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What They Say

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California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists · Oakland, Cal. · Nov 12, 1874

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 1, No. 9.

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What They Say.

“Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.” Luke 21:26.
The above is the statement of Christ as to what would be in the last days. The following shows a striking fulfillment of his word.
“Father Hyacinthe and Victor Hugo have joined Mr. Disraeli and the Pope in prophesying the approach of a tremendous war, which shall rage all over Europe and elsewhere. Mr. Disraeli predicted that the war would be a religious one, and that it would convulse the globe. The Pope described the impending struggle as one between the armies of the Archangel Michael and the hosts of Satan. According to the prognostication of Father Hyacinthe the coming war will be threefold, and will include a fearful conflict between popular rights and the power of capital, in which the combatants will tear each other to pieces. According to the vaticination of Victor Hugo, the great and inevitable encounter is to be “between two principles, Republic and Empire.” He says that “we have before us—in Europe—a series of catastrophies which engender each other, and which must be exhausted;” that “we can get a glimpse of peace only across a shock of arms;” that “between the present and the future there is a fatal interposition;” that the “Kings must expiate their crimes;” and that the separation of the people will result in federation and fraternity. He thus closes his prophecy of the “Universal Fatherland:”—“The solution is this: The United States of Europe. The end will be for the people—that is to say, for liberty; and for God—that is to say for peace.” There must surely be something in the atmosphere of Europe that leads so many prophets to prophesy the approach of war —war about religion, republicanisms, and the rights of human nature.”
New York, October 25.—A Paris telegram to the London Times of the 13th, says: “It is undeniable that things are not pleasant in Europe just now, and whatever calm there may be on the surface there is an undercurrent of anxiety as to eventualities which some believe are not very remote. The assurances of the Great Powers as to the prospects of long, enduring peace, have not sufficed to dispel uneasiness, which has for its cause the alleged determination of Germany to harass and humiliate France to keep alive in her breast the sting of defeat, and use towards her at every opportunity a sort of petty pressure which may serve to remind her that she met her master, and that it behooves her to be modest in her attitude and submissive in her tone. This charge is brought by the French against their late conquerors; but the latter, on the other hand, repudiate the vexatious intention imputed to them, and still more strongly deny the possibility of a fresh conflict.”
London, October 26th.—A Paris dispatch says that authentic information has been received here that Russia is fully convinced that she will in the course of three or four years, be engaged in a desperate struggle with Germany.
St. Petersburg, November 2d.—A telegram reports a serious rupture between Turcos and Khiva, which will attain serious results. The interposition of Russia will be rendered necessary.
Paris, November 3d.—A new army bill is to be introduced by the government providing for raising a force of 930,000.
The chief authorities of the church have decided to hold a great International Catholic Congress in London, with the object of maintaining the doctrine of Papal infallibility, re-asserting the Pope’s right of temporal as well as spiritual power, and proclaiming it to be the duty of all Christians to retain allegiance to Rome. It is stated that this determination is the result of direct instructions from the Vatican. Archbishop Manning, in a speech at Westminster, admitted that the spiritual influence of the Pope had greatly increased since the loss of his temporalities. If arbitration was ever to supersede war, the Pope would be the only possible authorized arbitrator. The Catholic world, he added, was threatened with controversy on all the decrees of the Ecumenical Council. There was undoubtedly approaching one of the mightiest contests the religious world had ever seen; therefore it was necessary to fearlessly assert through the free press of England the Pope’s rights, and his pretentions to world-wide allegiance.
Those who pledged to the publishing interests on this coast, or to the tent fund, who can pay immediately a part, or all, of their pledge are requested to do so, as we wish means to purchase a stock of paper in the East, and cannot wait for it to come in in the shape of subscriptions to the SIGNS. And further, we learn from private letters that there are others west of the plains who were not at the camp meeting, who wish to subscribe to the Publishing and Tent Funds. Let such send their pledges to the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal., stating what they can pay on the Tent Fund by October 1st, 1875, and what they can pay to the Publishing Fund by January 1st, 1876.
Get all the subscribers you can for the SIGNS at $2 00 per year. Send in your donations, and send names of those you have the promise will read and pay the postage. State this in connection with all the names you send, as we can send no free papers on any other condition.
In seeking to comply with postal law as published in No. 5, we may have neglected to send to some who have promised to read and pay postage. Be patient friends, write again; we will try to get this matter of the list all straight as fast as we can. So help us.
A LITTLE TOO MUCH.—We receive letters in which we are requested to send papers free to Canada, England, and other foreign countries; that the parties will pay postage. That is all very well, but on all papers sent out of the United States we have to pay at least two cents a copy, or $1.04 a year. To ask us to send the paper free and pay $1.04 postage on it, is more than we have ever proposed to do.
All letters or business for the SIGNS should be addressed “SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal.” All drafts or money orders should be made payable to the SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

Quarterly Meeting Appointments.

The first State quarterly meeting of California, under the new Missionary Constitution, will be held with the church at Oakland, Sabbath and first-day, Jan. 2d and 3d, 1875. All the Directors of the nine districts, and all the State Missionary officers are requested to be present, and as many of our brethren and sisters as can make it convenient to attend. At this meeting we shall expect a quarterly report from every district as required by the new constitution.
The district quarterly meetings will be held as follows:
District No. 1. At Petaluma, Dec. 19th and 20th, 1874. John Judson, Director in charge.
District No. 2. At Healdsburg, Dec. 19 and 20, 1874. Wm. Harmon, Director in charge.
District No. 3. At Napa, Dec. 19 and 20, 1874. J. W. Bond, Vice President and John Mavity, Director in charge.
District No. 4. At Vallejo, Dec. 19, and 20, 1874. J. S. Howard, Director in charge.
District No. 5. At Woodland, Dec. 19 and 20, 1874. H. C. Yerby, Director in charge.
District No. 6. At Red Banks School House, Tehama county, Dec. 19 and 20, 1874. J. H. Disher, Director in charge.
District No. 7. At Oakland, in connection with the first State Quarterly Meeting, Jan. 2 and 3, 1875.
District No. 8. At San Jose, Dec. 19 and 20, 1874. J. N. Loughborough, and Wm. Swinnerton, Director in charge.
District No. 9. At San Francisco, Dec. 19 and 20, 1874. Charles Chittenden, Director in charge. By order of the Board of Directors.
J. N. Loughborough, President.
Lucy Bush, Secretary.
All money sent by mail to the SIGNS’ office should be in drafts or postal orders, payable to the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, if the sum exceeds $2 00. Sums less than $2 00 can be in currency or postage stamps.
We have a supply of Hygienic Almanacs for 1875, and can fill orders by mail for this coast, at ten cents per copy, post paid. Address SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal. By a slip of the type, this was said in No. 8 to be an Almanac for 1874. Get one and it will be all right. It’s 1875, just what you need.