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Review and Herald, Vol. 85, No. 20.

The Plodder's Petition

Review and Herald

May 14, 1908

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · May 14, 1908

The Plodder's Petition

By Helen Gilbert

Lord, let me not be too content With life in trifling service spent— Make me aspire! When days with petty cares are filled, Let me with fleeting thoughts be thrilled Of something higher.
Help me to long for mental grace, To struggle with the commonplace I daily find; May little deeds not bring to fruit A crop of little thoughts to suit A shriveled mind.
— Helen Gilbert

SOME OF THE

Soul-Stirring and Soul-Winning Songs

TO BE FOUND IN THE

New Edition of “Christ in Song”

MOMENT by Moment; Under His Wings; Faith Is the Victory; Higher Ground; Victory Through Grace; While the Days Are Going By; Take Time to Be Holy; Loyalty to the Master; Scatter Seeds of Kindness; Bring Them In; Speak to My Soul, Dear Jesus; Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown? Wait, and Murmur Not; Throw Out the Life-Line; What Are You Doing for Jesus? The Saviour with Me; Just a Ray of Sunshine; Winning Precious Souls to Thee; More about Jesus; Count Your Mercies; He’s the One; Sing of His Mighty Love; O, How He Loves! When Love Shines In; Praise Him; None of Self and All of Thee; Wonderful Words of Life; Just a Word for Jesus; The Ninety and Nine; No, Not One; I Surrender All; The Best Friend Is Jesus; Tell Me the Story of Jesus; Ring the Bells of Heaven; There Is Power in the Blood; Ye Must Be Born Again; Sweet Peace, the Gift of God’s Love; There Shall Be Showers of Blessing; What a Wonderful Saviour; He’s Everything to Me; Nearer, Still Nearer; Pardon, Peace, and Power; The Gate Ajar for Me.
These are not all the new ones, for the selections are exceptionally good throughout. In going over less than half the pages of the new edition, we find—

Over a Hundred New Songs

which were not in the old edition. You have paid twenty-five or thirty cents to get a book which contained two or three especially desirable pieces. From the list given above, you can see that this new edition of “Christ in Song” contains—

The Very Cream of the Gospel Songs

now published. Many of our Sabbath-schools will want a supply of the new book. Every worker and all church-members ought to have a copy. Send your order to your tract society now, so you will get your books as soon as the stock arrives. READY IN JUNE.
Remember that the new edition contains 128 pages more than the old edition; that the number of the song in the old edition can be instantly given from the new book, so that both editions can be used together whenever they contain the same song; that notwithstanding we are practically giving two books in one, the price is only slightly advanced.
PRICES: Full cloth, very strongly bound, 60 cents; half morocco, sewed, instead of wire-stitched, so it will lie open nicely on the organ or piano, $1. Flexible cloth, same style as old edition, 40 cents. (This style is furnished only to meet the demand for a very cheap book, and we do not recommend this binding.)
Address any tract society or publishing house, or
REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING ASSN.
Battle Creek, Mich.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
New York City

The Messiah Manifested

In the Sabbath-school lesson for May 23, the general subject, “The Work of John the Baptist,” is continued; and in connection with it we will consider the second phase of the Baptist’s work; namely, his witness to the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah, the Saviour of the world.
In the prophecy of Isaiah, the message of John the Baptist is summed up in the two contrasted statements, “All flesh is grass,” and, “Behold your God.” In interpreting this message, and in applying it to the circumstances of his time, John the Baptist did not quote the exact words of Isaiah, but he brought home to the hearts of the people those principles of truth in a way to impress upon them their need of a Saviour, and to direct their faith to that Saviour manifested in their midst. Thus he prepared the way of the Lord.
The expectations of the people had been aroused to the highest pitch by the teaching of the priests, who had so perverted the prophecies concerning the advent of the Messiah as to make them teach the coming of a political deliverer, and the message of John the Baptist was therefore not in harmony with the spirit of the times. He rebuked the sin and formalism of both priests and people, and boldly said to those people whose greatest pride it was that they were descendants of Abraham, and therefore heirs of the covenant blessings, “Think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And even now the ax lieth at the root of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
But the message of John did not consist simply in a rebuke; having declared unto them their need of help, he pointed out that help in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Among those who had gathered to listen to the prophet of the wilderness came one from Nazareth, who was known simply as the son of Joseph and Mary. To him the Baptist directed the attention of the wondering people in these words: “Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!” These words conveyed a wonderful meaning to those familiar with the services of the sanctuary. Repeatedly had they brought to the temple a lamb, upon whose head they had confessed their guilt, and now the true meaning of this ceremony was unfolded to them by the words of John. The type was now giving way to the antitype. The true sacrifice was about to be offered, and the new and living way through the veil was about to be consecrated.
From the time that the gospel was first proclaimed in Eden, in the promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head, the revelation of divinity in humanity had been set forth in type and in prophecy as the basis of hope. Jacob had declared:—
“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh come; And unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.”
Through Isaiah the prophetic word had been uttered: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Jeremiah had testified: “Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king, and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called: Jehovah our righteousness.” The definite time of this manifestation had been made known through Daniel, the prophet, in these words: “Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks.” Now the fulness of time had come, the mystery of godliness was revealed, God was manifested in the flesh; and to this wonderful fulfilment of the divine purpose John the Baptist bore testimony by interpreting the message of Isaiah, “Behold, your God,” into the declaration “Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!” It was not to the revelation of the power of God in nature that John directed attention, but to the manifestation of God himself in the flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the efficacious sacrifice for sin, the Saviour of the world. His message was a specific one, which he did not dissipate into glittering generalities nor pervert into a pantheistic philosophy, but presented as a direct testimony to the manifestation of a personal God.
The work of John the Baptist in preparing the way for the first advent of our Lord, was typical of the work to be done in preparing the way for the second advent, and the same principles of truth, based upon the same prophecy of Isaiah, are to be proclaimed again to the people. John the Baptist so interpreted the words, “Behold, your God,” that they revealed the Saviour of the world in the very place where he then was in the fulfilment of the prophecies concerning his work. In the same way, this same message is to be interpreted in our time so that it will reveal the Saviour of the world where he now is in fulfilment ofthe prophecies concerning his present work. Then Jesus of Nazareth was pointed out, a man among men, as the Lamb of God, the divine Sacrifice. Now the same message, rightly interpreted, will point him out as our great High Priest in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, engaged in the final work of atonement before laying aside his priestly robes to be revealed in the clouds of heaven as King of kings and Lord of lords.
As in John’s day the true Saviour from sin had been hidden from the people’s eyes, and a round of forms and ceremonies had taken the place of saving faith, so that confidence in the flesh and self-salvation were the main features of their religion, so it is to-day; and there is the same need as in John’s time that a voice should be lifted up with strength, proclaiming, “All flesh is grass,” “Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.” This is the very essence of the third angel’s message,—a message of righteousness by faith which will reveal Jesus as our great High Priest in the closing work of his ministry. This is “the everlasting gospel” which is to be proclaimed in this generation “unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people.”

Editorial

By Editor

A Missionary Motto

It is stated that the motto of Rev. John Wilkinson, for fifty years a missionary among the Jews, was, “Ask God, and tell his people.” This motto is based upon two great principles: first, that God is the source of all blessing in missionary work, and second, that he uses his people as the agency through which to bestow his blessings. It is no denial of faith in God to keep before the people the fullest information concerning the mission work, as a means of enlisting their interest in it. Even the apostle Paul recounted among the churches at home the work which God had wrought through him in preaching the gospel among the gentiles. His example is a safe one to follow.

The Council of the General Conference Committee

By W. A. SPICER

Fourth and Last Report

The further proceedings of the General Conference Committee Council concerning matters of general interest may be briefly summed up as follows:—
The West Indian Union was advised to transfer the Caribbean Watchman office from Trinidad to Colon, Panama, consolidating with the new plant the Porto Rico Spanish publishing work. Four thousand dollars was appropriated for the establishment of the Panama office.
It was voted to issue a Thanksgiving number of the REVIEW, giving a survey of our missions in such a way as to make it a medium for informing the public, and interesting them to give for our missions.
The appropriations voted were by far the largest in our history, as the treasurer's report will show. The council felt that only by the blessing of the Lord and the loyal effort of every believer could the amount be secured, but that by the blessing of the Lord it must be secured.
Aside from regular appropriations, action was taken providing for securing financial help for the Madison school enterprise, near Nashville, Tenn.
The resolutions adopted pertaining to religious liberty are given elsewhere in the REVIEW.
A discussion of the question of health foods resulted in the following recommendations by the council:—
That we hereby pledge ourselves to do everything we can to advance the medical phase of the third angel's message by encouraging our ministers to lecture on health principles; by teaching our people to prepare suitable foods in a way to preserve health; by encouraging the physicians in our sanitariums, and our other medical workers, to visit churches and camp-meetings to give lectures and to hold cooking-schools; that we encourage our people to circulate the magazine, Life and Health, and to distribute tracts on health topics; and, further, that we do all we can to extend the cause of temperance, and to stem the tide of intemperance prevailing everywhere in the land.
In the session devoted to a consideration of the medical missionary work, Dr. W. A. Ruble, Secretary of the Medical Missionary Department, outlined the following topics for the consideration of the council: Making the most of medical help at camp-meetings; sustaining free beds for sick poor in our institutions; working with “Ministry of Healing;” etc. It was felt that the help of our physicians should be had in the camp arrangements in our large meetings, in order to provide for healthful conditions and for prompt attention to any outbreak of contagious disease. It was voted—
That our conferences be encouraged to make arrangements for attendance and instruction from our medical workers at the camp-meetings, and to provide suitable tents and facilities for their work.
The following action regarding the soliciting of funds for special enterprises was taken:—
Whereas, There are many demands for financial aid in building up institutions in our weaker conferences and mission fields; and,—
Whereas, The request is often made that persons representing these enterprises be permitted to solicit donations in our stronger conferences, and, unless care is taken, confusion is likely to result from several persons soliciting donations through the different conferences for various enterprises at the same time; therefore,—
Resolved, That any special enterprises for which donations are solicited from the people should first receive the sanction of the General Conference and the union conference in which such enterprise is undertaken. And that any person sent out to solicit such donations first receive suitable credentials from the union conference from which he comes, and that satisfactory arrangements be made, certified in writing, with the union and local conferences in which he wishes to solicit before he enters upon his work.
Laborers were recommended to the different fields as follows:—
R. C. Porter and wife, of the South-western Union, to South Africa, Elder Porter to take the presidency of the South African Union Conference, releasing Elder Hyatt.
W. S. Hyatt and family, of South Africa, to return to engage in the work in America.
E. E. Andross, of the British Union, to the Columbia Union; and W. J. Fitzgerald, of the Columbia Union, to the British Union.
W. A. Westworth, of the Southern New England Conference, to the presidency of the Southeastern Union, F. M. Burg, who had been elected, having found it impossible to arrange to take the work.
Carl Hansen and wife, of the Foreign Mission Seminary, to Norway.
Two young Scandinavians in America to be encouraged to prepare for the Abyssinian mission field.
Two young men to be selected to study Danish-Norwegian in Europe, for the purpose of entering the work there.
J. B. Huguley and wife, of the Foreign Mission Seminary, to Quebec.
A Dutch laborer for the East Indies, to be selected by the German Union Conference.
E. Schwantes, of Portugal, to Brazil.
Miss Jennie Nelson, of Minnesota, to the Danish West Indies.
E. Fawer, French laborer, to Quebec.
Dr. H. N. Greaves, qualifying in London, to British Guiana.
Canvasser for cities of the West Indies, to be selected by the publishing department.
Miss Winifred Trunk, of the Foreign Mission Seminary, to the Cooranbong school, Australia.
George Teasdale, of Java (who brought his wife to her home in America on account of ill health), was advised to labor in this country for a time.
E. C. Widgery and wife, of the Foreign Mission Seminary, to British Guiana.
J. A. Strickland, of Jamaica, to work in the District of Columbia.
Elihu Wood and wife, of Takoma Park (Brother Wood has worked as a builder on the school and sanitarium buildings since the work began at this place), to Jamaica, to connect with the West Indian Union school being established at Riversdale.
H. S. Prener, of Baltimore, to Brazil.
Miss Bertha Fuller, nurse of the Boulder Sanitarium, to India; the Caterham Sanitarium, England, to select a second nurse for India.
Miss Belle Shryock, of the Foreign Mission Seminary, to India.
L. G. Mookerjee and wife, of the Foreign Mission Seminary, to return to India.
Miss Edythe Ayers, of the Review and Herald proof-room, to India.
Other recommendations, relating to laborers for America and fields abroad, are being taken up by correspondence with the persons concerned, and it would not be proper to print such actions inthis report. All through the council the tremendous pressure of need in the great mission fields was always in evidence. While this expansion of the work on every side involves heavy additional expenditure, it was the solemn conviction throughout the session that Seventh-day Adventists, who are commissioned to go to all the world with the closing message, can do nothing less than to respond at this time with just a few workers added to the fields, representing but a fraction of the recruits actually demanded by the situation.
Throughout the council the spirit of fellowship and courage and co-operation made the meetings seasons of blessing to all.
W. A. SPICER, Secretary.

Church Officers and Camp-Meetings

By G. B. Thompson; I. H. Evans

Another year has quickly passed, and the camp-meeting season is upon us again. One year less of probationary time remains, the end is near, and these annual seasons of worship will soon be in the past.
The camp-meetings this year should be the best in the history of our work. Spiritual blessings and deliverance from sin should be brought to many souls. In view of the shortness of time we ought to expect great things from the Lord.
The attendance should be large. Every Sabbath-keeper who possibly can should be there. Begin now to plan to be present, and do not allow the cares of this world to keep you at home. It will require some sacrifice, but it will surely be worth the effort.
Do not fail to bring the youth and the children. This is a time of special danger for the young, and their attendance at this annual feast of the Lord may be the means of their being saved in the eternal home of the redeemed. Study Joel 2: 12-17.
Especially would I emphasize the need of church elders and other officers being present. Every church elder should attend one or more of our camp-meetings this year. Officers should come at the beginning of the meeting, and plan to remain till the close. You not only need the spiritual blessings of the meeting, but you should be present to study plans presented for advancing the work in home and foreign fields. The time has fully come when the officers of our local churches will need to get under the burden of this work in the home church in a new and special way. If all the church-members can not attend the meeting, they should plan to have the elder and other officers attend, that they may come back to the church prepared to impart the rich blessings received at the camp-meeting.
G. B. THOMPSON.
nation throughout the world prior to 1890. Certainly this is most encouraging when viewed from the standpoint of raising funds.
Doubtless some sincere soul will ask, How can we raise $198,714 for mission work in 1908, when the year is nearly half gone? We answer that already plans have been laid in every union conference in the United States to endeavor to raise the sum of ten cents a week per capita for all of its church-membership. By the time this article is read by our churches throughout the field, most of them will have already heard from the presidents of their conferences, and will be swinging into line in raising this donation. If every Seventh-day Adventist in the world will take hold of this matter of the ten-cent-a-week plan, we can not only raise the $198,714, but we can push this sum far beyond that amount, and have more than $300,000 for work in foreign fields. Of course to this $198,714 for mission work there will have to be added the expense of maintaining the home office, supplying necessary postage, stationery, and incidental expenses, and paying salaries of all the General Conference officers and departmental secretaries, besides carrying several other workers who receive pay from the General Conference in the home land.
The real budget for 1908 to be raised in the States will aggregate about $250,000; but ten cents a week for each member, if fully raised for the year 1908, will give us a large surplus, and we can pay every bill, and put a large number of recruits in the mission fields already opened. Every church should at once regularly and systematically take up the weekly offering for foreign missions. Envelopes can be secured from the State secretaries, so that each church can have an envelope for every member, and these envelopes should be distributed and collected every week by the church officers according to the arrangement. If we all work together, there is no question but that we can raise this large sum of money, and thus greatly strengthen the work in all parts of the world. These large calls are a source of encouragement to our people, because they give evidence of the rapidity with which the work is going, and assurance that the end is near.
Why should not every Seventh-day Adventist fall into line in bringing a weekly offering to the house of worship for the work in other lands?
I. H. EVANS.

The Foreign Mission Budget for 1908

THE progress of the third angel’s message should be the principal thing for which Seventh-day Adventists live, and the extension of the message in other lands the chiefest joy they find in this world. One can scarcely keep pace with the rapid growth and development of the work in these days. It is true that we have entered nearly every nation in the world, but in many of these countries we have made only a beginning in establishing the truth.
The call for means for the prosecution of the message is one of the truest tests concerning the development of the work. The budget for 1908 will undoubtedly surprise many of our people. At the late council of the General Conference Committee, the appropriations for the various mission fields in the world for the year 1908 were carefully considered. Each field with its needs was discussed at length. From these various mission fields the officers of the General Conference had already received estimates of their expenses for the year 1908. These estimates were laid before the council, and it was voted that appropriations should be made to the mission fields as follows:—
NAME REQUIRED APPROPRIATION
China mission $26,800.00 $24,300.00
Australasian Union 27,001.71 8,500.00
Honolulu 1,200.00 1,200.00
India missions 19,883.00 15,590.00
Japan mission 9,745.10 8,790.00
Mexico mission 7,401.46 5,800.00
South African Union 22,916.00 20,000.00
West African mission 2,000.00 2,000.00
West Indian Union Conference 29,768.00 16,530.00
European field 37,700.00 10,000.00
British Educational Fund 2,000.00
Canadian Union Conference 8,748.00 5,040.00
West Canadian Union Conference 29,032.00 7,500.00
Riversdale Academy (W. Ind. Union Conf.) 4,000.00
South American Union Conference 25,000.00 15,000.00
West African School 1,500.00
Williamsdale Academy 1,800.00
Colon printing plant, building 2,500.00
Colon printing plant, equipment 1,500.00
Hayti church building 200.00
Scandinavian educational fund for Europe 2,000.00
Russian Union School 5,000.00
West Indian Union adjustment fund 674.00
Total for foreign fields, ........................ $247,195.27 Total amount to be raised in the United States for foreign fields, ........................ $161,424.00
Appropriations were made for the needy fields and various calls in the United States as follows:—
NAME REQUIRED APPROPRIATION
Southern Union Conference $12,500.00 $9,000.00
Southeastern Union Conference 7,000.00 5,200.00
International Publishing Association, College View (Nebraska) 350.00
Southwestern Union Conference 6,310.00 4,600.00
Greater New York Conference 2,500.00
Chesapeake Conference 750.00
Shenandoah Academy (Virginia) 1,000.00
Danish-Norwegian work in America 1,000.00
Huntsville Industrial School 11,370.00
Jewish work in North America 1,000.00
Tents for work in needy conferences 520.00
Total required ........................ $25,810.00 Total for the United States ........................ $37,290.00 Total for foreign fields ........................ $161,424.00 Grand total of amount to be raised for all fields, ........................ $198,714.00
This makes the total appropriation required to be raised in the United States $198,714. The appropriation for 1907 was $135,868.03. It will thus be seen that we must raise for 1908 the sum of $62,845.97 in excess of what we raised last year.
One item of great interest in this appropriation is the amount of money that is already raised in the foreign fields for the support of our mission work. It will be noted that there is to be raised for the work in foreign fields, including the work in the South, the sum of $273,005.27, while the United States is asked to raise only $198,714. This shows that these mission fields are to raise $73,791.27 for their own work. This is more money than the General Conference ever raised for foreign fields until in the nineties. Thus we can plainly see that the mission fields themselves are raising more money to-day for the prosecution of our work in mission territory than was raised by the whole denomination

Copying the West

THE people of the far East do not require missionaries in order to teach them some of the ways of the Western world. This is emphasized by the present boycott in China against the Japanese, as an expression of public opinion concerning the government's action in paying an indemnity, and making an apology for the seizure of the Japanese steamer “Tatsu-Maru.” One view of the present situation is given in these words:—
Thousands of Chinese signed an agreement not to buy Japanese goods. About a hundred and sixty dealers in Japanese goods in Canton alone voluntarily signed an agreement not to sell such goods, and the merchants in Canton, Hongkong, and elsewhere notified their correspondents not to ship in Japanese bottoms. In Wuchau a Japanese coal ship was unable to unload because the coolies refused to handle her cargo. Even the women have been taking a hand, several meetings have been held by them, with the resultant pledge not to purchase anything Japanese.
Human nature is much the same the world over, and retaliatory measures are as gratifying to the nations who do not know the gospel as to those nations which claim to be Christian; but this method of dealing with an injury either real or supposed, contradicts the teaching of him who said, “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”

Liquor Prohibition in Eighty Cities

According to the American Issue, there are in the United States eighty cities with an average population of over 25,000, and an aggregate population of more than 2,200,000, in which the sale of liquor is prohibited.

Note and Comment

_Priest-Ridden Portugal_

THE real results of papal rule are exhibited in those countries where Roman Catholicism has had full sway. An example is found in the case of Portugal, of which country it is said:—
Portugal is still a century behind the times. With Roman Catholicism as the state religion, and the ecclesiastics in positions of power, it is almost impossible for the liberal party to abolish the existing evils.
The union of church and state is contrary to the divine plan for civil government, and the enforcement of church dogmas by the civil power will bring a blight upon the prosperity of any nation. This is the emphatic testimony of every Roman Catholic country.

Student Lawlessness

As indicating the growth of the lawless spirit, we quote the following statement from the current issue of the Missionary Review of the World:—
We can not but think one significant sign of the times to be the growing insubordination of college students.
The seed which has been sown for a generation has sprung up, and is now bearing fruit. When the restraints of the divine law are removed, the respect for human law is soon lost. When it is declared from the pulpit that God's law has been abolished, and that men are no longer under law, license is given to the very worst elements of human nature, and a long step is taken toward anarchy.

The Decline of Religion

SOME significant statistics concerning church-membership and church attendance in Greater New York are given by a leading magazine in the following paragraph:—
The Protestant Episcopal church, which in point of property is the richest in the city, has a total of only 90,997 communicants. The Methodist Episcopal church has 43,728 members, the Presbyterian 45,873, the Baptist 38,590, and the Lutheran 37,934. Even when taken in the aggregate, these constitute but a small fraction of the population of the city. The number of Protestants who keep away from church in New York City more than equals the whole population of Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.
There is no reason to believe that other large cities in America would make any better showing in proportion to their population; and all efforts to evangelize these great centers of population do not seem to be sufficient to counteract the steady downward tendency. If all the Sodoms and Gomorrahs of the present day should be destroyed by fire, there would be many more great conflagrations than are now recorded.

Unbelief Acknowledged

No effort is now made to conceal the fact that the old-time views of religion and the Bible have been superseded by the conclusions of a scientific philosophy. The revolution which has taken place in the theological world is thus stated in a brief paragraph in Current Literature for May:—
Only a few years ago the Bible was regarded by the Christian world as a divine revelation, true in every part and inspired by God working directly through human instruments such as Moses and Joshua, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; but nowadays not one educated man in a hundred accepts this view. The theory of inerrant divine inspiration has been practically abandoned by all the leaders of religious thought.
The time was, in the easy recollection of middle-aged men, when a paragraph like this would have shocked the whole religious world, and would have called out most vigorous and pointed protest from all quarters; but now it hardly commands a passing notice. Well might the Saviour inquire, “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” There is truly the most emphatic need for some one to “contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

Organized Labor's Threat

A MANIFESTO has been issued by Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, instructing organized labor throughout the country to adopt resolutions demanding that their representatives in Congress vote for the labor bills before that body. One of the resolutions to be adopted reads thus:—
We pledge ourselves individually and collectively to the exercise of our fullest political and industrial activity now and in the future to the end that we may aid in the election of such candidates for president of the United States and representatives in Congress, and such other executive, legislative, and judicial candidates for office, as will safeguard and protect the common interests of the workers.
While a recent decision of the United States Supreme Court has made the boycotting methods of the Federation of Labor unlawful when applied to a business firm, there is nothing in it to prevent boycotting candidates for political office who are not subservient to the demands of the federation, and such a movement promises to be a factor which must be reckoned with in future political contests. Inasmuch as certain professional reformers have recommended the use of this same agency in order to obtain religious legislation, it is difficult to see how they will be able to condemn the principle when adopted by the representatives of labor. Thus, step by step, progress is being made toward that general religious boycott to be instituted against those who refuse to accept human law in place of the divine law.

Rights and Wishes

THE Roman Catholics, of New Bedford, Mass., made an unsuccessful effort to have the public schools closed on Good Friday. The local priest then commanded the families of his congregation not to send their children to school on that day, and not to send an excuse for their non-attendance. In justification of this course he said:—
The Constitution of this country gives us the right to worship as we wish; and we should certainly not be bound to send an excuse for keeping our children away from school, to go to church, and recognize one of the most important days of the year in our church.
Referring to this denouncement by the priest, a local Methodist pastor wrote a letter for publication, in which he said:—
The real trouble with the reverend priest is not that any right of Catholics is interfered with, but rather that the wishes of the Roman Catholic authorities are not made the supreme factor in deciding what to do. The state has no right to make any law that shall recognize any church by giving to it any rights or privileges that do not belong to all, or that shall give state influence to aid any church or creed. . . . Let every citizen who believes in the separation of church and state, with equal rights and privileges to all, sustain them [the members of the school committee] in their work as representatives of all the citizens of New Bedford.
If the sound principles stated by this Methodist pastor should be applied in all cases involving the relation between the church and the state, there would be no religious legislation enacted, and one class of professed Christians would not be found enforcing upon any other class of professed Christians, or upon non-believers, religious observances of any kind. Inasmuch as the same authority has set apart both Sunday and Good Friday as days to be religiously observed, there is no more reason for requiring non-Catholics to regard Sunday than Good Friday. The only right way, so far as the state is concerned, is to leave every person free to observe any day or no day as he may choose, so long as he does not interfere with the equal rights of others in so doing.

Korea's Call

A MISSIONARY in Korea writes thus of the situation in that country:—
Now is the time to evangelize Korea. The country has been shaken to the roots by the political changes. The people have been aroused out of the lethargy of ages, and now is the time to reach them with the gospel.
In response to the demands of this situation, various mission boards are largely increasing their appropriations and their corps of workers in Korea. There surely ought to be a representative of the third angel's message in every district of the Hermit Kingdom.

Publishing the Truth

A CORRESPONDENT of the Sunday School Times wrote to the editor thus: “I supposed that your columns were always open to both sides.” In his published reply, the editor said:—
No; the columns of the Sunday School Times are not always open to both sides of a question. . . . The Times has never stated, to the knowledge of the editor, that it is willing to give both sides of any question. It takes its own mission too seriously for any such light-hearted irresponsibility as that. It believes that it has a duty to publish truth, not error.
Any paper which has no higher ambition than to be the organ of a debating society, in which truth and error are given an equal opportunity, forfeits the privilege of educating the people in the knowledge of the truth, and can never lead in any movement for a religious reform. A paper, as well as the preacher, ought to be “set for the defense of the gospel.”
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