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October 21, 1914.
A FAMILY PAPER.
E D I T O R I A L
John W. Pritchard, Editor.
WAR—WHAT FOR
Political and military writers have
been
insisting that the present war in Europe was
inevitable.
argument is wrong.
Their conclusion is right; their
There is only one fun­
are sent to the gallows, or the electric chair; may he take part in the singing When a
damental reason for this war, or any other,
they are committed to prison for long terms. meeting is opened with prayer, perhaps reading
of the Scripture, and hymns are sung, it
and that is sin. Specially is that the case
The pursuit of happiness also has its limitations.
The only right recognized in human is evidently the thought of the hymn singers
in this war where other grounds are so difficult
to find. The nations have sinned in
or divine law is to obey. Each man is under
obligation to keep the law; he is not un­
may think of the hymns, most of the churches
present that praise is meant. Whatever we
the sight of God and he is allowing the insane
ambition of men to work out the divine
judgments which in some way and at
der obligation to live. The governments think that they can praise God with them.
of Europe are insisting on the obligation of If one joins in with them in what they consider,
and call, the praise service, he is un­
some time had to come. David was offered
their subjects to die. Has the nation any
his choice of three judgments—war, famine different ethical code than the citizen Obedience
to law may demand the death of the service as do the others. The thought in his
derstood by all to be joining in the praise
and pestilence—and war seemed, to the man
who knew, the worst of all. The horrors
of war in the time of David must have been
mild compared with what may be seen these
individual. There may be cases where divine
justice demands the death of the nation. Its
sacrifice may make for the welfare of humanity
mind is not readable by others. Therefore a
Covenanter joining in such service is understood
by all present to be using the hymns
weeks in the fieldsof France.
and the glory of God. Self sacrifice in praise. He has, as far as those present
Nor are the neutral nations innocent of
the sins which led to this war. AH humanity
is partner in the guilt and needs repentance
is the divine law, not self preservation. Men
are to save their lives by losing them. The
nation is subject to the same law and the
are concerned, destroyed his witness for the
exclusive use of the Psalms in praise.
If the Sabbath is to be kept holy to God, it
to avoid a like judgment. National same God. It is the neglect and denial of does not seem that entertainments are prop­
pride is one of the most common forms of
national sin, and America has its share.
this fact which has made comparatively futile
the deliberations of the Hague Tribunal.
er, or that one should join in holding them.
This refers to the whole day. We do not
It is reported that with the coming of war An individual can not serve the highest ends find any part specified as common. The
the empty churches of Berlin were filled while considering his rights. The same is Catholics hold that after the mass in the
with worshippers. The Czar has prohibited true of the nation. Austria claimed that mornings, entertainments are in order, but
the sale of the liquor, vodhka, one of the her action against Servia was to save her Catholic views do not appear sound to most
chief sources of national re-venue, and is considering
life, and in saving it she is running a tre­
Covenanters. So far, at least, we have not
making the prohibition permanent mendous risk of losing it. The only inalien­
accepted certain hours of the Sabbath as can­
on account of the immediate benefits observed.
able right of an individual, or of a nation, onical and others as uncanonical, whatever
God is calling the nations to humil­
is to obey the law of God. The man or that would mean. If, therefore, a Covenanable
nation that loses life, in this way the same
iation for sin.
It was fitting that on a recent Sabbath
the churches of the land should be called
by President Wilson to prayer. That is the
strength, the "hope, of the nati'on. It is
the masked battery against which the strongest
battalions march in vain. It is the armor
which the largest shells can not penetrate.
The one counselor that we do hear of any
monarch calling on for advice is God. Austria
asked Germany before sending the(war
uhimatum to Servia. The Kaiser consulted
his General Staff. When God is left out of
tite Department of State he can not be
counted on in the Department of War. God
is saying to the neutral nations, "Except ye
repent ye shall all likewise perish." In no
corner of the earth are the people altogether
clear of the guilt, or the present penalty. "Be
wise, 0 ye kings; Be instructed ye judges of
the earth. Kiss the son, lest he be angry
and ye perish in the way."
have to live." Bethmann-Hollweg declared
in the Reichstag that the attack on Belgium
was injustice, but justified the act on the
ground of military necessity for the protection
of Germany. Jefferson wrote into the
Declaration of Independence that the inalienable
right of man are life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness. The courts of
both heaven and earth deny Jefferson's claim.
Too infrequently in our country criminals
shall save it.
MAY COVENANTERS SING HYMNS
That depends. There are two possible ends
in singing hymns and no more. One is for
the entertainment of men and the other for
praise to God. Wherever and whenever one
sings hymns in pubhc or in private,it is
meant to serve one of these ends. Now it is
clear to those who read hymns thoughtfully
that many of them were not intended by the
writers to be used in praise to God, often the
singers do not have that thought in mind.
The most popular hymns of the time would
not be classed as hymns of praise. They are
that it is praise. Even the hymns which find
place in the church collections have very
many titles which the compilers put in under
protest as being unsuitable for the purpose
of the book. Most intelligent churchmen lament
the trashiness of their collection.
This question is mooted. If one who believes
in the exclusive use of the Psalms in
praise to God is in a service where hymns
are sung which he would not class as praise,
THE RIGHT TO LIVE.
When a man is doing something which
he can not otherwise justify he insists, "I
have to live." When a government takes
an action which is unjustifiable by divine
or human law the declaration is made, "We
ter joins in singing hymns on the Sabbath,
he is either offering praise, and breaking his
covenant vows, or else he is taking part in
an entertainment, with the result that he is
not only destroying his witness for the
Psalms, but also desecrating the Sabbath.
GLEANINGS FROM "THE SUNDAY
SCHOOL TIMES."
The Sunday School Times is in more ways
than one a very helpful paper, much more
than it was years ago. Among other features
the number for Sept. 26 contained a
page on the topic, "What I think of the
Hymn-book we Use." From the first column
either useful for entertainment^or they M ^^ ^^.^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ following letter:
of their purpose altogether. For instance,
WHERE MANY HYMN-BOOKS ARE
the hymns of Watts were doubtless intended
WEAK.—Our book is used in all religious
by their author to be used in praise, while
the popular gospel hymns, as they are called, services. The hymns we sing are spoken of
were intended to serve the same purpose as as "psalms, hymns and spiritual songs," the
the sermon. It seems fair to say that in the only kind we know that were sung or quoted
great evangelistic meetings of the present by the Son of Man. Their inspired words
time there is, in fact, no real praise service,
show him as Prophet, Priest and King, complete
in his magnificent divinity.
whatever it may be called in the program.
The hymns are written to appeal to men and
The writer taught the music of many new
are sung by the evangelist with that thought
hymn-books to several congregations and
in mind, though the audience would insist