Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Apr 27, 1905
The Master Is Coming
THEY said, “The Master is coming
To honor the town to-day,
And none can tell at whose house or home
The Master may choose to stay.”
And I thought, while my heart beat wildly,
What if He should come to mine?
How would I strive to entertain
And honor the Guest divine?
And straight I turned to toiling
To make my home more neat;
I swept and polished and garnished,
And decked it with blossoms sweet;
I was troubled for fear the Master
Might come ere my task was done,
And I hasted and worked the faster,
And watched the hurrying sun.
But right in the midst of my duties
A woman came to my door;
She had come to tell me her sorrows,
And my comfort and aid to implore.
And I said, “I can not listen,
Nor help you any to-day;
I have greater things to attend to,”
And the pleader turned away.
And soon there came another—
A cripple, thin, pale, and gray—
And said, “O let me stop and rest
Awhile in your home, I pray!
I have traveled far since morning,
I am hungry, and faint, and weak;
My heart is full of misery,
And comfort and help I seek.”
And I said, “I am grieved and sorry,
But I can not help you to-day;
I look for a great and noble Guest,”
And the cripple went away.
And the day wore on swiftly,
And my task was nearly done,
And a prayer was in my heart
That the Master to me might come.
And I thought I would spring to meet Him,
And serve Him with utmost care,
When a little child stood by me
With a face so sweet and fair—
Sweet, but with marks of tear-drops,
And his clothes were tattered and old;
A finger was bruised and bleeding,
And his little bare feet were cold.
And I said, “I am sorry for you;
You are sorely in need of care,
But I can not stop to give it,
You must hasten elsewhere.”
And at the words a shadow
Swept o’er his blue-veined brow;
“Some one will feed and clothe you, dear,
But I am too busy now.”
At last the day was ended,
And my toil was over and done;
My house was swept and garnished,
And I watched in the dark, alone:
Watched, but no footfall sounded;
No one paused at my gate,
No one entered my cottage door;
I could only pray and wait.
I waited till night had deepened,
And the Master had not come;
“He has entered some other door,” I cried,
“And gladdened some other home!”
My labor has been for nothing,
And I bowed my head and wept,
My heart was sore with longing,
Yet, in spite of it all, I slept.
Then the Master stood before me,
And His face was grave and fair:
*“Three times to-day I came to your door
And craved your pity and care;
Three times you sent Me onward,
Unhelped and uncomforted,
And the blessing you might have had
was lost,
And your chance to serve has fled.”*
“O Lord, dear Lord, forgive me!
“How could I know it was Thee?”
My very soul was shamed and bowed
In the depths of humility.
And He said, “The sin is pardoned,
But the blessing is lost to thee;
For, comforting not the least of Mine,Ye have failed to comfort Me.”
—Selected.
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Editorial
By Editor
Convincing Testimony
THE exponents of the New Theology are able to meet argument with argument, and sound exegesis with philosophical speculation, but they must go down before the triumphant power of the faith which takes God at his word. The greatest argument in support of the original Christianity is Christianity itself. The most convincing testimony in behalf of an all-sufficient Saviour is a life of deliverance from sin. The most satisfactory evidence that there is a saving message for this generation is the people who have been saved by the message. The rulers and elders and scribes attempted to counteract the effect of the apostles’ teaching, and to discredit their miracle-working power, but “seeing the man that was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.” The strength of this message is not in the theoretical interpretation of certain texts, although it does furnish a simple and consistent presentation of much that has been involved in obscurity, but in its actual results in gathering out believers from all classes and all nationalities, and uniting them as one body of loyal, self-sacrificing witnesses to the transforming power of a saving gospel, even at this time when the enemy is coming in like a flood, and so many are being overwhelmed in the swelling tide of evil. Here is the opportunity for every one to bear a telling testimony. In the quiet of the home, in the regular round of routine duties, in the daily association with friends and neighbors, as well as in the more public life of the recognized laborer, there is abundant opportunity to make the most convincing argument in behalf of that old-fashioned religion which believes in God rather than in man. Such testimony as this is greatly needed. Let each one be a faithful witness.
Perils and Perplexities
THOSE who have watched the drift of events, and have kept in sympathetic touch with the moods and tendencies of public feeling during the past few years, have doubtless realized that there has been an undoubted change in the situation, although they might find it difficult to define this change in exact terms. An increasing intensity has seemed to take possession of men and nations. In the mad race for wealth there has been a growing disregard for the principles of justice and righteousness. In the struggle for position and power there has been less and less attention paid to moral considerations in the determined effort to gratify ambition. In religious circles the departure from the old faith has been marked and rapid, and there has been an almost wholesale rejection of doctrines which for many centuries have been regarded as fundamental to Christianity. The number and the character of the crimes committed are such as to arrest the attention of many serious people, and to disturb the orthodox belief in a soon-coming millennium of peace and righteousness. There are exhibitions of satanic ingenuity in inventing new methods of evil-doing and of reckless daring in criminal operations which were not dreamed of by the most depraved of the lawless class a few years ago. And so many and so shocking are the revelations concerning the shameless corruption of city and state governments and the lawless greed of powerful corporations that the public conscience seems to be in danger of being hardened by the very familiarity with abounding iniquity. It is certain that things are perceptibly different from what they were even a few years ago. What does all this mean?—It means that we have reached those times of peril and perplexity which indicate the nearness of the second advent and the end of the present order of things. In the light of the prophetic scriptures there is no other possible explanation of the present situation. Surely the time is short, and yet under all this pressure of evil there is a great work to be done. The intensity of sin must be met by the intensity of righteousness. The last warning and saving message must be given speedily, and the end must come quickly. The perils and perplexities of the time ought to stimulate us to more earnest and loyal service in hastening the coming of the kingdom.
A False Argument Answered
Those who teach the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath according to the plain statement of the fourth commandment are often confronted with the claim that the translation of Matt. 28: 1 is incorrect, and that the proper rendering would show a change of the Sabbath at that time. The passage, as given in the Authorized Version, reads as follows: “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,” etc. As found in the American Revised Version it reads: “Now late on the Sabbath day, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,” etc. When observers of the seventh day declare that these translations are correct, and that no justifiable translation of the original will give any countenance to the idea of two sabbaths coming together, the old and the new, with the resurrection between them, their assertion is generally discounted on the ground that they are interested parties testifying in their own behalf. It never seems to occur to those who take this view of the case that those who make an unwarranted translation of this passage may be attempting to establish their own belief by wresting the original.
Under these circumstances we are pleased to be able to present to our readers the candid treatment of this disputed text by Dr. Walter Quincy Scott, who is one of the instructors in the Bible Teachers’ Training-school of New York City, and an observer of the first day of the week. In the January number of The Bible Record, published by the training-school, there appeared the following question:—
Is it allowable to translate the Greek of Matt. 28: 1, “At the end of the sabbaths, as it began to dawn towards the first of the sabbaths”? It seems to me as if we might, and it would be quite an argument in favor of a change of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week, because the resurrection4morning stood between the two classes of sabbaths.
In reply to this question, Dr. Scott addressed the following letter to Dr. W. W. White, the editor of the Bible Record:—
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 1904.
MY DEAR DR. WHITE: Your correspondent asks, “Is it allowable to translate the Greek of Matt. 28: 1 [the Greek text is here inserted], ‘At the end of the sabbaths, as it began to dawn towards the first of the sabbaths’?”
Such a rendering is impossible.
1. Mian is feminine, and sabbaton is neuter. Mian agrees with hameran, understood.
Your inquirer remarks on this point (as made by writer in Sunday School Times), “Neither do they [mian and sabbaton] agree in number.” Of course not; a substantive followed by a partitive genitive can not agree with it numerically.
2. It seems idle to add anything to the foregoing grammatical prohibition of the rendering proposed. But I may add that mian sabbaton is a Hebraism corresponding to the rabbinical designation of the days of the week. They called each day of the festal week a “sabbath,” and indicated each day by its proper ordinal prefixed to “sabbath.”
And in Greek eis is commonly used (as here) instead of protos.
LXX and N. T. alike use ta sabbata in sense of singular—“the Sabbath day,” and also in the meaning “week.” Mian sabbaton in Matt. 28: 1 can not mean anything else than “first day of the week.” The R. V. correctly translates the verse.
Your correspondent will find ample scholarly notes in Lange’s Matthew, by Schaff.
Yours very truly,
WALTER QUINCY SCOTT.
This is the straightforward statement of the truth concerning this text, made by one who is capable of dealing with the original, and who will not pervert the Scripture in order to provide “quite an argument in favor of a change of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week.” These same facts have already been stated in our own publications, but we thought it worth the while to present the testimony of one who could not possibly be charged with expounding the passage in such a way as to favor his own views on the Sabbath question. We have given the letter in full, with the name and date of the publication in which it appeared, together with the circumstances which gave rise to it, in order that any of our workers who desire to make use of it can give an intelligent and authoritative statement concerning it. We are quite sure that many of our readers will preserve this whole article permanently for future reference. It may serve a good purpose in answering a false argument based upon an unwarranted translation of the text under consideration.
Not Works, But Growth
By L. A. S.
THE Christian life is a growth. It is growth “in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3: 18.
There is an instructive analogy between physical and spiritual growth. Both take place independently of the human will. We can not by taking thought add a cubit to our stature, neither can we by any exercise of the physical or mental powers grow in the Christian life. Physical growth takes place under certain conditions which are supplied by the power and wisdom of the Creator, and in like manner, and from the same source, are supplied the conditions of spiritual growth. There is a physical sun, the light of which promotes physical growth; and there is a spiritual sun, the “Sun of righteousness,” whose light is necessary to spiritual growth. That sun is Jesus, and the Christian life is a life of “looking unto Jesus,” and of beholding “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
This is only to say, in other words, that the Christian life is not a result of works, but that the work is God’s work, wrought out in us by his own power, and that our part is simply to believe on Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. It is to say that no man has power to make himself any better than he is; that he can not, of himself, perform the lesser, any more than the greater, works of righteousness; and that the greater works, and highest requirements of the law, are no less attainable by the humblest Christian than any others, since it is all the work of God, who is both omnipotent and omniscient.
It is useless to set before ourselves a lot of things which we “must do” in order to be Christians, and to meet the requirements of the divine law. The Christian life is not lived in that way, and the idea that it is, which so readily comes to us, is at the foundation of one of the most common and also most dangerous mental conditions into which the seeker for salvation can fall,—a condition which leads one to say, or think within his heart, “It is impossible to do those things; nobody lives up to such requirements, and there is no use in my trying to do so.” Having arrived at this conclusion, the individual goes on, it may be for months and years, in a consciously backslidden, hypocritical state.
It is indeed useless to contemplate the requirements of the law, and attempt to nerve ourselves up to the task of scaling the heights of Christian perfection; that only brings discouragement and disaster. But there is the greatest use in opening the heart to God by faith, so that he can perform the works of the law in us. In the Christian life results are left with God. If the acorn should say to itself, “I must manage somehow to grow into a great oak,” or if the mustard seed should ponder upon the task of growing into the “greatest of all trees,” or if the apple seed should set out to accomplish the task of growing into a large tree filled with fruit, well might these little seeds become discouraged with the prospect. They could not do it at all, and yet they do do it; not of themselves, but by submission to their Creator, whose power works out in them the marvelous results of growth. It is no exertion to grow, and the seed takes no thought of results. And no more is Christian growth an exertion, nor should one take any thought for results in living the Christian life. He need not stop at any time and take the measure of the excellence to which he has attained. He should not be conscious of any excellence of his own, but only of the excellence of Christ.
The results will come; the requirements of the divine law will be met. God himself will attend to that. The Christian need only concern himself to know that he has Christ within, and that he loves to do the will of God. “I want to serve self, but I must not;” or, “I don’t want to do this that God requires, but I must,” is not the language of Christianity. It should be to us a cause of rejoicing, not of discouragement, that the standard of the law is exceedingly high, for it is God who does the works; and when that standard is met in our lives, we shall be exceedingly better than we are. L. A. S.
That Blessed Hope
By W. A. S.
We are not in the world merely to stand still and be good. We are going somewhere. This advent movement ends at the gates of the city of God in this our generation. Not for a moment must we forget the aim and goal of all our hopes.
It was the hope of actually getting to the celestial city, and the determination to be there at all hazards, that sent Bunyan’s pilgrim through the Slough of Despond, up the Hill Difficulty, on past every trial and discouragement, and into the haven at last. There was a wealth of experience in the reply that Christian gave, in the allegory, when Prudence asked him if he could remember any means by which at times discouragements and depression and perplexities were vanquished. He said: “When my thoughts wax warm about whither I am going, that will do it.”
There is nothing like it—the thought of the glorious city and the Saviour’s soon coming to take his children home. When thoughts of these wax warm in our hearts, how courage grows, and depression5flees away. There is actual power in this hope of seeing Jesus coming in the clouds to end the conflict. “Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” Truly,—
“There is a blessed hope,
More precious and more bright
Than all the joyless mockery
The world esteems delight.”
The glory of the celestial city beckons us on. Thus it is that not only the Spirit, but the bride, the heavenly Jerusalem, says, Come. Between us and the kingdom lies only the unfinished work committed to us. We must not forget night or day the one work. It is to carry this message as a witness quickly to every nation and tongue, and “then shall the end come.”
It is no time to talk merely about the progress of the work. The finishing of the work is the cry now. It is this finishing of the work that the devil will oppose with all his power. But John in the Revelation saw this message speeding to every tongue and people. He heard it swell into the loud cry, and heard the shout of victory at last. He saw this very advent people, cleansed and purified by trial, marching into the city of God.
Let us keep warm in our hearts the thoughts about whither we are going.
W. A. S.
Elijah and Ahab
The propriety of accepting a large gift for mission purposes from Mr. John D. Rockefeller, the head of the Standard Oil Company, has caused much earnest discussion in the papers and magazines of the country. On the one side, there has been a decided protest against the use of “tainted money” or “hush money” for religious purposes, on the ground that it would involve the church to a certain degree as condoning the methods of the Standard Oil Company, an organization which has been indicted at the bar of public opinion, if not by any grand jury, for the utter disregard of righteous principles in its business affairs. On the other hand, it has been claimed that a refusal of the money would require the church to make itself a judge in Mr. Rockefeller’s case, and that to be consistent it must investigate and pass upon the character of all donors to its treasury. There has been much difference of opinion, and many instances of illogical interpretation of Scripture texts supposed to have some reference to the principles involved.
Among the many articles published upon this subject is one by Mr. W. J. Bryan, from which we take the following pertinent paragraph:—
It is hardly worth while to consider the argument that the church has no right to reject money offered to it. It would put the church in a pitiful position if it were so helpless that it could be made a partner in wrong-doing without its power to refuse. But if any preacher is afraid that he will incur responsibility by refusing to accept Mr. Rockefeller’s gifts, let him devote himself to the denunciation of the methods employed by Mr. Rockefeller, and he will not have any Rockefeller money offered to him. Let him preach the gospel of the One who, instead of attempting to absorb the wealth of others, gave himself to the world and went about doing good, and he will never be put to the test; for the men who make millions by exploitation, and then give a tithe of their plunderings to church or charity, are not likely to embarrass with their gifts those who cry out and spare not. Elijah never had to ponder whether he should receive gifts from Ahab; for the truth which he proclaimed made Ahab his bitter enemy.
The advice given in this instance might be followed to advantage in other cases. It is a soft sentimentalism growing out of a false idea of Christian sympathy which leads one to refrain from speaking out plainly and openly against a gross and notorious violation of the fundamental principles of Christianity and the perversion of plain gospel truths lest he should appear to condemn some one. The one who takes such a course will soon find himself compromising with sin itself. It was a false sympathy with Lucifer, the originator of sin, which led many of the angels to hesitate in their allegiance to the rightful King of the universe, and drew them on step by step into open rebellion.
We do not advocate harshness in dealing with those who take a wrong course. We have the greatest sympathy for those who have been overcome by temptation. We believe in using every legitimate means in the effort to restore the erring, but there came a time when it was necessary to cast Satan out of heaven. The whole work and truth of God must not be compromised in the vain endeavor to keep up an appearance of harmony with those who refuse the counsel of God. It is utterly useless and inconsistent to call upon sinners in the world to repent of and forsake sins which we overlook or excuse in sinners of influence in the church. The times now demand such a sturdy exhibition of genuine regard for right principles and the essential truths of the gospel as will admit of no compromise in any case. And above all things, the third angel’s message, which is designed to warn against putting man in the place of God, is not to be dominated by the fear of man. Those who preach this message must cry aloud and spare not, even though they should cut off their own hand or pluck out their own eye in so doing, but in it all the love of heaven must be revealed. Such a preaching of the gospel will settle many questions of policy.
The Railroads and the Banks
ALMOST every week supplies some new facts bearing upon the remarkable accumulation of money and consequent financial power in the hands of a few men who are thus in a position to control the forces and conditions of the commercial world. Just now it is the railroads and the banks which are under observation. In an exhaustive study of the railroad problem Mr. Henry C. Nicholas, “a railway expert in the full sense of the term,” sums up the situation, so far as the question of control is concerned, in the following paragraphs taken from his article in Public Opinion:—
The late C. P. Huntington, one of the greatest railroad geniuses this country has ever produced, made the assertion a few months before his death that this generation would see a consolidation of all the railroads in the United States into a single system. This prediction, which seemed an exceedingly wild statement when it was made, is rapidly being fulfilled. The railroad industry of the United States is to-day absolutely controlled by ten men. There are in the United States about 210,000 miles of railroads. Of this mileage these ten men control no less than seventy-five per cent, or about 160,000 miles. Included in this mileage is practically every important railroad in the country. The remaining 50,000 miles not controlled by these ten men is composed largely of small and relatively unimportant lines. The movement toward consolidation has proceeded too far now to be stopped. The next few years will certainly see practically all of the few remaining independent railroads absorbed by the larger companies, and the entire railroad system of the country will thus be brought under the absolute control of a small handful of men.
The beneficial results of the movement toward consolidation among the railroads is admitted even by those who regard the entire movement as a serious menace to the future welfare of the country.
There is another and more serious6side to the movement, however. Never before in the history of the world has a small handful of men controlled the enormous resources and the tremendous power that is centered in the hands of the ten men who control the railroad industry of the United States. Whether or not any ten men, however honorable they may be, and however noble may be their aims, should be permitted to control the railroad industry of the country, with its power of taxing every industry and entering into the cost of practically every commodity of commerce, is another and far greater question which this country will soon be called upon to solve.
A fresh illustration of the consolidation of wealth under the control of a few banking institutions is furnished by an article in the Wall Street Journal of late date, with the title, “The Big Five,” from which we learn that five banks in New York City “practically control the banking situation.” The total capital of these five banks is $119,091,400, their loans as reported on March 4 amounted to $561,188,000, and their total reserve as reported on the same date was $150,169,800. A comparison between these totals and the similar totals reported March 7, 1903, shows an enormous increase during the past two years. The Journal calls attention to this growth by saying, “Even the changes of two years have been so great as to call for special notice.”
In summing up the situation the Journal says, “At this rate it will not be long before these five banks will represent more than half the reserves of the clearing-house. The ‘Big Six’ packing-house, constituting the much discussed ‘beef trust,’ controls only forty-five per cent of the slaughter trade. The ‘Big Five’ banks represent over forty-five per cent of the loans and legal reserves of the clearing-house.”
The situation in the financial world is so strikingly different from what it ever was before in the history of the world that it is plainly one of the signs of the times. To the men who have amassed such wealth, whether by honorable or by dishonorable means, are addressed the words, “Ye have laid up your treasure in the last days.” The common people are fast losing their regard for the rights of property because the rights of others have been disregarded to such an extent in the acquisition of property, and conditions are rapidly shaping for “an upheaval” which is already being prophesied by discerning observers.
Those who have been entrusted with the stewardship of our Lord’s goods, and who realize the meaning of these things, ought to perceive that the time has come to transfer more and more of their treasure to the bank of heaven. Those who in a judicious way render aid to the needy, and who use their means for the furtherance of the kingdom of God in the earth, are simply lending to the Lord, and in the time of the world’s bankruptcy his credit will still be good, and he will richly repay all loans. It is time to take these lessons to heart.
Three Things Equal to the Same Thing
By W. A. S.
HERE are three things in the Scriptures, plainly equal to the same thing, and therefore equal to each other.
1. A New Creature.—“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” Gal. 6:15.
2. Faith That Works.—“For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.” Gal. 5:6.
3. Keeping the Commandments.—“Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.” 1 Cor. 7:19.
He who receives Christ Jesus becomes a new creature, and possesses a faith that works obedience to the commandments of God. W. A. S.
Outline of Plans for the General Conference Session
By Arthur G. Daniells
MANY assurances are given us that the coming conference will be an occasion of great blessing to the people and cause of God. One of the strongest of these evidences is the unusual interest our people everywhere feel in this meeting. Letters come to us from all over the world, telling that the writers are praying for the coming conference, and that their faith is claiming God's promise to answer their prayers.
I take this opportunity of expressing to the thousands of our loyal people the deep gratitude we all feel for these assurances of interest in this meeting. The full measure of the value of the prayers and intercessions of God's people in the great and glorious work being carried on in the world, will never be known until revealed in the judgment of the great day.
Before the conference convenes, it may be helpful to our brethren and sisters to have a general outline of the plans for the conference. As we have already announced, the conference will be held in camp; that is to say, the meetings will be held in a large tent, and many of the delegates will live in tents. The camp will be located on the grounds of the Washington Training College. This will make it possible for us to entertain a large number of the delegates in the dormitories of the school, and to make use of the dining hall, heating facilities, and bath-rooms. It will also enable us to operate an inexpensive lunch-counter, and thus aid our people in economizing in the expenses of living. The meetings of the session will be held in a large pavilion.
Evening services will be held in three or four different places in the District of Columbia. One large tent will be pitched not far from the railway station in Takoma Park. This meeting will be attended by the majority of our people attending the conference, and we hope to secure an attendance of the citizens of Takoma Park. Two or three other tents will be pitched in different parts of the city of Washington, and we earnestly hope that the meetings carried on during the conference will be the beginning of a good, steady effort during the summer.
Our daily program will open at 5:45 A. M., with a devotional service. From 8 to 9 all the department committees, such as the educational, Sabbath-school, publishing, religious liberty, and medical committees will meet in separate tents for heart-to-heart talks and discussions regarding the special work committed to them. At the same time, the standing committees appointed by the conference will have an opportunity to do their work.
The first business meeting of the conference will begin at 9:30 A. M. Eleven o'clock of each day has been set apart as the time for a ministerial institute, to be conducted throughout the entire conference. The leading topics to be presented are the following: “Our Message,” “The High Calling and Importance of the Gospel Ministry,” “Fundamental Requirements for a Successful Ministry,” “The Ministry in Its Relation to the Church,” “How the Message Came to Us, and Its Development,” “The Improvement of the Ministry,” “The Ministry and the Field; Inspiring the People to ‘Finish the Work’ in Both Home and Foreign Fields,” “The Ministry and Its Relation to New Fields at Home and Abroad,” “The Tithe,” “The Support of the Work in Mission Fields,” “The Ministry and Our Denominational Literature,” “The Place of Institutional Work in Our Message,” “Camp-meeting Work,” “How to Save and Utilize Our Young People.”
These subjects will be presented by different ministers of experience in the special lines assigned to them. The afternoon will be devoted to business proceedings, and as already stated, the evenings will be given to public services for the people.
It has been decided to give each of the different departments of the General Conference a day of the session. These days will be known as “Educational day,” “Religious Liberty day,” “Medical day,” etc.
The most thorough work is being done to make every needed preparation for this conference. The department committees are at work preparing reports, recommendations, etc., relating to their special work. Nothing that we understand to be vital to the success of this work will be left undone in our preparations. While we shall deal with many fields and many questions, it may be said that the two leading features of the entire conference will be, first, the work to be done throughout the world, and, second, the preparation required to do it in the quickest possible time.
The situation demands that the coming conference shall be one of great value to those who attend, to our brethren and sisters who can not come, and to the great, perishing world, to whom God has sent us with his last message. I am sure that if our delegates could7all speak to our brethren and sisters, they would join in an earnest request that fervent prayer be offered by all our people throughout the session of this conference, that the Lord himself will take charge of the meeting, and direct in all that shall be done.
It is too late now for the Lord's people to be in confusion and miss their way. It is too late to make mistakes and blunders in forming and developing our plans. The Lord God of Israel must be Leader. For this let us all make earnest supplications, and it shall be even so.
A. G. DANIELLS.
Vote Buying in Delaware
THE Outlook of April 1 makes this observation regarding what may be seen in the muddy pool of politics to-day in the State of Delaware:—
A trustworthy correspondent informs us that it is estimated that nearly one half of all the votes in Delaware cast for the Republican ticket at the election last autumn were “coaxed into the ballot-box by cash,” and since there is pretty conclusive evidence showing that the Republicans alone spent at the polls at least one hundred and thirty thousand dollars, it will be seen that the estimate is not far out of the way. If the statements of reliable men may be accepted, at least ninety-five per cent of the negro voters demanded and got a money reward for their ballots. . . . Our correspondent assures us that specific instances have been given of fathers’ negotiating for their sons’ votes, and there is on record one case where a father drove his son from home because he would not sell the first vote he ever cast. . . . The buying and selling of votes has almost assumed the dignity of legitimate trade among certain classes of the State. “Mr. A’s money elected you,” exclaims one legislator to another. “No; it was the money of Mr. X,” is the reply. So that a man who constantly and loyally votes for the candidate who bought him attains almost the position of a high-toned moralist among his fellows.
In such a State popular government does not exist in any true sense of the word.
A Peaceful Nation Preparing for War
By L. A. S.
EX-SECRETARY-OF-THE-NAVY John D. Long sees in the present naval policy of the United States a dangerous tendency toward entanglement in the affairs of other nations, with consequences which it would be altogether in the interests of this country to avoid.
Mr. Long believes that the Monroe doctrine is being pushed “a little too far,” and that in becoming responsible for the payment of debts which European powers would otherwise collect by force from the republics in this hemisphere, this nation is entering upon a course which will be “prolific of embarrassment and costly entanglement.” In an article contributed to The Independent, Ex-Secretary Long speaks as follows on the point of naval expenditure:—
The naval expenditure is approaching a very high figure. During the year 1898, when the Spanish War was going on, and everything was on a war footing, actual hostilities made a great draft on the treasury, and yet the appropriations for the Navy Department were, as I gather from the same document, something like $125,000,000; in 1899, when the quiver of the war was still on, $62,000,000; in 1900, $53,000,000. In 1901 $69,000,000. Last year, 1904, they were over $103,000,000, almost as much as during the war with Spain; this year about the same. These expenditures for the navy in a time of peace on the basis of a time of war are a little out of keeping with our position as a peaceful nation.
Both in state and in church there is a visible departure from the old-time paths,—a departure which is seen by eminent men who can speak with authority on the subject, like Ex-Secretary Long, yet who know nothing of the significance of this departure from the standpoint of Bible prophecy. Many such voices are now proclaiming the signs of the times.
L. A. S.
Drawing Truth from Scripture
PUT nothing into the Scriptures, but draw everything from them, and suffer nothing to remain hidden which is really in them.—Bengel.