p. 13 | Review and Herald, Vol. 93, No. 11. (3/2/1916)

Conducted by Mrs. T. H. Evans, Takoma Park, Washington D. C

By Mrs. T. H. Evans; Miss Lora E. Clement

Assisted by Miss Lora E. Clement

Through the columns of this department, hints will be given on all matters pertaining to the home life. Short articles and letters are solicited from home makers, telling of their everyday experiences,—their joys and sorrows, their failures and successes.

A Sermon for Mothers

By Charles E. Jefferson

FIERCE is the light which beats upon the modern home. The gaze of the world is fixed upon it. It has been discovered by the scientific students of social problems that nearly all our woes flow from defective homes. Our thorns and thistles are rooted in the family. Our tragedies are largely created by fathers and mothers unequal to their task. It is because family life is what it is that social life is what it is. It is because parents are what they are that children in thousands of instances fall far short of the world's expectations. Fathers are notoriously delinquent, and mothers are by no means guiltless.

Housekeeping is a fine and difficult art, and demands a large and trained intelligence. Thousands of mothers are distressingly ignorant. They do not know the elementary laws of health. They know nothing whatever of hygiene. No wonder they are semi-invalids and bequeath their infirmities to their children. They do not know how to cook, or sew, or keep house. They can do all these things bunglingly, but not superbly. Their ignorance of things psychological matches their ignorance of things physical. They understand neither the body nor the mind of a growing child. They do not know how to feed children, or how to manage them, or how to train them. Such ignorance is unpardonable. We live in a day of schools and books. Information on every department of a woman's work is abundant and within easy reach. If a home maker remains ignorant, it is due to intellectual sloth, or lack of ambition to fit herself for the work to which she is called.

Knowledge and Love

But knowledge is not enough. A mother may understand all mysteries and all knowledge, but if she has not love, she is nothing. Strange to say, some mothers seem to be deficient in love. At least their love is not the sort which enables them to lay down their lives for others. It is a divine law that only as one loses himself is it possible for him to find himself. Not a few mothers are afraid to lose themselves. They have lofty notions of their social or artistic or literary gifts, and strong ambitions to develop these to the utmost. They begrudge every moment they give to their children. They hand them over to nurses, and at the earliest possible moment send them off to school. In this way they rob themselves of that enrichment of affection and discipline of spirit which God has provided for mothers who faithfully perform their duties. They lose also the highest raptures which a mother's heart can know.

Mothers who are unwilling to be bothered by their children, cannot expect their children to know or love them. If in the morning a mother refuses to rise up and serve her sons and daughters, she will find in the afternoon that they will not rise up and call her blessed. Many a mother reaches the end of life with a lonely and hungry heart because, when she was young, she was too busy to knit the hearts of her children to her.

It is important that a mother should keep first things first. For instance, the children are first and the house is second. The house was built for the children, and not the children created for the house. If the carpets are more precious than the little feet which scamper over them, then later on the children are likely to be in the street. Some women's thoughts seem to revolve everlastingly around a dustpan and a mop.

First the body, and then the raiment. If the dress is put first, then the health is certain to suffer. The joy of living fades out as soon as life becomes a constant struggle with milliners and dressmakers.

First the life, and then the meat. If the serving of victuals is given precedence over the things of the spirit, then life is in danger of becoming a haggard worry over silver spoons and dishes, tablecloths and napkins.

First God, and then man. If man is placed first, then the child forms the fatal habit of listening to men rather than to God. A child's attitude toward the Eternal is determined in most cases largely by the attitude of his mother. If God is a real power in her life, the children all know it. . . .

A Great Soul, a Noble Heart

More important than anything that the mother does or says, is what she is. She must be a great soul, alert in intellect, noble of heart. Her outlook must be wide, and her sympathies generous and warm. To do her best work in the home, a woman needs to keep her eyes on the world. It is possible to devote oneself too exclusively to household cares. The woman who does this degenerates into a drudge. A drudge is never interesting either to herself or to any one else. The grinding routine of the days will, unless guarded against, leave the spirit jaded. The endless monotony

of commonplace duties is deadening to the higher powers of the soul. Every mother, therefore, needs the influence of the church. To the church the field is always the world. No other institution so liberalizes and broadens the mind. The church stands for service, and it is not service done in a corner, but service carried to the ends of the world. A wise woman is never too busy to take an active interest in movements looking toward the uplift of mankind. . . .

This, then, is essential to the ideal mother; she must be vital, glad, and strong. She must clothe her family with scarlet, and to do this she must herself be clothed with scarlet. She must be radiant. She must wage uncompromising war against worry and fear. These are two demons to be rigorously faced and irretrievably overwhelmed. She must not allow herself to become so cumbered with many cares that she becomes peevish. There is nothing else so destructive of the happiness of the home as a fretful and complaining woman. A woman is certain to become morbid and petulant unless she breathes the atmosphere of a large and varied world. She needs multiplied interests and a wide horizon to keep her brave and bright and true. When Paul wanted the Corinthians to give money to the needy Christians in Palestine, he got them to thinking first of the resurrection of the Son of God and the life eternal. The Hebrew poet made no mistake when he combined in the ideal woman loyalty to home duties and fidelity to outside obligations. The ideal home maker is the ideal philanthropist. She dresses her family with scarlet, and she reaches forth both hands to the great world which needs her. —Charles E. Jefferson, D. D., in the Woman's Home Companion for November.

A Song of Evening

By Arthur W. Spaulding

ARTHUR W. SPAULDING

I’ve just a little work to do before the sun goes down, A little redding up of things before the master comes, A-perking of the children and a touch to cap and gown, A-brushing of the hearthstone where the kettle purrs and hums. And oh, and oh, ’tis joy to me To sift the crowding noises of the evening’s curtain-fall, A-harking and a-listing for the step that is to be, And then the rushing welcome, and the restful peace, and all!

The master in the wheat fields, afar and far away, And I with pots and needlework within our humble cot, A-bent on duty’s love-lit task, have toiled the tiring day; For pretty infants weight as well as light the lowly’s lot. But oh, and oh, each darling one, I’m far from wishing you agone, and bairnless wedders we; For sure you are the hours that link the morn to setting sun; You prison both our pairs of hands, but set our love-hearts free.

The cows are coming up the lane, the sheep bells tinkle soft, The green hills blacken in their rear, and all the fields grow dim; The sun’s bold banners crumple from their battlements aloft, And on the rugged cottage walls the leaping fire-flames limn. And oh, and oh, my heart’s delight! I hear the quickening footfalls of the master at the door! And what care I for drearful day and somber falling night? For I have clasped the love of life, and what should I have more?

The master sits at steaming board, and prays a grateful thanks; And then he rests before the fire, a child at either knee, And once he tells them wondrous tales, and once admires their pranks, And once he nestles them in bed, and once he looks at me. “And oh, and oh, my dear,” I cry, “This joy is like a pledge of heaven, that on our cot doth fall.” And reverent in his mood, saith he, “Betrow that you and I Await with that same joy of love the Master of us all.”

Laborers Together

By Martha E. Warner

MARTHA E. WARNER

It seems to me that 1 Cor. 3:9 was written especially for the consolation of mothers. “For we are laborers together with God.” It means something to be a laborer together with God. He would never call us to this partnership, and then shirk his share of the responsibility, refusing to give strength for our needs, to answer our calls for help, to take anything we have begun in his name, and finish it when we have done our best. We may rest assured that in this he will never fail us. To have done our part to the best of our ability means to have God finish the work.

What is my share, do you ask? It seems to me our share is willingness,—willingness to be taught of God, to take his Word just as it reads, to be controlled by it, and to remember that God will do his part if we will give him a chance.

One mother said to me, “I lie awake nights, the burden is so heavy.” “We pray—and then worry! God says, ‘Be not anxious,’ but too often we act as if we thought he made a mistake when he said that. Does he ask you to worry? Is he pleased when you are impatient?—No; he desires that you shall learn to trust him, to spend more time on your knees, and to pray, pray, pray. Then the peace of God will fill your soul, even though the tears are streaming down your face.

* Clintonville, Conn.

The Art of Refusing

By Mary A. P. Stansbury

Some people are born with a tendency always to say “no.” Reason seems to be eliminated from the case. They take no time to think. Indeed, on consideration their decisions are frequently reversed.

This peculiarity is unfortunate in any relation of life, but perhaps most of all in a parent. The timid child of such a parent learns to dread presenting even the most reasonable request, while the bolder and more hardy child, unless restrained by fear, becomes that unmitigated nuisance, a habitual tease. Still another type, proudly sensitive, nurses its grievance in secret. Even the slow, relenting “yes” following upon a prompt, unreasoning “no,” is like a kiss after a blow—the caress scarcely heals the smart.

A little boy ran excitedly into the room where his mother was sitting with an elderly visitor.

“Mamma,” he cried, “please may I go to the picnic this afternoon?”

“No, Charlie.”

The child turned to leave the room without a word. He was already outside the door when his mother called him back.

“Where is the picnic to be, and who are going?”

“It’s for the fourth-grade children, mamma. Teacher said she would take us to Riverside Park.”

“Oh, well, if Miss Burnham is going, I suppose it will be all right! You may go, Charlie.”

“Thank you, mamma,”—the little fellow’s voice trembled, and the color burned in his cheeks,—“but I don’t think I care to.”

“Why not? You were anxious enough a minute ago.”

“I don’t want to go, mamma.”

“Very well! Stay at home then!” answered the mother impatiently. Then, to her companion, “Of all the unaccountable children!”

“Helen,” said the white-haired woman gently, “forgive me. But suppose you had found out about the picnic before you said ‘no’?”

One rule admits of no exceptions: No mother has the right to refuse a child’s request without an adequate reason.

This does not mean that it is always necessary to explain the reason. But it is quite possible so to deal with a child’s wish that he may understand that a refusal is not careless or arbitrary, but founded upon a good reason.

A mother who has been most successful in inspiring cheerful obedience, always prefaced a denial—except in matters plainly involving right and wrong—with, “I am sorry, dear.”

“We felt,” said one of her children afterward, “that we were yielding not to superior force, but to superior wisdom.”

The child has little perspective. For the time being, the object of his desire fills his horizon. To belittle it outrages his sensibilities and creates distrust. It is the highest office of sympathy to hold his confidence while withholding the coveted indulgence.—Mary A. P. Stansbury, in The Mother’s Magazine.

Train the Little Ones to be Helpful

By Olive Jensen

MRS. OLIVE JENSEN

“WHEN May was only two years old, she would bring in all the wood I needed for the kitchen fire, one stick or sometimes two at a time,” said a young mother to a neighbor. “And this summer, since the baby came, she spreads all the flat pieces on the grass, and brings them in when they are dry.”

“Yes, I know children can help,” was the reply. “My boys can do many little things around the house to save steps; but they get tired of helping, and I’d rather do the work myself than bother with them.”

In this argument, so often heard, is found the reason that many mothers, especially where there are several little ones in a family, have no time to devote to the Morning Watch, to the daily study of the Sabbath school lesson, or to reading the Bible through by course. The mother who is teaching her wee daughter to help about the little errands and tasks suited to her strength, finds time for all these things in addition to her daily housework and other cares.

Mothers, teach your children first of all to help themselves, and then to help others. When the little one comes asking for a drink, and there is no water in the house, say, “You may take this small pail to the well, fill it full of water once, empty that out on the bush by the pump, then fill the pail half full, and bring it in. Then we will all have a nice, fresh drink.” Thus the child is taught not only a lesson in self-reliance, but also to do, and to enjoy doing, something for the pleasure of others.

It is one of the easiest things in the world to train a child in habits of helplessness, and even of selfishness. Just as long as mothers feel that they would rather wait on a child than teach it to be helpful, just so long they will be certain to have the work to do. The wise mother will teach her children, beginning when they are very small, to use their brains and their eyes, their hands and their feet, to help themselves and to minister to others. Thus she will not only gain for herself time for needed study and rest, but train them in habits that will be a blessing to them as long as they live.

Blackberry, Minn.

Floods at Loma Linda

By C. McREYNOLDS

LOMA LINDA shared with other portions of Southern California in the recent floods. The first one came January 17, caused by heavy rains, in the mountains. Water spread over nearly all the village north of the Southern Pacific Railroad to a depth of one to three feet. The people fled to the sanitarium and the cottages on the hill, and remained till the water receded.

All had begun to feel secure when the rains began again, and another flood, worse than the first, came rolling down in a veritable wall of water, a portion of which came from the bursting of a reservoir at Beaumont, twenty-four miles up the valley. The altitude of Beaumont is 1,800 feet higher than of Loma Linda, an average descent of 900 inches a mile.

A desperate effort was made by the farm force and our whole medical school, headed by the president, Dr. N. G. Evans, to prevent the water from breaking over the bank of the stream, by the use of sandbags, trees, timbers, etc. Many were working in water waist-deep or more when the rolling flood was seen coming. They had time to escape its violence by a hasty flight. It swept all obstructions away, and soon began to cut a new channel along the railroad track. This channel continued to widen till it was seen that soon our store, bakery, printing plant, laundry, power plant, and garage would surely go. Just before nightfall the depot went down with a crash. All had been done that could be, and teams and auto trucks were busy removing goods from our buildings. Many who were exhausted with labor in the wet and cold gathered in groups and sought God for protection of the property that is his own. In a short time it was seen that, with no cause obvious to human sight, the current had shifted to the north side of the stream, now one hundred and fifty feet wide. It continued to cut away the land till it was more than three hundred feet wide.

The railroad, with its entire right of way, was taken out to a depth of six to ten feet the entire length of its passage through the Loma Linda farm, amounting to twenty or more acres, while not more than one and a half acres of our land was taken. One of our small cottages was wrecked, but not taken away. Water mains were swept out, and the telephone and light system was much damaged. Probably the greatest loss is in the covering up of about sixty acres of alfalfa so deep that it must be reseeded, though the soil deposited is good.

No lives were lost, none were seriously hurt, and none of our stock was carried away. Most of our lawns in the valley were spoiled, and some fences taken out, yet our loss was nothing as compared with many localities around us. The death toll of the flood at San Diego is probably sixty or more, and the property loss almost incalculable. Thousands who were wealthy, were rendered homeless and penniless.

Hundreds of people have come to Loma Linda to see the flood, and wondered why the buildings were not taken. We can say, "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment," worketh for us an experience in faith and patience. The loss to the institution and farm was probably not more than $1,500.

C. McREYNOLDS.

Dedication of a New Church in Pittsburgh, Pa.

By B. G. Wilkinson

THE accompanying picture represents the new church building erected in a thickly populated district in Pittsburgh, for the worship and services of our colored brethren there. The dedication of this building marks a step in advance for the colored work in this large city.

The dedication took place Jan. 16, 1916. The church was well filled with an excellent and responsive audience. The lot on which the building stands is 40 x 98 feet, and cost $1,062. The size of the building is 28 x 38 feet, with an extra addition of 8 x 10 feet for a vestibule. The total cost of the building and the lot was $5,300.

For a long time the work in Pittsburgh has suffered because of the constant removals of the place of worship. The citizens were surprised to see the church go up so quickly and be dedicated practically free from debt. Sept. 20, 1915, the ground was broken for the beginning of work on the new building, and the work was so far finished that the brethren were worshiping in the building on December 18.

Brother A. N. Durrant, who is our colored pastor in Pittsburgh, has worked faithfully since he came to the city four or five years ago. At the time of his arrival the membership was twenty-three, but it has now grown to fifty-nine. Five years ago the annual tithe was $443, while this last year it amounted to $972. The offerings to foreign missions increased from $95 to $357 for the same period. Thus the Lord has blessed the work of Brother Durrant, and the new building rises as a memorial to the efforts of all the brethren there.

At the camp meetings we have always noticed the devotion, sincerity, and liberality of our colored brethren from Pittsburgh. It was certain when they undertook to secure a house of worship that they would be successful in their enterprise. The writer was present on the day of dedication, to give the dedicatory sermon. On that day $2,290.46 was needed to meet obligations. Although the writer himself was ill with an attack of la grippe, and was not able any more than to start the call for contributions, yet all the brethren responded heartily, and $1,625 was given in cash and pledges.

The brickwork, plastering, and finishing of the building were cut out from the contract, and were done by our own brethren, several white brethren helping. Elder F. H. Robbins, president of the conference, his two brothers, and Brother Brownlee did the brickwork. Two other brethren did the plastering, and the pastor and another Pittsburgh brother did the painting. The building, as the picture shows, is of brick construction, with rough stonework for the basement. It is both gas and furnace heated, and is electric lighted. It has full basement below, and a reenforced concrete pool, built on pillars from the basement up to the pulpit platform, serves as a baptistery.

A committee meeting being held at that same time in the city, nearly all the workers of the West Pennsylvania Conference were present at the dedication. The occasion was an inspiring one, and speaks well for better days. The prospects are now bright for many additions to this company, the Bible worker reporting that there are three or four ready for baptism.

B. G. WILKINSON.

Northern Union Conference

By G. B. Thompson

THE seventh biennial session of the Northern Union Conference was held in Minneapolis, Minn., Feb. 1–7, 1916, in the Pence Auditorium, the use of which, with light and heat, was given by the city without charge. The auditorium is centrally located, and although the weather was cold, it was kept quite comfortable, and was well adapted to our work.

The greater part of the workers from the different conferences were present, and entered most heartily into the business of the conference. The entertainment was arranged satisfactorily to all.

The first few days were devoted largely to institute work, which was attended by many marked evidences of the presence of the Lord. The evening and Sabbath services were well attended by the believers in Minneapolis and adjacent churches, who did all they could to contribute to the success of the meeting.

The reports rendered during the conference were all of the most encouraging character. I take the following extracts from the biennial address of the president, touching the progress of the work during the past two years:—

“The thing that has been paramount upon our hearts, and which we have endeavored to emphasize in our administration, has been the winning of souls to Christ, and the upbuilding and advancement of the kingdom of righteousness

in the earth. While we are in no sense satisfied with results, we do view with gratitude of heart and thankfulness to God the fact that 1,224 persons have been baptized by our ministers into the faith during the past two years. Nineteen churches, have been organized, and fifteen meetinghouses have been secured or erected, and dedicated.

“We have endeavored to work harmoniously with the plans of the North American Division, and to keep prominently before our constituency the needs of the work in regions beyond. Our efforts have been to see the Northern Union Conference meet its part of every goal set for the advancement of our work in all the earth. As a result of united efforts, our faithful people have paid a tithe of $268,584.76 during the biennial period, an increase of $36,779.88 over the two previous years.

“Our offerings on the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund have been $139,354.24, which is $8,165.20 in excess of the goal set for the union, and an increase over the last biennial period of $22,711.95. In addition to this, we have turned over from our treasury to the General Conference $2,000, and there has passed through our hands from the tithe of our local conferences to the North American Division $43,590.44, an increase of $20,905.28 over the previous two years.

“Our efforts to decrease our liabilities have been not in vain. Two years ago the total indebtedness reported was $121,400. Today it is reported to be approximately $76,000, a decrease of $45,400, and $36,000 more provided for—$20,000 in annuities, probably never to be called for, and $16,000 in pledges. Four years ago when we came to this union, we found it had assumed $10,000 of the liabilities of Union College. This obligation was paid last year. In the present effort to entirely free the college from debt we have been asked to contribute $8,000 more. We feel in sympathy with the effort, and provision has been made to turn over in the near future the sum suggested.

“Our book and periodical sales have been encouraging. Our total sales the last two years have amounted to $166,029.18, an increase over the previous biennial period of $53,155.13. While we feel thankful for what we have seen accomplished in this direction, we know this amount could have been greatly increased had the rank and file of our church members been more active in the home missionary work.

“Our educational and Young People’s Missionary Volunteer departments have shown an encouraging growth during the biennial period just closed. The attendance at Union College has increased, the work of our academies has been strengthened, and church schools have multiplied until today we have 1,300 of the children and youth of our union in our denominational schools. Our young people’s societies are alive and growing in earnestness and spiritual life, striving loyally to meet their proportion of every goal set by the General Department, and to win other young people to the acceptance of Christ in their lives.

“The Sabbath schools in the Northern Union have contributed their quota to the phenomenal growth of the Sabbath school department. We have today 156 organized Sabbath schools in our union, an increase of thirty-six schools over the last biennial period. The membership today is 8,716 compared with 7,310 two years ago, an increase of 1,406. The contributions the past two years have been $61,338.86, an increase of $18,795.87 over the corresponding period of 1912-13.

“The Danish-Norwegian Seminary is in our territory. The work of this institution during the past two years has been most gratifying. The attendance has increased each succeeding term, and the income has fully met the operating expense, so we can report today with gratitude and a degree of pride that our splendid record of freedom from debt of two years ago has not been marred during the biennial period just past. From this school we have been able to furnish some laborers for foreign fields, as well as strengthen our work in the homeland.”

Aside from the laborers present from the union, Brethren I. H. Evans, W. W. Eastman, H. H. Hall, and S. N. Curtiss, and the writer were present, and took part in the work of the conference.

Elder Charles Thompson was unanimously reelected president of the union, and W. H. Edwards secretary-treasurer and auditor. The others chosen to carry responsibility were practically the same as the past term. Brother E. M. Oberg was elected field secretary, to take the place of Brother Carl Weaks, who has accepted a call to labor in the Asiatic Division Conference. Brother Weaks’s labors have been greatly appreciated, and it is with a feeling of regret that the brethren see him leave the union, yet they are glad to contribute a strong worker to the needy unwarned millions in the regions beyond.

The laborers returned to their homes thankful for the blessings of the Lord, and determined to press the battle to the gate, and by earnest work and the aid of the Holy Spirit, to bring in a great harvest of souls. G. B. THOMPSON.

Walla Walla Foreign Mission Band

By H. C. Kephart

DURING the winter of 1907-08 about twenty-five of the students and teachers of Walla Walla College organized a society now known as the Foreign Mission Band. They determined, first, to make a diligent study of the work and its needs in the foreign fields, with the purpose of preparing themselves as speedily as possible for the work in those fields; and, second, to take special interest in laboring for the unconverted in the school.

The Foreign Mission Band has made a steady growth ever since its organization. In all, about 240 have at one time or another been members. The majority of the sixty-five representatives of Walla Walla College now in foreign mission fields have been active members of this band, and have helped in its development.

At our first meeting after the opening of school this fall, the following plan was adopted, which bids fair to become a permanent method of conducting the work: The band is divided into groups, according to each individual's interest in a particular foreign field. After making a thorough study of its field, each group is to render a program at the general meeting. The general meetings are held every other week, on Friday evenings, while the group meetings come on the alternate Friday evenings.

Each division constitutes a unit for organizing and carrying on personal missionary work, especially for unconverted students. In this connection, too, each group is a prayer band, and marked results can properly be expected as this work proceeds.

There have been seven groups formed: the China-Japan, the Malaysian, the Indian, the African, the South American, the Alaskan and Northern North American, and the Home Band. The interest manifested in each group is proof of the effectiveness of the plan. More students are joining the band every week. Thirty-four have been added already this fall.

The group leaders assist the officers of the band in arranging the programs for the general meetings. The officers at present are: Leader, H. C. Kephart; assistant leader, A. B. Tetzlaff; secretary-treasurer, Miss Ellen Firman; assistant secretary-treasurer, Miss Laura Forsythe.

H. C. KEPHART.

A Lowly Heart That Leans on God

By Anna L. Waring

THERE are briers besetting every path, Which call for patient care; There is a cross in every lot, And an earnest need for prayer; But a lowly heart that leans on God Is happy anywhere. — Anna L. Waring.

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