Earlier text: HISTORICAL NECESSITY OF THE THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE. NO. 6.LESSON 16.—SABBATH, APRIL 21.
1. RELATE the means by which Jacob secured the blessing. 2. Was this honorable on the part of Jacob?
"And he said, Thy brother came with subtility, and hath taken away thy blessing." Gen. 27:35. 3. What is the meaning of the name "Jacob"?
"And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob [a supplanter]? for he hath supplanted me these two times; he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?" Verse 36, and margin. 4. How did Esau regard Jacob for his course in securing the birthright?
"And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him." Verse 41, first part. 5. What did he purpose to do?
"And Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob." Verse 41, last part. 6. What did Jacob's mother advise him to do?
"And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah; and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; and tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away; until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him; then I will send, and fetch thee from thence; why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?" Verses 42-45. 7. Into how many years did the "few days" expand?—More than twenty. 8. What sort of a sleeping-place did Jacob have one night on his journey?
"And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep." Gen. 28:10, 11. 9. What dream did he have there?
"And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to Heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it." Verse 12. 10. Who stood at the head of the ladder?
"And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac; the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed." Verse 13. 11. What promise did the Lord make to him?
"And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth; and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south; and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." Verses 14, 15. 12. What did Jacob say when he awoke?
"And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not." Verse 16. 13. What did he say of that place?
"And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of Heaven." Verse 17. 14. When the Lord appeared to certain of his servants what did he say to them?
"And he said, Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet; for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." Ex. 3:5.
"And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so." Josh. 5:15. 15. What may we learn from this?—That the presence of God in any place makes that place holy. 16. Where has the Lord promised always to be?
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matt. 18:20. 17. What lesson should this teach us?—That places dedicated to the worship of God are sacred, and should always be entered with reverence. 18. What did Jacob do in the morning?
"And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city was called Luz at the first." Gen. 28:18, 19. 19. What vow did he make?
"And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God; and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house; and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee." Verses 20-22. 20. What was the extent of Jacob's desire from the Lord? Verse 20. 21. Could he have asked for less? 22. Yet what did he purpose to do? Verse 22. 23. Is it right to make vows or pledges to the Lord?
"Vow, and pay unto the Lord your God; let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared." Ps. 76:11. 24. When a person makes a vow, what should he be careful to do?
"When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools; pay that which thou hast vowed. Better it is that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay." Eccl. 5:4, 5. 25. Why should we be so careful to pay our vows?
"When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it; for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee." Deut. 23:21. SOMETIMES the question is asked, "How could Jacob pay tithe, if he received only food to eat and raiment to put on?" It is very evident that he could not, if he received only necessary clothing ready made, and had his food furnished him just at meal-time. His idea was not that the Lord would put into his mouth just enough to sustain life; for the Lord doesn't feed us in that way. The Lord gives us richly all things to enjoy, but he leaves to us the preparation of it, and he expects us to make an exertion to get it. Jacob's idea was that if the Lord would prosper him, even though he should give him what would seem barely sufficient for a livelihood, he would pay a tithe of it, and live on the remainder. The lesson to be learned is, that nine-tenths of what we think would support us, is better, with the blessing of God, than the entire amount that might seem necessary, without God's blessing. GOD is able to make a small quantity equal to the largest amount. When the widow had only a handful of meal, and a small cruse of oil, the Lord made that small amount sufficient support for a family of three for a full year. 1 Kings 17:8-16. With only five loaves and two small fishes, the Lord fed more than five thousand people. It may be said that these were miracles. So they were; and he who does not see a miracle in his being kept alive and provided with daily food, "knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know." "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning." Lam. 3:22, 23. Surely since God gives us everything that we have, working miracles daily for our support, and is able to multiply a handful of meal into many barrels, he may well be depended on to make a little go a great ways for one of his servants. SOME people there are who refuse ever to make a pledge for the Lord's cause. They profess to believe that it is wrong to do so. How they can think so in the face of the Scripture record is a mystery. Not only does the Scripture contain instances of vows that have been made, but it expressly commands us to make vows. The man who refuses to make a reasonable pledge to the Lord's cause, for fear that when the time comes he may be unable to pay, is in the same condition as one who refuses to make a profession of religion, for fear he will not be able to hold out. Such ones show a total lack of confidence in God, indicating that they expect to have to do in their own strength all that is done. Their action is equivalent to saying, "I am afraid that the Lord will fail me; I dare not run the risk." And yet those very persons who are afraid to promise to do what they know to be their duty, have no hesitancy in giving a note to a man, promising to pay him a certain sum of money at some future time. The sincerity of any who profess to think it wrong to pledge, may well be doubted. THE Lord has said, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matt. 18:20. Yet how many who go to the prayer-meeting, where there undoubtedly are more than two who have come in the name of Jesus, could say, "The Lord is in this place, and I knew it not"? The Lord was at Bethel before Jacob had his dream; so the presence of the Lord in any place does not depend upon our recognition of it. We do not have to wait until the prayer-meeting is over, in order to be able to say that the Lord was present. Those who do so, lose a great deal of the blessing of his presence. But we should begin the meeting knowing that he is there because he has promised to be there; in that case we shall be prepared to receive the fullness of his blessing. A VICTORY OF LOVE.
By H. H.
It was a glorious victory; and in it both conquered and conqueror were heroes. A mother was the conqueror, and a little child the conquered. The boundaries of the surrendered kingdom are only to be measured by the boundaries of the life of human souls; and upon the joy of this kingdom both conquered and conqueror entered together, to dwell therein forever, after this glorious victory. The battle began, like all battles since the world was created, in a little thing. The child was tearing up paper and scattering it on the floor. The mother said, not dreaming of provoking any contest with her usually obedient little son,— "Don't do that, Charlie. It makes a great litter on the floor. Put the pieces on the table." Just at that minute, in Charlie's mind, the whole gist of the pleasure of tearing up paper happened to lie in the scattering of the pieces on the floor after they were torn. So he kept on tearing up more paper and scattering the pieces on the floor, as if he had not even heard his mother's request. "Very well, dear," she said, presently, "if you do that, you'll have them all to pick up, you know; and that will be a great deal of trouble." Then, being a wise mother, she said no more. Charlie was four years old, and understood language as well as anybody in the house. Before long he was tired of tearing up paper, and went to playing with something else; but not before he had strewn one corner of the nursery floor thick with the bits of paper. "You'd better pick the paper up now, Charlie," said his mother. "Get that all cleared up before you take out any more things." "I shan't pick it up!" said Charlie. "Oh, yes, you will," replied the mother, wisely ignoring the precise form of his declaration. "You know you always pick up bits of paper when you throw them on the floor. You don't like to have mamma or Sarah take their time to do it when they are so busy. You picked up ever so many things yesterday, to save mamma's time, so that she could finish mending the stockings before dark; don't you remember?" "I shan't pick it up!" said Charlie. Still wisely ignoring the belligerent phrase, the mother said, lightly,— "Well, if you'd rather not pick them up till dinner-time, it isn't any matter; only don't track them all over the floor. You can pick them up easier if they are all in the corner together." "I shan't pick it up!" said Charlie. "Oh, yes, you will, dearie," replied the mother; "you always do. You know that's the rule; but there's no hurry about it. You can do it just before we go down to dinner." Charlie made no answer. His mother, being busy, did not notice him particularly, and did not see the look of dogged defiance which was slowly settling down on his sunny face, like a dark cloud on a beautiful blue sky. She was greatly startled, therefore, an hour or two later, on saying to him, pleasantly, "Now, Charlie, it is about dinner-time. Hurry and pick up the paper, so as to be ready to go down to dinner with mamma," to hear the answer, in a most unmistakably rebellious voice,— The crisis had come. The battle had been opened unawares to the commander. It was a great pity; but now it must be fought. "Why, what does my little boy mean by speaking like that? Charlie must never say that word to his mamma. Charlie must pick up the paper," said the mother. "Charlie won't! I ain't going to!" was the answer, short, sullen, defiant. How mysteriously these sharp skirmishes between human beings begin; between parent and child, friend and friend. One minute peace, affection, harmony, blessedness, no thought of contention, no dream of paining or antagonizing; and the next—nay, the next second—a word has been spoken, and another word been answered; a variance has begun; contention has been started; pain, resentment, indignation, accusing, contradicting, defending—all the misery of a quarrel is upon them. We can never learn to be careful enough to "leave off strife before it is meddled with." Especially is this true of mothers and children. Nine-tenths of the contests between them, from which come so much suffering and often so much real harm and hardening to the child's nature, might be avoided if this text were continually present in the mother's mind. "Charlie," said his mother, now very firmly, "you must pick up the paper; and you cannot go down to dinner unless you do." Charlie did not care. He had made up his mind not to pick up that paper, and he chose to give up the pleasure of going down to dinner rather than abandon this perverse purpose of his little heart. So she left him, and went down to dinner. His dinner was sent up to him and he ate it, no doubt, with relish, and a vague sense of being engaged in a grand enterprise. When tea-time came, Charlie again had the alternative set before him of picking up the paper or being left to take his supper alone in the nursery. He was immovable. He said very little; made little or no reply to all the reasoning brought to bear on him; but pick up the paper he would not. When night came, they all went to bed, with the nursery floor still strewn with the miserable little shreds of paper which had made all this trouble; Charlie slept as sound as any tired warrior on a battle-field when an armistice had been proclaimed for the night. "He'll pick it up in the morning," had been everybody's thought and expectation; everybody's thought and expectation were mistaken. Charlie got up as dogged as he went to bed; if possible, more so. To all remarks on the subject of his duty in the matter of that paper, he had but one answer. He would not pick it up. The day passed by. Everybody took a hand at talking with Charlie. His father held him on his knee a long time, and talked with him about it. He assented to all that was said; admitted that he was a very naughty boy; but quietly and persistently, without any apparent ill-humor, maintained that he would not pick up the paper. It was a very perplexing dilemma. Ninety-nine parents out of a hundred would have pushed the matter to a sharp crisis, and either by blows or violent measures of some sort, have arbitrarily compelled the technical act of obedience. But these parents were wiser and more patient. They waited for the child to conquer himself. On the afternoon of this day, his playthings were taken from him, and he was told that while he was so naughty a boy he could not be allowed to play with them. He did not apparently find himself at all disturbed by being without them; ran about cheerfully, looked out of the window, watched the different members of the family, and seemed contented. On the second day, the blinds of the nursery were shut. His mother thought that perhaps the partial darkness and the loss of the outdoor sights, of which he was so fond, would subdue his spirits. He was left alone, also; but his indomitable will rose above all these discomforts. This day, also, a long, long day to the distressed mother, came to an end, and found Charlie unchanged. He was growing now used to the conditions; there was no sign or symptom about him of yielding. On the morning of the fourth day, his mother, in despair, took him in her lap, and essayed once more to show him his conduct in its true light. She could produce no impression on him. She began to be seriously alarmed. What was to be the end of this contest? How long should it be allowed to go on? What was the next step to take? In her disheartenment221and pain, she threw herself down on one of the little beds in the nursery, and began in spite of herself to weep. At the sound of her sobs Charlie screamed and ran to her. "O mamma, mamma, don't you cry! I will be good. I will be good," and he burst into a violent fit of weeping, himself—the first tears he had shed—threw his arms around her, kissed her over and over, and would not leave her till she stopped crying and smiled. Then he flew to pick up the paper; the tears still rolling down his cheeks, and the penitent little voice repeating, "Don't you cry, mamma—don't you cry any more. I'll be a good boy, I'm a good boy now." This was the first battle of Charlie's childhood, and the last. He is a big boy now, twelve years old; and there has never been another. If he had been whipped that first afternoon, and made to pick up that paper on the instant, without any real struggle with himself on his own individual ground, any real conquering of his own purpose by another higher, stronger purpose voluntarily brought into action, and given command, he would have had the fight all to go over again the very next time a similar point arose, and as often as similar points arose, until he became too old to be controlled by brute force from the outside. The story is a true one, and it seems to me it is well worth being set as a parable of truth and wisdom in the hearts of all who hold in their hands the making or marring of the characters and the lives of little children.—By H. H., in Christian Union. WHAT though before me it is dark,
Too dark for me to see,
I ask but light for one step more;
'Tis quite enough for me. Each little, humble step I take,
The gloom clears from the next;
So, though 'tis very dark beyond,
I never am perplexed. I would not see my further path,
For mercy vails it so;
The present steps might harder be
Did I the future know. It may be that my path is rough,
Thorny and hard and steep;
And knowing this, my strength might fail
Through fear and terror deep. Perhaps my path is very short,
My journey nearly done;
And I might tremble at the thought
Of ending it so soon. Or, if I saw a weary length
Of road that I must wend,
Fainting, I'd think, "My feeble powers
Will fail me ere the end." Thus step by step I onward go,
Not looking far before;
Trusting that I shall always have
Light for just one step more.
—Selected. I SUPPOSE that in no other country in the world does religion have so much to do with food as in India. One day at Benares, on the Ganges, happening to approach a very sacred temple, I was greeted with shouts of dismay, and much protesting with outstretched arms, on the part of a number of natives engaged in cooking dinner. To all assurances of my peaceful disposition they gave no heed, but were evidently most strongly prejudiced against any nearer approach. I asked a missionary a little later what this meant, and he said they were afraid that my shadow would fall upon their little pots of rice, then being cooked in the open air. Had that calamity occurred, they would have been obliged, despite their great poverty, to throw away not only their food, but also the vessel in which it was being prepared. Fortunately, my shadow did not fall that way. While visiting various great prisons in India I was told that the principal difficulty was the preparation of food. Mohammedans would touch nothing prepared by the native Christians, while the Hindoo not only scorned the food of Christian and Mohammedan, but would not eat even that prepared by his co-religionists, if they were of a lower caste. The solution of the problem was quite clever. Two kitchens were established in each prison. A Mohammedan presides over one, and cooks for Christians and the members of his own faith; while the Hindoo cooks are always Brahmins of the highest caste, who sanctify by their touch everything in the way of food. Doubtless the poor convict Pariah esteems imprisonment rather good fortune than otherwise, since thus he may always obtain his food from holy hands.—A. L., in Laws of Life. Effects of Smoking Among Students
Dr. A. L. Gilson, of the United States Navy, gives the following as among the effects of smoking among the students: It leads to impaired nutrition of the nerve-centers. It is a fertile cause of neuralgia, vertigo, and indigestion. It irritates the mouth and throat, and thus destroys the purity of the voice. By excitation of the optic nerve, it provokes amaurosis and other defects of vision. It causes a tremulous hand, an intermittent pulse, and develops irritability of heart. PROVIDENCE OR IMPRUDENCE.
By E. P. Allen
DARKNESS was coming down on the desert. There were no trees to cast lengthening shadows, no hill-top to hold the lingering rays of sunlight; but suddenly, all over the wide extent of level sand, darkness fell like a black robe. Mahomet and his attendants halted on their journey, and a tent was pitched. "Allah's care is over his children," said one of the band. "I will even loose my camel and trust in Allah that I shall find him again in the morning at sunrise." "Friend," said the prophet, with grave, uplifted finger, "tie thy camel, and then trust in Allah." There is one point of our daily living at which we see men and women continually loosing their camels, with loud protests of trust in Allah, and showing presently pious resignation at their loss; I mean the care of their health. Of course, this earthly house of our tabernacle must decay, and we must bear its infirmities cheerily and patiently; but there is neither sense nor piety in committing our lives to God, and then breaking all the laws of hygiene. "This is a strange dispensation of Providence," I said mournfully to my neighbor, as we attended together the third funeral which we had followed from Colonel B—'s house within two years. "Providence, indeed!" answered my neighbor with a gruff disrespect which I hope was intended for me, not for Providence. "Humph! The Colonel keeps rotting potatoes in his cellar!" "I am asking God to give me dying grace, that I may be willing to go," said a girl in the last stages of consumption. "Ah," said her doctor, in a confidential whisper, "if she had only asked a year ago for common sense to keep her from putting off her flannel skirt in midwinter to go to a party!" Friend, eat plain, wholesome food, wear sensible clothes, ventilate your house, be temperate, be prudent; in short, tie your camel, and then trust in God and take cheerfully the dispensations of his providence.—E. P. Allen. Temperance in Eating and Drinking
By Ellen G. White
WE are to be temperate in all things. Not only should we be careful to exercise judgment in the selection of proper food, but strict temperance in eating and in drinking is essential to the healthy preservation and vigorous exercise of all functions of the body. But intemperance in eating, even of healthful food, will have an injurious effect upon the system, and will blunt the mental and moral faculties. —Mrs. E. G. White. "BE not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh." Prov. 23:20. FIVE REASONS AGAINST USING TOBACCO.
1. CHEWING, snuffing, or smoking is uncleanly. Those who are not wholly besotted, confess it. "I love my pipe, but I despise myself for using it," said a man of influence. Your breath smells bad; your clothes, your books, and apartments are offensive. Smokers and chewers are almost invariably spitters, and so are repulsive to all persons of cleanly habits. 2. The habit is injurious, tending to "insanity, paralysis, and cancerous affections," as an eminent surgeon shows by official statistics. One of the ablest Connecticut pastors gave up the ministry, and went to Vineland, N. J. He confessed that he could not give up tobacco. His nerves were shattered. He had no will power left. He was warned by a physician that he must stop or die of paralysis. He had no power to stop, and in a few months expired, body and mind wrecked. Besides the narcotic effects of the poison, there is a large amount of creosote in the fumes, such as eats through the pipe of a furnace or kills the nerve of a tooth. It stupefies and poisons. It renders the voice husky. Tobacco creates a thirst for alcoholic drink. Its influence on youth and on those of sedentary habits is particularly destructive. 3. It is a costly indulgence. Government statistics have shown that three hundred and fifty millions of dollars are wasted on this vice in a year, far more than what is spent for bread! Yet every loafer, tramp, and beggar must have the poison, though he lacks food. Millions of money have also been lost by the fires kindled by smokers, whose burning matches and flying sparks have caused fearful conflagrations and numerous fatal burnings. That the abomination of street smoking is allowed, is a marvel of modern civilization. 4. It is a sin against conscience. You know it to be useless, harmful to yourself and others, and so a sin. You know that God enjoins cleanliness of body as well as purity of heart. He forbids the wicked waste of money. He forbids you to inflict a physical taint on your unborn offspring by indulgences, the immediate evils of which you may escape. Your conscience says, Don't do it. 5. The example is bad. I have known of a smoker who threatened to horse-whip his boy if he ever dared to touch tobacco. Many of those who are loudest in condemning tobacco are slaves to it, sometimes helpless. But the grace of God, which commands us to cleanse ourselves "from all filthiness of the flesh," and to give our bodies to Christ, "a sweet-smelling sacrifice," is able to extinguish the deadly appetite. For your sake and for the sake of others whom you influence, ask God's help to abandon a habit which is uncleanly, injurious, costly, insulting to conscience, and which is harmful to others.—Christian Secretary. —A fire in Chicago on the 30th ult. destroyed property worth $300,000. —Immigrants to the number of 450,845 were landed at New York during the past year. —It is thought that the coffee shrub will soon supplant sugar-cane in the Hawaiian Kingdom. —Senator Vest, it is announced, has decided to retire from public life at the expiration of his term. —It is stated that Russia is determined to force Prince Ferdinand to vacate the Bulgarian throne. —A fire at Ayer City, Mass., March 29, destroyed the Coburn, Shuttle Company's mill. Loss, $200,000. —On the 25th ult. England, Wales, and Scotland were visited by the most severe snow-storm of the season. —Five flat cars and two engines were wrecked a few days since at Aurante on the Southern Pacific Railroad. —March 25 a severe snow-storm in Northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Dakota impeded railroad and other traffic. —Seven hundred and thirty-three thousand gallons of rum were sent to Africa last year from the port of Boston alone. —The Coggestill Woman-Suffrage Bill almost passed the New York Senate on the 29th ult. The vote stood fifteen to fifteen. —The British steamer Canonburg went ashore and was abandoned on the 29th ult., off Nantucket, Mass. One man died from exposure. —The steamer Iniziapiva arrived at New York from Gibraltar, a few days since, with small-pox among the steerage passengers. —Quite a number of colored men with families are being brought from the South to be employed as ranch hands in Southern California. —Fire almost completely destroyed the shops of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad at Aurora, Ill., on the night of the 29th ult. —Gold ore assaying $800 per ton has been discovered in the Nipissing district, township of Cortier, Canada, within a mile of the Canadian Pacific track. —The consumption of rubber in this country is steadily on the increase, the imports last year having been 27,000,000 pounds, the greatest amount ever known. —March 29, despite the opposition of the Government, the French Chamber of Deputies voted for a revision of the Constitution, whereupon the entire cabinet resigned. —The introduction of natural gas at Pittsburgh has displaced the use of 4,500,000 tons of coal a year. One-half of the 50,000 houses in Pittsburgh use the natural gas for fuel and light. —Measles in a virulent form is raging among United States recruits at Jefferson Barracks, Mo. Seven deaths had occurred up to the 25th ult. and the hospital was crowded. —It is stated that King John, of Abyssinia, has written a letter to King Humbert inviting the latter to meet him to discuss their disputes personally and in a manner worthy of kings. —The capacity of the natural-gas pipe lines reaching Pittsburgh is about 500,000,000 cubic feet every twenty-four hours. During the winter season all this gas is consumed, while in the summer there is a surplus. —The United States ministers to Germany, France, England, and Russia receive $17,500 each; those to China, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, and Spain receive $12,000. The general of the army receives $13,500 and the admiral $13,000. —Cornell University now has an attendance of over 1,000 students. Its endowment invested in Western timberland has become of great value, so that over $7,000,000 now stands to the credit of the treasury of the institution. —Late in March a fierce storm, with high tides and tidal waves, caused great damage in the North and South Islands, New Zealand. Telegraph wires were down and railroad traffic was abandoned for a time on account of the destruction of roads. —As a result of the late floods in China, 2,000,000 people, it is said, are utterly destitute. The nearest towns are invaded by hordes of naked and starving refugees from the flooded districts, who, like swarms of locusts, are devouring everything in sight. —Sometimes the pressure of an artesian flow of water results from a gas pressure instead of from a high head of water. Dakota, for instance, has several artesian wells 1,000 feet deep, with 250 to 280 pounds pressure, but there are no high places near by to give this head of water. —On the 29th ult. a mob of strikers and roughs in Chicago attacked a new crew of hands who attempted to transfer some Burlington cars to the Northwestern track. Several cars were ditched; the train men were driven away, and the general superintendent of the Burlington road was severely beaten by the mob. —On the 31st ult. the employees of several other roads centering at Chicago, joined the strike of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy men. The previous night three attempts were made at Omaha, Neb., to wreck Burlington cars. It is stated that the finances are favorable for a general railroad tie-up on all lines touching Chicago. —It is charged that a corrupt political ring has control of the New Orleans City government, and a party has been organized to defeat if possible the ring candidates. The "reformers" propose to have a squad of armed men at each polling place on election day, and they say there shall be a free ballot and a fair count or blood will be shed. —Fifty or more lives were lost in a mine disaster at Red Hill, Mo., on the 29th ult. The first explosion occurred just after 12 o'clock M. and all who were there in the mine perished. A few minutes later there were two other explosions, which proved nearly fatal to several men who had entered the mine for the purpose of rescuing others. —The Eastern and Southern States have recently suffered heavy losses from almost unprecedented floods. In Alabama and Georgia the damage to railroad and other property was very great. A considerable part of Tiffin, Ohio, was inundated. A large area of wheat along the Sandusky River was overflowed, and the crop seriously damaged. —The damage done by the recent floods in Europe is immense. Hundreds of square miles of territory was inundated, towns were swept away and in some cases lives were lost. The damage in Central Europe is estimated at 400,000,000 marcs. Seventy-five thousand persons are homeless, and hundreds of them, it is said, are dying of starvation. —The mean height of the land above sea level, according to Mr. John Murray, is 2,250 feet, and the mean depth of the ocean is 12,480 feet. Only two per cent. of the sea is included inside a depth of 500 fathoms, while 75 per cent. lies between 500 and 3,000 fathoms. If the land should be filled into the hollows, the sea would roll over the earth's crust to a uniform depth of two miles. —The Russian Government has prohibited operations by the American Bible Society in the Baltic provinces. —Dr. Somerville, of the Scottish Free Church, is having good success in missionary labors among the Jews in Austro-Hungary. —The Congregationalists, Methodists, and Free Methodists of Georgia have united, thus forming what is known as the United Congregationalist Conference of Georgia, embracing about fifty churches, and 3,500 members. —The New York Independent quotes Dr. R. W. Dale, of England, as saying: "I think it unquestionable that very large numbers of the Congregational ministers have ceased to preach, and many of them have ceased to believe in, the doctrine of everlasting suffering." —Two hundred and fifty-two clergymen of the Church of England have signed an address to Mr. Gladstone, saying that his Home Rule policy "is the only one consistent with those principles of justice and charity which we profess and teach in our Master's name." —The "Evangelical Union," which has been established in Germany for the purpose of resisting the encroachments of the Romish Church, already numbers 2,000 clerical and 8,000 lay members. While the "union" for encouraging the encroachment of the same church in this country consists of several prominent Protestant clergymen, and religious journals. —The New York Independent says: "It is a well-settled principle of Protestantism to accept the Bible, including both Testaments, as the infallible rule of faith and practice, in respect to all matters of fact, doctrine, and duty, coming within the scope of its teaching." It is indeed true that this is the theory of Protestantism, so called, but how few, alas! reduce it to practice in their lives. Obituary.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
GARDNER.—James W. Gardner was born in Toledo, Ohio, August 22, 1853, and died in Nordhoff, Cal., March 28, 1888. Dec. 14, 1880 he was united in marriage to Lottie L. Lunt, the daughter of N. N. Lunt, who still lives to mourn his loss. Bro. Gardner was well known by our people in California, as well as by many in the East and in foreign countries, and his death will be sincerely mourned. He was connected with the office of the Pacific Press even before his full acceptance of the doctrines held by Seventh-day Adventists, and labored most earnestly for its welfare. Liberally educated, familiar with several languages, having traveled extensively in the Old World, a good conversationalist, possessed of fine sensibilities, and having a special adaptability to business, he always impressed business men favorably; and connecting with the office at one of the darkest times in its history, he contributed much to its present high standing in the business world. Although for nearly two years past the state of his health prevented him from engaging in steady, active labor, his interest in the cause was unabated, and he was always planning for the prosperity of the work. Only a week before his death he wrote a letter to one of the directors, making some suggestions concerning the coming annual meeting, stating that it was probably the last letter that he should ever write. But while he was devoted to the business interests of the cause, he was always anxious to properly represent our faith before those with whom he did business. For several months before his death, the immediate cause of which was heart disease, he seemed to be ripening up either for labor or rest, to whichever the Lord should call him. His sufferings were borne without a murmur, and he found much comfort in seasons of prayer that were held for him. His last days were days of communion with Heaven, and his heart seemed to overflow in praise to God. He felt at perfect peace with God, and although like all people of strong vitality, he had always expressed a dread of death, he said that its sting was gone. The funeral services were held in the Oakland house of worship, March 31. In accordance with his expressed wish, the text was 1 Cor. 15:51-57, and the hymns sung were, "Jesus, Lover of My Soul," "Rock of Ages," and "I Would Not Live Alway." FREE Bible lectures are now being given in United Fellowship Hall (one flight only), 1371 Washington Street, corner of Union Park Street, Boston, Mass., every Sunday evening at 7:30 P. M. All invited. Seats free. STOCKHOLDERS' MEETING.
By C. H. Jones
The Thirteenth Annual Meeting of the Stockholders of the Pacific Press Publishing Company (formerly known as the Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association), will be held at the office of the company, in Oakland, Cal., Monday, April 23, 1888, at 9:30 A. M., for the purpose of electing a Board of Directors, and transacting any business that may come before the meeting. C. H. JONES, Vice-President.