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Review and Herald, Vol. 81, No. 27.

Publishers’ Page

Review and Herald

Jul 7, 1904

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Jul 7, 1904

Publishers’ Page

Conducted by the Department of Circulation of the Review and Herald Publishing Company

Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing

In English and German
An excellent book and companion volume to “Steps to Christ.” “Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing” is by Mrs. E. G. White, and the words of Christian counsel and encouragement taken from the sermon on the mount will be found beneficial to saint and sinner.
This book has been re-illustrated with engravings prepared especially for it. Bound in cloth, with cover design, 75 cts.; and in half calf—blue—making a beautiful present, $1.
We also have a number of cloth copies of “Mount of Blessing,” imported by us from Germany, and shall be glad to supply our German friends in their own language. Price, 75 cts., postpaid.

Scripture References

A two-cent tract, which is in reality “truth in a nut-shell.” Its 32 pages treat Bible subjects in a brief and concise manner. It states plainly the position taken, quoting extensively from the Scripture for proof.* The following subjects receive full attention: The Scriptures, The Prophecies, Second Advent, Resurrection, Inheritance of the Saints, Millennium, Law of God, The Sabbath, First Day of the Week, Immortality, Spiritualism, Nature of Man, Destiny of the Wicked, Soul and Spirit, Hell, Two Covenants, etc.
Special price, 100 copies, postpaid, $1.30.

A Set of Histories

THE Bible, with history and prophecy, is a sword before which every word opposed to its teachings must fall. The Bible predicted events to happen in our past; history proves they occurred. This fact is conclusive proof that other prophecies, as yet unfulfilled, will come to pass.
It is well to make statements that such and such kings and kingdoms ruled during certain periods, and that certain things took place during their reign; but do you have a history to which you can turn and prove your assertions? It is this that carries conviction with your statements. If you have not, you should have a set of the histories written by Elder A. T. Jones.
Volume I, “Empires of the Bible,” is a history of the time from the fall of Babylon to the captivity. Research in Babylon and Egypt have brought to light many valuable historical records inscribed on stone. These records the author has connected with Bible statements, showing how they agree.
Volume II, “The Great Empires of Prophecy,” is a history of the times from Babylon to the fall of Rome, with particular attention to the prophecies of the book of Daniel, and the quotations from more than eighty standard histories bring the writings of these historians to your hand in one volume, so that you have their own language, and therefore a veritable cyclopedia of history.
Volume III, “The Ecclesiastical Empire,” contains an account of all the principal events that have affected civil government and tended to the establishment of ecclesiastical authority, from the time of the fall of Rome to the present day. It contains a good history of the Reformation and compendium of the principles of true Christianity, the reason for our National Apostasy, and a full treatise upon the Union of Church and State. 874 pages.
After reading the preceding, the advantages to be gained from possessing this set of histories is apparent. Every library should contain them, and especially every Seventh-day Adventist teacher, minister, and student should possess them.
Price, complete, postage or expressage prepaid to any address, $6.

How a Little Girl Went to Africa

BY MISS LEONA M. BICKNELL
IN this day and age of the “making of many books,” not everything that is placed before the public is of real merit; and much of the literature of the present day is to be shunned. Nevertheless, a book written by a child, in childish simplicity, yet true to life, the scenes of which are taken from a trip to Africa with her parents as missionaries, has elicited quite wide commendation. Its story form appeals to every child, and in connection with the many original pictures from real life, it is of no little attraction and interest to the adult. Price, bound in cloth, postpaid, $1.

The Battle Hymn of the Kingdom

THIS beautiful little book, in cloth and leatherette bindings, stamped with silver and gold design and green foliage, contains a poem on the second coming of Christ. On each left-hand page is a stanza of the poem descriptive of some scene of the second coming, and on each right-hand page is a beautiful picture, made especially for this book by Mr. Chas. Mente, the well-known New York artist, and portraying that which is expressed in the stanza on the opposite page. It is just the thing to give to a friend not altogether interested in religion. Having but one stanza to a page, it will be quickly read, while the descriptive illustration on the opposite page will command thoughtful attention.
The regular price is 25 and 50 cts. We will send the leatherette binding for 15 cts. each, or two for 25 cts.; and the cloth binding for 25 cts., postpaid.

Two Ministers Who Practise What They Preach

Old Pioneers out Selling the Special Watchman

ELDER GEORGE I. BUTLER, president of the Southern Publishing Association, recently called together all the employees of that institution, and gave them a rousing talk about selling the special Signs number of The Southern Watchman. It was not all “talk” either. He did not say, “Go, boys,” but, “Come on, boys,” and then set an example worthy of imitation by taking a hundred copies and going out to sell them. Elder Haskell has also gone out, and has sold a considerable number. Would it not seem that when these old, gray-haired pioneers in the message, and of such high standing in this cause, feel the importance of getting the truth contained in this special number before the people sufficiently to go out under a hot Southern sun and sell it, we who are younger and better able to do such work should feel it a great privilege to have a part in it? We trust that the example thus set by these venerable brethren may be an incentive to all who have not yet sold this special number, to order a supply at once, and improve the splendid opportunity which it offers for giving the last message of warning to those around us.

What a Little Girl Did

We are continually receiving many interesting experiences in connection with the sale of this special number. One little girl, thirteen years of age, started out one day with forty copies, and sold them all in a little while. The next day she took one hundred copies, and these she sold in a few hours.
One sister writes: “I want to give all my time to the selling of the special number. I have sold a hundred and ten copies in a few hours. I will send a report of my experience later. It is a paper that will sell until the Lord comes.”
From all parts of the country the general tone of the letters of those who are selling it is the same; namely, that it is full of the message, and is an easy seller. It seems to contain just what the people want,—present truth; and its attractive appearance appeals to them at the first glance. It will sell for several months to come. The price, in lots of twenty-five or more to one address, is but three cents a copy.

No Hygienic Cook Needed

YOUR home will not require the services of a professional cook, neither will it be without good things to eat, if you have a copy of the “New Vegetarian Cook Book.” It is full of practical recipes, by a practical cook, each recipe being the fruit of experience. You will not worry for results if you go according to the New Hygienic Cook Book. Everything will come out just right when you do what it says. It contains over 250 pages. Bound in cloth, postpaid, 75 cts.

At the Doors

WE still have a supply of this new art booklet. It contains 45 engravings, with historical comments, showing in consecutive order the fulfilment of every prophecy in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. Each engraving is accompanied by a verse of Scripture—the Master’s own words—which it illustrates; and five minutes’ study by the busiest person will fully explain Christ’s prophecy of the future of this world—from his time to the end.
In lots of ten we will sell the 5x6 booklet for 9 cts. each, or 15 cts. per single copy; or the 6x7 size, with extra cover and silk cord, for 15 cts., or 25 cts. single copy.
Order of State Tract Societies: Review and Herald, Battle Creek, Mich.; Review and Herald, Washington, D. C.; Pacific Press, Oakland, Cal.; Kansas City, Mo.; Southern Publishing Assn., Nashville, Tenn.

Signs Multiplying

By Editor

Editorial

Signs Multiplying

On every hand the signs are multiplying which indicate that the day of the Lord is near at hand. The record for the present year is certainly an unprecedented one. Appalling disasters follow each other with alarming frequency, while the daily record of murders, suicides, robberies, lynchings, defalcations, and betrayals of trust of various kinds show the result of rejecting the gospel of salvation and the message of preparation for these things which are coming upon this world. The judgments of God are calling to repentance, but a terrible influence is being exerted to benumb the spiritual senses and to lead away from God and his truth. These are the perilous times foretold in the Scripture. Those who can discern the signs of the times should redouble their zeal, and hasten the work of giving the saving message in all the world. It is time to bear a decided testimony concerning the meaning of the history which is being made so rapidly, and to warn every unsaved one to flee from the coming wrath. Give the trumpet a certain sound.

Prayer and Pains

PRAYER without earnest effort soon degenerates into a selfish sentimentalism. Effort without earnest prayer is one of the many ways of glorifying self. To John Eliot, the apostle to the North American Indians, is attributed the sentiment that prayer and pains through faith in Christ can accomplish whatever needs to be done. The life of Jesus is the best illustration of the blending of prayer and effort. He worked during the day, and often prayed all night. “Praying always” and “always laboring” are good mottoes for the Christian. He who prays much will be well prepared to labor, and he who labors much will need to pray often.

His Witnesses

To the world Christ is unseen and unknown. The men of the world are fully occupied with business, with politics, with pleasure, with the affairs and interests of this present life, while the unseen things of the heavenly kingdom and their eternal interests are almost wholly crowded from their minds. They need the message of a consecrated life which shall interpret to them the inquiry of the Master, “What doth it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? For what should a man give in exchange for his life?” Thus there is a constant demand for witnesses who shall bear testimony for Christ, living epistles known and read of all men. The men of the world are not found in the prayer-meeting to listen to the prayers offered and the testimonies borne there, but they observe the daily walk of the Christian, they note his estimate of the worth of worldly possessions, they can readily determine whether he looks at things from a standpoint essentially different from their own, and by these things they judge of the real nature of Christianity. Jesus sent his first disciples forth to be his witnesses “both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” This commission is still in force, and is most emphatically applicable in this generation. In every neighborhood there should be at least one who is a witness to the saving grace of Christ and to the glad tidings of his soon coming. Thus the attention of the men of the world will be continually called to the gospel message, and a light from heaven will shine upon their way. In addition to the testimony of his godly life the witness for Jesus can judiciously direct the attention of those about him to the special truths for this time by the use of suitable literature and by Bible studies with individuals and families. “To every such man God has given a work to do in connection with his kingdom. Every one who professes the name of Christ is to be an earnest, disinterested worker, ready to defend the principles of righteousness. Every soul should take an active part in advancing the cause of God. Whatever our calling, as Christians we have a work to do in making Christ known to the world. . . . Let those who desire to work for God begin at home, in their own household, in their own neighborhood, among their own friends. Here they will find a favorable missionary field. This home missionary work is a test, revealing their ability or inability for service in a wider field. . . . In the home circle, at your neighbor’s fireside, at the bedside of the sick, in a quiet way you may read the Scriptures and speak a word for Jesus and the truth.” “Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah.”

Studies in the Prophecies

“God With Us”

From the time of the promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the head of the serpent the hope of salvation for the human family has depended upon that union of divinity with humanity which was revealed in Jesus of Nazareth. This is the vital fact of Christianity. The whole gospel revelation centers in this great truth. Much of the teaching of Scripture is molded upon this idea, even when it is not the principal subject of discourse, and a fuller meaning is seen in many portions of the Bible when they are viewed with reference to this fundamental truth of the gospel. A good example of this may be found in the familiar prophecy of the second chapter of the book of Daniel.
The main facts of this chapter are briefly these: Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, dreamed a dream which he was utterly unable to recall; he then called for his wise men, who professed to have the ability to make known hidden things; they agreed to give an interpretation to the dream if the king would relate it to them; when pressed under threat of death to reveal both the dream and the interpretation, they declared, “There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king’s matter, forasmuch as no king, lord, or ruler, hath asked such a thing of any magician, or enchanter
or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is no other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” In his fury at their failure to comply with his demand the king issued a decree to put to death all the wise men of Babylon, among whom Daniel and his companions were now included. On learning the reason for this action, “Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would appoint him a time, and he would show the king the interpretation.” He and his companions then sought help from God, that they “should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a vision of the night.”
When Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, brought in Daniel before the king, he said, “I have found a man of the children of the captivity of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.” Before he related the dream and made known the interpretation, Daniel declared unto the king, “The secret which the king hath demanded can neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor soothsayers, show unto the king; but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and he hath made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days.” In simple language the prophet then told Nebuchadnezzar of the great image which he saw in his dream, and of the stone “which smote the image upon its feet,” and itself afterward “became a great rock, and filled the whole earth.”
Then came the interpretation of the dream. Babylon, the head of gold, would be succeeded by another inferior kingdom, and then there would be a “third kingdom of brass,” and a fourth kingdom “strong as iron,” which would be “a divided kingdom.” “And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”
It is plain that in this dream and its interpretation the gospel of the everlasting kingdom of God was preached to Nebuchadnezzar. An outline history of the world was announced to him from which he learned that one world-kingdom after another would exercise sovereignty for a longer or a shorter time, and that no world-power would be permanent. The real object of the dream, however, was to make known to the king “what shall be in the latter days,”—the setting up of the kingdom of God in the earth. And the great difference between each successive world-kingdom and this fifth kingdom is found in the fact that “it shall stand forever,” while they exist only for a time. The reason for this difference is not stated in so many words, but a little study of the chapter will show that it is clearly implied; and when this reason is discovered, it will be found to be the essential, vital principle of the gospel of Christ.
In the conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar it had seemed to be demonstrated that the religion of Babylon was superior to the religion of Jerusalem, while in fact it simply proved that the power of the true religion had been lost out of the lives of the professed people of God. Through the faithful captives in Babylon the reality of the power of the everlasting gospel was now to be made known in such a way as to challenge the attention of the whole kingdom. Heathenism was compelled to confess its own failure and the reason for it, and the essential truth of Christianity was revealed in its relation both to the individual believer and to the nations of the world.
In confessing their inability to declare the dream to the king the wise men of Babylon said that “there is no other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” In making this statement they proclaimed the creed of heathenism. The essential principle of all heathenism is self-assertion, confidence in self, that pride of self which refuses to acknowledge its utter weakness and its dependence upon one greater than self. Its counterfeit of Christianity is righteousness by works. It neither knows nor acknowledges such an experience as God manifest in the flesh, and claims immortality as inherent in man. It is the religion of man. On the other hand, the gospel of Christ proclaims the utter failure of man in himself, his entire dependence upon a power outside of himself, and that it is God who works in him both to will and to do. It says, “All flesh is grass. . . . Behold your God!” On its banners it places the name “Emmanuel,” thus declaring its essential experience to be “God with us.” Its all-conquering power is made available for actual victory by clothing divinity with humanity, and this is the mystery of the kingdom of God. This is “the mystery which hath been hid for ages and generations: . . . Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
The revelation of this secret of godliness, this mystery of the kingdom of God, is the true philosophy of the prophecy of the second chapter of the book of Daniel. In giving history in advance it reveals the real philosophy of that history. It not only shows the weakness of all world-kingdoms, but it sets forth the reason for that weakness, and proclaims the gospel of the power of the kingdom of God,—the kingdom which is established in the hearts of mortal men, and enables them to stand forever.
The wise men of Babylon declared that the gods do not dwell with flesh. Daniel made no statement in words, but demonstrated the fact by telling the dream and its interpretation, thus meeting successfully the very test which the wise men laid down. And the language used in recording this experience calls attention repeatedly to the revelation of a secret or mystery as the vital thing to be emphasized. With this suggestion in mind, read the eighteenth, nineteenth, twenty-second, twenty-seventh, twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth, thirtieth, and forty-seventh verses. Note the repetition of the idea of a secret revealed. This secret is the mystery of the incarnation, the mystery of godliness, the mystery of the kingdom of God. In this mystery is found the explanation of the eternal duration of the fifth kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome,—all these great world-powers pass away, but from each of these kingdoms would be gathered out the subjects of the fifth kingdom, which would stand forever because of the indwelling of him whose years fail not.
In studying and teaching the prophecy of the second chapter of Daniel we should remember that its purpose is to teach the gospel of the kingdom as it is embodied in the history of the world with its climax in the setting up of the fifth kingdom, and that the true philosophy of this history is the mystery of the gospel of Christ, Emmanuel, “God with us.”

The World's End

By W. A. S.

THE world seems very young in the vigorous Northwest, which is planning to celebrate its centennial next year,—the hundredth anniversary of the opening of the Columbia River country by Lewis and Clark's expedition in 1805-06. Men of the world think of a vast future before this new country, now stirring with a new life under the development of the British Northwest and the Alaska country. The world seems just beginning in the far Northwest.
But contrast the new West with the old East. The world is already dying in the ancient East. The process of dissolution is going on before our eyes, to the accompaniment of famine, pestilence, earthquake, social misery, and war. The world is breaking down under the devouring curse down in the regions where human history had its second beginning after the flood.
It would be of little use for one to boast of a strong right arm, if already decay and blood-poisoning were set in at the nether extremities. In but a little time the whole body would be broken up. Just so it is of little use for thenew West to plan for generations to come, when already this process of decay has set in down in the nether parts of this old earth. Even among the heathen, thoughtful observers have a conviction that the age is tottering toward its end. The earth is breaking up under the curse (Isaiah 25), and the ancient peoples of the earth are marching downward in sad procession, pressed lower and lower under the crushing burden of hopeless existence. It is the curse that must quickly spread over all the earth; and already it is bearing heavily upon the New World.
It is not only time for the world's end, but geographically the pilgrimage of the human race has reached the end of the world. From the East the human family have pressed on westward over Europe, over Africa, and then over the Americas. Now the westward movement halts at the Pacific shore. The tide of emigration has swept over the Northwest, and right on up into Alaska. The world is compassed. There is nothing more to the westward. Across the Pacific lie the overpopulated countries of the Orient, where the westward course of empire began. We are at the world's end in the pilgrimage of man.
And already, young as the cities of the new West are, one can readily see upon them the marks of premature decay. They are already old in vicious ways. No longer have the new corners of the earth the hardy, simple strength of pioneer countries of a few generations ago. The whole earth is growing old in sin, and its limit is almost reached. Now we are to hasten through it with the final message of warning, and then swiftly the end will come. W. A. S.

A Sunday Rest Congress at St. Louis

By L. A. S.

In October next there is to be held at St. Louis, in one of the Exposition buildings, a Sunday Rest Congress, which is announced as one that will be far-reaching in its scope, and of “great importance in aiding to conserve the weekly rest day in this and other lands.” The call for this congress has been signed by eleven “Sabbath observance” societies in the United States and Canada, and by representatives of a large number of foreign countries.
The secretary of the congress, Dr. Edward Thomson, has issued a circular which states the following with reference to the general scope of the congress:—
(1) We hold the Sabbath, or weekly rest day, to have been founded by the Creator in the beginning, embodied in a commandment of the decalogue, recognized and confirmed by the Lord Jesus Christ, and finally to have appeared in the Lord’s day of the Christian church. We aim to promote among Christians the sense of its divine purpose, and to secure its conscientious observance, hoping thereby to overcome the influences which now threaten to destroy this blessed rest day.
(2) While the state can not and should not enforce or interfere with the religious observance of Sunday, yet the weekly rest day exists also as a civil institution, maintained by law and custom, and vitally related to the well-being of individuals and of society, and to the stability of free institutions. We aim to promote among all classes such a true understanding of its value to themselves, to their families, and to the state, as will lead them to resist whatever tends to deprive them of it, and to sustain the just laws which protect their right to it.
For this congress we invite the sympathy and the co-operation, and when practicable, the attendance of all who are desirous of promoting it on either or on both of the grounds named above. Associations of trade, manufacturers, commerce, working men’s unions, as well as churches and religious societies, are cordially invited to send delegates. At a later date, the program will be issued, and other details will be given. It is intended to embrace all the aspects of the question, sanitary, social, industrial, political, and religious, with reports of the progress made in recent years, and of the new issues which present themselves.
The sabbath which this congress aims to preserve is not the Bible institution, but the sabbath which has become fixed in human custom and laws. That is, it is not proposed to consider Bible testimony with reference to the Sabbath, or to notice the fact that there is a religious controversy regarding the claims of the first day and the seventh day of the week. That the Sabbath is Sunday is assumed to start with; and this assumption at once sets aside what the Bible has to say on the subject; for if the Bible were admitted as evidence, the controversy over the claims of the seventh day would at once be raised. The seventh-day Sabbath, and the fact that there is any question as to the validity of the claims of the first-day institution, are to be wholly ignored. The aim is to preserve the institution that now has the sanction of popular custom, resting the whole upon the assumption that this institution has a foundation of divine authority.
It is to be noted that the congress aims to secure the “conscientious” observance of Sunday, but nothing is said about any authority on the subject by which an appeal to conscience can be made. The only authority of this kind is the Word of God, but that will not answer in the present case, for it is a fact that on just this authority a successful appeal to conscience is being made all over the world for the discontinuance of Sunday observance, and the recognition of the seventh-day Sabbath in its stead.
It is recognized by the promoters of this congress that “the state can not and should not enforce or interfere with the religious observance of Sunday.” Yet the great object of the congress is to secure legislation compelling everybody to observe Sunday by making it a day of rest. And the rest which is to be enforced by law is not cessation from religious work, but from secular work. The law will shut up places of business on Sunday, but not churches. It will interfere with tradesman and mechanic, but not with the preacher. And this is done under the claim that Sunday is to be enforced merely as a civil institution. Such a claim is not only false, but hypocritical.
There is and there can be no such thing as a civil sabbath. The Sabbath was instituted as a means by which mankind was to recognize God. God’s law says, “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” By keeping the Sabbath men acknowledge God as owner of the seventh day of their time. That day belongs to him, and they are to spend its hours in such a manner as will constitute an acknowledgment of God’s ownership of it. Thus the Sabbath day calls for religious exercises and devotions. By Sabbath-keeping also men recognize the God who created the heavens and the earth, and thus signify that they are worshipers of the true God. Eze. 20: 12, 20. Thus the purpose of the Sabbath is the recognition of God, and this purpose is religious purely.
The Sabbath is for rest, physical and mental, but this fact does not afford a foundation for a civil sabbath. Sabbath rest does not mean simply cessation from work. It does not mean idleness. Idleness is not rest. The law can enforce idleness; it can not give rest. Sabbath rest comes from a change of occupation, not a cessation of all occupation. The latter is needed only in case of sickness, and even then the mind will naturally seek employment. As nature abhors a vacuum, so does healthy human nature abhor idleness. This is why it is that “Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do.” People, old and young, must be doing something. To have nothing whatever to do is more tiring than the hardest work. Even to lie awake in bed at night is exceedingly tiring, and trying on the nerves, as any one troubled with insomnia knows,—much more so than it would be to rise and go about some kind of work.
The Sunday law can make people stop work. It does this, and its purpose is also to make them stop their play. When Sunday legislation is put into shape to suit the clergy (who are always foremost in the movement to secure a “civil” sabbath), it will prohibit all secular work and all secular recreation—ball playing, golf, or similar games, hunting, fishing, etc.—on Sunday. It willsay to the individual, You shall neither produce nor work nor play; you shall do nothing except it be to attend church. (The multitudes to-day, however,—the men especially,—are not churchgoers.) And this is done to give the people rest! It is perfectly safe to say that under such regulations Sunday would become the most tiresome and trying day of the week. Under a pretense of providing rest, laws would be enacted which would make loafers, and furnish idle hands for Satan to provide with employment.
Sabbath rest comes in religious activity of mind or of mind and body. But Sunday legislation does not and can not provide this, in any degree.
For these and other reasons that might be given, we can not favor the Sunday Rest Congress to be held at the World’s Fair city in October. The promoters of the enterprise have a zeal, and it may be the best of motives; but they lack knowledge, and no good, but only harm, can be the result. L. A. S.

The Lake Union Conference

By Arthur G. Daniells

The second session of the Lake Union Conference was held at Emmanuel Missionary College, Berrien Springs, Mich., May 18-26. This conference is entitled to about one hundred and fifty delegates. A number of other organizations called meetings of their boards and constituencies in connection with this conference session. Sister White's presence at the meeting brought in a number of visitors from the churches near the place. Altogether, the attendance was the largest of any union conference we have held this year.
A devotional meeting was held each day, from 5:45 to 7 A. M., and the evenings were given to preaching services. The remainder of the time, from morning until night, and sometimes until far into the night, was devoted to the consideration of the business affairs of the various organizations represented at the meeting.
From our experience on this occasion, as well as on other like occasions, I do not hesitate to state that it is a great mistake to hold so many business meetings in connection with a conference session. The numerous committees conflict with one other, and encroach upon the public meetings. The constant strain under which the leading men are kept by attending committee meetings so constantly, unfits them for rendering the service they should in the conference. When the session closes, they are worn out and confused, and the delegates and visitors leave disappointed. There is serious danger in this. It gives too much prominence to the machinery of organization, and places the spiritual interests in the background. No one intended to do this, but arrangements naturally produced these results. We must guard against this in the future.
Some stirring sermons were preached by Sister White, Elders G. I. Butler, S. N. Haskell, E. W. Farnsworth, W. H. Anderson, and others. We were especially glad to have Brethren Farnsworth and Anderson with us. The former had just arrived from Australia, after an absence of several years, and the latter had just returned from Matabeleland, Africa, where he has labored untiringly for nearly a decade.
These dear brethren came to us with stirring messages of life and power. Their talks touched our hearts, and awakened us to the needs of the great mission fields abroad. It should be understood that these brethren and their wives have not "come home." Brother and Sister Farnsworth are on their way to Great Britain, and are attending our summer camp-meetings by request of the General Conference. Brother and Sister Anderson are taking a much-needed furlough, and while doing so, are working earnestly in behalf of the great field in Africa to which they expect to return in a few months. Our people are all glad to hear the stirring, vitalizing messages of these missionaries.
The regular business of the Lake Union Conference passed off harmoniously, and much of it was of interest to the delegates. Some deeply interesting and encouraging reports were rendered by conference presidents and department secretaries. The business proceedings and many of the reports have already appeared in the columns of the REVIEW.
No important changes were made in the conference organization. Elder Allen Moon was elected president, with a good executive committee. It was decided to locate the headquarters of the conference at Indianapolis, Ind. The committee have since secured what they deem suitable offices, and will soon remove there. We rejoice at this. It will be a blessing to the union. We shall look for greater efficiency and prosperity in that large and very important conference.
In severing my official connection with the Lake Union Conference, it may not be out of place to express my deep gratitude to the vice-president and the executive committee for the help they have rendered in the administration of the conference. A large share of the burden has fallen upon Elder Wm. Covert, the vice-president, who has cheerfully and untiringly worked in behalf of the conference. This is the largest and in some respects the most important union conference in the denomination. It ought to be a great power in the development of this cause. We shall look for this, and pray that it shall be so. A. G. DANIELLS.

Note and Comment

A GREAT cry for “reform” has been raised by the “Slocum” disaster on the East River, but probably few people have any idea how far reform must be carried in order to guard effectively against the possibility of future catastrophes due to criminal negligence. From some statements that are made bearing on the causes leading up to the “Slocum” horror, it appears that it may even be necessary to reform Congress. The Washington Times, for example, says:—
It is stated on high authority that a bill providing for the remodeling of steamship lines on plans which would make the traffic safe, was defeated, in Congress by the merchant marine interests. The representatives of these interests argued that it would be cheaper to run the risk of accident than to make the sweeping changes recommended.

The Papacy’s Present Outlook

By L. A. S.

Commenting on the present outlook for the papacy, the Missionary Review of the World says:—
The recent conflict between France and the Vatican, due to the visit of President Loubet to the king of Italy and the arrogant pretensions of the pope, call to mind various facts which tend to alarm many Protestants in this and other countries. For example, the advances of the papacy in Great Britain are proceeding with amazing rapidity, and the public indifference to this is equally amazing. The increase of convents and monasteries is said to be tenfold within comparatively a few years, and the boldness of these Romanists, or Romanizers, in their advance is astonishing.
The Missionary Review concludes, however, that since no Protestant country has become papal, and some papal countries show an increasing opposition to papal measures, while others have become decadent, the ecclesiastical power of the pope is on the wane. In estimating the strength of the papacy, however, account must be taken of the fact that human nature itself is its supporter in all lands. The Catholic religion is the religion of human nature. It is human nature to exalt self, to put man in the place of God, to demand and maintain a pope. There are other popes in the world besides the occupant of the Vatican. Papal principles are supported and practised by many who are Protestant in name. Of the papal power the word of inspired prophecy declares: “All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb.” The day is at hand when only two classes of people will exist on the earth,—those who worship Him that made heaven and earth,—the Creator,—and those who worship “the beast and his image.” The third angel’s message is rapidly developing these two classes. L. A. S.
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