Earlier text: STICK TO YOUR BUSINESSRESPONSIBILITY OF HAVING LIGHT.
“Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.” John 9:41. We have great sympathy for the blind. We have respect also for the condition of those who can honestly say of the teachings of the Bible, that they cannot see them. We recognize the fact that a person may be in the condition that he cannot see. It may be his own fault that he cannot see. It may be that he has had opportunity enough to see, and is himself only to blame that he has not the light. But the responsibility, in such case, is with him. We have to deal with the facts as we find them; and when a person says that he cannot see, we must take him at his word; and if we think he is dangerously wrong, try to help him into the light. How often we hear people say, “I cannot understand why such and such conditions should exist in God’s dealings with men.” How often they say, “How can the heathen be condemned for not believing the gospel, having never heard of Christ? and why, if a man has not had favorable conditions in this life, should he not have another chance in a future life, a second probation?” A relative of ours, a thoughtful man from the East, rejecting all divine revelation, on the ground that according to such revelation God is an unfair and unjust God, said to us one day, “What would you think of a man, or [referring to God] of a being, who would lay a trap for a man, and then condemn and punish him for falling into it?” This he said in reference to the fall of Adam, as set forth in the Scripture. So he scouted the Bible on account of its representations of how man fell, and sin came into the world. So men will presume to reason in regard to the great themes of the word of God, as if by their reason they could balance up the right or wrong of the course that God sees fit to take with His creatures, and pass judgment upon the course of the Almighty, who reads all hearts, knows all motives, and sees the end from the beginning. Do not they ever consider that there are great and decisive conditions to be taken into the account which have a bearing upon all events and the persons concerned in them? In regard to the heathen, God has given them one life in this world, and the apostle, in Rom. 2:10–16, states God’s principle of dealing with them. Even in their circumstances they need not reject Christ, unless they choose to. Light enough is given them to show them the way to life, if they are determined to seek and follow it. But how happens it that the heathen are in the condition they are in? Did God desire that they should ever be in such a condition? Did He not place in their possession ample means to prevent it, and keep them from it?—By all means. Then again we ask, How happens it that they have sunk into so low a condition?—It is because they chose to know not God. They rejected the means offered them, and departed from God. But for this God was not to blame. Read Paul’s comment upon their course in Rom. 1:21–32. This is not God’s fault. The gospel has been sent in appropriate times into all parts of the earth. Why does it not shine there now as it shone in its best in the past?—It is because it has been rejected. Again we say, This is not God’s fault. His dealings with the children of men, in all parts of the world and in all ages, are fully vindicated. Nothing has been found in the past, there is nothing in the present, and there will nothing be found in the future to mar the harmony of the final song of jubilee, “Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints,” or “King of the ages.” And in regard to future probation, have not people had one life, and that, in the majority of cases, right in the blaze of light and liberty of gospel lands? What would be the object of letting them live that life again under the same or more favorable circumstances? Having rejected and trampled underfoot the great light and privileges they have been enjoying, would they do any better if they had a second chance? Now if in the lands of light and liberty every one, without exception, who had an opportunity, embraced the gospel, there might be some ground for the plea that, if they have never heard, they should have the opportunity under more favorable circumstances than they had enjoyed; but what chance is there for any such plea for those who have been brought up in Christian lands? Who will constitute the great majority of those who have passed the period of their probation in such lands,—those who have accepted the gospel, or those who have rejected it? The plea for a continued probation after this life, rests on a purely selfish motive, and a desire to continue in sin here. God will not thus make himself the minister of sin. In view of this fact, where is the possibility of the idea of a future probation for those who have neglected the opportunities of this life? So in regard to the fall of Adam. Our friend persuaded himself that God was unfair to lay a trap for man, and then condemn and punish him for falling into it. If he had been left in ignorance, and unwarned of danger, there would have been a difference. As Christ said, “If ye were blind, ye should have no sin.” But Adam was not blind, ignorant, or unwarned. The prohibited tree was pointed out, and the results of disobedience were made plain to him: “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” This trial was not a trap laid for Adam to walk into blindly, and then die; it was a necessary test laid upon Adam to develop his character, as God has to try every free moral agent. God will not compel, or force, obedience upon any one. Obedience must be voluntary, and prompted by love, or it is no obedience. The injunction laid upon Adam tested him fully on these great principles. In short, it tested upon every principle involved in every one of the precepts contained in the moral law. Adam had every condition and influence favorable to obedience, except the temptation of the devil. It was no blind problem he had to wrestle with; no snare nor deception practiced upon him. Instead of making this transaction a basis of a charge against God, as an unjust and impartial and deceitful being, he should be reverenced for it, on account of its simple and easy terms, its comprehensive meaning and far-reaching consequences. WITHOUT GUILE.
By L. A. S.
“And in their mouth was found no guile.” These words are spoken, by inspiration, of that company which shall be redeemed from the earth, after having obtained the victory over the “Beast” and his “Image,” and shall stand on the “sea of glass,” “without fault” before the throne of God. No stronger words of commendation could be spoken of human beings. No class of men are more scarce in this fallen world than men in whose mouth there is no guile. Nothing, alas, is more common in this world than guile. Church-membership constitutes no bar to its extension. The Church is full of men who profess piety, but practice politics,—men who pray and exhort, but whose lives do not rise above the level of suspicion. On every hand we see the name of Christ associated with things that will not bear the test of honesty. But Christianity, now as ever, is strictly honest and uprightness. He has a reputation which stamps him as a man different from the great majority of his fellows,—a man who says what he means, and means what he says, and who promises nothing which he does not honestly purpose to perform. He is known as a man who will not take advantage of the one who trusts him. Through the deceitfulness of sin, people are led to make a distinction between religion and business, and to separate the one from the other. Their religion is reserved for the Sabbath and the religious assembly, and in their business relations they employ principles of another sort than those set forth in the text-book of Christianity. They seem to think that business—even the business of the Lord—cannot be successfully done in any other way. And thus it frequently happens that even the work of God is conducted in a manner that is far removed from the guileless simplicity of the Master in whose name it is done, and a Christian conference is made to show many points of similarity to a political convention. But Christianity and politics are distinct, and separate spheres of activity. The one is of God, the other is of this world. And so far from doing the work of God in the guileful manner of the politician, the true Christian will do all his business in a Christian way, recognizing that always, in all things, it is his foremost business to be a Christian. Thank the Lord that His work is developing in the world a company of people in whose mouth will be found no guile. These are they who will get the victory over the “Beast” and over his “Image.” And it is in getting this victory over the Beast that the people of God learn to free their lips from guile. For the Beast—the papacy—is the personification of guile, and is well called by inspiration the “mystery of iniquity.” The policy of the papacy has ever been such as to “cause craft to prosper in his hand.” Dan. 8:25. The papacy began by the creeping in of politics into the Church. There was a contest among the apostles for the supremacy, and the position of supremacy was sought to be attained by intrigue and deception. James and John, in league with their mother, inaugurated a miniature political campaign which was to end in the seating of these two in the chief positions in the future kingdom. Matt. 20:20–24. It did not proceed far, for it was promptly rebuked by Jesus; and the strife as to which should be the greatest came to an end in the tragic events which soon followed, and which left all the apostles and disciples thoroughly converted. But the strife was renewed by the Christian Church at a later date, and there was scheming and intrigue and dishonesty, rings and alliances, fraud and guile in every form, which grew worse and worse, until from it all there finally emerged the “horn” with “eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things,”—the papacy full-fledged. And all this was done ostensibly to advance the kingdom of God. It was the Lord’s work, done in a political way. And when the Lord’s work is done now in a political way, with scheming and wire-pulling and misrepresentation and the various forms of guile, it is done after the pattern of the papacy. And those who get the victory over the “Beast”—the papacy—will get the victory over him in their own hearts—over the desire for supremacy, and the guile which such a desire naturally calls to its service—as well as the victory over the visible “Beast” whose seat is Rome. The Christian principle of action is that of serving others; the papal, or “Beast,” principle, that of being served by others. The Christian principle has no use for guile; guile and unselfishness have nothing in common. As long as we resort to guile, we are not made perfect in Christ. Thank the Lord that heaven will be a place without guile. There no one will ever have occasion to be suspicious of his neighbor, and the tongue of deceit will never be heard. The new earth will be filled with the meek, who shall “delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” There is no place for guile in the affairs of the Third Angel’s Message. Let it be left far behind in the forward movement. L. A. S. Destructive Conflagrations.
Hardly has the new year gotten well under way before a conflagration of appalling magnitude carries ruin through the city of Paterson, N. J., the property loss being estimated at ten million dollars. The same day a number of lives are lost by a destructive fire in St. Louis, Mo., and other blazes of greater or less magnitude are reported. Only a few days previous a great fire devastated a large section of the city of Waterbury, Conn. These conflagrations are staggering blows to the insurance companies, which are perplexed to know how to grapple with the situation. The continued frequency of these disasters seems unaccountable. For several years the fire losses in this country and Canada have been abnormally great, and the loss grows greater year by year. Fire underwriters are declaring that higher rates of insurance will be necessary to enable the companies to survive. All the advancement that has been made in architectural science and in precautions taken to minimize the liability of loss from this agency of destruction, is powerless to stem the increasing tide of disaster. What is the matter? Where is the cause of this unnatural state of things? While others are speculating over these questions, we may know from the light which revelation sheds upon this time in human history, that these direful happenings are not by chance, but are signs of the times, tokens of the withdrawal of God’s protecting influence from the earth, and the loosening of the bounds which have held back Satan’s agencies of destruction. “The day of the Lord is near;” it is the night at hand. “Be ye therefore ready.” Not much longer will the angels hold the “four winds.”106 A “hugging social” to raise money for the treasury in a Christian church! Such is the announcement made in a press dispatch from Springfield, Ohio, of recent date. “A well-advertised ‘hugging social’ held at the little church at North Greenfield for the purpose of raising money to pay off the church debt, attracted a large crowd last night,” says the dispatch. A list of the prices charged for participation in the affair follows, the highest figure being for “another man’s wife.” Old men as well as young participated; and “it was one of the most successful socials ever given by a church.” “Another meeting was fixed for February 1.” We mention such things as signs of the times, fulfillments of the prophecies which speak of the characteristics of the “last days,” when men shall have the forms of godliness without the power thereof. “Babylon . . . is fallen, is fallen. . . . Come out of her, my people.” Rev. 18: 2-4. “CHRISTIAN SCIENCE:” ARE ITS DOCTRINES TRUTH OR ERROR?
By George I. Butler
Are There Evil Angels? What Does the Word Say?
The question of the personal existence of evil angels—Satan and his host—is a question of great importance, and one that has been much agitated in human history. Multitudes wholly disbelieve it in these latter times. Among these are Mrs. Eddy and her Christian Scientists. Indeed, she takes the broad ground that Spiritualists have taken, that there is no evil in existence. All is good. All the arguments used to prove that wicked angels do not exist, equally prove that evil of any kind does not exist. If God is too good to tolerate the satanic host, the same supposed goodness should not tolerate evil of any kind in wicked men. Mrs. Eddy’s way of disposing of evil—that is, to deny its very existence—must be indeed a wonderful “discovery” or invention of hers, that must have required a wonderful sight of “cheek,” to say the least. When we look out on this broad world of ours, and see the oppression, the slavery, the drunkenness, debauchery, the murders, thefts, licentiousness, corruption of youth, the hydra-headed forms of sin of every hue, it must take great courage to stand up and say that evil does not exist in this world. Are these and countless other things all right, and consistent with the holiness and purity of God? Yet God permits them to exist almost everywhere in this world. So far as this question is concerned, whether these terrible things originated with man or with a higher order of intelligences than man, it matters little. This fact that they exist at all, demonstrates that God for some wise reason allows them to continue for a period, at least. But it does not follow that they will always exist. The time will come when He declares He will burn them out of His universe. The origin of evil can never be settled outside of the Bible. The question has been debated ever since sin entered our world. Philosophy in all its varied forms has never been able to settle it. That evil is here, and is everywhere manifest and in lively existence all over our globe, is evident; and pagans, heathen, Mohammedans, Christians, unbelievers, and infidels,—all have recognized its existence. It seems to have been left largely to Mrs. Eddy to look us in the eye, move her wand, and tell us, without a tremor or a blush, Evil is not. It has no existence. All the world for ages has been fooled by a mere illusion. Everything is all right, and we have only to disbelieve in the existence of evil, and presto! evil has departed to the shades of nothingness. It matters not if blood is shed like water. Murders, rapes, burnings at the stake, robbery, cannibalism, and all the full brood are as rampant as ever. They are all illusions. Somebody must badly err. Is it Mrs. Eddy or all the world that is mistaken? It is vain to undertake to settle this great question by appeals to philosophy, science, or history. There is only one document, one Book, that gives us the facts. That volume tells us that sin existed first in the universe among a higher order of intelligences than men—among the very angels that surrounded the throne of God. From them it was communicated to man,—the first members of the human family,—and thence to all their descendants, as the whole history of man declares. We shall find this plainly stated in God’s blessed Book: “There was war in heaven. Michael [Christ] and His angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth; and his angels were cast out with him.” Rev. 12:7-9. This brief statement is found in a symbolic prophecy of the true Church of Jesus Christ, represented under the symbol of a “woman clothed with the sun,” who “brought forth a man child [Christ], who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne.” Verses 1, 5. The two great leaders of the opposing principles of good and evil connected with the Church—Christ and that “old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,”—are introduced; Christ, the true Shepherd of His people from the beginning, and Satan, who began his war upon God’s people, so far as this earth is concerned, in the garden of Eden. In such connection, it is very proper briefly to glance back to the very origin of the great struggle between right and wrong, good and evil, which occurred even before our world was created, when the host of evil angels, with Satan at their head, were cast out of heaven. This “great controversy” has existed ever since, and will continue till the whole universe of God has been made fully acquainted with the nature of evil—until the awful character of sin and rebellion against God’s righteous government has become fully understood. Then Satan and his whole wicked brood of followers will be forever destroyed, and God will reign evermore over a pure and holy universe, where sin and all the forms of evil will have ceased, through an endless eternity. Dear reader, there is an abundance of evidence in God’s word that this great crisis, when all evil and rebellion will be forever put down, is very near at hand. In no way could the inspired writer better give us a true conception of the nature of this awful struggle between the forces of good and evil than to refer us back to the casting out of heaven itself of Satan and his followers. There the rebellion began. There it received its first discomfiture. The great controversy has been in progress in our world especially, ever since. Christ has been gaining victories, from one great epoch or crisis to another, over the powers of evil, especially when He was manifested here on earth in human form, living a life of purity and holiness, going about doing good to suffering humanity, teaching the great principles of the kingdom of heaven, and dying at last as the One just offering for sin, and gloriously coming forth from the grave as a conqueror over death and hades. Here was an object lesson which all the hosts of evil have never been able to obscure, in which God’s care and great love for His creatures was wonderfully manifest. Yea, in this great crisis, Satan’s malignity, his hatred of all that is good, his pretensions of goodness, his duplicity, deception, and abominable hypocrisy were uncovered, laid open, and fully made manifest before all of God’s universe. When, through his influence, temptations, and sophistries, he compassed the death of the lovely, pure, and noble Son of God, he revealed his character in its true light, and has never been able to deceive man as fully as before. In this remarkable, wonderful age, we have reached another grand crisis in the affairs of men. Christ came the first time in the Augustan age, noted for its intelligence, its high degree of civilization far surpassing any previous age since paganism had corrupted mankind. God had a wise purpose in having the first advent of His Son in such an intelligent epoch. It made it far more difficult for Satan and his sympathizers to obscure the great facts of gospel light and truth. That age, after a comparatively brief period, was succeeded by the Dark Ages, a long period of apostasy among those who professed to be followers of Christ, when God’s word and its grand truths were almost completely obscured. That age was succeeded by the great Protestant Reformation, when the truths of inspiration were once more made prominent. This fact gave a mighty impetus to improvement of every sort. The forces of Christian civilization have accomplished wonders, till we have reached the “time of the end,” when “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Dan. 12:4. Dear reader, stop for a moment and consider the significance of this scripture. The fact that we are living in an age of great knowledge and high civilization does not prove that this world will continue to advance for ages. O, no! It only proves in the light of inspiration that THE TIME OF THE END is reached. That, in other words, is but a brief period before the end itself shall be here, and the GREAT DAY, the day for which all others were made, the GRAND CONSUMMATION of all ages, when sin and rebellion shall be put down for evermore, will be ushered in. How reasonable and consistent is the fact that in the age when Christ shall come in His glory, and the reign of sin and rebellion be closed up forever, a warning should go forth to the ends of the earth that such an event is near at hand. How consistent that God’s providence should have so arranged that this warning message should be proclaimed when the great mass of the people could read, write, and comprehend it, rather than in a barbarous age of darkness and ignorance, when few could comprehend it. Christ came the first time during the most famous age of ancient times. So it is now when His second coming is near. But the Bible also warns us that when the last days have come, Satan and his host will be very busy; and various counterfeit systems of religion will prevail; yea, that Satan will manifest His power to that degree that “if it were possible,” he would “deceive the very elect.” Matt. 24:24. Thank God, it will not be possible for Satan to accomplish this, because God’s “elect” will be a class who closely study the “sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn.” 2 Peter 1:10. For this reason they will not be in darkness as others are. But all who reject this great source of light will be exposed to Satan’s illusions, cunning, and deceptions. All but the elect will be deceived. This the Saviour’s language proves beyond a doubt. The enemy of God’s government is pouring in upon this last generation error of every form, to counterfeit the work of God. Lo here and Lo there is the cry—anything to obscure the plain teachings of God’s word. Faith in it is being broken down everywhere. Even in modern pulpits, infidelity is being largely taught, especially calculated to lull people to sleep concerning the personal coming of Christ. Mrs. Eddy’s new religious cult teaches that her “great discovery” is the second coming of Christ. It is high time to remember the prophet’s words. “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” All who do not are from the region of darkness. GEO. I. BUTLER. Remarks of Elder I. H. Evans.
By I. H. Evans
We are glad so many are present to-day, but sorry that more of our friends in the city are not here. The object of this meeting is to have our leading men give us a talk in regard to the design of the institution, and the object and the work which we should continually have before us. This is a large plant. We have invested here over half a million dollars, and our turn-over is nearly three million dollars a year. The earnings of the institution are something that should be used for the advancement of the work of God. The intent of the institution in the beginning, as I understand it, was to advance the Third Angel's Message. The people who believed in the message felt the need of a printing house. They started out on a small scale. The printing house gradually grew until it has assumed its present size. It was not intended in the beginning that this house should be a commercial house. Our brethren who planted this institution never had any idea that we would ever do commercial work to any extent. Their object in its building was for the sole purpose of advancing the Third Angel's Message, and the commercial idea was purely incidental, and not the leading object of its existence. The members of the present Board during the last year have been anxious that this house should fulfill the mission upon which it started in the beginning. They have endeavored to shape the policy of the Board as far as possible to accomplish that end. We have been slow in getting at matters, not simply because we were not convinced that it ought to be done, but because of our inability to secure competent help to carry out the plans which we desired to see carried out. We have already started a night school for our apprentices, giving the employees of the institution an opportunity to attend school five nights in the week. We have made the tuition free, and conduct ten different studies in the school. We are carrying the common branches of reading, spelling, arithmetic, writing, bookkeeping, composition, drawing, and some others that do not come to my mind, thus giving each student an opportunity to take three or four of these studies. Besides these studies in the branches, we are carrying two Bible studies. Professor Prescott has started in with a series of Bible studies, covering the whole phase of the Third Angel's Message, with all its leading principles. He is occupying two nights a week, Sunday night and Tuesday night, and will carry these studies on as long as he remains in the city. We are opening up a dormitory for our boys. A year ago the trustees voted that we should do this. We have been very dilatory in this work, but our slowness was owing somewhat to our inability to secure the services of one who we felt would make us a good head for the home. Brother G. W. Morse and wife have been engaged to take charge of this, and we are now planning to open up the home this week if possible. When our home is opened, we can accommodate about twelve or fifteen boys. The trustees have endeavored to assume a friendly attitude toward the different branches of the Lord's work. We are trying to advance all parts of the work, and put the institution in sympathy with the cause of God in the world. Wherein we have failed, it has been not in our intention, but from a lack of knowledge, and perhaps from a lack of appreciation of our duties and privileges. In the disposition of the Atlanta Branch in the South, you will remember, last spring we made a donation to the Southern field which aggregated in the neighborhood of $9,000, more or less. We have also given a few thousand dollars to “Christ's Object Lessons,” so that our donations to the mission work in the different fields have exceeded $13,000 during the year, cutting down our net gain so that we have left for the institutions only a little over $18,000 for this year. Since the beginning of the year we have also made a change in the Toronto Branch. We have joined the Mission Board in making a donation to the Canadian field. The Mission Board shared half the expenses, and the Review and Herald an equal amount. We have made a donation to the Canadian field of all the invested interests of the Review and Herald in the Toronto Branch. This will aggregate, perhaps, in the neighborhood of about $4,500 on our part, the Mission Board turning over to us, I think, about $3,700 in cash as an equal amount of this donation. We have been requested by the Mission Board to start a printing plant in the West Indies, in Brazil, and in Argentina, S. A.107We shall be glad for an expression in regard to this matter. There are many other things, doubtless, the stockholders would like to bring out in their discussions on plans and resolutions, and we are glad to have our friends here, and especially our employees. But this hour was not to be given to myself, but to Elder Daniels and to Professor Prescott. They were to make some remarks to us, to inspire us with the right spirit, and to put us upon right lines, and bring this institution, as it ought to be, into perfect harmony with the different movements of the Third Angel's Message. I trust the majority of us who are in the Office have but one idea, one plan, one object,—to advance the Third Angel's Message. If we can do it best here in the Review and Herald, we are willing to stay; if we can do it better in some other part of the field, there is where we want to be. One idea, one motive, one principle, should inspire us,—we should devote our whole strength, our whole energy, and give our whole lives to the advancement of this great work. I believe that the great majority of our help are actuated by this motive, and that they are working to this end. I do not believe there can be found in this world an equal number of men and women who are more loyal to this cause, or give more in proportion to their income to advance this work, and who are more worthy of our confidence, than the employees of the Review and Herald. That we make mistakes and failures is apparent to the stockholders, and apparent to ourselves, but I trust that our institution may have the prayers of all these friends and stockholders, and that we may see God leading, that we may fulfill the great mission with which we started out, and that this great institution may accomplish the work that God has set it to; and with the co-operation and sympathy of the denomination, with the friendly attitude which the General Conference has assumed toward this institution, and with the support of all of us, I believe there are brighter days for the Review and Herald than we have been passing through the last few years. Elder Daniels will favor us with some remarks this morning, and Professor Prescott will follow. The Presbyterian Church is revising its creed. For a long time the necessity of revision has been apparent, but how to accomplish the task gracefully and without loss of dignity to the Church has been a problem difficult of solution. The effort of the church authorities has been, it appears, to prepare statements which would explain the old creed in harmony with the views held by Presbyterians to-day, rather than to change the creed itself, in acknowledgment of its erroneous nature. It is announced that the revision committee have, thus far, prepared statements explaining the doctrine of predestination, of “elect infants,” and of the “man of sin.” The secretary of the committee declares that the American Presbyterian Church does not teach that any dying in infancy are lost. Not the least significant part of the revision is that which changes the article of the creed declaring the pope to be the “man of sin.” The revision is, of course, an admission that the creed was wrong. The creed was wrong because it was the product of the intellect and wisdom of fallen, finite men. And any new creed that can be devised will necessarily rest on the same fallible basis, and be found wanting as a foundation of Christian faith. The true foundation is the word of God alone. The true creed is the word, the whole word, and nothing but the word, and the word just as it reads. Krupp, Germany’s Wealthiest Subject
“It has been held that the greatest obstacle to that disarmament of the nations which was seriously talked of only a few years ago, and now seems as far away as the millennium,” says the Springfield Republican, “is the economic objection to doing away with the vast industries that are dependent upon war and preparations for war. It is illustrative of this that the new figures published in Germany show that by far the wealthiest subject of the kaiser is Herr Krupp, the cannon-maker. The fact was known before, but it is news that his wealth is more than double that of any other German.” Serious Famine Threatens India
THERE is a prospect of another serious famine in India. Word received in London states that “the viceroy of India, Lord Curzon of Kedleston, telegraphs that the famine outlook is very serious. No rain has fallen, and plague of rats in Gujarat, Rajputana, and Central India is assisting in the destruction of the crops. The relief works are being rapidly extended.” THE, “Church of this World,” an organization which represents atheism in a sort of religious garb, is about to send out a “missionary,” J. E. Roberts, by name, to preach “agnosticism” throughout America. He will endeavor to organize congregations in the cities which he visits. Mr. Roberts is recommended by the chief organ of atheism in this country, the New York Truth Seeker. Verily, it is a simple thing for any one nowadays to belong to a church. MEETING OF THE PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION
According to the call in the Review, the stockholders in the Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association met at the Tabernacle in Battle Creek, Mich., Feb. 11, 1902, at 10 A. M., local time, in their forty-second annual meeting, the eleventh under the new charter, for the election of two directors for three years, and any other business that might properly come before the meeting. Thirty-one hundred and sixty-two shares were represented, eight hundred and three in person, and twenty-three hundred and fifty-nine by proxies. The first business being the hearing of reports, the Treasurer presented his report as follows:— THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT OF THE S. D. A. PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION FOR YEAR ENDING DEC. 31, 1901.
|
Resources. |
Liabilities. |
|---|
| Real Estate |
$69,176.00 |
|
| Personal Property |
114,820.71 |
|
| Notes Receivable |
22,813.21 |
|
| Cash on hand and in Banks |
5,743.54 |
|
| Accounts Receivable |
165,066.43 |
|
| Material |
34,064.52 |
|
| Work in Progress |
19,002.65 |
|
| Stock in Sales Room |
70,908.27 |
|
| Stock in Retail Department |
2,955.23 |
|
| Type |
14,908.16 |
|
| Cuts and Engravings |
4,093.65 |
|
| Fuel |
750.56 |
|
| Notes Payable |
|
$128,460.25 |
| Accounts Payable |
|
86,025.81 |
| Demand Notes |
|
20,335.67 |
| Capital Stock |
|
149,460.00 |
| Stock Not Issued |
|
61,647.27 |
| Surplus |
$59,615.44 |
|
| Net Gain |
18,758.49 |
78,373.93 |
|
$524,302.93 |
$524,302.93 |
|
|
|
|---|
| Capital Stock |
$149,460.00 |
|
| Stock Not Issued |
61,647.27 |
$211,107.27 |
| Surplus |
$59,615.44 |
|
| Net Gain |
18,758.49 |
$78,373.93 |
| Present Worth |
|
$289,481.20 |
The Auditor, by a thorough inspection of all the accounts, found them correct, and correctly representing the prosperous financial standing of the Association. The Chair being empowered to name the committee on nominations and on resolutions, named the following:— On Nominations: H. W. Cottrell, J. D. Gowell, W. H. Thurston. On Resolutions: I. H. Evans, A. G. Daniells, W. W. Prescott. The desirability of the presentation to the people of the principles which the Association is designed to represent, and what results it should secure, being considered, it was voted to adjourn for this purpose to 7:30 in the evening. Met according to adjournment, but there being a less number present than was desired to listen to the principles to be set forth, the meeting was further adjourned to 11 A. M. February 12. The adjourned meeting was held at the hour named, a much more numerous company was present, and the Office employees were out in force. The time was taken up by the chairman, I. H. Evans, and by A. G. Daniells and W. W. Prescott. The remarks took a broad view of the subjects under consideration, were well presented, and breathed forth a spirit which met a hearty response from all present. The following are verbatim reports of the remarks given.