Earlier text: THE NEED OF A REVIVAL AND A REFORMATIONTHE COST OF SUCCESS.
By W. B. Foster
W. B. Foster, in Good Cheer. Most men in this world would elect to be in the ranks of the successful if it were not for the cost. Success does not come without effort, and the exercise, often, of a dogged perseverance and patience which few possess. There has been a great deal of talk lately regarding the “lack of opportunity” and the “impossibility of success” facing the coming generation. Here are two rules which will always carry a man to the summit of success: Find the work for which nature has fitted you. Having found it, persevere. This is a pretty swift age, and America is a swift country. The young man of to-day is not content to grow slowly; if his small store of to-day is not a huge “emporium” next year, he will feel himself far behind in the race. Many years ago there was a small manufacturer in the west of Scotland who for some time had been making a class of goods which had brought him some little local fame, but he wished to branch out and increase the output of his house; therefore, packing up a quantity of samples, he went to London and called upon one of the largest drapers of that city. He entered the crowded shop, with its throngs of customers and bustling clerks, and, after waiting a reasonable time, laid down his pack, put his bonnet and staff upon the counter, and in his broad dialect inquired for “the head o’ th’ hoose.” One of the clerks asked, in no kindly tone, what he wanted, and the old man “speered” in return as usual: “Want ye aught in my line, sir?” “No,” was the prompt reply, accompanied with a look of contempt at the mean appearance of the Scot. “Wull ye no tak’ a look at th’ gudes, sir?” queried the manufacturer. “No; I haven’t the time,” replied the clerk. “Take them away, take them away!” “Ye’ll aiblins [perhaps] find them worth while; and I doubt na but ye’ll buy,” said the old man; and he proceeded to untie his bundles. “Go away; go away!” repeated the clerk, but the persevering Scot kept on as if he did not hear. Finally the enraged clerk pushed the pack, with its now exposed contents, off the counter. “Get along!” he shouted. The manufacturer looked at the excited little fellow in amazement, but he did not lose his own temper. Casting his eyes over his scattered property, which lay at his feet, he said: “An’ wull ye no really buy aught? But ye dinna ken, for ye ha’ na seen the gudes yet.” So saying, he slowly gathered up his samples, and replaced them on the counter. “Get out of the shop, sir!” was the sharp order. “Air ye in earnest, frien’?” “I certainly am!” declared the clerk; and as a proof of his sincerity he picked up the Scot’s bonnet, and flung it out into the street. The tall old man stalked into the street, coolly picked up his head-gear, beat it two or three times on the doorpost to relieve it of the accumulated dust, and re-entered very composedly, looking across the counter with a broad smile at the clerk who had served him so meanly. “You was but an ill-faur’d turn; ye’ll sure tak’ a look at the gudes noo.” The master draper, who had stood all the while in the shop, feeling no little compunction for the unceremonious way in which the old man was being treated, now came forward and examined the samples himself. He found them to be articles of which he was really in need, and ended by giving the manufacturer an order which was the foundation of a great manufactory which has flourished for several generations. Most men would have stalked out of the draper’s shop in anger at the first rude rebuff; the man who persevered, even in the face of insult and ill treatment, succeeded. PRACTICAL HYDROTHERAPY.
By C. E. Stewart
Lesson 2. — Some Principles of Physiology.
In our last study we dealt largely with the nervous system, and incidentally called attention to the importance of the skin as a medium in which impulses which have a marked influence in modifying the various functions of the body, are generated. In this connection it will perhaps be profitable to outline in a brief manner the essential facts pertaining to the anatomy and physiology of the skin, so that we may more clearly understand why it is that in the application of hydriatic measures to the skin, such wonderful results are obtained in the treatment of disease. The adult man of average size has about seventeen square feet of skin, averaging about one eighth of an inch in thickness, and consisting of two parts: the outer, called the epidermis, or false skin; and an inner, the dermis, or true skin. The outer layer contains no blood vessels or nerves, and serves principally as a protective covering for the true skin, which contains blood vessels, nerves, sweat and sebaceous glands, yellow elastic and white fibrous tissues, involuntary muscle fibers, fat, and lymphatics. The hairs extend through the outer layer into the deeper parts of the true skin, where they receive their nourishment; the nails are likewise a part of the skin. The sweat glands, which are very numerous,—about 2,500,000 in all,—play an important part in the maintenance of health. They are very energetic, and secrete about two pints of fluid upon the surface of the body daily. Each gland is supplied with a blood vessel and several sympathetic nerve fibers. The functions of the skin are chiefly those of sensation, protection, secretion, excretion, and regulation of temperature. As an organ of sensation the skin plays a very important rôle, because its nerves are capable of responding to a great variety of stimuli. By means of it we can detect whether an object is hard or soft, whether it is hot or cold, and whether it produces pain or pleasurable sensation. No matter what the character of the stimulus is, the impulse it produces is conveyed to the spinal cord and brain. As an organ of protection the skin prevents the delicate underlying structures from injury; and the fact that the outer layer is tough and horny is of great service in this direction, especially in the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. As an organ of secretion and excretion it acts by means of the sweat glands in secreting a considerable amount of fluid from the blood which contains waste matter from the tissues, and in excreting it upon the surface of the skin. There is a reciprocal relation existing between the skin and the kidneys; the more fluid excreted by the skin, the less by the kidneys, and vice versa. In winter the skin is less active, while during warm weather the opposite condition exists. This is a very important fact, and one which should not be forgotten; for in many cases where the kidneys, on account of disease, cannot perform their normal functions, the skin, by increasing the activity of the sweat glands, may be made to eliminate much of the fluid and waste material that is ordinarily excreted by the kidneys. As a regulator of temperature the skin holds an important position. It equalizes the temperature by the evaporation of the moisture, which is excreted from the sweat glands upon its surface, and by radiation and conduction. Of all the heat given off from the body, 88 per cent passes off through the skin; of this amount 73.5 per cent is by radiation and conduction, and 14.5 per cent by evaporation. In order that the skin may perform its functions in a proper manner, it is necessary that it should be kept clean by frequent bathing. Unless this is done, the oily material which comes from the sebaceous glands of the skin, together with the solid matter of the perspiration remaining after the evaporation of the fluid, and other foreign material which is constantly accumulating on the skin, closes up the orifices of the perspiratory and sebaceous glands, and thus interferes with the elimination of the wastes of the body, the retention of which has a very deleterious effect upon the system. Through the influence of the elastic tissue and muscle fibers contained in the skin, it has the power of contracting thereby lessening the amount of fluid—both blood and lymph—contained in it. On account of this lessened amount of fluid, the skin is rendered less conductive, consequently less heat is eliminated. When the skin is cooled, either by coming in contact with a cold atmosphere or by an application of cold to the surface, one will observe that the skin becomes roughened—goose-flesh appearance—and bloodless. These phenomena are all due to the influence of cold upon the sensory nerves of the skin, which carry impulses to the spinal cord and the brain, where it is recognized that the body is becoming cooled too rapidly; consequently other impulses are started from the centers to the skin, causing the muscles, blood vessels, etc., to contract in order that the heat of the body may be conserved and as little eliminated as possible; at the same time the part of the nervous system which has to do with the regulation of heat within the body, conveys impulses to the heat-generating tissues, which at once proceed to manufacture more heat, in order that the normal temperature of the body be maintained. If instead of the skin being brought into contact with a cold atmosphere, it is brought into contact with one much warmer than itself, the opposite conditions will result,—the skin will become more or less relaxed, the color will become reddened on account of the increased amount of blood flowing through the skin, the sweat glands will also become more active, and through the evaporation of the moisture a more uniform temperature will be maintained. The more fluid there is evaporated, the cooler the skin becomes; this may be practically demonstrated by moistening the skin over the back of the hand or a finger, and then blowing upon it, or by allowing the wind to strike the moistened surface; the cooling noticed will be very appreciable; the test is so delicate that it is often used to ascertain from which direction the wind is blowing. We will now turn our attention to the study of the production of heat within the body. Every one is aware of the fact that the heat of the body must be maintained by heat generated within itself, and the query very naturally arises, How is this heat generated? Like all other functions of the body, that of heat production is under the control of the nervous system. The heat mechanism, as we are pleased to term it, consists of thermogenic (heat generating) nerves, thermogenic centers, and thermogenic tissues. The thermogenic centers are of three kinds: the thermo-accelerator, or heat increasing; the thermo-inhibitory, or heat diminishing; and the automatic, or governing, centers. The first two are located in the brain, and the latter in the spinal cord. The thermogenic tissues are the ones in which the heat is produced, the principal ones being the muscles and the large organs, such as the liver, lungs, heart, etc.; in fact, some heat is produced wherever there is vital activity. A dead body is of the same temperature as the surrounding atmosphere, while the temperature of a living body is independent of the temperature of its surroundings. On account of this fact, the term “vital heat” has been used to designate the heat generated within the body. The same life which performs all other bodily functions also causes the formation of the heat. The source of vital heat is found in the food eaten; not that the food as such conveys heat to the body, but that it contains within it the principles which may be changed to heat. During the digestion, absorption, and assimilation of food, chemical changes are constantly taking place, and are accompanied with the liberation of heat. The greatest amount of such chemical changes takes place in the muscles, and as the muscles make up the greatest proportion of the bulk of the body, most of the heat is produced in them. We also find a great deal of chemical change going on in the liver and other organs which are active; in fact, there are of necessity chemical changes going on wherever there is vital activity. The thermogenic centers and nerves have for their function the controlling of the amount of chemical change which takes place in the thermogenic tissues. The centers in the spinal cord act as governors, and can control the equilibrium up to a certain point; but when it gets beyond their reach, as in fevers or under abnormally cold surroundings, the inhibitors and accelerators are called upon. When too much heat is produced, the inhibitory centers send out impulses which cause a depression in the heat-producing tissues, and at the same time the blood vessels of the skin dilate, the heart beats faster, and the sweat glands pour forth their secretion more abundantly; all of which helps to eliminate the excessive amount of heat being formed, and in case the increased heat elimination keeps pace with the increased chemical changes no rise will result; but, on the contrary, if less heat is eliminated than is produced, a rise of temperature will result. In case the skin becomes cooled to such an extent that the centers within the cord cannot, through their influence, cause a corresponding increase in heat production, the accelerator centers are called upon, and they send impulses to the thermogenic tissues, which cause increased chemical changes, resulting in increased formation of heat. These increased chemical changes result from increased activity, and this is frequently noticed in the case of shivering which follows the contact of cold with the skin. A chill is always followed by a rise of temperature. The dog shivers to get warm. In case the amount of heat produced is equal to the amount of heat abstracted by the cold, no change of temperature will result; however, if the amount of heat withdrawn is greater than the amount produced, there will be a fall of temperature. These facts have a practical bearing upon the treatment of disease, especially fevers. By means of water of different temperatures heat production and heat elimination may be readily influenced. 1. What is the extent of skin area? and how many sweat glands does the skin contain? 2. What are the chief functions of the skin? 3. Through what agencies are we capable of perceiving pain, and withdrawing from danger? 4. In what way can the skin be made to perform part of the work of the kidneys? 5. How much perspiration is eliminated daily? and what does it contain? 6. How does the skin regulate temperature? 7. How much heat is eliminated by the skin? 8. How can heat elimination be increased and decreased? 9. What is vital heat, and how is it produced? 10. What is the heat mechanism? 11. How is heat production controlled? 12. In what ways can the skin be influenced so as to produce changes in the production of vital heat? Ministers Called to Hold Forth the Word of Life
By Ellen G. White
IN their obedience to physical laws they [ministers] are to hold forth the word of life to the people, and lead up higher and still higher in the work of reform.—Mrs. E. G. White. CHRIST'S MISSION TO THE EARTH.
By S. N. Haskell
WHEN Christ met humanity in humanity, “they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils: and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed ALL that were sick; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” Here, in this act of healing all that were sick, so that whole towns were left without a sick person, was a fulfilling of the testimony of the prophet in Isa. 53:4: “Our diseases did He bear himself, and our pains He carried.”—Leeser's translation. Again: in 1 Peter 2:24 is another quotation from the same verse: “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” In Matthew this thought is applied to the healing of the sick in our present state; in Peter it is applied to His bearing our sins on the tree. The death on the cross paid the price not only for the transgressions of the divine law of God, but at the same time purchased for man redemption for the violation of physical law. In other words, it was redemption of soul and body. In violating physical law, moral law was also violated, and it required nothing less than the death of Christ to purchase salvation for man's physical fall as well as for his moral fall. This not only connects the two, but it sets a value upon the health of every man as much as on the preservation of the soul. When we place this value upon the health question, it will become as much an object of interest to learn how best to preserve our health as to know how we can be saved. Christ's healing the sick when upon the earth was an object lesson of His healing the soul. “Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know, that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins (then saith He to the sick of the palsy), Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.” When the laws of our being are disregarded, we reject the healing power of God. In rejecting this we are rejecting the higher and greater healing of the soul, of which bodily healing is only a type. Why was Christ's life so largely spent among the sick? and why is more said about His healing them than about any other one thing, if it is not to make manifest His interest in behalf of the health of His people? A Revival of the Study and Practical Application of the Physical Side of Spiritual Truth in its Relation to the Second Advent of Our Lord. “PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD.” W. T. BLAND
By W. T. Bland
PRINCIPLES OF PEDAGOGICS FOR HOME AND SCHOOL GOVERNMENT.—No. 3.
My reason for taking up, at the very beginning in this series of papers, the subject of government, is not because I believe it of greatest importance, but because it is a fact that more failures, both in the home and in the school, come from the lack of a thorough understanding of this one subject than from any other cause,—possibly all others combined; also because so many are willing to enter upon duties that really require such a knowledge without first having given the matter due consideration and study. I have endeavored to emphasize the idea of self-government, not that this is by any means all that is necessary, but because it is one of the first, if not the very first, essential necessary to success. It is very important that both parent and teacher understand and put into practice the principles of self-government, then they should just as carefully teach these principles to the children in the home and the pupils at school. Upon investigation it will be found that the best-ordered home or school is where these methods are followed out most carefully. The home is naturally and rightfully the first school. Here are received the first impressions and the first lessons. Nothing is more important than that these be carefully and wisely imparted; for much in the after years of the child’s life depends upon this early instruction. For this reason parents should be wise teachers. Upon them devolve great responsibilities. They must be faithful students themselves in order that they may be intelligent instructors. Too many have acted upon the idea that because the child should not be sent to school until it is eight or ten years old, it should receive no instruction, but should be allowed to run and do as its fancy dictates. Parents acting upon this plan make a most serious mistake. The fact is the child’s training and instruction should begin at its birth, and should be faithfully pursued until the child is able and ready to leave the home roof. Every child is born with certain inherited tendencies. Some of these begin to manifest themselves very early in life. The wise parent will make a careful study of these tendencies, for some of them will need to be broken up, or at least the child will need to be assisted in overcoming them. Others will need to be just as carefully cultivated. A child may very early in life manifest a violent temper, which, if allowed to run, will finally gain the mastery. Another may be obstinate or stubborn by nature, and if these traits are permitted to develop, it will soon be impossible to give the child that instruction or training necessary for its future proper growth and development. Still another may be naturally destructive, possessing a passion to kill or destroy. And so I might mention many others, but these are enough to illustrate the point under consideration. In the wisdom of God these inherited tendencies usually manifest themselves at different periods in the child’s life, thus giving the parent the opportunity of grappling with them one by one. If this is properly done, if the first bad symptom is mastered before the second one puts in an appearance, the battle is half won for the second, and each succeeding victory will be easier. If, however, this is not done for the child, and these evil tendencies are permitted to become fixed habits, each one will aid and inflame the next, until at last the life is wrecked, or its otherwise future usefulness destroyed. Some one has said that “life is a bundle of habits,” and this is true, at least to a certain extent; for much that we do is done from force of habit. Now, many of these habits are formed early in life, and here again the parent’s efforts are greatly needed. Oh that every habit formed by the little child were good and proper, and that every evil tendency were broken up as soon as it presents itself! Then would our homes and schools be ideal places; then would the young grow up into strong, useful manhood and womanhood. Parents should see to it that their children are taught habits of regularity, order, neatness, industry, politeness, and thoughtfulness. Do not put these things off, hoping they will be learned at school, for many times it will then be too late. It is not necessary that the child be taught to read and write first. No, let these habits be carefully fixed first, and early in life, and let it be done by the parent, and the rest of the training and education will come easy. “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” is a text that should be indelibly stamped upon the mind of every parent. It takes but a moment to commit it to memory, yet to every parent expresses an obligation that is great, and a responsibility that should neither be neglected nor shifted. It will require study, tact, and patience, perseverance. Do not blame the child for the inherited traits that are so objectionable,—they can doubtless be traced back to a legitimate119source,—but work faithfully to have these removed. It will require a study of the individual child, a correct knowledge of the different tendencies to be dealt with, and a successful carrying out of proper principles in each individual case. No two children are alike, and the methods used in successfully training one child may be of no use in the training of another, even in the same family; hence the necessity of studying the individual child. But the parent should remember that while he is studying the child, the child is perhaps just as diligently making a careful study of the parent, and that often it is the keener of the two in its diagnosis. Especially is the child quick to discover a weakness in the parent’s methods of government and discipline, and invariably to take advantage of the same. The ordinary child, even at an early age, is not slow in learning that the parent who habitually scolds is to be dreaded only because of the scolding, that “no” will be converted into the desired “yes” by a process of teasing, or to watch the mood of the parent before making a questionable request. Thus by carefully studying and taking advantage of these weak points in the parent, the child soon becomes the master of the situation. But if parents will begin early with their work of training their children, studying diligently to know the mind of the Lord, and to put into practice the principles He has laid down in the word; if they will later on co-operate with the faithful teacher in his efforts for the children; if all are diligent in instilling into the minds and hearts a deep love for God and His truth, they may every one verify the text quoted. THE PHYSICAL FOUNDATION FOR SIN.
By G. H. Heald
“Satan knows that he cannot overcome man unless he can control his will. He can do this by deceiving man so that he will co-operate with him in transgressing the laws of nature.”—Mrs. E. G. White, Jan. 11, 1897. This most important statement gives a key to Satan’s hold on the human race. The enemy has no control over a will which has not been yielded to him. “To whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.” Rom. 6:16. Satan’s only power on those not already under his control is his power to deceive. He began his work on this earth by deceiving Eve: “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” He will continue to deceive until cast into the bottomless pit, when his deceptions will cease for one thousand years. Rev. 20:3. “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations.” Rev. 20:7, 8. His work is always a work of deception. Man’s only protection against the deception of Satan is to know and believe God’s word. “It is written” is more than a match for all Satan’s temptations. But if man is not fully established on the rock of God’s word (Matt. 7:24), he is deceived by the enemy, yields to his suggestions, and thus becomes his servant. One of the most common deceptions to which man is subjected is that against which we are warned in Gal. 6:7: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption.” Man is constantly being deceived with the thought that he can ignore the laws of health, and yet avoid the penalty. Being thus deceived, man co-operates with Satan by transgressing the laws of health, which are the laws of God. As the ostrich, when it has its head in the sand, feels safe because it cannot see its pursuers, so man feels safe in the violation of the laws of his being, because he does not realize in his body an immediate punishment of his rashness. “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” Eccl. 8:11. The world teems with diseases in myriad forms. The sons of men come to an untimely end through transgression, and yet few are wise enough to detect the cause and avoid it. “A prudent man forseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.” Prov. 22:3. But what has a man’s care of his body to do with his service to God?—Everything. In the first place, God commands it. He, the Creator of our bodies, requires that they be kept in perfect condition for His service. “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Cor. 6:19, 20. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Cor. 10:31. Again: it is impossible to worship God properly, or to understand Him, with a mind clouded by ill health, the result of improper living. It is impossible to glorify God when body and mind are warped through misuse. It is impossible for a nervous dyspeptic to manifest patience, forbearance, and other Christian virtues under trying circumstances. Only those who by temperance have maintained a sound mind in a sound body can glorify God. The Master, casting His eye down the ages, saw just prior to His second coming a condition similar to the time of the flood—men eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage; and this in excess, as is indicated by His warning to His own followers who are living in the last days: “Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting [overeating], and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.” Luke 21:34. Foreseeing the tendency to gluttony which would characterize the last days, the Lord has faithfully warned His people; so the gospel of health, the health reform message, while applicable in all ages, is present truth for this generation. Many, even of those who profess to be looking for the soon-coming Lord, have been deceived into believing that the care of the health is a matter of minor importance, whereas the Lord has admonished us: “As we near the close of time, we must rise higher and still higher upon the question of health reform and Christian temperance, presenting it in a more positive and decided manner. We must strive continually to educate the people, not only by our words, but by our practice.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. VI, page 112. An Old-Fashioned Woman.
By L. M. Montgomery
No clever, brilliant thinker she,
With college record and degree,
She has not known the paths of fame,
The world has never heard her name,
She walks in old, long-trodden ways,
The valleys of the yesterdays. Home is her kingdom, love her dower —
She seeks no other wand of power
To make home sweet, bring heaven near,
To win a smile and wipe a tear,
And do her duty day by day
In her own quiet place and way. Around her childish hearts are twined,
As round some reverend saint enshrined,
And following hers the childish feet
Are led to ideals true and sweet,
And find all purity and good
In her divinest motherhood. She keeps her faith unshadowed still —
God rules the world in good and ill;
Men in her creed are brave and true,
And women pure as pearls of dew,
And life for her is high and grand,
By work and glad endeavor spanned. This sad old earth’s a brighter place
All for the sunshine of her face;
Her very smile a blessing throws,
And hearts are happier where she goes,
A gentle, clear-eyed messenger,
To whisper love — thank God for her! — L. M. Montgomery, in The Congregationalist. CHIEF POKAGON, of the Pottawattamies, a full-blooded Indian, who died last year, wrote a book called the “Queen of the Woods,” apparently a sketch of his own life. The following passage from it is of real interest, enhanced by the circumstances of the writer:— “A few years since, as I passed through the peach belt of southwestern Michigan, I noticed in many of the peach orchards along my route men were at work digging up the trees, root and branch, and burning them. I also observed that many of the trees were loaded with ripe fruit of red and crimson intermixed, tempting to behold, which was also burned with them. I made careful inquiry for the cause of such wanton destruction, and was told the trees were diseased with a contagion known as the ‘yellows,’ and that the charming ripe fruit I had seen was premature and diseased, and that it was known among fruit growers as ‘mock peaches,’ and further, that the State of Michigan had decreed that all such diseased trees must be destroyed; and if the orchard owners neglected to do so, the State of Michigan would destroy them at the owners’ expense, and subject them to the payment of a fine of one hundred dollars in each case, and imprisonment if not paid. To-day I passed over the same route again; and where eight years ago the land was cursed with dying trees and mock peaches, I beheld, spread out before me in every direction, beautiful orchards loaded with rich, ripe fruit, red-cheeked and in the bloom of health, which, in contrast with the dark-green foliage of the trees, presented a living picture which excited my heart to cry out, ‘Behold Eden’s garden of the nineteenth century.’ Men, women, and children, with jest and jeer, with laugh and merry song, on every hand were picking and packing the fruit, while others, with teams, were hauling it away, some to the railroad and some to the lake for shipment, while the employed and the employer were happy alike, and rejoiced together.” “Now let Pokagon ask in all candor, What brought about this mighty change from adversity to prosperity, from death to life? But one answer can be given: ‘The State of Michigan did it.’ With a single blow of her right arm she crushed the widespread contagion, and yet there are many who still dare say, unblushingly, in both public and private life, in the face of such convincing facts and thousands of like cases, ‘that no law can be enforced to prohibit the sale and manufacture of intoxicating drinks.’” “My native brains are indeed puzzled to understand how it is that the incoming white race by their intelligence and skill have invented instruments whereby they can measure the heavens above, and declare of what substance the stars are composed; who have provided means whereby they can travel at ease in palaces, sweeping above rivers and through mountains, outstripping in their course the flight of birds in their migration; who have provided means whereby they can enjoy parlor life while crossing oceans in the teeth of the wildest storms; who have perfected inventions whereby they can rise above the eagle in his flight, or descend into the depths of the sea, where fish can scarcely swim; whose subtle brains have devised means whereby they can talk, as though face to face, around the globe; whose ingenuity can successfully bottle up speech whereby generations yet unborn may listen to the voices of their forefathers; from whose brains emanated that marvelous invention by means of which a button pressed by the fingers of a child causes mountains to be rent asunder and torn down, or the granite bottom of the sea uplifted and broken in pieces. All these wonderful achievements the white men have accomplished, and yet they dare have the effrontery to declare to all the world by words and deeds, regardless of their marvelous works almost divine, that they are not able to provide means whereby they can destroy that great devil-fish which their own hands have fashioned and launched upon the sea of human life, whose tentacles reach out to do their wicked work alike into wigwams and palaces, into schools and colleges, into halls of legislation and courts of law, and all unsought, crushes in its coils the heart of the young bride, the wife, the mother, and the little child. Now if it be true the dominant race lacks the power to bind down and destroy that monstrosity born of their own race, then it must also be true that the moral science of good government, for the best good of all the people, has not kept pace with their remarkable discoveries and improvements. At this very time some of the best brains of our country are laboring night and day to provide instruments whereby the seed of disease, or any foreign substance, may be seen in the human body to aid surgery in relieving the afflicted.” “The people are wildly clapping their hands over it, and shouting loud acclaim; and yet these benevolent men of giant research and their votaries, as well as many of our political and moral scientists, cannot or will not see in broad daylight the curse of the glass between the lips of our boys and young men who are rushing down the toboggan slide of shame into the broad gateway of physical ruin and moral death.” “It is well for the agriculturist to study chemistry, so that he may understand the property of the soil, and prepare it for the golden grain. But he who would so prepare his land, and plant it with the best of seed, and then allow the grass and the noxious weeds to choke out the young and tender plants, would be considered foolish with all his wisdom. Our country is one vast field for our cultivation; science, with a lavish hand, has given us ample means to dress and take care of it, and yet, to the shame of this nation, cigarette weeds, whisky weeds, and all manner of vicious weeds are running over it, demoralizing alike the young men and the little boys. Fathers and mothers, Pokagon asks you in the name of the sons of the forest; he asks you in the name of the Great Spirit of his fathers and yours; in the name of humanity and Christianity, and by all that is sacred and dear to mankind, Is it not your duty to destroy these deadly weeds, root and branch? Ancient and modern history, written and traditional, both declare most emphatically that in order to attain to the most perfect type of civilization for the best good of all, the people must be equally developed, morally, mentally, and physically. And yet it must appear to every candid-thinking man, as he beholds intemperance sweeping our land like a prairie on fire, scorching all that is fair and lovely, that the lack of moral education to map out proper legislation is the most lamentable defect of the present age.” AN APPEAL TO MOTHERS.
By M. W. H.
By the blessing of God, I have been cured of a state of mental blindness of long standing, and I wish to say a few words in behalf of the children. Dear mothers, let us love our children more; not foolishly nor selfishly, but with the love of God; and not only love them, but let them know that we love them. Perhaps some will say: “Of course we love them, and they know we do. Do we not feed, clothe, and watch over them, and do a thousand things that prove we love them?” Ah! but children do not gauge our love by these things. They need to grow up and have children of their own in order to realize the care, anxiety, and self-sacrifice they have cost. I said the same thing when God showed me that I was keeping love locked in my heart which I ought to be using every day; but when, after a few days of living the love I felt, my youngest girl said, “Why, mama, I did not know you loved me,” the unconscious rebuke cut me to the quick. Dear sister, it may be that your little one does not know “mama loves her.” In the name of Jesus, tell her while you have her, and prove by your life that you do love her. Let us be very careful when we have occasion to correct or admonish our children to do it in love, and to show them that because we love them, we must be faithful to the trust God has given us. And when we make a mistake, let us frankly acknowledge it, and ask their forgiveness. Try it. I have, and nothing I ever did brought my children so near to me. Let us remember the fate of Eli, and ever keep in mind that the little ones are the lambs of the Lord’s flock, and that it were better for one “that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and be cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” Dear busy mothers, take time to show your children that you love them. It will not take long, and then they can see your love for them in all that you do. Of course we should live the love of Christ in all our relations in our home and outside of it, but our children need it most. They are starving for it, and it will not be long before they will go out to others for the love which is their due from us, and our opportunity will be gone. May God open the eyes of those who are blind, that they may not lose their opportunity. God help us not to overlook the duties nearest us in our eagerness for larger ones, and forbid that a home should be marred, or one of His little ones lost, through any carelessness or neglect of ours. Children, Obey Your Parents in the Lord
“CHILDREN, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Eph. 6: 1-4.