The Reformed Presbyterian Standard and also 0\ir ... - Rparchives.org

December 2, 1914.
A FAMILY PAPER.
E D I T O K i A L
Johii W. Pritchard, Editor.
On October Srd the Public
Ledger announced
:
"All freshmen at the University of Pennsylvania
from today on will be forbidden to smoke
cigarettes on the campus, Franklin Eield or
any place under the jurisdiction of the faculty.
'This announcement, which was made yesterday
is one of the most important regulations
that has been imposed upon the student
body in years. In making this ruling Penn-
6vlvania established a precedent among all the
large colleges and universities of the country.
It was rumored, however, that a number of
other such big institutions will follow the example
set by the authorities here."
ABEAHAM'S FOEESIGHT.
God loved Abraham because he was so farsighted.
He started out to findthe city of God
and with those farsighted eyes of his he saw it.
Twenty centuries later John saw it. All along
the centuries far-sighted men have seen it.
But even yet it is the coming city. It has not
arrived. London is not the city of God, neither
is Berlin, nor New York. Abraham saw
more than forty centuries future; John saw
more than twenty on Patmos. Some men tell
us that the city of God is here. A judge in a
go\ernment which denies Christ says: "This
is a Christian nation." Perhaps he knew. Also
perhaps he did not have the clear vision of
Abraham. "\Miat a lot of trouble and moving
about it would have saved Abraham if he had
induced the common council at Ur to declare
"Ur is the city of God." It would have had
An interesting visitor to Xew York recently, much more support from public opinion than
who sailed for Kingston, Jamaica, the other the decision of the Supreme Court written by
day, admitted when asked about it that he is Brewer.
known as "the rum king of Jamaica." He said
that he had manufactured and sold $30,000,000
Aljraham might have pared down his idea
of the city of God until Ur would have fitted
vForth of rum since he went into the business, it. Or he might decide to raise a city to fitthe
andit was that which caused people to wish the ideal. He chose the latter way. If ITr was
royal title on him. How long he has been in the the city of God why should he go to Canaan
business does not appear, but no doubt a long
time, and while $30,000,000 looks like a large
sum of money we doubt whether his gross receiptsif
gathered in this country w'ould earn
him a kingship in competition with our own
brewers and distillers of the period of his
business life, who are not rated higher than
barons in popular bestowals of honorary titles.
The most interesting fact with regard to this
rum king, however, was the information volunteered
by himself in conclusion: "I might
add that I have never tasted a drop." Think
of it—the man had sold $30,000,000 worth of
If this is a Christian nation it is built on
Christ and must be what Abraham saw. If it
is not the city of God, a Supreme Court decision
will have no more effect on it than the decision
of the common council at LTr. Also if
it is not true, it does not honor God to say that
it is.
Either Abraham saw a city like Chicago or
Xew York, or else there is something of sacrilege
in making the claim. It may not please
God to claim that a people is Christian which
has officially denied that, and lives up to its
denial every day in the week for more than a
rum (at the manufacturers' price) to others century. Abraham's rangefinder was not directed
and had never tasted a drop of the article
on Washington, D. C, in 1911.
himself! The moral, of course, there being a
moral in every story if one will look for it—
"OXLY BELIEA'E.^
and one doesn't need a microscope in this instance—is
that the money is in selling and not
in buying the goods.—Pittsburgh Chronicle-
Telegraph, Xovember 16.
Judge George S. Criswell, of Venango County,
in refusing license to sell liquor within the
court's jurisdiction, laid it down as the law
of the matter that the discretion of the license
court governed and was final. If the court
after hearing applicants and remonstrants was
of the opinion that no licenses w^ere necessary
and decreed that none should be granted that
was the end of the matter. In other words,
the court has the same power in the cases of
all as in that of one. On appeal the superior
court of the State sustained his position as
sound. Xow the highest tribunal of the commonwealth
speaks the last word in affirmation
in refusing a petition asking that an appeal
toit from the decision of the intermediate
court be allowed. The extent of the powers
of the license courts of Pennsylvania now may
be regarded as established beyond question,—•
Chk)nicle-Telegraph, October 5.
Belief gives power.
When Jesus raised the daugliter of Jairus
he took with him Peter and James and John.
^Mien Elijah was brought from heaven and
JMoses from Abarim to meet in transfigured
form, Jesus had with him Peter and James
and John. The record also runs that in his
own neighborhood Jesus could do no mighty
works because people did not believe in him.
That Jesus inight do his work it was essential
that men should believe in him.
Xo man can do his work unless men believe
in him, because belief is power. However strong
may be his own faith, he needs the faith of
others in him. The greater the faith that others
have in me and the greater number who
have this greater faith will be an index of my
power.
Lincoln came from uncommonly common
stock. He owed little to his early training, or
his earlv friends. But the time came when
Illinois believed in him. The fathers and
mothers believed in him and trusted their children
to him. The soldiers believed in him.
Those who came to him in distrust went away
with confidence. People of other lands came
to believe in him. Men believed Abraham Lincoln
into fame and immortality. He could not
betray the trust wliich millions had in him.
It was this wliich compelled greatness in him.
^Ve can multiply or divide the power of men
To lose faitli in a man altogether reduces his
power to weakness. The recovery of faitli in
each other does not increase the number of
power plants, but it immeasurably increases the
units of power. One may chase a thousand, but
two with faith in each other win over tenfold
as many. General Distrust leads the marauders
who destroy congregations, defeat
churches, drive the nations into hell.
Onlv believe.
STATE
EXECUTIYES.
The elections of Tuesday, Xovember 3rd, resulted
in Pennsylvania in electing as Governor
Martin G. Brumbaugh. His aged father is a
minister of the Gospel, living in Huntingdon
County. His son has had a steadily rising career,
a student at Juniata College, working his
way, becoming President of that College, Commissioner
of Education in Porto Eico, Professor
in the University of Pennsjdvania, and lastly
Superintendent of the Public Schools of
Philadelphia. This post as educator he left to
try the stormy sea of politics, as Y'oodrow Wilson
did. He declared for Local Option, which
the Eepublican party platform did not, and in
his final manifesto on the eve of the election,
he gave way to the county unit. The liquor
men who voted for him count him as powerless
in their hands, but it must have been a
bitter pill for them to take when told it was
necessary for them to vote for a man of his
principles to revive the party, after the Elk
they have had in office. Christian people in
that Commonwealth ought to pray for him
that he may preserve his record and disappoint
the evil men who turned in to his support,
choosing a Cabinet that will stand up manfully
against the dealers in liquor, and the
enemies of the Sabbath.
This State has surprised many by electing
Charles S. AVhitman Governor. The Democratic
Governor, AVilliam Sulzer, was impeached
last year, and was removed from office. The
Lieutenant Governor succeeding him is a Eoman
Catholic. j\Ir. AATiitman came into notice
as District Attorney for this county, but as
with 'Sir. Brumbaugh, he had the support of
some of the "undesirable citizens." He has
made a good record. He is a Presbyterian
and a deacon in one of the city churches. Both
he and 'Mr. Sulzer are Presbyterians, but they
unfortunately are both members of the ]\Iasonic
Order. We ought to seek for all such
men called to public office, that thev may
break loose from artificial, secret ties, and let
all their life be in the open. The country
needs pure polities.
AVe hope that 1915 will make a happy
change for both of these great States.