Earlier text: Union in the Present TruthWhere Does the Responsibility Rest?
A YOUNG married man, with two bright, happy children, is the central figure in the picture I am going to draw, and I draw, not from imagination, but from real life. This young man was the victim of a habit that holds men with an iron grip. He had an inherited taste for liquor, and little by little it grew upon him to such an extent that he lost his place in a fine business house. Then commenced a desperate struggle on his part to retrieve himself and conquer the habit. Whoever has read the story of De Quincey's awful contest with his opium habit, can form some idea of the battle this young man fought with his appetite for drink. After many humiliating falls, he seemed to be on firm ground. Friends rallied round him and encouraged him. A mother, whose heart he had almost broken, took courage, and began to think that her only son, whom she had never quite given up, would at last hold out, and be once more a man. Dogs never push back a sinking man, when his hand is on the shore. Men do. Hot weather came on, and the old appetite raged with intensity only equaled by the heat of dog days. Of course there was a saloon in the case. Of course when he entered that saloon he found there a so-called human being ready to sell him what in the twinkle of an eye would undo the work of many weary months. The first glass plunged him back into deep waters. The man who sold it to him knew just what he was doing, but he was like all the rest of his class, a heartless wretch, of whom nothing better could have been expected. But there was another party to this young man's downfall,—a party from whom better things might have been expected, and the worst of it is, he is but the type of a class. He is a church member. He is considered a pious man. It would hurt his feelings should any one call his piety in question. But he owns the saloon where this man fell. He leased it to a man who, as he well knew, would sell liquor in it. Now where does a man's responsibility begin and where does it end? Can a man lease his building openly and avowedly for a house of ill-fame, and yet remain in church and escape censure? Even that is done. But it is at least spoken of as disreputable. But a church member can with impunity lease his property to saloon keepers to be used by them in their wicked business. What better is such a man than he who, seeing a brother coming up out of deep waters, pushes him back, just as his foot is upon firm ground? Ask that man what he thinks about it, and he will tell you that he has nothing to do about it. He will claim that he is not in the least at fault for what his tenant does. John B. Gough has a very pertinent illustration of personal responsibility. He describes a man as tied to a stake and finally killed by a hundred stones thrown at him by a hundred different men. Tell the first man that he is responsible for the murder, and he will say, "No indeed; the poor fellow was almost as well as ever after I hit him;" and so they might go on till you get to the last one, and he, of course, scouts the idea of being a murderer, for he will coolly say, "The man was just about dead when I hit him. It was the other men before me who killed him." It is simply disgusting to see with what shameless inconsistency some Christians can sneak out of responsibility for the ruin of their brethren, where a penny is at stake. Whether such complicity with liquor selling as that is an offense for which a man can be excommunicated from the church or not, may be a question, but he certainly ought to be excommunicated every time he leases property for the sale of liquor. It don't look well for a man to talk in prayer-meeting about "entering in at the strait gate," and then on his way home pass a gate of perdition of which he is the owner, when the said gate with his knowledge and consent displays a sign that says to all passers by, "enter in," enforcing that invitation to take the broad road, by temptations that some men cannot resist. But why should a man be excommunicated for leasing a building to a saloon keeper to sell liquor in? Because it is fair to infer that he meant to inflict an injury upon individuals and upon society at large, when he leased the building. Is that a hard saying? Let us see. It is a well established maxim of law that if any act is likely to produce mischief, he who does that act must be presumed to intend that which his act was likely to produce. Who doubts that the leasing of a house to sell liquor in is likely to produce mischief? If in a civil case a man can be convicted of crime on the principle above stated, he ought surely before the church to be convicted of a willful, premeditated and intended wrong. And he ought to receive wholesome discipline for such ungodly conduct.—Church and Home. The terrible power which the appetite for intoxicants has over its slaves is vividly illustrated in the following incident:—
One wintry afternoon a trembling man entered a tavern in New Hampshire, carrying a small bundle of clothing. Going to the bar he said:—
“Landlord, I am burning. Give me a glass of gin.”
The landlord pointed to a lot of chalk marks and said:—
“John, you see the old score—not another drop till that is paid.”
The poor wretch glared fiercely at the man behind the bar.
“Landlord, you don’t mean that. You have got my farm, you have got my horses, you have got my tools. All I have got in this world is this little bundle of clothes. Please, landlord, give me for them just one glass of gin.”
“I don’t want your old clothes,” calmly answered the man. Pay the old score first.”
The drunkard staggered back. A gentleman then said:—
“What will you give me for enough to buy two glasses of gin? I see you have a good pair of boots on your feet. Will you give me your boots for ten cents?”
The miserable wretch hesitated for a moment, then he said:—
“Stranger, if I give you the boots I must go out into the snow barefooted. If I give you the boots I must freeze to death; if I don’t give them to you I shall burn to death. Stranger, it is harder to burn to death than to freeze to death; give me the gin; you may have the boots.”
He sat down and began to draw them off. The gentleman did not, however, intend to take them, but he was testing the terrible appetite. Others were looking on, and they said the man should have his gin. They supplied him liberally, and he drank all he could and took the rest away. When night came he had drank the last drop, and he went to sleep in a barn. The frost king came and took the poor man in his arms.
The next morning he was found in the barn frozen to death. Action of Coffee on The Stomach.
In a paper presented to the Society de Biologie (Rev. Med.) M. Leven states that coffee, so far, as is often supposed, from accelerating the digestive process of the stomach, rather tends to impede this. When thirty grammes of coffee, diluted in 150 of water, is given to a dog, which is killed five and a half hours afterward, the stomach is found pale, its mucous surface being anæmic and the vessels of its external membrane contracted. The whole organ exhibits a marked appearance of anæmia. Coffee thus determining anæmia of the mucous membrane, preventing rather than favoring vascular congestion, and of opposing rather than facilitating the secretion of gastric juice, how comes it that the sense of comfort is procured for so many people who are accustomed to take coffee after a meal? A repast, in fact, produces in those whose digestion is torpid, a heaviness of the intellectual faculties, and embarrassment of the power of thinking; and these effects, and the disturbance of the head, are promptly dissipated by the stimulated effect which the coffee produces on the nervous centers, as shown by experiments with casein. Coffee and tea when taken in excess, are a frequent cause of dyspepsia, for the anæmic condition of the mucous membrane being periodically renewed, a permanent state of congestion is at last produced, which constitutes dyspepsia.— Scientific American. The Saloon and Civilization
A SALOON is an enemy to civilization, a curse to a community, and a short road to a miserable death. A Few Statistics.
By C. D. Wilson
WILL statistics wake the people? Here they are from official data: In one year there are consumed 74,472,810 gallons of spirituous liquors in the United States, or, to put it in other words, 27,000,000 bushels of grain or 1,080,000,000 lbs. of flour, giving everybody in the country, if the bread was distributed, forty-seven and one-third loaves. The barrels would reach from Philadelphia to Omaha. In 1878 we spent $77,600,000 in buying intoxicating drinks. There are 4,528,084 people in the country who cannot read. These could have been educated at the expense, of about $60,000,000. All the papers in the States and Territories could be supported for $10,000,000. All the taxes paid in the United States in 1878 amounted to $27,000,000. The wages of all the builders were $48,741,000; of all the iron workers, $76,000,000; of the clothing manufacturers, $98,000,000; of the makers of farmer's implements, $12,000,000. Adding all these, leaves $10,372,000 balance in favor of the tipplers. What better argument in favor of prohibition can be wanted than this? Can any sensible man after reading this think for a moment that it is a folly? No pen can portray the deadly ills that follow in the train of this satanic sin, of hopes blighted, of intellects debased, of homes ruined, of hearts broken, of virtue lost, of children debauched in their youth; of sorrow, misery, and woe here and Heaven lost hereafter.—C. D. Wilson. Saloon Politics.
By National Liberator
WILLIAM WALDORF ASTOR, is one of the millionaire sons of his father. Nominated for Congress, not because he had ever done the world any good or had ever given any indications that he ever would, he was simply placed on the ticket because he would spend money freely, and thus help all the rest of the ticket. What a spectacle. Did the rotten boroughs of England ever exhibit greater corruption? Undoubtedly Astor spent many thousands of dollars in the saloons of New York. Even the New York press unite in commenting upon the extreme liberality of the young millionaire as he plodded from one saloon to another throughout his district. This may be an extreme case in the matter of publicity, but it certainly is not either an extreme or exceptional case otherwise. There does not an election occur but the saloon-keeper reaps his harvest, of gold, and the people their harvest of saloon-elected public officers. When the officer so elected sells his vote to some rich corporation, or proves himself a defaulter, the people are loud in their denunciation of the party to which he belongs. They forget to look deeper, and condemn the system which has made the caucus the adjunct of the saloon.—National Liberator. Tobacco’s Cruelty to Children
There are tobacco using men by the hundred in California, who are daily committing cruel outrages upon their own and other people's children. When the little innocents are sleeping, these ignorant men are filling the room with their noxious smoke, poisoning every breath they inhale, implanting seeds of disease and death, which are murderous in their tendency, and inflict curses upon them which last through life. When the children are up and awake they are subject to the same cruelties; and when one after another of the helpless little ones half murdered in this way falls a victim to some disease that would not endanger the life of a healthy child, and is carried out to its little grave, its parents wonder why the Lord Kansas Prohibition Enforcement Rewards
Governor St. John, of Kansas, is determined that the prohibitory law shall not be a dead letter. He has issued a proclamation offering rewards ranging from $100 to $500 for the arrest, conviction, and punishment of persons violating the law prohibiting the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors, also of officers guilty of failure to properly enforce the law. Consistency in Church Wine Use
WHAT consistency is there in the church condemning the use of alcoholic wine as a beverage, and yet administering it to her members with all the solemnity of a sacred ordinance? Say's Light.
By Kate Sumner Gates
Miss Winthrop was in the habit of giving her class a verse each Sunday for the week's motto. This week it was, "Let your light so shine that men may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." "Will you try this week, girls, to let your light shine?—will you, Say?" she asked, turning to Say Willis. "I'd like to, but I—don't believe I've got any light; it does not make any difference to anybody what I do,—no one notices what I do." "You do not know surely about that," responded Miss Winthrop. "You do not know certainly about that, and it does not concern you; your part is to keep your light burning brightly—whether any one looks or not; and if you do your part the rest will be taken care of. Will you try?" "Yes, ma'am," answered Say. But she did not seem very hopeful about it. She could not believe any one would pay any attention to her little light. On Monday morning it was the first thing she thought of, and she wondered how she should find opportunity to keep her promise. Oh dear, how she hated Monday! Bridget was always cross, mamma tired, and the children invariably did something a little more trying than common. To-day it was worse than usual, for it was rainy, and Bridget was cross because the clothes could not go out, mamma had one of her headaches, baby fretted incessantly because of his teeth, and Tommy was home from school with earache. It was rather of a discouraging outlook to Say, when she came down. Papa was worrying lest breakfast would not be ready for him so he could take the early train into the city, Bridget would not hurry, mamma with baby in her arms, crying, was wearily trying to hasten matters a little, while Dick and Tommy were already engaged in hot dispute. Say's heart sunk, she was sorely tempted to give up at the outset, an impatient word was on her lips, when her verse and promise came to mind. " 'Let your light so shine.' Oh dear, this isn't worth speaking of, only chance for a little twinkle; but then if I never have a chance to show a bright blaze, I must be sure and use all these little opportunities. I can look pleasant if I have got a pug-nose and more freckles than you can count," she thought to herself. And then in a twinkling things seemed to change. Nettie appeared from somewhere, and took baby from mamma, up into the nursery. Mamma herself was sent into the dining-room. Dick was helping set the table, fairly glowing with pride, because Say had whispered in his ear that Mr. Earle told her, last night, he was the best scholar in his class. Tommy's mind was diverted from all unpleasant thoughts for the time being, by the promise of maple syrup, which was his special weakness, for breakfast. As for Bridget, there was a light streak in the north-west that Say pointed out to her, the sight of which scattered her frowns like magic; perhaps, after all, she could get her clothes out. It was not much, after all, but every one felt better. "Now, mamma," said Say, after breakfast, "you just go up stairs and lie down. I'll take care of baby and see to things." Mamma hesitated, and tried to remonstrate, but her head did ache so badly, and Say seemed so willing and cheery. It was a pretty long, tiresome morning, but Say kept repeating her verse over to herself—to keep her courage up, she said. After dinner, when baby, worn out, dropped asleep, and Tommy, having found a book of travels, had curled himself up in papa's big chair in the dining-room, Say settled herself comfortably on the lounge in her room, book in hand. She had just congratulated herself on the long pleasant afternoon before her, when the bell rang, and there stood Miss Mercy Stone, work-bag in hand, evidently prepared to come in and sit awhile. "Mamma is sick with a severe headache," said Say promptly. Miss Mercy was just a little bit of a bore, for she made such long calls, and talked all the time about her aches and pains, which were innumerable, and a little worse than any one else's. Say was tired, you know; besides, she was just in the middle of a very exciting chapter of her book. "Mamma is sick," she said, without opening the door very wide or inviting her guest to come in. Miss Mercy's face fell, and Say's quick eyes did not fail to observe it. "Oh dear! I suppose it would be a real comfort to her to come in and talk awhile. She's a Christian, so of course it won't be letting my light shine; but I guess—He would do it in my place." That was what flashed through Say's mind, all in an instant; then she said; "Mamma is sick, but won't you come in and sit with me awhile?" Miss Mercy's face brightened. It was very quiet down to her little house. All alone—she was the last one left of her family. "Thank you; I don't know but I will." Say drew the big rocker up in the cosiest corner by the grate for her, and listened sympathetically while Miss Mercy told about her neuralgia, her rheumatism, "dyspepsy," and all. It was half-past five—almost tea time—before she went. "Well," thought Say, as she disposed of baby for the night, "I can do as I please this evening, any way, I must finish that book, for I promised to send it back to-morrow." But she stopped on her way upstairs. "Going out, Dick?" she asked, as he came through the hall, hat in hand. "Yes, there's no special fun staying home." Say stood irresolute. There was the book, and here was Dick. Very likely he was going down street, and would fall in with some of the boys papa did not like him to associate with. Papa was a little troubled about Dick of late. She might, but—she didn't want to; but oughtn't she? "Stay home with me, Dick, and we will make candy." "And play checkers?" asked Dick, turning back irresolute. Checkers was Dick's favorite game, and also Say's particular aversion. "Yes, and play checkers, too," she answered promptly. "Say has been such a help and comfort," said mamma in her room that night to papa. "I do not know what I should do without her; her light shines every hour of the day." "I had a right pleasant call," said Miss Mercy, talking to herself, for want of a better companion, as she sat by her lonely fireside that night. "I had a right pleasant call; it isn't every young girl that would be so polite to a tiresome old woman like me." "She's a trump," said Dick to himself in his room. "I'll bet a cooky she had something she wanted to do herself. She's got the genuine article any way; anything like that will do a fellow more good than a dozen sermons." "I did want," wrote Say in her journal, "to keep my promise to Miss Winthrop, and let my light shine so bright and clear that it would help everybody that came near me; but I had only such little opportunities, that, even if any one had noticed, they would have seen but a mere little twinkle; nothing that could glorify Him, or help any one"—which was all Say knew about it.—Kate Sumner Gates. The Home Circle.
By Charles Swain
TIME to me this truth hath taught,
'Tis a truth that's worth revealing;—
More offend from want of thought,
Than from any want of feeling.
If advice we would convey,
There's a time we should convey it;
If we've but a word to say,
There's a tone in which to say it. Many a beauteous flower decays,
Though we tend it e'er so much;
Something secret on it preys,
Which no human aid can touch!
So in many a lovely breast,
Lies some canker-grief concealed;
That if touched, is more oppressed!
Left unto itself—is healed! Oft, unknowingly, the tongue
Touches on a chord so aching,
That a word, or accent wrong,
Pains the heart almost to breaking.
Many a tear of wounded pride,
Many a fault of human blindness,
Had been soothed, or turned aside,
By a quiet voice of kindness! Time to me this truth hath taught,
'Tis a truth that's worth revealing;—
More offend from want of thought,
Than from any want of feeling.
—Charles Swain. SOME one has beautifully said, "Kindness is stowed away in the heart like rose leaves in a drawer, to sweeten every object around." A little girl of about nine years old was walking along a muddy street in Chicago; her father held her hand, and seemed very tender in his care of her. The quality and style of their garments hinted strongly of wealth, while the strong, good face of the father, and the loving, sweet one of his child, told of something better than wealth—even of depth of hearts. Just as they reached a crossing, where the mud was thicker and the wind blew stronger, and vehicles of all descriptions passed each other in tiresome confusion, they noticed a poorly clad old woman, on whose trembling arm rested a large basket heavily laden, standing on the corner, as if fearful of crossing over. She looked anxiously at the whirling carts, and deprecatingly at passers-by. No one seemed to heed her as the well-dressed throng hurried by. "Come, Edith," said the father; "this is a dangerous crossing, papa will carry you over." He put out his strong arms, as he spoke, lovingly. But the child only whispered:—
"Papa, I have rubbers; I'm not afraid of the mud. Papa, see the poor woman—she seems afraid of something; see how she trembles. Couldn't you help her, papa, while I run on ahead?" For answer the gentleman approached the old woman, saying, in a low voice:—
"This is a tiresome crossing, madam; let me lead you across; give me the basket, please." Could you have seen the rested and thankful look on that weary old face, as the woman found herself on the other side, all safe, I think you would have echoed her fervent cry:—
"God bless that man, and the blessed child, too!" Of course there were sneering smiles on some countenances which witnessed the quiet act of helpfulness, but it mattered not as long as one knew that around the great white throne there were smiles of joy because two of his followers had not in selfishness neglected doing a favor to even the "least of these." Into a very elegant palace car entered a weary-faced, poorly-dressed woman with three little children, a babe in arms. A look of joy crept into her face as she sat down in one of the luxurious chairs. But it was quickly dispelled as she was asked to "start her boots." A smile of amusement was seen on several faces as the frightened group hurried out to enter one of the common cars. Upon one young face, however, there was a look which shamed the countenance of the others. "Auntie," said the boy to the lady beside him, "I'm going to carry my basket of fruit and these sandwiches to the poor woman in the next car. You are willing, of course." He spoke eagerly, but she answered, "Don't be foolish, dear; you may need them yourself, and that woman may be an imposter." "No, I'll not need them," he answered decidedly, but in a very low tone. "You know I had a hearty breakfast, and don't need a lunch. The woman looks hungry, auntie, and so tired, too, with those three little babies clinging to her. I'll be back in a minute, auntie. I know mother wouldn't like it if I didn't speak a kind word to the 'least of these' whenever I meet them." The worldly aunt brushed a tear from her eye after the boy left her, and, audibly, "Just like his mother!" About five minutes later, as a lady passed the mother and three children, she saw a pretty sight—the family feasting as perhaps they never had before. The dainty sandwiches were eagerly devoured, the tempting fruit-basket stood open. The oldest child, with her mouth filled with bread and butter, said, "Was the pretty boy an angel, mamma?" "No," answered the mother, as a grateful look brightened her faded eyes, "God bless his dear little heart." And we too said, "Bless his heart."—Sel. A RATHER gaily dressed young lady asked her Sunday-school class, “What was meant by the pomps and vanities of this world?” The answer was honest, but rather unexpected: “Them flowers in your hat.” WHEN a man has no design but to speak the plain truth, he isn't apt to be talkative. —It is said that there are a million miles of telegraph in the world. —A plot to assassinate the President of Hayti was recently discovered. —The bank of England has subscribed £500 to the Irish property defense fund. —A fire at Atlanta, Ga., the 21st inst., destroyed property to the amount of half a million dollars. —A dwelling-house near Clinton, Mo., was burned, on the 19th, and five of the inmates perished in the flames. —It is reported that the Sultan, acting at the instigation of the fanatical religious party, has resolved to depose the Bey of Tunis. —The British schooner, Weather Gauge, was destroyed by a whirlwind recently in the West Indies. Eight persons were drowned. —Ex-Judge McKenzie, who sent the famous dispatch to General Sherman, “Hold the fort, for I am coming,” died recently at Hempton, Iowa. —The Oceanic Steamship Company have recently determined to put on a line of fast steamers between San Francisco and the Sandwich Islands. —A farmer in Lancaster, Ky., recently murdered his wife, mother, and two daughters, and then hanged himself. Of course he is said to have been insane. —Messrs. Healy and O’Connor, the Irish envoys, are now in California in the interest of the Land League. They met with an enthusiastic reception in San Francisco. —Nine buildings, including the Court House and post-office, were burned at Abilene, Kan., January 17. All the Court records, and the County officers’ books were destroyed. —A sanguinary collision has occurred between French and Italian workmen employed on the Brives and Montucan Railway. Twenty persons were wounded. —At a banquet given in Rome, recently, in honor of veteran soldiers, the Mayor declared that the people of Rome would rather see the city in ashes than again be subjected to Papal domination. —The Supreme Court of Illinois, has declared the Probate Courts of Cook and La Salle Counties unconstitutional. This renders all the wills that have been probated, over 3,000 in number, invalid. —Grave fears are entertained in Greece for the future of Chios. The island is said to be continually sinking, and there are reasons to believe that in time its entire surface may disappear from human sight. —A conspiracy in Nepaul, India, against the British residents was discovered just in time to prevent its being carried into effect. Eighty notables were arrested, and twenty-one military officers summarily executed. —On the 19th, a freight train on the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad ran into the caboose of another train, killing one man and fatally injuring two others. Carelessness on the part of the engineer is said to have been the cause. —One of the guests at a recent German wedding in Chicago, where raw ham was among the refreshments served, died soon after, in terrible agony. Forty thousand trichinæ were found in a single inch of muscle taken from the body. —Serious complications have arisen in Egypt between the Chambers and the European Controllers, generally over financial measures. Cherif Pasha, the Prime Minister is supported by the army, and another demonstration is probable. The situation is critical. —The People’s Bank at Tecumseh, Mich., has failed it is thought on account of speculation. The list of depositors is very large, and consists mostly of clerks, farmers, small merchants, and women, who had small sums and are least able to bear the loss. —Much damage has been done by freshets in the South. About thirty miles of the Chicago, St. Louis, and New Orleans Railroad are under water. Advices from Mobile, January 19, state that all the lower landings along the Tombigbee River are inundated. Fifty-six feet of water are reported at Tuscaloosa, and the river is still rising. —As the result of excessive speculation in Europe, a panic now exists. In Paris the crisis is serious. Many firms have declared themselves insolvent. It is said that many Roman noblemen and the Vatican suffer severely from the fall of the Union General Bank stock. A considerable sum of Peter’s pence is invested in the shares of that bank. —A formidable insurrection has broken out against Austrian rule in Herzegovina. The focus of the insurrection lies in the district which was the scene of the first uprising against the Turks in 1875. The insurgents are quite general, and is well planned and organized. The insurgents are destroying telegraph lines and shooting the officials and workmen who attempt to repair them. Warlike preparations are actively going on in Vienna. Several engagements are already reported. —The Spuyten Duyvel railroad disaster was followed by several others. A night train on the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, was run into by a freight train while crossing the Mississippi River. Nobody was killed, but $400,000 damage was done to trains and bridge. Near Lansing, Iowa, January 17. two cars were thrown from the track, by the breaking of a wheel, and twenty-three persons were injured, some of whom died. The same day a collision occurred near Chicago, doing considerable damage. —The New York Central Railroad Company have been censured for the accident at Spuyten Duyvel, by which so many lives were lost. Governor Cornell has sent a message to the Legislature recommending prompt and vigorous legislation to prevent the recurrence of such calamities. He refers to the above-mentioned accident as one easily prevented and absolutely inexcusable. If this is the case, a mere censure seems very much like a farce. No wonder accidents are so common when a censure is thought sufficient punishment for a wholesale destruction of life. —The Central Pacific Railroad depot, at Oakland, received its first trains on Sunday, the 22d. It is built on a mole of rock which extends 6,650 feet into the bay. Besides the numerous railroad tracks leading to the depot, upon this embankment, there is a wagon road sufficiently wide to allow two to drive abreast. The depot is 240 feet wide and 1,050 feet long, and is arranged with special reference to the convenience of the immense number of passengers between San Francisco and the neighboring cities. One hundred and sixteen trains will pass in and out every day. The total cost is about a million dollars. —On the 16th inst., two men waylaid and killed a clerk in Seattle, W. T. A Vigilance Committee assisted the officers to capture the murderers. They were lodged in jail, brought before a justice, and charged with the crime which they admitted, and were hung, all within twenty-four hours. In their verdict, the Coroner’s jury expressed themselves “satisfied that substantial and speedy justice had been subserved.” The following notice appears in the papers: WARNING!—All persons committing highway robbery or any capital crime, are warned that the punishment for such offense is death. (Signed) CITIZENS’ COMMITTEE. —Rev. Dr. Hotchkiss, Baptist, formerly Professor of Biblical Literature in Rochester University, died on the 4th inst. —By vote of the faculty, the Revised New Testament will hereafter be used in the religious exercises of Chicago Theological Seminary. —The Boston University, Methodist, has just come into possession of $2,000,000, which was bequeathed to it ten years ago by a wealthy citizen of Boston. —A recent religious census taken in Prussia shows that that country contains 17,645,462 Protestants, 9,205,136 Catholics, 363,790 Jews, 42,518 Dissenters, and 22,006 persons professing no religion. —A religious census taken in Dundee, Scotland, shows that even in Scotland the average church attendance is not very high. Out of a population of 142,000, only 30,000 attended any place of worship. —B. F. Jacobs of Chicago, has completed twenty-five years as Sunday-school Superintendent. He has had under his care 70,000 scholars. Of these there are five foreign missionaries, fifty ministers, and fifty Sunday-school Superintendents. —The N. Y. Independent says that the Baptists all baptized only by sprinkling and pouring previous to 1641. And it entitles this, “the Independent’s discovery.” A very appropriate name. When will it take another voyage? —An active worker of the Y. M. C. A., in speaking of the calls upon that Association for assistance, says that those who apply are invariably non-church-goers, and that in several years' experience he has never known a regular attendant at church to solicit alms. —The Rev. J. M. Wagor, a Methodist minister in Eagle Bridge, New York, has refused to accept the proceeds of a ball which a Society in the village proposed to give for the liquidation of the church debt, on the ground that the church emphatically denounces dancing. —The Christian at Work says: “The Texas Methodist Conference statistics show over eight hundred accessions, and at the same time an actual decrease of membership—a fair illustration of the loose and untrustworthy way in which church statistics are made up.” —The South Congregational Sunday-school of New Britain, Conn., pays the Superintendent a regular salary, and he devotes his whole time to the interests of the school, visiting families, looking after absent scholars, etc. It is the largest Protestant Sunday-school in the State, and numbers about 1,000 members. —A writer in favor of Sunday observance says that “it is not wise to base the entire Sabbath argument upon the fourth commandment of the decalogue.” He is not the only First-day advocate who holds that opinion. The surest argument, if not the wisest, is found in the Catholic Catechism. The fourth commandment, however, is good enough for those who do not wish to “be turned aside unto fables.” —A division has taken place in the denomination known as Dunkards. A few years ago a party sprung up among them, who desired them to lay aside some of the old forms, in regard to dress, etc., and to advance education. A conference was recently held at Arcanum, Ohio, for a final settlement of the question. Fourteen hundred delegates were said to have been present. The debate was long and animated. A vote showed that the majority of those present were “Progressionalists,” who withdrew from the denomination. Issued by the S. D. A. Publishing Association, and for Sale at this Office. History of the Sabbath and First Day of the Week for the period of 6,000 years. By Eld. J. N. Andrews. 528 pp. $1.25 The Sanctuary and the 2300 Days of Dan. 8:14. By Eld. U. Smith. This work explains the past Advent movement, and makes plain the present position of those who wait for the Lord. 352 pp. $1.00 Thoughts on Daniel, critical and practical. By Eld. U. Smith. An exposition of the book of Daniel, verse by verse. 416 pp. $1.25 Thoughts on Revelation. By Eld. U. Smith. This work presents every verse in the book of Revelation with such remarks as serve to illustrate or explain the meaning of the text. 420 pp. $1.25 Life of Wm. Miller, with portrait. This book gives interesting sketches of the Christian life and public labors of this pioneer in the Advent movement in this country. 416 pp. $1.00 Life of Elder Joseph Bates, relating his experience of twenty-five years on ship-board, with incidents of his rise from cabin-boy up to master and owner. The closing chapters relate to his labors in the ministry and in the cause of temperance and other moral reforms. Fine tint paper, 352 pp. $1.00 Life Sketches of Elder James, and Mrs. E. G. White. The early lives and Christian experiences of both are given in this volume. Their subsequent history is so connected with the cause, that this book gives an outline of the rise and progress of our people and our cause. With fine steel portraits of both. $1.25 Thrilling Incidents in the political life of Francesco Urgos, while a soldier with Garibaldi, including his perilous escape from the tyrants of Rome, and his subsequent travels in Africa and Syria. 328 pp. $1.00 The Biblical Institute. This work contains a synopsis of the lectures given at the Battle Creek College by Eld. U. Smith, and at Biblical Institutes. 352 pp. $1.00 The Nature and Destiny of Man. By Eld. U. Smith. This work treats on the great questions of the condition of man in death, and his destiny beyond the resurrection. 356 pp. $1.00 The Spirit of Prophecy : or, the Great Controversy between Christ and his angels, and Satan and his angels, in four volumes. By Mrs. E. G. White. These volumes cover the time from the fall of Satan to the destruction of sin and sinners at the close of the one thousand years of Rev. 20. Each, 400 pp.
Vol. I. Old Testament Facts to Christ. $1.00
Vol. II. Life and Ministry of Christ. 1.00
Vol. III. The Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, with the Lives of his Apostles. 1.00
Vol. IV. (In preparation.) 1.00 The Constitutional Amendment: A discussion between Eld. W. H. Littlejohn and the editor of the Christian Statesman, on the Sabbath. 384 pp. $1.00 Spiritual Songs. A book of hymns and tunes. 537 hymns, 147 tunes, 416 pp. $1.00
Morocco, gilt, $1.50 The Song Anchor. A popular collection of songs for the Sabbath-school and praise service. 164 pp. 35 cts.
Bound in muslin, 50 cts. The Bible from Heaven. By Eld. D. M. Canright. An argument to show that the Bible is not the work of men, but is in deed and in truth, the work of God. 300 pp. 80 cts. The Soul and the Resurrection, showing the Harmony of Science and the Bible on the Nature of the Soul and the Doctrine of the Resurrection. By J. H. Kellogg, M. D. 75 cts. The United States in the Light of Prophecy : or, an exposition of Rev. 13:11-17. By Eld. U. Smith. Dealing with our own land and applying to our time. Of surpassing interest to every American reader. 200 pp. 40 cts. Thoughts on Baptism. By Eld. J. H. Waggoner. The subject viewed in the light of the Bible and History. 186 pp. 35 cts.
Bound in flexible cloth, 25 cts.
Paper covers, A Word for the Sabbath ; or false theories exposed. A poem, by Eld. U. Smith. 60 pp. 30 cts.
Glazed paper covers. 15 cts. The Game of Life. Three lithographic illustrations with explanations. These scenes represent Satan playing a game with man for his soul. Neatly bound in board. 50 cts. The Advent Keepsake. A collection of Bible texts for each day in the year, on the subjects of the Second Advent, the Resurrection, etc. Muslin, 136 pp. 25 cts. Bible Lessons for Little Ones, No. 2. Flexible cloth. 15 cts. Bound Volumes of Review and Herald. Each, $2.50 The Youth's Instructor for 1879-'80. Firmly bound. $1.00 Bible Lessons for Little Ones. A Sabbath-school book designed for the use of beginners, and prepared with special regard for the wants of very young children.
In flexible cloth, 84 pp. 15 cts. Gems of Song. A vest-pocket song book containing hymns only. A choice collection. 96 pp., 119 hymns, bound in flexible cloth. 15 cts.