that there is a close connection between in-
sanity and tea-drinking. This idea 1s held
by many who are capable of giving the ques-
tion careful study. Large quantities of strong
tea are consumed in the north of Ireland, and
in some homes the tea is kept stewing for
hours. The use of tea exercises deleterious
effects on the nervous system, and where the
beverage is drunk in large quantities, it 1s
quite capable of producing mental derange-
ment.”
FROM THE FIELD
A JUST JUDGE .
SomE of our readers will remember that we
made mention some weeks ago of the case of
Brother Jarvis, of Seymour, Ind., who was ar-
rested for doing secular work on Sunday,
tried, and convicted on the ground that he
was not entitled to the benefit of the ex-
emption in the Indiana Sunday law for ob-
servers of the seventh day, because he did
not begin the seventh day at midnight, but
at sunset of the preceding day. An appeal
was taken to the higher court, and the result
is thus stated by Elder A. L. Miller: —
“It will be remembered that Brother Bruce
Jarvis was arrested for Sunday labor per-
formed June 9, 1907. In the preliminary trial
before the police court, Brother Jarvis was
found guilty on the ground that, since he kept
the day from sundown Friday evening until
sundown Saturday evening, he did not keep
the legal seventh day, which begins at mid-
night Friday and ends at midnight Saturday
night.
* Being found guilty, and to settle this
technical point of the law, the case was ap-
pealed to the circuit court. The case was
called in this court before Judge Shea, Fri-
day, September 20, and Brother Jarvis was
found not guilty.
“The prosecutor made his whole fight, and
rested his case upon the same grounds that
he did in the police court, viz, that Brother
Jarvis did not keep the legal seventh day, and
was therefore guilty.
of the witnesses he
combated every inch of the ground upon this
point of the legal seventh day. When the
guestion was asked the writer, if Mr. Jarvis
“In the examination
was a member of the same church of which 1
was a minister, the prosecution objected, stat-
ing that this was not a question as to what
church any one belonged, but as to whether
or not Mr. Jarvis kept the seventh day. We
are not trying churches to ascertain the church
to which he belongs, or whether he belongs
to any church, but whether or not he keeps the
seventh day. The Judge overruled the objec-
tion, stating that the answer might have some
bearing upon the case, owing to what the
church teaches relative to the day to he kept.
“When the question was asked as to what
day the church taught for the Sabbath, what
day it kept, and the time of beginning and end-
ing the Sabbath, strong objections were made
by the prosecution, upon the ground that this
was not a question of what a church teaches,
THE WATCHMAN
it is not a question of creeds and cults. To
place it upon such a basis would be to make
void the law of the land and bend it any way
This
is a civil trial not a religious trial, and it must
be tried according to the law, and not accord-
ing to the teachings of a church. Judge Shea
overruled the objection, saying that this was
to conform to the dogmas of a church.
different from ordinary trials; this has some-
thing to do with religious rites, as the exemp-
tion clause savs they must conscientiously ob-
serve the seventh day. By the judge admit-
ting this evidence, the Sabbath truth was
plainly and clearly brought before the court
officials. ‘The judge asked Brother
why he kept the seventh day.
answered, |
Jarvis
Brother Jarvis
have thoroughly searched the
Bible, and find nothing to show why we should
keep the first day, but all the evidence is that
we should keep the seventh day. therefore |
keep it’
“After the evidence was in, and the law-
vers had made their pleas, Judge Shea in sub-
"stance gave the following decision :—
““Tn our dealings with one another we are
liable to be too narrow, and not want to give
to our fellow-man the same rights and priv-
ileges that we wish for ourselves. We want
to concede to others their natural rights to
think and act for themselves, so long as they
do not molest their fellow-creatures in the
same right. We have many churches hold-
ing to different tenets of faith. On baptism
different theories are taught and practiced;
in celebrating the ordinances some practice
close communion and others practice open
The law does not interfere with
The intent of the law
communion.
these rights. is evi-
dent in the exemption clause, exempting those
who conscientiously observe the seventh day.
It is not a question as to parts of days, or
weeks, or months. These have frequently
been changed by man. The Gregorian calen-
dar is different from the Julian calendar.
Since it has been proven that he conscien-
tiously observes the seventh day according to
the teaching of the Bible, I therefore find him
not guilty.’
“How grateful we should
are still officials who are men of principle, and
he that there
that liberty is still ours to enjoy.”
Mx Sf 0X
ROME IN THE WEST INDIES
Ir is said by certain Protestants at the pres-
ent time that the Roman Catholic Church is
not what it used to be, that it has adopted
the advanced, liberal, tolerant
age, and that 1t would be impossible for her
to revert back to her
persecuting spirit.
spirit of the
and
No doubt those who take
this very charitable view feel that it 1s the
right thing to do, but it is interesting to note
that Rome herself has no faith in this pro-
claimed change of character.
former intolerant
She maintains
as stubbornly to-day as ever in the past, that
doubt
true as regards her essential features.
this is
She
can and does adapt herself to customs and
she “never changes,” and no
situations that are not in harmony with her
feelings and spirit; but as she has clearly m-
dicated. this is done to gain the well-defined
699
end of bringing the world once more under
her sway. However, adaptation is not a
change of vital principles, and all who take
the pains to investigate the matter carefully
in the light of gospel truth, will be driven to
the inevitable conclusion that Rome is to-day
what she has ever been; and that it only re-
mains for her to once more get the power in
ler hands, for persecution to become as easy
and as natural to her as in the Dark Ages.
To many of those living, in the United
States, where the Catholic Church poses as
the friend of the poor as well as of education,
it will perhaps appear that the above statement
is overdrawn. Such should remember, how-
ever, that to see the church as it is, one should
study it in a country where all conditions
have heen favorable for the realization of her
pretensions. The low state of education and
morals in Catholic countries is a telling and
unanswerable argument against Roman Cath-
olicism. It is mm countries that the
clergy, feeling themselves strongly intrenched
behind laws and customs of which they them-
selves have been the origin, very often mani-
fest their true colors. Sometimes the people
rise against this clerical domination, and as a
result perhaps a concordat is broken, and for
the moment it seems that another nation 1s
on the high road oi progress. But Rome
knows how to bide her time, for is she not
aware that the selfishness of humanity runs
closely parallel to her own course? And
knowing this, is it not reasonable that she
should shrewdly count on the two streams
converging again?
As illustrating some clerical conduct, as well
as clerical methods of silencing those who op-
pose the surliness and oppression of priests
where they are in power, the following 1nci-
dents, which have taken place within the past
few weeks near Cape Haytien, will be to the
such
point :—
According to Le Cable, the daily journal
of the town, a priest, while under the influence
of liquor, grossly insulted a certain doctor
and some of his friends. The doctor, who is
himself a Catholic, and who had for twenty-
five years given his services freely to a cer-
tain Catholic institution, went to the bishop
to seek redress, but obtained none. On the
contrary, this functionary took sides with the
curé, for while not directly justifying the
priest, he did all he could to hush the mat-
ter up.
The week following this occurrence, at the
close of mass in a neighboring village church,
the priest in charge struck a woman with a
chair. Certain gentlemen who were present
interfered on the woman's behalf, but only to
he insulted by the pretended representative of
Jesus Christ. This case was also brought to
the notice of the bishop, with the same results
as in the former one.
These
newspaper correspondence, in which, however,
the clergy concerned made no straightforward
attempt to defend themselves, choosing rather
to treat the whole matter with disdain. It
incidents aroused a great deal of
must be acknowledged that this correspondence
was far from complimentary to the clergy mn
general and to the bishop and the two offend-