p. 15 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 35. (8/30/1905)

WIDOWHOOD IN INDIA.

By Mrs. G. A. Burgess

[Mrs. G. A. Burgess, in Bible Training-School.]

"The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty." Nowhere is the truthfulness of these words more manifest than in the condition and treatment of widows in India. The very word "widow," which, in Christian lands, awakens the tenderest feelings of compassion in the hearts of men, in India is a synonym of sorrow, grief, shame, contempt, and degradation.

Widowhood is regarded as a punishment for sins committed by the woman in a former existence. Hence she is regarded as under the displeasure of the gods, and must spend the remainder of her life in hard and bitter penances, trying, if possible, to atone for her unknown sin. No sadder sight can be witnessed than to go into one of these Indian homes, and see there, shrinking back from observation, a young woman with shaven head, her face wan and pinched with repeated fastings, her form clad in coarse garments, speaking volumes as to her attempts to make atonement for a widowhood for which she was never to blame.

When the husband dies, the beautiful glossy hair of the wife must be shorn as a sign of her disgrace; her bright-colored clothes are removed, and a coarse widow's garment is put on; her ornaments are taken from her; she must eat but one meal a day, and twice each month she must fast. She must never appear with others on the occasion of a marriage festivity or family gathering, as her presence would be regarded as inauspicious, and must shrink guiltily back, if she crosses the track of any one, for fear of bringing ill luck to him. She must never think of re-marriage, but is often made the family drudge, and is an object of suspicion and solicitude lest she bring disgrace upon the family.

There is nothing in such a life to uplift them; there is much to debase them. Their only hope of escape is death, or what is worse, a life of sin,—an alternative which hundreds of widows choose every year, in order to escape the sorrows of their widowhood.

The number of widows in India is about twenty-three million, which is more than one-fourth the population of the entire United States. The custom of child marriage, which is so prevalent in India, is responsible for this vast number, many of whom are mere girls, and many of whom never knew what it meant to be a wife.

In God's Word the most tender provision is made for the widow. His instructions are, "Ye shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child," and again, "Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive, and let thy widows trust in Me." What comfort these words have been in times of bereavement to thousands of hearts in Christian lands; and in the light of these tender promises, this loving care, how awful the treatment of Hindu widows appears, and how strongly their sad condition should appeal to the love and sympathy and earnest effort of every Christian believer.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS

LESSON II.—SEPTEMBER 10.—THE LIFE-GIVING STREAM.

Lesson Scripture, Eze. 47:1-12, A. R. V.

(1) "And he brought me back unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward (for the forefront of the house was toward the east); and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar. (2) Then he brought me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me round by the way without unto the outer gate, by the way of the gate that looketh toward the east; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.

(3) "When the man went forth eastward with the line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the ankles. (4) Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the loins. (5) Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass through; for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.

(6) "And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the bank of the river. (7) Now when I had returned, behold, upon the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. (8) Then said he unto me, These waters issue forth toward the eastern region, and shall go down into the Arabah; and they shall go toward the sea; into the sea shall the waters go which were made to issue forth; and the waters shall be healed. (9) And it shall come to pass, that every living creature which swarmeth, in every place whither the rivers come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters are come thither, and the waters of the sea shall be healed, and everything shall live whithersoever the river cometh. (10) And it shall come to pass, that fishers shall stand by it; from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim shall be a place for the spreading of nets; their fish shall be after their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. (11) But the miry places thereof, and the marshes thereof, shall not be healed; they shall be given up to salt. (12) And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow every tree for food, whose leaf shall not wither, neither shall the fruit thereof fail; it shall bring forth new fruit every month, because the waters thereof issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for healing."

Golden Text.—"Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Rev. 22:17.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

(1) What was shown to Ezekiel in vision, as recorded in chapters 40-48? Note 1. After this general view, where was the prophet taken? What did he there behold? Verse 1. (2) Then where was he brought? And what did he behold there? Verse 2. (3) Then what did the prophet's guide do? And what did he cause the prophet to do? Verse 3. Note 2. (4) What action was then repeated? What is said of the increase of the waters? After measuring another distance, what is said of the waters? Verse 4. (5) Measuring again a thousand cubits, how high were the waters risen? Verse 5. Note 3. (6) Then what question was asked? After this, in what way was the prophet led? Verse 6. Note 4. (7) On returning along the river, what was especially noted? Verse 7. (8) What information was given concerning the waters? Verse 8. Note 5. (9) What effect would the waters have? Verse 9. Note 6. (10) What great change would be noted in the desert region? Verse 10. Note 7. (11) What is said about certain "miry places" and "marshes"? Verse 11. Note 8. (12) What should grow upon the banks of the river? What is said of the fruit of these trees? Verse 12. Note 9.

NOTES.

1. In the last nine chapters of Ezekiel we have a vision of the future kingdom of God. It was written during the captivity in Babylon, twenty-five years after Ezekiel himself was taken to Babylon, and fourteen years after the destruction of Jerusalem and the final carrying away of people and treasure. Daniel had been in Babylon about thirty-four years, and was occupying high position in the kingdom. This vision was evidently given for the encouragement of the captive Jews. Israel might have had a more glorious position, a more extensive city, and a more magnificent sanctuary after the captivity than before, if the people had believed the word of the Lord, and stepped out by faith in His promises when the opportunity was given to them to return. But their failure to do so resulted in a far inferior city and temple, together with many difficulties in securing what they did afterward enjoy. The house referred to in verse 1 is the temple previously described, and the pronoun "he" stands for the one who had been giving the prophet instruction. The "waters" indicate the blessings that should flow out from the house of God; or, perhaps, the growth of the kingdom of God.

2. The man with a line in his hand is the being mentioned in chapter 40:3-5. He is the representative of God.

3. Note particularly the increase in the volume of the stream of water. It starts out from the house, or throne, of God only ankle deep (verse 3), then it is knee-deep, and soon it is up to the loins (verse 4); then, a little further along, one would have to swim in it. In all this time there were no apparent tributaries emptying into the stream; all the water came from the one fountain. We might compare the mustard seed and the leaven of Matthew 13, and the stone cut out of the mountain and filling the whole earth (Daniel 2); also Isaiah's vision of an earth "full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." Isa. 11:9.

4. In verse 6 the expression, "return to the bank of the river," is sometimes rendered "along the bank," etc. Evidently the prophet had not been away from the river. The "Pulpit Commentary" says: "As the prophet had been led along or on the river's bank to see the increasing breadth and depth of the water, so was he now caused to return on or along the same bank to note the abundance of the foliage with which it was adorned."

5. "Arabah" means "desert," as in the A. V. The desert region from Jerusalem to, and including, the Dead Sea is evidently used by way of illustration.

6. Verse 9 implies a striking contrast. The waters of Jordan, on emptying into the Dead Sea, become salty and unfruitful. But wherever the waters of this river from the house of God shall flow, the result shall be life.

7. En-gedi and En-eglaim were fountains and fertile spots near the Dead Sea, some miles apart, between which was desert. Fish could not live in that sea; but the encouraging vision shows that even such waters would be made to produce life and prosperity.

8. "The miry places" represent the people who do not accept the truth, and therefore do not become fruitful, even tho the blessings of the Gospel be poured out upon them. "The marshes."—There are around the Dead Sea depressions which were filled when the waters overflowed, and in which, when the waters evaporated, there was left salt and other sediment.

9. The ultimate significance of the vision is summed up in verse 12, and the scene of complete fulfilment is carried over to the new earth. This is made clear by comparison with Rev. 22:12. All blessing to the world must come from the sanctuary, or throne, of God as the great fountain head, and it must be dispensed by the Spirit which flows out to all parts through the channel of His Word. There is no other source of reform for this sin-cursed world.

OUR WORK AND WORKERS.

By Editor

A CAMP-MEETING is to be held at South Stukely, P. Q., August 31 to September 10.

THE baptism of five persons at Rochester, N. Y., July 22, is reported in the Indicator by Brother C. W. Webber.

THE camp-meeting for Ontario will be held on the academy farm, near Clarkson, September 7-17. The location is fifteen miles west of Toronto, on the Grand Trunk Railway.

THE baptism of four converts at Kansas City, Kansas, is reported in the Worker by Brother J. W. Norwood. The brethren there have enlarged their facilities for a church school, and will employ two teachers instead of one.

IN the Welcome Visitor Brother C. A. Merriam reports the baptism of four young men at La Grange, Ohio. In the same paper (August 9) Brother C. A. Pedicord reports the addition of seven members to the church at Cincinnati.

THE Kansas Worker reports the organization of a new church at Lawrence with eighteen members. The service was conducted by Brother C. McReynolds. Ten candidates were baptized on the 6th inst., by Brother J. W. Norwood.

FROM Brother L. D. Santee we have this brief report: "As the result of meetings on the South Side, Chicago, thirty have taken their stand for the truth. Many others are interested. The tent has been taken down and moved to another part of the city, farther north. Workers will follow up the interest that the meetings have created. Truly the field seems ripe for the harvest."

THE annual calendar of Emmanuel Missionary College for 1905-06, is a very neat pamphlet of thirty-four pages. It gives the history, location, and object of the school, together with all the detail of information that friends and patrons—present and prospective—might desire for ordinary purposes. It is adorned with some handsome illustrations, the whole being a credit to the College Press. The fall term of the school will commence September 13 and close December 5. Address Prof. N. W. Kauble, Berrien Springs, Mich.

WE acknowledge receipt of the "Calendar of the Beechwood Manual Training Academy" for 1905-06. The pamphlet contains twenty-four pages, six of which are illustrations of the grounds, buildings, etc. It contains such information as is usually found in school announcements. The school was formerly known as Boggstown Manual Training Academy, and is located at Fairland, Ind., three miles from Boggstown. The fall term will commence September 26 and close December 18. For calendar or other information, address the principal, Prof. B. F. Machlan, Fairland, Ind., R. M. D. No. 1.

IT is our painful duty this week to record the death of Brother C. A. Washburn, an old-time minister in the cause of truth, which occurred at Des Moines, Iowa, on the 5th inst. Deceased was a member of the Iowa Conference Executive Committee, and was engaged in tent meetings at Lucas only two weeks before his death. He was buried at Mt. Pleasant, his place of residence. He was the father of Brother J. S. Washburn, who is actively engaged in the ministry at Washington, D. C. His wife, who survives him, is a sister of Brother George I. Butler, president of the Southern Union Conference. Many early believers in our message to the world will regard his death as a family loss. "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth; Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them." Rev. 14:13.

WANTED FOR MISSIONARY WORK.

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ANY of our literature suitable for missionary purposes. Address Charles F. Volz, Marble Hill, Jefferson County, Ind.

Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly

By Editor

The Sabbath-school lessons have been discontinued. The Lesson Quarterly may be obtained, containing three months' lessons and notes, for five cents. Address, Pacific Press, Mountain View, Cal. The Sunday-school lessons will continue.

BOY PUZZLE, THE.—By Rev. Joseph Flint.

By Editor

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EDUCATION IN THE HOME. NO. 16.

By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

BY MRS. L. D. AVERY-STUTTLE.

LITTLE Beth crept a bit closer to grandma's side, and laid her curly head lovingly in her lap, while Josie and Mattie settled themselves comfortably among the cushions on the couch, in anticipation of a real treat.

"It all happened very many years ago—more than half a century, in fact," began grandma, while her soft blue eyes took on a dreamy look. "We were very young then,—your grandpa and I, and lived in a cosy log cabin in the Michigan woods. Four little children had come to gladden our home,—"

"Was papa one of them, grandma?" asked Beth.

"Yes, dear, the youngest. We did not belong to any church at the time, tho we read our Bible and tried to persuade ourselves that we were sure of heaven; because we accounted ourselves as good as many of our friends who were church members. About this time there came to our neighborhood a very young man—a minister—and his wife, who gave out word that they would hold a series of meetings in the old log school-house about a mile from our home, through the woods. This man began preaching the coming of Christ,—the visible, personal advent of our Lord,—and declared that if His people were to be ready to meet Him, they must keep the true Sabbath, which he affirmed to be the seventh day. I did not pay much attention to these reports for some time, but was very bitterly prejudiced against the young couple and their silly doctrine—as I called it—which I had somehow come to believe was very similar to the Mormon, and fully as pernicious. My husband had gone on several occasions, when, one evening on his return from meeting, as he sat by the little fireplace warming his hands over the embers, he said very earnestly:

"'I tell you, wife, I have listened to most wonderful words to-night; these people are preaching truths that cut me to the very heart.' Then he asked me if I would not go with him the next evening. Instantly my heart seemed filled with a hatred and venom such as I had never felt before, and I answered hotly:

"'No; I will none of it. Because you choose to belittle yourself by attending the services of these fanatics, is certainly no sign why I should do so, and I warn you, don't bring that proselyting couple home with you—I will not have them in the house!'"

"It seemed that the more I gave way to my unreasoning anger, the more angry I became; until I had almost closed my heart to the divine pleading of the Holy Spirit, and for the time being, allowed my will to be dominated by the powers of darkness. All this time my husband answered me mildly, and kindly insisted that I should attend services with him the next evening.

"'I see what you are intending,' I cried, 'you are going to become a convert of this Saturday man, are you? But I warn you,' I continued, in unreasoning anger, 'I warn you, I will make life unendurable for you on that day; I shall bake and mop and cook and brew and wash!—O, I warn you! Why do you ask me to go with you? you well know it is impossible for me to leave our little ones,' I said.

"'But we can put them in bed, and I am sure they will be safe,' he argued. And so, not because I desired to learn more truth, but because I wished to fill my mouth with arguments against him, I went with my husband."

"It does not seem a bit like you, ma'am," ventured Walter Grey.

"Really, I don't understand what can have possessed grandma," declared Elsie.

"Why, grandmother?" protested John, "you never scold a fellow even when he needs it. I guess it made grandfather astonished enough."

"I presume it did, and that it made his dear heart very sad indeed. But he offered not a single word of censure. How well I remember the quiet walk through the woods over the winding path to the old log school-house. The children had been laid, carefully, crosswise of the bed in the little, two-roomed log cabin, and bidden not to get up until we returned,—and, above all, not to touch the fire, which was left smouldering in the open fireplace."

"Did they mind what you bade them, grandma?" asked Beth.

"O yes, dear, for ours were obedient children. But never can I forget my impressions as I entered the little building where already were assembled many of our neighbors and friends. There, in the rude pulpit sat the offending minister and his young wife, and it seemed to me, in my blind prejudice and folly, that I had never seen so inferior and unpolished people in my life. I regarded them in bitter, contemptuous silence. May the Lord forgive me! Well," continued grandma, as she carefully wiped her glasses, "in a few moments, the minister and his wife arose and began singing a hymn. Instantly I was spell-bound. Such singing I had never heard, as, to the sad, sweet old tune, 'Jamie's on the Stormy Sea,' they sang such beautiful words! To this day I can never hear them sung without feelings of deep emotion,—not without seeing, in fancy, the same old log school-house, and the same familiar faces of yore;" and grandma sang in a tremulous voice:

"Mark that pilgrim, lowly bending At the shrine of prayer, ascending Praise and sighs together blending From his lips in mournful strain. Glowing with sincere contrition, And with childlike, vast submission, Ever riseth this petition: 'Jesus come, O come to reign!'"

"And as they sang on and on," continued grandma, "such a revulsion of feeling surged over me, as I can not describe."

Grandma's listeners were deeply interested by this time, and as the dear old lady paused for a moment, they begged her to go on. Mrs. Wilber leaned forward in her chair, with a rapt expression in her face, as if fearful of losing a single word, while Billie Black had risen softly and taken a seat close to grandma's side.

"Yes," she continued, "I thought, 'how can it be possible that people who can sing like that, with so much of the Spirit of the Lord, can be bad people? I have certainly been mistaken; and I have grossly misjudged and maligned the anointed of the Lord.'"

"Then, the sermon that night was a revelation. O, how plain the Sabbath truth shone from God's Book! I wondered that all my life I could have overlooked such unanswerable texts of Scripture as Matt. 28:1, and Luke 23:56 and 24:1 and kindred passages. Suffice it to say, that before the close of that night's sermon, I had fully decided that, with God's help, I had broken my last Sabbath."

Again grandma's feelings overcame her, and she paused for a moment.

"But how did you fix it up with grandfather?" asked John roguishly.

"Yes," exclaimed Mrs. Wilber, "pray, how did you fix it up with your husband?" (To be continued.)

CARE OF SUMMER CLOTHES.

Not many women know how to preserve sweet and clean their summer dresses, shoes, hose, and so on. As soon as a waist is taken off, the sleeves should be turned wrong side out and allowed to air, and the dress shields should be sponged occasionally with alcohol and water and hung in the air to dry. The shields can be cleaned and freshened by washing in warm suds to which a little ammonia has been added. After rinsing carefully, the shields should be pulled into perfect shape and pinned to a cloth drawn smoothly over a board.

The tops of high shoes should be turned back when taken off and the shoes placed on the window sill or some breezy place to get the sun and air. The best hose should be filled with crumpled tissue

paper and hung where the air can blow through them.

A brown linen waist or dress skirt may be kept fresh and new looking, by washing through starch water to which has been added a cup of strained coffee, and the garment should be ironed on the right side with hot irons before it is quite dry. A black alpaca coat or dress skirt can be freshened by sponging with strong coffee and if it is necessary to wash them, a little gum arabic should be added to the rinse water.

The light woolen dress skirts worn in summer often become faded long before the summer is over. An economical woman can renew a light tan skirt by coloring it a darker shade of brown, or a faded blue skirt can be colored a rich dark blue, and both can be so carefully pressed that the goods will look fresh and new. You can keep your lawn and muslin dresses fresh and dainty looking by sponging them on the wrong side with thin gum arabic water and pressing on the wrong side while they are damp.

M. A. Y.

DASH DOWN THE CUP.

By Major John B. Ketchum

DASH down the cup! Drink not again; Its very touch is degradation! Quick! dash it down; O! do not drain Its liquid draught of deep damnation! Break through its toils while yet you may; Rush from the warmth of its embracing; Heed not its siren call—away! Each burning drop a grave is tracing.

Drink not again! Be wise, be free; Seize on a noble resolution! Rum's leprous arms encircle thee; Yield not again to its pollution. Drown not the still voice of the soul; Each draught a seed of wo is planting; Drink not, tho beauty pledge the bowl, There's death beneath its light enchanting.

Shake off the curse with manly might; Court not a depth of shame and terror; Turn not your brightest days to night; O! follow not this fatal error. Crush not a pure and noble mind; Make not degraded taste a merit; Wake from your dreams; O! be not blind To God's bright gifts, which you inherit.

Shake off the bonds that bind you down To cold, relentless, heartless fashion; Sunder the cursed ties you own— Sink not a slave to damning passion! Rise from your burning bed—ashamed, Yield not again to the foul demon; Dream not, nor muse—go forth, reclaimed— Be thou a man—a God-like freeman. —Major John B. Ketchum

THE INFLUENCE OF SACRED MUSIC.

By George Birdseye

BY GEORGE BIRDSEYE.

SACRED music has greater claims on the people than any other, as it exerts a more controlling and purifying influence upon the emotions and passions of the human heart than any power other than that of the Gospel itself.

It is of great importance in the development of devotional feeling and reverential worship.

All through the Scriptures may be found the mention of music, and always as something holy. The Psalms are running over with it. David is always calling for it, "to make a joyful noise unto the Lord."

Music might be called the language of the soul. There is no expressed conception of heaven but what, within it, music has its appointed and important place. St. John hears therein, in the Revelation "harpers harping with their harps," and the elders singing a new song to God and the Lamb and the voices of many angels about them.

All music that is really music is of God and heaven; and, let the heart be filled with whatever good sentiment it may, music will intensify that sentiment. They who possess the divine gift of music, who can sing well or can play some instrument intelligently, are but few; they who can listen well and enjoy, tho roughly, are many; and to the many comes the consolation that, tho we possess no talent or genius in voice or in fingers, still we may make music of our lives, so that all that we do, all that we say, may be beautiful music, and thus a lasting blessing unto all with whom we associate or come in contact.

"So to live is heaven, To make undying music to the world." Lynn, Mass.

TELLING HER SO.

"THERE's nothing wrong with Arthur, I hope," said Mr. Lobdell to his daughter, in whose hands were a number of closely-written sheets of foreign note-paper. Altho Mr. Lobdell sat on the other side of the hearth, he noticed that several tears had fallen on the letter Mrs. Benton was reading. "I've never been quite sure, Ellen, that you did the right thing when you let the boy go to Paris to study. It's easy for a young fellow like him to get weaned from home. We ought to have kept him near us. Now, if he's in any trouble—"

"He isn't, father. He's very well, and busy with his work, and he has written me such a dear letter for my birthday that—well, it made his foolish mother cry a little. Read it, father." Mrs. Benton gave him the letter, and then took from the mantel a photograph of a bright, boyish face, whose fearless, honest eyes seemed to answer her tender gaze.

Mr. Lobdell glanced at the first page hastily. The pleasures of correspondence had never especially appealed to him, and he was rather scornful of long letters. In a moment he adjusted his glasses more securely, and began to read slowly. When at last he came to the end, he folded the sheets carefully and replaced them in the envelope, sighing as he did so.

"It's a beautiful letter, Ellen, beautiful, strong and manly, too," he said, in reply to his daughter's expectant look, but it makes me sad."

"Why, father? I thought it would make you glad, not sad."

"It does make me glad for you and him, but it takes me back to my own boyhood. Arthur says that the thought of you is his inspiration, his safeguard; that he carries your image in his heart, and with your picture in his pocket, he can not go to any place where he couldn't take you. It was just so with my mother. The thought of her goodness kept me out of many a scrape, and I loved her just as Arthur loves you, but I never told her so. What wouldn't I give, Ellen, to have written her a letter like this one!"

Mrs. Benton knelt by her father's side and took his hand.

"Grandmother always understood," she said. "She knew how you loved her."

"Yes, perhaps, but what a comfort and a pleasure it would be to me to have told her as your boy, God bless him! has told you."—Youth's Companion.

DRINK, AND THE FALL OF PORT ARTHUR.

A RECENT number of Tidings from Japan, the interesting missionary magazine published at Tokyo, contains an English translation of an article in a Japanese Presbyterian journal, over the signature of "M. T.," who is said to be one of the Japanese military surgeons at Port Arthur and an eye-witness at the evacuation. The translation reads:

The so-called impregnable stronghold, Port Arthur, was finally taken, and when, ascending the hill Tokeikwan, overlooking those of Niryu and Shoju, the forts were in full view, I could not help wondering at the fall of the stronghold into our hands, and moreover, when I witnessed the surrender of such enormous multitudes of soldiers as they came out from the forts, trenches, and barracks, my wonder was increased. They were so numerous it took us full three days to complete the transfer of them all as prisoners. They numbered, in fact, 31,000 in all; and allowing for one-half as invalids, the rest, fifteen or sixteen thousand, must have been able-bodied, fighting men.

With regard to these troops we do not hesitate to admire their stubbornness and bravery so often displayed against us; but with so strong a position and still so many fine men, why were the Russians reduced to the point of surrender? What induced them to capitulate?

In my personal observation of the Russians at Port Arthur, what struck me most was their inordinate drinking of such liquors as whisky and vodka. Even at the time of surrender, both officers and men were found quite shamefully intoxicated. This disgraceful practice was found to be in vogue everywhere, together with that of excessive smoking, even in the hospitals. Judging from these, I easily conclude that their constant drinking and smoking reduced the troops to general incompetency, and was the principal cause of the fall of the Port Arthur stronghold.

A SOFT ANSWER.

An English tramp steamer had just been moored to a wharf in Boston. From her dingy hole there leaped upon the dock a man who was evidently a stoker. He was black with grime, reckless of face, eager for release from an almost unbearable confinement, and ready for any animal gratification, for which he could find opportunity.

As he emerged upon the main street, looking probably for the nearest saloon, he saw a colored woman walking sedately toward him, carrying a basket of apples. Full of mischief, the stoker stumbled against her, upset the basket upon the pavement, and then stood aside to laugh at the invectives which he supposed his trick would bring forth.

But the old colored woman did not even look at her tormentor. She bent and quietly picked up her apples. There was not even an expression of resentment upon her face. She bent here and stooped there, and when she had recovered her last apple she turned upon the astonished man with a pathetic dignity that forced respect, and said, in tones of simple kindness:

"God forgive you, my son, as I do."

The rudeness that had counted on a bitter berating was softened in an instant. The man's coarse lips parted, his hard eyes fell, he tried to speak, then he thrust his hands into his pockets and pulled out all the silver he had. This he forced upon the silent woman.

"Take it," he said, and then added, as she looked at him in astonishment, "God bless you, mother! I'll never do it again!"

That which is probably one of the hardest sayings of Christ to accept, one that has received the ridicule of centuries, is illustrated by this incident. The principle involved in the command to turn the other cheek to the smiter is utterly antagonistic to natural human impulse. "A soft answer turneth away wrath" is a form of presentation of the same principle, that in theory, at least, is somewhat readily acknowledged; and its truth was never more emphatically verified than in the incident we have described.—Youth's Companion.

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RUSSIA-JAPAN ATLAS.

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Treatment-Room Business for Sale

TO LET—The furnishings, apparatus, and good-will of a well-established treatment-room business in one of the best towns in California, on a rental or percentage basis. Liberal terms to the right person. If interested, write at once to St. Helena Sanitarium, Sanitarium, California.

GENERAL AGENTS WANTED.

To represent the E-Z Washing Tablets. Either sex. Also local agents. Terms free. Sample for sufficient for one month's washing for ten cents, stamps or silver. An honest article that any one can sell. Address, Alfred Mallett, Elkridge, Baltimore, Md.

The Atonement

THE ATONEMENT.—An examination of the remedial system in the light of nature and revelation. By J. H. Waggoner. This work is a critical and exhaustive treatise on the plan of salvation as revealed in the Scriptures, showing its harmony with the principles of justice and mercy, its consistency with reason, and its final results as affecting the destiny of the human race. Third edition, revised and enlarged, 368 pp. Cloth. Sent post-paid for 90 cents.

Address PUBLISHERS OF THIS PAPER.

OUR FORTHCOMING SPECIALS.

By Editor

THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES is set for the purpose of giving the last Gospel message of Revelation 14 to the world. And it gives it week by week, number by number. Yet that message is so broad, so comprehensive, that it is impossible to scarcely more than touch it in one issue. In fact, it takes an entire volume of the paper to develop that great message at all adequately.

Yet there are many who wish it presented in its various phases briefly. To do this, we propose to issue, beginning with the first week in October, four "Special Message" numbers, as follows:

The Sure Word of Prophecy and Christ's Coming.
The Sanctuary, The Gospel in Type and Antitype.
The Law, the Gospel, and the Sabbath.—"The Whole Duty of Man."
The Church Triumphant.

The above titles express only a part of that which each number will contain. Here is a suggestive list of the main articles so far as developed:

I. PROPHECY AND CHRIST'S COMING.

Object of Prophecy.
Prophecy May Be Understood.
Importance of Prophecy.
Alphabet of Symbolic Prophecy, Daniel 2.
God's View of the Nations, Daniel 7.
Christ Will Come Again. How? When?
What His Coming Means.
Christ Our Life.
The Only Power That Can Save, Acts 4:12.

II. THE SANCTUARY,—THE GOSPEL IN TYPE AND ANTITYPE.

The Gospel in Type.
The Sanctuary and Its Lessons.
The Priesthood in Type and Antitype.
The Day of Atonement and the Judgment.
The Wonderful Book—The Seven Seals.
The Closing Work of Our High Priest.
The Great Apostate Powers, Revelation 12 and 13.
Signs in the Heavens.
A Message of Preparation.

III. THE LAW, THE GOSPEL, AND THE SABBATH,—"THE WHOLE DUTY OF MAN."

The Eternal Law, The Everlasting Gospel.
The Bible Sabbath.
The First Day of the Week.
The Broken Hedge, Sabbath Changed in the Church.
Babylon—Its Character.
Principles of Babylon in Succeeding Ages.
The Reformation and America.
Encroachments on Freedom—Beast, Image, Mark.
Great Field of Prophecy.
Signs in the Earth.

IV. THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT.

A Spirit-Filled Church.
Requisite Conditions to.
Spiritual Gifts.
The Apostasy.
The Great Center of Sanctuary Service.
The Seal of God—Sabbath Restored.
God's Last Great Protest.
A Church Restored, and Triumphant.

Besides these our Home department will be full of precious instruction. There will be Bible-readings, poems, music, if there is room, many illustrations. Each number will have a specially-prepared front-page cover-design, attractive and appropriate to that issue.

This series ought to have a circulation, at the least calculation, of half a million. More about it in the future.

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