A RELIGIOUS LIBERTY ISSUE.
By Editor
Our next issue but one will give special attention to religious liberty. There will be several articles on Sunday laws and their character, right relations of Church and State, and present conditions in the world. It will be well illustrated, and a good number to sell. Prices: Single copies, five cents; 25 to 75 copies, three cents each; 100 copies or more at the rate of two and one-half cents each. One noted translation of the Scriptures is called the "Wicked Bible," because a "not" was left out of one of the Ten Commandments. A sentence in the article on "The Great Salvation," in the SIGNS of December 5, 1906, third column, beginning of the third paragraph from the end, became a wicked sentence by the insertion of "not" in some way unexplainable. The sentence should read: "It was the Spirit which inspired the thoughts contained in the Book of books." There should be no negative after "was." There appeared in the SIGNS of November 28, a short selection entitled, "To Be Seen of Men." It was handed the editor by one of his associates, supposedly for printing, and was handed out for copy, put into type, and was printed before the editor read it. It should have been questioned by those who did read it, but they supposed that it had been passed upon. There is a good thought in the principle set forth, but we do not believe in its application. To us it seems an eminently proper thing for a preacher to acknowledge his dependence upon God before he begins his service, by kneeling in silent prayer, and a proper thing for the worshiper to do to bow his head in silent prayer on entering church. We should not condemn, however, either the preacher or the hearer who does not do this. A NEGATIVE LIFE is at the best an unsatisfactory existence, and is bound to result in death. In God's providence every man has within him certain spiritual faculties, which, if improved, will prove a blessing to the user. If neglected, they will atrophy, and the man lives on, a mere physical and intellectual life, the life of the flesh, with the mind of the flesh, to the end of the flesh. Thus speaks the apostle: "For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace; because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be." The failure or success of others is no reason for any one's failure; it is only an excuse; the failure is in the mind of the flesh which hates God's requirements, and loves sin. O reader, if this be your case, meet it like a man, and let the mind of the flesh die. A despatch from Rome, dated December 18, informs us that Signor Marconi has been converted to Spiritualism by Princess d'Antuni del Drago, a noted medium, who says that Mr. Marconi "has held seances in her own palace, and has been favored with extraordinary phenomena. That the King of Italy is also a believer in Spiritism seems evident from the following from the princess: 'So far as my knowledge goes, I can not speak of what the king knows of Marconi's conversion, or that his majesty ever assisted or took part in a spiritualistic seance with Marconi.'" The Czar of Russia is known to be a confirmed Spiritualist. See Rev. 16: 14. THE REJECTED REASON AND ANCESTRY.
More and more in every form of literature we are harked back to man's brute ancestry. We are told that when he is hungry, there gapes thru his veneer the hungry maw of the animal; when angry, you see the glare of the tiger, or hear the snarl of the cat, and so on ad infinitum. All the depravity of man is laid at the door of his brute ancestry, the outcroppings of the beast in the jungle. This is the only way that unbelief can explain man's inherent wickedness, depravity, and bestiality. The true reason, the one reason given in the word of God is rejected. That malign master and agency of evil—the devil—is banished. The fall of man from purity and innocence is set aside, and, consequently, all that came as the result of the fall. Man, the king of God's earth, under his Maker, fell; and when he fell all the creation under him was marred. Sin became incarnate, infleshed. When man yielded to the devil, the devil became king de facto, tho not de jure, and the whole creation of earth became subject to his rule. And from "the god of this world" comes the savagery, the brutality, the cruelty, the bestiality. Man's ancestry was divine. He chose the realm of the flesh, and became a beast. The Son of God gave Himself, conquered, died, to restore man to his first dominion. Those who prefer the brute ancestry, will find the brute's end. Man who rejects his divine ancestry, "abideth not; he is like the beasts that perish." Those who, finding themselves on the low level of sin, choose the divine ancestry, may thru Christ attain to it. To them who receive Him, "to them gave He the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1: 12. HOW CATHOLICS REGARD PROTESTANTS.
The following from the Catholic "Western Watchman," one of the leading Catholic papers of America, on the educational question in England, shows that Catholics regard Protestantism as worse than no religion at all: "If we would safeguard our Christian heritage we shall have to support our schools as we support our churches. It must come to that in the end. Many of the bishops in pastorals are praying that the Catholics of the British Empire may not be compelled to adopt the American system of education, which would compel them to build and support their own schools. They might meet a far worse fate. A government grant for religious education in England would mean one Catholic school for twenty Protestant. For the money necessary to support that one Catholic school, could the Catholics, should the Catholics, consent to the existence of TWENTY CENTERS OF STATE-TAUGHT HERESY; TWENTY NUCLEI OF BLASPHEMY AGAINST CHRIST AND CHRIST'S CHURCH? The theory that Protestantism is better than no religion has received so many stunning knocks of late years, that he would be a bold man who would defend it now." How long will Protestants go blindly on? CATHOLICISM AND SPIRITUALISM.
There is an interesting article in the "Literary Digest" of December 15 by a Jesuit father on Spiritualism, the sum of which is this: While the priest in question, Father G. Franco, discourages investigation into Spiritualism, still he believes it to be a reality and a fact, even its materialization, so-called. But he tells us that we are very likely to be deceived (and that is true), because evil spirits know and profess to be good (and that is true); but he admits the very thing which will inevitably bring the whole Catholic Church into the ranks of Spiritualism, if it is not there already; and that is that these spirits are the spirits of the dead, or, in other words, that spirits of the dead do manifest themselves. That being true, how does the learned priest know that all these various stories concerning the appearances of saints and their communications with mortals, are not, after all, the evil spirits coming in the guise of saints? How would we expect Satan to come if not to deceive? and how could he deceive any better than to come to the thousands and millions of souls who profess to believe in the presence and existence of saints, having connection with mortals, than to come in the guise of these very saints? Certainly, it is true that the devil has his angels—fallen spirits; and that he has used this army to deceive souls throughout all the ages; and that all demon worship and supernatural manifestation connected with it are the result of these agents. We are also told that those who worship the dead, worship demons, or devils (Ps. 106: 28, 37; 1 Cor. 10: 20); while on the other hand, "the dead know not anything" (Eccl. 9: 5; Ps. 146: 3, 4). Where, then, according to this testimony shall we place all the saint worship or the intercession of saints which the Catholic Church holds and believes? What is there to hinder them being deceived by the army of evil angels? Ps. 78: 49. TO THOSE OF OUR COUNTRY READERS who are anxious to obtain information in agricultural science, we would say that the University of California offers four short courses in agriculture, horticulture, entomology, poultry, etc., three of which are still open, beginning the last of December and ending February 28,—at Fresno, December 26 to 29; Los Angeles, January 7 to 12; Sacramento, January 14 to 19; Berkeley, January 21 to February 1, continuing the course in the chemical laboratory until the last of February. These courses are open to all persons of good moral character who have had sufficient common school training to enable them to take notes on lectures, etc. No charge is made for tuition, but to those who attend the schools, tickets of admission must be applied for in advance. Terms, lectures, etc., may be obtained by addressing the University of California, Agricultural Section, Berkeley, California. "SAN FRANCISCO DESTROYED." — We have received from C. N. Caspar Co. Book Emporium, publishers, Milwaukee, Wis., one of the finest souvenir albums which has been published on San Francisco. It is entitled, "San Francisco Destroyed." It is magnificently printed. The illustrations stand out as clear as actual photographs, and information sufficient to know what the picture means is given. The scenes also are not fancy scenes, as were many of the eastern illustrations that were given, but are from actual photographs of the things pictured. Among the views are portraits of Governor Pardee, General Funston, and Mayor Schmitz. The retail price of this souvenir album, embracing fifty-five pictures, among which are two double-page panoramas, with cover, ready for mailing, is fifty cents, and it is certainly worth it.