of the weary may rest;
Sweet valleys and murmuring fountains
Are found in the home of the blest.
O, the darkness n’er falls on those mountains,
And the clouds never wreathe them with storm,
But their brows, like rainbow gilt fountains,
Are lit with the splendors of morn;
And these headlands gleam ever above us,
Where sin enters not, and no stain.
We shall see there the angels that love us,
Where death cometh not, and no pain.
The “mansions” in heavenly places
Will be shared by the friends that are blest;
And bright eyes and fair, shining faces
Shall welcome the weary to rest;
And my heart, looking up, thrills with pleasure
As I think of that region so fair;
O, there is my home, and my treasure,
And the love of my heart is all there!
Moline, Ill.
Winning Friends
THE secret of getting along with everybody and having a good time wherever you go is to like people and to take an interest in their lives.
It does not matter whether it is a princess or a serving maid, a statesman or a farmer, whom you are thrown with for a few minutes or a few hours; find out the main interest of the life you have met, and talk about that, and you will interest yourself, and your hearer, too.
This human nature lover is a separate and distinct individual from the man who calls himself a student of human nature.
The student looks at his neighbors usually through a quizzing glass, and continually takes inventory of their vices, defects, and weaknesses.
The other person comes to his fellows with love in the heart and in his mind the one thought, “We are brothers and sisters. What can I do for you?” He cares only and looks only for the grand human sentiments in the heart of each man or woman he meets.
And somehow he finds them. Be the quantity great or infinitesimally small, he calls it out. He has friends everywhere. People love him, believe and confide in him. Why?—Because he loves, believes in, and takes an interest in everybody.—Northwestern Christian Advocate.
