WHEN the burdens of long-continued sickness, or the sorrows of bereavement, or other great griefs crowd, as they sometimes do, into our home life, what are we to do? Shall we yield to despair? Shall we run away from our heavenly Father? Rather, shall we not run to Him? . . . Fierce Elijah ran away from God. Moses ran away to God, and poured out his sorrow before him: "Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? for since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all."
We can understand what a bitter trial it was to have the scornful upbraiding flung at them from the lips of those whom they had been sent to deliver, to find, in place of the triumph they had expected, such cruel failure, such added misery. Thus Moses, cast down and disquieted, goes to pour out his complaint before God. The language of the forty-second psalm might as well have been his: "I will say unto God my Rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? As with a sword in my bones, my enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?"
Note well the answer to this depression. It is very beautiful. It is an illustration of the text: "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust."
"Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. . . . I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. . . . And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians."
God is never angry with us for doubting or being depressed if our doubts and depression do but drive us to him. The only sorrow we have to fear is the sorrow that drives us from God.
Have great faith in God. That which he hath promised he can, he will, he must perform.—Christian Advocate.
BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS.
By Helen A. Steinhauer
BY HELEN A. STEINHAUER.
"Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God." Matt. 5:9. "And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." James 3:18.
Did you ever wonder, as I have often done, why ministers so rarely preach on these texts? I cannot recall ever having heard a sermon on either, and yet I should think that there were few passages relating to our social duties that more needed to be enforced.
Let us just imagine for a little while that all people practiced peacemaking, and see what a difference it would make in the crooked world in which we live.
Sister A. has a slight unpleasantness with Sister B. She very unwisely relates it to Sister C. She in turn repeats it to Sisters D. and E., with comments not meant to be unkind, only smart and funny. Her hearers, however, later on are inspired to see how much more brilliant and humorous they can be in the observations with which they adorn their repetitions; and by the time that the tale gets back to poor Sister B.—as back it surely will get—she is outraged at the injustice done her, and heartily wishes herself out of the neighborhood. Finally, impelled by what she believes to be self-respect, she rushes over to pour out the vials of her wrath on Sister A., who in turn is indignant, and defends herself more or less vigorously. And so the discord spreads until the whole neighborhood is at odds, and the words of the inspired writer are in place, "Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" See also Prov. 17:9.
Now suppose, instead, that Sister C. had confined her speech of the matter to her conversation with Sister A., and in a kindly yet sympathetic manner suggested a possible misapprehension, showing her with Christian wisdom where it might have come in, and what would have been the result? In nine cases out of ten it would have terminated there. And the Sisters A. and B. would have been drawn together all the more for the sweet, tender, confessional talk that would have followed, all alone by their two selves.
I believe it was Hannah More who, when people gossiped in her hearing, straitway compelled the scandal monger to go with her to the party traduced, and there repeat the story in the person's presence—which we may well believe they ordinarily were exceedingly loath to do.
That undoubtedly is an excellent plan in aggravated cases, and unquestionably would prevent a repetition of the offense. But there are a great many disparaging things said which we can hardly help hearing, and which usually take rise in some misconception or other, which could very easily be righted would friends or neighbors take the time to investigate and the pains to set matters straight by "a word in season." Prov. 15:23.
But ordinarily such narrations are met with, "I wouldn't have believed it of him," or, "You don't say so!" And then the hearer settles back with virtuous self-complacency, and regards himself as a very good neighbor indeed, because he has said no positive evil.
Still others hear in absolute silence, righteously refraining from "meddling," i. e., taking the part of the absent, also pluming themselves on their course, although it may have had no higher spring than a cautious dread of getting themselves into trouble—a selfish motive when tried by the Golden Rule.
I once knew a lady, she still lives, who made a business of Christlike tattling.
"What," I hear you exclaim with horror, "Christ never tattled!"
No, there is no record of his ever having done such a thing; still, as there is a kind of "tattling" which is animated by the spirit of Christ, and which brings forth "the peaceable fruits of righteousness," it may without irreverence be termed "Christlike tattling."
This lady came to live in the house with two persons who almost hated each other. But, by skillfully directing their conversation, she managed to have them each time the other was spoken of say some kind word, or make some flattering admission—all of which was faithfully reported to the party most interested; and the kind expressions and favorable admissions these statements elicited were in turn repeated when opportunity offered, and with uniform suppression of all slighting remarks made by either, till these two enemies became firm friends. Thus the peaceable fruits of righteousness were "sown in peace," and the humble little home became a very pleasant place to dwell in.
I do not say that it would not at times have been easier to unregenerate human nature to have poured oil on the fire of discord, or to have fanned a flame that might have lighted the path of the devil and his angels, resulting in more unrighteousness, and made joy in hell. But the other kind of tattling pays both in time and eternity; it is a blessed thing to do.
Will not my readers from henceforth make a business of being "peacemakers" at all times?
If you never have tried it, you will be astonished to find how many opportunities will occur; and you will also be amazed as you realize how "singing happy" such a course will keep your own hearts, and how God's peace will brood over your lives. Then, too, you will have a right to be called the "children of God," which perhaps you are now in name only, but not "in deed and in truth."
Come, friends, by God's grace and with his help let us, one and all, from this hour be peacemakers, and win the promised blessing.
DORA'S GIFT.
"You don't mean me to believe, Emily, that all these tall girls are yours? One, two, three, four—my! what a lot!"
"We pass for Mrs. Brown's 'boys and girls,' Uncle Phil. You see, we have to attend to her business, escort her around, and do what there are no boys here to do."
"And what sort of business can you attend to, I'd like to know?" asked Uncle Phil, with all a man's scorn of a woman's business head.
"Em is my man of business," said the gentle, ladylike mother. "No, not the tallest; that is Julia. She is our member of society; she entertains our company, and is to the family what a drawing room is to a house."
"She is our decorative art society, too," added Emily. "She paints and embroiders and sings in the choir."
"They are just slandering me, Uncle Phil," cried Julia. "Look at my forefinger, and you will see who is the seamstress of the family."
"What is the matter with Daisy's fingers?" asked Uncle Phil, who, by the way, had been abroad while these girls were growing up, and had now come back to make a home for himself.
"Oh, I'm the housekeeper, and I've just been preserving strawberries; that's where my finger tips get their rosy color! You'd better speak me fair, uncle, if you want your bread buttered on both sides while you are here."
Uncle Phil leaned back in his chair, and surveyed the party with admiring eyes. Without being particularly handsome, they were delightful-looking girls. Erect, vigorous, graceful, blooming, and full of fun, they gave proof of being a well-raised, healthy, charming quartet of daughters.
"Well, Sister Emily," he said presently, "lump them now and say what you will take for them. I'll give a fair price for the lot."
"*Kohinoors as thick as hailstones couldn't buy one of them," said the proud mother.
"But you haven't told me what this small woman is good for," said Uncle Phil, pinching the pink tip of Dora's ear.
"Dora? What is Dora's forte? Why, I don't know; but we could not do anything without Dora."
And the girls looked at their uncle as if they feared he might be weak minded to ask such a question.
"There," said merry Dora, "I told you I didn't have any gifts. I can't sing, nor paint, nor embroider, nor even entertain company."
"But she can always be the dearest dear of a Dora that ever was," said the sister on the other side of Dora, giving her a troublesome squeeze. And Dora seemed highly satisfied with this explanation.
But of course the weather in this family was not all summer weather. Uncle Phil found after a while that they had their ups and downs like other people. They disagreed with one another, and felt cross about it. They tried to do things and failed sometimes. Jellies wouldn't always jell; dresses wouldn't always fit. In short, "the briers besetting every path" pricked the feet of these sweet lassies in their turn, from day to day, as they do the feet of all earth's travelers.
And then Uncle Phil found out what was Dora's gift. It had been dawning on him for some time; but one day he startled the family by saying, "Sister Emily, Dora is the most gifted child you've got."
It was, as I said, a rainy day. "Of course it had to rain," Julia had said grimly, as they gathered in the breakfast room. "As I wanted to go on horseback with uncle, I might have known it would rain."
"It is well you have an escort who will wait till a clear day," said Dora, who was busy10pulling up the blinds to the top pane, that they might get all the light there was to be had.
"Ah, what a nice little blaze!" said Uncle Phil, limping around to the grate. "Which of you knew I had rheumatism this morning?"
"Dora always keeps a little pile of wood and shavings hid away for a morning like this," Julia said, leaving the window and coming to warm her cold nose by the cheerful glow.
The mother entered with a cloud on her usually placid brow.
"Bridget is sick, girls—not able to get out of bed."
"How lucky that it rains!" cried Dora. "No visitors, no going out; we can be busy bees to-day without molestation. Sit down and keep Uncle Phil from getting cross, mother, while we go and scratch up a little breakfast."
In a very short time a comfortable breakfast was on the table, everybody chatting pleasantly, and not a frown to be seen. It was at this moment that Uncle Phil announced his discovery that Dora was the most gifted child in the family.
"Proof positive, I have made a bit of toast without scorching the edges," said Dora with a mocking little bow.
"No," said Uncle Phil gravely, in answer to the questioning eyes fixed upon him all around the table; "but Dora has that rare treasure, the gift of pleasantness—of being pleasant herself and making other people feel so, no matter what is going on. I am sure that was the kind of woman the apostle was thinking of when he said it didn't matter about plaiting the hair and putting on gold ornaments if a woman had that sweet, bright, quiet, unselfish spirit that God so approves."
And then all eyes fixed upon the speaker filled up suddenly with loving tears, and everybody seemed trying to kiss blushing Dora first.
"Yes," said the mother softly, "pleasantness—that is just my Dora's gift."—Selected.
WOMAN'S RIGHTS.
DIFFERENT WAYS OF OBTAINING THEM.
I.
SHE sought her "rights,"
Robbed by some cruel chance of life's delights,
With a dissatisfied and restless soul,
With a half logic she counted whole;
Earnest, no doubt, and honest, not unsexed,
But hungering and querulous and vexed,
With starving instincts in a fruitless frame,
And with an itching for the sort of fame
Which comes from the mere printing of a name.
She clamored for her "rights," showed solemn craft,
And men,
Brute men,
They only laughed.
II.
She did not seek her "rights."
She dreamed not of some path to mannish heights,
But followed nature's way, and deemed it good,
And bloomed from flower to fruit of womanhood.
She loved the "tyrant," bore her noble part
In life with him, and thought with all her heart
She had her rights.
She held that something men and women meant
To be unlike, but each a supplement
Unto the other, 'twas her gentle whim
He was not more to her than she to him.
And little children gathered at her knee,
And men,
Brute men,
Would die for such as she.
—Selected.
HINTS ABOUT BEAUTY.
TRUE beauty rests on plain living and high thinking, on blood, bearing, and brains.
The gospel of relaxing, of "letting go" of one's self at times, is essential to facial beauty. The nervous system, like the violin, must not be kept always at concert pitch.
Beauty means harmony, balance, the mental fire of sensibility, as well as bodily fascination. Banish fretting, trivial perturbation, scowling, whining, wailing, excessive laughter, and pointless smiling.
In the first place, health is all important. Flesh texture and tint depend upon it. A complexion lacking luster, plumpness, and elasticity shows a lack somewhere in the vital or nutritive system. A mild diet, gentle temperature, good digestion, outdoor exercise, sleep, and a tranquil mind pertain to loveliness. Perfect beauty cannot exist except there is interest in something, some occupation or labor.
Every person should sleep alone. A buoyant girl will be rendered irritable, ill, and imbecile by sleeping with a sullen, morose woman.
If a girl sits down to a potato and pickles, strong tea, pies, cakes, ices, and fiery condiments, she will not hold her beauty. As a result, when the girl is twenty her eyes are dull, teeth yellow, gums pale, lips wan, flesh flaccid, and skin unyielding. Recourse is had to padding, face washes, stains, and belladonna.
The diet, while generous, must be temperate. Peppered soups, stews, game, patés, ragouts, and spices are not good for the complexion. What is termed the epicurean woman will have, before she is thirty, a blotched face and flabby flesh. Aerated and natural spring water should be the daily beverage.
A great deal of beauty at low cost can be obtained through the plentiful use of water, sunlight, and open-air exercise. Frequent bathing is a healthful luxury, especially with the addition of sea salt.
How many women know how to walk? Observe them in the street or entering a drawing room. One shambles, another slouches as if her shoes were down at the heel; but most of them dive, straining every muscle, ploughing along with strenuous effort, like a ship in a high sea and facing head winds.
A perceptible swing of the body should be manifest with every step—that is, advance all of one side at the same time, with a slight turn right and left of the shoulders as the corresponding foot is projected.
The highest beauty is the beauty of expression, and the cultivation of this requires the crushing out of envy, hatred, malice, and all low motives and passions.—Science Siftings.
JAPANESE RITES AND CEREMONIES.
Most interesting are the religious ceremonies of the Japanese. From these we learn, if not the doctrines of the primitive cult, at least the popular beliefs of the present time. Here we have to do only with those practices which belong peculiarly to Shinto. We must, however, keep in mind the fact that Buddhism has leavened everything in Japan, and it will not be surprising to find under the name of Shinto some things that should be labeled Buddhist.
1. Purification.—As sin is regarded as pollution, the chief rite of Shinto is purification. At first the mikado ordered public ablutions. Afterwards paper figures representing men were cast into the water. Later still the high priest at Kioto threw into the water an iron figure the size of the mikado. This rite represented the cleansing of the whole people. Now the festival of general purification is held twice a year. Besides this there are frequent washings for purification, which, with the ceremonies connected therewith, are similar to those of the Brahmans of India.
2. Festivals.—The sun goddess is the supreme object of worship. The hierarchy consists of the mikado, two ecclesiastical judges, and numbers of priests and monks. In the springtime festivals are held in honor of the goddess, at which these dignities play a most important part. The mikado is the representative of the goddess. The priests make offerings of fish, rice, etc. Ceremonies in imitation of planting and sowing are held.
3. Pilgrimages.—Each district now has its own deity and its own temple; but there is a most sacred temple (or several of them) in the province of Ise. This was built in honor of the sun goddess, and to it all Shintoists make at least one pilgrimage during their lifetime. The more pilgrimages that can be731made the better. The Shintoists believe that the gods of Ise have more than once saved Japan from destruction. When Perry anchored his fleet in the bay of Yeddo "orders were sent by the imperial court to the Shinto priest at Ise to offer up prayers for the sweeping away of the barbarians."
4. Marriage.—The marriage rites and relations are held to be under the direct patronage of Izanagi and Izanami. It is deemed most unlucky for a Buddhist priest to officiate at a wedding. A Japanese has but one lawful wife, but he may have as many concubines as the size of his purse will allow. While in ancient times polygamy was common, now the great majority of the people are monogamists.
5. Hero Worship.—By decree of the government, semi-divine honors are conferred on the dead. Statues of poets, orators, and famous men are placed in the temples and regarded with reverence.
Idols are now worshiped, but this is due to the influence of Buddhism. Keeping in mind the fact that the first mikado was a god, and that his successors are regarded as descendants of the gods, it is not strange that reverence is paid to them. Add to these the large number who have been deified, and one can imagine what an intricate and complex system of hero worship has been developed.
Of myths there is no lack. The most interesting of them is that of the sun goddess. As this myth lies at the basis of Shinto, we give a condensed statement of it. Izanagi and Izanami produced a most beautiful daughter, resplendent and glorious. While she was embroidering beautiful textures, her mischievous and wicked younger brother spoiled her work by covering it with defilement. The maiden, displeased, withdrew into a dark cave and left the world in darkness. After long deliberations among the eight hundred thousand gods, three stratagems were resorted to for the purpose of drawing the goddess from her place of concealment. First, another beautiful goddess was sent to dance almost naked before the cave, so as to arouse her jealousy. Then a large number of cocks were placed near by, so that their crowing might excite her curiosity. Finally, as an appeal to her vanity, a mirror was placed before her cave. These efforts proved successful. Hearing the gods laugh, the goddess opened the door of her place of concealment, as she did so she beheld her reflection in the mirror, and stepped outside to get a closer view of her loveliness. At this the god of invincible might, who had remained hidden near by, caught the goddess, pulled her forth, and shut the door in the rock. The gods then returned her to her proper place in the sky. The meaning of this parable is given by the rationalistic writers of Japan. The maiden is the sun; the defilement is the evil of the world; the withdrawal into the cave is an eclipse, and the return to her original place is the separation of light from darkness subsequent to the eclipse.
The scene representing the rival naked goddess dancing at the mouth of the cave has been dramatised, and has produced a corrupting effect on the morals of the people. After marriage purity is emphasized; but among the unmarried laxity in morals exists to an alarming degree. Much of this immorality is directly traceable to the worship of the sun goddess, and more especially to the representations of such scenes as the one narrated above. Much of what the Anglo-Saxon considers immorality may be excused by keeping in mind the differences in the moral standpoint of the two races. The sweeping assertion that most Japanese women are impure is unworthy of notice, as it is the offspring of ignorance. On the other hand, it must be admitted that Shinto has lowered the moral tone of its devotees.—Missionary Review.
YESTERDAY.
By L. L. Knight
BY L. L. KNIGHT.
'Tis now, alas, beyond recall,
Lament it as we may!
No more around our feet shall fall
The light of yesterday.
It came as other days have come;
Its smiles were kindly shed;
But, oh, its blossoms in our wake
Lie withered now and dead!
No sighs can breathe away our guilt,
Or bid the past return,
If we have idly sown or failed
This solemn truth to learn,
That every yesterday whose wreck
Bestrews life's checkered way
Has worn amid the fleeting now
The raiment of to-day.
Then pluck each moment ere it dies;
The present is thine own;
But, oh, the future's hidden light
Belongs to God alone!
Be thoughtful now; to wisdom, son,
Give thou a ready ear;
'Twill make each yesterday a charm,
And save to-morrow's tear.
Each common deed our hands perform,
Though small the act may be,
Each thought unuttered in the soul,
Lives on immortally.
It springs into a welcome flower
To deck life's clover lea,
Or adds a cheerless thorn to swell
The waste of memory.
—Atlanta Constitution.
The Work of God and Man
By Gregory
The good which a man doth is both the work of God and the work of man—of God, as being the Author, in giving grace; of man, as being the actor, in using grace.
THAT BOY OF YOURS.
THERE is a great responsibility on parents in rearing their boys.
The training of a son properly requires thought, time, and attention. There is a correct way to bring up a son, and there is a way which if adopted will ruin him. I give below a few directions that will suggest the course that may aid parents in their government. Such a course of training and such surroundings and conditions have kept many a boy from the sinful ways of the prodigal son. Read and ponder them carefully.
Make home the brightest and most attractive place on the earth.
Make him responsible for the performance of a limited number of daily duties.
Never punish him in anger.
Do not ridicule his conceits, but rather talk frankly on the matters in which he has an interest.
Let him feel free to invite his friends to your home and table.
Encourage his confidence by giving him ready sympathy and advice.
Do not discourage "collection manias;" they help to give information and fix habits of investigation and perseverance.
Be careful to impress upon his mind that making character is more important than making money.
Live Christ before him all the time; then you will be able to talk Christ to him with power when the occasion offers.
Be much in prayer for his salvation and spiritual growth.
If you want your gray hairs dishonored by a spoiled and ruined son, adopt the following directions:—
Let him have plenty of spending money.
Permit him to choose his own companions without restraint or direction.
Give him a latchkey, and allow him to return home late in the evening.
Make no inquiry as to where and with whom he spends his leisure moments.
Give him to understand that manners make a good substitute for morality.
Teach him to expect pay for every act of helpfulness to others.
Allow him to occupy a seat in church with the boys rather than a pew with his parents.
Permit him to regard the Sabbath school unsuitable for a boy on the verge of young manhood.—The Southland.
LEPERS IN JAPAN.
At Gotambra, Japan, is a leper hospital established by a Catholic missionary about five years ago. A recent account says there are eighty-six patients. The establishment and its support are the result of appeals to the charity of foreigners. The missionary who has the oversight of the place says of the afflicted people that "for the most part they are rejected by their own families, to which they are a shame. The lepers are obliged to beg on all the roads, and in places frequented by miserable beggars, such as the approaches to the temple of cemeteries. Generally they inspire horror as well as pity. Their hands and feet are eaten away; their bodies covered with sores; their features tumefied and reddish; their eyes bloodshot and their eyelids lacerated; in short, every part of them is horrible to view. Therefore, shunned by everyone, they can but with difficulty find a little rice to satisfy their hunger, and a shelter from the night."
Continuing his report, the missionary says: "Quite lately ten lepers presented themselves at our establishment, begging to be admitted. They are all heart-rending stories to tell. There is one family of which nearly all the members are stricken with the horrible disease, and unable, in consequence, to work to earn their living. There is another family who used up their resources to effect the cure of one person, whom they were obliged to abandon, at last, on account of want of funds. I know of a young man who went to take the warm baths at Kusatsu, in the hope of recovering thereby. One day he received a letter from his mother as follows:—
"'I have nothing more, and I can send you nothing hereafter; find therefore a way to put an end to your existence, and do not trouble me any longer.'"
"Another young man received from his family a similar letter. It was as follows: 'If you cannot find a means of earning your living, die, if it is necessary. It is useless for you to write; your letters will not be received.'"
Those who have health and all their faculties are too often regardless of the sufferings of the afflicted. The Spirit of Christ feels sympathy for the lowest and most degraded, and his true disciples have that spirit.
CHINA AND THE PLAGUE.
THAT we may know China's inability to comprehend the necessity of hygienic measures, in connection with epidemic diseases, take the following account of the Chinese idea of the origin of the plague, as given in the North China (Shanghai) Daily News:—
“The empress dowager, jealous of the welfare of the people, keeps constantly burning in her palace eighteen lamps, which represent the eighteen provinces of China. . . . Not long ago one of the lamps, though it received precisely the same attention as all the others, was burning very badly, and the empress sent for the chief imperial astronomer to learn the reason. The chief astronomer, having carefully considered the matter and consulted the archives, told the empress that the lamp which was burning so badly represented the province of Canton, which was about to be afflicted with a serious epidemic, which the god of pestilence had determined, to take off eight-tenths of the people. The empress was very much concerned at being told this, and asked the chief astronomer how such a dreadful doom might be averted from eight-tenths of her people in the province. The chief astronomer said that the god might perhaps be moved with prayer and offerings, and everything was done to placate him, by the empress dowager's orders. After this the chief astronomer was asked what success had been achieved; and, after much consideration and consultation, he replied that the god of pestilence had consented to compromise—but this was absolutely the best that he could do—for four-tenths human beings and four-tenths rats. Thus the frightful mortality of rats and human beings at Canton this spring is explained.”
It is worthy of note that Japan sent the first noted scientist to Canton to investigate the plague, Dr. Kitasato, a pupil of Dr. Koch.
Banting Mission in Borneo
BANTING is one of the Dyak Missions in Borneo. The Rev. C. W. Fowler was placed in charge of it rather more than a year ago. As it had been for five years without a resident missionary, he not unnaturally finds that such care as it could receive has not been sufficient to maintain a vigorous and consistent Christian life among the converts. Their heathen neighbors, and their own previous habits, tend to make the converts liable to lapses into participation in drunken festivals and heathen practices. —Mission Field.
HOSTILE ATTACKS ON CHINESE MISSIONS.
The steamer City of Pekin brings details of the destruction of the American Presbyterian Church at Shuklung, near Canton, the mention of which was contained in the oriental mail. It seems that anti-missionary riots began in the prefectorial town of Tung Kan, in June, as the result of the posting of placards containing vile charges against Christians. The mob appeared in Shuklung on June 19, and pulled down the church. Luckily, all the missionaries escaped, but a Chinese convert, Kaing Lap, was overtaken, beaten to death, and his body thrown into the river. Several Christian families in the vicinity were subjected to indignities and robbed. Some soldiers then appeared on the scene, and effected the arrest of two rioters. The next point of attack was the Roman Catholic Church. Those inside the church fired at the mob, and held them at bay for some time. At this juncture soldiers came and dispersed the mob, thus saving the building from sharing the same fate as the American church.
On June 2 the church at Sam Kong, a village of Tsan Shing, was sacked, and a girl aged nineteen, belonging to a native preacher's family, was carried away. Fortunately, in the middle of the night the Christian Brothers were able to secretly open the door of the house where the girl had been taken, and she was conveyed safely to Canton. Simultaneously with this disturbance an anti-missionary demonstration took place at Liu Pou. Under cover of darkness a native preacher with his family had to seek safety in flight. The church, however, was left unmolested, as it was owned by a man of the powerful Wan family, who protected the building.
In Tung Kung City the vilest and most exciting rumors were current, and had it not been for the proximity of the church of the Rhenish Mission to the mandarin's residence, and for the daily protection of its premises by a squad of soldiers, who had been applied for by the missionaries at an early stage of the riots, it would in all probability have to be added to the list of demolished churches in this district. A complaint against the Tung Kung magistrate has been filed with the American Consul at Canton, and an investigation will be made.
A dispatch from Tientsin to the London Times, dated August 27, says: "An imperial edict which has just appeared condemns the officers responsible for the recent outrages on missionaries, and orders that they be beheaded. The actual criminals are rebuilding the chapels, and liberal compensation will be given to relatives of the victims. Li Hung Chang has expressed regret to the British Minister."—Christian Work.
THE STOCKS ONCE MORE.
By Editor
Another case of prosecution for Sunday labor has been tried in Sydney, N. S. W. This time it is a brother named Robert Shannon, who was arraigned in the Police Court for having worked at his "ordinary calling" on the first day of the week. After conviction under a British law of some 200 years' standing, the defendant was sentenced to pay a fine of 2s. 6d. (60 cents) or "be set publicly in the stocks for two hours." The prisoner declined to pay the fine, and a warrant was issued to levy on his goods. This, however, failed, and the authorities had no stocks prepared. It seems that the provincial government had not as yet contemplated the use of such antiquated means of punishing the exercise of freedom of conscience. The defendant presented in his own behalf a proclamation of Queen Victoria, issued in 1858, but the magistrate said he could only be guided by the law; he had nothing to do with proclamations. Following is the proclamation, as given in "Cassell's History of England":—
Firmly relying ourselves on the truth of Christianity, and acknowledging with gratitude the solace of religion, we disclaim alike the right and the desire to impress our convictions on any of our subjects. We declare it to be our royal will and pleasure that none be in any wise favored nor molested, or disquieted by reason of their religious faith or observance, but that all shall alike enjoy the equal and impartial protection of the law, and we strictly charge and enjoin all those who may be in authority under us that they abstain from all interference with the religious belief or worship of any of our subjects on pain of our highest displeasure.
In some way the matter was brought to the attention of the attorney general, and he found a pretext for recommending to the governor that the fine be remitted. The recommendation was based on the fact that the law requires a fine of double the amount imposed by the justice, and this, it was argued, rendered the sentence illegal. The governor granted the remission, and this ended the case. Commenting upon this case, the Melbourne Argus ironically remarks: "Let us have the stocks by all means, and then in time we shall get back to the good old days of the pillory, and by and by, who knows, we shall ascend to the pinnacle of the rack and the thumbscrew." But, irony as it is, that is the logic of State-enforced religion, which always "teaches for doctrine the commandments of men."