" Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Rev. 22 :12. 
VOLUME 9. �
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, FIFTH—DAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1883. �
NUMBER 45. 
4 
S. D. A. MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 
(For Terms, etc., See Last Page.) 
Entered at the Post-Office in Oakland. CaL 
NEARER. 
 
" NFA:IER my God, to thee, 
Nearer to thee; 
E'en though it be a cross 
That raiseth me." 
What solemn words to utter! 
What a prayer of trust, as well! 
What reaching toward the mountain 
Where holiness doth dwell! 
What yielding all to the Father, 
Believing he knoweth best! 
What cup, be it joy or sorrow, 
Must to our lips be pressed! 
And oh, when the clouds drift over, 
And places grow strangely steep, 
To feel we are getting nearer, 
And to trust instead of weep! 
How many can sing in gladness, 
When all their sky is fair! 
But the mind that was in Jesus 
Alone can pray this prayer: 
Nearer, nearer, my God, to thee. 
Who would carelessly sing ? 
Nearer to God is blessedness 
Which only trust can bring. 
How oft 'tis the cross that raiseth 
The soul most near to God! 
How oft is the face most lifted 
Beneath the chastening rod! 
Nearer, yes, we shall get nearer, 
Who to the King belong; 
Prayers are the steps that shall reach him, 
Be they speech or silence or song: 
Blessed each day to be nearer, 
And every night more near; 
And every thought grow sweeter 
And plainer, his voice to hear. 
"Nearer, my God, to thee, 
Nearer to thee; 
E'en though it be a CMS 
That raiseth me." 
—May E. Warren. 
tntralrtitin, 
Nehemiah Desires to Restore Jerusalem. 
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE. 
NEHEMIAH, the Hebrew exile, occupied a posi-
tion of influence and honor in the Persian Court. 
As cup-bearer of the king, he was familiarly ad-
mitted to the royal presence, and by virtue of 
this intimacy, and his own high abilities and tried 
fidelity, he became the monarch's counselor. Yet 
in that heathen land, surrounded by royal pomp 
and splendor, he did not forget the God of his 
fathers or the people who had been intrusted with 
the holy oracles. With deepest interest, his heart 
turned toward Jerusalem, and his hopes and joys 
were bound up with her prosperity. 
Days of peculiar trial and affliction bad come 
to the chosen city. Messengers from Judah de-
scribed to Nehemiah its condition. The second 
temple had been reared, and portions of the city 
rebuilt ; but its prosperity was impeded, the tem-
ple services disturbed, and the people kept in con-
stant alarm, by the fact that its walls were still 
in ruins, and its gates burned with fire. The 
capital of Judah was fast becoming a desolate 
place, and the few inhabitants remaining were 
daily embittered by the taunts of their idolatrous 
assailants, " Where is your God ?" The soul of 
the Hebrew patriot was overwhelmed by these 
evil tidings. So great was his sorrow, that he 
could not eat or drink; he " wept and mourned 
certain days, and fasted." But when the first 
outburst of his grief was over, he turned in his 
affliction to the sure Helper. " I prayed," says 
he, " before the God of Heaven." He knew that 
all this ruin had come because of the transgres-
sions of Israel ; and in deep humiliation he came 
before God for pardon of sin and a renewal of 
the divine favor. He addressed his petitions to 
the God of Heaven, " the great and terrible God;" 
for such the Lord had shown himself to be in the 
fearful judgments brought upon Israel. But with 
a gleam of hope, Nehemiah continues, " that keep-
eth covenant and mercy with them that love him 
and observe his commandments." For repentant 
arid believing Israel there was still mercy. 
Faithfully the man of God makes confession of 
his sins and the sins of his people : " Let thine 
ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that 
thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, 
which I pray before thee now, day and night, for 
the children of Israel thy servants, and confess 
the sins of the children of Israel, which we have 
sinned against thee; both I and my father's house 
have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly 
against thee, and have not kept the command-
ments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which 
thou commandedst thy servant Moses." �
• 
And now, taking fast hold, by faith, of the di-
vine. promise, Nehemiah lays down at the foot-
stool of heavenly mercy his petition that God 
would maintain the cause of his now penitent 
people, restore their strength, and build up their 
waste places. God had been faithful to his threat-
enings when his people separated from him ; he 
had scattered them abroad among the nations, 
according to his word. And Nehemiah finds in 
this very fact an assurance that he will be equally 
faithful to fulfill his promises. His people had 
now returned in penitence and faith to keep his 
commandments ; and God himself had said that 
.if they would do this, even though they were 
,cast out into the uttermost part of the earth, he 
would gather them thence, and would cause the 
light of his countenance again to shine upon them. 
This promise had been given more than a thou-
sand years before ; but it stood unchanged through 
all the centuries. God's word cannot fail. 
Nehemiah's faith and courage strengthen as he 
grasps the promise. His mouth is filled with 
holy arguments. He points to the dishonor that 
would be cast upon God, were his people, now 
that they have returned to him, to be left in their 
state of weakness and oppression. 
Nehemiah had often poured out his soul thus 
before God in behalf of his people. Day and 
night had he offered this prayer. And as he 
prayed, a holy purpose had been forming in his 
mind, that if he could obtain the consent of the 
king, and the necessary aid in procuring imple-
ments and material, he would himself undertake 
the arduous task of rebuilding the ruined walls 
of Jerusalem, and seeking to restore the national 
strength. And now in closing his prayer he en-
treats the Lord to grant him favor in the sight of 
the king, that this cherished plan may be carried 
out. 
Four, months he was compelled to wait for a 
favorable opportunity to present his request to 
the king. During this period, while his heart 
was oppressed with grief, he constantly endeav-
ored to carry a cheerful and happy countenance. 
In his seasons of retirement, many were the pray-
ers, the penitential confessions, and the tears of 
anguish, witnessed by God and angels ; but all 
this was concealed from human sight. The reg-
ulations of Eastern courts forbade any manifesta-
tion of sorrow within them. All must appear gay 
and happy in those halls of luxury and splendor. 
The distress without was not to cast its shadow 
in the presence of royalty. 
But at last the sorrow that burdened Nehe-
miah's heart could no longer be concealed. Sleep-
less nights devoted to earnest prayer,.care-filled 
days, dark with the shadow of hope deferred, 
leave their trace upon his countenance. The 
keen eye of the monarch, jealous to guard his 
own safety, is accustomed to read countenances 
and to penetrate disguises. Seeing that some 
secret trouble is preying upon his servant, he 
suddenly inquires, " Why is thy countenance sad, 
seeing thou art not sick ? this is nothing else but 
sorrow of heart." 
This question fills the listener with apprehen-
sion. Will not the king be angry to hear that 
while outwardly engaged in his service, the 
courtier's thoughts have been far away with 
his afflicted people ? Will not the offender's life 
be forfeited ? And his cherished plan for restor-
ing the strength of Jerusalem—is it not about to, 
 
be overthrown ? " Then," he says, " I was very 
sore afraid." With trembling lips and tearful 
eyes he reveals the cause of his sorrow,—the 
city, which is the place of his father's sepulcher, 
lying waste, and its gates consumed with fire. 
The touching recital awakens the sympathy of 
the monarch without arousing his idolatrous prej-
udices; another question gives the opportunity 
which Nehemiah has long sought: " For what 
dost thou make request ? " But the man of God 
does not reply until he has first asked the sup-
port of One higher than Artaxerxes. " I prayed," 
he says, " to the God of Heaven.'.' 
A precious lesson is this for all Christians. 
Whenever we are brought into positions of diffi-
culty or danger, even when surrounded by those 
who love and fear not God, the heart may send 
up its cry for help, and there is One who has 
promised that he will come to our aid. This is 
the kind of prayer that Christ meant when he 
said, "Pray without ceasing." We are not to 
make ejaculatory prayer a substitute for public 
or family worship, or for secret devotion; but it is 
a blessed resource, at our command under circum-
stances when other forms of prayer may be im-
possible. Toilers in the busy marts of trade, 
crowded and almost overwhelmed with financial 
perplexities, travelers by sea and land, when 
threatened by some great danger, can thus com-
mit themselves to divine guidance and protection. 
And in every circumstance and condition of life, 
the soul weighed down with grief or care, or as-
sailed by temptation, may thus find comfort, sup-
port, and succor in the unfailing love and power 
of a covenant-keeping God. 
Nehemiah and Artaxerxes stand face to face,—
the one a servant, of a down-trodden race, the 
other the monarch of the world's great empire. 
But infinitely greater than the disparity of rank 
is the moral distance which separates them. 
Nehemiah has complied with the invitation of the 
King of kings, " Let him take hold of my 
strength, that he may make peace with me, and 
he shall make peace with me. He has enlisted 
in his behalf a power in whose hand is the heart 
of kings, even as the rivers of water, and who 
" turneth, it whithersoever he will." The silent 
petition sent up to Heaven was the.same that he 
had offered for many weeks, that God would pros-
per his request. And now taking courage at the 
thought that he has a Friend, omniscient and all-
powerful, to work in his behalf, the man of God 
calmly makes known to the king his desire to be 
released for a time from his office at the court, 
and be authorized to build up the waste places of 
Jerusalem, and to make it once more a strong 
and defenced city. Momentous results to the 
Jewish city and nation hung upon this request. 
And, says, Nehemiah, " the king granted me ac-
cording to the good hand of my God upon me." 
While Nehemiah implored the help of God, he 
did not fold his own hand., feeling that he had 
no more care or responsibility in the matter. 
Ely *z n5 ,of the 
PUBLISHED WEEKLY, FOR THE 
530 �
TI-IE SIGNS OF �TIMES. �
VoL. 9, No. 45. 
With admirable prudence and, forethought he 
proceeded to make all the arrangements necessary 
to ensure the success of the enterprise'. Every 
mo'vement was marked 'with great caution. He 
did not reveal his purpose even to his own country-
men; for while they would rejoice in his success, 
he feared that they might, by some indiscretion, 
greatly hinder his work. Some would be likely 
to manifest a spirit of exultation which would 
rouse the jealousy of their enemies, and perhaps 
cause the defeat of the undertaking. 
As his request to the king had been so favor-
ably received, he was encouraged to ask for such 
assistance as was necessary to carry out his plans. 
To give dignity and authority to his mission, as 
well as to provide for protection on the journey, 
he secured a military escort. He obtained royal 
letters to the governors of the provinces beyond 
the Euphrates, the territory through which he 
must pass on his way to Judea; and he obtained, 
also, a letter to the keeper of the king's forest 
in the mountains of Lebanon, directing him to 
furnish such timber as was needed for the wall 
of Jerusalem and such buildings as Nehemiah 
proposed to erect. Nehemiah is careful to have 
the authority and privileges accorded him clearly 
defined, that there may be no room for complaint 
that he has exceeded his commission. 
The example of this holy man should be a les-
son to all the people of God, that they are not 
only to pray in faith, but to work with diligence 
and fidelity. How many difficulties we encounter, 
and how we hinder the working of Providence on 
our behalf, because prudence, forethought, and 
painstaking are regarded as having little to do 
with religion. This is a grave, mistake. It is a 
religious duty to cultivate and to exercise every 
power which will render us more efficient workers 
in the cause of God. Careful consideration and 
well-matured plans are as essential to the success 
of sacred enterprise to-day as in the time of Ne-
hemiah. If all who are engaged in the work of 
God would realize how much depends upon their 
fidelity and wise forethought, we would sde far 
greater prosperity attend their efforts. Through 
diffidence and backwardness we often fail to se-
cure that which is attainable as a right, from the 
powers that be. God will work for us, when we 
are ready to do what we can and should do on 
our part. 
Men of prayer should be men of action. Those 
who are ready' and willing, will find ways and 
means to work. Nehemiah does not depend 
upon uncertainties. The means which he has not 
he solicits from those who are able to bestow. All 
the world, with its riches and treasures, belongs 
to God, although it is now in the possession of 
wicked men. If his servants take a wise and 
prudent course, so that the good hand of God 
may be with them, they can obtain the means 
they need to advance his cause. 
An Appeal from Italy. 
[The following we received from Prof. Pettin-
gell, with a request to publish. He says: "I hope 
you will find. it practicable to • use it . even for the 
information it contains, if for no other reason." 
We•trust it will prove -of interest to our readers. 
—EDITOR SIGNS.] 
TEIE case of Rev. Mr. Dening, English Mission-
ary in Japan, from whom the Church Missionary 
Society have withdrawn•their support fir his ad-
herence to the Bible doctrine of immortality only 
in Christ, is known to the friends of the cause in 
this •country. A ,committee has been formed in 
England who have assumed his support, and he 
still continues at his post. 
Also the case of Rev. Charles Byse, of Brus-
sel-4, who .has recently been tried for the same 
heresy, ,and excluded from the Evangelical Synod, 
and whose house of worship has been taken from 
him, the- great majority of his church and con-
gregation adhering to him', has been published 
and commented on in several of our papers. lie 
has rented a hall, and still continues his faithful 
labors with encouraging prospects. But for the 
present he is. obliged to depend in part upon 
pecuniary help -from abroad. Dr. Petavel of 
Geneva, and Rev. Mr. White of London, who 
are also interested in supporting Rev. Mr. Dening, 
are trying to do what they can to aid Mr. Byse 
in his work in Brussels. 
Now comes an earnest appeal of the same sort 
from Italy. We ought to be thankful for the 
evidence we have that the truth for which we 
are laboring is extending and gaining adherents 
all over the world. But it lays upon us addi-
tional burdens and responsibilities, and gives us 
an opportunity of proving our faith by our works. 
The friends of this cause in this country are very 
generally pecuniarily weak, and very much scat-
tered. No doubt we all feel that we have all, 
and more than we can well do, to meet the press-
ing demands of this cause in our own se; eral lo-
calities and in our own country. But still, we 
may do something out of our poverty in behalf of 
our common faith in other parts of the world. 
The formation of the committee proposed does 
not seem to me practical in our scattered and 
divided condition. But I should be very happy 
to be made the medium of sending such contribu-
tions as our Christian friends in different parts of 
this country may find it in their hearts and in 
their power to give to our brother in Italy. It 
seems to me, in view of the responsibilities al= 
ready assumed by our friends in England, and 
especially in view of the fact that this brother 
has hitherto been supported by an American so-
ciety, that his appeal to us comes with a peculiar 
force. The letter below, which I have translated 
for publication, speaks for itself, and needs no 
explanation. Let it be carefully read. Let us 
all at least pray for him, as he requests, and if 
the Lord shall dispose and enable any to send 
me contributious of money for him, whether large 
or small, I shall gladly acknowledge them and 
faithfully transmit, as he has designated. 
J. H. PETTINGELL. 
739 Corinthian Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 
TORRE PELLICE, Italy, Oct. 22, 1883. 
REV. MR. PETTINGELL: In the latter part of last 
April I received a letter from Dr. Petavel, in-
forming me that he had written to you concPrn-
ing my position and work. But as my position 
was not decided, and my work in the cause of 
conditional immortality had not boen commenced, 
and as I was waiting to be free, I preferred to 
postpone writing to you. 
I am a Baptist Evangelist in the service of the 
Southern Baptist Convention of Richmond, of 
which society Dr. G. B. Taylor of Rome, is the 
agent in Italy. After considerable correspond-
ence with.him on the subject of my new views, he 
asked me if I would promise to keep absolute si-
lence in public and in my private conversation 
on this subject. I replied that I could not. Then 
he informed me of his grief, and his fear that 
it would be an obstacle to the continuance of my 
relations, adding that he could not take upon 
himself the responsibility of either dismissing or 
retaining me. 
Then I requested him to send all our corre-
spondence to the committee. This he did. I 
asked of the committee entire liberty in my 
preaching. They replied that this could not be 
granted, in view of their position as dispensers of 
the funds of the Baptist Union, which would not 
permit them to employ their funds in support of 
preaching which set forth doctrines contrary to 
those of their church. 
Thereupon I offered my resignation. Fifteen 
days after this my place in the Baptist chapel 
here was filled by another minister. Dr. Taylor 
came to install him. Everything passed off 
pleasantly, Dr. Taylor simply informed the con-
gregation of the facts in the case, without any 
direct allusion to the doctrine in question. I 
thanked the committee and its representative. 
Dr. Taylor closed by saying, "I have suffered 
much, and still suffer on account of this rupture, 
but if anything could console me, it is the fact 
that everything has been done in the most per:-
feet charity, and without the loss of mutual es-
teem and friendship." 
Notwithstanding this, I remain a Baptist, and 
a member of this church. I frequent their meet-
ings and often take part in them. Meanwhile I 
have entered on my special work. I have rented 
a hall in a neighboring locality, at St. Jean Pel-
lice, where I was a minister of an independent 
church from 1865-69,• and where I have many 
friends. I opened this place of worship yesterday, 
Oct. 21, with a special discourse to an audience 
of forty persons. I hope soon to open another 
also, at Torre Pellice, which is the chief place in 
the Vaudois Valleys. I am intending also, to 
give lectures in the principal towns of Italy, and 
to lay the question before the Italian public gen-
erally. 
Now I write you, dear sir, to solicit your inter- 
est in my work. My English friends will pro-
vide for the wants of myself and family through 
the year upon which I have entered. Dr. Peta-
vel and caber friends are assisting me in the pay-
Ment of the rent of our places of meeting. But 
it is absolutely necessary to publish some popular 
tracts to make known our views among all classes 
of the people, both in this locality and through-
out Italy. I am just now about issuing a strong 
brochure in reply to the accusation, of " Material-
ism" [in the sense oi infidelity]. For this work 
Mr. White has given me 250 francs, but it will 
cost twice this sum. Could you, dear sir, insti-
tute a committee for the publication of French 
and Italian tracts, either original or translated 
from the English? 
I speak these three languages, and could trans-
late from the English into both of the others. 
You might send me tracts which you judge 
worthy of translation, and if they are adapted to 
our country I would cheerfully translate them. 
Our friends in England will also send me some. 
It is only on this condition that one can hope to 
do anything. Will you kindly interest yourself 
in this project, to form a committee, and if the 
effort succeeds, send your contributions to Rev. 
Edward White, or to Dr. Petavel, who are in 
correspondence with me, and who, being nearer 
here, could oversee the work. Hoping that we 
may be able to have a pleasant exchange of let-
ters, I salute you in Jesus Christ, 
OSCAR COCOADA. 
P. S.--Could you send me your work on "Im- 
mortality?" Pray for me. �
o. c. 
Which Shall It Be ? 
I AM sadly conscious that thousands of mothers 
are so over-burdened that the actual demands of 
life, from day to day, consume all their time and 
strength. But, " of two evils choose the reast;" 
and which would you call the least, an unpol-
ished stove or an untaught boy? Dirty windows, 
or a child whose confidence you have failed to 
gain ? Cobwebs in the corner, or a son over 
whose soul a crust has formed so strong that you 
despair of melting it with your hot tears and 
your fervent prayers? 
I have seen a woman who was absolutely igno-
rant of her children's habit of thought, who 
never felt that she could spare a half hour to 
read or talk. with them. I have seen this woman 
spend ten minutes in ironing a sheet—there were 
six in the washing—one hour in fluting the ruf-
fles and arranging the puffs of her little girl's 
" sweet white suit;" thirty minutes in polishing 
tins which were already bright and clean; forty 
minutes in frosting and decorating a cake for tea, 
because " company " was expected. 
When the mother, a good orthodox Christian, 
shall appear before the great white'tbrone, to be 
judged for " the deeds done in the body," and to 
give in her report of the Master's treasures 
placed in her care, there will be questions and 
answers like these:— 
" Where are the boys and girls I gave thee ? " 
" Lord, I was busied in keeping my house clean 
and in order, and my children wandered 'away!" 
" Where wert thou while thy sons and thy 
daughters were learning lessons of dishonesty, 
malice, and impurity ?" 
"Lord, I was polishing furniture and ruffling 
dresses and making beautiful rugs. !" 
" What bast thou to show for thy life-work ?" 
"The tidiest house, Lord, and the best starch-
ing and ironing in all our neighborhood!" 
Oh! these children! these children! The rest-
less, eager boys and girls whom we love more 
than our own lives! Shall we devote our time 
and strength to that which perisheth, while the 
rich garden of our child's soul lies neglected, 
with foul weeds choking out all worthy and 
beautiful growths ? Shall we exalt the incident-
a]s of life to the rank of a pUrpos•e, to the shut-
ting out of that work whose results reach beyond 
the stars? 
Fleeting, co mother! are the days of childhood; 
and speckless windows, snowy linen, the con-
sciousness that everything about the house is 
faultlessly bright and clean, will be poor comfort 
in that day wherein we shall discover that our 
poor boy's feet have chosen the path that shall 
take him out of the way to all eternity.—Harriet 
M. Morris, in Wommi s Journal. 
OUR happiness and misery are trusted to our 
conduct, and made to depend upon it. 
NOVEMBER 29, 1883. �TI-11-4. SIGNS OF �
TIMES. �
531 
Love. 
" HE that loveth not, knoweth not God; for 
God is love." 1 John 4: 8. Very many texts 
might be adduced to prove that love is a virtue 
inseparable from the Christian character. Love 
is one of the ingredients which form the fine gold 
spoken of in Rev. 3: 18, and from what is said in 
that chapter to the Laodicean church, we may in-
fer that one great cause of the lukewarmness ex-
isting, would be a want of this love; for the fine 
gold is placed first; and we believe that the fine 
gold alluded to here, is union of faith and love. 
" I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the 
fire," Rev. 3: 18, is the language of the Revelator. 
Here this is placed first on the list of graces. 
Peter, in his arrangement of the Christian graces, 
also puts faith at the foundation: " Add to your 
faith virtue." See 2 Pet. 1: 5. Now as Paul as-
serts that faith worketh by love, and we are as-
sured that true faith is mixed with love, we must 
believe that faith without love is a dead faith. 
"Thou shalt love the. Lord thy God with all 
thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all 
thy might," is the plain command of God. See 
Deut. 6 : 5. Can we love God too much ? or can 
we begin too soon ? Can we take a single step in 
the Christian life, or maintain, or attain to, a sin-
gle Christian grace without this love ? Can we 
do anything acceptably to God in the absence of 
this love? When, Israel heard God announce his 
law from Sinai, they fancied in their hearts that it 
would be easy to obey; but when the terror was 
withdrawn, their zeal abated; there was no love 
to God or to his law to anchor them to his throne. 
Some suppose that because Peter enumerates the 
graces, placing charity last, that this grace is not 
to be expected of those commencing the Christian 
life. They suppose that these graces must be laid 
as a mason lays his layers of stone, or brick, or 
marble, in due form. 
Now the object off Peter, here, is to bring out to 
view these graces in order, relatively. 
A person truly converted to God, will manifest 
all these graces in a greater or less degree, as 
soon as they are called for by circumstances. 
Often in the hour of his enlargement, his conduct 
is an illustration of each of them; but Peter 
would have each of these cultivated, and would 
have the attention of all drawn to them. 
A Christian will riot merely cultivate one of 
these graces to-day, another to-morrow, but each 
receives its due share of attention day by day. 
Charity, the last in his enumeration, is woven into 
the daily experience of the man of God, from the 
first of his experience; and faith, the first in Pe-
ter's list of graces, is as mush cultivated in the 
last of the Christian life. We cannot classify the 
various graces just as we would in mechanics. 
No; for love and faith are the cement and strength 
of, and ingredients in. all the graces. Take away 
love from the Christian, and he is a dry tree, a 
barren heath, a desert. Without love, his benev-
olence becomes but a drudgery, and his prayers 
become hypocrisy. 
From the plain testimony of John, we have no 
reason to hope in God's mercy, unless we love 
God, and our brother also. Here, then, is the 
grace of charity; love to the household of faith, 
even to the most imperfect. Not that this can 
exist alone, but they are all mutually dependent 
upon each other; and the better developed the 
Christian virtues are, the more perfect will the 
grace of charity become. No one of these 
graces can stand long alone. They all uphold, 
strengthen, and encourage each other; and often 
we cultivate those most difficult to attain, by the 
assiduous cultivation of the others which come up 
like the reserve of an army to the relief of the 
weaker portion. So that if we despair of one 
point, let us look the more closely to the others, 
with at least the forlorn hope of victory. 
What can we attain to, then, without love ? 
Whom can we help without love? Would you 
take a mote from your eye with a penknife, or 
with a needle ? As soon may you correct the 
erring without love. 
This love does not weaken the column of truth. 
We say it strengthens and polishes the pillars of 
wisdom, and settles and confirms the wandering 
and wayward in the path of truth. It restores 
the erring, and wins the froward from the influ- 
ences of evil. �
Jos. CLARKE. 
DON'T judge a man by the house be lives in, for 
the lizard and the rat often inhabit the grandest 
structures. 
THE FOOL. 1-1.A.rrx SAID. 
" THERE is no God!"—an easy thing 
For any fool to say. 
The fool hath said it in his heart 
This many and many a day. 
"Prove this and that !" the fool demands. 
"Explain eternity! 
Reveal to me that awful form 
Which mortals cannot see!" 
Of microscope and telescope 
The limits we can find; 
The limit of the human eye, 
The limit of the mind. 
What we perceive is all that is, 
The sodden fool insists; 
Beyond the limit of our ken 
Nothing at all exists. 
But any fool must still admit, 
If any fool reflects, 
That there are many things unknown 
Except by their effects, 
We do not know the life within 
The merest blade of grass, 
Isfor can we see the vagrant winds 
That lightly come and pass. 
Nor form nor size the lightning has; 
We only feel the stroke. 
An unseen force, weh,ld and bind 
And tame it to our yoke. 
We mortals boast of what we know, 
Exalting reason's throne, 
While there is, far beyond our reach, 
An infinite unknown. 
The lessons of eternal space 
The fool takes not to heart, 
And all the endless universe 
He gauges by a part. 
If he could pass his narrow bounds 
And freely range abroad, 
He must confess that all he sees 
Are but effects of God. 
—Edward Willett, in Independent. 
Humility. 
THE Saviour came to Our earth to save the lost. 
So interested was he to rescue man from the ruin 
to which, through the fall, he was doomed, that 
he eagerly watched for every opportunity to turn 
the mind of the sinner toward Heaven. When-
ever he saw a poor, afflicted mortal reaching forth 
to touch but the hem of his garment, or crying 
after him for help, he was ready to relieve. 
One day as he was traveling through the coasts 
of Tyre and Sidon, a woman of Canaan, being in 
the same coast, came crying after him to have 
mercy on her, for her daughter was grievously 
vexed with a devil. Not a word does the Saviour 
utter in reply to .her entreaties. The Master's 
silence develops the spirit of perseverance and 
earnestness in her, and also the spirit that is in 
the hearts of his disciples. They did not have 
that deep love for the suffering that the Master 
had, and becoming weary of hearing those piti-
ful tones, " Have mercy on me, 0 Lord, thou Son 
of David," they besought the as
ter to send her 
away. 
The lovely Jesus, who was always touched 
with the cry of distress, gave his disciples to un-
derstand that it was just such poor, worthless 
creatures that he came to save; so he replied, "1 
am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house 
.of Israel." The woman, drawing near to him, 
worships him, saying, " Lord, help me." 
The Master, wishing her to fully realize her 
unworthiness, said to her, " It is not meet to take 
the children's bread and cast it unto the dogs." 
She did not become offended with an answer 
that set forth in such strong terms her humble 
condition. Nor did she, like many, of to-day, 
when they see their true condition, fall into de-
spair. Acknowledgibg the truth of the Saviour's 
statement, and willing to take the same place at 
his feet that the dog occupies in his master's 
dwelling, she said, " Yet the dogs eat of the 
crumbs that fall from their master's table." The 
heart of our blessed Lord 'was touched, and he 
exclaimed, " 0 woman, great is thy faith; be it 
unto thee even as thou wilt; and her daughter 
was made whole from that very hour." 
The Lord requires that we shall see and ac-
knowledge our sins; then that we shall seek him 
in great earnestness and humbleness of heart, 
and in faith believing that he can and will help us. 
Medford, Minn. �
E. HILLIARD. 
THE ways of humility are admired by all; but 
few, however, attain to the practice of this virtue. 
New York Sunday Laws. 
THE Sunday laws of the old statute in their new 
dress in the Penal Code have, on this dragon's 
head, developed two lamb-like horns as follows:— 
Sections 272 and 273: " An attempt by means 
of threats or violence to compel any person to 
adopt, practice, or profess a particular form of re-
ligious belief, is a misdemeanor." "A person who 
willfully prevents, by thre'ats, or violence, any 
person from performing any lawful act enjoined 
upon, or commended to such person, by the relig- . 
ion which he professes, is guilty of a misde-
meanor." 
This is the reverse of the ancient fable of the 
ass in the lion's skin—it is the dragon in the dress 
of the lamb. The Sunday laws enforced, commit 
the very " misdemeanor " here defined, and it 
looks for all the world as though these two sec- 
tions were thrust in here as a " blind," but it is a 
bungling attempt of the authors of this new Sun-
day law, the New York Sabbath Committee, to 
cover their tracks. Notice the following facts:— 
First: The old statute was a mere " police reg-
ulation," and as such, even, was sufficiently dan- 
gerous to religious liberty, and yet it did not go 
so far as to call the Sunday the " Sabbath, or holy 
time." It did not recognize its " religious uses." 
The things which it prohibited were not defined 
to be interruptions of the " religious liberty of the 
community." It did not place the Sunday on re- 
ligious grounds at all, but the new Penal Code has 
changed the statute in all these, and in other sim-
ilar particulars, and leaves no doubt as to what 
the animus of this charge was, or who are its real 
authors. 
Second: Section 260 says, " A violation of the 
foregoing prohibition is Sabbath. breaking." The 
Penal Code makes the first day of the week to be 
the " Sabbath," set apart to rest and religious 
uses and as holy time. 
Sections 259 and 264: And "all manner of serv-
ile labor, except in works of necessity or char- 
ity," invokes a fine of $10, and imprisonment for 
five days. What is this but an attempt by means 
of threats or violence to compel persons to adopt 
and practice a particular form of religious belief ? 
They are forced to " adopt and practice it," 
whether they believe it or not. John, the rev- 
elator, saw a " beast coming up out of the earth, 
and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke 
as a dragon." Rev. 13: 11. Is not this new Sun- 
day law of the Penal Code the very " critter " ? 
But this law is based on an assumption, and that 
assumption is false. 
Section 259 says: " The first day of the week 
being by general consent set apart for rest and 
religious uses, the law prohibits," etc. There is 
no such " general consent" outside of the churches 
to " set apart this day for religious uses," and 
very little consent by the mass of church-goers, 
for the greater part of the day is devoted to the 
novel or the newspaper, to rambling, riding, and 
visiting to the park, the public library, the beer 
gardens, or country resorts and recreations, and 
many of the clergy uphold and patronize some or 
all of these departwes from the " rest and relig- 
ious uses " of the day. This law then is an at-
tempt on the part of the few advocates of the 
" Puritan Sunday " to enforce their religious views 
and practices upon the entire community. How 
strange it is that the spirit of the nineteenth cent- 
ury should have compelled the bigots of the old 
world to lay down the weapons of their prosecu-
tion and permitted our young and free America to 
take up and use these very weapons! But the 
attempt to enforce these Sunday laws of the Pe-
nal Code ought to prove a failure, and it will. 
The very persons who, want this law enforced are 
not willing to sacrifice their convenience to its 
rigors. They must have their pint of milk and 
pound of meat on Sunday, if on no other days, 
and their newspapers as well. But how could 
they have these and other necessaries and luxu- 
ries of life if the law in question was rigidly en-
forced? " Live and let live."—L. C. Rogers, in 
Sabbath Recorder. 
PARTICULAR notice is taken of the amicable 
agreement of Esau and Jacob, in solemnizing their 
father's funeral, to show how wonderfully God 
had changed Esau's mind (since he vowed his 
brother's 'murder), immediately after his father's 
death. God has many ways of preventing bad 
men from doing the mischief they intended; he 
can either tie their hands, or turn their hearts.—
Matthew Henry. 
532 �
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 
. �
9, No. 45. 
Death of Christ Vicarious. 
(Continued.) 
THAT which is done for another is vicarious. 
Death suffered for another is vicarious death; but 
in the preceding cases brought irom the Script-
ures, the sin offerings never were slain or offered 
for themselves, or for their own wrongs, but al-
ways for the sins of' others. Their blood was shed 
in the stead of that of others; their deaths were 
truly vicarious. And if we take away from them 
all ideas of substitution or vicariousness, we take 
away the sole reason of their being slain, and all 
possibility of an atonement consistent with justice. 
It needs no more than a mere reference to the 
Scriptures to show the relation thoseiransactions 
bore to the gospel of Christ, and that the death 
of Christ was in truth substitutionary and vica-
rious. " All we like sheep have gone astray; 
we have turned every one to his own way; and 
the Lord bath laid on him the iniquity of us all." 
Isa. 53: 6. " Who his own self bare our sins in 
his own body on the tree." 1 Pet. 2 :•24. " So 
Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many." 
Ileb. 9 : 28. Thus he bore our sins--they were 
laid on him--be was made sin for us; standing 
in that relation to the law in our stead. And the 
wages of sin being death, because our sin was 
laid on him, " he w as wounded for our transgres-
sions, he was bruised for our iniquities." " For 
the transgression of my people was he stricken." 
" His soul " was made " an offering for sin." ' Isa. 
53 : 5, 8, 10. He that doet h not all the words of 
the law is cursed; but Christ is made a curse for 
us to redeem us from the curse of the law. Deut. 
27 : 26; Gal. 3 : 10-13. " Christ died for the un-
godly." Rom. 5 : 6. " Was delivered for our of-
fenses." Chap. 4 : 25. " Christ died for our sins." 
1 Cor. 15 : 3. He died for all, for all were dead, 
or condemned to death, for all had sinned. 2 Cor. 
5: 14. He "suffered for sins, the just for the un-
just." 1 Pet. 3 : 18. "Christ hath suffered for 
us." Chap. 4 : 1. In all these expressions the 
idea of substitution is prominent,'as it was in the 
type. 
Again, the same truth is taught in all those 
scriptures which speak of Christ having pur-
chased us. He gave " his life a ransom for 
many." Matt. 20 : 28. To ransom, says Web-
ster, is to redeem from captivity by paying an 
equivalent. " Who gave himself a ransom for 
all." 1 Tim. 2 : 6. " Ye are not your own; for 
ye are bought with a price." 1 Cor. 6 : 19, 20; 
7 : 23. "Denying the Lord that bought them." 
2 Pet. 2 : 1. " Ye were not redeemed with cor-
ruptible things, as silver and gold, . . . but 
with the precious blood of Christ." 1 Pet. 1 : 
18, 19. " llast redeemed us to God by thy blood." 
Rev. 5 : 9. " Which he hath purchased with his 
own blood." Acts 20 : 28. Nov the sole idea of 
redeeming, purchasing, or buying, with a price, 
is that of substitution by equivalent, or receiving 
one instead of another. 
George Storrs, of New York, in a small work 
on the Atonement, • rejected the idea of Christ 
dying in the stead of the sinner; and his views 
ought to be noticed, especially as he represented 
a class. Ile said the atonement must correspond 
to man's nature, and to the demand of the law, 
for " it is such a satisfaction as justice rightfully 
demands." The best satisfaction to law is obe-
dience; an atonement is satisfaction rendered for 
disobedience. It is indeed such a satisfaction as 
justice demands. But it would be difficult for 
any one to explain why the Atonement must cor-
respond to man's nature, and to the claim that 
justice has on man, if the death of the atoner 
be not substitutionary. How otherwise could it 
.meet the claim? Again he said that " by dying, 
though death had no claim on him,' justice was 
vindicated." Now if " death had no claim on 
him," how could justice be vindicated in his death? 
And is justice ever vindicated in the death of one 
on whom it has no claim? No; it is rather a 
perversion of justice. But all admit that death 
had no claim on Christ, so far as his own actions 
were concerned; therefore if justice was upheld 
or vindicated in his death, it was because be died 
" in the room and stead" of those on whom death 
had a claim. That there was a transfer of sin 
all will admit; our sins were laid on him. But 
death has a claim on the sinner, for the wages of 
sin is death. And if the sin was transferred, of 
course the claim of death must also have been 
transferred. So death had a claim on him; but 
only as he stood in our stead. He was made sin 
for us; therefore be was made a curse for us. 2 
Cor. 5 : 21; Gal. 3 :14. The idea of vicariousness, 
or complete substitution, is as plainly taught as 
language can teach it; and the wonder is that the 
question was ever raised by Bible-readers, or that 
the possibility of the negative being true was 
ever admitted. 
We must further notice the objection that if a 
complete substitute is accepted, justice is satisfied, 
and the release of the accused is of justice, not 
of mercy. Many' respectable speakers and au-
thors seem to have become strangely confused 
on this subject. The objection seems, at first 
glance, to have force; but it is really founded on 
a very partial and superficial view of the gospel 
plan. it is mercy to the criminal for the Govern-
ment to accept a substitute; and mercy to him 
also for the.substitute to offer or consent to stand 
in his stead. It is nothing but mercy, pardon, 
free gift, to the sinner, in every part of the trans-
action: And it would be so if he had himself 
procured a substitute; much more when the Gov-
ernor provides the substitute, and this even the 
Son of his delight, and invites the sinner to re-
turn to his allegiance and obedience, that he may 
receive pardon and life through his blood. It has 
been noticed that justice and mercy must unite 
in order to both honor the Government and spare 
the sinner. Paul shows that they do unite in the 
gospel, for therein God can be just and the justifier 
of him that believeth in Jesus. His justice is 
shown by maintaining the dignity and honor of 
his law, even at the expense of the life of his 
Son; his mercy is shown by justifying us through 
his blood. But inasmuch as Christ was not a 
sinner, it would be very difficult to show wherein 
God was just in the death of his Son, unless he 
died to meet the just desert of our sin in our stead. 
Burge on the Atonement, a work which reflects 
a somewhat popular view, says:—,. 
" If a man engage to perform a certain piece 
of work, for a reward which is proposed, it makes 
no difference whether he do the work himself, or 
procure another to do it for him. Let the work 
be done according to agreement, and he is en-
titled to the reward. So, if Christ has done for 
believers the work which the law required them 
to do, God is now bound, on the principle of strict 
justice, to bestow the promised reward, eternal 
life. There is no grace, but stern, unbending 
justice here." Pp. 202, 203. 
Barnes takes substantially the same view, and 
both aver that Christ did not suffer the penalty 
of the law, but something substituted for the pen-
alty. Did this illustration merely go to show the 
insufficiency of Christ's obedience to moral law 
to make an atonement, without the suffering of 
death, there could be no objettion raised against 
it. But it goes far beyond this. In order for an 
illustration to be worth anything, there must be 
some analogy between its main points and the 
thing illustrated. In this case there is none what-
ever. 
Man is a rebel, condemned to death; the law 
can only be satisfied with the taking of life. Now 
in regard to rendering satisfaction to a broken 
law there cannot possibly be anything existing 
between sinful man and his Creator, answering 
to the nature of a contract, as this illustration 
supposes. But its defect is most plainly seen in 
this, that man does not, and cannot, procure a 
substitute. If man by his own efforts had pro, 
cured the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ, the 
Atonement would rest on an entirely different 
footing from what it now does. Any illustration 
based on such an utter impossibility, which is so 
contrary to evident truths, and to the whole re-
vealed plan of the Atonement, cannot aid in a 
correct understanding of it. God has set forth 
his Son to be a propitiation:--to suffer death, the 
penalty of the law, for us; so that his substitu-
tionary sacrifice is tke gift of God, even as Christ 
himself was the gift of God. " For God so loved 
the world that he gave his only begotten Son." 
If we take for granted that the death of Christ 
meets every demand of the law, yet so long as 
be is the gift of God, there is mercy in the trans-
action. But Dr. Barnes thinks there was no 
mercy if' it met the requirement of the law. He 
remarks:— 
If it should be said that there was mercy in 
the gift :If the Saviour, and that so far as that is 
concerned the transaction is one of mercy, though 
so far as the law is concerned the transaction is 
one of justice, it may be replied that this is not 
the representation of the Bible. The idea of 
mercy pervades it throughout. It is not only 
mercy in providing :I:, �
(,:teinent; it is mercy to 
the sinner. There is mercy in the case. There 
is love. There is more than a mere exaction of 
the penalty. There is more than a transfer. 
There is a lessening of suffering," &c. Pp. 232, 
233. 
No one doubts that in the Atonement there is 
mercy to the sinner; but we are not prepared to 
admit that the transaction (death of Christ) is 
not one of justice so far as the law is concerned. 
We think this is the representation of the Bible. 
The death of Christ either met the demand of 
law and justice, or it did not. If it did, then it 
was, so far, a legal transaction; then " stern, un-
bending justice " was honored in his • death. But 
if it did not, then we fail to see how divine justice 
is vindicated in granting pardon through him; 
how God can be just in justifying the believer any 
more than he could have been in justifying an 
unbeliever, seeing that justice had no part in the 
transaction. We have been accustomed to re-
gard this declaration of the apostle (Rom. 3: 
24-26) as positive proof that justice was satisfied 
in his death, in order that pardon might be granted 
to the believer without slighting the claims of the 
law; and it does not seem to be possible to vindi-
cate the system on any other principle than this. 
And if we only admit that Christ suffered the 
penalty of the law, which was death, as the 
Scriptures abundantly show, then there is no 
difficulty whatever in this view. 
And we can only decide that "there is a less-
ening of suffering ' by being able to measure the 
extent or severity of the sufferings of Christ, 
which no finite mind can do. Dr. Barnes' state-
ment is made on the supposition that the suffer-
ings of the lost will be eternal. But we have 
seen that the idea of " eternal punishment " does 
not embrace eternal suffering, but rather eternal 
death; " everlasting destruction," as the apostle 
says. It is possible, and the thought is not at all 
unreasonable, that the sufferings of Christ, the 
Son -of God, as far exceeded the sufferings of a 
human being, as he is high in his nature above 
man, or as his blood is more precious and of more 
worth than that of man. It is safe to say that 
that remark of Dr. Barnes was made without 
due consideration. �
EDITOR. 
(To be Concluded.) 
Cheap Pleasure. 
DID you ever study the cheapness of some 
pleasure? asks some writer. Do you know how 
little it takes to make a multitude happy? Such 
trifles as a penny, a word, or a smile, do the work. 
There are two or three boys passing along—give 
them each a chestnut, and how smiling they look! 
they will not be cross for some time. A poor 
widow lives in the neighborhood, who is the 
mother of half a dozen children. Send them half 
a peck of sweet apples, and they will be happy. 
A child has lost his arrow—the world to him--
and he mourns sadly; help him to find it, or make 
him another, and how quickly will the sunshine 
play over his sober face. A boy. has as much as 
he can do to pile up a load of wood; assist him a 
few moments, or speak a pleasant word to him, 
and he forgets his toil, and works away without 
minding it. Your apprentice has broken a mug, 
or cut the vest too large, or slightly injured a 
piece of work. Say, " on scoundrel," and he 
feels miserable; but remark, " I am sorry," and 
he will try to do better. 
You employ a man; pay him cheerfully, and 
speak a pleasant word to him, and he leaves your 
house with a contented heart, to light up his own 
hearth with smiles and gladness. 
As you pass along the street, you meet a famil-
iar face; say " Good morning," as though you felt 
happy, and it will work admirably in the heart of 
your neighbor. Pleasure is cheap. Who will 
not bestow it liberally? If there are smiles, sun-
shine, and flowers all about us, let us not grasp 
them with a miser's fist, and lock them up in our 
hearts. No, rather let us take them and scatter 
them about us, in the cot of the widow, among the 
groups of children in the crowded mart, where 
men of business congregate, in our families, and 
everywhere. We can make the wretched happy, 
the discontented cheerful, and the afflicted re-
signed, at an exceedingly cheap rate. Who will 
refuse to do it?—Ex. 
IT is impossible to find out how much religion 
a man has in his heart by measuring the length of 
his tongue. 
NOVEMBER 29, 1883) �THE SIGNS OF THE TIM-ES. �
533 
c*abbath-*Iipal. 
Lesson for Pacific Coast.—December 8. 
1 CORINTHIANS 10-15. 
NOTES ON THE LESSON. 
PAUL'S first epistle to the Corinthians was writ-
ten because grievous errors had arisen in the 
church,which he wished to correct. The fifth, 
eleventh, and fourteenth chapters are especially 
directed against certain evils of which that church 
was guilty. The existence of these faults was 
made known to Paul, not by revelation from 
Heaven, but by the reports of those who came 
from Corinth, and because one sin, at least, was 
so well known as to be the subject of common 
talk. See 1 Cor. 1:11; 5:1;11:18. 
FROM the consequences attending their perver-
sion of the Lord's Supper (chap. 11:30), we may 
well suppose that this error was even more dis-
pleasing to God than the sin described in chapter 
five;' the reason why is, that it shows great lack 
of spiritual discernment, and such a degree of 
irreverence as would lead to the commission of 
almost any sin. We learn from verses 20-22,33, 
34 that they were in the habit of making a regu-
lar meal of the Lord's Supper, each one helping 
himself to all that he could get, making this sol-
emn ordinance a disgraceful revel. There are at 
the present day well-meaning persons who, al-
though they do not behave so badly as did the 
Corinthians, make the Lord's Supper an occasion 
for partaking of an ordinary meal. Concerning 
such a custom the apostle exclaims in astonish-
ment: " What! have ye not houses to eat and to 
drink in ? or despise ye the church of God, and 
shame them that have not? What shall I say to 
you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you 
not." Verse 22. Dr. Barnes has so excellent a 
comment on this verse,— condemning not only 
the gross perversion of the Lord's Supper, but 
another evil that has sprung up in most modern 
cfiurehes,—that we quote it :— 
" Do you not know that the church of God is not 
designed to be a place of feasting and revelry, nor 
even a place where to partake of your ordinary 
meals ? Can it be that you will come to the places 
of public worship, and make them the scenes of 
feasting and riot? Even on the supposition that 
there bad been no disorder, no reveling, no in-
temperance, yet on every account it was grossly 
improper to make the place of public worship a 
place for a festival entertainment." 
What would the good Doctor say if he could 
know that many, even of the denomination which 
he so worthily represented, think that a church 
is not well equipped unless it has a commodious 
kitchen attached. As for those who eat a regular 
meal in church, as an act of piety, let them learn 
by these words of Paul, how 'displeasing their 
course is to God: " Wherefore, my brethren. 
when ye come together to eat, tarry one for an-
other. And if any man hunger, let him eat at 
home; that ye come not together unto condemna-
tion." 1 Cor. 11: 33,34. 
IN the twelfth chapter of 1 Corinthians Paul 
-corrects some errors in regard to Spiritual gifts. 
It seems that the church at Corinth had some 
members who were highly gifted, and others who 
aspired to prominent positions. There was strife 
among the brethren as to whose endowments 
were the t:reatest. Many seem to have thought 
that one who had no remarkable gift was of no 
use in the church, and accordingly became puffed 
up when they viewed their own gifts. In the 
course of the chapter, the apostle, under the 
figure of the body, shows that although different 
members have different offices, none are to be 
despised on account of their lowly position. He 
then gives them a strong but delicate reproof 
for their course. He urges them to earnestly 
desire the best gifts that God has to bestow, but 
proceeds to show them something more excellent 
than high endowments, without which these 
amount to nothing. That something is charity, 
or, more properly, love. 
THE first three verses of chapter 13 show the 
importance of love. From them we learn that 
it is possible for a person to have faith in the 
highest degree, to be able to prophecy, to have 
all wisdom, to be able to speak as an angel, to 
be charitable (in the common acceptation of the 
term) to the extent of giving away all his goods, 
and finally, to give up his life as a martyr, and 
still amount to nothing in the estimation of God. 
Such a statement as this must certainly have 
caused the Corinthians to regard themselves with 
less complacency. It should have this effect on us. 
WE cannot here enter into any extended ex-
amination of this subject. One or two references 
must suffice. John says, " For this is the love of 
God, that we keep his commandments." 1 John 
5 : 3. Paul says that "love is the fulfilling of the 
law; " and Christ himself said that all the law 
and the prophets were summed up in two great 
principles, love to God, and love to man. Matt. 
22 : 36-40, We conclude, then, that this thing 
which is greater than all gifts of prophecy or of 
wisdom, and without which they are nothing, 
is simply the keeping of the commandments of 
God, not as a matter of outward form, but from 
the heart. Peter says that charity [love] covers 
a mulitude of sins. 1 Pet. 4 : 8. And James says 
that the same result is accomplished by convert-
ing a sinner from the error of his ways. James 
5 : 20. But a sinner is converted only by the 
application of the law of God. Ps. 19 : 7; Rom. 
7: 7-10; James 2 : 25. So we see again that the 
keeping of the, commandments is that charity 
of which Paul writes. 
IN the fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians we 
have direct and most unmistakable proof of the 
falsity of the doctrine that men are naturally im-
mortal, or that they receive their reward at death. 
The apostle first proves (verses 3-8) beyond all 
cavil that Christ was really raised from the dead; 
for if the testimony of above five hundred per-
sons who saw him alive after he had been put to 
death, does not establish the fact beyond all con-
tradiction, then nothing can be proved. But, 
since it is a fact that Christ is raised from the 
dead, how can any one say that there is no resur-
rection from the dead ? See verse 12. The same 
power that raised up Christ, has promised to 
raise all mankind; and the fact that Christ was 
raised is proof of his power to fulfill this promise; 
hence Christ's resurrection is a pledge of the 
general resurrection. Whoever says that there 
is no resurrection, denies that Christ is risen, and 
virtually declares that the twelve apostles and 
the "five hundred brethren," were false witnesses. 
Verses 13-16. 
IN this manner Paul establishes the fact that 
there will be a resurrection. There can be no 
misunderstanding of his argument; it is as sim-
ple as it is conclusive. Then he goes over the 
ground again, and shows what would be the con-
sequences if there were no resurrection. "For 
if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised; 
and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye 
are yet in your sins. Then they also which are 
fallen asleep in Christ are perished." Verses 16- 
18. �
Mark that Paul does not say that if the dead 
rise not something terrible will happen to those 
who have fallen asleep in Christ; he does not say 
that in such a case they will perish; but he says 
that if the dead rise not, those who have fallen 
asleep in Christ "are perished." Then it necessa-
rily follows that they are in the same condition 
now (with a resurrection in prospect) that they 
would be in to all eternity, if there were no res-
urrection. Why is it that they are not really 
perished? Because they have the promise of a 
resurrection from the dead,—a promise made 
by One who never fails. The condition of the 
dead now is in nowise different from what it 
would be if Christ had not died and rose again, nor 
from the condition that those will be in who will 
suffer the second death, except that in that case 
there is a limit andln these there is none. There 
can be no other fair construction put upon Paul's 
words here; whosoever, therefore, affirms that 
the righteous dead are now enjoying the bliss of 
Heaven,*must leave Paul out of the account. 
" BUT now is Christ risen from the dead and be-
come the first-fruits of them that slept." Verse 
20. Some have imagined a discrepancy between 
this statement and the fact that some were raised 
from the dead even before Christ's death; and 
others have tried to make a difference between the 
resurrection of those persons,—Lazarus, the wid-
ow's son, etc.,—and that of those who were raised 
at or after Christ's resurrection. But this is not 
necessary in order to harmonize the Scripture 
narrative, for there is no discrepancy. Lazarus 
had as literal a resurrection as did Dorcas, or 
Christ himself. His resurrection, however, was 
accomplished only by virtue of Christ's promised 
death and resurrection, which, since God had 
promised it, was the same as already accomplished. 
Christ was the first-fruits; not the first in point of' 
time, but the chief. And since his resurrection 
was that by which the resurrection of all was 
made possible (see verse 21), it might be said to 
be the first. In one sense it was indeed the first, 
for as soon as it was promised it was virtually 
done; had this not been the case, no miracles of 
raising the dead could have been done before the 
resurrection of Christ. 
" Fon as in Adam all die, even so in Christ 
shall all be made alive." Verso 22. There is no 
condition to this statement; it includes both good 
and bad. Those who claim that only the right-
eous are raised, must also claim that none but the 
righteous die in Adam; for the "all" in the latter 
.part of the verse must mean the same as the first 
Adam sinned, and thus .fell under the 
power of death; and since he could not transmit 
to his posterity that which ho did not possess 
himself, all men are mortal. We receive mortality 
as part of our inheritance from Adam. But to all 
the promise of .a resurrection is given. This, 
however, can give no satisfaction to the univer-
salist, for Pau? immediately adds: " But every 
man in his own order; Christ the first-fruits; after-
ward they that are Christ's at his coming." This 
implies that there will be some who are not Christ's 
at his coming, and this fact is plainly stated in 
Matt. 13 : 38-42; 25 : 31-41, etc. The first are 
raised to life eternal; the second, to damnation, 
eternal death. John 5 : 28,29. 
As shown above from verses 13-18, Paul de-
clares that the dead have no conscious exist-
ence—neither good nor bad have inherent immor-
tality. In verses 51-55 he tells us how and when 
immortality will be given to the righteous. At 
the last trump the living shall be changed " in a 
moment, in the twinkling of an eye," and the 
dead shall be raised incorruptible. " For this 
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this 
mortal must put on immortality." This must be 
done because corruption cannot inherit incOrrup-
amt. Verse 50. It follows from this that the 
good do not at death receive their incorruptible 
reward, for incorruption is not put on till Christ 
comes. When that event shall take place, and 
the mortal shall have put on immortality, "Then 
shall be brought to pass the saying that is writ-
ten, Death is swallowed up in victory." Then, 
and not till then, will the redeemed shout, " 
death, where is thy sting ? 0 grave, where is thy 
victory ? " 
THE apostle fitly closes this chapter with the 
following words: " Therefore, my beloved breth-
ren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abound-
ing in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye 
know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." 
The word " therefore" shows that this is a con-
clusion from what has preceded. Why should 
they be always abounding, and how do they 
know that their labor is not in vain ? Because 
they now know that there will be a resurrection, 
and that death is not the end of all things; they 
can look beyond for a reward. The conclusion is 
unavoidable, however, both from this and pre-
vious verses, that if there were no resurrection 
from the dead, all their labor would be in vain. 
The common view that man is naturally immor-
tal, robs Christ of his highest prerogative, that of 
life-giver, and opens the way for men to ignore 
him altogether; hut the view which we advance 
is in harmony with the Bible statement that " the 
gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord," and is consistent with the fact that the 
redeemed will be able to say, " Thanks be to God, 
who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus 
Christ." �
E. J. W. 
IT was a saying of the martyr Bradford, " that 
he would never leave a duty till he had brought 
his heart into the frame of the duty; he would 
not leave confession of sin till his heart was 
broken for sin; he would not leave petitioning for 
grace till his heart was quickened and enlivened 
in a hopeful expectation of more grace; be would 
not leave the rendering of thanks till his heart 
was enlarged with a sense of the mercies which 
he enjoyed, and quickened in the return of 
praise," 
534 �
TI—I E SIGNS OF TIT E �
VOL. No. 45. 
($ign5 of fly EiMt5. 
"Can ye not discern the signs of the times?" 
J. H. WAGGONER, �
EDITOR. 
E. J. WAGGONER, �
ASSISTANT EDITOR. 
URIAH SMITH, - - - CORRESPONDING EDITOR. 
OAKLAND, CAL., FIFTH-DAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1883. 
Death of Eld. J. N. Andrews. 
THE telegram which was sent Sunday evening, Octo-
ber 21, announcing the death, that day of our dear Bro. 
Andrews, has already reached the friends on the other 
side of the water, bearing a burden of sorrow to many 
hearts. Doubtless a fitting tribute to his life and work 
has already been offered in the columns of the Review, 
by those better qualified for this task than I. It only 
remains to me, therefore, to speak of these last weeks of 
association with him, and the laying down of his life 
work, the incidents of which will, without doubt, be of 
interest to his many friends in America. 
When we arrived here, the 26th of last July, we 
found Bro. Andrews very feeble, wasted almost to a 
skeleton, able to take a few steps with great effort, and 
to sit up a little while during the day; 'Yet at work when-
ever he had a little strength. He was finishing his 
articles for, the July number of Les Signes, which was 
already much behind. The prospect of death seemed 
very near to him, yet he clung to the work, and to life 
for the work's sake. We persuaded him to omit his arti-
cles for the August issue, hoping he might gain a little 
strength, but he continued to fail, and if at times there 
seemed to be a brief truce with the dread disease, it was 
soon broken by the re-appearance of the severe symp-
toms, which left him each time weaker. 
His pen, once laid down, was not taken up again, but 
he continued to read the proof of the paper, as had 
been his custom, lying in bed, in spite of the entreaties 
of all that he would spare his strength. The evening 
of the day he finished his work on the October number 
he was taken with severe pain in his bowels, and 
though everything was done that could be done for his 
relief, it seemed to grow more and more severe till his 
sufferings were intense, and no relief was found until 
an opiate was administered the next evening. This 
partially subdued the pain, and he found some rest. As 
the pain subsided, he was troubled with hiccoughs, 
which continued at frequent intervals until the day of 
his death. But the intense severity of his suffering 
seemed past, and the merciful Father, to whom our 
prayers for his relief went up almost without ceasing, 
was pleased to give him partial respite from suffering. 
For some weeks he had been unusually cheerful and 
calm, willing to live or die, as God saw fit, and this 
feeling of cheerful trust seemed to deepen. Even in the 
midst of severe suffering he praised God and dwelt upon 
his mercy and love. The cares and burdens of the 
past were all laid aside, and though his interest in the 
work did not abate till he lost all consciousness of this 
world, he seemed to feel no anxious care. No murmur 
of impatience or complaint .escaped him, even in the 
midst of severest suffering, but he expressed much af-
fectionate gratitude to those who administered to his 
wants. 
The Swiss Conference, which was appointed to meet 
here, assembled according to appointment, and I was 
necessarily much occupied; but found time to go to his 
room occasionally and assist in caring for him. He 
begged me not to leave the meetings to do for him, as his 
interest, he said, was wholly in the meeting. Lying on 
his bed,-away from the sound of the meeting, he seemed 
to feel a constant sympathy with the work going on, 
and realized more than ever the blessing of th4 Spirit of 
God. Friday evening he said to his mother that he felt 
sure the brethren had been praying for him, for he felt 
such a blessing, and relief from suffering; and this was 
true. At the close of the Sabbath a special season of 
prayer was held for him in the meeting hall, by the 
brethren and sisters assembled. In speaking that 
evening of his desires, he said that he would not, if he 
could, take the responsibility of deciding whether he 
should live or die. He would gladly live to work in the 
cause if that were God's will, but he was willing to die 
if God saw best. He felt that his case was wholly in 
the hands of the Lord. 
Sunday morning, at his request, a few met in his 
room for prayer, after which he seemed much relieved, 
although he continued to fail steadily through the day. 
Half an hour before his death he seemed to lose con-
sciousness, and at five o'clock P. M. he fell asleep, with-
out a struggle or a groan, surrounded by those nearest 
of kin, and those who loved him tenderly. 
During the last two weeks of his life he had com-
pleted what business arrangements he had to make, 
and as his last act, about three hours before his death, 
with his own trembling hand and with great apparent 
satisfaction, he assigned to the mission $500 of his estate 
not already disposed of. 
His mind seemed clear as long as consciousness re-
mained. It was a privilege highly appreciated by his 
aged mother to be able to minister to her only remain-
ing son, in his last hours,—a service which was rewarded 
by his grateful and affectionate appreciation. 
The funeral was held Tuesday afternoon in the 
mission hill, and attended by a large proportion of the 
brethren and sisters, who remained one day after the 
Conference for that purpose. A goodly number of the 
citizens paid their respects to his memory, accompanying 
the funeral cortege to the cemetery. Brief remarks 
were made by the writer from 2 Tim. 4 : 7, 8, which 
were translated into the French. Bro. Bourdeau fol-
lowed with remarks in French, and Bro. Erzenberger 
concluded the services in German at.the grave. 
A lot in a pleasant part of the beautiful cemetery was 
purchased by the mission, and we laid him away after 
the custom of the burial service in America. The coffin 
was covered with beautiful flowers, the sincere offerings 
of loving hearts and tributes of respect from the citizens, 
and we left him to peaceful rest till He in whom he fell 
asleep shall awaken him to the full fruition of the 
" blessed hope" which cheered him through life. 
The following resolutions were passed, with deep feel, 
ing, by the Conference:— 
WHEREAS, Our Heavenly Father has seen fit, in his 
providence, to lay his hand upon us in the removal from 
our midst of our dearly beloved brother, Eld. J. N. 
Andrews; therefore, 
Resolved, That while we humbly and reverently bow 
in submission to the will of God, we feel that we have 
sustained an irreparable loss, both personally and in 
the work, and that in view of this loss we will conse-
crate ourselves anew to the work to which he gave his 
life, seeking to follow his example of sacrifice and de-
votion to the cause of God. 
Resolved, That we hereby tender to his afflicted 
family our deepest sympathy in this their great bereave-
ment. 
We need not speak of the sense of loss we feel in the 
household and in the work. A place is left vacant; 
and we know not how it can be filled, but we are com-
forted by the faith that our loved brother rests in 
Jesus, and that the work is God's Though he may 
bury his workmen," yet he will " carry on his work." 
Bale, Suisse, Oct. 24. �B. L. WHITNEY. 
"A Check on Adventism." 
WHILE we are reviewing that which assumes to be a 
check on Adventism, it becomes necessary to inquire, 
What is Methodism ? We used to think we had some 
understanding of the faith of the Methodist church. 
We think so still; that is, we understood what the 
MethOdist faith was, but it appears now that that is no 
certain indication to what it is. The question may be 
asked to us, Do you not believe in change, in progress ? 
Yes, when it is in the right direction. But we have 
heard of progress in error, and their change is mani-
festly of that kind. And we hold that when a religious 
body virtually repudiates its own standards and land-
marks, it ought to have the frankness to avow its pur-
pose, and prove its sincerity by-stating the reasons for 
the change. The Methodists fail to do this, though they 
are denying their own standards, and building again the 
things they once destroyed. Gal. 2 :18. 
We might notice several important points wherein 
the Methodist Church is changing its faith, but we will 
confine ourselves to the present issue. When we read, 
years ago, in the Discipline, that " no Christian what-
soever is n ee from the obedience of the commandments 
which are .called moral," we kneiv that reference was 
made to the decalogue or ten commandments. We 
knew it because they, pre-eminently above all other com-
mandments, " are called moral." Had this sixth in their 
" Articles of Religion " referred to something else than 
the decalogue it would have been deceptive without an 
explanation, because, as before said, these are " the 
commln dments which are called moral." We give a 
few proofs:- 
Dr. Webster, in his Dictionary, says " The moral 
law is summarily contained in the decalogue, written 
by the finger of God in tables of stone. 
Alexander Campbell, in his justly celebrated dis-
cussion with Bishop Purcell, said the ten commandments, 
" not only in the Old Testament, but in all revelation, 
are most emphatically regarded as the synopsis of all 
religion and morality." 
John Quincy Adams, writing of God's revelation 
to his people, said: "The decalogue having been spoken 
by the voice, and twice written upon the stone tables 
by the finger of God, may be considered as the founda-
tion of the whole system." 
Dr. Chalmers, in his Sermons, said: "For the perma-
nency of the Sabbath, however, we might argue its place 
in the decalogue, where it stands enshrined among the 
moralities of a rectitude that is immutable and everlast-
ing." 
Dr. Clarke, on Ex. 20, says: " It is worthy of re-
mark, that there is none of these commandments, nor 
any part of one, which can fairly be considered as 
merely ceremonial. All are moral, and consequently of 
everlasting obligation." 
Bishop Haven, in his book entitled, " The Pillars 
of Truth," being sermons on the ten commandments, 
said: " This decalogue can never' become obsolete. It 
was designed for all men; and, obeyed, would render all 
men noble and worthy of immortal blessedness. It is 
a kind of concentration of the moral teachings of the 
Bible." 
Much more to the same intent might be given, but 
these are sufficient on this point. We have thus 
proved the meaning of Article 6 of the Discipline. 
When we reviewed Dr. Benson's pamphlet we called 
attention to the fact that his argument undermined the 
fourth commandment, and was antinomian in its ten-
dency. And still stronger was this tendency manifested 
in the pamphlet of Mr. Armstrong. If the Methodists 
still stood on genuine Methodist ground, and deprecated 
antinomianism as did Wesley, Fletcher, Clarke, and 
others, they would have heeded the caution which we 
gave them on this point. But no; " Adventism " was 
in their way, and in their estimation " the end will 
justify any means," to put " a check on Adventism." 
And so Mr. Woodward comes to the front, recommended 
by the Christian Advocate, introduced with laudations 
by Dr. Stratton, and, waxing exceeding bold, openly 
teaches the abrogation of the fourth commandment! 
This we shall prove by his own words. And we shall 
apply the rule laid down by James, that " he who 
offends in one, is guilty of all," and insist that the 
moral force of all the decalogue—the moral law—is 
weakened in the minds of his readers, by destroying 
the fourth commandment. Mr. Woodward's pamphlet 
is a virulent antinomian production, endorsed by the 
exponents or representatives of Methodism on the Pa- 
cific Coast. 
First, we will expose his deception (or his ignorance, 
for one or the other is involved, and he may take which 
side he pleases,) in his comment on Matt. 5 :17. On the 
word " fufill," and its use by Adventists, he says:— 
" The word law in this text cannot mean the deca-
logue, for the simple fact that it is followed by the 
word fulfill. Nowhere in the Bible is it said that the 
decalogue is fulfilled, for the reason that the deca-
logue is not a prophecy. It is said of the decalogue 
that it is kept or transgressed, but never fulfil led. It is 
not possible for the ten commandments to be fulfilled; 
they are not prophetic. It can only be said of prophecy 
that it can be fulfilled. �
That it might be fulfilled 
which was spoken of the prophet,' is a Biblical phrase 
with which all are familiar. If it were necessary we 
could fill pages to show that the word fulfill never re-
lates to the decalogue, but only and always to prophecy. 
Therefore as this word law' is followed by the word 
fulfill,' it must have been a prophecy." 
And at considerable length he descants on the folly 
of Adventist preachers and writers for using the word 
fulfill' in reference to law or obligation. Now let us 
consider a few facts. 
Worcester, in his Dictionary, defines ful fill: " To 
perform whatever has been prophecied, promised, de-
sired, commanded, or intended." And under synonyms, 
he says: " See abcomplish, complete, keep." 
Dr. Webster also says it means to carry into effect 
a requirement, " to answer the requisition of." And 
quotes Jas. 2 :8, which will presently be noticed. 
The Bible Commentary, on Matt. 5 :17, says: " The 
original word is frequently used by St. Matthew in the 
sense of fulfilling a prophecy, but this is not the sense 
which best suits the present context in which it is op-
posed to destroying." 
NOVEMBER 29, 1883, �THE SIGNS OF TII 
P] TIM 
IH,S. �
535 
Dr. Clarke, on Ex. 20, said: " Though Christ is 
said to have fulfilled the law for us, yet it is nowhere 
intimated in the Scripture, that he has so fulfilled these 
ten laws, as to exempt us from the necessity and privi-
lege of being no idolaters, swearers, Sabbath-bre(akers, 
disobedient and cruel children, murderers, adulterers, 
thieves, and corrupt witnesses. All these command-
ments, it is true, he punctually fulfilled himself; and 
all these he writes on the heart of every one redeemed 
by his blood." 
Jesus said to John the Baptist: " Thus it becom-
eth us to fulfill all righteousness." Matt. 3 : 15. 
Paul said: " Bear ye one another's burdens, and 
so fulfill the law of Christ." Gal. 6 : 2. 
James said, and speaking of the ten command-
ments also: "If ye fulfill the royal law according 
to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy-
self, ye do well." And he adds: "For whosoever shall 
keep the whole law, and yet offend in one [point], he 
is guilty of all." 
Every word quoted from the above authorities is a 
direct refutation of Mr. Woodward's position, and the 
words of Dr. Clarke and of the apostle James are a 
direct condemnation of Mr. Woodward himself. He 
says he could fill pages to show that the word fulfill 
never relates to the decalogue; but Dr. Clarke says 
Christ fulfilled every one of the ten commandments, 
and Dr. C. is in harmony with the dictionaries, and 
Mr. W. contradicts them. We have noticed this point 
at this length because it is material to the main issue, 
and the proof is such a sweeping condemnation of Mr. 
Woodward's trickery in dealing with the word of God. 
We may add, that Wesley contradicts his conclusion 
on Matt. 5 :17, for he refers it to the moral law. We 
say on this point as we said of another: We would like 
to see Dr. Stratton come forward and try to vindicate 
that which he so " cogently" indorsed! Before we 
finish this review he may have occasion to change his 
mind as to which party has the " whimseys," and which 
has reason and the Bible with them. The Advocate 
said that Mr. Woodward and Dr. Stratton are able to 
take care of themselves. But to clear themselves of 
their unenviable position they must set aside the testi-
mony of Webster, Worcester, the Commentaries, Clarke, 
Wesley, James, Paul, and the Saviour himself. When 
they have successfully refuted all these, then Adventism 
will acknowledge that it has received a "check "! 
The matter on our hands so limits our room that we 
are compelled to reserve for next week the effort he 
makes to set aside the fourth commandment. 
Our Lord's Last Passover. 
(Concluded.) 
To THE proposition that none but those who show 
their faith in Christ by obedience to God's law can 
rightfully partake of the Lord's Supper, it may be ob-
jected that, although Christ, who was its founder, had 
a right to bar whomsoever he saw fit, his followers are 
not competent judges as to who is worthy and who is not; 
that they have no right to deprive any one of the privilege. 
It is claimed that such an act savors of bigotry, and is a 
mark of illiberality. 
To this we would reply, (1) That it is the Lord him-
self who sets the standard; his followers dare not go be-
yond him. (2) That the question of liberality or illiber-
ality is not concerned in the case. One may be liberal 
with that which is his own, and may dispose of it as he 
pleases; but to take the same freedom with that which 
is another's would be sin.' But the supper in question 
is " the Lord's Supper;" consequently no one but he can 
dispense its privileges. The word " illiberal," when 
used with reference to those who do not believe in com-
muning with law-breakers, is sadly misapplied. (3) 
Those who do so cannot be said to deprive anybody of 
the privilege of communion. They simply refuse to 
commune with them for the obvious reason that com-
munion with them is impossible. There is not perfect 
union and harmony. There cannot be while one keeps 
the law and the other persists in breaking it. "For 
what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteous-
ness ? and what communion hath light with dark-
ness ?" (4) No one decides as to another's fitness or un-
fitness; the individual does that for himself. If he 
professes to have faith in Christ and to love God's law, 
no one can have any right or wish to exclude him. 
He may be at heart a law-breaker, although correct in 
his profession; but of this no one can judge. God alone 
can read the heart. If the individual presumes to act the 
part of a hypocrite, the responsibility is his own.7And 
(5) As to being deprived of the privilege of the Lord's 
Supper, we would reply, that it is very far from being 
a privilege to one who is unworthy. Paul tells us in 
1 Cor. 11 :19 that he who does not discern the Lord's 
body is an unworthy partaker. The phrase, " not dis-
cerning the Lord's body," means that the individual 
does not realize the nature and object of the ordinance. 
This would be the case if the person did not realize 
that Christ's blood was shed " for the remission of sins 
that are past," and that when we accept it in our case 
we virtually pledge ourselves to abstain from sin in the 
future; " to walk even as he walked." In short, if a 
person presumes upon the mercy of God, and thinks 
that the sacrifice of Christ renders any effort on his 
part unnecessary, he would certainly be unworthy. 
And Paul says that he who eats and drinks unworthily, 
eateth and drinketh damnation to himself. 
The ordinances of the gospel are duties to be per-
formed, and not merely privileges to be enjoyed. But 
they are not duties that are enjoined upon all, irrespect-
ive of their condition. There are two kinds of duty—
primary and secondary; and it is the non-performance 
of the first that makes necessary the performance of the 
second. It is every person's duty to keep the law of 
God. There is no individual who is free from this ob-
,ligs tion. Had man never sinned, keeping the law of 
God would have been his whole duty. But all men 
have sinned, and now God commands all men every-
where to repent. Christ died that we might find for-
giveness of our sins by repentance and faith in him. 
and we are called upon to show our faith by performing 
certain duties. But we are not called upon to do these 
duties without first having repented. Christ's teaching 
was, " Repent ye, and believe the gospel." Paul 
preached " Repentance toward God, and faith toward 
our Lord Jesus Christ." This is the true order. And 
the repentance must be complete. We must keep the 
whole law. Keeping eight-tenths or nine-tenths of the 
law is not enough. 
As we have before remarked, then, there is no exclu-
siveness about the matter. Certain ones who do not 
render obedience to all the law of God, will say, Come, 
let us partake of communion together. We would be 
glad to do so, but how can there be communion when 
there is disagreement ? When they say, Let us com-
mune together, it is equivalent to saying, Let us show 
our union or agreement; let there be perfect harmony be-
tween us; and yet they refuse to agree. It is sometimes 
said: We will waive this point; we will not let our 
opinions interfere; we will agree to disagree. But an 
agreement to disagree is disagreement still, and brings 
no union. Besides it is not our opinion that separates 
us, but the commandment of God. 
But what if the person asking to commune does not 
understand all the law, but is walking up to all the 
light that he has ? Then give him the further instruc-
tion that he needs. If he has been conscientiously 
walking in all the light that he had, he will thank God 
for further light, and will at once accept it. But what if 
he cannot see as you do, and is still honestly trying to 
do right ? Then pray that his eyes may be opened. 
If he is really honest, God will not permit him to wan-
der in darkness. But whether honest or dishonest, 
whether walking in the light or self-deceived, there can 
be no true communion where there is7material disagree-
ment. The Saviour prayed thus for his disciples: " Holy 
Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou 
hast given me, that they may be one, as we are." 
John 17 : 11. And in this prayer he included his whole 
church, for he said: " Neither pray I for these alone 
but for them also which shall believe on me through 
their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, 
art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in 
us." Verses 20, 21. Christ, then, did not contemplate 
many churches, nor one church with the individual 
branches " each serving God in7his own way," but an 
individual church, between the 'membersof which the 
union should be as close as it was between him and the 
Father. 
And this union and harmony was not intended to be 
a union which should be brought about by an agree-
ment to ignore certain doctrines of the word of God, 
for that would be union only in name. The prayer of 
the Lord Jesus was: " Sanctify them through thy truth; 
thy word is truth." Christian union, therefore, can 
only exist where all believe and speak the same thing. 
The apostles continually urged this state of things upon 
those to whom they wrote. See Rom. 12,:_16;_15 : 5; 
1 Cor. 1 :10; 2 Cor 13 :11; Phil. 2 :2; 3 : 16; 1 Peter 
3 :8; etc. To say that it is impossible for all to see 
alike, is to impeach the wisdom of Christ and his in- 
spired apostles. The exhortation of Paul in 1 Cor. 1 : 10 
is peculiarly noteworthy: "Now I beseech you, breth-
ren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all 
speak the same thing, and that there be no division 
among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in 
the same judgment." Nothing could indicate more 
perfect unity than this. All must have one mind and 
one judgment. And this state of things existed in the 
early church, as we learn from Acts 4 : 32. " And the 
multitude of them that believed were of one heart and 
one soul." What has been done can be done; and this 
condition must necessarily exist among the true fol-
lowers of Christ. 
There is another lesson that we may learn from the 
example of Christ on this occasion; one that all the 
followers of Christ should ever keep in mind, and which, 
if acted upon, would take the edge off from any such 
epithet as " exclusive " or " bigoted." It is this: Christ 
could not suffer Judas to commune with his loving fol-
lowers, and yet he washes his feet. What an amazing 
instance of humility! The King of glory condescends 
to wash the feet of his betrayer, a vile wretch with 
whom he could have nothing in common. No word of 
harshness or reproach for his perfidy, but a manifesta-
tion of tenderness, as though he were his best friend. 
And after giving Judas this proof of his gentleness and 
humility, he gives him to understand that all his vil-
liany is known, and delicately requests him to do his 
work at once, that his presence may not mar the scene of 
harmony and love that should follow. �
E. J. W. 
College Matters. 
WE are now nearing the close of the first half of the 
present College year. Only four weeks remain, and 
then follows the holiday vacation of two weeks, begin-
ning December 19, 1883. The commencement of this 
year has been one of unusual anxiety to many friends 
of the College. An untried field of responsibility was 
entered upon in uniting physical employment with 
mental labor, and every step in the development of this 
system was watched with intense interest. The theory 
of this union had everything in its favor, and we all had 
faith in it; but it remained to be tried by that test that 
determines the merits of all theories. 
Four months have elapsed since the experiment was 
entered upon, and all are more than gratified with the 
success already attained, and with the prospects before 
us. Almost from the very first there has been a 
steadily increasing interest on the part of the students, 
in the practical workings of this new system, and I 
doubt that there is one of our number who would wil-
lingly return to the old method. 
The attendance has been greater than we had antici-
pated; 130 have been enrolled during the past four 
months, and our present daily attendance is 107. At 
our College Boarding Hall there are now thirty-seven 
student boarders, nine of whom are ladies. 
The best of feeling prevails throughout the entire 
school. The students are hard at work, at their various 
employments, and they are happy because they are 
faithful. At the boarding hall the harmony is com-
plete. There is no spirit of disaffection or unrest 
among the students. It is an interesting sight to see 
them at their work during the intervals of labor. One 
would admire the energy and activity with which they 
apply themselves. With scarcely an exception, each 
takes pride in doing well the greatest amount of work 
in the shortest time. 
The variety of employment adds a new charm to our 
daily programme. Three intervals of labor occur dur-
ing the day, at present aggregating two hours. The 
twenty-eight young men and boys are separated into five 
companies for the convenient distribution of labor. 
Each company has a leader, who has in charge the par-
ticular work allotted to his company. One company is 
assigned the job of painting; another, of fence-building; 
another, of gardening; another, of carpentering; and 
the fifth, of caring for the College Building. The dif-
ferent companies exchange work every few weeks, thus 
giving each student a wider experience in common 
labor. Each one has an additional responsibility in 
performing a part of the genera] work about the prem-
ises, commonly called choring. The entire manage_ 
ment is intended to inculcate habits of industry and 
thoroughness, and to give experience in the most 
practical affairs of daily life. 
536 �
TEI �
SIGNS OF TI-3 �
1-11 TIM 
IA: S. �
VoL. 9, No. 45. 
Our general programme of daily recitations has been 
greatly improved, in the estimation of all, by arranging 
for one session a day, which opens at 9, and closes at 
1 : 55. There are two short intermissions which sepa-
rate the time of recitations into three equal intervals. 
The special instruction, in charge of Dr. Waggoner, 
to those preparing for missionary labor, is constituting 
an important feature of this College year. The class 
somewhat exceeds thirty in number, and appears to be 
intensely interested in the special work. Their labor is 
chiefly devoted to the study of the Bible. Beside the 
forty-five minutes spent daily in class recitation on 
Bible subjects, they meet daily also as a missionary 
class. This exercise is proving of incalculable benefit 
to all, but especially to such as have not had much ex-
perience in the work. The Dr. also meets a class in 
physiology daily, and one in vocal music twice a week. 
The Bible students receive instruction also in reading, 
spelling, penmanship, and English language. In all 
these branches immediate, practical results are aimed at. 
We feel that all are receiving what is well adapted to 
prepare them most speedily for their work. The only 
regret expressed by teachers and others is that no more 
are enjoying the benefits of this instruction. There 
are but eight from a distance that are over thirty-five 
years of age, while there should be here a score or more of 
men and women in middle life to prepare for the work. 
We have good reason, however, to expect quite an in-
crease of this class of students in January. We trust 
that it will be so. 
The Lord's blessing is attending the work at Healds-
burg. There are indications of his willingness to pour 
out his spirit upon students, teachers, and church far 
surpassing anything hitherto enjoyed. His spirit is im-
pressing the minds of the youth with the importance Of 
living godly lives, and several young men and women 
are endeavoring for the first time to be Christians, and 
to obey God's commandments. Five or six students 
have requested baptism. The impression prevails in 
College and church that God is in' the school, and that 
this is the place for young men and women to come to 
prepare themselves for practical life, and to insure true 
mental and spiritual growth. �
S. BROWNSBERGER. 
Healdsburg, Cal., Nov. '41,1883. 
AGE, when somewhat advanced, rises as a barrier to 
many against any further effort toward mental im-
provement. They say, when even in the prime of life, 
Oh, if I were young I would have some hope of learn-
ing something, but it is too late. The proverb has it, 
"As long as there is life there is hope." If the proverb 
be true with reference to prolonging existence, why not 
equally true with reference to improving that exist-
ence? But even advanced age is not a discouragement 
to all. There is one student here at Healdsburg College 
that will be sixty years old just one month before the 
coming Christmas. Though his hairs are as white as 
snow, and his early education was wholly neglected, 
yet he feels like doing all he can to become more efficient 
in the cause so dear to his heart. He loves to be at the 
school, and expressed his fears that he might become so 
much attached to it, that he would not want to leave it 
to go to his field of labor. However that may be, we 
love to have him with us, and shall feel our loss when 
he leaves us. We all honor and love him the more for his 
efforts in old age to make up for the want of an early 
. education. May God bless him, and may many others 
follow this worthy example. �
S. B. 
Brahmo Somaj. 
THE advent of Mr. Mozoomdar, " the Hindu reformer," 
in the United States is having a tendency to popular-
ize the cause he represents. His personal appearance, 
polished manners, and withal his superior English, are 
sources of attraction, and have created no little sensa- 
tion among the literati of New England and New Yonc, 
and 'consequently draw favorable impressions of his 
theoretical reformation. We can probably do no better 
by way of explanation of this Oriental innovation now 
seeking recognition among the religious systems, than 
to give the following extract from the New York 
Independent:— 
" Mr. Mozoomdar is one of the prophets of the Brahmo 
Somaj, a movement which no well-wisher of India can 
afford to oppose or ignore. Its aim is to help a people 
who are sunk in wretchedness and despair under the 
Hindu system of philosophy, in the mazes of which they 
have been blindly groping for centuries, finding no light, 
to cast off idolatry, to worship the one supreme God as 
a beneficent ruler; to install the divine principle of 
human brotherhood in place of the Satanic principle of 
caste; to elevate woman; to diffuse the blessings of ed-
ucation. In its spirit if not in its creed, in its practi-
cal work if not in its philosophy, the Brahmo Somaj is 
essentially Christian, though it does not call itself so. 
It recognizes Christ as a prophet; it glorifies him; it 
makes large use of the Christian Scriptures. But it is 
eclectic, and culls, much as a Frothingham used to do, 
the best from all systems. Mr. Sen has written grandly 
of the Galilean; but he insists that we have made of 
him a Western Christ. It is the Oriental Christ which 
the Brahmos love to contemplate. What their concep-
tion of him is, Mr. Mozoomdar's new botik, The Orien-
tal Christ, plainly declares. Christ is divine, he is the 
Son of God; but neither the author nor Mr Sen means 
by these terms what we understand by them. " Christ," 
we read, " as the Son of God, was the manifestation of 
divine character in humanity." And " that character 
descends in Christ for the enlightenment, conversion. 
regeneration, and adoption of all men." This Christ, as 
the perfection of human character, the Brahmos regard 
as a model; and to be like him and do what he says, but 
not to worship him, is their declared purpose." 
"So near, and yet so far!" One can see in the fore-
going a great improvement upon the idolatrous super-
stitions of the unenlightened Hindus, and if it could be 
made but a stepping-stone to a more perfect knowledge 
of Christ,—to that which its promoters almost, but just 
fail to, reach,—we could well add this commendation 
of the Independent: " As long as it remains true to its 
mission, it should receive Christian sympathy and sup-
port." 
But we can see no prospect of the Brahmo Somaj lead-
ing its votaries to a comprehension of the chief object 
of the manifestation of divine character in human-
ity"—the atonement. We fail to discover auy ground 
of hope iv Christian development in a system which 
seems to have selected all it wants from the mission of 
Christ, discarding the chief good, and seeking elsewhere 
for material to complete its ideal of a religious reform. 
We quote again from the Independent:— 
" Brahmoism aspires to universality. It expects not 
only to win India, but the world. It claims to embody 
the best of all systems of religion, and it aims to unify 
them. It will neither be absorbed by Christianity nor 
fall back into Hinduism, but is fitted to be the best ex-
ponent of Christianity and to represent the good and 
true in Hinduism, Islam, and other faiths. Such is 
Mr. Mozoomdar's outlook." 
So we see that this reformation is open to almost any-
thing. Everything that can put on a fair front may 
come in. It is a twin sister of American Free-thinker-
ism, which will admit anything; even Christ himself, if 
only the atonement be left out. Throw this aside, and 
the incarnation and the resurrection fall to the ground. 
It is easy to see in this Brahmo Somaj movement just where 
Satan stepped in, in the theory of Christ, and took the 
reigns, saying, " Christ was not pre-existent, or truly di- 
vine in himself; he did not rise from the dead; he made no 
atonement." From this point onward his leadership is 
plainly visible. He is willing that men shall believe 
in the morality of Christ's teachings—this much for a 
liberal compromise; but beyond this, he would impress 
their minds with the good to be found in something 
else. 
If Mr. Mozoomdar is seeking a multiplicity of source's 
from which to select material for his " reformation," he 
has judged well in coining to America. He will find 
plenty of admirers, and plenty of suggestions; and when 
he shall have added evolution and a few other Spiritual-
istic and infidel adjuncts, he will probably realize that 
his Brahmo Somaj (in various forms) already enjoys a 
good degree of " universality." Indeed we are of 
opinion that he will find that, instead of bringing some-
thing new to our shores, the main features of his 
" Oriental dream," as the Independent styles it, have 
already been copyrighted. 
We notice also that the Mr. Sen referred to above 
has introduced a system of new ceremonies as an aux-
iliary to the success of the movement. But the author of 
these is quite liberal,—" he submits to no dogmatism, 
but he imposes none upon his followers." We are told 
that " these new ceremonies, the shadows of Christian 
as well as Hindu rites, are designed to appeal to the 
popular mind." We suppose that the idolators of India, 
being accustomed to " Hindu rites," cannot dispense 
with them altogether. Having Christ set before them 
in a compromised manner, there is created the necessity 
for further compromise in the matter of ceremony. 
This feature of the new religion, then, is confessedly a 
bid for popularity. 
Whatever of social reformation may be accomplished 
in India by such machinery, we see nothing in the 
Brahmo Somaj to encourage a hope that it will in any 
degree further.the cause of hristianity._There is noth- 
ing in it that Christians can encourage as a means of 
bringing the heathen to Christ as a Saviour, but there 
is much calculated to counteract the efforts of true 
Christian missionaries in that vast field. And whateve 
encouragement Christians give to the enterprise is just 
so much influence against the truth of the Bible, and 
against the true interest of the heathen. �
W. N. G. 
ght atus5imtaq. 
Closing Sketch. 
THE history of the Waldenses from 1690 is 
briefly told. They had everything to begin 
anew. Their numbers were greatly reduced; 
they were in extreme poverty; but they had good 
courage; and their brethren in England arid 
Germany hastened to assist them in re-establish-
ing themselves in their native ]and. At this time 
England took a noble part. Within two years 
they had twelve churches in the valleys. Pros-
perity seemed to come to them. The rugged 
mountains and everlasting hills would fitly re-
present the character of a people who had re-
ceived the instruction which they had received 
from God's word for many generations. Hol-
land lent material aid, while the Protestant can-
tons of Switzerland appropriated their academies 
to the students from their valleys. 
The year 1789 brought with it astounding 
changes. " The French Revolution rung out the 
knell of the old times, and introduced, amidst 
those earthquake shocks that convulsed nations 
and laid thrones and altars prostrate, a new po-
litical age. The Vaudois once again passed under 
the dominion of France. There followed an en-
largement of their civil rights, and an ameliora-
tion of their social condition; but unhappily, with 
the friendship of France came the poison of its 
literature, and Voltairianism threatened to inflict 
more deadly injury on the church of the Alps 
than all the persecutions of the previous cen-
turies." 
But from time to time deliverance came, until 
this people obtained a full emancipation. In 
1808 a visit from Felix Neff was to them the first 
dawning of a new day. A visit from Dr. William 
Stephen Gilly, in 1828, also gave them great en-
couragement and help. " The result of Dr. Gilly's 
visit was the erection of a college at La Torre, 
for the instruction of youth and the 'training of 
ministers, and a hospital for the sick; besides 
awakening great interest in their behalf in Eng-
land." General Beckwith also proved to be a 
friend. He had fought at Waterloo; was ambi-
tious and brave; but in that battle-field he had 
received a wound in the leg from the discharge 
of a musket drawn at a venture. While upon a 
bed of pain he drew forth his neglected Bible and 
embraced the truths of the sacred volume. After 
reading the history of the visit of Dr. Gilly to the 
Waldenses, his sympathy was enlisted in their 
behalf. He devoted his fortune to their interests, 
building schools, and churches, and parsonages. 
fie provided improved school books, and suggested 
better modes of teaching. He was their advocate 
at the court of Turin. And thus God favored 
this down-trodden people. 
The revolution of 1848 overthrew all their re-
strictions. They fell in one day, and " the Wal-
densian church became the door by which freedom 
of conscience entered Italy. When the hour 
came for framing a new constitution for Pied-
mont, it was found desirable to give standing-
room in that constitution to the Waldenses, and 
this necessitated the introduction into the edict 
of the great principle of freedom of worship as a 
right. They had contended for this principle for 
ages. For it they had suffered martyrdoms, and 
now God had turned their captivity and given 
them the freedom they so much desired. The 
whole of Italy, from the Alps to Etna, the States 
of the Church excepted, the result of the brilliant 
campaign of Garibaldi in Sicily and Naples, now 
became the field of the Waldensian Church. The 
result of the brief but terrible campaign of 1870, 
in which the French Empire disappeared and the 
German uprose, was the opening of the gates of 
Rome. And let us mark—for in the little inci-
dent we hear the voice of ten centuries—in the 
first rank of the soldiers whose cannon bad burst 
open the old gates, there entered a Vaudois col-
porteur with a bundle of Bibles. The Walden-
ses now kindle their lamp at Rome, and the pur 
pose of the ages stands revealed." 
NOVEMBER 29, 1883. �
THE SIGNS �
TIT �
l TINfES. �
537 
One wonderful feature among this people at 
the present day is their reverence for the Bible, 
and although much error and superstition has 
crept in with them, as with all denominations, 
they yet revere that sacred book as we have seen 
in no other people with whom we have ever be-
come acquainted. And while visiting this people 
last summer, every family, with the exception of 
one or two, had children who were devoting them-
selves, or about to do so, to the gospel ministry. 
The missionary spirit still lives, and no doubt 
from this people will be gathered, in the great 
day of God, a large representative number that 
will stand upon Mount Zion. 
Downey, Los Angeles Co., Cal. 
SINCE my last report, seven more have signed 
the covenant here, making fifty-two who are 
faithfully striving to walk in the light which 
they have recently received. Many of these have 
been slaves to the vile habit of tobacco-using; 
but this evil is fast disappearing, and we trust it 
will be soon eradicated from among them. One 
of those who have been received into full church 
fellowship, is a brother who was a Methodist 
preacher, and who has just given up the use of 
tobacco in which he had indulged fifty-seven 
years. Let none say that they cannot break 
away from this habit. We have just purchased 
a lot, and ordered lumber, for the erection of a 
church building. Pray for the work here. 
Nov. 22, 1883. �
E. A. BRIGGS. 
A Chinese Boy. 
ABOUT fifty miles from Shanghai, in the city of 
Quin San, there is a little Baptist Church. One 
of the members is a boy sixteen or seventeen 
years old now, who before his conversion had 
formed the habit of drinking wine. He soon saw 
that this was sinful, so, after asking God, to help 
him, he decided upon the following plan of over-
coming the sin which had gotten bold of him. A 
small wooden box was made, closed all around 
except a hole in the top, and every day at the 
usual hour of drinking wine, the " wine man" in-
side (as he chose to call his appetite), would bite 
him and want wine. Then he would run to the 
box anti put into it the money he used to spend 
for wine, exclaiming, There now! you can't get 
any wine to-day, for your money has gone into 
the box." Each day this process was gone 
through until be ceased to want wine; and when 
the little box was opened he was surprised to find 
how much money was there, all of which then 
was given to the church as a thank-offering to 
that God who had saved him from a strong and 
wicked habit. 
Let us see how many lessons there are in this 
true story. First, God will give us power to over-
come great sins, if we only ask him and do all we 
can ourselves. Again, we see that much money 
that is spent in sinful and unsatisfying pleasures 
might be made to do lasting good by a little self-
denial. But there is still a third lesson our story 
teaches us, and it is this: The gospel of Christ 
can do for the little boys and girls of China what 
it does for those in. America. Does it make your 
home bright and give cheerfulness to every pass-
ing day ? So it does for other homes. When the 
Saviour said, " I am the light of the world," he 
intended that the message of love and pardon 
which he came to bring should be carried by his 
people to all nations.—Kind Words. 
"PROBABLY there is .no greater need of the hour 
than that our pastors should impress upon the 
people of their charges, and especial y upon those 
who have the responsibility of a household, the 
high and sacred obligation of training their chil-
dren and youth in the ways of the Lord. This 
obligation can never be delegated to Sueday-school 
teachers. �
God has laid it upon parents, and 
all the instincts of nature should but serve to 
strengthen the obligation. It can never be right-
fully discharged except by the parents themselves. 
And the proper place, the heaven-appointed place, 
is the home circle, the household altar, the family 
fireside. Nothing in this world can take the place 
of the household influence when that influence 
begins early and is exerted on Christian principles. 
What the church needs, and what all her children 
need, is true religion in all her families."—interior. 
emperante, 
Beef and Alcholiol. 
RATHER an astounding editorial appeared in the 
San Francisco Bulletin of the 17th inst., entitled 
" Beef, Brawn and Victory." Referring to an 
address of Prof. Hilgard, of the State University, 
who " seems inclined to the vegetarian theory," 
#nd to the fact that " a vegetarian colony had re-
cently settled down in California," the premise is 
laid down that " the physical forces which have 
conquered the world, and which will conquer it 
hereafter, have not and will not be nurtured on 
an exclusive vegetable diet." It is further repre-
sented that the fighting qualities of the German 
army are maintained by bacon, beef, and beer; and 
that the British soldier is kept in fighting trim 
by a diet of beef, mutton, ale, and port. Now, 
people who desire to have savage dogs around 
their premises, or keep such animals for fighting 
purposes, usually feed them on raw meat, and as 
the lecture referred to by the Bulletin was upon 
the subject of cookery, the editor, to be consistent 
in his theory, should have advocated an uncooked 
flesh diet. 
Admitting that the ferocious propensities 
claimed for the conquerors of the world are en-
gendered and sustained by a diet of flesh and 
malt and alcohol, it is very questionable if it be 
better to have the world conquered and held in 
subjection by such a power. If this is the ele-
ment that is goading the dominant powers of the 
earth to vie with each other in the production of 
munitions for the destruction of human life, is 
not this fact a sufficient reason to call for reform 
in diet ? If it is better to feed the human race 
upon such food as will, from generation to gener-
ation, tend to the propagation of combativeness, 
then many good men have mistaken the design 
of the Creator. To argue that flesh and alcohol 
are the proper articles of food for man, in view 
of his welfare and happiness, is to impugn the 
wisdom of Providence, which the Christian editor 
of the Bulletin would not wittingly do. We have 
mnly to turn to the book of Genesis (which many 
Christians still hold to be good authority) to learn 
the original design of the Creator in this regard. 
That he permitted them to become meat-eaters, 
and even designated what should be clean and 
unclean unto them, is not more surprising than 
his permitting I-rael to have kings over them, 
against his will, even pointing out the men whom 
his prophets should anoint—and often very bad 
men. 
As to the question of physical endurance, a 
notable example is found in the exode of Israel 
from Egypt. When the Lord started his people 
across a wilderness country, upon a journey re-
quiring both endurance and faith, intending that 
they should conquer a land densely populated 
with meat-eaters, he gave them a simple diet and 
purposely kept flesh from them. When they 
wickedly lusted for it, he gave it to them, but 
they would have been better of without it. 
With reference to intellectual power, as well as 
physical, no better example could be ound than 
that of Daniel. The story is too familiar to need 
repeating. Suffice it to say that, when carried to 
Babylon a captive in his youth, he, with three 
others, was selected by the king to be educated 
and fed at Government expense. These captives 
refused to take any food excepting a purely veg 
etsble diet, and they came out not only fairer in 
flesh, but intellectually superior to all their fellow 
students. Daniel rose to be head of the wise 
men of the nation, and prime minister of the 
Government—the grandest that ever existed 
upon the earth, embracing 127 provinces. 
The Bulletin alludes to the Franco-German war, 
and asserts that the result of that conflict could 
not have been as it was had the Germans been 
vegetarians. Inasmuch as the French are also 
great flesh-eaters and wine-drinkers, we can 
with fully as much show of logic, assume that 
had Napoleon's army been vegetarians, the result 
would have been different. But on this point of 
physical endurance, the following extracts from 
_Health and Long Life are to the point:— 
" The animal kingdom depends for support on 
the vegetable kingdom, and that is the reason 
both animal and vegetable food contain the same 
life sustaining properties; hence it is that man 
can live on vegetable food alone, or wholly on 
animal food, The vegetable-eater gets his nour- 
ishment in all its purity from the original source, 
and converts it for the first time into his own 
flesh and blood; whereas the flesh-eater gets his 
from a second-band source, and reconverts into his 
own flesh that which has been used by another 
animal. 
. �
. 
" The brave Spartans, who, for muscular power, 
physical energy, and ability to endure hardships, 
perhaps stand unequaled in the history of nations, 
were vegetarians. The departure from their 
simple diet was soon fbllowed by their decline. 
The armies of 'Greece and Rome, in the times of 
their unparalleled conquests, subsisted on vegeta-
ble productions. In the training for the public 
games in Greece, where muscular strength was to 
be exhibited in all its varied forms, vegetable food 
was adhered to; but when flesh meat was adopted 
afterward, those hitherto athletic men became 
sluggish and stupid." 
The Bulletin further avers: " All great reforms 
involve an element of radicalism. Speech and 
action go to extremes. It is the excess of another 
kind of intemperance set over against that which 
is felt to be a great evil." This is a severe thrust 
at reform, but all reforms have had to stand 
such opposition. It is a well-known fact, though, 
that nothing short of the most radical radicalism 
ever effectually reformed anything, or ever will. 
Logically, to ignore the only means of a reforma-
tion, is to discourage the reformation itself. 
Again: " The noblest kind of temperance is 
that which can use every good thing without 
abusing it." This is the grand argument of the 
the liquor traffic, and it is sad to see Christian men 
attaching it to the use of beer and ale and port, 
and lauding as " victory" the results of their use. 
It is not exactly abusing a good thing, it is using 
a bad thing. The use of the argument might 
have passed, in connection with beef alone, un-
noticed; but it does seem a pity that such an in-
fluential journal should use a defense of beef as 
an excuse for ringing in . a plea for alcohol. If 
the two are inseparable, there is certainly a call 
for more radicalism. �
W. N. GLENN. 
The Strongest Drink. 
WATER is the strongest drink. It drives mills; 
it's the drink of lions and horses, and Samson 
never drank anything else. Let young men be 
teetotalers if only for economy's sake. The beer 
money will soon build a house. If what goes into 
a mash-tub went into the kneading-trough, fam-
ilies would be better fed and better taught. If 
what is spent in waste were only saved against a 
rainy day, workhouses would never be built. The 
man who spends his money with the public and 
thinks the landlord's bow and "How do ye do, 
my good fellows," 
 mean true respect, is a perfect 
simpleton. We don't light fires for the herring's 
comfort, but to roast him. Men do not keep pot-
houses for laborers' good; if they do, they certainly 
miss their aim. Why, then, should people drink 
" for the good of the house ?" If' I spend money 
for the good of any house, let it be my own and 
not the landlord's. It is a bad well into which 
you must put water•, and the beer-house is a bad 
friend, because it takes your all and leaves you 
nothing but headaches. He who calls those his 
friends who let him sit and drink by the hour is 
ignorant—very ignorant. Why, red lions and ti-
gers and eagles and vultures are all creatures of 
prey, and why do so many put themselves within 
the power of their jaws and talons? Such as 
drink and live riotously, and wonder why their 
faces are so blotchy and their pockets so bare, 
would leave off wondering, if they had two grains 
of wisdom. They might as well ask an elm tree 
for pears as look to loose habits for health and 
wealth. Those who go to the public house for 
happiness climb a tree to find fish.—Spurgeon. 
WHERE TO SEND DRUNKARDS.—A prominent cit-
izen of Lincoln County, Ill., having fallen a victim 
to intemperate habits, became so unfit for busi-
ness that, as a last resort, he fled to Kansas to 
escape temptation. After being there a while he 
writes a letter from Ottawa, Kansas, to a friend, 
as follows:— 
" John, I have seen over a dozen men who had 
been confirmed drunkards and who came here to 
reform•
' 
 all have succeeded. One man told me he 
came here two years ago, had been drunk twenty 
years and came here drunk, but has never touched 
liquor since. The fact is, when a man gets here 
he is bound to reform; he can't get whisky if he 
wants �Y. Witness. 
S. N. HASKELL. 
538 �
TI-11-1] SIGI\TS TIIE TIMES. �
Vol,. 9, No. 45. 
".once (firtitt, 
THANIISGIVING. 
 
OH, the glorious Thanksgivings 
Of the days that are no more! 
How, with each recurring season, 
Wakes their mem'ry o'er and o'er; 
When the hearts of men were simpler, 
And the needs of life were less, 
And its mercies were not reckoned 
By the measure of excess,- 
Heaven send the glad Thanksgiving 
Of that older simpler time! 
Tarry with us, not in fancy, 
Not in retrospective rhyme; 
But in true and living earnest 
May the spirit of that day, 
Artless, plain, and unpretending, 
Once again resume its sway ! 
—E. A. Smuller. 
Mrs. Staples' Silk Dress. 
A. THANKSGIVING STORY. 
" I WISH to goodness Mrs. Brown would bring 
home my dress," said Mrs. Staples as she set the 
breakfast on the table and took her place behind 
the coffee-pot. " No signs of it yet, and here it is 
almost Thanksgiving." 
" Don't fret, Hannah," said her husband, "you 
can do without it if it don't come, can't you ?" 
" Do you suppose I want to wear that old gray 
alpaca again ?" demanded Mrs. Staples, a little 
irritably. " I've worn it every Thanksgiving day 
for three years, and I'm about tired of seeing my-
self in it. And I don't want Giles to be ashamed 
of me before his sweetheart." 
" 0 well, like as not the dress'll be here on 
time," said Mr. Staples soothingly. " Don't cross 
a bridge before you come to it, Hannah." 
At this moment a• timid, hesitating knock 
sounded on the kitchen door, and Mrs. Staples 
rose from her seat to answer it. 
A small, delicate-looking woman, with a sweet, 
fair face, came in. She was dressed in deep 
mourning, which had long since lost its freshness, 
and carried in her arms a large bundle. There 
were lines of care on her face, and the melancholy 
look in her large brown eyes deepened percepti-
bly as Mrs. Staples exclaimed:— 
" So you've come at last ! I thought you'd for-
gotten me; and I'd set my heart on wearing that 
dress Thanksgiving day." 
" 0 Mrs. Staples," cried little Mrs. Brown, look-
ing ready to burst into tears, " I don't know what 
you'll say to me. The skirt of the dress is done, 
but the basque— " 
" Well, what of the basque?" asked Mrs. Staples 
sharply, as the dressmaker hesitated. 
" I—I—spoiled it," faltered Mrs. Brown. " But 
I thought perhaps you had some more material, 
and I could make another if you would let me." 
For a moment Mrs. Staples said nothing. Her 
indignation was too great for words. When she 
at length found her tongue, however, she deliv-
ered the poor culprit such a lecture as she had 
never heard before. 
" I know I deserve scolding, Mrs. Staples," 
sobbed Mrs. Brown. " But my little Ruth has 
been sick, and what with nursing her, and losing 
sleep, and seeing to the housework, I got so con-
fused that I cut the basque ail wrong. I never 
made such a mistake before, and if you can give 
me only two yards more I can manage to get an-
other basque out in time for you to wear day af-
ter to-morrow." 
" There's no more material to be had," an-
swered Mrs. Staples. " I took the last yard in 
Dickson's store. No, the dress is ruined. I might 
as well have thrown my money in the street as 
spent it on stuff for you to spoil. I ought to have 
known better than to have trusted you with the 
silk—common sense ought to have told me you'd 
ruin it." 
" I never ruined one before," pleaded Mrs. 
Brown, still weeping. 
" And I'll see to it that you never ruin another 
—in this village, anyway. It's my duty to let 
people know that you aren't what you profess to 
be, and know about as much of dressmaking as 
your baby does." 
Mrs. Brown said no more, but pulling her veil 
over her face to conceal the traces of tears on her 
cheeks, she left the kitchen with a slow and 
weary step, while Mrs. Staples went back to her 
seat at the table, too angry to touch the break- 
fast she had put upon her plate before Mrs. 
Brown's entrance. 
The little widow:had come to Barton only three 
weeks before, and, hiring a three-room cottage, 
had put out a humble sign to the effect that she 
would do dressmaking on reasonable terms. Mrs. 
Staples, though well off in this world's goods, was 
always ready to .economize where economy- was 
possible, and as soon as she: saw the sign she de-
termined to entrust her new silk, the only one she 
had bought within five years, to the new-comer. 
And now it was spoiled, and she must wear her 
old gray alpaca on Thanksgiving day, when Gileg, 
her only son, was to be at home, and was to bring 
a stranger withlhim, too ! Could anything more 
provoking have happened? 
" Seems to me you were rather hard on her, 
Hannah," ventured Mr. Staples, as he glanced at 
his wife's angry face. 
" Hard on her!" repeated Mrs. Staples. " I 
didn't say half as much as I ought to have said. 
What will Mrs. Pettigrew think to see me in that 
old gray alpaca again ? Giles, too ! " 
" Giles won't notice," said Mr. Staples. "He'll 
be so glad to see you, he won't care what you 
have on." 
" But I care. Do you think I want to look like 
a scarecrow before that lady he is going to 
bring !" 
" Couldn't you match the silk in Liscom ? " 
asked Mr. Staples. " There's half a dozen big dry 
goods stores there, you know." 
Liscom ! Eight miles off ! And all the bak-
ing and cleaning to be done, too:, [And s'pose I 
had it, who's to make it up ! Miss Smart's just 
run to death." 
John Staples got up and went out to the barn, 
giving up the argument in despair. He felt sorry 
for Mrs. Brown, whose sweet, sad face had 
touched his heart to pity, and he wished Hannah 
had not said quite so much to her. But then, of 
course, it was provoking to:'have'the new dress 
spoiled. Sitting down on a bench by the barn 
door, the farmer drew from his pocket a letter, 
received the day previous, and read it over and 
over again, as if he would fa in impress every word 
on his memory..It was from his son, and ran as 
follows:--- 
" DEAR FATHER: I have a great surprise for you 
and mother. I have found my dear little nurse 
again. You know that when I recovered from 
that terrible illness, through which Miss Emily 
Ray nursed me so tenderly and nobly, stranger to 
her as I was, I would have made her my wife had 
she not been promised to another, whom she loved. 
I have told you how terribly I felt when I learned 
this fact, and that I have never forgotten her, nor 
ceased to love her. Well, yesterday I learned 
from a friend that she is living in Bannock, only 
forty miles from Barton
'
and that circumstances 
have so changed that there is now a chance for 
me. T have written to her, tellingher just what 
I feel, and that on my way home for Thanksgiv-
ing I will stop at Bannock to get her answer. I 
want both you and dear mother to know her, for 
you could not fail to love her, and if her answer 
is what I trust it will be, I shall persuade her to 
accompany me to Barton to spend Thanksgiving 
with you. I know that, if ghe comes. she will re-
ceive a warm welcome, for, but for her, I should 
be in my grave now. Expect me early on 
Thanksgiving day." 
While the farmer was reading this letter at the 
barn, his wife was giving Mrs. Drew, a near neigh-
bor who bad dropped in to borrow a cup of mo-
lasses, a full history of the ruined dress. 
" I am so glad you told me," said Mrs. Drew, as 
she concluded. " For I was calculating on hav-
ing her make over three or four dresses for the 
girls. Of course, I shan't trust her with them 
now." 
As soon as her visitor had gone, Mrs. Staples 
began to make preparations for the Thanksgiving 
day feast. And as she worked, sifting flour, 
weighing sugar, and stoning raisins, her anger 
against the little dressmaker cooled; she forgot 
about the ruined silk, and allowed pleasant 
thoughts to occupy her mind—thoughts of Giles, 
the son who was so dear to her, and of the woman 
he hoped to bring home with him as his promised 
wife. 
" Giles' heart is just bound up in that girl," she 
muttered. " He's never been the same since he 
met her. I do hope she'll not disappoint him this 
time. She'd never find a better husband if she 
looked the world over. And of course I'll give 
her a. warm welcome. He can be sure of that, 
for I can never forget that I owe her my boy's 
life I've got the letter in my trunk now, telling 
how she nursed him day and night as his own sis-
ter might have done." 
When dinner was over farmer Staples put old 
Brag to the light wagon, and started off to a 
neighbor's to buy a leg of mutton for the impend-
ing feast. Turning into the Lissom road when he 
had traveled about a mile, he came suddenly upon 
little Mrs. Brown, who was toiling along in the 
snow as if already weary. 
" Can't I give you a lift?" he asked, drawing 
old Brag up with a jerk. 
" 0 if you only would," she answered. " I am 
so tired, and have yet a long distance to go." 
He helped her over the wheel of the wagon to 
a seat by his side, and talked to her pleasantly 
until they reached Mr. Jackson's,—where be was 
to buy the mutton,—of everything that occurred 
to him; told her of Giles, and how proud he was 
of him, and rehearsed his many virtues, as only a 
loving father could. 
" She's a good little woman," the old man said 
to himself, as, after helping her out of the wagon, 
he watched er walk off down the road. " She 
seemed to be real interested in all I said, and yet 
she never saw Giles. I wonder where on earth 
she's bound this cold day." 
The sun rose clear and bright, the air was just 
cold enough to be bracing, and the snow was in 
splendid condition for sleighing on Thanksgiving 
morning. Hannah Staples was up by daylight, 
anxious to have her house in perfect order before 
the arrival of her guests, for, besides Giles and his 
sweetheart, she expected Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew, 
distant relatives. She could not help giving a 
glance into the pantry every now and then, so 
well satisfied did she feel with her preparations 
for the feast. Such an array of good things had 
seldom graced those wide shelves. Pumpkin, ap-
ple, and mince pies, flaky doughnuts, cream and 
jelly tarts, golden cake, iced an inch thick, loaves 
of golden-brown bread, a big plumb pudding all 
ready for the pot, three glass moulds filled with 
ruby cranberry jelly, and in fact, everything cal-
culated to make up a royal Thanksgiving dinner. 
"Now, I s'pose I mustgo and put on that hate-
ful gray alpaca," muttered Mrs. Staples, as the 
clock in the corner of the kitchen struck nine. 
" Father'll be back with Giles and his sweetheart 
before I'm ready if I don't hurry; the train comes 
in at nine." 
She was about to leave the kitchen when a 
knock on the door arrested her. Opening it, lit-
tle Mrs. Brown came in, looking nervous ,and 
agitated. 
" I've brought you another basque, Mrs. Sta-
ples," she said. " I sat up all last night to get it 
done, and now you can wear the silk dress to-day, 
after all." 
" Another basque ! " repeated Mrs. Staples, in a 
bewildered manner. 
" Yes, I matched the silk at Duncan's, in Lis-
corn, and— " 
"How did you get to Liscom ? " interrupted 
Mrs. Staples. 
" I walked part of the way and rode the rest," 
was the answer. 
" And how did you get back ? " 
" I walked. But indeed, Mrs. Staples, I didn't 
mind it much. I felt so sorry about the dress 
that I would have walked as far again rather 
than have you wear your old dress to-day when 
you were so anxious to have the new one." 
Hannah Staples couldn't speak for a moment. 
Something rose up in her throat and choked her. 
" I'd rather have done without the dress a hun-
dred years than have had you—" she began, but 
stopped suddenly, as the sound of a manly step 
rang on the walk outside. 
" It's Giles !" she cried. "My own dear boy." 
"Your son ! " exclaimed Mrs. Brown, letting 
her bundle fall to the floor. She sprang toward 
the door to make her escape, but too late ! Giles 
Staples threw it open as her hand was on the 
knob. 
One instant he gazed at her in astonishment; 
the next, he sprang forward and caught her in his 
arms. 
" Emily, dear Emily ! " he cried in a voice deep 
and intense with emotion. �
Have I found you 
again ? And in my own mother's house ?" 
Little Mrs. Brown did not answer. Her face 
was hidden on Giles' breast, and she was sobbing 
hysterically. 
The young man bent and whispered something 
to.her. Her answer was only a faint pressure of 
NOVEMBER 29;1883. �THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. �
539 
the hand he held; but it seemed to satisfy him. 
" Mother," he said, in a tone of such love and 
pride as Hannah Staples had never heard before, 
" This is Emily—once my nurse, now my prom-
ised wife." 
"That Emily Ray!" exclaimed Mrs. Staples, 
completely at sea. " 0 Giles, it can't be." 
" Yes," he said. " This is Emily—Emily Ray 
Brown. I stopped at Bannock this morning to 
bring her on with me, and found that she had 
moved to Barton, and that my letter had been 
forwarded to her. She has just given me her an-
swer to the question. I asked in it, mother, and I 
have cause to consider this the happiest Thanks-
giving day of my whole life." 
One moment did Hannah Staples hesitate. It 
took her that long to conquer her pride; for sel-
dom indeed had she craved pardon from any one. 
But the recollection of the great injustice she had 
done this woman, to whose unselfishness she owed 
her son's life, overcame every other feeling at last, 
and she ran forward and folded the little widow 
in her arms. 
" Forgive me," she whispered. " Oh, my dear, 
my. dear, I didn't know."—The Household. 
Religious Notes. 
The Martin Luther statue, to be erected in Wash-
ington, will cost $20,000. 
—The Christian denominations, in 1881, spent $139,-
440 for education and missionary work among the 
Indians. 
—A branch of the M'All Mission is to be opened in 
Calais, where, till lately, there has been no. Protestant 
preaching for 200 years. 
—The calculation has been made that every Protest-
ant missionary in the South Seas creates on an aver-
age a trade of $50,000 per year. 
—Lord Granville is erecting a statue on his Cliffsend 
estate, to commemorate the landing in England of St. 
Augustine, on his mission to convert the pagan Saxons. 
Bishop Thorold, of Rochester, England, has ex-
pressed his approval of the Moody and Sankey mission, 
and urges clergymen of the Established Church to help 
it along. 
Tho, Presbyterian Synod of New York has, by vote, 
refused to indorse the publications of the National 
Temperance Society, because they uphold the theory 
that the wine commended in Scripture was unfermented. 
Dr. Wilson, curate of St. George's Cathedral, Kings-
ton, Ont., and a leading Anglican clergyman, has cre-
ated a sensation by attending an all-night meeting of 
the Salvation Army, and partaking of the communion. 
The Pilgrim Baptist Church, recently organized in 
San Francisco, is mostly composed of members of Dr. 
Kalloch's old Metropolitan Church, which seceded from 
the main body of the Baptists. The new organization 
is in harmony with the denomination. 
—The Pacific (Congregational), in noting the arrival 
of the Catholic coadjutor archbishop on this coast, 
makes this rather compromising remark: "So far as 
we have any right to do so, we give him welcome. 
If he prove to be the sort of man and ecclesiastic called 
for by the situation we shall be thrice glad for his 
coming." 
—An Irish priest, Father Doney of Loughrea, on re-
moving to another parish. sold his farm to one of his 
flock named Dervin.' The new priest, Father Callahan, 
fancied it, and the purchaser being un wiling to give it 
up,, large' numbers of people collected and stoned 
Dervin out of the place, shouting that the priest should 
have the land. 
—The Ministerial Union of San Francisco, composed 
of all the Protestant ministers, has taken a stand 
for prohibition, State and National. The Advocate 
(Methodist) stands with the ministers, but the Occident 
(Presbyterian) seems to favor license. It says: " In the 
opinion 'of a large number of the best friends of tem-
perance, East and West, a high-license law is the most 
effective mothod of regulating the liquor traffic, and of 
abating the evils of intempeiance. The experiment is 
now being tried in several States, and so far has given 
great satisfaction" Satisfaction to whom ? Certainly 
not to the temperance people, judging from the con-
tinued agitation. 
News and Notes. 
During last week 1,200 immigrants arrived in San 
Francisco overland. 
—The next Congress will probably take the trade 
dollar from circulation. 
—The yellow fever is again epidemic in Panama and 
along the Mexican coast. 
—Ten persons have been shot for taking part 'in the 
recent insurrection in Servia. 
—There is said to be an agitation in South Ireland in 
favor of a complete pillage of landlords. 
—Several infernal machines have been found in the 
house of a leading Socialist in Loudon, named Wolff. 
1 �
—Hon. James Russell Lowell, U. S. Minister to Eng- 
land, has been elected Rector of St. Andrews University. 
—Nelling, the murderer of Ada Atkinson, was lynched 
at Oxford, Ind., on the 19th inst., by a party of masked 
men. 
It is claimed in Albany, N. Y., that the introduc-
tion of the electric light has decreased crime forty per 
cent. 
According to the decision of a Baltimore Justice, a 
husband is liable and can be sued for slander his wife 
utters. 
—Many disasters to shipping are reported on the 
Newfoundland coast. Several bodies have been washed 
ashore. 
The Mississippi Valley Bank, at Vicksburg, has 
failed for $800,000, leaving many poor depositors in 
distress. 
—A. H. Rowland, Clerk of Courts at Pittsburg, has 
been held for embezzling $47,000 during his two terms 
of office. 
The Sisters of Mercy report sixty-Seven Industrial 
 
School girls inmates of the Magdalen Asylum, in San 
Francisco. 
—A 100-year-old carriage, in which President Monroe 
once rode, went for $7.25 at a Vergennes, Vt., auction 
the other day. • 
A fire at Williams, Colusa County, on the 19th 
inst., destroyed $50,000 worth of property, including 
the post-office. 
—Four hundred men have been thrown out of em-
ployment by the failure of the Novelty Rubber Company 
of New Jersey. 
A disastrous forest fire is raging at Jack's Moun-
tain, in the vicinity of Mill Creek, Pa., and extends a 
distance of nine miles. 
—The war on freight rates between the Missouri 
River and Salt Lake continues. The regular rate of 
$3 has been cut to fifty cents. 
—Justice Field, of the U. S. Supreme Court, has is-
sued an order restraining the Northern Pacific Rail-
road Co. from doing express business. 
O'Donnell, the slayer of Carey, the Irish informer, 
has been officially recognized as an American citizen 
by the American Legation in London. 
—An attempt was made last week to bring twenty-
five Chinese into Washington Territory by means of 
affidavits. They were returned to Victoria. 
At a wedding in Currituck, N. C., recently, too much 
wine resulted in the shooting of two of the groomsmen. 
One was killed and the other mortally wounded. 
The Southern Pacific Railroad Co. will soon com-
mence the erection of extensive salt works at Los Palmos, 
a station on the desert between Colton and Yuma. 
—Harvard College has been disgraced by a cock-fight 
in one of its halls. Unfortunately both fowls were 
killed, instead of the abettors of the entertainment. 
—Five masked men derailed the Southern Pacific ex-
press train, near Deming on the 24th inst., killed engi-
neer Roberts, and secured $700 from the express car. 
—The trustees of the National Home for Disabled 
Soldiers, at Boston, have commenced suit against Gov-
ernor Butler to recover $18,275, for which he has failed 
to account. 
—The Chinese Government declines to allow Amer-
ican Consuls to inspect certificates issued by Chinese 
officials to their countrymen who desire to come to the 
United States. 
—Sergeant Mason, who fired at Guiteau while confined 
in prison for the murder of President Garfield, and was 
sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, has been par-
doned by the President. 
—A multitude of fraudulent land claims have been 
discovered in Dakota. It is estimated that half of the 
Government land disposed of in any one year is taken 
in some irregular manner. 
—A movement is on foot in New York to raise a per-
manent fund 'for the benefit of General Fremont, who 
is now old and in poor circumstances financially. Gen-
eral Grant heads the list with $1,000. 
In the Los Angeles Superior Court, Mrs. Amadon 
has been convicted as accessory to the murder of her 
husband. Her param )ur had previously been con-
victed, and her sister's trial comes next. 
—The United States Court, which has been in session 
at Solomonville, A. T., had to adjourn suddenly last 
week and flee from the vengeance of cowboys, two of 
whose comrades had been convicted of crime. 
In St. Louis, carpenters receive $2 to $3 per day; 
in Dakota, $3.50; in El Paso, Texas, $4 to $5; in Charles-
ton, S. C., the range is from $1.50 to $2.25; in Chicago, 
$2.75 to $3; In San Francisco, $2.50 to 3.50. 
—A cyclone in Izard County, Arkansas destroyed the 
town of Lacrosse, and did great damage at Melbourne. 
At the former place, three lives were lost, and four at 
the latter, besides several injured at both places. 
Egypt has received a severe blow. The grand army 
of over 10.000 men, under General Hicks, has been de-
feated,—report says completely annihilated,—by the 
army of El Mandi, the " false prophet," at Et Obeid, in 
Soudan. 
Paschal Cog,gins, a somewhat noted journalist of 
Sacramento, and at one time an independent anti-mo-
nopoly candidate for Congress; died on the 19th inst., 
from the effects of a self-inflicted pistol wound, after 
lingering several days. 
—Governor Crosby, of Montana, urges that polyga" 
mous Mormons be not only disfranchised, but prohibited 
entering Government land, thereby checking their 
spread in the Territories. 
—The Natchez Crusader gives some thrilling accounts 
of political doings in connection with the recent elec-
tion in Mississippi. One man, aged 68, was given 600 
lashes, and another, aged 60, was shot dead in his wife's 
arms, because they opposed the " Bourbon" ticket. 
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Pillar of Fire. 
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Leonore's Trials �
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Without a Home �
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Nanny Davenport 
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Tom Bently �
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Pen Portraits 
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Harry Maitland 
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Ellen Dacre 
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Gutta-Percha Willie 
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The Hard Prob:ein 
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Paul Venner �
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Jessie Bower 
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Sequel to Tim. 
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Temperance Tracts 
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Best Fellow in the World 
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No Danger 
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Studies of Neglected Texts 
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Saved �
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Ten Cents 
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How Could He Escape 
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Home Making 
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Hubert 
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Secret of Victory . � 
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Address, �
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THE SIGNS OF THE TIM 
1-41.S. �
VoL. 9, No. 45. 
Erje *ign5 �
fips, Q.7)into. 
OAKLAND, CAL., FIFTH-DAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1883. 
NOTICE.-We send no papers from this Office without pay in advance, 
unless by special arrangement. When persons receive copies without 
ordering them they are sent by other parties, and we can give no infor-
mation in regard to them. Persons thus receiving them are not indebted 
to the Office. 
Money orders, drafts, etc., should be made to "Pacific Press;" NEVER 
to individuals, as they may be absent, and business thereby be delayed. 
To BRO. T.-Unfortunately for your proposed solu-
ticn of Isa. 65 : 20, the text says," The child shall die." 
The translation is no stronger than the original. 
DURING the past week, a postal note for $2.25, drawn 
at Queen City, Mo., and a postal order for $2.00, drawn 
at Newcastle, Cal., were received at this office, without 
any information as to how the money was to be applied. 
Will the senders please advise us ? 
IN this member we publish the account by Bro. Whit-
ney of the last days and death of our dear Bro. Andrews. 
With sad feelings we remove his name from our list of 
editors. Not long ago we had three "Corresponding 
Editors." Now we have but one. The two older ones, 
the real pioneers in this work, have gone to their rest 
till the Life-giver comes. But we have no fears for this 
work. It is the Lord's, and he is not straitened for 
means. Our prayer is that many may be strengthened 
to bear responsibilities, clothed with true humility, so 
essential to success in this cause, and filled with that 
charity which suffereth long, and endureth all things. 
Our hopes for the future are very high. 
A Correction. 
A FRIEND writes from Kankakee, Ill., saying he had 
written to Grayson, Ky., concerning the report which 
we copied into our news columns, that a Baptist min-
ister baptized a criminal just before he was hanged. 
He says he received information from Grayson that the 
immersing was done by a "Disciple " minister-not by 
a Baptist. We are always happy to make a correction 
where it is needed. It has become a common practice 
for ministers to assure murderers that the gallows is a 
means of a speedy flight to Heaven; and if that is war-
ranted, there is nothing out of place in baptizing them 
before they start. But we hold that both are outrages. 
Christianity is made responsible for many unseemly 
things. 
The Work Reviving. 
SEVERAL times during the last six months we have 
expressed our confident belief that we should soon see 
a decided revival in • the work of the Third Angel's 
Message. We are now happy to say we were not mis-
taken. A letter received from Sister White, written 
during the General Conference, and the meetings at-
tending it, gives the most cheering account of the work 
going on. The brethren are evidently being fitted up 
for their labors. A telegram from Eld. Haskell, sent 
after the close of the Conference, says: " The largest 
and best Conference ever held closed Tuesday night. 
Mrs. White spoke with great freedom." Several were 
named to go to Europe, but ,we withhold the names 
till we learn more of their intended movements. Of 
the disposition of laborers, he says: " Lane goes to Vir-
ginia, Rupert to Kentucky, Ostrander to Colorado, St. 
John to California, Henderson to Ohio." The Con-
ference Committee was increased to five, and Brn. White 
and Olsen were put on it. A good move in all re-
spects. Missions are to be opened in Indianapolis, 
Chicago, Kansas City, and Denver. 
Other points of interest were noticed. We anxiously 
look for a full report. We have known Bro. St. John 
from his boyhood; and we congratulate our California 
Conference on this appointment. Pray for the workers. 
Spiritualism an Organized Religion. 
THE "American Spiritualist Alliance" of the City of 
New York, lately issued a Circular Letter to the 
Spiritualists and Spiritual societies, asking for co-
operation by means of a general alliance of Spiritual-
ists throughout the country. The circular says:- 
" The American Spiritualist Alliance is the outgrowth 
of a society of Spiritualists centered in the City of New 
York, and was incorporated the 28th day of June, 1881. 
" The objects for which it was formed are briefly 
stated in its charter, to be to promote the development 
and diffusion of Spiritual science and true Spiritual 
religion, as shown by enlightened reason and the high-
est teachings of the spirit-world.' " 
In the same number of the Banner of Light from 
which we copy the above, we find the report of an ad-
dress by Dr. Lyon, in which he outlined the present 
position and tendency of Spiritualism, as we find them 
in the lectures of many other speakers. The following 
will give the reader an idea of his sentiments:- 
"The speaker held that those in the church who rec-
ognized the Spiritualism of the past, as recorded so 
fully in the Bible narratives, and refused to acknowl-
edge the Spiritualism of to-day which was present with 
them-and those others among the Spiritualists who 
recognized the angelic ministrations of the present hour, 
but refuse to give credence or importance in evidence 
to the testimony of the Bible regarding the Spiritual-
ism of the past, were equally in error; the inspiration 
that was given to the apostles still lived and worked in 
the world's midit to-day, and Christian ministers, who 
were wondering at the diminished power of the church 
among men, would find the explanation of the difficulty 
in that church's refusal to comprehend this grand lesson 
of the age." 
We have no doubt that this explanation will be re-
ceived by the majority of the " Christian ministers," 
and they will look to Spiritualism for a revival of their 
lost power. Thus will prophecy be fulfilled. 
Expositions of Isa. 65 : 20. 
SINCE our acknowledgement that we did not under-
stand Isa. 65 : '20 we have received three expositions, in 
neither of which we receive any help toward its solu-
tion. In expreising a readiness to accept light on the 
passage, we did not express any willingness to accept 
theories which rest on suppositions or conflict with 
other scriptures., 
That the passage is obscure is sufficiently shown by 
these attempts which are made to explain it. For the 
last thirty years we have noticed that our brethren 
easily come to a unity of faith on any doctrine upon 
which they study. But when they work upon Isa. 
65 : 20 they run in contrary directions, and scarcely 
take a position in agreement from first to last. We ad-
vise them to lay it aside till the time conies when they 
can find nothing else to do. 
Changes in Reckoning. 
THE new mode of reckoning time, adopted by the 
railroads of the United States, was put in practical 
operation Nov. 18. Instead of being regulated by 
the solar variations " all along the line," there are now 
but four stated reckonings between the Atlantic and 
Pacific Coasts, as follows: The Eastern, centering on 
the '15th meridian; the Middle, centering on the 90th 
meridian; the Mountain, centering on the 105th merid-
ian; and the Pacific, centering on the 120th meridian. 
All the large cities and towns are adopting the railroad 
time of their various sections, as are also the stations of 
the Government Signal Service. 
Almost simultaneously with this change of time-
reckoning, a conference, in which England, France, 
Italy, Switzerland, Hamburg, and the United States 
were represented, has decided to reckon longitude from 
east to west only, beginning at Greenwich,-from 
00 to 360°,-so that there will be no more east and 
west longitude. It was also decided to reckon the astro-
nomical day from midnight, as the civil day is reckoned, 
instead of beginning it at noon, as has been the custom 
in the past. 
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 
A NEW .PAMPHLET. 
BY ELD. J. H. WAGGONER. 
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