Our Position on Sabbath Laws.
By Editor
In what we are saying on the California Sunday-law matter, and upon Sunday laws in general, we are making no plea to any legislature to favor us, or to pass any laws whatsoever. What we do do is to protest against any attempt on the part of the Legislature to enter the religious sphere. Let them make laws to guard and conserve the civil rights of humanity; but let them not endeavor to direct man's duty to his God. The annual meetings of the Pacific Press Publishing Company and the Pacific Press Publishing Association were held Jan. 30, 1907, in Mountain View. Directors were elected, and reports made and approved. The meeting was thoroly harmonious and marked decided progress in the work of the year notwithstanding fire and earthquake. The Directors of the Pacific Press Publishing Company are as follows: H. W. Cottrell, M. C. Wilcox, C. H. Jones, H. H. Hall, A. O. Tait, E. A. Chapman, and H. G. Childs. The Board organized as follows: president, H. W. Cottrell; vice-president, C. H. Jones; secretary and treasurer, H. G. Childs. J. J. Ireland was selected as auditor. Further particulars will be given next week. We set aside the matter for our Mission Department after it was in type and ready, in order to give our readers the news of the Kingston earthquake, which comes direct from that field. Our readers will be interested in reading it. Those who passed thru the California earthquake of April 18 can appreciate the feelings and experiences of those who were in the Kingston disaster. A photograph of some streets in San Francisco or in Santa Rosa could have been used for Kingston, and few would have suspected it. But our cuts are made from negatives made on the ground by Pastor L. E. Wellman, and printed in New York. The New York Herald holds the copyright on them, save the right to publish in our own papers. From the picture of conditions given by Mr. Evans will be seen the necessity of the action taken by Admiral Davis in sending his marines ashore to keep order. We sympathize with the suffering ones in Kingston. May God's grace abound above the suffering. The True Standard of Morality.
The true standard of morality is not general custom, commercial rules, statute law, or even a nominal conception of the law of God; it is a conscience regulated by the law of God and kept tender by the Spirit of God, and by a faithful doing of the demands of the Spirit. Such a conscience will not do a dishonest thing, whatever the temptation. It does not fear the criticism of men. It does not fear the law. It does not fear investigation. It does not chuckle if the conductor passes by and does not collect fare. Will it stand the test?—It will if it keeps true to principle. It fears, but fears to offend God. "I have set the Lord always before my face; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." The man who walks as in the presence of God has a power with him which will keep him true to convictions of right as no fear of law or punishment can keep him. Sunday Amendment Hearing.
Arguments both for and against the proposed Sunday-law Amendment to the Constitution of California will be presented before the Assembly Committee on Constitutional Amendments, February 4. At least, this is the date set for the hearing. We shall endeavor to give our readers a report of the arguments presented. Yes, we have been for a long time. Glad to get it?—Yes, just as it seems to us every person ought to be who is connected with this last closing message. We refer to the Year Book of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, which contains the official directory of the general and State organizations. It contains besides these regular directories, a historical summary for 1906, arranged chronologically, and also a brief statement of the fundamental principles of Seventh-day Adventism. Its price is twenty-five cents. Those desiring it should address the Review and Herald, Takoma Park, Washington, D. C. We could not get along without it.