p. 14 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 37, No. 29. (7/26/1910)

Earlier text: The World Missionary Conference

“I’m Sorry I Spoke Cross”

IF we only knew how many sore hearts there are around us, we would be more patient and tender in our speech.

A writer in the Wellspring tells of the experience of a street-car conductor:

“People were cross and not at all kind that day. Women snapped at him—women who meant to deserve the name of ladies. It is so easy to snap when it is muddy and drizzling, and you don’t feel just right. A big, fat, red-faced man came puffing and panting up the car steps, and rated the whole company because his peremptory signaling had not been seen as promptly as he thought it should have been.

“A little maid opposite in a blue tam-o’-shanter took it all in with her grave, round eyes. She had a bunch of nodding clove-pinks in her hand—all colors. She had dainty little short skirts, like flower petals held downwards. She made you think of a flower, anyhow.

“Children are such imitative things. I was not at all surprised to see how soon my little flower lady found it ‘catching.’ Her baby brow drew together, and her dainty feet spurned a big brown bundle that happened to touch the tips of her tiny toes.

“‘How dwedfful crowded vis car is!’ I heard her say, in the funniest disgusted tone. She gave a good scowl to somebody hanging by a car strap, whose long, loose sleeve happened to touch the tassel of her cap, and so brushed it a trifle forward. Her mother or aunt, who was with her, did not seem to notice her little air of vexation. By and by the conductor came around, and, in edging his way along from seat to seat, managed to hit the large doll which she carried in the hand that hadn’t the pinks in it. The red slipper fell off on the floor.

“‘Nare!’ she cried angrily, for all the world like the older ones around her, ‘now, see what you’ve done! Knocked my dolly’s slipper off!’

“The conductor stooped instantly to pick up the tiny thing, and for one instant his eyes were on a level with the child’s. In that instant she seemed to see something in them that melted her. Quick as a flash her mood changed.

“‘I’m sorry I spoke cross!’ she said in her sweet, shrill, childlike voice.

“And then the rest of us who were near enough saw something. A quiver of grief, and then a swift setting into rigid lines, that even children know meant tears, on a man’s face. He did not speak, but baby held up her pinks to him.

“‘Take some! My papa gave me ‘em. Has you got a little girl?’

“The man picked out two white ones. His face was thanking her. His voice was low and husky, so that not many heard it:

“‘I’ll put them in her hand,’ he said. ‘My little girl died yesterday.’”

Don'ts for Mothers

DON'T fail to insist on good table manners. They are so easily taught and promptly acquired.

DON'T make a promise unless you are sure you can fulfil it. Should some untoward reason prevent you from so doing, apologize to your child as courteously as you would wish him to apologize to you. Like begets like.

DON'T give your children a chance to question your absolute justice. Children have long memories.

DON'T deceive your children when a physician or a dentist is required. Tell them the truth, and give them your moral support.

DON'T tolerate "whining" or "talebearing."

DON'T fail to instil honor and truthfulness. To "face the music" often requires courage, but it pays.

DON'T fail to teach kindness to all dumb creatures.

DON'T scoff at the tribulations of little people. They suffer very keenly.

DON'T forget that when the ten-year milestone is reached, the personal education between mother and child should be very nearly perfect.

DON'T forget that school life opens a new world. Fit your child to enter it morally as well as mentally.

DON'T send your child to the first school which comes handy. Remember that much depends upon its daily association.

DON'T fail to invite your children's confidence. Live so close to their hearts that all sense of years is obliterated.

DON'T strive to divert a natural desire to learn the why and the wherefore of our be-

ing. Make the story so beautifully chaste, so true, that it becomes a matter of course.

Don't as you value your motherhood, and would bind your children to you, permit others to make these precious disclosures.—Selected.

The Sea-Bird

By Madie E. Barnits

By Madie E. Barnits

As THE gray sea-bird sails aloft, In single impulse free, Unmindful of the tempests, or The torrents of the sea,

Without a back returning glance, It starts off from the shore, Leaving the wake of gray behind, And endlessness before—

A light which lifted rises higher, In faith's own impulse free, An exultation owning all, Unto infinity—

Without the motion of a wing, Between the sea and sky, A speck of gray hung out in space In two immensities.

And since it pauses not for storms, And fears not so to dare, The great tides tend to do its will, The currents of the air.

And as its efforts and its will With Nature's own are blent, The forces of the earth and air Still lend to its intent.

Shall I for lack of strength to dare, Or fear of what may be, Lose portion of my part which is Within infinity?

Cleveland, Ohio.

For Mother

He was only a mite of a boy, dirty and ragged, but he had stopped for a little while in one of the city’s free playgrounds to watch a game of ball between boys of his own and a rival neighborhood. Tatters and grime were plainly in evidence on every side, but this little fellow attracted the attention of a group of visitors; and one of them, reaching over the child’s shoulder as he sat on the ground, gave him a luscious golden pear. The boy’s eyes sparkled; but the eyes were the only thanks as he looked back to see from whence the gift had come, and then turned his face away again, too shy or too much astonished to speak. But from that time on his attention was divided between the game and his new treasure. He patted the pear; he looked at it; and at last, as if to assure himself that it was as delicious as it appeared, he lifted it to his lips and cautiously bit a tiny piece near the stem. Then, with a long sigh of satisfaction and assurance, he tucked the prize safely inside his dirty little blouse.

"Why don’t you eat it, Tony?" demanded a watchful acquaintance.

"Eat it? All meself? Ain’t I savin’ it for me mother?"

The tone, with its mingling of resentment and loyalty, made further speech unnecessary. Whatever else Tony lacked—and it seemed to be nearly everything—he had learned humanity’s loftiest lesson; he had another dearer than himself, and knew the joy of sacrifice.—Young People.

Every-Day Heroism

By St. Louis Christian Advocate

It calls for more real heroism to be true to Christ and His standards in our ordinary, every-day life, than to stand the test of physical martyrdom for Christ in a foreign missionary field. To be confronted with the opportunity of dying for our faith is a challenge that usually calls out the best in us. Merely to face the opportunity of living for our faith, and that in what seem to us the commonplace, uninteresting circumstances of a humdrum home or business life, year after year, with no great change in prospect, does not seem like a challenge to heroism at all. For this very reason it is the more of a challenge. Endurance is more heroic than a spurt; it takes endurance to live the Christ-life for thirty, forty, sixty years of uneventful service. Such a life honors Christ, and He honors such a life, as the most convincing evidence of the power of Christ that the world can know.—St. Louis Christian Advocate.

—**—

A Short Story

By Editor

¶ A few hundred years ago there lived two men who were devoted to God and one another. One, Huss by name, bravely gave his life for his belief and utterances, by burning at the stake. The other, Jerome, learning of his friend's fate, and after being subjected to a year's imprisonment, where he suffered untold tortures, weakened and renounced his so-called heretical ideas, and promised to submit to the exactions of the church. Jerome proved himself a man, however, as was shown by his subsequent actions. Once the enormity of his mistake was fully seen, he again boldly declared his confidence in Huss and the truths which they both taught. Result: he too was led to the stake, where amid the leaping flames he prayed God's forgiveness for even thinking of denying the cause which he loved. This same spirit prompted millions of others to lay down their lives for the truth's sake. Out of these centuries of bloodshed came a new order of things—Protestantism was born. It has grown popular and powerful. But alas, it too now shows signs of decadence.

¶ Interesting so far, isn't it? Two articles in the August SIGNS OF THE TIMES MONTHLY introduce these thoughts. One tells the story of the martyrs. The other, entitled "Protestant Degeneration," dovetails nicely into this story and clearly shows that history is repeating itself. Well; these are but two of the several interesting, helpful things to be found in this number. Altho known as an "Educational" number, articles bearing these titles may also be found:

"Shall We Fly?"

"Hell: Where Is It?"

"Astronomy—the Moon."

¶ Some of the very things you wish to know more about, aren't they? Other subjects of equal interest and importance every month. Get your name on our subscription list now. Only $1.00 a year; 8 1-3 cents a month. Single copy ten cents.

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Prompt People

DON'T live a single hour of your life without doing exactly what is to be done in it, and going straight through it from beginning to end. Work, play, study, whatever it is, take hold at once and finish it up squarely; then to the next thing, without letting any moments drop between. It is wonderful to see how many hours these prompt people contrive to make of a day; it is as if they picked up the moments that the dawdlers lost.

And if ever you find yourself where you have so many things pressing upon you that you hardly know how to begin, let me tell you a secret: Take hold of the first one that comes to hand, and you will find the rest all fall into line, and follow after, like a company of well-drilled soldiers; and the work may be hard to meet when it charges in a squad, it is easily vanquished if you can bring it into line. You may have often seen the anecdote of the man who was asked how he had accomplished so much in his life. "My father taught me," was the reply, "when I had anything to do, to go and do it." There is the secret — the magic word, "now!" — The Lutheran.

Wasting Time

By John Foster

If a person were so foolish as to throw away a valuable piece of money into a pit, or in the sea, he would not literally throw away anything but the metal; but virtually he would throw away whatever best thing it would have purchased, as bread, clothing, refreshments, medicine for the sick, instructive books, etc. Even so, a person wasting time throws away, not the time itself only, but the opportunities and the privileges which that time presents.—John Foster.

The Chautauqua Salute

THE Woman's Christian Temperance Union has done and is doing and is to do a great work for God and humanity, and its latest step is one of the best. It has set its influence against the Chautauqua salute. We never see an audience starting to shake its handkerchiefs with their millions of dry microbes in the air without a wild desire to run, and to shout to all who value life and health to run, and escape with their lives.—The Watchman.

Uncertainty of Time

A MINISTER requested a lady to engage in a charitable work to which he thought her adapted. She declined, saying: "My stay here will be probably too short to be of use. I do not know that I shall be here three months." He answered her, "I do not know that I shall be here one." She felt his reproof, and accepted the proffered duty.

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News and Editorial Notes

By Editor

Articles on Higher Criticism close with this issue. There have been requests to put them in permanent form, and this is under consideration.

The "seventy years" captivity predicted by Jeremiah, over which there have been doubts and difficulties in the minds of Bible students, is made clear in the article on page 7. We trust it will be studied by students of prophecy.

There left us July 11 to take a position in the editorial and literary department of the International Publishing House at College View, Neb., Brother G. W. Erfurth, who has for some time been connected with the Pacific Press. Our sister publishing house will find him an efficient helper, a Christian gentleman, a devoted, whole-souled worker. So has he been among us. May God bless him in his work there.

We have received a neat little booklet containing a poem, "The Larger Hope," published some time ago in the SIGNS OF THE TIMES. It was suggested by Lord Salisbury's remarks on living and dying nations in a speech before the Primrose League in 1898. The author is Prof. George McCready Price. It is printed by the College Press Print, Loma Linda, Cal., on deckle-edged paper, tied with silk cord, and transparent flowered cover. The poem is an excellent one, and presents a great deal of needed truth for the present time. Prices can be had by addressing the author.

Just as we go to press the news of a disastrous fire in Portland, Oregon, reaches us. Five blocks have been swept by the destroying element, and the fire is still spreading. It is expected that the loss will exceed $1,000,000.

A serious wreck occurred on the Southern Pacific coast line near Metz, thirty-six miles south of Salinas, July 12. Cause—too high speed in rounding a curve. Both engineer and fireman were killed. Many of the passengers were injured. Most of them were in their berths.

Among the many air accidents of late is that of the German dirigible balloon Erhloch, which collapsed July 13 at Leichlingen, falling a distance of 1,000 feet, killing its five occupants instantly. The cause was the bursting of a benzin tank. The day before, Captain Charles S. Rolls, the aviator who flew over the straits of Dover and returned, was killed.

City of the Sun.—Prof. Pierre Rovada of Milan has a new plan for towns which he calls cities of the sun. Each block is to be circular. A great public building occupies the center. Radiating from that are twelve great avenues. Sweeping around nearer the circumference are two great circles; the segments between the avenues in the two outer circles are built with large blocks of houses, airy, sunny, and hygienic in every respect. From the inner circle to the center the sections of the circle are smaller and are to be arranged in the form of parks. It certainly is a splendid suggestion. Such a city as that, with entire absence of everything which would tend to engender disease and sickness, would be a wonderful blessing to the race. But this is too much to hope for in the present commercial conditions of the world.

Fake Consumption Cures

THE National Association for the study and prevention of tuberculosis have issued a warning which ought to be heralded far and wide. In a bulletin sent out under date of June 23 of this year they declare that over fifteen million dollars annually is poured into the coffers of those who exploit and advertise fake consumption cures, and worse still, most of this money is paid by those who can least afford it. The National Association has investigated several hundred so-called cures and treatments for tuberculosis now being advertised throughout the country, and finds that more than three million dollars a year is spent in soliciting the patronage of the public.

On examination it is found that the great majority of these cures contain harmful and habit-forming drugs such as morphine, opium, and chloroform. None of them will cure consumption; and the writer says—what the SIGNS OF THE TIMES has emphasized for years—that the only cure for this disease that has ever been discovered is the combination of fresh air, rest, and wholesome food; and we would add to that, abundance of sunshine. All of the cures that attempt to destroy the tubercle bacillus without these or to stop progress of the disease in some mysterious way are branded as frauds and impositions. They mention three classes of cures:

In the first class are included devices and drugs which can be bought for any sum ranging from ten cents to five dollars in a drug-store. The United States Department of Agriculture has just issued a bulletin in which some of the most used of these drugs and remedies are analyzed and condemned.

The second class of cures include the "institutes," "professors," or companies of "doctors," that is, "cures" and "institutes" and "professors" and "doctors" who, for a consideration, guarantee to cure consumption by some secret method of which they are the sole proprietors. There are nearly one hundred and fifty of these institute frauds in the United States cheating the people out of millions of dollars annually.

In the third class of "cures" are placed a number of home-made remedies which through either ignorance or superstition have been advanced as treatments for tuberculosis. Some of these are onions, lemons, rattlesnake poison, coal dust, lime dust, pig's blood, dog oil, milk "strippings," and even alcohol; but these will not cure consumption.

The association says: "No drug, gas, or other material has yet been discovered which when eaten, inhaled, or injected into the body will kill the germs of tuberculosis. Fresh air, which contains more oxygen than any substance known, will destroy the germs of tuberculosis if it is breathed continually for a long enough period; and if rest and wholesome food are employed at the same time to build up the body." We gladly pass this information on. We hope that our readers will take note of it.

The Wretched Conditions in Our Cities.—The tenement-house department in New York have just reported that there are more than one hundred thousand living-rooms in that city absolutely without windows. Besides this there are nearly three hundred thousand living-rooms with inadequate light and air. More than one hundred thousand New Yorkers live in cellars, barred from both sunlight and air. In these quarters, inhabited largely by foreign population, children have a death-rate almost five times that of the city as a whole from preventable diseases. The past year it has been conservatively estimated that there have been twenty-seven thousand deaths from scarlet fever, cerebrospinal meningitis, measles, whooping-cough, intestinal diseases, tuberculosis, and other communicable diseases, which might have been prevented if proper conditions had been observed. And yet New York is supposed to be one of the most highly civilized cities in the world. But the whole city plan is unnatural. The old saying is forever true, "God made the country and man made the town," and he made the town in order that more money might be made from his fellow creatures. The sad fact is that thousands upon thousands will flock into the unbearable living places in the large cities when the country just a little way out will furnish them with pure air and sunshine. Better a tent or a shack out in the open, away from the cities, than living in many of the city flats even.

William A. McKeever, professor of philosophy in the State Agricultural College, Manhattan, Kan., is issuing a series of helpful bulletins. No. 1 is "The Cigaret Smoking Boy;" No. 2, "Teaching the Boy to Save;" No. 3, "Training the Girl to Help in the House;" No. 4, "Assisting the Boy in the Choice of a Vocation." No. 5 is "A Better Crop of Boys and Girls." A portion of this was given in a public address, and there has been such a demand for it that it has been issued as Bulletin No. 5. The first four have had a large circulation. The price of the bulletin is not given, but information concerning it can be obtained by addressing Prof. Wm. A. McKeever, State Agricultural College, Manhattan, Kan. In the last bulletin Professor McKeever demands that there should be courses in home training, in matrimony, and legal enactments demanding examinations of those who would enter matrimony. One may not agree with all that he says, but he certainly has given some splendid food for thought.

We have received a little pamphlet written by an earnest Christian minister entitled "My Lodge Experience; The Secret Order and Why I Left It." By George O. States. Published by the Southern Publishing Association, Nashville, Tenn. The price of it is 15 cents. It is especially addressed to ministers and members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and yet the author believes that these principles would be helpful to every sincere Christian. He takes up the lodge question in the light of Christianity. The pamphlet is certainly worth reading.

The Oxford University Press will issue a commemoration edition of the King James version of the Bible in May, 1911, in honor of the first printing of this version 300 years ago. English and American scholars are working to correct obsolete words.

Bible Versions and Subscription Information

By Editor

Our authority is the Bible, the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. When the Common ("King James" or "Authorized") Version or the American Standard Revised Version is used, the version will not generally be designated in reference. Any Bible quotation in this paper, therefore, differing from the Common Version, unless otherwise indicated, will be almost invariably from the American Standard edition of the Revised Bible, copyright 1901, by Thomas Nelson & Sons.

For further particulars, subscription rates, etc., see page 15.

Contained in This Issue

By Editor

Editorial Some "Whys" . . . . . . 9 The Simple Power of the Word . . . . . . 9 Our Bible Band . . . . . . 9

General Doubt Not God's Pardoning Love . . . . . . 3 Man's Sin and Saviour.—III. A Saviour Given . . . . . . 4 XII. Higher Criticism and the Supernatural . . . . . . 5 Out of Babylon to Zion.—XVI. "These Seventy Years" . . . . . . 7

Question Corner Questions Nos. 3195 to 3201 . . . . . . 2

Our Bible Reading Death and the Resurrection . . . . . . 8

Outlook The World's Missionary Congress . . . . . . 10 Notes . . . . . . 11

The Story Shiloh: the Man of Sorrows.—Chapter XXI. The Water Made Wine . . . . . . 12

Home "I'm Sorry I Spoke Cross" . . . . . . 14 For Mother . . . . . . 14 Every-Day Heroism . . . . . . 14 Don'ts for Mothers . . . . . . 14

Poetry The Dawning of a New Day . . . . . . 6 The Sea-Bird . . . . . . 14