Review and Herald, Vol. 85, No. 11. (3/12/1908)

Review and Herald

Mar 12, 1908

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 12, 1908

Timely Publications for Minutemen

By Editor

THE YEAR-BOOK

for 1908 is now being printed; we hope to have it off the press in about ten days. Every Seventh-day Adventist will want a copy. Special new features will make it the most valuable and comprehensive work of this character yet published. Twenty seven new outline maps, showing the territory of each union conference and mission field, have been drawn especially for this edition. Increase in size will make this worth considerably more than heretofore, but it will be sent, post-paid, at the old price, 25 cents. Get your order in early.

THE POCKET EDITION OF “EARLY WRITINGS”

has met with such a hearty reception that we have bound up a few copies in red flexible leather. The book in this style will be sent, post-paid, for $1.25. We have a few copies in genuine morocco, gilt edges, with gold side and back stamp, for $1.50. Paper covers, $.35. The regular edition bound in cloth is furnished at $.75, and in leather at $1.25.

TESTIMONIES FOR THE CHURCH, VOLS. I-VIII

are made up of the messages given the church through the spirit of prophecy. Every home should have a complete set of these books for reference and study. Just now when some are making shipwreck of their faith, those who know the truth should study the messages which God has sent the remnant church. Complete set, bound in flexible red leather, sent, express prepaid, for $11.50. Single volumes, I-VI, $1.50 each; VII, VIII, $1.25 each. Full set in cloth, $7.50. Single volumes, I-VI, $1 each; VII, VIII, $.75 each.

THE STRUGGLE FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN VIRGINIA

by Charles F. James, D. D., President of the Roanoke Female College, is a complete record of that famous effort in which truth was finally victorious, and religious liberty was established. It is a splendid text-book for religious liberty workers, and also makes an important reference volume for every one to read who is interested in the cause of religious freedom. Send for one to-day. Post-paid, $1.25.

Order of any Tract Society or Publishing House, or

REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION

New York City WASHINGTON, D. C. Battle Creek, Mich.

Life and Health for March

By Editor

INTEMPERANCE AND TUBERCULOSIS, the two principal death-dealing agencies of the present time, are the special topics of the March number.

In addition to exposing the ravages of intemperance through the agency of alcohol, a broad application of the principles of temperance is made. True temperance is shown to include the rejection of things hurtful, and the proper use of the beneficial.

Dr. Knopf, the tuberculosis expert, and others, give directions for the prevention and cure of tuberculosis and other diseases, in harmony with the principles of true temperance.

The entire number is, therefore, devoted to the broad question of temperance. It is practical and of great importance. The general public will be easily interested in it. It is a good-selling number, and our workers will be able to materially raise their average sales.

PRICES

Annual subscription price, 75 cents; single copy, 10 cents; 2-25 copies, 5 cents a copy; 25-500 copies, 4 cents a copy; 500-1000 copies, 3½ cents a copy; 1000 or more copies, 3 cents a copy. Liberal discounts given to agents on annual subscriptions.

LIFE AND HEALTH, Takoma Park, Washington, D. C.

“Made More Sure”

THERE are three reasons given by the apostle Peter for declaring that he had not followed “cunningly devised fables” when he made known “the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The first reason was that he was an eye-witness of his majesty on the mount of transfiguration; the second was that on the same occasion he heard the voice announcing, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;” the third was that he had “the word of prophecy made more sure.” (R. V.) The prophetic word is absolutely sure, and from God’s standpoint it could never be more than sure, but to members of the human family—those whose faith often wavers—the fulfilment of prophecy appears more certain in proportion to the number of divine predictions which have already come to pass. At the time of the crucifixion, Peter, overwhelmed with doubts and fears as he saw Jesus apparently powerless in the hands of his enemies, denied his Lord, but after the resurrection Jesus opened his understanding so that he understood the fulfilment of the prophecies , and thus his confidence in the guidance of the prophetic word for the future was established upon a more sure basis. Viewing the matter from our present standpoint, when the facts of history testify to the fulfilment of so many prophecies which were still for the future in Peter’s day, with what increased confidence ought we to say, “We have the word of prophecy made more sure”? The long periods of time prophecy have come to a close, and the record of the events answers to all the requirements of the predictions. Kingdoms have risen and fallen as foretold by the prophets of the olden time, apostasy has done its terrible work according to the inspired statements concerning it, both individuals and nations have acted their parts in the drama of history as foreseen and announced by the divine mind, and all the conditions which were to mark the last days are being fully met. Who can doubt that the remaining prophecies will be fulfilled? The spread of this message under great difficulties, the trying times for believers, the apparent triumph of ungodliness, and the sudden revelation of the all-conquering glory of the Son of man in this generation—these experiences are in the near future. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith. The glorious consummation is near.

Fighting Lawlessness

On every hand the evidences are multiplying to prove that we have entered upon those troublous times which, according to the predictions of the Scriptures, are to precede the second advent of our Lord. The shocking record of the deeds of lawlessness which is found in the columns of the daily papers, the terrible disasters which follow one another with such an impressive regularity, and the death-dealing outbreaks of the spirit of anarchy are arousing a sense of peril in the minds of the people, and are stirring the authorities to undertake repressive measures. The feeling of apprehension and the plan of operations are revealed in the following announcement, which has appeared in the daily press:—

Thoroughly concerned over the outbreak of anarchy which has found expression in the murder of Father Leo, in Denver, and the attempt to assassinate Chief-of-Police Shippy, in Chicago, the government has determined to adopt drastic measures for dealing with “Black Handers,” Chinese highbinders, and the criminal anarchists generally.

State and municipal authorities will be asked to co-operate with federal officers in locating alien anarchists who are here in violation of the immigration laws, and when found, these persons will be deported.

It is expected that an effort will be made to effect an international agreement between all civilized nations to provide that where a citizen of one country seeks admission to another country, he shall produce a certificate, officially attested, giving his home record. While this may work hardship in cases of persons who flee to escape persecution and can not obtain the necessary certificates, it is believed that some such radical course is necessary to prevent the spread of anarchy.

We are not surprised that the government is impelled to take drastic measures to prevent lawlessness. The logic of events seems to demand it. It appears to be necessary to exercise the authority of the nation in order to protect the life and property of its citizens, and to insure its own existence. Nevertheless, the path thus entered upon is a dangerous one. This is indicated in the statement itself. The proposed action will close the nation’s doors against those who would seek in this country an asylum from oppression and persecution, and such a movement can easily be turned into a campaign of persecution against those who choose to obey God rather than men when the laws of men conflict with the law of God. All this can come about so naturally that even good men may deem it necessary, for the good of the majority, to do injustice to the minority.

The true explanation of the present situation is found in the fact that the Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the earth because of the rejection of God’s messages of instruction and warning, and thus the evil passions of unregenerate human nature, being more and more freed from restraint, are manifesting themselves in lawless deeds. The trouble is not confined to America. There is hardly a country of any importance on the face of the earth which is not facing the same problem of evil in one form or another. And if all the countries should decide to deport those men whom they regard as dangerous to society, where would they be sent? and would the condition of the world as a whole be improved? The reader can easily make his own answers.

We may not look for conditions to

improve in the future. The only cure that for these troublous times will be found in the coming of the Lord. Only by the destructive glory of his own presence will the forces of evil be conquered. The only hope of individuals centers in the gospel message of preparation for the coming of Christ. Great is the responsibility which rests upon those who have been called to give this message to the world.

Editorial

By Editor

EVERY choice has its corresponding harvest, as true to the nature of the choice as the loaded wheat-head is to the kernel that was covered in the warm ground. If we will stop long enough to consider this truth, it will influence us greatly in our choosing, and will be a determining factor in the nature of the harvest that will be credited to us by and by.

Contrasts and Counterfeits— No. 2

By C. M. S.

LUCIFER opened his anarchistic campaign in this world by a denial of a divine truth, and by laying an accusation of falsehood against the Author of that truth.

God had said to man: “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Satan said: “Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.”

Those statements of the two opposing powers outlined the purpose and the policy of each. It was God’s purpose that his creatures should be obedient, loyal, righteous, and happy. He tells them the consequences of disobedience, but he does not take from them the power and privilege of choice. God knew that the tree of disobedience could bear no other fruit than death. The universe was governed and held together by law resting on a foundation of absolute truth. The campaign of Satan, being a denial of truth, a contradiction of its Author, and a propagation of disloyalty and distrust, meant no less than the overturning of the very foundation of creation, and the disintegration of the universe. God foresaw it all, and therefore sought to put man on his guard by warning him of the consequences of disobedience—not to coerce, but to leave man without excuse for choosing wrong, and to reward him royally for choosing right.

But, “Ye shall not surely die,” said the fallen angel, “ye shall be as God.” As the reward held out by Satan for disbelief and disobedience of the Creator accomplished the purpose of him who uttered it, we must deal first with that. The very statement of the temptation impelled in man a comparison of his present condition with a condition to which he might attain, and yet one which was now being denied him. Hitherto he had known only good, happiness, contentment, joy, peace, and confidence; and all this was the fruit of obedience. It could bear no other fruit. To be “wise” in such wisdom as Satan had to offer, disobedience was necessary. Eve saw that the tree “was to be desired to make one wise.”

So it was, in that kind of wisdom; but with that must come a decrease, in double ratio, of the wisdom they already had. Distrust of the Source of true wisdom narrowed the channel of its reception, while disobedience—sin—bore in their own souls a poisonous fruit that deadened their powers to perceive and grasp the good. So, instead of their disobedience making them like God, it began to create in them the likeness of him who was fighting against, and misrepresenting, God. Man, created in the very image of God, is made to feel that disobedience to the One who made him so will make him a god also, and clothe him with actual divinity. This “first man Adam” thought the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, and he attempted to grasp it, in spite of the divine injunction.

The desire to scale the heights of heaven by efforts of his own has been cropping out in man’s nature ever since the fall of Adam. The temptation that overcame Adam has been held before the eyes of every other man, and multitudes have yielded to it as Adam did. It is abroad in the world to-day, manifested in various ways. Books have been written for no other purpose than to help man to cultivate the divinity within himself, that he might thus arise to the grandest heights of divinity. The declaration is plainly made that man is the highest and only revelation of God, and as man develops, he is developing God. One writer says: “Man will yet fling himself into the heavens and abide.” Again: “Even now we dare to face the Eternal and pull back the mystic curtain. . . . We are essentially divine and everlasting, our very covering laced with the imperishable. . . . It is fitting for us to unloose our shoes and bare our heads before the majesty of ourselves. . . . It is clear, I think, that we are divinities in disguise. . . . Every person is a new incarnation of Divinity. . . . We are coadjutors of the First Cause, and not only apprehend his designs, but lend a helping hand. . . . We are not so very far behind him. . . . A new consciousness of the divinity of men will rehabilitate society, become a wreath of happiness and a wall of defense around us all. If we rate all men as gods, where are the under classes, where the ethical problems? . . . Whither tends this journey arranged in flights, steps, belts?—It is the leap of divinity from the dust. . . . All things fondle and caress us, are on their knees in reverence and affection. . . . Fundamentally we are all divine. . . . Instinctively we repeat God in counterpart and genius. Following our nature we follow him. God is in us as the sap is in the tree, the blood in the arteries, magnetism in planets.”

Such boastful, blasphemous language flows on from page to page, from volume to volume, in an effort to prove to the race that there was no fall in Adam’s transgression—to prove that the words of Satan were true, “Ye shall be as God.” Not only does it seek to make gods of men, but to cause men to believe that God himself came into being through the process of evolution. Through the ages of human existence Satan has sought to instil in the hearts of men the same unholy aspirations that stirred him to his rebellion in heaven. He has found easy victims, and is still finding them. It is significant also that this attempt to exalt and magnify man has been coincident with the effort to misrepresent and debase the Creator. Satan did it in Eden by charging God with injustice and untruth. It is done in the preceding quotations in attempting to make the Creator a product of evolution, and in setting forth the aspiration of the carnal heart as the inspirations of divinity. This campaign of the present day is the complement of the teachings of Satan in the garden of Eden; and in both the early ages and in this we see the sad outworkings of that doctrine. When the descendants of Noah set themselves down in the plain of Shinar, they said, “Let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven, and let us make us a name.” They called their tower the gate of heaven, and sought to make themselves the gatekeepers of heaven. God called their tower Confusion (Babel), shattered it, and scattered them.

To-day men have built them a city and constructed a system that aims at heaven, as Babel did. It stands where Babel stood,—that is, between man and God, by self-appointment, a gate to heaven,—and the head of the system is the keeper of the keys. Of the chief of that system the Word of God says, Who “opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.” 2 Thess. 2:4. That same system is represented as saying of itself, “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall in no wise see mourning. Therefore in one day shall her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judged her.” Rev. 18:7, 8. Note the similarity between the aspirations and purposes of the Babel builders and the aspirations and purposes of that system above referred to. Note also the similarity of the judgments meted out.

With these parallels in mind, note another. Lucifer, the inspirer of the Babel builders and the creator of spiritual Babylon, had this in mind before

heaven’s gates were closed against him: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. . . . I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Isa. 14:13, 14. That was the same spirit which he put into the breast of man in Eden, the same spirit that actuated the Babel builders, the same spirit that actuates spiritual Babylon to-day and is permeating a large portion of the world at the present time. Satan has ever urged it on; God has ever warned against it, and meted out the same judgment upon those who yielded to it. Those who permit themselves to be deceived may read their doom in that pronounced upon the originator of the deception: “Thou shalt be brought down to Sheol, to the uttermost parts of the pit.”

C. M. S.

Another Memorial

On Tuesday, March 3, Senator Kean, of New Jersey, laid before the Senate “a memorial of the Seventh-day Baptists of the United States,” which was read, and printed in the Congressional Record of the same date, page 2891. This memorial is an earnest protest against Sunday legislation, having special reference to the Sunday bills now pending in Congress, and is based upon two leading representations. These we quote as follows:—

First, the Constitution of the United States declares that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” That Sunday legislation is forbidden under this act is shown by the records of Congress from 1808 to 1830. . . .

Reports, discussions, and petitions concerning Sunday mails crowd the annals of Congress from 1811 to 1830. Mr. Rhea, chairman of the Committee on Post-Offices, reported adversely concerning efforts to secure a change in the law requiring Sunday opening on Jan. 3, 1812; June 15, 1812, and Jan. 20, 1815. Postmaster-General Granger made adverse report Jan. 16, 1815, saying:—

“The usage of transporting the mails on the Sabbath is coeval with the Constitution of the United States.”

Jan. 27, 1815, Mr. Daggett made an adverse report, that was considered by the House in Committee of the Whole, Feb. 10, 1815, and after various efforts an amendment was passed, as follows:—

“Resolved, That at this time it is inexpedient to interfere and pass any laws on the subject-matter of the several petitions praying the prohibition of the transportation and opening of the mail on the Sabbath.”

March 3, 1825, an act was passed “to reduce into one the several acts establishing the Post-Office Department,” section 11 of which reads as follows:— “And be it further enacted, That every postmaster shall keep an office, in which one or more persons shall attend on every day on which a mail shall arrive, by land or water, as well as on other days, at such hours as the Postmaster-General shall direct, for the purpose of performing the duties thereof; and it shall be the duty of the postmaster, at all reasonable hours, on every day of the week, to deliver, on demand, any letter, paper, or packet, to the person entitled to, or authorized to receive, the same.”

This renewed the discussion throughout the country, and Congress was flooded with petitions and counter-petitions, which were referred to the Committee on Post-Offices and Post-Roads, of which Richard M. Johnson was chairman. He made an elaborate report to the Senate Jan. 19, 1829, and to the House March 4 and 5, 1830. These reports were exhaustive and able documents. They centered around the question of Congressional legislation on religious subjects, all phases of which were considered with marked ability and candor. [Then follow extracts from these reports, showing that they were adverse to Sunday legislation.—Ed.]

The adoption of Mr. Johnson’s report settled the question of Sunday legislation by Congress for many years. Its revival calls forth this memorial asking that Congress will not reverse its decision made in 1830.

Second, in addition to the fact that after a discussion lasting twenty years, Congress determined to abide by its constitutional restrictions touching Sunday laws, we offer another objection to the bills now before it. Leaving out the historic fact that Sunday laws have always been avowedly religious, we call attention to the religious elements and principles contained in the bills now before you. They create crime by assuming that secular labor and ordinary worldly affairs become criminal at twelve o’clock on Saturday night and cease to be criminal twenty-four hours later; they assume that the specific twenty-four hours known as the “First day” of the week may not be devoted to ordinary affairs, because of the sinfulness and immorality resulting from such use of those specific hours.

The fact that religious leaders are the main promoters of Sunday legislation shows that religious conceptions are at the basis of Sunday laws, and that religious ends are sought through their enforcement. The terms used, although somewhat modified in modern times, denote that the proposed laws spring from religious conceptions.

There can be no distinction between “secular” and “sacred,” “worldly” and “unworldly,” except on religious grounds. There is no reason, either in logic or in the nature of our civil institutions, why the first day of the week should be legislated into a day of idleness any more than the fourth day.

Through all history cessation from “worldly pursuits” on either the seventh or the first day of the week has been considered a form of religious duty.

Actions and transactions intrinsically right which promote prosperity, good order, and righteousness can not be changed into crimes at a given moment—by the clock—and purged from criminality “by act of Parliament” twenty-four hours later.

After this memorial had been read in the Senate, Senator Gallinger, the chairman of the Committee on the District of Columbia, made a statement which we quote from the Congressional Record:—

Mr. President, in connection with the memorial I feel it my duty, as chairman of the Committee on the District of Columbia, to make a very brief statement.

For several years we have had bills before that committee along the lines of the bills that are named in the memorial, and I believe there is one such bill before the committee at the present time. During the last Congress the committee had one or more hearings on the subject, but no conclusion was reached. The bill now before the committee will have consideration in the near future to the extent of a hearing, to which all the parties in interest, of course, will be invited.

I think it is proper I should say that, in respect to Sunday legislation, the District of Columbia is somewhat unique. Only a few days ago I was in a photograph gallery in Washington when a man employed there said to me, “I wish Congress would enact some legislation looking to Sunday as a day of rest.” I inquired how it affected him, and he said, “Simply because our photograph gallery is open all day Sunday; we are doing work here precisely as we do on week-days; and we are compelled to do it because all the other galleries in the city of Washington are open for that purpose.”

Mr. President, I am not going to intrude upon the Senate my views on this subject, but I do think it is of sufficient consequence to have the matter thoroughly heard before the committee and thoroughly discussed in this body; and as chairman of the Committee on the District of Columbia I shall endeavor to see that that shall be done in the near future.

Our Seventh-day Baptist brethren have done the cause of religious liberty good service in presenting to Congress their able memorial, which ought to have weight with that honorable body. The statement made by Senator Gallinger is formal notice that the subject of Sunday legislation will receive considerable attention at this session of Congress, and ought to stir the opponents of religious legislation to earnest activity in behalf of religious liberty. Our Religious Liberty Bureau is giving this subject their attention, and will doubtless indicate to our people how they may assist in the campaign. Let each one make his influence felt on the right side.

Of Interest to American Missionaries

By William Ambrose Spicer

SEVERAL missionaries have asked regarding an act of Congress passed last year relating to the registration of American citizens in consulate offices abroad. Some newspaper reports have incorrectly represented the law. Only citizens by naturalization are required to register in order to retain citizenship, though the privilege of registration given all Americans abroad may be helpful in countries where passport regulations are strict. The Department of State writes us:—

American citizens resident in foreigncountries are invited to register with the nearest American consul, and such consuls are authorized to issue them certificates of such registration, but registration is not required by law, and is designed by the executive to better effect the protection of American citizens resident in foreign countries.

The law does affect the status of a naturalized citizen, resident in other lands. The act provides:—

When any naturalized citizen shall have resided for two years in the foreign state from which he came, or five years in any other foreign state, it shall be presumed that he has ceased to be an American citizen, and the place of his general abode shall be deemed his place of residence during said years: Provided, however, That such presumption may be overcome on the presentation of satisfactory evidence to a diplomatic or consular officer of the United States, under such rules and regulations as the Department of State may prescribe.

The evidence that one is under appointment as a missionary, and that he is under obligation, in view of such appointment, to remain longer than the time covered by the passport regulations, will doubtless be accepted as satisfactory in every case.

W. A. S.

Growing Factors in the Missionary Enlargement

By W. A. S.

THE union conferences growing into strength abroad are joining heart and soul with conferences in this land in throwing into the fields abroad every possible resource of men and means that can be spared.

This lining up of organized forces both in this country and abroad has given a new impetus to the missionary enlargement in recent times.

The cause has become so large that unless we watch closely, we fail to keep in touch with the developments of the deepest import. Here is an extract from a letter from Elder C. H. Parker, of Fiji, giving his impression of the experiences they had at the union conference council in Australia, reported some time ago, at which about twelve laborers were appointed to mission fields:—

It was wonderful how the Lord helped our Australasian Union Conference to meet the demands that were made upon it at the last council, but the Lord wonderfully provided the means. The different conference presidents said, “Here are our lists of laborers, make your choice, and we will do all that we can to help support them.” Brother Olsen had come up with anxiety to that meeting, for he did not know what way to turn. When the conferences came up to the help of the Lord in that manner, it was like the shout of victory in the camp. It is needless to say that the burden rolled from Brother Olsen, and the needs of every field were adjusted. How glad I am to be connected with such a message, such a people, and such a God.

It means much to those who watch for the signs that the end is very near that over in the Australasian field is a union conference assuming heavy burdens in administering and sustaining the work in Polynesia and the populous East Indies.

So in other lands abroad strong union conferences are growing into sharers of the great missionary responsibility that rests upon us. The Lord is organizing the forces of believers in the message for a decided movement upon the unentered fields. W. A. S.

The Anglo-Roman Union

THE proposition put forward recently at a meeting of Episcopalians for union of that church with Rome is attracting considerable attention, and much of the sentiment expressed is averse to the idea. The Christian Herald of February 26 in an editorial speaks as follows regarding the movement:—

The society openly proclaims its desire to overthrow all that Luther and Wycliffe and their friends accomplished, and replace the churches on old pre-Reformation footing. They desire to take a step backward, and to give up all for which the early Protestants struggled and suffered. They propose to do all they can to restore the old tyranny of the popes by adding to the power the pontiff now wields the whole power of the Episcopal Church. It is a humiliating confession, a surrender of principle, which should put every member of the church on the alert.

The time chosen is the more significant because the pope has recently been at some pains to show that neither the Romish church nor its head has changed its principles. It is not a converted nor even a renovated church with which the Episcopalians are to be united, but a church with all its old faults, its old tyrannical methods, its old arrogance and assumptions, its old hatred of honest inquiry and discussion. We are under no apprehension of American citizens being led away when they know the facts. The Christian deplores the divisions of Christendom

but better separation a thousand times than union with such errors as Rome represents, and the surrender of individual spiritual liberty into the hands of an Italian priest. Let every Episcopalian be sure that this is the meaning of the movement, however its character may be disguised under the sophistries of its leaders.

An Appeal

By Arthur Grosvenor Daniells

I FEEL impressed to call the attention of our people to the importance of giving our magazine, Liberty, a wide circulation. As we all know, this journal is the special medium of our cause through which we are endeavoring earnestly to proclaim the truth of the gospel regarding the true relationship and legitimate spheres of the church and the state. We believe that this magazine occupies the true ground on this great, vital question.

We know full well that our message is to warn the world, and especially the people of the United States, against the enforcement of Sunday observance by civil law. We know, too, that just now there is the greatest activity from the Atlantic to the Pacific on the part of ministers, lawmakers, judges, and police magistrates to make and enforce Sunday laws.

A similar activity is witnessed in all parts of the world. The shocking news has just reached us that one of our brethren in a foreign country has been sentenced to imprisonment for six years for refusing to do regular army service on the Sabbath day. Who can not see that the sharp crisis which we have known for half a century would come, is surely and rapidly approaching?

The last number of Liberty is a most excellent number. Many have pronounced it to be a masterpiece. It is surely one of the best religious liberty documents we have ever issued. It contains our Memorial to Congress, and it gives a clear analysis of the character of the Sunday bills now before Congress.

This number is worthy of a place in every home in the United States. It ought to have a large circulation. I do not know what can be written to more clearly and forcibly meet the crisis we are facing. There can not be a better time to give our warning message than now, nor a better and more economical way than by sowing the whole land with Liberty.

I feel deeply regarding this matter, and appeal to our conference and church officers and all our people to arouse and make the use of this opportunity God intends we should. A. G. DANIELLS.

Note and Comment

Handicapped by Herself

THE Lutheran Witness publishes the following Catholic testimony concerning the advantage which Protestant missionaries in foreign countries have over Catholic missionaries:—

Protestant missions have one advantage over ours; we have no married missionaries. Of the 6,000 Protestant missionaries 2,000 are married, and the wives of these messengers of the faith, by their own example, teach heathen men and women the duties of Christian women. Even the blind heathen can not withstand this influence, and in countries where woman is despised and subjected to the hardest drudgery, where children are exposed or neglected, the sacred cause of the family is conducted to victory by Christian women.

That is a good testimony coming from such a source; but there is no Biblical reason why the Catholic missionary should be deprived of the assistance of a godly wife. The above quotation contains evidence that the custom of celibacy interferes with the success of the work of the Catholic missionary. It is unthinkable that God would institute a custom which must interfere with the progress of his own work. This custom, like that of penance and prayers for the dead, is opposed to the fundamental principles of the gospel of Christ.

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