Earlier text: WHO CHANGED THE SABBATH?The Vermont Camp-Meeting.
By Uriah Smith
This meeting held at Morrisville, Vt., September 11-17, was one of the most satisfactory meetings it has ever been our privilege to attend. The brethren were sorely disappointed in not having the presence and labors of Sister White, but took hold the more earnestly to make the best of the situation. There were fifty-two tents on the ground, in which were permanently encamped three hundred and sixty of our people, according to the census taken. This was the best showing Vermont has ever made in this direction. Between thirty and forty of those who have received the truth in Vermont the past summer were present; and their zeal and love for the new-found truth added much to the interest of the meeting. On Sunday it is estimated that there were upwards of five thousand present. On this day there were distributed by the tract workers 5,832 pages of tracts; and $21.43 were taken in for books sold and periodicals subscribed for. The preaching seemed to make a powerful impression upon the crowd in attendance. We have never witnessed anything more marked in this respect than was manifest on this occasion. We believe these impressions will be lasting, and in many cases bear fruit hereafter. At the close of his discourse Sabbath afternoon, Brother Farnsworth gave an invitation to sinners and backsliders to come forward for prayers. Sixty-three responded. Nineteen of these were for the first time starting in the service of God. The presence of the Lord was felt in a powerful manner. The social meeting on the Sabbath at 9 A. M. was the most remarkable in the number of those who took part of any we have ever attended. One hundred and seventy-seven intelligent and earnest testimonies were borne in less than an hour. Twenty-six were baptized by Brother Farnsworth in the Lamoille river, Monday afternoon. Following the baptism, Brother R. S. Owen was ordained to the work of the gospel ministry. Prayer by A. S. Hutchins, charge by U. Smith, right hand of fellowship by Albert Stone. A State Sabbath-school organization was formed, and officers chosen. The tract and missionary society and the State Conference also held their annual meetings. The utmost harmony characterized the proceedings throughout. Brethren feel that there are more prosperous days in store for Vermont. The burden of the preaching at this meeting was borne by Brother Farnsworth; and the Lord gave him great liberty in the word. U. S. Visit to America.
By John Nevins Andrews
I HAVE received an invitation to the General Conference by telegram from Brother White. If it is possible, I will comply with this request. It is, however, very difficult indeed for me to leave Europe. I have never at any time in my life had so great a burden of care and perplexity as for some time past. Satan has put forth his mightiest efforts to hinder our work and to defeat us. But though we have felt the pressure of his power, God has never suffered him to overwhelm us. We see some progress, for which we are very grateful. We have just held our annual Conference, and it has been the best by far that we have hitherto held. After inquiry of the agent in this city, I judge that the Anchor line from London to New York is the least expensive route that I can take. I cannot get ready to leave London before Wednesday, Sept. 18. It may be, therefore, that I cannot reach the Conference at its commencement; but I will use my diligence to hasten my arrival. My stay in America must be very short. I shall esteem it a great privilege to meet the brethren, even for a few days; but my time will not admit of calling upon friends at their own homes. J. N. ANDREWS. Reports from the Field.
By Editor
(Condensed from Review and Herald.) ORION.—Brother Waggoner sends a private note respecting the camp-meeting at Orion, Mich. There are twenty-seven tents up, including the large tents. The State fair at Detroit has drawn away much of the outside attendance, and unusual storms have caused some interruptions in the meeting; but a deep and solemn feeling rests upon those in attendance, and a number are starting for the first time in the service of God. The interest was still increasing at the date of his writing, September 21. DOUGLAS.—After seven weeks labor in this place meetings closed in the tent. Seventeen have been baptized, and others are expected to go forward in this ordinance soon. Many have said that if they were ever converted they should be Seventh-day Adventists. The Sabbath-school has been reorganized, with a goodly increase of scholars. OGDEN CENTER.—Some are taking a stand for the truth here. The people seem anxious to hear. September 15, over five hundred attended the evening meeting. Brethren Collins and Butcher have labored all summer within seven miles of where the tent was first pitched, and the interest is still good. WATFORD.—Meetings were commenced here September 8. Brother Fulton writes that the average attendance is about one hundred and fifty; and that this is the best opening he has seen since coming to Ontario. The people are becoming interested. NOBLESVILLE.—The good work progresses well here. Twelve or fifteen are keeping the Sabbath. Two Sabbath meetings have been held, both of which were well attended. The social meetings have been good. The congregations are large and very attentive. About thirty-two dollars' worth of books have been sold: Some come to the tent in the daytime and take Bible lessons. A school-teacher from the State capital comes in and takes three lessons a week, and is deeply interested. CLINTON.—The tent was pitched in this place September 6. Twelve discourses have been given. The congregations have increased from the first. The influence of the camp-meeting held one year ago in this place has done much toward opening the way for this tent-meeting. Many speak very highly of the camp-meeting, especially of the order maintained on the ground; and all seemed to manifest entire confidence in our Christian integrity as a people. ALEXANDRIA.—September 18, Brother Battin writes: "The editors of the papers published in the place have spoken very favorably of our work, and have cheerfully published what matter we desired. Six persons have taken a stand to obey God, one of whom is a Protestant Methodist minister eighty-four years old, who has spent thirty-five years of his life in the ministry. We believe a foundation has been laid here for effective work in the future." SCOTT.—Meetings at this place have closed for the present. Twelve have been added to the number of Sabbath keepers here, making twenty in all, and there is a fair prospect that a few others will soon take their stand for the truth. Sabbath meetings are held. Much good is expected will grow out of the effort put forth here. The daily Monitor and also the weekly, kindly published synopses of discourses on the prophecies and on the Sabbath. The city has been deeply stirred and also the surrounding country. FIRST, Christ says he is meek, and then "lowly in heart." Take the word "meek." As I think, that refers to the yoke-bearer. If I am actively laboring for Christ, I can only find rest in that labor by having a meek spirit. If I go and labor for Christ without a meek spirit, I shall find there is no rest. Somebody will be objecting that I do not do my work as I ought to do, according to his canon of taste; and if I am not meek, I shall find my proud spirit rising at once. I shall be defending myself, or I shall find a spirit which says: "I will do no more, because I am not appreciated." But a meek spirit is not apt to be angry, and does not soon take offense; therefore, if men offend, the meek spirit goes on and will not be offended, and will not notice a sharp word or severe criticism. If the meek spirit be injured or offended, and suffers for a moment, it is always ready to forgive and blot out the past, going on again. The meek spirit, in working, only seeks to do good to others. It denies itself; it never expects to be well treated; it did not intend to be honored; it only sought to do good to others. The meek spirit laid itself very low, and took the yoke; and the yoke must be higher than the shoulder. It did not expect to be exalted; it only took the yoke to serve Christ and do good to poor sinners. Don't you notice in Jesus Christ what a glorious meekness there is? How calm he is when men treat him badly! When the Samaritans would not receive him, John said: "Call fire from heaven." Poor John! Jesus Christ has a meek spirit, and will do nothing of the kind. If one village will not receive him, he will go to another, and they will. He will still labor on. And, oh! your labor will become easy if your spirit is very meek. It is the proud soul that gets tired of doing good if it finds its efforts are not appreciated. It is the bravely meek spirit that endures, like the anvil that bears the hammer's blows, and destroys the hammer by patient endurance. Oh! you want to be like Jesus. Consider him who endured the persecution of sinners. Lest ye be weary and faint in your minds, learn his meekness; then the yoke will not gall your shoulder; you will find it easy to your shoulder as soon as you love it. But I must pass on, and notice that it is very evident that the rest which Christ speaks of in the second part of the text we shall find is a rest growing out of our spirit's being conformed to the spirit of Christ. "Learn of me, and ye shall find rest." It is a spiritual rest. It is a vain idea to suppose that if our own circumstances were altered, we should be more at rest. If you cannot rest in poverty, you cannot in riches. It is the spirit that gives the rest. Persons on the rack have said they were among the roses, and have learned to sing God's praises with joy of heart. It is the spirit that doeth it; as for the outward concerns, they are of small account. Let but your mind be like the mind of Christ, and you will "find rest unto you souls"—a deep rest; a growing rest; a rest you will find out more and more; an abiding rest, not only which you have found, but which you shall find, which you go on and find; justification—giving you rest from the burden of sin—sanctification. It will give you rest from all sorts of cares; and in proportion as it becomes perfect, and you are like your Saviour, your rest will become more like that of heaven.—Spurgeon. Beauties of Bible Language.
By Prof. Chadbourne
If we need a higher illustration, not only of the power of natural objects to adorn language and gratify taste, but proof that here we find the highest conceivable beauty, we appeal at once to the Bible. Those most opposed to its teachings have acknowledged the beauty of its language, and this is mainly due to the exquisite use of natural objects for illustration. It does, indeed, draw from every field. But when the emotional nature was to be appealed to, the reference was at once to natural objects; and throughout all its books, the stars and flowers, and gems are prominent as illustrations of the beauties of religion and the glories of the church. "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose." "The mountains and hills shall break forth before you in singing; and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fig tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree." The power and beauty of the same objects appear in the Saviour's teachings. The fig and the olive, the sparrow and the lily of the field, give peculiar force and beauty to the great truths they were used to illustrate. The Bible throughout is remarkable in this respect. It is a collection of books written by authors far removed from each other, in time and place, and mental culture, but throughout the whole, nature is exalted as a revelation of God. Its beauty and sublimity are appealed to, to arouse the emotions, to reach the moral and religious nature. This element of unity runs through all the books where reference to nature can be made. One of the adaptations of the Bible to the nature of man is found in the sublime and perfect representation of the natural world, by which nature is ever made to proclaim the character and perfection of God. No language can be written that so perfectly sets forth the grand and terrible in nature and its forces as we hear when God answered Job out of the whirlwind. No higher appreciation of the beautiful, and of God as the author of beauty, was ever expressed than when our Saviour said of the lilies of the field, "I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these;" and then adds, "If God so clothed the grass of the field"—ascribing the element of beauty in every leaf and opening bud to the Creator's skill and power. Not long since, writes a correspondent, as I took my seat in the cars for a day's ride, I observed, seated opposite me, an elderly lady and a middle-aged gentleman, who I inferred, from some casual remark, had been traveling a day or two. It was a very early hour in the morning, and the lady was apparently sleeping. We rode in silence for some time, when the lady awoke, and I heard the gentleman address her as mother. His dignified, unobtrusive manner, and the tender, deferential tone of voice, at once drew my attention to them, and having no company, my thoughts were my own. All the tender care which a mother could bestow on an infant child, was given by that son to his mother. The slightest movement on her part to adjust her furs, or cloak, or overshoes, or any change of position, called forth his ready hand in assistance, and the inquiries, "Are you comfortable, mother? Do you feel tired? Lay your head on my shoulder, and rest yourself." At noon the cars stopped for the passengers to obtain refreshments. It was snowing too fast for the mother to get out of the cars, and the son brought her a cup of coffee. "Is it just right, mother?" he inquired, as she tasted it. "A little more cream would make it better; it is, however, very good as it is," was her reply. "Let me get you some more." "No my son—it will make you too much trouble; it is very good as it is." He went out, and soon returned with the cream, and poured a little into the coffee, and then a little more till it was "just right." He then sat down by her side, and I heard him say, in the same low tone of voice that at first attracted my attention, "I am glad, mother, that I can do anything to make you comfortable, it is such a pleasure to me." "I thank you, my son," she replied, in the same spirit and tone of voice as that of her son. Beautiful, thought I, as I quietly watched them, and saw manifested their mutual love and confidence. My mind went back to the time when this son, now in manhood's strength, was a little helpless infant, and I pictured that mother watching over him, caring for him with a solicitude such as mothers only can feel. And through all the years of childhood and youth, to manhood, the watchful eye was over him, the guiding hand ever ready to lead, and a mother's love ever ready to restrain him from doing wrong. Now it is his turn, when life's meridian with her is past, and the infirmities of age are creeping on, to repay her, in some degree, for all the labor bestowed on him; and faithfully and affectionately did he seem fulfilling his duty. How many grown up sons there are who seem to feel it beneath them to show any tenderness for their mothers! It is feminine, they say. They will perform acts of kindness, but in a business kind of way, or because it is their duty, little dreaming that they are crushing the maternal spirit by such cold, heartless acts. Acts of kindness, done in the spirit manifested in the incident above mentioned, have an untold influence. The pathway down to the grave would be cheered, made even joyful, and old age would be exempt from much of the gloom that is often experienced. The reflex influence is also great. A young man who is habitually tender of his mother, and deferential to her, will make a good citizen, a true friend, and will be faithful in all the walks of life.—Sel. A GENTLE word hath a magical power,
The weary heart to beguile;
It gladdens the eye, it lightens the brow,
And changes the tear to a smile.
In the genial sunshine it sheds around,
The shadows of care depart;
And we feel, in its soothing and friendly tone,
There's balm for the wounded heart. Oh! watch thou, then, that thy lips ne'er breathe
A bitter, ungentle word;
For that which is lightly and idly said,
Is often too deeply heard.
And though for the moment it leaves no trace;
For pride will its woes conceal,
Remember the spirit that's calm and still
Is always the first to feel. It may not be in thy power, perchance,
To secure a lofty place,
And blazen thy name upon history's page,
As a friend of the human race;
But oft in the daily tasks of life,
Though the world behold thee not,
Thy gentle and kindly words may soothe
A desponding brother's lot. 'Tis well to walk with a cheerful heart,
Wherever our fortunes call;
With a friendly glance, and an open hand,
And a gentle word for all.
Since life is a thorny and difficult path,
Where toil is the portion of man,
We all should endeavor, while passing along,
To make it as smooth as we can. How much of life is wasted from lack of calculation, and from not knowing what to do next. It is wise so to arrange our matters that every hour shall have its employment or pursuit; so that when one work is done, our hands shall readily find something else to do. It is not necessary that our lives should be one continual round of unbroken drudgery. Needful repose is not idleness. Healthful relaxation is not idleness. Attention to friends and acquaintances, and conformity to innocent social usage, is not idleness. Time given to the service of God, to worship, prayer, praise, and social fellowship with the people of the Lord, is not idleness. All this may be done heartily as unto the Lord; for he wills that we should do it. But the labor to which man is appointed by the wise ordinance of God, while it allows him time for recreation and repose, preserves him from the listlessness and languor, and the misery and mischief, which are the bane and curse of idleness. We should study so to fill up our time that we shall be kept from the evil communications of a wicked world. And if we see around us an atmosphere of corruption and stagnation, instead of yielding to it, we are to remember that Christ gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. And recollecting this, we are to dare to lift up our example against the tide of surrounding sinfulness, and be diligent, and faithful, and earnest, no matter what may oppose. Our moments are precious; and for their improvement we must give a strict account. And if we remember our responsibility, we may well adopt the saying of Dionysius the Sicilian, who, being asked by one who went to speak with him if he was at leisure, answered, “Heaven forbid that I should ever have any leisure time.”—The Christian. A MOTHER teaching her children to pray, is an object at once the most sublime and tender that the imagination can conceive. Elevated above earthly things, she seems like one of those guardian angels, the companions of our earthly pilgrimage, through whose ministrations we are incited to good and restrained from evil. The image of the mother becomes associated in his mind with the invocation she taught him to his "Father who is in heaven." When the seductions of the world assail his youthful mind, that well remembered prayer to his "Father who is in heaven," will strengthen him to resist evil. When in riper years he mingles with mankind, and encounters fraud under the mask of honesty, when he sees confiding goodness betrayed, generosity ridiculed as weakness, unbridled hatred, and the coolness of interested friendship, he may indeed be tempted to despise his fellow men; but he will remember his "Father who is in heaven." Should he, on the contrary, abandon himself to the world, and allow the seed of self-love to spring up and flourish in his heart, he will, notwithstanding, sometimes hear a warning voice in the depths of his soul, severely tender as those maternal lips which instructed him to his "Father who is in heaven." But when the trials of life are over, and he may be extended on the bed of death, with no other consolation but the peace of an approving conscience, he will recall the scenes of his infancy, the image of his mother, and with tranquil confidence will resign his soul to Him who died that he might live—the Redeemer of the world.—Sel. Home Life and Family Relations
By Revolution
WHEN mothers denounce the tyranny of the family relation, and proclaim that its yoke must be thrown off, then home life will pass into a tradition.—Revolution. Drunkard's Arguments Answered. (Continued.)
5. ALCOHOL PROTECTS AGAINST EXCESSIVE HEAT.
The advocates of drinking, like the man in the fable, "blow both hot and cold," in their arguments. They love the beverage, and so it must be useful in some way. Dr. Parkes says on this point, "Not only is heat less well borne, but insolation (sunstroke) is predisposed to." "The common notion that some form of alcoholic beverage is necessary in tropical climates is, I firmly believe, a mischievous delusion." His statements are supported by all the best authorities on tropical diseases—Dr. Carpenter and others. Said Stanley, the African traveler: "A drunkard cannot live in Africa." It has been observed that among English soldiers in India those who are strict teetotalers endure long marches under exposure to a tropical sun much better than those addicted to the use of liquor. So it does; opium, strychnia, and prussic acid stimulate. What is a stimulant? "Stimulant" is only another name for poison. Stimulation means poisoning. When alcohol, or any other one of a hundred poisons which might be mentioned, is taken into the body, every vital organ sets to work to get it out. The liver filters it out in the bile; the lungs pour out volumes of it in the form of a vapor, making a drunkard's breath smell like a distillery; the skin pours it out as sweat; the kidneys do their part in expelling the vile drug; and all the time the heart pumps away with violence to hasten the departure of the intruder. This great commotion in the vital economy is called "stimulation." These are the first effects of alcohol, or the effects of small doses—such effects as the moderate drinker feels. The later effects, and those which result from larger doses, are depressing. The excitement is followed by a corresponding degree of depression, or partial paralysis, since the drug supplies no force in return for that which it expends. Many of the ablest physicians pronounce alcohol a narcotic. If alcohol is a stimulant, that fact is one of the best arguments against its use. Says Sir B. Brodie, "Stimulants do not create nerve power." 7. ALCOHOLIC DRINKS PROTECT THE SYSTEM AGAINST DISEASE.
One finds an excuse for the use of liquor in small or large quantities in the theory that it will fortify his system against the ravages of small-pox or cholera. Another takes liberal doses of brandy to "keep off the chills." Another keeps his system saturated with alcohol so that he will not take cold. Any one of these diseases, or almost any other, would be infinitely less harmful than alcohol itself, even if the opinion were true that alcohol is a preventive; but alcohol is not a preventive of disease, according to the experience of the most reliable observers. Dr. Parkes, Sir John Hall, Inspector General of the English army, Dr. Carpenter, Dr. Mann, Henry Martin, and others of equal eminence, all concur in this opinion. Indeed, the most indubitable evidence can be cited to prove that alcohol is directly the cause of a vast amount of disease, instead of being, as many suppose, a preventive. If alcohol were a preventive of disease, then those who use it ought to be the most healthful; but we find the contrary to be the case. The liquor drinker, instead of living longer than the teetotaler, as he ought to do if this theory were true, lives, on an average, after reaching adult age, only one-fifth as long as the abstainer, as shown by life-insurance statistics. We have elsewhere enumerated more than forty distinct diseases which are the direct result of the use of alcoholic drinks in one form or another. 8. ALCOHOL AIDS DIGESTION.
The moderate drinker takes his morning dram to fortify his stomach for the reception of his breakfast. Immediately after breakfast, he must have another glass to assist digestion. But how does alcohol assist digestion? Not by dissolving the food, for its effect is to harden tissues. It does not render the gastric juice more efficient, for it destroys it and causes its active element, pepsin, to be deposited as a white powder. In dogs to which alcohol was given with food, it was found that the process of digestion had not begun, twelve hours after eating. The stomach is obliged to remove all the alcohol before digestion can begin. This, then, is a monstrous fallacy. 9. ALCOHOL IS MADE FROM GRAIN.
"But," says one, "alcohol is made from grain, and if it is so very bad, why should not the grain be injurious also? There is a little poison in everything, any way." Alcohol is made from grain, but it is not found in it. Smoke is made from wood, yet there is no smoke in wood; it is made by the destruction of the latter. Alcohol is made by the destruction of fruits and grains. It is an absurd popular notion that there is, necessarily, poison in everything. In these days of wholesale adulteration it is often difficult to obtain food unmixed with poisonous products, but nature does not serve us so badly. Poison is not essential to life. 10. WHISKY DOES NOT HURT ME.
The opium smoker, the absinthe taker, the arsenic eater, all use the same argument, yet each falls a victim to his vice. You do not know what alcohol is doing for you. "Wine is a mocker [deceiver]." You cannot see its depredations. Your blunted sensibilities cannot feel its ravages. Your friends see it. Your wife notes it and mourns over it. You can yourself see it in others. Are your tissues different from those of every other man? Are they made of iron that they cannot be destroyed? Is the alcohol you drink different from all other alcohol? No; your good sense tells you, No. Then reform before it is too late. 11. PURE LIQUOR IS NOT BAD.
"If we only had such pure liquor as they used to make, it would not be so very bad," says one. "Only take a little of my wine; I made it myself, and it cannot hurt any one," says the good housewife. These are two mischievous errors. Alcohol is the worst poison found in liquor. No drug added by adulteration is so bad as the fiery liquid itself. Pure liquor is simply pure poison. Alcohol is always the same, and its effects are always identical, whether it is found in the whisky barrel, or the cider barrel; in rum, brandy, lager beer, homemade wine, or "temperance bitters." Alcohol is the horrid fiend we are fighting, no matter under what guise he comes. Why Are Americans Dyspeptics?
It has been truly said that man is a creature of habit, and if there is any one direction in which this saying is more applicable than in another, it is that which points to the dietetic habits of civilized nations. This saying is especially true of the American people. There is probably not another nation on the face of the earth where the people have so many artificial wants, and so many injurious habits in eating and drinking, as our own nation. The reason is obvious. Here, labor of all kinds is remunerative, and the so-called good things are easily obtained. In European countries, the laborer is compelled, by reason of low wages, to subsist, both himself and his family, upon the barest necessities of life, hence he has not that opportunity for creating artificial wants and false dietetic habits, that is afforded in our country where the laborer is able not only to provide the necessaries, but also many of the so-called luxuries of life. If we compare the average health of the laboring classes of America with that of the same class in the East, we shall see that the standard is much lower here than there; and the same is true of the wealthier classes also. Why is this? Is it because the climate of this country is more unfavorable to health than that of Europe? or is it due to a difference in the habits of the people? A careful examination of the matter will convince any candid person that the origin of very many of the diseases of our people is owing to their unhygienic habits, and that the reason why the standard of health is lower in America than in Europe is, the habits of the people are more unhygienic here than there. Thousands of girls belonging to the laboring classes come from Europe to this country yearly. They are, generally, strong and healthy on their arrival here, but in a few years many of them lose their health, sicken, or die prematurely. This might, at the first view, be considered as sufficient proof that the climactic influences of this country are less conducive to health than those of their native land; but when we take a closer view, and inquire into their habits, we find that the greater number of these girls were reared with simple habits, and on a plain diet, composed almost wholly of vegetable substances, and that they spent much of their time in the open air, performing out-door labor, and as a consequence, they possessed almost perfect health while thus living. After arriving here, they engage as servants in the families of well-to-do people, and partake largely of rich food, to which they have heretofore been wholly unaccustomed. They consider condiments, rich gravies, flesh meats, tea, coffee, highly seasoned cakes and pies, as among the most desirable things to be obtained, and they use them so freely that their stomachs, livers, etc., are soon worn out by overwork, and many of those, who, in their native land were so robust and healthy, find themselves, after a few years' residence in this country, miserable dyspeptics. These emigrants are not the only cases that are thus affected by the use of improper food. Like causes produce like effects; and it matters not whether the individual is rich or poor, of high degree or of low degree, nor of what nationality or clime, if he pampers the appetite with highly seasoned food, or uses improper food of any description for any length of time, disease will surely follow. It is proverbial of the American people that they are a nation of dyspeptics. Why are they such? There can be but one answer to this question. It is because they do not control their appetites. The ease with which the so-called luxuries of life can be obtained in this country is a very great temptation to their use; and that which at first is taken only as a luxury, to afford temporary pleasure to the vital instincts, soon perverts those instincts and becomes a necessity, and its continued use occasions disease. — Health Reformer. RELIGIOUS NEWS AND NOTES.
By Editor
-There are 176 churches in St. Louis. -The Universalist ministers have recommended entire abstinence from the use of tobacco. -There are three American missions in Athens, Greece—Congregational, Episcopalian and Baptist. -The number of Sunday-schools in the State of New York is 5,820; officers and teachers, 99,524; scholars, 803,875. Total 903,399. -The Methodist church now own in Mexico $78,590 worth of property. They have there 22 missionaries, beside ten native preachers. -The corner-stone of an institution where the daughters of missionaries may be educated has just been laid in London. The building will cost $75,000. -Since the first of May, six hundred thousand portions of the Bible, in twenty-two languages, have been issued from the Bible stand of the French Exposition. -A new religious paper is soon to be begun in Scotland, called the Scottish Patriot, to combat the papal aggressor. It “will seek to unite all Protestants against the common foe.” -The colored Baptist churches in South Carolina set apart the last Sunday in September as a season for special prayer and missionary collections in behalf of the heathen in Africa. -Minnesota, with a population of 750,000, has only 40,000, or less than one in eighteen, who are “evangelical” Christians. The Catholic population is 114,000, and the Lutheran 92,000. -The ecclesiastical statistics of Spain show a steady decline in the number of priestly and monastic orders within the last two years, while the population has at the same time steadily risen. -It is stated that the translation of the Bible into Turkish is finished, and is ready for the press. The New Testament is printed, and it is expected that the Old Testament, in the Arabic and Armenian characters, will be printed in September. -In London and its suburbs there are 864 Anglican churches, an increase in ten years of 224. The number having daily communion and using eucharistic vestments has increased threefold since 1869. Fourteen churches use incense, 58 altar lights, and in 179 the eastward position is taken. -The prospectus of a new paper about to be started in London, boldly avows its mission to be revolutionary, and the overthrow of wages, inheritance and usury, and declares itself an enemy to that “monstrous metaphysical creation”—God. It will be printed in French and Italian, and called La Guerre Sociale. -The Methodist Episcopal church returns 127,326 colored members in the South, the Presbyterian Board, 10,257, and the American Missionary Association, 4,048. The Protestant Episcopal church has opened 37 chapels for colored members, and the Reformed Episcopal church has built up several flourishing colored churches in South Carolina. -Peter's Pence is coming in so meagerly at the Vatican, compared with the times of Pius, as to cause no little concern at Rome. -The Friends are declining in numbers both in this country and in Europe. In England they received only one hundred and sixty-three new members last year. —Pennsylvania reports 174,041 farms. —Great Britain has 72,000 acres of hops. —Cholera has appeared and is increasing in Spain. —The annual death rate in San Francisco is 16.59 per 1,000. —Seven million people are said to have died from the famine in China. —During the first three months of this year 2,341 horses were killed in Paris for food. —Great Britain imported in '57 nearly 34,000,000 bushels of wheat, and in '77 100,000,000 bushels. —Entire flocks of sheep have been destroyed in Mexico, by the action of swarms of venomous flies. —Georgia has 2,396 miles of railroad completed and in operation, or about one mile of road to 488 inhabitants. —The Chicago distillers paid $417,856 tax during the month of July, or at the rate of about $5,000,000 per year. —It is estimated that 40,000 acres of new ground will be broken and cultivated in northern Minnesota the present season. —The Egyptian obelisk was brought into an upright position and lowered on the pedestal, recently, on the Thames embankment. —In 1855 the population of Nebraska was 4,494; in 1860, 28,831; in 1870, 122,993; in 1876, 257,847; and in a census just taken, 313,748. —A Japanese paper says that Japan has already 38 banks, and that 64 others are being established, while other finance companies are applicants for official license. —The first boat ever moved by steam in the United States was a small experimental skiff rigged with a model steam engine and screw paddles by John Fitch, July or August 1786, upon the Delaware. —Turkey, as the result of the late war and the congress at Berlin, has lost territory to the extent of 71,000 square miles, an area equal to England and Wales, and Scotland as far up as Edinburgh and Glasgow. —A dispatch from Airola, Switzerland, at the southern mouth of St. Gothard Tunnel, reports that three cases of gunpowder for blasting in the tunnel exploded September 25. Ten workmen were instantly killed and several terribly injured. —The increase in the export of live stock from the United States to England in the year ending June 30, was 30,800 head of cattle, and 4,000 head of sheep. The actual numbers exported were 80,040 cattle and 183,995 sheep. In addition thereto, 54,000,000 pounds of beef went over, an increase of 5,000,000 pounds. —An exchange says, The Paris Exposition is said to be a financial failure, and further more great fault is found by a large number of people with the various details of the Exhibition—want of light and air; the heat is intense, there is no shade, no method of cooling, no amusements; dirty corners exist in abundance; in open kitchens cooks are seen at work in an unfastidious state of dirt; there are no means of locomotion. It is magnificent, but no business. —Kansas is growing more rapidly than any other State in the Union. A census taken in 1855 showed a population of but 8,601; in 1860 of 107,206, and in 1865 of only 140,179. Since then it has had a growth more rapid than any State of the Union. Thus, in 1870 its population was 364,389; the rate of increase from 1860 to 1870, although largely made from 1865 to 1870, was three times the rate of increase of Oregon, Iowa, or Wisconsin, five times that of California, Missouri, or Illinois, and seven times that of Florida or Texas. The census of 1875 showed the population of the State to be 533,372, and at present it is estimated to be 650,000. Large accessions to the population have been made from the cities by people seeking employment. The increase has thus been nearly 30,000 a year since the first census was taken in 1855. Matters in Battle Creek, Mich.
By Editor
We reached home from the Eastern camp-meetings, Sept. 19. Everything is moving on here with more than usual activity. Sixty-five workmen are engaged on the Tabernacle. The framework of the building, with the exception of the dome and tower, is now nearly completed, and before the end of the week a portion of these will doubtless be up. The work of laying the outside veneer of brick is already commenced. It will be pushed forward to completion as rapidly as possible. Work on the new office building is also progressing favorably. This building is now entirely inclosed, and the workmen are engaged in finishing up the interior. Two new boilers of forty horse-power each have been placed in the basement of the new office building. One of these is designed to be used for heating the Tabernacle, the other to run the office machinery; though both are available for either service whenever desired. The one designed for office use is already in service, and works admirably. The new term of school has opened encouragingly, with between two and three hundred students. Others are waiting until after camp-meeting before entering. We expect a large attendance when all are in. The old church building is now securely placed on its new foundation, just in the rear of the office, on Washington St. A basement has been put under it, which is to be used for a shop while the Tabernacle is going up, a shaft having been run from the office to supply power for necessary machinery. The damage of moving has been repaired, and two Sabbath services have been held in the house in its new location. The social meeting last Sabbath was an excellent one, one hundred and fifteen testimonies being borne in a little less than an hour.—Review and Herald.