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Signs of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 17.

Sunday Observance and State Compulsion

Signs of the Times

May 6, 1889

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · May 6, 1889

Sunday Observance and State Compulsion

By Editor

The Presbyterian synod recently in session at Syracuse, N. Y., appointed a committee to devise a plan to promote Sunday observance within its bounds. Among other things, they recommend "that on the second Lord's day of May all our ministers be requested to present to their congregations the claims of the Lord's day." The committee also appeals to lay members of the various congregations in the synod, "whether in office as elders or trustees or not, to use all their private and official influence for the better observance of the Christian Sabbath."
"This we do," says the committee, "in the interests of that large and growing number of men in every community who are being robbed of the weekly day of rest, and of all their home and church blessings, by the demand for their Sabbath labor, or the loss of their places of employment."
Of course it is the right of every man who desires to do so to keep Sunday, the so-called Lord's day or Christian Sabbath; but is it the duty of the State not only to remove all difficulties in the way of keeping that day, but also to make its keeping obligatory upon all in order that those who regard it as sacred may be compelled to do that which they now feel that they ought to do, but which, from fear of losing employment, they neglect to do? We think not.

GIVE GLORY TO GOD.

By Mrs. E. G. White

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
"And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests; and it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole."
I AM feeble to-night, but if I had ever so much strength, there would be no power in me to insure you a good meeting. If your minds are in a devotional frame, if your hearts are drawn out in prayer to God for his blessing, if there is a yearning of soul to know what is the will of God concerning you, if you are humbling your hearts before him, God will speak to your souls to-night. Oh, that every one of you may hear and understand the voice of the true Shepherd! Oh, that you may be susceptible to the influences of the Holy Spirit! There never was a time in my life when I felt more anxious and more in earnest to know that it was well with my soul. There never was a time when I felt that there was greater importance attached to what I should say and do, than I feel is attached to my words to-night.
I know that we are nearing the Judgment. I know that the angels of God are in this congregation to-night. Evil angels are herealso. The Lord is looking upon us, and I know that he is acquainted with each one of us. He knows whether your heart is devoted to him, whether you have religion in your home, whether you have come to this meeting with prayer and intercession that you may receive his blessing. Unless the Lord does meet with us to-night, this meeting will be of no benefit to any of us. But we believe he will meet with us; we depend upon him; for we have no strength of our own. All we can do is to place ourselves in the channel of his mercy.
The question that Jesus put to the leper that returned to give glory to God, we should put to ourselves. We should inquire, "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?" Has God received that glory and honor which he should have received? Has his praise come not only from our lips, but from our hearts? Have we bowed at the feet of Jesus to give glory to his name for his matchless love in placing salvation within our reach? He inquires, What more could have been done in my vineyard than that I have done? The cross of Calvary represents what God has done for us. In the gift of his only begotten Son he has insured to us eternal life upon condition of our faith and obedience. How few appreciate the matchless love that he has manifested! He proclaims himself as merciful and gracious, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. Those who come to him, he pardons abundantly. Shall we be like the heath in the desert, that knoweth not when good cometh? Shall we not from the fullness of our gratitude render praise and glory to God, like the one who returned and bowed in his humility at the feet of Jesus? We do not want to be represented by the nine who went right on their way in indifference, and did not return to glorify Him who had restored them to perfect health.
We are not anxious to have a great excitement at this meeting, but we are anxious that those for whom Christ has done so much should fall at his feet, and glorify and praise him for his matchless love. I feel anxious lest we shall not appreciate the gift of God's grace, lest we shall not appreciate Christ, the believer's hope, his joy, his all in all. Christ is the truth, the hidden treasure in the field of God's word. He is the pearl of great price, which we must gladly sell all we have to obtain. An excitement might be created among the people at this meeting, and just as soon as the feeling should die away, we should find that they were no better, but rather worse than before the revival commenced. We are desirous that there should be a deep, thorough work done in our souls. We want to know how you stand before God. Is it well with your souls? Has Christ cleansed your heart from its defilement? We know not what may be our condition one hour from this time. We know not whether we shall be in active life, or in the silence and inactivity of death.
A letter came to me from my sister a few days ago. She wrote: "A terrible thing has happened. My husband was taking some dishes from the table when I heard him fall. I thought I heard a groan, and I quickly went to him; but when I reached him he was breathing his last." "Oh!" said she, "it is so sudden. I cannot make it seem like a reality that my husband is lying in the next room cold in death."
We are constantly hearing of sudden deaths that come without one moment of warning, and it is a question of vital interest to ask ourselves, "Is it well with my soul?" Christ has paid an infinite price for our redemption. The Lord of glory laid aside his royal robes, and became a man among men. For "though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." What a wondrous plan is the plan of salvation. Christ clothed his divinity with humanity, suffered in the flesh, died a most cruel death, that he might reach to the very depths of human woe and misery, and lift men up to a seat upon his throne. Will you be lifted up? Will you be cleansed from the leprosy of sin? Will you, as you partake of the heavenly benefit, give glory to God for the wondrous work he has wrought in you? John exclaims, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." Mark these words, brethren; it does not say one in one hundred, or one in ten, but every man that hath this hope, purifieth himself.
Is there any reason why defilement should be cherished in your heart? If there is not, why are you not cleansed? Nothing that is vile can dwell in the presence of a holy God. Christ gave himself for us that he might "redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." We should be like the leper who was cleansed, who returned to give glory to God. There is no reason why our lips should not be trained to the high praises of God. When we hear the words of a cheering discourse, or the earnest exhortation of a brother or sister, why should not a wave of glory and a chorus of "Amens" go up to God from the congregation of his people? Would it not be thus if the fire of God's love were kindled in our hearts? I know it would be so. Coldness, formality, want of faith and love and intense earnestness and devotion, has killed the spirit of warmth and religion out of our services. We need everything,—the gold of love, the white raiment, which is the righteousness of Christ, the eye-salve,—that we may discern the goodness and love of God. When God works for his people, how few return to give him glory! We want a religion that has some consolation in it, that has joy and peace and love in it to recommend it to others. Our religion should be of that heavenly character that will impress the world with the fact that we have been with Jesus and have learned of him.

Jephthah's Daughter; or, the Vow, the Victim, and the Vengeance

A SUNDAY paper announces that it will soon begin the publication of "a Bible novel of stirring and absorbing contemporaneous interest," under the title, "Jephthah's Daughter; or, the Vow, the Victim, and the Vengeance." That paper is only following in the footsteps of the modern sensational preacher.

Prohibition and Liquor Interests

The National Liquor Dealers' Association has, it is said, "appropriated $25,000 for the purpose of paying for the insertion of newspaper articles stating that prohibition is a failure in Kansas and Iowa." If prohibition were indeed a failure would the liquor men spend so much money in fighting it? Verily they would not.

Sunday Liquor Sales

By Editor

SPEAKING of Sunday, Mrs. J. C. Bateham says: "Statistics show that on this day, protected by law, the sales of liquor are two and one-fourth times the average for the other six days, and the mischief wrought is in still greater proportion."
Then would it not be well for the organization to which Mrs. Bateham belongs to devote a little less attention to the protection of a special day and a little more to the suppression of the liquor traffic on all days?

Accepting God’s Bounty

Much as we may desire to do so, we can offer God no equivalent for that which we receive of him; we can glorify him only by thankfully accepting his bounty. David, speaking by the Spirit, asks, "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?" and under the influence of the same Spirit answers, "I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord." And that is all that anyone can do to merit the favor of God. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven."

Saloons Are No Sign of Progress

By Editor

The Denver Times says that the open saloon on Sunday "is not a sign of progress. It is not a mark of enlightenment. It is not an assurance of that strong, true morality on which alone are builded up stable government, and pure and orderly society." Very true. But is the open saloon on any day a sign of any of these things? Certainly not. And so far as they exist in any community where there are saloons, they exist, not because of open saloons, but in spite of them.

Defeat of Prohibition in Massachusetts

By Editor

The majority against the prohibition amendment in Massachusetts was a surprise alike to friends and foes of the measure. The total vote for the amendment is 88,696, against 138,195, showing a majority against the amendment of 49,499. Many professed Christians, and even some religious papers, fought shoulder to shoulder with the rumsellers on the side of King Alcohol. It is safe to say that these same religionists are, however, in favor of strict Sunday laws in the interest of temperance.

Whosoever Will May Come

Do you feel that you are a sinner? Thank God that he has enabled you to see your undone condition, and take courage, for "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." And not only has God made ample provision for your salvation, but he pleads with you to accept his mercy. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isa. 1:18. Whosoever will may come.

Light Amid Life’s Shadows

No Christian ever yet had his pathway through life so overcast with shadow that some light did not appear. No hour of grief was ever so full of anguish that some cause of gratitude could not be found. If clouds gather round us, never mind; sooner or later they will have a silver lining. And although at times our ears can catch nothing but the clash and clangor of cross purposes in this life, we may rest assured that through all the discord of changing circumstances runs the sweet music of the voice of Faith, assuring us that our destinies are in the hands of Him who doeth all things right. The alternation of light and shadow here will only make more glorious the eternally abiding sunshine of our Father's smile, when we enter into his presence to rest forever. Let us only act well our part, and all will be right.

GOD'S CARE.

By Dean Alford

I know not if or dark or bright Shall be my lot; If that wherein my hopes delight Be best or not.
My bark is wafted to the strand By breath divine, And on the helm there rests a hand Other than mine.
He holds me when the billows smite; I shall not fall; If sharp, 'tis short; if long, 'tis light: He tempers all. —Dean Alford.

THE SIN OF INTEMPERANCE

By H. F. Phelps

GOD'S OBJECT LESSONS. NO. 4.

THE SIN OF INTEMPERANCE.

"The brain dances to the maddened bowl. In the flowers that wreathe the sparkling bowl, Frail adders hiss, and poisonous serpents roll."
INTEMPERANCE is just about as old as the human race. Man has yielded himself to the demands of appetite, and become its willing slave, till it has become the curse of the world. T. De Witt Talmage says that Noah introduced intemperance. It seems to me that appetite set up its claims in Eden, as Eve took a glance at the forbidden fruit; and intemperance began as soon as she ate it. There began the first rippling wave of the curse that has been the scourge of all ages. There began the drunkard's "tramp! tramp! tramp!" and the march has been moving on, on, on, towards eternal ruin, the ranks once broken, always filled by willing recruits from the ranks of moderate drinking. Not only have the ranks been filled up as each succeeding generation has passed by, but the armies of hell have increased in an appalling ratio as the ages have flown by. And still the demon moves on with ever-increasing power, carrying want, and misery, and woe, and death, and eternal destruction in its wake.
Who can tell the history of that first sin? The plucking of that fruit was the death-knell of the human race. Noah made the wine and drank it, and shame followed, as it always has and always will. In all succeeding ages, it has been known that sweet liquids would ferment, and if drank, would produce intoxication. Solomon knew its effects. He said that it was a mocker and a deceiver. Isaiah was familiar with its effects. He says, "The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard." Coming down the ages one thousand years this side of Christ, and the art of distillation was discovered, and this has added fuel to the flames. But it was seemingly left for the men of this age, this enlightened age, the age of improvement and invention, the age when it is expected the millennium is about to dawn—I say it is these men, this generation, that have added demon to demon, poison to poison, fire to the already fiery fluid. Just for a moment look at what is added to that abomination to make it more abominable, to that fire to make it more fiery, to that fiend to make it more fiendish,—capsicum, copperas, logwood, deadly nightshade, vitriol, opium, sulphuric acid, potash, and cochineal! No wonder that those who drink see armies of hissing serpents, and fiends standing ready to devour! No wonder that their brain runs wild! But stop! something else is poured into that maddening cup! It is the tears of mothers, of orphaned children, of broken-hearted sisters and wives! And blood! yes, blood! the blood of millions! Oh, what a drink! And there is more of this damnable liquid drank to-day than ever before. It is more poisonous, more murdering, more destructive, and the death-grasp of the demon more relentless, and the appetite more powerful to destroy, and the victim has less and less power to resist, if inclined, and all such inclinations are more and more feeble. More drunkards, more widows, more orphans, more broken hearts, and more tears are to be added to this drink, and more drunkards' graves made every year than ever before.It takes more than a billion of dollars every year of the people's hard-earned money to care for the 800,000 paupers that rum has made, and the 315,000 criminals, made so by strong drink, and the 30,000 idiots, brought into this world by drunken parents, and to bury the 75,000 drunkards who fill newly-made graves, who might have lived to bless the world if it had not been for strong drink. Talk about the millennium! At this rate, add a few hundred years, and instead of the millennium, every home would be turned into a drunkard's home, and the earth itself into a hell. And this is not all. As if to cheat the truest saint and lure him on to hell, comes the patent medicine vender with his bitters—bitters of every kind and name, bitters to cure every ailment to which flesh is heir, soothe every pain, renew to youthfulness old age; and the temperance man and the temperance advocate will take these so-called temperance bitters, and—drink!—and many have drank themselves into a drunkard's grave. Once on the road, once enter the stream, once join the army, and there is no let-up, there is no furlough, there is no reprieve, only in total abstinence, only in Christ.
But where are the object lessons? Answer—Everywhere,—from the expulsion from the garden of Eden; from Noah in his shame; from Lot in his incestuous act with his daughters; from the sons of Aaron, who were destroyed by fire from God, to show his utter abhorrence of drunkenness; from the words of Christ, and prophets, and apostles, in words of warning and reproof and admonition; yes, from the day that Eden was barred against our first parents, to the long fast of Christ in the wilderness. The Bible is full of object lessons, all speaking with one voice. And the death-tramp of the 75,000 who annually fill drunkards' graves, appeals to us in a voice louder than thunder, that "wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise."
Who will heed the lesson?

Singing in the Night of Sorrow

In the deepest night of sorrow God gives us so much to be thankful for that we need never cease our singing. With all our wisdom and foresight we can take a lesson in gladness and gratitude from the happy bird that sings all night, as if the day were not long enough to tell its joy.—Selected.

THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD.

By Editor

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS are often accused of preaching about the fallen condition of the churches; but they say no more than what is said by good men in the different churches, men who have the means of knowing. As an instance of this, take the following from the Standard, of January 3, a Baptist paper published in Chicago:—
Dr. Arthur T. Pierson, as he looks at the church exclaims: "Our church life is undermined by worldliness. A worldly church prevents the conversion of sinners. More and more the eyes of men become blinded and sealed to the value of divine things. We thunder in the ears of men the terrible truths of God, but they are deaf and dead, and the very church itself so grieves and quenches the Spirit by fellowship with evil that there is no power in the Lord's people to convert souls. Four-fifths of the nominal membership of our churches add nothing to their real power. They are either a dead weight or a positive hindrance to the advance of the gospel; they help to fill up the gulf between the truly regenerate and the open enemies of Christ."
Is this a true picture of the church as we view it as a whole? Is Dr. Pierson to be regarded as a pessimist? or does his consecrated life lead him to read aright "the signs of the times"? What calls for the Friday evening "lectures" in so many churches instead of the old-fashioned, God-honored prayer-meeting? Is it not an absence of that deep spiritual life which presses for utterance when God's children assemble at the hour of prayer? In times of awakening how readily the people occupy the time! A long, formal address by the pastor is uncalled for and undesired. This is but a single illustration taken from scores with which every pastor is more or less familiar.

HELPING BY NOT HINDERING.

By S. S. Times

ANOTHER class of hinderers consists of those who are unnecessarily laying their burdens on others. They have trained themselves into such a condition of dependence that they can scarcely take a step alone. They want to advise with all their friends, and get a symposium of counsel on everything they do. At the first indication of difficulty or trouble, they fly to someone for help. In cases of real trial, they break down altogether, and have to be carried through on the strong arms of unselfish friends. They are a constant burden to those upon whom they call for sympathy and aid.
Of course, there are cases of real weakness which give one a right to lean on stronger arms, and to be helped and borne along by those who are abler and wiser. No true father or mother ever blames a little child for its helpless dependence, nor regards it as a hinderer of its parents in their life. Nor does anyone with a right heart find fault with those who, through disease or misfortune, are unable to toil for themselves or to bear their own burdens, and who must, therefore, depend on others for support. Nor, again, does anyone grow impatient with the dependence which sorrow or bereavement produces. When one is overwhelmed with grief, or crushed by some calamity, there is no Christian man or woman who is not eager to extend sympathy in whatever practical form it may be required. All stand with gentle heart before human weakness and human need, and are glad to bear the burdens of those who cannot bear their own.
But there are many who are neither little children, nor invalids, nor victims of great sorrow and trial, who yet insist on laying on others the loads which belong to themselves. In this way they also become hinderers instead of helpers. They think that they believe in the inspired lesson, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ;" but they get only one side of it, availing themselves of its privileges in their need, without ever putting themselves under its requirement on themselves. They believe in others bearing their burdens, but they have no thought of bearing the burdens of others. The other burden-text, "Every man shall bear his own burden," they seem to be wholly ignorant of. Yet there are loads which none of us have a right to shift to other shoulders than our own. We have no right to ask others to take their time to attend to our affairs, when we are quite able to attend to our own affairs. We have no right to expect others to solve our little perplexities, and help us bear our little trials, and sympathize with us in our little disappointments, when we are just as strong for these burdens as our friends are. We ought to cultivate self-dependence, to think and plan for ourselves, to meet our own questions, to do our own work with our own hands. Especially should we shrink from needlessly becoming a burden to those who love us, or who are patient enough to be willing to help us. We should at least seek to help our friends by not hindering them unnecessarily with our cares. We should learn the gospel of self-help even if we do not get into our life the other hemisphere of Christian duty,—the unselfish side of brotherly help.
And there are many other hinderers, rather than helpers, of others. There are those who hinder others by the inconsistencies of their own lives, and by the wrong examples they set. There are those who hinder by their ugly tempers, by their selfishness, by their greed, by their thoughtlessness, by their want of heart, by their ambition and their pride. There are those who hinder, even when they try to help, by their lack of delicacy and tact. There are many who try to comfort others, who only make worse the hurt which they would heal. If it were possible to eliminate all the needless hindering of others there is in people's lives, this alone would add a large volume to the total of the world's happiness. Then, if all the hinderers could be made to be helpers, a social millennium would have already dawned. Let all of us do our part to usher in that day. At least, let us have a care to help by not hindering.—S. S. Times.

CHRIST'S AGONY IN THE GARDEN.

By Felicia Hemans

He knelt—the Saviour knelt and prayed, When but his Father's eye Looked through the lonely garden's shade, On that dread agony. The Lord of all above, beneath, Was bowed with sorrow unto death.
The sun set in a fearful hour, The skies might well grow dim When this mortality had power So to o'ershadow Him! That he who gave man's breath might know The very depth of human woe.
He proved them all!—the doubt, the strife, The faint, perplexing dread, The mists that hang o'er parting life, All gathered round his head! And the Deliverer knelt to pray— Yet passed it not, that cup, away.
It passed not—though the stormy wave Had sunk beneath his tread; It passed not—though to him the grave Had yielded up its dead. But there was sent him from on high A gift of strength, for man to die.
And was the sinless thus beset With anguish and dismay? How may we meet our conflict yet, In the dark, narrow way? Through him, through him, that path who trod! Save, or we perish, Son of God! —Hemans.

Morality Apart from Religion

By Dr. Bushnell

MORALITY, taken as apart from religion, is but another name for decency in sin. It is just that negative species of virtue which consists in not doing what is scandalously depraved and wicked. But there is no heart of holy principle in it, any more than there is in the grosser sins.—Dr. Bushnell.

INSPIRATION AND INFALLIBILITY.

By S. L. Bowman

THE claim of infallibility, as inherent in inspiration, is to be justified as belonging to the sacred writers while engaged in writing the holy Scriptures. This high characteristic is not to be held as determinable by arguments a priori, for the conviction must be warranted by a fair induction of all the facts involved as furnished by the Scriptures themselves. Infallibility must be found to be authoritatively asserted or authoritatively assumed, or both, in the contents of the sacred writings. This belief is further to be verified by a reasonable assurance that those who profess to speak or write in God's name profess to speak or write under the conscious information, direction, and personal guidance of the Spirit of God. That inspired men actually did teach fact, truth, and doctrine without error or omission, without defect or excess, is a view which, after jealous investigation, long since found acceptance and was settled in the conviction of the church as valid; and so now the logical requirement is in place, that proof to the contrary shall be made complete on the part of him who affirms the opposite proposition.
The argument being thus presented, the validity of the claim will appear in scientific form, and the conclusion becomes irresistible and cannot with reason be challenged by the disbeliever. Thus infallibility will be found to inhere in, and to be inseparable from, supernatural inspiration. Infallibility is here employed in its exact sense, as expressing 'exemption from error; that which is an unfailing and indubitable evidence; a sure proof, not capable of error.' Thus it is applied to the sacred writers. The meaning of this application is, that certain men, by virtue of being supernaturally inspired, became thereby the agents of God for the infallible expression of his will toward mankind in such a sense that what they taught God taught. The only infallibility involved is the infallibility of God. Chosen men became only the subjects of infallible wisdom when he inspired them.
Upon the human side, this infallibility was limited by the nature of man, but not so limited as to admit or imply fallibility in God. Infallibility, as it inheres in divine nature, is infinite in extent, and, accordingly, God always acts infallibly wherever he acts at all. He never errs. In the case of inspired men, it was God's own infallible power acting within and upon the powers of man, restricted by the domain of man's nature. This limitation does not, however, render nugatory the infallibility of God, since it furnishes a field for the exercise of God's inspirational and infallible energy. Within that limitation his infallibility was perfect. Under inspiration man's nature was responsive to the exercise of that power infallible, and was subject to its direction and guidance in expressing 'the mind of the Spirit.' Nevertheless, the infallible quality does not spring up within man as its source any more than does the sunshine. That, therefore, which calls in question the infallibility involved in the transactions supposed in inspiration, simply calls in question the infallibility of God, which inheres in his every action.
Our Lord himself, the founder of his kingdom, chose and commissioned those who were to become its teachers in the church of God, whom he enjoined that they should tarry at Jerusalem for the divine charisma, to be 'baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence;' and that this blessed Spirit should be with the apostles as a divine presence, dwelling with them, and speaking in and through them, and for them. Jesus further provided and promised them that the Holy Spirit, whom he would send from the Father, should supernaturally teach them all things, and bring all things to their remembrance whatsoever he said unto them; for this Holy Spirit was none other than the very Spirit of Truth.—S. L. Bowman, S. T. D., in the Methodist Review.

PROTESTANTISM IN QUEBEC.

THE ignoble position in which the Protestants of the Province of Quebec now find themselves is a fair sample of the condition of affairs which would speedily obtain in the United States if the Roman Catholics were permitted to have their way. In that part of Canada, there are two systems of education, both supported by public taxation. Catholics and Protestants are taxed for school purposes, according to the value of their property, and the resulting funds are divided between Protestant and Catholic schools, according to the numerical strength of the two classes. All educational matters in the province are controlled by a Council of Public Instruction, composed of Cardinal Taschereau, nine Roman Catholic bishops, ten Roman Catholic laymen, and ten Protestants. No amendment to the school law is entertained in the Legislature, unless it has been recommended by the Council of Public Instruction, in which the Catholics outnumber the Protestants two to one. The Protestants, being compelled to contribute to the support of schools in which religious instruction, according to the Church of Rome, is the most important feature, are naturally dissatisfied.
But this is not all. The Council of the Bar, which conducts the examinations of all young men in the province who desire to study law, is composed of graduates from Roman Catholic colleges. This council compels all applicants to pass an examination in certain studies only taught in Catholic institutions of learning, and utterly neglects subjects of far more importance. The result is that only Catholics can enter the profession of law. These facts, together with the public endowment of the Jesuits, the constant buying of lands from Protestants by the Catholic Church, and the late attempt of a member of the Legislature to secure the passage of a resolution requesting the Queen of England to assist in restoring the temporal power of the Pope—all these have combined to disgust and dishearten the Protestants of the unhappy province. May such things never take place on the soil of the United States!—America, February 28.

The Field Needs Manure

A POOR farmer asked a preacher to pray for a fruitful harvest on his impoverished field. The preacher replied, as he looked at the sorry prospects: "This is a case that does not yield to prayer. This field needs manure."—Selected.

THE MINIMUM CHRISTIAN.

THE minimum Christian! And who is he? The Christian who is going to Heaven at the cheapest rate possible. The Christian who intends to get all of the world he can, and not meet the worldling's doom. The Christian who aims to have as little religion as he may without lacking it altogether.
The minimum Christian goes to church in the morning; and in the afternoon also, unless it rains, or is too warm, or too cold, or he is sleepy, or has the headache from eating too much at dinner. He listens most respectfully to the preacher, and joins in prayer and praise. He applies the truth very judiciously, sometimes to himself, oftener to his neighbors.
The minimum Christian is very friendly to all good works. He wishes them well, but it is not in his power to do much for them. The Sabbath-school he looks upon as an admirable institution, especially for the neglected and ignorant. It is not convenient, however, for him to take a class. His business engagements are so pressing during the week that he needs the Sabbath as a day of rest; nor does he think himself qualified to act as a teacher. There are so many persons better prepared for this important duty that he must beg to be excused. He is very friendly to home and foreign missions and colportage, and gives his mite. He thinks there are "too many appeals;" but he gives, if not enough to save his reputation, pretty near it, at all events he aims at it.
The minimum Christian is not clear on a number of points. The opera and dancing, the theater and card playing, and large, fashionable parties, give him much trouble. He cannot see the harm in this, or that, or the other popular amusement. There is nothing in the Bible against it. He does not see but that a man may be a Christian and dance, or go to the opera. He knows several excellent persons who do. Why should not he? He stands so close to the dividing line between the people of God and the people of the world, that it is hard to say on which side of it he is actually to be found.
Ah, my brother, are you making this attempt? Beware, lest you find at last that in trying to get to Heaven with a little religion, you miss it altogether; lest, without gaining the whole world, you lose your own soul.—Selected.

The Catholic University at Washington

The Pope has graciously approved the statutes of the new Catholic University at Washington, and has permitted the institution to be under the control of the American Primate, reserving to himself, however, the right of revising the program of instruction. As the Pope has lately denounced the public-school system of the United States, he may have been afraid to trust the choice of studies entirely to Catholic bishops and archbishops, who are also American citizens, lest the university should teach too much veneration for the American Constitution in connection with that for the spiritual and temporal power of the voice of Rome. American youths who are educated under the critical eye of the "prisoner" of the Vatican are not likely to learn many lessons in American patriotism within the university's walls.—Selected.

INFLUENCE OF ROME.

By Editor

IN view of the sickening spectacles so often repeated, of Protestants bowing before high Roman Catholic prelates, the following criticism from America, of February 28, is worth repeating:—
The New York Herald says in an article on the late centennial celebration at the Jesuit college at Georgetown, D. C.: “The kissing of the archbishop’s ring at the conferring of the divinity degrees, and of the cardinal’s hand by Catholics and Protestants alike at the public reception, suggests how possible it is to maintain an imperium in imperio [a State within a State], when the domains of religion and politics are so clearly separated as with us, for great and distinguished as a cardinal is and must be in a country where cardinals are rarities, in matters where or wherein cardinals count, as they can never be anything but plain John Smiths in secular affairs, all reasonable cause of jealousy or objection disappears.”
Does it? Such twaddle as this in American newspapers is as mischievous as it is disgusting. Why should a Protestant kiss the hand of a cardinal or the ring of an archbishop? Such fawning on the leaders of the Church of Rome by people who do not believe in their doctrines adds to the insolence of this powerful religious and political organization. The assumption that cardinals “can never be anything but plain John Smiths in secular affairs” in this country would be rejected with scorn by a large majority of the Roman Catholics of the United States. They are striving after greater things.

“BY THE WORDS.”

THE following from a letter in the S. S. Times, and the comments thereon, are worth serious thoughts on the part of all:—
“A hollow wax cylinder, a few inches long, and marked with indentations that my eyes hardly noticed, was put on a machine, and touched in a certain way by a roller, when from a small empty funnel issued the notes of a song, sung weeks ago by one far away. I followed the melody, now soft and low, then high and intense. The words, the tone, the expression, all were on that wax cylinder, to remain imprisoned in those dots and lines, unexhaling in the air, until summoned forth, and then sounding out upon the ear in perfect facsimile of the original voice. Of course, the exhibition preached its sermon to me on the text, ‘By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ How emphatically does Edison’s new discovery, as well as the ‘finds’ of the archeological societies, confirm the authority of holy writ! It may be that Edison will invent a thought register next; and then how righteously we shall all have to live! Meanwhile, as we listen to the phonograph, we shall have no reason to doubt that God could frame an apparatus to lay up our words, so that all the world shall have to acknowledge to him: ‘Thou art clear when thou judgest.’”
It is true that the phonograph simply illustrates the truth of the Bible suggestion of the preservation in God’s universe of a record of our every idle word, and of the sure disclosure of all the sayings and doings of every soul brought into final judgment. And there is added force given by such disclosures as it makes, to the Bible question, “Seeing that these things are thus, . . . what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness?”
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