IN ESSENTIALS—UNITY, IN
Sun.
HINGS—CHARITY.
ESTABLISHED 1844.
GREENSBORO, N. 0.r WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1907.
'VOLUME LIX, NUMBER 47.
All communications, whether for publica
tion or pertaining to matters o» business,
should be sent to the Editor, J. 0. Atkinson,
Elon College, N. C.
EDITORIAL COMMENT.®
Winter Evenings.—To what a splendid use
these fine winter evenings may be put. It
were a shame and a pity to waste them.
By seven o’clock p. m. now in the average
home, the day’s work is done, the evening
meal finished and the table cleared. At the
least there are two and a half to three hours
before resonable bed time. When there is
no compay, and the family is not going out,
what a splendid time for reading, study, self
improvement. Talk of the golden hours,
itbese are the golden hours, for they mean
more than gold, they mean opportunity for a
ihroader and better outlook, privilege of know
ing more useful and agreeable facts and
fancies, pleasure of pursuit and possession
■of that which is best in life, namely, mind
and soul food.
For such evenings every family needs
more than the local paper. A good magazine
or two Should come now and then: a fresh
book will add untold delights to the family
circle: and the good books and the Book of
books already in the home should have new
reading now. Yes the winter nights have
come. Get out the books and bring in the
papers, and let the family have a good time
by the cosey fireside.
Barn Burning.—According to the Char
lotte Observer eighteen farmers’ feed barns
have been burned in Mecklenburg, eounty
within the last few months and not a guilty
person has been arrested. We happen to
know that what the Observer reports in its
own county *» going on-~to more or less
tent in other counties of this and adjoining
States. It would be nothing less than appall
ing to know the total destruction of property
in this fashion every year in North Carolina.
It must be enormous. Not infrequently the
farmer sees the entire year’s feed for his
teams go up in smoke, and now and then
the teams themselves are also destroyed.
Withal it is a pitiable spectacle.
And the more pitiable tor this reason.
This barn burning; as a rule results from a
cowardly and villainous attempt to secure re
venge. An offended former tenant, or an
irate wage earner, bears a grudge, and
while the farmer sleeps, the offended OTte
steals in the dead hours of the night to his
former land lord's barn, and seeking vile
revenge, sticks fire to a building quickly'
caught and easly burned. There is seldom a
way of finding out the villain and the coward.
In all the annals of law breaking we do
not know a baser arid more cowardly senti
ment that prompts to crime than this of
barn burning. The State ought to take some
steps to hunt out these dastardly offenders
and put them in the chaing gang.
Bombarding the Filipinos.—We have not yet
done with the Philippines. Not a little jest
ing has been indulged in as to our original
purpose in possessing ourselves of this rather
troublesome Achipelago. But let the original
motive be what it may, those tribes, far back
in the ways of civilization, are ours for keep
and for protection and guidance until our na
tion sees fit' to let them go. To this end we
are still bombarding them, not with shell and
shrapnell now, but with b6ok-bags, tablets,
and teachers. Our nation is mantaining a
quota of a thousand school teachers there.
The government is now advertising for three
hundred more to go out early next year. The
age limits are twenty and forty years. The
entrance salary of the great majority is $1200
for the first year, with promise of promotion
and advance on worth and merit. Already
more Filipinos can speak English than can
speak Spanish, though Spain ruled those peo
ple more than two hundred and fifty years.
So with our English tongue and thought, with
our American ideas and ideals are we bom
barding the barbarism of this people and
bringing them to a better day.
In God We Trust.—These words which
President Roosevelt has ordered removed
from our coin are coming in for public no
tice and discuajsion not a little. We expressd
our opinion and deep regret last week that
the words were to be removed. Many other
religious journals are expressing the same
regret.
Among the most powerful opinions ex
pressed as to why these words should not be
removed is that by the editor of the' New
York Christian Advocate. This paper given
a full history of how the words came1 to he
printed on the coin at all. Rev. M. R. Wat
kinson of Ridleyville, Pa., under date of Nov.
13, 1861 wrote Hon. S. P. Chase, Secretary of
the Treasury,asking that something be expres
ed on our coin showing that we were not an
atheistic or a pagan people. To this Sec
retary Chase replied.
Treasury Department, November 20, 1861.
Dear Sir: No nation can be strong except
in the strength of God, or safe except in his
defense. The trust of our people in God
should be declared on our national coins:
You- will cause a device to be prepared
without unnecessary delay with a motto ex
pressing in the fewest and tersest words
possible this national recognition.
Yours truly,
S. P. Chase.
James Pollock, Esq., Director of the Mint,
Philadelphia, Pa.
In keeping with this decision Congress
later enacted a law that the words “In God
We Trust” should be placed upon our coin.
Nowt in commenting on the President’s decison
to remove the words the paper referred to
gives these fine sentiments. “Gladston said
that a religious tradition should never be
disturbed unless it is necessary. There* is*a
great diffierence between beginning a.xnsimwJ
"and summarily abolishing it. There had been
no protest against the inscription and there
would have none had it remained. Some
thing immeasurably more productive of
irreverence than incidental irreverent jest
ing suggested by the inscription on the coins,
prevails in this country, even among men in
high position, the profane use of the names
of God and Christ in conversation.
Every good citizen desires to approve the
did not foresee that the great majority of
States if possible, and it is strange that be
did not foresee that the great marjority of
religious people, Protestant, Catholic, many
Jews, would be sensitive at the removal of
those words at a time when every vestige of
national recognition of God is of importance,
when the forces that make against religion
are growing bolder and stronger, and when,
as some one has said the country never need
ed to connect the thought of God with fin
ancial transactions more than it does now.
The faithful performance of the duty of
the Chief Magistrate of the Union will neces
sarily entail many divergent judgments and,
as Abraham Lincoln is said to have remark
ed: “A statesman who would be sure of
his friends must beware of their sensitive
points.” In view of the existence of the inr
scription so long, the effect of it might well
have been taken into consideration before
surprising the American people with the
act. It will be used by all .opponents to the
Christian religion or any other founded on
one God, to strengthen the opinion that "re
ligion is dying out.”
Judge Cook of the Superior Court in
delivering this charge to the jury at Durham
N. C. our chief tobacco town, created a great
deal of interest by devoting most of his
charge to the violation of law in selling
cigarettes to minors. In this part of his
charge he told the juors as to the law against
selling cigarettes to minors and that those
who sell should be presented. He said, in
part of his charge, that he did not think that
any boy who developed the cigarette smoking
habit early in life ever devefcjbed the high
est moral character in life. The judge
told the juors that it was their duty to
present each and every dealer in cigarettes
who has been selling to minors.
“OUR FATHER."
The two articles already published were
intended to prepare the way for the state
ment of a few fundamental truths that are
greatly needed at the preserit time. That the
unsettled state of opinions respecting both
the particular statements of theological doc
trines, as found in the creeds ,and of the
fundamental question of the validity of the
Christian religion itself, is not without mean
ing. Something is wrong somewhere. Where
is it 1 Can these questions be answered t
I think they can be answered, and that too by
propositions that will commend themselves
to the good judgement of every sincere in
quirer after truth? I think “the fulness of
time" has come for the statement of the
fundamental, central truth, on which a theory
of God’s dealings with the children of men
will be constructed, that will be to the pres
ent system what the Copernican system of
astronomy was to the Ptolemaic. ' Whether
this bold statement is a vain boast or not
my readers shall be the judges.
I find this fundamental, jentnal truth in
the familiar phrase “Our Father.” Deep
dowrn in this phrase I find the primary idea
of all the works God has ever preformed,
and all the words He has ever spoken. It
covers all time, from the first creative fiat
down into the ages of eternity; and from
this as a viewpoint all God’s dealings with
humanity are to be studied. It is also the
only viewpoint from which they can be truly
understood.
When a young man, who has just reached
the age of lawful manhood, goes West, ob
tains of the government a quarter-section
of wild land, and puts up a cabin, his pri
mary though is undoubtedly a home, a family.
This is one of God’s most instructive and
impressive object lessons. It points directly,
as a parable of action, to the fact that when
God created this universe, He was building
a home for His family; and when He had
spent inconceivable ages in framing, finish
ing; and furnishing His home, He created
man in His own image and likeness (children
always are in the image and likeness of their
parents), placed him upon this little planet,
and gave him dominion over everything upon
it. This is His family. Of other families
He may have on other worlds, I know noth
ing, and have nothing to say. I'have no
doubt that Jesus intended the prayer, be
ginning with the words, “Our Father,” for
the use of all men; the very first duty of a
human life being to recognize and" observe
that fact.
In studying the meaning of this relation
ship, we discover that it embraces three par
ticulars, of fundamental importance in de
termining the duties, and understanding the
experiences of life. These particulars are
(1) the rc’ition of parent and child; (2) the
relation of - rovider and dependent; (3) the
relation of Ri:!er and subject. All the duties
and experiences of our individual lives grow
out of and are connected with these relations.
The relation of parent and child imposes the
mutual duties of love, confidence, devotion,
and that beautiful freedom and familiarity
that is the crowning glory of a happy home.
The relation of provider and dependent im
poses upon the parent the duty of providing
fhr His dependent children everything neces
sary for their welfare and happinss; and up
on the children the duty of gratitude and
thankfulness, expressed in every appropriate
form of word and deed. The relation of
Ruler and subject imposes upon the Ruler
the duty of establishing just and wholesome
regulations for the observance of the mem
bers of the family, in their relations each
with all the others.
As to the first two of these relations, there
are no conflicting opinions. The differences
that have distracted and divided people on
theological lines all come under this third
head. This is the tribe within which the dif
ficulty is to be found; now let us find, the
guilty family.
In our comparison of the Ptolemaic and
Copernican system of astronomy we found
that the Ptolemaic theory was constructed
upon a superficial observation of phenomena
it proposed to account for. Here again the
resemblance between that theory and the
theories of “Systematic Theology” that have
prevailed for centuries is complete. From
a partial observation of the nature of the
government of God’s family, wise men affirm
ed that government to be an absolute mon
archy; and worked out its details without
considering the fact that the Sovereign of
the kingdom was the Father of His subjects.
Hence He issued His decrees by authority,
supported by His omnipotence. His laws,
though wise, and having the welfare of His
subjects in view, were, nevertheless, arbitrary
expressions of His sovereign will, their
ultimate motive being His own glory. (Dis
cussion continued in our next article.)
Thomas Holmes.
Chelsea, Michigan.
TURNING MEN TO RIGHTEOUSNESS.
The chief mission of the Church in the
world is to turn men to righteousness. Many
important enterprises have been cmmitted to
the Church, but none of them is so important
as this. This work lies at the foundation of
all moral and^ social reforms. Do we wish
to make the community better? Nothing we
can do will reach this end so surely as turning
the people to righteousness. Do we desire to
improve the condition of the poor? The
poor will, to a large extent, take care of them
selves when they shall have been tcmed to
God. We do not forget that many poor are
good peple. Their poverty is caused by con
ditions over which they have no control.
But we remember also that much of the pov
erty which exists, especially in this country,
is the result of intemperance apd kindred
vices, and when the ^J'. sh^li^.sfyed from
their sins they will qciekly improve their
condition. The oppressed will achieve their
own freedom when the Son shall have made
them free.
Good laws are good, but they can never
cure the evils which cursed society. They
can only deal with outward actions, while
the cause of evil lies deep within. The law
cannot deal with the spirit of man. We'hear
much about the social order being wrong.
What is the matter with the social order?
Too much selfishness and to little righteous
ness. Let rich and poor be turned from sin
to righteousness and the social order will cor
rect itself. The best laws in the world can
not revolutionize the social order so as to give
the workingman a fair chance. A general
distribution of wealth will not effect a per
manent cure of poverty. A few million gen
iue conversions would do more to corect the
evils that curse society and set at rest social
disturbances than all the legislation the next
fifty years shall witness. “Righteousness ex
alteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any
people. ’ ’
The chief business of every individual
.Christian is to turn men to righteousness.
A celebrated evangelist preached a famous
sermon about a year ago in which he contend
ed that no one has a right to call himself a
Christian who is not a soul-winner.
That sermon has been severely criticised.
Perhaps the evangelist went too far. It may
be that his contention cannot be maintained,
but he was more than half right. All will
agree that Jesus Christ came nto the world to
seek and save the lost, and all will agree that
every disciple of Jesus should go about as he
did seeking and saving the lost.
In these days every Christian is already
overloaded with work. Each man must make
a living, and if he has a family he must make
a living for his family also. The question
of making a living in these days of high
prices is a living question. It means to rise
up early, sit up late, eat the bread of dili
gence, and toil, toil, toil. The Church also
calls for laborers in many fields. If one is
a good church member he must teach in the
Sunday school, be ready to give money for
the supp'ort of the gospel, and serve on vari
ous committees, and work in many societies.
A young minister in a certain city said recent
ly, “My people are so busy attending meet
concluded on fifth page.)