DECEMBER 2 the Inter-church Conference of America meets in Philadelphia. Three years ago representatives of these churches met in New York, and there outlined a program of church federation. That program was to be submitted to the respective churches from which these delegates came. Since that time these churches have held their great conferences, synods, councils, and large representative meetings. Nearly all of these denominations have approved of the plan of federation; and on December 2 they will meet in Philadelphia, not as they met in New York to endeavor to come to an agreement, but agreed as regards the plan of federation.
The Independent calls it "A New Religious Era," and declares that from that day of meeting there will be "one Protestant church of Christ in the United States; separated into denominations it is true, but vitally one, meeting in a Council without legislative or judicial authority, but carrying a tremendous weight of influence and power. Thus united, these churches can and should control the sentiment of the country, for they represent the bulk of its population."
The Independent further states that the Council "ought to guide and lead the activities of the churches." But it looks beyond even church work. It tells us further that "the purpose is to line the churches up for a united advance in the interest of earnest evangelism and civic righteousness." But The Independent looks beyond this; it tells us that there are now "two great religious forces in this country; the one the Protestant churches, and the other the Catholic Church." "The former is the larger and more aggressive," but "the two are less mutually hostile than they were. Protestants forget to protest." "The two agree more than they differ." "They will come closer together;" and The Independent looks for the time when "they will recognize and affiliate in good work, as now Presbyterians and Methodists do." "Even federation may yet come, for we are all Christians." And when that time takes place, the federation will be made over those human traditions which make void the word of God, and the great essentials of the Christian faith will be suppressed. Then will be fulfilled the prophecies of the word of God which speak of the elevation of great Babylon by the kings of the earth, and the persecution of those who are unconventional and old-fashioned enough to still believe in the simple truths of God's word. The SIGNS OF THE TIMES will have a report of the Inter-church Federation in Philadelphia.
Make It Personal.
WE look complacently on the destruction of the wicked. We pity, and yet make so little effort to warn others of impending danger. How easy it is to apply all these things to others! Do we ever consider how slender is the thread that keeps us from the same fate? Do we realize that the slightest wandering from the path of duty and right will lead our feet to the pit? Why, only one cherished sin is enough to bar us from heaven. One need not be a hardened, wilful sinner to merit eternal death; indeed, one may be the very best of "moral" characters, and failing in one thing lose all.
Again, we read of the joys of the ransomed; we picture the scenes of heavenly bliss and comfort and joy, and exclaim, "What must it be to be there!" Do we plan to be there? Is it the purpose—the one purpose—of our lives? Or do we picture it all as for the "saved," and fail to definitely include ourselves? It is a serious question in either case, and should be thoughtfully considered and applied personally by every one. Eternity is the goal—eternity of life or eternity of death. Dare I let one sin—a little sin—keep me from the kingdom?
1. The first epistle of Peter is general; written to the sojourners of the dispersion, or in other words, to the children of God scattered throughout the various parts named in the first verse. It was probably written from Babylon,—some think Rome,—about 63 or 64 A.D. The whole object of the epistle is practical, setting forth with clearness and vigor the duties devolving upon Christians, and especially comforting to those who are persecuted. The Lord also through the apostle points us down to the last days when the end of all things is at hand, fortifying His people by admonitions concerning the dangers of the end.
2. The second epistle of Peter closely resembles Jude; probably written just before the death of the apostle, about 66 to 68. It is a special message for the last days, and encouragement to those who are living amidst the darkness of apostasy. It presents before us the great light of prophecy to guide us, and the assurances of God's power to keep us.
3. The epistle of 1 John is written without date, by John, the beloved disciple, closely resembling the fourth Gospel. The date is supposed to be about 90, but it may have been written later. The place of the writing is generally thought to be Ephesus. It points out what true fellowship with God means; what true light and love mean; namely, vital relationship with God and obedience to His commandments. It also strikes against an error that was already then creeping in—a denial of the incarnation. It is splendid present truth now.
4. The second and third epistles of John will speak for themselves. Whether the first is written to a person or to a church matters little. The teaching is the same. The third was written to Gaius, or Caius. Who he was, we do not know. The epistle of Jude was probably written by the Judas who was one of the brethren of the Lord. See Matt. 13:55, and Mark 6:3. The date of its writing is between 64 and 68. It bears a striking resemblance to that of 2 Peter.
5. We are now brought to the last book of the Bible, and a book that above all others contains within itself all that has gone before. There are very few, if any, truths or prophecies which are not referred to or told over again in the book of the Revelation. In the Greek it is "The Apocalypse," meaning "disclosure," or "revelation." Note also that it is not the revelation of John, as in the title of the book, but the revelation of Jesus Christ as in the text. It is sent to the seven churches, a term that is used of the church throughout the Christian dispensation, the term "seven" indicating "completeness."
Our readings for the week carry us to the close of the prophecy of the seven seals. There is not space in these notes for any adequate explanation of the book itself. It may be divided into two parts, at the twelfth chapter. The first consists of three great prophecies spanning the Christian dispensation: The seven churches, the seven seals, the seven trumpets. Connected with the seven trumpets we have also the prophecy of the two witnesses, and of the opening of the little book of chapter 10. The last part of the book we have three prophecies covering the same ground. Rev. 12, 13, 17.
A Mistaken Statement.
THE sermon reported in the Sunnyvale (Cal.) Standard of November 12 says:
"The old Jewish Sabbath was established to meet the conditions of a peculiar climate and stage of civilization, but even this day was changed to meet a special condition. When the Israelites compelled Aaron to make the golden calf, it was apparent to Moses that they were still imbued with the idolatrous belief in the sun-worship of the Egyptians. In order to stamp out this heresy, Moses was inspired or directed by the Lord to change the Sabbath from the Sunday of the Egyptians to Saturday, and the latter became the sacred day of the week until the time of Christ; and the idolatry inherited from the Egyptians was thereby stamped out."
Surely this is a paragraph of errors, and yet it is like many others in defense of the Sunday. In the very first place, the Sabbath which the Lord gave the Jews was the identical Sabbath of the creation. That will be seen by any one who wishes to compare Gen. 2:2, 3 with Ex. 20:8-11. It is the same day given for the same reasons.
The Egyptians did worship the sun, and when they reverted to the sun-worship of the calf Apis, they doubtless went back to the keeping of the Sunday, but that in no wise affected the Sabbath of the Lord. There is absolutely no record whatever that Moses ever even sought to change the Sabbath from the Sunday of the Egyptians to Saturday; neither is it true that idolatry inherited from the Egyptians was stamped out by the time of Christ. The old sun-worship continues clear down to the present time, and Sunday is one of its relics brought over into the Christian church by half-converted pagans, and by many honest Christians supposed to be the Sabbath of the Lord.
The best way in all such cases is to accept not of what some man says, but what the word of God says.
Bismarck’s Excesses and Decline
Bismarck, the great German, was well called "The Iron Chancellor." He had not only an iron disposition but an iron constitution, or he never could have lived under the enormous strain which he put upon his digestive organs. He himself estimated that he had drunk ten thousand bottles of champagne and smoked one hundred thousand cigars, besides drinking vast quantities of brandy, beer, and various kinds of wine. It was this which brought his career of usefulness to a sudden close. His constitution finally yielded to the tremendous strain. He might have lived, clear-headed and strong, for a number of years longer. Strange it is that sensible men will yield to any of these indulgences which science shows neither strengthen one physically nor quicken the intellect.
WITH OUR INQUIRERS
By Editor
[All questions to this department will be answered which to the editors will seem to minister to the good of the readers and to the mission of the paper. The same question can not be answered repeatedly in the same volume. The name and address must accompany question, not for publication, but as an evidence of good faith, and that answer may be made by letter if deemed advisable. It is well always to enclose a stamp for reply.]
2673.—Joining Outside Organizations.
Would you please give reasons, if there are any, why a Seventh-day Adventist should not join a farmers' organization such as the "Grangers"? C. E. S.
It is not a matter of denominationalism; it is a matter of Christianity. It may be proper for a Christian to join some organizations; but there are two principles involved in the question, which should be taken into consideration.
(1) Every organization requires its members to subscribe to certain rules, regulations, constitutions, or by-laws. Often these are on a wholly selfish basis or involve principles to which the Christian can not subscribe. No Christian could indorse such principles or make himself a partner with others in prompting them or upholding them. He could not, for instance, join others in antagonizing his fellow men for whose souls he was laboring and praying. He could not indorse many of the various movements, such as involve church-and-state union, as almost every organization under the sun has been solicited to do, and many have yielded. He could not indulge in the dancing and drinking, the tricks of trade, and the unwholesome pleasure which some organizations indulge. In other words, he could not lower the Christian standard for any benefit whatsoever which he might receive in so doing.
(2) Nearly all human organizations are for the purpose of protection or benefit. Not fully trusting or trusting at all the great Father in heaven, men hope to save themselves by combinations, federations, organizations, and many know no other way and no other trust. The Christian, every Seventh-day Adventist Christian, ought to have a personal faith in God, a faith which would lead him to trust God in all his business, in all affairs of life. Any society or organization which would lessen this perfect trust, or say to the world that God could not be depended upon, a Christian should have nothing to do with. These are important principles. Our querist must apply them in his own life, and answer to God for them in the last day. Read Isa. 8:9-15; 30:1-3; 31:2.
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### 2674.—The Beast and Image.
What are your views of Revelation 13? Is the pope the man, and is his number 666? What is the second beast mentioned in this chapter? What is the mark of the beast? Do the trusts and combines and unions, secular and religious, answer to the image and mark of this secular beast? C. M. D.
It is impossible to give any kind of an adequate idea of Revelation 13 in this department. See "Bible Students' Library," No. 130, for fuller expression. In brief, we understand that these beasts represent systems. The great Babylonian system is represented by the beast with seven heads, each head a different phase of the system. The one particular head which was to continue forty and two months, or literally 1,260 years, being the papal head. That system puts man in the place of God, places man between the Creator and his Saviour, in almost every phase of religious life. At the head of this system is the pope, of course, but we do not understand that the "name" pertains to any particular pope or to the pope as an individual, but rather to the system itself as represented by the pope.
The claim that the papacy makes, and upon which everything else is based, is that the pope is "the vicegerent of the Son of God;" in Latin, "Vicarius Filii Dei," the numerical value of which is 666.
The second beast mentioned is the development of the union of church and state in America. The mark of the beast is the man-made sabbath enforced by law. See SIGNS OF THE TIMES of July 22, which gives a much fuller expression of it than can be given here.
Specifically as to trusts and combines, etc., we do not understand that they are individually engaged in the making of these images, tho doubtless all will be combined in one great trust or combination, confederating together to uphold human laws and purposes in contradistinction to the law of God. See the last part of the 8th chapter of Isaiah, and also the 18th chapter of Revelation. All the various combinations of earth will yet be brought into that relationship to the beast power so that it will be said that all the world shall worship it.
We wish especially to refer our inquirer and others to larger expositions of this subject as published from time to time in our periodicals, and also in our lists of books.
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### 2675.—The Second Coming of Christ Not at the Destruction of Jerusalem.
Was the second coming of Christ at the destruction of Jerusalem? I. L. B.
It was not. Language would be without meaning if all the events foretold as signs of Christ's coming could be made to apply to the destruction of Jerusalem and the events preceding it. Take the darkening of the sun and moon and the falling of the stars. See Matt. 24:29, and verses following. John uses these very signs as precursors of the great day of God's wrath in Revelation 6. Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70. John wrote Revelation in A.D. 96. This clearly shows that they were not signs of the destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred twenty-six years before John wrote.
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### 2676.—Called to Preach.
How will one as a layman know that he is called of God to preach the Gospel? Must that call come through the church militant, or by the Spirit of Prophecy, or direct, or how? M. H. K.
It is impossible for the SIGNS OF THE TIMES or any other one individual to say just how God calls an individual. He has not followed any special way of doing this; He has not had some formula for calling men into the ministry; He has called some in one way, and some in other ways. We have no particular evidence that He called Isaiah as He did Jeremiah, or Jeremiah as He did Ezekiel. Certainly He did not call Paul as He did Peter, nor Nathanael as He did John. Every soul has his own individuality, his own temperament, his own disposition, which the Lord knows thoroly; and when souls are consecrated to God, and God sees they can be used of Him in His work, He knows best how to call them. Sometimes He does that by the voice of His church; sometimes there are discerning men in the church who see the gift that the Lord has, by His Spirit, placed upon the humble worker. Sometimes the conviction comes to the worker himself in such an overwhelming way that it is impossible for him to throw it off. It is for the individual to put it to test with God. One of the sure tests of that work is, Can he win souls to God? can he give proof that his call is from God, or is it simply ambition on his part?
These are questions which the individual must settle with God. They stand between himself and the One who calls him, and it is not for others to judge another man's servant, nor must that servant judge others, if they do not see his calling at first. God gives us different gifts and different discernments. It is always well for young men, inexperienced men, to take counsel of those who are older. That does not mean that we should give up our God-given convictions for anything others may say, but we may learn that what we supposed was a call to speak for God was simply an ambitious desire on our part to do something greater. Almost invariably when the Lord calls men to preach His Gospel, they have shrunk from it; they have felt that the burden was too great, and the call too responsible. These and still other considerations which may occur to the well-instructed, must be weighed carefully before one should give himself to a work which calls for the fullest co-operation of the Spirit, and which without the Spirit of God will prove utterly worthless.
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### 2677.—Why the Sabbath?
Please explain why the Sabbath is still observed by your church, when it has the very same commands given as to duration of time as for all the ceremonial laws and statutes which ceased as soon as Christ had fulfilled every jot and tittle which was prophesied of Himself and was typical of Him. Matt. 5:17, 18. Yet every word of the old law was kept until after His death and a new covenant proclaimed. See verse 19, also Matt. 3:2, 3; Mark 1:44. Jesus said it was easier for earth to pass away than for anything prophesied of Him to fail to come to pass. When He died He said, "It is finished." John 19:24, 28, 30. Every jot of Old Testament law had to be kept to be saved, neither Decalogue nor ceremonial law excepted. Gal. 3:10; Isa. 1:8; Deut. 27:26. M. A. M.
Our inquirer seems to misapprehend the nature of the laws of which he speaks. Moral law is in its very nature unchangeable, and its compendium or summary God was pleased to put in the Decalogue. All these principles are eternal, and antedated sin. The Sabbath was not typical of something future, but a memorial or sign of God's power to create and save, and it existed before sin blasted the fair earth. Gen 2:2, 3. All the typical laws ended at the cross, expired by limitation. They were "forever" only in the sense of being for that age. But God's moral law is "forever and ever," for the ages of ages. Matt. 5:17-19 includes both moral law and prophecy, and the "till" includes both, as John Wesley clearly points out. The force of the expression is that till all predicted by the prophets is accomplished, one jot or one tittle of the moral law should in no wise fail, and that is never, for the prophets prophesied of the eternity to come, in which God's Sabbath should still be observed. Isa. 66:22, 23.
It is easier for heaven and earth to pass than for one moral principle or precept of God to fail; for it is His character.
"It is finished," did not mean that God's moral law was done away; that were preposterous; but that Christ's sacrifice had reached its culmination in death, and the infinite price was paid. Our inquirer does not see that if his efforts to do away the Sabbath were successful, it would carry with it all the law. Then what did Paul and James mean? Rom. 3:31; James 2:8-12. See tract "What Is Done Away?" price, two cents, at this office.
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### 2678.—The Commandments of Christ and of the Father. John 15:10.
What are Jesus' commandments, and what are His Father's commandments? C. K.
All the commandments of God may be summed up in the Decalogue. That is the compendium of all righteousness. Every duty is comprehended in it. It was the constant teaching of Jesus to call men's attention to this. He did not come to teach His own will, He ever and again declares (for instance, in John 4:34; 12:48), but to teach the will of the Father. His injunctions are over and over again to His disciples to carry out the will of the Father. He declares to them that they should believe on Him whom He had sent, that they should love one another, even as He loved them. The whole sum and substance of His teaching may be comprehended under the one constantly expressed thought, that they should do the Father's will, that they should accept the Father's messengers.
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2679.—Mark 13:13.—The "great tribulation" refers to the suffering and trial of the people of God during the Dark Ages.
Light Safer than Blinds.
Light is a better protection than any amount of barricades. Formerly, when men left their business places at night, they turned off the light and put up great shutters. To-day they have learned that their greatest safeguard against enemies is to pull back the blinds, and keep a bright light constantly burning. For years, many thought it necessary to defend the teaching of Jesus, when all that His teaching needed was the clear light of day so that men and women could see what it really was. It is pathetic to see the little hedges that some well-disposed persons have tried to build for the preservation of truth, when what is needed is only that lives be truly lived in the open. A lighthouse needs no one to convince people of its genuine character.—S. S. Times.
The Parents' Mistake.
By Sylvanus Stall, D.D.
PARENTS are apt to think that evil is easily possible to the children of other parents, but not to theirs. Others may have become defiled in thought, fall into vice, but they can not think such things of their own children.
Because they do not speak with them upon the subject of the origin of life—God's method of reproducing and perpetuating life in the world—they suppose that the child never thinks on these things and that no one else speaks to the child upon these subjects.
This is a great mistake. Your child can not come into ordinary contact with other children without being endangered upon this subject. The truth alone will prove an antiseptic to keep the mind of your child from defilement.
Be not deceived; evil thoughts and suggestions await your child everywhere. To be convinced of this fact, you have only to visit the schools, observe the walls and fences, and oftentimes even the pavements themselves, in the vicinity of the schools. The truth will render your child immune to deception and to much degrading vice, and it is the only thing that will. Socrates said, "Ignorance is vice;" and the statement is as true to-day as it was centuries ago. Innocence plus intelligence fosters virtue, and virtue supported by a strong moral sense will most successfully safeguard in the hour of temptation.—Sylvanus Stall, D.D.
Martha or Mary?
I CAN not choose; I should have liked so much
To sit at Jesus' feet,—to feel the touch
Of His kind, gentle hand upon my head,
While drinking in the gracious words He said.
And yet—to serve Him!—O, divine employ,
To minister and give the Master joy!
To bathe in coolest springs His weary feet,
And wait upon Him while He sat at meat!
Worship or serve—which? Ah, that is best
To which He calls me, be it toil or rest;
To labor for Him in life's busy stir,
Or seek His feet,—a silent worshiper.
So let Him choose for us. We are not strong
To make the choice; perhaps we should go wrong,
Mistaking zeal for service,—sinful sloth
For loving worship—and so fail of both.
—Author unknown.
A Horrible Idea.
AN Easterner, riding on a mail-stage in northern Colorado, was entertained by a dialogue which was sustained upon one side by the driver and upon the other by an elderly passenger, evidently a native of the region.
"I understand you're temperance," began the driver.
"Yes, I'm pretty strong against liquor," returned the other. "I've been set against it now thirty-five years."
"Scared it will ruin your health?"
"Yes, but that isn't the main thing."
"Perhaps it don't agree with you?" ventured the driver.
"Well, it really don't agree with anybody. But that ain't it, either. The thing that sets me against it is a horrible idea."
"A horrible idea? What is it?"
"Well, thirty-five years ago I was sitting in a hotel in Denver with a friend of mine, and I says, 'Let's order a bottle of something,' and he says, 'No, sir. I'm saving my money to buy government land at one dollar and a quarter an acre. I'm going to buy to-morrow and you'd better let me take the money you would have spent for the liquor and buy a couple of acres along with mine.' I says, 'all right.' So we didn't drink, and he bought me two acres."
"Well, sir, to-day those two acres are right in the middle of a flourishing town; and if I'd taken that drink, I'd have swallowed a city block, a grocery store, an apothecary's, four lawyers' offices, and it's hard to say what else. That's the idea. Don't you think it's horrible?"
The Curse of Liquor.
By Eugene H. Chafin
It is impossible to imagine any subject connected with the progress, the civilization, the physical well-being, the religious conditions of the masses, without encountering this monstrous evil. It lies at the center of all political and social mischief. It paralyzes beneficent energies in every direction. It neutralizes educational agencies. It silences the voice of religion. It baffles penal reform. It obstructs political reform. It rears aloft a mass of evilly inspired power which, at every salient point, threatens social and national advance, which gives to ignorance and vice greater potency than intelligence and virtue can command; which deprives the poor of the advantages of modern progress; which debauches and degrades millions, brutalizing and soddening them below the plane of healthy savagery, and fills the centers of population with creatures whose condition almost excuses the immorality which renders them dangerous to their generation.—Eugene H. Chafin.
An Essential Element.
ONE of the essential elements in child-training is an example of uncompromising truthfulness. The price a parent pays for any departure from this rule is loss of influence over the child. The gain in dollars means a loss in life, and such accounts can never be balanced. I remember hearing some one relate a story of a patient who desired her five-year-old boy to begin school, and so he was told to give his age to the teacher as six. When riding on the train his father gave his age as three. One day a gentleman asked him his age. He said: "I am five years old at home, three on the train, and six in school." An act like this is little short of crime.
A second requisite in character-building is real sincerity. The practise and the profession must be made to square with each other. In other words, the business transactions and week-day actions in the home must correspond with the religious life on the Sabbath. Children never fail in detecting insincerity and sham. The power of your precepts will never exceed the genuineness of your practise. It is useless for a man to talk temperance to his boy and live tippling before the world. The essential thing is life, not lecturing.—Selected.
"SILENCE will end almost any quarrel."
WE are quick to spy the evil conduct of others.—Socrates.
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Wonderful, Isn't It?
By Editor
The tiniest flower, the smallest portion of time, a ray of sunshine, a fleecy cloud, a drop of water, all have their influence in God's great plan. Each and all of these tiny things meet their mission. Only humans deny their responsibility and pervert their God-given talents. Why will they?
Never were things more tense and uncertain than now in the great social, religious, political world. This is recognized by thinking persons everywhere. As regards the future, all is speculation with many, yet it need not be with any. In the Bible we have the "more sure word of prophecy" which "shines as a light in a dark place." Do you not wish the light? Study His word, study His prophecies. "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning."
The publishers of the "Watchman" wish us to say that from the first of next year that paper will be changed from a weekly to a monthly of forty-eight pages or more, besides covers, this change being advised by the General Conference Committee. The usual departments will be continued. The January number, ready about December 15, will deal with the subject, "The United States in Prophecy," with special reference to the Church Federation Movement. The subscription price is 75 cents a year, clubs of five or more to one address, 45 cents. Single copies, ten cents. For terms, etc., address the Watchman, Nashville, Tenn.
Wonderful, Isn't It?
The Sunnyvale Standard (Cal.) reports a sermon by a Methodist pastor, of which the subheading is, "Methodist Pastor Declares Saturday Not Lord's Day." How did he prove this? Listen: "The world being round, . . . any but a very ignorant person could understand that taking the whole world into consideration, there can be no rigidly fixed day for the Sabbath." Worse sophistry than that might be used if this pastor would consistently hold to it; but he can not; for a little later he declares: "Christ restored the Sunday-sabbath, and ninety-nine per cent of the Christians of the world accept it and worship on this day." But how can they do it, Mr. Pastor, when a "fixed day" can not be observed on this round world? Is the world round on the last day of the week, and does it flatten out on Sunday? If ninety-nine per cent of Christians can keep Sunday, could they not keep the day which comes just before, "the Sabbath day according to the commandment," the day which our Lord observed? Verily, "the legs of the lame are not equal."
A news item from Lincoln, Neb., of October 22, states that the Supreme Court of that state sustained the legality of the Nebraska Sunday law forbidding almost all business transactions. We would like to know on what ground.
We have received a copy of the "Greater New York Special." It bears no other name, and is published without date, for the purpose of bringing the Gospel for this time before the people of New York in a cheap form. It is illustrated at every opening and has a splendid array of articles on various phases of the truth. The price is ten cents. Published by the Greater New York Tract Society, 32 Union Square, East, New York City.
"The Western Watchman" (Roman Catholic), St. Louis, of November 12, is authority for the statement: "It is a strange coincidence that both candidates for the presidency at the late election knelt at the feet of a pope and received his blessing." Will it be the last time the successful candidate will bow there? The same paper has this item in the same column: "It is refreshing to note with what equanimity the Catholic press of the country record the election of Taft. They will not need particular comforting during the coming four years."
Our Bible Band.
By Editor
REMEMBER what was said last week. Our readings will continue. We shall read the Bible through again in 1909. We shall take more interest in it than we did before. Those of us who failed will try again. Surely we can afford to spend fifteen minutes to a half hour a day in becoming familiar with the word of the living God. We can not afford to do otherwise. It is by His word that we are cleansed, that we are kept, that we are warned, that we are saved. It is by lack of knowledge that we are destroyed. Let us become familiar with God's great arsenal-storehouse treasury.
Those who wish schedules alone will send name and address and enclose five cents in stamps. Those who wish card and number in the Bible Band with first privileges in questions will enclose with their address ten cents. Address the editor. Schedules to the number of ten to one address, two cents each.
The Mail Liner "Asia" found the Pacific Ocean anything but true to its name on November 1. It passed through a terrific typhoon in longitude 166 west. Its life-boats were torn away, doors and screens broken, sails ripped from masts, and the upper works of the steamer were literally ruined. For hours she was virtually submerged in storm-lashed breakers, the passengers every moment expecting death.
"Poor, suffering India!" one feels to exclaim as he reads the statistics of the plague for the last ten years in that far-away land. It is said that the plague has claimed more than two million victims in the last decade. A few months ago, the daily death-rate in Bombay was three hundred persons. Poor India! burdened not only with the fearful bubonic plague and cholera, but still worse, by her fearful systems of religion. Were it not for the superstitions inherent in the religions, her physical condition would be greatly improved. The sanitary authorities meet these superstitions in every forward move, at every stage of progress which they make for the relief of the people.
The Alumni Association of the University of California, of whom Mr. George Edwards of the class of '83 is president, wishes us to state that the Alumni have had nothing to do with the effort to remove the state capital from Sacramento to Berkeley, nor have they any connection with any other political measure not officially authorized. They are working for the university's success and to make that institution as much of a benefit to the state as possible. They wish more done for the agricultural interests of the state, and desire that the president of the Alumni Association shall be on the Board of Regents.
Two little story booklets have been received by us from the author, Mrs. Myrta E. Steward, Sanitarium, Cal., entitled respectively, "Harry Spencer, Dyspeptic," and "The Destroyer (A Temperance Tale)." The latter is an interesting little sketch showing the relation of diet to drink; and the former of diet to health. It tells how a husband's mother was taught by his wife. Both are not only entertaining, but highly instructive. The price of the former is eight cents and of the latter ten cents, both post-free. Address the author.
The announcement of the commencement exercises of the Missionary Nurses' Training-School, of Portland Sanitarium, Portland, Ore., on Nov. 3, 1908, came duly to hand. It presents an excellent program of exercises; its graduating class numbers nine. The class motto is "Ministered unto, to minister," and its aim, "Onward and Upward." May God give each of them success in winning souls as well as helping bodies.
Signs of the Times for 1909
By Editor
THE "SIGNS OF THE TIMES" FOR 1909 WILL BE PUBLISHED AS HERETOFORE, FIFTY NUMBERS A YEAR, 16 PAGES, ENTIRELY INDEPENDENT OF THE MONTHLY. PRICE, $1.50 A YEAR, AND BETTER THAN EVER BEFORE.
Tzu-Hsi, the Late Dowager Empress of China
Tzu-Hsi, the late Dowager Empress of China.
According to despatches of November 15, it is stated that the Empress of China died on that day at two o'clock in the afternoon. The Emperor died the day before at five o'clock. The name of the Empress was Tzu-Hsi; the most powerful woman ruler in the world, and the one who ruled over the greatest number of people, male or female. She was of Manchu origin, 74 years of age. Altho only dowager queen, she was after all the real ruler of China. The emperor was a weak character compared with the queen. Altho it is supposed that she instigated the Boxer uprising, she granted many reforms. Among the many minor edicts of great benefit was one prohibiting the binding of feet. It is said that the one who will act as regent is the emperor's brother, Prince Chun, a very well-educated and progressive man. The one who succeeds as emperor, Pu Yi, is but three years old.
