THIS is the last number of the special Gospel series of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES which we began last May. From time to time your attention has been called to some of the good things we have in store for you in the numbers to follow; but the half has not been told. Let us briefly recapitulate:
World's Missions Special.
Our next issue will be the great World's Missions Special, a double number, fairly bristling with facts and figures and interesting information. Of all the great specials we have ever issued, none equals this in beauty, power, and general information; and it tells truth, wonderful truth, and will interest believers and unbelievers alike. Here is a list of the articles:
"The Open Doors Before God's People," by Arthur T. Pierson, D.D., editor "Missionary Review of the World," a stirring article.
"A Century of Missions," by I. H. Evans.
"Christianity a Life," by Geo. B. Thompson.
"A Personal Saviour," by W. A. Colcord.
"The Power of the Word to Save," by Abdiel.
"The Great Missionary," by Mrs. E. G. White.
"Medical Missions," by A. O. Tait.
"The Evangelization of the World in This Generation," by A. G. Daniels.
"The Divine Program of Missions," by W. A. Spicer.
"The Latter Rain," by M. C. Wilcox.
"A Mighty Factor in Missions," by J. N. Anderson, China.
"Child Wives and Widows of India," by Bessie L. Shaw.
It has an excellent song with the missionary spirit running throughout. There are messages and appeals from workers in the great mission fields of Asia, Africa, South America, and the islands of the sea.
Besides these, there are two pages showing God's great, needy field in picture object-lessons, telling in wonderfully graphic form of the more than one billion of unsaved heathen, and on the other side the millions upon millions that "Christian" America spends in sin and pleasure while giving but seven and one-half millions for foreign missions. It is an awful indictment.
There are two pages of portraits and biographical notes of thirty-two noted pioneer and prominent missionaries, which we have called, "God's Advance Guard in Mission Fields." Such an array of portraits can be found in no other publication, or any twenty publications. Books and magazines and libraries have been ransacked to obtain them. This feature is worth more than three times the cost of the paper.
In all our specials the general testimony has been that our performance was better than our promise, but this is far better. No man can read the Missions Number without being stirred.
Bible-Reading Series.
Following the Missions Number we will have a series of twenty-four numbers which will be of great value and peculiar interest to all. One of the most prominent features will be a series of illustrated Bible-readings which will appear under the heading of "Home Bible Studies for Winter Evenings."
These readings will be in the form of studies covering all the great features of the Gospel. The subjects will be taught by questions, quotations from history, notes from authors, and a marshaling of facts that all ought to know. They will be embellished by diagrams and illustrations that will explain the lessons and make them simple and impressive.
There will also be articles on the books of Daniel and the Revelation.
Articles on the book of Romans, the "therefores" and "wherefores" and the reasons for them.
Articles on the miracles, teaching, and life of Jesus Christ as the great Physician.
A series on the Ten Commandments.
The kingdom and priesthood of Christ.
Conditions in the world. Able correspondents in the Old World and the New. Labor and Capital. Wealth and Poverty. Plenty and Famine. Peace and War. Health and Hygiene.
In the future, as in the past, the SIGNS will keep abreast of the times, and in the Outlook Department will give special attention to current events that have a bearing upon the fulfilment of prophecy. This year we have had one or more special representatives at all important gatherings, such as the Peace Conference in New York, the Peace Conference at The Hague, the Christian Endeavor Convention at Seattle, and the American Federation of Catholic Societies at Indianapolis, Ind. It is our purpose to continue to send representatives to all important gatherings in order that our readers may be kept fully informed as to what is going on in the world and the bearing these movements have upon God's work.
Home Department.
Beginning November 13, a very interesting and instructive series of articles will appear under the heading of "Home Building." These articles are from the pen of Mrs. L. D. A. Stuttle, and will be of special interest to every member of the family. Here are the titles:
(1) Home—What It Means.
(2) Honorable Young Manhood.
(3) Beautiful Young Womanhood.
(4) Acquaintance, Friendship, Proprieties.
(5) Honorable and Proper Courtship.
(6) Marriage and Its Meaning.
(7) The Husband in the Home.
(8) The Wife in the Home.
(9) The Family Altar.
(10) The Father.
(11) The Mother.
(12) The Son.
(13) The Daughter.
(14) Reading in the Home.
(15) Order in the Home.
(16) Simplicity in the Home.
(17) Economy in the Home.
(18) Mutual Helpfulness.
(19) Gatherings in the Home—Associations.
(20) The Master in the Home.
(21) The Outshining of the Home.
Besides this list of helpful articles will be another series, entitled "Observations on Home Life," by Mrs. E. H. Adams, an author of several excellent books and a lady of many years' experience.
There will also be talks to the youth; talks on health and temperance; interesting information; and occasional helpful stories and sketches. The Home Department alone will be worth the price of the paper for a year.
Bible-Readers' Band.
A "Bible-Readers' Band" will be started, and it is hoped that many thousands of subscribers to the SIGNS will join this band and will read the Bible thru in one or two years. A brief outline of each book in the Bible, by whom and when written, and other important data, will be given together with suggestions as to how to take up the study in order to make it the most interesting and profitable. The senior editor will have special charge of this department.
An Appeal.
In looking over our subscription list we find that many subscriptions expire with this number. We are glad to say that renewals are coming in quite rapidly. We do not want to lose a single subscriber, and more than that we hope to add many thousands to the list. Will you not help us in securing new names?
Please see how it is with your own subscription. You can tell this by the label on your paper. If it expires with this number, please renew at once, for we have a feast of good things in store for you.
Here is the subscription-price for both the Missions Special and the Bible-Reading Series: