Early in March a "Church Unity Congress" at Los Angeles, Cal., was recorded. Its principal speaker was Bishop Johnson (Episcopalian). His address, as reported in the Los Angeles Times, is interesting, and was as follows: "We are addressing ourselves to a project which, until within very recent years, has been regarded as fanciful. We are about to confer concerning the reunion of Christendom, than which, a quarter of a century ago, no proposal was regarded as more chimerical. And yet we are doing this at the present time, conscious that the convictions of Christian men have within twenty-five years so changed that, to a large extent, they coincide with the judgment that has brought us together.
"Until the early sixties, a fatal sense of security seemed to have blinded the Christian world to the inadequacy of the results attending the efforts of the churches.
"Suddenly the Christian world began to realize that possibly it had attained all the success it could expect to have, or deserve to have, under existing conditions.
Christendom divided, even into friendly camps (which was not always the case), was not a condition favorable to the largest and best fruitage in the Christian church. Therefore, it is now demanding that at least this one adverse condition shall be changed, so that the church at large shall be able to do work worthy of Jesus Christ our Lord and of the character which He expected the church to do.
"With such a cry ringing in our ears, you and I come together today and join in this conference, which, until the present time, has been deemed impracticable. I am glad to believe that should we get the ideal of what ought to be done clearly in our own minds, we could, in God's own time, bring about such a reunion of Christian forces as would make the united churches really a tremendous power in the world for God.
"I am quite aware what this statement involves. I am prepared to say that I am, by conviction, committed to a policy which looks forward to its universal adoption, even to the obliteration of so-called denominational lines, and to a genuine effort so to rerelate Christian forces that they may, with no overlapping or friction, plan as with one mind for the upbuilding of the Kingdom of Christ in the world.
"Yes, it is a great thing that we are undertaking to do, and we, in our own time, may only be able to make our own generation believe that the conception is practicable.
"Some of our friends may say that we have not done much, and that may be true, but will it not be fine when we do appear before the Judgment Seat, should we be commended by God because we have not allowed the Christian world, in the presence of fearful social and civic problems, to fail of its duty, without some warning on impending disaster, due to our dismal and pitiable divisions?
"We recognize that a century may pass before the end shall be attained, but if you feel as I do, my brethren, you want to be ahead of your time.
"In order to show what my ideal is, it has seemed well for me to show what it is not. Frankly, my ideal leaves the federation idea far in the rear, and I say it with a profound respect for federation. Right here in this city we have shown what federation may accomplish, and if it has done nothing else, it has made this meeting possible." [Great applause]
"Of course," said the bishop, "there is something seriously wrong in this attitude, but it is the fact and we must face it. I am perfectly satisfied, however, that the churches, merely federated, will not be able to deal effectively with the problem.
"You will see that I regard sectarianism not only as productive of evil, but as being evil and vicious in itself; that is, if the spirit of the greatest of the Apostles is any indication of the Master's aim and purpose.
"It is my feeling that the time has come when we, as Christian leaders, ought to reapproach the Pauline conception of the church. Of course, we will all find that there will be plenty of people in all of our congregations who are determined, at all cost, to be first Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists and Congregationalists, and I suppose there always will be such, but I, for one, am praying that the time shall come when the necessity for these names shall [HG479] have passed away [applause]; that the Christian world will soon have formed a platform upon which every Christian may stand without any sense of loss, and with the satisfaction of knowing that it includes every essential to salvation in the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
Bishop Johnson's widest conception of this United Apostolic Church is to be found in the following paragraph: "When a church regards herself as the enclosure for saints, rather than the refuge for those 'called to be such, 'she is giving herself a character quite unlike and below that which Jesus had. If the church is the extension of the Incarnation, then she must welcome to her companionship and fold the publicans and sinners who are fascinated by her Master's message; she must so relate herself to them that she will neither suffer defilement nor have an unpleasant sense of contamination in such association, and they, on the other hand, must be led by association with her, to think of and to love noble things.
"In a word, the church is to be the physician of the spiritually sick and halt and blind and yet the guide of the spiritually strong, courageous and brave, and for each in his own place and time, she is to bring a message of love and peace, so that she herself will ultimately become the spotless Bride of Christ."
The speaker at great length pursued the discussion of the subject without attempting or desiring to enter into any of the details of the ideal church. He said: "We could most easily, while purring and smiling, enter upon a conflict to secure an intellectual victory, that would widen and not bridge the breaches."
In conclusion the Bishop stated that when every man was sure of himself in God; when there was no sense of pride and no desire for petty victory, then the thing could be accomplished.
The congress closed with a night session, at which Dr. Robert J. Burdette delivered an address on "The Church with an Alias," and Bishop W. M. Bell talked of "Christian Unity in the Foreign Field." A very large audience was present, and their delight was frequently expressed in laughter and applause. -Exchange
Col. Gadke, a German military critic, has joined the chorus of civilization in protest against the huge waste of armies and navies. These armaments, he says, do not tend to preserve peace, but to menace peace; and, furthermore, upon the eight great nations they impose an annual expenditure of upward of $2,000,000,000.
The argument is not new. The figures add nothing to public information. Interest in them is due almost wholly to the source from which they come. German authorities have hitherto upheld the military spirit and maintained that a standing army is a standing benefit. An opposing voice from that quarter naturally compels attention.
In the course of events, however, it is fairly certain that German public sentiment will be forced into revolt against the Kaiser's militarism. It is either that or bankruptcy. -New York World
This article can be found in its entirety in Newspaper Sermons, entitled, "What God Winked At."
The trust system seems to be laying hold of everything-railroads, steamships, steel production, smelting, bridge works, oil refining and selling, meat, products, groceries. Above all it has made a money combination or banking system, the most gigantic the world has ever known. Billions of dollars of the people are in the banks, and the banks are controlled by wealthy syndicates. This money trust has a power of [HG480] control which is marvelous. As in Great Britain the titled aristocracy hold the land and collect immense revenues and bring great pressure to bear socially and financially, so now it is in this country, with evidently more to follow.
As an illustration of this power we note the facts recently set forth in the New York Press respecting the Magazine Trust. This Trust has recently bought up several magazines and put them under one management. And directly and indirectly it is able to dictate the policies of nearly all the others. The Editor of Hampton's Magazine sets forth that, having refused to enter the combine, his magazine is suffering boycott. Thus the capitalist syndicate, which is said to be headed bye. P. Morgan, the banker and trustifier, says: 'lla llptoll's Magazzue is warned to cease 'muckraking, 'to cease attacks upon Wall Street methods, to cease attacks upon the trusts in general." Mr. Hampton says: "Constantly increasing pressure has been brought to bear on us to change our policy since Wall Street started its attempt to corner the magazine market and organize the biggest of all trusts. First this took the form of withdrawal of advertising. That failing to be effective we have been threatened in various ways.
A few months ago we were notified that if we printed an article relative to a certain great corporation, the president of that corporation would make trouble for us with our stockholders. We printed the article. Within a month various magazines and newspapers and 'news bureaus' began to attack the stock of Hampton's Magazine.
"About this time we were advised that 'no bank with Wall Street connections' would have anything to do with this corporation as long as it remained under its present management. Also stockholders advised us that they had been approached, apparently by agents of Wall Street brokerage houses, who endeavored to secure their proxies to vote at the meeting.
'The American people are in the grasp of the 'money trust. 'In the past the banker's only question has been the character of the business man, his experience and skill, the nature of his business, its conditions and the probable chances of success.
Conditions have changed. 'Thou shalt not run counter to Wall Street' is not the eleventh commandment-it is the first in the American business world."
This matter of coercion along financial lines is one of the most powerful methods of warfare ever known. Yet it keeps within the law. The effect will be to keep the surface of things quite smooth, whatever may be the turbulence beneath. The cry of "Peace, peace," where there is much discontent, will apparently be borne out by the facts, so far as the great newspapers and magazines represent them. The excuse will be that the public will get as much information as is good for them.
What will happen to personal liberty under such conditions no one can foretell.
God's people are to be peacemakers, to "seek peace and pursue it." Nevertheless the Scriptures forewarn us that as all of these attempts to control the pressure and growing discontent of our time will prove unavailing, so, ultimately, there will be a great explosion, which will reach to the uttermost corner of the earth-the time when newspapers and banks, politicians and everybody will be lost, and when every man's hand will be against his neighbor. We see it coming!
While we see the storm coming, let us remember the words of the Prophet, "We will not fear though the earth [society] be removed, and though the mountains [kingdoms] be carried into the midst of the sea [anarchy]." Psa. 46:2
This article can befound in Its entirety in Newspaper Sermons, entitled, "Christ's Ascension from Hades."
How long Cain brooded over his sacrifice being rejected by the Lord, how long it took for his wrong desire, his envy, to conceive and bring forth the sin of murder we are not told-merely the fact is stated that [HG481] this was the bitter fruit. The Lord did not hinder the murder, and even dealt most generously with the murderer to whose attention the matter is called by the inquiry, "Where is Abel, thy brother?"
As the question implied ignorance on the Lord's part, Cain may have wondered to what extent the Almighty was omniscient, all-seeing and his answer was in line with this. "I know not: am I my brother's keeper?" This question continually recurs, not only among the members of Adam's natural family but also among the brethren of the Lord's family, the New Creation. To what extent is one his brother's keepers How far does our responsibility go?
Let us look first at the spiritual family. Its members are declared to be bounder or holden one to another by the cords of love, by membership in the Body of Christ, so that if one member suffer all the members suffer with it, and if one member be honored all the members are honored.
The Apostle, expatiating on the importance of the various members of the body, declares that even the humblest is necessary-that the hand may not say to the foot, I have no need of thee; and that as in our natural bodies we take the greatest care of those members which are least pleasing, so in the spiritual family those which are least attractive of themselves need our attention and sympathy and covering with the garment of charity more than do others. The new commandment which the Lord gave to His disciples was, "That ye love one another as I have loved you." We cannot love the world with that deep, intensive love-it is not incumbent upon us to sacrifice our own interests for the world; but it is made obligatory that we have the Lord's Spirit toward all the household of faith, so that, as He did, so shall we rejoice to lay down our lives for the brethren, serving them with our moments and our hours at the cost of our own ease and comfort.
According to this, the law of our Head, the terms and conditions of membership in His Body, we are our brothers' keepers; each one has a responsibility for his fellow-not to intrude upon him as a busybody, but to look out for his interests, his welfare, and to do all for that brother that he would have that brother do for him-yea, more than this: that he would lay down his life for his brother, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her.
If all the Lord's brethren could realize this to be the Divine rule governing the New Creation and realize that only those who live up to this rule are making their calling and election sure, what an awakening of zeal among the brethren for the service one of another would result, and what a blessing would come to all of the Lord's dear flockl Let us take heed that no man take our crown-that we be found possessors of the Master's Spirit toward the fellow members, and thus be accounted worthy of a share in the Kingdom class.
As for the world: We are to remember that while there is a wide gulf between the natural man and the New Creature in Christ, nevertheless according to the flesh there is a brotherhood which we are not to disdain nor overlook. The entire groaning creation are our brethren according to the flesh, and have claims upon us that the Lord would have us recognize.
They are our "neighbors," and according even to theJewish letter of the law the neighbor must be loved as one's self-his interests are to be safeguarded as we would guard our own interests. Hence, in the whole world of mankind, this question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" would properly be answered Yes, each one should be on the lookout for the interests, the welfare of others as well as his own, and so doing would not be disposed to override or cheat his neighbor, but, act cording to the Golden Rule, to do unto others as he would have them do to him.
We cannot hope that the world, blinded by selfishness and devoting all the energies of life along selfish lines and ambitious channels -we are not to expect the world to appreciate this high standard of the Divine Law. But surely all who are New Creatures in Christ should appreciate it, and in their dealings with the world, therefore, should not only be just, but more -loving and generous and kind, unwilling to injure, willing to bless.
Thus the Lord's people are to be peculiar people in that they unselfishly will seek to be their brothers' keepers, looking out for the interests of the others as well as for their own interests; not necessarily laying down their lives for their neighbors, but ready to do good unto all men as they have opportunity, especially to the household of faith.
Putting the matter in figurative language, the Lord declared to Cain that Abel's blood cried from the ground for vengeance. It was another way of telling Cain that the Lord was omniscient, knew everything [HG482] that transpired, knew that his brother had died at his hand. In this figurative sense all sin cries for the punishment of the wrong-doer-it is the voice of Justice.
The Apostle Paul, referring to the death of our Lord, who similarly was murdered by His brethren, and whose blood might be expected to cry out against them, against the whole world of mankind, tells us that, instead of crying for vengeance, our Lord's blood -shed as a sacrifice on our behalf, as an atonement for our sins-cries out not for justice but for mercy! O, how gracious, that our dear Redeemer laid not the sin to the charge of those who crucified Him and despitefully used Him, but that in His generosity He is willing to make an appropriation of His precious blood on behalf of the sinners, to effect their reconciliation to God by the blood of the cross-by His death on the cross!
The Apostle's words are that the blood of Jesus speaketh better things for us than the blood of Abel. (Heb. 12:24.) Let us not forget that blood stands for or represents something higher than itself-that when we speak of the blood of Christ we are not referring merely to that which coursed His veins and arteries and which flowed from His wounded side, but we are speaking of that which the blood represents, namely, the life; as the Lord said. "The Life is in the blood."
Hence, whenever the shedding of the Blood is referred to, the giving up of life, the death, is the main thought -thus the passage, "We are not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ," signifies that we are redeemed with the incorruptible life of Christ -the life which was not under penalty, not forfeited, not condemned, but approved, and which was yielded up as a sacrifice, as a corresponding price, a ransom, for the forfeited life of Adam and his race.
The curse of God was upon Cain the murderer -Divine condemnation rested upon him; he was cut off from communion with God, previously enjoyed, and in an outcast condition severely. The Lord declares through the Apostle that no murderer hath eternal life. This signifies that anyone having the spirit of murder in his heart is unfit for eternal life, could not, according to Divine arrangement, be granted that great boon or blessing-he himself must die, because unfit for life.
This does not mean that there will be no hope for Cain in the future; we know not to what extent he may have repented of his crime before he died. But we are sure that he, as well as all mankind, not only will receive a just recompense or punishment for their sins, but also secure a measure of the blessing which God has provided for every member of the race through the dear Redeemer, who bought us with His precious blood.
On the other hand, for one of the Lord's consecrated ones, begotten of the spirit, to commit murder intentionally, willingly, in the first degree, would undoubtedly mean his Second Death; because it would signify that the spirit of love, the Spirit of God, must have entirely perished in his heart ere such a deed could be deliberately and intentionally committed. We would have no hope for such an one. More than this, for wilful and deliberate hatred toward a brother to be engendered in the heart would seem to mean the perishing of the spirit of love there, and if so would mean the Second Death.
However, because of the weakness of the flesh it would be very unsafe for any of us to attempt to judge closely upon this point. But it would be well indeed that we should be fearful along these lines, as the Apostle suggests, "Let us fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into His rest any of us should seem to come short of it." (Heb. 4:1.) Let us fear, therefore any approximation of a feeling of hatred, anger or malice against a brother in the Lord or against anybody. Let us strive more and more that the new mind shall control positively in our thoughts and intentions, and so far as possible in our outward deportment.
"Consider the lilies of the field.... Wherefore if God so clothe the gresa of the field which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" Matt. 6:30.
"Does poverty pinch and cause anxious thought? take that also to the Lord in prayer; and then, while diligently using the means at hand, to provide things decent, . . . patiently and confidently wait and watch the indications of providence, assured that He . . . who clothes the grass of the field . . . is both able and willing to clothe and feed you and yours." R. 1865, c. 2, p. 6.
This article can be found in its entirety in Newspaper Sermons, entitled, "Human Immortality, Divine Immortality."
This article was republished in Reprints 4883-September 15, 1911, entitled, "Pray Always."
Pastor Russell appeals to the Courts Seeks redress for alleged continuous libel by "The Eagle" Seeks to defend his honorable name The Brooklyn Academy of Music insufficient to accommodate the vast throng desirous of hearing the Tabernacle Pastor just prior to to his sailing for England
Shortly after Pastor Russell removed to Brooklyn, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle," for some unknown reason and without excuse manifested antipathy toward him.
From time to time it has published scurrilous articles against him, the virility of which has increased to such an extent that further forbearance with this paper "has ceased to be a virtue."
At the request of "The Eagle's" representatives Pastor Russell, and those connected with him in his work, have on several occasions furnished "The Eagle" with information concerning the nature and character of said work, but the same has been either ignored or so garbled by "The Eagle" as to make him and his work appear ridiculous, tending to hold him up to public contempt. The articles published by it relative to "miracle" wheat and Pastor Russell's alleged connection therewith, have been so false and libelous that Pastor Russell, on the advice of his attorneys, has sued "The Eagle" for libel claiming $100,000 damages.
The complaint made by the plaintiff through his attorneys, after setting forth that the defendant is a domestic corporation and has a large general circulation in New York and elsewhere, further says:
"SECOND: That at the time of the publication hereinafter mentioned plaintiff was and still is, a resident of said Borough of Brooklyn, City of New York, and for more than thirty years last past, and at all the times hereinafter mentioned, plaintiff has been and still is, engaged in preaching the Gospel to the people of the United States of America and Europe and elsewhere; that he is now and for some time past has been, the regularly elected Pastor of a large congregation of Christians at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, of the Borough of Brooklyn, City of New York, to whom he preaches at regular intervals and whom he serves as Pastor, having assistants who represent him in his absence; that he is also, and for some time has been, the regularly elected Pastor of a large congregation of Christian people at the London Tabernacle, of London, England, whom he serves as Pastor, and to whom he preaches at stated intervals, having assistants there to represent him during his absence from said congregation, and that he is and for [HG484] several years past has been, popularly and favorably known throughout the United States of America and Europe and other countries as 'Pastor Russell, 'and is recognized and addressed by such title, he being the leader, teacher and Pastor of thousands of Christian people who reside throughout said countries; that for many years past plaintiff has been and now is, the Editor of a Religious Journal, known as 'The Watch Tower,' which is published twice each month and circulated throughout the United States, Canada and European countries and is read by thousands of Christian people in said countries; that his sermons are published each week in a large number of newspapers throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Australia, and have been so published for a long space of time, and as such minister of the Gospel, at the times hereinafter mentioned, and long prior thereto, plaintiff has borne a high reputation for honesty, integrity, fair dealing and truthfulness, and of being an honest and fearless preacher of the Gospel of truth as set forth in the Holy Scriptures, and has always enjoyed the respect and confidence of the people in his own community and in the community at large, wherever his sermons have been heard or read; that he is and for many years past has been, the President of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, a religious corporation, and President of the Peoples Pulpit Association, also a religious corporation, both of which said corporations are engaged in spreading the Gospel and generally in religious and philanthropic work for the betterment of mankind, and which said religious corporations receive their support, both moral and financial, from Christian people living throughout the United States and Canada; that for some years past plaintiff has regularly written for periodicals and Magazines, religious articles dealing with Biblical questions which have been published throughout the United States; that plaintiff is the author of a certain series of religious works or books, published in six volumes, and which are known as "Studies in the Scriptures," a large quantity, to wit: six million volumes of which have been sold and placed in the hands of the people throughout the United States and foreign countries, which books are sold and distributed by the aforesaid religious corporations of which plaintiff is the President; that the good name, reputation and moral standing of plaintiff are absolutely essential to the proper and successful promulgation of the Gospel in the manner adopted and used by him as aforesaid; that all of his publications, compositions and writings aforesaid have been devoted exclusively to religious questions and doctrines; that during the period of time herein mentioned he has given, and is now giving, all of his time, energy, influence and strength to the preaching of the Gospel, both orally and by the printed page, etc.
"THIRD: That on, prior and subsequent to the 23rd day of September, 1911, the defendant at divers times, published in its said newspaper, 'The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 'certain articles concerning the sale of a certain seed wheat, and that the plaintiff was directly interested in the sale of 'Miracle Wheat' and derived a personal advantage therefrom.
"FOURTH: That prior and subsequent to the 23rd day of September, 191 1, the defendant at divers times published in its said newspaper, 'The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 'certain articles and cartoons or pictures concerning the conduct, management and existing conditions of a certain Bank in said City of New York known as the Union Bank, in which said articles it was charged or intimated that the directors, officers, managers or persons in some way connected with said Union Bank had violated their obligations to the depositors and patrons of said Bank and that said directors, officers, managers or persons in some way connected therewith, were guilty of a violation of the laws of the State of New York (in that they had defrauded the depositors and patrons of said Union Bank) and were criminally liable to prosecution for such misconduct, and that an investigation into the affairs of said Bank was being conducted, and that the District Attorney of the County of Kings would present and had presented the facts concerning said Union Bank to the Grand Jury of Kings County, and that it was rumored that said Grand Jury had returned five indictments in connection with the affairs of said Bank for some criminal offense connected with the management of said Bank, and its affairs had become so malodorous that the defendant, in its said newspaper, named and designated said Union Bank as the 'Onion Bank. '
"FIFTH: That on the 23rd day of September, 1911, and in the same issue of its said newspaper which contained an article concerning the official investigation into the affairs of said Union Bank, aforesaid, the defendant, contriving and fraudulently intending to injure the plaintiff in his good name, fame and reputation, maliciously composed, printed, published and circulated of and concerning the plaintiff, a certain picture, drawing, photograph or cartoon, with inscription thereon, together with a certain article and words in connection therewith, in its said newspaper, 'The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 'so published and circulated throughout the Borough of Brooklyn, City and State of New York, and other places throughout the world."
Then follows a copy of the Cartoon and publication. [HG485] "SIXTH: That the building shown in the picture, photograph, drawing or cartoon, aforesaid, is intended to represent and does represent the said Union Bank Building, and the words across the top of the door, to wit-'Onion Bank, 'represent and were intended by defendant to represent said Union Bank; that the figure of the man standing in the door of said building, as represented and shown upon said picture, photograph, drawing or cartoon, represents and was intended by defendant to represent, some director or officer or person connected with said Union Bank calling out to an old man who appears in the street, as shown by said cartoon or picture; that the figure of said old man, as shown on said picture, photograph, drawing or cartoon, and which appears therefrom to be in the street in close proximity to said Union Bank, represents and was intended by defendant to represent the plaintiff herein, who, in said picture, photograph, drawing, cartoon or caricature, is represented as going through the streets carrying in his hand a package of 'Miracle Wheat, 'and as a 'street hawker' crying out his wares or goods for sale; and the words, 'You're wasting your time, come on in here, 'appearing on said picture, photograph, drawing or cartoon, represented and were intended by defendant to represent some officer of said Union Bank, or some person connected with said Bank (who was engaged in defrauding its depositors and patrons), calling to and inviting plaintiff to cease selling wheat and come on in the Bank and join others in defrauding its depositors and patrons, that his, plaintiff's time could be much better employed in said Bank and greater returns could be realized by plaintiff in engaging with those in the Bank in 'fleecing, 'cheating and defrauding its patrons and depositiors; that the words, 'Easy Money Puzzle,' appearing on said picture, photograph, drawing or cartoon, were intended by defendant to represent and do represent that both plaintiff and said Union Bank directors and officers were engaged in an unrighteous and unlawful scheme or business, and that plaintiff by misrepresentations, fraud and deception was obtaining 'easy money' or dishonest money or tainted money from the people; that in connection with said picture, photograph, drawing or cartoon appear the following printed article or words: 'If Pastor Russell (meaning plaintiff) can get a dollar a pound for 'Miracle Wheat, 'what could he (meaning plaintiff) have got for Miracle stocks and bonds as a director of the old Union Bank'; that by said entire drawing, caricature, cartoon, picture and print, and the words printed in connection therewith and as a part thereof, defendant meant and intended to show and charge, and did represent and charge, and it was so understood by those who saw it, that plaintiff as a Minister of the Gospel, as a Pastor of Religious congregations of Christian people, was selling said 'Miracle Wheat' and as a 'street hawker' was going about the streets selling the same at a large price, and was thereby defrauding the people and by the use of a fraudulent scheme, trick or misrepresentation plaintiff was wrongfully obtaining from the people, in an easy, slick, deceptive and fraudulent manner, large sums of money for his own personal gain, and that plaintiff, because of his cunning and ability to manipulate a dishonest scheme enabling him to sell wheat at one dollar a pound, was wasting his time in so selling wheat when he might associate himself with dishonest men and engage in the fraudulent sale of stocks and bonds and thereby reap a far greater amount of dishonest money, and that if he, plaintiff, as the Pastor of a congregation of Christian people could fraudulently induce people to pay one dollar per pound for Miracle Wheat, he would succeed much better in engaging himself with a number of criminals in inducing the people to buy fraudulent stocks and bonds.
"SEVENTH: That the statements and representations made, and attempted to be made and conveyed by said picture, drawing, caricature, cartoon or print and by various inscriptions that appear thereon, and by said words, article or reading matter published in connection therewith and as a part thereof, as aforesaid, were and are wholly false and were printed, edited, composed and published by the defendant maliciously and with a wrongful intent of injuring the plaintiff in his good name, fame and reputation and in his professional career as a Minister of the Gospel.
"EIGHTH: That by reason of the foregoing, the plaintiff has been brought into scandal and reproach and has been held up to odium, scandal, disgrace and contempt among his neighbors, friends and the readers of his Journal, books and other writings and among his parishoners and members of his congregations, as well as his business and professional reputation as President of the Religious Societies aforesaid, and has received through the mails, insulting and insinuating letters and writings by reason thereof and has been seriously injured in his peace of mind and has been grievously disturbed and his feelings injured and has been held up to public ridicule and scorn, as a result of all of which plaintiff has suffered injury to his reputation, good name, fame and standing, all to his damage in the sum of one hundred thousand dollars."
A Representative called on Pastor Russell for some facts respecting "Miracle Wheat" and other matters He states why some Ministers Oppose Him "The Eagle" the Channel
We report the interview, as follows: "Pastor Russell, the Brooklyn Eagle has attacked you in connection with 'Miracle Wheat. 'It has given the inference that you are a wheat speculator and gulfing the farmers by selling ordinary wheat for $1.00 a pound. Your neighbors and the public would be interested in hearing your explanation of the matter."
"I have nothing to do with 'Miracle Wheat.' I am not in the wheat business in any sense or degree. The Eagle is merely following out its nagging and slandering policy which it has toward me since my coming to Brooklyn. Slander, misrepresentation, and vilification seem to be the policy of The Eagle for some years-a very different policy, I understand, from the one which gave it its reputation originally. My friends tell me that its course toward me is much the same that it pursued toward Dr. Talmage. Indeed, one Baptist minister remarked, 'The filthy Eagle killed Dr. Talmage-literally. He died of a broken heart. 'I know nothing about that, but I do know that The Eagle has not killed me and I do not propose to let it."
"But, Pastor Russell, was there not some wheat sold at the Tabernacle and was it not called 'Miracle Wheat?' "Contrary to our wishes, a reporter of The Eagle purchased one pound of 'Miracle Wheat' at the Tabernacle. He bought it from Mr. Bohnet's representative, who obtained the privilege of using a basement room at the Tabernacle for preparing the wheat to be sent out by mail in pound packages. Mr. Bohnet had promised that the proceeds of his wheat would be donated to our Free Tract Fund for sending out the Bible Message in all languages. Mr. Bohnet has an interest in a farm in Pennsylvania on which he grew this 'Miracle Wheat.'
"Where Mr. Bohnet got his seed will interest you. Three years ago the newspapers contained extensive accounts of this 'Miracle Wheat' which was found in Virginia by a man named Stoner, who gave it its name. He claimed that he found it in answer to prayer. The newspapers quoted the U. S. Agricultural Department's Report made by Assistant Secretary Miller. The report declared that the 'Miracle Wheat' yielded between two and three times as much crop to the acre as other wheat and that it requires only about one-fourth as much of it for seed. I copied the newspaper accounts in my Journal, The Watch Tower. Subsequently Mr.
Stoner's agent called at my study and showed me samples of the 'Miracle Wheat, 'one with as many as one hundred and twenty stalks from one seed, and told me that most of his orders for the wheat had come from my free notices.
"I gave the item as news and as evidence of the fact that we are entering the New Dispensation in which God has promised to bless the fields and to increase their productiveness. I recognized at once what a value such wheat would have to all mankind. If it would merely double the crop it would mean an increase of five hundred million dollars in the value of the wheat crop of our country and give us cheaper bread. If it would increase the crop still more, returns would be still larger.
"About then my friend, Mr. Bohnet, came to my study and collected a few grains of the wheat which was shown to me by Mr. Stoner's agent. Mr. Bohnet planted those grains and this year wrote me that he had a sufficiency to sell; that he would dispose of it at $1.00 per pound and give the proceeds to our Free Tract Fund. Does it seem strange to you that The Eagle holds up my friend as a criminal because of his desire to benefit the farmers of the world and his further desire to turn the proceeds of his wheat into free tracts? Yes, that would seem strange. But that is not what The Eagle attempted to do. It merely wished to slander me-to kill me, by inferring, insinuating, hinting, caricaturing, etc."
"But is not a dollar a pound a new price for wheat?"
"I had nothing whatever to do with the price of the wheat. That was the concern of Mr. Bohnet and those who sent him their mail orders. I know nothing about wheat nor about farming. I have heard of forty or fifty cents per pound being paid for seed wheat of specially productive strains, but I never before heard of wheat which would produce two hundred kernels from one, as many testify of the 'Miracle Wheat. 'If I were a farmer I would pay, if necessary, not only one dollar per pound, but even ten dollars per ounce, in order to get a start in wheat of this character." [HG487]
"Pastor Russell, you are aware that Protestant ministers of nearly all denominations are opposed to you some of them, apparently, to the extent of hatred. You yourself have intimated that The Eagle is fighting you and slandering you, especially to please the Protestant ministers here. Would you now care to say what is the basis of this ministerial hatred toward you? Before you answer, let me tell you that, while some ministers are noncommittal, and a few speak well of you, others are very bitter and indulge in insinuation and slander, jut to the extent that they think their hearers unprincipled enough to enjoy hearing them. Some speak boldly against you. For instance, two ministers were coming away from one of your crowded meetings. One said, 'If that man had lived two centuries ago he would have been burned at the stake. 'The other answered, 'That is what they ought to do to him now. 'On another occasion a gentleman asked a minister whether or not he had been to hear you. The reply was, 'I had rather have joined in stoning him out of town. 'I suppose you know, too, that many ministers endeavor to keep their congregations from going to hear you and advise them to burn your books without reading them? Now, Pastor Russell, I believe the public would be interested in knowing just what is the true explanation of this condition of things.
It seems the more remarkable because we are living in the day when all denominations are shouting for Church Union, Federation, Christian Brotherhood, etc."
"The question is a large one and no one answer would, probably, fit every case.
Apparently there are noble-minded, true Christian men in the ministry of all denominations-men who love righteousness and hate iniquity. But, alas, there are others who, apparently, are possessed of the same spirit which controlled the Chief Priests and Pharisees of the Jewish nation and made them bitter against our Redeemer, to the extent of plotting His death. The fact that Saul of Tarsus had the same spirit and became the murderer of St. Stephen and a persecutor of the Church, and nevertheless in all good conscience verily thought that he was doing God service, proves to us that opponents of God and His Message and servants today may number amongst them noble characters similarly deceived in respect to what is the Truth and its spirit. I cannot attempt to judge the hearts. Some of my bitterest opposers may be sincere and honest. I can judge only of the fruits, as the Master told us we should do-'By their fruits ye shall know them. 'Some of those who oppose me are probably actuated by jealousy. The fact that I have the largest congregations everywhere I go, and in addition have the largest congregations through the newspapers, seems to excite a feeling of opposition. The smallness of their own congregations they may be inclined to charge to me, forgetting that they were jut as small before I came here.
"A Baptist minister, talking to a friend of mine, charged me with one after another of The Eagle's slanderous insinuations, but each charge was disproven. Finally he said, 'Well, anyway, it is just terrible for him to advertise his meetings all over the city, Seats Free and No Collections' The time was when we raised considerable money from the seatings of our Churches, but public sentiment grew against it until pews were made free. Now, with Pastor Russell advertising No Collections, the people will presently feel that we are committing a crime if we pass the collection box. And then what will we do? We have hard enough time now by employing every hook and crook to meet our expenses, and could not do so except for the wealthy. '"This was a surprise to me. I had no thought of offending others. I was merely following the course which I had pursued for thirty-six years-of preaching the Gospel without money and without price. Freely have I received and freely would I give. I have no thought that people are injured by giving money for God's work.
I believe, on the contrary, that it becomes a source of blessing to them, if given from the heart. My work is supported entirely by voluntary gifts. The only difference seems to be that I get the money without asking for it, while others have great difficulty in obtaining it.
"But really the chief opposition of my brother ministers to me is became of my doctrines. While I am most courteous and have spoken kindly in every address to all Christians, I show no mercy to the creeds of the Dark ages. 'I smite the creeds hip and thigh upon every proper occasion. I am endeavoring to awaken Christendom to the fact that with good intentions in our hearts we have all been worshipping most horrible creed-idols which utterly misrepresent our gracious Heavenly Father, our Redeemer and the Bible. I am doing all in my power to smash those creed-idols and to overthrow the creed fences. Why? Became I believe the creed-idols to be hindrances to the true love of God and the true study and understanding of His Word. As for the creed-fences, I believe that they are largely responsible for the separating of God's people into sects and parties and that if they were destroyed, the people of God would come together as one for the [HG488] study of His Word.
"One of the pecularities of the case is that not one in ten of my ministerial brethren bow down to the creed idols themselves-they have repudiated them long ago and have said so publicly and privately. Yet custom and reputation and the love of money and ease and honor of men hinder them from taking a stand in full harmony with the conscientious convictions which they privately express. These feel grieved that I should call attention to their inconsistencies and ask, 'Do you, then, charge us with hypocrisy? 'I reply that I will not use so cruel a term, but will say that I believe many ministers are seriously lacking in honesty.
"Another class of ministers feel bitterly toward me because I make plain to the 'common people' that 'Higher Criticism' and 'Evolution' theology is thoroughly unchristian, yea, anti-christian. For twenty years past the colleges and seminaries have been turning out refined, polished, gentlemanly infidels ten times as well equipped to overthrow the faith of Christian people as Thomas Paine or Robert Ingersoll ever were. They do it in an artful manner, putting light for darkness and darkness for light. They tell people that they are as much inspired as was St. Paul.
This means, either that the people should appreciate the words of their preachers more than ever, or that they should appreciate the words of the Apostles less than ever. The latter is the effect. They tell the people that their forefathers were monkeys and that 'By Evolution ye are saved, and that not by faith, it is a law of nature.' The names and words of Jesw and the Apostles they still use to conjure the 'common people,' but they have no faith in the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles and they do not teach the Gospel which they taught, but another, an unscriptural one. If man never fell from Divine favor and under sentence of death, but, on the contrary, has been rising for six thousand years, then surely he would need no Saviour, no redemption, no resurrection. They do make void the Law of God through their traditions and philosophies and science falsely so-called.
"Christian people are, to a large degree asleep as respects spiritual things, and their ministers, are angry with anything likely to awaken them. This is the reason why they are so anxious to keep the people from reading my books and my sermons in the newspapers. They fear that they will awaken and ask them questions which they cannot answer. This, young man, is the secret of the opposition of the ministers which you have noted. Alas, I fear that many of them will have much to answer for in due timer I do rejoice, however, that nothing in my Bible tells me that they will be tormented to all eternity, however unjust or hypocritical they may be in their course.
"By the way, you may have noticed that our Baptist friends are especially bitter.
In my presentation of the 'whole counsel of God' I have touched their doctrine, of course, and they are mad because, when exposed to the light, it is ridiculous to every sensible mind, their own included. I show the people that, according to the Baptist doctrine, only those immersed clear over the head in water belong to the Church of Christ at all or have any right to the Communion Table. I emphasize the fact that Baptists teach that only the Church can be saved, that all others will be lost, and that lost means eternal torture. I put the two and two together for them and show that, according to their teaching, all Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Congregationalists, etc., are bound straight for eternal torture.
"Of course, intelligent Baptist ministers no longer belive this. I am glad that they do not. But why do they not have the courage of their convictions and come out and overthrow this misrepresentation of Bible baptism and ascertain the truth upon the subject and uphold it? Ah, that is the question-Whyl It seems easier to berate and slander me than to courageously stand for the Truth. Well, I believe that we are in the hour of judgment mentioned in Rev. 14:7. It is mine to sound forth the truth as loudly as possible. And the Truth itself is the Lord's test, proving which of us are merely sectarian worshippers and which worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, in spirit and in truth. To my understanding, the election of this Age will soon be completed-'the Bride Class. 'Then following the great time of trouble mentioned in the Scriptures and symbolized as a fire will come the glorious rule of righteousness, the Kingdom of God's dear Son for the blessing of the world, for its enlightenment and uplifting out of sin and death, out of ignorance and superstition, that all the willing and the obedient may attain everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
"Pastor Russell, will you permit a delicate question, asked only because of the slanderous reports circulated by your enemies-chiefly by ministers? It relates not to your public ministry, but to your private life of years ago. It is charged that your wife got a divorce from you on the charge of cruelty and that her Court testimony charged you with improper conduct with two young women who were your wards. Would you like to tell the public if there is any truth in these charges?"
Pastor Russell replied:" My wife did not obtain a divorce, but merely a separation.
The only item of cruelty charged and admitted was that on one occasion when leaving home I refused to kiss her. To a sympathetic jury that seemed very strange and grossly cruel. My wife did attempt to injure me by insinuations, but under cross-examination under oath acknowledged that she did not charge and did not believe that I had ever been guilty of any improper intimacy with these women or anyone else. My household at that time was small and, having some knowledge of medicine, it was customary for all the members of the family to call on me when ill. The two occasions sought to be used against me inferentially were visits to the sick and absolutely free from anything improper, as my wife well knew. Indeed under oath in her plea my wife declared that she and I have never co-habited. She stated the truth. Indeed the truth is still broader, for I have never at any time committed adultery nor fornication nor other immoral acts. I say it not boastfully, but in my own defense, and that the Gospel that I preach be not slandered. I have lived the life of a eunuch, as did the Great Teacher. (Matt. 19:12) And I have never violated His high standard of Law on this subject, as expressed in Matt. 5:28. How many of my slanderers say these things I know not. But, by the way, I did not matrimonially defraud my wife [1 Cor. 7:5], as her plea seemed to imply.
We lived a celibate life by mutual consent."
"It would seem, Pastor Russell, as though you were as unfortunate matrimonially as our Rev. John Wesley and others of lesser note."
"Well," replied the Pastor, "I have no desire to say one word against my wife. Her course is inexplicable. For thirteen years she was a most noble and devoted wife.
She came under the influence of what is popularly known as 'Woman's Rights,' and, because she could not have her own way and write what she chose for the columns of my Journal, The Watch Tower, she endeavored to coerce me and took one step after another, apparently determined that, if she could not coerce, she would crush and destroy my life and influence. But 'my life is hid with Christ in God.' Nothing can by any means stop my work until it shall have accomplished the Divine intention. Until then I am immortal as respects my life. When, from the Divine viewpoint, my work shall have been accomplished the Adversary, no doubt, will have full power, not only against my reputation, but also against my life. When God's time shall come, I am ready to be offered. Only if, in God's providence, I should perish as an evil-doer, let not my friends forget that so others have perished martyrs to their convictions and their faithfulness to the Word of God. Of these was St. Paul, St. Stephen, John the Baptist and our Lord Himself."
"It is reported that you leave for British appointments shortly. Will you visit the Continent also this time?"
"My engagement with the London Tabernacle is that I shall visit them twice a year, Spring and Fall. I go to fulfil my fall engagement. I shall not visit the Continent this time. While giving Sundays to London, I will devote the week days to the British public in other cities. By now I am nearly as well acquainted with the British as at home. Nearly three hundred newspapers there are publishing my sermons. One of them claims to reach a million readers."
"How many American papers are now publishing your sermons?"
"My sermons are handled by a Newspaper Syndicate to whom I supply them free.
They tell me that their American list, including Canada, numbers about one thousand papers, reaching about twelve millions of readers. At that rate my weekly audience is nearly as large as that of all Protestant ministers combined.
They reach such as attend Church. I reach and endeavor to benefit people who never attend Church. Hundreds of readers attest a work of grace is being accomplished in the hearts and minds of many who had lost all faith in God and in the Bible and who were, therefore, without hope in the world. Still, I am not expecting to convert the world, remember. That work belongs to Messiah's Kingdom. I am merely attempting to co-work with God in the finding of His saints and in the building them up in the 'most holy faith' through the knowledge of His Word. As for the world, my message to it is, 'Whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap'-every evil word, every evil act, every violation of conscience will have its effect upon the character and thus have to do with either elevating or degrading each individual.
"To give you an illustration of the effect of the Truth upon some: A storekeeper in Mississippi became deeply interested in God's Word and made a full consecration of his life to the doing of the Divine will. He afterwards told me his experience.
Being a broadminded man, he took the creeds for what they said, and believed that all except the saintly were foredoomed to an eternity of torture. He knew that himself and the vast majority of his neighbors were not saintly, but believed that it would be not only unloving but unjust for the Almighty Creator to permit them to come into life handicapped by sin and weakness and then to eternally roast them if they did not surmount all of those difficulties of heredity and environment and become saints. He says that he fully expectd to go [HG490] to eternal torture and was determined to be one of the multitudes going there who would deserve a part, at least, of what he would get. He shaped the entire course of his life to do evil. He was not fighting against the real God. He was really fighting the creed-idols. Finally some free literature from my pen reached his desk. It touched a responsive cord. He wrote for more and more. He studied. He came to an understanding of God's Book, and, in his own language, 'The true knowledge of God made a new man of me.' Error does not have a sanctifying effect. The fear which it produces is unhealthy fear, of which God says, 'Their fear toward Me is not of Me, but is taught by the precepts of men.'" Isa. 29:13
This article was republished in Reprints 3927-30 -January 15, 1907, entitled, "Sin Lieth at the Door."
This article was republished in the Overland Monthly, pages OM256-OM258, and pages OM292-OM293, entitled, "God in the Home."
Years ago Brooklynites joined in giving their confidence and support to a newspaper of lofty ideals, far-sightedness and love of liberty. Because of these qualities it was named after the king of birds, The Eagle. In its palmy days its ideals were held above reproach, but, as time sped on, it aged, grew sluggish and wearied of its lofty heights; its eye became dim, and it settled down to rest upon its fading laurels.
Meantime other birds were born with less kingly names, and some of them "yellow." These circulated far more widely than the aged Eagle was able to do.
And the aged bird which once commanded respect, bethought itself how it might maintain an imposing prestige. And it said unto itself, Go to, now, I also will dab myself with yellow, but I will not flock with the "yellow" journals. I will be a class by myself and endeavor to make up with pompous reserve what I lack in virility, in up-to-dateness.
And it came to pass that the shrewd old bird said to itself, I will use religion as a cloak and will curry favor with the preachers and be their mouthpiece; yea, I will put in a religious reporter who shall be a Seller or purveyor of sanctimoniousness.
And the thing pleased the preachers and helped to pull the circulation of The Eagle to the bottom of the list of Brooklyn dailies. And the purveyor or Seller of religious space waxed great and fat. He displayed watches and various trinkets which were given him by the preachers and in which he gloried, and for which he sold The Eagle and its waning influence.
And it came to pass that a certain Pastor Russell stood up in Brooklyn to tell the people the Truth and to free them from the chains of superstition and error. And this Pastor feared not the preachers, neither The Eagle, nor other birds of prey. He showed that many Christian ministers had foresaken the Bible and the Cross of Christ and were merely deceiving their confiding flocks by taking texts from the Bible, which they did not believe to be a Divine revelation, and that they sought insidiously to undermine the faith of their people and to turn their hearts from the Bible, the Word of God, that they might give the more earnest heed to their preachers and to the theological professors and their teachings of Higher Criticism and Evolution.
Moreover this Pastor Russell called the attention of the common people to the fact that the teachings of an eternal hell and of a temporary purgatory for the great mass of humanity except the saintly few are alike unscriptural, as well as irrational. He proceeded to [HG491] explain that the preachers believed none of those things and know well that the Scriptures in the original tongues do not teach them, but that they still give the inference and endeavor to hoodwink the people who pay them salaries to guide them into the Truth.
Now when the preachers of Brooklyn had heard that Pastor Russell had come to their city and to stay, they were vexed; yea, they were angry; yea, they "gnashed upon him with their teeth," as certain Scribes and Pharisees did toward the Master nineteen centuries ago. They said to themselves, If this man gets the ear of the people he will cause us no end of trouble. Our glory will become as a fading flower. Under his instruction the people will ask us all kinds of Bible questions.
We can hoodwink some of them, but not all of them. If we tell the people the Truth respecting Hell and Purgatory-that we have long known that the words in the original Hebrew and Greek do not teach such places of torture-our adherents will think of us as deceivers and their confidence in us will be lost. Not only will Pastor Russell start the people thinking along religious lines and get them to study their Bibles, but, additionally, we will be discredited in another way by his course.
At his meetings the seats are free and no collections are lifted. Cold shivers run down our back when Pastor Russell advertises "No Collections," and it gives both the sheep and the goats of our congregations the impression that our most important work is to gather "golden fleece." So they hated Pastor Russell because he told the truth, because the common people heard him gladly, and because he refused to beg in any sense of the word in the name of the Lord.
And the preachers did commune with The Eagle, saying, "Hie thee, there. Peck the man with thy bill. Scratch him with thy claws; yea, become a vampire and suck his life-blood. Destroy him, lest he take from us the sheen of our tinsel. Have we not given thee trinkets? Yea, did we not bolster up thy waning circulation?
Dost thou not, Oh decrepit Eagle, owe thy very life to us?"
Thus prodded and fearful of its life, The Eagle has made several attacks on Pastor Russell, not, however, in the bold manner of an eagle, but stealthily-in the dark, as a vampire. But half-blinded with age the poor old bird struck wildly and did itself harm-thus: On several occasions its religious reporter was the Seller of false reports respecting Pastor Russell's meetings. This Old Bird went to the Academy of Music-knew that its capacity is 2,600; knew that it was crowded and some turned away and that those who could, listened eagerly to the Gospel of Christ stripped of its filthy rags of human tradition; and then said religious reporter wrote up a little "snicker" to please the Brooklyn preachers, who were his buyers, as he was the Seller. Meantime the blind Old Bird never thought of the fact that the 2, 600 people present would know of its misrepresentation and thus destroy its reputation for veracity and honor.
But this was not enough. A wise eagle would have known that however little it cared for the feminine sex, it is dangerous to make an attack upon the Brooklyn women. The wise bird in its early days of chivalry would have treated women with respect, but the foolish Old Bird wrote up in its "snicker" that nearly all of Pastor Russell's audience were women-intimating that women are nobodies anyway; and that they are a senseless bundle of imitation fruits and flowers and feathers, represented by their hats. The Eagle may never have had true chivalry; but, in its early days, it had some common sense and knew better than parade its disdain of womankind. However, in this item also it displayed either the blindness of its Seller or its preference to falsehood; for the fact is the reverse of the insinuation. The number of men at Pastor Russell's services are usually in excess of the number of women, which is so unusual a matter that the public take notice of it; hence 2,600 people repeatedly convicted The Eagle of malicious untruths or blindness.
Not content with the foregoing attacks the pitiable Old Bird, in the hands of its Seller and for the approval of its ministerial backers, has made an attack upon Pastor Russell along the lines of his domestic troubles-as though good and great men in every age and profession have not had domestic troubles-as though no one connected with The Eagle ever had, or are now having, domestic troubles.
The poor Old Eagle screams to the public that a terrible thing occurred; that Pastor Russell, having made a provision of alimony for his wife, gave all the remainder of his property to the Bible and Tract Society for the publication of the Gospel of Christ, so that when the Courts of Pennsylvania allowed his wife an additional alimony he was without means to meet the same. It screams that he was in danger of arrest for this horrible condition of things when, in its younger days, it would have known what any old "Mutt" would know, that the Courts of Pennsylvania had no jurisdiction over a citizen of Brooklyn for his arrest on any such grounds. [HG492] But it finds another ground for spiteful attack, not only against Pastor Russell, but against women, by holding up to public contempt the statement that a number of Pastor Russell's female admirers contributed approximately $10,000 to pay the alimony. Have women no right to give money for religious purposes, or to ministers, if they choose? If they have not, if it is mean and ignoble for them thus to assist in Christian work, what shall we think of the Churches of Brooklyn that are not only attended chiefly by women, but supported chiefly by them? But note the lack of veracity in the Old Bird, for it so happens that not $1 of that alimony was contributed either directly or indirectly by a woman. The facts are that nobody was asked to give a cent. Five Christian gentlemen residing in different parts of the United States communicated with each other, voluntarily raised the money and paid it over through an attorney.
Poor, old decrepit, blind Eagle-foolish bird of preyl You are injuring yourself and hastening your death. Give it up, Old Bird. Die quickly and gracefully in the records of the past and stop trying to be "yellow," for you are too old to know how, and are merely making yourself ridiculous.
This article was republished in the Overland Monthly, pages OM179-OM182, entitled, "A Joyful Message for the Sin-sick."
Rev. Dr. Aked, until recently of the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, is quoted in the "New York Press" as follows: "The flood is not believed to be a fact in history by a student of the Scriptures or by a student of science. The story of the flood and many others in the Bible are too much at variance with themselves to warrant belief in them as history. It may be startling to be told that the Bible is founded on a myth, but-."
We admire frankness. We believe that all ministers who disbelieve the Bible should be frank enough to say so. Then it would rest with their congregations to decide whether or not they desired their services at fat salaries. The truth is that the majority of the ministers, less courageous then Dr. Aked, less conscientious, less honest, fear to lose their job and hence falsify in a negative manner, by allowing the people to suppose that they still hold to the vows which they took at the time of their ordination to the ministry.
We disagree with Dr. Aked when he says that Bible students do not believe the stories of the flood, etc. The people who disbelieve the Bible do very little studying, as we might expect. The people who are Bible students, especially if they get the proper light upon it, find their faith in it continually increasing. We would like to recommend to Dr. Aked and others who doubt the stories of the Bible respecting creation and the flood that they read a book entitled "The New Creation," published by the Bible Students Association, Brooklyn, N. Y. Well did the Lord through the Prophets of old testify of our day, "The wisdom of their wise men shall perish. The understanding of their prudent men shall not be manifest." (Isa. 29:14)
Would that those who are losing their faith in the Bible could get a glimpse of its real beauties and harmonies from the standpoint of "The Divine Plan of the Ages, or Bible Keys." What a revelation it would make-what a recurrence to the testimony of the Word of God respecting the fall, the redemption and restitution!
Those who deny the fall of our first parents, who claim that primitive man was cousin to the ape, should not claim to be Christians at all. Why? Because the Redeemer declares that He "came to seek and to save that which was lost," while these wise men tell us that nothing was lost and that everything is being gained [HG493] and was being gained before Jesus came into the world.
Another reason why they should not claim to be Christians is that they disbelieve the only record which tells about Jesus and reveals Him as a Savior. Jesus believed the story of the fall, the story of the flood, the story of Jonah and the great fish, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, etc. He quoted these as true. If He was not as wise as Dr. Aked to know the truth from untruth, then evidently He was not as suitable a person to be the Savior of the world as Dr. Aked would be, and all should be worshiping and reverencing and following Dr. Aked and the Higher Critics and Evolutionists, instead of Jesus.
It is nothing short of foolishness to say that Jesus was the Son of God, the world's Redeemer and Messiah, and yet to say that He was deceived by the myths of primitive man and less wise than Dr. Aked, et. al., in respect to what constitutes truth.
On the other hand, if it be claimed that Jesus was wise and that the Bible misrepresents Him and that He never endorsed the story of Adam and Eve and the flood, Jonah and the great fish, etc., then the Bible record is a falsification and unworthy of any belief or acceptance. In that event, where will Dr. Aked find another, better, fuller record concerning Christ and what Dr. Aked's "wisdom of this world" decides on the subject ?
The sooner we give up the folly of claiming to be Christians while denying the foundation of Christianity, the better it will be for ourselves and everybody else. It is such insincerity that is nauseating the world and making professed ministers of Christ and their preaching a byword.
That the sins of alcoholic parents are visited upon the children unto the third generation was shown by Dr. Alfred Gordon, of Philadelphia, who presented a mass of careful statistics showing that many cases of insanity, epilepsy, imbecility and immorality exist chiefly in those whose parents and grandparents were lopers.
He spoke at the fortieth annual meeting of the American Society for the Study of Alcohol and Narcotics, in convention in Philadelphia.
His study embraces 298 cases of mental deficiency observed in 117 families, taking into consideration only the living members, the mortality of children at an early age being very great. He declared that alcoholism is unquestionably one of the direct causes of imbecility, idiocy and feeblemindedness in the offspring.
"The pictures traced from facts, gathered with a great deal of accuracy, show that alcoholized individuals create degenerates and the mentally feeble," said Doctor Gordon. "They, by their turn, continue the chain endlessly, if not interrupted. One such family is capable of throwing into the community dozens of useless or dangerous individuals."
Dr. D. H. Kress, superintendent of a Sanatorium in Washington, discussed "The Relation of Narcotics to Race Suicide and Longevity.
After pointing out the small birth rate in France, England and Germany, Doctor Kress said that no country is more endangered by race suicide than the United States. Turning to Baltimore, he said there were 8,375 births there in 1875, and yet in 1910, when the population had increased about 100 per cent, the numbers of births was only 8,796.
He urged before an increase in the birth rate an improvement in the quality of the children born. "Sterility and high living," he said, "are the chief causes of the trouble. Drunkenness, where women nurse their own children, is rare."
The use of caffeine in various forms, notably coffee, was greatly deplored, and the speaker declared such an inebriate more hopeless than one addicted to alcohol.
"The Prevention of Inebriety" was treated by Dr. G. Milton Linthieum in an interesting paper. In concluding his remarks he said: "Legislation must follow education and not education legislation. The keyword of the prevention of inebriety must be education-education of the child, education of the young, education of the fathers and mothers, of the medical students, the young physicians, teachers, professors and lawmakers as to the true, scientific facts of alcoholism and inebriety."