—A new Sunday-closing ordinance has been promulgated in Fresno, the old one having been found defective.
—It is said that since the passage of the act to enable Utah to become a State, there is increased activity in Mormon missionary effort. Missionaries in large numbers are being sent throughout this country and to foreign lands. The Mormons are determined to maintain political control of the State.
—Bishop Alphonse W. Wilson, of the Southern Methodist Church, who spent many years in mission work in China and Japan, says: "There is much reason for fear for the safety of the missionaries, both men and women, now stationed in China and Corea. The natives are always ready to visit the responsibility of trouble on foreigners, no matter how remote they may be from the cause of the trouble."
—That old Sunday law of the reign of Charles II., recently resurrected in Australia for the purpose of punishing Seventh-day Adventists, is also liable to make trouble in England. The mayor of Leeds was recently arraigned, at the instance of the Sunday Observance Society, for granting permits to deliver public lectures on Sunday. Fidelity to the law prompted the jury to find a verdict against the defendant. They added the opinion, however, that the "obsolete law should be repealed," in which opinion the judge concurred.
—The Catholic Total Abstainers' Association, in session last week, at St. Paul, Minn., received the following telegram from Frances E. Willard, president of the World W. C. T. U.: "Please give sisterly greeting to the convention. The Catholic Church sets a great example in Satolli's decision. Send us fraternal delegates." Fraternal delegates were chosen. It is now declared that, as Leo XIII. has already urged all priests to enter the temperance reform, and the clergy are committed against the saloons, "the day of the vindication of the church in America will be near at hand." Papal artifice is just now posing for Protestant admiration with a remarkable degree of success.
—The General Conference of the Australasian Wesleyan Methodist Church, recently in session at Sydney, adopted resolutions in favor of union with the other branches of Methodism in Australasia. The constitutional basis upon which the church is prepared to unite with other Methodist Churches of like faith and practice, is the plan agreed upon by the Methodist bodies held in Melbourne in 1892. The resolutions provide for a standing committee on Methodist union who shall have power to act in the matter during the interval between the present and the succeeding General Conference. The Conference directs each of its annual conferences to ask the other Methodist bodies to join in creating within its own bounds a federal council of Methodist Churches. A resolution was carried unanimously that when all the Methodist bodies are united they shall bear the title "The Methodist Church of Australasia."
SECULAR.
—The business part of Lakeview, Mich., was burned on the 3d inst.; loss estimated at $130,000.
—Santos, the assassin of the French President Carnot, has been sentenced to death by the guillotine.
—At Provo, Utah, on the 1st inst., Judge Smith sentenced Enoch Davis, a wife murderer, to be shot to death.
—The telegraph reports that crops were considerably damaged by frost in some parts of Nebraska on the 4th inst.
—The Lincoln Institute, near Jefferson City, Mo., was struck by lightning on the 2d inst., and burned to the ground.
—A destructive fire occurred in Chicago on the 1st inst., the loss being estimated at $1,500,000. The principal damage was in the lumber yards district.
—Omaha, Neb., butchers, to the number of 1,500, are reported to be on a strike, to the great inconvenience of the packing houses and meat consumers.
—The republic of Peru is represented as being in a state of ferment on account of active rebellion. The rebels are said to be gaining strength, although some prisoners taken by the government forces were promptly shot.
—In a high school of Providence, R. I., the year has been begun with the formation of classes of girls for instruction in dressmaking and housekeeping. At the end of the year the diploma will depend, not upon an essay on the subjects usually selected by girl graduates, but upon the gowns the pupils have made for themselves, and upon the good dinner which they can cook.
—The Spanish Government, on account of misgivings regarding the possible results to the Philippine Islands in the event of Japan becoming the dominant power in the East, has purchased three cruisers from English firms.
—An investigation of the affairs of the Perris Indian School, in San Diego County, Cal., has resulted in charges of gross fraud upon the government by Rev. B. F. Savage, former superintendent of the school, who is now supposed to be in Mexico.
—About 200 traveling "industrials" entered Connellsville, Pa., on the 3d inst., and, after demanding food from house to house, boarded an East-bound freight train. After a desperate fight with railroad men, about 100 of the industrials were landed in jail.
—Mayor Stephens, of East St. Louis, at the request of the business men, has addressed a letter to the managers of the various railroads which center in East St. Louis, asking them to take back their old employees who lost their positions during the strike.
—The Japanese residents of San Francisco have determined to raise a fund of $10,000 to assist the authorities of their native country to carry on the war with China. They also propose to raise a force of 4,000 men. The Japs of Tacoma, Wash., are talking in a like strain.
—A protest to Congress will soon be entered from the Oklahoma and Indian Territories against Indian dances. These dances, it is claimed, have become so vulgar that some of the more modest white people and the best Indians believe that the national government should interfere.
—The revolt of the followers of Tamasese in Samoa seems to hold out beyond all expectation, and it is now surmised that they are secretly assisted by the Germans, who are at present trying to secure a protectorate on the ground that the present tripartite arrangement is inadequate.
—The Russian newspapers are unanimous in saying that, whatever the results are between China and Japan, Russia will not tolerate any diminishment of Korean territory or alienation of Korean independence upon the part of Great Britain or any other power if such interference endangers Russian interests.
—An experimental lot of ten car loads of California pears and plums shipped in refrigerator cars was started eastward on the 4th inst., destined to London. It was expected that the fruit would be landed in London in twelve days. A car load is 480 fifty-pound boxes, the expense to London being $750 per car load.
—Brazil is still far from being tranquil. A plot to assassinate or abduct the newly elected president, Prudente Jose de Moraes, has just been discovered. It was the design to prevent his assuming the duties of the office. It is also stated that 3,000 insurgent troops are marching on Port Alegre, the capital of the State of Rio Grande do Sul.
—Internal revenue collectors have discovered that numerous certificates of registration for Chinamen were fraudulently obtained at Rock Springs, Wyo., being accompanied with photographs taken at that place from pictures sent from China. It is also stated that a Chinese merchant of Portland, Oregon, is offering $300 apiece for certificates, as he is engaged in bringing in his countrymen from British Columbia.
—The Navy Department proposes to preserve the old Hartford, Admiral Farragut's flagship during the Rebellion. The old relic lies at Mare Island Navy Yard, California, and Congress has appropriated $150,000 for her restoration. England still preserves Nelson's flagship, and our government does not want to be outdone in patriotism. Navy yard employees are rejoicing over the opportunity of a good job.
—Fame is too often "an empty bubble," especially when gained in an in-famous calling. A young California "feather-weight" prize fighter, who a few months ago was the subject of flattering telegrams in all the newspapers, was brought up last week in a Chicago Police Court on a charge of vagrancy. It is better to "fight the good fight of faith." There is, of course, less present notoriety, but the prize is a "high calling" and an "incorruptible crown."
—Japan and China are warring in earnest. Last week it was stated that Japan had sunk a transport drowning nearly 1,000 Chinese. Since then a Japanese vessel has been sunk by a Chinese war ship, the Chinese have won a land battle near Seoul, Corea, and the Japs subsequently won a counter victory. It is said that, while the Chinese greatly outnumber the Japs, the latter are better prepared for war. It is probable that England and Russia will eventually keep either of the contestants from absorbing Corea. It looks as though this land of ancient ideas would be propped up something after the manner of Turkey and Siam, and preserved as a "buffer" to keep stronger nations from coming too close together. Our own government is also under some treaty obligations to the Korean Government, and her attitude is now described as one of "benevolent neutrality."
—A press correspondent cables from London that it is already apparent in London that Lord Rosebery's government will be sternly called to account by the English people for having allowed the peace of the world to be broken by the ominous war between China and Japan. But if England's shipyards should be filled with orders for battle ships for both contestants, and her armories find market for extensive sales, as is likely to be the case, there will be a division of opinion.
—The steamer that conveyed the Wellman Arctic exploring expedition was crushed in the ice, May 24, in latitude 80 degrees north and 87 degrees east. Wellman and some of the men endeavored to go ahead over the ice, having rescued provisions, instruments, etc. The captain of the steamer and others of the party returned over the ice 230 miles, amid great suffering and many perils, until they met a sealing vessel which brought them to Norway. The captain is now fitting out a relief expedition at Copenhagen.
—It is announced that the Tehuantepec Railroad is finished. By this route, ocean travel from San Francisco to New York is 1,173 miles shorter than by Panama; but the line of railroad travel is greater—the distance from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean being 205 miles, while the Panama line from ocean to ocean is but 47 miles. An advantage in favor of the Tehuantepec route is that it belongs to the Mexican Government, and will not be subject to the vicissitudes of speculation, or the greed of monopoly, as the Panama road has been in the past. Commercial interests will no doubt be greatly benefited by the new line.
—On the night of the 3d inst., at Eureka, Mo., an express train ran onto some dynamite bombs, which had been placed on the track, and a terrific explosion followed. The engine was wrecked, the track torn up, a great hole torn in the earth, and the whole train terribly shaken. The dynamite had been stolen from a car load of explosives standing on a side track, and it is deemed miraculous that the whole lot was not exploded by the shock. The deed is supposed to have been done for the purpose of robbery, as a masked man with a drawn revolver ordered the express messenger to hold up his hands. The messenger replied with a shot, when the robber returned the fire, twice wounding the messenger. He then ran away, and it was thought he was wounded.
HERE AND HEREAFTER.
An exhaustive treatise on the "State of the Dead" and the "Destiny of the Wicked." Has man a conscious existence in death? This is a question of the deepest interest, especially in these days when Spiritualism, in its varied forms, is spreading its deception everywhere. The subject is treated in
THIRTY-SEVEN CHAPTERS.
All the important texts bearing on man's nature and his condition in death are taken up and critically examined; as are also those which relate to soul and spirit.
THE CLAIMS OF PHILOSOPHY,
in which the immortality of the soul is discussed from a philosophical standpoint.
A chapter is devoted to a HISTORICAL VIEW of the subject, in which the history of the doctrine of the immortality of the soul is traced from the earliest ages down to the present time. The work closes with a chapter on the
INFLUENCE OF THE DOCTRINE,
in which it is shown that many have been driven into infidelity by the doctrine of Eternal Torment, a doctrine which is inconsistent with the character of God and contrary to the teachings of the Scriptures.
The book contains 443 pages, is bound in extra fine English cloth, and is embossed in black and gold.
Price, postpaid, $1.00.
Address, Pacific Press Publishing Co.,
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Oakland, Cal.
THE ATONEMENT.
The author, in a book of 368 pages, takes up this great central doctrine of the gospel, and treats it in two parts. Part first,
An Atonement Consistent with Reason.
In this he shows that the doctrine of an atonement through the medium of a voluntary substitute is consistent with reason. Part second,
The Atonement as Revealed in the Bible.
In this is discussed the plan of redemption through Christ, by which every sinner who accepts Christ will be justified; sin will be turned back upon the head of its originator; the earth will be cleansed from the curse; God's righteous government will be restored over the entire universe; and all who will not become loyal subjects of that government will be destroyed.
The book presents a CRITICAL AND EXHAUSTIVE TREATISE on this interesting subject, by a thorough Bible student, and wholly from a Bible standpoint, and cannot fail to be of great value to everyone who reads it.
Third edition, bound in cloth, embossed in black, with gold title on back and front cover.
Price, postpaid, $1.00.
Address, Pacific Press Publishing Co.,
Or 43 Bond St.,
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Oakland, Cal.
"Living by Faith." (Spanish.) A translation of Bible Students' Library No. 75; 16 pp.; price, 2 cents. Address, PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO., Oakland, Cal.
White Wives for Chinese Men
By Editor
Just now, when so many people, male and female, are out of employment, Satan is throwing out many snares to entrap the unwary. Young girls are always special objects of temptation, although, be it said to their praise, they are generally more discreet than the young men. But "marriage is honorable," hence there could not be a more alluring trap set for a poor girl out of employment. It is therefore not surprising that we read of schemes to procure white wives for Chinamen who are supposed to be well off in this world. The frequency of such alliances in Providence, R. I., having led to a suspicion that some decoying agency exists in that city, the San Francisco Chronicle gives the following timely warning:—
"The Providence authorities should do their utmost to break up the agency that is supplying white wives for Chinese. Most of these girls enter upon matrimony with these Mongolian husbands with no idea of what such relations mean. Apparently they do not know that it means certain moral degradation and equally certain abandonment when the Chinese get ready to return to the mother country. Never yet has there been an instance of a Chinese husband taking his white wife back to China, for the old mothers of Mongolians do not take kindly to foreign daughters-in-law."
POST-MORTEM CHARITY.
By Editor
Rev. D. A. Dryden, of Gilroy, Cal., a pioneer Methodist minister, but latterly a Swedenborgian, died recently. A striking feature of the occurrence is that some twenty years ago he advanced certain heterodox theories, notably concerning the resurrection, which his ministerial colaborers could not indorse, and he was finally desposed from the ministry. He afterward drifted into Swedenborgianism, and died a minister of that faith. Now that he is dead, his former Methodist associates are almost gushing over with laudations of his virtues. Here is an extract from the too-late charity of one of the more prominent of them:—
"The genial, vivacious, versatile Dryden dead! What a brotherly duty it would have been to follow that honest man to the grave. We did not know; the connection had been broken—needlessly broken, as I must think. Our zeal for orthodoxy ran wildly away with our charity. His error concerning the resurrection of the body, as compared with Bishop Foster's, was mild as dawn compared with the blaze of full-orbed day. The bishop's is more elaborate
and a thousand times more influential. But he is a bishop! . . . I devoutly believe that his [Dryden's] heart was right in the sight of God toward men. My only doubt of meeting him in the heavenly sphere arises from the fear that, as Whitefield said of Wesley, he will be so far above me that I shall not catch a glimpse of his exceeding glory."
We shall be interested to see how this experience of regret for withheld charity will in the future affect the writer of the above memoriam. The last time we heard him talk, his "zeal for [assumed] orthodoxy" was still running "wildly away with his charity." He was at that time advocating a stringent Sunday law, the effect of which he well knew would lead to the imprisonment of honest men who should conscientiously exercise their God-given right to work six days after resting on the Sabbath day according to the commandment; and when he well knew it would lead to the fine or imprisonment of other honest men who might exercise their God-given freedom of conscience in the matter of Sunday observance. Confession is good, but true penitence means forsaking error as well as confessing it. May he never again allow his zeal for orthodoxy to run away with his charity; and may his brethren in the ministry be admonished by his regret.
"SCIENCE FALSELY SO CALLED."
"OTTAWA, August 4.—Professor Ezekiel Wiggins, weather prophet, concurs in the opinion expressed in some quarters that the bright projection of Mars seen by Javelle at the Nice Observatory, July 28, is a signal from the Marsians to the people of the earth. He said to-day: 'There is the best scientific evidence to prove that man is a native of Mars, and has lived there millions of years before he was transplanted to Earth, leaving a greater part of the human family behind. The Marsians regard us as their lost brethren, and have been searching for us for thousands of years. They have been especially hopeful since they saw the electric light in our cities. We will be able to converse with them by signals before another century passes. It is much easier for Marsians to see our signals than for us to see theirs, for the earth appears to wax and wane like the moon, so that they can easily see lights on our dark hemisphere, while their planet always has its light side toward us.'"
In these days of scientific research one is deemed decidedly unlearned who does not accept the claims of science. Many "learned divines" have endeavored to make the Bible harmonize with all the conclusions of the scientists, and, failing to do so, have rejected the Bible wherein it fails to agree with such conclusion. It will be in order now to test the Scriptures again by this conclusion of Professor Wiggins'. In this case, however, science is a little behind; some twenty-five or thirty years ago one Denton, a Spiritualist lecturer, said that his sister, who was a medium, had seen the inhabitants on Mars. We do not know whether Mars is inhabited or not; but we do know that the man of our planet was not transplanted from that planet. The word of God says that "the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground" (Gen. 2: 7), and that "the first man is of the earth, earthy" (1 Cor. 15: 47). Professor Wiggins' manifest departure from the truth in this particular, based on "the best scientific evidence," is enough to render his whole position dubious. "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isa. 8: 20. God's people are specially warned to avoid the "oppositions of science, falsely so called." We do not oppose science as such; true science is truth, and therefore must agree with the word of God, which is truth. Whatever is opposed to the word is not truth, and is, therefore, not science, but is "falsely so called."
A LESSON FOR LABORING MEN.
By Editor
FROM the standpoint of mere secular expediency, to say nothing of the higher view from the standpoint of the word of God, there is a striking lesson for the laboring class in the results of the great strike. Here are a few items which it will pay them to read and digest:—
"We are not surprised that the great strike turned out to be a failure. The leader, Mr. Debs, is a graduate of 'Keeley Cure,' and afterwards became a 'backslider.' This whole Western country was held under bondage for three weeks by a slave to a saloon."—The Occident.
"One of the American daily papers presents a vivid picture of a Chicago merchant craving the permission of Mr. Debs, of the Railway Union, to ice his meats on the cars, and being refused by this man permission to ship them; and also of the Governor of California asking consent of one of the deputies of this Mr. Debs to travel from San Francisco to the capitol at Sacramento."—Ib.
"According to the Baltimore American, Mr. Debs receives a salary of $3,000 a year as president of the A. R. U. The vice president receives $2,000, the secretary $2,000, and six directors $1,500. Seventy organizers are paid $5.00 a day, and ten clerks $4.00 a day."—Ib.
"Honest laboring men of California, let me beseech you, in the name of common sense, avoid an adventurer in any form."—Governor Markham.
In all these great labor organizations we have the absurd spectacle of a few well-paid adventurers holding the power to order thousands of men to stop work and become objects of charity at any moment. And not only so, but holding the power to stop the commerce of the country, and beggar honest men of every industrial calling. The tyranny of the corporations, or of capital in any form, bad as it is, is not to be compared with that of anarchy, or adventurers vested with power. Will the laboring classes learn the lesson? A few of them will, but the masses will continue to follow the ignis fatuus of "organization" until it becomes armed revolution. And then—but the rest of the lesson is for those who know the meaning of these things from the standpoint of God's word: "Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."
Sir George Dibbs and Sunday Laws
The Review of Reviews for August has a character sketch of Sir George Dibbs, premier of New South Wales, Australia, by Mr. J. Tighe Ryan. Sir George, by the way, appears to be quite a mechanic. Says Mr. Ryan, in speaking of a visit to his premises:
"On the way to the outhouses I examined a brick kitchen, which the premier erected last year. 'I worked on it on Saturdays,' he explained, adding in an undertone, 'and occasionally on Sundays too.'"
Might it not be well for some of the Sunday-law people of New South Wales to try the laws of Charles II. on Sir George Dibbs before persecuting men who observe the Sabbath according to the commandment?
SAYS the New York Voice:—
By Editor
SAYS the New York Voice:—
"The W. C. T. U. wants to know where Debs got his authority to use the white ribbon as a badge of sympathy for striking A. R. U. men. The white ribbon is the emblem of the W. C. T. U., and is so legally registered at Washington."
But why should the W. C. T. U. complain? Are they not both working for the same ultimate end, controlled by the same ambition. We might question the propriety of the color in either case. Why has any political party the right to arrogate to themselves any color?
Principles for Lasting Peace
By Editor
IN these troublous times the following from one of America's greatest preachers (now dead) is worthy of consideration:—
"Justice and Liberty are pilots that do not lose their craft. They steer by a divine compass. They know the hand that holds the winds and the storms. It is always safe to be right; and our business is not so much to seek peace as to seek the causes of peace. Expedients are for an hour, but principles for the ages. . . . Nothing can be permanent and nothing safe in this exigency that does not sink deeper than politics or money. We must touch the rock, or we shall never have firm foundations."