6 ADVENTISTS, SEVENTH-DAY. 



AFGHANISTAN. 



of educating canvassers and colporteurs was 

 approved by the conference. The subject of 

 securing a ship for missionary work among the 

 islands of the sea was favorably considered, 

 but postponed on account of the lack of funds 

 available for the purpose, and was referred to 

 a committee, which was authorized to receive 

 gifts during the year and report to the next 

 general conference. A week of prayer was 

 appointed, to be observed from December 17 

 to December 25, and a programme of subjects 

 for each day's services was arranged. A com- 

 mittee was appointed to which were referred 

 all questions growing out of prosecutions un- 

 der the Sunday laws of the States against sev- 

 enth-day observers; and it was authorized to 

 prepare a statement properly defining the posi- 

 tion which Sabbath-keepers should occupy in 

 the various contingencies which may arise un- 

 der the enforcement of those laws. Further 

 resolutions were adopted on this subject, de- 

 claring that 



Whereas, The teachings of Christ entirely divorce 

 the church and the state ; and, Whereas^ The state 

 has no right to legislate in matters pertaining to re- 

 ligious institutions, and Sunday is only a religious 

 institution : therefore, Resolved, That we as a people 

 do oppose by all consistent means the enactment of 

 Sunday laws where they do not exist, and oppose the 

 repeal of exemption clauses in Sunday laws where 

 they do exist ; that we recommend that a pamphlet 

 be prepared (1) showing the true relation which 

 should exist between the church and the state ; (2) 

 exposing the organized efforts now being made to 

 unite church and state by changing the Constitu- 

 tion of our country: (3) showing the real eft'ect of 

 unmodified Sunday laws in places where they have 

 been in force; and that said pamphlet be placed in 

 the hands of all legislative bodies where efforts are 

 or shall be made to secure the enactment of Sunday 

 laws. 



Whereas, To quietly and peaceably do our work 

 six days in the week, as well as to keep the seventh 

 day as the Sabbath of the Lord, is duty toward God, 

 and an inalienable right, and that w'ith which the 

 state can of right have nothing to do ; therefore, Re- 

 solved, That there is no obligation resting upon any 

 observer of the seventh day to obey any law prohibit- 

 ing labor on the first day of the week, commonly 

 called Sunday. That while asserting this right, 

 and while practicing the principle avowed in this res- 

 olution of working the six working-days, the resolu- 

 tion is not to be so construed as either to sanction or 

 approve any arrogance on the part of a5y, or any ac- 

 tion purposely intended to offend or impose upon the 

 religious convictions or practice of any person who 

 observes the first day of the week. Whereas, we 

 deem it essential to the proper work of the third an- 

 gel's message that the true relation existing between 

 the church and the state, and the relation that exists 

 between what men owe to God and what they owe 

 to civil government should be understood ; therefore, 

 Resolved, That we recommend that this subject be 

 made a part of the regular course of Bible study in 

 all our colleges ; and tliat special attention be gi'ven 

 to it by our ministers in the field. 



Resolutions were adopted declaring that 

 Whereas, Our Saviour has laid down the one sole 

 ground on which parties once married can be di- 

 vorced ; and, Whereas, The practices of society have 

 become most deplorable in this respect, as seen in the 

 prevalence of unscriptural divorces j therefore, Re- 

 solved, That we express our deprecation of this great 

 evil, and instruct our ministers not to unite in mar- 



riage any parties so divorced ; and that we exhort 

 our own people, when about to contract matrimonial 

 alliances, to bear in mind, and give due weight to the 

 injunction of the apostle, " ouly in the Lord." 



The fifth annual session of the European 

 Council was held at Moss, Norway, June 14 to 

 21, 1887. Action was taken with reference 

 to colportage ; to the translation into different 

 languages and publication of books ; to the 

 conduct of mission journals; and to the educa- 

 tion of missionaries. 



AFGHANISTAN, a monarchy in Central Asia, 

 lying between the Punjaub and Beluchistan 

 on the south and Russian-Turkestan on the 

 north, with Persia on the west. The ruler is 

 the Ameer of Cabul, Abdurrahman Khan, who 

 has striven with some success to consolidate 

 his authority over the semi-independent tribes 

 tli at owe him allegiance, but by the imposi- 

 tion of taxes provoked a revolt among the 

 Ghilzais, who are the most numerous and war- 

 like tribe of his immediate subjects. 



Internal Disorders. The Ameer was not able 

 to re-establish his authority over the tribes 

 that rebelled against taxation in 1887. One 

 of his generals, Gholam Hyder Orakzai, led an 

 army consisting of six regiments of infantry, 

 four squadrons of cavalry, and an artillery 

 force of thirteen guns against the rebels in the 

 Ghuzni district during the winter, and suc- 

 ceeded in inflicting some punishment on them 

 and in restoring order for the time being. In 

 January Abdurrahman went to Jelalabad with 

 a force of 12,000 men for the purpose of re- 

 ducing to submission the Shinwarri, Teerah, 

 and other insurgent tribes of northeastern Af- 

 ghanistan. His commander-in-chief, Gholam 

 Hyder Khan Charkhi, had already been oper- 

 ating in that country and entered into negotia- 

 tions with the Shinwarris. 



Mistrusting the vigilance or fidelity of the 

 Persian authorities who had once let Ayub 

 Khan, the Afghan pretender, escape from his 

 retreat at Meshed, and allowed him to carry on 

 a correspondence with the rebels, the British 

 Government persuaded the Shah to deliver 

 him over into its custody. He left Meshed in 

 January, and was taken to India, and securely 

 interned at Rawul Piridi. 



In the summer Ishak Khan, the Governor of 

 Afghan-Turkistan, showed signs of insubordi- 

 nation. He is a cousin of Abdurrahman, 

 being the son of Azim Khan, who was Ameer 

 of Cabul for a few months in 1867, and was 

 overthrown by Shere Ali. Ishak Khan was 

 Abdurrahman's companion in exile, and has 

 always professed subservience to his cousin, 

 yet he has long been suspected of aspiring to 

 the throne. He has discharged the duties of 

 his post with ability and diligence for eisrht 

 years, and in his own province he has contrib- 

 uted to the success of Abdurrahman's project 

 of uniting the several parts of Afghanistan 

 into a single realm, and has enabled the Ameer 

 to draw some of his best troops from the Uz- 

 becks of Turkistan. The province has been 



