Notes for Our Readers by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Dec 12, 1892

Notes for Our Readers

By Editor

READ "Preparing for War," in another column, and then read Joel 3:9-16 and see if what the prophet predicted is not coming to pass in our days.

NEXT week we begin a new series of Sabbath school lessons in the SIGNS on the "Word and Spirit of God." These lessons are not simply designed for Sabbath schools, but will be invaluable studies for all our readers.

THIS number of "Man's Sin and Saviour" may seem a little long to the average reader, but we did not wish to break by a week's time the subject with which it deals, namely, "The Ministration of Christ." It is a subject of intense interest, and we hope it will be faithfully studied.

WE are sure that among our more than twoscore and ten poems, notes, and articles, our readers will find much good food. Say, reader, does not the SIGNS OF THE TIMES present more Bible truth than any other paper with which you are acquainted? Should it not be more widely circulated? Will you not help us?

SOME of Mr. Crafts' strong arguments (or statements), and replies thereto, are presented in an article beginning on the first page of this paper. Being the foremost advocate on the Sunday side of the Sabbath question, he presumably presents the strongest arguments that can be presented. We wish to examine them in the light of the sacred record.

THE Prohibitionist thus voices its sentiments in reference to the vote cast for the presidential electors of the Prohibition party:—

One of the saddest things to contemplate in the face of the returns is the realization forced upon all, of the vast number of professed Christians who voted with the whisky parties. It looks now that the principal work to be done the next four years will be the conversion of the Christian church, before any further advance can be made. It is a fearful charge to make, but with only 300,000 votes against the saloon polled November 8, in a land professedly Christian, it looks very much as though the church is responsible for the open legalized saloon and all its awful results.

And we do not know why our earnest contemporary does not speak the truth. But if our Prohibition friends would place the Prohibition question on its merits and not make it a church or religious question, with which politics of a right have naught to do, the party would be much more successful. A backslidden church will never vote prohibition unless it comes to be popular.

ELDER COVERT's article, "Dead to Sin, yet Living unto God," properly follows his last on "Justification." The sinner is justified that he may be free from his old master, sin. Mrs. White continues the interesting subject of "Coming to Christ," which we hope will be thoroughly read. Elder Haskell discusses "What Jesus Said of John the Baptist." These articles of Elder Haskell's, though not immediately connected, have a thread thought running through them all of the principles manifest in God's work in all ages.

WE call attention to an article from the Baptist Leader, in another column, entitled "Shall Rome Rule America?" We are glad to see an outspoken utterance once in a while; but we should like to see some of our professedly liberty-loving contemporaries lifting warning voices against the very unprotestant movement of our great so-called Protestant churches, by which they are seeking to dominate the State, and compel the State through political boycotts to compel observance of the institutions of the church. This is notably true of the Sunday, a day the "sacredness" of which is wholly of Rome. The difference between the rule of Romanism and a corrupt Protestantism is the difference indicated in the prophetic word between the beast and his image in Revelation 13.

SAYS the Christian Statesman of November 19: "The strongest argument against woman suffrage that we have seen is the action of woman suffragists of late, personally and by associations, favoring Sunday opening of the World's Fair. Is that the way their votes would help 'moral issues' by advocating sabbath breaking and law breaking?"

The foregoing is illustrative of the liberty which the Statesman would grant to others, as well as its standard of citizenship. Its liberty to others would be to think and do just its way; its standard is its own opinion. The class under consideration might think that the strongest argument against granting the right of franchise to the W. C. T. U. women was the fact that they favored Sunday closing. And are not their rights in the matter just as sacred as those of the Christian Statesman and its supporters?