questionably it has been abused, and like other precious things, may be made a source of incalculable mischief. We may, I believe, without hesitation, appeal to our own denomination for proofs of its expediency and excellency. These are furnished in the contributions made by its leaders and churches towards the evolution of mode society, with its liberty and progress, its inventions and discoveries, its reforms and charities. Much has already been suggested on this point, and yet something more remains to be added. The Baptists have been conspicuous for their devotion to education, and today they have more money invested in property and endowments for educational interests than any other religious body in the land. They have consecrated in America to the cause of human enlightenment, over $32,000000, and have in the main given it unhampered by sectarian conditions. Manifestly, in this instance, individualism in religion has wrought no ill to the community, but only good. The Baptists have been equally prominent in founding foreign missions to the heathens, and are everywhere acknowledged as the heroic leaders in an enterprise which means the salvation and unification of races in Christ. * But in addition, in the domain of letters they have given to the world a Foster and a William R. Williams; to the domain of heroism a long line, including Arnold of Brescia, a Havelock, and a Carey; to that of theology a Gill, a Haldane, and many others; and to that of philanthropy a John Harvard, who was a member of Samuel Stennett's congregation in London, and an Abraham Lincoln, who, though not himself a Baptist, was born of Baptist parents, and attributed all that he was to his Baptist mother. Nor should we forget the influence they have exerted on the devotional life of the people at large. They have taught us to sing "Blessed Be the Tie that Binds," "Did Christ o'er Sinners weep?" "Majestic Sweetness Sits Enthroned upon the Savior's Brow," "How Firm a Foundation, Ye Saints of the Lord," "Mid Scenes of Confusion and Creature Complaints," "They are Gathering Homeward from Every Land," "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name," "Savior, Thy Dying Love," "I Need Thee every Hour," "Lo, the Day of God is Breaking," "My Country 'Tis of Thee," and they have given us many other hymns by which faith has been strengthened, sorrow comforted, duty glorified, patriotism stimulated, and our Lord Jesus Christ rendered more precious and endeared to the souls of men. They who have thus sung; they who have thus thought; yea, they who have thus wrought-for holy ideas are kindred to holy deeds-are in themselves the best witnesses to the wholesome influence of a doctrine that seeks to make out of every human creature a man, out of every man a saint, and out of every saint a special and individual confessor of Christ. WHEN YOUTH IS GONE. How can we know when youth is gone- Through which we sail, and feel when past A keener air our faces strike, A chillier current swifter run; They meet and glide like tide with tide, Our youth and age, when youth is done. -ALBION FELLOWS BACON A CASE OF SPECIAL PROVIDENCE. CONNECTED WITH THE ERUPTION OF MOUNT TARAWERA, NEW ZEALAND, 1886. BY DR. JAMES E. TALMAGE. EDITORS IMPROVEMENT ERA: With the consent of the writer, I send you herewith copy of a letter addressed to a member of Leland Stanford, Jr. University, by Bishop F. H. Wright of Coalville, Utah. Some time ago the Department of Education in the university named sent out circular letters asking for information regarding certain points of enquiry, with the purpose as declared of investigating "that phase of religious experience known in a general way as Special Providence." While the questions propounded by the investigators at Stanford University were fresh in my mind, I learned in the course of a conversation with Bishop Wright the principal incidents of that gentleman's experience in New Zealand as related in the enclosed communication; and I took the liberty of requesting him to send a statement of the circumstances to Stanford University. The providential protection of our missionary brother and his associates in a time of such peril, and the full acknowledgment of the over-ruling power of God in the event, may be of interest to the elders now in the field of mission service, and to many others of your readers. The occasion to which reference is made in the Bishop's letter, received extended notice in the press of the time, and the occurrence is now treated as a historic event of importance in the geological writings of the present. The beauties of the New Zealand lake district within which Mount Tarawera is situated, have been described by many admiring and enthusiastic visitors. Previous to 1886, the mountain had been long quiet, and was generally regarded as an extinct volcano. True there were geysers in the neighborhood, as also hot springs, some of which were large enough to be called lakes; and such occurrences known to the geologist as secondary volcanic phenomena, told of residual internal heat in the vicinity of the mountain. Between 1884 and 1886 there had been occasional manifestations of disturbed igneous energy; some of the hot springs showed a rise in temperature, and the water of Lake Rata Kakahi, usually cold, became hot. On June 10, 1886, after a few premonitory earth shocks, a powerful explosive eruption from Tarawera took place. A description published by Mr. Everett Hayden in Science, July 23, 1886, says: "A bright red glow became visible about the top of the mountain, and vivid flashes of light seemed to shoot up into the air. In an hour the flashes of light became what seemed a massive pillar of fire, rising, increasing and extending along the range. A dull rumbling accompanied it and become a terrific war, with continuous explosions, loud thunder and vivid lightning, till heaven and earth seemed to be torn asunder. The air was filled with sulphurous odors, falling stones, mud and lava. The village [Wairoa] was annihilated, more than a hundred natives perished, and the fertile plains were buried in mud and ashes.” Later and more complete observation has demonstrated the probability of Mr. Hayden's error in including lava among the ejecta; but in other respects his description has been confirmed. The finely divided rock, commonly called volcanic ash, was thrown to a great height, and drifting with the wind fell as a layer several inches deep over a width of many miles, reaching the sea shore. According to a measurement made by an officer of the survey department of New Zealand, the result quoted by Professor Dana, the ashes were thrown to a height of 44,700 feet. So violent was the eruption that no cinder cones were found about any of the vents. A great chasm was opened near the summit of the range, fully 200 yards wide. The magnificent geyserite deposits, known as the "Pink Terraces," and the "White Terraces" were entirely destroyed. These formations had been deservedly famed; indeed, while they existed, the well-known traverture terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs in our own Yellowstone Park held but second place among the hot water deposits of the world. Lake Rotamahana, situated between the Pink and the White Terraces named above, lost its water just before or during the eruption, and this circumstance, with others of the sort offers a key to an explanation of the probable cause of the outbreak. It has been suggested that the sudden formation of a subterranean fissure admitted water to an interior reservoir of lava. The destructive disturbance began and ended within six hours, but what a change was brought about during those hours of terror! Certain after effects have been recently noted. Mr. H. M. Cadell, through the transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society, 1897, describes some of these. The fine ashes which coated the region have become compacted through the action of rain, and now appear as a clay-like layer impervious to water. The surface is described as being water-tight "like the slated roof of a house," and the rain fall flows off in powerful torrents, excavating in their course, deep ravines and gorges in the sometime beautiful valley. Lake Rotomahana has been replaced by two lakes, which with a combined area of twenty-five acres after the eruption in 1886 had risen so as to cover 5,600 acres in 1893. The outburst at Tarawera will be remembered as one of the violent projectile eruptions of modern time. Respectfully yours, J. E. TALMAGE. BISHOP WRIGHT'S LETTER. COALVILLE, UTAH, March 17, 1898. Mr. Newall Harris Bullock, Stanford University, California. Dear Sir:-Through the kind suggestion of Dr. J. E. Talmage of the University of Utah, I take pleasure in relating to you what I term a miraculous occurrence within my |