Earlier text: Preparation for WarAn Egg That Grew Into a Bible
By M. D. Wood
A FEW days ago one of our India Christian boys came to me with great glee to relate the story of a single egg. At first I did not pay much attention to what he said, but as he proceeded, it became so interesting that I stopped him and said, “Wait a moment till I get a pencil and jot down a few of those points. I believe they will make interesting reading for our youth in America.” So I shall give you the notes in full. This boy, whose initials are L. G. W., lives in the Central Provinces of India. He has a position as clerk in a native magistrate’s office. He is the only Christian in that court-house, and his family is the only Christian family in that town; so this young man is closely observed by all his Hindu associates. This story of the egg that grew into a Bible has spread among the people of that town. He said he planned to keep a few hens so as to have fresh eggs to eat. Then, after his hens began to lay fairly well, he decided to set one of them and raise a few chickens. Choosing one of the larger hens, he gave her seventeen eggs. Like all boys who set hens, he waited very patiently for the time when that happy brood of chickens would leave the nest; for what in nature is more interesting to young and old than a whole brood of healthy youngsters just out of their tiny shells? In warm climates chickens often hatch before their twenty-one days are fully up. In due time, Mrs. Hen began to fuss in her nest a little more than usual, and then the smothered peep, peep, of little yellow, brown, and black chicks began to be heard. Our young friend left the mother hen quite to herself until she came off the nest with a handsome brood of sixteen young ones. The seventeenth egg did not hatch. This was a disappointment to our young hero, so he gently cracked the shell of this unhatched egg and looked inside, and there was another chicken, alive and strong. He decided to pull off the whole shell, and at night tuck the weak little fellow under the mother so that it might be kept warm and snug. But before doing so he said to his young wife, “Let’s tie a red string about the leg of this poor little thing, and if it lives we will give it to the Lord.” He did not mean by that that none of the others should be given. Well, that chicken lived and grew to be a large fat hen. She always had some sort of tag on her so that no mistake would be made as to her identity. After a while that particular seventeenth chicken began to lay eggs, and, strange to say, she was the first one of the whole brood to do so. By this time she was really making history, so L. decided he would count her eggs and sell them. She would lay several clutches of eggs, usually sixteen in a clutch, and then stop for a while. These eggs were sold, and the money was placed in the bank. After a while it amounted to quite a little sum, and was gradually being replenished by the sale of more fresh eggs. In fact, our boy charged double price often for her eggs, so as to realize all he could from her. In the court-house one day the magistrate had a conversation with L. about the Christian religion. Finally he said he wished he had a New Testament, as he would like to read more about Christ and this new faith. Now was the moment to strike while the iron was hot, so to speak. So L. said, “I have a little money that belongs to the Lord; I will get you what you want.” So he counted the cash, and saw to his surprise that he had enough to purchase a whole Bible, just from the sale of the eggs from that seventeenth chick. How happy he was! He sent for the Bible, and before presenting it to the judge, told this wonderful little story of the seventeenth egg and how the Bible grew from it. The judge accepted the Bible with very appreciative thanks, and said, since it had come in such a strange manner, he surely would read that Bible. The judge still has the Word of God, and is now asking for other religious books to read. I think we all ought to pray that the Spirit of God may accompany the mission of that one Bible especially, and lead that young judge to the light of truth through Jesus Christ. Little things, when done with a right motive, often prove of great value in extending the work of Christ upon earth. British North Borneo
By R. P. Montgomery
August 2, in company with a Chinese young man, I left Sandakan for a trip around to some of the coast towns of British North Borneo. We stopped a day at Kudat and another day at Jesselton, at which places we sold a goodly number of our Chinese books and pamphlets, besides visiting interested ones. At Labuan loving hospitality was shown us by Brother Wong and family. According to British colonial lines, Labuan is a part of the Straits Settlements, but geographically it is a part of Borneo. Brother Wong and family are the first Sabbath-keepers in Borneo, having accepted the truth from a young Sabbath-keeping colporteur who had come over from Singapore. It was a real pleasure to spend nine days at the home of this family; they are so happy and cheerful. We searched the Scriptures daily, and sang together many of the songs of Zion. The family had not yet had instruction on all points of present truth. One evening I gave them a study on baptism, and after the study we read several passages of Scripture on the wearing of jewelry. The mother and three oldest daughters wore earrings. I did not know how they would receive the study, but waited patiently. We sang a few hymns and retired. The next morning all four appeared without the earrings. This experience brought great joy to my heart; they were so willing to obey the Word of God. August 12 we went down to the sea, about two miles from their home, and the father, mother, three daughters, and En Fook, the young man who accompanied me from Sandakan and acted as my interpreter, were baptized in the clear waters of the South China Sea. All returned home happy in the Lord. On our return to Sandakan we found that the night services at the hall, which are being conducted by Brother Chan, are well attended. There is a good interest here. Great effort is being exerted to prevent people from attending our meetings, but in spite of this they come. We beg an interest in the prayers of God's people. Among the Karens, Burma
By Mary Gibbs
WHILE my news is not of actual advancement in the line that I should like to report, yet the preparatory work has to be done, and often proves a tedious trial, when we want to get to the actual field work. It is with a thankful heart that I announce that the second year's examination in Sgau Karen holds no terrors for me, as my certificate reads that I passed with credit, my grade being ninety-one. Of course the real test is in being able to communicate with the people, and opportunities for conversation have been very rare; but the last four days it seems to me I have talked nearly as much Karen as English, and I am happily surprised at the ease with which I both understand and am able to make myself understood. Nearly every night I talk Karen in my dreams. Not long ago we took a journey thirty miles from the railway, and went with bullock-carts. The beasts were so slow that it took us two days and until two o'clock the second night to reach our destination. The roads were excellent. What must it have been in Judson's time, when the roads were only the jungle trails? The rainy season is just beginning, so it will be impracticable to do any work in the jungles until November. Brother and Sister Hamilton have the same language teacher that I had, and are studying for the first year's examination. Although Karen is considered much easier than Burmese, it is not easy to acquire. My part in the actual work of proclaiming the gospel has been small, but I am hoping for a new era since I shall not now have to spend so much time in study. The Things We Do Not Know
By L. D. Santee
THERE is never life so pleasant
But the roses hold their thorn,
And above the morning sunshine
Is the shadow of the storm.
Good and bad are strangely mingled;
Wheat and tares together grow.
But we have to trust the Saviour
For the things we do not know. Good and bad are strangely mingled;
Poison lurks among the flowers,
Life and death clasp hands together,
Sorrow comes in happiest hours.
Pain’s the common lot of mortals;
After pleasure, tears will flow,
But we have to trust the Saviour
For the things we do not know. He that watches, waits, and lingers
For his loved ones in the ground,
Shall he clasp their loving fingers
When the wondrous trump shall sound?
Shall he meet them, hear their voices,
Where the tear-drops never flow?
It is sweet to trust the Saviour
For the things we do not know. Study to Show Thyself Approved
“STUDY to show thyself approved unto God.” Invisible Friends
By Eliza H. Morton
THE light of many tempted ones
Is waxing dim.
Earth's cup of wickedness will soon
O'erflow its brim;
But Jesus sends his angels down
With mighty power,
Invisible, but with us now
This very hour. With courage, ye who dwell below,
Lift up your eyes.
Behold the armies of the Lord!
Awake, arise! By faith we see those beings bright
Around us here;
They talk with us as friend with friend;
We know they're near. And closer still when we are tried,
Or sick and sad,
They labor to uplift our hearts
To make us glad. When we are blessed in winning souls,
The word above
Is heralded before our God
With holy love. And heaven is brought so near the earth
That we discern
The ladder bright that Jacob saw,
And this truth learn,
That earth recedes far out of sight
When we behold
The city with the pearly gates
And streets of gold. LORA CLEMENT
By Lora Clement
Of all the festivals which crowd the Christian calendar, none exercises an influence more strong and universal than Christmas. December 25 is commonly celebrated in commemoration of the birth of our Saviour. This, however, is a misconception. The shepherds of Palestine were not accustomed to spend the night with their flocks in the open field later in the season than October. Christ could not have been born in December,—the depth of winter,—for at that time the men who heard the first announcement of his birth would not have been “abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” This midwinter holiday is historically of heathen origin, being the great pagan festival observed in honor of the birthday of the sun-god Apollo. It was adopted by Christians about 400 A. D., and since that time has been generally observed by all nations. It is a point of interest that at this time (400 A. D.) Chrysostom, one of the four great “doctors” of the Eastern Roman Catholic Church, when quoting from the pagan calendar, remarked: “On this day also the birthday of Christ was lately fixed at Rome, in order that, while the pagans were busied with their profane ceremonies, the Christians might perform their holy rites undisturbed.” Most of the ancient customs associated with the winter solstice are now obsolete. This intermingling of pagan and Christian customs destroyed the individuality of each. In many of the rites observed by the world today traces are still visible of pagan ceremonials retained by the barbarian tribes after their conversion to Christianity. The decoration of churches with the once-sacred mistletoe and holly, the sending of Christmas presents, etc., are pagan survivals. The Christmas tree, with its candles, ornaments, and gifts for the children; and Santa Claus, or Father Christmas, a shaggy, bearded old man supposed to come from the far north with his sledge and reindeer, are of German origin. The idea of Santa Claus came from the god Woden, a deity worshiped by the barbarian tribes, and noted among them for his goodness. Today in some parts of northern Germany the presents are all sent to one person, who, dressed in buckskins and a mask, visits every home on Christmas eve and presents each child with a gift,—something nice if he has been good, but a switch if he has been bad. From its first inception, this Christmas festival seems to have been regarded as a season of revelry. The burning of the Yule log is an ancient custom coming originally from Scandinavia. This custom, though shorn of the pomp and circumstance which formerly attended it, is still maintained in various parts of England and the Continent. In feudal times the burning of the Yule log was the most joyous of ceremonies on Christmas eve. It was regarded as an omen of good promise, and the people believed that its flame would burn out old and cherished wrongs, and in its ruddy glow a chain of sympathy descended from the prince to the peasant and the beggar. After the log had served its purpose on Christmas eve, the charred remains were carefully preserved until the next year, when they served to light the new log. Belief in the fact that Christmas is the birthday of Christ led, early in the Christian era, to the practise of hailing the nativity with music in commemoration of the song of the angels. This custom is continued in all Roman Catholic countries, and to some extent has gained recognition among Protestants. The noels of France, the carols of England and Germany, and the Italian minstrels all contribute their share to the gaiety and rejoicing of the holiday season. In all Roman Catholic churches a mass is celebrated at midnight Christmas eve, another at daybreak on Christmas day, and a third at a subsequent hour in the morning. A belief still lingers in many parts of England in the ancient legend that at midnight on Christmas eve the cattle in their stalls fall down on their knees in adoration of the infant Saviour. Modes of Christmas celebration vary in different countries, but everywhere there comes with it that spirit of friendly good cheer which makes December 25 mean so much to the world at large. Notwithstanding the fact that it is not the birthday of the Saviour, and while the day as such means absolutely nothing to Christians, yet it is a season when we wish one another well; thoughts turn to the absent members of the home circle; and we all can say with the poet: — “Little I have of this world to give,
And little have I to show
To God, who by grace has let me live
In his ransomed world below.
“But mine are the gates of God ajar,
And the golden joys within;
And mine is the land that shines afar,
And a life all free from sin.
“O! mine are the strains the saved ones sing,
And the hopes that ne’er shall die,
And all the love that Christ may bring
While eternal years roll by.
“So I lift my soul to the gates ajar
On this joyous Christmas day,
And light my path by the Morning Star,
And press on my upward way.”
The Leisure of the Young
By G. H. Heald
G. H. HEALD, M. D.
(Editor Life and Health) THERE is perhaps no more potent determining factor in character building than one's method of occupying his leisure hours. There should be in the daily program of every one some time for recreation, and this recreation period can and should be so occupied that it will the better fit one for the more serious affairs of life. It should, indeed, be a re-creation. Any diversion that does not make one more efficient in his regular occupations is not in a true sense recreation. Many young people look for diversion rather than recreation,—something to “pass the time,” seemingly having more time on their hands than they know what to do with. Recently the Y. M. C. A. leaders of Washington, D. C., have been making efforts to reach the youth of the city who seem to have no good way to spend their hours of leisure. The evening Star, commending this effort, says in its issue of October 4:—
“Any one who passes along the main thoroughfares of Washington in the evening1246must realize the importance of this undertaking. Hundreds of well-dressed young men, doubtless employed during the day, roam about the streets after dark, lounge upon corners, and drift into a habit of purposeless if not absolutely vicious evening existence. To many of them this is the best time of the day, because they are free from all restraint. To some of them it is the only means of entertainment, lacking diversion at home, or in some cases lacking real homes. They grow to like the bright lights and the constant activity of the streets, to go to the cheap theaters, where likely as not they are brought under harmful influence. Not a large percentage of them are intemperate, but they are within the range of demoralizing conditions that, if not actually injurious, are certainly not elevating.’” The Star is not a religious paper, and it certainly cannot be accused of any extreme notions regarding conduct; yet it sees in this aimlessness of the young a serious menace. The article continues:—
“They might far better be studying and improving themselves mentally, or working in a gymnasium and improving themselves physically, than standing about the street corners engaged in vapid conversations, ogling young girls who should be at home, and diverting themselves in less harmful ways. In most of these cases there is a lack of ambition. These boys and young men seem content to make just enough money to keep themselves in board and lodging and buy smart clothes. Some of them look forward to marriage and domestic life. But as a rule, they have few thoughts for the future.” In a sense, communities have a duty to the young, to see that they have profitable occupation or recreation for their leisure hours. But this does not relieve the young person of the duty he owes to himself, to his family, to society, and to God, to make the best of himself; and certainly to pass the time in ways that do not make for self-improvement is to miss life's greatest opportunity. “There is a tide in the affairs of men that, taken at its flood, leads on to fortune.” This tide is in the occupations and the companions the young person chooses for his leisure hours. By his choice he says definitely, “I shall work to the top;” or else he virtually says, “What's the use? I might as well take it easy and drift!” As you look around you and see the failures, the ne'er-do-wells, the persons against whom fate seems to have had a grudge, just note that they, every one of them, belong to the class who never had any leisure, having been in a constant grind which permitted of no self-improvement, or, more probably, if they had leisure they let the precious time pass in unprofitable employment. There is just one way to achieve success, whether that success is in a commercial line or in the line of self-improvement or of helping one's community to a higher life. One must first have a purpose, an ambition, something to work for; and, second, he must utilize his spare time, and some time, perhaps, that he cannot well spare, in the accomplishment of his purpose; and he must keep persistently at it. No one ever drifted into success. The person who has to do something to pass the time, who does not know what to do with his time but to spend it on some sort of diversion, even though that diversion be in itself comparatively innocent, is on the sure road to failure. God Answered Prayer
By J. N. QUINN
A FEW nights since, before going out to conduct a gospel service, I felt especially desirous that God's Spirit would manifest his power. Casting myself before God, I entreated him for his saving grace. The meeting was held in a place where there is neither church nor Sunday-school. The gospel of God's grace was presented, and the people were interested. The closing song was being sung, and as I bowed my head I told God the prayer offered before coming to the service could be answered at no other time, and that his promise was as sure as his throne. The song closed, and I called for a surrender to God. The man of the house, a great, strong six-footer, raised his hand; then his wife's hand was raised; then two others requested prayer. Close to the piano sat a girl of about fourteen years, I saw in her face the evidence of a tense struggle. Offering a silent prayer, I quietly waited. Then her hand was raised, and the tears in her eyes told of victory. As we knelt together before God and offered ourselves to him, he made us know the tenderness of his own presence. There was no noise, no excitement, no appeal to the emotions; just the persistent plea of the Holy Spirit to give to God what we have no right to, our sins; for they are his, having been bought at a great price. At my back, on the wall, was a glass crucifix; in front of me, a picture of the Virgin Mary; yet even in this home God's love could not be resisted. Truly the Father answers prayer. Another instance. Returning home from a Bible study one evening, I found one of my children suffering intensely with earache, an ailment common to her. Home treatment this night failed to bring relief, and I considered calling a physician. Going to the basement for the night's supply of coal, I heard the groans of the sufferer. Instantly came the thought, You would relieve the pain if you could: God is more merciful than you; he can do it. And there in that basement I asked that God would hear and heal. I filled my coal-bucket, came up-stairs, and found the sick one asleep. She awoke several hours later without the earache. Several years have passed since that night, but not once has there been a return of the trouble. Yes, God answers prayer. No one but the believer in Christ can fully appreciate the confidence and peace this great fact brings to the troubled, perplexed heart. God is honored when we trust him. 'He delighteth in mercy.' His promises are 'Yea and amen' in Christ Jesus. He is worthy of praise, adoration, service. Love’s Mountain
By Annie Johnston Flint
O, Love went up to the mountain top
Where the glory of God was shining,
Away from the world and its tears and toil,
Away from its squalor and strife and soil
Where the sick and the sad were pining;
And he took his way to the place of peace
Where life’s vain fretting and grieving cease,
Up to the heart of a hush profound
Where the calm of the still stars wrapped him round!
O, Love went up to the mountain top
Afar from the world’s repining. But Love came down from the mountain top,
Its glory and peace resigning,—
Down where his foes were hating him,
Down where the scourge was waiting him,
And the crown of thorns was twining,—
To the shame of the cross to be lifted up
And drink to the dregs the bitter cup,
On God’s great loving to set the seal,
That God unto men he might reveal;
O, Love came down from the mountain top
With face unveiled and shining! And Love came down to the world again
Where the sad and the sick were dwelling,
With the strength of the hills in his tender face,
The joy serene of his resting-place,
And a peace beyond all telling;
And he came to help and heal and bless,
To lift the burdens of weariness,
To comfort the hearts of the sad and lone,
And the sorrows of earth to make his own;
O, Love came down from the mountain top
To make with men his dwelling! —Annie Johnston Flint, in Christian Endeavor World. The temptation to yield to the blues often assails people when they are weak in bodily health. Frequently it attacks them when they are encumbered with mental troubles. A wise elderly woman once said to a young girl: “Anybody can cope with real trouble. It is the vague, intangible trouble that gets the better of one, and clouds the gay spirits until one walks in the blackness of a fog.” Whether trials are real or simply imaginary, a good rule for every one is to seek the sunshine.—The Christian Herald. Christ's Refining Afflictions
By A. Thomson
ALL our afflictions are Christ's refinings, and the purer the gold, the hotter will be the fire; the whiter the garment, the harder the cleansing.—A. Thomson. Prayer for God's Heritage
By Arthur W. Spaulding
GRACIOUS Lord, before thy throne
We our sinful courses own,
At thine altar cast us prone.
We are children of the clod:
Yet thou wouldst not see us thus;
And because thou lovest us,
Spare thine heritage, O God. We, our children, and our sires
Have fulfilled our base desires.
Now, before thine altar-fires,
Stricken by thy warning rod,
Sorrowful in mind and soul,
We would yield to thy control:
Spare thy people, O our God. Though we merit naught of grace,
Though our sins do hide thy face,
From the guiltless of our race,
From our children, spare thy rod.
Children are thine heritage;
And from all thy righteous rage
Spare our children, gracious God. They have followed where we led
When we spurned thee that hadst plead;
Thus we doomed them with the dead.
But by thine all-saving blood,
They are ransomed from the slain,
They may live to thee again.
Spare them as thine own, O God. We would weep for them, and pray,
On this thy brief judgment-day,
That thine hand of doom may stay.
We who long thy courts have trod,—
Priests astray mid loyal show,—
Pensive, pray with hearts bowed low:
Spare thine heritage, O God. Great Protestant Mass-Meeting
By A. J. Saxby Bourbeau
Great Protestant Mass-Meeting: “Why We Are Protestants: Reasons for the Separation From Rome,” the Subject of a Powerful Address at Nation’s Capital
A GREAT wave of Protestant enthusiasm has swept over Washington, D. C. On Sunday, December 14, at 3:30 P. M., there was held a union Protestant service in the New National Theater. It had been advertised through the newspapers, by the Protestant pastors to their congregations, and also to the Masonic, patriotic, and fraternal bodies, that a definite reply was to be made to the claims of Romanism and the recent political activities of the Roman Catholic hierarchy at the nation’s capital and elsewhere. The response to this call to the Protestant colors was as surprising to the Protestants themselves as to their Roman Catholic fellow citizens. Long before the time appointed for the lecture, an audience of some two thousand persons had filled the theater from the orchestra pit to the gallery, several hundred persons being obliged to stand on the stage. Between one and two thousand persons were turned away after the doors were locked. Considering the fact that there were many other attractions in the city at the same hour, among them speeches in other churches by Secretary of State Bryan and Dr. Francis E. Clark, founder of Christian Endeavor Unions of the world, this turnout was a splendid tribute to Protestant sentiment in Washington. After waiting nearly an hour outside, the crowd adjourned to the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, where they waited until Dr. Randolph H. McKim, the pastor, had finished his two-hour lecture at the theater. As soon as he could leave the mass-meeting, Dr. McKim went to his church and delivered a short address to the “overflow meeting.” The Protestant Ministerial Committee consisted of the following: Rev. Wallace Radcliffe, D. D., Presbyterian, presiding; Rev. Chas. F. Steck, Lutheran; Rev. J. J. Muir, D. D., Baptist; Rev. R. H. McKim, D. D., Protestant Episcopal; Rev. W. R. Wedderspoon, D. D., Methodist Episcopal; and Prof. W. W. Prescott, editor of the Protestant Magazine, who assisted in promoting the meeting. The program was as follows:—
Hymn: “Onward, Christian Soldiers!”
Scripture Lesson: Rev. Chas. F. Steck
Prayer: Rev. J. J. Muir, D. D.
Luther’s Hymn: “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God!”
Address: “Why We Are Protestants; Reasons for the Separation From Rome,” Rev. R. H. McKim, D. D.
Hymn: “My Country, ’Tis of Thee”
Benediction: Rev. W. R. Wedderspoon The introductory remarks by the chairman, the opening prayer, and the benediction vibrated with the spirit of true Protestantism, even as did the chief address of the day. Recent events in Washington connected with the Fifth Pan-American Thanksgiving Mass, which was attended by President Wilson and other government officials, together with a series of bold and well-advertised “Lectures for Non-Catholics,” held at St. Patrick’s Church, November 9-23, by Rev. B. L. Conway, of the Paulist Fathers of New York, have served to awaken thousands of Protestants in this city to the dangers confronting America through the politico-ecclesiastical activity of the Roman Catholic Church. Reverend McKim’s address on “Why We Are Protestants” was notable for its calm deliberation, lack of vindictiveness, and invincible historical proofs based wholly upon recognized Roman Catholic authorities. That the speaker did not mince matters nor trim his sails to Roman Catholic breezes is clearly seen from the following list of “reasons” assigned by him for the separation of Protestants from Rome:— 1. “Because we build our faith upon the impregnable rock of Holy Scripture and not upon the shifting sands of ecclesiastical tradition. The Bible, and the Bible alone, is the basis of the religion of Protestants; but tradition, interpreting the Bible and often superseding or contradicting it, is the basis of the religion of Romanists.” 2. “Because we do not believe in bartering our spiritual liberty away for the miserable yoke of bondage exacted by the Church of Rome. The Church of Rome puts the priest between us and Christ.” 3. “Because the doctrine of the Church of Rome, which we are called upon to accept as necessary to salvation, cannot be found in the Bible. The late Cardinal Wiseman acknowledged that neither transubstantiation, nor auricular confession, nor purgatory, nor worshiping of images, can be found in the Bible.” 4. “Because we want liberty of thought, liberty of conscience, liberty of speech, even if it does cause a little row now and then.” 5. “Because we love our country, and cannot contemplate with equanimity the possibility that this land of the free and home of the brave should be brought under the dominion of the Pope. Why not?—Because the popes have solemnly condemned free speech, free press, religious toleration, and liberty of conscience.” Protestant Origin of America
The speaker declared emphatically that this republic was founded by Protestantism. He said:— “Colonial America was Protestant, overwhelmingly so, and the statesmen and patriots of the American Revolution were Protestants, though there were many Roman Catholics who nobly and bravely labored and fought and suffered with them. But the ideas which gave birth to the Revolution were the offspring of the Protestant Reformation. The principles which lay at the root of the American Constitution were born of the Reformation; and it behooves us, whose ancestors pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor for American independence, to guard these principles of liberty from every open or secret assault.” Our Liberties Are Abridged
Dr. McKim then summarized briefly the successful efforts of the Roman Catholic hierarchy to rob American citizens of their Constitutional liberties of freedom of speech and of the press:— “Tell me, then, I pray you,” said he, “when politicians who are candidates for office tremble lest they should offend the Roman hierarchy; when merchants stand in awe of the boycott which the priests may proclaim against them; when the public press is ever on its guard lest it offend the Roman Church; when lecturers and Salvation Army preachers are in danger of mob violence in this land of free speech; when— A Great Newspaper in Our Own City
is beaten to its knees by the club, which the priests know so well how to use,—I ask, when these things are true, is it not a fact that our liberties are abridged, that an ecclesiastical tyranny does already, in fact, exist in our midst?” “Protestants Must Stand Together”
“What then?—Our great Protestant communions must realize the seriousness1248of the crisis, and make common cause against this insidious menace to our liberties. They must come out into the open and stand together in solid phalanx against all these invasions of personal liberty, not in anger, not in bitterness, not with violence of speech or action, but calmly, resolutely.” Reads From “Protestant Magazine” to Prove Romanism Un-American
Denouncing the deceptive sophisms of Archbishop Ireland, Cardinal Gibbons, and other Roman prelates who have been striving to lull American Protestants into the belief that Romanism and Americanism are synonymous, Dr. McKim held up the January number of the Protestant Magazine and read from its pages the following official condemnation of the above-mentioned prelates for their non-Catholic utterances on “Americanism.” The quotations were taken from an editorial in the New Orleans Morning Star (official organ of the Archbishop of New Orleans) of Aug. 16, 1913:— “They [the prelates] are nearing that world where, thank God, there are no stars and stripes, and no lying Constitution [italics ours] to receive the adulations which involve a dangerously close kinship with heresy.” “The theory [of the separation of church and state] is absolutely wrong, and he [Archbishop Ireland] knows it, but talks as if he didn’t, for the cheap applause of brainless patriots, whose allegiance to Christ and his universal kingdom must be limited and circumscribed and all but destroyed by their idiotically childish adherence to a scheme of government founded on the sophisms of Jean Jacques Rousseau and his school.” “Our wonderful Declaration of Independence . . . is nothing but a rehash of the Contrat Social, . . . [but it] is the theme of elaborate laudations . . . even by members of the hierarchy.” A Word of Warning to Rome
The speaker struck at the very tap-root of all the evils following in the wake of Romanism when he emphatically voiced the following warning to Catholic leaders in America:— “Be content to be a spiritual and not a political organization; and beware that you make no attempt, direct or indirect, to tamper with the sacred principles of our Constitution. Then there will be peace between us, and we can live and labor together for the honor and the glory of our common country.” Hears the Tramp of a Mighty Protestant Army
Dr. McKim stated that he felt sure that true Protestants everywhere would now rally to the standard of Bible Protestantism. He said:— “The Protestant unity of action is coming. I hear the sound of its advancing feet. I hear from afar off the tramp as of a mighty army marching to the ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic.’ It is an army of peace; its weapons are not carnal, but spiritual. By the force of reason, by the power of an enlightened public opinion, it will win its victories. Its voice will be the voice of the many millions of Protestant citizens, the great majority of our people, and it will command respect.” Reverend Radcliffe, who presided at the mass-meeting, declared that “the Reformation,” “Martin Luther,” and “Protestantism” are three of the greatest words in the English language. At the close of the lecture he said that it was only fair to state that the great mass-meeting was due largely to the efforts of two citizens,—Dr. McKim, the speaker of the day, and Prof. W. W. Prescott, editor of the Protestant Magazine. In announcing the closing hymn, “America,” he incidentally remarked that a number of Roman Catholic periodicals and associations are demanding that this hymn shall not be sung on public occasions. Immediately there came from the audience the demand that all four stanzas of the grand old hymn be sung as a rebuke to such attacks, instead of only two stanzas, as announced by the chairman because of the lateness of the hour, 5:30 P. M. Never was the entire hymn sung with more devotion or patriotism, for it breathes the spirit of Christianity, Protestantism, and true Americanism.” Adventists Should Spring Into Action Everywhere
With the great Washington dailies and the associated press sounding forth this Protestant alarm from the nation’s capital, let every Seventh-day Adventist spring into action and distribute our literature, such as the Protestant Magazine and Liberty, as never before. Patriots everywhere recognize in the third angel’s message of this denomination the very backbone of all lasting opposition to the claims of Romanism. Remember our special offers during the holidays: 5 six-month subscriptions for the Protestant Magazine to five different addresses, for only $1.50 (regular price, $2.50); 10 yearly subscriptions for Liberty, to ten addresses, for only $2 (regular price, $3.50). We have thousands of names and addresses. Send the magazines to leading attorneys, public-school teachers, legislators, judges, business men, sheriffs, and public libraries. Write your tract society today. While they last, the October, November, and December numbers of the Protestant Magazine will be furnished free with all one-dollar subscriptions for 1914. Do not forget that the January number contains a full account of the Pan-American mass (illustrated), of Secretary Bryan’s speech to the Knights of Columbus in Philadelphia, and the famous “Lying Constitution” official declarations of Rome. Nothing will do so much to counteract Rome’s campaign as the circulation of genuine Protestant literature.