THE trial of Dreyfus has resulted in his conviction and sentence to ten years' imprisonment. This has been widely commented upon all through the world. And there seems to be a general opinion that the man is innocent, and that the conviction and sentence to imprisonment are a gross outrage on justice.
There are thousands of cases being tried every day where justice is being scandalously outraged. But they are not thought so much of because they have not come so prominently before the world. But it is a well-known fact that money can purchase court decisions freely in many places, and because of this failure of justice in the courts, mobs and riotous violence are becoming more and more common.
Consider the following words of the prophet Isaiah, and see if you do not find in them a vivid description of these times: "None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth; they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. . . . Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings; they have made them crooked paths; whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us; we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes; we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves; we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before Thee, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; in transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity can not enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey; and the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no judgment. And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him; and His righteousness, it sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, an helmet of salvation upon His head; and He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak." Isaiah 59:4-17.
The foregoing scripture speaks of a time when judgment shall be turned away backward because of the great evil in the world. And this wickedness becomes so great that it is finally necessary for God to clothe Himself with His garments of righteousness and come forth to take vengeance upon the unjust deeds of mankind. Does not the Spirit of God bring home the conviction to your heart that the foregoing words of the prophet are being literally fulfilled in the world to-day? And how long can things go at the present rate before the great Judge of heaven and earth will be required to destroy this malignant evil? If men will take the time to think of the prophecies of the Bible, they can not fail to see that the moral condition of the world to-day has an ominous portent.
T.
ON September 17, the "Monastery and College of the Holy Land" was dedicated, with "imposing ceremonies," in Washington, D. C. This institution is built by the "Franciscan Friars of the Holy Land," an order of monks belonging to the Franciscans, who have the special object in view of preserving the so-called sacred relics of the sepulcher of Christ, the stables of Bethlehem, etc. It seems too bad that people should turn away from the living Christ to busy themselves in caring for some relic that has neither life nor power. The life and power of Christ are in His Word, and not in some supposed relic of His cross or His tomb. O, that men would come to the living Word and taste of its real, life-giving power!
RESERVED UNTO FIRE.
"As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man." These are the words of the Saviour, as recorded in Luke 17:26.
Three Burning Oil Wells in the Fields of Bibi Eybat. (By courtesy of Scientific American Supplement.)
"But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." This is almost the same language, and is found in Matt. 24:37.
Then it will be ever interesting to study the days of Noah, for the scenes of that time were similar to what we will have in these last days.
The apostle Peter speaks of the "days of Noah," as follows:—
"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water; whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished; but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3:3-7.
"The world that then was"—the world of Noah's time—was "overflowed with water" and "perished." In the overflowing of the earth with water in that time the record says, "All the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened." Gen. 7:11. Thus not only did the water pour down from above, but the "fountains of the great deep" were broken up. Before the flood the waters that now overflow such a large portion of the earth's surface were evidently in the heart of the earth. "The great deep" was a sea inside of the earth instead of seas on its surface, as at present. And when the flood came, the water from within united with the water from above, and the mighty deluge was soon over all the world.
Now note again more carefully the words of Peter: "The heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word [of the Lord] are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." Then just as the waters in that time burst forth from the earth to meet the waters from the sky, even so in the great day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men the fire from within the earth will leap forth to meet the fire that shall come down from above. Then it was a deluge of water, but soon it will be a deluge of fire.
The waters that were originally in the heart of the earth have been supplanted by the most combustible materials. Natural gas and petroleum are found in many parts of the world. Smoking volcanoes and spouting geysers tell of the heat and combustible materials that are in the earth. The illustration on this page is a miniature representation of the mighty fires that may be started from the gases and oils that are in the bosom of the earth. Thus may we see that the forces are being prepared that will fulfil God's Word in the great judgment day.
There are many speculations in regard to the heat that is in the center of the earth, and also in regard to these combustible materials that are found in so many places. But none of these speculations will stand. The Word of God tells the truth, and opens before us the real situation.
Any one can see that the great forces are all prepared, and when the proper time is reached, Divine Justice will speak the word that will loosen these elements of fire, and again will the fountains of the great deep be broken up. And against that day of the destruction of evil, along with all evil men, the Lord has provided a secure refuge. No one who will accept His mercy can be left out.
T.
TEACHING CHILDREN TO FIGHT.
By Editor
DR. G. STANLEY HALL, head of the Department of Mental Science in Clark University, Worcester, Mass., has some very queer things to say in regard to the nature of boys. Some of his utterances, as reported in the San Francisco Examiner of September 17, are as follows:—
"Boys are naturally robbers. They are bandits and fighters by nature. There has recently been conducted a scientific study of the societies which boys form—I mean the kind of society or club they get up when they are away from the supervision of their elders. In every instance those societies have been predatory. All of the members thirsted for blood, and all their plans were for thievery and murder. . . .9Unless Tommy is a mere manakin, a namby-pamby little milksop, he doesn't refrain from stealing apples because his conscience troubles him. Not a bit of it; he hasn't got any conscience to trouble him. . . . Then there is the idea of teaching children that it is wrong to fight—that they ought to turn the left cheek when they are struck on the right. Fiddlesticks! Unless you want to make a selfish, knock-kneed weakling of him, teach him to double up his fists and strike back. I believe in healthy children's quarrels and fights. Physical courage is the foundation for moral courage later in life. . . . Within reason I believe in allowing children to bully and fag each other at school. The English have the right idea about these things in their schools. The children there soon find out who is master."
If such doctrine as the foregoing is seriously taught and believed, it could do nothing else but turn the world back to the savagery from which the professor, in a sentence that we do not quote, says that it sprung. It is doubtless true that boys who are allowed to run wild, without the supervision of Christian parents, would form societies bent on rapine and murder. But what have been their surroundings?—They have lived in some back alley, and in all probability have been taught by their fathers and mothers that if they can steal anything and not get caught they are doing a praiseworthy deed. Then what literature they have read has been of the border-ruffian stamp, and the ideals placed before their minds have been those of bloodshed and crime. What else could such children do than to form societies whose constitutions and by-laws provided for murder and robbery?
But even if the child has not had this most unfortunate back-alley education, perhaps he has had the almost equally unfortunate education that has instilled into his young mind that soldiery and every other form of fighting, including the ordinary fisticuff, are among the “manly arts.” And because the child, under these abnormal and improper influences, shows a marked disposition to fight, that is no reason why he should be encouraged to keep it up all through his childhood. The principles that are taught to the child are the hardest of any to dislodge. And if he is taught when he is a boy that it is all right to fight, he is apt to keep those notions in his head during all his life. Nothing but the supernatural, saving power of God will turn him from it.
Any person who has any of the lingering shades of faith in Christ, knows that it is decidedly wrong to make sport of the Christian precept, “Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” This one text from the Bible shows conclusively that the professor is very greatly in the dark in talking as he does. Christ did not give that precept for men alone; it is for children as well.
When you come to talk of manliness, the most unmanly thing that can be taught to a child is that he ought to fight. Even a coward will fight when he is driven into a corner. But true, manly courage, that is, the courage of Christian manliness, enables even a child to allow himself to be bullied and abused in every conceivable way, and yet he has the courage not to fight.
I am personally acquainted with a few boys that have been taught from their infancy that it is decidedly wrong to fight, that it is not only cowardly, but is contrary to Christian manliness. I have seen some of those boys set upon by the rowdies of the street, but they offered them no resistance. And, instead of holding a grudge at these little marauders, the Christian boy-men showed them the same kindness every time they would meet them, as if nothing had happened. This had the effect to change the little street desperadoes into friends. And the boys who had enough manliness not to fight, were the masterful conquerors. And the weapons of their victory were not their fists, but the depth of courage that led them to do as Jesus, their Master, had bidden them.
Between the teaching of the Massachusetts professor and the teaching of the Man of Nazareth, let us choose the latter every time. T.
Bubonic Plague
Bubonic Plague.—The black or bubonic plague has appeared in the Russian province of Astrakhan in a new and alarming form.
The bubonic plague has spread over into Africa. An official despatch states that forty-two cases have resulted in death at Magude, near Lorenzo Marquez, Delagoa Bay. This place is very near the borders of the Transvaal.
The bubonic plague has also spread to Paraguay. It seems to be rapidly making the tour of the world. Upon the authority of the Word of God, the SIGNS OF THE TIMES has been telling for years that our whole world would soon be smitten by plague, and storm, and famine, and disasters in general. We can see how rapidly they are coming, and they all show that the end of all things is very near. If you are prepared to meet your God, you are rejoicing day by day at the thought of being delivered from every form of the curse that sin has brought into our world.
THE burghers of the Orange Free State have voted to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Transvaal Republic in case of war with Great Britain.
THE Boers have their artillery forces already on the borders of their country ready to meet the invading British as soon as they arrive. It seems now that the war in the Transvaal is inevitable.
THE Transvaal Republic has refused to yield to the demands of the British, and it is now considered that a war is inevitable. There is great excitement over the matter in England, and many men are enlisting in the army. The Britons seem to realize that they have a stubborn fight on their hands, and are preparing to send from 50,000 to 70,000 men to the field. These are days of war and not of peace; and the general battle of the “great day of God” can not be very far away. We can see that the material for it is being rapidly prepared. Let us not be found idly dreaming of peace when the most angry furies of war are about to hurl the world to destruction. When war breaks out nowadays no one can tell where it will end.
A young preacher in Indiana, it is said, is seeking to solve the problem of how to get the masses to attend his church. When the Saviour was here upon earth great crowds followed Him everywhere He went. He was not under the necessity of seeking for an audience. And He left with His followers the secret of it all: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.” If our preaching is an exhibition of self, it is not apt to draw the masses. But He who lifts up the Son of God, will find that there is a drawing power in Him. O, that we might always hide behind Jesus and let Him draw the masses to Himself!
THE papers still report threatened revolutions in France. The monarchist party is very active in its efforts to overthrow the republic and establish a king. It is perfectly evident that there is a great deal of combustible material in France, but just what the outcome will be can not be determined. But we can see this one thing clearly: France is fully ready to act her part in that great time of rioting and bloodshed that will make these last days the greatest time of trouble the world has ever seen.
THE city prosecutor of Chicago, in welcoming the Catholic Total Abstinence Union, said, “Over 82,000 arrests were made in Chicago last year, and 75 per cent. of them were due to drink.” Such facts as these should serve to break the delusive spell that holds men under the enchantment that the world is about to be converted. The world is soon to be destroyed because of its wickedness, and every one will have the privilege of knowing the exact truth.
THE Aurora Branch of the Theosophical Society in America (located in this city) has received notice from Katherine A. Tingley, president of the Universal Brotherhood, that all Theosophists who have drifted away from the central body, of which she is the head, will come to a tragic end. In proof of the correctness of her prophecy she cites a number of deaths and calamities that have befallen those who would not bend to her will.
GERMANY has started a campaign against the Standard Oil Company. Reports of the various branches of the Standard Company that are operating in Germany, show that a profit of upwards of sixty per cent. is being made. The Germans are unwilling that this shall continue, and so are making marked discriminations in the way of freight rates, etc., in favor of the Russian oil.
THE proposed building of electric railways in Yokohama, Japan, is causing much dissatisfaction. Three hundred representatives of the man-strength carriage assembled at the doors of the Yokohama City Council when the subject was under consideration, and as the counselors left the building they were set upon furiously, and several of them barely escaped death.
A LEATHER trust has completed its organization, and its capital stock is $35,000,000. A bicycle trust has been formed, with a capital of $40,000,000. And the Japanese Government thinks it has a corner on the camphor product, and it is going to hold the output from the island of Formosa for six months or so, until a suitably high price is reached.
THE embezzling of public funds is not confined to this country by any means. A recent despatch says that it is beginning to leak out that funds appropriated to build the Siberian Railway have been taken by private individuals in such large sums that the scandal is about equal to that of the Panama Canal.
A WINDOW-GLASS trust has been finally effected. It takes in fifty of the largest concerns in the country, and is capitalized at $17,000,000.
It is estimated that 100,000 Americans have visited Europe this year.
CHARLES A. PILLSBURY, the great flour king, died at his home in Minneapolis September 17.
TEN thousand carpenters have struck in New York City. They want more pay and a Saturday half holiday.
ON September 7 there was $324,717,661 in gold coin and bullion in the United States Treasury. This is the largest amount that was ever in the treasury at one time.
HEAVY rains in the region of the Danube are causing the river to overflow its banks, and much damage and loss of life are the result, in both Germany and Austria.
SEPTEMBER 5 was the first day of the Jewish new year, and was quite generally observed as a holiday by the Jews on this coast. They claim that it is the first day of the year 5,660.
THE pope is alarmed at the condition of things in France, and has asked the leader of the French Jesuits to use his influence to have his followers moderate their attitude toward Dreyfus.
THERE were twenty-three new cases of yellow fever at Key West on September 10, and thirty on September 8, and the disease is still making headway in various places along the coast of several of the Southern States.
AT the big G. A. R. parade in Philadelphia, on September 5, there were more than 1,000 prostrations from heat. The prostrations were partly in the ranks of the parading soldiers and partly among those who were looking on.
A RECENT meeting of the Presbyterian Union of San Francisco had under consideration the subject of Christian Science. Numerous ministers spoke upon the subject, and all regard it as one of the most serious delusions of the age.
M. HENRI MONOD, Director of Public Assistance in France, says that there are about 130,000 children in that country that are dependent on the charities of the State. From whatever standpoint the view is taken, the outlook for France is not very promising.
TO CUT through the ice of her northern ports, Russia has had a great ice-breaking ship prepared. In her trial in the polar regions she cut through fourteen feet of ice, traveling at the rate of half a mile an hour. This is certainly a most wonderful achievement.
AN English paper reports that a disease hitherto unknown in the district, has attacked the wheat crop in Alford, the granary of Hungary, as it is called. The ears and stalks turn white and then wither. It is supposed that the abnormally mild winter has caused the disease to appear.
CORNELIUS VANDERBILT, head of the Vanderbilt family, and one among the wealthiest men in the world, died suddenly, September 13, of cerebral hemorrhage. He was only fifty-six years of age, and up to within a few moments of his death, he was apparently in his usual health.
THE German mission at Shantung, China, is reported to have been destroyed by the Chinese. The telegrams to the German Government from that place are held back by the Chinamen, and railroad communication, under a strong military escort, is the only thing that is possible.
AT the request of the New York World, Doctor Sarah A. F. Battey has made quite an extensive study of the infantile paralysis that has been making such inroads on the babies in Poughkeepsie. She reports that the disease is epidemic with every child in Poughkeepsie that is liable to its attack. No treatment has been discovered as yet that seems to give any relief to the dreadful malady. Dr. Battey reports that in most cases the paralysis leaves the children permanently deformed, usually with club-feet, shriveled limbs, or the like. None of the doctors who have dealt with the malady have discovered any fact that enables them to even guess at the cause of it. It is certainly a very lamentable condition of things. But all should know that Satan is doing his most malignant work in these last days, and such things, yes, and very much worse things, will be more and more common from now on till the end of time.
REFUGES FOR OPIUM VICTIMS.
MR. CLAPP, a missionary in Taiku, China, writes to the Missionary Herald concerning six of his native helpers:—
"1. Mr. Liu is our right-hand man in many ways. His work is teaching and preaching to the opium patients in Taiku and visiting the out-stations. His salary amounts to about $6.00 a month, besides food, and is provided by Rev. G. J. Powell's church in Sayville, N. Y.
"2. Mr. Lin, a man of about forty-six years of age, was a bookkeeper in a large store, but lost his place because he became a Christian. He is now in charge of the opium refuge in Ching Yuan, and is mostly supported by the fees and income of the refuge. He is a rapid and fluent talker, and seems to be doing well.
"3. Mr. Tu, a Chihli man who was converted in one of the China Inland Mission opium refuges, tho never an opium user himself. This man has been a teacher and also an evangelist in Dr. Hall's hospital and dispensary.
"4. Mr. Yang, formerly a merchant, now a teacher in a place five miles from Taiku. His salary is about $2.50 per month, provided by the patrons of his school and by private subscription.
"5. Mr. Liang, formerly a baker, who gave up the business, and now has charge of an opium refuge, by the fees of which he is supported.
"6. Mr. Tung is Mr. Clapp's assistant, a convert of about four years' standing.
"These men are all supported from sources outside of the regular appropriations of the board. Four of the six are ex-opium patients, which shows that opium habitues can be permanently reformed. Only one of the six is employed as a preacher—that is, they are not paid for their preaching. This they do voluntarily, getting their support as teachers or custodians in the opium refuges."
Flowers at Funerals
By Editor
A RECENT number of the Paris Journal des Missions Évangéliques contains the following paragraph: "In the list of last month's gifts one sees with emotion the mention of a sum of 1,897 francs [more than $397] received, according to the wish of Elizabeth Wennagel, instead of flowers for her grave. Our young sister, before her end, wished that no one might send any flowers, but that the cost of those which might have been bought could be given to missions. The news of this desire spread among her friends, and they all deferred to it. Her parents know that they have our fraternal sympathy. They have only consented to the publication of these lines in the hope that such an example might inspire other children of God upon their bed of death." The expenditure for flowers at funerals is enormous, and in nowise benefits the dead. How much better were the means thus spent invested in the salvation of the perishing souls yet alive! At a recent funeral of a theatrical celebrity in New York, the value of the flowers was estimated at $12,000. Where friends can contribute flowers from their own gardens there can be11nothing more appropriate than to wreathe them about the burial cases of our dead friends. But when they have to be bought at immense cost, the case is different—at least for those who are seeking to do all they can to help their fellow-men.
A GREEK FUNERAL.
By H. A. Henderson
THIS morning at about 9 the mournful notes of a funeral dirge, played by a brass band, called us to the platea. The procession was just issuing from the church, where a service had been held.
This service is very interesting, consisting of chanting and reading, the last part of which if translated would sound something like this: "What an agony does the soul suffer when freed from the body! Having lived in the body so many years, it sorrows to leave, and strives again and again to re-enter, and now it is hovering about, seeking a place to rest."
A friend, apologizing for this doctrine, said it was necessary to incite people to better lives; but certainly the familiar text, "For God so loved the world," is a better incentive.
But the procession is formed. In front a man carries a large cross; on either side of him a man is carrying what looks like an ordinary street lamp, post and all, the metal parts being gilded. Then follow some children carrying flowers, then the band, behind which four servants are carrying the deceased, who on this occasion was a prominent merchant. The corpse lies on a litter shaped like the bottom of a coffin, with sides only about three inches high, so the body is entirely exposed to the view of the public. It is dressed in black, with a wreath of artificial white flowers on the forehead, signifying that the man was not married, otherwise he would not wear the wreath.
Following this are eleven priests. Over the long black robes which they usually wear they have white ones coming to the knee, except the "high priest," who wears a robe of many colors, something after the description of the priests of the Israelites. Behind these are two men with a book, who chant in mournful voices, occasionally joined by the priests. Then come the mourners and a great multitude of friends, among whom we find some acquaintances, and join them. The people come from the stores and side streets to bow and cross themselves as we pass.
When we reach the old gate at the city limit, many of the people return, as the way is long and the sun very hot. The scene here recalls vividly the one occurring at the gate of Nain, recorded in Luke 7:11-15. But we pass on, and at length enter the cemetery through the large gates in the stone wall which surrounds it.
The bearers place the body on a stone slab, which rests on a solid cement base three by three by six feet; under this the earth has been taken out sufficiently to admit the coffin, the opening being at the end. This is a family vault. In fact, all the vaults are on the same principle. The body rests here about three years; the bones are then removed, placed in a box, and either taken away by the relatives, or, being properly labeled, are stored in a stone house in the cemetery. Thus the place is left for the next member of the family. In the present case a brother of the deceased who died a little less than three years ago had not been removed until this morning, and his entire skeleton lay on a large stone near at hand.
The religion of the Greeks is made up very much of saint and picture worship, and because of their firm belief in the inherent immortality of the soul, that dreadful satanic deception, Spiritualism, is taking a firm hold upon the people.
Is it not time that the Gospel in its purity should again be taught to this people as Paul once taught it, so that some here may be ready to meet the Saviour at His coming, and to receive the reward which He will bring with Him? Rev. 22:12.
Nauplia, Greece. H. A. HENDERSON.
A MERRY HEART.
By G. T. Wilson
[By the late G. T. Wilson, of Australia.]
"Is any merry? let him sing psalms."
"A merry heart hath a continual feast."
FRIEND, are you merry? sing a psalm,
And tell your raptures out;
To sing of Jesus brings a calm,
And puts the foe to rout.
The happy-hearted watch for good—
"Our Father" rules above—
They know that Hand which gives them food,
Permits life's ills in love.
The hopeful heart doth not complain,
But bows at Jesus' feet;
Makes trials bring the soul some gain,
For heavenly climes more meet.
A cheerful mind and smiling face
Are like the morning sun;
They soon dispel the fog and mist;
Before them shadows run.
A merry heart gives better health
Than all the doctors' pills;
It is continual store of wealth,
And feast amidst life's ills.
With heavenly love within the heart,
Sweet peace upon the face,
The Christian will true joy impart,
With dignity and grace.
Protestant Missions in the Loyalty Islands
In the Loyalty Islands, Protestant mission work has received a new impetus. For forty years the missions under the auspices of the London Missionary Society have suffered oppression at the hands of the Catholics, being under the French rule of the New Caledonian authorities, and the chief officials influenced entirely by the Jesuits. But, as Mr. Hadfield writes to the London Chronicle, "a better day has come to the Protestants. A liberal-minded statesman is now the governor of New Caledonia, and is doing his best to right some of the wrongs which have been committed. Two churches taken from the Protestants have been restored, and permission to build another church, long withheld, has been granted. Better than all, New Caledonia is now open to Protestant missions, and those who were compelled to be refugees have now returned, and the chiefs have been re-enstated in their former rights."
A Missionary Lesson in Giving
M. Coillard, of the Zambesia Mission, reports to the French Société des Missions his arrival at Palapye, the town of the Christian chief Khama. Thus far on his way from the cape to the Zambesia, M. Coillard had been wonderfully prospered. At Kimberly he visited the diamond mines, and in the vast prison-like compound, where three or four thousand miners are shut in, he found a Zambesian quarter and a crowd of old acquaintances. Their faces lighted up with joy, and in the midst of exultant salutations,—"Our missionary father," and, "Here's provision for the road,"—one and another pressed upon him pieces of money. M. Coillard adds, "This from Zambesians, those inveterate beggars, astonished and touched me." It is not surprising that he should be "touched," but why should one be "astonished," when they had professed Christ? Would it not be expected that the Spirit of Christ would transform a beggar into a giver?
OUR WORK AND WORKERS.
By Editor
A CAMP-MEETING will be held at Grand Junction, Colo., October 5-12.
THE church school at Des Moines, Iowa, was opened September 18.
A CHURCH school of about thirty pupils is soon to be opened in Dayton, Ohio.
AT meetings held at Herkimer, N. Y., three conversions are reported by Brother Roy F. Cottrell.
IOWA CONFERENCE reports (June 30) the number of Sabbath-schools 192, with a membership of 3,541.
NINE new members added to the church in Pueblo, Colo., is noted by Brother J. E. L. Master, in Echoes from the Field.
A NOTE from Brother J. Kloss in the Reporter mentions the organization of a Sabbath-school of twenty members at Rose Lawn, Wis.
"THE command, 'Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,' would never have been given if every provision had not been made whereby we could obey the requirement,—be as perfect in our sphere as God is in His."
ARTICLES of Incorporation of the Iowa Sanitarium and Benevolent Association have been filed, and the board of trustees elected, consisting of the following persons: C. Santee, P. A. Hansen, T. S. Jackson, C. F. Stevens, J. W. Dorcas, Wm. Guthrie, J. M. Whitney.
BROTHER J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH is now in England. After attending the camp-meetings at Bristol and at Liverpool, he expected to settle at Southampton for a time. He mentions the fact that when he was in London in 1883 there was but one Sabbathkeeper in that great city; now there are seven localities where regular meetings are held.
IN reporting a successful tent effort in Hartington, Neb., Brethren J. J. Hughes and L. V. Finster say: "The SIGNS occupied an important and conspicuous part in this work, for which we praise God. May God speed it on its mission, for Jesus' sake." They note that at date of writing, sixteen candidates were awaiting baptism.
PEOPLE who are not reading the American Sentinel these days are losing much information regarding the real trend of affairs in this country—the headlong rush upon the rocks and shoals of church and State. Much is revealed from week to week that is little dreamed of by casual observers of current events. Send for the Sentinel; 8 pages, weekly, only $1.00 a year. 39 Bond Street, New York City.
IN the first announcement of the World's Harvest special issue of the SIGNS, the price was given at ten cents per single copy, and five or more copies to one name and address, five cents per copy. Since that announcement was issued, the publishers have decided to give "twenty-five copies or more to one name and address for 4 cents each." Make a note of this, and remember that the paper will contain as much reading and more illustrations than the average book that sells for $1.00 to $1.25.
"IF we would elevate the moral standard in any country where we may be called to go, we must begin by correcting their physical habits." This can be done not by precept alone, but by example, in the matter of health reform. The masses of people are held in chains of immorality through the indulgence of appetite, ignorance of proper diet, and slavery to fashionable dress. Many people have been brought to a knowledge of Christ and His law through a knowledge of the gospel of health.
THOSE who are presenting the last message of mercy mentioned in the Scriptures (Rev. 14:6-12), which is to call out a people noted for their patience and obedience, should remember this sentiment, culled from the Monitor, of Parkersburg, W. Va.: "Did somebody hurt your feelings? Well, you ought to ask the Lord to forgive you. 'For ye are dead,' the apostle says of the believer, and the dead feel nothing. If your feelings were hurt, it shows that self is not altogether dead. Sensitiveness, or, in other words, sinful pride, must die."
THE Wisconsin Reporter gives this item from a missionary secretary in that conference: "We have missionary meetings in our little church each Sunday evening. Those who attend come regularly and have some real good experiences to relate; this, with a profitable study of God's Word, makes our meeting interesting as well as beneficial. Best of all, we are thankful because we know God meets with us by His Spirit, and blesses our feeble efforts put forth in working for Him." This is as it should be in all the little churches, and big ones too.
AN imposing baptismal scene is thus described in the New York World of August 28: "In the quiet waters of Long Island Sound, fifty converts to the Seventh-day Adventist Church were baptized yesterday, as John the Baptist performed the rite in the waters of the Jordan. A crowd of fully fifteen hundred persons watched the beautiful sacrament from the shore, and sang the tenderest of hymns with all the power of their voices. It was a harvest day for the Gospel tent at Manhattan Avenue and One Hundred Eighth Street, where Evangelist E. E. Franke has been working with marvelous success. There were black-robed men and black-gowned women and white-robed children in the throng of penitents, and their faces wore a look of happiness which comes but once in a lifetime. Everything about the service was beautiful and harmonious. There was a stirring meeting in the tent, to which 500 Adventists from Brooklyn and Jersey City had come. Then the great congregation walked two miles down a shaded avenue to Hunt's Point, on the Sound, and there Pastor Franke immersed them one by one, while the great throng on the shore sang hymns of triumph."
