Signs of the Times, Vol. 32, No. 6. (2/7/1906)

Signs of the Times

Feb 7, 1906

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Feb 7, 1906

SOME INTERESTING METROPOLITAN FACTS.

New York City, next to London the largest in the world, had a population in 1905 of 4,014,304 inhabitants. London's population in 1903 was 4,613,812. The statisticians for the New York Board of Trade and Transportation estimate that by 1925 New York will contain 6,760,000 souls. Its area is 327.9 square miles, a little greater than the combined extent of Chicago and Philadelphia, and almost twice that of London. From the extreme north to the south the distance is more than thirty miles.

The first European probably to visit the site of New York was Giovanni Verrazano, who came in 1524. In 1525 the Spanish navigator Gomez sailed into the harbor. By 1600 the French seem to have begun an extensive trade with the Indians along the Hudson. Henry Hudson explored the harbor in 1609, and four trading houses were built on Manhattan Island in 1613. The second ship built in America, the "Onrust," or "Restless," was built here in 1614.

Copyrighted 1904, 1905, by Moses King. LOWER NEW YORK, SKY-SCRAPERS, AND BROOKLYN BRIDGES.

In 1636 Peter Minuit bought the island from the Indians for goods valued at present rates of money at about $120, and built near the present Bowling Green a small fort, Fort Amsterdam. There was at that time a population of about two hundred, the settlement being called New Amsterdam. A church was organized in 1628, the first clergyman of which was Rev. Jonas Michaelius. The town was incorporated as a city in 1653, with a population of about 800, and a wall 2,340 feet long was built along what is now called Wall Street (whence the name), as a protection against the English and the Indians.

In 1664 the city was taken by the English and renamed New York. In 1673 the Dutch regained possession and called it New Orange. In 1674 the English again became possessors.

The first Inter-Colonial Congress was held in New York 1690. In 1725 the first newspaper, the New York Gazette, was founded.

New York's expenditures for the year 1901 footed up the vast sum of $156,397,573. It has one of the finest harbors in the world, being about five miles wide and six miles long. Previous to 1874 the city did not extend beyond Manhattan Island, now it embraces part of Queens County, the whole of Kings, Richmond, and some other territory. New York's greatest wonder is the city itself.

BOOKS FOR THE TIMES

Heralds of the Morning

The appalling loss of life by murder and suicide, political and social troubles, dissatisfaction between employer and employee, strikes and fires, wars and rumors of wars—all these are of daily occurrence. What do they mean? and is there any significance to these things at this particular time? To the close observer, all these are evidences that there is a nearing social vortex into which all unsettled factions, and the world at large, will be plunged. When and how this will be brought about is revealed in "Heralds of the Morning." By appealing to the "sure Word of prophecy," the author clearly shows that these conditions were to exist just before the Lord's return, and points out many other signs that the Scriptures tell us are certain heralds of the glad morning when strife shall cease, and peace and happiness reign forever. That the reader may understand these events, and be prepared for the final outcome, is our reason for calling attention to this valuable work. More than 150 illustrations vividly portray that upon which the subject matter treats.

Bound in cloth, with marbled edges, $1.50

The Great Controversy between Christ and Satan

This volume presents the most intensely-interesting history that has ever been written of the great conflict between Christianity and the powers of darkness, as illustrated in the lives of God's children on the one hand, and wicked men and persecuting powers on the other. Beginning back at the time when Christ was upon earth, the conflict is traced down to the time when Satan and his armies are destroyed, and the controversy forever ended. Aside from the direct controversy, the author calls particular attention to the Bible as the guide-book for all. Other interesting and important Bible subjects are also treated in connection, which are particularly applicable at this time; such as the Second Coming of Christ, and the signs that show His coming near, The Falling Stars, The Time of the Judgment, The Fall of the Ottoman Empire, the termination of many of the prophetic periods, The Origin of Evil, Spiritualism, God's People Delivered, The Desolation of the Earth, The Controversy Ended, etc. Illustrated and substantially bound as follows:

Cloth, marbled edges, $2.50; Library style, $3.50; Full Morocco, $4.50

Daniel and the Revelation

This volume, as its title indicates, is a study of these important prophetic books of the Bible, being a verse by verse treatise of these entire books. Remarkable facts are here brought to light regarding the nations of the earth, from Babylon down to the end of time, not excepting the United States. Some events foretold in these prophetic books have already taken place, others are coming to pass just now, and still others will take place in the near future. God has revealed these things for a purpose, that every one who will heed the admonition may be prepared to meet the events intelligently. Heretofore you may not have given this class of reading much attention, thinking the prophecies could not be understood, but we present this volume to our readers with the certainty that its expositions may be clearly understood, and that it will intensely interest because of the many things foretold that directly refer to our time, and so concern us.

Cloth, marbled edges, $2.50; Library style, $3.50; Full Morocco, $4.50. Address

THRILLING MESSAGES IN TRACT FORM.

Bible Students' Library.

No.	Price in cents.
58	Matthew 24; or the Second Coming of Christ
65	The Great Day of the Lord
70	Immortality of the Soul
80	Sunday: Origin of Its Observance in the Christian Church
83	Angels: Their Nature and Ministry
95	From Sabbath to Sunday
111	Tormented Forever and Ever
112	Spiritualism: Its Source and Character
114	The Identical Seventh Day
121	The Temporal Millennium
130	The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast. Illustrated
131	The Sure Word of Prophecy. Illustrated.
134	The Lord's Day
143	Truth for the Times.
144	The Eastern Question
161	Marshaling of the Nations
163	Under the Law or Under Grace? Which?
166	Relation of the Law and Gospel
168	Miracles and Delusions
169	Babylon Is Fallen
178	The Perpetuity of the Law
183	Modern Mysteries
185	Topical Bible Studies
186	Last Day Tokens
187	Who Changed the Sabbath?
188	The Gospel Message of To-Day
189	Waymarks to the Holy City
193	The Bible or Tradition?
194	Signs of the End

Apples of Gold Library

Apples of Gold Library.

39 The Seventh, or One-Seventh . . . . . ½ 44 Back to the "Old Paths" . . . . . 1 50 Day of the Sabbath . . . . . 1 53 Winning of Margaret . . . . . 1 62 Return of the Jews . . . . . 2 72 The Name . . . . . 1 85 Heralds of His Coming . . . . . 1½ 86 Is Man Immortal? . . . . . 1 87 "Come, for All Things Are Now Ready" . 1

A Family Favorite

By Mrs. M. S. Cramer

"Please find fifty cents enclosed, for which please keep sending me the Signs of the Times. It has been one of the family for five years, and I don't know how I could do without it. I will pay the balance for this year's subscription soon. "MRS. M. S. CRAMER."

PERIODICALS

By Editor

Life and Health.—A journal devoted to the fundamental principles governing life and health, revealing the simplicity of these principles, and teaching their practical application in the home, the sick-room, and the kitchen. Single copy per year, 50 cents.

Address Life and Health, Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C.

Our Little Friend

By Editor

Our Little Friend.—An eight-page illustrated weekly paper for the children, containing articles on travel, choice moral and Bible stories, and simple lessons on nature, physiology, etc. A very interesting paper every week. Single copy per year, 50 cents.

Address Our Little Friend, Mountain View, Cal.

PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY

Mountain View, California

REVIEW & HERALD PUBLISHING COMPANY

Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C.

SNAP SHOTS OF NEW YORK CITY.

[For many of these items we are indebted to William Wirt Mills, in "King's Views of New York."]

ELEVEN great railroad systems center in New York, bringing from the interior supplies for the city's needs and merchandise for export, while the inland water-ways contribute their quota, and through the Narrows pass annually over 21,000 ocean-going vessels of 151 lines, which find wharfage facilities along the 353 miles of the city's water front. Over these lines during the year ending June 30, 1905, there entered New York City 788,239 immigrants.

NEW YORK'S 206 banks and trust companies in July, 1905, had resources aggregating $4,268,188,482; the 42 life-insurance companies supervised by the state, $2,454,669,487; the 38 fidelity and casualty companies, $70,476,877; the 39 fire-insurance companies, $106,633,670. The aggregate deposits in the 53 banks in the Clearing House Association average $1,159,000,000; in the 58 non-member banks, $231,000,000; in the 51 savings banks, $918,000,000; in the 44 trust companies, $871,000,000—a total of $3,179,000,000.

MOST of the important industrial corporations of the world have either their executive offices or important agencies in New York. Of the great American corporations, the business of 173 concerns, with an aggregate capital of $7,000,000,000, centers in this city, besides multitudes of smaller corporate bodies and individual manufacturers, and the aggregate wealth of all this interwoven financial and industrial fabric baffles computation.

THE value of the products of the city's factories for the year ending June 30, 1905, is estimated at $16,000,000,000, one-tenth of the entire output of the country. The city has 48,000 factories, employing 520,000 wage-earners.

THE underground, elevated, and surface railroads of the city represent an outlay of $230,000,000 and carry nearly 4,000,000 passengers a day. New subways to be built within the next decade will cost over $150,000,000. The Interborough system (Subway and Manhattan "L") alone carried an average of 1,018,382 passengers a day during the first quarter of 1905, and the Metropolitan system (the Manhattan surface roads) received 808,770 fares a day.

THE necessities of its vast business interests are recreating New York physically. Great steel-frame structures, from 18 to 31 stories in height, are replacing the six- and eight-story buildings of two decades ago. Already there are 32 sky-scrapers over 230 feet in height, and the Metropolitan Life's tower is to be 560 feet high. From January 1 to June 30 plans were filed for the erection of 6,570 new buildings at an estimated cost of $119,764,950, and for the remodeling of old buildings at a cost of $10,961,280.

THE volume of business transacted in New York is illustrated by the receipts of its post-offices, which average $58,965 a day. For the year ending June 30, 1905, the receipts, including Brooklyn, aggregated $17,690,000, or 12 per cent. of the total income of the 72,000 post-offices in the United States, giving the department a net profit of $11,500,000. In Manhattan alone there are mailed daily 1,716,000 letters, and more than 2,000,000 pieces of mail are delivered. There are 937 publications issued in Manhattan, and the quantity of these mailed averages 337,835 pounds a day. There are 71 post-offices, 329 sub-stations, in the city.

ANOTHER illustration of the business activity of New York is found in its telephone statistics. There are 51 central offices, with 8,000 employees and 198,000 phones. The average number of calls per day is 1,650,000.

IT requires 14,000,000 tons of coal a year to supply New York, about 10,800,000 tons being used to make steam and electricity for heating and power. The average quantity of fuel on hand in the city yards is 422,000 tons.

MORE big hotels thrive in this city than in any other place in the world. Of 344 large hostelries, 51 accommodate over 600 guests each, and the ten largest are valued at $24,565,000. It is estimated that over 100,000 people visit New York in a day, besides the 250,000 commuters. In fine restaurants the city is also well supplied, some $40,000,000 being invested in eating-houses of a superior sort, catering to about 500,000 diners a day, who spend about $1,200,000 on their dinner. These places employ 60,000 people, and they take the entire output of vegetable gardens covering 60,000 acres. One hotel kitchen alone represents an outlay of $130,000.

THE city has 98 theaters, 12 beaches, 26 picnic groves, 25 athletic fields, 18 art galleries, 84 notable clubs, over 100 statues and monuments. It has 4 colleges, 16 high schools, 496 elementary public schools, with 11,273 teachers and 568,232 pupils, 469 kindergarten classes with 15,311 pupils, and spends on its public schools $24,231,850 a year—one-tenth of the cost of the public-school system of the country.

THE city is disgraced with 12,211 licensed places where spirituous liquor is sold. The fact that $11,619,190.63 is paid into the city in revenues blinds the eyes, hardens the consciences of the Christian church, and they smile, and see their sons and daughters go down to destruction.

THE borough of Manhattan annually consumes about 100,000 barrels of whisky, which cost the consumers

$2,500,000. To this item must be added 30,000 barrels of other spirits, sold for $500,000; 200,000 cases of champagne, for which $5,500,000 is paid; 4,000,000 gallons of other wines and brandies, costing $27,000,000; and, last but not least important, 5,000,000 barrels of beer, selling for $100,000,000. This makes a total of $135,500,000—a sum sufficient to create and maintain forever a great university like Yale or Harvard. It is a fact rather interesting to consider that, if all of this beer and liquor were put into a tank, and were allowed to run through an ordinary water-tap at the rate of a gallon a minute, the receptacle would require ninety years and thirty-six days to empty itself.

Rene Bache, in January Pearson's.

NEW YORK'S 1,439 churches own property valued at $183,972,340. Among some 3,000 charitable organizations and institutions are 132 hospitals valued at $14,782,400.

THERE are in the city an average of 212 deaths and 270 births a day, but constant accessions to the population from the rest of the country and by immigration make the net increase in the city's inhabitants about 270 a day. One-tenth of all who die are consigned to pauper's graves.

DURING the ten years from 1893-1903 New York City chronicled the fate of 5,986 suicides.

THE city library was organized in 1729, and a classical academy was opened in 1732. In 1765 the Stamp Act Congress met in New York. In 1770 a riot took place in which one citizen was killed and three wounded by British soldiers. This is sometimes called the "Battle of Golden Hill," and ranked by some as the first conflict of the War of the Revolution, seven weeks before the Boston Massacre. The noted Tammany Society, or Colombian Order, was established 1789.

THE COMING OF CHRIST.

Is it not most reasonable, in the light of the promises of God's Word, for Christians to believe that Jesus Christ is coming again? We thus read: "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9:28.

Christ came the first time heralded by the prophets, by signs, and by special messenger. He "emptied Himself" of His glory with the Father, came down to this sin-cursed earth, took upon Himself the nature of fallen man, stooping to the very depths of human wo, the greatest weakness of human nature, and became obedient unto death. Phil. 2:5-8; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 2:10-18. This He did that He might lift fallen man up to God. After His victory over death, which was also triumphant victory over sin, Christ ascended to heaven to plead the virtue and power of His sacrifice and victory for fallen man; for the raising of Christ from the dead was the manifestation of God's power over sin "full-grown" (James 1:15, R.V.), and therefore it means hope and victory for every one who will ally himself with Christ. This is the power which the apostle Paul desires that we may know. He says:

"That ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all." Eph. 1:18-23.

Christ is now a priest-king, "after the order of Melchizedek" (Heb. 5:10), on His Father's throne (Heb. 8:1), and in that capacity He is gathering out of the nations of earth a people to serve Him forever in His everlasting kingdom (Zech. 6:12, 13; Eph. 2:19-21). But His work as priest will sometime be over. He will finish His ministration for fallen man. Every soul who will have heeded the message of mercy will be eternally sealed and saved, and from those who have rejected the message, Christ will turn with reluctance, but with justice. They rejected righteousness and life; they preferred sin and death; and sad as it is that they have so chosen, Infinite Love gives them their choice. Then, when all has been done that could be done, will the eternal fiat go forth: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly." Rev. 22:11, 12. Christ, therefore, will come again when His priestly work is ended.

How He Will Not Come.

Christ's second coming will not be by His Spirit; for His Spirit is the manifestation of Christ's presence in His personal absence. Said Jesus:

"But now I go My way to Him that sent Me. . . . But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter [the Holy Spirit] will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you." John 16:5-7.

This is certainly positive testimony that the sending of the Spirit of God is not synonymous with the coming of Christ.

Christ's coming is not death, nor at death. This is evident from the following scripture:

"Peter seeing Him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man [John] do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou Me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die; yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" John 21:21-23.

The disciples knew that death was not Christ's coming; and therefore they knew that if John tarried till Christ came again, he would not die at all; for Christ's coming means life (Col. 3:3, 4). It meant life to Lazarus (John 11), and so it will to all who sleep in Jesus. Death, instead of being a friend, or coming in the stead of our best Friend, is an enemy, "the last enemy that shall be destroyed." 1 Cor. 15:26.

How He Will Come.

Christ's coming is not any of these; it is a personal coming. Read the testimony of two of the heavenly messengers, who escorted Him on His triumphal return to heaven, spoken to the disciples from whom He had just separated:

"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." Acts 1:11.

"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout." 1 Thess. 4:16.

These are conclusive proofs that Christ's second coming will be personal, His own personal presence.

His Coming Visible and Glorious.

His coming will not be a secret coming, known only to a few elect ones. True it is that He shall appear to those who look for Him (Heb. 9:28), but the emphasis is not on He "shall appear," but He shall appear the second time unto the salvation of those who look for Him. He will not come as a sin-offering, bearing the iniquities of the world; He will not come in the likeness of sinful flesh, but in His own glorified person, "the Lord Himself," "this same Jesus." And He will be seen of all who are upon the face of the earth.

The wicked will see Him and perish in the brightness of His glory. They rejected His presence when He was Priest before He came, the presence of His Spirit, by which He longed to dwell with them here, by which He would have cleansed them from all sin, and strengthened them in all righteousness. They will not endure His presence here; they can not endure it when He comes. Says John:

"Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him." Rev. 1:7.

"And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, . . . said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb." Rev. 6:15, 16.

"And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness [forthshining] of His coming [presence]." 2 Thess. 2:8.

The righteous will see Him and will rejoice, for "He shall come to be glorified in His saints." 2 Thess. 1:10.

"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming [presence] of the Lord, shall in nowise precede them that are fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess. 4:15-17, R.V.

Glad day to the child of God! The promise of the Master will be realized to the sorrowing disciples: "I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:3. "Blessed hope" it is indeed, "the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Titus 2:13. We enjoy the personal presence of those whom we truly love. We desire them with us; we delight in their companionship. So also if we know Christ, if we love Him, we shall love and long for His second coming, His personal presence. It means to the child of God, home, rest, peace, joy, life, and unalloyed bliss forever, of which the presence of the Spirit of Christ has given us the "earnest," or foretaste, here.

His Coming Near.

And His coming draweth near. (1) Not less than twelve distinct lines of prophecy in the books of Daniel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, 2 Thessalonians, and the Revelation, proclaim that Christ's coming is near at hand. (2) A score of special signs of the last days show that Christ's coming is near. The Word of God tells us that these omens would come in "the last days," showing that the end of the age was near, that Christ was about to come and take to Himself His own kingdom and reign. These signs would be hung out before the world, where all could see them. They would be seen in the sun, moon, and stars, in aerial disturbances, in sea and land, in wind and wave, in the social, financial, political, and religious world. There would be increase of knowledge, increase of riches, increase of sin, of drunkenness, of wickedness in high places and religious circles. The church would unite with the world, and God's people would be persecuted. All these things and more are told in numerous scriptures, and their fulfilment and fulfilling may be seen by the eyes, felt by the hearts, and perceived by the minds of this generation. And so our Lord tells us that the generation which witnesses all these things will not pass away till He shall come, and that when they see them all they may know that Christ's coming is near, even at the doors. Matt. 24:32-35. The very scoffers themselves are a proof that the last days are here and Christ is near to come. 2 Peter 2:1, 2; 3:3, 4. The prophecies may be set aside by man, the signs may be scoffed at, but Jesus says, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away." Matt. 24:35.

How can Christians—those who believe, know, and love Christ—not love His appearing? May the writer and reader be among those who shall say in that day when "He shall swallow up death in victory?" "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us; this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." Isa. 25:9. "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Rev. 22:20.

Many Mansions

"LET not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:1-3.

Continue reading: OUR SACRIFICE AND PRIEST