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Review and Herald, Vol. 90, No. 15.

Climb Though the Rocks Be Rugged
Earlier text: Climb Though the Rocks Be Rugged

Character of the Coming General Conference

By F. M. W.

THE character of every religious gathering is determined very largely by the spirit of those who attend it. No conference committee that ever lived had it in their power alone to create a live, spiritual, uplifting conference or camp-meeting. If in dependence upon God this is the purpose they set before them, and they can bring to their support the earnest, hearty cooperation of the brethren and sisters who attend the meeting, then the success of the gathering is assured. The purpose and spirit and desires of those in attendance determine the character of the gathering. This will be true with respect to the coming General Conference.
The General Conference Committee do not have it in their power to make of this important gathering what God designs it to be. It is their earnest purpose, we are sure, to make it a great spiritual inspiration to this people and to this movement. And if this same purpose possesses the heart of every one who attends the gathering, we are confident that the blessing of God will be bestowed in rich and generous measure.
Ordinarily, however, there are several classes of people represented in all great gatherings of such a character. At the coming meeting we hope and believe that the large majority of those who attend will be of the character just described. There is coming to be felt throughout our ranks as never before a greater need for more of God and more of his divine presence in the life. Our laborers who have gone up against the walled cities and the high towers and strongholds of sin realize that their efforts have been altogether too ineffective, and that they can succeed only in the strength of Israel's God. They cry as did Moses of old, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.”
Our institutional workers feel the truth-movings of the Spirit. For weary months and years have they struggled with apparently insurmountable difficulties. Many of them have labored under the burden of wearing, grinding debts. They desire greater wisdom to know in these days of perplexity what Israel ought to do. Our workers in the great regions beyond feel this longing for greater power. Facing the darkness of heathenism, contending with the subtleties of heathen philosophy, they know that they can not match intellect with intellect, argument with argument, or philosophy with philosophy; but that they must have power from above that will affect the hearts of the hearers, and take the simple truths of the gospel and make of them sharpened arrows sending conviction of sin to the inmost soul.
This class of people we believe will constitute by far the large majority of those who will assemble for the meeting. There may be others who will be moved by curiosity to see or hear some strange new thing; those who will come for social intercourse; a few possibly who may come to criticize and find fault. Let us pray that the converting power of God may take hold of such hearts; and that if any come to find fault they may return to give thanks, or if any come expecting some emotional display or to see and hear strange things, they may be led to realize that man can not regulate the workings of the Spirit, but that God after his own wise purposes and designs sends his blessings as he sees they are most needed. The first work of the Spirit is to convince of sin. The putting away of sin and the unreserved consecration of the heart and life to God prepare the way for the operation of the Spirit in broader measure. We are in danger of looking for the strange and marvelous,—the manifestation of mighty power and outward display,—and thus neglecting the necessary preparation of the heart by which Heaven's workings among men are made possible. We do not need to worry over the Spirit's outpouring. We need to see that every idol has been cast out of our hearts, that the stones which have caused stumbling and grievance have been removed from the pathways of others, and that in our experience sin does not have dominion over us. This, more than any speculation as to the future, will open the way for God to work for his people in clothing the testimony they shall bear in behalf of his truth with his own convincing, mighty power.
Every person may be assured that whether at the General Conference or in the confines of his own home alone with God, he may open his heart to receive God's blessing. If the Spirit of truth points out sins in his life, as he seeks to put these away and consecrate himself to God, in proportion to his consecration will communion with the Holy Spirit be his to enjoy. The quiet dweller in his home, the humble brother in the mountain fastness or in the quiet country retreat, whose circumstances prohibit his attendance at the General Conference, has this same blessed access to the Spirit of grace.
O, let us remember that the blessing of our God is not confined to places or circumstances! It is not transmitted through the agency of priest or prelate. It does not come by resolution or conference action. Washington, D. C., is no nearer the throne of grace than are our missions in interior Africa or far-away China, in India or the islands of the sea. God still has his eye upon Israel. His comprehensive view takes account of every individual child. He recognizes every longing heart. He sees every outstretched hand. Wherever we are today let us give ourselves to him with new consecration. Whatever may be our privileges in meeting with his children, let us remember that God is not afar off, but that he is nigh unto us. We, with Job, may behold him with our spiritual eyesight; we may reach forth our hands of faith and take hold upon him; our ears of faith may listen to his counsel. Whoever we are or wherever we are, it is our privilege to give ourselves to him with a new and complete consecration, and then enjoy through simple faith the blessings which he is anxious to bestow. F. M. W.,

A Deliverance Amidst Moslem Fanaticism

By W. A. S.

In regions where it is unrestrained by any cultured sentiment or civil order, superstitious fanaticism is a thing hard to deal with. There is no telling what the turn of a moment may bring. At Lystra it made the people ready one moment to worship the apostolic missionaries, and the next thing they were stoning Paul and dragging him out for dead. The missionary laboring alone amid such tinder-like elements feels indeed the need of the protecting hand of Providence.
Speaking of these things the other day, Elder G. F. Jones, of our Malaysia mission,—now in America on furlough,—recounted an experience that brought to him anew a realizing sense of the delivering power of the living God in time of trial. Reports had come to Singapore of interest in the truth in the mountain districts of northern Sumatra, or Batakland. The mission committee asked Elder Jones to make a trip into the interior in order to investigate conditions. This is the story he told:—
In May, 1908, I landed on the west coast of Sumatra, with Immanuel, our Batak student, and made arrangements for the journey by horse into the interior. Immanuel was to take one route and I another,—the more circuitous one,—in order to cover all the area possible in our trip. It was necessary to hire native ponies for the various stages of the journey, the owners accompanying on foot. Much of the way was through forest and jungle infested with wild elephants and tigers and large howling monkeys. The tigers often creep into the villages at night and carry off some human victim. The Mohammedans say, “It is God’s messenger of revenge for some evil done.”
During the journey I often occupied the time telling the guides Bible stories, beginning with Eden, and explaining the fall of man, the working out of the plan of salvation, and the final restoration of man and the earth. They would ask many questions; and on reaching the villages they would relate these truths to the people, who in turn asked me many questions concerning Christ, and Mohammed, and the end of the world.
The rajahs (chiefs) were friendly and hospitable; and finding that my diet was a restricted one like theirs, they preferred to class me more as one of themselves, different from Christians of their acquaintance. So I had many open doors among the Mohammedans, while they hailed me in every village as an alim, that is, in the Malay language, a “learned man of God.” I felt that to lose their confidence would be a misfortune. But an incident occurred which was a trial and a test.
One day at noon, while we were resting and eating and the horse grazing, a large poisonous snake attacked and bit the horse through its mouth. The owner of the horse at once realized that the animal would die, as horses seldom live after such a bite from this snake. The man began to weep and moan for the loss of his means of gaining a livelihood. He condemned himself for listening to and following a man who was not a Mohammedan. The snake bite was looked upon as a sign of God’s anger against the man for allowing himself to be won over by a Christian. “Now God is punishing me,” he cried and wailed. It was an ugly crowd that gathered. The sentiment regarding my being an alim had suddenly changed. Some were running hither and thither for medicines to save the horse, which already was suffering the symptoms of the venom.
I was feeling greatly distressed at this turn of affairs among a fanatical people, in a lonely country, and wondered what I would better do, when I remembered that the Lord, for his own honor, would in some way help me, and send deliverance in the trying situation. As I stood about ten yards from the excited and angry crowd, I prayed quietly, “O Lord, help me, and show me what to do.” Instantly the conviction came to me as to God’s will, and I immediately walked toward the crowd, and said, “The Lord will not let this horse die; for he hears my prayers.” Then I mounted the trembling horse and rode away at a trot, with the people staring after me in astonishment, and the guides meekly following to the end of the stage. The horse was healed, and the men returned to their homes; while I continued on my journey, praising the Lord for his loving care.
“Did you ever hear any later report as to what the villagers thought of the incident of the bitten horse?” I asked Elder Jones. “Yes,” he replied. “I returned to the coast by another route, and so heard nothing on that trip. But three years afterward two or three men from that region called upon me at the Singapore Mission house. They said that their people had never forgotten the horse and snake incident, believing that surely an alim, or ‘man of God,’ had passed through their land.”
W. A. S.

An Infinite Contrast

By C. M. S.

When God said: “Harken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law,” he called the attention of the world to his people, and called the attention of his people to the sure result of maintaining a right relation to the law of God. That result is righteousness.
The new covenant promise to the child of God is: “I will put my laws into their mind, and on their heart also will I write them: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.” Heb. 8:10. It is the earnest desire of every sincere Christian that the God of Israel shall be his God, and that God shall recognize him as being one of his people. This scripture makes it very plain that they who are to have Jehovah for their God must love his law; that they who are to be recognized by Jehovah as his people will have his law written in their hearts. There are many who, in order to get rid of the Sabbath, claim that the law was abolished in Christ and by him. Such an attitude on the part of Christ toward the law, would put him in direct antagonism to that scripture. Instead of that, we hear him saying: “Lo, I am come; in the roll of the book it is written of me: I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart.” Ps. 40:8. Again we hear Christ bearing this testimony to his own purpose in coming to this world: “Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished.” Matt. 5:17, 18.
He who contends, therefore, that Jesus Christ came to take anything away from the law, sets up his testimony against the testimony of Jesus himself. He who claims that Christ came to abolish the law contradicts our Lord’s most positive declaration.
Nevertheless, the Scripture does predict that some one would attempt to change God’s law; and it does not leave us in doubt as to the character of that personage and his attitude toward God himself. It is very natural and very logical that he who opposes God’s law should oppose God himself, as God’s law is the expression of his will and of his character. Concerning that power, or personage, we read:— “He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.” Dan. 7:25.
Note the attitude of this power toward God, toward the saints of God, and toward the law of God. He is against them all. He blasphemes God, puts to death the saints, and attempts to reconstruct the law of God so that it may express his own will instead of God’s will. In other words, he would abolish God’s law and put his own in its place.
But this power which would abolish God’s law is to be itself abolished in the consummation of the controversy. Concerning that power the same inspired writer continues:— “But the judgment shall be set, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.” Verse 26.
While that power was speaking words against the Most High, wearing out the saints of the Most High, and attempting to change the very law of God, God was arranging for its final extinction, and for the triumph and the reward of those whom that power had worn out and trampled upon through the ages.
“And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High: his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” Verse 27.
In these two verses is shown the culmination of the controversy between God and his people on the one hand and Satan and his agents on the other. The power that was against God, against his people, and against his law goes down to utter ruin and extinction; while the people whom that power had oppressed and put to death for their loyalty to God and his law are given “the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven.” By standing loyal to God and his law, they had become the victims of that power which sought to exalt itself above God and to abolish his law. But for standing thus loyal, God chooses to exalt them even to a partnership in his everlasting kingdom, and he says of them, as he points them out to his universe: “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14:12. They have not sought to abolish God’s law, but to keep it, to exalt it. They were willing it should be impressed upon their minds and written in their hearts; and because of that attitude toward the government of God as expressed in his law, God has chosen to exalt them highly, to give them places in his household made vacant by those who were disloyal to him and opposed to his law.
In view of this fact, should it not be a matter of the deepest concern to every professed follower of Christ whether or not he is maintaining the proper attitude toward the law of God? If he has considered God’s law abolished and has taught men so, he has been ranging himself on the side of the great enemy of God, and must find his place among those enemies when God separates those who serve him from those who serve him not. “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 5:19.
The adversary of God and man having sought to abolish the law of God, the professed Christian who declares the law abolished, declares in that very declaration the success of Satan and the dissolution of God’s kingdom; for, with the law of God abolished, the government of God goes down with a crash. There is no neutral ground. If we are with God, we stand for his government, and his government is based upon his law and can stand only as long as his law stands. If we fret under it, consider it a yoke of bondage, wish it were abolished, and teach that it has been, we stand upon the side of the adversary, and persisting in that attitude, we must go with him to his reward.
There is an infinite contrast between the attitude of the true child of God who bows in humble submission to God’s will as expressed in his law, and the attitude of the professed child of God who holds the law of God abolished and considers himself at liberty to disobey one or all its precepts. The one rejoices that “the law is abolished;” the other declares: “I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart.” The one ranges himself on the side of the adversary, the other on the side of God. The one meets the reward of the adversary, and goes out into the darkness of eternal death; the other hears the “Well done, good and faithful servant,” and enters into the eternal joys of the redeemed in the everlasting kingdom of our Father. “Give ear, O my people, to my law.” Ps. 78:1. C. M. S.

“The Parting of the Ways”

By Francis M. Wilcox

In this age of the world, perhaps as never before in the history of the church, the line of demarcation is being drawn between truth and error. Every soul will be tested as to where he stands, and it will be only by the spiritual wisdom which comes from above that the seeker after truth will be enabled to find his way through the fog and mysticism which cloud much of the religious teaching of the present time.
The great Christian church to-day is confronted with a species of subtle, insidious skepticism quite unknown to the ages of the past. Some of the great religious teachers present a strange spectacle. Professedly ministers of the gospel of Christ, the exponents of the Word, the ambassadors of the gospel, they nevertheless deny some of the cardinal and fundamental principles upon which the whole scheme of salvation is based. They use their sacred office to pull down that which they are supposed to be set to uphold. And the sad feature of it is that these men not only deceive themselves, but draw others off into the mazes of doubt and unbelief, leaving them stranded and shipwrecked, without hope and without God in the world.
A striking example of this subtle skepticism which is working in the great Christian church was seen in the characterization of the Scriptures of Truth as the “paper pope” at a meeting of five hundred Methodist ministers held recently in New York City. According to the Washington Herald of March 18, 1913, which we quote, a book on higher criticism, published by a Methodist Book Concern, declares that the most advanced ministers looked upon the Bible as “part fiction, part history, and still another part the Word of God.” One minister, Dr. J. Vincent Hamilton, took occasion at the New York meeting to criticize the publication in question. He declared that “the Methodist Church has come to the parting of the ways,” and felt that the time had come for those who maintained faith in the Scriptures to rally to their support. In reply “several ministers declared that the ‘paper pope,’ the Bible, would have to be discredited as the Pope of Rome had been by Martin Luther. The assertion that a majority of those present at the day’s meeting had declared in favor of higher criticism and against the views held by Dr. Hamilton, was made by many of those present at the meeting. The argument at times was very heated.”
Admitting that in this large assembly of Methodist ministers there were some who looked with disfavor upon this onslaught against the Scriptures of Truth, it is significant “that apart from the opposition speaker, Dr. Hamilton, only one other man came to the defense of the old faith, Rev. W. Waldo Weller, of Long Island.” It is indeed true, as Dr. Hamilton stated, that when in a large convention of Methodist preachers such sentiments can be expressed against the Word of God with protests from only two of the delegates, “the Methodist Church has come to the parting of the ways.” How art thou fallen, O church of Wesley and Whitefield!
But the higher critics are by no means confined to the Methodist Church. Such incidents as this have been duplicated in other ministerial conventions in various places. It reveals to us the tendency of the times. Subtly and insidiously the enemy of all truth and righteousness is seeking to undermine the very foundations of the Christian faith. He no longer finds his best emissaries to be such men as Thomas Paine, Charles Bradlaugh, and Robert Ingersoll, nor his best methods of attack the coarse, blatant utterances of these apostles of unbelief. He chooses now the men of holy orders. His attacks are through the medium of cultured speech and by such insinuating and suggestive methods as to be more adaptable to the refinement of the age. They are, however, none the less pervasive in their influence, and the end will be disbelief in God and the rejection of all divine revelation.
We who read these words will be participants in the final controversy. We have come to the parting of the ways. We, with our fellows, must determine whether we shall stand by the Bible and accept the Scriptures as the revelation of heaven, or whether we shall permit insidious disbelief to come in and weaken our faith and lead us to a denial of God and the loss of hope in him. May God give us strength to stand firmly upon the solid foundation which is afforded us in his infallible Word. F. M. W.

Divinity or Deity

THE Religious Telescope of March 12, 1913, refers to a sermon by ex-President Taft at a Unitarian church recently. Mr. Taft is quoted as saying, “All the world is veering in that direction [toward Unitarianism].” Of this the editor says:—
But the chief objection to Unitarianism is that it obliterates all essential distinction between man and Jesus Christ. Formerly we spoke of the divinity of Christ, and meant that he was very God. Now Unitarians insist upon the divinity of man so strenuously that there is no division from Christ, except perhaps in culture or attainment. Since they have moved man up, the orthodox churches have moved Christ on ahead, to maintain the distinction they regard as necessary in order to feel free to worship him. So we talk now of the deity of Jesus, allowing the Unitarians to appropriate the term “divinity.”

The Ministry of Angels

IN answer to an inquirer, who had come to believe that angels were only influences or impulses, the New York Weekly Witness says:—
If the Bible contains an authoritative revelation of spiritual truth, there is no getting away from the fact that angels are commissioned by God to intervene in the affairs of men under his direction, and at times have appeared in human forms. The language of the Bible on this subject is quite unmistakable, and the facts can not be disputed without denying the authority of the Bible. Any one who feels inclined to question this statement should read carefully the chapters in which angels are mentioned and try to substitute in his own mind the word influence, or any other word, for the word angel; and unless his mind is prejudiced against the truth, he will see at once how impossible such a substitution would be. See, for example, Genesis 18, 19; Dan. 9:20-22; 10:5-15; Matt. 4:11; Luke 1; 2; Acts 12:1-11; and Hebrews 1; 2.
A wide-spread effort is being made to-day to discount the Word of God, to spiritualize away its most literal teachings. Of the evil effects of this false philosophy the editor of the Witness says:—
The object in denying the personality of these heavenly visitors is to get rid of the supernatural element in the events narrated, and any one who tries to do that will eventually find himself compelled to deny the truth of the Bible—except as to such teachings in it as he chooses to consider true; for from beginning to end the teaching of the Bible deals with supernatural occurrences.
The most supernatural events recorded in the Bible are the birth, life, and death of the Son of God as a son of man. He who created the universe and by whose power all things are upheld (Heb. 1:1, 2) came into the world as a baby, lived a divinely perfect life, died a natural, and at the same time, a supernatural death, rose again from the tomb at the time when he had promised to rise, appeared to his disciples frequently in mysterious ways, and then ascended bodily into the sky in their presence, to be seen no more on earth till he comes in glory.
Any one who accepts this teaching of the Bible about Christ can not deny that the Bible tells of supernatural occurrences, and should not see any difficulty in believing the statements of the Bible about all these occurrences. On the other hand, any one who denies the miraculous birth and resurrection and ascension of Christ might as well throw away the Bible altogether; for the whole teaching of the book hinges upon these facts. If Jesus had been only a man, he could not have atoned for our sins. If he did not rise from the tomb, we have no means of obtaining any assurance concerning our own future destiny; for his resurrection was necessary to set the seal of God upon all his teaching and upon all his promises, and upon the teaching of his apostles in his name. See 1 Cor. 15:12-21.

Charity Banquets

RECENTLY the Associated Charities of San Francisco held its annual banquet, for the ostensible purpose of raising money for carrying forward its work. J. Stitt Wilson, mayor of Berkeley, was invited to attend. In declining the invitation he made this very appropriate protest against such methods of raising money for the cause of Christian philanthropy:—
There is something positively vulgar and ostentatiously pagan in the spectacle of a group of citizens of a twentieth century city sitting down to a three-dollar banquet while pictures are being shown displaying the hunger of the poor. I am not a very good Christian. I wish I were. But in the name of Christ and his hungry people I enter my protest against the word “charity” being used in connection with any such function. I prefer to give this three dollars to some needy family. Three dollars will buy three suits of children’s underwear or keep a child for a week.
In commenting upon this incident the Northwestern Christian Advocate of Feb. 10, 1913, refers to a famous ball given by the high society of Chicago for “sweet charity’s sake where ten dollars admission was charged. Cigarettes were sold by women in one booth, ballet dancers were brought in to gyrate, champagne flowed nearly all night, and a general ‘good’ time was had. The display of jewels and dresses ran into the millions of dollars, while several women came to the ballroom under police’ protection. A little over twelve thousand dollars was cleared for charity.”
It is well to consider what methods prompt people to attend functions of this character. Possibly there are some who do so with true philanthropic motives, but it is safe to conclude that the large majority of the attendants at balls and banquets of this character go for the sake of selfish gratification, personal pleasure, and social intercourse, rather than for the interest which they feel in the cause of the poor. How much better it is to support the cause of Christ in the earth and the various Christian philanthropies which are carried forward, by the Bible plan of straight out-and-out giving. It is such giving as this that carries a blessing to the recipient and comes back in twofold measure upon the head of the giver. We can not improve upon God’s methods of carrying forward his work in the earth.

The Commercial Phase of Modern Religious Revivals

Of a revival recently held in Columbus, Ohio, the Christian Herald of March 19, 1913, under the heading “What Do You Think of It?” speaks as follows:—
In view of the present discussion concerning revival methods and “the decline” of evangelism,” we submit the following statistics of a recent revival there, taken from the Citizen of Columbus, Ohio, and forwarded to us by a subscriber who attended the meetings, as an interesting and timely exhibit:—
Total converts 18,333
Offering for evangelist $21,000.00
Collected for current expenses 19,187.81
Collected for charity 2,381.55
Collected for women of evangelist’s party 1,115.55
Total collected in campaign 44,432.68
Tabernacle meetings 96
Total attendance 825,000
Average attendance per meeting 8,593
Sunday sermons in tabernacle 93
Children’s cards (included in total converts) 3,224
Babes cared for in nursery 1,884
Total converts on last day 2,189
Revival opened Dec. 29, 1912
Revival closed Feb. 16, 1913
We make no comment on this, preferring that pastors, evangelists, and our readers generally should do their own thinking and form their own conclusions. If any one raises the question, “Does evangelism pay?” here is the answer. It “pays” one evangelist at the rate of nearly two hundred thousand dollars a year, which will prove (to some minds at least) that “godliness is profitable.” With these figures as a basis, conversions cost something less than $2.50 per capita. With such remarkable results in view, may we not look forward to the creation of an evangelistic trust in the near future? We do not doubt that souls were won, that evil resorts were closed, and that churches were revived and strengthened, though in what degree the latter may be true must yet appear. What we submit for serious consideration is the suggestion of commercialism which this tabulated epitome conveys. In a spiritual sense, if we may accept its claims, it eclipses Pentecost, and puts the work of all the great revivalists of the past in the shade!
Moody had two peculiarities: he would never permit his photograph to be taken if he could help it, and he invariably declined to make any personal effort, on platform or pulpit, to stimulate the financial end of his gospel enterprises.
And now, once again we ask: “What do you think of it?”
It is not difficult to understand the way such revivals are regarded by the editor of the Christian Herald, and his evident estimate of revivals of this character must be the estimate of every sensible, serious-thinking Christian.

An Appalling Calamity

THE worst disaster that has visited America at any time in its history is that from which the States of Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky are now suffering, and there is very strong probability that before the flood waters of the Ohio and Mississippi reach the Gulf, there will be other records of lives lost and additional millions of dollars’ worth of property destroyed. The worst sufferer thus far has been the city of Dayton, Ohio, whose loss of life is probably not under two hundred. All the other cities of the State within the sweep of the waters have suffered heavily in both lives and property. No accurate estimate can be given as to the property loss; but in a number of the cities of both Ohio and Indiana the estimates place the property loss in the millions. Thousands of homes have been completely swept away, and many thousands have lost everything they possessed except the land upon which their buildings stood. Cities farther down the course of the flood are now beginning to pay their toll, though, in view of the timely warnings, many living in the most exposed localities are moving back to higher ground. This will save lives, but can not save homes or other buildings that must feel the force of the devastating flood. The federal government responded quickly to the demands of the situation, and all has been done that humanity could do to protect people and property, relieve suffering, and guard against sickness or epidemics. There has been a very liberal response also from the people, and ample supplies of clothing, tents, food, and money have gone forward as rapidly as transportation could be afforded. Some of the tales of individual suffering, sacrifice, and heroism have been most pathetic. This fearful scourge, taken in connection with such calamities as the Nebraska tornado, has furnished the theme for many sermons, and very many among both the clergy and the laity are asking the meaning of such terrible visitations. There seems to be a feeling on the part of a large number of the people that such calamities are not meaningless, that God has a purpose in permitting them to come upon the world, and that it is man's duty to learn what that purpose is. It is undoubtedly an indication that the very forces of nature, so long affected by the curse of sin in the world, are running riot over the earth just as the spirit of lawlessness is running riot in the hearts of men. As such calamities pile up their records one upon another, we see the fulfilment of that prophecy which declares that the earth “shall wax old like a garment.” The forces of nature are delicately balanced, like the forces pent up within the human being. A vigorous man, disobeying the laws of his being, wears out before his time. He throws the forces of his system out of balance, and nervous prostration lays him low. So this world, staggering under the weight of the curse of sin, is losing that fine balance of its forces so necessary to its maintenance as a safe place of abode for men. The day of its dissolution can not be far distant.

Church and State Union

More and more frequently are we hearing the definite proposition that the church and state must be united for the good of humanity. It is a proposition that had been nearly eliminated from the speech of a liberty-loving people; but the great movements on foot to bring religion into politics and make the church a force in governmental affairs are reclothing that skeleton of past centuries and seeking to breathe life into it. Recently Dr. S. H. Woodrow, of the First Congregational Church of Washington, D. C., in a Sunday afternoon address before the Washington Y. M. C. A., made this declaration: “It is impossible to separate the church and the state. The church in every nation must hold a position of supreme importance if she is to be true to her mission.” Dr. Woodrow is a member of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America, one of whose purposes is to bring the force of its combined influence to bear upon the legislators of the country and compel them to do its bidding. This proposition would put the church above the state in America, just as it is now and has hitherto been in countries dominated by the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Catholic Church. Dr. Woodrow’s declaration is an indication of purpose to accomplish that object not only in America, but in all the nations of the world. It is a significant utterance, and is directly in line with the aims of the National Reform Association, the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America, and the Roman Catholic Church in all the world.

In the Balkans

The greater powers of Europe are bringing pressure to bear upon Servia and Montenegro to cause them to cease military operations in Albania and retire beyond her boundaries. The threat of a naval demonstration is held over these little countries in case they do not comply. The powers have warned Montenegro that she has nothing to expect from continued operations against the city and fortress of Scutari. It is the intention to make that city the capital of independent Albania. Despite the warning, the Montenegrins have continued to bombard Scutari. It was expected that the fall of Adrianople would greatly dishearten the Turkish troops defending the Tchataldja fortifications, and make the capture of these fortifications, which stand between the Bulgarians and Constantinople, much easier; but the Turks have fought desperately there, and seem to have been more than holding their ground. There has been great loss of life on the part of the Bulgarians and Servians in their attempts to carry the Tchataldja line of defense. Reports that are now beginning to come in indicate that there has been terrible suffering among the ranks of attacking armies before Adrianople and Tchataldja. Men have been frozen to death on picket duty, and have even frozen in their tents. They have not been allowed to kindle fires lest the smoke disclose their positions to the Turkish gunners. Turkey refuses to yield farther than she has already, the allies refuse to accept the recommendations of the powers except as a basis of negotiations, and the powers can decide upon no mode of action, mutually satisfactory, by which to compel compliance with their wishes. So the war drags on. Reports from Austria, claiming to be authentic, state that when this war is brought to a close, Austria intends to begin a war on her own account. If this occurs, the result is certain to be a greater and more disastrous war than the one which seems now drawing to a close through the exhaustion of the combatants.

China Moving Forward

On April 8 at Peking, China, there will be held the first Chinese national assembly under republican auspices. The entire membership of both houses of China's new legislature has been elected. There will be about eight hundred members in the lower house and about three hundred members in the upper house. This body is charged, first, with drafting a constitution and with the establishment of a permanent form of government. With this accomplished, these constitutional delegates become at once members of the national legislature. China has been asking for the recognition of her republican form of government for some time, but as yet none of the nations have recognized the Chinese Republic. It is stated that the powers of Europe have been waiting for the definite establishment of the government upon its permanent basis before giving it recognition. It has been quite confidently expected, however, that the United States would not wait for the completion of this formality before recognizing the new government. This new republic will be the most populous republic in the world, and the rapidity with which China has been adopting Western methods and customs is a strong indication that very quickly the Chinese Republic will be taking an important place in the family of nations. The latest developments of the most highly civilized nations are now being demonstrated in China. It is a long stride from the wheelbarrow to the flying-machine, but China has taken it. The sleeping giant is awake.
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