Earlier text: H. A. STEINHAUERThe Concentration of Financial Power
By L. A. S.
Some noteworthy statements regarding recent developments in the banking business in the United States are made in an article contributed to the Independent by Sereno S. Pratt, associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. In the present status of this very important branch of human industry is to be seen a striking sign of the times,—a striking exhibition of the tendency of the age toward concentration of power. What is most significant in the matter is the rapidity with which the change in modern methods of finance, as represented by the great banking establishments, is taking place. Only ten years ago the situation was essentially different from that which is seen to-day. “Centralization is taking the place of federation.” In this brief space of time the power of the clearing-house, which represents federation, has decidedly waned, while that of a few banks of immense deposits has vastly increased. The banking power of the country is being concentrated in a few mammoth institutions. Mr. Pratt says:— The banking power of the world since 1890 has increased 110.25 per cent. The banking power of the United States in the same time has increased 168.47 per cent. The banking power of New York has increased by even a larger percentage than even that of the United States. The resources of the national banks in this city have increased in that time one hundred and ninety-seven per cent, and trust company deposits in the past ten years have grown two hundred and forty per cent. . . . Nearly forty per cent of all the cash resources of the clearing-house banks is held by three banks, and of the increase in resources of all the national banks of the United States in the past year, twenty-two per cent is represented by the increase of five New York institutions. Such facts as these give some idea of the growth of the banking power in the United States, and of its rapid concentration in New York and in a few banks in New York. Equally significant with this increase in power on the part of these institutions is the change which has come in “the methods, spirit, and trend” of the banking business itself. “Commercial banking” has given place, in these great leading institutions, to “financial banking.” The vital relation of the banks to commerce, and the dependence of the latter upon the former, are obvious. The banks and allied institutions may be said to supply the air which commerce must breathe in order to exist. Of the power and interrelation of the leading banks, trust companies, and insurance companies in New York City, Mr. Pratt says:— The three leading life insurance companies, the Mutual, the Equitable, and the New York, with assets of more than $1,100,000,000, or over fifty-four per cent of the total life insurance resources of the country, themselves loaners of $40,000,000 on stock and bond securities, and having on deposit in banks more than $70,000,000, are in intimate alliance with the three most powerful banks, the National City, the National Bank of Commerce, and the First National, having aggregate net deposits of $415,000,000. Mr. McCurdy, of the Mutual, and a number of his fellow trustees are directors in the Bank of Commerce. Mr. Alexander and Mr. Hyde, of the Equitable, and others of that company are directors of the same institution, which has thus become known as the “insurance company” bank. Mr. McCall, of the New York Life, is a director of both the National City and the First National banks, and his vice-president, Mr. Perkins, is not only a director of the National City Bank, but also a partner of J. P. Morgan. Mr. Stillman, of the National City, is a director of the New York Life, and the bank is also represented in the direction of the Equitable, the Mutual, and the Metropolitan Life Insurance companies. Mr. Baker, of the First National, is a trustee of the Mutual Life, and Mr. Snyder, of the Bank of Commerce, is a director of the Equitable. Now these insurance companies and banks have intimate relations, in some cases extending to the point of control, with other banks, trust companies, and savings banks, not only in New York, but in other cities. Thus the National City Bank is at the head of one group consisting of five national banks, three State banks, and four trust companies in New York alone, having aggregate deposits of $400,000,000, while the Bank of Commerce, in connection with the Equitable Life and Mutual Life Insurance companies, is linked with five of the largest trust companies in the city. The First National and the Chase National are bound together so closely as to make practically one financial combination. There are thus three great groups of banks and insurance companies. To one Wall Street attaches the name of Rockefeller. To another it gives the name of Morgan. The third is known as the Mutual-Equitable group. Some would further reduce these three groups to two, and in some things there can be no doubt they move as one. It is not meant by this that the different links of these chains are not in most matters independent of the others, or that there is not competition between the groups, but that on occasions they are subject to the supreme interests which constitute the common bonds between them. Of the new phase of modern banking, designated by the term “financial banking,” Mr. Pratt says:— It was perhaps inevitable, although7to be deplored, that the concentration which has been described should be attended, certainly in New York, which is the financial center of the Western hemisphere, with a distinct trend toward financial banking, as distinguished from commercial banking; that is to say, banking that concerns itself with the sale of securities and the promotion of great enterprises through loans to corporations more than in meeting the credit needs of merchants. When it is said that the three greatest insurance companies own $658,000,000 of securities, that the national banks in New York carry over $200,000,000 of securities, and that the trust companies in this city carry $200,000,000 in stock investments, some idea is obtained of the immense stake these institutions have in the investment market independently of their loans on collaterals, which may be estimated at more than $1,000,000,000. Mr. Pratt quotes “one of the most eminent statesmen in the United States” (whose name he does not give), as saying with reference to the concentration movement which is so strongly marked in the present banking situation:— The strength of the nation should be in the wealth and prosperity of its country towns and villages. But the cities are rapidly sapping their vitality. Population and wealth are concentrated more and more in the great cities. The independent producers and merchants of the smaller cities and towns are being absorbed into the business of the great corporations, whose headquarters are in the big cities. The independent merchant or manufacturer who had his store or shop in a country town, owned his own house there, used the profits of his business in the place where those profits were made, and contributed to its prosperity and influence, is gradually being forced to sell out to the big concern in the city. Thereafter the place of the small independent merchant is taken by a hired man, a superintendent in the pay of the corporation, and the profits of the business, instead of remaining in the town, go to the city. The same process is beginning in the field of banking, and not only is the money of the country being more and more concentrated in the big cities, but I believe that the great city banks will inevitably secure control of local banks in every part of the United States, and thus the process of concentration be carried to the farthest limits. Mr. Pratt inquired what the remedy might be for this state of things, and the statesman replied that he did not know of any remedy. Mr. Pratt observes very truly, that it is in the highest degree important that this tremendous power in the financial and commercial world should be wisely administered. Whether it will be so administered or not, however, is an unanswered question. On this point he says:— The men who have created this concentration, and who control it, in large measure have in their hands the destinies of American business; and if there is any question as to the outcome of the concentration which they represent, it is not so much on account of what they may do as for fear of their successors. For what may be safe in the hands of strong men would be dangerous indeed in the hands of weak men. It is evident that such a concentration of financial power as gives to a few men control of “the destinies of American business,” constitutes those few men the real rulers of the country; for laws enacted by legislatures and by Congress will be but empty forms so long as the business interests of the country are not under the control of the people. This concentration of financial power is a movement toward monarchy, as is the concentration of industrial power effected by the great trusts and labor unions. The founders of this nation ordained a government which diffused among the people the powers which in European governments they had seen concentrated in the persons of kings and emperors. But now, in spite of the Constitution and forms of republican government which they set up, a law which no forms of free government can control is steadily and rapidly effecting such a concentration of powers upon the exercise of which the people are dependent for the enjoyment of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as will virtually establish a new monarchy even while the forms of republicanism are yet standing. This must be so unless a remedy for the situation is soon found, and as the statesman quoted by Mr. Pratt remarked, there is no remedy in sight. Such developments are to be expected in the last days, when conditions are reached in the religious, political, and industrial spheres which call for the special intervention of God in human affairs, and the termination of the long reign of injustice and selfishness on the earth. In the light of Bible prophecy the meaning of these latter-day developments is very plain. Time to Awake
By A. G. DANIELLS
“AND that, knowing ‘the time,’ that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” Rom. 13:11-14. These solemn statements are strikingly appropriate at this time, and are full of meaning to us as a people. The night is far spent. The day is at hand. Our salvation is nearer than when we believed. Therefore it is high time to awake out of sleep, to cast off the works of darkness, and to put on the armor of light. Spiritual sleep is a perilous state. It is paralysis of the spiritual faculties. That means deafness, and blindness, and stolid indifference to spiritual things. And that means slothfulness and sinful neglect in the Master’s service. Unless broken, it means the eternal ruin of the sleeper. In the Laodicean message it is called lukewarmness, and it is represented as being extremely offensive to God. And this, we are warned, is the special danger of God’s people in these perilous times. Just at the time when every faculty should be keenly alive, and when every power should be earnestly employed in the service of God, a stupefying influence will be exerted upon God’s people to paralyze their senses and rob them of their strength and activity. O how conscious many of us are of this terrible paralysis! and how many times we have cried to God to arouse us from this deathlike stupor, and take us off the enchanted ground. Blessed be God, he is able to deliver us from the power of the enemy, and he will deliver those who choose to surrender entirely to his will. The great controversy between Christ and Satan is near its close. We now stand face to face with the last struggles that are to take place before the Saviour comes. The third angel’s message is for this great crisis. The people whom God has raised up to proclaim that message are represented by an angel “flying through the midst of heaven” to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. Mark the features. First, it is a world-wide message. It is to be given to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. Second, it is a message of power. It is to be given with a loud voice. It is that last call to the great supper that is to be given with a compelling power. Luke 14:16-23. Third, it is a swift message. The messengers are to “go out quickly.” Luke 14:21. They are to “fly” from nation to nation. Rev. 14:6. But, like ancient Israel, we have disappointed and grieved our Lord. We have not consecrated all to the message as we should. And as a result we have delayed the work of God. The spirit of prophecy says:—
“We are years behind.” “Not one-hundredth part has been done or is being done by members of the church that God requires of them.” “This is our great sin.” “Were every one of you living missionaries, the gospel would be speedily proclaimed to all countries, to all peoples, nations, and tongues.” As we look over the wide harvest-field, we see a great work yet to be done. Comparatively few of the great mass of humanity have, as yet, even heard of the message. God says:—
“Go forward.” “Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left.” We are glad that our God commands us to enlarge our borders, and we rejoice that to some extent this is being done. Just how much has been done, and what remains to be done, is a matter of great importance, and should be clearly understood by all who are connected with the message. The “ash heap” of the country for 1904, as shown by statistics of fires, represents a property loss of $230,000,000, larger by about $80,000,000 than that for 1903. Of this loss the Baltimore fire contributed $69,000,000. Is the World Growing Better?
A CASUAL glance through the columns of the Washington Post of December 27 showed thirteen items of news with headings like the following: “Slain and Burned,” “Four Killed at a Dance,” “Fired into Negro Church,” “Throats Were Cut,” “Murdered His Aunt,” “Shot by Girl’s Father,” “Fatal Shooting in Church,” etc. Are such daily records an indication that the world is growing better, and that the peaceful millennium of popular theology is soon to dawn? The Federation of Labor’s Strikes
ACCORDING to statistics published in the Literary Digest, the American Federation of Labor has grown in the last few years from a membership of 550,000 in 1900 to a membership of nearly 1,700,000 in 1904. From the last annual report of the federation, covering the year ending September 30, it appears that the federation has engaged during this twelve months in 1,806 strikes, involving 256,838 employees. Of these strikes 1,103 were won, 233 compromised, 194 lost, and 178 were pending at the time of the report. It was reckoned that 121,340 employees had been benefited by the strikes, while a reverse had been met by 39,829. This showing must naturally encourage the Federation of Labor to believe that it is winning its battles for industrial supremacy, and that its proper policy is to continue to employ the weapons of coercion it has heretofore used against such as resist its demands. Called to Service
By Ellen G. White
MINISTRY means service, and to this ministry we are all called. It is a dishonor to God for any one to choose a life of self-pleasing. My brethren and sisters, do you realize that every year thousands and thousands of souls are perishing, dying in their sins because the light of truth has not been flashed upon their pathway? Do you realize that the end is near, that already the judgments of God are doing their work in this world? The lack of interest manifested in the work of God by our churches alarms me. I ask all who have means to remember that God has entrusted this means to them to be used in advancing the work which Christ came to our world to do. In the sight of God, we are not owners of what we possess, but only trustees. “Not thine, but mine,” God says. He will call all to give an account of their stewardship. Our accountability to heaven should cause us to fear and tremble. The decisions of the last day turn upon practical benevolence. Christ acknowledges every act of beneficence as done to himself. There is a great work to be done in our world. Men and women are to be converted, not by the gift of tongues nor by the working of miracles, but by the preaching of Christ crucified. Why delay the effort to make the world better? Why wait for some wonderful thing to be done, some costly apparatus to be provided? However humble your sphere, however lowly your work, if you labor in harmony with the teachings of the Saviour, he will reveal himself through you, and your influence will draw souls to him. He will honor the meek and lowly ones, who seek earnestly to do service for him. Into all that we do, whether our work be in the shop, on the farm, or in the office, we are to bring the endeavor to save souls. We are to sow beside all waters, keeping our souls in the love of God, working while it is day, using the means entrusted to us in the Master's service. Whatever our hands find to do, we are to do it with cheerfulness; whatever sacrifice we are called upon to make, we are to make it cheerfully. As we sow beside all waters, we shall realize the truth of the words, “He which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” We owe everything to grace, sovereign grace. Grace ordained our redemption, our regeneration, and our adoption to the heirship with Jesus Christ. Let this grace be revealed to others. The Saviour takes those whom he finds will be molded, and uses them for his own name’s glory. He uses material that others would pass by, and works in all who will give themselves to him. He delights to take apparently hopeless material, those whom Satan has debased, and through whom he has worked, and make them the subjects of his grace. He rejoices to deliver them from suffering, and from the wrath that is to fall upon the disobedient. He makes his children his agents in the accomplishment of this work, and in its success, even in this life, they find a precious reward. But what is this compared with the joy that will be theirs in the great day of final revealing? “Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face;” now we know in part, but then we shall know even as also we are known. It is the reward of Christ’s workers to enter into his joy. That joy, to which Christ himself looks forward with eager desire, is presented in his request to his Father, “I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.” The angels were waiting to welcome Jesus, as he ascended after his resurrection. The heavenly host longed to greet again their loved Commander, returned to them from the prison-house of death. Eagerly they pressed about him as he entered the gates of heaven. But he waved them back. His heart was with the lonely, sorrowing band of disciples whom he had left upon Olivet. It is still with his struggling children on earth, who have the battle with the destroyer yet to wage. “Father,” he says, “I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.” Christ’s redeemed ones are his jewels, his precious and peculiar treasure. “They shall be as the stones of a crown,”—“the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” In them “he shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied.” And will not his workers rejoice when they, too, behold the fruit of their labors? The apostle Paul writes to the Thessalonian converts, saying, “What is our hope, or joy or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.” And he exhorts the Philippian brethren to “be blameless and harmless,” to “shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.” Every impulse of the Holy Spirit leading men to goodness and to God, is noted in the books of heaven, and in the day of God every one who has given himself as an instrument for the Holy Spirit’s working will be permitted to behold what his life has wrought. Wonderful will be the revealing as the lines of holy influence, with their precious results, are brought to view. What will be the gratitude of souls that will meet us in the heavenly courts, as they understand the sympathetic, loving interest which has been taken in their salvation! All praise, honor, and glory will be given to God and to the Lamb for our redemption; but it will not detract from the glory of God to express gratitude to the instrumentality he has employed in the salvation of souls ready to perish. The redeemed will meet and recognize those whose attention they have directed to the uplifted Saviour. What blessed converse they have with these souls! “I was a sinner,” it will be said, “without God and without hope in the world, and you came to me, and drew my attention to the precious Saviour as my only hope. And I believed in him. I repented of my sins, and was made to sit together with his saints in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Others will say, “I was a heathen in heathen lands. You left your friends and comfortable home, and came to teach me how to find Jesus, and believe in him as the only true God. I demolished my idols, and worshiped God, and now I see him face to face. I am saved, eternally saved, ever to behold him whom I love. I then saw him only with the eye of faith, but now I see him as he is. I can now express my gratitude for his redeeming mercy to him who loved me, and washed me from my sins in his own blood.” Others will express their gratitude to those who fed the hungry and clothed the naked. “When despair bound my soul in unbelief, the Lord sent you to me,” they say, “to speak words of hope and comfort. You brought me food for my physical necessities, and you opened to me the word of God, awakening me to my spiritual needs. You treated me as a brother. You sympathized with me in my sorrows, and restored my bruised and wounded soul, so that I could see the hand of Christ that was reached9to save me. In my ignorance you taught me patiently that I had a Father in heaven who cared for me. You read to me the precious promises of God’s Word. You inspired in me the faith that he would save me. My heart was softened, subdued, broken, as I contemplated the sacrifice which Christ had made for me. I became hungry for the bread of life, and the truth was precious to my soul. I am here, saved, eternally saved, ever to live in his presence, and to praise him who gave his life for me.” What rejoicing there will be as these redeemed ones meet and greet those who have had a burden in their behalf! And those who have lived, not to please themselves, but to be a blessing to the unfortunate who have so few blessings,—how their hearts will thrill with satisfaction! They will realize the promise, “Thou shalt be blessed; for they can not recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” CHRIST never asks of us such busy labor
As leaves no time for resting at his feet;
The waiting attitude of expectation
He ofttimes counts a service most complete. He sometimes wants our ear — our rapt attention —
That he some sweetest secret may impart;
'Tis always in the time of deepest silence
That heart finds deepest fellowship with heart. And yet he does love service when 'tis given
By grateful love that clothes itself in deed;
But work that's done beneath the scourge of duty —
Be sure to such he gives but little heed. Then seek to please him, whatsoe'er he bids thee —
Whether to do, to suffer, to lie still;
'Twill matter little by what path he leads thee
If in it all thou seek'st to do his will.
— Selected. The Blessedness of Giving
By L. F. STARR
“It is more blessed to give than to receive,” because it delivers us from the bonds of selfishness, and from the burden of dependence. One of the greatest hindrances to the spread of the gospel at home is the failure to give enough to carry it abroad. In proportion as we give do we become interested in world-wide evangelization. If we give liberally, our hearts become warmed and thrilled, and we feel the greater need of the entire consecration of ourselves to God, and thus we become more efficient workers at home. “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth.” The rule is that those churches which give the most to spread the gospel of the kingdom abroad are the churches which have the greatest vitality, and are the most potent in building up the Master’s kingdom at home. What is true of the church is also true of each individual in the church. The man who gives the most willingly and cheerfully, in the spirit of the Master, is the man who receives the greatest supply of grace, who enjoys the most of his presence, who has the greatest peace and happiness here, and who has the prospect of eternal bliss at God’s right hand above. While it is true that the man who gives with pure motives receives, and many, with accumulated interest, in this life; yet we should not give with that motive in view. That would be giving from a selfish motive. If we give expecting to receive as much or more in return, we shall not be benefited by giving. But we are benefited when we lose ourselves in the work of the Lord, and give because of the great love we have for him, and because of the great desire we have to further his kingdom in the world, and to hasten the time when all nations and tongues and peoples will acknowledge the supremacy of our King. The standard which Christianity raises is this: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” He gave freely. He gave his Son for a lost world. He gives rain and sunshine, both on the just and on the unjust. It has been truly said, “No man has a purely benevolent emotion until he has done a deed or given a dollar without any desire for, or expectation of, any recompense but the approval of God.” Any work which makes no appeal to selfishness, and offers no return save the expansion and enrichment of our spiritual natures, is the most closely related to our Christian growth. The greatest object of true giving is to develop this unselfishness, not because God or his poor need our help, but because we need the discipline of giving. Every individual Christian should give for the extension of the gospel of the kingdom. That is a debt that every man owes. We should feel that it is a debt of gratitude that every man owes to the bountiful Giver of all things. Then again, all the members of the church should pay their tithe and make liberal offerings. The tenth of our earnings belongs to God, and the increase of our flocks and fields of grain should be faithfully tithed. Nine tenths with the blessing of God upon it, will go further than ten tenths without his blessing. The church of God stands in need of a great revival to-day, but along with it should be the revival of the pocketbook. If the churches and individuals would come forward, cheerfully and willingly giving as the Lord has prospered them, there would sweep such a wave of blessing over the land as has not been witnessed yet. We should be in the midst of a greater Pentecost than that which swept over Jerusalem in the apostles’ days. Do you doubt it, reader? Listen to the word of God: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts. If I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” When this is done, then it will be time to shout, Hallelujah! But it comes with poor grace when the individual is not paying his tithe or making any offerings to missions, and then says that he is wholly the Lord’s, and his soul is filled with divine love. In our social life there are many opportunities of ministering to the needy and lost ones, and the Master himself says that in doing such service we are also ministering to him. What a privilege! The more we help others, the more we are helped ourselves. The more we impart light and hope and cheer to the hearts of our fellow men, the more shall we be cheered on our journey, and the more will our pathway be illuminated by the presence of Christ, the true light. The follower of Christ is never so happy as when head and heart and hand are actively engaged in helping others, and leading the perishing to the Redeemer of men. Let us, then, imitate the Master in spending and being spent, in giving our time, our energy, our means, ourselves, to him and for him, and thus learn by experience that it is more blessed to give than to receive. The End of the Movement
By J. O. CORLISS
History of the Early Advent Awakening in China—No. 3
The Tae-pings published many books and leaflets, and were very persevering in distributing them. In these they attempted to show that at one time China was blessed with a correct knowledge of true religion. They referred to the worship of Shang-te, the one supreme God, by ancestors of the Chinese race, and traced their subsequent deterioration to the point where they engaged in the worship of creatures of wood and stone. They also acknowledged the original fall of man, and the power of Jesus Christ to save him from his sins. They gave the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart great prominence, as the agent of God in man’s regeneration. These doctrines were clearly set forth by them, especially that one referring to the saving of men, which was expressed as follows: “Who has ever lived in the world without offending against the commands of Heaven? But until this time no one has known how to obtain deliverance from sin. Now, however, the great God has made a gracious communication to man; and from henceforth whosoever repents of his sins in the presence of the great God, and avoids worshiping depraved spirits, practising perverse things, or transgressing the divine commands, may ascend to heaven, and enjoy happiness for thousands and myriads of years in pleasure and delight, with dignity and honor, world without end.” It is questionable whether many among Western nations could set forth the Christian’s benefit any clearer, in so few words. One more quotation on this point may not be out of place, however. In a text-book for children, entitled “Ode for Youth,” there occurs the following verse:— “Jesus, His first-born Son,
Was in former times sent by God,
Who willingly gave his life to redeem
us from sin.
Of a truth, his merits are pre-eminent.
His cross was hard to bear,
The sorrowing clouds obscured the sun;
The adorable Son, the honored of
heaven,
Died for you, children of men.
After his resurrection he ascended to
heaven;
Resplendent in glory, he wields authority
supreme.
In him we know that we may trust,
To secure salvation and ascend to
heaven.” In their “Book of Religious Precepts10of the Tae-ping Dynasty,” it was required that “in every circle of five-and-twenty families, the youth must go every day to the church, where the vexillary [standard-bearers, or leaders] will teach them to read the holy books of the Old and New Testaments, as well as the proclamation of the duly appointed sovereign.” From each twenty-five families were appointed five persons whose duty it was to see that all the people of their charge were in their places on the Sabbath, to make their offerings, and listen to the preaching of the word. Once in each forty-nine Sabbaths each prefect, tribune, and centurion must take his turn in visiting each church, there to expound some doctrine of the Bible to the people, and also to examine them as to whether or not they were living in obedience to the ten commandments. Every man in the new empire having a family exceeding three in number, must give up one of them to become a soldier. But the widowers, widows, orphans, and childless, together with the sick and feeble, were to have no public responsibility, but were entitled to be fed from the government granaries. All queues were removed, as badges of slavery. The use of opium was forbidden. The books of Buddha and Taou were indiscriminately destroyed. They were indeed puritanic, so much so that some weak natures could not endure their requirements and restrictions, and so were obliged to leave the Tae-ping camp. But it is recorded that these people were “men of their word,” and that they were frank in manner, welcoming foreigners as “brethren.” They were quite positive that the kingdom of universal peace was just at hand, when sin and sorrow and sighing would be things of the past. With all the truth in their possession which the prophets predicted should characterize the good of the last generation, it seems a great pity that the Tae-pings should have been led to adopt National Reform doctrines, so fatal to good religion. Their error came in, however, through mistaken ideas relative to the setting up of “the everlasting kingdom” for which they looked. Finding themselves superior in knowledge to all the heathen outside of their brotherhood, they were led to believe that they were called of God to establish that kingdom by themselves putting down all rule, and all authority, and all power. In harmony with this idea they acted. Success attended their first efforts, and they overcame, in spite of the Chinese imperial troops, nearly all that coast country extending from Canton in the south to within a few miles of Peking in the north. Indeed, the Chinese empire seemed almost entirely at their mercy. So far, in fact, was the overturn of the Chinese empire threatened, that the emperor called upon the English government to assist in the overthrow of the insurgents. The result was that English men-of-war were sent to China, and many of the Tae-pings were destroyed. Others were scattered, some to the United States, others to other nations, and the great advent awakening of the last century in China came to an ignominious end. But it is to be hoped that a revival of the true message, without the errors of that day, may be speedily realized in that country. Indeed, latest news from that quarter indicates that the gathering call of the third angel’s message has already begun its work there, which is to realize a rich harvest of souls for the Master’s reaping. May that time speedily arrive, must be the prayer of every loyal believer in the Lord’s early coming.