BOOK NOTICES

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Sep 23, 1913

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 40, No. 37.

"Our World; the New World Life." By Josiah Strong. Price $1.00. Doubleday, Page & Company, New York.

Josiah Strong will be remembered by our readers as the author of "Our Country," a book which had a very large circulation, and "The New Era," and "Expansion under New World Conditions," etc. The work of the author's which had the largest circulation, "Our Country," appearing in 1886, really called for this work of larger scope; in fact, Dr. Strong tells us that an American in India wrote him, after reading "Our Country," "I hope your next work will be entitled 'Our World.'" It seems to have given Dr. Strong the suggestion of writing the book. It is divided into two parts,—Part 1, "The New World Life," with the following chapters: "A New World Tendency," "A New World Industry," "A New World Peace," "A New World Ideal;" Part 2, "The New World Problems," and in this are discussed the problems of industry, of wealth, of race, of the individual and society, of lawlessness and of legislation, and of the city. The facts which Dr. Strong has gathered for this work are immense. The present conditions are set forth in a clear, graphic way. The reader may not agree with Dr. Strong's conclusions, but he will agree with this,—that there are tremendous problems for this great world to face, problems that are of vital importance, and one of the greatest of all these is the city. We do not see how Dr. Strong could come to the conclusion that he does, that out of all these untoward conditions shall spring the New Jerusalem. We can not see how cities which are steeped in vice and crime and greed can build a city in which all of these things are lacking. It seems to us a great deal easier to believe in the Word itself, which declares that all this wickedness will be swept away in the overwhelming glory of the coming of the Son of God, and those who are His will be saved from its wreck and ruin. Every reformer, however, ought to have Dr. Strong's book. He needs its facts and its pictures.