p. 16 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 40, No. 35. (9/9/1913)

Grandma to the Young People

By Annie Laurie

Annie Laurie, in San Francisco “Examiner”

“THE trouble with you young people of to-day,” said grandma, “is this: You try so hard to be happy that you don’t have any time to try to be good — and goodness and happiness are twins. O, yes, laugh if you must! It’s true, all the same; all the rag-time and rag dancing and all that, won’t change an old, old law that has been in existence ever since the world began.

“You can be good and not always be happy, but you can not be happy unless you are good — not for very long. I’ve seen ’em try it. I’ve tried it myself — it always fails.

“That’s what’s the matter with you — all running to the divorce court every time the weather’s too hot or too cold, or the tire bursts at the wrong time, or the new dog turns out to be a throwback on something. Why, you poor things, you don’t do a thing but run after happiness, and happiness is the hardest runner I ever saw.

“Nobody on earth will ever catch happiness by running after it. Stop running a while and she’ll come to visit — maybe.

“When I was a girl, we didn’t expect to be so very happy. It wasn’t so important to be happy. The thing that made difference was, Were we good or not? Did we do the right thing? not, Did we do the pleasant thing? And I declare, I believe we were happier than you breathless, chasing, hurrying, discontented folks ever dreamed of being.

“I wasn’t perfect by any manner of means. I used to sulk when anything went wrong with me. I did my best to get over it, prayed and prayed about it; but I guess I gave my dear husband a lot of unhappy hours.

“Did he fall in love with some one else and divorce me so he could be happier? — He did not, wise man that he was; for the sort of woman who would take a man like that would be almost sure to have some faults, a good deal harder to bear than sulking.

“My husband was a good man, and I was in love with him. O, yes, I was, tho he couldn’t do a one step, never heard of tennis, and would have thought a man who spent valuable time playing golf was crazy.

“He was close in money matters, and I sometimes almost hated him for it — but I didn’t hunt for an ‘affinity’ for all that. I wanted to be good, so I did the best I could for my stingy husband; and by and by he wasn’t stingy after all, and we were happy together, and when he died I could lay a wreath of white roses on his grave without feeling like a fool.

“I don’t see how a woman who’s left one husband for another just because she could be ‘happier’ with the second one, could do that. Do you?

“Dear me, you work so hard to be ‘happy,’ you young folks of to-day! Why, you’ll give up everything there is just to be what you call ‘happy.’ You don’t seem to care a cent whether you are good or not. Do you?

“And yet I don’t see any more happy faces now than I did when I was a girl — not one — not one.”

And when grandma had gone upstairs, the young people and the middle-aged people on the porch looked at each other, and some of us smiled and some of us sighed. And as it happened to be Sunday, when we had our evening song around the camp-fire, we sang — what do you think? — Some old-fashioned hymns.

A Drumer’s Dream

I AM not a strong believer in dreams, the drummer remarked, as he drew his chair closer to the stove, “but I can tell you a little circumstance that happened a few years ago, which has remained a mystery to me to this day.”

“I have been traveling for a large wholesale drug company in St. Louis for a number of years, and I have met all sorts of customers, and have a varied experience with many of my patrons. On my run in the Southwest, I had one very particular old friend whom I will call Brother Benton, because everybody in this section calls him by that name. He nearly always had an order for me; but whether he did or not, I always felt better after having made my call, on account of his cheerful ways and pleasant words. I could only see my customers twice a year, at best, and I looked forward to my visit to this old customer as one of my best days.”

“On one visit, I sold him a much larger bill than he had ever made before, but I did not hesitate to recommend the house to fill the order. I had learned that he was universally loved and respected in his town as a sincere Christian. He would not keep ardent spirits, nor would he hear for one minute of giving space in his house to tobacco in any shape. ‘My Bible,’ said he, ‘condemns both whisky and tobacco, and I will have nothing to do with them.’ No amount of persuading or liberal terms and discounts could induce him to deviate from his rule.”

“About six months after I had sold him the large bill, I was notified, by the house, that the bill was unpaid, and that I should call as soon as possible to collect it. I hastened over my territory, and called in person to see after the matter. I found a new face behind the counter, and I learned that a short time after I sold the bill, my old friend had taken the smallpox, and he and his family had been under quarantine for a long time. His sickness had lasted for several months, and he was still confined to his home. I did not see him, but he sent me word that the matter would come up all right in the end.”

“To make a long story short, he had suffered more losses than he thought, and six months went by and still the bill was not paid. I wrote the house and told them the condition of affairs, and they were holding up all proceedings against him.”

“Six months went by again, and I was ordered to go at once and collect the bill or to enter suit. I had but one thing to do, tho I confess I had some rebellious thoughts. The night before I arrived at his town, I spent several weary hours rolling and tossing on my bed, trying to contrive some plan to avoid closing out my old friend. He lived some eight miles from the railroad, and I should see him on the morrow. I knew that if I brought suit, in all probability others would do the same, and a good man would go to the wall for no fault of his own. While tossing on my bed, I must have fallen asleep. I thought that I had called upon my old friend, and we were sitting in his family room, with all his family about him. He turned to me and said, ‘We are just about to have our morning prayers, and we shall be glad to have you join with us.’ I replied, ‘With pleasure.’ He announced that he would read the Twenty-third Psalm. He began to read, but I was astonished at the words I heard. I had learned that psalm in Sunday-school when a boy, and, while I had not read my Bible as much as I should have done, still I will never forget that ‘The Lord is my shepherd.’”

“The words were read in a round, clear voice, and my heart rejoiced, tho I had never heard it that way before. He read:”

“‘The Lord is my banker: I shall not fail. He maketh me to lie down on gold mines: He giveth me the combination of His tills. He restoreth my credit: He showeth me how to avoid lawsuits for His name’s sake. Yea, tho I walk in the very shadow of debt, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy silver and Thy gold they rescue me. Thou preparest a way for me in the presence of the collector: Thou fillest my barrels with oil; my measure runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will do business in the name of the Lord.’”

“Having read his scripture, he knelt down and prayed. I thought I had never heard such a prayer in all my life. He fairly took my breath from me when he asked his heavenly Father to bless me, his friend.”

“With his amen I woke with a start. I concluded I would call on my old friend early in the morning at his own home. I arose in time to procure a team, and was knocking at his door just as the sun was coming over the eastern horizon. He met me at the door with a hearty handshake and said: ‘Come in; come right in. We are just going to have morning prayers, and we will be glad to have you join us!’ He took me into the room and introduced his wife and children. He took up his Bible, and said, ‘We will read the Twenty-third Psalm.’ He read it in a clear voice, but read it as it is written in the Book. I can not tell you my feelings and thoughts while he read. We then knelt in prayer, and he humbly made known his wishes, but it did not sound like the one I had heard in my dream, tho he appeared to go over the same thoughts. He told the Lord that he owed some money, and that it was past due, and he asked that a way might open for him to pay it that very day. He then prayed for me; and while on my knees, I resolved that for one time in my life I would disobey orders.”

“After prayers, we both went direct to the drug store; and just as we entered the door, a young man met us, and said, ‘Brother Benton, father sent me over here this morning to tell you that he would take that house and lot you spoke to him about a few days ago. He told me to hand you this money, and that he would pay the balance on delivery of the deed.’”

“The old man received the roll of bills, and tears began to roll down his cheeks as he turned away. He wrote the young man a receipt for the money, and gave it to him. He then turned to his ledger, and began to figure. He then turned to me, and said, ‘Will you please receipt this statement?’ I saw that he had added all the past interest on the bill. I told him I was ordered by the house to remit the interest. He declined to receive it, and said he desired to pay all of his just debts. I took the money, and sent it in. The house wrote him a very complimentary letter, thanking him for the remittance. In a great measure my dream came to pass.”

“At the time I was tossing on my bed, my old friend was on his knees in his closet pleading with his Banker for a loan. I am very much gratified to know that he got it; and ever since, in all discouragements, I apply the Twenty-third Psalm as the remedy.” — The War Cry.

The Cure for Wretched Homes

By Walter Wynn

Walter Wynn, in the New Zealand “Christian Herald”

The home is the foundation of church and state. The homes of the people contain the real, unwritten history of the life of any nation. There is no place like home, whether it be good or bad; for if it be good it is heaven, and if it be bad no hell in the universe can surpass its possibilities of wretchedness.

And what cure, immediate, direct, have we for wretched homes? I have a cure, and have proved that it is a perfect one: Allow Christ to enter them. Do some men sneer at that cure? I care nothing for their sneers. Sneers at Christianity are the tainted property of little men. I have seen Christ enter homes, and work miracles of transformation in them. They have become attractive and wholesome, sober and clean. That fact should place all sneers at a discount. I have seen dirt, drunkenness, lust, lying, deceit, and hatred all vanish like creeping fiends at the approach of Christ. Directly you open the door of your heart, and take Christ into your home, and keep Him there, mark my words—all devils will make room for Him.

I go into homes sometimes, and it is no surprise to me that fathers and sons spend their evenings outside them. When mothers and daughters prefer novels to cleanliness, and bickering to cheerfulness, you need not be surprised what happens. The home should be attractive, clean, wholesome, morally pure. Otherwise, men seek clubs; and when they commence that kind of thing, it is hard work getting them to love their homes.

My sisters, and you, dear mothers, believe me, your responsibility at home is great. What I owe to my mother! She was the angel of my young days. To her, religion was not a pious sham, but a solid reality. Her daily example was the most eloquent sermon ever preached to me. It went to the core of my being, and will linger with me all my days.

Talk about preachers! I have heard the best of them. I thank them for the good they have done me; but if they and all of us could only preach as my mother preached to me, I tell you, dear friends, Christ would begin to reign in this world. She loved me even when I did not deserve her love. These memories wring our hearts. “Do your duty, my boy. Love Jesus. He will supply all your needs. Learn to be good, and brave, and true.” Blessed mother! I thank thee. I have heard no preacher in this world who could preach like thee. Tongue of fire, tongue of love, tongue of grace, Jesus was thine. A good mother, she is mightier than all the pulpits, all senates—she rules the planet in righteousness; but a bad mother—!

Let me tell you two life-stories. Richard Cecil, the great London preacher, says that he tried to be an infidel when he was a youth, but he could not gainsay or resist his mother’s beautiful piety. He tells us that “she used to talk to me, and weep as she talked. I flew out of the house with an oath; but I cried, too, when I got out into the street.” “Yes,” says Dr. Cuyler, “if all mothers were but fervent in prayer, the church in the home would feed the communion table in God’s house.” Richard Cecil became a great preacher.

My second life-story is this: A man told me his home life was like being in hell. His mother was irreligious, and quarreled, and bickered, and snarled at his father—a quiet, good man. “I would have died for my mother as against my father,” he said, “but I had to live to discover that my mother was a fool.” Terrible thing when natural affection can be won to ruin a father’s life!

You need not remind me of men’s sins in relation to their home life—I know them. My point now is that it is to the mothers of our land we must look for cooperation and sympathy in our efforts to win men for Christ.

Come, Lord Jesus

By John P. Lange

The sum of all human longing, all Christian hope, all divine promise, is in the cry, “Come, Lord Jesus!”—John P. Lange.

The Law

An excellent tract to study in connection with the law of God is Bible Students’ Library, No. 178, “The Perpetuity of the Law of God.” Single copy, post-paid, 2 cents; $1.00 a hundred. This office.

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Hope for the Backslider.

The question is sometimes asked, “Will God accept and pardon the backslider?” For answer, read Jeremiah 3. Even Inspiration has exhausted human language and similitude to tell the love of God for His people. Israel is likened to a woman who had forsaken her husband and become another man’s, and yet the Lord says: “Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause Mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed My voice, saith the Lord. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you; and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.” Jer. 3:12-14.

Justified

Justified.— “By the deeds of the law,” says the apostle, “shall no flesh be justified in His sight” (Rom. 3:20), hence some conclude that it is useless to attempt to keep the law. But in this they overlook the reason stated by the apostle; namely, “for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” It is evident that the law can not justify one who has transgressed it, and that is just the point which the apostle makes to show all men their need of Christ. All have sinned, transgressed the law; and having transgressed it, they can not be justified by it, therefore they must be justified by faith or not at all. The case of the justified sinner may be feebly illustrated by the pardoned criminal. The law of the land never could have forgiven his crime, it could only condemn him; but the governor, by an act of unmerited favor, pardons him. Shall he then say, The law could not justify me, therefore I will not henceforth keep the law? Certainly not. What he ought to say would be, “I was deserving of punishment; but the governor has pardoned me, and now I will testify my gratitude by being a good, law-abiding citizen of the commonwealth.” And can the penitent and forgiven sinner say less? Shall we not say with the psalmist: “O Lord, put me not to shame. I will run the way of Thy commandments, when Thou shalt enlarge my heart”

Read “A Time for Loyalty.”

Read the proposals for new calendars for the world. One of them is coming.

Read one more thing: the study on the law of God. Learn definitely what that law is, and in Christ give it your loyal adherence.

Particular Notice

By M. C. W.

Particular Notice.—We have two departments connected with this paper,—the Circulation Department, at the head of which is Mr. G. C. Hoskin. See page 15. All subscriptions and business should be addressed to that department. We have the Editorial Department, to which all manuscript should be sent, and correspondence addressed pertaining to the contents of the paper. At the head of this department, after this month, is Editor A. O. Tait. The present editor closes connection with this journal, for a time, with the last issue in September. M. C. W.

The Sabbath Made for All Mankind

The commandment of the Sabbath, as given by God from Mt. Sinai, is based upon that which concerns man universally; namely, the creation of the heavens and the earth. The earth was created, not for the Jews alone, nor for any other one race, but for all men; therefore the Sabbath was made for the whole of mankind. Hence also our Saviour’s words, “The Sabbath was made for man.” The obligation of the Sabbath rests upon all who live upon the earth. This conclusion is unavoidable.

Love to God as a Controlling Principle

Love to God is not an emotion or feeling; it is a controlling, molding principle, born of the Spirit of God, and acting as the mainspring of all true motives. Feelings of joy and peace are realized by those who have this love; but they are the results of the exercise of that love rather than constituent and ever-present elements. Sometimes feeling departs, joy is dead, hope is well-nigh gone; but love shines still, believes God still, trusts Him still. It hates sin, but loves the sinner, and would save him, not in sin, in man's way, but from sin, in God's way.

Not as Pleasing Men.

The soldier of Christ must make up his mind that he can not please all. In fact, it is not to be his object to please any man. The ship that will sail with every wind will never enter port. The Christian who endeavors to agree with each one he meets, will as often go backward as forward. His chief object should be to love God, seek God, please God. Men will find fault with him, it is true. They will find fault with him if he tries to please them. John the Baptist was temperate and abstemious, and men said that he had a devil; Jesus met with men at the social board, and the Jews said that He was gluttonous and a wine-bibber. Matt. 11:18, 19. Their lot would have indeed been hard if their only object had been to please men. But they had a higher motive,—to please God alone,—and their joy was proportionately great. “Not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.”

Rays That Explode Torpedoes at a Distance

Wonderful things are told us regarding the power of the infra-red or violet ray in connection with an invention by an Italian. It is said that by the utilization of these rays, a method has been discovered of causing the explosion of torpedoes, submarine mines, and death-dealing devices, at a distance of fourteen or fifteen miles from the spot where the rays are transmitted wirelessly; and in a test at Havre, spontaneous explosions of torpedoes placed at distances extending to fifteen miles occurred. It is said that these particular rays have three hundred billion vibrations a second, and directed by a power toward a certain explosive, will ignite it. It is also declared that these will destroy military air-ships and aeroplanes which have a metallic framework and carry explosives.

An Appreciative Word

Some Consequent Thoughts

A VALUED subscriber and teacher writes us from far England:

“A thought for the beautiful Bible Studies of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES under ‘What They Comprise’:

“1. The Absolute Sovereignty of God.

“2. The Inner Witness of the Spirit.

“These two subjects give us from God, through His word, religious liberty. If God is Sovereign, if He alone saves, and not the church, sacraments, or priests, then the authority of the church loses its claim.

“What assurance has the believer that God speaks in the Scriptures?—The inner witness of the Spirit, which witness is the Christian’s conscience.

“A Christian strong in this conviction is ready to accord to others the same privilege he claims, which is the liberty of the Christian, whose sole authorities are the inspired word of God and ‘the Spirit of Christ which is in you.’ ‘Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.’ Ps. 119:89.”

As Between Religions

As between Religions.—The following is from the Western Watchman of August 7:

“We do not want Protestantism taught in our public schools because it is a religion without morality; and we do not want sex hygiene taught in our public schools because it is a morality without religion.”

Now we do not believe in teaching religion or theology of any sort in public schools. It is utterly incongruous. But as between the attempts in this line by Protestants and Roman Catholics, it might be well to compare Scotland with Spain, England with Italy, Australia with South America.

Whence the Power?

Whence the Power?—In the Los Angeles Record of April 3, 1913, is this item:

“Eleven ministers have, Thursday, been sworn in as police officers by Chief Sebastian,”

Benjamin Franklin truly said:

“When religion is good, it will take care of itself. When it is not able to take care of itself, and God does not see fit to take care of it, so that they have to call upon the civil authorities for protection, it is evidence to my mind that its cause is a bad one.”

To turn from Christ and seek the power of the state on religious or moral questions is a confession that we have forsaken Him.

Anent Sunday Laws

The Niagara Falls Journal of August 7 has a strong open letter, replete with cogent arguments, addressed to the New York Legislature, for a repeal of the Sunday laws now on the statute-books of that state. The writer, J. W. Hodge, M.D., truly characterizes them as unjust, un-American, and unconstitutional. But these laws are not of Christian origin, as the doctor seems to intimate. True Christianity knows nothing of a union of church and state, nothing of religion enforced by civil statute, nothing of coercion in religious matters. All Sunday laws are un-christian.

New Instruments of War

The despatches of August 23 tell of an Englishman who has invented a gun that throws projectiles containing chemicals which set fire to anything they strike, the flames not being extinguishable by water. On the same day it is reported that an American has invented a new device by which a torpedo can be guided and controlled from the shore by radio impulses. There is no field in which inventive genius is more active than in that of devising instruments for destruction on the battle-field.