Notes by the Way by W.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Oct 28, 1908

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 35, No. 13.

Notes by the Way.

By W.

We reached Liverpool Wednesday, August 19, in the afternoon, and immediately proceeded to London, arriving at 6:30 P.M. It was a beautiful ride through the evergreen country. Such a wonderful relief it was after days on the desert of the salt, salt sea. But such wonderful green means much rain, and England has been soaked with it for the last three weeks. Rain, and cold, and almost cyclonic winds, and many sad wrecks at sea, were the characteristics of the closing weeks of August, and one accustomed to the drier atmosphere of America feels the cold. It seems like November weather.

We spent two Sabbaths at the Surrey Hills Hydropathic, our sanitarium at Caterham, about fifteen miles south of London, in beautiful hilly Surrey. While the sanitarium is right in the town of Caterham, and has in front no great spacious lawns, it is in a beautiful spot after all. Many of our readers will remember that this rest for the weary and healing home for the sick was purchased in part by donations from America, so the institution started practically out of debt. It has made a fairly good profit, has purchased another good building, better equipped itself for efficient service, and has done much charitable work besides. It is conducted by Dr. A. B. Olsen, who is assisted by his brother, M. E. Olsen; the efficient matron is Miss Mable Pringle.

There is talk of selling the sanitarium, and building at Stanborough Park, north of London. It would seem that there is room for a sanitarium in both places. In and around San Francisco is a population roughly speaking of a million. There are at least five sanitariums in operation, and all of them we believe are paying. To one on the wing it looks as tho there ought to be more than one of these light-bearing, health-giving institutions among the ten millions of the metropolis of the world. To hold every center of light and life well established, and establish as many more as possible, ought to be good policy in the work of God.

THE publishing house of the International Tract Society is located at a beautiful spot, near Watford, twenty miles south of London, on an estate formerly occupied by a gentleman who beautified it by setting out trees of many lands in a surrounding strip of woods, enclosing a broad expanse of meadow land. Here are situated the old mansion house, now used for school purposes and dormitory building for students. At a little distance stand the publishing office and food factory, and several cottages erected by the Society and rented to workers. A new college building is soon to be erected. The educational work is under the supervision of Professor Lacey, assisted by Mr. W. H. Wakeham, Mr. W. T. Bartlett and others. It is doing, we learn, excellent work.

At the publishing house is printed the Present Truth, edited by Mr. W. T. Bartlett, and the Good Health, of which Mr. M. E. Olsen is editor. The former has a circulation of about 25,000 weekly, and the latter of 50,000 to 75,000 monthly, both largely sold by agents. The office has three cylinder presses and two jobbers, with a very efficient and economical power plant. Books are printed here, but it has been found cheaper to get full binding done in London. Altho two miles from the station, the office is within the freight limits, and the railway companies collect and deliver the freight.

All kinds of health foods are made and shipped to various parts of England by the food factory. The manager of the Society is Mr. W. C. Sisley. Altho full of work, he kindly showed us around the estate. Our visit with him and his family was a pleasant one. Here also we met Elder Fitzgerald, president of the British Union Conference, and Elder Meredith, president of the South England Conference. Work was reported as prosperous in all parts of the United Kingdom, and a new conference had just been organized in Scotland. Great Britain with its teeming millions is a large field. May God's blessing richly rest upon His workers.

LABOR conditions in England are serious; they always are, or at least would be so counted in America. What we mean is there are always many out of work, but the conditions have been greatly exaggerated in American papers. Wherever one goes, he sees appeals for recruits to the military service, and there is ever an appeal for men. Conscription is seriously advocated by many. England has had excellent crops during the past year, and there is not nearly the distress that there has been in years past. The old age pension law goes into effect soon, which will help many, and no doubt some relief will come from the new patent law, by which foreign importers must manufacture the goods sold, if at all reasonable, in the United Kingdom. If not, after a reasonable time, the patent becomes void. German and American firms have flooded the country with goods manufactured outside, but for which patents have been issued by the British Government. England can not do this in Germany or America, and she rightly feels that the interest of her people should be guarded. But there bids fair to be serious labor situations in the future.

THIS is the dull season in public affairs. All governmental institutions are closed except the executive offices; the royal family are off on the Continent and elsewhere, and even the great preachers are on their vacations, while inferior speakers occupy the pulpits. For instance, Dr. Clifford, the great Baptist preacher, is in Germany, Mr. Campbell-Morgan is in America, Mr. Campbell has at this writing just returned from his vacation.

Yet there have been three things of more or less interest of late. One is the Congress of moral education, about to begin, which will consider the necessity of such teaching. It is recognized that more than intellectual education is imperative. But it is to be doubted whether this Congress will do much more than note the need. Religious education is the only true basis, but the state can not give that.

The Trades-Union Congress at Nottingham, altho large, has not been particularly conspicuous in results. There has, in fact, not been the strongest agreement among the delegates. This is clear, however, as in the United States, the labor unions are coming to be more and more in politics. Some of the papers here declare that their influence as represented in Parliament is out of all proportion to their numbers. But politicians, or those seeking for political preferment, are quite likely to be affected by an aggressive minority which acts as a unit. Socialism is permeating the labor ranks, and the question of the future is a serious one to the old conservatism.

The most important of the three things which we mentioned above is the great Eucharistic Conference in London, with the presence of Cardinal Vanutelli, the representative of the Pope, and a multitude of cardinals and high prelates. The chief aim of the Congress is to emphasize the faith of the Catholics in the doctrine of transubstantiation, and their loyalty to the See of Rome, and also to impress upon the English people the greatness and power of Roman Catholics.

THE reception of the pope's legate has been more than necessary, it seems to us, to satisfy the extremest ambition of mortal man. Greater homage could not have been paid to earthly monarch. Men cheered him and spread carpets before him, and knelt in the streets to receive his blessing, forgetting the injunction of the apostle Peter, "Neither as being lords over God's heritage but being ensamples to the flock."

LIBERALITY — WHENCE?

REPEATEDLY did the papal legate speak of the liberality of England in granting to all freedom of worship. A high procession was planned bearing "the host," with the clericals in full canonical dress, a thing forbidden by the law of England. The police gave permission, the Protestant Alliance protested, and the Home office and government said nothing till the arrangements were made and the route planned in the ancient boundaries of Westminster City, now a London district. Then the protests reached the ear of Mr. Asquith, the prime minister, and request was made by him that the carrying of "the host" be abandoned. Of course, there was dissatisfaction against the government for not acting sooner, but it would probably have caused trouble if the illegal act had been carried out. The streets for a block or two were jammed only as they can be in London, and an act or accident might easily have caused a scandal.

THERE are two things in this matter which ought to come home to the conscientiousness of our Roman Catholic friends: (1) They profess to stand for obedience to law, for recognition of lawful authority. Certainly this procession is no part of their regular worship, and they could lose nothing by not performing it. Why did they wish to do an unnecessary act contrary to civil law? (2) England is a "liberal country." Would any Catholic country on the face of the earth permit a demonstration directly against the faith of that church? If England had been a Catholic country, no Protestants would have been allowed such freedom, and Catholics know it. What, then, makes England the liberal country she is? — It is the Protestant principles which have wrought the change. Do Catholics who have enjoyed such freedom wish to swing England and the United States back to the Dark Ages? If the Catholic church never changes, and these great nations become Catholic, we shall as sure as truth have a recrudescence of the Inquisition and times of persecution and a rekindling of the Smithfield fires. It is time to pause and think. The "more sure word of prophecy" has also spoken. But more of this hereafter.