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September 2. 1914.
A FAMILY PAPER.
E D I T O R I A L
John W. Pritchard, Editor.
PAUL'S ASSISTAXT.
"These men are the servants of the most high
God who show us the way of salvation." This
was the message of the devil-owned girl who
followed Paul in the streets of Philippi. And
ive read that "Paul was grieved." Strange, was
it not, that Paul should object to being advertised
in that way AVhat the girl said was
true. It was exactly what Paul -^vrinted the
people on the street to believe. One might
think that the girl should have heen in a missionary
society. But Paul did not want to be
advertised by the devil. He objected to going
into that kind of a partnership even, when the
devil agreed to preach the gospel. Jesus
seemed to have taken the same view of Satan-'s
help. When the devils confessed him, he ordered
them out. Both Jesus and Paul acted
on the belief that if they went into partnership
with the devil in the Spring, even if they
furnished the seed, that Satan would get the
crop in the Fall. It seemed to have been for
that reason that Paul broke up the fakii-'s
business by healing the girl, even when it
meant going to jail for him. Perhaps what
Was unprofitable for Jesus and Paul is not
profitable in Christian work now.
EEPOET OF SYXOD'S COMMITTEE OX
FOREIGX MISSION.
The Report of the Foreign Mission Board is
a great illustration of the sublimity of faith.
Last year they asked for $30,000 for the
Levant Missions and received $14,057; and for
$20,000 for the mission in China and received
$12,428: "Yet," they say, "we are not discouraged,
for many are praying, the general
quickening must come; making His people willing
in the day of His power to support His
work." Having accepted the resignations of
three lady workers, they send their call
for two physicians, two trained nurses, a young
woman, an experienced teacher to take charge
of the girls' school in Suadia, and six ministers
fo be stationed, as circumstances demand. Believing
that the Lord Jesus Christ is the divinely
appointed King of Nations, the official
Head of the executive legislative and judicial
departments of civil government, and that the
gospel which they preach is proclaimed, not
only for the conversion of individual sinners
from sin unto holiness, but for the regeneration
of the domestic, commercial and political life
of the whole people, they sent Rev. J. K. Robb
,to Peking to present to the President of the
Chinese Republic a petition, calling attention
to the principles that should be written into
every Xational Charter, and urging the claims
of Christ as King of Nations upon the allegiance
of China, with many a prayer that the
'spirit of God would use it to exalt the name of
Christ in the new Republic.
l^ut the clima.\- of their faith is revealed in
their appeal to the energy of prayer as their
most valuable asset. Prayer makes us conscious
of God as the Leader and Commander in
tbe Enterprise of Poreign Missions. Prayer
brings us into sympathy with the mind of God
as to the missionary enterprise, and that vision
inspires courage and confident hope. Prayer
brings us into an attitude of total and glad
self-surrender of the Spirit of Christ, and the'
highest attainment in prayer is not desire, although
that is the moving cause; not aspiration,
although soul thirst for God is the animus;
not praise although the Spirit of adoration
is the sine qua non; but it is surrender.
"Not my will, but thine be done," is the climax
of prayer.
Prayer moves the will of God in the missionary
enterprise. And seeing the will of
God is the power, it following that the chief
factor in the success of our missionaries in the
Levant and China is not tbe $50,000 asked
for this year although that is a necessary condition;
not a larger number of missionaries,
although that is an indispensable prerequisite;
but the prevailing intercession of Christ's loyal
disciples. "The people that know their God
shall be strong and do exploits."
It is greatly to be desiderated that every line
of the Report will be read by every member
of the Church, that the touching incidents recited
may kindle a flame of firein every heart
and the scope and marvelous compass of the
work done may be appreciated and the
home churches obsessed with the enthusiasm
of the missionaries. Their statistics are worthy
of being double leaded. We have a present
membership of 442 in the Levant. Combining
with these the 331 native communicants,
we are able to report a present total Church
membership of 775 in our foreign missions,
117 more than in Illinois Presbytery, 271 more
than in Philadelphia Presbytery, and 33 more
than the combined membership of New Brunswick
and Nova Scotia, Colorado and Pacific
Coast Presbyteries. These figures claim a
more liberal support for the foreign ^voTk of
the church.
PRESIDENT WILSON'S PEACE MESSAGE,
AUGUST 18, 1914,
My fellow countrymen:,
I suppose that every thoughtful man in America
has asked himself during the last troubled
weeks,, what influence the European war may
exert upon the United States; and I take the liberty
of addressing a few words to you in order
to point out that it is entirely within our own
choice what its effects upon us will be, and to
urge very earnestly upon you the sort of speech
and conduct which will hest safeguard the nation
against distress and disaster.
The effect of the war upon the United States
will depend upon what American citizens say
and do. Every man who really loves America
will act and speak in the true spirit of neutrality,
which is the spirit of impartiality and fairness
and friendliness to all concerned.
The spirit of the nation in this critical matter
will he determined largely by what individuals
and society and those gathered in public meetings
do and say; upon what newspapers and
magazines contain; upon what our ministers utter
in their pulpits, and men proclaim as their
opinions on the streets.
The people of the United States are drawn
from many nations and chiefly from the nations
now at war. It is natural and inevitable that
there should be the utmost variety of sympa'chy
with regard to the issues and circumstances of
the conflict. Some will wish one nation, others
another, to succeed in the momentous struggle.
It will be easy to excite passion and difficult
to allay it. Those responsible for exciting it will
assume a heavy responsibility; responsibility for
no less a thing than that the people of the United
States, whose love of their country, and whose
loyalty to its government should unite them as
Americans, all bound in honor and affection to
think firstof her and her interests, may be divided
in camps of hostile opinions, hot against
each other, involved in the war itself In impulse,
and opinion,, if not in action.
Such diversions amongst us would be fatal to
our peace of mind and might seriously stand la
the way of the proper performance of our duty
as the one great nation at peace, the one people
holding itself ready to play a part of impartial
mediation and speak the counsels of peace and
accommodation, not as a partisan, but as a
friend.
I venture, therefore, my fellow countrymen, to
speak a solemn word of warning to you against
that deepest,, most subtle, most essential breach
of neutrality which may spring out of partisanship,
out of passionately taking sides.
The United States must be neutral in fact as
well as in name during these days that are to
try men's souls. We must be impartial in thought
as well as in action, must put a curb upon our
sentiments as well as upon every transaction
that might be construed as a preference of one
party to the struggle before another. My thought
is of America, I am speaking, I feel sure, the
earnest wish and purpose of every thoughtful
American that this great country of ours, which
is, of course,, the firstin our thoughts and in our
hearts, should show herself in this time of peculiar
trial a nation fitbeyond others to exhibit
the fine poise of undisturbed judgment, the dignity
of self-control, the efiicienoy of dispassionate
action; a nation that neither sits in judgment upon
others nor is disturbed in her own counsels,
and which keeps herself fitand free to do what
is honest and disinterested and truly serviceable
for the peace of the world.
'Shall we not resolve to put upon ourselves the
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