Signs of the Times, Vol. 5, No. 28. (7/24/1879)

Signs of the Times

Jul 24, 1879

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jul 24, 1879

Our Camp-Meetings.

By Ellen G. White

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.

THESE annual gatherings are attended with great expense and wearisome labor. They are designed especially for our people, as the best means of reaching the greatest number. And while wisdom should be manifested in locating them where those not of our faith may be benefited by the light of truth presented, great care should be exercised that the object of the meeting be not lost sight of in the desire to make a favorable impression upon the public mind.

I see a marked change for the worse in our camp-meetings. Reporting the meetings through the secular papers, will, if properly conducted, be the means of calling the attention of the people to our faith, and awakening an interest in it; but if not managed in a manner to exalt Jesus and the truth rather than to make a display of what is done, the efforts are thrown away, and time and energy needed to keep up the interest of the meetings are worse than lost. When sincere piety, earnest devotion, and sanctified zeal are manifested by those professing the truth, and our devotional exercises are characterized by the presence of God's Spirit, impressions will be made upon the outside world that no amount of reporting will produce.

Our camp-meetings greatly fail of being what they should be, and our people do not gain the spiritual benefit from them that they might. Home burdens and worldly thoughts should be laid aside. Every individual should be upon the ground the first day of the meeting, prepared to remain until the closing service. When one family strike their tent a day or two before the close of the meeting, others feel inclined to do the same, and the interest of the meeting is greatly injured. One full week is none too long a time to devote exclusively to the service of God, having the mind withdrawn from worldly interests and concentrated upon spiritual things; but to abridge the one week to two or three days is robbing God of time which should be spent in his service. Some do not get into the spirit of the meeting before they start for their homes. Such show that they value temporal things above spiritual, and they will receive no permanent good.

How must our Lord look upon his people who are thus indifferent and careless when his servants are laboring earnestly to bring them up to the requirements of the Bible, and to awaken in them greater earnestness and devotion in the cause of God. The preaching on Sunday is generally designed more especially for the people outside of our faith, the evidences of our position being dwelt upon. Monday, the work commenced on Sabbath for those who are seeking the Lord, is resumed. This, the day for binding off the meetings, is the most important of the series; and our brethren meet with a great loss themselves, and cast a depressing influence upon the meeting, by taking this day for packing, taking down tents, and leaving the grounds. This is a wrong which nearly destroys the good that might be realized from the meetings.

We would appeal to our brethren and sisters to come to the camp-meeting prepared to remain to the close. It is disheartening to your ministers to see a disposition on your part to scatter, as if in haste to get away from the camp. Be on the ground the first day, and feel an individual responsibility to labor for the interest of the meeting from the first day to the last.

As a people, we are backsliding from God. The hearts of his professed children are being estranged from him. While they have a name to live, the true, vital energies of the soul have become spiritually dead. To such Jesus speaks: "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!" Christ does not say days, but "day,"-"this thy day." That last meeting may be the very day of the special visitation of Christ,-a day of rare privileges and blessings so much needed by them.

When Christ was upon the earth, attending one of the Jews' convocations, upon the last day, that great day of the feast, he stood and cried: "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." His eye of tenderest pity was cast around upon the multitude who were apparently all joy and rejoicing; but he who reads the secrets of the heart saw that there were many in that festive throng who were thirsting for that peace, and comfort, and consolation which he alone can give. They had failed to quench their thirst at earthly fountains, and his voice was heard by the whole temple crowd: "I am the fountain of living waters. If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink."

In our camp-meetings Jesus is present with his gracious invitations; and if, on the last day of the feast, he is specially near, and his mercies and blessing are more forcibly brought home to us, how great the loss of those who fail to be present! On the very day of all others when they should be present, they are hasting to their homes; and thus failing to drink of the living waters, their souls are unrefreshed.

One family decide that their farm calls them; but if they had a little more faith and trust in their Heavenly Father, who has said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you," they would be more willing to leave the consequences with God. But very few are willing to make any sacrifice of their temporal things in order to gain eternal riches.

We feel to the very depths the spiritual loss that our people are sustaining in not appreciating their privileges and present blessings. They are not becoming more earnest, devoted, and perfect in character. Their faith is dead, because it is not sustained by works. There is every year a growing tendency to assimilate to the world. Self and the world are becoming a ruling power. I state that which I know. Spiritual death is coming upon us, because of the absence of vital godliness. Says Jesus, "I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." It is one thing to profess Christ, and another thing to follow him.

Anciently God commanded his people to assemble three times a year, and from every city from Dan to Beersheba the people came to these annual feasts. The one at the commencement of the season was to entreat God's blessing upon their families, their lands, their flocks, and their herds. The one at the close of harvest was the crowning festal gathering, to bring their offerings to God. The land had yielded its increase, the harvest had been gathered into their granaries, the first-fruits had been stored, and the people came with their tributes of thanksgiving to God, who had thus richly blessed them. Joy and rejoicing were there combined with the solemnities of a holy and sacred convocation.

God directed Moses to say to the children of Israel, "Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine." "Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God, in the place which the Lord shall choose; because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice."

Many sacrifices were made at these feasts; and this profusion of blood shed in connection with the harvest of thanksgiving was significant to them of the fact that even the bounties of the earth could come to them only through the cross of Calvary. By thus assembling and bringing their tithes into the treasury, they ever acknowledged the Lord to be the giver of all their blessings. The children of Israel are our ensamples, that while we should imitate the faithfulness and virtues, we should shun those sins which brought the displeasure of God upon them.

We have our convocation meetings yearly, and all who possibly can attend should feel under obligation to do so. If they neglect to improve the opportunities to obtain a better knowledge of the truth, and to become more thoroughly in earnest in their efforts to perfect Christian character, they will be held responsible for the light, and privileges, and blessings, which they might have had. Their case is nearly as bad in the sight of God as that of those who attend the meetings but fail to improve by the light and blessings there received.

I plead with our brethren and sisters to make the most of their God-given opportunities. Christ, when weeping over Jerusalem, exclaimed, "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." Jerusalem's sin was in abusing past blessings and privileges, and she was sealing her doom in rejecting present mercies and warnings. The weak faith of our people to day shows that past warnings and reproofs have not been heeded, and hardness of heart and indifference, and unbelief, are the result.

The most solemn and awful period for the Jewish nation was when Jesus was in their midst. It was that generation that was responsible for not accepting the light of the world. For many years God has been pleading with his people by mercies, by judgments, and by the most solemn warnings and entreaties. Blessings have been bestowed, and blessings removed, and yet the people who profess to be in advance of every other people in the light of truth have not responded to these warnings and entreaties of the Spirit of God. The Saviour's love has been unrequited. Christ looks mournfully upon the individual members of the church, and exclaims, "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life."

The hour of probation is fast passing; the cup of God's indignation is fast filling. Will those who profess to be waiting for the appearing of their Lord from Heaven be found wanting in that day, or will they awake from their carnal security, repent of their indifference and hardness of heart, and in this their day give most diligent heed to the things which belong to their peace? Must the fast westering sun of merciful probation set, and the sentence be pronounced, "but now they are hid from thine eyes"?

From the crest of Olivet, Christ overlooked the world. Every soul who has become indifferent to the privileges within his reach, is personally addressed in this appeal. Christ is stooping over his throne to-day, his great heart of love yearning with deep and tender compassion over those who are careless, and neglectful of their eternal interests. Many professed Christians are now only stumbling-blocks,-false way-marks. They do not represent to the world by good works the principles of the doctrines of Christ. They neglect the study of the Scriptures, and secret prayer, and have become, so far as their influence is concerned, traitors to their holy trust. Their hearts have gradually become hardened; they have a name to live, while the vital energies of the soul have become spiritually paralyzed. Of this class our Saviour speaks: "Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

It is not enough to profess to believe in Christ, saying that we are saved by Christ, when we do not practice the lessons he has given. All such professed Christians are represented by the man who built his house upon the sand; while the hearers and doers of the word are represented by the man who built his house upon the rock, and amid tempest, storm, and flood, it remained unmoved. Thus the true foundation for every soul is represented by those who not only hear the truth, but practice it. Those who claim to be children of God and do not his will are hypocrites.

He who is indeed a follower of Jesus Christ, will be assimilated to his image. He will be brought into sympathy with him through the fellowship of his sufferings. Storms of trial and adversity may break upon him, but he is not swayed from his foundation, for his soul is riveted upon the eternal Rock. Indolence in spiritual things will bring moral feebleness; active workers in the cause of God will be men of prayer, and will have success. Every day that they labor to do the will of God they will have increased ability to work efficiently to promote his glory. To such he will say by and by, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

Can God Organize Matter to Think?

By Dudley Marvin Canright

(Continued.)

Of the functions of sensation and voluntary motion, Dr. Ware says, "To the exclusive possession of these powers by animals, there are apparent exceptions. Some vegetables do move from place to place with as much apparent volition as certain animals; whilst there are some animals as immovably fixed to one spot as vegetables by their roots. There are also plants which exhibit motions seemingly as voluntary as those of some of the lowest animals, and for as definite a purpose. The sensitive plant is a striking example of this kind. The slightest touch makes its leaves suddenly shrink, and together with the branch bend down toward the earth. But the moving plant, or Hedysarum gyrans, furnishes a more astonishing example of vegetable motion. Its movements are not excited by the contact of external bodies, but solely by the influence of the sun's rays. Its motions are confined to the leaves, which are supported by long, flexible footstocks. When the sun shines, the leaves move briskly in every direction. Their general motion, however, is upward and downward. But they not unfrequently turn almost around; and then their footstocks are evidently twisted.

"The Dionaea muscipula, or Venus's fly-trap, a plant of Carolina, affords another instance of rapid vegetable motion. Its leaves are jointed, and furnished with two rows of strong spines. Their surfaces are covered with a number of minute glands, which secrete a sweet liquor, and allure the approach of flies. When these parts are touched by the legs of the fly, the two lobes of the leaf instantly rise up, the rows of spines lock themselves fast together, and squeeze the unwary animal to death. If a straw or pin be introduced between the lobes, the same motions are excited. "When a seed is sown in a reversed position, the young root turns downward to enter the earth, and the stem bends upward into the air. Confine a young stem to an inclined position, and its extremity will soon assume its former perpendicular direction."

The roots of a tree growing on dry or barren ground, in the neighborhood of that which is moist or fertile, become larger, longer, and more full in that direction than in any other, as if extending themselves to obtain the nourishment which can there be afforded them. If we twist the branch of a tree, so that the under surface of the leaves shall come uppermost, they gradually turn upon their footstocks till the proper side is exposed to the rays of the sun. This they will do repeatedly, until they have become injured by the exertion; and if the leaf be confined, so that it cannot resume its natural position, its stalk will become twisted by the effort to accomplish it. The sunflower, the leaves of the mallow, and some other plants, generally turn their faces toward the sun. The tendrils of plants, the other hand, move toward the shade, in whatever direction it may be. In a greenhouse, if exposed to the morning light, they direct themselves toward the west, at noon to the north, and at night to the east. They are also attracted by opaque bodies.

"Instances of a similar nature are afforded by what has been denominated the sleep of plants. The leaves of many are folded together during the night, and droop as if dying. In some instances they are so arranged, when in this state, as to serve as a cover to the flowers or young fruit. The flowers of other plants follow the same law, and close at the approach of night, for the apparent object of shelter and protection. In many of these instances, the motions so nearly resemble those of some of the lower animals, that it is not easy to say wherein they differ in principle."—Pages 18-20.

Of some of the very low animals he says, "They have a head, but no proper brain. The nervous system consists of a knotted cord, differently developed in different cases. They have the senses of sight, touch, and taste, and many of them probably those of hearing and smelling, though their organs are not obvious."—Page 44.

"Animals of a higher grade are found with a less perfect and less innate knowledge, but with a power of acquiring knowledge, till we come to man, in whom no knowledge is possessed at birth, but a high capacity for its attainment."—Page 392.

"The higher animals, though they come into life with various instincts, and often with much of the knowledge that is necessary to carry them into active operation, are capable, by observation, experience, and reflection, not only of modifying and improving them, of carrying them out more perfectly as they grow older, but also of applying them to subjects which do not originally fall within their province. Indeed, especially under the influence of education, they may be made to undertake operations which are entirely out of the sphere of instinct."—Pages 394-5.

"In those animals in which instinct is not the sole principle of activity, intelligence enters in various degrees, partakes its dominion, and co-operates with it. Intelligence has no preconceived ideas, it is destitute of any original knowledge, but it acquires both ideas and knowledge. It thinks, reasons, judges; perceives the purpose for which it acts, and in this way renders the instinctive powers, with which it is associated, subservient to its ends; enlarges the sphere within which they operate, imparts to them new impulses, and suggests to them new motives for activity. Instinct, within the field which it embraces, is the most certain guide; but its original field is limited, and without the aid of intelligence it is incapable of extension. With this aid it may be modified and improved, and the modification and improvement may be transmitted in some degree to succeeding generations.

"We have the most complete specimen of what instinct alone can do in such insects as the ant, bee, wasp, and spider; and of what intelligence can do, in such animals as the horse, dog, beaver, and elephant, and, more than all, in man. Instinct probably predominates in all animals below man, and the presence of a true intelligence is not directly detected below the vertebral animals, except among the higher species of articulata and mollusca. Its influence becomes more marked as we ascend through fishes, reptiles, and birds, to the mammalia; but it is only among the most elevated of the last that it assumes an important rank as a directing power, and it is never a predominant one except in man. This statement will be sufficient to show what a variety in animal character the influence of these two principles mingled in different proportions must produce, and to show also how difficult in each instance it must be to determine from which of them any given line of conduct on the part of an animal proceeds."—Page 404.

"Man thus stands on an eminence high above all other animals; and yet, so far as we are able to analyze their character, their faculties are not specifically distinct from his, but appear to differ from them rather in degree than in kind. Animals exhibit the same sentiments, the same affections, the same emotions, the same passions, as man. Their lives are governed by certain motives, and are directed to certain objects in common with his."—Page 405.

"In its general plan, the course which creation has taken from its beginning appears to have been that of progressive improvement, bringing out in the first instance the humblest and simplest forms of life, and then gradually introducing in the midst of them those of a higher and more complex character."—Pages 407-8.

I believe that this author has candidly stated the truth in the preceding extracts. We simply have an ascending gradation in the different forms of matter,—mineral, vegetable, and animal, lower and higher.

Here I might give innumerable examples of clearly defined reason, intelligence, or mind, in the lower animals. But waiving all this, we will grant just what our opponents claim; namely, that the dumb beasts never reason nor think; that they are wholly guided by instinct. Instinct moves them to eat, to drink, to open their eyes, to listen with their ears, to smell, to feel, to flee from danger, and to do a thousand things which we observe daily. This is all done by instinct, and the beast is merely organized matter, nothing else. Now see what follows from this; namely, that the Creator has so vitalized, so organized this matter that it can feel and hear, can eat and drink, can rise up and lie down, can defend itself, can come at a call, or go at a command, work, build houses, and do a thousand things. Even Bishop Clark, writing against our position, makes the following wonderful admission:—

"In fact, surveying the whole ground, we can hardly wonder at the enthusiasm with which a modern writer, quoted by Mr. Brodie, kindles up: 'There is,' says he, 'hardly a mechanical pursuit in which insects do not excel. They are excellent weavers, house-builders, architects; they make diving bells, bore galleries, raise vaults, construct bridges; they line their houses with tapestry, clean them, ventilate them, and close them with admirably fitted swing-doors; they build and store warehouses, construct traps in the greatest variety, hunt skillfully, rob and plunder; they poison, saber, and strangle their enemies; they have social laws, a common language, division of labor, and gradations of rank; they maintain armies, go to war, send out scouts, appoint sentinels, carry off prisoners, keep slaves, and tend domestic animals. In short they are a miniature copy of man rather than of the inferior vertebrata.' This description is highly wrought, but not so highly but that its substantial basis in fact will be readily recognized."—Man All Immortal, p. 95.

Reader, all this is done by mere matter. So the Bishop argues; so our opponents believe. Now if the blessed God can vitalize and organize matter so as to do all these wonderful things, can he not just as easily go a little farther and organize matter so as to think, be intelligent, and reason? We believe the conclusion is legitimate, and that facts in connection with the human mind show it is the truth. God has organized a material brain which does think and reason.

D. M. CANRIGHT.

(To be Concluded.)

SUFFERINGS OF THE SAINTS.

By Mrs. L. D. A. Stuttle

THE heart of Saul, once full of pride And hatred 'gainst the church of God,— That tongue that did the saints deride, Now sounds the praise of Christ abroad. And far and near, men's hearts are stirred, As Saul of Tarsus speaks the word.

Converted to the truth of God, He stands a champion of the right, Amid the darksome maze profound, Like radiant star in gloom of night. While cruel priests in bitter strife, In vengeance seek to take his life.

And thus it was; and thus 'twill be, When for the truth men boldly stand. 'Twas thus when Luther's mighty voice Rang forth the Reformation grand. For rack, and fire, and dungeon then, Cut short the lives of holy men.

'Twas thus when Wakefield's voice and pen, Dispel'd the gloom of papal night. When Wesley with devoted zeal Brought hidden errors to the light, Death's broad highway the masses trod, And laughed to scorn the saints of God.

As it has been, 'twill ever be; Dread persecution, grief, and pain Shall be our lot, until he comes, Whose glorious "right it is to reign," When rest, sweet rest, with our dear Lord, Shall be our full and sure reward.

MRS. L. D. A. STUTTLE.

Can a Good Act Cover a Sin?

"SIN is the transgression of the law;" for, "where there is no law there is no transgression." Most of mankind admit that there is law, and that transgression of the law is sin; yet many attempt to cover transgression by good works, and claim that they can accomplish more good by violating certain laws, for in so doing they place themselves in a situation to do good, and so that they can make more money, and enable themselves to do more for the cause of God and his benevolent institutions. This argument is often used by persons brought up to know the law of God, and to observe his Sabbath. They acknowledge that there is no Sabbath mentioned in the Bible but the seventh day as a weekly rest; but they say, "as the majority of the world observe Sunday, it is quite inconvenient to do business. I think the Lord will not condemn me for that one act if I am benevolent in all other respects," and so decide to violate this one command and take their chances with the world on this one point. . .

Is not one command as binding as another? Did Christ admit of one jot or tittle to be taken from the law? Did he not obey the law of God himself, and command his children to keep his commandments as he had kept the commandments of his Father? Did he not say that he was Lord of the Sabbath day? and did he not observe it by meeting with the people on it? Did Christ ever give any license to do work but for charity and mercy on the Sabbath day? These are questions of fact, and men must answer and abide them. "God is not mocked." Christ says, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." But men say that others have "violated the law of God, and yet they have been prospered." Very true. God causes the "rain to fall upon the just and the unjust," and never compels men to obey his law; yet when we read the history of men and nations, we discover that God has suffered them to go off after idol gods, and while they seemed to prosper for a time, their departure from the true God has finally brought death and destruction upon them. God suffered the Israelites to break the law of the Sabbath, and to marry the heathen wives; but it only brought destruction to themselves, and a disgrace to the cause of God. While God allows men to transgress his law, he also allows leanness of soul and losses in this world to come upon the transgressor. . . . Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. Christ says, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." "That servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes." "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." Therefore, "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he is." "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."—Sabbath Recorder.

The Scarred Face.

By T. L. Cuyler, D. D.

WHEN I was crossing one of the mountains of California last summer in a stage coach, the driver said to me, "Pretty soon you will see 'Mountain Charley.' He is generally about the door of his cabin when the stage goes by."

In a few minutes we came to a small house in the forest, and in the door-yard stood a rough frontiersman, whose eyes and face were so disfigured that they presented a terrible appearance. Mountain Charley, (as the people call him,) had a fight with a grizzly bear many years ago. The poor man will carry the scars of that terrible fight to his dying day.

As I looked at the marks of the bear's claws on Mountain Charley's countenance, I thought how sin in the same manner leaves its scar upon a person's character. For example, a boy is detected in telling a lie. He is very sorry for it, and begs his parents to forgive him. He asks God to forgive him, too, but for a good while there is not the same confidence in that boy's word that there had been before. He still carries for some time the scar of that falsehood.

I knew a young man who, under strong temptation, helped himself to some of his employer's money. Bitterly he suffered for his sin against God's commandment. Probably he has never touched a single dime dishonestly since he repented of that first transgression, yet he brought on himself great shame and suffering. His character got an ugly scar which will require many years for him to outgrow.

Rev. Dr. M—— was an excellent and useful minister, but in his early life he had injured his health by habits of licentiousness. God's grace made Dr. M—— an instrument of great good to others, but it did not get the bad effects of early sin out of his bodily constitution. He carried the scar until the last day of his life.

These cases, and many more I might name, are warnings to the young. Sin is a ferocious "beast of prey." If sin does not destroy the character and the soul outright, it maims the transgressor, and leaves a terrible scar. King David was once tempted to sin, and fell. The 51st psalm shows the bruises of that fall. Joseph was also tempted. He stood true to conscience and to God, and we discover no scar of wrong-doing on his noble and beautiful character.—T. L. Cuyler, D. D., in Youth's Companion.

He should try to secure the best ends by the best means. He must keep on the lookout against obstacles and accidents, and watch that everything goes straight, else he must fail."

"Well."

"To be master of yourself you have your conscience to keep clear, your heart to cultivate, your temper to govern, your will to direct, and your judgment to instruct. You are master over a hard lot, and if you don't master them, they will master you."

"That is so," said the young man.

"Now, I could undertake no such thing," said his friend. "I should fail, sure, if I did. Saul wanted to be his own master, and failed. Herod did. Judas did. No man is fit for it. 'One is my Master, even Christ.' I work under his direction. He is regular, and where he is Master all goes right."

The Great Master.

"I am my own master!" cried a young man, proudly, when a friend tried to persuade him from an enterprise which he had on hand; "I am my own master!"

"Did you ever consider what a responsible post that is?" asked a friend.

"Responsible—is it?"

"A master must lay out the work which he wants done, and see that it is done right."

The Purcell Bankruptcy.

By Cal. Christian Advocate

THE Romish hierarchy, with Cardinal McCloskey at the head, have been setting in motion a scheme for paying something to the creditors of Archbishop Purcell of Cincinnati. And yet it is a pretense rather than a reality, since they cannot hope by private subscription to pay five per cent. on a debt of three million dollars. But it will impress the public somewhat and inspire the hearts of the poor depositors with hope, and so keep them quiet.

As the Purcells claim that every dollar of the money deposited with them was invested in building up Roman Catholicism in the Cincinnati diocese, the honest thing to do, would be to sell every dollar of church property in said diocese (if necessary) and make full restitution. To retain the property and leave the depositors unpaid is nothing less than swindling, for which the guilty party richly merits a cell in the State prison.

A man who will receive deposits and invest them in such a manner as to make payment impossible, is criminally careless, intentionally dishonest, or an imbecile! Had a Protestant dignitary of the church proved a defaulter in the sum of a single thousand, the case would have gone at once into the courts and the offender into prison, and his infamy would have been heralded to the ends of the earth.

But a Romish archbishop commands, possibly, a hundred thousand votes at the ballot box, hence the editors and politicians vouch for his purity, and pour out floods of sympathetic tears for him in his misfortunes! But who has sympathy for the swindled depositors?—Cal. Christian Advocate.

Value of Spare Minutes.

MADAME de Genlis composed several charming volumes while waiting in the school-room for the tardy princes to whom she gave daily lessons.

Dagnesseau, one of the chancellors of France, wrote an able and bulky work in the successive intervals of waiting for dinner.

Elihu Burritt, when earning his living as a blacksmith, learned eighteen languages and twenty-two dialects, by simply improving his "spare moments."

A celebrated physician in London translated Lucretius while riding in his carriage upon his daily rounds.

Dr. Darwin composed nearly all his works in the same way, writing down his thoughts in a memorandum book which he carried for the purpose.

Kirk White also learned Greek while walking to and fro from a lawyer's office.—Selected.

Instinct or Reason.

A SMALL English terrier belonging to a friend had been taught to ring for the servant. To test if the dog knew why it rang the bell, he was told to do so while the girl was in the room. The little fellow looked up in the most intelligent manner at the person giving the order (his master or mistress, I forget which), then at the servant, and refused to obey, although the order was repeated more than once. The servant left the room, and in a few moments afterwards the dog rang the bell immediately on being told to do so.

I give the following, as told by my wife, now dead, who personally witnessed the transaction on various occasions. At her sister's house in Kent, a donkey which, when not employed by the children grazed in the field with some cows, was in the regular habit of acting as follows: At the hour for the cows to come home to be milked, the donkey lifted the latch of the field gate, opened and held back the gate—which would otherwise swing closed again—till all the cows passed out, then allowed the gate to shut, and went home with the cows. Of course no one taught the donkey to do this, but the quadruped gave the biped a practical lesson.

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