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Signs of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 6.

WHAT IS THE CHAFF TO THE WHEAT?
Earlier text: POWERLESS IN OURSELVES

Missionaries for Foreign Fields

TWENTY-ONE missionaries left New York for foreign fields November 24. Seventeen were sent out by the Women's Foreign Missionary Society, and four by the Society of Friends.

South India Conference

The South India Conference of the M. E. Church will be convened at Bombay on the 15th inst. Bishop Thoburn will preside.

Mission Stations in Zululand

THERE are seventeen mission stations in Zululand, of which six belong to the English Church; the other eleven are Lutheran.

Mission Churches Along the Kongo

THERE are 1,500 communicants in the mission churches, established along the Kongo by English and American missionaries.

FIELD NOTES.

By Editor

ELDER W. B. WHITE recently organized a church of fourteen members at Grand Island, Nebraska.
THE permanent address of Elder R. S. Donnell, president of Upper Columbia Conference, is College Place, Wash.
BATTLE CREEK (Mich.) COLLEGE has now an attendance of 550 students, and Union College, at Lincoln, Nebraska, has over 400 students.
BROTHER GEORGE W. HOWARD reports four converts to the faith at Mariaville, Hancock County, Maine, and his meetings were continuing with good interest.
SISTER DELLE MAY, Cathay, Mariposa County, Cal., writes: "I would be very glad to have some more of our papers for missionary work, with many thanks for past favors."
BROTHER WM. HUTCHINSON is conducting a series of meetings at Belleville, West Virginia, and his wife has commenced Bible work in Parkersburg. He speaks very encouragingly of the new primary school now being conducted at Newark by Seventh-day Adventists.
CAPTAIN C. ELDRIDGE, who has been in California for a few weeks past in the interest of the Pitcairn's second voyage, started for his home in Battle Creek, Mich., on the 30th ult.
THE brethren of the California Conference are again reminded that canvassers' institutes will be held, in Oakland, December 15 to 27, and in Los Angeles, December 29 to January 8.
THE Review and Herald Publishing Company, of Battle Creek, Mich., has shipped a car load of bound books to the Pacific Coast, to be taken as part of the outfit for the missionary ship Pitcairn.
A LETTER from Whim, Ulverson, British Guiana, to the International Tract Society, reports a school of fourteen members. Also the fact that our papers and tracts are being used to good advantage in attracting attention to the truth.
THE Youth's Instructor, a handsome illustrated paper, published at Battle Creek, Mich., and the best of its class, will enter upon a new volume the first of the new year. Now is the time to subscribe. Eight pages; seventy-five cents a year.
THE following missionaries have been chosen to accompany the Pitcairn on her next voyage to the South Sea Islands: Elder B. J. Cady and wife, of Wisconsin; Elder J. M. Cole and wife, of Washington; Dr. M. G. Kellogg, and Brother E. C. Chapman and wife, of California; Brother J. R. McCoy, of Pitcairn Island, and Sister Andre, of Ohio.
AN encouraging open-air meeting was held in this city the evening after Sabbath, 3d inst. Elders J. H. Durland and M. C. Wilcox delivered short addresses before a large concourse of people attracted together by the singing of some of our stirring songs which refer to the second advent of our Lord. Good order prevailed, and many heard words of truth entirely new to them.
ORDERS for the General Conference Bulletin should be addressed to Elder A. O. Tait, Battle Creek, Mich. The Bulletin will be issued daily during the institute which precedes the Conference, as well as during the Conference—about six weeks in all—and will be furnished for fifty cents. The full file will make an important volume. Orders should be forwarded at as early a date as possible.
"MOTHERS' MEETINGS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE" is the title of a little tractlet which has been prepared by Mrs. Dr. Maxson, on this important subject. It gives instructions on how to awaken an interest, how to conduct meetings, and also tells other things which one wishing to engage in work of this kind ought to know. Mothers among us who are interested in their children's welfare would do well to write for one of these leaflets. It would be well to inclose a stamp. Address Mrs. H. S. Maxson, M. D., Crystal Springs, St. Helena, Cal.
ELDER J. D. RICE, of Ogden, Utah, and Brother J. H. Bahler, of El Paso, Texas, both report interesting progress in labor for the Chinese, in connection with their other work. There are many individuals, even among those whose occupation is not directly in the line of religious work, who might get at least one Chinaman or other foreigner interested to learn to read English, and with it weave in the truth. Brother and Sister Rice use nothing but the Bible in teaching them to read, the object being to get them interested in that particular book.
ANGELS; THEIR NATURE AND MINISTRY. Contains the same hints on the origin, history, and destiny of Satan as gleaned from the Scriptures. Bible Students' Library, No. 83. Pacific Press Pub. Co., Oakland, Cal. 140 pp.; 20 cents.
BIBLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS CONCERNING MAN. By Alonzo T. Jones. Bible Students' Library, No. 76. Pacific Press Pub. Co., Oakland, Cal. 16 pp.; 2 cents.

Our Work and Workers.

"Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters." "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy."

NECESSITY OF PRAYER.

THE Majesty of heaven, while engaged in his earthly ministry, prayed much to his Father. He was frequently bowed all night in prayer. His spirit was often sorrowful as he felt the powers of the darkness of this world, and he left the busy city and the noisy throng, to seek a retired place to make his intercessions. The Mount of Olives was the favorite resort of the Son of God for his devotions. Frequently after the multitude had left him for the retirement of the night, he rested not, though weary with the labors of the day. In the Gospel of John we read, "And every man went unto his own house. Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives." While the city was hushed in silence, and the disciples had returned to their homes to obtain refreshment in sleep, Jesus slept not. His divine pleadings were ascending to his Father from the Mount of Olives that his disciples might be kept from the evil influences which they would daily encounter in the world, and that his own soul might be strengthened and braced for the duties and trials of the coming day. All night, while his followers were sleeping, was their divine Teacher praying. The dew and frost of night fell upon his head bowed in prayer. His example is left for his followers.
The Majesty of Heaven, while engaged in his mission, was often in earnest prayer. He did not always visit Olivet, for his disciples had learned his favorite retreat, and often followed him. He chose the stillness of night, when there would be no interruption. Jesus could heal the sick and raise the dead. He was himself a source of blessing and strength. He commanded even the tempests, and they obeyed him. He was unsullied with corruption, a stranger to sin; yet he prayed, and that often with strong crying and tears. He prayed for his disciples and for himself, thus identifying himself with our needs, our weaknesses, and our failings, which are so common with humanity. He was a mighty petitioner, not possessing the passions of our human, fallen natures, but compassed with like infirmities, tempted in all points even as we are. Jesus endured agony which required help and support from his Father.—Testimony for the Church, No. 19.

BIBLE OBJECT LESSONS

AND SONGS FOR LITTLE ONES.

FOR THE HOME AND SCHOOL. With Illustrations and Special Instruction for MOTHERS AND TEACHERS. BY LILLIE E. AFFOLTER AND F. E. BELDEN.

BOOK 1.

THE LIFE AND WORDS OF CHRIST

The first of a Series of Three Books covering a Three Years' Course of Graded Scriptural Instruction for Children.

"BIBLE OBJECT LESSONS," NO. 1, CONTAINS 160 PAGES, EMBRACING

  • 52 Lessons—one for each Sabbath in the Year.
  • 30 Original Hymns and Songs, Written for the Lessons.
  • 36 Beautiful Full-page Illustrations, with Colored Plate.
  • 52 Original Pen Drawings, showing how to use the Kindergarten Material when Teaching the Lessons.

Sold by Subscription

In the following styles of binding. Orders by mail will be filled postpaid at prices given below. ROYAL EDITION, 9x11½ inches, with Colored Plate. EXTRA CLOTH, panel sides, green and gold, printed on enameled paper, gilt edges - - - - $3 75 COMMON CLOTH, aluminum and brown, calendered paper, lemon edges - - - - 2 75 PLAIN EDITION, 1½x10 inches without Colored Plate, plain edges, ink titles - - - - 2 00 BOARD COVERS, paper sides, $1 50
When the Kindergarten Material (set of three boxes) is ordered with the book in either style of binding, purchaser will receive a beautiful premium "Portfolio of Blackboard Sketches on the life of Christ," to aid mothers, teachers and children in drawing.

Special Kindergarten Material

To Accompany "Bible Object Lessons and Songs for Little Ones." BOOK 1.—The Life and Words of Christ.
The material for this book consists of three boxes: (1) Cubes and Triangles; (2) Squares and Oblongs; (3) Miscellaneous Supplies; two Cones and two Domes; ten 1-inch and twenty 2-inch Mounted Orange Sticks, to represent people; thirty-six 2-inch and twenty-four 1-inch Unmounted Green Sticks for Outline and Tree Building; ten Miniature Sheep; and Crumpled Green French Tissue Paper, to represent water.
Boxes 1 and 2 are made of finished cherry, 3x3x3 inches, with locked corners and sliding top. The blocks are of hard maple. Box 3 is of pasteboard with double sides.
Price of the three boxes, by mail - - - - $1 75 Discount to schools when ordered in quantities. Prices on Special Round Kindergarten Tables and Small Chairs on application.
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International S. S. Lessons.

"So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading." —Neh. 8:8

LESSON XIII.—DECEMBER 25, 1892.

THE QUESTION SETTLED.

[NOTE.—The questions which follow are merely suggestive for the student on the leading points of the lesson; it is presumed that the thorough student will think of many more as he studies the subject. References, where verses alone are given, always refer to the lesson scripture printed above. All other references are given in book, chapter, and verse. The text printed is that of the Revised Version, not because it is especially preferred, but because it is not found in every family, as is the common version.]

Lesson Scripture—Acts 15: 12-31.

  1. And all the multitude kept silence; and they hearkened unto Barnabas and Paul rehearsing what signs and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.
  2. And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying,
  3. Brethren, hearken unto me: Symeon hath rehearsed how first God did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
  4. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
  5. After these things I will return, and I will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up.
  6. That the residue of men may seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called,
  7. Saith the Lord, who maketh these things known from the beginning of the world.
  8. Wherefore my judgment is, that we trouble not them which from among the Gentiles turn to God;
  9. But that we write unto them, that they abstain from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood.
  10. For Moses from generations of old hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.
  11. Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: namely, Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren;
  12. And they wrote thus by them, The apostles and the elder brethren unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greeting;
  13. Forasmuch as we have heard that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls; to whom we gave no commandment;
  14. It seemed good unto us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send them unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
  15. Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
  16. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves also shall tell you the same things by word of mouth.
  17. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
  18. That ye abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which if ye keep yourselves, it shall be well with you. Fare ye well.
  19. So they, when they were dismissed, came down to Antioch; and having gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle.
  20. And when they had read it, they rejoiced for the consolation.

MEMORY VERSE, 11.

Golden Text.—Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 1 Thess. 5:21.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

  1. Tell what led to the conference in Jerusalem. See Acts 15: 1-3.
  2. What was the importance of the question? Ans.—The erroneous teaching was subverting the souls of the believers, and perverting the gospel of Christ. See Acts 15: 24; Gal. 1:7.
  3. Give Peter's argument in the case.
And when there had been much questioning, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the heart, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; and he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, that ye should put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in like manner as they. Acts 15: 7-11.
  1. When Peter had finished, what did Barnabas and Paul tell? Verse 12.
  2. Who spoke next? Verse 13.
  3. To what did he refer? Verse 14.
  4. To whom did he refer as authority for their preaching to the Gentiles? Verse 15.
  5. What prophecy did he specify? Verses 16, 17; Amos 9: 11, 12.
  6. How long had God had it upon his mind to save the Gentiles? Verse 14. Note 1.
  7. What, therefore, was James' decision in the case? Verse 19.
  1. What did he suggest that they should write to the Gentile converts? Verse 20. Note 2.
  2. Why was it not necessary to specify more particularly the things that pertain to the Christian life? Verse 21. Note 3.
  3. Why was it necessary to specify even these? Note 3.
  4. Were these things of minor importance? Verses 28, 29.
  5. Are these things to be observed in these days as well as then? Note 2.
  6. What steps did the brethren take to relieve the minds of the new converts who had been troubled? Verses 22, 23.
  7. What commendation was given to Barnabas and Paul? Verses 25, 26.
  8. What did the apostles agree was evidently the work of Barnabas and Paul?
But contrariwise, when they saw that I had been intrusted with the gospel of the uncircumcision, even as Peter with the gospel of the circumcision (for he that wrought for Peter unto the apostleship of the circumcision wrought for me also unto the Gentiles); and when they perceived the grace that was given unto me, James and Cephas and John, they who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship, that we should go unto the Gentiles, and they unto the circumcision. Gal. 2: 7-9.
19. How was the result of the conference received by the brethren at Antioch? Verses 30, 31.

NOTES ON THE LESSON.

1. God did visit the Gentiles.—The facts concerning the Gentiles were arguments that could not be overcome. God had abundantly blessed the labor that had been done among them, as shown by Peter and Paul and Barnabas. This showed that God was not only willing to save the Gentiles, but that he would save them by simple faith. When God poured out his Spirit upon them, so that they spoke with tongues, no one who reverenced the Lord could say that there was something still lacking that the Gentiles must do before they could be saved. That the salvation of the Gentiles was not a new thing in God's plan is shown by the promises to Abraham, by the prophecy of Amos, which James quoted, by Joel 2: 28, by Isa. 45: 22, 23; 49: 6; 60: 1-5, etc.
2. That they abstain from, etc.—The four things specified in the letter to the brethren are declared by the Spirit to be "necessary things." They are as necessary now as they were when written, and had been necessary from the beginning. The blood is the life (Gen. 9: 4, 5), and therefore the prohibition against it comes under the sixth commandment. The prohibition against things strangled comes in the same list. The relation of the other things to the law of God is obvious. These things, being forbidden by the law of God, are consequently inconsistent with the life of Christ, for his life is the law in its perfection.
3. For Moses from generation of old hath, etc.—It should be understood that the apostles did not lay these four necessary things upon the disciples in addition to their faith in Christ. These things were specified only because they were things that people from among the heathen would not so readily perceive as necessarily embraced in the Christian life. Fornication was among the heathen a commonplace affair, and even required by their religion. The eating of blood was a common thing. Everything in ordinary life was so immediately connected with idolatry that it was necessary for the converts from among the heathen to be especially on their guard to avoid pollution of idols. These things, in which the Gentile converts might sin without realizing it, so common were they, were especially noted; but it was necessary for the apostles to go further into particulars concerning the Christian life, for the disciples had constant access to the writings of Moses, in which the Christian life is set forth, for he wrote of Christ. John 5: 46, 47. One point may be referred to as showing that, in setting forth the law, Moses was describing Christ, through whom alone the righteousness of the law is fulfilled. In Deut. 30: 11-14 Moses, after having set forth the law, says: "For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it." But in Rom. 10: 5-9 Paul tells us that this refers to Christ. This was not left obscure by Moses, so that the Jews would think that the commandment must be kept by them apart from Christ, for just before the verses quoted Moses tells them that God would circumcise their heart to keep his law (Deut. 30: 6, 8), and just afterward he said: "That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him; for he is thy life, and the length of thy days." Deut. 30: 20.

RISE AND PROGRESS

--OF-- Seventh-Day Adventists.
Tokens of God's Hand in the Movement, and Brief Sketch of the Advent Cause from 1831 to 1844.
By J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.
This new book, fresh from the pen of one of the oldest ministers in the advent movement, cannot but be of great interest to all, and especially to those who have become Seventh-Day Adventists in recent years and know but little of the early history of the cause and its leaders.
The following are some of the chapter headings: Extent of the Advent Proclamation; The Tarrying Time; The Midnight Cry; The Disappointment; Fresh Tokens of Divine Guidance; Perils, Reproaches, Victories; New Features in the Work; Providence of God in the Publishing Work; Organization; Rapid Advancement; Though Workers Faint, God's Work Advances; Truth Advanced Even by Opposition.
The book contains nearly 400 pages, with 50 illustrations, several of them full page, and is neatly bound in cloth, and furnished in two styles.
Cloth, plain edges . . . . . $1.25 Cloth, gilt edges . . . . . 1.50
Books sent postpaid on receipt of price.
Address, PACIFIC PRESS PUB. CO., OAKLAND, CAL. Or 43 Bond St., New York.

SCIENCE in the KITCHEN

By MRS. E. E. KELLOGG, A. M., Superintendent of the Sanitarium School of Cookery and of the Bay View Assembly School of Cookery, and Chairman of the World's Fair Committee on Food Supplies for Michigan.
A scientific treatise on food substances and their dietetic properties, together with a practical explanation of the principles of healthful cookery, and a large number of original, palatable and wholesome recipes.
AGENTS WANTED. Send $1.25 for outfit, giving choice of territory.
Address, PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO., Oakland, Cal.
BIBLE ELECTION. By M. C. Wilcox. A brief presentation of God's plan and purpose concerning man, showing that the doctrine of election, or predestination, according to the Bible, is full of comfort and instruction. It throws new light on old controversies. Bible Students' Library, No. 67; 24 pp.; price 3 cents. Address Pacific Press Pub. Co., Oakland, Cal.
THE ATONEMENT. Part I, "An Atonement Consistent with Reason." Part II, "An Atonement as Revealed in the Bible." Pacific Press Pub. Co., Oakland, Cal. Cloth, $1.50.

SECULAR.

—It is said that a colony of 1,000 Japanese is about to settle in Sinaloa, Mexico.
—It is said that of the 100 teachers in the new Chicago University 94 are native Americans.
—A Paris journal states that cholera has again broken out in the Cherbourg, and several deaths have occurred.
—It is said that the Indians in the vicinity of Gorham, Ontario County, New York, are building wigwams for the Columbian Exposition.
—All the newspapers of Charlottenburg, Germany, have been fined fifty marks each for having falsely reported a death by cholera in Berlin.
—The police of Cleveland, Ohio, have discovered that there is a branch of the murderous Italian Mafia Society of at least 200 members in that city.
—The public debt statement issued December 1 shows a cash balance in the treasury of $130,328,918. Decrease of the debt during the month of November, $1,079,935.
—A Berlin correspondent states that the governments of Germany, England, and the United States have agreed to take common action in restoring order in Samoa.
—Of the 60,803 votes cast at the late election in San Francisco, 2,150 did not show any choice for presidential electors at all, and 9,400 ignored all congressional candidates.
—During the month of November Inspector Noyes, of San Francisco, captured $30,000 worth of smuggled opium, and began the month of December by a $6,000 find on the 1st.
—Great suffering in parts of China is predicted during the winter. The cause is the continued concentration of all the wealth in the hands of a small minority of the people.
—The Treasury Department has decided that a Chinese boy may enter the United States for the purpose of receiving an education, provided he has the permission of his government.
—Russia is not alone in the anti-Jewish sentiment. It is cropping out prominently in Austria and France. In these countries, however, the movement is of a financial rather than a religious character.
—The Santa Fe Railroad system has made a cut of eight cents on wheat, corn, and flour rates from Kansas City to Galveston, Texas, which puts Galveston on an equal basis with New Orleans.
—Striking miners paraded the streets of the city of Liege, Belgium, and raised a riot, on the 1st inst. The gendarmes fired on the mob, and the fire was returned. One miner was killed and three wounded.
—The Russian Nihilists are trying to stir up the Volga peasantry, by means of pamphlets and letters, to revolt against the government. The police have been instructed to suppress any insurrectionary attempts.
—The trial by court-martial of persons concerned in the cholera riots in Saratoff, Russia, in July last has ended. Twenty-three prisoners were sentenced to be hanged and fifty-six to be imprisoned in Siberia.
—The factory of the Chochi Gallipo Company, in Berlin, was burned on the 1st inst. This establishment was the principal manufactory of street organs in Europe, and the chief business was with the itinerant Italians.
—Jay Gould, the great railroad owner and speculator, said to be "the greatest money spinner in the world," died on the 30th inst. He has gone where "the rich and the poor meet together," and left all his gettings behind.
—California passed through a five days' wind and rainstorm from November 27 to 31. The wind did considerable damage both in city and county, but the good results of the rain will many times compensate for all the damage.
—Miss Mary Allen West, senior editor of the Union Signal, organ of the W. C. T. U., died in Tokio, Japan, on the 1st inst. She had been in Japan nearly a year, having gone there primarily for the benefit of her health, but was engaged in temperance work.
—The Treasury Department of the United States, acting in cooperation with the Marine Hospital Service, has sent a corps of physicians to Europe to survey the field of the possible breaking out of cholera in the spring and to inaugurate protective measures there.
—In Talcville, St. Lawrence County, New York, last week, miners attacked the shanties of a gang of Italian railroad hands, over which an Italian flag was waving. The flag was pulled down and burned, and in the fight which ensued several persons were injured. The attention of the Italian Minister at Washington has been called to the affair.
—Burglaries, sand-baggings, highway robberies, and other crimes are being committed in such numbers in Chicago, and the residents are so thoroughly aroused that orders have been issued by the police inspectors to the captains of the divisions to suppress all mention of such misdeeds.
—The Oakland, Cal., Tribune offers to the school-children of Alameda County eight prizes for holiday stories. There are chances for high school, grammar, and primary grades, as also for private schools or seminaries. It is expected that a great many young authors will come to the front. The Tribune is prolific in plans to incite young minds to action.
—The nomination of the czarowitz to the presidency of the Russian State Council is hailed as an indication of the desire of the czar to infuse a more liberal spirit into the administration. No immediate change in methods is possible, however; but under the presidency of the czarowitz the repression of the Jews and Catholics will eventually be relaxed.
—The Nicaragua Canal Convention, held in New Orleans last week, declared it to be the paramount duty of the government to aid in the construction of the canal as the cheapest means of national defense, as it would shorten the distance by water between our Atlantic and Pacific seaboards by 10,000 miles. As a matter of self-defense, the canal should not be allowed to fall into the hands of European nations.
—A press correspondent thus describes the eviction of a tenant near Kanturk, Ireland: "The sheriff's party and twenty policemen went to evict Caretaker Murphy. They found the crops trampled down, the trees and orchard uprooted, and the houses barricaded. The inmates kept the party at bay for two hours with red-hot irons and boiling water. The bailiffs, having finally effected an entrance, had to fight their way from room to room, and eventually succeeded in arresting eight persons. Several of the bailiffs and policemen were burned and scalded."
—Exciting times are again reported from Madrid. It seems that the municipal authorities in some way embezzled part of the funds appropriated for the Columbus celebration, and trouble in the ministry is the result. Rioters to the number of 12,000 crowded the streets on the 1st inst, and several shops were looted. The mob shouted, "Down with the government!" "Down with the city thieves!" "Crush the upper ten thousand!" "Give us our rights!" After a stubborn resistance, the crowd was dispersed by the police and military. Several people were wounded, and the leaders were arrested.
—An earthquake, October 18, did great damage to the city of La Union, San Salvador. Many houses were entirely wrecked, and scarcely any escaped damage. Although there are 5,000 inhabitants, and the shock occurred in the night, no one was killed, but several persons were more or less injured by falling buildings. Being warned by a lighter shock, most of the people had fled from the houses before the heavier shocks came. Latest reports state that the people were camped on the beach of Lake Fonseca, and were greatly terrorized. Parts of islands in the lake had disappeared, and the old volcano of Conchagua, long supposed to be extinct, was again smoking. This adds to the terror of the people, as the town is situated at the base of the mountain.

RELIGIOUS.

—At a National W. C. T. U. Convention at Denver, Charles N. Crittenton, the evangelist, gave to Miss Willard $5,000 for social purity work.
—At the World's Convention of Christian Workers recently held in Boston, the "gospel wagon," in all its forms, met with warm approval.
—The New York Christian Union, one of the most prominent religious papers of the day, "wishes to be regarded not merely as a reporter of the work of the Salvation Army, but as believing in that work, and wishing it Godspeed."
—J. H. Thompson, secretary of the World's Fair Sunday Opening Association, has received a letter from his eminence Cardinal Gibbons, of Baltimore, favoring the opening of the Fair on Sunday, provided the machinery be stopped.
—Dr. Emil G. Hirsch's Reform Advocate says: "Perhaps to-day Baltimore is one of the few cities where proportionately Saturday is observed to a large extent as Sabbath, not merely in the synagogue, but actually by a considerable number of our co-religionists."
—Since the directory of Union Theological Seminary has so decidedly taken sides with Professor Briggs as to withdraw its connection with the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, wealthy sympathizers have donated $175,000 toward its maintenance.
—A dispatch from Baltimore is authority for the statement that Mgr. Satolli, the papal delegate who has been in this country some weeks, has been empowered by the Holy See to hear and decide without appeal all religious questions between bishops and priests in the United States.
—The Jewish Exponent says: "A Rothschild has become a Roman Catholic on account of her marriage ties. Matrimony is a high social duty with which religious considerations ought not to clash at all. But it is the testimony of deep thinkers that where there are creed differences ab initio, there are sure to be unhappinesses in subsequent relations."
—The New York State Central Sabbath Committee says, "The American rest day [Sunday] must be preserved for the poor as well as the rich." But while the rich man's carriage may be run with impunity on Sunday, the "Sabbath Committee" would put an embargo on the poor man's carriage—the street car. The religion of Jesus Christ, which recognizes no such innovation as a Sunday law, is the only principle on earth which places the rich and poor on an absolute equality.
—The boys in the choir of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Cincinnati, went out on a strike November 25, because girls were brought in to sing. The occasion was the visit of Bishop Dudley, and the house was full. The boys were on hand ready to sing, when the girls were also marched in, and the former refused to sing unless the latter were withdrawn. Their demand being refused, the boys immediately left. There is said to be hard feelings arising among the interested parents.
—Miss Ray Franke, a Jewish lady of this city, who has occasionally done acceptable pulpit work, proposes to enter a Hebrew college, and make full preparation for the ministry. Regarding her intention, the Jewish Exponent says: "The female Jewish preachers of the past have confined their work to their own sex. But there ought to be no objection to a woman in the pulpit teaching God's words in the larger house of learning, when there is none to her instilling religious thoughts in smaller rooms to children of a lesser growth."
—The Catholics have been making a great outcry against Indian Commissioner Morgan because of his alleged hostility to their Indian school interests. The facts, as shown by the appropriations of the government for Indian schools, show that their complaint is selfish in the extreme. Out of a total of $525,881 set apart for all contract schools the current year, the Catholics are to receive $369,535—more than twice as much as all the Protestant denominations combined. And for the past eight years about two-thirds of the amount thus appropriated have gone to the Catholics. On the principle that the government has no right to appropriate money for sectarian purposes, the Baptists have consistently declined to ask for it or to receive it. The Methodists have also abandoned the practice, but they did so presumably in hopes to bring about a cessation of the system because the Catholics were getting the lion's share of the appropriations. The Presbyterians have also publicly condemned the principle, but they still receive a small sum, and the same may be said of the Congregationalists and Episcopalians.

THE ATONEMENT.

The author, in a book of 368 pages, takes up this great central doctrine of the gospel, and treats it in two parts. Part first,

An Atonement Consistent with Reason.

In this he shows that the doctrine of an atonement through the medium of a voluntary substitute is consistent with reason. Part second,

The Atonement as Revealed in the Bible.

In this is discussed the plan of redemption through Christ, by which every sinner who accepts Christ will be justified; sin will be turned back upon the head of its originator; the earth will be cleansed from the curse; God's righteous government will be restored over the entire universe; and all who will not become loyal subjects of that government will be destroyed.
The book presents a CRITICAL AND EXHAUSTIVE TREATISE on this interesting subject, by a thorough Bible student, and wholly from a Bible standpoint, and cannot fail to be of great value to everyone who reads it.
Third edition, bound in cloth, embossed in black, with gold title on back and front cover.
Price, postpaid, $1.00.
Address, Pacific Press Publishing Co., Oakland, Cal. Or 43 BOND ST., New York City.
THE TALENTS. By M. C. Wilcox. A brief essay on "The Parable of the Talents," showing that the talents represent the various gifts of the Spirit which God bestows as he will upon those who are consecrated to him, with the duties and blessed privileges involved therein. Bible Students' Library, No. 77; 16 pp., price 2 cents.
SUNDAY LAWS OF THE STATES AND TERRITORIES. A comprehensive collection of laws and decisions regarding Sunday observance, especially useful as a compendium of information. Paper covers, 25 cents. Pacific Press Pub. Co., Oakland, Cal.
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