Office Notices and Sabbath Controversy
By Editor
We send no papers from this office without pay in advance unless by special arrangement. When persons receive copies without ordering them, they are sent by other parties, and we can give no information in regard to them. Persons thus receiving copies of the SIGNS are not indebted to the office, and will not be called upon for pay. Please read the papers and hand them to your friends to read. SOME friend has sent us a copy of the Pacific Christian Advocate, which contains an article in opposition to the Sabbath of the Lord,—the seventh day. It is just like all such productions,—simply a repetition of stale objections to the Sabbath. Only one thing is worthy of notice, and that is this, the article begins on the sixth page of the paper, and is "continued on page three." This is very fitting in an article against the Sabbath. The article, like the argument which it contains, advances backward. QUITE a number of papers have been received at this office from all parts of the country, containing articles against the union of Church and State, which is the object of National Reformers, and also the logical outcome of the Blair bills. We are glad to see that the people are becoming aroused to these dangers. Keep the flame burning, brethren of the pen; agitation purifies. Would there were a thousand voices where there is now one raised in defense of "equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political." IN the county of Alameda, California, there were ninety-four divorce cases last year, and only eight hundred and seventy-five marriages, or about one divorce case to nine marriages. And Alameda County consoles itself in the fact that other localities are worse. Chicago, we believe, still leads. Not long since, it is said that thirty-five divorce cases were disposed of in the space of one hour. What must be the condition of societies and Governments which sanction such things? How long can such a nation exist? Marriage, in most cases, has become a thing of lust. THE Pope has scored another victory, this time in Canada. At the opening of the Parliament, three weeks ago, the clergy had been invited to attend, being assigned first seats on the floor. Cardinal Taschereau resented this, and sent a note demanding a position on the throne, and claiming, as a prince of the Church of Rome, precedence over even the representative of the queen. The speaker of the Senate and Premier Mercier held a hurried consultation, and sent a humble apology to the cardinal. A throne was erected by the side of the queen's throne, and directly under the royal arms, and this was occupied by the cardinal and his prelates. Let our readers make a note of this. It well shows the overweening and impudent assumptions of the Papacy, and the contemptibly cringing spirit which the great powers manifest towards it. WHAT the Ku-Klux once were to the South, the White Caps now are to the Central and Eastern States, with this difference, that while the former regulated politics, the latter have constituted themselves the conservators of morals in the neighborhoods where they exist. Any person who in the estimation of the White Caps is not a desirable member of society, is likely to receive written notice to leave the country, and if the notice is disregarded, the individual, male or female, is taken to the woods and whipped most brutally. Several deaths have resulted from their brutality, and whole communities have been terrorized. In one place the White Caps have declared themselves the messengers of God, to punish violation of his law. In this respect they have shown themselves to be ardent and consistent National Reformers, and in that and in every other respect, they show themselves to be a most dangerous class. If it has come to this—that the laws of the several States cannot afford adequate protection to the community at large, and that such protection must be had at the hands of a lawless and irresponsible secret order, then truly are they fallen upon evil times. The society is a most dangerous one, and its high moral professions only make it more to be feared. THE Occident, of January 23, says: "The Sabbath [Sunday] movement is making good headway. The obstacles are almost insuperable, but fourteen million signatures already secured give some ground for hope of a successful issue." NOW we wonder if the Occident does not know better than to make the statement that "fourteen million signatures" have been secured. This number is claimed; but how is it made up? 1. By meetings of different societies indorsing it by a majority vote for the whole membership, when many of the members are opposed. 2. By counting Cardinal Gibbons's signature for his whole people—seven million, two hundred thousand. Many Roman Catholics, some of whom are priests, have since signed counter petitions. Did not our contemporary know this? Then we are glad to give it information. But, neighbor, if you did know it, it is just as easy to tell the truth, and not convey a false impression to your readers. AN important decision bearing upon the question of the legality of "trusts," was rendered recently by Judge Barrett, of the supreme court of New York. Some months since a suit was brought by the Attorney-General of the State against the North River Sugar Refining Company, to forfeit its charter, on the ground that by selling all its stock to the "trust," and closing its works, it had virtually passed out of existence. Judge Barrett's decision is to the effect that a corporation cannot give away its corporation prerogatives and still retain them. "Fortunately," said he, "the law is able to protect itself against abuse of privileges which it grants." The decision is certainly a most righteous one, and it is to be hoped that the precedent thus established will be followed by the courts of other States. "Trusts" are simply combinations for robbing the people, and justice and fair dealing demand that they be abolished, whether they be sugar, oil, wheat, flour, or labor trusts. They all thrive by preying upon the necessities of the people. THE Sunday-law agitation, which is attracting so much attention just now, from the fact that it has taken definite form in the United States Senate, is also manifesting itself in several of the States. In Pennsylvania the friends of Sunday are determined to resist any effort which may be made to repeal or modify the iniquitous law of 1794. In Illinois, Minnesota, Texas, and other States, more stringent laws for the enforcement of first-day observance are loudly demanded, while in our own State a Sunday bill is already before the Legislature, and thousands of people, ignorant of the real nature of such laws, are signing petitions praying for its passage. The battle has commenced, and it behooves the friends of the truth to be alive to every opportunity to turn this contest to the spread of the Third Angel's Message, with its warning against the worship of the beast and his image. We cannot long prevent the passage of unjust and oppressive Sunday laws, but we can make the present agitation a means of spreading the truth. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven." Matt. 7:21. To call one Lord, implies that we are his servant; for servant and Lord are opposite terms, the one presupposing the other. A lord is one who is served, a ruler, or governor, a provider. A servant is one who serves. His chief duty is to obey. There could be no lord without a servant; there could be no servant without a lord. Therefore, when we call Jesus Lord, we say that we are his servants. Our only duty is to do what he commands us. As Lord, he will provide the means and strength; as servants, we are to believe and obey. He commands us to repent and believe (Mark 1:15), and to keep God's commandments, which are his Father's will. Matt. 19:17; Ps. 40:8. Strength will ever be given to do this through faith. 1 John 5:4; Gal. 5:6; 1 John 5:3. Be not deceived; the true test of our relation to Christ and of our faith in him, is doing, not professing; deeds, not words. It is often stated that Sunday laws are necessary for the physical well-being of the people; and by many this supposed fact is eloquently urged as a reason why all should have a stated day of rest, and also why all should be required to rest upon the same day, namely, Sunday. But the force of the argument seems to be weakened somewhat by the well-established fact that on an average Jews enjoy better health, and consequently live longer, than any other civilized people. Of course many of them have a stated weekly rest-day, but a very large proportion of them have practically no stated rest; and even those who do conscientiously observe the Sabbath, do it under conditions which the advocates of Sunday laws declare render the necessary mental and physical rest impossible. Now the question arises, if Jews can enjoy good health and long life with no Sabbath, or at best with only a noisy Sabbath, why, in order to enjoy good health, must Christians have a law to compel both themselves and everybody else to rest on Sunday? THE Christian Oracle, of Chicago, says that to hear the Pope demanding temporal power grates very harshly upon Protestant ears, and that "were it not for the fact that the progress of the age and the dissemination of the gospel light as it shines in the teachings of Jesus and his apostles, have made it utterly impossible for the restoration of the Papacy to its temporal power, it would cause much alarm." We are not so sure about the impossibility of the thing. Indications are not wanting which point to such a restoration as being very far from impossible, and the sure word of prophecy points in the same direction. Italy and Sweden are the only powers of note that have not within a year virtually recognized the Pope as a king, and have honored him as such; and it does not require any stretch of the imagination to foresee a state of affairs which would cause the great powers of Europe to conceive it to be to their interest to restore the "liberty" of the Pope, and humble the pride of Italy, by re-establishing the civil rule of the Roman Pontiff. THE excellent lesson in that good and oft-repeated poem, "Seeing the Blood," will be of additional interest to our Sabbath-schools, coming as it does in connection with the consideration of the passover. May the precious blood of our paschal Lamb be applied to all our readers in that day.