p. 16 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 23. (6/5/1901)

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Christian Science Not New.

A writer in the Independent, who signs himself “Dicast” says of Christian Science and Mrs. Eddy, its founder: “The insidious danger of Christian Science and of all its kindred errors—for it is but an ancient folly in new motley—lies herein, that much of its doctrine is verbally true, whereas the application of this doctrine is utterly and perniciously false; and there is no form of error into which the half-educated mind falls so readily and hopelessly as one where partial truth is falsely applied to life. . . . It would not be hard to parallel every important passage of hers [Mrs. Eddy’s] from Hindu works and from two or three medieval philosophers; but her application of this truth to life is so childishly simple as to show that she merely repeats words without any conception of their meaning.”

Cherished Sin as a Stumbling-Block

It is not the truth itself, nor the way Christ presents it, that makes the truth a “stumbling-block” or an offense to men; it is cherished sin in their own heart and life. The man who presents the truth in order to make it an offense, is himself a stumbling-block.

Pacific Press Annual Meeting

The stockholders of the Pacific Press Publishing Company held its annual meeting, Tuesday, May 21. The Board of Directors elected for the present year is composed of the following: C. H. Jones, William Saunders, E. A. Chapman, M. C. Wilcox, C. J. E. Frisbie, W. H. B. Miller, H. H. Hall. The meeting was one of interest. Organization of the board and other particulars will be given next week.

It Is Not the Sabbath.

The Christian Advocate, and other papers similarly, in referring to the opening of the Buffalo Pan-American Exposition on Sunday, speak of it as “The Sabbath again Officially Dishonored.” But Sunday is not the Sabbath. It is not the day of the Sabbath. It has no characteristics of the Sabbath in its commencement or closing, or in the character of the day. Its very name is stolen from the Sabbath of the Lord. The Sabbath is dishonored by the exposition, but so it is by business everywhere. “The seventh day [not the first] is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.”

Divorce and Conscience.

One prominent and prolific writer says of the recent divorce of a prominent “reformer:” “Divorce has become so common that it has blunted the sensibilities of the public. I confess the news of this remarkable case did not strike me with any shock. . . . The ultra-fashionable circles of New York regard divorce as a mere incident. A new wife or a new husband is as common to encounter in the smart set as a new gown or vehicle. The woman who sports a blond husband one year is apt to appear with a brunette the next. Styles of wives change in families with the styles of hat-brims. When our social leaders set a fashion, all circles follow it eventually. The case under consideration is but the latest, not the last. It is only a part of the general chaos of our social condition. They will be worse before they are better.” And this is Scripture truth; it is a result of disregard of God’s law and true Gospel preaching.

Filipino Character and Self-Government

Albert Sonnichsen, a member of Lieutenant Gillmore’s band, who, it will be remembered, was for ten months a prisoner with the Filipinos, in giving his impressions of their character, says that he “found them quick and intelligent; and except when near the American lines, in the first of his captivity, most humane in the treatment of their prisoners.” He says further that he also found them “frank and sympathetic, and by no means ignorant, considering the limited opportunities they have had to obtain an education. From what he saw of their local government Mr. Sonnichsen believes the Filipinos have an aptitude for governing themselves. They had native courts at Bengued, where Spaniards with grievances secured redress, to his knowledge.” A similar story was told by two of Admiral Dewey’s officers. Is it not a sad blot on civilization that so many of such were killed?

Too Far

The Christian Advocate says: “Cardinal Gibbons, Monsignor Chapelle, and the Archbishop of Manila are about to meet in Rome with the purpose of trying to remove the conflict that has arisen between the Vatican and the United States regarding the sequestration of monasteries in the Philippines. . . . If the United States sustains all the previous contracts and impositions of the friars in the Philippine Islands, and if the administration escapes being Roman Catholicized in spirit, in its dealing with those countries, it will be highly to its credit and an occasion for devout thankfulness. Justice should be done to all concerned; no Protestant who is not a bigot would wish it otherwise, but justice in this case looks into the right of the titles, as well as to the legal form in which they are found.” One difficulty is that the government has gone too far already; so far that it will be difficult to extricate itself.

The Pope and America.

The Chicago Record-Herald has the following: “London, May 6.—‘Pope Leo XIII. regards the United States as the future center of the greatness of the Roman Catholic Church,’ said Perry S. Heath, former Assistant Postmaster-General of the United States, to The Record-Herald correspondent to-night. Mr. Heath has just reached London from Rome, where he had a long interview with his holiness. He said further: ‘The Pope takes great pride in the growth of his church under the Stars and Stripes. He feels most kindly toward the American government and people, declaring that both spontaneously favor and constantly insist on absolute religious freedom. His holiness believes that America is unfolding a spectacle of material and spiritual development almost unparalleled in the history of the world.’”

The freedom when this country becomes Romanized will be freedom only for Romanists.

“We Can Not Come Down.”

By Editor

—A person sends to this office a circular-letter setting forth a series of “Our Propositions,” a mixture of truth and error, and challenges discussion of them with “all preachers, both in and out of sects, in good standing among their people, who take issue against us,” and he thus characterizes all beforehand who do not accept: “Surely all are cowards, and on the weak side, or side of error, who shun the light of fair, open, honest investigation; or draw back from honest test of their church, doctrine, or practise.” We should think that it might suggest itself to this seeker after notoriety that there might be many who have greater faith in the light of God’s Word than in his interpretation of it, and who consider the work of preaching the Gospel and saving souls so transcendently great that, like Nehemiah, they can not come down to debate with one who declares in his published sheet that he hopes to make it “offensive truth.” Our mission is not to give men notoriety, but to publish the blessed healing truth of God.

A Deceptive Bleeding Picture

News comes from Menominee, Mich., that a picture representing the Virgin Mary and the Trinity has been discovered to be bleeding, and thousands are visiting the house of the Pole where the picture is. It is a colored picture any way, and some red stains are deceiving the poor credulous people. It is but just to state that the Catholic clergy of Menominee place no credit in the discovery that is deceiving so many.

Sunday Legislation on Hygienic Grounds

It is too bad that a Baptist journal should be so deceived as to set forth such sophistry as the following from the Boston Watchman:—

“The Watchman is too loyal to the Baptist principle of the separation of Church and State to indorse the various proposals for Sunday legislation without submitting them to the most careful scrutiny. The fact that good men are promoting this legislation, and that those who do not favor it are classed as enemies of the Lord’s day, does not weigh with us. The only safe ground is to hold that the function of the State is to protect the liberty and quiet of worship and to guard the day of rest on hygienic grounds. The fact that a religious end can be accomplished by legislation is to a Baptist no reason whatever for approving such legislation.”

That is, a Sunday law is all right, religious legislation is proper, if it is based on the subterfuge of “hygienic grounds.” It is religious legislation just the same. Of course there is hygiene in properly resting once a week, but no law can secure this. Thousands are worse for their Sunday lay-off than tho they worked. Hygiene of the day, like its worship, is a personal matter. What right has law to step in and say how a man shall eat or drink or rest or recreate? The mere stating of the idea condemns it. Furthermore, no true religious end can be accomplished by religious legislation. Such legislation is always the perverter of the true. Let Baptists and all Christians stand on the true ground, namely, that no religious institution or dogma is entitled to the support of civil law.

Labels Ought to Tell the Truth

It is not what men name things to be that makes them so. For instance we purchased not long since a can of fruit labeled thus: “Choice Strawberries. First Quality. Packed by Hemingway Packing Co., at Norfolk, Va., U. S. A.” A beautiful lithograph of a bunch of red, luscious-looking strawberries completed the falsehood. This for the outside of the can. Inside was a pale, purple, slightly acid, flavorless syrup, with a few over-cooked, tasteless strawberries swimming about, reminding one of the legendary church-fair oyster soup, of which we experimentally know nothing,—a grateful ignorance. Now this one can, purchased in the extreme northeast corner of Colorado, may be an exception in this packing company’s output. We hope so. If not, we have been wondering what second and third quality would be! The moral is that a label ought to tell the truth. And this is as true of men as of canned fruit.

The World's Growing National Debt

According to the Treasury Bureau of Statistics the total national debt of all the world in 1793 was $2,500,000,000. But in 1901 the amount is more than tenfold greater and stands at the enormous figure of $31,000,000,000. While this debt has been swelling, the population of the world has increased only one and one-half times. When it is considered that the greater part of this sum has been spent for war and war preparations, how suggestive is the fact. Does this great rolling up of the national debts at the bidding of the god of war suggest to you a time of peace before this world? Does it not rather indicate that the great Armageddon can not be long away?

The Power of an Endless Life.

There is one life triumphant, the life of Jesus Christ. All who truly triumph, triumph in Him, by the power of His triumphant life imparted thru His grace. Such men will face danger as He faced it, trust God as He trusted, hopefully press on amid seeming failures as He pressed on—on to Gethsemane, to Calvary, to glorious, endless victory.

Woman’s Strength and Gentleness

One writer truly says: “Woman’s strength lies in beauty and gentleness, not in muscle.”