The record-union., 1897-03-14

All their literature, the best of it, all
their poetry, all their Inscriptions and
remains are befouled with polytheiSm.
We turn to the Hebrew literature that
has come down to us, and the contrast
with what we have seen is utter and
startling. The record begins. In the
beginning God no Osiris, Isis and Set
and a hundred other of Egypt's british
gods, but one real, exclusive, sole Je-
hovah. This contrast is very strange.
We have parallel stories of creation
and flood; of war and conquest; but al
ways and everywhere the contrast APP
pears. The Jew has but one God; the
other nations had gods many and lords
many. The reason for this strange su-
periority OF the Hebrew people does not
appear They We're no shrewder in
wit than their neighbors; inferior, in
deed, in the arts as we'll as in war; less
learned, less given to culture or to
literature And yet this insignificant
people achieved from their earliest his
tory and maintained a conception of
God lofty beyond all parallel. 1t could
not have been an instinct for mono
theism, a genius for it. there is no such
thing. 1t is something to be impressed
anu lGdTllSu. w AtIICe VIC sNAN
compelled to ask, as we observe this
most tremendous of all the facts which
the historical and literary criticism OF
Hebrew and other Semitic literatures
has to tell us-whence came this sole,
unparalleled conception Of one only
GOd?"
1--WE are entirely ready to acquiesce
lin the admission of women) when the
constitution is changed and to do so
ungrudgingly," says the New York
christian Advocate" (Meth), but
knowing that the church did not con-
template the admission of women when
it voted to admit laymen, that both
friends and foes issued proclamatlons
to that effect, and that in any one OF
twelve conferences there are more than
enough members living who voted Tor
lay delegation and who would nave
voted against it had it been supposed
that women were to be eligible, to nave
doomed it to defeat, we have at all
times maintained that the constitution
should be changed. 1t is not our pur-
pose to deter persons who can conscl-
entiously vote for their admission, or
even to convince the wavering OF the
truth of our views. Indeed, we can
indorse the last words of the appeal OF
the women: Unless, after dispasSionate
and prayerful consideration, conscience
forbids, in the name of honor, justice
and the best interests of the church,
vote to give your sisters q voice and
vote in the General Conference
But if conscience forbids,' neither
fhrn nnp hest interests
of the church will be antagonized by
your voting in harmony with its be-
hest; for conscience, enlightened by the
word of God, is the only guide which
man or woman can safely follow.
Should the light of the final day reveal
an honest error of judgment, the re-
ward and the appreciation of the Mas
ter will be none the less pronounced"
Churches are often very careless,
says the New York outlook They
help families for years by doing out
stated sums that keep the recipients
just beyond the point of suffering, in
stead of assuming the true response
bility of guardians, and watching the
training and education of the children;
seeing to it that they are trained to
self-help at the highest point. We are
to-day in this country training thou
sands of boys to semi-pauperism, ena-
bling them to live year after year at
the minimum amount of effort-paying
only in part for what they receive. No
appeal is made to them to maintain
self-respect and self-support. There is
no education to develop the sense of
privacy, no attempt to place a value on
independence. They are educated apart
from the community, class by them
selves. And this is done by incorporat-
ed bodies, whose charity, so-called, has
| injured, not only those who receive
from it, but those who give to it, be-
cause of the false education of which
it is tine promulgator."