THE gospel of Jesus Christ was first introduced into Europe by the apostle Paul, as recorded in the book of Acts. Other apostles also visited Europe, and before the end of the first century, there were churches established in Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, and Germany. Before the first advent of Christ, idolatry bore sway in all these countries; perhaps no more so than exists at the present time, but it has assumed a different form. Then it was the actual bowing down to idols; now the idols exist in the heart. The progress of Christianity steadily advanced from the days of the apostles until every nation, to a greater or less extent, felt its influence. Then came divisions, and different religious bodies established themselves. The first of these was the Greek Church, which has such a hold upon Russia, and though one in faith, it is divided into several independent communions.
The Protestant churches of Europe may be doctrinally divided into two great groups,—the Lutherans, who maintain the platform of the great reformer whose name they bear, and the Reformed or Calvinistic churches, which, in some respects, have separated farther from Rome than did the followers of Luther. Politically there are three great classes,—State churches, and free churches enjoying State endowments, and free churches which, either from necessity or choice, are entirely independent. In latter years Baptists and certain other denominations have existed to some extent. In fact in every nation there are some who are called seceders, and are known by various titles, who have accepted some truth tending to awaken on the part of the people an interest and inquiry in religious matters. In these things we may clearly see the providence of God in breaking up set forms and thus preparing the way for the introduction of the truths pertaining to the last days.
It is a fact worthy of notice that many of the older denominations at the present day are tending strongly to Catholicism, and many of the nations themselves are courting the favor of the Pope of Rome. There is a strong religious and political influence favoring the re-establishment of not only the forms of the Catholic Church but Popery itself.
The following concerning the religions of the different nations of Europe, we take from The Gospel in All Lands, thinking it may be of interest to our brethren who are interested in the European work.
"The Austrian Director of Statistics, Dr. Brachelli, gave in 1883 a summary of religious statistics of Europe, as follows: 156,040,000 Roman Catholics; 81,500,000 members of the Oriental churches; 79,450,000 Protestants; 5,984,000 Jews; 6,445,000 Moslems; 447,000 other sects and no religion; a total of 331,019,000.
"Under the division of Roman Catholics are included 140,000 Old Catholics and Jansenists. The Protestants include 54,240,000 Lutherans and Reformed; 18,880,000 Anglicans; 3,510,000 Methodists; 120,000 Unitarians and Socinians; 2,700,000 other sects. The Orientals include 80,367,000 members of the Greek Church; 1,019,000 of Eastern sects; 124,000 Armenians.
"The Roman Catholic and Protestant membership in the principal countries is divided about as follows:—
NATIONS.
ROMAN CATHOLICS.
PROTESTANTS.
Russia,
8,500,000
2,950,000
Germany,
16,232,651
28,331,152
Austria-Hungary,
29,542,000
3,622,000
France,
29,201,703
692,800
Great Britain and Ireland
6,100,000
30,000,000
Italy,
26,658,679
62,000
Spain,
16,900,000
30,000
Turkey in Europe,
427,045
1,000
Sweden and Norway,
1,100
6,368,244
Belgium,
5,764,958
20,000
Roumania,
114,200
13,800
Netherlands,
1,639,137
2,469,814
Portugal,
4,160,000
500
Switzerland,
1,160,782
1,667,109
Greece,
18,000
2,000
Denmark,
2,985
1,966,000
Servia,
5,000
500
Montenegro,
4,000
The Missionary.
By William Covert
THE CAUSE IN INDIANA.
JANUARY 21-24 I was at Homer, Indiana. The new house of worship at that place was dedicated on the 23d. Eld. M. G. Huffman, who has been largely instrumental in raising up the company there, delivered the dedicatory sermon, which was well received by those present.
A tent-meeting was held at this place the past season, in which Brethren Huffman and Godsmark did most of the preaching. About twenty-five signed the covenant, including nine who were previously keeping the Sabbath. Monday, January 24, we organized a church of sixteen members. They seem to be a substantial class of people, and we expect good reports from them. Five or six others are expected to unite with them soon. These could not be present at the organization.
The house of worship at Homer, including lot, cost them $1,000. It is paid for or provided for and we did not call for help when the house was dedicated. This is the sixth church that has been organized in the Conference since our annual meeting was held in October. These churches add about one hundred members to the Conference. We have great reason to rejoice at the progress the cause is making in the State.
WHEN Abraham had reduced to ten the number in whose behalf he would plead with the Lord to spare Sodom, and the Lord had said he would not destroy it for ten’s sake, Abraham ceased to plead any further. It has been supposed that ten was just the number of Lot’s family and connections. And this seems probable from close attention to the narrative. We find Lot and his wife, and his two daughters that escaped, making four. Then we read of “his sons-in-law which married his daughters,” and that these daughters were two, which seems to be implied in the words of the angels to Lot, “Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here.” This would seem to imply that there were two daughters who were not there. Then besides these we read of his “sons,” which would require at least two. Thus we have Lot and his wife, and his two daughters unmarried, two sons, and his two daughters and their husbands, his sons-in-law, making just ten. It is, therefore, most probable that when Abraham ceased pleading at the number ten, he had in view Lot and his whole family. And when the Lord agreed that if these were righteous, the city should stand, it seems that Abraham considered that sufficient, for if these should not be found righteous, it would be unreasonable to ask anything more. “And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham; and Abraham returned unto his place.”
THE two angels that had departed from Abraham and the Lord went on toward Sodom, and came to Sodom at evening. Lot, sitting at the gate of the city, arose to meet them and invited them into his house to stay overnight. The angels proposed to stay in the street all night, but Lot, not knowing but that they were only men, and knowing the dreadful wickedness of the place, “pressed upon them greatly,” and they turned and entered into his house. “And he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.”
THE men of Sodom, however, knew of their coming, and before very long a great crowd gathered from every quarter and surrounded the house, demanding that the angels, whom they thought men, should be delivered up to them. Lot attempted to remonstrate with them, but it only made them worse and they attempted to break the door. Then the angels drew Lot into the house and shut the door, and smote the mob with blindness, “both small and great; so that they wearied themselves to find the door.” Then the angels made known to Lot who they were, and said to him: “Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place; for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.”
“AND Lot went out, and spake unto his sons-in-law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons-in-law. And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him; and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.”
HERE the personal pronoun changes from “they” to “he,” and from “we” to “I,” showing that the Lord, with whom Abraham had talked, had come to Sodom, and that he was the One in whose power the destruction lay. Lot pleaded to be allowed to stop in the little city—Zoar—and the Lord granted that, and “the sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.”
“As it was in the days of Lot, they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” The people of those cities arose that bright, beautiful morning, as they had arisen morning by morning, year after year, always. One went about this business, another that; one to his merchandise, another to his building; one to his eating and drinking, another to his planting. To them all things were as they always had been. They knew of nothing unusual that was about to occur; and, worse than that, they would not be convinced that there was. When Lot spake to them of the destruction that hung over the place, to them it was only foolish mockery. And when they saw Lot and his two daughters—and his wife as far as she went—running swiftly across the plain, we have no doubt but they sent after them many a ribald shout. They knew nothing, they believed nothing, they feared nothing, of any destruction coming. But it came. Their unbelief did not delay it a moment, nor did it temper the terror when it came.
“EVEN thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” The Lord sends a message to the world that he is coming again. He gives line upon line, precept upon precept, prophecy upon prophecy, and sign upon sign, that his coming is at the doors, and that men must be ready to meet him in peace without spot and blameless. But his messengers are despised, his word is slighted, and all his tokens are set at naught. Men will not believe that he is coming. To them all things go on as usual, and as they always have gone. But one of these days will be the last, as it was with Sodom. Christ has declared that the end of the world shall be. He points to a certain generation and says that that generation shall not pass away before he himself appears. And in that generation he will appear as surely as destruction came upon Sodom. Men may not believe it, as those of Sodom did not; these may treat the message as mockery, as did those; these may scoff at the messengers, as did those; but none of these things will nullify the promise of Christ, nor delay his coming, nor deliver those who are not prepared to meet him when he does come.
WHEN now in preparing to meet the Lord, men separate themselves from the world and from everything in the world, they will be counted as foolish as was Lot when he left Sodom and hurried across the plain. But there those who left all were the ones who escaped, while those who remained to scoff remained to perish. “Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” “Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest; because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.” And as ye depart, “remember Lot’s wife.” J.
UPPER COLUMBIA T. AND M. SOCIETY.
By L. A. Fero
REPORT FOR QUARTER ENDING DEC. 31, 1886.
No. of members, - - - - - - 141
“ “ dismissed, - - - - 1
“ “ added, - - - - - 17
“ reports returned, - - - - 50
“ missionary visits, - - - - 88
“ letters written, - - - - - 64
“ pages of tracts and pamphlets distributed and sold, - - - - 13,150
“ periodicals distributed, - - - - 1,642
“ Signs taken in clubs, - - - 103
“ Gospel Sickle in clubs, - - - 100
“ new subscribers obtained, - - - 121
“ short term subscribers obtained, - 12
Received on sales, - - - - - $62.98
“ “ periodicals, - - - - 52.95
“ “ membership and donations, - 31.70
Total receipts, - - - - - $147.63
L. A. FERO,
Assistant Secretary.
Everyone Needs Kindness
By James Freeman Clarke
EVERYBODY, no matter how rich or how poor, needs all the kindness he can get from others.—Rev. J. F. Clarke.
WHY BOYS SHOULD NOT SMOKE.
By A. C. Morrow
THE use of tobacco is expensive. Money paid out for the filthy weed is worse than wasted. Think of it—one billion of dollars spent every year, and for what? To degrade men mentally, morally, and physically. We said to a young man one evening:—
"Are you going to take Mary to hear Gough to-night?"
"No, I cannot afford it. The tickets are fifty cents."
"How many cigars do you smoke in a day?"
"Never more than two."
"And you pay—"
"Ten cents apiece for them. I like a good one."
"Twenty cents a day for five days is just one dollar."
"I never thought of that. But I could never give up my cigar."
The money spent on tobacco would not only enable young men to enjoy innocent amusements and give pleasure to those they love, but would beautify their homes, furnish them with libraries, and enable them to save against a day of adversity or need. Franklin's maxim, "A penny saved is two pence earned," is never more true than when used in connection with such a useless article as tobacco.
Many who are victims of tobacco, and indulge in its use in the presence of women and children and non-smokers, might be surprised to hear themselves designated as thieves, but they certainly deprive others of a gift which they have no right to purloin. Neal Dow says: "Men whose moral sense is dulled by the tobacco habit do not even consider that people have a right to pure, fresh air, so important to their comfort and health, and they poison it with tobacco smoke. The pure air is as much their right as the purse in their pockets; and the forcibly taking it away by the tobacco smoker is as much stealing, in the moral sense, as picking the pocket."
Then, tobacco is a poison, just as surely as strychnine or arsenic. It is more dangerous than either of these, because its baneful influence is not so quickly felt. But it enfeebles the body, weakens the memory, dims the sight, impairs the taste and the smell, deadens the nerves, deranges the digestion, tends to insanity, and, used excessively, causes terrible diseases. We know one man who, from the constant use of tobacco, suffered agonies from a cancer on his lip and in his mouth, which entirely ate away his tongue, and he died a lingering, horrible death. One man, a great smoker and chewer, smoked fifty cigars, for which he paid seventeen cents apiece, in less than a week. He not only burned $8.50, but was prostrated by a disease similar in character to delirium tremens.
Tobacco not only injures the body and deadens the sensibilities, and blunts the moral sense, but it is the primary cause of the death of thousands of persons every year. A young man, only nineteen years of age, stood one Saturday evening in Schenectady on a bridge looking into the abyss below, and laughing and talking with a friend. He was offered a chew of tobacco, and accepted it. In a few moments he became dizzy, and, turning to go home, lost his balance, and fell a distance of many feet to the rocks below. He was carried93home, but never recovered consciousness, and died the victim of a single chew of tobacco.
Boys, never begin the habit which is sure to result in some evil, and may cause you a sorrow which shall be everlasting.—A. C. Morrow, in Christian at Work.
"WELL ENOUGH."
This was a favorite phrase of Georgie's. She used it upon all occasions, and lived up to it too. When she was thirteen her mother gave her a little bedroom all to herself, which she was to keep clean and in order with her own hands. One morning she was in there putting on her coat and hat in great haste to go to school. Her mother, happening to be passing, opened the door and looked in.
"Why, Georgie!" she exclaimed, "why didn't you put your room in order?"
"I did," said Georgie, going on buttoning with rapid fingers.
"My dear child, just look at it!" said her mother with an expressive gesture.
The pillows were placed crookedly on the bed, the towels flung on the rack without being folded, all the bureau drawers open a little, and a piece of string hanging out of one, etc.
"O mamma!" Georgie exclaimed, impatiently. "It will do well enough. I'm in such a hurry. I shall be late at school."
"You must not be late at school," said her mother, "but you must put your room in complete order as soon as you come home. I don't want you to get into the habit of doing things just half."
It was the same way with sewing. Mrs. Blair insisted that her girls should know how to sew, and Georgie learned very readily, but was so careless and so easily satisfied that her work often looked very badly, and was a great worry to her mother.
"O! won't it do well enough, mamma?" Georgie would say. "What's the use of being so awfully particular."
"It won't do until it is done just as well as you can do it," Mrs. Blair would reply, and many a piece of work the young lady was obliged to pick out and do over.
She carried the "well enough" system into her musical studies also, and of course it did not work well there. She was fond of music, learned with great ease, and played spiritedly, but her performance was spoiled by the way she had of dropping notes and slurring over hard passages which she was too lazy to practice sufficiently. It was in vain her teacher lectured her about such carelessness, and told her she must practice the difficult parts patiently until she could play them as rapidly as the rest; out of his hearing she played in her own fashion, and said it did well enough.
"What is that you are playing?" Elizabeth asked one time.
"It is that new Galop Mary Haines played the other evening," Georgie replied. "Isn't it pretty?"
"Yes," said Elizabeth, "but it doesn't sound just as it did when Mary played it."
"Well, I don't play it exactly as she did. You see the bass skips about so that I have to go down for the lower F's and B flats. I can't play fast enough, so I just play them all up here, and then I don't play the octaves in the right hand—just take the upper note."
"Seems to me," said her sister, "it would be better to go slower at first and learn it right, so as to play as it is written."
"Oh, this sounds well enough," said Georgie; and banged away perfectly satisfied.
Her father had a scrap-book in which he pasted newspaper articles he wished to keep. Sometimes when he was busy he asked Elizabeth to paste the pieces in, and this she did very neatly. Once when she was away from home, he said, "Georgie, won't you put these pieces in my book?"
"Yes sir, of course," she replied, quite proud to be asked.
He showed her how he wanted it done, and she set to work. At first she was very careful to get them all straight and smooth, so the first page she did was just as good as any of Elizabeth's; but soon she became tired of going so slowly and particularly, and began to slight the work. There were two or three little bits that were very hard to fit in nicely, and instead of persevering until they were right she hurried them in any way, saying to herself, "Oh, well, it won't matter if such little bits are crooked. It will look well enough."
But it looked very badly, the crooked pieces spoiling the whole page.
When her father looked at the book he said, "I'm very much obliged to you, Georgie; but—I'm afraid my little girl hasn't a very straight eye."
"Oh yes, I have, papa," said Georgie. "I know those pieces are a little crooked, but it is so very little, I thought you wouldn't mind."
Her father said nothing more, but he never asked her again to paste in pieces, and once when he brought out the book to show a certain political article to a gentleman he was talking with, she noticed he turned the botched page over very quickly, as if he was ashamed of it.
That is about the way Georgie does everything, and if she does not break herself of this bad habit of doing things just any way at all, she is not likely to grow up to be a very useful and reliable woman.—Presbyterian.
DOMESTIC ANIMALS IN JAPAN.
JAPAN, with nearly 40,000,000 people, has only 875,000 head of cattle and 1,200,000 horses, and is without mules, swine, or sheep. We have two head of horned cattle to every three persons. The Japanese have 500 persons to each head of bovine stock. We have one horse or mule to every four persons; they have only one horse to every thirty-three persons. Of sheep they have no knowledge, as they wear no woolen clothing and eat no mutton. Swine meat is as much an abomination to them as it is to the Brahmins. The emperor rode on a wheeled carriage, and that mode of conveyance was made sacred to his use, while other people must ride in other fashions or walk. The nobility monopolized sedan chairs and horseback riding, and to the common people was left the privilege of walking. The farmers and packers on their return from markets would, however, mount their horses, but upon the appearance of one of the men-at-arms they would tumble off in all possible haste, so as to meet their superiors in their proper places, that is, on foot. Horses thus became aristocratic animals and were held in high esteem.—Chronicle.
The Home Circle.
By Helen Jackson
ONE DAY AT A TIME.
ONE day at a time! That's all it can be;
No faster than that in the hardest fate.
And days have their limits, however we
Begin them too early and stretch them late.
One day at a time! Every heart that aches
Knows only too well how long that can seem;
But it's never to-day which the spirit breaks,
It's the darkened future without a gleam.
One day at a time! A burden too great
To be borne for two can be borne for one;
Who knows what will enter to-morrow's gate?
While yet we are speaking all may be done.
One day at a time! When joy is at height—
Such joy as the heart can never forget—
And pulses are throbbing with wild delight,
How hard to remember that suns must set.
One day at a time! But a single day,
Whatever it's load, whatever it's length;
And there's a bit of precious scripture to say
That, according to each, shall be our strength.
One day at a time! 'Tis the whole of life!
All sorrow, all joy, are measured therein,
The bound of our purpose, our noblest strife,
The one only countersign sure to win!
—Helen Jackson.
WHY DON'T YOU SAY, AMEN?
A FEW years ago, as Charles G. Finney was holding a series of meetings in the city of Edinburgh, many persons called upon him for personal conversation and prayer.
One day a gentleman appeared, in great distress of mind. He had listened to Mr. Finney's sermon on the previous evening, and it had torn away his "refuge of lies." Mr. Finney was plain and faithful with him, pointing out to him the way of life clearly, and his only hope of salvation. The weeping man assured him that he was willing to give up all for Jesus—that he knew of nothing he would reserve—all for Jesus.
"Then let us go upon our knees, and tell God of that," said Mr. Finney. So both knelt, and Mr. Finney prayed:—
"O Lord! this man declares that he is prepared to take thee as his God, and cast himself upon thy care, now and forever."
The man responded, "Amen!"
Mr. Finney continued: "O Lord! this man vows that he is ready to give his wife, family, and all their interests, up to thee."
Another hearty, "Amen!" from the man.
He went on: "O Lord! he says that he is also willing to give thee his business, whatever it may be, and conduct it for thy glory."
The man was silent—no response. Mr. Finney was surprised at his silence, and asked:—
"Why don't you say 'Amen' to this?"
"Because the Lord will not take my business, sir; I am in the spirit-trade," he replied.
The traffic could not stand such a test as that. The Lord will not take such a business under his care.—Selected.
Health and Temperance.
HOW ANIMALS PRACTICE MEDICINE.
ANIMALS get rid of their parasites by using dust, mud, clay, etc. Those suffering from fever restrict their diet, keep quiet, seek dark, airy places, drink water and sometimes plunge into it. When a dog has lost its appetite, it eats that species of grass known as "dog's grass," which acts as an emetic and a purgative. Cats also eat grass. Sheep and cows, when ill, seek out certain herbs. An animal suffering from chronic rheumatism always, as much as possible, keeps in the sun. The warrior ants have regularly organized ambulances. Latreille cut the antennae of the ant, and other ants came and covered the wounded part with a transparent fluid secreted from their mouths. If a chimpanzee is wounded, it stops the bleeding by placing its hand over the wound, or dressing it with leaves and grass. When an animal has a wounded leg or arm hanging on, it completes the amputation by means of its teeth.
A dog, which had been stung in the muzzle by a viper, was observed to plunge his head repeatedly for several days into running water. This animal eventually recovered. A sporting dog was run over by a carriage. During three weeks in winter it remained lying in a brook, where its food was taken to it. This animal recovered. A terrier hurt its right eye. It remained under a counter, avoiding light and heat, although it habitually kept close to the fire. It adopted a general treatment, rest, and abstinence from food. The local treatment consisted in licking the upper surface of the paw, which it applied to the wounded eye; again licking the paw when it became dry. Animals suffering from traumatic fever, treat themselves by the continued application of cold water, which M. Delaunay considers to be more certain than any of the other methods. In view of these interesting facts we are, he thinks, forced to admit that hygiene and therapeutics as practiced by animals may, in the interest of psychology, be studied with advantage.
Many physicians have been keen observers of animals, their diseases, and the methods adopted by them in their instinct to cure themselves, and have availed themselves of the knowledge so brought under their observation in their practices.—N. O. Picayune.
A TALK WITH YOUNG MEN.
OBSERVE that pale young fellow crossing the street. You see a good many of that kind just now. Some folks say it is the climate. The truth is, that the climate of America, with a fair chance, produces not only the best complexion but the best health in the world.
Did you notice the thing he was carrying in his mouth? Well, it is that meerschaum that is doing the business for him. It is busy with three million of our men. Let us study one of those meerschaum-suckers. We will take a young man. He shall have money and plenty of time for sucking. Pale, nervous, irritable, thin in chest and stomach, weak in muscle, he is fast losing the power of thought and application. Let us get near enough to him to smell of him! Even the beast of prey will not touch the corpse of a soldier saturated with the vile poison. Chewing is the nastiest mode, snuffing ruins the voice, but smoking, among those who have time to be thorough, is most destructive.
Young K— graduated at Harvard (no devotee of the weed has ever graduated with the highest honors at that institution), and soon after consulted his physician with reference to his pale face, emaciation, indigestion, and low spirits. He weighed but one hundred and eight.
"Stop smoking," was the prescription. In four months he had increased twenty-eight pounds, and become clear and healthy in skin, his digestion all right, and his spirits restored. One or two million of our young and middle-aged men are in a similar condition, and would be restored to health and spirits by the same prescription.—Home Science.
CULTURED GIRLS.
IN one of Rev. Smith Baker's admirable sermons to girls, given recently to his own congregation in Lowell, he points out as follows what elements enter into true cultivation of character:—
It is sometimes thought if a young woman has graduated at a college and traveled in Europe, she must be cultured; but some such young women are the most uncultured of persons. One need not be rich, or educated, or traveled, in order to be cultured; but only be sure that all sides of her being grow in harmony. Then, though she is limited in capacity, she shall be beautiful. Culture does not mean music or French, but womanhood. Very few can be rich, a small number educated; but culture is for all.
Be determined to know something, even a little, of the best history, the best poetry, the best biography, the best of art, the facts in science, and the best thoughts of the best minds—ten minutes each day, five or six books a year, not mere stories. The best in style and sentiment is as cheap as the poorest. There is no excuse for reading trash, when the standard works on all subjects are as cheap as the poorest, no more than for walking in the mud when a clean sidewalk is provided. Not extensive, but selected, reading gives culture. Gather a little standard library of your own; you will respect yourself, and others will respect you for it. Keep a scrap-book, fill it with the best things. Nothing reveals a young woman's line of thought more than her scrap-book. Read and think; read a little and think much; read when at leisure, think when at work.
A thoughtless, selfish, snappish, cross, fretful, overbearing, and dictatorial young woman may take the prize at school, may excel in music, and travel round the world, but the more she knows, the less culture she has. The commonest country girl with good health, and open brain, and a warm, unselfish, patient, self-controlled disposition, is a hundred-fold more cultured then the boarding-school graduate who is fractious with her mother, cross with her sisters, or knows too much to associate with working girls. Disposition is culture. Health is the soil, intelligence the branches, and disposition the leaves, buds, and blossoms,—the robe of living beauty, fragrance, and sweetness with which a young woman is to clothe her life; for without heart culture the finest mental culture is like a tree with nothing but cold, leafless limbs.
The cultured young woman is spiritual. Loving what God loves, hating what God hates, reading his thoughts over after him, in nature, in his word, and in your own soul, coming into sympathy with him—this makes of life a living art, and lifts the passions, the thoughts, the affections, and the will with greatness, pureness, and joy. Such is the final fruit on the tree for which all the rest are given. This is the highest culture, without which no woman can have her greatest beauty, or power, or joy. Christ gives this.—Congregationalist.
Blood Will Tell
"THAT 'blood will tell' all thoughtful men agree, But whether good or bad the story be, Which thus is told, depends entirely Upon the blood itse—its quality. If bad the blood, the story bad will be; If good the blood, a story good we see."
TOBACCO VS. CHRISTIANITY.
By J. H. Hanaford
God is the author of all the laws of our being, those of the body as well as those of the soul, and he is pleased when we obey them all. He does not delight in sickness and suffering, for these are the necessary consequences of violating his laws in the body. Christianity, in my opinion, does not sanction the use of tobacco or any other intoxicant. The use of the stimulants is a mere indulgence, a gluttony. Let me invite the Christian who doubts this to ask God's blessing on his pipe or on his dram, as he thinks it right to do on his food! DR. J. H. HANAFORD.
The Progressive Drinking Habit
STIMULATION produced by alcohol is succeeded by a reaction, and to produce a certain amount of stimulation the quantity taken must constantly be increased. From this cause moderate drinking tends to pass into excessive drinking. All poison habits are progressive, and there is a striking analogy between the development of the drinking habit and that of a parasitical plant, which, springing from tiny seeds, fastens upon, preys upon, and at last strangles its victims.—Selected.
The Rum-Mill and the Merchant
EVERY penny that goes into the rum-mill is a penny lost to the merchant's till.
News and Notes.
By Editor
RELIGIOUS.
—During 1886 the M. E. Church received seventy preachers from other denominations.
—It is said that the American Baptist Missionary Union has no fewer than 1,200 converts on the Congo.
—It is claimed that hundreds of persons in Cuba have renounced Romanism and are awaiting Christian baptism.
—It is said that the recent religious riots in India were so serious as to excite great uneasiness among English officials.
—It is estimated that as many as 1,500 Jews leave the synagogue for the Christian church every year in this country and Europe.
—The tendency of the white and colored Methodists of the South to separate is attracting the attention of the leaders of the denomination at the North.
—More than one-half of the Congregationalists in this country are in New England; and in 1885 nearly two-thirds of the benevolent contributions of that denomination came from those States.
—In view of the fact that Great Britain spends only about fourteen per cent. as much for education as she does for the support of her army, the Missionary Review remarks that "there is evidently much mission work yet to be done in Europe, even in Christian England."
—The Dr. McGlynn affair still continues to excite considerable interest among both Catholics and Protestants. Archbishop Corrigan has felt called upon to make public what purports to be a full and exact statement of the difficulty. This is rather remarkable, for Catholic bishops generally keep their own counsels.
—A great revival is in progress in Talmage's church in Brooklyn. So far, 2,000 persons are said to have been converted.
—The California Christian Advocate says: "Every Christian church is doing good, and, on questions of order and peace, Catholics and Protestants are perfectly united; that is, they are against disorder, anarchy, and revolution." So are the Sultan of Turkey and the Emperor of China opposed to disorder, anarchy, and revolution. Oh, yes; the Catholics are opposed to all that sort of thing; so much so that they have killed over 50,000,000 of the people of God rather than suffer a revolt against the Pope, even in spiritual affairs.