Review and Herald, Vol. 37, No. 7.
OUR FAITH AND HOPE; Or, Reasons Why We Believe as We DoPage 1
Earlier text: Thoughts on the Book of DanielPoy Sippi, Wis.
By John Matteson
On the 5th of this month, I commenced meetings in this vicinity. The quarterly meeting was well attended although it was very cold and stormy. Forty Sabbath-keepers were in attendance. We celebrated the ordinances, and felt encouraged in the work of the Lord. Four were added to the church. We have had nine meetings. The interest to hear is very good. The Lord willing, I will continue here another week. Pray for us, that souls may be converted to the Lord. Poy Sippi, Wis., Jan. 12, 1871. Forest City, Mich.
By L. D. Smith
We are now living in Newaygo Co., Dayton township, twenty miles east of White Hall, and four miles west of Fremont Center, and would be glad to have any of our brethren or friends, call on us. Especially would we be pleased to have a preacher come to this place. Some are interested, and are reading on the subjects of the Sabbath, sanctuary, &c. The Camp-Meeting in Ohio.
By G. W. Mitchell
BRO. SMITH: There are some things I heard at the camp-meeting, at Clyde, Ohio, that I would like to have published for the benefit of the readers of the REVIEW. I will not mention the able sermons, earnest exhortations, ardent prayers, pointed testimonies by the brethren and sisters, harmonious songs, humble confessions, promises to awake, &c.; but I would like to present a short synopsis of the searching exhortations given by Sr. White. Her first testimony was, Search for the truth, and let the light shine in our souls, that we may see ourselves, and follow the heavenly Pattern; and dwell upon the virtues of our brethren and friends, and not upon their errors and failings. Phil. 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Her second testimony was a cutting rebuke to us in Ohio, for not using the means God has put in our hands, to bring our families and friends to meeting; showing one way of putting our talent to the exchangers, that the Lord Jesus, at his coming, may receive his own with usury. Her third testimony, demonstrated the necessity of obeying the truth, without murmur or complaint. Paul and Silas, after declaring the truth to the Philippians, were taken, and their backs lacerated with stripes; then they were cast into an inner prison, and their feet made fast in the stocks. Did they murmur or complain? Did Paul say to Silas, This don't pay, to have our backs lacerated, then to be put in prison, and our feet made fast in stocks, and we compelled to occupy this uncomfortable position; we must be more moderate in preaching the truth? Had they murmured, would angels have visited that prison? Not an angel. But they sang praises to God at midnight, and the angelic hosts shook the prison; and the jailer and his house were converted to God, as the result of this meek, patient suffering. Brethren and sisters, let us take heed to these exhortations. Extracts from Correspondence.
T. L. Gilbert of Liv. Co., Mich., is cheered with the good news he hears from brethren and sisters through the REVIEW; enjoys the Lord’s blessing, and a hope, daily growing brighter and more precious. Hopes to be kept till Jesus appears in the clouds of heaven. J. W. and S. C. Bond, of California, thank God for the light of present truth, and are looking for the soon coming of the Lord. They are encouraged as they hear of the many who are striving to keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Sr. E. M. Brant, of Minnesota, thinks the two dollars, subscription price of the REVIEW, the most profitably invested of any two dollars she ever spent. She says: I feel encouraged, reproved, and comforted, by the perusal of its varied contents. It helps to make the Sabbath pleasant, and profitable. I find a sweet satisfaction in following the path of patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and the dear Redeemer, in keeping the day of God’s rest which he sanctified and blessed. I feel grateful for being enlightened on a subject which now seems so plain and of such vital importance. I find a growing conviction that the day of Christ’s second coming is near. The word of God, and the signs of the times all unite in showing that we are living in the last days. Solemn thought! that the destiny of all will soon be eternally fixed. I hope to be numbered with those who have built on the rock, so that when the fearful storms descend, I may be able to stand. D. Upson, of Cayuga Co., N. Y., admires the faith of the gospel as presented by S. D. Adventists, and has a growing interest in this good and glorious cause. He is glad of the long experience he has had in the Advent doctrine, and still loves the appearing of Jesus, and believes it to be near at hand. Our Periodicals.
By H. F. Phelps
THE “ADVENT REVIEW AND HERALD OF THE SABBATH” is, without doubt, the best, and we may say the only, paper published which fearlessly proclaims the second advent of Christ, and at the same time points men to the necessary preparation, obedience to the “commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” And in its present form and size, it is capable of wielding a mighty influence in favor of the truth. God bless the paper. Brethren, it is worthy of our support. Shall we support it? The Instructor is the best youth’s paper in the land; free from cat-and-dog stories, and little novels. It breathes the true spirit of truth. God bless it in its mission to thousands more of the youth, throughout the length and breadth of the land. Let us support it. Then the Health Reformer is the best paper of its class in the world. Extremes has it? And haven’t you extremes? And what reformatory work carried on by poor, erring man is not subject to extremes, some too slow, some too fast? But why let go the rope? In ordering the papers stopped, do we not let go the rope? We are out on a boundless ocean of time. We are aiming to the port called Heaven. But all do not understand the proper way of doing the work they are called to perform; and because this is so, and all does not move off to suit our individual fancies, shall we let go? No; emphatically no! With Bro. White, I say, “Hold on.” Our kind Father in Heaven stands at the helm, and guides this great work in all its branches; and all things will come out right at last. Who will “hold on,” and not “give up the ship”? Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth. Died, Dec. 15, 1870, in Battle Creek, Mich., from the effects of chills and fever, Lavina, wife of Bruce Graham, daughter of A. and R. B. Thayer, aged 35 years. She leaves a husband and five children to mourn the loss of a faithful wife and fond mother; but we mourn not as those who have no hope. Her bereaved family, parents, brothers, sisters, and friends, will long cherish her memory as one ever dutiful, kind, and to friendship true. Elder White spoke at the funeral, from 1 Cor. 15:57, to the edification of the large church of this place, assembled at the house of prayer, and poured consolation into the wounded hearts of the few mourners present, by directing their minds to the dawning of that glad day when death is swallowed up in victory. She sleeps, but soon to wake and sing,
O’er man’s last foe triumphantly,
O death, where is thy dreaded sting?
Where, grave, thy boasted victory?
B. GRAHAM. Died, in Monroe, Wis., Jan. 14, of diphtheria, Anna E. Adair, aged 5 years, 10 month, and 14 days. Sermon by the writer from Matt. 18:2, 3.
ISAAC SANBORN. Died, in Poyegan, Wis., Dec. 20, 1870, of liver complaint, Bro. Van Luven, in the 44th year of his age. Bro. Van Luyen was convinced of the Sabbath while in the army. From that time he was a lover of present truth, and died in full assurance of having a part in the first resurrection.
P. H. CADY. “What Is Truth?”
By C. Green
Thus asked Pilate, of One who stood before him, and who had shortly before declared unto him, “For this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.” Intent on proving to the rabble without, that he was Cæsar’s friend, he waited not for an answer to the question he had asked, and which to all is of such momentous weight, but “went out,” and with the words, “I find in him no fault at all,” offered to comply with their custom of releasing whom they would, on this occasion, either a notorious robber, or this man in whose mouth was found no guile. Many, at the present day, are not as inquisitive as the Roman Governor, while many others may ask, “What is truth?” but are no more anxious for an answer than he, having, like him, some friend to gain, or retain, and fearing the consequences of losing such, never wait for, nor seek, an answer at all. But there are a few who not only ask the question, but are intent on an answer; and should one be given that cuts off the friendship of Cæsar, or the severing of long-cherished idols, and strong but pernicious habits, they wait not to dally with duty, but yield to the requirement, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” If Pilate cared not for an answer to so important a question, it need not hinder us from learning what is truth. “Search the Scriptures,” and there, in words clear and legible to every unbiased mind, we may read, “Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.” Again, we read, “If ye continue in My word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31, 32. But, many, like the Jews of old, will be ready to say, “We were never in bondage to any man.” They fail to see their subjection to evil habits, fashion’s freaks, and public opinion. But let them fully understand the claims of God’s word upon them, and choose “the way, the truth, and the life,” and indeed become disciples of Christ, and they will see the necessity of becoming free from these their masters; and the promise is, they shall be free. Egyptian bondage is a fit comparison to the servitude that man is under, who is the slave to any evil habit. There is nothing like the truth that will set him completely free from its power. Such can answer the question that Pilate asked, and testify also to the sanctifying power of the word in reclaiming them from darkness to light, from the service of Satan to the liberty of the sons of God. Hospitality: A Christian Virtue Rightly Understood
WE find this word four times in sacred writ, in a connection that proves it is an important element in the Christian character. Twice is the expression used, “given to hospitality;” again it is recorded, “a lover of hospitality;” and once more is the direct injunction enforced, “Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” If in the time of Titus and Timothy this trait was considered so essential that it was a requisite qualification in a candidate for bishop’s honors, it surely cannot have lost all its importance in our own day and generation. But do we rightly comprehend the meaning of the term? Many persons seem to imagine that to be hospitable has sole reference to the last two syllables of the word; and that to entertain our friends we must needs set before them a repast which would tempt an epicure. This is a time-honored fallacy, and our grandmothers were firm adherents to this creed. The all-important consideration in inviting guests was, what shall we give them to eat? And the long tables groaned under an array of viands, whose richness and variety excelled the achievements of our modern skill. Therefore it was no little task to prepare for the large gatherings so much in vogue in the olden times; and when the chance visitor came in, unless the larder was abundantly provided with the delicacies deemed essential, bustle and confusion were unavoidable until the deficiency was supplied. But it seems as if, in this progressive age, when mind has won so many victories over matter, that we might let this custom of our ancestors rest with their spinning-wheels and their looms, and strive to inaugurate a new order of things which shall prove us allied, not to the sensual, but to the divine. Of course, this does not refer to the literary soirees which only claim to offer “a feast of reason and a flow of soul,” but to the ordinary tea-drinkings which promote and sustain the spirit of sociability and good-will in a neighborhood or a town. Cannot these little gatherings, whether invited or unexpected, be made more a means of true Christian culture and kindly courtesy, and less an arena for the display of culinary exploits? Instead of the whole conversation being engrossed with encomiums on the hostess’ marvelous biscuit, and preserves, and cake, etc., etc., with recipes for the same, and perchance a disparaging comment upon the less skillful housewifery of some absent friend, how much better it would be to speak words of comfort and of cheer, which should aid our sisters in their various toils and cares. A little friendly counsel, some experiment or experience of our own, some hint as to the management of the household, or the discipline of the children, some labor-saving invention, or the contents of a new and interesting book, any or all of these themes would furnish the text for pleasant discourse; and those that took part therein, would feel strengthened and encouraged by such intercourse. What should we think of two travelers, meeting on a long and perilous journey, and knowing that an hour hence they must go on in their separate course to meet no more, if they spent that little hour in discussing the merits of the provisions contained in their pilgrim-scrips, with no word concerning the dangers of the way, or the joys of the homes to which by devious routes they were hastening? What would be the impression left on either mind by the interview? and would the pathway seem smoother, or the far-off goal any nearer and more to be desired? And would such intercourse be without a parallel in our own history? Surely there is something wrong in our social system. “The life is more than meat, and the body than raiment.” This fact remains true, however we may ignore it; and sooner or later this principle must assert its supremacy. Alas for us, if we never recognize this necessity of our nature until we behold it in the light of eternity! How dwarfed and undeveloped will our own lives then appear, if our only questions here have been, “What shall we eat, and what shall we drink, and wherewithal shall we be clothed?” Of course we acknowledge the reasonable claims of appetite; we would have food abundant, wholesome, and nutritious, but as much so for the home circle as for the stranger within our gates. What guest ought to be more highly honored than the silver-haired grandsire, or that household treasure, a genuine grandmother, who sits daily at our board? And should not hospitality, as well as charity, “begin at home”? How many thrifty housewives scrimp and stint their every-day meals, denying themselves and their families the luxuries they crave, in order that they may now and then make a great display, and set before “company” the sumptuous repast that they never spread for their own entertainment! Oh! for the day to come, in which all our homes shall be pervaded with sunshine and comfort, brightened with pictures, gladdened with flowers, blessed with books, and above all, full of that sympathy and love which should unite the family, and render every home a type of Heaven. Happy the guest who is received at such a fireside, and made to feel that he is not an intruder there, but is permitted to enter into the real life of those who so generously open their doors and their hearts to him! When that “coming Man” appears among us and enjoys such a welcome, both hearty and heart-felt, he will be able to tell us the true meaning of the word Hospitality.—Advocate and Guardian. The Temporal Sovereignty of the Pope.
A RELIGIOUS CRUSADE INTIMATED.
Dr. J. W. Rogers, of New York, delivered a lecture in Boston on Tuesday evening, on the temporal sovereignty of the pope, before certain Catholic organizations of that city. Before the lecture a series of resolutions was adopted, denouncing the acts of the Italian Government as “high-handed robbery, unscrupulous usurpation, and abominable sacrilege.” The speaker went at considerable length into a consideration of the resolutions, dwelling upon the wrongs and injuries done to the pope and through him to the holy church, of which he was the father and head. In regard to this country, which is so much talked of as being a Protestant country, he had seen so much, in his travels through it, of the spirit of Catholicism, and so many Catholic spires climbing the mountains and pointing to Heaven, that he was amazed, and was fully satisfied that it was yet to be a Catholic country. In concluding his lecture, he thought it not wholly improbable that the final result might be another crusade in the defense of the rights and liberties of Catholicism. The language of the resolution was guarded, yet suggestive and emphatic. He did not venture to predict a crusade, yet he knew that if it should become necessary for the holy father to call for men, there are still “Red Knights in Ulster,” and men ready to espouse the cause. Though kings may forget the church, the people still remember that the popes have always been firm in their defense of the rights and principles of virtue, and they will drag down kings and princes, if need be, and stand by and support the church. If such a measure become necessary, then “woe betide the madman who shall confront the thunders of this last crusade.” [Applause.] JOS. CLARKE
By Jos. Clarke
“If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.” 1 John 3:21. A conscience void of offense, is of priceless value. The stain of sin, until removed by the blood of Christ, is still upon the mind. It is felt by the conscience. Like a festering, rankling sore, it preys upon the nerves, and causes anguish and sorrow of heart. But the poor soul, so distressed, has fled to the cross. In Christ, it has found a balm; and now amid prayers and tears, it rests in peace. Instead of sorrow, there is joy; instead of pain, there is comfort and rest. And now comes the rich experience of pardoning love. Heaven is brought down to earth. Who can tell the deep, heartfelt gratitude of the soul born again, transferred from the tyranny of sin and Satan, to the glorious liberty of the children of God? Old things are passed away, and all is new. God is now seen everywhere. In all his works, the power of the Creator is clearly seen; in the opening flower, and in the ripening fruit; in the tender herb of the field, and in the majestic oak of the forest; in the valley, and hill, and mountain, God is manifest. The starry heavens which seemed mute and distant before, now speak a language distinct and clear. The majesty of Jehovah is chanted in solemn tones; the rich, melodious strains of heavenly music, echo from Heaven, and linger among the spheres. The ear once deaf to such sounds, is now open; and as the song of praise falls upon it, the soul is entranced with divine and heavenly pleasures. Who would wander in darkness, deaf, dumb, and blind, to the charms of Heaven; dead to the only true Source of light and life, when such sublime enjoyments are offered to the sin-sick soul, only on condition of repentance, and faith, and obedience? Shall we not seek it, and live? Shall we undervalue so great a prize? A Great Blessing.
By C. A. Mitchell
I HAVE been so often cheered by reading the straight testimonies, given in our good paper, that I wish to express my gratitude to God, through its columns, for this one great blessing. It has not been quite a year since I fully embraced the faith of the S. D. Advent people. I attended the camp-meeting at Marion, Iowa, last May. It was not without a great deal of prejudice that I went there; but I was determined to see and hear for myself those whom I had so often heard spoken against, and I thank God that my doubts were swept away, and in their place, the bright truths of the third angel’s message have full possession. I want to be a humble, devoted child of God, that I may help to bear the burdens of those who have borne the burdens and heat of the day. I praise God for the blessed privilege he has given me, of meeting from Sabbath to Sabbath with a goodly number of S. D. Adventists who are striving to overcome, and prepare for the things that are coming on the earth. Although the church here has had trials which have had a tendency to kill the interest in the present truth, I am satisfied they are coming off more than conquerors. La Porte City, Iowa, Jan. 20, 1871. Let Your Light Shine.
By S. D. Wagor
I WOULD express my gratitude to God for bringing me from the darkness of this world, to behold his marvelous light. He has shown me that I was trampling upon his holy Sabbath; and I thank him that my eyes have been opened, and my heart made ready to receive and keep the law; for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Rom. 3:20. I am striving, by the assistance of God, to become more enlightened in his revealed will, and also to present the claims of his holy Sabbath as best I can, having a few tracts and the Bible to assist me. I have succeeded beyond my expectations. The field here at first was embarrassing, and the material hard to work upon. The orthodox churches, of various denominations, are firmly established here, and prejudice, of course, reigns. Myself and wife were the only Sabbath-keepers in this vicinity. We were alone in the defense of one of God’s first and most binding laws; yet not alone; for God’s protecting power was with us, and, by his grace, we stood steadfast. In the face of stern opposition, we kept his commandments. Christian firmness carries with it a strong influence. Numbers have lately confessed to me their conviction in regard to the Sabbath, and a few have come out and taken a firm stand. The field is open, and the harvest is ripening; and where are the laborers, who will come and preach the true gospel to this hungry and famishing people? May not their blood be laid upon us. The Lord send us help, ere it is too late. We request the prayers of the brethren and sisters, that, when it is ours to be called from this world, we may have the full armor of faith on, and be ready to meet our God. S. D. WAGOR. Last-day Perils.
By Lewis Martin
THE Bible plainly teaches us that we are now living amid the perils of the last days, and very near the time of trouble. Dan. 12:1. I do not realize the importance of the time in which we live as I should. I am much pleased with the enlarged paper. May the Lord bless all that take part in preparing the paper for its numerous readers. WE sometimes meet with men who seem to think that any indulgence in an affectionate feeling is a weakness. They will return from a journey and greet their families with a distant dignity, and move among their children with the cold and lofty splendor of an iceberg surrounded by its broken fragments. There is hardly a more unnatural sight on earth than one of those families without hearts. A father had better extinguish a boy’s eyes than take away his heart. Who that has experienced the joys of friendship, and values of sympathy and affection, would not rather lose all that is beautiful in nature’s scenery, than be robbed of the hidden treasures of his heart? Cherish, then, your heart’s best affections; indulge in the warm and gushing emotions of filial, parental, and fraternal, love. Here is a simple illustration practically applied, and worthy to be pondered by those who would “preach not themselves, but Christ Jesus our Lord.” It is from that veteran minister, John Angell James: “The power of the magnet gains nothing from the gilder’s or the graver’s art; its attraction lies in itself, and is diminished by foreign accretions. So it is with the greatest of all magnets, of which Christ spake when he said: ‘And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.’ We may draw men to ourselves by genius, eloquence, eccentricity; but we can draw men to Christ only by the attraction of the cross.” REV. L. W. LEWIS, in his “Reminiscences of the War,” now being published in the Texas Christian Advocate, relates the annexed remarkable instance as literally true. The battle referred to was that of Prairie Grove, in North-west Arkansas, fought December 7th, 1862. “A curious fulfillment of a dream occurred at this battle under my own eye. A man by the name of Joe Williams had told a dream to many of his fellow-soldiers, some of whom had related it to me months previous to the occurrence, which I now relate:
“He dreamed that we crossed a river, marched over a mountain, and camped near a church located in a wood, near which a terrible battle ensued; and in a charge, just as we crossed the ravine he was shot in the breast. On the ever-memorable 7th of December, 1862, as we moved at double-quick to take our place in the line of battle, then already hotly engaged, we passed Prairie Grove church, a small frame building, belonging to the Cumberland Presbyterians. I was riding on the flank of the command, and opposite to Williams, as we came in sight of the house. That is the church, colonel, I saw in my dream, said he. I made no reply, and never thought of the matter again until, in the evening, we had broken the enemy’s line, and were in full pursuit, when we came upon a dry ravine in the wood, and Williams said: Just on the other side of the hollow I was shot in my dream, and I will stick my hat under my shirt. Suiting the action to the word, as he ran along he doubled it up and crammed it into his bosom. Scarcely had he adjusted it before a minie-ball knocked him out of the line. Jumping up quickly, he pulled out his hat, waved it over his head, and shouted, ‘I’m all right! The ball had gone through four thicknesses of his hat, raised a black spot, about the size of a man’s hand, just over his heart, and dropped into his shoe.’” “Can ye not discern the signs of the times?” In the recent distribution of the monies in New York city, it is said the Hebrew societies received $6,000; the Protestant schools, $32,000; the Roman Catholics, $180,000. The reported capitulation of Paris is not yet authenticated, and it may be delayed several days. It is liable to happen at any time, however, and will probably occur before the 1st of February. Resistance has ceased to become heroism, and is now unreasonable obstinacy—as when people resolve to starve themselves to death, who charitably call them insane. NEW YORK MORALS.—In the Court of General Sessions, before Recorder Hackett, Henry W. Geston, a law clerk, was convicted of perjury, whereby Mrs. John Gowan obtained a divorce from her husband without his knowledge until after the suit was decided. Recorder Hackett, in sentencing Geston to 10 years at hard labor in the State Prison, said:—“I have often wondered that the Almighty has not destroyed this great city long ago, for I do not believe there is another community in the world where so much perjury exists, as in this.” The situation of France is most desperate and most miserable. Its three principal armies have all been defeated and disorganized within the last month. Prince Frederick Charles disabled the army of the Loire; Bourbaki has been paralyzed by Von Werder in the East; and the army of the North has been broken to pieces by Von Goeben. The story of disaster, commenced at Woerth and Saarbruck six months ago, has been interrupted only by a few bright episodes, which have but put into bolder relief the sad epic of the fall of modern Troy. Sorties from the capital have vainly dashed against the intrenched lines of the besiegers, who tempted the assailants into destructive traps, and opened upon them sweeping cross-fires of artillery. Paris still holds out; contrary to all belief of the Germans, contrary to the general expectation and prophecy of the world. Its provisions, and its patience, and its patriotism, were all underestimated, and its prudence also; for its fall might have been averted long since by an acknowledgment of the hopelessness of the struggle, and an acceptance of the fate which its well-disciplined and capable, even though rigorous, enemy has prepared for it. This day is the one hundred and thirty-third of the siege. For four months and a half the inhabitants have been shut out from the world. Two months it has suffered terrible privations. One month it has experienced misery and destitution, which will not be known and appreciated until its fall proclaims and exposes them. Typhus and small-pox rage within its walls. Its streets are gloomy and dull. The siege and its termination now absorb all thoughts. A meager diet of vermin and rice and donkeys still sustains life. Furniture and wooden dwellings are used for fuel. Distrust of Trochu and despair of assistance from without are sapping the courage of that distressed city. Gambetta may prophesy and declaim; but to the inhabitants of Paris there can be but one day of anticipation, one hour to which they look forward with mingled emotions, but always with desperate expectation and saddening hope—the day and hour of surrender.—Post. Last Days of 1870 in Europe.
AMONG the notable events of the year 1870, history will record the death of Gen. Prim, Count of Reus, and the real head of the Spanish government. He was fired at by a band of political conspirators and assassins, Tuesday evening, December 27, as he was being driven home in his carriage from an evening session of the Cortes, and wounded in three places. From the effect of these wounds, he died at eleven o’clock Saturday morning, the last day of the year. Gen. Prim was undoubtedly the ablest and most successful general, and also one of the most successful, if not the ablest, politician that Spain has produced during the present century. Another notable event of the closing days of the past year, was the entry of Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy, into Rome, on a visit of occupation. True, the capital has not yet been removed from Florence to Rome; but this visit is the precursor of that event, and expressive of the fixed determination of the Italian government to extinguish forever the papal temporal power. The Franco-German war, during the last days of the year, furnished no particular remarkable features. True, the French provisional government has succeeded of late in raising and equipping large armies, and in developing a general spirit of resistance to the invaders; but there has been no great battle fought since Sedan, and no great event since the surrender of Marshall Bazaine, at Metz. The new French forces have engaged in several large skirmishes, with some credit to themselves considered as comparatively new levies; but they have nowhere fought as stubbornly as the Napoleonic armies did at Gravelotte and Sedan. That the so-called battles fought by Palladines, near Orleans, were merely desultory skirmishes, in which the French did not fight stubbornly, is proved by the fact that, though the armies engaged on the French side were as large as those which fought at Gravelotte and Sedan, the French were defeated after a loss of only a few thousand men on their part, while the Germans lost far less. The much-boasted sortie from Paris, was only a mere skirmish, as we must acknowledge, when we are officially told that one hundred thousand men, after two days’ fighting, were repulsed with a loss reported of less than eight thousand, including killed, wounded, and prisoners; and the Germans have now captured the important fort of Avron, one of the chief outlying defenses of Paris, with hardly any loss to themselves, and without any fighting sufficiently severe to be ranked as a battle. Away from Paris, the German armies seem to be operating upon a plan which is designed to risk nothing. Von Moltke makes all other operations subservient to the sure capture of Paris. Hence the German armies, operating toward Orleans, Lyons, and Havre, are not allowed to push the new French armies rapidly, or to run any risks by undertaking enterprises that will involve much time. They are held well in hand, and not permitted to become so engaged that they may not, at any moment be hurried back to Paris, to prevent the possibility of the escape of the French forces inside the doomed city. After Paris falls, and its garrison of four hundred thousand men have been sent to Germany, as prisoners, unless peace is immediately concluded, we may expect to see the German armies once more marching over France at speed, engaging and crushing the French armies, and pushing forward their columns in all directions with the celerity and success witnessed at the beginning of the war. There will be nearly five hundred thousand Germans, now concentrated about Paris, relieved from siege duty, and at liberty to pursue and overwhelm the French armies of the north and south, and capture the remaining cities of France. Von Moltke evidently understands how to play the slow and sure waiting game, as well as the more brilliant, rapid, rushing, and crushing style of field campaigns, quick marches, great battles, and gigantic victories. He now seems guarding against the possibility of any mistakes, to run no risks, to be as slow and patient as he was, at first, daring, rapid, and brilliantly venturous.—Detroit Post.