Earlier text: Publishers' PageLooking Toward Socialism
By L. A. S.
The tendency toward a breaking up of long-settled ideas of property rights, is one of the most notable signs of the times which appears upon the surface of events in this country. It is a tendency which may well startle any one who is not too much engrossed in business or pleasure to be startled by anything. For example, it was recently proposed in Congress to enact a law putting a limit upon the size of private fortunes,—a law to say just how much property an individual might be permitted to acquire in this country, and just where he must stop and do nothing more in the money-making line. A bill was introduced by Mr. Griffith, of Indiana, fixing ten million dollars as the limit of the amount of property which any person in this country might lawfully hold. Any fortune larger than this, the bill declared, is a public nuisance and a menace to public and private welfare. The same was declared to be true of inheritances—no person ought to be allowed to inherit more than ten million dollars. The bill provided that if any person persisted in acquiring property beyond this ten-million-dollar mark, all the excess should go to the state to reduce the burden of taxation. Why not make the limit ten thousand dollars, instead of ten million dollars? This might just as well be done, so far as the principle of the proceeding is concerned. To allow that Congress has the right to legislate in this way is to allow that the government can fix any limit upon private fortunes which it may see fit. Another and perhaps still more striking instance of this tendency is to be seen in the proposition that the government seize and operate the coal mines of the country and the railways connected with them. This proposition is now before Congress, having been introduced by Mr. Jenkins, who is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and an experienced legislator. The bill embodying this proposition reads:— “Resolved, That the Committee on the Judiciary be and is hereby directed to investigate and report to this House, with all convenient speed, the opinion of that committee as to the power of Congress to declare that a necessity has arisen for taking possession of all coal, coal beds, and coal mines in the United States, and all lines of transportation, agencies, instruments, and vehicles of commerce necessary for the transportation of coal,7 and that if, in the opinion of that committee, the power exists and a necessity for the exercise of such power has arisen, that committee forthwith report to this House a bill declaring the necessity, providing fully and in detail the occasions, modes, conditions, and agencies for said appropriation that will fully and completely exhaust the power of Congress in that regard.”
The taking of such action by Congress as is here proposed would be a long step toward realizing the program of Socialism; toward giving effect to the doctrine of “everybody own everything,” which, as things are in this world, could mean only an effort on the part of everybody to get control of everything, which would mean universal strife. The stress of the existing coal famine may seem to justify such radical measures for relief as the seizing of the coal mines and railways by the government, or the confiscation of car loads of coal by the people, as has occurred in some Western towns; but such things indicate, nevertheless, a rising tendency to break over and set aside long-established principles under which life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have been enjoyed in this country. As omens of a coming period of confusion and strife, they constitute a striking sign of the times. L. A. S. The Smoot Case and Roman Catholicism
The seating of the Mormon Church official, Reed Smoot, in the United States Senate, which seems to be assured by the vote of the Utah Legislature, will be contested by several religious organizations, upon the same grounds as those upon which Brigham Roberts was excluded from the House of Representatives, excepting the charge of polygamy. The principal contention of “apostle” Smoot’s opponents is that he recognizes a higher power than the federal government, and cannot consistently take the test oath. This objection against “apostle” Smoot is no doubt valid, but is it not equally valid in the case of every Roman Catholic who believes that the pope is by right a temporal sovereign? The country certainly has much more to fear from the interference of the papacy in its politics than from any influence that can be exerted by the relatively small following of the Mormon Church. A Significant Movement
By L. A. S.
Among recent developments in religious and educational matters in this country, is to be noted a call for a convention to be held in Chicago early this year, for the purpose of effecting “a national organization for the improvement of religious and moral education through the Sunday school and other agencies.” The call is issued by the “Council of Seventy,” a body composed of Bible teachers in educational institutions throughout the country. Comprised in this “Council of Seventy” are such noted men as President Woodrow Wilson, of Princeton University; Rev. C. H. Parkhurst, of New York City; Rev. F. W. Gunsaulus, Rev. Francis E. Clark, head of the Christian Endeavor Society, and President W. R. Harper, of the University of Chicago. The Biblical World, edited by President Harper, says that “there can be no doubt that this movement is one of the most important of modern times looking to the increase and improvement of religious and moral instruction in America.” “It is,” says this journal, “a vital step in the development of our Christian civilization.” A glance at the prospectus of the work to be undertaken by this organization, shows that the movement is indeed important. Its scope is very comprehensive. “It may,” we read, “endeavor to define the true relation of religious and moral instruction to other branches of instruction, indicating the part which religion should perform in the development of the individual and of society; it may present and apply the established results of modern psychology, modern pedagogy, and modern Bible study, as related to religious and moral teaching; it may indicate the proper place of the Bible in religious and moral instruction, and set forth the general and specific methods of using the Bible for this purpose;” “it may indicate how this new higher ideal can be worked out in the churches, the Sunday school, the day school,” etc. This attempt to take possession of the religious and moral instruction of the country is indeed an important and serious matter. And it is all the more so because it is an effort to teach religion on a scientific basis, to confine it to a pathway marked out by the human intellect. Christianity, the wisdom of God, is to be made to fit the latest theological, ethical, psychological, pedagogical, and scientific discoveries and ideas of the day. It is to be received by the people only through these channels. It will be seen that this movement is really an attempt to take possession of the religious education of the whole people in the name of the higher criticism. Thus is the enemy of true Biblical knowledge, which comes only through faith and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, at work to occupy the field and to hedge up the way of the proclamation and reception of the final message of saving truth. L. A. S. The Neue Freie Presse, in discussing Great Britain's protest against the recent passage of Russian war vessels through the Dardanelles, says a Vienna dispatch, declares that this “is proof that the Eastern question is again becoming prominent in international politics.” Another Vienna paper, the Neues Wiener Journal, makes note of this revival of the Eastern question, saying that it “is a matter of grave concern to international peace,” and advising that a fresh agreement be concluded between the European powers. The Drift Toward Paternalism
Regarding the coal strike commission recently appointed by President Roosevelt, to which we have several times referred, it is interesting to note the opinion held by Senator Depew, whose knowledge and experience qualify him to speak with most authority on the subject. In a press telegram of recent date Mr. Depew is quoted as saying: “I wonder if the people stop to think of the meaning of the president’s appointing a commission to adjust a labor dispute. The fact is this country is drifting toward paternalism. This is an absolutely new function the president has undertaken—a long step toward paternalism. This commission will fix a general law that will long control in controversies between capital and labor.” Do the people, indeed, stop to think—do you stop to think—about the meaning of these things? Life Began at the North Pole
A Yale scientific professor announces the great discovery that “all life began at the north pole.” The Courts and Labor Unions
Much newspaper comment has been occasioned by the recent English court decision awarding heavy damages to the Taff-Vale railway of Wales against an English railway union, for loss sustained by a strike, in which there was violation of contracts, together with the use of violence and intimidation, on the part of the railway union. It is believed that this decision will constitute a precedent to be followed in the United States. If in case of a strike the corporation affected can get at the financial resources of the labor unions through a suit for damages, the latter will of course be rendered powerless to carry on protracted strikes, and the corporations will be given the upper hand in every contest. It "will render the union harmless as an antagonist, and stop the ability to pay strike benefits, by which strikes are prolonged," says a Milwaukee Social-Democratic journal. Quoting from Justice, of London, the same paper says of the English decision that "it ties the unions hand and foot. The inevitable result will be that the unions will now take up the ballot as their chiefest weapon." But supposing the ballot fails, then what? The unions have failed to oppose successfully their financial resources to the wealth of the corporations; what if they should also fail at the polls? There are many ways in which wealth can be used to win victory in an election. Will the unions submit to the power of capital because the courts and the ballot have gone against them? No one who has studied the situation will affirm that the labor unions have any thought of submitting to the forces of wealth under any circumstances. They are in the field to win their demands by the force of organization, if that will suffice. And if this will not, and courts interpret the law against them, then they are in the field to make and annul law and dictate the selection of judges. And if they fail in this, if they cannot win at the polls, then they are in the field to get what they demand by the only means which remains to them, and it is quite unnecessary to state what this court of last resort is. 4 Present Help
By A. H. Francke
God, thou art my rock of strength,
And my home is in thine arms;
Thou wilt send me help at length,
And I feel no wild alarms.
Sin nor death can pierce the shield
Thy defense has o’er me thrown;
Up to thee myself I yield,
And my sorrows are thine own. Christians, cast on him your load,
To your tower of refuge fly,
Know he is the living God,
Ever to his creatures nigh.
Seek his ever-open door,
In your hours of utmost need;
All your hearts before him pour,
He will send you help with speed. The Meaning of God's Providences
By Ellen G. White
We have been made very sad by the news of the terrible loss that has come to the cause in the burning of the Review and Herald Office. In one year two of our largest institutions have been destroyed by fire. The news of this recent calamity has made us feel very sad, but it was suffered by the Lord to come upon us, and we feel that we should make no complaints, but learn if possible the lesson that the Lord would teach us. The destruction of this institution should not be passed by as something in which there is no meaning. Every one connected with the Review and Herald Office should ask himself, “Wherein do I deserve this lesson? Wherein have I walked contrary to a ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ that he should send this lesson to me? Have I heeded the warnings and reproofs that he has sent, or have I walked in my own way?” Let the heart-searching God reprove the erring, and let each one bow before him in humility and contrition, casting aside all self-righteousness and self-importance, confessing and forsaking every sin, and asking God, in the name of the Redeemer, for pardon and forgiveness. God declares, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out;” and those who thus present themselves before him will be pardoned and justified, and will receive power to become the sons of God. I pray that those who have resisted light and evidence, refusing to listen to God’s warnings, will see in the destruction of the Review and Herald Office an appeal to them from God to turn to him with full purpose of heart. Will they not see that God is in earnest with them? He is not seeking to destroy life, but to save life. In the recent destruction, the lives of the workers were graciously preserved, that all might have opportunity to see that God was correcting them by a message coming not from a human source, but from heaven. God’s people have departed from him; they have not followed his instruction, and he has come near to them in correction, but he has not brought extinction of life. Not one soul has been taken by death. All have been left alive to recognize the Power that no man can gainsay. Let us praise the Lord that the lives of his children have been so precious in his sight. He might have cut off all the workers in their heedlessness and self-sufficiency. But no! He says, “They shall have another chance. I will let the fire speak to them, and will see if they will counterwork the action of my providence. I will try them as by fire, to see if they will learn the lesson that I desire to teach them.” When the Battle Creek Sanitarium was destroyed, Christ gave himself to defend the lives of men and women. In this destruction God was appealing to his people to return to him. And in the destruction of the Review and Herald Office, and the saving of life, he makes a second appeal to them. He desires them to see that the miracle-working power of the Infinite has been exercised to save life, that every worker may have opportunity to repent and be converted. God says, “If they turn to me, I will restore to them the joy of my salvation. But if they continue to walk in their own way, I will come still closer; and affliction shall come upon the families who claim to believe the truth, but who do not practice the truth, who do not make the Lord God of Israel their fear and their dread.” Let every one examine himself, to see whether he be in the faith. Let the people of God repent and be converted, that their sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Let them ascertain wherein they have failed to walk in the way that God has marked out, wherein they have failed to purify their souls by taking heed to his counsels. There must be entire conformity to the will of God. There must be less self-measurement, and more, very much more, Christlike practice. There must be more earnest, persevering prayer. Prayer is acceptable only when offered in faith and in the name of the Redeemer. Our faith must grasp the glorious fact that God hears and answers the prayers of every sincere seeker. As the believer bows in supplication before God, and in humility and contrition offers his petition from unfeigned lips, keeping his eyes fixed steadily on the Mediator of the new covenant, he loses all thought of self. His mind is filled with the thought of what he must have in order to build up a Christlike character. He prays, “Lord, if I am to be a channel through which thy love is to flow day by day and hour by hour, I claim by faith the grace and power that thou hast promised.” He fastens his hold firmly on the promise, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” How this dependence pleases the Master! How he delights to hear the steady, earnest pleading! How quickly the sincere, fervent prayer is recognized and honored! How intensely interested the heavenly angels are! “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” With wonderful and ennobling grace the Lord sanctifies the humble petitioner, giving him power to perform the most difficult duties. All that is undertaken is done unto the Lord, and this elevates and sanctifies the lowliest calling. It invests with new dignity every word, every act, and links the humblest worker, the poorest of God’s servants, with the highest of the angels in the heavenly courts. The salvation of human beings is a vast enterprise, that calls into action every attribute of the divine nature. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have pledged themselves to make God’s children more than conquerors through him that has loved them. The Lord is gracious and long-suffering, not willing that any should perish. He has provided power to enable us to be overcomers. How full of comfort and love are the words of Christ to his disciples just before his trial and crucifixion. He was about to leave them, but he did not want them to think that they were to be left helpless orphans. “I go my way to him that sent me,” he said, “and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.” Then comes the wonderful prayer recorded in the seventeenth chapter of John,—a prayer that means much more to us than we realize. Let us receive it into the treasure-house of the soul, and make it the daily lesson of our lives:— “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall9 believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.” Satan understands this prayer better than do the members of churches and the heads of families. He does not want the people of God to understand it, lest they should see the advantage God has bestowed on them, and know the day of their visitation. He would keep them in discord and strife over little misunderstandings and little differences, which, dwelt upon, grow into variance and hatred. He knows that if he can keep them thus, they will present before the world a showing exactly the opposite of that which God desires them to present. I urge our people to cease their criticism and evil speaking, and go to God in earnest prayer, asking him to help them to help the erring. Let them link up with one another and with Christ. Let them study the seventeenth of John, and learn how to pray and how to live the prayer of Christ. He is the Comforter. He will abide in their hearts, making their joy full. His words will be to them as the bread of life, and in the strength thus gained they will be enabled to develop characters that will be an honor to God. Perfect Christian fellowship will exist among them. There will be seen in their lives the fruit that always appears as the result of obedience to the truth. Let us make Christ’s prayer the rule of our life, that we may form characters that will reveal to the world the power of the grace of God. Let there be less talk about petty differences, and a more diligent study of what the prayer of Christ means to those who believe on his name. We are to pray for union, and then live in such a way that God can answer our prayers. Perfect oneness,—a union as close as the union existing between the Father and the Son,—this is what will give success to the efforts of God’s workers. “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me,” to bring about this union, this sanctified harmony. “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” It is this union that convinces the world that God has indeed sent his Son to save sinners. Christ gives to his true disciples the glory of his character, that his prayer may be answered. Through the impartation of his Spirit, he appears in their lives. Let us during the year 1903 cast all selfishness out of our lives. Let us live for the Master, striving to help one another. “The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is in the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Let us in our life-work strive constantly to answer the prayer of Christ, that we may be united with one another and with him. Let us always before undertaking anything, ask ourselves the question, Will this please my Saviour? Is it in harmony with the will of God? The consciousness that we are bringing the Christ-life into the daily experience will give a sacred dignity to the every-day duties. All that we do will be done with faithfulness, that the Master may be honored. Thus shall we show to the world what Christianity can accomplish for sinful human beings, giving them constantly increasing efficiency for service in this life, preparing them for the higher life in the world to come. A Solemn Message
By E. T. Russell
The importance of placing the light given us of God before those who know it not, cannot be overestimated. It is a solemn time, and we have a most solemn message to proclaim to the world. Rev. 14: 6-12. We are living in the time of the investigative judgment, and we have almost reached the close of that period. Rev. 14: 6, 7. At the longest, it can be but a short time until this gospel message closes, and then the destiny of all will be settled forever. Matt. 24: 14; Rev. 22: 11, 12. Then will be ushered in that most glorious of all events, the coming of Christ to redeem his people and take them to the mansions prepared for them in the Father's house. Heb. 9: 28; John 14: 2, 3. That will be a time of great joy to the saints. In exuberant delight they will exclaim, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isa. 25: 9. In marked contrast to their experience will be that of the unsaved; as, at that time “the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Rev. 6: 15-17. To the people of God is intrusted the work of warning the wicked of their impending doom, and a failure on our part will compromise our salvation. “I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.” Eze. 3: 17, 18. The prophetic dial indicates that we have reached the eleventh hour of the world's history, when the supper call should go to the world: “Come; for all things are now ready.” Luke 14: 16-23; Matt. 20: 6-9. The three supper calls of Luke 14: 16-23 are identical with the three judgment messages of Rev. 14: 6-12. These messages are to go to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, and they are to be proclaimed by those who accept the eleventh-hour message, which is the call to labor. The invitation extended is this, “Go work in my vineyard;” the wages to be given is “whatsoever is right.” Matt. 20: 7. On those who accept this message rests the responsibility of working in his vineyard, of proclaiming the coming of the Master. There are different ways in which this message can be carried to the hearts and homes of the people: (1) by consecrated ministers and Bible workers; (2) by consecrated medical missionary workers; (3) by home missionary work on the part of the people who believe this message; (4) by the consecrated colporteur and canvasser. It is time for this people to arise in the strength of God and proclaim the message everywhere. The command is, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.” Isa. 60: 1-5. Laborers are needed in every branch of the work, as the harvest is great, and the laborers are few. Matt. 9: 37, 38. God expects fruit of this people, and we cannot afford to have him disappointed. If he is disappointed in us, we shall be counted as cumberers of the ground, and in the final judgment sad will be our disappointment. “Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these10 three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none; cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?” Luke 13: 7. As individuals, we must bestir ourselves and warn the wicked of their danger, if we expect to have a part in the final reward. We have been like Israel, too long compassing the mount. The Lord says to us, “Go forward.” O that we might be moved by energy from on high, that we might arise to the situation, for the time indeed is short! At the longest it can be but a little while before the angel of mercy ceases to plead for fallen man, before the temple of God will be filled with the glory of God (Rev. 15: 8); before the fiat will go forth (Rev. 22: 11), “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still,” and Jesus will come. Brethren, are we prepared for that event? And what are we as a people doing to prepare the world for the event? May God deeply impress each of us with a true sense of the peril of the world around us, and of our own peril if we are recreant to duty. A Neglected Class
By M. Bessie De Graw
Our sanitariums have done a vast amount of work for the sick, and while bringing relief to those who have been suffering physically, they have at the same time presented the truth of God to hundreds of people. Our city missionaries have gone everywhere searching out the needy in centers of civilization. The Sentinel and scores of books and pamphlets have been published in order to bring the truth to men in positions of trust. But what has been done for teachers as a class? If one of this class of workers happens to fail in health and comes in contact with the sanitarium, the truth may find him. Or accidentally an individual teacher may come within the influence of a Bible worker or a minister. But what about the many teachers scattered throughout the country? They are recognized everywhere as a powerful factor in society. They come in touch with every home. They help mold the character of every child in the nation. What have we done to bring the truth to them? There is no class of workers more willing to grasp truth. The very nature of their work makes them susceptible. Like Moses in the wilderness, or David on the hills of Judea, they are trained to tenderness, and love, and patience by dealing with the lambs of the flock. Many of them are most conscientious. As a class, it is through them that God has wrought great reformations. Wycliffe was a teacher. Luther, Melanchthon, Erasmus, Milton, Froebel, Pestalozzi, and a host of others have, by God's help, presented truths which have affected whole nations. Indeed, to-day God is using the teachers of the United States to carry light and power into less favored lands. Cuba yields to the influence of American teachers. The Philippines are Americanized, not so much by our soldiers or legislators, as by our teachers. But in the spread of the third angel's message the teachers of the land have been neglected. Should it longer be so? The time is near, it is even now here, when the world should come to the church for instruction. Parents representing every class of society will come, bringing their children in their arms, and begging for them an entrance to schools where something will be done for the soul. Parents see their children drifting. No price will be deemed too great to save them. Through our schools we may be the means of saving hundreds. But when this time comes, where shall we find teachers for Christian schools? The number of young people now in our churches who are qualified to become teachers is comparatively small. All of these are needed to meet the present demand. As the demand increases, teachers must be sought from other sources. It is natural to expect that when a secular teacher accepts the third angel's message, he will wish to remain a teacher. Teaching is a gift, and the man or woman who has that gift will not bury the talent when he accepts the last message. From the great army of public-school teachers we must draw recruits. Is it wise to wait until the battle is on before organizing our forces? God prepares men's hearts, in advance, for what is coming. When the demand for teachers is about to be made, the Spirit will work upon hearts, even though those hearts are unconscious of the true meaning of the emotions which they experience. It is a fact that there never was a time when educators of the world were more zealous than now in their search for truth and for better methods of teaching, nor when they sensed more keenly the inability of the present system to give the all-round education which it takes to make a Christian. I know whereof I speak, and am warranted in saying this. Is not this in itself a sign that God's people should arise with the truth? Who can better work for teachers than other teachers? Our Sabbath-school teachers and our church-school teachers should hold a tender regard for every person who, like themselves, is working for the young. Our Sabbath schools have done but little aggressive work. Recently, it is true, some have extended their borders beyond the class work on the Sabbath, and are conducting branch Sabbath schools. The organizing of the Home Department is another movement in the same direction. All this is good, but there is another field for activity. To the teachers of the country we must go. To this every Christian teacher will agree. How shall we approach the public-school teachers? What shall we tell them? This is the plan: The Advocate of Christian Education, our educational journal, may be made the means of communicating truths which will appeal directly to the heart of the secular teacher. The March issue will be prepared with that object in view. It will be filled with articles dealing with subjects in which public-school teachers are already interested. God has given his people light in advance of that known by the world. Teachers of the world should have the privilege of studying this light. To teachers and Sabbath-school workers, and to all who are interested in children, a most earnest appeal is made to co-operate in the effort to place a copy of the March Advocate in the hands of every public-school teacher in the country. Can it be done?—It certainly can if each Sabbath school will supply the secular teachers in its neighborhood. If the superintendent of education in each conference will divide the State among the schools, the burden carried by each will be light. It has been said that all the streets in London may be swept in ten minutes, but in order to do this every man must sweep the walk before his own door. To-day we can reach every public-school teacher in the United States if we are united in the effort. Shall we do it? How many teachers are there in the vicinity of your Sabbath school? How many teachers are there in your State? What will you do in order to reach them? Clubs for the March Advocate should be ordered by the tenth of February. Write your educational superintendent a stirring letter. Write to the Advocate for further particulars if necessary. In small clubs the journals cost 4 cents apiece. In clubs of fifty or more, they cost at the rate of $2 per hundred. Let the wave sweep over the country. Anywhere to Work for Thee
An exchange tells of two little Indian boys to whom the missionary, going back and forth across the plains on his errands of love, was a familiar figure. They were talking the other day as to what they would like to be and do when they were men. One exclaimed: “I wish I could be a preacher. Then I’d go and tell everybody all the good things I know.” The other hesitated for a while. It seemed to him the very best wish had been made, but suddenly his face brightened, and his shrill little voice rang out with a note of triumph:— “I wish I could be a horse and buggy; I’d carry the preacher to tell the good things.” Those who heard it didn’t laugh. They knew the earnestness of the heart from which it had come,—a heart willing to be anything or to do anything so that the “good things” might “go” to others,—willing to be even the preacher’s horse and buggy if he couldn’t be the preacher!