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Signs of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 25.

Revising the Confession of Faith

Signs of the Times

Jul 1, 1889

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jul 1, 1889

Revising the Confession of Faith

By Editor

THE Catholic News instances the fact that the general assembly of the Presbyterian Church has determined to submit to the presbyteries the question of revising the Confession of Faith in order to make it "more consonant with the liberal spirit of the age," and says, "And yet this is called religion—this process of conforming to the license of the times." We cannot but think the criticism of the News is just. Why should the Confession of Faith not rather be so amended as to make it more consonant with the Scriptures of divine truth? What has the "spirit of the age" to do with articles of faith? If the Presbyterians have articles of faith which were framed to correspond with the spirit of the age at the time they were adopted, and not with the Bible, they need amending. But if at that time they were consonant with the Scriptures, we cannot understand why they should be changed now. Certainly the Scriptures have not changed. The truth is that the Confession of Faith is not, and never was, in harmony with the Bible, and there is little hope that it will be much better after it is amended.

CHRIST THE LIVING FOUNTAIN.

By Mrs. Ellen G. White

BY MRS. ELLEN G. WHITE.
BRETHREN and sisters, I do hope that this precious opportunity of drawing near to God may not pass without improvement. I hope you will all have an assurance of the blessing of God. You should seek to retain every ray of light and knowledge that has shone upon you here; but you cannot do this unless you walk in the light, accepting and acting upon it. The Lord desires to give us his rich blessing. It is not his will that anyone should labor in his cause without his help and favor. He does not require his children to go in feebleness of heart to win souls for eternal life. There is fullness in him, and it is our privilege to come and obtain that fullness, to receive richly of his Spirit.
This morning my attention was drawn to the story of the woman who came to the well to draw water, and found Jesus, weary and thirsty, resting at the well while his disciples went into the village to buy bread. When she had drawn the water, Jesus said to the woman, "Give me to drink." She was surprised that he should ask this favor of her, and inquired, "How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water." Jesus referred in these words to the divine grace which he alone can bestow, and which is as living water, purifying, refreshing, and invigorating the soul.
Jesus had said to the woman, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is thatsaith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water." The woman of Samaria was in ignorance of the divine Son of God; but we know to-day who has spoken these gracious words. It is necessary that we have a knowledge of Christ, that we have an acquaintance with him, so that we may know his willingness to bless. In him is all fullness of divine grace, and he says, "Ask, and ye shall receive." God giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; "but," says the apostle, giving instruction to him who feels his lack of wisdom, "let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord."
It would not be for our good if the Lord should give us what we ask for without faith. We would not render gratitude to the Giver if we received a gift that we did not attribute to his agency. Jesus wants to give us his light, and we should educate our souls to grasp the promises of God by living faith. He will give us the gift of salvation. We may have his richest blessing, and we should earnestly seek for the favor of God. The reason why we are not rejoicing in the freedom of the sons of God, is because we have piled up rubbish and barred the door of our hearts. Let us sweep it away, open the door, and let the Saviour in.
We cannot afford to keep Jesus outside. We cannot afford to let him pass by. We cannot afford to be without the knowledge of Christ. Says Jesus, "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." We want Jesus to abide in our families and in our churches. We should give ourselves, soul and body, to his work, and submit ourselves to the training process that is to fit us for Heaven.
Many of us have idols in our hearts. But you will fail to find satisfaction in the things of this life. Jesus says, "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." What is the meaning of these words? They mean that when your mind is attracted by heavenly things, when you dwell upon Christ, then your idols are crucified, and you are satisfied with the love of God. But how little are thoughts of Christ brought into our lives! How few talk of Jesus! How little he is lifted up!
There are many who try to correct the life of others by attacking what they consider are wrong habits. They go to those whom they think are in error, and point out their defects. They say, "You don't dress as you should." They try to pick off the ornaments, or whatever seems offensive, but they do not seek to fasten the mind to the truth. Those who seek to correct others should present the attractions of Jesus. They should talk of his love and compassion, present his example and sacrifice, reveal his Spirit, and they need not touch the subject of dress at all. There is no need to make the dress question the main point of your religion. There is something richer to speak of. Talk of Christ, and when the heart is converted, everything that is out of harmony with the word of God will drop off. It is only labor in vain to pick leaves off a living tree. The leaves will reappear. The ax must be laid at the root of the tree, and then the leaves will fall off, never to return.
In order to teach men and women the worthlessness of earthly things, you must lead them to the living Fountain, and get them to drink of Christ, until their hearts are filled with the love of God, and Christ is in them, a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Language cannot describe the peace and fullness of the joy of the true Christian. Let us seek to drink of the Fountain of life.
Do not come at your brethren to pick at their faults, to make a drive at their peculiar traits of character. Educate them to better habits, and better traits, by the power of your own example. If you make it evident that you have come to correct them, you will only arouse their combativeness, and do more harm than if you had not come at all. Reveal Jesus to them, that they may behold him and become like him. If you cultivate fault-finding, and take it upon yourself to correct your brethren, you will soon have no other religion save that of picking flaws and finding defects. You cannot benefit the sinner by coming to him in your own way and in your own strength. Christ alone can save him.
Let us press forward to the mark for the prize of our high calling which is in Christ Jesus. Press forward to the perfection of Christian character; be not satisfied with anything less than the fullness of God. You may attain unto the heights of character that Christ has made every provision for you to reach through his divine grace, growing up unto the full stature of men and women in Christ. Temptation will come upon you every day, but you must lay hold of the strength of Christ. Christ is our righteousness. We are not to depend on feeling, but by faith rest in the arms of his love, and claim to be the sons and daughters of God. He will make his strength perfect in our weakness. He will take the poor earthen vessels, make them vessels unto honor, and glorify himself through them; and through his love we shall love others, as he has loved us.

Patience and Endurance

PATIENCE not only implies waiting but includes holding on as well. In James 1:3 we learn that the trying of our faith worketh patience, and the apostle continues, "Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." This no doubt is the endurance spoken of as the patience of the saints, and it is this endurance alone which enables us to realize the hopes contained in God's word.

Revision of the Presbyterian Confession

A NUMBER of presbyteries have sent overtures to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church North, asking for a revision of the "Confessions of Faith." That body has referred the matter directly to all the presbyteries in the form of two questions, namely, "Do you desire a revision of the 'Confession of Faith'? If so, in what respect and to what extent?" It is expected that an answer will be given in time for the General Assembly which meets next May.

Child Insurance and Infant Deaths

By Editor

It is stated that the practice of child insurance has led to an epidemic of sudden deaths among infants in the midland counties of England. The favorite scheme is to smother the infant in the bedclothes, and then claim that it was accidentally overlain by the parents in their sleep. Hundreds of such cases have been reported, but no measures have yet been effective to put a stop to the horrible practice. This is the fearful commentary on the condition of affairs in that country and of the abominable crimes committed there. If such things were done in China or Hindostan, or even in the Dark Continent, we would hold up our hands in horror and quote the scripture, "The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty." But what shall we say when they occur in "Christian England"?

The Jesuit Estate Bill in Canada

By Editor

OUR readers are all familiar with the facts connected with the passage of the Jesuit Estate bill by the Canadian Parliament, and its allowance by the Governor-General of the Dominion. There was great excitement over this at the time, but for some weeks past there has been but little said about it, and it seemed as though public interest in it had fagged. This, however, was not the case, for recent advices from Ottawa state that it is likely to result in the overthrow of the Conservative party. Sir John McDonald is credited with saying, "I am in the worst political dilemma of my life." The Protestants are determined that the Catholics shall no longer rule in Canada. What the result will be no one can certainly foretell.

Corruption in American Legislatures

By Editor

IF we are to believe the New York papers, that State suffers more than almost any other from corrupt law-makers. The New York World of May 22 says:—
"It is the custom every year for honest people to remark, upon the adjournment of the New York Legislature, that the record for venality, general worthlessness and meanness, has been strained if not broken. But it must be said in all truthfulness that this State has not had since Tweed's day such a shameless, corrupt, and blackmailing body as that which adjourned Thursday. It passed a few good measures, and the evils left behind were hardly up to former averages, but for willingness to engage in jobbery and to defend rascality in every form, this Legislature—especially the Assembly—stands pre-eminent in the annals of free-booting."
This is certainly a dark picture, but probably not much if any worse than in numerous other States. Looking at it from the standpoint of California, we would say that it is impossible to find a more corrupt Legislature than the last one with which this State was afflicted. And if we are to believe the testimony of the press, other States fare no better. And that which is true of the several States is true of the nation as a whole. Even the conservative and cautious Senator Edmunds estimates that $5,000,000 was spent on "corrupt political methods" during the last campaign, and much of it for illegal and immoral purposes. Certain it is that the political condition of this country does not justify the hope that the popular millennium is about to dawn.

THE MASTER'S TOUCH.

By Horatius Bonar

In the still air the music lies unheard; In the rough marble beauty lies unseen; To make the music and the beauty needs The master's touch, the sculptor's chisel keen. Great Master, touch us with thy skillful hand; Let not the music that is in us die. Great Sculptor, hew and polish us; nor let, Hidden and lost, thy form within us lie. Spare not the stroke! do with us as thou wilt! Let there be naught unfinished, broken, marred; Complete thy purpose, that we may become Thy perfect image, thou our God and Lord. —Horatius Bonar.

A STUPENDOUS FRAUD.

ONE word expresses the failure of the Panama Canal, a word not unfamiliar to the residents of this city—fraud. It is the old story, and now investigation is bringing the necessary facts to light. Spikes sold to the company, shipped from this city at $1.00 for each spike, sold and contracted for at triple the price honest men would have done it; two houses for M. De Lesseps and his son Charles, charged at $190,000, which cost $23,000 each; enormous salaries paid to favorites, and, according to report, M. Charles De Lesseps receiving in one day $10,000 as his profits; a house built for a director at a cost of $150,000, charged to a fictitious "master of the port;" whole cargoes of material sold several times over, the same cargo being paid for a dozen times—these are some of the stupendous frauds resulting in the making of colossal fortunes for the members of the ring, who are now enjoying them by living lives of luxury in Paris.
It is small wonder the canal failed; small wonder that M. De Lesseps has gone into retirement. As the facts become known there will be a sensation in Paris, and the parties to the great fraud will undoubtedly be brought to trial. We have had court-house rings, and capitol rings, and ceiling jobs, but what are all these combined to the great ring that has grown rich on the Panama Canal stealings, and stolen the savings of the French people investing in the canal bonds.
The Panama Canal fraud goes down as the greatest fraud in history, and it alone will make the last generation of the nineteenth century memorable.—N. Y. Christian at Work.

HOW TO FIND THINGS IN THE BIBLE.

By Messiah's Herald

EVEN well-informed scholars are puzzled when attempting to find things in the Bible. The young learner does not know whether to look in the Old Testament or the New Testament for Nehemiah. After getting the various books of the Bible separated into the two great divisions, again he is at a loss to determine the order in which they come. Going a step further, he learns the order of the books, but he is all at sea when asked to name the books in which great events are recorded. This haziness of thought remains through a life-time in many minds. Some pastors, superintendents, and teachers are not quite clear where to look for David's history or Elijah's miracles. It will save much time and perplexity if scholars are early taught the great landmarks of Bible history. Begin slowly. Teach only a little at a time. Review frequently. Fix the outlines so that they will stay, and will loom large in the horizon when one turns to the Bible to look for anything.
To illustrate, begin with the first five books of Scripture, the Pentateuch. Teach the order of the books—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Repeat the list often, fifty times if necessary, but do not say it too many times on one occasion, since excess of repetition rather impairs than helps memory. Then fix the great events which are outlined in each book. With what does each begin? and with what end?
Genesis begins with the creation, and ends with the death of Joseph.
Exodus begins with the birth of Moses, and ends with the setting up of the tabernacle at Sinai.
Leviticus gives little history, but details the modes of worship and the ceremonial law established at Sinai.
Numbers records the numbering of the people at Sinai, and takes them to the entrance of Canaan.
Deuteronomy, the second law, is a rehearsal of God's laws and dealings with Israel in the wilderness. The people were then east of the Jordan, waiting to enter Canaan. Moses is the speaker. Deuteronomy and the Pentateuch end together with the death of Moses. After taking abundant time for this outline, the other historical books may be mapped out in a similar manner, and Bible study will be made easier, pleasanter, and more helpful for a life-time.—Messiah's Herald.

THE END OF CONTROVERSY.

If the Bible is the word of God, it is an infallible rule of faith and practice. This question having been settled and the book accepted as a divine revelation, all reasoning in regard to the truth of its teachings becomes not only impious but absurd. If we find statements that appear to us to be in conflict either with facts or with reason, the only rational conclusion is that since our view is imperfect and inadequate, it must be erroneous. Sitting in judgment upon the acts of the Omniscient is weak as well as wicked. The following words, which are copied from an article by the Rev. Dr. Goodwin, in the Advance, present the rational view of the matter:—
"In considering the subject it will be well to remind ourselves at the outset that the question is not one of metaphysics, nor science, nor philosophy of any kind. It is altogether a question of what the teaching of the word of God is. It does not matter whether that teaching seems to us rational or irrational, abreast of our times or behind them, out of accord with science or in accord with it. Our concern is solely with the utterances of this book. If there be things too deep for us, irreconcilable with the so-called laws of nature, things which antagonize and upset even all the theories spun by wise men about God and methods, that is God's matter and not ours. He is responsible for having given us this book as the revelation of his will; we are responsible only for receiving and obeying it."—National Presbyterian.

KNOWING CHRIST.

By W. N. Glenn

"AND this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." John 17:3. Eternal life is the inducement which is held out to men to persuade them to become Christians. In the text above quoted the whole truth is concisely summarized in a few words. Thus is brought to view at a glance the importance of knowing God and Christ. The idea of God as Creator and Ruler of the universe is acknowledged to a far greater extent than that of Christ as a Saviour from sin. The object of the gospel is to present Christ and his atonement for sin.
It is evident that Christ is but imperfectly known even among the masses of his professed followers. And herein lies the cause of the divisions and confusion of tongues in the ranks of what is known as the Christian church. It is safe to say that all the false doctrine in the world is the result of ignorance concerning Christ. In order to know Christ aright it is necessary to know him as he is presented in the Scriptures, and not as he is represented by tradition. Through lack of knowledge the people are in the bondage of sin, and the truth shall set them free. To what part of the Scriptures shall we go to learn of Christ? He himself said, "Search the Scriptures; . . . they testify of me." The Old Testament was all the Scriptures then in existence.
It would be impossible here to exhaust the teaching of the Old Testament with regard to Christ, but even a brief "search" would fall far short of an intelligible presentation of the subject without going to the beginning. The very first verse of the first chapter of Genesis is essential to a proper knowledge of Christ: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Do you ask, What has that to do with Christ? The apostle John answers: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." John 1:1-3. In verse 14 he tells us that "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us," thus showing that Christ was the Word, which was the Creator. And to this may be added the testimony of Paul in Col. 1:16, 17, that "by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him; and he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
From the fact that Christ was the Creator of all things, we see how he is honored in the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath. Those who have not known Christ in this capacity, and as one in whom dwells "all fullness," have thought it necessary to set up another Sabbath in honor of the Saviour, and have made it a rival of the day which God himself instituted to honor the work of the Creator. Had they properly known Christ, as both Creator and Saviour, they would have recognized the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, which was blessed and hallowed at the close of creation, as specially designed to honor him and his work. There is no rivalry between the Father and Son, neither can both be honored by rival institutions. "A house divided against itself cannot stand." Christ himself said, "I and my Father are one," and Paul adds, that he "is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature," and that "it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell."
Another result of ignorance regarding Christ is to place him in antagonism to the law; but in searching the Scriptures further it appears that he was the one who spake the law on Sinai. The ten commandments were spoken audibly in the hearing of all the people; other requirements were given through Moses. In Ex. 23:20-22 it is said, "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions; for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries."
What is brought to view in this scripture? Clearly this: There was an Angel going before the camp who had power to forgive sins, and that could have been no other than Christ. And his voice that they were to obey could have been no other than the voice that spake the law from Sinai, for that was the only time they heard any voice but that of Moses. After that we are told, "They said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die."
No doubt the reader is familiar with the history of Christ's life of humility, his cruel death, and his triumphant resurrection, as also with the fact that these were matters of prophecy fulfilled. Outside of these facts, how-ever, there is much confusion of doctrine, and even as to the significance of these. Many hold that he made the atonement on the cross, and that his resurrection and ascension ended his work of redemption. The Scriptures, on the contrary, show that he then began his priestly work in the heavenly sanctuary, of which the earthly sanctuary was but a type.
In the eighth chapter of Hebrews Paul says: "We have such an High Priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the Heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices; wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law, who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle; for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount. But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the Mediator of a better covenant."
It is manifest, therefore, that Christ could not have made the atonement at the cross, for he could not have been a priest on earth. An additional reason is given for this in the fourteenth verse of the preceding chapter: "For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood." Christ's priesthood is of a different nature from that of the earthly priests; their work was typical, his is real. Their atonement had to be repeated every year, because they offered only the blood of animals, which could not take away sin, while he makes but one offering, and that of his own blood.
These facts demonstrate clearly that if he had made the real atonement at the cross, "once for all," then probation must have ended there, and there would have been no more opportunity for sinners to be forgiven. As in the type all who did not humble themselves, confessing their sins, on the day of atonement, were "cut off from among the people," so it will be in the antitype; and as the real atonement comes but once, that ends all opportunity, being the closing work of the gospel of mercy. Thus is shown the necessity of knowing the truth concerning our great High Priest, and the character of his work.
In Heb. 9:24 and onward this work is further elucidated: "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others." No, he makes but one atonement, and that is the Judgment, from which there is no appeal. "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the Heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession." Heb. 4:14. And those who have made no profession, let them also seek to know this great High Priest, who may be touched with a feeling of our infirmities, before the day of atonement shall close forever.
The next work that our Lord will take up will be the execution of the Judgment, when he will appear unto them that look for him, and love his appearing, to take them to himself. But to those who have not availed themselves of his mediatorial services, or sought to know him for themselves, he will appear in a different manner. They will know him then, when it is too late. "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."
W. N. GLENN.

OUR DEFENSE.

By Mrs. M. J. Bahler

"THE name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." This text of the blessed word has always seemed precious to me; but as I read it to-day those words, "strong tower," seemed to stand out in bold relief from the rest of the text, and then, as though written beside them, I seemed to see the words, "And thou, O Tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion." Christ is the tower of the flock; the stronghold of his people. Do storms come suddenly? Unto him they may run and be safe.
Satan cannot bring power enough to break down this defense of God's people. His darts cannot penetrate the walls of this tower. Here is "a refuge for the oppressed," and it is one to which we may "continually resort." David prayed, "Be thou my strong habitation whereunto I may continually resort." Dear fellow-pilgrim, when there is such a defense as this for us, why do we not continually resort thither?
If we will only make the name of our God our strong tower, by continually going to him when temptations press us sore, we shall always find that name is truly a refuge for the oppressed. The Lord has told us that he will be the strength of his people. Can we not then say from day to day, "My help is in the Lord that made the heaven and the earth"? If we make God's name our strong habitation we shall be safe. He will then be our "rock of defense," our fortress, which no enemy can take.
Other strongholds may fail, earthly fortresses may be captured, but the Captain of this fortress will never surrender. He fought the decisive battles long ago with his and our enemy, in the wilderness of temptation, in the garden of Gethsemane, and on the cross. There his soul-rending conflict ended. He came off triumphant, and now even his name is a tower of strength, of refuge, for all who will come to him. Then let us say: "He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved."
MRS. M. J. BAHLER.

ALL FOR GOD.

By S. Isadore Sutherland

God wants an undivided heart; He cannot bless of it a part, But asks the whole Of every soul, Filled with his love, and cleansed from sin, That he may come and dwell therein.
Can we expect the Lord to stay Within our hearts, if this we say: "A part for thee, A part for me; Some of the world, and some of God; Bless us, and spare the chastening rod"?
We cannot see our Saviour's face, We cannot hear his words of grace, No answering tone Comes from the throne, Where oft in prayer should bend the knee, Till from the world our hearts are free.
Oh, let us draw close to his side, In his majestic presence hide! His glories bright, The heavenly light, All earthly splendors will outshine, And there we'll whisper, "Wholly thine." —S. Isadore Sutherland.

ROMANISM IN MEXICO.

By Editor

JOAQUIN MILLER can hardly be accused of political bias against Romanism, but this is the way he writes of it as he sees it in Mexico, where it has had full sway for so long. Spain found intelligence and enterprise in the ancient Aztec civilization, but she brought and left a religion which has utterly and hopelessly demoralized the whole people; she has left some magnificent monuments of success in building monasteries and nunneries, churches and cathedrals—nothing more. Here is Mr. Miller's account of a visit to the cathedral in the city of Mexico—doubtless a fair type of the state of the church throughout the country:—
'Hat in hand, let us enter the lofty doors of gold and silver, and silver and gold! Get a book and read of this cathedral. After that you can better understand the splendor and squalor that come clashing together inside these doors in awful contrast. Look forward at the far, deep nave! Fifty feet high and forty feet wide. You see nothing but gold, and gold, and gold! The image of God and his angels. Old, bald-headed St. Peter, patiently holding his keys and ready to unlock Heaven to the kneeling world. And now look down on the dirty floor before you. A thousand poor creatures crawling about, some blind, some lame, some dying of loathsome diseases, and all very, very miserable; all naked and hungry and helpless; yet a sea of glittering gold before them! The music is sublime! Mass is being said for some dead Mexican robber of princely fortune, and so the singers, the priests, the little boys and the big boys, too, are all doing their best.
'A good many of the cripples that crawl about over the dirty floor have lottery tickets to sell. Many an old woman with a baby on her back offers you a lottery ticket by way of breaking the ice and getting well enough acquainted to ask you for a cent. Every day, every hour, in church and out of church, you are importuned by the poor to buy lottery tickets.
'A priest called on me the day I came to this curious town, imploring me to buy some lottery tickets of him for the benefit of his church and for his poor. These lotteries are conducted by the Government, as in Italy. The Government gets a large per cent. Those who sell the tickets get a liberal commission. What I mean to say is, you can buy your tickets directly from the Government a great deal more cheaply than you can in the stores and streets. Yes, indeed, it is simply awful. Everyone expects to draw a grand prize to-morrow; and so why go to work to-day? O Mexico, Mexico, why will you persist in standing forever in your own glorious light! Deeper and deeper the organ sounds, and louder and louder the prayers for the dead. The people—the poor, naked, and lazy and dirty people—all on their knees, join the prayer for the departed soul. They fall on their faces, they spread their naked, dirty arms wide out on the naked, dirty floor, and lie there praying and mourning in the dust on their faces, their splendor of hair sweeping up the dust.
'Here comes in a priest to pray. He is leading a little boy. Perhaps this good priest is a sort of a school-master, also. He has a book or two in his right hand, also a very large sheet of lottery tickets. He kneels on booksand tickets, his head sideways, his eyes closed; his fat and greasy hands are full of greasy beads.'
If this is all Romanism in full sway can do for a country, God save us from its dominion. —Christian Advocate.

Character and One’s Surroundings

WHAT folly it is for us to say that our characters are dependent on our surroundings—or environments! The two men whose evil deeds stand out above all others in the history of humanity are Adam and Judas. The one had his home in Paradise; the other was of the immediate household of Jesus.

THE VALUE OF SHORT WORDS.

WE all know how to talk, and there is a certain quota of words put on the tongue of every man just as the song is given to the canary bird or to the robin. But beyond the song these birds cannot go. And beyond the natural speech, or the words which nature gives to everyone, the illiterate human being cannot go. His vocabulary is limited until he becomes a student. Then it begins to widen, and there is no boundary line to its possibilities. The writer who imagines he can give additional emphasis to a composition by the use of large words is greatly mistaken.
The economy of the reader's attention is absorbed in understanding and applying these big words, and there is little of the mental energy left with which to digest the idea which these long words contain. The picture which is brought before his mental vision is therefore dim and uncertain. If the writer would give more prominence to the idea and less to the verbal frame; in other words, if he would use simple language, which by contrast would bring out the idea, he would not only economize his reader's mental energy, but would benefit himself by making himself more easily understood. The mind is not able to do more than one thing at a time and do it well. It cannot delve into the mysteries of a many-syllabled word and comprehend the thought in a proper manner at once. Does the man say that he cannot write a book or an article with little words? Then he is very wrong. If he knew how many little words there are in the speech of this land he would not say that he cannot find those small words. And it may be that these small words have more force than the big words, because the soul of the tongue, or it would be more fit to say speech, is to be found in the short words more than in the long. In this all the men who write on words think as one. They feel that the very life of the thing is shown in the short word. There is no long word that will take the place of buzz, sour, roar, splash, acid, scrape, sough, whiz, bang, rough, smooth, keen, blunt, thin. Each of these words is like the thing which it sets forth, and so it is more strong and helps the brain in its work.—Exchange.
Continue reading: GOD'S OBJECT LESSONS. NO. 8.