p. 14 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 33, No. 6. (2/6/1907)

European Letter

By Jean Vuilleumier

A Catholic Congress at Fribourg, Switzerland.

AN extraordinary gathering took place in the city of Fribourg, Switzerland, from September 22 to 26. Fribourg is the seat of a Catholic university and the center of Catholicism in French Switzerland. This was the second Swiss Catholic Congress. The first Congress took place a year before in Lucerne, the leading Catholic city in German Switzerland. These Catholic Congresses are a new departure, and show a new activity on the part of Swiss Catholics. This year's meeting far exceeded last year's in numbers and importance. Most, if not all, the Swiss Catholic societies were represented. Among them were artistic, musical, educational, philanthropic societies, young men's and young women's associations, etc.

Birdseye View of the City of Berne, Swiss Parliament Buildings in Foreground.

Needless to say that the gathering of all these elements of intellectual and social life among Swiss Catholics is a powerful means of promoting union and cohesion among them, and of reviving their enthusiasm and love for the Catholic cause.

One of these societies, the Swiss Popular Association has 404 branches and 42,000 members, while the French branches have 9,000 members. The whole number of delegates present at the Congress was between 15,000 and 20,000, which, for a small country like Switzerland, is a rare occurrence. Lucerne alone sent 1,000 men. Some of the Fribourg valleys sent from 1,000 to 2,000 delegates. For a few days our leading stations and the trains going to, or coming from, Fribourg were crowded with people wearing a red and yellow ribbon on which was printed in gold: Schweiz-Katoliken Tag (Swiss-Catholic Day). About a score of brass bands came with the crowds, and as they poured into the picturesque and well-decorated city of Fribourg, their martial melodies thrilled the whole population with enthusiasm.

In the able speeches made by the leading laymen, all the aims and interests of the Catholic Church in the family circle, public and private schools, society, art, history, constitutional law, and religion were brought to view and advocated.

On the fourth day the delegates went in a body, on two special trains, to Morat, the place of the famous victory of the Swiss over Charles, Duke of Burgundy, in 1476; there a speaker denounced antimilitarism as a baneful doctrine. A telegram of devotion was sent to the pope and one of sympathy to Cardinal Richard of Paris.

On Sunday a high mass was celebrated on the square of Notre Dame Church by Mgr. Deruar, and was attended by thousands of men. In the afternoon a procession numbering 20,000 marched thru the city. Historical groups added color to the procession. Altogether the scene gave an impression of gorgeousness, power, and earthly grandeur, quite in harmony with the aims and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

Separation of Church and State in Geneva, Bale, and Neuchatel.

The movement in favor of separating the State from the Church is taking root in Switzerland. Geneva takes the lead, then comes Neuchatel, then Bale, then Lausanne. In the first three cities, the matter has already come up for discussion in the Legislature. The upholders of the old state of things look upon the new measure as a historical profanation, and quote the names of the Reformers with pathos. The advocates of the separation insist that the situation of the State churches is one of partiality and injustice. There are now in Geneva, for instance, 64,237 Protestants and 74,404 Catholics, of whom 45,000 are foreigners. All these are expected to help support the old establishment of Calvin by their taxes. I should add that in the 64,000 Protestants, one-third are members of free churches, who are supporting their own pastors while paying for the State pastors, and that, in Geneva, the Catholic Church is not supported by the State.

A separation bill was introduced in the Geneva Legislature, Oct. 20, 1906. A debate took place in which many good thoughts were expressed on the principle at stake. One speaker, M. de Morsier, said that "the Church is based on liberty, while the State is based on force." He added that "a national Church is allowable only when there is but one religious opinion in a nation. But to-day, there are one thousand such opinions. Even deprived of State aid, the Protestant Church, if alive, may remain a church of the people and be strong."

It is not to be overlooked that the socialist and free-thinking spirit, in these movements, is clasping hands with the dissenters. In Geneva, the Catholic Church, not being supported by the State, is halting between two opinions: a desire to see the Protestant Church left, like itself, without State aid, and a hope to become also a State Church as in other Cantons. In the second alternative, its numerical force would entitle it to a lion's share of the State money and to some church buildings. Indeed, for some time many Protestants have been looking forward with fear to the time when the cathedral of Geneva would fall again into the hands of the Catholics. The struggle between Protestantism and Catholicism on the one hand, and between infidelity and Christianity on the other hand, is thus growing more fierce in Switzerland, on the old battle-grounds of Calvin, Farel, and Ecolampadius.

This is the clearest meaning, so far, out of these movements; for those who are calling for a separation are not those who are to be blessed by it, but rather dissenters, Socialists, and infidels. The only benefit from such a separation, as enforced on the State Church people, would be an indirect one, resulting from being obliged to fight for a living and to devote more time to actual Christianity, and less to rationalistic and higher critical speculations.

Birdseye View of Berne and the Bridge of Kirchenfeld.

The Meaning

By C. S. Longacre

THE PRICE OF THE WORLD'S PEACE—$1,389,859,374.

(Continued.)

The Meaning.

But what does all this preparation for war mean? The answer of all the nations is: The great preparations for war are to insure peace and maintain it. But the holy prophets prophesied that "the spirits of devils" should go forth with the deceptive "doctrines of devils," "in the latter days," "unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Yet the holy prophets declared that the nations, on the very eve of the last great battle of earth, will teach the people, saying, "Peace, peace; when there is no peace." Paul declared that "when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them." And this false peace cry is to be

an unmistakable sign of the near approach of "the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thess. 5: 1-3.

Armed Peace That Is Purchased Yearly at the price of billions, and maintained by the power of dynamite and thru rival aggression in gigantic war preparations, is a false, carnal peace, and can not last long. The affairs of the world, in all phases of operation, are reaching an unavoidable crisis. Unsurpassed trouble, distress, and perplexity are coming to the nations of earth and its people. Factions and immense combinations of labor, industry, and capital are arraying their forces against each other. The nations are whetting their swords and gnashing the teeth in anger, and the possibility of peace is forever passing away. An intensity of unrest and uncertainty pervades everything.

All Europe is sitting, as it were, over the crater of a mighty volcano that is quaking and heaving and ready to belch forth and produce the greatest convulsion and death-struggle among nations the world has ever seen. Never in the history of the world, were the nations equipped with such costly, mighty, death-dealing, and terribly destructive missiles for warfare; and when the war-demons are once let loose for concerted action, there will be no pause till earth's thrones topple and fall and the earth is strewn with the slain and refuses to cover them any more. Then the satanic hosts are left alone on the field of battle to behold for a thousand years the awful wreck of nations and the desolation of the whole earth.

All the diplomatic policies and schemes to avoid this calamitous catastrophe of nations will come to naught. While they are spending more than a billion a year to keep the European nations apart, all the powers are going into bankruptcy. France is illustrating this by earning $640,000,000 a year and spending $710,000,000 in the same period, which has already accumulated a national debt of $6,000,000,000. Instead of beating the sword into the plowshare, our own nation appropriated $165,000,000 last year to beat the plowshare into armor-plate and various deadly implements for war purposes.

Some day a blundering diplomat will hurl a political bomb into the powder magazine of nations, set the world afame, and bring about the terrible crisis that will involve all the nations of earth in the most bloody and calamitous conflict of the ages. There is nothing plainer than this to the observant eye, and this is exactly what the Bible says concerning the conditions and the wind-up of this world's history. The prophet Daniel in holy vision pictures the outcome thus: "And at that time shall Michael [Christ] stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble; such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the Book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." Dan. 12: 1.

Thus will end the history of this sin-cursed earth. For the unprepared there is pictured a fearful end; for the righteous there is portrayed a most glorious beginning with an infinity of days and unalloyed joys. May the promises of God concerning the faithful, cause a bright star of hope to spring up in the hearts of some sin-despairing souls; for there is still mercy with God. But soon the great Ledger in heaven will fold its lids, and if your name is not then written in the Book, you will be forever excluded from the joys and blessings of heaven.

C. S. LONGACRE.

CALIFORNIA'S PROPOSED SUNDAY AMENDMENT.

By Editor

What the California Press Are Saying.

BELOW we present a few extracts from our contemporaries in different parts of this State relative to the proposed amendment to the Constitution of California. It will be seen that there are editors who still see clearly what religious liberty means. (The bold-face type is ours.)

From the News-Letter and Advertiser, of Jan. 19, 1907, a prominent weekly of San Francisco:

"California never was a fit State for exploitation by the religious intolerant, and it is with regret that we note that a bill is proposed to enforce Sunday closing. It is proposed, by the enactment of this iniquitous measure, to provide a ready-made day of devotion, regardless of the beliefs of the community, or of the individuals forming the community. Such a law comes under the head of sumptuary legislation, and it is an infringement of individual rights! Such a law has no place in a liberty-loving, orderly community. Such a law belongs to the Dark Ages, and not to the present. The Sabbath is wholly a religious institution, and there is much doubt whether the majority of the people of the State of California are religiously inclined at all, and therefore such a law would be a terrible imposition of the religious minority on the irreligious majority. The Constitution of the United States provides for the free exercise and profession of religious worship, and without discrimination or preference. If a Mohammedan within our borders desires to do honor to the Deity on a Wednesday or a Friday, that is his business, and it shall not be prevented by law, and if the said Mohammedan attempt to make the rest of the community observe the same peculiar notion of the proper day for the Sabbath, such attempt on his part shall be construed as an illegal act and an infraction of the rights of the community. The set of men who are trying to enact Connecticut blue laws in modern California are enemies to the State. The bill should be buried. If it is carried no one will observe it. Do not burden the statute books with more useless laws."

From St. Helena's Leading Paper, the "Sentinel" of Jan. 10, 1907.

"The 'Sentinel' takes the stand that so long as an individual is honest in his religious convictions and does not interfere with the rights of others, the State should not pass laws inimical to his method of worship. With this view, it is hard to see why a large class of people should be compelled by law to observe any religious ceremonies, whether it be the keeping of the Sabbath on Sunday, Saturday, or any other day. Compulsory religion has never yet been successful for any considerable length of time, and, as the SIGNS OF THE TIMES aptly remarks, 'Sabbath-keeping is a religious matter.' All religions either do good or disappear, and no laws or set of laws can long maintain any religious doctrines that would not endure without the aid of such laws. Even the Christian religion was at one time unlawful, and the Founder Himself was crucified as a malefactor. Yet Christianity thrived in spite of the law, and still exists as a great and good religion, notwithstanding the many hypocrites that infest it. With the immaterial differences between the various sects of Christians, the State should not interfere, and the particular day on which the Sabbath is observed is only a form of religious belief. If either is right, it will ultimately prevail, laws or no laws."

(To Be Continued.)

M. Georges Python, head of the Fribourg Government. One of the speakers at the Catholic Congress.

The World’s Costliest Book

THE pope has received from the Republic of Brazil a book which is probably the costliest book in the world, being made of gold, set with jewels of fabulous worth. It is an offering of gratitude for his having given the first South American cardinal to Brazil. On the cover appear the monograms of Pius X, formed of emeralds and diamonds, and the arms of Brazil, with Latin mottoes. The book contains the papal arms, a bust of Pius X, and a map of Brazil, in which the states are marked by gems of different colors, a huge blue diamond of eight carats standing for Rio de Janeiro.

News and Notes

Citizenship for Porto Ricans.—President Roosevelt, in his visit to Porto Rico, November 21, said to the Porto Ricans who greeted him there:

"I shall continue to use every effort to secure citizenship for the Porto Ricans. I am confident this will come in the end, and all that I can personally do to hasten that day I will do."

He was very enthusiastically received. Many banners were displayed along his route, with the inscription: "We ask for self-government; we want to be American citizens."

AN ENGLISH ENGINEER en route from Tokyo to London reports that the war spirit is at fever heat in Japan, that preparations for war are being pushed along every line. Japan has two military arsenals, employing approximately 50,000 workmen, operates four shipyards, and works for the production of armor plate and material for big guns, and a powder factory.

A FRIGHTFUL accident occurred at Pittsburg, January 9, when the accumulated gas at the base of the furnace in a large steel plant became ignited, resulting in a terrific explosion. Tons of molten metal were showered around the furnace for a radius of forty feet, overwhelming the workmen in a fiery flood. About twenty were killed, several of them being consumed by the fiery metal.

IN spite of the evidence of oppression, thousands of half-starved natives, maimed and scarred by their masters, several strong Catholic organizations assert that reports of cruelty in the Congo are false. They protest against any interference by this government. Because King Leopold is a Catholic should make no difference in the cause of the oppressed natives.

A DESPATCH from Paris states that hereafter all French coins will bear the inscription, "Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity," minus the old device, "God Protect France." Evidently France means to make a complete separation of civil and religious matters. But after all their boasts, earthly kingdoms owe their dominion to God, whose "kingdom ruleth over all."

THE plan of keeping all the big warships on the Atlantic Coast will be changed, and the fleet of the Pacific is to be increased, until there are two large squadrons of vessels on this seaboard. Four of the most formidable ships now attached to the Atlantic squadron, including the battle-ships, Kentucky and Kearsarge, will be sent around the Horn and added to the Pacific squadron.

Indian Senator and Other News

By Editor

The first full-blooded Indian to sit in the Senate of the United States will take his place March 4. He is Charles Curtis, a member of the Kaw tribe, a self-made man, having worked his way up in Topeka, Kan., from which state he is elected.

A terrific wind-storm swept over Lake Erie January 20, resulting in the grounding of five Great Lake steamers, the destruction of property to the value of $2,000,000 on the Niagara River, and the loss of two lives. This winter has been unusually stormy.

Texas Affected by Earthquake.—The earthquake in Jamaica has had the effect of decreasing the oil flow from the Texas-Louisiana oil wells. In some places it is as much as forty-five per cent. less. In the older North Texas wells there has been an increase in the flow, and the product is fifty per cent. lighter in color.

Federating Together.—Will our readers note by our European Letter that, as in America, the Catholic societies and organizations are federating in Europe? The organized, drilled, and disciplined body wins; the disorganized mob goes down to defeat. Catholics are organizing, drilling, disciplining, for the conquest of the world. You can not blame them from their view-point; but it will be bad for the world.

A Good Way to Help Missions.—A lady in Missouri recently gave to the Methodist Board of Foreign Missions $1,000 in dimes, or 10,000 ten-cent pieces. She had been saving these for twelve years. She collected money for her husband, and he gave her all his dimes on the condition she would give him all she collected. In this way they both formed the habit of saving every dime. There may be a suggestion here for others who wish to give to missions.

Sometimes a good cause brings strange companions. Socialists and free-thinkers are with dissenters in Switzerland in working for the separation of Church and State. We presume that the State-church charges dissenters with friendship with infidels. So it has ever been. So Jesus was the Friend of "publicans and sinners," and Jesus Himself declared to those who arrogated to themselves the authority to direct religion, "The publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you."

News from Kingston.—A telegram from the president, A. G. Daniells, of our General Conference at Washington, D. C., wired us in reply to a telegram of inquiry sent by us as to casualties among our people in Kingston, gives us this information: Our American brethren who were in Kingston are safe. Four Jamaican brethren were killed. The situation in the island is terrible. And this is not hard to believe in central California. April 18 to 20, 1906, is not yet too far away to recall the awful times on the coast. Photographs have been forwarded, and we hope to present them next week, with fuller information.

An Awful Death.—A young man in Los Angeles is dead as the result of drinking a quart of whisky. He bet a dollar he could drink that amount without leaving a table, and won the bet, tho he became unconscious and remained so until his death. As he died a martyr to whisky, whisky men ought to canonize him as one of their "holy ones."

Protestant Church May Be Strong.—There is a sentence from a speaker quoted in our European Letter worth second consideration: "Even deprived of State aid, the Protestant Church, if alive, may remain a church of the people and be strong." Not only this—she can be strong in no other way. State aid has ever proved a curse to the Church and a dead weight to the state. The Church is married to Christ. Union with the world is spiritual fornication.

Proportion of Kingston Burned.—According to the New York World, only about one-thirtieth of Kingston was burned; but the whole city practically was wrecked by the earthquake. One of the unaccountable freaks of the earthquake was to turn completely around, without injury, a large statue of Queen Victoria, which stood in the center of the city. When Kingston was shaking to the earth, the volcanoes Vesuvius and Etna vomited fiery torrents. The World further says: "The most violent shock ever recorded by the seismograph at Apia, Samoa, occurred in the South Pacific Ocean, December 21, 900 miles south of Apia, 2,300 miles east of Australia, and 5,000 miles west of Chile. The greatest known depth of ocean in the world, next to the spot near Guam, is in that region, and the convulsion of the earth there betrayed some tremendous commotion in the interior of the earth." How would our "fault" and "slip" theorists deal with this? Unless we are willing to take God's forecast of coming events, the old earth will give us many more surprises.

SOUTH CAROLINA'S BENEFICENT SUNDAY LAW.

A CORRESPONDENT in Spartanburg, S. C., under date of January 13, writes us that in the early part of December last the grand jury of Spartanburg County indicted three men for working on Sunday: R. T. Nash, a minister, and Messrs. Johnson and Loper. January 8, these Christian men were lodged in jail where they remained till next day, when they were released on bond to appear the following day for trial.

The officials were courteous. The jury went out a few minutes, and returned with the verdict of "guilty." The judge imposed a fine of one dollar each, the full penalty of the law, which was paid by one not of their faith, and they were immediately released. The editor of the Spartanburg Journal, of January 12, has several things to say, among which are the following:

"If everybody who performs labor on Sunday should pay the county one dollar for each offense, what a fine fund Spartanburg would have to build those new macadamized roads and extend the school system!"

The work for which Elder Nash was prosecuted was spading in his garden, making terraces and setting posts for his grapes. The editor further says:

"It seems a pity, in view of all the wickedness and law-breaking that is going on and all the bad people who are at large, to take up the time and energy of the courts in prosecuting people who work a little on Sunday, because their religious belief tells them that Saturday is the real Sabbath, and should be observed as such. . . . But think of how many people right here in Spartanburg do more work every Sunday than Mr. Nash ever does, and do not defend it on religious grounds. They are not prosecuted, and nobody wants them prosecuted. The street-cars run, the railroad trains run, both freight and passenger, the ice men, the liverymen, the refreshment men, the newsdealers, and many others work more or less every Sunday, and nobody objects to it, and properly so. Why then jump on Mr. Nash and his people for doing the same thing or less? The reason is, that Mr. Nash and the Seventh-day Adventists defend their acts on religious grounds, and the others do not. It is a curious situation, one of the strange inconsistencies of life." Then Mr. Nash is prosecuted for religion's sake, and that will always be the case where such laws exist which bigots and extremists can use. The law is wicked.

Missionary Activities.—It is good to know that while the enemy of all righteousness is so active in a thousand different ways, there is also a movement among God's people for a great activity in carrying out the great commission which the Master gave. Among the manifestations of this is the young people's missionary movement, which is becoming very strong indeed thruout the entire country. It was organized five years ago, yet it has developed so rapidly that it is stated that more than sixty thousand young people are now studying home and foreign missions. It is now working thru summer schools, and aiming to interest them in missionary work. It will hold several conventions in 1907 as follows: Lake Geneva, Wis., June 25 to July 3; Whitby, Ont., July 4 to 12; Silver Bay, Lake George, N. Y., special conference for Sunday-school workers, July 12 to 18; Silver Bay, young people's conference, July 19 to 28. One other conference will be held in the South, June 28 to July 7, but the location has not been decided. The secretary of the general association is C. C. Michener, 156 Fifth Ave., New York.

	Price
House We Live In	$1.00
Uncle Ben's Cobblestones	1.00
Vegetarian Cook Book	.75
Education Reader No. 1	.75
Education Reader No. 2	.75
Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 7	.75
Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 8	.75
Early Writings of Mrs. E. G. White, cloth	.75
Mrs. McKibbin's Bible Lessons, No. 1	.50
S. S. Secretary's Record Book	.35
Science in the Bible, cloth	.30

LET DOWN YOUR NETS.

By London Presbyterian

LAUNCH out into the deep, The awful depths of a world's despair; Hearts that are breaking and eyes that weep, Sorrow and ruin and death are there; And the sea is wide, and the pitiless tide Bears on its bosom—away, Beauty and youth in relentless ruth To its dark abyss for aye—for aye; But the Master's voice comes over the sea, "Let down your nets for a draught" for Me! He stands in our midst on our wreck-strewn strand, And sweet and royal is His command. His pleading call Is to each—to all; And whenever the royal call is heard, There hang the nets of the royal word. Trust to the nets and not to your skill, Trust to the royal Master's will! Let down your nets each day, each hour, For the word of a King is a word of power. And the King's own voice comes over the sea, "Let down your nets for a draught" for Me! —London Presbyterian.