p. 773 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 49. (10/15/1894)

Scientific Features Expressive of Facts in the Plan of Redemption (Concluded)

By Elder E. W. Whitney

MUSIC. NO. 5.

Scientific Features Expressive of Facts in the Plan of Redemption (Concluded).

BY ELDER E. W. WHITNEY.

THE foregoing article suggests that the seven tones of the diatonic scale represent, as do the seven days of the week, the seven-thousand-year periods reaching from creation to the end of the thousand years (the seventh period) of Revelation 20, during which the earth lies desolate, keeping Sabbath, and at the close of which the wicked are utterly destroyed in the lake of fire; the New Jerusalem, which has descended from heaven, becomes the capital of the new earth; the saints of God dwell therein; time and death end, and the absolutely perfect eternal state for the entire universe begins.

With the suggestions before us, we notice a few interesting facts. Reference has been made to peculiarities in the scale, of which science gives no explanation. One of these is concerning perfect and imperfect intervals. In order to have a proper understanding of the point, a brief explanation is necessary. A string (a piano string, for example) so tensioned as to produce when vibrating any given note, if it be stopped in the middle so that each end shall vibrate independently of the other, the note produced by either end will be an exact octave above the note given by the whole string. The reason of this is that the vibrations of the half are precisely twice as rapid as those of the whole, and the perfect coincidence of the sound waves of two to one produce the perfect interval of the octave. Now if the string be stopped at two-thirds its length instead of one-half, the tone produced by that portion of the string will bear the relation to that given by the whole string of a perfect fifth, or—that this expression may be understood by all—it will be the fifth note in the diatonic scale above the one given by the whole string, considering that as number one, or do. In other words, two-thirds of the string will give the note sol if the whole string gives do. This would also, as the octave, be a mathematically perfect interval produced by three vibrations of two-thirds the string to two of the whole string. Again, three-fourths of the string will, in the same manner, give the fourth note in the scale, or fa, and this interval is also perfect, four vibrations of three-fourths the string corresponding to three of the whole. Upon this coincidence of sound waves, or vibrations, depends the production of what are termed perfect intervals, and the smaller the difference in the number of vibrations in a given time, the more perfect the concord.

Now, in a science which is the very expression of harmony, we would naturally expect that its theoretical perfection would appear in its practical application. This, however, is not the case. While the perfect intervals considered or used alone, as in melody, are more pleasing and concordant than those which are imperfect, yet it is nevertheless a fact that in the musical scale properly tuned (or tempered, as it is termed) for the production of harmony, there is not a single mathematically perfect interval except the octave, which, by the way, must, under all circumstances, be perfect to be tolerable. All other intervals must be made to deviate (though but in the slightest degree) from perfect. Strange, indeed, as this truth seems, it is stranger still that we look in vain to science for the least suggestion which will help to reconcile the discrepancy between theory and practice. Concerning this distinction between perfect and imperfect intervals the "Encyclopedia Britannica" says:—

The distinction, then, has been observed for many centuries, but neither ancients nor moderns have advanced any explanation of the phenomenon, and the wondrous fact [note the expression] that perfect intervals differ in constitution and treatment from other intervals, appears to defy reason and not even to incite speculation.

In tuning any instrument, then, like the piano or organ, perfectly, all intervals except the octaves, for reasons which can easily be demonstrated by actual figures, must be made to deviate slightly from perfection. This deviation, however, is not sufficient to seriously affect the harmony. But existing as it does throughout the scale, and disappearing again when the octave is reached, is a striking parallel to the existence of sin (expressive of discord) during the period of the seven thousand years, but entirely disappearing as the eternity of perfection beyond is entered. A practical application of this thought to Christian life and experience may be exceedingly helpful. First, every sin one commits introduces discord into God's plan and work. Secondly, wherein one fails to cheerfully and heartily coöperate with the principles of and agencies in the work of God, to just that degree he is adding to the elements of discord in the work, and in his own soul—

he is not making "melody [music] in his heart to the Lord."

Many interesting comparisons may be made of the tones composing various chords with some leading feature of the work of God during the period represented by the tones used. I take, for convenience of explanation, the most simple though by no means the most interesting illustration,—the common chord of the first, third, and fifth (do, mi, sol). The periods represented by these tones are, therefore, those of creation (the first thousand years), the giving of the law to Israel (the third thousand years), and the introduction of the gospel to the world (the fifth thousand years). These tones sounded together produce upon the ear and mind a most pleasing effect. The simple sweetness of the chord fittingly expresses the perfect harmony existing in God's purpose in creation, the giving of the law, and the work of the gospel.

As a contrast to this pleasing harmony, observe the harsh and exceedingly unpleasant effect of the use together of numbers one and two, representing the periods of creation and the flood, or of numbers one and seven, representing creation and the thousand years during which the earth lies desolate, with the beauties of creation seemingly despoiled.

Another simple though interesting coincidence is noticed in connection with the fifth tone of the scale, recognized as and named "the dominant." It is next in importance to the first, or tonic. Taken in connection with the tonic, the best and clearest impression of the scale is made possible with the use of but two tones. Here, again, we see a perfect parallel, for certainly the period marked by the introduction of the gospel to the world (the fifth thousand years) may, with the greatest propriety, be designated as the dominant period in the plan of salvation.

One more illustration must suffice. Minor music is remarkable. Its effects are peculiar. It is especially adapted to sad, doleful expressions or subjects, and yet when properly used is, perhaps, in its way the most expressive of any class of music. The minor has for its tonic, or fundamental note, the sixth, or la, of the major scale, representing, accordingly, the sixth period, beginning about the year 1000 A.D.

Now is there a significance in the character of minor music as expressive of striking features of the present thousand-year period? Commencing as it does in the midst of the Dark Ages, it embraces the darkest period of the history of the church; it witnesses the most relentless persecutions against the people of God, spoken of by Christ as a time of "tribulation [upon the church] such as was not since the beginning of the world," and closes with the corruptions of the last days, and "a time of trouble [upon the wicked] such as never was since there was a nation," when Christ shall come as "King of kings and Lord of lords," "in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Such scenes and experiences are surely a sufficient basis for the dolorous character of minor music, while its peculiar sweetness is also a fitting expression of a period when it is said, "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth," and of the experience of those of whom (having passed through the "fiery trial," which develops the gold), it is also said, "Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."

Thus we might multiply illustrations of the significance of the various relations existing between the tones of the musical scale. When studied in the light of revelation—the only safe way to study any science—it is seen to be a marvelous storehouse of comforting, inspiring, strengthening effects, and a most vivid expression in a sort of sound picture of the foreknowledge of God.

Deep in unfathomable mines Of never-failing skill He treasures up his wise designs, And works his sovereign will. Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan his work in vain; God is his own interpreter, And he will make it plain. —William Cowper.

(To be continued.)

Man's Experience,

By Elder W. H. Wakeham

VEGETARIANISM. NO. 2.

BY ELDER W. H. WAKEHAM.

IN article No. 1 the subject of a non-flesh diet was discussed from the standpoint of "God's original plan." In this article a few observations, based on facts drawn from the scriptures pertaining to this subject, concerning

Man's Experience,

will be presented. We have seen that for the first two thousand years of human history God gave man no permission to eat the flesh of animals. But in Gen. 9:3 we find the following statement recorded: "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things." This, as the connection shows, was spoken to Noah after he came out of the ark. What were the circumstances under which this permission was given? The flood of waters, which had been upon the earth for nearly a year, had swept away every particle of vegetation. See Gen. 7:11, 21-23; 8:13. Everything upon which man could subsist had been destroyed, and for this reason the Lord in mercy permitted Noah and his family in their necessity to eat of the clean animals which Noah had taken with him into the ark. But is it therefore reasonable or logical to conclude that because, under peculiar circumstances, which were brought about as a consequence of sin, the Lord permitted one family to use flesh meats, to preserve the race from extinction, therefore all men are at liberty to eat flesh whenever their perverted appetites demand it? This is the inference many seem to draw; but when closely examined, such an argument may be compared to a large structure erected upon a very small foundation. All that can reasonably be deduced from the Noachic permission is that one may, in case of necessity, partake of the flesh of animals in order to sustain life, for "the life is more than meat." Matt. 6:25.

We are now ready to consider the effect of the use of flesh meats upon the race. When man came from the hand of God, he enjoyed perfect health and a vitality that resisted the influences of decay and death almost one thousand years. The average length of life of the patriarchs before the flood for nine generations was nine hundred and twelve years. See Genesis 5. The next nine generations, after man began the use of flesh meats, men lived, on an average, three hundred and thirty-two years. See Genesis 11. What a wonderful falling off! The next four generations, one hundred and fifty-three years. And when we reach the time of Moses, we find it recorded that "the days of our years are threescore years and ten." Ps. 90:10. The average human life at the present time is less than one-half of what it was in the days of Moses. That the use of flesh meats tends directly to shorten life, and therefore must have been a potent agency in the terrible deterioration of the race noted above, is readily understood when we remember that the flesh of animals is classed among the stimulating foods. The poisonous, excrementitious matter always found in the tissues of flesh, when taken into the system excite various organs to abnormal activity, and the vital machinery of the body, running at a higher tension, prematurely wears out. The effect of all stimulating articles is to shorten life.

Another incident in the experience of Noah must not be overlooked in this discussion, for it has an important bearing on the question under consideration. It is a universally recognized principle in human experience that the continued use of a mild stimulant tends to create an appetite for something stronger; and this desire grows, until the victim craves the strongest stimulants, and ends his life in the gutter. There is no doubt that many a downward course in intemperance began at the table, by the use of things that seemed harmless in themselves. As

"Ill habits gather by unseen degrees, As brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas," so little dietetic errors, a passive yielding to the demands of perverted appetite, tend to weaken the moral powers of resistance, and one becomes the slave to his own lusts ere he is aware. Is there not some significance in the fact that the next thing recorded in the life of Noah, after he began the use of flesh foods, is, "And Noah began to be a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard; and he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent." Gen. 9:20, 21. The experience of Noah contains a lesson for us that many temperance workers have yet to learn.

We now come to the history of the children of Israel; and of their varied experiences the apostle to the Gentiles writes: "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." 1 Cor. 10:11. When Israel dwelt in Egypt, they "sat by the flesh pots," and partook of the abominations of the idolatrous Egyptians. But when God delivered them from the thraldom of slavery, he promised to bring them into a "land flowing with milk and honey," not blood. They were to be delivered not only from the service of Pharaoh, but from the bondage of sin, which included the slavery of appetite. It was the design of the Lord to give them food better suited to their needs than the stimulating diet of Egypt; so

he sent them bread from heaven. They were not satisfied with this wholesome diet, which the Psalmist denominates "angels' food," and the "corn of heaven" (Ps. 78:24); but they murmured against the Lord, and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt. How many are doing the same thing to-day! The Lord heard their complainings and "gave them that they lusted after." Ps. 78:29, Revised Version. "They were not estranged from their lust; but while their meat was yet in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel." Verses 30, 31.

Is not there a lesson in this for us? The children of Israel lusted for flesh meats. Paul, commenting on this fact, says, "Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted." 1 Cor. 10:6. Will we heed these examples? Will we be admonished by these experiences? Or shall we close our eyes to the light now shining from the sacred page, and, following in the ways of rebellious Israel, bring upon ourselves, as they did, "leanness of soul"? Ps. 106:15.

If it be asked why the Lord gave them flesh if it was not good for them, a sufficient answer may be found in the words of Christ when asked why men were permitted to put away their wives under the Levitical law. "Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept." Then he calls attention to the fact that this was not the original design of God: "For from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female." Mark 10:5, 6. Or, as recorded by Matthew, "From the beginning it was not so." Chapter 19:8.

Our attention is here directed to God's original design as the rule for this time; and as it was not his plan from the beginning for man to put his wife away, and that rule holds good now, so, as it was not God's plan for man to eat flesh in the beginning, it would be well for all to abstain from it now. We close this brief discussion of this interesting question with the admonition of the apostle Peter: "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul." 1 Peter 2:11.

WHAT GOD FORGETS.

By Anna Temple

BY ANNA TEMPLE.

In ignorance I thought, In silly fear, and foolishness, and dread, God doth remember all the sins I wrought, And doth forget how needy is my lot. But lo, instead, When I his message read, I found it was my needs on which he thought, My sins that he, because of Christ, forgot.

—Sunday School Times.

ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP.

By H. A. St. John

BY H. A. ST. JOHN.

SAID our blessed Lord, "God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24. Man is naturally constituted a worshiping being. Satan, the great enemy of God and the human race, knows right well this fact, hence he rarely succeeds in destroying this inherent principle altogether, but he is alarmingly successful in perverting it. This is seen in the innumerable things worshiped in place of the true God. But there is a small minority of the race who insist that the only Being worthy of worship is the true and living God. Satan endeavors to destroy the validity of their worship by divorcing the two elements necessary to acceptable divine service. Man must not only worship the true God, but he must worship him in spirit and in truth. Neither taken alone is sufficient. To worship God in spirit can mean nothing less than a willing, cheerful, and loving service. To worship him in truth must mean to worship him according to his word, which is truth. John 17:17. Beware of that spirit of ecstatic joy and profession of great love, which belittles any part of the revealed word of God. They that worship God acceptably must worship him in truth, that is, according to his word. He only has the divine right to say in what way he will be worshiped; and this he has clearly done in the Bible. In vain do they worship him who teach for doctrines the commandments of men. Thus taught the divine Son of God.

Again, we should beware of that worship which makes first and last and everything of a strict conformity to the letter of the divine word. The letter is all right so far as it goes, but, as it is lacking in love, in spirit, it cannot be acceptable to God. They that worship him must worship in spirit as well as in truth. The apostle Paul expressed it exactly when he thanked God that his brethren had obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine delivered unto them. Rom. 6:17.

THE COST OF WAR.

By Wm. Penniman

BY WM. PENNIMAN.

THE wars of the European and American nations from 1790 to 1880, or ninety years, cost $15,235,000,000, besides the great loss of human life and demoralization of life. The great national war debts of the world in 1884 amounted to $27,155,000,000. According to the Journal of Education, the annual cost of the world's chief regular armies amounted to $687,947,620. Next to the cost of alcoholic stimulants, tobacco, or the rum curse, comes war.

In a recent article in the North American Review, Mr. Archibald Forbes, speaking of the strength of the dual alliance (France and Russia), and of the triple alliance (Germany, Austria, and Italy), says:—

The war strength of Russia is 2,411,105 officers and men, 800,000 horses, and 4,500 guns. The war strength of Germany is 2,440,000 officers and men, 562,150 horses, and 4,430 guns; of Austria, 1,590,000 officers and men, 292,000 horses, and 2,140 guns; of Italy 1,253,200 officers and men, 134,000 horses, and 1,620 guns. The total war strength of the dual alliance is 5,126,705 officers and men, 1,263,000 horses, and 9,700 guns; of the triple alliance, 5,287,200 officers and men, 988,150 horses, and 8,190 guns. The war strength of the triple alliance infantry, therefore, is superior to that of the dual alliance in officers and men by 160,495, while it is inferior 274,850 in the number of horses, and 1,500 in the number of guns. The total forces available by both alliances in war, field, and troops only is 10,413,905. The gross population of both alliances is 272,569,462.

These millions of men must be paid and fed at an enormous expense. The horses must be fed. The cost of guns and powder is an immense sum. Estimate the amount of good that nearly eleven millions of men could do if their lives were devoted to a better purpose. Think of the ruined homes, think of the loss intellectually and morally, think of the blood that will be shed when those nations will be in actual combat. It is estimated that if all the blood which has been shed in war could be collected, it would make a lake large enough to float all the navies in the world.

These war forces which are at work in the world show us where we are in the stream of time, and that the great battle of Armageddon is near, which will culminate in the slaughter of the whole wicked world. God and eternity only can estimate the cost of war. But war will sometime cease; the great battle of Gog and Magog will have been fought; the wicked nations will be no more, and a universe free from sin and the horrors of fratricidal strife will exist forever.

Let us, then, while the angels are holding the four winds, help to spread the message which is both a blessing and warning to the world.

SUNDAY LAWS INEXPEDIENT.

UPON the subject of enforcing in our day the Sunday law enacted in the reign of Charles II., the Melbourne (Australia) Age, of date August 11, comments at length. The occasion of the comment was the arraignment of a man in Sydney for laboring on Sunday, and his sentence to payment of a fine, with the alternative of being "set publicly in the stocks for two hours." We copy as follows:—

He has refused to pay the fine of 2s. 6d. imposed upon him by the court, which is thus faced with the dilemma of having to find a pair of stocks in which to place him as a punishment for infringing a law made a couple of centuries ago. The difficulty demonstrates the absurdity of the position, and illustrates the fact that the law is as much out of date as is the penalty for its infraction. Under this law we may presume that all engaged in the production of Monday morning's paper are technically liable to be placed in the stocks, and it would go hard with the Chinese cabinet maker who works seven days a week, sometimes on the manufacture of the seats and fittings of Christian churches.

Quite recently the extreme Sabbatarians in England took proceedings against Sunday lecturers in Leeds, who broke the law, not by giving their entertainment, but by charging for admission thereto. We are told that the incident is likely to end in the repeal of the ancient statute which makes so fine a distinction. Here in Melbourne every Sunday variety shows are given at some of the theaters, which differ very little from the weekday entertainments except in the fact that payment is nominally optional. It is called a rational concert, though how far the epithet is deserved by a program which contains such lyrical gems as "E Don't Know Where'e Are," and "Daddy Won't Buy me a Bowwow," it might puzzle its promoters to show. Apparently the public appreciate the amusement offered, and do not refuse to gratify the expectation that they will contribute a shilling or a sixpence, according to the seats they occupy. It may be lamentable that such a way of spending Sunday evenings should be thought legitimate, but it is a matter of taste rather than one of morals that a man should refuse to go to such a concert, and see no harm in a political lecture disguised as a sermon, or a magic lantern entertainment consisting of views of the Holy Land. It is certainly inexpedient to bring the law to bear on the point, for nothing can be more certain than that to endeavor to make illegal that in which the vast majority of the people see no harm, only tends to bring the law and its administrators into contempt. The same society that permits the running of railways and tramways upon Sunday can hardly refuse to the individual the liberty it accords to a corporation or a State department without making itself ridiculous. The law that permits such an anomaly can only remain on the statute book on condition that it is never enforced in such a way as to press its existence upon public attention.

It is another matter when an ancient enactment is exhumed for the purpose of gratifying personal or sectarian spite, as seems to have been the case with the unlucky Seventh-day Adventist in Sydney. By no stretch of imagination can it be supposed that when a man voluntarily occupies himself on Sunday at some work for his private gratification, he puts any pressure, direct or indirect, upon other people to compel them to do the same. Under these conditions the prosecution of the offense is simply the persecution of opinion, and with anything of that sort our generation has made up its mind to have nothing to do. There can be no doubt but that this statute of Charles II., if put to the vote in our day, would have as little chance of being passed as would any of the famous "Blue Laws" of the State of Connecticut, one of which is alleged to have made

it a punishable offense for a mother to kiss her child upon Sunday. Thus, as always happens when the law is completely out of touch with public opinion, the victim of it becomes in some sort a martyr, one to be imitated rather than shunned, and the effect on the public mind is exactly the reverse of what the framers of the law anticipated.

On this same subject the Sydney Telegraph comments as follows:—

Is it really worth while to go on setting the creaky old laws of the late Charles the Second in action for the harassing of persons who do not believe that Sunday is the Lord's day, and who, instead of remembering to keep it holy, follow their ordinary occupation rather ostentatiously? To capture a sturdy little man who for his conscience' sake will go to the stocks rather than appear to acquiesce in what he thinks a mistake, is intrinsically foolish. The police could find quite a considerable number of more recent Acts of Parliament that are being infringed every day, and with much greater ill effect. A man who doesn't think that the right day has been fixed upon as the Lord's, and who cannot afford to keep two days a week holy in the sense of refraining from work, does not interfere with the public if he sets a few bricks and mixes some mortar in a lone-hand sort of way. They may not like to see him doing so, but good Protestants do not like to see brother Christians going to Roman Catholic churches, and both sects, as a rule, object to the big drum of the Salvation Army. If the laws against betting, gambling, and Sunday rum drinking were put in force, and the persons who have unusual ideas on the Sabbath question given a little more rope, the net result would be better.

SIGNS OF HIS COMING.

By Alfred Mallett

BY ALFRED MALLETT.

IN these days we hear many rumors about Christ's being on the earth in person. This or that man sets himself up as Christ, and each gets his devoted followers. The cry of "Lo, he is here," or "Lo, he is there," is continually reaching the ear. Is not this a sign of the last days? Christ, when on the earth, warned us against this. In answer to the question of his disciples, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" he said, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." Christ at this time had been telling the disciples of the destruction of Jerusalem. This had stirred their curiosity, and led them to their inquiry, "What shall be the sign of thy coming?" The first thing that Christ warned against was false Christs.

How shall we escape this deception? "The entrance of thy word giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple," says the Psalmist. By the study of the word of God, we can escape every deception of Satan. Notice, the Psalmist says "the entrance of thy word giveth light." It must be within in the heart, written upon the heart. It is by not adhering strictly to this word that many are deceived.

"Many shall come, . . . saying, I am Christ." When?—In the last days, just before the appearing of the true Christ in the clouds of heaven. False Christs were to arise more particularly after the "great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world." This time of tribulation I will merely say ended in 1798. After this tribulation, Christ warns us: "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs. . . . Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth; behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not." Then the appearance of false Christs is one of the signs of the last days.

How is the child of God to know who is the true Christ?—The word of God tells us that "every eye shall see him." We shall not know of it through the religious or secular papers, or through a few individuals, but every eye shall see him. And Christ says: "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be." So, then, rumors may come, but he who follows the teachings of Christ will not be moved, for he knows just how the Master will come.

But in this connection Christ gives us other signs that will precede his second advent. He says: "Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences." All these calamities are constantly increasing. The nations at the present time are all in commotion, not knowing what the end will be. They cry, "Peace, peace," but there is no peace. Every government is becoming bankrupt. The poor man cries for bread; pestilences and earthquakes have raged and are raging in divers places. There is the cry of "hard times" throughout the world. "The sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth." The rich have hoarded up their money for the last days, bringing poverty upon the poor, as the word of God has foretold us; and rumors of their coming doom are in the air. The apostle James describes this in these words: "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth."

Is this true to-day? Does this rightly foretell the present state of affairs? What did the "Industrial Armies" marching through the country to the capital of the United States mean? They were comparatively small bodies, but they represented many behind them. The late great strikes are indicative of the same unrest, and show that we have reached the last days, and prophecy must be fulfilled. The time must come when the rich man will weep and howl. But above all this are heard the rumors of war on every hand. There is the consoling cry of "Peace and safety," but sudden destruction is the end thereof.

But what are the popular ministers of the gospel doing to sound the alarm, that the people may awake from their lethargy?—Oh, they are telling the people that the glorious millennium will soon be ushered in; that the world is growing better! Their cry is, "Peace and safety," and so the people are lulled to sleep, because they put their trust in the "multitude of their mighty men" instead of trusting in God, their only help.

"But," says one, "are not the ministers enlightening the people?" If the ministers followed the Bible they would be warning the people of the impending dangers, of the signs of the times, and of the soon coming of our Saviour. The true representatives of Christ will do this; for there is no great event takes place but God will make it known to his people. "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." Amos 3:7.

He has given us landmarks all along the way, that we may know when his second advent draws near, just as he did when his first advent drew near; but the professed people of God to-day are like the Jews of old; they are blinded by their own selfish desires, and are not looking for Jesus to come as he said he would. They would make him king on this wicked earth, when he himself has declared that his "kingdom is not of this world."

All these things will not affect the child of God, for he rests in the promise of the Saviour, "He that endureth unto the end, the same shall be saved." He sees the signs of the coming kingdom. He knows the Shepherd's voice. And Jesus says, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."

Brooklyn, N. Y.

The Joy of Giving

By S. S. Times

If we wait until we have more than we want before beginning to give, we shall die without giving. But if we give out of our scanty portion to those whose need is greater than ours, we shall live as givers, and shall enjoy living. The man who only gives from his surplus never knows the real joy of giving.

No Charter Can Sanctify Injustice

By William Ellery Channing

No CHARTER of man's writing can sanctify injustice or repeal God's eternal law.—William Ellery Channing.

CIVILIZATION AND WAR.

By Editor

WHEN so many, among them professed ministers of the gospel of peace, are talking of the present war preparations among the great nations of earth, as evidences of high civilization, the following, from a popular writer and critic, Ambrose Bierce, will be refreshing to the right-minded man:—

The Chinese in China may err in matters religious and dietetic, but they are not altogether devoid of judgment in certain other affairs. In a Victorian telegram published in this paper yesterday was an extract from an editorial in the esteemed Chung-Hei-Yet-Pao, of Canton. It began as follows:—

Li Hung Chang is very strongly of the opinion that it would be advisable for Chinese troops to be led into action by European officers, as the latter, owing to their barbarity and savage dispositions, and from the fact that their nations live by war, are better fitted for the battle field than a more enlightened and civilized race.

Doubtless Li Hung Chang, in his blindness, is addicted to the sin of bowing down to wood and stone; and doubtless for him the pleasures of the table would be incomplete without boiled rat; it is not contended that either his deity or his dinner is fit to be served. Quite the same, he is full of light. His estimate of European character is just and accurate. Nations that devote the larger part of their revenues to maintenance of professional and expert killers of men, and to perfection of appliances for taking life, are in disposition barbarous and savage in the worst sense of the words. Skill in the science and practice of slaughter is not an attribute of any civilization worthy of the name, nor is popular homage to those so skilled consistent with possession of public virtues and high intelligence. Li Hung Chang's estimate of the civilization of his own countrymen is possibly erroneous. Absence of the military spirit, feebleness in war, and contempt of the man-killing trade, are not in themselves proof of general enlightenment; but, assuredly, general enlightenment is neither proved by nor compatible with the brutal bloodthirst to which Christian peoples owe their tremendous armaments, frequent wars, and imposing public debts. The famous Chinese viceroy is said to have been stripped of his official yellow jacket, but, clearly enough, he retains his thinking cap, and wears it on his head as level as the salt, salt sea.

HIS MOTHER MADE HIM.

A WEALTHY business man not long ago, says a writer in the Youth's Companion, made a short visit to his native town, a thriving little place, and while there was asked to address a Sunday school on the general subject of success in life.

"But I don't know that I have anything to say, except that industry and honesty win the race," he answered.

"Your very example would be inspiring if you would tell the story of your life," said the superintendent. "Are you not a self-made man?"

"I don't know about that."

"Why, I've heard all about your early struggles! You went into Mr. Wheelwright's office when you were only ten—"

"So I did. So I did. But my mother got me the place, and while I was there she did all my washing and mending, saw that I had something to eat, and when I got discouraged told me to cheer up and remember that tears were for babies."

"While there you studied by yourself—"

"Oh, no; bless you, no! Not by myself. Mother heard my lessons every night, and made me spell long words while she beat the cakes for breakfast. I remember one night when I got so discouraged I dashed my writing book, ugly with pot hooks and trammels, into the fire, and she burnt her hands in pulling it out."

"Well, it was certainly true, wasn't it, that as soon as you saved a little money you invested in fruit and began to peddle it out in the evening train?"

The rich man's eyes twinkled, and then grew moist, over the fun and pathos of some recollection.

"Yes," he said, "and I should like to tell you a story connected with that time. Perhaps that might do the Sunday school good. The second lot of apples I bought for peddling were specked and wormy. I had been cheated by the man of whom I bought them and I could not afford the loss. The night after I discovered they were unfit to eat, I crept down cellar and filled my basket as usual."

"'They look very well on the outside,' I thought, 'and perhaps none of the people who buy them will ever come this way again. I'll sell them, and just as soon as they are done I'll get some sound ones.'"

"Mother was singing about the kitchen as I came up the cellar stairs. I hoped to get out of the house without discussing the subject of unsound fruit, but in the twinkling of an eye she was upon me:—"

"'Ned,' she said, in her clear voice, 'what are you going to do with those specked apples?'"

"'Se—sell them,' stammered I, ashamed in advance."

"'Then you'll be a cheat, and I shall be ashamed to call you my son,' she said promptly. 'Oh, to think that you could dream of such a sneaking thing as that!' Then she cried, and I cried, and I've never been tempted to cheat since. No, sir. I haven't anything to say in public about my early struggles, and I wish you'd remind your boys and girls every Sunday that their mothers are doing far more for them than they do for themselves. Tell them, too, to pray that those dear women may live long enough to enjoy some of the prosperity they have won for their children—for mine didn't."

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