The Remedy Here and Now
By Editor
The "Christian Advocate" well says: "Many who have dabbled in Spiritualism have lost their senses, more their religion, still more their reputation, many their morals, a great number their money, and a multitude their domestic peace." And the whole cult is built upon an error held by most of Christendom; namely, the unbiblical, unscientific belief that the soul is immortal, and that man is conscious in death. It is not a pleasant thing to contemplate the downward drift in church and state. It is not pleasant to point out the increasing evidences of decay, disintegration, and ruin of different phases of this old world's social and civil fabrics. But he indeed is blind who can not see them, and he is false to his trust who will not lift warning voice. It is an "optimism" worse than death which will drift on in the swift current and ignore the cataract just ahead. Nor are we pessimistic in the giving of the message. It is the Creator of the world who has said, "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." The message of God reveals the remedy, the Creative power of the Gospel of God, the coming of His Christ, the restoration of all things. But that we, friends, one and all ("for God is no respecter of persons), may have part in that glad forever, the human restoration, the re-creation, must be effected now. Character creation must be wrought here. Christ is ready to do it for us. Our need demands it. Shall we submit to His power? From January 1, 1905, to January 1, 1909, the seven principal nations of the world, United States, England, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Russia, have spent one thousand million dollars on their navies alone, the News Letter declares; and besides, untold sums for the maintenance of their armies, new inventions in arms, and fortifications, etc. And it asks, "Could any one compute the total cost in money?" And yet it feels that the world could not be governed otherwise. It truly says, "On earth peace, good-will toward men, is an ideal, not a real condition of existence in this world." In which it sees a great deal further than do many religious journals. Our next two numbers continue the subject considered in the present issue. Some of the questions answered Biblically will be What Is the Meaning of the Third Angel's Message of Rev. 14:9-11?
What Are the Beast and Its Image?
What Is the Two-Horned Beast of Rev. 13:11-17?
What Is the Mark of the Beast? These and other great questions will be presented in our next two issues. We have received from various sources a clipping concerning a wonderful discovery; namely, that the ages of the antediluvians were reckoned by months instead of by years, so that Methuselah, who died at the age of 969, would be only about 79 years of age. Adam is said to have died at about 75 years of age. This has been published over and over and over by various newspapers throughout the country. If a little thought had been given to it, the nonsense of the discovery would have been seen. The record states, for instance, that the same Adam who lived 930 years, begot a son when he was 130 years of age. If the antediluvian year meant our month, Adam was only about 10 years of age at that time. It is said that Enos lived 90 years and begot Cainan; therefore according to this wonderful discovery and calculation, when Enos's first son was born, the father was between seven and eight years of age. Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years and begot Jared, which according to this wonderful discovery would make Mahalaleel, when his first son was born, between five and six years of age. So also with Enoch when Methuselah was born. No careful Biblical reader has, we are sure, taken it seriously. Among the most wonderful inventions of the last year may be noted England's "torpedo with a brain." There is still some question about it, but it is said to be a success. It picks up sound and tracks it down. A microphone is connected with the torpedo, and when the torpedo gets near the ship it picks up the sound of the rudders or propellers in such a way that it will follow an enemy's vessel until it reaches it and explodes. It is said that it can be so adjusted as to strike several yards to the right or the left. If such an invention as that is a success it will completely revolutionize naval warfare. Every big ship will have to carry a great net around it. The number of divorces granted in this country in 1867 was 9,037. Forty years later, in 1906, the number was 72,062; a percentage increase of from twenty-eight to seventy-three per one hundred thousand of the population. The rate of increase was nearly three times, and the rate has been growing in even greater proportion during the last half dozen years. The only country on earth which leads America in this respect is Japan. The highest country in Europe, Switzerland, has less than one half our proportion. The "Western Watchman" of December 2 notes with a great deal of satisfaction that President Taft, Vice-president Sherman, and all the cabinet attended the ten o'clock service in St. Matthew's Church (Catholic), Washington, on Thanksgiving Day. "On that day and hour bigotry was declared officially dead in the United States." We wonder if the Watchman would have printed that last sentence if there had been a Catholic President and cabinet attending some Methodist, or Baptist, or other Protestant church in Washington. Growing out of the disagreements between Secretary Ballinger of the Interior, and Mr. Pinchot, chief forester, appointed by President Roosevelt, Mr. Pinchot has been dismissed by President Taft. Growing out also of this trouble, a joint committee of Senate and House have been appointed to investigate the matter. The "insurgent" Republicans in the House, aided by the Democrats, have refused to let Speaker Cannon appoint this committee, but have taken it in their own hands, and defeated the friends of the speaker. What the outcome of the struggle will be we do not know at this present writing. Mr. William Randolph Hearst has made a strong appeal to the powers of the world for peace, the reduction of armament, etc. Mr. Stead says that while this arouses admiration, the powers of Europe are skeptical. He says, "Those of us who were present from first to last at The Hague Conference are not sanguine of any immediate result as likely to accrue from Mr. Hearst's appeal." Each of the great powers prefers to trust itself, evidently rather than a peace congress, professions of rival powers, or a world court of arbitration. Some time ago we referred to munificence in Montreal. A commission was appointed to investigate the charge brought against the civic government of that city; and the report of Judge Cannon, the commissioner, according to the London Times reveals a serious situation in the Canadian metropolis. For some years twenty-five per cent of the annual revenue of one million pounds has been squandered in bribes to commissioners. But Montreal is like many other cities. Dr. Armstrong, of New York City, a regular physician, claims that he can cure malign cancer in five months, and that his treatment has been successful in thirty-six out of thirty-nine cases. This cure he will make known to the profession. He does not use the knife. His treatment consists of an outwardly applied lotion and internal medicine. We hope his claim is true. The California Promotion Committee has been merged with the California State Board of Trade and the Manufacturers and Producers Association. Mr. Rufus P. Jennings, the effective head of the Promotion Committee, has of course resigned, but will be one of the board of directors of the new merger. On December 17, Lloyd's Insurance Company of England gave up the Australian liner Warath as lost, with its 300 on board; and insurance claims to the amount of $1,250,000 were paid. The steamer has been missing since July. Since our last issue, Cardinal Satolli, the famous Roman Catholic prelate, has passed away, dying in Rome, January 8. He was the first apostolic delegate to America sent by Pope Leo XIII. January 29 to February 5 there will be a magnificent electrical display in San Francisco. Those who are interested in electricity will want to visit the great show at the Coliseum. Mississippi has chosen Col. James Gordon as U. S. Senator to fill the vacancy made by the death of Senator Anselm G. Laurin.