The "Queen's Jubilee Atlas of the British Empire," published by Philip & Son, 32 Fleet Street, London, has just come to our table. It contains a series of full-colored maps, with descriptive, historical, and statistical notes of the United Kingdom, and of every British colony and dependency throughout the world; also a complete statistical abstract of the British Empire, showing the area, population, revenue, expenditure, public debt, imports, and exports, etc., and form and seat of government of all the British possessions. It contains thirty-four pages of reading matter and fifty-three maps. The information is valuable and in condensed form, and the maps are exceedingly well executed, showing each country and province in detail. In these days everybody needs to have a knowledge of the geography of the world, and this little atlas, about eight inches square, will be a valuable aid in acquiring that knowledge. Price, illustrated cover, 1s.
Important Oakland Annual Meeting
By Editor
A LARGE attendance is expected at the meetings to be held in Oakland, April 22-27. This will be a very important meeting, the most important, in some respects, of any annual meeting that has been held here, and we hope that those who come will come with the determination of staying to the close. The church in Oakland extends a hearty invitation to the friends of the cause in the State, to be present.
Preaching Repentance and Conversion
BISHOP WARREN of the M. E. church says that many preachers are so gentle of the feelings of sinners, especially if the sinners are rich, that they preach the gospel something after this style: "Brethren, you must repent, as it were; and be converted, in a measure; or you will be damned, to some extent." It is too true that modern preachers very seldom repeat Christ's unequivocal and emphatic statement, that "he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
Michigan Prohibition Amendment Contest
By Editor
The reports from the prohibition amendment contest in Michigan are very conflicting. Some say that the amendment is carried, and others that it has been defeated by a majority of 1,500 to 4,000. We understand that Kentucky distillers sent many thousands of dollars into Michigan before the election; and if the fraudulent votes which this money created are counted out, there is little doubt but that the amendment will stand by a handsome majority. If prohibition is a failure, it is passing strange that whisky men should spend so much money in trying to defeat it.
Tennessee Sunday Law Immunity Bill Fails
By Editor
By a private letter from Elder E. E. Marvin, of Tennessee, we learn that the effort to secure the passage of a bill granting immunity from the penalties of the Sunday law, to those who conscientiously observe the seventh day of the week, resulted in failure. We are very sorry to be obliged to chronicle this fact. We had strong hopes that Tennessee would follow the example of Arkansas, and put a stop to persecution for conscience' sake. Next week we shall give our readers some of the arguments which were used to defeat the bill; they did not come in time for publication this week.
Conscience in Sabbath Observance
By Editor
WE have received several hypothetical questions in regard to certain acts performed on the Sabbath, the questioners desiring us to state positively whether or not such acts would be a violation of the Sabbath. We cannot answer them. When anyone wants to know the principles which the Bible lays down to govern our actions, we will give a Bible answer, so far as our knowledge extends; but we have not enough conscience to supply ourselves and other people too. The Lord gives plain commandments and designs that every person shall be conscience for himself. The only safe rule that we can give is this: If you are in doubt about the correctness of any act, abstain from it.
Bismarck and Peace with the Pope
The following utterance is ascribed to Prince Bismarck:—
"I regard peace with the Pope as important as peace with any other foreign power. How long this peace may last—if, indeed, peace is attained with the Roman Church—none can foresee. For its continuance I assume no responsibility."
In commenting upon this statement, the Christian Standard lays bare the real state of affairs as follows:—
"He 'assumes no responsibility,' and would find any pretext to break the unpleasant alliance, and again banish the hated Orders and Jesuitical Seminaries, at any time when he saw it was safe to do it. Nor does Leo like the Protestant Bismarck with unfeigned love, but simply has an ax to grind—and it is the blood-rusted ax which has always found service in hewing down every plant of liberty it could get a stroke at. There is no good faith on either side of this compact, but only an interested conspiracy against human rights."
Restraining Demoralizing Public Pictures
By Editor
WE learn from an Eastern paper that "Michigan has a law which provides that no sign, picture, painting, or other representation of murder, assassination, stabbing, fighting, or any personal violence, or of the commission of any crime, shall be posted, under penalty of fine or imprisonment." If California had a similar law the occupation of a considerable number of sensational artists and bill-posters would be gone; and theaters would have to resort to some other means of corrupting the morals of the young and inexperienced, than with their demoralizing pictures and worse plays. The advertising of legitimate business is all right, but when theaters, houses of ill repute, and saloons flaunt in the faces of the public pictures which can but bring a blush to the cheek of modesty, public policy demands that their greed be restrained by law.