p. 16 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 39, No. 6. (2/6/1912)

Earlier text: The Re-establishment of the Papacy

Russia's Discrimination

Russia makes curious discriminations. She places Seventh-day Adventists under the ban because confessedly they are of a high moral character, but do not agree with the "Orthodox" faith, and Jews because they are superior mentally and financially. It would naturally seem that she would welcome both classes to her empire.

Character, Faith, and Cooperation

It is not position in God's work which tells for advancement, but character, faith, and coöperation with the divine. A leading position in an organization designed for moral and religious purposes, if he who occupies that position be dominated by selfishness or any other attribute of evil, makes for defeat instead of victory. God may work, but He does it in spite of him who occupies the leading position.

The World Drift

By Editor

The World Drift.— A few years ago, when Mr. Bryan came from his world trip, he suggested that the country ought to own its own railways. Government ownership of railways was suggested in a speech that he made on landing in New York, if we remember rightly, but it evidently had a tremendous influence in killing Mr. Bryan for the next campaign for presidency. The idea was denounced as Socialistic; but since that time the trend has been growing so that any utterance that Mr. Bryan might then have made is far behind the times. The drift the world over is toward the government ownership of public utilities. Thirty-eight cities in Germany, for instance, including Berlin and Frankfort, own municipal street railways. Large cities in India own their municipal electric plants; Tokyo, Japan, is taking over its street railways; and Osaka, in the same empire, has controlled its railways for years. Russia owns and operates its steam railways, and many of the largest towns in that empire own their street railway, electric, and gas plants. South Africa owns its steam railways, and its cities their public utilities largely. In Australia, all steam railways are owned by the various divisions of the Australasian commonwealth, and the cities generally own their public utility plants. Germany, Norway, Sweden, France, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Great Britain are all falling into line. Canada operates 2,000 miles of steam railroad; and in the United States all the cities of over 300,000 population, except San Francisco, own and operate their own water supply. Postmaster-General Hitchcock advises Government ownership of telegraph lines. These things show the drift of the world toward Socialism governmentally, and the Initiative, the Referendum, and the Recall are all along the same line.

Why a Loss in Postal Business

THE New York World, referring to the claim of the Postmaster-General that the Government loses over seven cents a pound on second-class mail-matter sent to the Pacific Coast, and $50,000,000 a year on all such matter, pertinently asks:

If the Government loses on the exceptional long haul, what does it gain on the common short haul? And if it loses also on the common short haul at a cent a pound, why does it lose?

The great bulk of second-class matter is carried over comparatively short distances. Within these distances the express companies do the business at much less than a cent a pound and make money. Over the same average distance the railroads will carry passengers and provide them with cushioned seats and room to walk around at a less charge per pound than second-class matter is said to be costing the Government.

What is the trouble? Simply that the Government has driven away the profitable part of the second-class mail business, and now deals with the unprofitable part, as if it were the possible as well as the actual whole. It is the way governments usually do business.

Pacific Press Annual Meeting

The Pacific Press Publishing Association held its annual meeting on January 22. It was the eighth annual meeting of the reorganized association, and would have been the thirty-sixth annual meeting of the organization that was first formed, and that was superseded by the present organization that was formed to meet the growing demands of our work. The reports rendered by the officers of our association showed that the last was the most prosperous year of our existence. The growth of our publishing work during the last ten years particularly has been most remarkable. Our denomination as a whole is now selling about $1,600,000 worth of literature in a year, and we are selling about one fourth of that amount from this house. The report of the organization will be given later.

Medical Missionary Association Meeting

By Editor

The Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association of California held a meeting preliminary to their annual meeting January 24 at Sanitarium, St. Helena, Cal. The Board of Directors, a number of which were elected at this meeting, now stands as follows: H. W. Cottrell, G. A. Irwin, E. W. Alsberge, E. F. Stow (holdovers), George Thomason, M.D., L. M. Bowen, C. L. Taylor, H. McDowell, W. C. White, R. Rose (new elected members), constituting now a board of ten. At our last information the board had not organized.

Testing in Adversity and Prosperity

Testing in adversity is often easier to bear than testing in prosperity. The first drives us nearer to God; the latter leads us to depend upon ourselves. But God is as needful to us in prosperity as in adversity.

Unity in God’s Work

Unity in God's work is only attained by unity in Him; and unity in Him is multiplied strength. One with God shall chase a thousand, but two with God shall put ten thousand to flight.

Visions of Greater Blessing

It is a blessed vision of faith, when we are greatly blessed of God, which sees larger visions of bliss, greater reaches of blessing, greater towers of strength, than we now enjoy.

It Is Time to Seek Jehovah

"It is time to seek Jehovah, till He come and rain righteousness upon you." It is time now.