Review and Herald, Vol. 83, No. 1.
Behold, He Cometh!Page 1
Earlier text: Behold, He Cometh!The Hague Tribunal and Armed Peace
If The Hague tribunal is to serve its appointed purpose as means of deliverance to the world from the evil of war, it would appear that it must not only be able to prevent actual military conflict, but must to a great degree at least eliminate the prospect and the fear of war which have so long incited the nations to make military preparations. For it is plainly evident that the burden of an armed peace such as exists in Europe to-day is slowly but surely crushing out the life of the people, so that the difference between war and peace is only a difference of methods by which life is taken, not the difference between destroying life and saving it. A recent letter to the London Daily News by Lord Avebury speaks forcibly on this subject as regards conditions in England. Recently a large delegation of wives of unemployed and starving workingmen of London waited on Premier Balfour, asking for relief, and in other large cities of England a similar situation has been brought before the attention of the authorities and of the nation by monster processions of unemployed workmen. Lord Avebury says:— The present position of Europe is certainly most grave, and gradually becoming worse. In our own case the naval and military expenditure has risen in ten years from £35,600,000 to £66,270,000—an increase of over £30,000,000—far more than that of Germany and France put together. Moreover we are told that our army is no stronger than it was five years ago, when the expenditure was £10,000,000 less than it is now. In that case, what has become of our £10,000,000? The pressure of the increase in our national expenditure is, moreover, aggravated by that of the rates. Under these circumstances we can not be surprised that pauperism is increasing, and that there is less employment for our people. Unless we reverse our policy, and reduce both rates and taxes, we have before us a fearful prospect; and if we neglect the counsels of prudence and economy, we shall be forced to retrench by the severe lessons of suffering and adversity. Moreover, in thus recklessly increasing our military and naval expenditure we incur a grave moral responsibility. If any other country had done as we have, we should justly complain that it was a menace to the peace of Europe. The possibility that the great power of the Inter-Church Federation recently organized in New York City would be turned into a wrong channel and become an agency of evil, did not escape the minds of some who participated in that gathering. Such a possibility was suggested by the idea which some entertained that the proper use of the power of the federation would be to crush out that to which the federation is opposed. This led the Rev. S. J. Niccolls, a Presbyterian pastor of St. Louis, Mo., in an address descriptive of the conference, to make the following clear statement of the evil of ecclesiastical domination:— Others again seemed to think that the object was to unite all who call themselves Christians, for reforms in society, and that the bodies thus united could crush out all vice, and bring good men to the front in the rule of society. The good wine of reform seems to have gone to the heads of some most excellent people. The overthrow of political bosses, and the awakened public conscience with reference to political and commercial rascality, seem to some to offer a favorable opportunity for a united church to assert its power. But I, for one, do not think that ecclesiastical bosses would be any better than political ones. The darkest pages of the history of the Christian centuries are those which record the supremacy of ecclesiastical rule. So far as the records show the results, I would rather have the reign of Tammany or of the bossism of St. Louis than that of ecclesiasticism of the Dark Ages. So far as history shows there has never been a church organization, or a combination of them, that was worthy to reign over men. There is only One whose right it is to reign, and who is worthy of a supreme place—Jesus Christ our Lord. The Kaiser Holds the World’s Peace
It may not be generally known that the peace of the world is held to-day in the hand of a single individual, yet that such is the truth is pointed out by a European diplomat in an article contributed to The Outlook. The central figure in the group of European monarchs is invested with prerogatives which confer upon him this dangerous power. That figure is Emperor William of Germany. Of him it is stated:— In his capacity as German emperor he controls the destinies of four kingdoms, six grand duchies, five duchies and eight principalities, which comprise the federal empire, inasmuch as the kaiser can declare war and make peace, conclude alliances and treaties with foreign states, summon, open, adjourn, and close the imperial legislature, and holds the supreme command of the entire German army and navy. The kaiser personally controls the relations between Germany and other countries, directs the entire foreign and colonial, military and naval, policies of Germany, and consequently holds the peace of the world in the hollow of his hand. Presbyterian Doctrine and the Sabbath
In a statement by the United Presbyterian, of “what our denomination stands for,” we note the following:— 6. We believe that God's law is supreme, that we are to obey God rather than men; and consequently, when the law of the church, or the law of the state conflicts with the law of God, as we believe and understand it, we are to stand by our convictions. 10. We believe in a Christian Sabbath, a God-appointed day of rest for man and beast, one devoid of secularities and given to the worship of God and the cultivation of our immortal natures. According to this statement of Presbyterian doctrine, it is proper and right for a Presbyterian, in case of a conflict between the law of the state and the law of God, to stand by his convictions and refuse obedience to the law of the state. Is it also proper and right for a seventh-day observer to do the same? and would the Presbyterian justify him in so doing? If not, why not? The Presbyterian believes also in “a Christian Sabbath, a God-appointed day of rest for man and beast.” There is a Sabbath day, and only one, which is plainly a God-appointed day of rest. It is the seventh day, specified in the fourth precept of the decalogue. The Sunday sabbath, on the other hand, judged by all the testimony of Scripture, is not God-appointed, but church-appointed. The Presbyterian would do well to conform in practise to what it holds in theory. A large part of the difference between Seventh-day Adventists on the one hand and Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, and others, is the difference between holding the truth in theory only, and having it in practise. Seventh-day Adventists are not abandoning the ground of Protestantism. The Spirit of Sacrifice
By Ellen G. White
Lessons From the Life of Solomon—No. 16
THE beginnings of Solomon’s apostasy may be traced to many seemingly slight deviations from right principles. Associations with idolatrous women was by no means the only cause of his downfall. Among the primary causes that led Solomon into extravagance and tyrannical oppression, was his course in developing and cherishing a spirit of covetousness. In the days of ancient Israel, when at the foot of Sinai Moses told the people of the divine command, “Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them,” the response of the Israelites was accompanied by appropriate gifts. “They came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing,” and brought offerings. For the building of the sanctuary, great and expensive preparations were necessary; a large amount of the most precious and costly material was required; yet the Lord accepted only free-will offerings. “Of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering,” was the divine command repeated by Moses to the congregation. Devotion to God and a spirit of sacrifice were the first requisites in preparing a dwelling-place for the Most High. A similar call to self-sacrifice was made when David turned over to Solomon the responsibility of erecting the temple. Of the assembled multitude that had brought their liberal gifts, David asked, “Who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?” This call should ever have been kept in mind by those who had to do with the construction of the temple. Chosen men were specially endowed by God with skill and wisdom for the construction of the wilderness-tabernacle. “Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the Lord hath called by name Bezaleel . . . of the tribe of Judah; and he hath filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship. . . . And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab . . . of the tribe of Dan. Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer . . . and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.” “Then wrought Bezaleel, . . . and every wise-hearted man, in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding.” Heavenly intelligences co-operated with the workmen whom God himself chose. The descendants of these men inherited to a large degree the skill conferred upon their forefathers. In the tribes of Judah and of Dan there were men who were regarded as especially “cunning” in the finer arts. For a time these men remained humble and unselfish; but gradually, almost imperceptibly, they lost their hold upon God and his truth. They began to ask for higher wages because of their superior skill. In some instances their request was granted, but more often those asking higher wages found employment in the surrounding nations. In place of the noble spirit of self-sacrifice that had filled the hearts of their illustrious ancestors, they cherished a spirit of covetousness, of grasping for more and more. They served heathen kings with their God-given skill, and dishonored their Maker. It was to these apostates that Solomon looked for a master workman to superintend the construction of the temple on Mount Moriah. Minute specifications, in writing, regarding every portion of the sacred structure, had been entrusted to the king, and he should have looked to God in faith for consecrated helpers, to whom would have been granted special skill for doing with exactness the work required. But Solomon lost sight of this opportunity to exercise faith in God. He sent to the king of Tyre for “a man cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave with cunning men . . . in Judah and in Jerusalem.” The Phoenician king responded by sending Huram, “a cunning man, endued with understanding, . . . the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre.” This master workman, Huram, was a descendant, on his mother’s side, of Aholiab, to whom, hundreds of years before, God had given special wisdom for the construction of the tabernacle. Thus at the head of Solomon’s company of workmen there was placed an unsanctified man, who demanded large wages because of his unusual skill. Huram’s efforts were not prompted by a desire to render his highest service to God. He served the god of this world—Mammon. The very fibers of his being had been inwrought with principles of selfishness, which were revealed in his grasping for the highest wages. And gradually these wrong principles came to be cherished by his associates. As they labored with him day after day, and yielded to the inclination to compare his wages with their own, they began to lose sight of the holy character of their work, and to dwell upon the difference between their wages and his. Gradually they lost their spirit of self-denial, and fostered a spirit of covetousness. The result was a demand for higher wages, which was granted them. The baleful influences set in operation by the employment of this man of a grasping spirit, permeated all branches of the Lord’s service, and extended throughout Solomon’s kingdom. The high wages demanded and received gave many an opportunity to indulge in luxury and extravagance. In the far-reaching effects of these influences, may be traced one of the principal causes of the terrible apostasy of him who once was the wisest of mortals. The king was not alone in his apostasy. Extravagance and corruption were to be seen on every hand. The poor were oppressed by the rich; the spirit of self-sacrifice in God’s service was well nigh lost. Herein lies a most important lesson for God’s people to-day,—a lesson that many are slow to learn. The spirit of covetousness, of seeking for the highest position and the highest wage, is rife in the world. The old-time spirit of self-denial and self-sacrifice is too seldom met with. But this is the only spirit that can actuate a true follower of Jesus. Our divine Master has given us an example of how we are to work. And to those whom he bade, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,” he offered no stated sum as a reward for their services. They were to share with him his self-denial and sacrifice. Those who claim to be followers of the Master Worker, and who engage in his service as colaborers with God, are to bring into their work the exactitude and skill, the tact and wisdom, that the God of perfection required in the building of the earthly tabernacle. And now, as in that time and as in the days of9 Christ’s earthly ministry, devotion to God and a spirit of sacrifice should be regarded as the first requisites of acceptable service. God designs that not one thread of selfishness shall be woven into his work. Great care should be taken in regard to the spirit pervading the Lord’s institutions. These institutions were founded in self-sacrifice, and have been built up by the self-denying gifts of God’s people and the unselfish labor of his servants. Everything connected with institutional service should bear the signature of heaven. A sense of the sacredness of God’s institutions should be encouraged and cultivated. The workers are to humble their hearts before the Lord, acknowledging his sovereignty. All are to live in accordance with principles of self-denial. As the true, self-sacrificing laborer, with his spiritual lamp trimmed and burning, strives unselfishly to advance the interests of the institution in which he is working, he will have a precious experience, and will be able to say, “The Lord indeed is in this place.” He will feel that he is highly privileged in being permitted to give to the Lord’s institution his ability, his service, and his unwearying vigilance. In the early days of the third angel’s message those who established our institutions, and those who labored in them, were actuated by high motives of unselfishness. For their arduous labors they received no more than a mere pittance—barely enough for a meager support. But their hearts were baptized with the ministry of love. The reward of whole-souled liberality was apparent in their close fellowship with the Spirit of the Master Worker. They practised the closest economy, in order that as many other laborers as possible might be planting the standard of truth in new places. But in time a change came. The spirit of sacrifice was not so manifest. In some of our institutions the wages of a few workers was increased beyond reason. Those who received these wages claimed that they deserved a greater sum than others, because of their superior talents. But who gave them their talents, their ability? With the increase of wages came a steady increase of covetousness, which is idolatry, and a steady decline of spirituality. Gross evils crept in, and God was dishonored. The minds of many who witnessed this grasping after higher and still higher wages, were leavened with doubt and unbelief. Strange principles, like evil leaven, permeated nearly the entire body of believers. Many ceased to deny self, and not a few withheld their tithes and offerings. God in his providence called for a reform in his sacred work, which should begin at the heart, and work outwardly. Some who blindly continued to place a high estimate upon their services, were removed. Others received the message given to them, turned to God with full purpose of heart, and learned to abhor their covetous spirit. So far as possible, they endeavored to set a right example before the people by voluntarily reducing their wages. They realized that nothing less than complete transformation in mind and heart would save them from being swept off their feet by some masterly temptation. The work of God in all its wide extent is one, and the same principles should control, the same spirit be revealed, in all its branches. It must bear the stamp of missionary work. Every department of the cause is related to all parts of the gospel field, and the spirit that controls one department will be felt throughout the entire field. If a portion of the workers receive large wages, there are others, in different branches of the work, who will call for higher wages, and the spirit of self-sacrifice will gradually be lost sight of. Other institutions and conferences will catch the same spirit, and the Lord’s favor will be removed from them; for he can never sanction selfishness. Thus our aggressive work would come to an end. Only by constant sacrifice can it be carried forward. God will test the faith of every soul. Christ has purchased us at an infinite sacrifice. Although he was rich, yet for our sake he became poor, that we through his poverty might come into possession of eternal riches. All that we possess of ability and intellect has been lent us in trust by the Lord, to use for him. It is our privilege to be partakers with Christ in his sacrifice. CHRIST wants the best. He in the far-off
off ages
Once claimed the firstling of the flock,
the finest of the wheat;
And still he asks his own with gentlest
pleading
To lay their hopes and talents at his
feet.
He’ll not forget the feeblest service,
humblest love,
He only asks that of our store we
give him
The best we have. Christ gives the best. He takes the
hearts we offer,
And fills them with his glorious beauty,
joy, and peace,
And in his service we are growing
stronger.
The calls to grand achievement still
increase.
The richest gifts for us on earth, or in
the heaven above,
Are hid in Christ. In Jesus we receive
The best we have. And is our best too much? O friends,
let us remember
How once our Lord poured out his
soul for us,
And in the prime of his mysterious manhood
Gave up his precious life upon the
cross!
The Lord of lords, by whom the worlds
were made,
Through bitter grief and tears gave us
The best we have. A Protest Against Modern Theology
[A book has been written by Dr. Robert A. Hume with the title “Missions from the Modern View.” In the December issue of The Missionary Review of the World the editor-in-chief, Dr. Arthur T. Pierson, considers some positions taken in this book. While so much is being published which either openly denies the fundamental truths of Christianity or at best compromises with the “new theology,” it is refreshing to read such a straightforward statement of essential truth. We quote a portion of Dr. Pierson’s article, as follows.—Ed.] DR. HUME, as the title of his book suggests, looks at missions from the “modern view,” reflecting twentieth century notions of religion, as qualified by man’s conclusions as to anthropology and ethnology, psychology, sociology, and especially evolution. Five men of the last century, none of them Christian believers, molded current thought, not only in the scientific, but in the religious realm, more than, perhaps, any other Englishmen since Lord Bacon and Bishop Butler. These were Mill, Spencer, Darwin, Huxley, and Tyndall. Evolution exercises its potent charm even over Christian philosophy and theology; “heredity” and “environment,” “natural selection,” “survival of the fittest,” and “development,” have come to be applied as solutions, even to such problems as the Bible and Christ. Of course, the prosecution of missions and all cognate matters are strongly affected by this “modern view,” and Dr. Hume presents the matter in its most attractive form, so moderately and reasonably as not to repel, while starting not a few doubts and questions which deserve careful answer. Some positions taken by this writer may be considered as fairly representative of this “modern view,” and as illustrative both of its plausibility and possible peril. 1. First of all, the “modern view” gives pre-eminence to Christ’s example rather than his vicarious death for sinners. It shifts the practical center from the “cross” to the “pattern,” and from faith in his sacrificial work to following in his steps. This is a serious mistake, easily made, for it confuses the position of a sinner, before repentance and faith, with the position of a believer, after acceptance of salvation. It is Peter who gives us the familiar phrase, “leaving us an example, that ye should follow in his steps,” yet the same inspired writer, more explicitly than any other in the New Testament, puts the fact that “Christ suffered in our behalf,” in its true order, before the furnishing of an example; and what is meant by such vicarious suffering he more minutely defines—“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” 1 Peter 2: 21, 24, 25. The author of this book fascinates the reader with the popular conception of God’s universal fatherhood and man’s universal brotherhood, representing the divine Father as yearning over his erring human children, leading and drawing all to himself, however unconsciously on their part; and man, as helping his brother man to find and know the common Father. All religions are construed as more or less successful human attempts to reach the ideal; Christianity is conceded to be the best of all religions, but, as other faiths have learned and have yet much to learn from Christianity, Christianity, in turn, is represented as having no little “to gain from contact with the East.” Christianity, in its unique feature of atonement as the basis of a redeemed sonship, certainly is not prominent in this book, though it would appear that Dr. Hume personally holds that the “one central element in the process by which Christ helps men, making sinful men into new creatures, is his suffering and death,” and gives reasons why he does not “try to explain” to the Hindu mind this central element. He considers that the philosophy of this fact, on which even Christians differ, is not a part of the essence of Christianity, and that there may be a saving experience of vital relations to Christ without any such explanation. How consistent Peter was with his own teaching will be seen in his addresses on the day of Pentecost and in the house of Cornelius, in both which the one grand fact emphasized was the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord10 Jesus. Not a word was, on these occasions, spoken about Christ as an example. “Know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” That was the arrow of God that, on the day of Pentecost, pricked their hearts and compelled the question: “What shall we do?” And the very words used by the Holy Ghost to bring the whole company at Cesarea to salvation, were these: “Through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.” Is it safe to shift the emphasis from that fact of Christ’s death and man’s faith in the blood, to any other, since God has, from the beginning, set his special seal on this as the grand essential of the gospel? Is not Christ’s death the true focus of the sinner’s faith, and his example an after consideration, the model for the saints’ imitation? Do we learn the same lesson from Philip’s guidance of the eunuch—whose mind was riveted on that greatest picture of vicarious sacrifice (Isaiah 53)—and from Paul’s directions to the Philippian jailer? When a man asks, “What must I do to be saved?” the answer surely is not, “Follow Christ’s example,” but, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” 2. The “modern view” likewise makes much of “the universal fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man”—a fascinating doctrine which it seems very ungracious to antagonize, or even criticize. But the only point of importance is,—not, Is it popular?—but, Is it Scriptural and spiritual? That there is such a natural fatherhood and brotherhood no one denies, for, as Paul said at Mars Hill, “We are his offspring.” But this is a very different word. Impenitent sinners are never called “sons of God.” “Sonship” is a higher term, reserved for regenerate believers. Sin transfers moral relationship from God to the devil; and hence our Lord himself boldly told those who boasted of their natural filial relation to Abraham, and, through the father of the faithful to God, that their practical obedience to sin and Satan made them, morally, “children of the devil.” “Ye are of your father the devil.” John 8: 44. To “modernize” such inspired teaching may involve risk of glossing over, with a polite terminology, the awful moral estrangement of sin, as a virtual denial and forfeiture of the filial relation. Dr. Hume, with strong approval, refers to the modern view that mankind, as such, are children of God, while at the same time, with apparently unconscious inconsistency, he quotes approvingly those words of John: “As many as receive him, even to them that believe in his name, to them gave he the right [i. e., privilege] to become sons of God.” If men become sons of God by privilege and through the believing reception of Christ, is it not misleading to teach a universal fatherhood and brotherhood, apart from such faith? After carefully examining Dr. Hume’s attractive book, we submitted it to the penetrating eye of one of the wisest, most charitable, most Christlike saints whom we know, and his calm verdict is: “Dr. Hume’s standpoint is fundamentally wrong. There is in it no proper acknowledgment of prayer or of the Holy Spirit’s work. He leaves out the vital factors in the problem.” This, in substance, we find to be the judgment of other discriminating judges. The stress of Dr. Hume’s whole argument seems to be that the “consciousness of filial relation to God and of brotherly relations to men” is the “supreme revelation of Jesus Christ, and the supreme achievement to which he inspires men;” and, to his mind, this supplies the main motive to missions, that the Christian is to help his heathen “brother” to find a common Father in God, and elder brother in Christ. It seems to us, on the contrary, that the primary message to men, in their sins, is, “Look unto me and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth, for I am God, a Saviour, there is none beside me” (Isa. 45: 21, 22); and that the primary motive of missions is to proclaim this one way of salvation and restoration to sonship. What Shall It Profit a Man?
By T. E. BOWEN
Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” These earnest words must have been addressed to some who followed the Saviour, thinking that they would be benefited in a worldly way by so doing. Jesus read their secret thoughts, and directed a stern rebuke at this low motive. It was put upon record so that all his followers until the close of time shall understand that they may expect no reward if the motive of their service reaches no higher than self-serving. It is worthy of notice that Christ permitted one disciple to follow him during his three and one-half years of earnest earthly toil, a man unworthy of the name of being his disciple, who had no higher motive actuating him than to think that somehow, at some time and in some manner, he should derive earthly honor, temporal gain, by identifying himself with Jesus. That man was Judas. And when on the last night before our Lord’s crucifixion, when the great Commander of heaven, the glorious Son of God, clothed with humanity, stooped in the humble act of a servant to wash Judas’s feet, that very offer was misinterpreted by this selfish soul to mean that surely one stooping to such a menial act as that could never become a king, and if not to be a king, then surely there would come no honor, no exaltation, no personal gain to himself, by following him further; and hence the final decision was then and there reached which sealed his doom: he left the presence of his Redeemer with his sins unconfessed to go out into the gloom of eternal night,—a lost soul forever. Did he make anything by following Christ for gain? Instead of denying himself, he served himself. Many were the rebukes Christ’s lessons brought to him as he listened to his teaching by the seaside, upon the mountainside, and at feasts; yet he resisted them all, and went on in his course of covetousness and greed, opposing the Saviour by dropping among the disciples seeds of doubt which led to contention among them. The record of this life, ending in the blackness of despair, should ever be a warning to every disciple of Christ. If the motive of worldly advantage is held up as an inducement to accept Christ, let it be known that the rebuke of God is upon that thing. With some it may have become a popular thing to join the church, so that in the business world they may obtain a better standing. All such disciples prove a hindrance instead of a help to the real cause of Christ. He asks for no such service. Ponder the weighty question, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” If lost at last, what possible use can the property of this world be to him? The more he has, the more he will have to cast away, as Judas threw down the thirty pieces of silver—the price of his Lord. Every man who names the name of Christ, and does not count all he has as belonging to Christ, placed at his disposal, to be used as his cause may demand, does the very same thing that Judas did; he sells his Lord for a little of earth’s treasure. Christ reckoned that one soul is worth more than all the treasures of this world combined. At first thought, this seems almost impossible. One thinks of the untold millions of dollars of gold and silver laid up in the vast treasuries of the world; the mammoth buildings, displaying great wealth; the enormous sums of money invested in railroads, steamships, vast cities, and farming lands. What! one life redeemed and placed in the city of God of more value than all this? God says so, and he knows. Wise, indeed, will be that man or woman who so sets the affections on things above, and not on things on the earth, as to gain the heavenly treasure—eternal life. That life is given us in Jesus Christ. He is the treasure, the one pearl of great price, that by selling all we have, by counting our all as loss, we may obtain. Thus he who now yields his life to Christ in loving obedience, shall find it again in the kingdom of God. In the construction of buildings, whether for public purposes or as dwellings, care should be taken to provide for good ventilation and plenty of sunlight. Churches and schoolrooms are often faulty in this respect. Neglect of proper ventilation is responsible for much of the drowsiness and dulness that destroy the effect of many a sermon, and make the teacher’s work toilsome and ineffective. So far as possible, all buildings intended for human habitation should be placed on high, well-drained ground. This will insure a dry site, and prevent the danger of disease from dampness and miasma. This matter is often too lightly regarded. Continuous ill health, serious diseases, and many deaths result from the dampness and malaria of low-lying, ill-drained situations. In the building of houses it is especially important to secure thorough ventilation and plenty of sunlight. Let there be a current of air and an abundance of light in every room in the house. Sleeping-rooms should be so arranged as to have a free circulation of air day and night. No room is fit to be occupied as a sleeping-room unless it can be thrown open daily to the air and sunshine. In most countries bedrooms need to be supplied with conveniences for heating, that they may be thoroughly warmed and dried in cold or wet weather. The guest-chamber should have equal care with the rooms intended for constant use. Like the other bedrooms, it should have air and sunshine, and should be provided with some means of heating, to dry out the dampness that always accumulates in a room not in constant use. Whoever sleeps in a sunless room, or occupies a bed that has not been thoroughly dried and aired, does so at the risk of health, and often of life. In building, many make careful provision for their plants and flowers. The greenhouse or window devoted to their use is warm and sunny; for without warmth, air, and sunshine, plants would not live and flourish. If these conditions are necessary to the life of plants, how much more necessary are they for our own health and that of our families and guests! If we would have our homes the abiding-place of health and happiness, we must place them above the miasma and fog of the lowlands, and give free entrance to heaven’s life-giving agencies. Dispense with heavy curtains, open the windows and the blinds, allow no vines, however beautiful, to shade the windows, and permit no trees to stand so near the house as to shut out the sunshine. The sunlight may fade the drapery and the carpets, and tarnish the picture-frames; but it will bring a healthy glow to the cheeks of the children. Those who have the aged to provide for should remember that these especially need warm, comfortable rooms. Vigor declines as years advance, leaving less vitality with which to resist unhealthful influences; hence the greater necessity for the aged to have plenty of sunlight, and fresh, pure air.—“Ministry of Healing.” The Sun as a Healing Agency
EXPOSURE to the sun draws to the surface of the body and fixes in the skin a large amount of blood by dilating the blood-vessels. The average chronic invalid is suffering from too much blood somewhere. If he has too much blood in his brain, he suffers from insomnia; if there is too much blood in the lungs, he has chronic bronchitis; if there is too much blood in the region of the heart, he has dilatation of the heart or some other cardiac disease; too much blood in the stomach causes gastric catarrh, or in the intestines, intestinal catarrh; too much blood in the kidneys causes Bright's disease. A person does not suffer from any serious internal disorder while he has a perfectly healthy skin. A healthy skin is a guarantee of health throughout the body. One who has a diseased stomach will have a sickly skin; and one who has a sickly skin will have a diseased stomach sooner or later. When a person gets out in the sun and gets his skin well sunburned, a few days later his skin is darker in color than it was before. That brown color is due to the fact that there is more blood in the skin, and this means that the skin has become more active. This increased activity of the skin indicates increased activity of the entire body. The blood-vessels are dilated, and the blood remains in the skin. There will then be less blood in the brain, where there was too much before; or in the liver, which can now do its work better; or in the stomach, which can consequently digest better.—Selected. It Is Not Work, but Worry
By Inez May Felt
It is not the work, but the worry,
That wrinkles the smooth, fair face;
That blends gray hairs with the dusky,
And robs the form of its grace;
That dims the luster and sparkle
Of eyes that were once so bright,
But now are heavy and troubled,
With a weary, despondent light. It is not the work, but the worry,
That drives all sleep away,
As we toss and turn and wonder
About the cares of the day.
Do we think of the hands' hard labor,
Or the steps of the tired feet?
Ah! no, but we plan and ponder
How to make both ends meet. It is not the work, but the worry,
That makes us sober and sad;
That makes us narrow and sordid,
When we should be cheery and glad.
There's a shadow before the sunlight,
And ever a cloud in the blue;
The scent of the roses is tainted;
The notes of the song are untrue. It is not the work, but the worry,
That makes the world grow old;
That numbers the years of its children
Ere half their story is told;
That weakens their faith in heaven,
And the wisdom of God's great plan.
Ah! 'tis not the work, but the worry,
That breaks the heart of man. “THE kingdom of home is a beautiful realm,
Its subjects the truest that ever were seen,
When the father rules with a strong, wise hand,
And a loving mother, its faithful queen.
But a desert land is the kingdom cold,
Where Self is lord, and Might is king;
Where Love lies dead, in its poisoned bed,
And dread and doubting to all things cling.” MR. NELSON, the most distinguished of English actuaries, after long and careful investigations and comparisons, ascertained by actual experience the following astounding facts:— Between the ages of fifteen and twenty, where ten total abstainers die, eighteen moderate drinkers die. Between the ages of twenty and thirty, where ten total abstainers die, thirty-one moderate drinkers die. Between the ages of thirty and forty, where ten total abstainers die, forty moderate drinkers die. Or, expressing the fact in another form, he says:— A total abstainer, twenty years old, has the chance of living forty-four years longer, or until sixty-four years old. A moderate drinker has the chance of living fifteen and one-half years longer, or until thirty-five and one-half years old. A total abstainer, forty years old, has the chance of living twenty-eight and one-fourth years longer, or until sixty-eight and one-half years old. A moderate drinker, forty years old, has the chance of living eleven and two-thirds years longer, or until fifty-one and one-half years old.—Selected.