Earlier text: Milner on the SabbathThe Cause Still Progressing.
By M. K. W.
As THE reports given in the Review and Herald, our denominational paper, are too numerous and too lengthy to be of interest or profit to the general readers of the SIGNS, we glean from time to time from the most interesting, and present them in a condensed form that they may fully understand the progress the cause is steadily making. The interest that the brethren in the East have in the cause of present truth is shown by the efforts that are made by many in various States to attend the meetings. One brother sixty years of age crossed the lofty range of the Green Mountains on foot to hear Bro. Hutchins preach in Grantville, Vt. Another man and his wife walked fifteen miles and carried a small child that long distance to attend one meeting at Sauk Rapids, Minn. Also a sister walked eight miles through the snow to attend an S. D. Adventist meeting for the first time at West Union. Others have come forty and sixty miles to attend meetings. If this does not show interest pray how should it be manifested? Bro J. E. Morin reports from Battle Creek, where he is now writing for the French paper soon to be published in Switzerland, and for which he has obtained 50 subscribers, that since last January he has “given away 4,633 pages of French tracts, sold $7.32 worth of English tracts, $1.23 worth of French tracts, and 50 cents worth of German tracts, and visited fifty families.” Of his meetings in Manteno, Wis., he says: “During two weeks I held meetings in Manteno among the Roman Catholics. The first week over one hundred came and listened to me, and were very much interested. I spoke to them of the soon coming of Christ. The Sunday following, the priest told them to come no more to listen to me, and he assured them the end of the world would not come for three millions of years. Peace, peace, and there is no peace! The week following, several came no more, and I began to be insulted in the village. One evening I was at the store of a friend, and there came in an important looking personage who said with the greatest confidence, speaking of me, ‘That young Frenchman is a fool.’ My friend replied, ‘Do you know Mr. G., the poor idiot who lives in the village? Well, he came this morning, and said the same words you have just uttered.’ Before denominating any person as a fool we must investigate the theories he advances.” “During that same week I commenced speaking on the prophecies. The people, excited by the priest, intended to assault me. They came into the Hall, but the Lord protected me. They made only a few demonstrations, and went out intending to return in a short time. Before the Hall was an enraged mob making a great noise to drown my words. But the words of truth rose above the din. I was of great courage, and felt that the angel of the Lord was on my side. After the meeting I offered tracts, and they promised to read them. All were convinced of the present truth. Six embraced it. I appointed some one to read one of our French tracts to them and their friends at their meeting each Sabbath; for the majority of them cannot read. The village is really awakened.” Elder D. M. Canright who has been laboring among the churches in Michigan since his departure from Cal., makes the following summary of his labors:— “Churches visited, 54; elders elected and ordained, 10; deacons elected, 10; persons who have united with the different churches, 167; number baptized, 90; number reclaimed, or those who have started for the first time to be Christians, about 400. The majority of these have been young persons, between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five. “Membership of these 54 churches, 1,513; those observing the Sabbath above ten years of age who are not members, 866; total number of Sabbath-keepers, 2,379; children under ten years of age, 827; Systematic Benevolence pledged for 1875, $5,208.96; for 1876, $10,532.20.” Besides the hundreds of scattered Sabbath-keepers, there are twenty-five, or about one-third, of the entire number of churches yet unvisited. According to this estimate, “the entire membership of our churches in Michigan would be 2,269, the number of Sabbath-keepers, 3,568, and the s. b. pledged, at the same rate as the others, would be $15,998.30.” Bro. D. Downer, who is still laboring in Wisconsin, makes the following cheering report of the progress of the cause in Arkansaw:— “The church at Arkansaw is in a prosperous condition. Ex-Governor Washburn had a store near this town, 26x36, and as no goods were being sold in it, I wrote to him, and told him I would like it for a meeting-house. He replied he might be liberal in his price if he could know that I was a good man and preaching sound doctrine. I informed him I was willing to be criticised, and that he might question me. After some correspondence he made me a present of a deed of the house, which cost $2,500. Ex-Governor Washburn will be remembered as being opposed to church gambling, as expressed in his message while governor. I believe God is turning the hearts of some toward us. Let us take courage as never before.” The following stirring lines from sister Mary B. Moore of Phelps Co., Mo., ought to inspire us all with greater energy and activity in the true missionary cause:— “About five miles from here, in the country, the people are anxious to hear our views. They came to me to see if I could not get one of our paper preachers to go out and preach for them. We have no preachers here to go, but perhaps when Bro. Allen comes again, he will go. I told them I would take some of the books belonging to our English Tract Society and go out and read for them. They accepted the offer, and I went out, feeling my own weakness, but trusting in God for help and strength. The first night I read in the meeting-house to about one hundred persons. They were very attentive. I read ‘Exposition of Matt. 24.’ “I have had thirteen readings in private houses, and expect soon to have another in the meeting-house. I found one Sabbath-keeper there, and two have been convinced through the readings, and have commenced to keep the Sabbath.” Would that many others would go and do likewise. If we only have a disposition to engage heartily in the missionary work we shall never lack for opportunities. M. K. W. Animals on the New Earth.
By John Matteson
It is evident from the original plan of God that man is appointed to have dominion over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Gen. 1:26-28. All must admit that this is the first dominion which God gave unto man. It is now lost through sin. Strife and animosity between man and beast has taken the place of that noble authority and peaceful reign first established. But God has promised that this first dominion, the kingdom of God, shall come again to the daughter of Jerusalem. Mic. 4:8. Those who keep the commandments of God, and wait for the second coming of Jesus, are the children of Jerusalem. Rev. 22:14; Gal. 4:26. To such the glorious prospect is nearing, when they shall be kings and priests and reign upon the earth. Rev. 5:10. And we know, with Peter, that our expectations of the kingdom in the new earth will be realized according to the promise of God. 2 Pet. 3:13. Therefore we are glad and rejoice that soon the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion eat straw like the bullock. Then shall they no more hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord. Isa. 65:25. It has been a query with some how these living animals should be brought forth on the new earth, whether by resurrection or creation. This is decidedly and beautifully answered in Ps. 104:29-31. The animals shall come forth on the new earth by creation. Speaking of all kinds of animals David says: “Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled; thou takest away their breath, they die and return to their dust; thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the earth. [Then] The glory of the Lord shall endure forever [in the new earth].”—John Matteson. It was a late hour at night. The city of N., with its many turrets and spires, was sleeping under the shadow of those rocky sentinels which have guarded the plain since the flood. Two persons were leaving the city and passing along the water-side to a beautiful valley, where one was a resident and the other a guest. The taller, the elder of the two, was actively engaged in a work of benevolence. The work was too heavy for him, and he had invited his young friend, a thoughtless lad, of whom we will speak as Henry, to aid him. Together they had spent many a weary day in supplying the Christian laborers who co-operated with them, with the choicest means of usefulness, as they crowded the depository of truth. Exhausted by their toils, they were now returning for a night's repose. Hitherto not a word had been addressed to the obliging boy about his soul. The proper occasion seemed to have arrived. A quaint but fitting manner was chosen. “Henry,” asked the elder, “do you know what became of Noah's carpenters?” “Noah's carpenters!” exclaimed Henry; “I did not know that Noah had any carpenters.” “Certainly he must have had help in building one of the largest and best proportioned ships ever put upon the stocks. There must have been many ship carpenters at work for a long time to have constructed such a vessel in such an age. What became of them, think you, when all the fountains of the great deep were broken up and the windows of Heaven were opened?” “What do you mean by such a queer question?” Henry replied. “No matter what, just now. Please answer the inquiry. And you may also tell me, if you will, what you would have done in that dreadful hour, when the storm came in its fury, and Noah's prophecies were all fulfilled, and all but the family of the preacher of righteousness were ready to be engulfed in those black waters.” “I do not know,” said Henry, in a half-thoughtful, half-trifling manner. “Perhaps I should have got on the rudder.” “This is human nature exactly, Henry. It would ‘climb up some other way,’ rather than enter the fold by the only door; it would ‘get on the rudder,’ in its pride and short-sightedness, rather than go into the ark of safety; it would ‘save itself,’ by hanging on at the hazard of being swept into the gulf of despair, instead of being saved by the provisions of infinite love. But I will tell you plainly what I mean, Henry, by Noah's carpenters. You have kindly and generously given me your aid, day after day, in building an ark in N., by which many, I trust, will be saved. I feel grateful for your help. But I greatly fear that, while others will be rejoicing in the fruits of our labors, you will be swept away in the storm of wrath which will, by-and-by, beat on the heads of those who enter not the ark of Jesus Christ. No human device will avail for you. ‘Getting on the rudder’ will not answer; you must be in Christ, or you are lost. Remember Noah's carpenters, and flee to the ark without delay.” Though Noah's carpenters were all drowned, there are a great many of the same stock now alive; of those who contribute to promote the spiritual good of others, and aid in the upbuilding of the Redeemer's kingdom, but personally neglect the great salvation. Sabbath-school children, who gather in the poor, or contribute their money to send tracts and books to the destitute, or to aid the work of missions, and yet remain unconverted, are like Noah's carpenters. Teachers in Bible-classes and Sabbath-schools, who point their pupils to the Lamb of God, but do not lead the way, are like guide-boards that tell the road, but are not travelers on it; or like Noah's carpenters, who built an ark, and were overwhelmed in the waters that bore it aloft in safety. Careless parents, who instruct their children and servants, as every parent should, in the great doctrines of the gospel, yet fail to illustrate these doctrines in their lives, and seek not a personal interest in the blood of Christ, are like Noah's carpenters, and must expect their doom. Printers, sewers, folders, and binders, engaged in making Bibles and religious books, booksellers and publishers of religious newspapers, who are doing much to increase the knowledge of the gospel and to save souls, but so many of whom are careless about their own salvation, will have the mortification of knowing that, while their toils have been instrumental of spiritual good to thousands, they were only like the pack mules, that carried a load to market without tasting it, or like Noah's carpenters, who built a ship in which they never sailed. Wealthy and liberal, but unconverted men, who help to build churches and sustain the institutions of the gospel, but who “will not come to Christ that they may have life,” are hewing the timbers and driving the nails of the ark which they are too proud or too careless to enter. Perhaps they think they will be safer on the “rudder,” but they may find too late that when they would ride they must swim; that when they would float they must sink, with all their good deeds, unmixed with faith, as a millstone about their necks. Half-Baked Christians.
By S. Oates
The cake here referred to is a cake baked on the coals. Compare 1 Kings 19 : 6. It is not turned, and therefore is baked on one side and raw on the other. This is a striking type of the religion of thousands of professing Christians of the present day, who need turning over and baking on both sides. This figure applies, first, to persons whose conscience is like a cake not turned. On some points they are very scrupulous, while on others they are very unscrupulous. The evil is generally aggravated when their conscientiousness runs on matters comparatively small, and leaves out of sight the weightier matters of the law; or when it relates mainly to the sins of other people, and very little to their own personal sins. We have known men too conscientious to commune with the church to which they belonged, because of the alleged misconduct of this or that member in it; but who, in such main matters as the government of their tongues, the sanctification of the Sabbath, kindness to the poor, forgiveness of enemies, communion with God in secret prayer, and earnest effort for the salvation of men, are quite insensible. Surely such inconsistent consciences need turning over to be baked on the other side. Secondly, the figure applies to those persons whose zeal is a cake not turned. To-day they are burning with much smoke and noise, like thorns under a pot; to-morrow they are extinct—fire, smoke, and ashes all gone—like a blazing comet that comes dashing in from the depths of space, passing the unassuming stars, and displaying a prodigious length of tail, as though he would put all to shame by his superior brilliancy. So these Christians now and then blaze forth with a transcendent glow of zeal, and are ready at such times to rebuke their brethren of more even piety for their tardiness and languor. But very soon they are off again to the regions of coldness and death. The religion of such is a half-baked affair. They need turning over to have a good baking on the other side; this would make them always zealously affected in spiritual things and ever ready for every good word and work. Thirdly, the figure applies to those who carry their religion only to certain places. They take it to the preaching service, to the prayer-meeting, to the class-meeting, and to the communion table, but they are not careful to maintain a godly example before the world, before their families, in the store, in the field, in their business transactions with men, or wherever God has appointed their daily station. Such persons are baked only on one side, and are very raw on the other. They need turning over until they are well baked on the other side—to stay on the hot coals of gospel truth till they are baked clear through and through, to make them honest, consistent Christians everywhere. Those who are well baked on both sides, are right in heart and in life, consistent in profession and in practice, bringing a glory to God and good will to men.—S. Oates in Golden Censer. Comparative Weight of Gold and Silver.
Many people have a desire to know the value of gold and silver in bulk. The following statement, from Professor F. L. Thirmer, Superintendent of the branch mint of Denver, may be relied on as correct. One ton (2,000 pounds avoirdupois) of gold and silver contains 26,163 troy ounces, and, therefore, the value of a ton of pure gold is $602,799.21, and a ton of silver, $37,704.48. A cubic foot of pure gold weighs 1,518.75 pounds avoirdupois; a cubic foot of pure silver weighs 556.26 pounds avoirdupois. If there is one per cent of gold or silver in a ton of ore, it contains 266.13 ounces troy of either of these metals. The calculations at the Mint are made on the basis that 43 ounces of standard gold, or 800 fine (coin) is worth $800, and 11 ounces of silver, 900 fine (coin) is worth $12.80. THERE are people, who, if you may credit their own assertions, never have anything fit to eat, drink or wear, while entertaining company. Such an one is my neighbor, Mrs. Steele. She is an excellent neighbor, kind and obliging, and a good woman in all other respects excepting this inveterate habit of apologizing for and condemning all of her own manufacture or possession. I was much amused the other day when, happening in on an errand, I witnessed the reception of an old lady who was somewhat given to flattery, and had the reputation of “knowing on which side her bread was buttered.” “Why how do you do?” said Mrs. S. meeting her at the door; “do come right in and sit down, if you can do so on my dreadful dirty floor; I’ve been meaning to wash it all the week, but haven’t, somehow.” “Oh, never mind the floor, Mrs. S.; I came to see you and not the floor. Besides, I never saw a speck of dirt here in my life.” I glanced at the subject of my neighbor’s apologies, and, though not so bad as she represented, it was what might be called reasonably dirty, taking into consideration the fact that it had rained almost constantly the two or three days previous, and Mrs. Steele’s family of boys were not remarkable, more than any other boys, for the virtue of cleanliness. The floor, windows, chairs, and various other articles being exhausted (having been pronounced horribly dirty on one side, and on the other invested with a spotless robe of purity), Mrs. S. commenced on her own costume. She had been so busy all the morning she thought she would keep on her old dress till after dinner; if she had known anybody was coming she would have put on something decent, &c. Her visitor immediately disputed her, saying she looked well enough; her dress was fit to wear anywhere; she should not change it while she was there, if she did she would never come again. My errand being accomplished I departed for home; but imagination, aided by experience, pictured them sitting down to the well spread dinner-table where the psalm of apology commenced again. The potatoes were miserable, soggy things,—it was strange they never did have any good potatoes; the pudding wasn’t half done—she never had any luck with puddings; and the apple pie with its tender, light crust was nearly raw—their apples never would bake soft. The tea wasn’t fit to drink, their well water was poor, and besides she never could get any decent tea of Jones. On the other hand the potatoes were miracles of mealiness and whiteness; the pudding was wonderful—how in the world could she bake it so nice in that stove? her daughter had one like it, and she never put a pudding into it without burning it to a crisp; the apple pie was the acme of excellence; how did she impart such a delicious flavor to her pies? As for the tea, if the visitor was to be believed, it was second only to the ambrosial nectar of Paradise; she meant to send and get a pound or two if it was not all gone. Did Mrs. S. suppose it was? So passed the shuttlecock backward and forward; but the soggy potatoes and half-baked pudding, the indigestible pie and miserable tea, did not prevent Mrs. Steele’s making a hearty meal; though how she accomplished it, amid the incessant wagging of her tongue, was a miracle indeed. Now is this right? is it truthful? Would Mrs. Steele have been as well pleased had some one else judged her furniture and cookery as she had judged them? And had she been criticising her neighbors’ affairs in this way, and her visitor disputed her as sharply as she did on her own, would it not have given her mortal offense? I trow so. But my good neighbor is not alone in this respect. As far as practice is concerned there are many Mrs. Steeles, as well as many after the model of her lady visitor. Pity they cannot see themselves as others see them and quit what to my mind is a specie of white lying. Pity you can’t let the dirty floor, chairs &c., take care of themselves till you get ready to take care of them, and not make them worse than they are, and cause your visitor to think, whatever she may say, that you are the most untidy woman she ever saw. Let your cookery speak for itself, as it will be apt to do whether you say anything or not; and do not, if it is good, be asking praise for it under the guise of bemoaning its lackings, while if it is not so good, do not151put your visitor under the necessity of saying what she knows to be false, or offending you by agreeing with you. And, lastly, do not apologize for your costume, whatever you have on; for if you are dressed in rags, you ought to be ashamed to call attention to them, or feel that they are dignified by your wearing them; while if you are robed in silk, be sure it will be noticed whether you ask it or not. I live for those who love me,
Whose hearts are kind and true;
For the heaven that smiles above me,
And awaits my coming too;
For human ties that bind me,
For the task my God assigned me,
For the bright hopes left behind me,
And the good that I can do. I live to learn their story
Who've suffered for my sake;
To emulate their glory,
And to follow in their wake;
Bards, patriots, martyrs, sages,
The noble of all ages,
Whose deeds crowd History's pages,
And Time's great volume make. I live to hold communion
With all that is divine;
To feel there is a union
'Twixt Nature's heart and mine;
To profit by affliction,
Reap truths from fields of fiction,
Grow wiser from conviction,
And fulfill each grand design. I live to hail that season,
By gifted minds foretold,
When men shall rule by reason,
And not alone by gold;
When man to man united,
And every wrong thing righted,
The whole world shall be lighted
As Eden was of old. I live for those who love me;
For those who know me true;
For the heaven that smiles above me,
And awaits my coming too;
For the cause that lacks assistance,
For the wrong that needs resistance,
For the future in the distance,
And the good that I can do. The word “Vatican” is often used, but many persons do not understand its import. It may not be amiss to enlighten such of our readers as may be at fault in this particular. The term refers to a collection of buildings on one of the seven hills of Rome, which covers a space of 1,200 feet in length and 1,000 feet in breadth. It is built on the spot once occupied by the garden of the cruel Nero. It owes its origin to the bishop of Rome, who, in the early part of the sixth century, erected a humble residence on its site. About the year 1160 Pope Eugenius rebuilt it on a magnificent scale. Innocent II., a few years afterwards, gave it up as a lodging to Peter II., King of Aragon. In 1305, Clement V., at the instigation of the King of France, removed the Papal See from Rome to Avignon, where the Vatican remained in a condition of obscurity and neglect for more than seventy years. But soon after the return of the Pontifical Court to Rome—an event which had been so earnestly prayed for by poor Petrarch, and which finally took place in 1376—the Vatican was put into a state of repair, again enlarged, and it was thenceforward considered as the regular palace and residence of the Popes, who, one after the other, added fresh buildings to it, and gradually encircled it with antiquities, statues, pictures, and books, until it became the richest depository in the world. The library of the Vatican was commenced 1,400 years ago. It contains 40,000 manuscripts, among which are some by Pliny, St. Thomas, St. Charles Boromeo, and many Hebrew, Syrian, Arabian, and Armenian Bibles. The whole of the immense buildings composing the Vatican are filled with statues found beneath the ruins of ancient Rome; with paintings by the masters; and with curious medals and antiquities of almost every description. When it is known that there have been exhumed more than 70,000 statues from the ruined temples and palaces of Rome, the reader can form some idea of the richness of the Vatican.—Sel. Sending Prayers in a Cart.
MR. SPURGEON tells the following story: “A poor man who had a large family gave them a very comfortable support while he was in health. He broke his leg and was laid up for some weeks. As he would be for some time destitute of the means of grace, it was proposed to hold a prayer-meeting at his house. The meeting was led by Deacon Brown. A loud knock at the door interrupted the service. A tall, lank, blue-frocked youngster stood at the door with an ox-goad in his hand, and asked to see Deacon Brown. ‘Father could not attend this meeting,’ he said, ‘but he sent his prayers, and they are out in the cart.’ They were brought in, in the shape of corn, potatoes, &c. The meeting broke up without the benediction. Nor did the poor fellow suffer during his whole confinement. The substantial prayers of the donors became means of grace.” This troublesome affection, though seemingly insignificant, often makes existence almost a burden by its constant irritation. It is easily cured, but not by the application of any sort of salve, ointment, liniment, or quack nostrum, no matter how highly recommended. Just before retiring, prepare two vessels for a foot-bath. Place in one, water as hot as can be borne, and in the other, very cold water. Place the feet first in the hot water for two minutes, then in the cold water for the same time. Alternate thus four or five times, merely dipping the feet in the cold water the last time, and then wiping them dry. Repeat this treatment every night until the cure is effected. Improvement will begin at once. Wear thin cotton stockings inside the woolen ones, and avoid exposing the feet to severe cold until they are well. A general bath twice a week is necessary. Chilblain is usually more the result of warming the frosted part too quickly than of the cold to which it has been subjected. Hence, the best preventive is to avoid applying heat to chilled or frozen parts too suddenly. The temperature should be gradually raised, either by remaining in a cool room until the circulation is restored by rubbing, or by placing the part in cool water and allowing it to warm gradually in this way. Snow may be used to advantage, being rubbed upon the part. The excessive irritation of frosted parts is sometimes much relieved by the application of cream or sweet oil. This disease is very common at this season, often appearing as an epidemic. It is justly regarded as a dangerous disease, though its gravity is much lessened by rational methods of treatment. The disease may commence with a sudden chill, followed by a high fever, or its beginning may be gradual, being accompanied by feelings of general discomfort. The local manifestations of the disease are usually in the throat, upon the fauces, tonsils, and soft palate. These parts are at first reddened; then they become swollen, and whitish patches of false membrane appear upon them. Sometimes the irritation and false membrane extend over the whole inner surface of the mouth, into the nasal cavity, and down into the œsophagus and trachea, adding greatly to the gravity of the affection. Particles of mucus should not be mistaken for false membrane. The former can be easily removed, while the latter adheres quite firmly until it is loosened by ulceration. The throat affection usually receives the chief attention, but it is, in reality, not the disease itself, but only one of the results of the disease. Proper treatment should be applied, not only to the throat, but to the whole body. The general fever may be allayed by the employment of sponge-baths and packs. The head must be kept cool and the feet warm. The sick room should be well ventilated, in order to carry away as rapidly as possible the foul germs which result from the disease, and thus prevent their re-absorption into the blood. The diet should be plain and light, though enough should be given to sustain the nutrition of the patient. Oatmeal gruel and mild fruits are usually well received. Milk may be employed when the patient has been accustomed to its use. The same regularity in meals should be observed, as in health. The local treatment is of much importance, though it is of little utility without general treatment. It chiefly consists in the application of cold to the outside of the throat, in the severer cases, and the use of alternate hot and cold applications in milder ones. When there is a great degree of inflammation in the throat, small bits of ice may be held in the mouth of the patient and allowed to melt gradually. Cold may be applied by pounding ice and folding it in a towel, and then laying this upon the neck. Snow may be used in the same way. A gargle of lemonade, or water acidulated with vinegar, is often very grateful to the patient. Permanganate of potash in weak solution may be used in the same way. Pure lemon juice should be applied directly to the patches in severe cases.—Health Reformer. RELIGIOUS NEWS AND NOTES.
—The Society of Friends in England numbers not quite 14,200 persons of all ages. —The business men’s daily prayer-meeting which has been held for two months in the Rialto building, Baltimore, has proved to be so successful that the executive Committee has determined to make it permanent. It is attended by 200 business men, and lasts exactly a half hour each day. —Bishop Lynch of Toronto has told his parishioners that hereafter he will only allow five cases at the funerals of poor persons. If an additional number is desired, they must not be used, but the money that would have to be expended if they were employed, must be given to the priests “to pray the dead through purgatory.” —The controversy in Spain over the question of religious toleration is fierce. The Espana, organ of the Ultramontanes, says that the Papal Nuncio is authorized by the Vatican to refuse the least concession in relation to liberty of public worship. The Epoca declares that the Cortes will approve the principle of religious toleration. The Vatican will be compelled to accept it. —A new thing in religion is the “Eclectic Church,” of which A. Pickell, of Prairie City, Iowa, proclaims himself the Pope. The following is a copy of the doctrines of his faith:- One God and Father of all.
- We are living in the dawn of a new dispensation—the Eclectic Church.
- One man in a normal condition should be married to two women, and two only.
- Jesus Christ will come to this world at some future time.
- Must have a visible head to the true Church of God.
- Limited punishment in future life.
—An ordinary Christian has very little conception of the hilarity and joy that attends the Passover season. It is rather an expensive entertainment. As the Jews in the time Nehemiah at their festivals “ate the fat and drank the sweet,” and sent “portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared,” so the Jews of New York have organized a society whose business it is to assist poor Israelites with money to keep their entertainment in a proper manner. The multitude of Israelites among us (N. Y.) is shown in the fact that our leading grocers advertise “Fine wines and extra spices and groceries suited to the Passover season.” —Dr. Talmage speaks boldly in defense of truth and for the Bible in the schools. This has aroused the enemies of God’s Word who threaten genuine persecution. In a recent sermon he gave utterance to the following: “I have been warned again and again that if I opened my mouth on these schools it would be disastrous to me; and this week while I was absent in the Canadas many threatening letters have been received by my secretary, threatening me with all sorts of things if I kept on giving good advice; and men have gone so far within ten days as to set fire to my home and try to consume my family. I want to say, if any of the people of Brooklyn or New York have an idea that by taking such a course my lips will be closed on such a subject as this, involving the best interests of society, I tell them they are mistaken. I always judge of the success of a sermon by the amount of riot it stirs up in infidel circles.” —The Examiner and Chronicle, a Baptist paper, has the following:—“The ladies of a Baptist church in South-western Ohio are to give a Martha Washington Tea-Party, ‘the proceeds to be devoted to church purposes.’ One of the secular papers of Cincinnati has a notice of what may be expected as follows, omitting the name of the church:—
> “The ladies of the — — — Baptist church give a Martha Washington Tea-Party, Thursday evening, March 30, at Kay’s Hall. Characters, en costume—music and singing, songs by the old folks, comic opera, Indian War Dance, &c., included in the entertainment. Tickets 50 cts. Doors open at 4 o’clock.”
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> “A church of Jesus Christ to be established in its goings by its church members turning playactors in a comic opera and Indian war-dance.” —Locusts have invaded the southern provinces of Spain, and are doing great damage. —Over five hundred deaths by yellow fever have occurred in the past fifteen days in Rio Janeiro. —The Supreme Court at Washington refuses to recognize female attorneys, although cases in charge of women attorneys have been sent up from the inferior courts. —Fighting is daily expected at Matamoras, between the partisans of Diaz and the Government troops. Public sentiment appears to favor Diaz, who, it is supposed, can easily capture the city. —A great sensation was created in St. Louis on the 31st, by the indictment and arrest of fifteen members of the City Council, and other city officers, for bribery, perjury, and subornation of perjury. Rich developments are expected. —Boston has 476 public schools, 63 banks, 163 hotels, 196 churches and religious associations, 14 courts, 138 constables, between 900 and 1,000 lawyers, and 189 newspapers and periodicals. —The idea of making small steam engines in iron frames, so that they may be screwed to an upright wall, like a picture or clock, is being carried out. By this device they are placed in a secure and convenient position, are easy of access, and economical of floor space. —Education is making progress in Russia. It appears from official documents that in 1866 only one conscript out of each hundred was able to read and write, while in 1870 the average had risen to eleven in each hundred, and this average has been still further increased of late years. —In the time of Mehemet Ali, the number of children educated at the expense of the State in Egypt was only 3,000. In 1863 the number had increased to 60,000, and now it is about 90,000. Thus every fourth boy in Egypt receives what is called public instruction. Partly from the inferiority of the position of women in the East, and partly from the harem system, the girls do not receive the same educational advantages. Alexander T. Stewart died at his residence in New York City, April 10th, after a week’s illness. Born near Belfast in 1795, he came to New York in 1819, and found employment as a school-teacher. In 1822, he embarked in the business from which he has reared the greatest house of the kind in the world, and amassed the most colossal fortune ever enjoyed by a citizen from legitimate trade. His beneficence was limited. He hoarded rather than distributed his charities; and as he had no heir there could have been but little satisfaction in the disposition of his immense fortune, estimated at $50,000,000. —The monument to Horace Greeley in New York is under way. The model is by Chas. Cavaly, and when the memorial proper is finished it will be erected over the dead journalist’s grave in Greenwood. The plinth will be of Quincy granite; the die and cap of Westerly granite, which is of lighter color; on the face of the plinth will be in raised letters, “Greeley,” and on the face of the die a copper representation of Horace Greeley as a youth setting type. The following inscription, from the “Busy Life,” will occupy a place on the die: “If there is ever an inscription put upon my tomb, let it be ‘Horace Greeley, founder of the New York Tribune.’” Crowning all will be a copper bust of the dead giant. The entire height of the monument will be fourteen feet. The subscriptions from the various Typographical Unions and others have already paid for the monument. The company was organized and the undertaking carried through with the avowed intention of securing for the public the full benefits of competition; and when the line was opened on the 15th of September last the fruits of competition were made apparent in the greatly reduced rates. The month of September had not expired when the traffic by the new line was interrupted. The line was repaired, and traffic was resumed on November 5th. The repairing vessel, Faraday, had scarcely arrived in England when the line was again broken on December 10th. On January 10th, 1876, the repairs were completed and the line was in good working order. For the third time, the line was broken, on January 23rd. It was again repaired, and opened for business on the 1st of March, since which time it has been in perfect condition, both electrically and mechanically. The evidence of the truthfulness of the story that the cable, in every instance, was willfully and maliciously cut, is almost unquestionable. Sir William Thornton and Mr. F. J. Bramwell, the two men in Great Britain best qualified to give an opinion, have both testified, after a careful examination of the broken ends of the cable, that the fractures in the first and second instances were “caused by violence applied by an instrument, and not by decay, not by any abrasion or rubbing, or any influence of that kind.” And since the above report was made, the directors have learned that the two ends of the fracture of January, 1876, had been recovered, and that the evidence is conclusive that “the cable must have been brought up intact and then chopped through by an ax or hatchet.” The query at once arises, Who can be guilty of these astounding charges? Certainly it must have been done to advance certain interests, and by some humanly guided instrument or instruments. A ZEALOUS Christian met a staid old-fashioned brother on the street Monday morning, and hailed him thus: “Good morning, Bro. B—, you should have been at our church last evening; we had a splendid sermon on the duty of parents.” “Sorry,” replied Bro. B—, “but I was at home doing it!” This reply is a sermon in itself, and it hits the point most exposed in average Christian conduct. Nothing would influence our homes so directly, nothing would inspire the pulpit so much, as a great deal of brother B—'s practice of “doing it” at home.