Earlier text: CONSIDER HIMSOCIALISM—WHAT IS ITS MESSAGE?
By B. G. Wilkinson
[From our European Correspondent.] The other night I passed by the door of a large lecture hall in the city of Geneva, Switzerland. An immense crowd was gathered before the door, the foremost of which was strenuously holding on to the door-handle. It was only 6:30 P.M., while the posters announced that the meeting would be at 8:30. One of our noted French orators on socialism was to speak. In this case it may have been the man who drew the crowd, rather than the subject. But, nevertheless, the present position, and teachings of socialism are such as to call our attention to the raison d'être—the reason of its existence. Socialism in its work does not stand alone. With it there are a thousand other confederations and societies throughout the world seeking ultimately the same end. But the methods are different. Socialism points out the distress and misery which exists in the world, and places itself forward as a movement destined to ameliorate affairs. It does not put itself behind the suavity of the would-be wise, and say that all this cry about troubles and sorrow is nonsense. It comes forward with the flat-footed, positive statement of the crying evils which exist. It brands as an infamous crime the cry of “peace and safety,” when all the world knows that the present condition of affairs is anything but a condition of “peace and safety.” Thus far we agree with it. We, too, recognize that the battle for right and equality is far from ended. The great God of heaven created men the possessors of the earth under Him; but what do we see men now?—The majority of them beggars, not owning a foot of land to call their own. We know from the priceless value of his peerless mind, that man is rightfully the sovereign of himself, but behold the masses who grovel as perfect slaves. The tender trust and sweet friendship which still is manifested among men tell us that equality and love ought to be the common possessions of all. But such is not the case now. Abused confidence, maltreated affection, and heartless oppression are producing wrongs more numerous and more terrible than those of which fiction ever dreamed. We stand face to face with these conditions. It will not remedy them to avoid them, nor will it make them any less the truth to pass them off as unreal. Socialism says that a revolution is needed. It says that the theory which produces all this misery is the economic theory of competition, and competition must be replaced by association, or socialism. The economist of the modern type says that the sole object by which man is urged to produce good is competition. Man wishes higher wages; therefore he will work harder than his brother, to gain more. He wishes to hold a higher position than his brother, to have more honor; therefore he will seek to produce better work. And thus throughout the wide realm of life one principle only urges man to good and that is the principle of competition. But this is grossly an error. How will the advocates of competition attempt to explain the man who leaves a beautiful home, surrounded by all that contributes to ease and enjoyment, possessed of all the prospects for wealth and fame, and goes to benighted lands to suffer trials, loneliness, hunger, and perhaps death, a missionary for God. There is no competition there. The good of humanity inspired that action and left behind competition to do its nefarious work. Again when Luther was struggling against the gigantic wrongs of his day, had competition been the motive, how easily he would have secured his end by accepting the cardinal’s hat offered by Rome. He would have secured his higher position and avoided the slander, the anguish of soul, and the dark hours through which he passed. But a nobler principle than competition stirred his soul. It was the love of right. Here is an evil which can not be too thoroughly exposed. The results of competition are too terrible to give it a moral or a legal standing. Competition is simply another name for selfishness; and the fact that selfishness has secured a strong support in the arguments of the learned and rich of earth to justify it, is a remarkable state of affairs. So strongly is selfishness guarded in the ranks of society under the name of competition that it needs a special organization like socialism to arise and expose its nefarious existence. It is a startling sign of the times in which we live. And in it we can read the words of Scripture fulfilling before us which said, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves.” 2 Tim. 3:1. Therefore socialism says that a revolution is needed. Doubtless a revolution must come. Yea, more, a revolution will come and that soon. But will that revolution be in the order of Providence? There are two kinds of revolution. There is one which first acts upon the mind. Then when the mind or reason has been convinced, the outward acts are performed which reverses the preceding state of affairs. Such was the Reformation. For long years Luther and others preached against the worship of images, when behind them as they preached the images still stood against the wall. They waited until the mind was convinced, the spirit ready to act, and then the images were destroyed. But there is another kind of revolution. It is that which smashes the images before the mind has been convinced, before the reason decides upon the change. Such a revolution is to be dreaded. It works upon the passions of men; it urges them forward to deeds of public violence, when if you were to demand of the crowd to give the reason for their violence, no reason could be given. Then when that sort of revolution has passed, what are the results? Blood has flowed in torrents. Property has been destroyed, finance is shattered, trade ruined, and homes and humanity wrecked. Yet, the heart remained the same. The revolutions may change the outward structure of society, so that it looks different than it did before, but in reality there has been no change. The same evil principles exist in the heart, and the same evils which were attacked by the revolutionist will reappear. In other words, after the revolution has passed by, we return to essentially the same condition we were in before it came. The difference between the two revolutions is this. One considers man as a creature of circumstances. Change the circumstances and you will change the character and lot of men. The other considers circumstance as the creation of man. Change the man and his circumstance must necessarily change. In this is where socialism will make its mistakes. It is doing a great work in keeping before our minds the evil circumstance in which man now finds himself,—those evils which ease-lovers wish to belittle. But it makes its mistakes in considering that it is circumstances, not men, which produce the evil in the present condition of society and which embitter men’s hearts. No; their remedy will not meet the demands. But they say, “Something must be done. The evils are here, are they not?”—Yes, and they are terrible, too! “And the gigantic combination of capital is too strong to change things by simply teaching.”—Yes, that is also true. “Therefore,” they say, “we must attack the present order of society, overthrow it, and equalize things.”—And we reply, No. But something must be done; and something will be done and that, too, right speedily. But it is not man that will do it, it is God. He has waited patiently through the long ages for man to reform. Man has not reformed. Rather, he has abused the long-suffering mercy of God, and used for himself the blessing heaped upon him by his Creator. But the cup of sin is about full. The cries of the oppressed are entering the ears of the Lord of Hosts, and soon He will arise to do what no man or association of men can do. “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. . . . Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the Just; and He doth not resist you. Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.” James 5:1-7. CAUSE OF THE LACK OF RELIGIOUS VITALITY.
If religious vitality is at a low ebb, as Dr. Lorimer says, attendance at the churches painfully small, and the tendency to disregard the Sabbath on the increase, the churches and their chief leaders have themselves to blame for it. They have ample equipment, sufficient machinery, and every necessary resource, so far as men and means are concerned, to alter the situation if they will set themselves about it with the right spirit and the requisite energy, with their dominating and controlling motive the salvation of men, rather than sectarian aggrandizement or the promotion of pet isms. What the people want and what they hunger for more than ever before is true spiritual food and not the dry husks of religious controversy; they want light upon the path of their every-day lives, comfort and consolation such as religion alone is designed to give for the sorrows, trials, sufferings, and bereavements common to humanity.9 The people crave such help now amid the worries and distractions of a restless and rushing age, more than they ever did before—the simple, inspiring, uplifting truth, freed so far as possible from the verbiage of a dead scholasticism and freed from the terrorisms and absurdities attached to it by overzealous sectarians of a dead and buried past. Given this kind of preaching, this direct, hearty and sincere administration of religion in the churches, and we shall hear far less of empty pews and a decadent faith.—Leslie's Weekly. IS THE BIBLE OUTGROWN?
By J. W. Collie
We are living in an age of doubt and unbelief, and while the Bible is not assailed as in some periods of the world's history, yet there is a tendency on the part of a great many people, including theological teachers, to discredit the teachings of God's holy Word. It is said by many, that its history is not to be relied upon; its science does not conform to the demands of modern research and discovery; and were it not for the self-interest of professional teachers, it would be entirely given up as a thing disproved. Looking back over the history of the past, however, we find that similar utterances have been made, and yet the book has withstood all these things and remains to-day “the Book of books.” We are assured by these critics of the Bible that new conditions have arisen, and that “intellect has been emancipated from the thraldom of dogma,” and that the searchlight of modern criticism shows that the Bible is faulty throughout. In the light of these things it is gratifying indeed to note an instance that recently occurred in Toronto, Ontario. Evangelist Newell very quietly and modestly gave notice that a series of Bible studies would be held every Tuesday evening in Massey Hall. What is the result? Not only are the front seats filled by a “faithful few,” but the great hall is crowded to the utmost limit allowed by law, not less than four thousand being in attendance. This has not been done by sensational methods used by the preacher, but it simply shows that the Bible is not outgrown, and that the simple, literal teaching of the Word appeals to the hearts and lives of many who are hungering and thirsting for something different than the modern pulpit is giving. There never was a time when the amount of literature of all sorts and kinds was being turned out as at the present; but much of it is unsatisfying and it becomes apparent that the Bible appeals to men as nothing else in literature does. It touches the conscience, the reason, the imagination, the spiritual nature, as nothing else does, and the man that can bring the message of the Bible home to the hearts of men and women; who has talked with God and received from Him a testimony of cheer to poor dying souls, will find a field ripe and ready for his work. Those who are living away from the good old Word, are like the mariner on the sea, when the stars have gone out, the shore-line no longer distinguished, and without chart or compass is drifting onto the cruel rocks. Compared with all the books of the past or the present, the Bible is the most up-to-date piece of literature in the world. J. W. COLLIE. Boycott Damages and Labor Unions
A boycott case, which will be of interest to both sides in the labor controversy, was recently decided in Dublin, Ireland, in which a shopkeeper whose business had been injured by a boycott of the United Irish League, has won a suit for $27,500 damages, after trials before four different courts. The damages were assessed against ten of the local leaders of the league. While the boycott is a frequent and open instrument of the labor element in this country, it is interesting to note the position taken by John Mitchell, president of the anthracite coal miners' union, before the arbitration commission. Judge Gray asked Mr. Mitchell whether the union authorized or sanctioned the use of the boycott upon merchants who supply the necessaries of life to non-union workmen. Mr. Mitchell guardedly replied that the union as such did not sanction such action; but upon further questioning admitted that local unions did at times advise their members to do that very thing, tho he declared that he himself did not encourage or sanction it. It is perfectly apparent, however, that his sanction or approval is not necessary to the employment of that weapon by the unions; that they employ it when and where they will. The Education Bill, which is now stirring all England, is fast progressing to its passage. This measure, which is one of the unwholesome results of a union of Church and State, is said to have been drawn up by a Church of England bishop, Edward S. Talbot, bishop of Rochester. He stands for the aggressive party in the Anglican church, which desires to make the State religion the prominent thing in the kingdom. The bill, if passed, will go into operation in April next, but there will be no opportunity until the following October for the non-conformists to refuse to pay the taxes and thus challenge the local authorities to sell their household furniture and turn them out of their homes. It is just such a predicament as this that the ideas of the National Reformers, if carried out, would bring to pass in this country. As a State church element is behind this movement in England, so they would have the church of their favor riding rough shod over the sensibilities and liberties of the people here. The true church of Christ asks no such questionable favors of any government. Monkey Language and Human Lineage
PROF. R. L. GARNER, who for many years has been making a study of monkeys and their language in the jungles of Africa, arrived at Boston on November 7. He claims to have “200 phonograph cylinders filled with monkey talk,” and also makes the claim of being able to hold short conversations with gorillas and chimpanzees. There is no doubt that animals have sounds and signs by which they make their wishes or intentions known to each other. The mother hen sends her brood to cover by a sound which is almost imperceptible to a person. The language of the quail is equally well understood by her offspring. The whinny of the horse or the silent movings of the lips are a language to the members of that family. So the fact that Mr. Garner has discovered some of the meanings of the sounds which the monkeys produce does not prove them to have been the progenitors of man. A language they have without doubt, but human lineage never. As well might we say that fowls are of human origin, because we find in man a lingering desire to fly. Some two years ago a combination of salt manufacturers and dealers was organized to control the salt business west of the Mississippi. At the time of the organization salt was selling at $3.00 a ton; but through the organization of the trust and its manipulation of the business the price of salt has been arbitrarily forced up as high as $25 a ton. This manipulation of the price and the almost absolute control of the business led to an investigation by the United States District Attorney resulting on November 10 in a decision by Judge Morrow of the United States Circuit Court enjoining the salt trust from continuing its business. This decision declares the salt trust to be an illegal combination in restraint of trade. Italy and Turkey Near Conflict
The recent bombardment of Midi on the coast of Arabia by two Italian gunboats is declared to have been not a mere police operation against pirates, as at first asserted, but rather the beginning of a long-expected trouble between Italy and Turkey, for which Italy has been preparing for some time. The sultan is said to be desirous of gaining time, whereas Italy is said to be seeking for a misunderstanding in order that she may take possession of Tunis. HERR KRUPP, the great German gun maker, died at his villa at Huegel, Germany, on November 22. Herr Krupp was regarded as the wealthiest man in Germany, and the Krupp gun works have become the most widely known institution of the kind in the world. Drought and Unrest in China
In the Orient.—The most prolonged drought that has visited southern China in years is now causing suffering and starvation throughout Tonquin and Indo-China. The rice crop is said to be almost a complete failure, and thousands are said to be dying because of lack of transportation for supplies. Parents are selling their children and husbands their wives to obtain rice. Both Hongkong and Shanghai are said to be short of water, and there is drought also in Amoy. The Chinese Government has at last yielded to England’s demands for the death of the officials responsible for the protection of the two missionaries murdered some months ago. China’s yielding on this point was brought about by a British naval demonstration. The Kwangsi rebels have captured the city of Szenfu and also several district cities in that prefecture, and put to death such of the officials as were unable to escape. One report from Peking states that the empress dowager is seriously planning another uprising against the powers. Reports of the number of soldiers and amount of ammunition that could be supplied by the different viceroys have been asked for and received, and instructions have been given to drill the Manchus in the western drill, so that they can in turn instruct the soldiery in all parts of the country. Coal Strike Arbitration Update
The strike arbitration committee has adjourned, to meet again December 3. In the meantime the strikers' representatives and the representatives of the coal operators are expected to meet practically an agreement among themselves in reference to the basis for future work. If the agreement reached is approved by the arbitration committee, it will be included in their award. At the convention of the Federation of Labor in New Orleans on November 22, Samuel Gompers was unanimously re-elected president, and John Mitchell was unanimously elected second vice-president. Russian Reformers Arrested After Report
A Russian commission appointed to formulate and bring before the government suggestions for the betterment of economic conditions in Russia, has made its report to the government, and its members are now being arrested for their recommendations. They were commanded by the government to speak freely, as it desired to know the truth. One of the recommendations was for a national congress and another advocated the remission of the peasant land taxes. Arrests of students and workingmen are now frequent in various Russian cities. Crippled Children in New York City
Some idea of the number of diseased children in New York City may be gained from the fact that during the visit to that city of Dr. Lorenze, the specialist in hip disease, thousands of children suffering from that disease alone were brought to the notice of the physicians. Dr. Shaffer, of the hospital for the care of crippled and deformed children, states that there are in New York City fully 30,000 such crippled children. This proportion would probably hold good in other cities. What a record sin has made for itself in this world! Colombian Peace Treaty and Venezuela’s Crisis
A TREATY of peace has at last been signed between the Colombian revolutionists and representatives of the government. The government party is the clerical party. The outlook in Venezuela is anything but bright. The revolution has not been crushed, and President Castro is being pressed by both Germany and England to make reparation for Venezuela's treatment of their subjects and their subjects' property. It is reported that these nations contemplate forcing Venezuela to comply with their demands. Who Can Interpret the Bible?
The pope has “established a commission of serious men” to “interpret and explain the Bible.” Just what the exact function of this commission is we do not know, or what the work that will be turned out by them; but we do know that to him whose heart is set to do God’s will the Bible speaks in a language that peasant as well as priest may understand. The Spirit can interpret to the humble, teachable mind that which the learned commission may be unable to elucidate. Freight Rates Rise as Potato Corner Planned
A DESPATCH from Chicago states that the railroads of the entire country have decided to raise the freight rates upon all commodities which, in the opinion of the management, will bear increased transportation charges. This includes grains and grain products. The same day Chicago despatches stated that Armour & Company were preparing to corner the potato market, buying at 16 and 17 cents a bushel and planning to run the price up to 60 cents. Russia’s Railroad Plans in Persia
RUSSIA will begin early in the new year the construction of a railroad into Persia. The British regard this as imperiling their interests in that country, and as an indication of Russia’s design on Britain’s political as well as commercial position in Persia. Heretofore it had been thought that Russia would restrict her operations to northern Persia; but her establishment of a consular agency at Ahwaz shows that she will not allow herself to be thus limited. Cholera and Destitution in Mindanao
CHOLERA is spreading among the Moro towns in the island of Mindanao, and there is much destitution among the people. The government quarantine increases this destitution by stopping the movement of supplies. The decline of silver in the Philippines still goes on, $100 in gold being worth $260 in silver. Another ladron chief with fifty of his followers has surrendered to the authorities. Boer Delegates Barred from South Africa
ACCORDING to a despatch from The Hague, the three Boer delegates, Wessels, Fisher, and Wolmarans, have been refused permission to return to South Africa. Cost of Indian Schools and Education
COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS JONES, in his annual report to the government, states that up to the year 1890 the United States had spent $845,275,290 in fighting, subduing, and civilizing the Indians, and $240,000,000 for the education and care of their children. The total cost of the Indian schools for the fiscal year was $3,637,785. This amount maintained 249 schools, with an enrolment of 134,434 Indian pupils. Walter Reed and Yellow Fever
Major Walter Reed, of the surgeon-general's department of the army, who discovered that the infection of yellow fever is carried by mosquito bite, died at Washington, November 23. Through the measures taken by the medical department of the army, during its occupation of Cuba, following the recommendation of Mr. Reed and others, yellow fever has been practically eliminated from the island. Volcanic Devastation in Guatemala
REPORTS continue to arrive from the vicinity of the terrible volcanic outbreak in Guatemala, telling of the devastation there and the terrible loss of life. Some of the reports place the number of dead as high as 10,000, while others place it as low as 2,500; but all reports agree as to the utter devastation of the country surrounding the volcano, numerous rich estates being buried under several feet of ashes and volcanic dust. Protecting Harbors from Submarine Boats
As a result of the recent naval maneuvers at Cherbourg, France, the French naval commanders recommend that the entrances of harbors which may be threatened by submarine boats be protected by laying electric wires under the surface from shore to shore. Contact with the wires will betray the approach of the unseen enemy. This is deemed necessary because of the success of the submarine vessels. German and French Budget Deficits
THE finances of the German Government show a deficit of $37,500,000 in the imperial budget for 1903, while the deficit for the previous year was $14,750,000. The government will probably levy a tax on beer and tobacco to make up the deficit. The deficit in the French budget has caused the government to reduce its proposed warship construction for the future until the necessary funds are made up. SECRETARY OF THE NAVY MOODY has directed that the soundings of the Pacific Ocean taken by the government be turned over to the Pacific Cable Company in return for concessions made by the company to the government. A cable between San Francisco and the Hawaiian Islands will be in operation within a few weeks, according to the calculations of officers of the company. Frick to Give Pittsburgh a University
HENRY C. FRICK, formerly partner of Andrew Carnegie, has decided to give to the city of Pittsburg, Penn., a great university, which, it is said, will far surpass the polytechnic institution given by Mr. Carnegie. Since the disruption of the partnership, there has been enmity and rivalry between these two millionaires, manifested principally in such undertakings as this. Billion Dollars at a Banquet
It has been noted by one of the great dailies that at the banquet given by the New York Chamber of Commerce recently, at which President Roosevelt was the principal speaker, the combined wealth there represented by the banqueting financiers amounted to more than one billion dollars. There were 600 present. Portugal’s King Visits England
On November 17 the king of Portugal arrived in England as the guest of King Edward. The king's nephew, Emperor William of Germany, was also a guest of England at the time, and if reports be true, this conference of rulers had to do with the disposition of Portuguese territory in East Africa. Austrian-Hungarian Steel Combine
A NUMBER of the largest steel and iron manufacturers of Austria and Hungary have united under one management similar to the American steel trust, with a capitalization of $70,000,000. This combine is said to include practically every important iron and steel interest in the dual monarchy. Captain Donvig’s Life-Saving Device
CAPTAIN DONVIG, of Norway, has invented a new and successful device for saving life in shipwrecks. It consists of a hollow globe, ballasted so that it will not overturn, and fitted with sail and rudder. It has been tested and declared satisfactory. Students Suspended for Refusing Vaccination
been tested and declared satisfactory. On November 21, 109 students of the Northwestern University of Evanston, Ill., were suspended because of their refusal to be vaccinated. Those suspended include many of the most prominent students and presidents of college classes. Italian Clerics Claim Royal Birth Is Judgment
The clerical politicians of Italy are declaring that the birth of another daughter to the king of Italy, instead of the longed-for son, is a judgment of heaven upon the king for the anti-Church policy of the government. NEARLY two thousand deaths from cholera have occurred in Palestine since the outbreak was first reported there. The disease was carried to Palestine by fugitives from Egypt who fled to escape its ravages there. French President to Visit St. Louis Exposition
It is reported that the President of France has decided to visit the United States at the opening of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis, Mo., in 1904. Fire Destroys Resht, Killing 200
The town of Resht, in Persia, has been destroyed by a fire which raged three days, and in which 200 persons lost their lives. A STEAMER sank in the Danube River on November 20, and thirty of her passengers were drowned. FOOTPRINTS
By M. C. Du Bois
A TRAVELER lost in a dark, wild forest searched in every direction for a path leading out, but found none. His despair grew more intense, as he realized still more fully his condition, until in anguish of soul he cried aloud. Just then his eyes rested upon a footprint in the soil before him. His sorrow was turned to gladness; he no longer felt alone. Some other traveler had gone that way before him. With renewed courage he pressed forward following the footprints which led out upon the highway leading home. Reader, we are traveling through this world of sin, and like this traveler are lost from our Father in heaven. Many dangers lurk along the way we travel. Trials and sorrows beset our path, but not until we realize that we are lost, will we cry out in anguish of soul, and look for a way out of darkness. There is only one way to safety, viz., to follow the footprints of our Elder Brother, Jesus. He has passed through this dark world and left His footprints, which, if we follow, will lead us home. Where shall we look for the footprints of Jesus? Not in halls of revelry and feasting. O, no. Not in the giddy dance, not in the midst of wealth and worldly grandeur, not in the corrupt circles of politics, not in halls of worldly education where the Bible is set aside. No, no. Go search along the rugged road of poverty, leading to the home of the poor and needy. By the bedside of the sick, the dying, along the dusty highways, lanes, and alleys; in fact, wherever a lost one is, there will you find footprints of Christ, who, when here among men, went about doing good. When you carry comfort to the sick, food to the hungry, clothes to the naked, words of cheer to those in prison, or songs of praise to the sad and sorrowing around you, you are walking in the footprints of the Divine One. To walk in the footprints of Jesus will lead, not in flowery paths of ease, but in self-denial and sacrifice. True, we may ofttimes be permitted to follow Jesus upon the mount of transfiguration, that we may there catch a glimpse of His glory. Then again His steps lead down into dark Gethsemane, that we may there witness His sufferings, see Him bearing our sins and the sins of the whole world. Ah, here we draw back from the gloomy shadows of the garden. We do not like to follow Him through suffering and sorrow. We think there must be some mistake, and cry, “This can not be my path. Give me an easier way.” “My child, this is the only way;
I've passed the rugged path before.
It leadeth straight to endless day;
Where earth's perplexities are o'er.
Dost thou not know My footprints, child?
He questions in a voice so mild.
I looked: I could not say Him nay—
His bloody footprints marked the way. “Enough! If I may place my feet
In Thy blest footprints, all is well;
I'll count it but a joy most sweet,
Nor fear the powers of earth or hell.
Thou'lt shield me from these wild alarms,
Safe in the covert of Thine arms.” Did you ever think, my reader, that the Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering?11 Shall we who profess to be His followers shrink from trials, and fall out by the way? Rather let us sing from the heart, “Where He leads me I will follow.” Let us watch more closely for His footprints, and strive to honor Him in the great and in the small duties of life. By and by, if faithful, the Divine footprints will lead home to those mansions He has gone to prepare for those who serve Him. From the pages of prophecy, fulfilling daily, we see evidences of His soon coming to gather His faithful ones to inherit those mansions. Not one will be forgotten or left behind, no matter how obscured, for His eye is upon the faithful tho they may be overlooked by others. Take courage, weary, lost traveler. Look upon the footprints of Jesus, and walk therein and you will find your way out of this dark world in safety. Dear Grandma Vance, with her white puffs of hair, her dainty cap, and placid smile, sat dreamily gazing at a figure in the carpet, as she rocked slowly to and fro. The needles, which rarely were quiet when held in grandma’s industrious fingers, now lay at rest in her lap, and only a slight creaking under the rocker was heard in the silent dining-room. Everybody in the house loved Grandma Vance, and nearly every room contained a comfortable rocking-chair with a view to having her able to pause in whatever place she liked, and find an easy chair awaiting her. So it happened that grandma was sitting in the dining-room, and it was very warm there on the cold, winter morning, tho the furnace heat had not penetrated to the upper rooms as yet with quite such a general warmth as was felt there. Things had not gone quite as smoothly that morning in her son’s family as usual; there seemed to be some little friction between the children, and Julia, her son’s wife, found the family sewing accumulating faster than her busy fingers could meet the pressing demand. Then Jane had “given notice,” and within a week another girl must be found to reign as queen of the kitchen; and what with one thing and another of an outward nature, young Mrs. Vance was tired and discouraged. “I declare,” she said to herself, “I don’t see how Frank’s mother can always be as bright and cheerful as she is. It seems to me that if I was as old as she is, the noise and contention of the children would drive me nearly distracted. Then when baby unraveled that long piece of knitting yesterday she had put so much time and work into, she was just as undisturbed and patient about it as could be. I have a great mind to ask how she manages to find so much comfort in life.” There was baking to do, and a pile of mending to do; but all at once, grandma, still dreaming away with her eyes fixed on the carpet, was roused from her day-dream by the entrance of her daughter-in-law. In her hand young Mrs. Vance held her work-basket, with a pile of stockings heaped high up on top. “There, mother,” she began, “I’ve got all creation to do to-day it seems to me, but I made up my mind to darn a few stockings at first, and at the same time have a little chat with you. Everything appears to come so easy to you; now I’ve been wondering if you ever used to feel tired and perplexed in your younger days, when family cares bore hard and troubles used to come all in a bunch, as I suppose they do to every one sometime in life.” “Dear child,” grandma began, “you little know how much of toil, effort, and oftentimes how much of discouragement I waded through while bringing up my large family. “To begin with, there was no ‘modern improvements’ in my day, making work comparatively light, and after rising with the dawn, kneading bread, churning butter, and attending to various wearing duties connected with a farm and dairy, I would be obliged to sit up half of the night with a sick child, then be up and about my household cares again early in the morning. “I think that, naturally, my disposition was a happy one, but gradually I began to let my incessant duties worry me. I know that my voice was not always tender as a mother’s should be in addressing her children, and then I know, too, my brow began to be clouded much of the time. “I thought my work was more constant than that of any of my neighbors, and altho poor father—we always called Frank’s father, ‘father,’ the whole of us—altho he did all he possibly could, I somehow felt as tho I was leading a hard, severe life, which in some way he might make lighter if he chose. “Well, my dear, I sometimes think that when we have enough, and try the Almighty up to a certain point, it is a glimpse of what He could do to punish us for our repining, were it not for his loving-kindness and unwillingness to grieve His children. “I remember one winter—very much such a time as this, only in the country the cold seems very much more severe than it ever does in the city—there were four boys then, claiming my constant care, and from morning till night I was at it, baking, brewing, churning, sweeping, cutting, mending, and fretting. “Yes, I confess it with regret even now, I was fast becoming a nervous, fretful wife and mother, while still in my early prime. “Well, one cold morning father proposed taking the boys, all of them, and going over to a piece of woods about two miles away, to see if some timber there was fit for cutting. I bustled about and got their breakfast early; then father said something about taking a lunch as they might be detained, but I objected, impatiently declaring it would only amount to my getting a dinner for them all, besides fussing to put up lunches. Your husband, I remember, spoke up cheerily and said comfortingly—Frank was always as good-natured as he is now—‘Never mind, mother,’ he says, ‘if we do get a little hungry, it won’t hurt us any.’ “And off they started—my precious husband and my four darling boys. “In two hours there was one of the wildest storms raging I ever saw in my life. Snow, rain, and sleet were terrible enough, but oh, the wind, it was simply awful! “By noon I would have given everything I possessed had I only put up that lunch. But in the middle of the afternoon I heard that the bridge between our township and the next one, where they had all gone, was floating down the river with four or five persons on it. “Well, my dear, I won’t distress you with a long description of my sufferings; all I can say is, I spent hours on my knees during that long night of anguish, and the vows and promises I made have never been forgotten either by me or my Maker. “In the morning my loved ones were restored to my arms. Not a mouthful of food had they tasted since their breakfast the day before, but the way I feasted them for the next week, father declared it was almost enough to kill them. “But after imagining myself a widow and bereft of my four boys through all one long, winter night, I was cured of fretting and thinking my lot a hard one, forever. “And it was astonishing when once I resolved that things were best for me just as they were, how much lighter my duties seemed to grow. In fact, the time soon came when I thought I was to be envied with my kind husband and four sturdy boys. There is a good deal to look back upon and feel thankful for, but I think that terrible lesson did wonders for me.” Grandma’s eyes took on their dreamy look again as her voice hushed, and only the light creak of the rockers was heard. But young Mrs. Vance gathered up her work, saying softly:— “Well, now I’m going about my baking, and oh, how thankful I am I have my dear little family to bake for! Thank you for your story, dear grandma.”