Review and Herald, Vol. 87, No. 19. (5/12/1910)

Review and Herald

May 12, 1910

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 12, 1910

Evil Speaking

KEEP clear of personalities in conversation. Talk of things, objects, thoughts. The smallest minds occupy themselves with persons. Do not needlessly report ill of others. As far as possible, dwell on the good side of human beings. There are family boards where a constant process of depreciating, assigning motives, and cutting up character goes forward. They are not pleasant places. One who is healthy does not wish to dine at a dissecting table. There is evil enough in man, God knows. But it is not the mission of every young man and woman to detail and report it all. Keep the atmosphere as pure as possible, and fragrant with gentleness and charity.—Selected.

The First of Three Big Summer Numbers

By Editor

The June

LIFE & HEALTH

THE NATIONAL HEALTH MAGAZINE

No pains have been spared to make the June LIFE AND HEALTH in every respect the most strikingly handsome publication ever issued from the Review and Herald presses. The beautiful three-color cover design is the most attractive LIFE AND HEALTH has ever had. The one-color reproduction here fails to do it justice. The contents are in keeping with the striking appearance of the magazine.

EARN A SCHOLARSHIP

Last year, student workers sold nearly 80,000 copies of one summer issue. This year, in giving them a vastly better magazine to work with, we hope the circulation of one or all of these summer issues will pass the 100,000 mark. Note the features for June:—

SENATOR OWEN

The leading feature for June is a personal expression from a United States Senator, Robert L. Owen, of Oklahoma, author of the pending bill for a national Department of Health. Senator Owen writes on “The Conservation of Life and Health.” The nature of Senator Owen’s bill, and the speech he recently delivered on the floor of the Senate in support of it, are also discussed.

LOOKING BACKWARD

There is an engaging romantic touch about Henry Waldorf Francis’s article on “Early Twentieth Century Civilization.” The writer imagines himself in a state of civilization in which all the necessary health reforms have been accomplished, looking back upon the conditions of to-day. The article gives a careful survey of the health field from an odd view-point, and will be read by many to whom dry facts and statistics would make scanty appeal.

PROFESSOR CROMIE

“The Results of Physical Training” is the subject of Prof. W. J. Cromie’s June article in LIFE AND HEALTH. Professor Cromie, as physical instructor in the University of Pennsylvania, brings a valuable personal experience to bear upon the subject. The article is illustrated with practical examples.

THE OUTDOOR LIFE

Dr. George Wharton James makes his appeal for the outdoor life in the June number under the title, “The Perfection of God’s Great Out-of-Doors.” The June instalment of the series will not be disappointing.

DR. WARBASSE

“Open-Air Schools” is a timely subject for discussion in June, and no one could treat it more intelligently than has Dr. James P. Warbasse, author of “Medical Sociology” and former editor of the NEW YORK STATE JOURNAL OF MEDICINE. The subject is one of practical interest, and should receive careful consideration from LIFE AND HEALTH readers.

Dr. Henry R. Harrower, editor of the MEDICAL STANDARD, Chicago, writes on the subject, “The Elimination of Disease.”

THAT BOY OF YOURS

Dr. Musselman’s article in this issue is on the subject, “The World the Boy Lives In,” and he will doubtless introduce many of his readers into strange scenes in an unfamiliar country. The introduction will do them good.

THE PICTURE SHOW

A vast danger looms up before the American people in the growth of the moving-picture show business. It is pointed out clearly in the June LIFE AND HEALTH under the caption, “The Death-Dealing Picture Show.” Some striking facts stand forth with startling clearness.

ON TYPHOID FEVER

Alfred B. Olsen, M. D., D. P. H., discusses a very important subject in a lucid manner in his article on “Prevention of Typhoid Fever.” His article has a practical value for every reader.

Send ten cents to-day for a sample copy, and get one of the first numbers off the press.

Address Your Tract Society

REVIEW & HERALD PUB. ASSN. Washington, D. C.

The Gift of Speech

By Ellen G. White

MRS. E. G. WHITE

SPEECH is one of the great gifts of God. It is the means by which the thoughts of the heart are communicated. It is with the tongue that we offer prayer and praise to God. With the tongue we convince and persuade. With the tongue we comfort and bless, soothing the bruised, wounded soul. With the tongue we may make known the wonders of the grace of God. With the tongue also we may utter perverse things, speaking words that sting like an adder.

The tongue is a little member, but the words it frames have great power. The Lord declares, “The tongue can no man tame.” It has set nation against nation, and has caused war and bloodshed. Words have kindled fires that have been hard to quench. They have also brought joy and gladness to many hearts. And when words are spoken because God says, “Speak unto them my words,” they often cause sorrow unto repentance.

Of the unsanctified tongue the apostle James writes: “The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity; so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” Satan puts into the mind thoughts which the Christian should never utter. The scornful retort, the bitter passionate utterance, the cruel, suspicious charge, are from him. How many words are spoken that do only harm to those who utter them and to those who hear! Hard words beat upon the heart, awakening to life its worst passions. Those who do evil with their tongues, who sow discord by selfish, jealous words, grieve the Holy Spirit; for they are working at cross-purposes with God.

The apostle, seeing the inclination to abuse the gift of speech, gives direction concerning its use. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,” he says, “but that which is good to the use of edifying.” The word “corrupt” means here any word that would make an impression detrimental to holy principles and undefiled religion, any communication that would eclipse the view of Christ, and blot from the mind true sympathy and love. It includes impure hints, which, unless instantly resisted, lead to great sin. Upon every one is laid the duty of barring the way against corrupt communications.

It is God’s purpose that the glory of Christ shall appear in his children. In all his teaching, Christ presented pure, unadulterated principles. He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Constantly there flowed from his lips holy, ennobling truths. He spoke as never man spoke, with a pathos that touched the heart. He was filled with holy wrath as he saw the Jewish leaders teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, and he spoke to them with the authority of true greatness. With terrible power he denounced all artful intrigue, all dishonest practises. He cleansed the temple from its pollution, as he desires to cleanse our hearts from everything bearing any resemblance to fraud. The truth never languished on his lips. With fearlessness he exposed the hypocrisy of priest and ruler, Pharisee and Sadducee.

Guard well the talent of speech; for it is a mighty power for evil as well as for good. You can not be too careful of what you say; for the words you utter show what power is controlling the heart. If Christ rules there, your words will reveal the beauty, purity, and fragrance of a character molded and fashioned by his will. But if you are under the guidance of the enemy of all good, your words will echo his sentiments.

The great responsibility bound up in the use of the gift of speech is plainly made known by the Word of God. “By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned,” Christ declared. And the psalmist asks, “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile person is condemned; but he honoreth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.”

“Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.” The wild beast of the forest may be tamed, “but the tongue can no man tame.” Only through Christ can we gain the victory over the desire to speak hasty, unchrist-like words. When in his strength we refuse to give utterance to Satan’s suggestions, the plant of bitterness in our hearts withers and dies. The Holy Spirit can make the tongue a savor of life unto life.

Independence of Simplicity

By Philip Giddings

PHILIP GIDDINGS

WE are cumbered with too much. From the condition of upright simplicity in which God made man, sin and “civilization” have sought out many inventions, and wrought out as many complications. There are multitudes of things which we think we can not get along with without. Our cultivated whims have become wants that bind us. And there are those who glory in the number of things they must have, rather than in their fewness, and seem to rate their own importance accordingly. You would laugh at the swimmer who prides himself that he can swim in a one-thousand-dollar buoy suit, but can’t swim at all without! There’s a lightness, a freeness, to him who is not weighted with trappings. He feels that pleasure analogous to what those feel who need no crutches.

The writer can picture no scene so lovely as Adam and Eve in the garden under bowers; nothing so peacefully scenic as the river, going out of Eden to water the garden, meandering through meadowy embankments. Civilization’s artificial rose may be admirable for execution, but it lacks life and freshness and fragrance.

When Diocletian was recalled to his seat in the government which he had resigned, he replied, “If you could see the cabbages I raise in my garden, you wouldn’t ask me to take a throne.”

“Back to the land!” “Back to the country!” is a refreshing reactionary cry of some of the weary multitudes, who are sensible, at least, of part of what’s the matter.

The time will come (and with some, now is) when people will take pride in what they can do without, rather than in what they must have. A man, boasting

against a poorer man, once said: “Look here: I have just paid the doctor five dollars for medicine, but you don’t have a cent.” But better be well than only well-off. Better is he who can sleep on Bethel’s hard ground, with harder stone for pillow, and dream of angels, than he who can’t do so even on a spring mattress.

Of all men that should be free from encumbrances, is the soldier—the Christian soldier. “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life.” He has to strip off many of those things called “conveniences.” It has been a strange observation that some think themselves first-class soldiers because they need a soft place. But Paul’s description of “a good soldier of Jesus Christ” is that he “endure hardness.” The worldly soldier should not outbrave the heavenly soldier, though we fear he has often done so. A bishop, on returning to England, being asked in a meeting if the aborigines in the forest land had been evangelized, answered: “I am sorry to say, ministers are not so willing to fight Christ’s battles as the king’s soldiers are to fight the nation’s battles. We can not get men who are willing to go where the comforts of life are not easily accessible”! What a shame!

But Paul, next to the Master himself, has left us a noble example of this independence of things. We can well imagine the once lofty position of this Jewish master, who profited in the Jews’ religion above many his equals, and who, as for the flesh, had more than any other man wherein he might trust; education and culture had given him the right to as fine a taste as any other; but all these he was willing, if necessary, to forego; not because he was a cheaper man, but because God’s cause was dearer. Lawfully pleasant things were due to him as to any other, but if they were not expedient to running his errand, they must go. He knew how to abound, as well as how to be abased: everywhere and in all things, he was instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. Phil. 4:12. With lawful claims on “all things,” he would “not be brought under the power of any.” 1 Cor. 6:12. “For the gospel’s sake,” unto the Jews he would become as a Jew to gain the Jews; to the weak he would become as weak to gain the weak; he would become all things to all men, that he might by all means save some.

As I read of the systematic benevolence and personal economy of Wesley, parting with his salary as he did, and contenting himself with necessities, I saw a man who had the master-key to missionary expediency,—a man who had unfettered himself so as to be fleeter in running his race.

And as I notice some of our own missionaries,—men who have foregone things dear to them at home, to line themselves up to a situation in foreign lands, adopting primitive methods as long as necessary to pioneer through the missionary jungle,—I observe they have achieved a success and left an influence corresponding to their zealous hardihood.

These are men who have not simply contented themselves as “war correspondents” at some safe distance from the firing, writing about other men’s fights, but who, dashing themselves into the midst of the fray, with their swords in action, record again “acts of the apostles.”

“John was a type of the last-day messengers of God. . . . They will not be concerned about wearing soft raiment, nor will they live luxuriously. They will be content to be voices of God, crying in the wilderness of sin.”

Many things men boast of as marks of superiority might be, after all, only badges of our shame, evidences of the loss of our first estate. Let us not glory in our shame, nor introduce our conceit into the gospel. Let us fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtility, so our minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 2 Cor. 11:3.

Roseau, West Indies.

_Attending Church_

By William Covert

WILLIAM COVERT

The apostle Paul says we should not neglect the religious assemblies of God's people, and that this injunction should be heeded so much the more as we see the great and final day approaching. Heb. 10:21-25. No amount of reading or devotion at home will compensate for the lost meeting, for the Lord attends the meeting at the appointed time, but he has not made an arrangement to meet with the one who might be there but acts the part of a truant. On the other hand, he requests that all members who are so situated that it is possible, should meet him at the house where the congregation assembles, for he is in the midst of the congregation thus assembled, and his blessing is poured out there.

You who willingly stay away from the church are making a twofold failure. You fail to get what the Lord had intended you to receive, and you fail to impart what the Lord had asked you to give away. By remaining away you missed the Sabbath-school lesson which was recited, the sermon that was preached, the prayers which were offered, and the songs which were sung. Your absence was noticed, your place was vacant, and the whole church was robbed of what was its due. And besides, if you do not change for the better, you are in danger of sliding back until you are lost forever.

But why do you stay away if it is not because of the darkness of your mind? And if this is the reason, then certainly you would do well to go to church, and seek for the light which the Sun of Righteousness could shed on your path.

Do you know that your way in absenting yourself from the church is like the way of the wandering, shepherdless sheep, that tries to shelter apart from the flock, and to feed outside the pasture, but finally dies of fear, of thirst, and of hunger? You can not elevate the cause of Christ, nor build up its missions, if you habitually lose the benefit of its assemblies. The services and the fellowship of the congregation, which are a great solace and strength to those who do attend, are all lost to you who remain away. And barrenness of soul, with loss of appetite for spiritual things, must inevitably come to all such persons. Therefore, reform before it is too late. Please do not allow your seat to be vacant another Sabbath.

Chicago, Ill.

Wonderful Counselor

By John Hoffman

JOHN HOFFMAN

“I COUNSEL thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich.” Rev. 3:18. These words are spoken by the faithful and true Witness after he has told us how poor and wretched we are. But how shall poor people buy? and where shall the means be found? The Lord himself tells us: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy . . . wine and milk without money.” Isa. 55:1. When the poor may buy for nothing, they must be foolish to continue in their poverty. Let us therefore accept this invitation!

What is this gold which we are counseled to buy? “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire.” 1 Peter 1:7. The Lord always wants us to have the best, and here is something that is much more precious than perishable gold, though it be tried in fire. A tried faith is the gold the Lord counsels us to buy. That such a faith is precious we learn from Rev. 3:10, where the Lord says: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” A faith that keeps God's word through trials and difficulties, assures

its possessor of God's protecting care, of a home in God's everlasting kingdom, and of a place in the heavenly city, where the streets are paved with imperishable gold like transparent glass.

Where shall such a faith be found? — In the school of experience; in the adversities and trials the Lord allows to come in our way. In such furnaces the quality and purity of our faith are tried. They are the crucibles where the dross is burned away, and the gold is cleansed till the Master can see his own image therein. No wonder then that Paul cries out: “We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Rom. 5:3-5. Peter, setting forth the same thought, says, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.” 1 Peter 4:12. When Job had passed through the fiery trials, he was a better man than before. The three worthies in the fiery furnace and Daniel in the den of lions were given opportunity to buy the gold which the Lord counsels us to buy. Do we have such a trust in God as those men had? And do we hold fast to God's promises in hours of trial? If we do, we are joint heirs with Jesus Christ to the imperishable inheritance.

Life affords many opportunities for the purchase of the precious gold which we are counseled to buy. Remember that the God of Israel is still alive; that the God of Daniel and the three worthies has the same power to quench the fire and close the lions' mouths as in olden time. The waters of the Red Sea and the billows of overflowing Jordan are just as ready to obey his will to-day as they were three thousand years ago. Hold on to the anchor chain of the sure promises of God, and when the storm has passed over, you will find your little craft safely anchored in the peaceful harbor of eternal life.

Stockholm, Sweden.

Our Home Port

By Delwin Rees Buckner

DELWIN REES BUCKNER

THE wave-lashed, weather-beaten bark that brings Its fragrant spices, woven silks, and gold, Piled on its decks and stored within its hold, Rich treasures that would gladden any king,

Is glad to anchor in some friendly bay And leave the blinding mists and heaving swells; Is glad to hear again the sweet-toned bells That call God's faithful to his house to pray.

But gladder far than any homesick crew, That plant their feet upon their native beach And tread familiar, tree-flanked streets once more, I'll be, if rich in faith, if tried, but true, In God's own time it be my lot to reach That golden city on the distant shore.

Ambato, Ecuador.

The Overcomer's Reward

By J. A. Holton

J. A. HOLTON

How many and varied are the promises held out to the saint that overcomes! Yea, in God's Word there are many scriptures which are as strong search-lights throwing their luminous light far across this sea of turmoil and strife, to the borders of eternity. How they make the mansions of the ransomed sparkle! How near the land looks! As one stops to admire the beauty of those celestial shores, he can imagine that he hears the music. But no, we are not permitted to hear a single strain from those golden harps as the skilled hands of angels sweep over them, fairly making heaven ring. The Testimonies tell us that we would be unfitted for life should we hear one of those melodies.

As one travels in this world, he sees sights which seem unmarred by the traits of sin. But grander than any sight to be seen to-day will be the earth in its new Edenic state. Then the most humble child will be infinitely wiser than earth's wisest men of to-day. We may not be able to mingle in the high society of earth, but then we shall be among the noblest and highest. We shall be with Moses, Abraham, and Isaac, with Paul and with John, even with Jesus, the great King of kings and Lord of lords. Glorious thought that such lowly ones as we should be permitted to enjoy such bliss!

Then through the ceaseless ages of eternity the loved of earth from every age and clime will come to Zion with songs and everlasting joys upon their heads. Our joy will not be lessened by the thought of having to leave it soon. No, for after being there ten thousand years, we shall have no shorter time to stay.

Ought we not to be content, then, whether in sickness or health, whether in tribulation or prosperity? Our trials can not last long, for life is short at its best. Then, too, we have the glorious promise that all things work together for good to them that love God. The sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Rom. 8:18. Think of it, not worthy of comparison!

The most inventive mind can not picture upon the canvas of imagination the glories of that celestial abode. The most versatile mind fails when trying to depict its grandeur. The curtains were drawn apart, as it were, so that John caught a glimpse of the New Jerusalem, and he, in turn, wrote for us what he saw, as recorded in Revelation 22.

Then as letters of diamond in a setting of gold, we read, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” “Behold, I come quickly.” God help us to be ready.

McIntosh, Minn.

Hiding From God

A TEACHER once held up a vase of water in which a goldfish was swimming about, and said to the children before him: “See the fish hide. Do you see him now?”

“Yes, sir,” the children shouted.

And as the fish moved in all directions, the question, “Do you see him now?” was repeated, calling forth the same eager reply: “Yes, sir.”

“Can’t he hide from you?” asked the teacher.

“No, sir,” was the reply.

“Why?”

“Because we see through the glass.”

“So,” said the teacher, “God sees right through our hearts. We can not hide from him.”

A Question

By Mary L. Hanley

MARY L. HANLEY

“Why is it that a returned missionary can think of, talk of, and plan for, little else than his mission field?” was the question asked me recently by a brother whom I was trying to interest in the needy fields of Mexico, our sister republic.

Why? The reason is very simple. The Lord says the harvest is great, and the laborers few, but we can not fully realize what that means in this land where every one may possess a Bible, and is free to study and worship as he pleases. But go to a foreign field where the Word of God is strictly forbidden; see the ignorance, depravity, and sin which hold dominion over the people; teach them of the lowly Jesus, of his love and mercy toward them, and of his soon coming; and mark the transformation wrought in their lives when they accept this same Jesus,—then you will understand why we love our mission fields, and why they fill our minds to the exclusion of almost everything else.

Thousands upon thousands of people are waiting to be told of the power of God to save them from their sins. And we—we who have the light—are the ones to do this; but how many are asleep!

Here in our own loved States our church-members listen calmly to an appeal from a foreign missionary, and remark rather petulantly: “Of course I believe in foreign missions. Why, I gave a dollar last year!” View the beautiful homes provided with every modern convenience and luxury, acres added to acres, and hear the echo—“A dollar last year!”

It is easy to sit comfortably at home and read the reports of the faithful workers, but how many are trying conscientiously to help them?

After we have once seen the soul sickness and longing after a better life, an impression is made upon our hearts which we can not soon forget. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” And that is the reason we think of, talk about, and plan for our work.

A thousand dollars a day is necessary to carry on the work in our foreign fields; besides many are engaged in self-supporting missionary work.

When I see money being freely spent for adornment and useless articles, a thought like this always flashes through my mind: “O, if we only had that much to finish paying for our little schoolhouse, and to buy our tracts and periodicals for the coming month, and the many other articles needed to carry on our humble work for the Master!”

Argo, Kan.

Forgiveness and a Forgiving Temper

It is vain for you to expect, it is impudent for you to ask of God, forgiveness on your behalf, if you refuse to exercise this forgiving temper with respect to others.—Hoadley.

The Power of Song

By G. B. Thompson

G. B. THOMPSON

ANGELS around the throne of God sing. The redeemed will sing in eternity. Singing is an important part of worship, and may be a great factor in the salvation of sinners. Many have been reclaimed from a sinful life through impressions made by a song. The following story, taken from an exchange, illustrates the power of a well-rendered song:—

“When we were on the Pacific Coast, thirty men, red-eyed and disheveled, lined up before a judge of a San Francisco police court. It was the regular morning company of drunks and disorderlies. Some were old and hardened; others hung their heads in shame. Just as the momentary disorder attending the bringing in of the prisoners quieted down, a strange thing happened. A strong, clear voice from below began singing:—

“‘Last night as I lay sleeping, There came a dream so fair;’

“Last night? It had been for them all a nightmare or a drunken stupor. The song was such a contrast to the horrible fact that no one could avoid the sudden shock at the thought the song suggested.

“‘I stood in old Jerusalem, Beside the temple there.’”

“The song went on. The judge had paused. He made a quiet inquiry. A former member of a famous opera company was waiting trial for forgery. It was he who was singing in his cell.”

“Meanwhile the song went on. Every man in the line showed emotion. One boy at the end of the line, after desperate effort at self-control, leaned against the wall, buried his face in his folded arms, and sobbed: ‘O mother! mother!’”

“The sobs, cutting the weary hearts of the men who heard, and the song, still welling its way through the courtroom, blended in the hush. At length one man protested:—

“‘Judge,’ he said, ‘have we got to submit to this? We’re here to take our punishment, but this ——.’ He, too, began to sob.

“It was impossible to proceed with the business of the court, yet the judge gave no order to stop singing. The police sergeant, after a surprised effort to keep the men in line, stepped back and waited with the rest. The song moved to its climax:—

“‘Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Sing, for the night is o’er! Hosanna in the highest, Hosanna forevermore.’”

“In an ecstasy of melody the last words rang out, and then there was silence.

“The judge looked into the faces of the men before him. There was not one who was not touched by the song; not one in whom some better impulse was not stirred. He did not call the cases singly—a kind word of advice, and he dismissed them all. No man was fined or sentenced to the workhouse that morning. The song had done more good than punishment could have accomplished.”

The power of this song, however, lay in the fact that the words could be understood. While sweet and harmonious strains of music may please the ear, that which really touches the heart is the words of the song. Yet how many there are, counted as singers, who are so imperfect and indistinct in their pronunciation that the words of the song can either not be understood at all, or only partially so. The writer has heard solos, duets, quartets, etc., sung in churches and at camp-meetings, of which only a few of the words could be understood. Such singing is a failure; it neither helps nor edifies any one, and the writer marks it down at zero, no matter how melodious the strains or how noted the singer. What influence would the harmonious tones of the “Holy City” have had over the drunks and disorderlies in the illustration given above, if the words had been pronounced in an indistinct, unintelligible manner?

An inspired writer speaks of singing not only “with the Spirit,” but “with the understanding also.” Such singing will be intelligible to the hearers. Those who are blessed with the gift of being able to sing, should prize the gift, and use it to the glory of God.

Takoma Park, D. C.

Things Money Won't Buy

By Dr. Madison C. Peters

How many homes there are where poverty's pinch has never been felt, where sickness has never paid a visit, and yet where a skeleton, more grim than death, haunts the hearth, and an ache sharper than consumption's tooth gnaws at the heart. In many a palace there are sneers where there should be smiles, and the press of business and social duties makes short answers necessary where there should be loving-kindness.

You can not build your happiness upon mere social position. Many women are unhappy because their homes are not so fine as they would like them to be, and think if only by some stroke of what is called “good luck” they could live in a finer house and move in what is called “higher society,” they would be completely happy.

What a mistake! It takes more than palaces to bring happiness. Any one familiar with the stories of marital miseries as reported in the daily divorce proceedings of our country can readily believe what is a fact, that in many a palatial mansion there have been more scalding tears shed than rolled down the cheeks of Josephine.

If the sobs of unhappy womanhood could break through the twenty-thousand-dollar tapestried walls, those sobs would come along like the simoon of the desert. You can hear in the rustling of the silks over the ten-thousand-dollar rugs the hiss of adders that follow in their wake.

Have you not, as you have looked up at some of the great houses of your more prosperous neighbors, wished that you could live there, and imagined how happy you would be? And yet, perhaps, at that very moment, within those houses, there may have been the wringing of hands that made the bones crack.

I have now in mind a young woman who was happy in her father's plain house. She married into what the world calls “a fine family,” moved in a brilliant sphere, and all her girl friends envied her upon her grand prospects. The home she left was humble but happy. Her father and mother daily, upon bended knees, invoked God's blessing. The Sabbath light flooded the room with the peace of heaven. In the great residence revelry reigned, and God was dethroned. The orange blossoms of the marriage feast lost their fragrance, and the night of discontent soon cast its shadow. Unkindness changed all the splendid trappings into a hollow mockery.

This is the story of many a woman who sought her happiness in social life and worldly splendor. No matter how much money you have, it will only bring

you nearer to some wealthier neighbor's sneer. No matter how fine things you have, there are others who have them finer, and the woman who marries for money only will find that her life will be one of gilded misery, and her old age will be like a crag on the bleak side of a desert mountain, where cold moon-beams sometimes glitter, but no sunshine ever falls, no flowers bloom, no birds sing, but wild storms howl, and hoarse thunders roar. And through the sweeping storm shall be heard God's stern voice: “Your riches are corrupted, your garments are moth-eaten, your gold and silver are cankered, and the rust of them shall be a swift witness against you and eat your flesh as it were fire.”—Dr. Madison C. Peters.

There's Never a Night

By John Williams

THERE'S never a night but is followed by day, And the darkest to dawn must give place: There's never a sorrow that crosses our way But is sent with a message of grace.

It comes to the peasant, it comes to the king, It comes in our pleasures and pain; It comes from the Father of mercies, to bring To his fold his own stray ones again.

O soul! is thy burden too heavy to bear? Does the load seem too weighty for one? There's a Helper at hand all thy sorrows to share, 'Tis thy Father's own well-beloved Son.

Then cast every burden on Jesus thy Lord, And thy troubles will quickly depart; Make every sweet promise in his precious Word An entrance to his loving heart.

— Rev. John Williams.

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