Church of Social Revolution
By Editor
A MAN by the name of White claims to be a minister regularly graduated from one of the big theological schools, and also to be organizing a church called "The Church of the Social Revolution." On Sunday, May 10, he entered the Calvary Baptist Church in New York City, known as the "Rockefeller church," for the purpose of promulgating his doctrines. During the excitement caused by the interruption of the services, one of Mr. White's associates read the verse from the Gospel of Matthew which states that it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter heaven. The officer got to him and arrested him just as he had finished reading the verse. Mr. White attempts to make a point on the man's "having been arrested for quoting from the Bible in a Christian church." Sensible, law-abiding citizens will recognize that the principles of freedom of speech require that we should make lawful arrangements for our place of speaking, and collect our own congregations, who will come to us for the purpose of hearing what we say. The United States has certainly been very free in allowing liberty of speech. But when persons are convened in a lawful assembly, and men enter the place and clamorously insist upon being heard, these latter are violating the very principles of freedom of speech for which they are contending. No matter how important or essential we may regard our cause, we must understand that liberty of speech also involves the liberty of the individual who listens. If we have freedom of speech, we must not at the same time have freedom to compel the other man to sit still and hear us. The world is deeply saturated with the idea that terrible wrongs are committed by the rich. We have had a generation of declaiming against it, and we may be prepared for all forms of fanaticisms and violence to break out. There is no denying the fact that the rich men have not pursued a wise course. They have been wanton and extravagant in their luxuriant expenditures. There is too much of fact in what is taught concerning them. We have had a generation of seed sowing. The harvest is about to be reaped. Such conditions of unrest and excitement as are now prevalent throughout the world can not fail to break out in a wide-spread revolution. The fanaticisms of Mr. White in New York may soon subside; but the spirit of the times that has stirred him up will still continue, and we will see more and more of this sort of thing, and it will grow worse and worse as the days go by. THE judiciary committee has reported to the House of Representatives, without recommendation, the Hobson resolution, offering a constitutional amendment for nation-wide prohibition. This means that since this resolution has not been smothered or held up by the committee, it will come directly before each member of the House, and its passage is assured with almost mathematical certainty. For it is not at all probable that a majority of congressmen could be found who would be willing to go back home to their constituency with a record of having voted against such a measure. And what is better still than that, there are a large number of congressmen who stand squarely and firmly with men like Mr. Hobson in favor of the suppression of the nation's great curse, the liquor traffic. No stone should be left unturned to make this worthy undertaking an assured success. PRESS despatches from Chicago say that the official figures for the four months ending April 30, show an increase in crime in that city over any similar period in the history of its police department. During that time, five hundred "hold-up" robberies were reported, and about ten thousand dollars taken from the victims. There were two thousand burglaries of flats, residences, and stores. The thefts from this source amounted to about $250,000. In addition to all this, horses and wagons and other property were stolen, amounting to some ten thousand dollars, and some four hundred automobiles were taken. The automobiles, however, in most cases were found after having been stripped of valuable materials and furnishings. IN a fight on May 11 between the French troops and the Moorish forces in Morocco, a French military aviator directed the movements of his country's army. Hovering over the positions of the Moorish forces, he directed the artillery fire, and at times dropped bombs among them. The military air-ship is an established success, in so far as its efficiency in aiding the work of destruction is concerned. SECRETARY OF THE NAVY DANIELS has announced that President Wilson will sign his order forbidding the use of liquor on the ships of the navy. It will become effective July 1. If we had more public men who would exercise their strong influence against intoxicants and the evils that they breed, how much better our world would be! A WOMAN recently attended a court function in Brussels, Belgium, attired in one of the modern disgusting skirts. The queen of the Belgians, be it said to her honor, promptly gave orders that the woman should be taken out of the room, as she did not consider her sufficiently dressed to appear in public. ON May 7, the House passed the annual naval appropriation bill, carrying $139,560,334. The bill provides for the building of two battle-ships, six torpedo-boat destroyers, one sea-going torpedo-boat, and three coast defense submarine torpedo-boats. EARTHQUAKE shocks are very frequent in Catania, and both Mt. Etna and Mt. Vesuvius are more than usually active.