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Editorial Notes

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Dec 26, 1906

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 32, No. 50.

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Editorial Notes

By Editor

It is a beautiful poem which our old-time contributor, Mr. Llewellyn A. Morrison, of New York City, formerly of Toronto has sent us, and which appears on our first page. We appreciate greatly the kind, sympathetic letter which accompanies the poem. The poem reached us just in time. In behalf of ourselves and our readers, many thanks. May God bless the writer.
Read what we have to say of the "SIGNS OF THE TIMES," in 1907, on pages 4 and 5. We have a long list of good contributors there. Nothing discriminating is intended by the order. All are competent writers; each has an individuality and style of his own; and all will furnish articles worth reading. They will deal with great subjects. There will be many others who will contribute during the year.
Our Missions Department.—Next month we shall begin a series of papers on the great Chinese field by Mr. and Mrs. J. N. Anderson. Both of these devoted missionaries are qualified to write of the field. They will give information which all will wish to know. We have one or two single articles on hand, among them one from South America, on the earthquake, and two others of interest. More of this in the future.
A very interesting but disagreeable question has been before the country the last week, but which we have neither time nor space to notice now, and which we would not notice at all were it not for the principles involved; and that is the published private correspondence between Bellamy Storer, diplomat, and wife and President Roosevelt. It involves the integrity of both parties and also the action of our officials in Roman Catholic religious matters, which are contrary to the principles of this government. We will have more to say about this in our next.
The new "Times Magazine" declares in its issue for December that "whatever else the Times Magazine does or does not do, it will stand first, last, and all the time for individualism, the real thing." We hope that it will do that. We shall gladly welcome it whatever may be its political or religious predilection; if it will truly hold to the principles of individualism, it will come out all right. But in these mighty struggles which are now on, it will find itself many times at the parting of the ways. We earnestly wish that it may take the right road.
One of the most fearful storms which the Pacific Coast has known for years swept from San Diego to the very north, Monday, December 10. The wind had been blowing mildly through the night; just before daylight it increased to a gusty, tremendous gale, as measured by the imperfect instruments of men varying all the way from fifty to eighty and a hundred miles an hour. Street-car traffic was suspended for hours in San Francisco, ferry steamers were forced to remain in their slips, and shipping generally in the bay suffered to a large extent. Many of the walls left by the earthquake and fire tottered and fell, some of them crushing other buildings located near them, and many other structures were blown down and contents damaged to the extent of several thousand dollars. Sewers were blocked all over and basements were filled. But one death, however, was reported. In one factory one hundred girls went out just in time to save themselves from being crushed by its falling. Many, however, were injured by the storm.
Business was greatly delayed by the destruction of telegraph and electric-wire poles. In our own office we were cut off from power for two days. This will explain to our readers why this number of the paper is behind. Our own generating motor is not yet complete, the vast demand for machinery of this kind, since the fire in San Francisco, has brought delay to us. Consequently we have had to depend upon the electric current which supplies this valley, and it was two days before our presses or linotypes could be used. Our new building, not yet being fully inclosed, was not damaged in the least. But last week's paper was greatly delayed. We are glad that our loss was so little. For this we thank God and take courage, and know that our subscribers will excuse the delay.
Japan and Its Needs.—This week we close Mr. Field's most excellent series of articles on Japan. We know that those of our readers who studied them have a better general knowledge of the "Sunrise Kingdom." Those who have not read them have missed much. These articles have set before us Japan's great need. This is not English education, nor instruction in the art of war or manufacture, or commerce, or "yankee tricks of trade," or "naturalization" in America, or an amended treaty with South America. All these—good, bad, indifferent—may seem desirable to some, but neither one nor all is Japan's need. That need these articles have told us—"the everlasting Gospel," "the power of God unto salvation," to reach the lowest, weakest, vilest soul, and make him fit, not for a place among civilized nations, but for a home in the eternal kingdom of God. If there are any who wish to contribute to that great, needy field, the SIGNS OF THE TIMES will be glad to forward the funds contributed.
How Is It Received?—We are many times asked as to whether the Revised Version is gaining ground at all among churches or people in general. We would like to say to our readers that the American Standard Revised Version, published by Thomas Nelson & Sons, New York, has long since passed the experimental stage, and is coming into use, not only as a reference book and students' help in Bible schools and Sunday-schools, but many of the common people are using it as preferable to all other versions, and practically all the colleges, theological seminaries, and Bible training schools are using and recommending the American Standard Revised Version. We think there is no question whatever but that it will be in general use in a very few years.
How many are complaining of the "burden" of Christmas. It has gotten to be more and more a fashion or fad to buy costly presents. The next year the gift is reciprocated, and the returned compliment is even more expensive. It is really to many people a burden financially, a perplexity mentally, and a trouble generally, and they are glad when it is over. If you give, give simple gifts. We would echo the appeal of the Ladies' Home Journal, to give the day to the children, and let the gifts, simple, inexpensive, teach them to give to the humble, the weak, the poor, the needy.
Referring to the Explosion of the Bomb in St. Peter's, Rome, we are told that altho numerous arrests have been made among all classes, the guilty persons have not yet been found. The fuse was lighted by a woman kneeling in prayer. The pope has received letters threatening his assassination. Certainly the act was a most dastardly one, and it is to be hoped that the would-be assassin will be brought to justice. We don't believe that the Papacy is a divine institution, but we do believe in religious liberty, and we most earnestly contend that the Roman Catholics should have their liberties and their rights and their lives respected as fully as our own. No friend of Gospel truth will ever use such means as was there used for the destruction of life as an effort to diminish the power of the Papacy.
One of the saddest blots on the civilization of the present century is the awful condition of things in the Kongo, and there seems to be no question whatever but what the money which King Leopold, of Belgium, has extracted from the very life-blood of the natives, is used among the diplomats and Legislatures of various countries to purchase immunity from intervention. If ever anything cried out to God for vengeance it seems to us that it must be the handless natives of the Kongo Free State against the brutal reign which has obtained there for years. This we have referred to in the past. Other journals are taking it up at the present time, but it looks as tho there would be no surcease from the eternal infamy of the thing until the last of the merchandise which can be turned into money is filched from the country, or there are no more natives to produce it. There has been a constant demand placed upon the natives of the different districts to produce so much ivory or rubber, and if it has not been forthcoming, they have paid for it by the loss of hands or their lives. Back of it all has been the "Christian" King of Belgium. Kongo Slave State is too mild a name for the region over which he has administered in the Dark Continent. All of Spain's cruelty in the Philippines and Cuba, if we can believe the reports of the Christian missionaries or reliable travelers, are not a circumstance compared with the cruelties of the exploitation of the natives of the Kongo.
The President's message has stirred up a veritable hornet's nest on the Pacific Coast over the shutting of the Japanese from the public schools of San Francisco. It seems to us that if there were a calm consideration of the matter on both sides, it would be very much better. It certainly would have been better if San Francisco had shut the Japanese out of their schools on the basis of age rather than of race. There could then have been no question over the matter. It seems to us that they are perfectly justified in doing that. It is surely demoralizing to a primary school to have pupils from twenty to thirty years of age studying with the children, especially if these pupils are foreigners; and, too, the labor element of the West has very strong feelings against the Japanese who are entering in such numbers as to affect the laboring men. At the same time it is claimed that they do not come to be citizens of the country as do other foreigners. We do not, however, anticipate any war or violence over it. If the President has been too hasty, his good sense will probably lead him to modify his action, and the real principles which he has stated in his message on the equal rights of men should not be overlooked nor turned to a partisan or prejudicial purpose.
Sam Jones.—J. L. Nichols & Company are bringing out a book entitled, "Life and Sayings of Sam Jones," written and compiled by his wife and evangelical co-laborer, Rev. Walt. Holcomb. The book will doubtless have a large circulation on account of the striking, eccentric methods of labor and language which Mr. Jones indulged. The advertising managers for the book are Jenkins & Denton, Atlanta, Ga. The price will range from $2.50 to $5.00 a copy. The address is J. L. Nichols & Co., 912 Anstell Building, Atlanta, Ga.
It is hard for us to learn that the same right to hold and express honest convictions of truth which we so fondly claim for ourselves, we are in duty bound to extend to others who may differ from us, however widely.—Benjamin Brook.