Contents of the Golden Age

Labor and Economics Digest or World News

Social and Educational

International Convention of Truth Lovers

Murders North and South, Divers Academic Items

Lottery In Cuba

Manufactures and Mining A Glance at the Census or Manufactures

.         Finance—Commerce—Transportation

High Cost of Living, Golden Rule in Business

Progressive (?) Financiers . .

Suspension Bridge over the Hudson, Etc

Political—Domestic and Foreign Stagnant Government

The Profits of Patriotism........ 7 . . .

Bonus BUI Aftermath, Machinery of Civilization

Alaska, Canada

South America

France, Germany

’ Italy, Glory at the Vatican

Africa, Patenting India.......*.......... . 663

China, Japan

Mask Twain’s Vision [of 1917]

Agriculture and Husbandry Electricity on the Farm

Foot-and-Mouth Disease in California

Science and Intention

Type and Typography

Transmission of Photographs by Wire

Beligion and Philosophy Imitating the Bible Students

The Earth to be Made Glorious

Heard in the Office (No. 13)..................

“Superior” People Getting Peevish................

Studies in “The Harp of God”

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Golden Age

Volume V Brooklyn, N.Y., Wednesday, July 16, 1924 Number 126

A Glance at the Census of Manufactures

THERE is always something of interest to be learned from the United States Census. We present herewith a table, which took us a considerable amount of time and energy to compile, and which accumulates in concrete form the principal data obtained by the United States Government in its census of manufactures in 1909 and in 1919.

The table shows merely the totals of the sums expended for labor and materials, and in an adjoining column the sums obtained for the product thus manufactured. It affords a partial key to the industries of the country, indicating which are the most profitable^ It cannot show this positively; for there are various ways of hiding profits. For example slaughtering and packing appear at the bottom of the list; but the profits are diverted into switching, icing and other charges, so that they can be ascertained only by great effort. They are actually much greater than they appear. The packers pay their bookkeepers well.

The table tells its own story so well that comments are superfluous. It is easy to see why the liquor interests did not wish to go out of business. Business was not so good for them in 1919 as in 1909. They had to expend more for labor and materials than they did ten years before, and they got less for their product. But even as it was, when they sold their goods they received $2.09 for every dollar expended in their manufacture; or, in other words, they made an increase of 109% on funds actually employed in manufacture. ,

The drug business comes next. It also is a very profitable business, running in the neighborhood of 100%; and, as in the case of liquor, we have The testimony of eminent physicians to the effect that if all the drugs in the world were sunk to the bottom of the sea the human family as a whole would be in better shape than it is with their use.

It is no surprise to find the ice business so profitable. Every winter in the ice lakes on the top of Mount Pocono, along the line of the Lackawanna Railroad, by modern methods of harvesting .a few men gather thousands of tons of purest ice in, a few days, and without any danger or expense worth mentioning. A few months later they sell it at the price which only a brief time ago was considered a good price for coal, obtained at a much greater outlay from every point of view.

Turpentine and rosin are profitable; just why this is we do not know. Paper is in the hands of a few great concerns, virtually a trust. The tobacco profits go to the manufacturers, it will be observed; those who raise it do not get any such profits as those shown.

Salt is profitable. In Western New York, at Retsof, salt is mined at no more than the cost of mining coal, probably much less, and is sold for about $20 a ton. It stands to reason that somebody must make money out of such an arrangement. We do not know the actual selling price per ton, but judge from the prices charged for the pulverized product.

Typewriter manufacture is profitable. The typewriter manufacturers are hooked up in a trust, and are charging for typewriters about twice what they should charge. The big increase in the amount of explosives made and sold is attributable in part to the World War. A glimpse at the profits in gas shows plainly why the financiers that own the big newspapers are very much opposed to public ownership of gas works. The profits would then go to the people, and this the financiers do not wish.

We do not proceed further with the discussion of the table, but prefer to let it tell its own story. As we were finishing it, we chanced to have an interview with a gentleman in the lumber business. To test it out, we said to him: "If you do as others in your line, when you sell your

fill	The	GOLDEN AGE		B100KLTR, N. I.
	CENSUS OF 1909.			CENSUS OF 1919.
GROUP OF INDUSTRIES	Sum of Labor &	: Price Obtained	%	Sum of Labor &	Price Obtained	%
	Material Costs	for Products	Inc.	Material Costs	for Products	Xnc.
Liquor and Beverages	$239,629,666	$674,311,051	183.1	$288,916,030	$603,895,215	109.0
Drugs	60.273,000	141,941,000	135.4	199,999,000	386,369,000	93.1
Ice	21,096,000	42,953,000	103.6	76,880,000	137,005,000	76.9
Turpentine and Rosin	14.274,000	25,295,000	77.2	30,903,000	53,051,000	71.6
Paper and Printing	693.300.877	1,179,285,247	70.1	. 1,871,227,710	3,012,583,990	66.3
Tobacco Manufacture!	246,540,215	416,695,104	69.0	607,555,838	1,012,933,213	66.7
Salt	7,734,000	11,328,000	46.4	23,381,000	37,514,000	60.4
Typewriters	10,298,000	19,719,000	91.6	33,153,000	52,738,000	59.0
Explosives	27,116,000	40,140,000	48.0	58,416,000	92,475,000	58.3
Gas	73.359^)00	166,814,000	127.3	210,310,000	329,279,000	56.5
Needles and Pins	4,393,000	6,694,000	52.6	19,037,000	29,305,000	53.9
Chemicals	78,242,000	117,741,000	50.4	376,548,000	574,141,000	52.4
Musical Instruments	74,348,074	104,743,648	40.8	213,327,486	320,905,149	50.8
Electrical Machinery	157,947,000	221,309,000	40.0	663,287,000	997,968,000	50.4
Stone, Clay, and Glass Products	373,048,032	531,736,831	42.5	737,130,284	1,085,528,926	47.2
Glass	71,419,000	92,095,000	28.9	178,307,000	261,884,000	46.8
Beet Sugar	32.073,000	48,122,000	50.0	102,937,000	149,156,000	44.9
Rubber Goods      .	147,882,000	197,395,000“	40.3	788,107,000	1,138,216,000	44.4
Clay-Products Industry	112,539,000	168,895,000	50.5	-196,358,000	283,342,000	44.2
Men's and Women's Clothing	629,524,000	870,429,000	38.3	1,679,277,000	2,371,529,000	41.2
Lumber and its Remanufacture	1,142,592,137	1,588,274,035	39.0	2,207,030,137	3,070,072,813	39.1
Silk                               ‘	146,337,000	196,912,000	34.5	496,695,000	688,470,000	38.6
Motorcycles and Bicycles	7,991,000	10,699,000	33.8	38,749,000	53,106,000	37.0
Natural Dyestuffs and Extracts	10.975,000	15,955,000	45.3	39,328,000	53,744,000	36.6
Textiles and Products -	2,358,510,604	3,086,944,186	30.9	6,864,406,123	9,216,102,814	34.3
Iron and Steel and Products	2/435,265,363	3.164,471,535	29.1	7,009,088;305	9,403,634,265 '	34.1
Fertilizers	76,999,000	103,960,000	35.0	210,404,000	281,144,000	33.6
Laundries	73,720,068	104,680,086	41.9	177,384,532	236,382,369	33.2
Chemicals and Products	1,060,047,327	1,526,598,576	44.0	4,241,419,365	5,610,299,073	32.3
Canning	120,905,000	157,101,000	29.9	479,104,000	628,288,000	31.1
Paper	206,247,000	267,657,000	29.7	603,174,000	788,059,000	30.6
Cordage and Twine, Jute Goods, etc. 48,380,000		59,122,000	22.2	134,376,000	174,807,000	30.0
Knit Goods	154,981,000	200,143,000	29.1	552,296,000	713.140,000	29.1
Leather and Products	824,985,396	992,713,322	23.0	2,077,260,755	2,610,230,727	25.7
Chocolate and Cocoa	16,792,000	22,390,000	33.4	111,024,000	139,258,000	25.4
Shipbuilding	56,482,000	73,360,000	29.9	1,307,970,000	1,622,362,000	24.0
Vehicles for Land Transportation 427,583,914,		561,763,289	31.4	3,187,700,976	4,058,911,515	23.9
Steam and Electric Railway Cars 112,325,000		131,540,000	17.1	450,561,000	556,665,000	23.5
Soap	78,406,000	111,358,000	42.0	259,747,000	316,740,000	21.9
Petroleum	209,103,000	236,998,000	13.3	1,337,658,000	1,632,533,000	21.0
Beans and Coffee	122,905,000	149,989,000	22.0	398,956,000	482,313,000	20.8
Other. Metals Than Iron	1,038,859,355	1,240,409,831	19.4	2,304,662,333	2,760,293,56ft	19.7 _
Coke f	79,479,000	95,697,000	20.4	266,566,000	316,516,000	18.7
Cotton Goods	515,610,737	615,217,702	19.3	1,794,616,880	2,125,272,193	18.4
Buttons	18,167,043	22,708,065	23.4	35,394,043	41,840,459	18.2
Textiles Only	1,340,273,480	1,591,735,706	18.8	4,271,393,656	5,006,639,405	17.2
Ammunition ,	19,960,526	26,053,065	30.5	76,442,130	88,028,223	15.1
Food and Kindred Products	3.396,466,373	3,937,617,891	15.9	10,834,086,667	12,438,890,851	14.9
Motor Vehiojes and Parts	191,852,788	249,202,075	29.9	2,685,938,798	3,080,073,979	14.7
Rice Cleaning and Polishing	20,065,000	22,371,000	1.5	78,566,000	90,038,000	14.6
Cast Iron Pipe	26,440,627	29,153,723	12.6	43,828,212	50,235,101	14.6
Flour Mill Products	789,030,000	883,584,000	11.9	1,850,069,000	2,052,434,000	10.9
Railroad Repair Shops	410,411,616	437,563,288	6.6	1,274,519,160	1,354,446,094	6.2
Slaughtering and Packing	1,241,842,000	1,355,544,000	9.1	3,992,419,000	4,246,291,000	6.1

product you add about 40% to the total cost of your raw materials and labor, and you find your business a more than ordinarily profitable one?' He said substantially: ‘TTou have hit it right; I figure on just about 40%, and I do find the business profitable.”

There are hints here to those who are thinking of going into business. The figures show some businesses naturally more profitable than others. Part way down in the table is a black Une. Below the line the profits are not so large as the average. Above it they are larger. One who has the time and inclination to Study this table closely and ponder its items can hardly fail to take many interesting discoveries.

Taking the items as a whole, the sum of labor and material costs for 1909 was about $22,000,000,000 and the selling price about $28,500,000,000, an advance of about 30%; while for 1919 the sum of labor and material costs was about $70,000,000,000 and the selling price $89,500,000,000, an advance of 27%. In the table some of the items appear separately besides appearing in larger groups, so that the statements of this paragraph can be taken only as of general application. Many lines of unimportant manufactures are not shown.

International Convention of Truth Lovers

THE Golden Age takes pleasure in announcing that a convention of international interest to truth lovers, to Bible Students, to those who love righteousness and peace, wiU be held this year at Columbus, Ohio, July 20 to 27, inclusive, under the auspices of the International Bible Students Association.

That it will be of international interest is evident from the fact that many speakers from all parts of the world will be present, and each nationaUty shall have the privilege of listening to speakers of its own tongue. Every reader of The Golden Age is especially invited to attend.

The main meeting hall for the conventioners will be the Coliseum, which has a seating capacity of 14,000. Connected with the Coliseum, and all under roof, are seven other halls, which will accommodate meetings for the various languages. All these buildings are located at the Ohio State Exposition Grounds, which are practically in the center of the city of Columbus. The grounds are private, with a grove, lakes, beautiful place for resting; and there those who attend can be entirely isolated from the public.

In addition to this is Memorial Hall, with a capacity of 4,000, which will be in use each evening for a public meeting and which maybe used in the daytime if required for other meetings.

It is the intention to have a large, well-advertised public meeting on Sunday, July 27, in the Stadium of the Ohio State University, the seating capacity of which is 72,000.

Columbus, Ohio, is located in the center of a very populous district, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario. It has the best interurban railway system of any city in the country, and is easy of access. The highways leading into it are of the very best, and great numbers of friends will be expected to come by automobile.

Within five blocks of the meeting place there are rooming accommodations for 60,000 people. There are thirty large hotels and a large number of dormitories. We suggest that all who can arrange for a little vacation from the daily routine of life will find this a most helpful and satisfactory way to find recreation, and to engage in a mental, spiritual and social treat.

Reduced Railroad Rates

ALL the railroads in the United States and

- Canada have granted a special rate for this convention of one and one-half fare for the round trip, tickets to be obtained upon the identification certificate plan. These certificates will be furnished by the Convention Committee. Address: R. A. Johnson, Secretary, 52% North Front Street, Columbus, Ohio.

One identification certificate will do for an entire family. Where one person travels alone one certificate is required. It is better to order more blank certificates than actually are needed; for at the last moment somebody else may wish one.

The date of the convention is July 20 to 27 inclusive. Beginning July 15th and until the 22:id for the going trip,.tirkets will be on sale at all railway stations. No tickets can be obtained for the going trip, on the certificate plan, after July 22nd. When purchasing your ticket, present your identification certificate to the ticket agent and ask for a return ticket. To protect oneself in case of a lost ticket, it will be advantageous at the time of purchasing ticket to make a memorandum of the time bought, amount paid, and the number on the ticket The tickets should read from starting point to Columbus, Ohio, and return.

The highways in Ohio and adjoining places are in fine condition, and many will be expected to come in their automobiles. Thejre is a covered building near the Coliseum that will accommodate five hundred machines. Other garage and parking spaces will be available in the city at reasonable rates^

Accommodations and Reservations         '

COLUMBUS has thirty hotels with a rate of’ $1.00 per day and up, all of which are within fifteen minutes street-car ride of the Coliseum. Adjoining the grounds where the convention is to be held are private rooms which will accommodate 10,000 or more, all of which are within walking distance of the Coliseum. The rates for these rooms will be fifty cents, seventy-five cents, and one dollar for each person, according to accommodations; and also a rate will be made for room and breakfast. It is expected that this latter rate will be one dollar a day. It is the purpose now to have a cafeteria on the grounds serving meals at noon and evening at very reasonable rates. A person therefore may figure on an expense of not to exceed two dollars a day for a room and meals. If it is possible to make the rate less it will be done.

Those attending the convention will have access to the Ohio State Fair Grounds. The grounds contain many shade trees, plenty of pure water, comfort stations, emergency hospital, children's playgrounds, barber shop, dairy buildings which supply fresh milk and icecream, all of which will be for the exclusive use of those attending the convention during the dates of the convention. Some one will be put in charge of the children, and thus an opportunity will be afforded for their mothers to attend the meetings when desired.

The Coliseum, where the meetings in English will be held, has a capacity of 14,000 seats. An* electric loud-speaker will be installed so that every person in the auditorium can hear with perfect ease without extra effort being put forth by the speaker.

For the Sunday meeting an electric loudspeaker will be installed in the Stadium so that every person in the Stadium (which has a capacity of 72,000) can hear. Judge Rutherford, President of the International Bible Students Association, will be The speaker at the Stadium.

Stagnant Government By l. d. Barnes

IT IS said that everything improves but government. The great discoveries of fifty years, with increasing light on the Bible, show that progress and improvement is the divine program. The failure of present governments to keep pace in the administration of human rights and proper privileges shows that these institutions are not progressive, not the “last word” by any means. The constant progress referred to, in contrast to the stale and stagnant, milk-and-watery systems, shows that the divine mind is not directing these, but has left them mainly to take their own course, interfering only in the execution of retributive justice, where iniquity comes to the full, and where human activity might encroach somewhat upon the divine plan.

Yet the wisdom that has revealed to mankind the arts and sciences, the printing press, the typewriter, the sewing-machine, the railway and marine engines, the auto and the airplane, the telephone and the radio, and thousands of labor-saving devices, such as electric, steam, gas, compressed air and others, will yet establish that form of government which will apply those blessings for the good of all and for the aggrandizement of none!

“Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet.” “And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden.”—Isa. 28:17; Ezek. 36:35.

Type and Typography By c. J.Fekei

PRINTING bears about the same relation to writing as a shout does to a whisper. What would the world have been without these two methods of expression? We can hardly imagine the situation. It certainly would have hindered progress in civilization. There could now be no typewriters, typesetting machines, printing industry, stationery stores, or post offices. We would have neither folders, catalogues, time tables, menus, posters, handbills, advertising signs, letters, stationery, books, magazines, or newspapers. The world would be submerged in illiteracy. Writing and printing are almost the only mediums by which we retain valuable and trustworthy records. Without these two means, about all of the knowledge we would possess would be either tradition or rumor and hearsay.

Of what value is tradition ? The various heathen religions trace their origin to legends delivered from one generation to another. But to be merely tradition, whether believed by one or a hundred persons, does not prove the truthfulness of any proposition. Long before Columbus was born it was generally believed that the earth is flat. And credulity was no doubt stimulated by tradition. But added to the fact that such information is likely to be untrue at the start, is the strong probability that it will become distorted and colored before reaching the one considering it

For instance: How many of us could repeat in every detail a simple story that we heard a year or two ago? Very few, I am sure. Certainly further evidence to demonstrate the uncertainty of tradition is not necessary.

Of course, the mere fact that a thing is printed does not prove its truthfulness. Its intrinsic value must be examined; it must be reasoned upon, and compared with other reliable facts before its truth can be established. But it has this advantage, that whereas tradition is often held but by a few, that which is printed is generally accessible to all, and therefore subject to the most widespread criticism.

The great God of the universe, who declares the end from the beginning, foreknew of this condition,'and so caused the message of holy men of old-to be retained by writing in a permanent and reliable form. Thus Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. (Exodus 24:4) But lest any one should think that he wrote them with a hammer and chisel on a block of stone, we note that it is recorded: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua." (Exodus 17:14) Joshua also recorded Israel’s covenant with their God (Joshua 24:26); and Samuel told the manner of the kingdom in a book.— 1 Samuel 10:25.

First Results of Printing

RINTING has been called "the mother of progress.” It unquestionably contributed greatly to the Reformation movement. It is doubtful whether the Reformation could have been carried on without printing. From the time of its invention printing has been used to circulate the Word of God. It was as though Jehovah had placed His finger on an electric switch and said: “Let there be light,” and light flooded the earth. It came, not as a brilliant flare, such as would be caused by a skyrocket bursting over your head, or by a flash of lightning suddenly illuminating all of the landscape, but rather like the removal of thick, impenetrable clouds, thereby revealing a brilliantly illuminated, starlit sky. It did not daze those that beheld it, but rather gave them beams of hope and rays of life and joy.

We might compare it to the successor of the old village pump, which is almost altogether out of date now. But possibly in some backward community you may see one standing, kept as a relic for its former service. The well was usually deep, therefore the pump was reliable; and here would gather the little neighborhood to get their daily supply of water. Back and forth .the bucket brigade would go. But suppose, if your imagination will stretch that far, that a change came over this community; and that from the sink in each kitchen of every home, there should spring forth an artesian well. You would not even need a receptacle with which to drink. By lowering your lips you could partake of the refreshing overflow. Water? Streams of it! As clear as crystal! Coming forth endlessly! It was just as the prophet Malachi foretold: “Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive* it.”—Malachi 3:10.

So, after the Bible was printed, each family could study their Bible at home. No longer was

it necessary to travel long distances to peruse the Sacred Book, chained to a pulpit; for it could be read under one’s own lampshade. The two witnesses which had prophesied under sackcloth came to life. (Revelation 11:11) The power of the great Antichrist was broken, foreshadowing that sooner or later ignorance and superstition would be crushed to earth. Just as in the days of Jesus, the people which sat in darkness saw great light (Matthew 4:16), so now too, priesthood, creeds and religious ceremonies would be exposed by “that which is written.”                     - - -      -

The Origin of Printing

ROM our schoolbooks we learned that printing was invented by Johann Gutenberg, of

Germany, in the year 1440. More correctly speaking, the invention of printing from movable type took place at that time. Printing means to make copies by impression. Typography means to* take impressions from ink-covered type. Whenever we leave our finger impression on any article, we print, - though we may be entirely ignorant of the art of typography. The earliest date of printing in this sense is not known. -

Writing preceded printing; and this was carried on in Egypt, Babylon, and China. From the Bible we learn that over 2,400 years elapsed from Adam’s creation to Moses. As Adam lived 930 years, there remain about 1,500 years between them. This period was spanned by five intermediaries, and to Moses was given the first divine commission to write.

As the art of writing is not mentioned previously, it must have been either gradually developed or revealed by Jehovah to His servant Moses. From an early date some of the patriarchs erected stones to commemorate certain occasions. What would be more natural than for men so to inscribe their monuments that they would bring to mind the event or deed that they commemorated? But it is foolish for men to suppose that similarly man evolved the marvel of speech, and brought the incoherent cries of joy and pain, as expressed by the lower animals, under such control as to make them the servants o£ thought. •

The Bible tells us that there were but seven generations? from the perfect man Adam to Jubal, whose musical talent was so developed as to make him the inventor of the harp and the organ. (Genesis 4:21) It may be that the formerly perfect human voice was losing its charm, and therefore the substitution of a mechanical instrument suggested itself.

' The art of printing and writing is closely associated with the development of paper or other writing material. In Egypt the papyrus plant was converted into papyrus writing material. In China a kind of silk was used. In Babylon inscriptions were stamped into soft clay tablets, and these were baked. As a result, in the ruins of Babylon, nearly every kiln-burnt brick has its inscriptions. These tablets are of various shapes—oblongs, cones, and cylinders. They vary from one inch to a foot or more in length.

There are vast libraries containing legal, mathematical and geographical treatises, historical and mythological documents, poetical compositions, and works on astronomy, astrology and religion. One may find lists of stones, birds and beasts, as well as petitions and royal proclamations.

In a few words, it is a vast amount of useless reading matter compared to the clear, brief record of the children of Israel found in the Bible, God’s Word of Truth.

Shortly thereafter parchment, made of sheep skin polished with pumice stone, was used, as well as the skins of other animals. A fine grade of parchment made from the skins of calves is called vellum. It is upon parchment that the oldest manuscripts of the Bible are written.

The Origin of Typography                ’’

FIERCE controversy has raged over who first gave the world a knowledge of typography. This honor is claimed by Italy, Holland, and Germany; but the weight of the evidence is is favor of Johann Gutenberg, a printer of Mainz. He was born about 1397, and is known to have been at work before 1439 in Strassburg, endeavoring to perfect his art. Like that of most inventors, his path was strewn with difficulties. From Strassburg he went to Mainz, where his name appears in a record of legal contract dated 1448. In 1450 he entered a partnership with a wealthy money lender by the name of Johann Fust, or Faust, who furnished the means needed to set up a printing press. In 1455 Fust brought a law suit against Gutenberg to recover the money he had advanced. The verdict was in Fust's favor, nnd the printing press passed out of Gutenberg’s hands.

Although sixty years of age Gutenberg did not despair. He determined to found another office. He had some of his printing material, with which he could again make his movable type; and the town clerk provided him with money. He continued his work for some years; but in 1462 all printing in Mainz was interrupted by the sacking of the town during a quarrel of the archbishops. Such events were not unusual at that time, nor should we be surprised at them today.

It happened in this way: The archbishopric of Mainz was claimed by Adolph II, Count of Nassau, who was supported by Pope Pius H. In 1462 he attacked and captured the town because it took sides with Diether, then archbishop and elector of the place. Many citizens were murdered, and the town was sacked. All of its industry was destroyed fthereby the workmen of the printing offices were compelled to flee to other places, carrying their art with them. For three years after the capture of Mainz, nothing of value was printed there. Gutenberg died about February, 1468.

Two friends of Gutenberg, who probably knew of his invention, erected tablets to his memory. One of these was erected in the church at Mainz shortly after his death, and the other in the year 1508 in a law school in that city. The inscriptions speak of him as the inventor of printing.

The Dutch claim that a Koster, Laurens Jans-zoon, who lived between 1420 and 1440, was the inventor of type. This claim is referred to as the Koster Legend. It did not become public until 1588, or a century and a half after 'Gutenberg began his work. Like all legends, it claims to come from a trustworthy source. According to this account, Koster walked into the woods in 1440, and in the ■ bark of a beech tree cut letters, which he printed on paper for the amusement of some children. Later he printed whole sheets from pictures, later still, from leaden letters, and then from tin type.

In 1441*«ne of Koster’s workmen is supposed to have stolen his type and fled to Mainz, where he opened a workshop, and published two works from Koster’s type in the year 1442. Until 1499 no one seemed to doubt that movable type were first used in Strassburg by Johann Gutenberg, who afterward went to Mainz, as tl*3 Cologne Chronicle, published in 1499, declared. The most severe assault on the claims of Koster was by a Dutchman, Dr. Van der Linde. In a series of articles called the “Koster Legend” he accused as being false the documents that were intended to prove that his countryman was the inventor of typography. So incensed became some of the Dutch that Dr. Van der Linde deemed it advisable to leave his native land. Today the Koster theory has been abandoned everywhere except in Holland.

Early Specimens of Printing

THE earliest specimen of printing from type existing today is the famous Letter of Indulgence of Pope Nicholas V to such persons as should contribute money to help the King of Cyprus against the Turks. A copy of this Indulgence is now preserved in the Meerznan-Wes-treenen Museum at the Hague. It bears the earliest authentic date of a document printed from type—November 15,1454. It declares that a plenary indulgence of three years is granted by Pope Nicholas V on the twelfth of April, 1451, to all persons who from May 1, 1455, should contribute money to aid the King of Cyprus, then threatened by the Turks. (Pope Nicholas proclaimed a Jubilee in 1450; and while it was in progress at Rome, a plague broke out. (Will there be a final and more effective plague at the coming Jubilee in 19251) The Turks took Constantinople during his reign, and his effort to unite Christendom against the Moslems was of no avail.

Other early works are Gutenberg’s Bibles. On these his fame as a great printer rests. There are two editions of the Holy Bible in Latin. They are referred to as the Bible of forty-two and thirty-six lines respectively. These figures refer to the number of lines to the page, in a column. The forty-two line is supposed to be the earlier. It was discovered in 1760, in the library of Cardinal Mazarin at Paris, and is therefore called the Mazarin Bible, or Gutenberg’s first Bible. The Earl of Ashburnham's copy of the Mazarin Bible on vellum was sold in 1897 for about $20,000. It was probably not begun before 1450, and was finished in 1455. The Paris copy contains'the rubricator's inscription, which shows that the work was completed before August 15, 1456.

The thirty-six-line Bible is called the Pfister's or Bamberg Bible, because the type used in it was once owned by Albrecht Pfister of Bamberg. A copy of this Bible was discovered in 1728 in the library of a monastery near Mainz. A note found in the manuscript catalogue of the library states that the Bible was given to the monastery by Johann Gutenberg and his associates. The date 1461 is written on a copy of the last leaf of this book. These4^w<> editions of the Bible, like all of Gutenberg’s works, are without the name and place of the printer, due probably to his fear of lawsuits, which had already caused him great expense.

Other works ascribed to Gutenberg are the Calendar of 1457, the Catholicon of 1460, and a Letter of Indulgence of 1461. Indulgences are hot popular in the United States today because intelligent people will not believe that God has reposed the sole and complete power of designating punishment and forgiveness of sins, in the hands of priests. The favor of God cannot be purchased with money. * The Bible tells us that if we confess our sins to God in the name of Jesus Christ, then He is faithful and just to ¹ forgive us our sins, and that the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. —1 John 1:9; 2:1,2.

Our Lord taught us to pray, saying, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12) There is abundant further evidence on this point. (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 2:13; Matthew 18:35; Acts 13:38) There is no need for a priest or father on earth to forgive us our sins, when we have a Father and ever faithful High Priest in heaven. The confessional still prospers, but thank God the day is near when the knowledge of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the deep.

The Progress of Printing

IT IS said that William the Conqueror could not write his name; and that therefore he had "William” engraved on a bit of wood, and approved documents by pressing his stamp first on an ink pad and then on his paper. But when once printing on paper in a commercial way started, it progressed rapidly. The art carried on at Mainz soon spread to other cities and countries, as traveler* were constantly passing through this town to the Netherlands, France, Italy, and Switzerland. Just as by divine providence, the persecution of the early Christians in Palestine scattered them over Europe and disseminated their doctrine, so the quarrel of the archbishops in 1462 dispersed the printers.

Presses were soon set up in other cities; by the end of the fifteenth century more than one hundred and fifty towns were practising the art. Three printers from Germany established a press in Paris in 1470, and in 1477 England took up the art In France, Germany, and Italy typography was practised most extensively, and here the greatest improvements were made. Before the year 1500, over two hundred printers practised the art in Venice, and it is to Italy that we are indebted for the Italic and the Roman type. The latter is the most extensively used today.                -

Among the printers of Venice was Aldus Ma-nutius, who began his work in 1494. He was . a man of great learning and industry, and exercised extreme care in his work. His press became celebrated for its Greek and Latin classics, He introduced the Italic type and probably devised the present system of punctuation; for before his time but few marks were used, and their use was not well regulated. This knowledge should lead us to understand that the translators of the so-called “Authorized Version” were not infallible in the punctuation of their translation of the Holy Scriptures. As a matter of fact the work on this version was not begun until between 1604 and 1607, or over a hundred years after the origin of punctuation.

The translators were unfortunate enough to misplace a comma in Luke 23:43, and thereby changed a simple,' reasonable text of Scripture into a puzzle that for a long time no one could solve. Properly punctuated the passage reads, "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee today, Thou shalt be with me in paradise.” In due time the thief will be with Jesus in the kingdom, which we see now in process of establishment in the earth.

Contrast, for a moment, printing as it was after its invention with what it is today. With painstaking care the printer would set up every letter of his type, place it in a form, and by a slow and laborious method repeatedly ink his type and take impressions on his sheets. The wealthy looked at the new art as an inartistic trade, and so compelled the printer to copy the characters of contemporary manuscripts in order to sell his work. Today typesetting machines rapidly assemble the letters, and many speedy presses turn out a printed sheet every second. In addition we have typewriters. There are over 500,000 Corona typewriters in use, beside greater numbers of Remington, Underwood, Oliver, Royal, and machines of other manufacture.

Within the last forty years the printing industry in America has jumped from practically nowhere to the rank of sixth in size among our industries. Toward the close of the last century, there were but four newspapers in India, all printed in the English language; whereas today there are two hundred thirty-two printed in the native tongue of Hindustani, besides others in English and the various vernaculars.

Pamphlets, Magazines, Newspapers, Etc.

WITH the invention of the printing press, the tract and pamphlet came into existence. With the possibility of indefinitely multiplying copies, it became true as never before that “the pen is mightier than the sword.” In 1915 Great Britain made one of its ablest men, Lord Northcliffe, a Minister of State, with the assigned duty of Minister of Propaganda. So Lord Northciffe began scattering pamphlets over the nations of earth. Further propaganda through newspapers and books was carried on by all of the nations in the great World War.

In the early days, when Rome was still in power, heralds were stent forth who read to the people what the government wished them to believe. After the invention of printing, Venice endeavored to tell the people certain facts; and so a sheet was published called the “Gazetta,” out of which has grown the modern magazine. In writing for a magazine one may take ample time to express his real belief rather than merely a passing thought, as in a newspaper. A magazine should be worth keeping, a newspaper only worth reading.

While the “Gazetta” flourished in Italy, the “News Letter” was being printed in Germany, France, and England. This developed into the daily newspaper. Napoleon III said that he received all his knowledge from the two sources: His mother, who taught him to read; and his newspaper, which supplied the rest. Some one has said: “If we can get truth and cleanness of soul, ideals that are honest and worth while, before the eyes of all men in books, and let this vaccine seep into their natures, then we have saved mankind.”

But anyone who looks inside of our big metropolitan dailies knows how impossible such a task really is. These papers are of the sensational type. They devote a large percentage of their space to playing up what is abnormal and unusual in daily city and country life. They deal with the famous and the infamous, with that which is deserving of public admiration or public scorn. The average reader briefly reviews the fires, collisions, murders, suicides, and other similar abnormalties, hoping to derive a thrill from the recital of some gruesome incident, but finds that it always leaves a feeling of disappointment. Practically all modern newspapers and magazines could be very well dispensed with. They have deteriorated from news organs to propaganda mediums.

But the strangest thing of all is that people will actually pay to have their minds swayed, prejudiced and blinded by this means. I am glad that The Golden Age is not of this character. Nearly everybody knows that it is next to impossible for the average editor to tell the truth, to publish the facts in every case, or to express his own convictions. Yet you will find a newspaper in every nook and cranny of the civilized earth.

Take a stroll on a lonely lane, or a crosscountry hike through the woods, and see if you can get very far without a piece of newspaper catching your eye. This organ of worldly wisdom appealing to the simple reminds one by contrast with true wisdom's call: “Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.—Prov. 8:1-4.

What do we find in our daily sheets? Some papers dare to assume the motto, “All the news that's fit to print.” Others, “The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”. But one is more inclined to believe the saying,

"Here’s to the news that lies in daily sheets, That lies, and lies, and lie#.”

How newspapers grope for the sensational, the scandalous, the malicious, the filth of families and society! How they laud the spectacular, the daring plots and intrigues of men! How faithfully they promote foolishness and evil sur-misings! Through the funny sheet they inculcate the spirit of laughter at another's misfortune, and the practice of daily deception. Where is the community that is elevated by their influence! What beneficial reform have they instituted! There is none. “For a dog to bite a man is nothing, but for a man to bite a dog is news. It is new, it is startling." So says Mr. Brisbane, of the New York American.

From start to finish, the metropolitan papers of today are sensual, devilish. One is almost prone to ask, “Have the honest, the noble, the pure, the good, the just, the virtuous, the lovers of truth, the merciful, and the holy perished from the earth 7” They have, as far as the newspaper is concerned. It is just as prophecy foretold. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves; covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, . . . truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, . lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”—2 Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 1: 21-32.

But, thank God, the end is near! Very soon the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding places. (Isaiah 28:17; 11: 9) Then it will be true that this evil influence heretofore exerted will compare to drops of water dancing on top of a red-hot stove. The activity of these drops is great for a short time, but all their liveliness and sputtering finally end in evaporation.

Occasionally singular things are said in type. 'A Chinese editor, on returning a contribution, enclosed a rejection slip that read as follows: “We have read your manuscript with infinite delight. Never before have we reveled in such a masterpiece. If we printed it, the authorities would take jt for a model, and henceforth would never permit anything inferior to it. As it would be impossible to find its equal within ten thousand years, we are compelled, though shaken with sorrow, to return your divine manuscript; and for so doing we beg ten thousand pardons."

The Individuality of Type

WHAT inanimate thing fulfils the following description! “Each object has a face, shatdder, body and feet. Some have beards, and under certain conditions a widow is produced. In addition some may get off their feet, even though none are addicted to the liquor habit. They may at this time be locked up in a form. As in every family there is an occasional black sheep, so here too, once in a while, one needs bringing up. Sometimes they are engaged in a chase, and if well dressed will remain quite composed. They exist in families, always leave an impression, and eventually reach a box called Hell." Of course there is no fire in it. It would be easy enough- to name the animate being that fulfils this description, but the more difficult inanimate thing is type. This shows that there is something human about type; for the above terms are just a few of everyday occurrence in the printing office.

While type has been used for an evil purpose, it has also done untold good. What Robert H. Davis said of the printing press is even more true of type:

“I sing the songs of the world, the oratories of history, the symphonies of all time. I am the voice of today, the herald of tomorrow. I weave into the warp of the past the woof of the future. I tell the stories of peace and war alike. I make the human heart beat with passion and tenderness. I stir the pulse of nations and make them do braver deeds, and soldiers die. I inspire the midnight toiler, weary at his loom, to lift his head again and gaze with fearlessness into the vast beyond, seeking the consolation of a hope eternal. When I speak, a million people listen to my voice. The Saxon, the Latin; the Celt, the Hun, the Slav, the Hindu, all comprehend me. I'cry the joys and sorrows of every hour. I fill the dullard's mind with thoughts uplifting. I am Light, Knowledge, Power. I epitomize the conquests of mind over matter. I am the recorder of all things that mankind has achieved. My offspring comes to you in the candle’s glow, amid the dim lamps of poverty, the splendor of riches; at sunrise, at high noon, and in the waning evening. I am the laughter and the tears of the world, and I shall never die until all things return to the immutable dust.”

But what is it that makes a piece of printed matter appeal to a person, while another will be given but passing attention! It is not always the curiosity or the question aroused, nor the fact that the subject matter is the hobby of the one concerned. It may be the quality of the work and the workmanship. In America, where there is so much competitive printing, this matter should not be overlooked. The paper on which the message is printed should create respect for the message. It has been wisely said that printed matter for public distribution should not be smaller than 10 point To violate this rule, makes it more difficult to read; and some people will be prevented from reading it altogether.

But it is not enough that printing be legible. There is an elusive thing called grace, which comes from using well that apparel of words called type. As a person's demeanor may leave the opposite impression from his words, so also with that which is printed. Either it may suggest dignity, character, strength, and delicacy, or it may show weakness or lack of personality. The printed salesman may be well dressed and courteous, or slovenly attired and inconsiderate.

There are many families of type, each having its peculiar characteristics. Many readers would be able to recognize Script, Old English, Gothic, Roman, or Italic. Type is also classified as condensed, extra condensed, expanded, bold, bold condensed, bold Italic, etc. '

Methods of Printing

SO FAR, printing from an elevated surface (letterpress printing) alone has been considered. But there are two other principal .ways: First, from an indented surface; and second, from a plane surface. In the first method from an indented surface, called copperplate printing, the whole surface is first inked. The flat surface is then cleaned, leaving ink only in the incision or trenches cut by the engraver, so that when dampened paper is laid over the plate and pressure is applied, the paper sinks into the incision, and takes up the ink, making impressions in lines on the paper. This method is also called the Intaglio, or Gravure, etc., and is the exact reverse of the letterpress or half-tone process.

The other method is the Planographic, or plane surface. Here the design is in the same plane as the surrounding surface (neither above nor below, as in the previous methods). By chemical treatment, the design is made to attract ink while the surrounding surface repels it. In this case when the irfk roller passes over the plate, the ink will adhere only to the design., This inked plate will either print directly on the paper, aa in Lithography, or first transfer the design to a rubber blanket and from this to the paper, as in the Offset Process. Experiments have been made along other Enes of printing, such as by Photography, etc.,with some commercial results.

These varied methods have had a marvelous effect on human history. By scattering knowledge printing causes people to think. Barbarian tribes became civilized under its influence, and narrow, winding paths through dense' forests gave way to paved highways. It broke the barriers of isolation and distance. It raised the standard of Eving. PracticaUy all inventions date after the birth of printing.

The prophecy of Daniel declares: “Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel 12:4) Printing stimulated manufacturing, buying and selling. At first it was considered a luxury, just as electric Eghts, gas stoves, rocking chairs, washing machines, and automobiles were considered. Today it is a present need. It has the power of making people realize vividly the comforts we enjoy from the luxuries of today. Whenever the cravings of natural men so appealed to cannot be satisfied, discontent and dissatisfaction are sure to foUow. It is thus preparing for the Great Day.

The effect of printing is weE iUustrated by the foUowing chart:

Bate of

1870         1023 Increase

Population (TT. S.)     38,558,371  107,438,615    3

Value of Manufacturing 3| billion 62 billion 18

No. of Grocery Stores     74,000      335,212   4%

No. of Drug Stores        17,000       50,715   3

While from 1870 to 1923 the population of the United States increased almost threefold, the people’s wants and needs as expressed in manufactured articles increased over eighteen times.

What a blessing printing will be in the age to come! It will breathe holy thoughts, convey sweet messages, and keep on record permanent friendships. As long as reliable records will be treasured, it will hold its own, always attesting God's wisdom, justice, love, and power. It will please the eye with scenes from lands afar off, and fill the mind with wisdom from above.

Digest of World News

(Broadcast from WATCHTOWER WBBR

THE United States Treasury Department has arrived at a new successful method of guaging the prosperity of the country. By means of the war tax on theater receipts it knows how much is spent annually for amusements. This discloses that the average family had its greatest degree of prosperity in 1920. Thus far, 1924 comes next, and then in order 1921, 1923, 1922, 1919 and 1918. The theatrical expenditure in 1918 was $38,000,000 per month; while in 1920 it was $72,000,000 per month, nearly double. The expenditure in 1924 is at only a slightly less rate than in 1920.

The National Industrial Conference Board of New York city has been making a study of the cost of clothing, and has discovered that while in other lines the cost of living has remained stationary or has decreased within the past two years, yet the cost of clothing to the ultimate consumer has increased more than fourteen percent during that time. It seems hard for many persons to unlearn the lessons in profiteering taught them during the war.

As a consequence of conducting his business on the basis of the Golden Rule, Arthur Nash, President of the Nash Clothing Company of Cincinnati, reports that he is about to make $1,000,000 in a new issue of capital stock which will virtually be forced upon him. He wishes to know how he can utilize these million dollars so as to give the greatest benefit to mankind. Our advice is to erect a broadcasting station at Cincinnati, and to broadcast the truth on all subjects, making sure that it is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. [He has since given this stock to his employes.]

Hard Times at the Dear '    '

UNEMPLOYMENT throughout the country is becoming more pronounced and widespread. .Many industries are laying off their men, the demand for coal is slumping, shipments of freight are falling off, clerk hire is being dispensed with, traveling men are grumbling, restaurants and hotels are feeling the crimp that Is fast getting into business.

Thousands of farms are lying idle, and the farmers with their sons and daughters who recently invaded the ranks of city labor only augment the likelihood of deeper distress q a wave length of 273 meters, by the Editor) amongst the unemployed. Many places are showing less activity in the construction of new residences, and city property is lagging. There is a slight increase in dealing in farm lands in a few communities. But, withal, it seems that we are on the verge of a let-up in business which spells hard times.

Printing conditions in New York city have gotten so bad from the publishers' point of view that during the past eighteen months nine magazines have moved to other points. “Collier's/' with a weekly circulation of 1,250,000 copies, was.the latest to move. “Hearst's," “Harper's," “McCall's," and others have moved away. It is thought that the MacFadden publications, twelve magazines with a combined circulation in excess of four millions monthly, may be the next to seek the way of least resistance. Everything, practically, in New York is operated on the “closed shop” plan, with wages high. Most of the printing concerns which move away resume publication on the “open shop” plan.

New Era in Industry '

IN THE Baltimore and Ohio Railroad shops the lamb and the lion seem at present to be lying down together, and for once the lamb is not inside the lion. The so-called Glenwood Plan of railroad shop cooperation was designed by the president of the International Association of Machinists, and is now in force throughout the shops of the Baltimore and Ohio system with the result that 3,500 more shopmen are at work on the B. & O. than during previous years.

At a recent convention of the shopmen mention was made of 4,000 items of improvement in working, safety, and sanitary conditions around shops, yards and roundhouses. The statement is made that things which it used to take months or years to accomplish are now accomplished almost instantaneously; such as improvements in the heating, lighting and ventilation of shops, the drainage of engine pits, the repair of shop flooring, etc. The President of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is reported as being as enthusiastic about the plan as are the shopmen themselves.

Mr. Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Commerce, believes that the nation is moving toward some sort of industrial democracy. He said:

"I believe we are in the presence of a new era in the organization of industry and commerce in which, if properly directed, lie forces pregnant with infinite possibilities of moral progress. I believe that we are, almost unnoticed, in the midst of a great revolution or—perhaps a better word—a transformation in the whole super-organization of our economic life. We are passing from a period of extremely individualistic action into a period of associational activities."

Our thought is that we are passing through the birthpangs not only of a new industrial arrangement, but also of a new financial, social, religious and political one. The old system is passing away in its entirety, and it is dying hard. The new era into which the world will soon find itself is the Golden Age of prophecy. This momentous change not only is taking place in America, but is world-wide. It is for all to take hope, to be encouraged, to trust in the Lord, and to await the full inauguration of the new day; for surely it is dawning.

The enormous rents in.Washington, D. C., and some other cities, are- said to be caused by real estate owners mortgaging their properties in excess of the sale prices. In Washington thirty-two of the larger apartment houses are mortgaged nine million dollars more than the amount paid for them. Mortgage investment companies are doing a thriving business. It often occurs that these money sharks are sharper than the bankers; for some banks have been stung by being overloaded with these inflated mortgages.

Murders, North and South

INSURANCE statistics have been published showing that in the years 1922-1923 there were twenty-nine times as many chances' of being murdered in Memphis as in Rochester; thirteen times as mapy chances of being murdered in Nashville as in Reading; and eight times as many chances of being murdered in New Orleans as in Milwaukee. The most dangerous cities in the United States from the standpoint of murder were, in the order named: Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, Louisville, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Washington, D. C., Los Angeles, Chicago, and Pittsburgh; while the safest cities in the United States, in the reverse order, were: Rochester, Reading, Milwaukee, Hartford, Boston, Spokane, Providence, Buffalo, New York, Seattle, and Minneapolis. '

Treason in Los Angeles

THE city of Los Angeles is stirred because a teacher, Professor Willis T. Nt-wton, instructor in history and economics at one of the high schools, made the statement in an address before the teachers that “we cannot get rid of war unless we teach peace?’ In the eyes of some 100-percent-profiteer Americans, this was a terrible thing for a teacher to say; and Professor Newton should be hanged immediately, while the subject is being discussed over his remains.

One of the physicians of the city, defending Professor Newton, sent a letter to the Los Angeles Record in which he said:

“The object of teaching is to provoke thought in the pupiL It has been the devotion of a benighted clergy during the dark ages to prevent thought. Bruno and Galileo thought, and were sternly forbidden. Copernicus thought The school trustees of that day forbade thinking. His books and bones were burned. Socrates and Seneca thought. Suicide was suggested, and forced upon them by contemporary officials.”

Other Academic Items

AS IS well known, the southeastern part of • Pennsylvania has a population of German descent, two-thirds of whom speak a language commonly called “Pennsylvania Dutch,” a mixture of German and English. The territory in which this language is spoken is an unbroken area of 195,000 square miles. A dictionary of the dialect comprising 16,380 words has just been compiled.

The boys of the country have lost a good friend. Samuel C. Dyke, the first American manufacturer of boys’ marbles, is dead. One thing that interests us is as to why every boy begins to play marbles in the spring as soon as the frost is out of the ground; but the girls never play marbles, although they do play jacks. Perhaps they do not like to get down into the mud; or perhaps they cannot shoot straight!

Progressive (?) Figures

THE United States Chamber of Commerce has been holding its annual convention in Cleveland. As might be expected from those who covet all the revenues of the country, it is opposed to lower freight rates, is opposed to making income tax returns public, is opposed to the soldiers’ bonus, is opposed to governmental aid in the marketing of agricultural products, is opposed to limiting the Supreme Court in its encroachments upon the powers of the people, is opposed to government regulation of business, is opposed to the government's going into any kind of business, is opposed to interfering with the packers, is opposed to oil investigations ; and- it warns against the activities of radicals, that is, of people who think. The United States Chamber of Commerce is a great institution, but it is covered with moss a foot thick. It needs to punch itself and to awake to a realization that we are not living in the year 1492.

Senator Henrik Shipstead of Minnesota, referring to the Federal Reserve Banks’ discounting of $5,000,000 of European" paper, declared that the man who is responsible for this new adventure into Europe is the same man, Paul M. Warburg, who is responsible for the Federal Reserve system. Senator Shipstead is reported as sayingt

the international bankers in complete control of the money and credit of the country, they can do to the people precisely what the bankers of Germany did to the people there. It is said that the reason for this new policy is the desire to stimulate exports financed by American credit. We have had experiences along these lines, but we seem to have forgotten the terrible price we paid for financing European purchases in America. We had a perfectly jolly time doing it during the.war. We extended credit to Europe, and Europe bought goods of all kinds in our markets and paid any price we asked. We did a tremendous business on our own money and credit. The American bankers are gambling with trust funds belonging to other people. They did it before, and lost; and the American people are now paying the price. The first result of this new scheme will be artificial stimulation of exports and business. It may start an artificial business boom that will carry us until after election. It is also evident that it is going to be used as a club to force the acceptance by Europe of the Dawes Plan, and to compel the American producer to carry more of the European debt than he is already carrying. We have ’already sent too much credit to Europe. The continued squandering of bank credits as is now proposed by the Federal Reserve Board controlled by the international banking group, will inevitably pauperize the people of this nation just as the bankers have done in Germany ind other countries where credit and money have been manipulated in the interest of the few at the expense of the many.”

Within the past two years, despite the existence of the Federal Reserve colossus that is supposed to prevent such things, there have been over six hundred bank failures in Montana, North and South Dakota, and Minnesota. Banks are failing now at the rate of nine each week. Some time ago, because of bank failures, many depositors were withdrawing their money from the banks, and buying postal savings and government bonds.

A sample of a good job of self-whitewashing done by one of our modern financiers is seen in the recent contribution of the Dohenys of $600,-000 toward the building of a “church.” This sum is probably considered enough for one family to buy absolution from all past sins and to get a certificate of indulgences for all time to come.

The Profits of Patriotism

THE House Committee which is investigating the Shipping Board is finding another easy way by which fortunes are made. The Shipping Board, it seems, necessarily has large sums of money in its possession for carrying on its work. These sums run into millions of dollars. They are placed on deposit with certain banks, where in some instances it requires four or five men to see to their proper investment. The government receives no interest on these huge sums, but meantime is itself a borrower, paying about five percent for the use of money. The bank makes about twelve percent on the money which it gets from the government for nothing. It has been observed that the banks which are chiefly favored by this nice little arrangement, by which they make seventeen percent at the expense of the American people, generally have on their board of directors people who contributed heavily to the 1920 Republican campaign fund.

Teapot Dome Oil Magnate Sinclair is reported as having tried to borrow $27,000,000 from the Shipping Board in 1920, for the purpose of carrying on oil developments in Mexico. The Board rejected the proposition; and Mr. Fall, our late Secretary of the Interior, canceled a contract which the Interior Department had with the Shipping Board, causing a loss to the Merchant Marine of $6,000,000 annually. As a result the Shipping Board was compelled to buy oil in the open market.

These transactions at the time received but very slight notice in the big dailies. The present disclosures tell of an arrangement between Fall and Sinclair which was to extend over a period of five years and in which Sinclair was to get the needed $27,000,000 anyhow, keep the profits, build up a big business; and if any complications arose with Mexico, the United States was to fight the battle. It was proposed to return the principal in instalments—maybe.

Marshall on the War Path

ORMER Vice-President Thomas R. Marshall, in a recent speech at Chicago, said ironically: “The model citizen today is the man who can successfully evade the laws.” We have not his entire speech before us; but he was talking of the troubles and distress in America, which included the scandals in official circles, the corrupt politics, and preachers* dabbling in politics.

According to this popular view, which Mr. Marshall properly scored with his sarcasm, the model man is the rich man who can buy immunity in the courts, bribe his way through, keep his skirts clean, steal railroads, oil and coal reserves, monopolize the medium of exchange, raise and lower prices at will, rob the people through profiteering and taxation, and otherwise hold the masses in subjection to a system of bewhiskered, strutting hypocrisy.

Mr. Marshall further said: “You send your fools to Washington, and keep the wise men at home to whitewash the fences.” We suppose Mr. Marshall covertly meant to say that the legislators are sent to Washington to do the dirty work, and that the real rulers, the financiers, whitewash their acts, so that not one of them is punished.

Bonus Bill Aftermath

AFTER the passage of the Bonus Bill, stocks - fell a few points because many persons had been deceived into thinking that this Bonus Bill would be injurious to the interests of big business. However, the stock market has since recuperated. *Moreover, in view of the fact that big^ business will have the custody of these bonus funds (and that most of the soldiers will never get anything unless they die or commit suicide because of inability to gain employment!) it is evident that the financiers have nothing to fear.

Carrying out of the Bonus Law has resulted in a call fo^3,500 now clerks at Washington and the printing of 30,000 application and instruction forms. It is estimated that 3,033,283 veterans will be paid by the insurance policy method; while 389,583 will be paid in cash of $50 or less. One of the nice jobs which confront the clerks is that among the 6,893,000 names which must be checked, there are 50,000 persons named Smith; and they must decide which of these are entitled to insurance or cash and for how much.

The Machinery of Civilization ~

THE Federal prisons are being filled to more than capacity. New laws are making this possible. In 1913, a law making it a felony to steal from an interstate shipment gave the Federal courts many cases; in 1914, the Harrison Anti-Drug Act took another large field of crime into the Federal courts; in 1919, the Dyer Act (governing the interstate transportation of -stolen automobiles) was adopted, widening still further the mouth of the criminal river that empties into Federal prisons. So great has become the business on this river that bills are now pending in Congress for the appointment of additional Federal judges in various districts of the country.

The fact that it is dangerous to go to war is emphasized by statistics furnished by the “American Legion Weekly.” It points out that 125,000 war veterans have died since July 30, 1919. It is estimated that 26,000 will die during 1924, or at the rate of seventy-two a day. Poison gas and exposure are not good for anyone.

If the governments of this world are pari and parcel of Christ’s kingdom, then the United States government will come in for an unusual lot of praise, having just completed a bomb which weighs 4,300 pounds. It will carry 2,00J pounds of TNT, and is thirteen and one-half feet long over-all. As an instrument for Chris-* tianizing the world, this is about twice as big a • success as anything heretofore manufactured.

Affricultural Items '                  *

HE Millennium is gradually coming to the farm. It is estimated that at present about two million farm properties manufacture their own electric lights and power; while about 165,000 farmers purchase power from electric power companies whose wires pass their doors. Taken all together, this is about one-sixth of all the farmers in the country; and while we could wish that it was six times as great, still we am

thankful for the progress made, and hope to see it greatly increased soon.

California has lost at least $3,000,000 and 78,000 head of cattle since the outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease there a few weeks ago. An idea of the swiftness and thoroughness with wliich the foot-and-mouth disease is being fought in California may be gathered from the fact that the disease was first discovered in Contra Costa County, California, on March 10, and before night of March 11 all of the 719 cattle running at large in the county were rounded up, slaughtered and buried six feet deep underground, with a large quantity of lime thrown on top of them.         _

Science and Invention

HE transmission of photographs or pictures of any sort by wire has now become a real

ity. The New York papers on May 20 published six pictures, all of which were very good. An actual experiment shows that a period of only thirty-three minutes was required between the click of the camera in Cleveland and the turning out of a completed negative of the picture in New York. The actual sending of the pictures by wire required four and one-half minutes. The basis for the transmission of the pictures is the fact that by means of the photo-electric cell every variation of a beam of light can be translated into a variation of electric current ' which can again be translated into a variation of light. A small spot of light is passed through a lens and directed upon the photograph to be transmitted. The photographic film is on a cylinder; as the cylinder revolves, the point of light passes through it and falls upon a potassium pencil. The fluctuations of current in the _e pencil are then imposed on the current which flows through the telephone wires. The photographs to be transmitted are traced in lines one-sixty-fifth of an inch apart, that distance havingbeen found to be the best for newspaper purposes.

Sundry and Divers Items

SUSPENSION bridge with a span of 2,000 feet is being built across the Hudson at

Peekskill, ^New York, only forty miles up the river from New York city. Temporary footbridges have already been constructed, 180 feet above the water at low tida,

New York has become so infested with rats that it is not safe for mothers to leave their babies long enough to go to the street. Within the past few days three children of the ages of two to three months have been bitten in their cribs by rats that have found their way upstairs.

Philadelphia has found a use for its City Hall Tower. Five hundred feet above the street the statue of William Penn now blinks an orange-colored eye at the motorists far below. Who would have supposed that after this lapse of time William Penn would now be a traffic cop ifi the city of brotherly love?

During the latter half of May forest fires were raging in the extreme Northwest. Along the Great Northern railway from Fortine, Montana, to Spokane, Washington, more than fifty such fires were reported. One area of over 10,000 acres had burned. At another point the fire was raging with a five-mile front. At Sand Point and Naples the fires were apparently uncontrollable, being driven by high winds.

A wide use is being made of the radio in the teaching of the deaf. Boys and girls who had never before heard the human voice are now receiving lessons from their teachers through the use of head phones.             .

Imitating the Bible Students                '

THE good work of the Bible Students in continuing to preach “the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15) when it was all a man’s life was worth to do so, is gradually being taken up by other religious bodies. For example, the New Hampshire Congregational Conference on the closing day of its 123rd session passed resolutions withdrawing all support from any future war in which the United States might engage. The resolution denounces war as "the most colossal and ruinous collective sin on earth ”

The Board of Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, chiefest of all the shouters for war in the crazy days of the reign of the one who “kept us out of war,” have issued an address in which they have termed war a "monstrosity of the Pagan past” and “a law of the jungle.”

Can we really hope that these bishops have learned all this in seven years? It seems too much for them to have absorbed in that time. We fear that if another war starta it will be found that they have really not teamed this lesson at all; indeed, it seems that after fourteen days of discussion of the above recommendations the general conference at Springfield, Mass., was not able on May 19 to decide wholly in favor of these expressions of protest against war.

The Catholic Church also, which has had a hand in every war that has been fought in the last thousand years, has had a meeting at Washington in which its representatives have adopted resolutions urging the necessity of work for world peace. Of course they do not mean this. If they were really for peace, the world would, have had no wars for the past ten centuries.

Not Imitating the Bible Students

ST. MARK’S Episcopal Church in New York continues to attract large crowds. This seems strange; for the principal attraction usually consists merely in bare-footed girls dancing Pagan dances. Every Sunday the most holy Reverend Doctor who acts as pastor of the church gets up some new 'dance. A part of a recent service was an exhortation by the rector to the holy visions from the Hako, Indian, demonology.

Evidently he must put on a pretty good show; for it generally brings about a column article in Monday’s New York Times. This priest of the Most High Episcopal Church says, evidently speaking for himself and his brother preachers: “After all, there are very few of us [preachers] who realize just what is meant by the word Pagan.” Probably the dominie is right.

Alaska

THROUGHOUT the vast area of Alaska it is estimated that at present there are only 27,000 natives. These live in villages ranging in size from thirty persons to about four hundred. In these villages the United States gov-ernmeht, maintains eighty-three schools, the school teachers in most instances being not only teachers, but physicians, nurses, postmasters, business managers, and local government representatives.

Canada (From Our Correspondent)

THE transportation companies are still bring--L ing Britishers by the thousands to Canada "to find work.” Your correspondent had the pleasure of a chat with one of these chaps. Coining out of meeting on Sunday evening last, I was introduced to a Roman Catholic ^ho that evening had heard the “truth” for the first time.

This man had only recently arrived from England, having been advised verbally by agents in England, and assured by advertisements in English papers, and by streamers strung along the streets, that in Canada there is plenty of work to be had. He was told: "Oh, yes! There are some unemployed, but they are those who won't work.” On the strength of these promises he came to Canada, and up to the time of writing he is still out of work. Hia case is typical of thousands.

And yet, from the Imperialists’ point of view, it is a pretty good scheme to have plenty of men on the market. Not with reference to the economic phase of the question—the wages are, of ⁴ course, affected—but with another war in sight, what is better than to have plenty of malcontents!                                 _

A veteran of the Great War was discussing his troubles recently and relating his experiences; how he had been mistreated since coming home; yes, and before going overseas. Among other things, he told your correspondent that just previous to embarking for England he was approached in the line-up in Toronto with reference to Church parade for the following day. He was asked by the officer in charge: "What church do you attend!” The soldier replied: "I am an atheist.” "Oh,” the officer assured him, 'we have a place for you.” On Sunday morning the soldier was called out of the ranks, sent to the officer, and given seven days in the "clink.” Needless to say, he became a “Christian” and thereafter attended church regularly.

We asked him: “After such experiences in the army, and after all you have suffered, what would be your attitude should another war break out!” “Well,” he replied without hesita« tion, “I’d do the same as I did before. I have nothing to lose but my life, and I might as well die suddenly as die by degrees.”

So there you have it. Given thousands of men in that state of mind, the world leaders would have no difficulty in finding fodder for their next war.

We were told recently by a man who was house-hunting that, going up to one house, he was advised that he would find the landlord upstairs. He mounted the steps and found a middle-aged man who, he said, appeared to be half starved. He inquired: “Are you the landlord T” “No/ said the resident of the house, “I wish I were. I'm only a tenant here. I’m hungry. I haven’t had anything to eat for days. I have three children here; and my wife is in bed, sick. Can you do anything to assist usl” he asked the house-hunter.

This story may seem far-fetched; but it is an actual occurrence and, we believe, only one of many that are not generally known. Oh, yes, we have “charitable” institutions; but “charity,” like “Christianity,” is a very much misunderstood term.

A case in point was related in a local paper recently. A man selling goods from door to door to make sufficient to keep him out of the workhouse, was told by a good church woman that he was a nuisance. She warned him to keep away, or she would have him arrested. Further, she informed him that he had no right to be selling goods in that manner. There were merchants, reputable men, who attended to her wants. “But,” she vouchsafed, “if it’s a case of charity, then you should make your wants known to the proper authorities so that they might be attended to in a business-like way.”

There’s the rub: “In a business-like way.” “Charity” and “Christianity” indeed! Have your wants attended to in a business-like way, feed your hungry children and your sick wife, and clothe them, in a business-like way. Then come to church on Sunday; and we’ll save your soul in a business-like way. Oh, for a world with true charity, with true Christianity; where every man is brother, and every woman sister, and where, indeed, an onlooker might truthfully say, as they said in the early days: “How they love one another!”

The Catholic Church in Quebec has had a tiff with the Catholic Government of that Province. The Premier got sore, and would not attend the blessing of the Church bells. Of course, it will be patched up, and the bells will be blessed in due time.

Some months ago the Premier had a tiff with the Cardinal. Just previous to the provincial election the Premier had an editor arrested; and, as there was no law on the statute under which the editor could be jailed, the Premier had a law made to order. The Cardinal stated in his paper that he did not like this sort of thing. Perhaps he saw a vision of impending events. In any case, the Premier warned him to keep quiet, or he would not get any more government support The gift of $15,000,000 referred to in a previous report was subsequent to this warning of the Premier; so we assume that the Cardinal took the Premiers advice and kept quiet.

In any case, events are quiet at present Whether or not the calm presages an immediate storm is uncertain. Many serious things are pending. To mention only three: Church Union is still before Parliament; the Home Bank case is how in the hands of the lawyers; and the Ontario government officials connected with the bond deals are under arrest, awaiting their trials. These will be subjects for future letters.

For the present, the Labrador Current, one of the most important of ocean streams because it has put Labrador and Newfoundland into the refrigerator class, has disappeared. The past winter in the vicinity of Labrador has been the mildest known, and the temperature of the sea off the coast of Newfoundland is seven degrees higher than normal.

Cuba

CUBA has the disgrace of public lottery every ten days, in each of which about 3,000,000 thirty-cent tickets are sold. It is bad enough' for the Cuban Government to run a lottery, but it does not even run the lottery honestly; for instead of being sold directly to the people at the base price of twenty-three cents which the Government receives for them, the tickets are put intp the hands of the people through favored speculators who buy for twenty-three cents and sell for thirty cents. Thus even little «Cuba has its select bunch of grafters who, in case of a war between Cuba and another country, would be most certain to proclaim themselves as the most genuine of all real 100-per-cent-profit patriots in the country.

South America

THE Lamport and Holt liner Vauban, traveling in South American waters, reports having seen above the horizon a glowing red sphere as big as the full moon. This blazing ball passed almost directly over the liner many miles in the air, but close enough that it could be heard sizzling. It was in sight nearly three minutes, and in that period the sea in a radius of several hundred miles was as bright as in broad daylight. Passengers were awakened from their sleep by the unnatural light, and came out on deck much frightened.

Alarmed by Brazil’s program for a navy, which includes amongst other things a 35,000-ton battleship, Argentina nervously and foolishly dispatched a delegation of army and navy officers to Europe to get full information about how to get ready for war. They will probably find what they are looking for.

Despatches from Buenos Aires show that Mussolini is unpopular in South America. It seems that the present Italian government sent to South America a cruiser housing a complete exposition of Italian goods; but at every port at which the vessel has touched in South America—Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires—the overbearing actions of the officers and crew toward visitors resulted in squabbles and, in some places, fights. Evidently the plan of introducing Fascism into all Roman Catholic countries with a view to seizing the control of the earth is not working out well in some of the enlightened countries to the south of us.

France

MR. Grindell Matthews, inventor of the new ray with which he expects ultimately to be able to destroy an aeroplane at any distance overhead, or to interfere greatly with the operation of a battleship as far as eight miles away, has received an offer from the great Rhone engineering works at Lyons, France, which will enable him to complete his invention at the French works. He has found that his invention works on a small scale at a distance of sixty-four feet.

A woman of Los Angeles who lived for five years in the Ruhr under the administration of the French, has written of her observations and experiences to a California paper as follows:

“On the .trains, in the streets, in front of the banks the people are relieved unceremoniously of big sums of money; he vfrho resists goes to jail. In order to camouflage this pillage, the victims are given a worthless receipt, as did that thug who made his victim give him a statement that he had sold him his gold watch for a nickel. He who mentions theft, robbery or pillage is severely dealt with, under the pretext that these acts are simply 'confiscations/ which run into the thousands of billions. Everything is stolen that is not nailed fast. The occupation officers are seizing whole house furnishings, for military men who are sending the valuable pieces and rugs to France, although they are the property of the German rich. We are absolutely powerless, and victims of French wantonness and force. There is no law whatever in the occupied territory. He who has to face a court is convicted a priori. The trials are farces designed to make the grossest injustice appear as ‘law’.”

Germany '

WHAT seems to us like a reasonable explanation of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) comes from Berlin. The despatch accredits a professor of the Leyden, Holland, University with having determined the probability that the earth is surrounded at a height of approximately forty miles with a shell of tiny frozen particles of solid nitrogen. Professor Vegard, the discoverer, has obtained the same effects as the Aurora Borealis by bombarding frozen nitrogen with electric rays, and has been unable in any other way to procure the peculiar green color found in the Northern Lights and nowhere else in nature.

Germany has had another cabinet crisis, the general effect of which is the turning of the government into the hands of those who, until recently at least, were more in sympathy with monarchist ideas and programs than with the republic. All despatches indicate a strong revival of monarchist influences. This monarchist influence is spreading from the South (Catholic) to the North (Protestant).

Radio hats are selling in Germany for $1.75 apiece. Forty thousand orders for these hats were received the first week. Whoever wears one of these hats can receive concerts and all the news of the day constantly.

America has in the past imported many pests from Europe, and Europe is now being overrun with the American potato bug. The German Government has prohibited the importation of all food upon which the potato bug feeds, and is urging the people everywhere to be on the lookout and to report its first appearance.

A German inventor has discovered a gas, colorless, tasteless and odorless, which so weakens the lung tissues that after having breathed it an aviator is unable to ascend above six thousand feet. It is expected to use this gi* in war time against the airplanes of the enemy so as to incapacitate his aviators.

Swiss statisticians have pointed out the fact that in the year 1922, the Germans brought out more new books than Great Britain, France, and the United States put together, the production of books in Germany being more than four times that of the United States; nearly four times that of France; and more than three times that of Great Britain.

The former Crown Prince of Germany is taking a college course in agriculture in a German university, with a view to increasing his income as a farmer. It would have been a good thing for Germany and for the world if all the princes had been turned into farmers a hundred years ago.

Italy

ITALY is taking forward steps in the direction of a search for power, or a substitute for power. Close attention is being paid to the development of water power. In the north, the snow-clad Alps furnish a perpetual stream, while the Apennines, stretching from north to south, contain innumerable sites for waterpower projects that will supply power during the winter months. Italy now has nearly a hundred great reservoirs beautifully constructed, and so situated with respect to one another that it is possible to link, them into one great hydroelectric system. Besides the development of the water-power system, Italy has arranged with the Sinclair Oil interests to undertake a systematic search for oil.

A man has just been released from a confinement of fifty-four years in an Italian prison. His confinement was for a murder of which he was entirely innocent; but the murder was committed by a bosom friend, who had a wife and five children. The married man was accused of the murder; and in order to leave him free to care for his family, his unmarried friend assumed the responsibility for it and has spent this long period behind prison bars. This is a remarkable exhibition of brotherly love. In many respects, life in prison is worse than death itself.

The Socialists claim that in the elections in Italy there were hundreds of cases of frauds, terrorisms, beatings, and even killings by the Fascisti at the polls. They claim that although the law provides for secret voting, yet in thousands of polling places, the booths were wide open and Fascisti gunmen were in them to see that all the voters voted the black-shirt ticket. In a Naples polling place, a man who dared to protest against the irregularities had his head crushed; and in Molinella a Socialist who disobeyed the command that he must not vote the Socialist ticket was killed on the streets as he left the polling place. In Milan, which went heavily Socialistic, as soon as the result was known the Fascisti wrecked nearly all the opposition newspaper offices and more than fifty cooperative stores.

The first Fascist Parliament opened on May 24. Mussolini and all the ministers of his government had their clothes trimmed with gold braid and their cocked hats with ostrich feathers. Mussolini ordered everybody, including the Socialists, to appear in full evening dress, although the session opened in the morning. Several of the Socialists could not come because they didn’t have any evening clothes. The king and the queen of Italy drove to the Parliament in coaches covered with gilt paint. Drivers of the coaches were dressed to suit The coaches were preceded and followed by men with shining breastplates and plumed helmets, wearing black-topped boots and white breeches. The throne was under a canopy of red velvet, decorated with the royal arms in gold. One of the deputies who obeyed Mussolini’s command came in full evening dress, and wore yellow shoes.

After the performance Mussolini and his friends sang the Fascist war song. Mussolini took occasion to say that the whole world was , watching the experiment of a Fascist Parliament. Within a week there was a free-for-all fight in Parliament, in which about 100 Fascisti and Socialists were engaged in blacking each other’s eyes and otherwise carrying out the watched program.

Glory at the Vatican

IT IS not possible to see an opening of the Italian Parliament every day, but many of the same thrills can be obtained by going to see the Pope. For instance, those who get tickets of admittance must wear full evening dress, the same as Mussolini required of the deputies. Then they must pass the Swiss guards, who are ' heavily dolled up in gold braid, and who also have cocked hats, similar to those worn by Mussolini and his friends.

The Papal majordomo, who is a sort of head dancing-master, dresses in a purple silk robe; the ushers are gaily fitted out in plush; while the gendarmes wear on their heads bearskin busbees. They also wear jackboots and white buckskin breeches. The footmen are clad in red plush and wear silk stockings. Whoopee! Italy must be the grand place to live!

It is said that in order to house the great multitude of visitors who are expected in Borne during the Holy Year of 1925, the Vatican will rent a big lunatic asylum near St. Peter’s. This seems to us peculiarly appropriate.

During this holy year, the Pope will break down the Jubilee door of St. Peter’s, through which one of the triple-crowned monarchs passes once in fifty years. In this job he will use a golden hammer and a golden trowel. Neither one of them will cost him anything; for collections to pay for the hammer and trowel are already being taken all over the world, and by the time the Pope gets ready to use them, he could buy a whole freight-car full of golden hammers and golden trowels, if he were foolish enough to do so.

Africa

THE quite extraordinary discovery has been made that from the bottom of wells 200 to 300 feet deep sunk in the Sahara Desert, live crabs, fish and shell-fish have been taken repeatedly. Moreover, wherever shafts are sunk to about that depth, water is discovered in which there is an abundance of animal life. This has led to the opinion that a vast underground sea lies beneath the Sahara Desert

The Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa has declared against prohibition. It has even declared, against local option. Moreover, it holds that wine is a gift of God; and at least one of the delegates at the convention which adopted this resolution, expressed the opinion that the prohibition movement is a heresy. Probably there are a good many people in the United States who feel the same way.

Palestine

ALL travelers who return from Jerusalem express enthusiasm over the work which is being done there. American Jews of wealth are appreciating their privileges of helping to establish the Jewish people in their own land. Felix M. Warburg has just given $100,000 for a department of Jewish history and religion in the Hebrew university located on Mount Scopus, near Jerusalem.

But at the head of all the Jewish benefactors of Zionism must be placed Nathan Straus. Mr. Straus has just returned from Palestine, having spent his seventy-sixth birthday in Jerusalem. He has just made liberal provision for supplying meals free to 1,700 persons in Jerusalem, daily, on the basis of an agreement that they are to discontinue begging altogether.

During the past winter season ten thousand tourists, 7,500 of whom came from the United States, visited Palestine and Egypt. The roads throughout Palestine are now in excellent condition for motoring. The hotels are overcrowded, and additional hotel accommodations are needed.

India '

THE average wage of spinners in India is J- about ten cents per week, while weavers receive as high as ten dollars per week. Railroad employes are paid at the rate of ten dollars to twenty dollars per month. The wages of postal employes are about the same as those of railroad workers.

In the industrial centers of India, ninety percent of the mothers give their little children opium every day to keep them quiet and asleep while the parents are away at work. Thus in babyhood these poor children have fastened upon them the habit which usually saps the life of adults within ten years.

Mahatma Gandhi, the popular leader of the anti-British movement in India, has as his objectives: First, the abolishing of strong drink and opium, now virtually forced upon the people of India by the British Government; second, the revival of the industries which have been killed by the advent of machine-made goods; and third, the breaking down of the caste system. Speaking of the caste system Gandhi says:

"Home rule is impossible as long as these pariahs exist in India. India is really guilty. England has committed nothing blacker than our crime?’

There are places in India where believers in the transmigration of souls maintain hospitals for the care of ailing animals. In these hos- ■ pitals, even ants are fed with flour and sugar. Pigeons are fed twice a day; and a number of cots are maintained which are infested with vermin. At regular intervals pariahs are hired to lie on these cots so that the vermin may have food. Those who regard this as a low form of civilization should not say too much about it, while they reflect that millions of people in the Western world profess to believe the unreasonable and unscriptural doctrine of purgatory, and the even more unreasonable and equally unscriptural doctrine of eternal torture.

China

HE State of Kwangsi, China, is in a bad way on account of the depredations of bandits. These bandits are reported to have killed two missionaries, and to have seized as prisoners two other missionaries who went to the relief of their comrades with a motor boat filled with supplies.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the father of the Chinese Republic and its first president, has passed away after a storm-tossed career of thirty years in public life. Dr. Sun was first a mission student, then a medical doctor, then a politician engaged in the organization of secret societies for the overthrow of the Chinese monarchy, and then an exile in London. There at one time he was kidnapped by the Chinese authorities; and an unsuccessful attempt was made to smuggle him out of England and back to China, where he could be legally murdered. However, when he did go back to China, he went as its president, subsequently resigning the office in favor of Yuan Shih-Kai. What effect his death will have upon the poorly functioning separate government in the south of China, of which he was the head, cannot now be foreseen.

The Chinese Government has published a statement that the preserved eggs which appear as a delicacy upon Chinese tables, instead of having an antiquity of anywhere from fifty to a thousand years as popularly supposed, are seldom more than thirty days old. The egg acquires its peculiar flavor by being packed for that length of time in a mixture of bicarbonate of soda, Ushes, salt, and slaked lime. Chinese must be credited with ingenuity in thus causing fresh eggs to taste in thirty days as though they had lain for ages; but why anybody should wish to take advantage of the invention seems incomprehensible to Europeans and Americans*

The French aviator, Captain D'Oisy, who undertook the flight from Paris to Japan, and who made a remarkably successful trip as far as Hongkong, met with grief on his final jump of some six hundred miles from Hongkong to Shanghai. At the latter place, after a splendid flight of nine hours and twenty minutes, he had the misfortune to land in a ditch, completely wrecking his plane; but himself and his mechanician escaped unharmed. They were compelled to abandon the last leg of the flight; namely, the 500 miles from Shanghai to Nagasaki. The aviator felt so badly about the matter that he wept in public, the local French officials in Shanghai sharing in his tears.

Japan

ORTUNE favors the brave. The American fliers who started out from San Diego in

April to fly around the world, a month later had succeeded in overcoming all obstacles and had reached the northernmost islands of Japan. While in Alaska one of the planes crashed against a mountain peak in a fog, but the fliers escaped unharmed. In their jump across the Pacific, the fleet of airplanes had one hop of 860 miles. It is expected that the fliers will proceed to Europe via India, thus having on the one trip an experience with the intense cold of the arctic and the heat of the tropics.

The American round-the-world fliers, when they arrived in Japan, demonstrated that flight by aeroplane around the world is a feasibility; for all of the remaining portion of their trip back to the United States has already been covered in the air by other fliers. The American fliers, however, if they succeed in finishing their journey, will return to America from Europe via Iceland, Greenland and Labrador instead of by the other routes across the Atlantic used by aviators in the several previous crossings of that great body of water. The aviators are said to be in perfect health. At this writing they are in China.

Japan, having discovered oil in northern Saghalien Island, which belongs to Russia but is under Japanese control, has now decided to convert her larger warships into oil burners. It is evident from this that Japan means that the Russian Government will never be given control of Northern Saghalien.

The Earth To Be Made Glorious

THE earth is declared to be God’s footstool;

and the Bible says that God will make the place of His feet glorious. (Isaiah 60:13) A footstool seems to signify a place of rest. For ages God had been creating, forming and bringing to perfection His universe. He had gotten as far as the earth, bringing it through six epochs of development, and had crowned it with man made in His mental and moral image. He had prepared a beautiful, life-giving garden for man's sustenance and happiness; and after creating Adam and Eve He rested from further creative work.

Had man remained in harmony with the law of his nature (for God’s law of perfection was written in man’s physical organism) he would have continued to live on into the illimitable ages of eternity. But disobedience marred it all; the threatened death sentence was inflicted; man begali to die; and in the dying state he brought forth his children below the plane of perfection. Therefore, also, his children must die—the sin of the father being visited upon the children.—Romans 5:12. *

But God had purposed to have this earth a glorious place. The garden of Eden, prepared for the infant race, was a sample of what the earth was to be. Thorns, thistles and briars, and destroying and disease-carrying insects were to be man’s friends while he is a convict laborer. Winning his bread by sweat of face would give him something to do to keep'him measurably out of mischief.

Knowing man’s inability, and letting man take a course which should teach him to know his own inability, God in mercy and longsuffering has sent help. Man cannot redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him; so God sent forth His Son, the Logos, known to man as Jesus, to redeem and to restore humanity to that perfection which was in Adam before sin came into the world. Jesus Himself declared that He came to seek and to save that which was lost. Human perfection, life rights, an Edenic home, and world, dominion had been lost.

Jesus, by keeping the divine law inviolate, demonstrated that He had a right to perpetuate forever His human life, which included the earth to live upon. He surrendered these in a sacrificial death in the interest of Adam and his children, and was raised in His resurrection to the highest spirit nature, as a reward for His proven loyalty to God, and in order not to prevent these rights from going to the world at large. He had forfeited nothing. These human rights are still His; and since He has no personal use for them, they are to be bestowed upon those for whom Christ died.

God has a plan; and that plan includes the reign of Christ over the earth for one thousand years as sole Monarch, as the only Law-giver, the only Teacher, the only Physician, the only Ruler. Associated with Him will be the glorified. Church in the spiritual realm, and the holy prophets of the pre-Christ days will be in the visible or earthly realm. Satan and every evil influence will be restrained during'lhose thousand years, in order that man shall not be harassed or embarrassed from any outside force while having the privilege of regaining what was lost in Adam—mental, moral, and physical at-one-ment with God.

Man Restored to Primal Perfection .

OUR conception of the perfect man and woman is very meager, and falls far short of the reality. Mother Eve was not painted nor "dolled up”; father Adam was not groomed. The beauty of women and the handsomeness of men, even in the best specimens of our race today, are often marred with coarse texture of skin, with an ill-shaped chin or nose or ear, or with wrinkles or warts or moles or care-worn expressions. Even in otherwise beautiful children is often found the thin, -weak and badly formed upper lip or the large, protruding voluptuous lips and rows of uneven teeth. Bat the greatest weaknesses are perhaps intangible; for they belong to mental imperfection. Some may excel along a particular line. They may shine in music, or in mathematics, or in spelling, or in writing, or in athletics; but they are deficient in almost all other lines. Not a person exists but that is mentally and morally and physically imbalanced to some extent.

The glorious equipoise and excellence of mind •and heart, the beauty of form, the grace of carriage, of the first pair are not discerned. It is only theoretically conceived in the mind of the truly professional phrenologist and those who understand the characteristics of Jesus Christy the Man of Galilee.

The restoration of humanity to the original Godlikeness of Adam and Eve is the glorious portion of our race after Christ shall have taken to Himself His great power and shall have begun His reign for the blessing of all earth's poor, groaning creation. This is in harmony with the covenant God made with the patriarch Abraham when He said: ^trtn thee and in thy seed shall all families of the earth be blessed." Pastor Russell in his book, “The Divine Plan of the Ages" written in 1886, said:

“Close your eyes for a moment to the scenes of misery and woe, degradation and sorrow that yet prevail on account of sin, and picture before your mental vision the glory of the perfect earth. Not a stain of sin mars the harmony and peace of a perfect society; not a bitter thought, not an unkind look or word; love, welling up from every heart, meets a kindred response in every other heart, and benevolence marks every act. There sickness shall be no more; not an ache nor a pain, nor any evidence of decay—not even the fear of such things. Think of all the pictures of comparative health and beauty of human form and feature that you have ever seen, and know that perfect humanity will be of still surpassing loveliness. The inward purity and mental and moral perfection will stamp and glorify every radiant countenance. Such will earth's society be; and weeping bereaved ones will have their tears all wiped away, when thus they realize the resurrection work complete."

Dispensational Change Now Due

THIS statement is in harmony with God's

Word. After saying that the Lord is our Judge and Law-giver and King, and that He will save us, Isaiah, the Prophet of the Lord, says (33:24): “The inhabitant shall not say, I am sick; the people that dwell therein [in the earth] shall be forgiven their iniquity." This text links together, as we should expect, the curing of all the diseases of humanity with the time when they shall be forgiven for their misdeeds. The Prophet, in the chapter following, tells that the race is to be humbled by a period of world-wide bloodshed, to make them ready for the blessings God has in store for them. The Lord will bring destruction to the armies of^v the nations. This means that the governments of earth shall be swallowed up by the Lord's kingdom, which will take possession and bring in world-wide peace and good-will to man. The land becoming burning pitch and brimst jne means that the destruction of the old order of things will be complete. This old order will not be patched up and restored; for it is to lie waste from generation to generation, and the smoke (which symbolizes the memory of the destruction) shall go up forever, that is, it shall never be forgotten.

Isaiah 35 is the great Messianic chapter. The strengthening the weak hands and confirming the feeble knees mean that the people will take comfort in the message and rest in hope. The “Gentile times”—that period in which the nations of earth have dominated in the affairs of men, claiming that they were ruling as God’s representatives, from 606 B. C. to 1914 A. D. —having now become a thing of the past in God’s plan, the Lord in His overruling providence is permitting the kingdoms of this world to be dashed to pieces in order that a rule of righteousness may be set up. We are, therefore, in the days of God’s vengeance; for He has a controversy with the rulers of earth. The statement that the Lord comes with vengeance is followed with the assuring words, “He will come and save you.” So Jesus said that the great tribulation would be stopped short of the destruction of the race, saying, “Except those days [the period of tribulation] should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved” (Matthew 24: 22) The preceding verse shows that this present distress upon the nations is the last that will ever be.

Then will come the opening of the blind eyes, the unstopping of the deaf ears, the curing of cripples, the singing of those who were dumb; and in the desert and waste places streams shall break out and copious rains shall eventually make the whole earth to bud and blossom and yield her increase. Man will then cooperate with God for the blessing of all; profiteering and gouging and cheating shall disappear from off the earth forever. God will furnish the land and water and climate conditions; and man will be given the opportunity to exercise his mind and body in digging artesian wells, in constructing dams and waterways for irrigation; and cultivation will be done in the future by the farmer sitting beside a push-button or a control lever. In fact, a similar cultivator is already in existence that, in a field where there are no stumps or other objects to avoid, will make its furrows deep and even, back and forth, day and night, unguided and unwatched. Apparently the

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God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed,”

Morning of Joy at Hand

THE Bible is not only a book’ which records the doings of the servants of the Lord, but much more. It is a book of prophecy. Prophecy is history recorded in advance. So we must not think these things have already had fulfilment; for God sometimes speaks of things that are not as though they were. Paradise is to be restored and made world-wide; for the prophet Isaiah (51: 3) says: “For the Lord shall comfort Zion [antitypical Zion is the Church of Jesus Christ, which has been gathered out of the entire world]: He will comfort all her waste places, and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein [on the earth], thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.”

The Prophet (Isaiah 35:10) again declares: “The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion [the world shall come into harmony with the glorified Church of Jesus Christ, and come] with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” This agrees perfectly with Revelation 21:4, which says: “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain-: for the former things are passed away.”

The mistake we have been making was in' thinking that this scripture would become true when we got into heaven. But the context shows that it will take place upon this earth at the establishment of Christs kingdom, when the New Jerusalem, which symbolizes a righteous government, shall have taken possession of earth and its affairs; for it is the new order, the new heavens and the new earth, that is to bring the blessings, and in that new arrangement God will dwell with the children of men.

Perhaps the prayer of the future will he something like this: “Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, 0 Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor

come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name”—1 Chron-, ides 29:10-13.

Man's labor in sweat of face was to obtain while he was being turned into the ground— while he was dying; but in the resurrection and recovery of the race the necessity of laborious toil is to be eliminated The wonderful laborsaving devices and conveniences, the general education, the means of locomotion and communication, are but the advance steppings of Jehovah God, heralding forth the fact that the time of blessings is at the very door. The psalmist David said: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Psalm 30:5) The night has been the six thousand years of sin, sickness, sorrow and death; the morning of joy cotnes in the seventh millennium; and Bible chronology shows us that we are passing over the threshold into the kingdom for which the Christian has so long prayed.

Surely, when the Lord's will is perfectly done on the earth, there will be no cause for death; for “the wages of sin is death." So death, Adamic death, is to be destroyed; and in its destruction will come the opportunity for every person to return to that perfection of mind and. heart and physical form with which God endowed Adam and Eve in the beginning. What a wonderful thing it will be to see the earth in Edenic beauty, mankind in paradisaic loveliness, and every heart lifted to God Almighty voicing His praise in sweetest melody! In the past it has been impossible to do the things we wanted to do; but in Christ's kingdom the ability will be given to each to do His will perfectly, and the commandments of the Lord will be found to be true and righteous altogether. Jesus said (John 8:51): “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." To show that the blessing is to be an earthly one for the people at large the Lord says through the Psalmist (37:29): “The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever."

Heard in the. Office—No. 13 By C. E. Guiver (London)

THE young men in the office had been quieter of late, and this was particularly true of Mr. Tyler. One night he and Mr. Palmer were at their work a bit late. Mr. Tyler had finished and was preparing to depart, but seemed to be in no hurry to do so; it appeared as though he had something on his mind. Presently he said: “Palmer, have you nearly finished

“I can leave off at any time," Mr. Palmer answered cheerfully; “but why do you ask?”

“I would like to have a little chat with you, if I may; for I have several questions to ask.”

With this Mr. Palmer hurriedly put away his things and closed his desk. “What is it, old chap?” he inquired. “You look very serious."

“Well, it is like this: I have been reading the books you gave to me; and in thinking over these and the talks we have had together, I feel somehow that I am not so good as I ought to be. Life seelns to be empty; there is no purpose in it. I want to make it better; and I think you can help me."

“I am very glad to hear you say-this, Tyler. I have thought all along that you were capable ef something better, and that you were not getting the best out of life.”

“Yes, I have felt that, too; but I don't know just how to begin. I am not good enough to go to God, and I want to make myself more presentable. You see, I have been brought up to sneer at religion. My father is an atheist; and I have always looked upon religion as a weak sort of thing or something by which people are kept in bondage. One writer calls it ‘the paralyzed hand of the dead past upon the living present.' But my view on this is changing. I can now see that there is a religious life we all ought to live, and that what has been wrong is not the fact of religion, but its form.

“Do you know that for some time now I have been trying to live a better life? But I do not seem to make much progress. I have heard you speak of consecration, but I ,am not quite sure what it means. God is perfect, we are imperfect, and I know that I am not good enough to be acceptable to God.”

“You rightly say that God is perfect and that , we are imperfect. When do you expect to be in o A condition fit to be accepted of God? Do you expect by your own effort to reach perfection!”

“That is the difficulty I have,” replied Tyler; “and I feel that I shall never reach the mark of perfection.”

“The position of acceptance is not so difficult of attainment as you imagine, if the way is only known; and that is God’s way. The great Creator knows quite well that we cannot reach perfection of ourselves. His Word says: ‘All have sinned and come short of the glory of God’; none can reach His standard. Do you know that our own righteousness is but as filthy rags in His sight? Salvation is not by works, lest anyone should boast. It is by faith. The Scripture says: ‘Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven, and whose iniquities are covered?

“Everything connected with God’s dealings is reasonable, but there are some things in which faith is absolutely necessary. The apostle Paul says: ‘Without faith it is impossible to please* God: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ This is not contrary to reason; for, as you have before acknowledged, it is reasonable to believe in the existence of God; and since He is good, it is reasonable to believe that He will reward those who diligently seek Him. If God had decreed that none could have His favor except one who is absolutely perfect, then He would have made it impossible for any man to come to Him; for the experience of all proves that no matter how hard we try we cannot reach the mark of perfection. It is here that God has been gracious, in that when there was none to save, by His own arm He brought salvation.

“Many turn from the thought of a sacrifice for sin; but actually it is the only hope of acceptance. None but the perfect can be accepted at God’s throne. We are imperfect; therefore what we need is a covering. The blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin; but when He who is sinless dies for the sinner, when the Blameless stands for the blemished, and life is given for life, justice^vcan acknowledge the one in the place of the othen Jesus the Son of God has died, the ' Just for the unjust; and what God says is this:' *1 am aware that no man can by his own achievement attain perfection, but I am willing to receive all who come unto me through Jesus. In other words, all those who, exercising faith, accept my provision in the Son as a covering for sin and will give themselves to do my will? ‘My son, give me thine heart?

“This is where faith comes in and is necessary, if in this age we would please God. We may agonize and cry, may punish and mortify ourselves without stint, as some of the heathen do; yet we cannot commend ourselves to God. Faith must be more than a mental assent to a truth; it must be a moving power in the heart. Faith must lead to consecration.”

“What do you mean by consecration?” broke in Tyler.

“Consecration is the giving of oneself without reservation to do the will of another.”

“That is a hard thing; that is reducing one to slavery.”

“Yes, it is a hard thing; and we should all hesitate if it meant giving ourselves to a tyrant, for our lives would then be a misery. But when we recognize the gracious character of the One who invites us to this, when we think of His power, His infinite wisdom and marvelous love, and that He wishes only the very best for those who give themselves to Him, and that all His powers are pledged to bring us to the desired end, who would not gladly place himself and his future in God’s hands?

“As for slavery, all are slaves; and not the least he who imagines himself to be free. AH are slaves to sin dud Satan. Where is the man who is not a slave to selfishness? How many must say in words similar to those of the Scripture : T cannot do the things I would; and the things I would not do, those I do’! [Romans 7:19] Then, on the other hand, think of the position of the one who has given himself entirely to the Lord. He desires righteousness. He wants to serve God and to serve his fellows, and he is in the best position to do this.

“Bondage, you say? Yes; but it is the greatest liberty. To know God is to love Him. To love Him is to want to serve Him. And to serve Him we must be devoted to His will.

“The faithful follower of Jesus is not left to himself to struggle on to glory; for God grants His holy spirit, so that the heart is continually refreshed and the will is strengthened. Above all we can always remember that He who is for us is more than all that can be against us, so that final victory is assured.

<4

THAT meek and lowly follower of• the lowly Nazarene, Dean Inge of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, is reported in the Buffalo Evening News as much disturbed because Labor has come into control of the British government, with a consequent possibility of affecting unfavorably a number of “superior persons,” to use the Dean’s own words.

The Dean, speaking of the rise to power of such persons as carpenters, with consequent possible damage to such persons as chief priests, political rulers, etc., says:

“It is not a question of punishment, but of the right of the gardener to weed his garden. If, as I believe, these persons are actually contagious, it is justifiable to kill the infected like mad dogs, unless we prefer the more expensive and less safe way of imprisonment.” _z

Before we turn anybody loose at the business of killing human beings because they are like dogs we ought solemnly to consider who are the dogs and who is the gardener. As usual we go to the Bible, and there we find it all set forth nicely. The dogs are the D. D’s. Nothing could be plainer. We quote:

“His watchmen are blind; they are all ignorant, they are all D— D—’s, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand; they all look to their own way, every one for "his gain from his quarter.”— Isaiah 56:10,11.

However, these dogs seem not to have the best reputation, in the Scriptures. “Beware of dogs,” says the Apostle (Philippians 3:2); and when it comes to their chances of getting within the pearly gates we read further that “without are dogs.”—Revelation 22:15.

And then again how can we be sure that these persons are superior! They say that they are, i,e>. they say it of themselves; but are they! But a little while ago Air. Fall, as Secretary of the Interior, would have said that he was a superior person; Mr. Daugherty, Attorney General, might have said so, if he had the nerve; Mr. Denby, Secretary of the Navy, might have said so, and Mr. Coolidge as Vice President might have said so before the Teapot Dome came bursting into print. But now, behold, the smell of oil is on their garments! Must common -people hold their noses in the presence of the superior!

And now about the gardener of Dean Inge’s parable. There the carpenters and others have the best of it. Mary supposed that Jesus, the ex-carpenter, was the gardener, when she hailed him first on the resurrection morning. Perhaps the modern carpenters will be more quick to greet earth’s new King than the superior persons, the D. D’s. Who knows?

Mark Twain’s Vision [of 191 / j

I CAN see a million years ahead, and this rule will never change in so many as half a dozen instances. The loud little handful, as usual, will shout for the war. The pulpit will, warily and cautiously—object—at first; the great, big, dull bulk of the nation will rub its sleepy eyes and try to make out why there should he a war, and will say, earnestly and indignantly: “It is unjust and dishonorable, and there is no necessity for it.” Then the handful will shout louder.

A few fair men on the other side will argue and reaspn against the war with speech and pen, and.pt first will have a hearing and be applauded. But it will not last long. Those others will outshout them, and presently the anti-war audiences will thin out and lose popularity.

Before long you will see this curious thing: The speakers stoned from the platform, and free speech strangled by hordes of furious men who in their secret hearts are still at one with those stoned speakers—as earlier—but who do not dare to say so. And now the whole nation, pulpit and all, will take up the war cry, and shout itself hoarse, and mob any honest man who ventures to open his mouth; and presently such mouths will cease to open.

Next the statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked; and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them. And thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and wilt thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception.

STUDIES IN THE “HARP OF GOD” (^££F¹8&^RD'^S)

With issue Number 60 we began running Judge Rutherford’s new book, “The Harp of God”, with accompanying questions, taking the place of both Advanced and Juvenile Bible Studies which have been hitherto published.

³¹²In due time Saul of Tarsus, who afterward was named St. Paul, was illuminated and understood. And then he wrote: “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church; whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil .the word of God; even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the 'Gentiles; which [mystery] is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:24-27) The Apostle here emphasizes the fact that this mystery of God is now made known only to the saints. Saints means purified ones, which purification comes through receiving the merit of Christ’s sacrifice.

³¹³The word Christ signifies anointed. Anointing means designation to official position in God’s arrangement. The Christ is the instrument or channel for the blessing of mankind. The Christ is composed of Jesus, the great and mighty Head, and 144,000 members. (Revelation 7:4) Christ Jesus is the Head and the Church His body. We ofttimes hear the expression, A body of men with a general at their head. Of the Christ the Apostle says: “And he [Christ Jesus] is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.”—Col. 1:17-19.

'“The apostle Paul uses a human body to illustrate the Christ, the great mystery-class; the head representing Jesus, and the other members of the body those who are of His Church. “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. . . .^Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”—1 Cor. 12:12,27.

’“The Christ is also designated in the Scriptures as the seed of Abraham according to the promise. “Now to Abraham and his- seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” (Galatians 3:16) Addressing himself to the Church, the Christians, the followers of Jesus, the Apostle further said: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. . . . And if ye be-Christ’s, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26,27,29) This is the seed, then, through whom the blessings will come to all,the families of the earth. Church means a gathered out class; and so the Gospel age, that is to say, the period from Jesus' first coming until His second coming, is employed by Jehovah for the selection of the Church, the seed of Abraham, through which blessings will come to all the remainder of mankind in God’s due time. ' '“This same class is called the elect of God, according to His foreknowledge.—1 Peter 1:2.

QUESTIONS ON “THE HARP OF GOD

What-did St. Paul say about the mystery of God ? If 312.

What is the meaning of the word “saints” ? If 312.

What does the word “Christ” signify? 313.

What is the meaning of “anointing”? If 313.

Who compose the Christ? fl313.   .

Who is the Head? and who the body? fl313.

Give Scriptural proof of who constitutes the Head and the body of Christ fl 313.

How does St. Paul use the human body to illustrate the body of Christ ? fl 314.    _

What is meant by the seed of Abraham? Give Scriptural proof, fl 315.

What is the meaning of the term “church”? fl315.

Who is meant by the “elect of God”? fl 316.

“Ye who have watched, and waited long, ' And trod the narrow way With blistered feet and weary limb, Yet putting all your trust in Him, Now see the signs of day.

“Arouse, ye little band, arouse! Come with your lamps atrim.

Behold the Bridegroom at the gate; The Lord Himself doth thee await.

Arise and enter in.”

Your vacation may seem entirely full with the outdoor recreation planned, but there will be moments when you will seek something to do. Reading finds its place when the body is tired and muscles strained, but the mind alert by the fresh air.

Magazines will be leafed through, the newspaper will likely have been scanned, and the reading generally available is the fiction left behind by a disappointed purchaser.

To be armed for such unforeseen, but ever-occurring moments, vacation plans should include a book or two.

A book that will help you really to enjoy the looking-for-something-to-do moments should have a forward-looking theme—one that refuses to ignore the present perplexities, yet reveals their purposes in God’s plan for man’s happiness.

The Hasp of God has as its objective Bible and historical proofs that mankind will have unending life on earth. And to make men want to live, the Creator has provided for conditions worth living in.

The inspiration from such vacation reading will prove to be a foregleam of the happiness that will permeate the whole earth when God’s beneficent design for man is consummated-

For subsequent and more specific proofs the Seven Volumes of Studies in the Scriptures provide an exhaustive reference library.

The Harp of God, the textbook of the Harp Bible Study Course, is bound in green cloth, gold stamped. The Seven Volumes of Studies in the Scriptures are bound in maroon cloth, gold stamped. The eight volumes containing over 4,000 pages, $2.85 delivered.

International Bible Students Association, Brooklyn, New York

Gcntlewien: Forward The Habe or God to my vacation address and the Seven Volumes of Studies in the Scriptubes to my home address together with the self-quiz cards and weekly reading assignments. Enclosed find $2.85, payment in full for the eight volumes.

Vacation Address: