p. 15 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 24, No. 6. (2/10/1898)

Earlier text: Canvassing and Medical Missionary Work

News and Notes

FOREIGN.

—During the year 1,775 new Sunday-schools have been organized in India, with a membership of 66,000.

—A conspiracy was lately discovered at Teheran, Persia, to murder the shah and install a younger brother in his place.

—The Corean Government has granted to two Americans important mining concessions covering a period of twenty-five years.

—The body of the chairman of the Indian Plague Committee at Bombay, was found near the scene of the recent plague riots, where he had been murdered by the rioters.

—Sixteen men were driven to sea on floating ice off the coast of Newfoundland, during the storm which raged there February 1, and it is believed that all have perished.

—A majority of the striking engineers of England have voted in favor of accepting the terms of their employers, which will probably end one of the largest strikes on record.

—On February 1, Gen. Santos J. Zelaya was inaugurated president of Nicaragua for a second term of four years. There were no disturbances connected with the ceremony.

—The British mail steamer Channel Queen struck on the rocks off the island of Guernsey on February 1, and it is reported that nineteen of the sixty-five persons on board lost their lives.

—A special from the City of Mexico states that President Diaz is arranging for a tour of the United States. It is understood that he will visit all the principal cities and the Pacific Coast.

—The attitude of Bulgaria in connection with affairs in Roumelia is causing such uneasiness to the Porte that the sultan has ordered the Minister of War to prepare 80 regiments of 1,700 men each for service in Roumelia next spring. It is reported that the Kurds are still devastating Armenian villages, and that there is complete anarchy in the Asiatic provinces of Turkey.

—The Turks in Thessaly are attempting to enforce the payment of taxes by the peasants, while the latter have resisted with force of arms. The result of the engagement between the troops and peasants is not known.

—What seems one of the richest gold mines ever discovered was recently opened in Conception del Oro, State of Coahuila, Mexico. It is said that the ore assays $42,150 per ton, and that the vein is six feet wide.

—The opening of the new submarine cable to the West Indies, via Turks Island and Bermuda, was celebrated January 31. It gives the United States and Canada a competitive route for cablegrams to the West Indies.

—A despatch from Constantinople reports the arrest of the sultan’s secretary and favorite on a charge of high treason. The secretary has long been under suspicion on account of his son’s connection with the Young Turkey party.

—Dr. Schenck, whose name but recently became famous by the report that he had discovered the secret of sex, states that the report of his discovery was overdrawn, and that he is “able to correct nature only in certain exceptional cases.”

—The Russian Government has invited the emperor of Korea to again occupy the Russian legation at Seoul. The emperor has refused to take up his residence at the legation, and his refusal has caused the resignation of his pro-Russian foreign minister.

—A detachment of the English army in India was cut off by Afridis on January 29. General Westmacott visited the scene of the fighting on February 1 and recovered twenty-two bodies of the British soldiers killed in the engagement. He also inflicted severe loss on 300 of the rebels who opposed him.

—The British steamer Tourmalin, while attempting to land a cargo of arms and ammunition for friendly natives on the Sus coast of Morocco, was intercepted by government officers and a fight ensued. The Moorish troops then demolished the villages favorable to foreigners, killing numbers of the inhabitants.

—The French press is now sounding a note of alarm against a continuation of the Dreyfus agitation, pointing out that by such agitation the country is playing into Germany’s hands. The Petit Journal says: “We have certain proofs that Germany foresees the possibility of war, and is making arrangements.”

—Within a space twenty-five by fifty miles, in the State of Oaxaca, Mexico, continual earthquake phenomena are being experienced, the peculiar characteristic of the disturbance being a constant rumbling and roaring, without any commotion on the earth’s crust. Local scientists fear that a part of the isthmus is about to sink.

—The czar continues his demand upon the sultan that Prince George of Greece be appointed to the governorship of the island of Crete. This is said to be in accordance with a promise which the czar had made to the dowager czarina. Italy has indorsed the candidacy of Prince George, and it is believed that the sultan will yield.

—The Prussian Government, on February 1, issued a decree, to take effect at once, prohibiting, on sanitary grounds, the importation of American fresh fruit. As a result, 16,000 barrels of apples have been forbidden a landing at Hamburg, and two trains loaded with fruit have been forbidden to cross the frontier. This action is exciting some indignation at Washington, and there is talk of retaliatory legislation.

—The consensus of opinion over affairs in the Orient seems to be that England has allowed Russia to outwit her in the game of diplomacy. England made specific demands for the opening of Port Arthur and Talien Wan, and it seemed that a crisis would be reached if the demand was not complied with; but it has been discovered that a secret treaty had been concluded between China and Russia in regard to these ports and the occupation of Manchuria by Russian troops, whereupon England withdrew her demand. The English liberals vigorously denounce the reported “backdown” of the British Government, declaring it to be a humiliating surrender and a severe blow to British interest and prestige. The Conservatives are also deeply disappointed over the present outlook.

—The steamer Warrimoo, which arrived from Australia on January 29, brings the intelligence that the most appalling climatic conditions have been prevailing throughout Australia and Tasmania. The prostrations from heat were so numerous that in large cities the condition of affairs was alarming. The thermometer during the heat of the day averaged 124 degrees in the shade, while in the sun it stood at 160. The heat was so great that numerous fires were started from spontaneous combustion. In Victoria Colony 100,000 acres were burned over by fires supposed to originate in this way. Hundreds of houses and barns and miles of fences have been burned. According to the report, sixty lives had been lost in the flames, and great numbers of domestic animals had perished.

DOMESTIC.

—Six persons lost their lives in a hotel fire at Gloversville, New York, on February 1.

—Four persons lost their lives and a number were injured in a railway accident on the Maine Central near Orono, Maine, on January 29.

—Advices from Victoria, B. C., state that two more steamers have been wrecked in Alaskan waters during the present week, the steamer Coquitlam and the ferry-boat Alaska.

—The first shipment of reindeer from Norway for the Klondike relief expedition arrived at New York on February 1. Seven of the forty-two in the shipment died on the voyage.

—The most elaborate reception of the present official season at the White House was that tendered President Dole, of Hawaii, by President McKinley, on the evening of February 1.

—One of the engineering parties seeking a feasible route for a railroad over Chilkat Pass is reported to be snowed in about twenty-five miles from Pyramid Harbor, and unable to proceed.

—The U. S. cruiser Brooklyn has been ordered to make a cruise in the West Indies, and the cruiser Montgomery has been ordered to make friendly visits at the smaller Cuban ports.

—It is stated by the principal agent of Joseph Leiter, of Chicago, who has been buying up such large quantities of wheat, that the Leiter firm has now cornered all the surplus wheat in the country.

—The largest congregation in this country is that of St. Stanislaus Kostka, in Chicago, which has 30,000 communicants. The number of attendants at the services on Sunday frequently exceeds 15,000.

—The ownership of the United States cruiser Marion has been transferred to the State of California for the use of the naval reserve, and was formally received by representatives of the State on January 31.

—The trial of Sheriff Martin and his deputies for the murder of the Hungarian strikers at Latimer, Pennsylvania, on September 10, began on February 3. It is expected that the trial will be closed in one week.

—On January 29 the government received sixty-nine bids in reply to its advertisement for the construction of an armor plant. The bids will be transmitted to Congress before further action is taken in the matter.

—The revenue cutter Corwin has been ordered to join the Bear in going to the rescue of the whalers imprisoned in the ice off Point Barrow. They are to meet at Oonalaska and proceed north as soon as the ice will permit.

—Negotiations are said to be going on in the Senate for a combination of the forces of the friends of Hawaiian annexation and Cuban independence, with a view to precipitating a crisis on both questions, without waiting for executive action.

—The Santa Fe Railroad has been so seriously blockaded by the burning of a tunnel near Williams, Arizona, that it is feared many towns will run short of provisions. Two men have been killed and eighteen injured in the work of repairing the tunnel.

—A test is soon to be made of a submarine boat to ascertain the feasibility of making a voyage in it under the ice. If the test is satisfactory, Professor Ridel proposes to use it in making a voyage to the North Pole, driving it under the ice where necessary.

—It is reported that the aerial tramway over the Chilcoot Pass has been completed and is ready to transport freight from the base of the mountain to Lake Lindeman. This will shorten a prospector’s journey over the pass from about a month to one day.

—By an adverse majority of fifty the House, on January 31, buried the Teller resolution, which had just been passed by the Senate. The resolution provided for the redemption of the bonds of the United States in gold or silver at the option of the government.

—Fifteen of the largest paper mills in the United States have formed a gigantic paper trust with a capital stock of $45,000,000. The company is to commence business with $60,000,000 cash. It is believed by the organizers of this trust that it is formed in such a way as to be free from the interference of the anti-trust laws.

—S. B. Nickum, of Logansport, Indiana, claims to have discovered a new light which will remain perpetual so long as the glass composing the globe remains unbroken. It is not an electric light, and has nothing to do with electricity or gas. A composition of chemical substances is enclosed in a glass globe, the air exhausted, and the globe sealed. As soon as the air is removed from the globe, the light is produced.

—A severe storm swept the Atlantic and New England States on February 1 and 2, doing incalculable damage both on land and sea. Roads were blocked, and telegraph and telephone wires stripped from their poles. The cost of the storm in Boston alone is estimated at nearly one and one-half million dollars. Fully a hundred vessels, mainly fishing craft and coasting schooners, were destroyed in the storm. In many places the beach is strewn with wrecks, and thirty-two corpses have been washed ashore. The estimated damage of the storm throughout New England is $10,000,000, and it is considered to be the worst since 1839.

Story of Pitcairn Island

By Rosalind Amelia Young

Written by a Native Daughter

ROSALIND AMELIA YOUNG

“No better romance can be found in the annals of truth.”—Christian Cynosure.

An account of the Mutiny of the English Sloop of War Bounty, and the adventures of the Mutineers among the Islands of the Pacific.

266 Pages, fully illustrated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1 00

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Our Offer Is Unsurpassed

By Editor

The SIGNS for one year 832 pages

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10,000 References to the Revised Version given, showing at a glance all the principal changes of the Revised Version, placed side by side with the passages according to the common and Authorized Version.

Combined Bible Concordance in one alphabetical list, Concordance Subject Index, and Dictionary of Proper Names.

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In making this offer is to extend our circulation and give our friends an opportunity to secure a valuable Bible at a very low price.

Address

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

OAKLAND, CAL.

TO CONTRIBUTORS.

By Editor

THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES is a purely missionary enterprise. For this reason it has felt free to ask for contributions from its friends. It pays nothing for contributions, either prose or poetry, unless solicited by the editor, and then the fact is stated when the articles are asked for. This is a plan rarely followed, but sometimes deemed expedient.

Articles Desired.—Those which set forth in the Spirit of Christ the great saving truths of God, short and to the point. It is better to treat one important truth clearly, in a short article, than many points vaguely in a long one. We desire no caustic, critical productions, which might minister to personal pride or pleasure, but can not save souls.

How Prepared.—Write plainly, with typewriter or ink, with wide space between the lines, to freely admit of editing, writing of subheads, etc. Write on one side of the sheet only. Sign the name to the manuscript, as it becomes oftentimes separated from accompanying letter. Anonymous contributions are not used, whatever their merit. If the writer does not wish his name to appear, let him furnish a pseudonym for the public. But we wish the name.

Manuscript Returned.—We will return all unused manuscript desired if stamp and directions are inclosed. We are forced sometimes to return good manuscript mainly for three reasons: (a) Sometimes the articles are too long; (b) sometimes we have a number on the same subject; (c) sometimes our plans are such that an article can not be used till it is out of date. We therefore hope that no offense will be taken by those who have freely contributed their best thought if their productions are returned. When we receive so much matter, we can not use all.

A CARD.

To ALL interested in carrying the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the inhabitants of other lands, and who desire to assist in supporting missionaries already there and others who may engage in the work, the opportunity is given to make an offering to the Foreign Mission Board of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. Such donations should be sent to W. H. Edwards, the Treasurer of the Board, 1730 North Fifteenth Street, Philadelphia, Penn.

THE TALENTS.

By M. C. Wilcox

By M. C. Wilcox. A brief essay on “The Parable of the Talents,” showing that the talents represent the various gifts of the Spirit which God bestows as he will upon those who are consecrated to him, with the duties and blessed privileges involved therein. Bible Students’ Library, No. 77; 16 pp., price 2 cents.

Political Speeches AND Debates OF LINCOLN AND DOUGLAS 1854–1861

MEN act as if they had a foreknowledge that in the creeds of the political sky of the future, portentous events were hanging which would demand from them an armament of Lincoln argument. They will find it, and find it easily, in this new collection.

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An Oft-Perverted Lesson

By W. N. G.

“God is a Spirit” (John 4 : 24), and His Son Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Ghost (Matt. 1 : 18, 20). At His baptism He was anointed with the Spirit of God (chapter 3 : 16), “and it abode upon Him” (John 1 : 32). He was full of the Spirit, was led by it (Luke 4 : 1), and spoke by it (verse 18). Therefore we conclude that the lessons which He taught were spiritual, tho earthly, fleshly, tangible things were used as illustrations. Men are so prone to catch at some words of Christ that will sanction their carnal lusts, that they often lose sight of the precious lessons that He would teach for their spiritual good. For instance, we are confronted with Matt. 15 : 11 as a pretext for eating and drinking any and everything that depraved appetite may demand. The text reads, “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.” The Pharisees were offended at this, because it was said in answer to their complaint that the disciples of Jesus ate without the traditional ceremony of frequent washing of the hands. It was the ceremonial defilement about which they were concerned. See Mark 7 : 1-8. There was no question as to what was proper food; they were all Jews. To eat food without their unnecessary traditional hand-washing was no defilement. The language of Christ conveys a spiritual lesson, and nothing more: “Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies; these are the things which defile a man; but to eat with unwashed hands defileth not a man.” Here we have the drift of the whole controversy, and the lesson, and only the sheerest perversion of Scripture can make anything else out of it.

W. N. G.

Unordered Copies of the Signs

By Editor

We send no papers from this office to individuals without pay in advance.

When persons receive copies without ordering them, they are sent by other parties, and we can give no information in regard to them. Persons thus receiving copies of the “Signs” are not indebted to the office, and will not be called upon to pay for them. Please read the papers you may receive, and hand them to your friends to read.

A Call for Short Poems

By Editor

We wish good poems for the SIGNS, but we wish them short. We have no use for ordinary long poems. The short and sweet and expressive will ever find a place.

The Lord Does Not Save Men

The Lord does not save men by saving the church to which they belong; He saves His church by saving individual souls. His church is made up of the individuals who receive Him. The dry, dead branches of whatever church, the unbelieving ones, are cut off. Read John 15 : 1-8.

Articles on Hand

By Editor

We have a series of excellent articles from our valued contributor, John Orr, on the great subject of the “Atonement.” We are holding these, waiting for suitable illustrations. These will be of marked interest. We have also a series of articles on Babylon in its various phases, which will shed a flood of light on the prophecies and the plan of God. A series of illustrated articles will soon appear on the “Signs of the Times.” We have been delayed somewhat in obtaining suitable and new illustrations, but will soon, we hope, be in a position to do better work in this respect.

God’s Last Argument and Test.

—It is reported that Emperor William of Germany has decided that the German army shall be equipped with a new rifle, on the breach of which is to be inscribed in Latin, “The king’s last argument.” The last argument of the Gospel in the King of kings’ controversy with the nations is the great threefold message of Rev. 14:6–12. And His last final test to a rebellious world will be the forthshining of His own presence. All who do not then know His life within will perish in the glory of His presence without. In the light of that glory, what are all the puny last arguments of earth’s momentary rulers?

An Individual Relation to the Lord

Our relation to the Lord is not a national relation, or a society relation, but an individual relation. This is a lesson which the Lord teaches us continually. It is for each one to believe. It is to each one life from the Lord. Each one is to be built upon Christ. To each one Jesus wishes to be a personal friend. We are “members one of another” only as we are members of Christ. The Bible is an individual Book through which the divine oneness of the Spirit runs; it presents before us a personal God and Father, a personal, individual Saviour, and an individual salvation that reaches every soul severally. Praise God that it is so, because that in these great facts every soul can find pardon, peace, and life. “Whosoever will” may come.

Oakland

By Editor

Oakland.—On page 9 will be found a bird’s-eye view of the city of Oakland. To the brief descriptive note under that illustration we add a few items which may be of interest to our readers. Oakland is so called because of the live oaks which formerly abounded on the land where the city now stands. There are still many noble trees scattered throughout the city. Oakland is not a “boom” town; its growth, tho slower than many cities, is steady. Its population is probably from 75,000 to 80,000. Some enthusiasts estimate it at 100,000, a figure too high. It is noted for its mild and equable climate, its excellent schools, its good streets and walks, and its splendid street-car service. There may be as obliging street-car operators in other cities, but we have never met any that are superior. Next week, if the Lord will, we will present a view of our office.

The People Need Food.

By Editor

They need spiritual food. They get a little in church and Sunday-school when they go, but it would seem as tho the religious paper ought to do more than it does. Before us lies an average religious paper of a numerous and “evangelical” body. It has thirteen short editorials, and but three of these are religious in character, and these are of the nature of reports. The same paper quotes from its exchanges six short articles, and but two of these are religious. And in all the rest of the paper there is not one single article of Biblical instruction save the page devoted to the Sunday-school lesson. The people need spiritual food. They are dying for it.

One of the Beautiful Things.

The most beautiful things of earth are flowers and birds, and the former are within the reach of all, especially in the summer-time; and the cultivation of the beautiful emblems of God’s wisdom, love, and care, should be encouraged. We know of no one who has done more to encourage ambition in this direction than James Vick and Sons, who for the last forty-nine years have set before the people of the land the most beautiful flowers, and the greatest variety of flowers, plants, and vegetables, in their incomparable catalog. “The Garden and Floral Guide” for 1898 is the finest yet, or so it seems to us. Its embossed and colored covers, the Golden Day Lily, and the Aster Daybreak, and the four colored plates, Tuberous Begonias, Cactus, Dahlias, Pansies, Challenge Bouquet of twelve colors of Sweet Peas, and the Climbing Nasturtiums, are very fine. We are sure that those who try James Vick’s Sons will not be disappointed. Send for catalog, free to all applicants. Address, James Vick’s Sons, Rochester, N. Y.

WHO WILL FURNISH IT?

By Editor

HARMONY is heaven’s law. Discord or inharmony is the result of sin. He who truly gives himself to God, yields himself to harmony.

Music is the expression of harmony in sound. If used for God, great is its power to bring back to harmony those who have yielded to the discord of sin. It is for this reason that music has ever been made such an important part of the service of God; and it is because of its power in this respect that Satan has ever sought to pervert its God-given mission.

And this leads us to say that an organ will be needed for the Helping Hand Mission in San Francisco. Are there not those somewhere in California who possess an instrument which they desire shall furnish music for Christ’s sake, music which will aid in bringing back to the harmony of righteousness the souls who are now in the discord of sin? If those who have instruments which they will loan or give will write to the editor of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, giving a description of the instrument, and whether they are willing to pay carriage or not, we will do our best to select from the dozen offers more or less which we shall receive the one best suited to the needs of the mission. Those whose offer is not accepted, let them know that God will bless according to 2 Cor. 8:12, the willing mind.

Now what is done should be done speedily. Let us hear from you at once, but do not send instrument till you hear from us.

WILL YOU NOT DO IT?

By Editor

We Are Sure You Can.

A SHORT time ago we put the question to some of our friends—Suppose that each of thirty or forty thousand of you who read this paper secure just one subscriber each for the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, what a list that would make! In other words, if you would obtain one new subscriber for the SIGNS, and every one else of our friends, individually, would do so, what a gratifying result we would see! Why can it not be done? A number have secured many more than the one subscriber apiece. May God bless these faithful workers for Him, and help others to seize the opportunities that are open on every hand.

Our list has increased over two thousand within a very short time, for which we feel thankful; but this is not a tithe of what might be done if our proposition was fully carried out. Each individual will need to act his part. Reader, will you not go out to-day, to-morrow, or as soon as possible, and give us an introduction to your friends and neighbors? Do it for the sake of souls who are hungering and thirsting for the truth of God. Write us at once if you will. Write us anyway. We would like to hear from you concerning this work.

“SIGNS OF THE TIMES,” Oakland, Cal.

EVIL DEEDS OF MINISTERS.

Jealousy has led the Rev. John R. Scott, the prominent southern negro preacher, to shoot fatally the Rev. Obadiah Adams, another colored preacher. When ministers commit crime, the last plea that should be entertained in their behalf is the nature of their profession. Violators of law should be tried, acquitted, or condemned, without distinction of creed, cassock, or race. Ministerial crimes are certainly increasing in number, and it behooves all denominations to co-operate for the purity of the ministry. All organized communions should exercise a strict discipline; and conscientious laymen should allow no scandal to arise concerning their pastors, and no suspicious conduct to pass unnoticed. Whatever be the true translation, the English version of the passage, “Abstain from all appearance of evil,” is the safe and the only safe rule for the Christian’s practise; and it is vital to the minister’s influence, not only that he should be above suspicion, but that he should be able to resist that subtlest of all temptations, “No one will believe evil of me”—a suggestion as beguiling as, “Ye shall not surely die.”—N. Y. Christian Advocate.

What Does It Mean?

—The Catholic Mirror is mystified at the conduct of the emperor of Germany. One moment he crushes the little Haytian republic on the most flimsy excuse, and the next he sends his brother to China ostensibly because two Catholic German priests have been killed. He writes:—

“MY DEAR HENRY: It is my duty to the new German Hansa to afford it the protection it is entitled to demand from the empire and the emperor. Our German brethren in holy orders, who have set out to engage in peaceful work, have not shrunk from risking their lives in order to carry our (sic) religion into foreign lands. They placed themselves under my protection and it behooves us to give every support to these brethren who have been repeatedly mortified and sorely oppressed.”

What does it mean? Is the Emperor William about to become a Catholic? It would not be surprising. He seems to plan to make the way less humbling than that of Canossa.

And those who have wisely taught shall shine as the bright