Review and Herald, Vol. 81, No. 11. (3/17/1904)

Review and Herald

Mar 17, 1904

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Mar 17, 1904

Science in the Kitchen

BY MRS. E. E. KELLOGG

The author has thoroughly revised this book, which has been out of print for several months, and has added a large number of new recipes, besides other new and important matter. This work contains more original matter in relation to healthful cookery, and more new, practical, and thoroughly wholesome recipes than any work which has appeared within the last twenty-five years. Indeed, it is the most complete guide to the healthful preparation of food which has ever been published. It represents the results of more than twenty years’ constant study and research, together with the practical experience in catering to the needs of many thousands of invalids who have during this period visited the Battle Creek Sanitarium.

The new edition is provided with a large number of beautiful and instructive plates to illustrate in a novel and very practical manner the art of hygienic cookery. No recipe has been admitted to this work which has not been previously thoroughly tested and approved.

Man the Masterpiece

The new edition of this work has been thoroughly revised by the author. Much new matter has been added, together with a large number of new plates. With its forty full-page plates, this makes a very attractive volume, and one which may be placed in the hands of any young man with the confidence that it will be of substantial service to him.

The Science of Eating

BY J. H. KELLOGG, M. D.

A compendium of the results of sound experience and important scientific research in relation to dietetics. In preparation.

Nature Remedies

A presentation in popular form of the natural, or physiological, method of treating disease. Terse, comprehensive, practical, up-to-date. The manuscript of this work is completed, and it will be rapidly put through the press.

The A B C of Exercise

A practical treatise upon exercise as the means of developing and regaining health. This is not a mere book on gymnastics, but presents in a condensed form the most important facts which have a practical bearing upon health training for both the well and the sick. The work contains chapters on exercises for children, special exercises for women, exercise for aged persons, and household gymnastics.

Orders for the above books may be sent as indicated in the last column of this page.

Publishers’ Page

Conducted by the Department of Circulation of the Review and Herald Publishing Company

The Presentation Edition of Paradise Home

HAVING received so many calls for “Our Paradise Home” in special bindings, the publishers have placed this little book, in addition to the board and cloth bindings, in a very fancy cover, which sells for 75 cents. The styles of bindings for this book now are:—

Board ........................25 cts. Cloth ........................50 cts. Presentation edition ............75 cts.

Bible Text Book

Is in reality a Pocket Topical Concordance. Beginning with creation, it takes up, in their order, studies on The Word, Government, and Law of God; The Rebellion and Fall; Plan of Redemption; Change of the Sabbath; Faith; The Prophecies of Daniel and Revelation; Second Coming of Christ; and many other topics.

The book contains 150 readings, and is specially adapted for use in home study. Leather, 50 cents; cloth, 30 cents.

The Lover’s Love, or John Three Sixteen

ONE of the best books of the day! “The Lover’s Love” is certainly an excellent and inspiring work. To read one chapter is to have an appetite created which will refuse to be satisfied until the whole work is read. Placed in the hands of a sinner, he will be touched by the exposition of God’s love through Christ. Placed in the hands of a Christian, he will appreciate more than ever his relationship to God. Few are the books on the market so beautifully written, so descriptive of the greatest attributes of God, so calculated to lift individuals to a higher standard of living.

It contains 176 pages well printed in large type. Price is only 75 cents. Send your order at once.

New Health Books and Revised Editions of Old Ones

THE Good Health Publishing Company is bringing out revised editions of a number of books which have been previously published, and also a series of new books. We are authorized to announce the following:—

History of the Sabbath

AN exhaustive treatise on the Sabbath and first day of the week, or Sunday. The object of the work is to give the Bible record of the Sabbath from the time of creation, also the record of the Sabbath and Sunday in secular history. Every text in the Bible that has any bearing on the Sabbath is examined, and the complete testimony of the Fathers is given.

The author, John Nevins Andrews, spent ten years in careful and painstaking research of Bible history, and gives us the result in convenient form in this volume. The book is really a mine of information, as the writer has consulted several hundred authorities, and has quoted their exact words. The index is especially valuable, as it gives a list of the authorities quoted, references to Scripture texts used, and also to any point or subject dwelt on.

It contains 548 pages, and is bound in the following styles:— Heavy paper covers ........................ $ .50 Cloth .................................... 1.50 Paper, three volumes, per set ........... .75

Scriptural References

A VALUABLE compilation of Scripture texts, arranged to assist the reader in the study of a large number of Bible subjects, such as, The Second Advent, Home of the Saved, Millennium, Sanctuary, Sabbath, Spiritualism, Nature and Destiny of Man, etc.

The texts are used in proof of leading propositions made under each subject, and will be found a real help to Bible study.

Thirty-two pages. Price, 2 cents each, or $1.40 per hundred.

Testimony, Volume Eight

THE type is all set, except the index, and several forms are off the press at this writing (Feb. 19, 1904). The complete book will be ready for the market within a very short time.

Price, in cloth, 75 cents; red limp leather, $1.25.

Who Changed the Sabbath?

CAN you answer this question? The small pamphlet “Who Changed the Sabbath?” will give you information on the subject: (1) it gives what the Bible has to say about the law and the Sabbath; (2) what history reveals as to the change; (3) what members of the church and other noted persons have to say in regard to this question. Price, 1½ cents; in hundred lots, $1.

Signs of the End

THE question, “What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?” was not only in the minds of the disciples as they sat overlooking Jerusalem on that day so long ago, but was and is the one great question which interests all. The Saviour’s answer as recorded in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew is, therefore, of interest to every individual. Its exposition as given in the work entitled “Matthew Twenty-Four” is complete, thorough, and readable.

Bound in cloth covers. Price, 10 cents.

Steps to Christ

In Limp Leather Binding

THE Review and Herald still has a few copies of “Steps to Christ” in limp leather binding, printed on thin paper, which makes the book about the size of “Bible Text Book.” It is of convenient size for ministers and workers to carry in the pocket for ready reference.

As long as they last, they will be sold for 60 cents a copy, postpaid. Order of the Review and Herald, Battle Creek, Mich.

Order of State Tract Societies

Order of State Tract Societies; Review and Herald, Battle Creek, Mich.; Review and Herald, Washington, D. C.; Pacific Press, Oakland, Cal.; Kansas City, Mo.; Southern Publishing Assn., Nashville, Tenn.

Early Writings

THE best book that we have at present to substitute for “Rise and Progress,” which is now out of print. The price is 75 cents, postpaid. Order of the State Tract Societies.

Christ and the Sabbath

OUR obligation to worship and serve Jehovah, the true God, rests upon the fact that he is the creator. “For all the gods of the peoples are idols; but Jehovah made the heavens.” “The sea is his, and he made it; and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before Jehovah our maker.” Every revelation of God the Father is made through his Son. “Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” All access to the Father is through the Son. “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”

Christ the Creator

Christ, the Son, was associated with the Father in the work of creation, and it was through the Son, the eternal Word, that the work of creation was wrought. “All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.” John 1:3. “Through whom also he made the worlds.” Heb. 1:2. “God the Son, our Lord, is the organ through which the creative purpose moves. Through him the infinite God utters himself in his works. . . . The hand of inspiration writes the name of Jesus where artists put theirs, beneath all things in heaven and on earth, visible or invisible.”

Christ the Redeemer

As it was through the eternal Son that God the Father revealed himself in creation, so it was through the same Son that he revealed himself in redemption. For “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself.” The same Word through whom all things were made “became flesh, and dwelt among us.” The Creator and the Redeemer are the same. “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee.” Isa. 43:1. It follows of necessity that the one through whom the power of God was manifested in the creation of the heaven and the earth should be the one through whom he

should manifest his power in the salvation of man; for—

Redemption Is Creation

Creative power is required for redemption, and the redemption of man is simply carrying out God’s original purpose concerning creation. It is for this reason that the work of Christ in salvation is spoken of as a creative work. Thus we read: ‘By grace have ye been saved through faith; . . . for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.’ And again: ‘For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.’ And again: ‘Wherefore if any man is in Christ, there is a new creation: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.’ 2 Cor. 5:17. So it was that David prayed, ‘Create in me a clean heart.’ Converting power is creative power, and unless creative power is displayed, there can be no genuine conversion, and hence no salvation. He who can create can redeem. He who can redeem can create.

The Sabbath a Sign

A simple reading of the Sabbath commandment, as given in Ex. 20:8-11, shows that the foundation of the Sabbath of the Lord, the seventh day, rests upon the fact of the revelation of creative power in the making of all things, followed by the resting of the Creator. So long as these facts remain, so long does the foundation of the seventh-day Sabbath remain sure. And as creative power is the distinguishing characteristic of the true God, the Sabbath was made the sign between the true God and his people forever; ‘for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed,’ And the Sabbath was not only the sign of the true God, as distinguished from the gods of the heathen, but it was also such a sign that through it the true God might be known. The Scripture thus states this fact: “Hallow my Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.” “Moreover also I gave them my Sabbath, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.” Eze. 20:20, 12. “Now as the Sabbath is God’s sign by which men may know that he is the Lord, and as he is known only as he is revealed in Christ, it is the very certainty of truth that the Sabbath is God’s sign by which those who hallow it may know God as he is revealed in Jesus Christ,—the sign by which men may know what God is to the believer in Jesus.” So the Sabbath was instituted for the purpose of—

Revealing God in Jesus Christ

of teaching us of his power, of his divinity. And it follows, therefore, that he who observes the seventh-day Sabbath, the day upon which God in Jesus Christ rested, the day upon which God in Jesus Christ let his blessing rest, the day which was thus hallowed and sanctified—the one who observes the seventh-day Sabbath, thus blessed, hallowed, and sanctified, acknowledges by this act that he believes in the true God, and in the divinity of Jesus Christ, through whom alone the true God is known. Thus the seventh-day Sabbath is the sign to all the world that Christ is the divine Son of God; that it is through Christ that the power of the true God is manifested as it was in creation, when he made the heaven and the earth, as it is also in re-creation, or redemption, when we are created anew in Christ Jesus. And so the Sabbath is the sign, not merely of the power of God manifested through Christ in the creation of the heaven and the earth, but it is the sign of the power which re-creates in Christ Jesus, the power which saves and redeems.

The Sign of Christianity

“In all this it must be borne in mind that it was in Christ and by him that God created all things; ‘by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and for him.’ Thus it was Christ who created all things; it was Christ who rested on the seventh day from all his works; it was Christ who blessed the seventh day because that in it he had rested; it was Christ whose presence made the day holy; and it is the continuing, dwelling presence of Christ which sanctified, and sanctifies, the seventh day. It was Christ himself, therefore, who connected with the Sabbath of the seventh day that which is the reflection of himself, that which is the expression of what he is to the believer in him, so that whosoever would hallow the Sabbath might know that the Lord, who is known only in Christ, is his God. God’s rest is in the seventh day; and God’s rest is in Christ. It is impossible for God’s rest to be in antagonistic places; for as with God there ‘is no variableness, neither shadow of turning,’ God’s rest is the same wherever it may be. Therefore, God’s rest being ever the same, God’s rest in the seventh day, and God’s rest in Christ, is precisely the same rest. And this, being impossible to be in antagonism, is in perfect unity, and therefore demonstrates that the Sabbath is in Christ, and Christ is in the Sabbath.” These considerations make clear to us on what basis the Sabbath became the sign of the true God, and how much is involved in this sign. It is most emphatically the sign of genuine Christianity.

Christians and the Seventh-Day Sabbath

A Christian is a believer in Christ and a follower of Christ. A Christian accepts the revelation which God makes of himself in Christ, and lays hold upon the power of God in Christ as the means of salvation from sin. A Christian is a witness for the true Christ and the true gospel, as against any false Christ and a false gospel. The true Christ is the eternal Son through whom the true God is revealed, and the true gospel is “the power of God unto salvation.” But the power of the gospel is creative power, the distinguishing mark of the true God, and the sign of that creative power, wherever revealed, is the seventh-day Sabbath. Every one, therefore, who believes in the true God, as revealed in the eternal Son, and every one who believes in the creative power of the true God as revealed through Christ for salvation from sin, ought certainly to accept with deep thankfulness the sign of that power in the observance of the genuine Lord’s day,—the seventh-day Sabbath. To do otherwise, after God has made it known to us, is deliberately to turn from the true gospel of Christ.

Conclusion

What, then, is the Sabbath?—It is the memorial of the power of God manifested through Jesus Christ. What, then, is the Sabbath blessing?—It is the blessing of sanctification by the power of God working through Jesus Christ. What, then, is Sabbath-keeping?—It is the sign to the Christian that his confidence for salvation rests entirely in the work of Jesus Christ, in whom God is revealed both as creator and as redeemer. All this is inseparably connected with the seventh-day Sabbath and its true observance. When this is really understood, those who desire the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ will gladly turn away their feet from the Sabbath, from doing their pleasure on God’s holy day, and will call the Sabbath of the Lord, the seventh day, “a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable.”

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” “Blessed is the man that . . . keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it.”

Editorial

By Editor

The Perfect Revelation

CHRIST was the effulgence of his Father’s glory, the outshining of his glory, because he stood in the relationship of a son to the Father. He could be to all things outside of the Father the outshining of the revelation of the glory of God. No created being could do that, but he could do it because he was the only begotten Son. So that the Son, not by arbitrary appointment, but because he was the only begotten Son of the Father, could be the effulgence of his glory. Therefore, he could be the express image of his person, the very image of his substance,—the exact representation of his very being. What God the Father, the God over all, actually and really is, his Son actually and really is, and that because of the relationship that exists between the Father and the Son. The very character of God is revealed through his Son, so that he sets forth the glory of God, not in a general way, as it were, but he sets forth what he actually is—the very image and character of God, and that revelation could be made through no created being but the eternal Son, the only begotten. No other being could fill that place. Now he who is the head of the church is the head of creation. He who upholds the church upholds creation. He who came to represent God to the world is not an imperfect representation of his being, the character and love of God. This revelation is a perfect revelation of God. In this revelation we shall not be misled with any wrong ideas. Neither in himself nor in his teaching shall we have the least shade or shadow of the perversion of the nature or being or character of God. Let us follow Christ.

Perilous Times

“In the last days perilous times shall come.” They are here. No one can have any question of this who gives any serious thought to the situation which we face to-day. Whether we look without or within, whether we look at the experiences among the nations, experiences among individuals, in the industrial world, in the commercial world, whether we look at the experiences in the church at large, whether we look at the experiences of other denominations, whether we look at the experiences of this denomination,—perilous times have come. There has come into the teaching of the religious world generally such a perversion of the gospel that the gospel seems to have been shorn of its power to save man from sin. While the words of the gospel are the same to us, and we hear the names and the phrases used much as of old, yet there seems to be lacking that power of the gospel that actually saves men and women from their sins. Sin seems to rule in the life, the individual life and the public life. It seems as though the flood-gates of error were open wide, and there seems to be but few who have availed themselves of the power necessary to stand against it. Every day brings some new phase of this perversion of the truth, some new refusal to recognize the difference that ought to exist between the pure gospel of Christ and mere human theories—mere human speculations. Now, is it possible that in this closing time there should be such a situation, and yet there be no well-defined presentation of the truth of God that will bring deliverance from this tide of evil, that will bring victory into the individual life and into the church life? This message of the third angel, this advent movement, ought to have within itself that presentation of the truth, and that power, which shall meet every need of the hour. There should be a well-defined, straight-forward presentation of the gospel truth that will meet every phase of this perversion of the truth, and that will commend itself to those who receive it, and bring to them a personal experience of deliverance from this power that is taking hold of all at this time. We ought to find that in this message. It ought to bring these results to us personally. It ought to bring deliverance from darkness and evil. It ought to do that for those to whom we present it.

“Have Faith in God”

By L. A. S.

It is a great error to put man in the place of God. It is a worse error to put the devil in God’s place. Yet there is a way in which many Christians unthinkingly make this dreadful mistake; of course with great detriment to their spiritual interests.

God is omnipotent. But how often do we see professedly Christian people talking and acting as though they had to contend with an omnipotent devil, assisted only by a God of limited powers. Do we not often meet with just such people in the Christian church?—Yes, it is common to find those there who yield

to the pressure brought against them by the devil, and allow the tide of affairs in their own lives and in the church to be turned out of the channel of God’s providence, as though it were the only thing possible for them to do. They have not the faith to plan and to work for advance moves and victories under their divine Leader. They allow the devil to put himself in the place of God to them and become their dictator, the one whose will must prevail. The devil is never slow to do this when he is given the opportunity.

We need faith enough to keep in mind the great fact that God, and God only, is omnipotent. And we need to remember what “omnipotent” means. It is the devil’s constant effort to work upon us that species of deception which in human affairs is commonly designated by the term “bluff.” His work in this line is stupendous, far surpassing anything ever done by man. His frauds are the greatest known. He goes about like a roaring lion, and he roars out his lies with great positiveness. The greater the lie, the greater is his positiveness and assurance in asserting it. By this and a very bold front he seeks to carry his point and force his intended human victim to yield the ground of faith.

That God hasn’t forgiven your sins; that you can not overcome; that it is impossible to obey God’s commands; that you can not be saved; that God’s promise is bound to fail,—any or all of these baseless lies the devil will shout in your ears in his most positive tones when he sees you starting out to serve the Lord. If you are taking down from its secret shrine some idol that has kept away God’s blessing, you will be certain to experience what the song describes—“Beelzebub came rushing up, and said with awful roar, ‘You can not get along without that shelf behind the door!’”

It is the roar that he relies on to carry conviction to your mind that he is telling the truth. But God’s word exposes it all. It is simply a lying “bluff,” resting on nothing but wind. “We are not ignorant of his devices.”

God is omnipotent; the adversary of our souls is finite. What is finite power compared with omnipotence? What is a drop of water compared with the ocean? a grain of sand compared with a mountain chain? The ocean can be measured; it is not infinite; so that it is really possible to make a comparison between it and a drop of water, or between a mountain and a grain of sand. But not so of a finite quantity and an infinite quantity. No comparison can be made between them. No comparison can be made between finite and infinite power. Omnipotence is infinitely greater than the greatest finite power that is known. Omnipotence means “all power;” and “there is no power but of God.” The very power that is exercised against his truth and his people is power that God permits to the adversary, to make manifest the results of his rebellion.

Let our confidence be in the power that is infinite. Shall we believe the word of the Lord? or that of the arch deceiver? If we believe what Satan tells us, we shall view him as on the throne of omnipotence, with God far off in the background. But if we accept God’s word, we shall see him on the throne of omnipotence, our helper and our defense. “Have faith in God.”

L. A. S.

Why Palestine Is the Storm-Center

By William Ambrose Spicer

In views of the last-day conflict of the nations given to Joel the prophet and to John in the Revelation, each saw the forces gathering round the land of Palestine.

“Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near. . . . Let the heathen [the nations] be awakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.” Joel 3:12.

“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God almighty. . . . And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” Rev. 16:14-16.

In all the grouping of the forces, one can see plainly that if this present war in the far East should involve other European nations, the critical point would be transferred to the near East, as the Eastern Mediterranean is called. Palestine becomes the center of conflict for two reasons, its geographical position and its religious associations. Sentiment and superstition enter into the wars of nations, as well as commercialism.

As to the geographical position of Palestine, which has made it a historic meeting-place in the conflicts of the nations, Maspero, the historian of Egypt and ancient civilization, says:—

Some countries seem destined from their origin to become the battle-fields of the contending nations which environ them. Into such regions, and to their cost, neighboring peoples come from century to century to settle their quarrels and bring to an issue the questions of supremacy which disturb their little corner of the world. The nations around are eager for the possession of a country thus situated; it is seized upon bit by bit, and in the strife dismembered and trodden under foot. . . . From remote antiquity Syria was in the condition just described. By its position it formed a kind of meeting-place, where most of the military nations of the ancient world were bound sooner or later to come violently into collision.

It was there that the “king of the north” and his ally turned back Napoleon, as he marched toward Constantinople, a reverse, which, he said, “changed the destiny of the world.” As to-day it overlooks the Suez Canal, the water gateway between Europe and the Orient, it becomes all the more a strategical point. Because in ancient times it was the central point on the highway of the East and West, the Lord set his people there. The light might have shone out from that center as from a city set on a hill. The sequel shows how sadly short the chosen people came; yet nevertheless God so overruled that he bore witness to all the world by his dealings with this land and its people. And now superstitious and perverted views, based on these associations, help to complicate the political situation, adding the religious reason to the geographical for making Palestine the central point of contention. Nothing more embitters war than the intermixture of religious jealousies. The London Spectator, commenting on the relation of Palestine to the political situation, says:—

People often ask how it is that the future of Palestine presents such difficulties. The reason is simply that Jerusalem—you can not separate Jerusalem from Palestine—is the sacred city of so many creeds and warring faiths. Not only is it the holy place of all the Christian churches, and two of them quarrel bitterly over it—the Greeks and the Latins—but it is also one of the most sacred places in the Mohammedan world. Mecca and Medina are hardly more sacred than the Mosque of Omar. That is a fact which is often ignored by Europeans, who forget that to turn the Mohammedans out of the temple enclosure would disturb the whole Moslem world, from the Straits Settlements to Albania. We must never forget that Mohammedan pilgrims from India visit Jerusalem, just as Christian pilgrims visit it from Europe. Lastly, Jerusalem is profoundly sacred to the Jews, and the Jews are beginning to be locally numerous and important. Most certainly there are no elements of difficulty wanting in the problem of the future of Palestine.

This suggests how naturally the Turk will transfer his seat to Jerusalem, “the glorious holy mountain,” when driven from Europe. It was really a quarrel about the “holy places” of Palestine that precipitated the Crimean War. It is well known that under the excuse of protecting pilgrims and religious settlements of various sects, the door for interference by the powers is always kept open. We can plainly see to-day why this point is to become the storm-center in the coming whirlwind of world-wide war. We are getting into this region with our missionary forces. Progress is reported by the workers. It is good to think of the everlasting gospel of peace being sounded once more over that land, before it becomes the scene of the final struggle. Exalted highly in the divine program of history, it becomes at last the meeting-place of universal war and ruin.

W. A. S.

World-Wide War

By L. A. S.

Not yet do we behold the reality of world-wide war, but we stand facing the most alarming prospect of it that ever darkened the sky of peace. A newspaper cartoonist has quite forcibly depicted the situation by representing the round ball of the globe as a bombshell, with a hand about to apply a lighted match to the fuse. The hand represents the war spirit, and if the fuse is lighted, the explosion will involve the whole world.

Is it to this that modern civilization has led the world? Is this the outcome of centuries of boasted progress in scientific and industrial pursuits? Was it all only to lead the world to a general smashup? If modern civilization can not be regarded as the cause of such a catastrophe, is it nevertheless powerless to avert it? In either case, it is found sadly wanting. It is not what the world most needs. It is not that which brings peace, and that prosperity of which peace is the foundation.

Every great nation on the earth is to-day actively preparing for war. The United States, once so secure in its isolation from Old World quarrels, now has its interests to safeguard in the threatened strife, in common with the powers of Europe. It is now itself an Old World power; for it has territory lying along the coast of Asia. It is by no means certain, in the opinion of sober-minded men of affairs, that this country will not be drawn into war before the powers now fighting in the far East shall have laid down their arms.

Russia and Japan are at war. Both these powers have allies and sympathizers among the other world powers. The integrity of China is at stake, and with it vast commercial interests shared by the world powers. Russia is anxious to involve other nations in the war. Ever since Napoleon’s disastrous retreat from Moscow, Russia has felt secure from invasion, and has little to fear in this respect from a European war. The first successes of the present war have been on the side of the Japanese. Russia has lost military prestige, which she feels that she must regain. To do this she would begin war in another quarter. We are told that Russia may decide to attack Turkey, and suddenly force her way to Constantinople. The Russian Black Sea fleet is said to be ready to attempt the passage of the Dardanelles in defiance of the prohibition of Turkey and other European powers. We are told also that a strong sentiment exists in Russia in favor of a war with England. France is the ally of Russia, and Germany has interests which cause her to stand with Russia rather than with England. Should Russia begin war upon Turkey or England, the echo of the first gun would be taken up and repeated all over Europe, and in the Western hemisphere as well. The way is prepared for just this result to follow. The world never faced a situation like it before.

There is danger that further successes of the Japanese may alone precipitate the general storm. This is pointed out by the editor of the New York Sun. In an editorial calling attention to ‘Paris, the Danger Point,’ the Sun says that the present French premier, M. Combes, who is the ‘mainstay of French neutrality,’ is likely soon to be succeeded in office by M. Doumer, formerly governor-general of French Indo-China and now a leading figure in the Chamber of Deputies, who is a champion of the policy of active co-operation with Russia in the far East. Russia is France’s only ally in Europe, and the loss of military prestige by Russia is a blow to France. ‘A number of Paris newspapers, headed by the Figaro,’ says the Sun, ‘point out that the security of France depends on the maintenance of the military prestige of Russia, her sole ally in Europe, and that her own position would be seriously weakened if Russia should be beaten by an Oriental power and forced to sign an ignominious peace. They further direct attention to the fact that should France insist upon maintaining neutrality, she would practically serve the turn of Russia’s enemies, because neither the Black Sea fleet nor the Baltic fleet—which, in the course of three months, is expected to be re-enforced with four or five new war-ships—could proceed with desirable celerity to the seat of war unless they could avail themselves of the French coaling stations on the route to the far East.’

The administration of the affairs of the French navy is a weak spot in the Combes cabinet, says the Sun, which M. Doumer threatens to expose when a favorable opportunity arises. There is, says the Sun further, great lack of harmony in the French cabinet. The governmental equilibrium under M. Combes is by no means stable.

Under these circumstances the news of a sudden serious reverse to the Russian arms might precipitate a crisis in France. ‘The capture of Port Arthur or of Vladivostok,’ says the Sun, ‘or a decisive defeat of a Russian army in Manchuria, might suffice to provoke an outburst of public feeling that no ministerial majority would be able to withstand.’ And when France moves to Russia’s aid, England will promptly take position on the opposing side, and Germany, Austria, Turkey, the United States, and other lesser powers will naturally be drawn into the strife. The whole world will become a harvest field of death and ruin.

It is an appalling prospect, yet it is conceded to be real, and no figment of pessimistic minds. It makes more real to the minds of those who have understanding of the times, the prophetic picture of four angels standing in the four corners of the earth, holding the winds of strife that are ready to blow, until the sealing work of God in the earth is completed. It should stir us to greater zeal in the discharge of the duties of this hour.

L. A. S.

Investigating Mormonism

By L. A. S.

THE evidence thus far gathered in the remarkable investigation now being made by the Senate committee at Washington into the character of Mormonism, points strongly to the conclusion that Senator-elect Smoot, of Utah, will be excluded from the Senate on the ground of his official connection with the hierarchy of a church which upholds polygamy. The statements elicited by the committee from President Smith, of the Mormon Church, show that polygamy is still upheld and practised by representative Mormons, the chief official setting the example in disregard of the law. The impression made by President Smith before the committee puts the Mormon Church in an attitude of defiance toward the government, resting apparently on the confidence that the hand of the federal government can not reach the church now that a State government exists in Utah, which State government is under Mormon political control.

An interesting feature of the investigation appears in the fact that it gives the Mormon Church an opportunity to extend its work at the expense of the government, by sending out such portions of the testimony introduced as it may wish to bring before the public, under the franking privilege enjoyed by all members of Congress. By virtue of this privilege the Mormon Church can, if it chooses, have the Book of Mormon, the “Book of Doctrines and Covenants,” and the “Pearl of Great Price,” which are the standard works of the church, printed and sent out free of cost as “Senate documents.” It is apprehended that the Mormon leaders will avail themselves of this opportunity before the investigation is ended.

It seems probable that this case may result in setting up the precedent in this country of debarring from federal office any active adherent of the Mormon religion; in other words, excluding an individual from public office on religious grounds. Such a precedent, though it might seem justified by necessity in the first instance, would be dangerous and harmful in a high degree.

There is something suggestive in this governmental examination of a system of religion. It is a strange thing, one that has never been done in this nation before, but which will be repeated more than once hereafter; for other religions

than the Mormon are to be put under governmental scrutiny. The truth of God will be falsely accused, and brought to trial before men of authority, in this and in other lands. We are admonished to sanctify the Lord in our hearts, and be ready to give a reason of the hope that is in us, with meekness and fear. We should all be prepared to be called to the witness stand in behalf of the truth. We are repeatedly assured that this experience will come to many of Christ’s followers in the closing hours of the great controversy which has centered for ages around his truth.

L. A. S.

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