MAGNIFICENT AURORA BOREALIS ENCOMPASSING THE WHOLE FIRMAMENT TO ITS FARTHEST BOUNDS.—1837
Page 1
Review and Herald
Jul 12, 1877
Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 12, 1877
MAGNIFICENT AURORA BOREALIS ENCOMPASSING THE WHOLE FIRMAMENT TO ITS FARTHEST BOUNDS.—1837.
A Vast Canopy of Gorgeous Crimson Flames Encircles the Earth—Arches of Resplendent Auroral Glories Span the Hemisphere—Innumerable Scarlet Columns of Dazzling Beauty Rise from the Horizon to the Zenith—The Face of Nature Everywhere Appears, to an Astonished World, as if Dyed in Blood—Uncommon Extent and Sublimity—Remarkable Duration and Aspects—Intensely Luminous Character—Universal Outburst of Luster—Preceded by a Fall of Snow—First Signs of the Phenomenon—Exquisite Rosy Illumination—The Snow Appears Deep Red—A Fiery Vermilion Tinge to Nature—Alarm Produced by the Scene—Great Moving Pillar of Light—Vivid Streamers in All Directions—Pure White and Brilliant Colors—Contrast of the Glowing Tints—Wide Fields of Rainbow Hues—Radiant Beauty Heaven-Wide—Superlative Pageant of Splendor—Perfection of the Stellar Form—Millions of Wondering Observers—Visible Nearly the Whole Night—Accounts from Different Points—Europe’s Share in the Display.
“—Depth, height, breadth,
Are lost in their extremes; and where to count
The thick-sown glories in these fields of fire,
Perhaps a seraph’s computation fails.”
Years of observation, covering many centuries, and embracing all zones and latitudes, give no record of any display of auroral glories equal, in sublimity, magnificence, and extent, to the aurora borealis of November 14, 1837. Of the various accounts of this phenomenon, as furnished by observers in different parts of the land, the following will suffice to show its marvelous beauty and grandeur,—remarkable for its amplitude, its duration, its intense luminosity, and the brilliancy of its colors. Scientific observations of the phenomenon were made by Professors Barnard, Herrick, Twining, Joslin, Silliman, Gibbs, Henry, Dewey, Redfield, and others, and these were republished in all parts of Europe, attracting universal attention.
The city of New Haven had been visited during the day of the fourteenth, with a moderate storm of snow, which began to subside between the hours of five and six in the evening. The heavens continued, however, to be more or less obscured by clouds during the entire evening; on which account, the splendors of the aurora, as they manifested themselves to observers more favorably situated, were here in a great degree concealed. The veil of snow-clouds, which, at sunset, and for some time afterward, covered the sky, was nevertheless exceedingly thin; and it was through this, and even through the falling snow itself, that the first visible indications of the presence of an aurora were discovered. Though the exact time at which the phenomenon commenced could not be known, it had doubtless been in progress for a while before the intensity of the light became sufficient to penetrate the screen. The first evidence of its existence consisted in a strong rosy illumination of the entire arch of the heavens.
Of this appearance, Professor Olmstead, then of New Haven, says: The snow, which at sunset had covered the earth and all things near it, with a mantle of the purest white, closed, early in the evening, with a most curious and beautiful pageant. About six o’clock, while the sky was yet thick with falling snow, all things suddenly appeared as if dyed in blood. The entire atmosphere, the surface of the earth, the trees, the tops of the houses, and, in short, the whole face of nature, were tinged with the same scarlet hue. The alarm of fire was given, and the vigilant firemen were seen parading the streets in their ghostly uniform, which, assuming the general tint, seemed in singular keeping with the phenomenon. The light was most intense in the north-west and north-east. At short intervals it alternately increased and diminished in brightness, until, at half-past six, only a slight tinge of red remained on the sky. On account of the18light being thus transmitted through the snowy medium and a thin veil of clouds, the aurora borealis was diffused like the light of the astral lamp, covered with a red shade of ground glass. That the stratum of clouds was very thin, was inferred from the fact, that, before half-past six, a few stars were discernible as when seen through a fog; and such was the appearance of the moon, which rose about the same time. Within ten minutes from the time the heavens began to assume their fiery appearance, the whole clouded hemisphere shone with that marvelously brilliant light, which, reflected in rosy tints by the snow on the ground, produced a scene indescribably gorgeous. To some observers, the auroral flush seemed to overspread all parts of the sky almost simultaneously.
East of New Haven, the storm was more protracted. At New London, the snow was falling copiously, and continued so, unabatedly, during the whole evening. But, notwithstanding the storm, the heavens seemed as if they were on fire,—a lurid light on all sides, from the zenith to the horizon, casting a most vulcanic hue on the fallen snow. The light seemed the same in every portion of the firmament, but without any apparent cause.
In the city of New York, the display, as witnessed from an eminence which commanded an unobstructed view of the horizon in every direction, was, in the latter part of the evening, magnificent beyond description. At about a quarter before six, the attention of observers was attracted by a most unusual appearance of the heavens. The sky was wholly overcast, as in New Haven at the same hour; though the cloud was not sufficiently dense absolutely to obscure all the stars, of which quite a number were seen from time to time, faintly glimmering through. At the time of the first observation, the whole heaven was suffused with a lovely carnation, brightest, apparently, at the commencement in the zenith, but soon afterward rather toward the north-east. This tint, reflected on the snow, clothed all nature with a red-tinted garniture, of supernal beauty. It gradually faded, though at the end of an hour it was still slightly perceptible. The sky then rapidly cleared, and all traces of the aurora passed away.
But at about half-past seven, the north and east being still overcast, and some stratified clouds extending themselves along the horizon around toward the west, a brightness began to appear in the north-west, which, in a very short time, extended itself upward forty-five degrees, in a column of diffused light, quite broad at the base, and tapering to a point. This column moved very slowly southward, and at length became divided into two of similar character. But in the meantime, in all the north, and especially in the north-west, numerous streamers began to make their appearance. They became faintly red at the height of about thirty degrees, and the redness of the whole blended itself into one general cloud, while the columns continued distinct and white below. The changes were rapid, but the red tint covered the heavens nearly to the zenith for a long time. The moon, emerging from the clouds, a little before eight, detracted from the brightness of the display. The whole subsided, or nearly so, shortly after eight, and observations were discontinued.
A few minutes before nine, however, the community was summoned to witness a new exhibition of auroral wonders, the lustrous grandeur of which no tongue could tell, nor pen portray. The heavens were at this time wholly unclouded, with the exception of a single very small and faint cirrus high in the north-west. Innumerable bright arches shot up from the whole northern semicircle of the horizon, and from even farther south, all converging to the zenith with great rapidity. Their upper extremities were of the most brilliant scarlet, while below they were exceedingly white. At the formation of the corona, the appearance of the columns below, which were very numerous and bright, resembled that of bright cotton of long fiber, drawn out at full length. The intermingled hues afforded each other a mutual strong relief, and exhibited the most dazzling contrasts ever beheld. The stellar form was wonderfully perfect and regular. Toward the west, there was a sector of more than twenty degrees of unmingled scarlet, superlatively beautiful.
The duration of this display was quite remarkable. For three-quarters of an hour after its formation, which took place about nine o’clock, the corona continued, with variable brightness, to maintain its position a little to the south of the zenith. At about half-past nine, the northern columns had become disconnected from it, and had subsided very low, the heavens being clear between. But long before this, and, indeed, within a few minutes after nine, the south was as completely filled with corresponding columns as the north.
For a time, therefore, the earth was completely overarched by a perfect canopy of glory. The southern columns, which seemed to proceed downward from the corona, rested on an arch of diffused light, extending in a great circle from east to west, or nearly so, and being about twenty degrees, or a little more, above the horizon, in the center. All below the arch was of the strange darkness so usual at such times in the north. The southern columns were at no time so bright as the northern, but they maintained their position, after these last had retired,—extending still from the corona to the arch which formed their base. The appearance was at this time that of an aurora australis, and this continued for more than a quarter of an hour. Streamers, for a while, continued to shoot up irregularly in the north, but they did not again reach the zenith. By half-past ten, all evidence of the phenomenon had disappeared from the heavens, and the hosts of charmed observers reluctantly abandoned their watch.
In the western part of New York State, the exhibition was most superb, as seen and described at various points of observation. In Buffalo and neighborhood, the aurora was perceived at its first approach. At about a quarter-past five o’clock, the heavens being clear in the north and for fifty degrees both east and west of that point, an unusual ruddy appearance was noticed. This soon faded, leaving barely a perceptible tinge; and instantly, when nearly all color had disappeared elsewhere, a space of some fifteen degrees in diameter, immediately west of Cassiopeia and Andromeda, and north of Pegasus, was lighted up with red, of a particularly deep hue. This was entirely disconnected, on every side, from any auroral light or appearance whatever, and, from its center, pencils of white radiated to the periphery on every side.
After this appearance had continued some five minutes, the white lines disappeared, and the whole space in question assumed a uniform red color, which was almost instantly thereafter extended, in an arch of the same width, through the zenith, and down to the horizon about sixty degrees west of north. On the east, this light did not extend itself; and, during the whole time, the clear space existing in the north retained its usual color and appearance. Deep red streams, penciled with white, then began to appear and fade in the north, but without the tremulous motion of “merry dancers.” Those in the north-east maintained their brightness longest.
At about fifteen minutes before six o’clock, the clouds had become more dense and dark, though still in detached masses, particularly throughout that portion of the heavens which had been occupied by the red arch above mentioned, and these isolated clouds now assumed an appearance at once novel and striking. Those west of the zenith, and lying within the track of the crimson arch already described, suddenly exhibited the most vivid red along their entire southern borders; while the like clouds east of the zenith, and following the same track, and prolonging it quite down to the eastern horizon, assumed the same vivid color upon their northern borders; no other portion, however, of these clouds, exhibited any of the characteristics of auroral light. South of this line, there was at no time any auroral light whatever; and at the moment in question, there was very little in any other parts of the heavens, save on the borders of these clouds. At nine minutes before six, the red edgings of these clouds began to fade, and immediately a wide space in the north-east, that was still free from clouds, was most brilliantly lighted up. The color was of the same deep red, but it did not extend down to the horizon; and this had scarcely continued four minutes, when the whole region north of the zenith, to within about eight degrees of the horizon, was again reddened and glowing—while, beyond these limits, either north or south, no vestige of the aurora was visible. Just two minutes before six, the moon appeared above the horizon, and as it was only two days past the full, its beams soon surpassed in brightness those of the aurora.
In Hudson, Ohio, at the Western Reserve College, some of the earlier displays of the phenomenon were noticed by Professor Loomis. This was some five minutes after six, when he observed that a small pile of light, of a reddish hue, lay upon the horizon, in a direction a little north of north-west, and a similar pile in the east of north-east. Between these there was a low faint cloud, bounded by a somewhat ill-defined arch, rising in its center about ten degrees from the horizon. Above this arch, a diffused light streamed upward toward the zenith, in one or two places, being somewhat more condensed, forming beams. This light increased rapidly in brightness; it became of a more decided crimson color, extended up to the zenith, and, at the same time, light began to shoot up from several points in the east, and somewhat south of east. At a quarter-past six, meantime, a pretty regular arch was formed, extending from the above-mentioned pile of light in the north-west. This arch was rather irregular in its outline, and had a slightly crimson color. In about five minutes, another arch of white light partially formed in the southern sky, and had nearly the same direction with the preceding; but this arch was never complete, and soon vanished entirely. The great arch, however, before described, brightened up again in very nearly the same position as previously. About half-past eight, light of a crimson color was observed to shoot from the eastern horizon toward and beyond the zenith, nearly in the position of the former arch. The heavens were now nearly covered with thin cirro-cumulus clouds, and the contrast of the ordinary clouds with this crimson auroral light, produced a very singular effect. The sky remained cloudy during the night.
Strange though it may appear, this beautiful and magnificent phenomenon was visible during nearly the whole night in the neighborhood of St. Louis, Mo., and was particularly brilliant between the hours of twelve and one, when the moon was near its zenith. Time in St. Louis being rather more than one hour earlier than in New York, this midnight display was contemporaneous with the latest return of the aurora in the longitude of New York; but this, which was the least energetic in the latter, appears there to have been the most remarkable.
The commencement of the phenomenon in Philadelphia was similar to that observed at New York. At a later period, the lights were again visible, and, between nine and ten o’clock, exceeded, in extent and brilliancy, anything of the kind ever before witnessed in that region. A broad field of crimson flame, stretching from nearly a western course, and reaching the eastern hemisphere, encompassed the heavens with a brilliant glory, of indescribable beauty and magnificence, hanging, as it were, suspended from the blue vault above, like an immense curtain over the earth—while, from almost every point of the compass, shot up rays of rich and gorgeous light, spreading and intermingling with a wavy, tremulous motion, and exhibiting every hue of the clearest rainbow. The richness, variety, and delicacy of the colors, were surprisingly beautiful, as was their prismatic brilliancy. The sky itself was remarkably clear and cloudless—and through the celestial phenomena, a full moon and innumerable stars were, all the while, distinctly visible.
In Maryland, according to the observations made at Emmettsburg, the first indication of the aurora’s approach was given as soon as it became dark, by the singular redness of the cumulo-stratus clouds, now entirely covering the sky. Those in the north, south, east and west, all partook of the redness, the reflection from them being strong enough to give a red tinge to the snow. The heaviest clouds retained their dark color in the center, but they were bordered with red. During the hour in which this state of things existed, there were no streamers, streaks of light, nor merry dancers. Indeed, where the sky could be seen between the clouds, there were no signs of an aurora, but rather a deep green sky. By seven, the moon being risen, and the clouds having vanished, nothing remained to show that there had been any unusual occurrence. A little after nine, however, the sky being perfectly clear, an aurora suddenly sprang up, which, for magnificence, surpassed anything of the kind ever before witnessed in that section. The streamers from the east, west, and north, converged a few degrees north of the zenith, forming a beautiful auroral crown, red as scarlet, but intermingled with streaks of pale light. There were no merry dancers, but all the other appearances usually witnessed on such occasions were noticed. In little more than half an hour, the grand display was over, for the most part.
Observers at Annapolis, Md., describe the aurora there as coming on in waves, at about a quarter before six, and returning at seven, at eight, and at nine. The first arch was formed suddenly, and became vertical in a very few minutes, from the first appearance of the columns at the north-west and south-east. It was crimson, traversed by white pencils. The color of the light at eight o’clock was not red, but dusky, and formed from the north-west point to the pole star, a broad column, which kept its position for half an hour. A succession of fine cirrus clouds floated off from the lower parts of the column to the south. At nine o’clock, the recurrence of the crimson light was more in patches, and of intense brightness, accompanied by cirro-cumulus clouds, which were formed suddenly over the whole sky, and were borne swiftly to the east by the wind.
Near Alexandria, Va., the early display, as seen from east south-east to west south-west, exhibited a rich orange red color, extending even to the zenith, and covering all the heavens north of these points. The return occurred toward nine o’clock, in a brilliant and fiery form.
The appearance of the aurora in South Carolina commenced about six o’clock, in the shape of a bank or store-house of auroral vapor toward the north. When first observed, a space of about fifteen degrees above the horizon was strongly marked by a pale white light, above which the crimson hue peculiar to this phenomenon began to be distinctly visible. At this time, the greatest degree of brightness was to the east of north, assuming no very definite form, but extending about eight or ten degrees east, and reaching in height to the constellation of Cassiopeia’s chair, the lower portion of which was enveloped in its reddening glow. The action then subsided; but at about eight o’clock, another bright crimson column ascended due north, attaining an altitude some degrees greater than that of the polar star, and maintaining its place about half an hour. After this had faded away, no return was observed until half-past nine, when there was perceived another broad arch of crimson light, ascending several degrees to the west of north.
In certain sections of Georgia, the phenomenon commenced a little after dark. The sky a little to the north of the star Capella, began to appear luminous, and a luminous arch was soon formed, of about six or eight degrees in breadth, and extending over to the north-western horizon, having the pole star in its highest point. Soon after the arch was formed, that part of it in the north-eastern horizon became much brighter, and somewhat broader than the rest, and this luminous portion gradually rose, and passed on in the arch, its densest part culminating a little below the north star. It continued its motion to the western horizon.
An hour and a half was occupied by the passage of the luminous part of the arch just described. It became somewhat fainter after it had passed the meridian, and it was gradually lost to sight, beginning first to disappear in the east, so that not a vestige remained at nine o’clock, three hours from its first appearance. The color of the arch was that of light scarlet, the most luminous part being a little darker, and much more intense. Its form was that of a semicircle, having for its base about sixty degrees of the horizon. It differed from the aurora in its regular outline, as well as its regular motion from east to west, and was witnessed with admiration and astonishment.
So extensive was this magnificent celestial phenomenon, that it exhibited its wonderful splendors, contemporaneously, to the inhabitants of Europe and America, though the presence of clouds greatly interfered with the attractiveness and grandeur of the exhibition in the former. At half-past twelve, however, says one of the observers in England, a patch of the most intense, blood-red colors ever seen was visible, free from the interposition of clouds. The whole of the sky had an awful appearance; for the tinge of red which pervaded the whole expanse, assumed, in many points, from the depth of colors above, and the density of the clouds below, the dark copper tint which is seen on the disk of the moon during a lunar eclipse. It was such a sight as fills the mind with wonder and awe; and, in America at least, was the most marvelous of the kind ever known; though that of August and September, 1859, proved but little inferior in some respects.19In Northern Europe, this phenomenon is quite frequent, and Mr. Bayard Taylor describes one of rare beauty which he there witnessed.—Our First Century.
THE SABBATH.
The following is a synopsis of a sermon delivered by Eld. I. Sanborn on the camp-ground at Portage, Wis., Sunday, June 17, and published in the Chicago Times of the 18th:—
TEXT: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27.
These are the words of Jesus, the Son of God, who spake as never man spake. The Father recognizes his right to teach in these words: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him.” A prophet long before spoke of him in this language, “A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, . . . him shall ye hear in all things.” Jesus came in fulfillment of this, and we hear him say, “If a man love me, he will keep my words, and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.” Thus we see Christ came not as a lawgiver, but as a teacher of his Father’s law.
His words come to us clothed with great authority. He was the divine Son of God and commissioned by his Father to teach to fallen man the principles of a holy life. The prophet Isaiah in foretelling his work said that he should magnify the law and make it honorable. And in his inaugural address, delivered on the mount, while stating the principles of his government, he gives his policy in regard to the law of God—the ten commandments. He says, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” And then he makes its observance honorable by adding, “Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.” Thus we see that to break the law is dishonorable, but to keep it is honorable in the sight of Heaven.
He then proceeded to magnify the law; that is, to elucidate its principles and show their application. He took up the smallest, the sixth, which says, “Thou shalt not kill.” Short in its construction and narrowed down by Jewish tradition to a simple restraint from the overt act of shedding blood, this appeared to be a small commandment; but, according to the words of the Saviour, it extends until it reaches the thoughts and intents of the heart. “But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”
Other principles of the same law were magnified in the same manner, showing that their holy precepts have a spiritual application and take cognizance of the inmost secrets of our minds, and seek to bring all into subjection to his law. In another place, Jesus says, “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than one tittle of the law to fail.”
Thus he established the immutability of the law, in the bosom of which we find the Sabbath precept.
But it is not our design to controvert to-day the position taken by many that the Sabbath was among the Jewish festivals and abrogated with them. I am speaking rather to those Christians who acknowledge the institution of the Sabbath and cherish its sacred influence.
But we wish to call in question the practice of the great mass of Christendom in treading under foot the day which God set apart at the beginning, and in its stead observing the first day of the week. First, we ask, What is the reason which gave rise to the institution? and the only answer which Inspiration gives is that it was to be a memorial of the work of creation, a recognition of the fact that God is a great Creator. The reason that it was fixed by the Lord upon a certain day of the week, the seventh, is because God himself rested upon this day; and not only that, but he also blessed and sanctified it or set it apart for a sacred use. We inquire, Is that reason good now? Yes. Is it still a fact that God wrought six days, and, after resting upon the seventh day, blessed and hallowed it? Certainly. Then we ask, Can the purpose of God in giving the Sabbath be answered by the observance of any other day than the seventh? And to this we say emphatically, No.
The position so often taken that the Sabbath was changed by the Saviour and the apostles is utterly without foundation in the word of God. We challenge the world to show a single instance in which Christ or one of his apostles rested upon the first day of the week or told any one to do so. There is no scriptural authority for such a change. The example of Christ and the apostles is in favor of the Sabbath of the Lord, which was at that time observed by the people of God.
We read of the women at the sepulcher that they, on the preparation day, prepared spices and ointments, and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment. Then early upon the first day of the week they proceeded to a work which they would not perform upon the Sabbath. The gospel by St. John is said to have been written A.D. 98, and in this book the two days are respectively called the “Sabbath” and “first day of the week.” Here the Bible leaves us with a universal testimony in favor of the Sabbath of creation. And looking down the pages of history to A.D. 321, we find an edict issued by Constantine in favor of the observance of the “venerable day of the sun,” recommending that the townspeople rest on that day which from remote ages had by heathen worshipers been held sacred to that luminary. There are faint traces of its observance as a feast day before this time during the third century, but this is the first authority which can be produced for its observance. After this, however, as heathenism and Christianity approached each other, a strong antipathy to the Jews sprang up, and the result was the gradual adoption of the observance of Sunday and a corresponding relaxation of the claims of the Sabbath.
From the catechism of the papal church we make the following extracts:—
“Q. What warrant have you for keeping the Sunday preferable to the ancient Sabbath, which was Saturday? A. We have for it the authority of the Catholic Church and apostolic tradition.”
“Q. Does the Scripture anywhere command the Sunday to be kept for the Sabbath? A. It commands us to hear the church, but the Scripture does not in particular mention this change of the Sabbath.”
This in few words expresses the matter. The papist, believing as he does in the right of the church to change the Sabbath, is more consistent than others who deny this right.
We recommend the subject as one well worthy of consideration, for it is not a slight thing to disregard any precept of the Almighty God.
THY KINGDOM COME.
By Jean Ingelow
I heard a seer cry, “The wilderness,
The solitary place,
Shall be glad for him; and he shall bless,
When he doth come, with his revealed face
The forests; they shall drop their precious gum,
And shed for him their balm, and he shall yield
The grandeur of his speech to charm the field.
“Then all the soothed winds shall drop to listen,
(Thy kingdom come);
Comforted waters waxen calm shall glisten
With bashful tremblement beneath his smile;
And Echo ever the while
Shall take, and in her awful joy, repeat,
The laughter of his lips—(thy kingdom come):
And hills that sit apart shall be no longer dumb;
No; they shall shout and shout,
Raining their lovely loyalty along the dewy plain,
And valleys round about;
“And all the well-contented land, made sweet
With flowers she opened at his feet,
Shall answer; shout, and make the welkin ring,
And tell it to the stars; shout, shout, and sing,
Her cup being full to the brim,
Her poverty made rich with him,
Her yearning satisfied to its utmost sum;—
Lift up thy voice, O Earth, prepare thy song,
It shall not yet be long;
Lift up, O Earth, for he shall come again,
Thy Lord; and he shall reign, and he shall reign—
Thy kingdom come.”
—Jean Ingelow.
TWELVE-INCH RIFLE GUN.
By Wm. H. Mills
The New York Herald, of June 2, 1877, thus speaks of this large gun, the first of the kind ever made for the United States:—
“The weight of this piece of ordnance when finished will be about 90,000 pounds, and it will carry a projectile weighing about 700 pounds. The ordinary charge of powder in firing it will be from 110 to 140 pounds, with which the projectile will pierce a solid mass of iron from twelve to fifteen inches thick at a distance of 1000 yards.
“The gun will be made of cast iron, lined with a wrought-iron cored tube, and when finished will be sent to the proving ground at Sandy Hook to be tested, and if found to be satisfactory will be mounted in one of the fortifications in New York harbor. General Benet, Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance, Colonel Brisbin, the Ordnance Constructor, and other prominent ordnance officers will witness the casting on Wednesday.
“This gun will be made on a system which has been thoroughly tested in this country on guns of smaller calibre, which have been found to equal any guns made abroad. The work upon it was commenced nearly a year ago, and the greatest care has been taken to select proper metal to be used in its construction.”
The same paper of a later date says that this gun was successfully cast at the South Boston Foundry, May 30, and the week following it was to be taken from the pit in which it was cooled to the lathe. “The wrought-iron tube for this gun is now on its way from England, and it is expected that the gun will be finished early in August. It will then be sent to the proving ground at Sandy Hook to be tested. Five hundred rounds will be fired from it to test its merits.”
If the time is ever coming when swords and spears will be turned into plowshares and pruning-hooks, and nations shall learn war no more, it seems like a great waste of time, money, and ingenuity, to spend them in bringing weapons of warfare to such perfection. Wm. H. MILLS.
A SKIRMISH WITH A PRESBYTERIAN.
By Chas. B. Reynolds
The Sunday preceding our arrival at Rutledge, where we are now laboring, Eld. Olds, Presbyterian, preached against the Sabbath in general and us in particular, giving the usual seven reasons for Sunday-keeping, and forbidding any of his congregation coming to the tent. His chief argument for Sunday-keeping was on the Greek of Matt. 28: 1, eis mian sabbaton. Having created an impression that he is a profound scholar, his very positive and repeated assertion that here the old Sabbaths ended and the new series of first-day Sabbaths began, deceived quite a number. On learning this we procured two yards of black cambric, to be used as a black-board, and printed with a chalk crayon a brief criticism on the text, and kept it facing the congregation. This forced him to confess his error. We then wiped out the authorities we had quoted to sustain our criticism, and in their place printed his admission, that he was led into the error by the Rev. Byron Sunderland; and we propose to keep it before the people.
The way was thus opened for us, and so on our very first Sunday here we presented the Sabbath question. In the morning we spoke on the Law and the Sabbath. In the afternoon, Eld. Olds, contrary to his own advice to others, was present. We spoke on “Sunday” and took occasion to review him. We then offered him the use of our tent any time except Sunday to present his evidence for the observance of Sunday as the Sabbath. There was a large attendance at each meeting. Eld. Olds waited on us to obtain the use of the tent for Sunday afternoon. It was unfairly taxing our generosity; but we granted his request, and took every pains thoroughly to advertise him. Our attendance and interest during the whole week were excellent.
Sunday afternoon, June 24, at 2 P. M., Eld. Olds was on hand, and so were the people. They came from every village for ten miles around. There were between six and seven hundred attentive listeners. Eld. Olds angrily pointed to our sign, admitted he was in error, but declared he knew quite as well as we did that mian was a feminine adjective, and could not agree with sabbaton, a neuter noun; but he got it from a work recently published by Rev. Byron Sunderland. He denounced us most fiercely for trying to make people believe, because he had said what he had about Matt. 28: 1, that he was not a Greek scholar.
He admitted John 20: 19 was not evidence for Sunday-keeping, and declared the passage could not be tortured into conveying any such idea as that the apostles were at that time assembled to keep the first day of the week as the Sabbath. No one had ever claimed this, no one could believe it, and we knew it, etc. Then he claimed that in John 20: 26, the expression “after eight days,” did mean Sunday, because the Jews counted parts of days for whole days. He denied that it was on the first day that Jesus met with his disciples when they were fishing, and then declared that Jesus met with his disciples eleven times between his resurrection and his ascension, always—every time—on the first day of the week. He gave the “seven reasons,” and then fell back on the testimony of the fathers, positively denying there was any passage in Barnabas relating to the hyena changing its kind, and wound up with scurrilous personalities and denunciations, terminating with the declaration that we were “sheep in wolves’ clothing.”
We had good liberty in replying to him. As the result a number decided to keep the Sabbath. CHAS. B. REYNOLDS.
LOVE
By Eliza H. Morton
LIFE without love is like a garden without flowers, it lacks all that is beautiful and fair. Affection is early manifested by the child, and may be cultivated to an indefinite extent.
Parents, you do wrong when you check the loving caresses of your children. Dry up the fountain of love in their hearts, and you cast them upon the great sea of human life without an anchor. Cherish that love, and it may prove a mighty anchor, holding them from ruin. One writer says, “A father had better extinguish a boy’s eyes than take away his heart.” If this is true of children, it is also true in regard to older people. Our life should be a constant growth in love. Those who have been thus favored, know how pleasant it is to have true and tried friends; and under the influence of that love their hearts grow lighter and their lives more unselfish day by day.
There are kindred souls on this earth; and friendships are often formed that are lifelong. This congeniality—of mind and sympathy of heart all do not find in earthly friends. This world is full of deceit and wickedness, and friends often prove untrue; but this fact ought not to cause us to lose faith in human nature. There are many true and noble hearts in the world, and those who have faithful and tried friends should cherish their friendship and love, and by an interchange of thought and sympathy seek to draw out the sweetest and most perfect harmonies of the soul.
There is no joy so great as that which springs from a loving heart. Eternal joy will be eternal love, and will be ours when
“Our souls are lost in love
In a brighter, brighter world above.”