Earlier text: JESUS MADE LOWER THAN THE ANGELSAN INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT WORLD-WIDE PROBLEM.
By H. F. Phelps
The Literary Digest of August 31 has a short article with quotations from various papers on “The Sunday Problem in America,” in which it points out what is well known, that the question is not a matter of interest in New York City alone, but “many other cities, large and small, are confronted with various aspects of the Sunday question.” After referring to some of these local issues, the Digest says:— “In view of these different local controversies, the general question of Sunday observance in this country is receiving consideration in the press, and some interesting reflections have been elicited with regard to the actual and probable changes in our treatment of the day.” The Digest then gives quotations from the Manchester Mirror and American, the Springfield Republican, New York Evening Post, and the Evangelist, the last of which declares:— “The great majority of the people want Sunday as a day of rest.” Whether the above statement is true or not, the politicians are coming to believe its constant reiteration from the religious press and pulpit. But this we will not now discuss. What we wish to point out right here is that the Sunday question, or the Sabbath question, is not a local question in any sense. It is not an American problem exclusively; it is not an English or French or German or Russian or Swiss problem. It is a vital problem of all these countries. Already it is facing Japan, and soon, very soon, it will be world-wide in its agitation, in its decision, in its results. Though purely a religious and church question properly, it has become a political question most emphatically. It has in the last quarter century as never before been pressed upon all the various Legislatures of our states and the Congress of the Federal Government, as well as upon the governments of other nations. The various organizations of laboring men, the religious or semi-religious organizations of the country, the mercantile and trade associations, and, it may be safely said, every organization of political or religious influence, has had the question pressed upon it for decision. Those who have thus put forward the Sunday question for recognition and action are in nearly all cases professed ministers of the Gospel of Christ. Among the ablest champions of this politico-religio regime are the National Reform Association, the W. C. T. U., the Y. P. S. C. E., the general conventions of the great denominations, the Epworth League, the Prohibition conventions, the Law and Order Leagues, and many hypocritical politicians who trim their sails to catch the popular breeze. Why this American-wide, this world-wide agitation? The chief advocates of the Sunday sabbath declare that the nation’s life hangs on the question. It does. They claim that from the Bible and moral standpoint there is no more important question. There is not. And for this reason they clamor in legislative halls or in political assemblies for Sunday laws and demand their enforcement. But the question is a religious question, a Bible question. If the prosperity, the morality, the vitality of the nation depend on the decision of the question, how important to decide aright! America is said to be a “Christian country,” Sunday the “Christian sabbath.” Well, the Bible is the Christian book, the standard of all creeds, the basis of all Christian institutions, or should be, and according to professed Protestants is. Now ought not the Bible to decide the question in the minds of all Christians? If not, why not? And if it does, according to the Christian standard, what day is the Christian Sabbath?—Surely the day which Christ taught, which Christ observed. But this is not the Sunday, the first day of the week; it is the seventh day of the week, “the Sabbath of Jehovah,” “the Lord’s day.” It is God’s time to agitate this side of the question. His message calling men’s attention to this is now going to the world, and its mighty truths are acknowledged by millions who do not observe them, by many thousands who do. Now can the United States, can any government or state, afford to decide against God? That is what they are doing, however, when Sunday is enforced as the sabbath. And this fact is emphasized in a half dozen states of this country, where those who have suffered from the Sunday laws are those who are observing the same Sabbath that Christ observed. That government which sets itself against God is doomed to ruin. The Sunday question is therefore a vital question for the world. But we do not mean by the above that the Sabbath of the Bible, the day kept by our Lord, should be enforced by law; far from it. The Sabbath is a matter between the soul and God. Civil governments have no business with it, any more than they have with the question of baptism or the Lord’s supper. No more than the man on the Tiber has any government, any man, or set of men the right to put themselves in the place of God. It inevitably results in the persecution of the honest and the inevitable ruin of those who set themselves against God by assuming his prerogatives. We might say more, how that God has pointed out the change of the Sabbath and predicted the message of restoration for these days, but that is not our purpose. Let the reader mark this: The Sabbath and Sunday questions, religious and political, are world wide and vital to every soul and nation. Shall we decide by the standard of God’s word and the life of Christ, or by tradition and civil law? the ultimate object of the League is to secure a repeal of Sunday laws. It will give the enemies of the true Sabbath another opportunity to class those who will stand for the principle of obedience to God’s written word and in defense of the inalienable rights of all men, with the saloon element; as stated by a recent writer: “Those who honor the Bible Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of law and order, as breaking down the moral restraints of society, causing anarchy and corruption, and calling down the judgments of God upon the earth. Their conscientious scruples will be pronounced obstinacy, stubbornness, and contempt of authority. They will be accused of disaffection toward the government. A false coloring will be given to their words; the worst possible construction will be put upon their motives.” Such a crisis is before us. Are we ready for the conflict? H. F. PHELPS. “THOU SHALT NOT WORK,” “SUNDAY LAWS,” “SUPERIOR’S BLUE LAWS.”
The above are the titles of a news item from West Superior, Wis., as appears in the morning papers of the 28th of August. It appears that the Law and Order League of that city made threats that the Sunday laws should be enforced as interpreted by the ancient blue laws, and they are now giving proof that they intend to be as good as their word. C. R. Fridley is the attorney of the League, and complaints have been made against ten different parties, representing the candy, tobacco, news, fruit, boating, drugs, and street car traffic. In stating the object of the League, Judge Fridley said that “It is a mistake to suppose that the Law and Order League is made up entirely of liquor dealers. They are and will be the most active in carrying out the purposes of the League, because they are the most interested; but persons of other kinds of business and in the professions are members of the organization and in sympathy with its purposes. The intention of the League is to do just what it claims—to prosecute all offenses against the Sunday laws until everything is closed up or else everything is open on Sunday. The purpose is not to get the authorities to compromise with the saloon men or to run the town, but it is to get an expression of public sentiment on the question of the enforcement of the blue laws which will be decisive. All offenders against the Sunday laws will be promptly, vigorously, and persistently prosecuted until this question is settled. A test case will be made as to the right of the street car company to operate its road on Sunday, and if we are successful, there will be no more street cars desecrating the sabbath with their diabolical noise.” Here, then, is another element by which the man-made sabbath will be exalted before the world, and by which men will be compelled to worship the beast and his image and to receive the mark of his name. Of course no one can definitely predict as to the outcome of this particular movement; but without doubt it will be a compromise. No doubt Parliament of Religions and Declining Missionary Faith
By Editor
REFERENCES to the Parliament of Religions held in connection with the World's Fair at Chicago are still heard from various sources, and the more thoughtful of them speak in nothing but deploring terms of the exhibit at that time of modern Christianity and the western religions. The Living Church, of Chicago, ascribes a general falling off in missionary offerings during the past two years partly to the influence of the Parliament, as the representatives of heathen religions received the impression, and so scattered the report in their own lands, that Christianity was a failure, or no better than their own religions. This feeling, too, it claims, has spread to a more or less extent among Christians themselves. What a criticism upon the so-called popular Christianity of our times! No wonder that people desiring consistency in religion are losing faith in a profession having within it no divine power. To all such we would say, Turn from the false teachers and theories to Christ himself as revealed in his word. Study that word for yourselves. Therein is light and power which will sweep away the sophistry of western as well as eastern heathenism. And yet, the former display not being satisfactory, it is now proposed in certain quarters to convene another similar assembly. It will then no doubt be discovered that the eastern and western religions will have approached still closer in a common bond of fellowship. But can it be said that the standard of either will be raised? I HOLD this true—whoever wins
Man's highest stature here below,
Must grow, and never cease to grow—
For when growth ceases death begins.
— Alice Cary. Inscription Found in an Old Bible
WHEN thou readest what here is writt,
Let thy best practice second it;
So twice each precept read shall be—
First in ye booke, and nexte in thee.
—Inscription found in an old Bible. Look Up! Look Up! A Father's Loving Eye
By Anna Maria Sargeant
Look up! look up!
A Father's loving eye o'erlooketh all;
Nay, more—he all upholds, however small;
Unknown to him, a sparrow cannot fall.
Look up! look up!
—Anna Maria Sargeant. Verse on Walking in Self-Chosen Night
By Solomon Solis Cohen
Let him walk in the gloom whose will.
Peace be with him. But whence is his right
To assert that the world is in darkness because
he has turned from the light,
Or to seek to o’ershadow my day with the pall of
his self-chosen night?”
—Solomon Solis Cohen. Age, Strength, and Temperance: Reflections in Verse
By T. T. Munger
Though I look old, yet I am strong and lusty;
For in my youth I never did apply
Hot and rebellious liquors to my blood,
Nor did with unbashful forehead woo
The means of weakness and debility;
Therefore my age is as a lusty winter,
Frosty but kindly.
—T. T. Munger. POOR BROTHER BROWN!
By Mrs. Ogden Lewis
Yes, poor Brother Brown. His feelings were so often wounded by his brethren; they did not seem to have brotherly love for him, and his heart was grieved over the many remarks that were made reflecting on him. One day, after a certain brother had nearly “killed” him, he decided to walk out by himself to brood over his trials and pity himself—as no one else would—so thought he. As he came near the border of the woods, he noticed a party of boys stoning a mud turtle. He hastened to the spot, while the boys ran farther away, continuing the stoning. As he drew near, it put out its head, but as the stones came, it drew its head back within its hard shell. Said Brother Brown:— “That reminds me of the way my brethren stone me. You poor little turtle; there’s no one to pity. How it must frighten you! How it must hurt your feelings!” At that moment a ragged little waif rushed out from the corner of the rail fence, saying:— “Why, mister, he don’t keep his feelings out where they can get hurt. He hides them in his shell.” “What are his feelings, my little lad? what do you know about a turtle’s feelings?” “Why, sure,” said the boy, “his feelings is hisself, o’ course.” “Ah, that strikes me forcibly!” said Brother Brown. His feelings are himself. My feelings are myself; and I must not keep them out where they can get hurt. Like the turtle, I must hide them.” A deep sigh, and he whispered, “Lord, I give myself to thee.” A change came over his countenance as he said, “Where do you live, my boy?” “O, anywhere and everywhere!” “Dead,” and the tears came thick and fast. “Why, how do you get along in this world with no friends? Are people kind to you?” “O, I guess so! I don’t stop to think much about that; mama told me when she was dying that I must learn to have no feelings and I would be happier and get along better. I sleep most anywhere nights, and the hotel keeper lets me have leavings from the tables to eat, and that’s good enough for me; so I get along somehow, and feel happy only when I think of mama. Papa died ’fore I was born, and she left me with relatives who turned me out o’ doors, but I don’t let it hurt my feelings, ’cause I ’member what she told me.” Brother Brown’s heart was softened, and the dirty little hand was placed in the large, strong hand, as the two walked on together. When he could control his voice (for he had been weeping), he said:— “Little boy, you shall have father, mother, and home as long as I live, if you will walk home with me. I have a nice home and all heart could wish for, but have been a selfish man, and you and the turtle have taught me a lesson. Thank God.” The two went rejoicing, and Heaven alone knows which of the two was the happier. That night Brother Brown prayed:— “Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide mySELF in thee.” And the next Sabbath the blessing of the Lord rested upon him as he told the story of the boy and the turtle and confessed his sin. His brethren, one after another, arose and expressed their love for him, told how they had tried to help him, and how many times they had united their petitions in his behalf. SELF had misrepresented their motives and caused all his sorrow. Now SELF was hid with Christ in God, and all the poor in the place knew it. How do you think they found it out? BEWARE of harshness; for the Lord
Is judge, and you but clay.
Be pitiful, be pitiful,
In all you do and say. Remember this: you also have
A weakness, and ere long
The test will come to you, and then
Will you be brave and strong? Perchance your feet may slip, perchance
Your lamp of faith grow dim.
Ah, then you'll need a helping hand
To lead you back to Him! Excuse not sin, but kindly seek
With tender words to show
The erring one his fault, and thus
To lead his heart from woe. And then, when fiery trials come,
Upon your bended knee,
With confidence look up and pray,
“Show pity, Lord, to me.” A TREE OF BIBLICAL KNOWLEDGE.
THE Bible contains 3,566,480 letters, 810,697 words, 31,175 verses, 1,189 chapters, and 66 books; longest chapter is the 119th psalm; the shortest and middle chapter is the 117th psalm; the middle verse is the 8th of the 118th psalm. The longest name is in the 8th chapter of Isaiah. The word “and” occurs 46,627 times. The 37th chapter of Isaiah and the 19th chapter of the 2d book of Kings are alike. The longest verse is the 9th of the 8th chapter of Esther; the shortest, the 35th of the 11th chapter of John. The 21st verse of the 7th chapter of Ezra is the only one of the entire collection which contains every letter in the alphabet. The word “Lord,” or its equivalent, “Jehovah,” occurs 7,698 times in the Old Testament; or, to be more exact, the word “Lord” occurs 1,853 times, and the word “Jehovah” 5,845 times. The word “God” does not occur in the book of Esther, BUT THERE IS WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE, HOLINESS, AND LOVE IN EVERY CHAPTER OF THE ENTIRE WORK. —Detroit Free Press. THE valuable qualities of borax, if more generally known, would insure it a warm reception from every well-informed, progressive housewife. It should find a place in the laundry closet, and on the toilet stand of my lady's dainty boudoir. To wash flannels use one level teaspoonful to each pail of cold water. For starch use one teaspoonful to each quart. If the hair has a superabundance of oil, use a half teaspoonful to a quart of water for occasional washes. A strong solution of borax is said to be useful in stopping ringworm. Borax and vaseline, applied after the skin has been thoroughly washed with castile soap, will greatly benefit one suffering from eczema. Borax, beloved by the housewife, is disliked by two of her enemies, cockroaches and ants, and if it be plentifully sprinkled about their haunts, they will speedily depart.—Church Union, N. Y. THE Saint Paul Pioneer Press gave a column article some time ago on the case of a woman in that city made insane by excessive coffee drinking. A physician of that city, Dr. Lee, tells the truth of the matter in thus speaking of both coffee and tea:— Caffeine [the active principle of coffee] is a poison which acts on the nervous center and finally destroys the mind, but when the poison is taken away the person afflicted will recover. It will be a hard fight, no doubt, for the passion for this form of poison is as strong as the craving, will-destroying passion for opium. If she recovers she will always be in danger of falling back into the habit, just as a reformed opium eater or drinker of alcoholic beverages is always liable to become again addicted to the use of his favorite poison. The demand for the poison is always in the system, and if it is quickened by any indulgence, no matter how small, the person afflicted stands in immediate danger of being overcome with the burning desire to satisfy the cravings for the poison with which his system is filled. Mrs. Lindberg will have to abstain entirely from the use of coffee when she comes from the hospital. Tea has the same action upon the human body, when taken in excess. This we find to be true with the tea tasters, who break down physically from introducing too great quantities of the tea poison into their bodies. It would be just as natural for a person to become a “tea drunkard” as a “coffee drunkard.” I do not think there is any danger in cutting off a person thus addicted from the poison under the influence of which they are living. Mrs. Lindberg will no doubt be deprived of her coffee at the asylum; but, if she is watched, she will not be in any danger. It is certainly a very interesting and extraordinary case, and I am going to watch it as closely as I can. The better way to do, and, it seems to us, the Christian way, is to entirely abstain from these beverages. They do no good, and are feeders to other forms of intemperance. Why should a Christian use them? 1 Cor. 10:31. It has always been claimed that the finest lager beer made anywhere in the world is the Munich beer, of Germany. But now comes from Dr. Bollinger the statement that there are few adult persons in Munich with sound hearts and kidneys, and he attributes it to Munich beer. It overloads the heart, and the strain weakens it. It overtaxes the kidneys, and they are injured. Formerly the healthy peasants from the country came into the city in numbers sufficient to keep up the stamina of the citizens, but now the beer is sent into the country and the peasant population have weak hearts and kidneys too. There is no remedy for this but total abstinence.—Christian Statesman. PIONEER MISSION WORK IN SOUTH AFRICA.
We find that as early as 1742 the first evangelical missionary went to South Africa, the devoted Schmidt, of the Moravian Church. He did some successful work, but after a time met with such opposition that he was compelled to leave, not, however, until he had baptized his first Hottentot converts, two of whom were women, the first fruits of the South African church. Some fifty years afterward the London Missionary Society sent Robert Moffat and his devoted wife, Mary. Into midnight darkness went this refined, educated young Scotch woman. It was her task to be a pioneer, to lay the foundations of woman's work, which was accomplished under untold difficulties. She must be her own cook, for none of the natives knew how to cook. If they did, they would not help her for any consideration. She must do her own washing, for none of the natives ever heard of such a thing as cleanliness, and they were far too lazy to even12learn how to wash. And her domestic work must be done with few conveniences or none, in a wattled hut with an earth floor, with not even the dream of a “kitchen.” Into this hut came one, two, or twenty native women, filling the space, prying into everything, nearly or quite naked, and leaving a daub of red or yellow ochre wherever their skin happened to touch anything. The Christian woman they regarded as a curiosity, to be laughed at, abused, or robbed, as it pleased them. When her back was turned, they all with one accord seized any article they could lay their hands on and made off with it. If she remonstrated, a stick of wood or a stone was thrown at her head. Whenever the hut was left alone, they would steal all the food and whatever else they wanted. “Hoping all things, enduring all things,” for fifty years she labored, and was permitted to see marvelous changes in the condition of South African women.—Gospel in All Lands. MOHAMMEDANISM
By D. J. Burrell
The name “Islam,” by which the religion of Mohammed is characterized, is from a root signifying “to be at rest.” The name means, therefore, submission to the divine will. The Mohammedans say there are four foundations of their faith:— - The Koran, or Scriptures of God.
- Hadith, or Traditional Sayings of Mohammed.
- The Ijma, or Consensus of the Fathers, held to be final authority in questions not definitely settled by the Koran and traditions.
- The Quias, or Reasonings of the Learned, a text-book for Mohammedan schools.
The authority of the Koran is held to be final and absolute in questions pertaining not only to theology, but also to science, philosophy, and civil government. The book must not be touched with unwashed hands, and the eyes of an unbeliever must never gaze upon it. The Moslem living reveres it as a veritable fetish, and dying clasps it to his bosom as a passport to the regions of the blest. The Moslem’s belief in fate grows out of his conception of God. All things are controlled by an infinite will. There is no changing the supreme purpose concerning us. What is to be must be. Prosperity and adversity alike are met with, “Kismet; it is the divine will.” All things that come to pass were written on stone tablets from the beginning. The day of a man’s death is inscribed on his forehead, and he can do nothing to avert or postpone it. Hence the desperate valor of Moslems on the battle field. The creed of Islam teaches that Mohammed is God’s prophet, and that the teachings of the prophet are to be faithfully observed. The Moslem believes in sin, but the conviction of sin is due to a consciousness of having come short of his complement of meritorious observances. He has not cried, Allah il Allah, a hundred times since daybreak, as he should have done, or he has failed to make the requisite number of prostrations, or he has not cursed the infidel with sufficient force. The future happiness of the Moslem depends wholly on the performance of certain duties. He may be a thief, a liar, a sensualist, and a murderer, and still be a very good Mohammedan. He is required to: (1) Repeat the creed or Kalema; (2) observe the five stated periods of prayer, namely, before sunrise, just after midday, before sunset, after sunset, and at nightfall (prayer consists chiefly in repeating the names of God and Mohammed and portions of the Koran); (3) keep the thirty days’ fast of Ramadan (during this holy month no Moslem is allowed to eat, drink, or smoke from dawn until sunset, but during the night he may do nearly as he pleases); (4) perform the legal alms; (5) make a pilgrimage to Mecca. The first civil injunction of the Koran is aimed at the extermination of the infidel, for it says, “When ye encounter the unbelievers, strike off their heads.” Slavery is also made to rest on divine authority, and polygamy is upheld and advocated. Woman is regarded as a lower order of being, unreasoning and incapable of self-control, never the helpmate, but ever the slave of man. The fruit of the system is cruelty and sensuality.—Religions of the World. RELIGION BENEFICIAL TO HEALTH.
THE view held by some that spirituality is a detriment to health is the sophistry of Satan. The religion of the Bible is not detrimental to the health of either body or mind. The influence of the Spirit of God is the very best medicine for disease. Heaven is all health; and the more deeply heavenly influences are realized, the more sure will be the recovery of the believing invalid. The true principles of Christianity open before all a source of inestimable happiness. Religion is a continual wellspring, from which the Christian can drink at will, and never exhaust the fountain. The relation which exists between the mind and the body is very intimate. When one is affected, the other sympathizes. The condition of the mind affects the health of the physical system. If the mind is free and happy, from a consciousness of right doing and a sense of satisfaction in causing happiness to others, it creates a cheerfulness that will react upon the whole system, causing a freer circulation of the blood, and a toning up of the entire body. The blessing of God is a healing power, and those who are abundant in benefiting others will realize that wondrous blessing in both heart and life. When men who have indulged in wrong habits and sinful practices yield to the power of divine truth, the application of that truth to the heart revives the moral powers, which had seemed to be paralyzed. The receiver possesses stronger, clearer understanding than before he riveted his soul to the eternal rock. Even his physical health improves by the realization of his security in Christ. The special blessing of God resting upon the receiver is of itself health and strength. Those who walk in the path of wisdom and holiness find that “godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” 1 Tim. 4:8. They are alive to the enjoyment of life’s real pleasures, and are not troubled over vain regrets, over misspent hours, nor with gloomy forebodings, as the worldly too often is when not diverted by some exciting amusement. Godliness does not conflict with the laws of health, but is in harmony with them. The fear of the Lord is the foundation of all real prosperity.—Christian Temperance. THE GLORY OF GOD IN FLOWERS.
He was a little old-fashioned boy, who had always lived in a dull, old New York street. A country cousin appeared, and he begged that he might go home with her. After infinite objections, consent was obtained. He was taken down to the country, with its cloud-flecked azure sky, its flower-laden earth, its bewildering beauty, which held him henceforth a willing captive. He was soon found seated by a bed of spice pinks, looking at them with an ecstasy of adoration. “Pick some,” said his cousin; “pick as many as you want.” “Pick them!” repeated the boy. “I’m afraid to. Aren’t they God’s?” This was the supreme moment of his life. They could not keep him in the city again. To-day he ranks high as an American artist, dating his birthday from the time he first saw the glory of God in flowers.—Lights and Shadows of New York Life. YOSEMITE VALLEY And Big Trees of California
Read All About Them in the Book IN THE HEART OF THE SIERRAS
Nearly 500 Pages, with Many Illustrations. Limp Binding. PACIFIC PRESS PUB. CO., Oakland, Cal. Or 43 Bond St., N. Y. City. TEARFUL SOWING: JOYFUL REAPING.
By O. W. Rogers
A sower scattered precious seed,
While down his cheeks fell scalding tears;
The soil was foul with thorn and weed,
The air with cruel threats and jeers. But in the earth the seed lay still,
And gently fell the gracious rain;
When, lo, the valley and the hill
Were covered o’er with waving grain! Think not the seed that’s sown in tears
Is doomed to perish in the soil;
The reaping, in the coming years,
Shall more than recompense the toil. The tears that moistened all the way
Passed o’er by weary, aching feet,
Will richer make on harvest day
The golden grains of garnered wheat. Ah! tears must fall as out we go
To sow our seed upon the plain,
If glad rejoicing we would know,
And sing the reaper’s glad refrain!
—The Advance. A MISSIONARY'S PERILOUS EXPERIENCE.
IN the year 1834 the Methodist Episcopal Church sent the first unmarried woman to Liberia. Her associates in Monrovia fell under the power of the dreaded African fever, and all died or were compelled to return home. She stood alone unflinchingly at her post until the mission was reënforced, suffering in the meantime some terrible experiences. Upon one occasion a bloodthirsty band of inland natives, wild and untouched by Christianizing influences, made a sudden raid upon the settlement where the mission was located. She was captured, bound hopelessly hand and foot, and thrown upon the bottom of one of their rude boats. There in that awful situation, unable to move at all, she was borne up the stream for three weary days amid the wildest of the jungles of that up country. She soon saw by their looks and frightful gestures that her captors were cannibals and were counting on a feast out of her body. From this perilous position she was most marvelously released without injury. In relating the story she said: “Near the close of the third day I was unbound, set on shore, and left to myself, amid the cries of wild beasts, still mysteriously left untouched by them. I made my way as best I could along the brier and bush entangled banks of the stream, till at length I reached the settlement in safety, and was permitted to labor a short time.”—Gospel in All Lands. At the camp meeting recently held at Newark, Del., sixteen persons were baptized. New York canvassers report sales of books to the amount of $601.60 for the week ending August 23. At the local camp meeting held at Ironton, Mo., August 22–25, five persons were baptized by Elder A. P. Heacock. We have a report that ten have taken a stand for all the commandments of God, as a result of labor done at Carbondale, Kan., by Brother E. A. Morey. At the close of the local camp meeting at Pittsburg, Kan., ten were baptized, and the following week six more were baptized, and a church of thirty members was organized. Of the meetings being held at St. Joseph, Mo., by Elder H. K. Willis it is reported that “seventeen dear souls have decided to walk in the way of God’s commandments.” The annual conference of our churches in Denmark was recently held in Frederikshavn, attended by about three hundred representatives of the work, including some of the laborers in the neighboring conferences of Norway and Sweden. That the work is prospering in Scandinavian countries is shown by the report of sales of publications the past year, aggregating over $40,000. An Iowa canvasser reports selling one of our books and taking an order for another from a man who has been in the habit of burning Adventist literature. In this we see the practical encouragement of Eccl. 11:6: “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand; for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they shall both be alike good.” Some people have tried to sneer down the idea that our brethren serving terms in the chain-gang of Rhea County, Tenn., are persecuted because of their religious faith. It is alleged that their punishment is solely because they violated the civil law in working on Sunday. But the fact of their being persecuted for conscience’ sake, and that, too, by the officers of the law, is now fully demonstrated. Because they were not compelled to work on the Sabbath during their confinement, the authorities have added that much more to their term of imprisonment. This is, beyond dispute, official punishment on account of their faith. Yet the constitution of that state provides that “no man shall in time of peace be required to perform any service to the public on any day set apart by his religion as a day of rest.” Not until the final summing up of the judgment will Seventh-day Adventists be able to give anything like an accurate enumeration of their adherents. The preaching is so extensively done through their publications that it is impossible to follow up results. It is getting to be so common that it is no longer a surprise for itinerant laborers to come across heretofore unknown believers who have become such through reading. The real numerical strength of those who “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” will not be known even to the faithful themselves until it is disclosed in the judgment. The bailiff of the Clerkenwell Police Court, London, recently seized and sold enough of the property of the International Tract Society’s publishing house to satisfy a judgment for liens and costs amounting to about $80. The fines were for allowing some women and girls to work on Sunday, in violation of the Factory Act. This act is ostensibly for the protection of women and girls, and to prevent their being overworked, by securing for them a weekly day of rest. The spirit of the act was not violated, inasmuch as the laborers in the publishing house all rest on the Sabbath day (Saturday), and the law makes an exception in favor of the Jews who rest on that day instead of Sunday. We are often met with the plea on the part of Sunday observers that in keeping the first day of the week they keep the spirit of the fourth commandment, which says that “the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” But when it comes to keeping the spirit of man’s law in that way, although it be acknowledged by the authorities that the object of the law has been practically subserved, the technical violation of the letter must be punished by infliction of the full penalty. Schereschewsky Returns to China with Chinese Bible
A VANCOUVER, B. C., despatch of August 23 stated that Rev. Dr. S. F. J. Schereschewsky is about to return to China. He went there in 1859 as missionary of the United States Episcopal Church. In 1882 he suffered a sunstroke, which compelled him to resign. He visited Europe and began the translation of the Bible into Chinese, and now this stupendous work is done. The bishop has with him a translation of the whole Bible in Roman characters. On arriving in China he will have it reproduced in Chinese characters, printed and published. This will take three years more. DR. H. MARTYN CLARK, in the Church Missionary Intelligencer, states that a translation of the Koran has appeared in simple idiomatic Urdu. “That is a blow under which Islam will reel for many a day. Its safety hitherto has been that its ‘holy’ book was shrouded in unapproachable Arabic, or in cumbrous, ambiguous translations. This literal, faithful rendering has produced dire consternation. The Moulvie says, ‘I am now old and gray haired. I thought I knew the Koran, but I never knew the iniquity of it as I do now.’” NEVER since Pentecost were the fields so white, the opportunities so urgent, the call of God so imperative, as now. My most earnest prayer is that God may inspire our best and bravest and most scholarly young men to give themselves to the work of foreign missions.—Bishop Mallalieu. A CALCUTTA paper relates that recently a young Brahman came to the house of a missionary, seeking an interview. In the course of the conversation he said: “Many things which Christianity contains I find in Hinduism; but there is one thing which Christianity has and Hinduism has not.” “What is that?” the missionary asked. His reply was, “A Saviour.”—Ocean Grove Record. THE Japanese Government has authorized the employment of native Christians as army chaplains. Some of these are at the army headquarters at Hiroshima, Japan, and others are with the army in China. Among these is Y. Honda, president of the Anglo-Japanese College of the Methodist Episcopal Church, located at Tokyo, and a member of the Japanese Conference. This is a step toward making “Christianity” the state religion. A COMMITTEE appointed by the American Board of Foreign Missions to investigate questions involving the existence of American missions in Japan will sail from San Francisco September 12. They will stop at Hawaii on the way, and will remain in Japan about four months. Some Japanese Christians do not believe that further presence of missionaries is necessary. Some of the best educated and most influential men would be glad to see the Japanese in full control of the Christian forces in the empire. “OLD HUNDRED” IN “DARKEST AFRICA.”
On the borders of Mashonaland, Central Africa, recently, a missionary was resting in his wagon after a wearisome march. Suddenly he heard a woman’s voice singing the well-known tune “Old Hundred.” He said, “I hastened to unravel the mystery, and found the singer was apparently a ‘raw’ Kaffir, and there was nothing to indicate that she had been to a Christian service. But I soon learned her simple story. A good many years ago she had lived in the capital of Matabeleland, and there she heard of the story of the cross. Little by little she had gained hold of the truth, until she had become one of the most promising scholars in the mission school. But the king heard of the progress, and, not wishing to put her to death, he banished her from the country. She had then travelled hundreds of weary miles, always with her face to the north, and away from the place where she had found the Gospel. At length she came to the village near which we were outspanned. Ever since her banishment she had been trying to keep her faith alive in the midst of dense heathenism, and now she met again with those who would teach her the right way.”—Gospel in All Lands. ANGELS, Their Nature and Ministry.
Revised by the late J. H. Waggoner. In two parts. Part Two considers some hints on the Origin, History and Destiny of Satan, as gleaned from the Scriptures. Bible Students’ Library No. 83. 140 pages. Paper covers. Price, 20 cents. PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO. Kansas City, Mo. New York City, N. Y. Abiding Sabbath and Lord's Day
By Alonzo T. Jones
A pointed review of two prize essays which are, without doubt, the best contributions to the defense of Sunday as the Sabbath. Those desiring to find some $1,000 reasons for keeping the first day of the week will find them in this work. Bible Students’ Library No. 2. 173 pages. Paper covers. Price, 20 cents. Address PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO. Kansas City, Mo.
OAKLAND, CAL.
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