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Review and Herald, Vol. 79, No. 24.

The Great Nations of To-day

Review and Herald

Jun 17, 1902

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 17, 1902

The Great Nations of To-day.

By Alonzo G. Jones.
A presentation of the great nations of the present time, their rise, relations, career, and their destiny, in connection with a clear and concise treatise on the Seven Trumpets, the Three Woes, the Third Angel's Message, the Threefold Messages, Babylon, the Beast of Revelation 13, its Image in all its phases and workings, the Commandments, the Hour of the Judgment Come, and the Setting up of the Everlasting Kingdom of God.
An excellent volume to loan and to place in general circulation.
257 pages; paper covers, 25 cents.
Order of the State Tract Societies.

The Two Republics.

By Alonzo T. Jones.
A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF THE Two Great Republics, Rome and the United States.
The errors of the great Roman republic are cited, and lessons of warning drawn for the guidance of the people in the present republic of the United States. The true principles of religious liberty are contrasted with the enforced religious observances.
Of great importance to every American citizen.
“It seems to us as though it has left nothing unsaid which needed to be said on the subject.”—New York Sun.
896 octavo pages. Prices, $2.50 to $4.75.
Order of the State Tract Societies.

Marvel of Nations.

OUR COUNTRY,
Its past, present, and future,
and what the Scriptures say of it.
In the English, German, Danish, and Swedish Languages.
A new book, up to date in every particular. The foreign editions are of a high grade in the construction and in the translations. The subject matter is of great importance to all classes.

Of the United States

it records an amazing historical past and a prophetic future. All the prophecies referring to this nation are clearly explained and given a Scriptural application. It is an important, message-bearing volume, pleasing in appearance, interesting in matter, and an excellent authority in prophecy.
Prices, in all languages, $1.25, $1.50, postpaid.
An Easy Seller; Agents Wanted.
Order of the Tract Societies.

International Sunday School Lesson Topics

For the Third and Fourth Quarters of 1902.
The Giving of the Manna, The Commandments, Worshiping Idols, Study of the Sanctuary, Nadab and Abihu, Journeyings, Report of the Spies, The Brazen Serpent, Life of Moses, Obedience to the Lord, General Review.

“Patriarchs and Prophets,”

beginning with the creation, and thoroughly considering all the principal Biblical events and characters down to the close of David's life, includes much important matter and many special truths for this time on the International Lesson Topics, and is therefore an excellent book for study in connection with these lessons, it being a special commentary upon the subjects considered. There is a demand for “Patriarchs and Prophets” now.
Agents are wanted to solicit for it.
Published in English, Danish, Swedish, German, and Holland.
Correspond with the State Tract Societies.

The Marshaling of the Nations

By Alonzo T. Jones
A brief yet comprehensive outline of Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, and the division of the Roman empire into the ten kingdoms;
the source and gradual development of the great powers
of to-day; their strategical positions on the maps of the world, and their part in the great Eastern question; the United States as a prophetic nation, and the Scriptural predictions pertaining to the part that each of the great governments is to act in the coming conflict.
An important publication for this time.
Pamphlet, 44 pages; price, 10c. postpaid.
Order of the State Tract Societies.

THE EMPIRES OF THE BIBLE.

FROM THE FLOOD TO THE CAPTIVITY OF BABYLON.
— By Alonzo T. Jones —
A thorough yet concise history of the peopling of the earth, the origin of nations and of the state, and the course of empire from the time of Nimrod to the captivity of Judah. The courses of empires are fully shown by 21 especially prepared maps. The design of the book is excellent, and the classified arrangement of the subject matter is especially helpful to all Bible and history students.
410 large pages, neatly bound
in cloth; $1.50, postpaid.
Order of the State Tract Societies.

GREAT EMPIRES OF PROPHECY.

FROM BABYLON TO THE FALL OF ROME.
The great empires of prophecy are Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, Rome, and the ten divisions of the Roman empire. The history of these is foretold in the prophecy of Daniel, and to this Biblical record, the “Great Empires of Prophecy” adds over eighty testimonials of the best historians, thus rendering this volume a cyclopedia of prophetic history fulfilled.
712 large pages; 22 full-page colored maps made especially for “Great Empires of Prophecy.” Price, $2.
Order of the State Tract Societies.

The Electric Touch of Faith

By Uriah Smith

THE discoveries and applications of modern science in these later days have given rise to some new and strange terms which past generations would not have understood. They have become peculiar to the present generation; thus, for instance, if one person wishes to learn something of importance from any friend, or to communicate something of importance to him, or seek some financial aid or favor from him, it is customary at the present time to say to his friend, “Wire me on these points,” or, “Call me up” on these subjects, and we will come to some understanding on the questions before us.” This illustrates our experience frequently in spiritual things; for we are permitted to “wire” heaven, and “call up” the Lord when we find ourselves in critical need of help which can come only from that source.
There is an instance related in Mark 5:25-34 which illustrates how this is done. This passage relates to the case of the poor woman who ventured to touch the hem of Christ’s garment to be relieved of her infirmity. “And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing better, but rather grew worse, when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And the disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. And the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”
The answer of the disciples was very natural: “Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?” The previous statement of the woman revealed the nature of thetouch. She said, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” This woman had labored under grievous infirmity for twelve years, and had spent all her living, among many physicians, and grew nothing better, but continually worse. Her case was becoming desperate; and just as soon as she heard of Jesus, she went to him. She had a definite object in view, a definite purpose to perform. On this her whole mind was centered; and just as soon as she heard of Jesus, she went to him. She joined the crowd following him; and pressing in behind, and believing in him, her whole soul intent on being healed, she reached forth her hand, without the knowledge or notice of any one, and just touched the outer fringe or tassel of his garment which was loosely thrown over his shoulders. It was not for any notoriety or display on her part, but the work was done. So easy and simple is faith. She felt in her body that the work was done. Her infirmity was removed. And that is why Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” He responded to the touch of faith. The woman, knowing that some power higher than that of earth had had something to do with her, fearing and trembling, came and fell down at Jesus’ feet, and told him the whole truth. He, of course, knew all this before; but he permitted this acknowledgment to come to the people from her own lips. Then as she had glorified him by confession, the benediction fell from his lips: “Go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” He did not say that her act in stretching forth her finger and touching his garment had done the work; but “thy faith hath made thee whole.”
Christ is waiting to say the same thing to all who are afflicted with that greatest plague that ever fell upon the human family, the plague of sin. And he is still passing among the multitudes of earth; but how many of those who need him do as the woman did when she heard of him—go to him? How many who have heard of him for ten, twenty, thirty, or forty years have done as the woman did—come to him? How many have stretched out their hand for his help? The hem of his garment is always within reach, but how few reach forth their hands to touch it! The heavens may always be “called up” by faith.
It is the sense of need that leads to Jesus. This is called “one of the divine missions of affliction and sorrow, to remind us of the Lord.” Sin, if not crucified and put away, will carry us away. “Death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” There is no escaping this result. But we may come hopefully, as this woman did. Christ does not stop with any halfway work. When he forgives sin, he forgives it all. David says, he “forgiveth all thine iniquities.” John says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Christ said to his disciples, “I know that I am pressed and thronged, but there was somebody in that crowd whose touch was a prayer. It rung like a call bell in my heart.” And he answered.
U. S.

Cultivating Soil and Soul

By Editor

Editorial

Cultivating Soil and Soul

The cultivation of the soil is a means through which visible expression can be given in a most marked way to right principles in the cultivation of the soul. Man was created in very close touch with the earth. He was made of the dust of the earth, and he was organized under God to have dominion over the earth. To serve him the earth was to yield her strength. A part of the first sentence upon outbreaking sin was, “When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength.” Right principles of Christian education will make Luther and men wise in dealing with the earth, of his co-operating with God in his work of multiplying the loaves to feed earth’s multitudes, and in making the wilderness to blossom as the rose. A well-cultivated farm, or a beautiful park, or a fruitful garden, is in itself an object lesson in the principles of Christian education, even though it may not have been intended for that purpose. The processes employed in turning a sandy waste into an attractive park with its pleasant paths and its tasteful shrubbery are constantly setting forth the gospel principles of transformation of character, “the renewing of the mind,” and testifying to the possibility of marvelous development in diamonds in the rough. Our frontispiece teaches this lesson. It shows the result of intelligent effort directed toward changing a barren piece of ground into a thing of beauty and a joy forever. “Learn, O student, the true wisdom. See yon bush aflame with roses, like the burning bush of Moses. Listen, and thou shalt hear, if thy soul be not deaf, how from out it, soft and clear, speaks to thee the Lord Almighty.”

Education by Faith

The life of the Christian is the life of faith. Whatever he receives he receives by faith; whatever he gives he gives by faith. The life that he lives in the flesh he lives by the faith of the Son of God. The same Christ whom he receives by faith as his righteousness he also receives by faith as his wisdom. “Of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” But education by faith is not a newly discovered process by means of which an education may be obtained without hard study. God gives wisdom by giving him “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” but the only way by which we can receive “the treasures” is by hard study,—literally digging for them. This is the Lord’s own instruction: “If thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” It was when Luther was stretched out upon the floor of his cell, studying the epistle to the Romans, that the keynote of the Reformation was sounded in his ears,—“The just shall live by faith.” It was when Daniel and his companions were being taught “the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans,” that “God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom.” God can make a special revelation of that which could never be discovered even by study, but the best preparation for this extraordinary method of working is to make the best possible improvement of the ordinary method. The first condition of obtaining knowledge is to study; the second condition is to study; and the third condition is to study. It is also helpful to remember Luther’s motto: “To have prayed well is to have studied well.”

The Deception Behind Modern Progress

“A GREAT deal of what is lauded as progress in these days has its origin in the world’s desperate resolves to make wrong appear right, to justify itself in its alienation from God, and to fulfill the first prophecy of its god, ‘Ye shall not surely die.’”

Momentous Changes

By W. A. S.

REMARKABLE changes are all the time taking place in the great mission fields,—changes that are signals to us to make haste to send forward the laborers. As plainly as though we could see the hand of God visibly swinging back the doors, the way into the populous fields is being opened.
Twenty years ago, and less, Hunan, in China, was the headquarters of opposition to missionary influence. No settled mission stations were allowed. Itinerant missionaries had been able now and then to scatter some seeds of truth. But the walled province, with its sixteen million souls, was emphatically one of the few territories still beyond the missionary frontier. As such it was the subject of much prayer and earnest planning among those upon whose hearts lay the burden of China's millions.
It was so recently that this condition obtained that I was the more surprised a few days ago to learn of the changed situation reported by Dr. Griffith John, of the London Missionary Society. He says of a tour just taken in Hunan:—
In the Heng-chow district we have at least five thousand candidates for baptism. In the city itself we have a beautiful congregation of Christians, and in the whole prefecture we have between twenty and thirty congregations. It is a marvelous work, extending to the Canton province in the south, and to Kwang-si in the west. I am thankful to say that at Chang-Sha (the capital of Hunan) we now have a little church. A congregation of between twenty and thirty believers meets regularly for worship, and during this visit I baptized six most promising young men.
God is using many consecrated agencies to open up the great closed lands, preparatory to the proclamation of the third angel's message to the ends of the earth. It is too bad that we are so far behind in China that we have not been able to act a part in some of these recent triumphs of missionary endeavor. However, we may watch the signs of the Lord's speedy coming in the progress of missions, with all thankfulness, and with hearts aglow with enthusiasm to join now in pressing into every dark corner of the earth.
The most striking signs of the times are not to be found in the daily record of increasing wickedness and disaster. God's truth is marching on. The light of the coming dawn is breaking over this dark earth of ours. But all these gladdening signs are calls to us to be up and doing, like men watching for the break of day.
W. A. S.

Studies in the Gospel Message

The subject of the Sabbath-school lesson for June 28, the thirteenth in the present series, is The Sure Mercies of David.
The gift of the resurrection life, the life everlasting through the gift of the Son of God in the flesh, is the essence of the blessing found in the sure mercies of David. This is what was involved in the original promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head. The Holy Spirit has made this plain in the revelation madethrough the apostle Paul in his preaching at Antioch in Pisidia. “And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”
Several things should be noticed in this scripture:—
1. The resurrection of Jesus is the fulfillment of “the promise which was made unto the fathers.” The original form of this promise was that the seed of the woman should bruise the head of the serpent. It is therefore evident that the promise and the power of the resurrection were in the promise made in Eden. And this is the very essence of the gospel, for “if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain, . . . Ye are yet in your sins.” It requires the power of the resurrection to save from sin. Only the power of the endless life can save from death, the wages of sin, and this power was in the original promise.
2. The resurrection of Christ was an eternal victory over death. He was raised “no more to return to corruption.” “Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.” And the Holy Spirit declares that the assurance of this fact is found in the statement, “I will give you the sure mercies of David.” The original form of this expression, as found in the promises to David, is as follows: “My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven.” We thus see that the promises to David could only be fulfilled through Christ and his resurrection, and that there was sufficient power in the promises to David to raise Christ from the dead, and to keep him alive for evermore as the seed of David. Inasmuch as the Son of God came “in the likeness of sinful flesh,” it is clear that there is sufficient power in the promises to David, “the sure mercies of David,” to preserve one from sin even though he lives in sinful flesh, to raise from the dead, and evermore to preserve from death.
“Life for the dead is in that word: ’Tis immortality.”
3. The same assurance that the seed of David should be victorious over death and the grave is found in the statement in another psalm, “Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Since these two promises, “I will give you the sure mercies of David,” and, “Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption,” contain the same assurance of the resurrection of Christ, as is shown by their use in this discourse by the apostle Paul, it is again evident that the promises to David could only be fulfilled through Christ and his resurrection.
4. By putting all these things together, we conclude that “the promise which was made unto the fathers,” the promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the head of the serpent, involved the gift of the Son of God in the flesh as the seed of David, his death, his resurrection, and his retaining the flesh throughout the eternal ages. By this means is an eternal victory over sin and death assured to the flesh. Thus is David’s prayer answered: “Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee: for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed forever.”
When we remember that the seed is Christ and all who are in Christ, we see at once that all that is assured to Christ in the flesh by the sure mercies of David is assured to those who are in Christ. His resurrection is our resurrection. He “hath quickened us together with Christ, . . . and hath raised us up together.” His glorification is our glorification. “That we may be also glorified with him.” His eternal existence in the flesh is the certainty of our eternal existence. “Because I live, ye shall live also.” Christ in the flesh is more than Christ the one individual. “Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” Christ’s identification with humanity is complete, and the blessings bestowed upon Christ in the flesh are bestowed upon humanity and are for humanity.
Thus the gift of immortality, the gift of everlasting continuance, is not an arbitrary reward. It is the consequence of this gift of Christ to the flesh, and is to us the seal of our eternal union with Christ in the flesh. Those who reject the gift of Christ to the flesh reject the gift of eternal life, and so reject the gift of immortality. Any teaching, any creed, any system, which takes from us or cuts us off from the gift of Christ to the flesh, to our own sinful flesh, takes away from us the hope of eternal life, the hope of immortality, the hope of everlasting continuance.

A Call to Training

SCHOOLS ought to be established among us, so that a Christian education can be given to our children and youth; but it is also true that our young people ought to attend these schools where they may receive a Christian education. There must be hundreds and perhaps thousands of young people connected with our churches who ought to be in training for some phase of gospel work. There is a great work to be done before the Lord can come for his people. This gospel message must be carried to all the world. A large army of strong young people ought to be engaged in this work. It is not necessary that they should all be in the employ of some conference, but it is necessary that they should know the gospel, and that they should be trained for the Master's service. Not merely parents, but all the members of the church, should carefully study this problem. The work of the Lord is hindered, and his coming is delayed, because the final message is not proclaimed to the world. Witnesses are needed in every part of the world. A wonderful opportunity is offered to the young people of this generation. Who will help them to realize this and to prepare for the work? There is much talent untrained and unused. Much talent which ought to be used in the Lord's work is now being employed in purely worldly occupations. Let the wise-hearted fathers and mothers in Israel look up the young people in our churches who ought to be in our schools, and encourage them to attend. All our schools should be filled to their fullest capacity, and other local schools ought to be established. We have not half appreciated the value of this agency in hastening the coming of the Lord. Young people, awake! Parents, awake! Church and conference officers, awake! Let every energy be aroused, and let every possible agency be used, for preparing the way of the Lord.

Two Systems of Education

By L. A. S.

“THE proper study of mankind is man,” is a statement made by an eminent poet, which expresses a belief that is general throughout the civilized world. It is, in fact, and ever has been, the foundation principle of the world's systems of education. Men have been forever studying the ideas, customs, speech, laws, and institutions of their fellow men, in order to become wise. Yet but few men in the world, comparatively, have been really wise. Their study of themselves has yielded knowledge rather than wisdom. But there is a system of education which yields both knowledge and wisdom.
By their study of their fellow mortals men have been forever looking backward. They have been enslaved by tradition. They have delved into the things of the past, as though the treasures of learning had been buried in the civilizations of former ages. A custom, law, or institution has been invested with great value in men's minds merely because of its antiquity. No matter how it failed to harmonize with the requirements of justice and propriety, or to serve any visible necessity of life, it was necessarily to be perpetuated because of its long standing. Men talk about the traditions that have been handed down to them as representing the accumulated wisdom of the ages, which must be carefully treasured and referred to as a guide in the affairs of the present time. They ignore a source of wisdom plainly set before them, infinitely greater and purer, and more accessible than all this,—a wisdom unencumbered with the dust and rubbish of a dead past, but ever fresh and perfect through all time.
Man is a fallen being. For this reason he cannot be the proper study of mankind. Even if he were not fallen, it would still be the same; he could not with profit turn his mental faculties upon himself or upon those like him. He is not the source of that which he finds in himself and in his fellow beings. Lucifer, the anointed cherub, perfect and full of wisdom, fell and was lost by looking at himself. His whole education acquired throughout long ages was a failure because he finally chose a system of study which was not centered upon his Creator.
The proper study of mankind is God. That educational system alone is true and safe and perfect which has for its aim the imparting of the knowledge of God. This is the eternal system of education, instituted from the beginning, and unchanging as God himself. To this end the infinite One has given a revelation of himself in the things of nature, and in his Word and works. His thoughts, his precepts, his laws, his institutionshis ways, are our proper study. In them there is nothing to lead downward to a lower plane of life, but all that leads upward to a higher plane. And mankind, by beholding him through the revelation he has given of himself, will be led ever upward, being made like him in nature, and approaching ever nearer to him in knowledge and wisdom. This is the true education, to be begun here on the earth, and continued forever in the world to come.
L. A. S.

The Need for Holy Men

“THERE is no place in the universe where holy men are so much needed as they are in this very world of ours.”

What Must We Do Then?

By E. A. Sutherland

God, in meting out blessings to humanity, shows no partiality. He sends rain alike to the rich and the poor; his sun shines just as freely on the villain as on the pious man, and the man who plants reaps as he has sown, whether he be a Christian or a heathen. And so it is in the blessing of an education. God has provided as well for one child as for another. Education is spiritual and mental food, and this food is offered freely to all who will partake. The message given by angels is, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye”! And the promise reads, “Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
Man alone is the originator of monopolies. God has nothing whatever to do with them. Perfect equality is a fundamental principle underlying all dealings of God with man. And so when it comes to a monopoly in education, it is not the fault of the system, nor of the Author of that system; the fault lies alone at the doors of the human agents.
When, therefore, we find among us, in the very bosom of the church, children and youth who are literally starving, it is unjust to attribute the spiritual death to Providence. The guilt of murder lies at somebody’s door; and it is well for us to find out, ere the death rate increases, who is responsible for the loss of our children and youth.
Do you believe the statement that “Jerusalem was destroyed because the education of the children was neglected”? Then you must believe that the church to-day is weak, and daily growing weaker, because its children have not been educated for Christian work.
If it was true in the days of Hebrew glory that “a town in which there is no school must perish,” then what must be the fate of the Christian church which turns its children and youth into the hands of the state for their training?
The present condition of failure—a steady and accelerating flow of life-blood from the church toward the world—is manifest to all. What must we do, then?
If a man has indigestion, a certain class of physicians administer drugs which temporarily relieve the situation, but they allow the man to continue his manner of life, regardless of his violations of nature’s laws. Another physician brings health, and happiness, and a new lease of life to the dyspeptic, by regulating his diet in harmony with physiological laws. In case of spiritual disease, these two methods of treatment are before us. Shall we attempt to increase our strength by alone bringing new converts into the church, or shall we save the children born into the church, and let them devote their lives to the evangelization of the world? In the end which will prove the wiser course?
This is not a thing to be lightly dealt with. The case is critical. A few more years, and the boys and girls of to-day will be beyond our reach. What is done must be done quickly. We do not lack instruction. The case has been diagnosed by the Great Physician. He says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” We send our children to the Sabbath school that they may be instructed in regard to the truth, and then as they go to the day school, lessons containing falsehood are given them to learn. These things confuse the mind, and should not be.
Then the Lord gives the proper course to pursue in order to restore health: “The work that lies nearest to our church members is to become interested in our youth.” “The lambs of the flock must be fed.”
“Wherever there are a few Sabbath keepers, the parents should unite in providing a place for a day school where their children and youth can be instructed. They should employ a Christian teacher, who, as a consecrated missionary, shall educate the children in such a way as to lead them to become missionaries.”
“Shall members of the church give means to advance the cause of Christ among others, and then let their own children carry on the work and service of Satan?” It is time that we ask ourselves, one another, and the Lord, the question which heads this article—What must we do then?
Establish Christian schools for all the children. The way to begin is this: Search out from your own membership, if possible, one or more persons who have ability to teach. Insist that such persons take the necessary preparation. Let the church assist worthy persons in obtaining this training.
The General Conference, the Lake Union Conference, and Emmanuel Missionary College are joining their forces to place a training within reach of every person who desires it. Why should not the churches help? Some conferences are also helping Christian teachers by paying their railroad fare to the summer school. It would seem that all forces are uniting this season to train teachers for our children. If every church, every home, every individual, will join this crusade for the salvation of children and youth, the result will be not only the salvation of the children, but the evangelization of the world and the hastening of Christ’s coming.
Not only ask the question, What must we do then? but let every man say to his neighbor, Let us work while it is called To-day.
E. A. SUTHERLAND.

Are We Loyal?

By M. Bessie De Graw

ALL earthly governments reward loyalty. If a citizen of any country is placed in a trying position, and proves true to his native land and to his countrymen, that man is esteemed worthy of special favors. History is full of instances of loyalty.
In God’s kingdom, also, loyalty is highly honored. No man ever endured rebuke, or suffered affliction for the cause of Christ, without receiving high favors from the King of kings. Abraham became the father of the faithful because of his loyalty; Joseph was made ruler of Egypt because loyal to his Master; Daniel ruled the world from the Babylonian throne because he was true and loyal to conviction.
The church to-day needs loyal men and women, but in place of loyalty God finds many disloyal ones.
To every one has been given gifts,—to some the gift of ministry, to some the gift of teaching, and to still others the gift of healing. But whatever the talent, it is held in trust until the Master’s return, when an account must be rendered.
There are hundreds to-day proving disloyal. They claim to love God, and to believe in the near coming of Christ. With their lips they serve him, but they have God-given ability to teach, and they are allowing that ability to be used by the state, while Seventh-day Adventist children—their own brothers and sisters—are drifting away from the truth because no Christian teacher has come to their rescue.
If all the disloyal ones should be gathered together, what an army they would make,—an army which any earthly government would be ashamed to own. What can God do with these? Instead of severe punishment or banishment from the cause, he is still pleading for a return to loyalty.
To every Seventh-day Adventist who is teaching in the public schools, he sends a message begging a return to the principles of his own government. Some have unconsciously drifted into disloyaltyBecause of the associations of childhood or early education, many a true-hearted Seventh-day Adventist has entered the service of the world, without realizing that this is a sign of a lack of allegiance. Persons thus caught unawares will heed the invitation to return; they will take up the banner of Prince Immanuel, which they have trailed in the dust, and holding it aloft, will proclaim to all the world that henceforth they will be true to their colors. Before the days of Christian schools, young people were not held guilty because they entered the service of the state; but to-day, when the message of Christian education is proclaimed in trumpet tones, when hundreds of teachers are needed in this and foreign lands to teach the children and youth, God no longer holds us guiltless. This is without doubt the sifting time for our teachers. Every thoroughly consecrated Christian must respond.
The tone of a letter recently received from a teacher who has had years of experience in public-school work, expressed what God wants to hear from every one who has devoted his ability to a cause less noble than his own. She says: “When I leave public-school work, I intend to do so forever, and to consecrate myself unreservedly to the cause of Christian education.”
A man who has taught over twenty years in the state schools, writes: “I do not wish to teach any longer in the public schools; for I am disgusted with the many errors contained in the text-books. Nevertheless, I am not tired of teaching, and wish a position in one of our church schools.”
These are indications that the Spirit is moving upon hearts. What a hallelujah chorus there will be when every soldier in the great army of teachers returns! Will you help swell the sound? Will you prepare to teach in a Christian school?
M. BESSIE DE GRAW.

The Rise of Narcotic Use

THE marked increase of the use of all kinds of narcotics, is a fact commented on to quite an extent at the present time by medical writers. Tobacco, alcoholic drinks, and tea and coffee are among the most common of these agencies to which mankind is ever more frequently resorting, while much alarm is felt also by many who know the facts over the increasing use of such deadly drugs as opium and cocaine. The evil is one which extends to both sexes and all classes of the people.
The causes of this intemperance are to be found in the use of mild stimulants, which invariably lead to a demand by the human system for something stronger, and to the nervous tension incident to the fast living of this rapidly moving age. One writer not long ago pointed out a direct connection between the spread of intemperance among the upper classes and the demands of life in “high society.” The society leader is obliged to disregard the natural laws of rest and sleep for the human organism, and after passing through some successful society “function” feels the need of something to brace up the system which has been unduly drained of nervous force. It is a truth which needs to be pointed out and emphasized that just as one lie leads to another, so one disregard of nature’s laws leads always to another and greater violation, and that there is an intimate connection between the transgression of moral law and physical suffering—between sin and sickness. There is no safety without conforming to the order of living prescribed by Christianity. The person who is a moral Christian will be a physical Christian as well, exemplifying Christian simplicity in dress and habits. But the one who would keep pace with the world, on the other hand, is led by the demands of worldliness into that which deprives him of physical and mental, as well as moral, life.

Note and Comment

A new explosive—masurite by name—is announced as being the latest product of man's inventive genius in the line of destructive compounds. It is an explosive which can be safely handled, being insensible to shock, concussion, heat, or cold, and when exploded, does not give off any flame. By reason of the last-named quality it is believed masurite will be valuable for use in coal mines, where coal gas or dust is liable to accumulate in the neighborhood of a blast. The insusceptibility to shock in a high-power explosive is of course a factor not overlooked in considering how to increase the efficiency of weapons of war. The older high-power explosives —nitroglycerin, gun cotton, and dynamite—could not be safely used in shells fired from cannon; but explosives are now being manufactured which can withstand the shock of being fired from the most powerful guns, and let loose all the destructive energy of dynamite to bring about the destruction of the object aimed at when exploded by the special mechanism devised for that purpose. The next naval war will doubtless afford illustrations of the effectiveness of these new high-power explosives in destroying life and property.
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