The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04

Az JIG S'oIVA ~ 0oU eAot uuAAuS Ic IIauSuIOu o. n ace Il
another ALL KINDS OF CALAMITIES shall take place
treacherics, frauds, crueltes and wars-and that owing
to lawlessness love will slacken. I understand these words,
not Is a supernatural prophecy, but as an indication that
when the faith in the form Of life in which men lived is being replaced
by another, when THAT WHICH IS OUTLINED AND OLD
is FALLING OFF AND BEING REPLACED BY THE NEW.
then great disturbances, cruehics, frauds, treacheres and every kind
of lawlessness must unavoidaby take place, and, in consequence of thia
lawlessness, LOVE, THE MOST IMPORTANT AND NECEs-
SARY QUALITY FOR THE SOCIAL LIFE OF MEN. must
slacken.
THIS Is WHAT IS NOW TAKING PLACE, NOT ONLY IN Rua.
sA' BUT IN ALL THE CHRISTIAN WORLD. IN RUSSIA IT HAS
ONLY MANIFESTED ITSELF MORE WILDLY AND OPENLY, OUT IN
Al! cHR!sTeNooM THE SAME IS GOING ON, ONLY IN a CON.
cEALEo OR LATENT STATE.
| think that at present the life of the Christian nations is close to
the limit dividing THE OLD EPOCH, WHICH is ENDING.
FROM THE NEW, WHICH is BEGINNING. think that the
great revolution has begun which for almost two thousand years has
been preparing in all C%hristendom, A REVOLUTION CONSIST
ING IN THE TRIUMPH or TRUE CHRISTIANITY. and
founded upon it the recognition Of the equality of all and of that
lRuE LIBERTY natural to all rational beings, dhplacing a dis
torted Christianity and the power of on portion of mankind and the
slavery OF another founded upon it, The external symptoms Of this I
see in the strenuous struggle between classes in all nations, IN THE
COLD CRUELTY OF THE WEALTHY, the evaporation and
despair of the poor, the insane, scnscless, ever increasing ornaments
of all governments against each other. the spread Of the unrcaizable
teachings of Socialism, in the futiity and stupidity of the idle discus
sions and examinations upheld as the most important mental activity
called science, IN THE MORBID EMPTINESS OF ART in all
its manifestations, and, above all, not only the absence Of any religion
in the leading spheres, but in the deliberate negation Of all religion,
and by tho substitution of THE LEGALITY OF THE OPpREs-
SION OF THE WEAK BY THE STRONG, and therefore in the
complete absence of any rational guiding principles in life.
That which has brought Christian nations in the position in which
they now re began long ago. 1t began when Christianity was first
recognized IS a state religion-A STATE FOUNDED UPON
COERCION, demanding for its existence complete obedience to its
laws in preference to the religious law a state unable to exist without
executives, armies and wars; a state ~attributing almost divine author
iy to its rulers; A STATE EXTOILING WEALTH AND
POWER. And such an institution, in the persons of its rulers and
subjects, processes to accept the Christian religion, which proclaims
COMPLETE EQUALITY AND FREEDOM AMONG MEN,, rec
ognizes one law Of God as higher than all other laws-a religion which
not only rcpudiates all coercion, all rctribution, executions and wars,
but also ENJOlNS LOVE TO ONES ENEMIES; which extols
not power and wealth, but meckncss and poverty-such an institution
in the persons of its heather rulers accepted this Christian religion not
in its true sense, but in that distorted form according to which the
pagan organization of life continues to be possible.
THE 0REATgsT DAM IN THE WORLD CANNOT RETAIN A
SOURCE OF LIVING WATER. THE WATER WILL INEVITABLY
FIND A WAY TO ESCAPE, EITHER THROUGH THE DAM or ~
WASHING IT AWAY OR ciRcUMvENTNo IT. IT Is ONLY A CUES.
TON OF TIME. so IT HAS BEEN WITH TRUE CHRISTIANITY,
HIDDEN ev STATE POWER. FOR LONG THE STATE KEPT BACK
THE LIVING WATERS, BUT THE TIME HAS NOW COME AND
CHRISTIANITY Ie DESTROYING THE DAM WHICH RESTRAINED