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THE KING’S BUSINESS
The refusal of reputable journals to con tinue Mr. Russell’s advertisements of his Sermons and self-laudations; the dis turbances arising from the separation of families, wherein children dishonor their parents, and neglect their duties toward them, like the case in New Jersey, leaving the sick and aged parents to do the work at home, and care for themselves, while the child gives herself to the fascination and work of the cult, and the failure of Mr. Russells’ predictions for 1914, together with some other failures, have produced a real panic in some parts. This is not sur prising. When any company of people look at truth through the spectacles of one man, and these spectacles become cracked, the vision is distorted and there is confusion. These poor, misled people, in a parrot-like way, say they believe the Bible. The very first chapter of John, the first verse, says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Then Pastor Russell tells them that the Word, or Christ, was not God, but a mighty one. That this text should read: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god, or a mighty one.” Although Pastor Russell does not know Greek, yet these poor, fascinated people immediately say: “Jesus Christ is not God, he is only a Mighty One.”— Exchange. While American missionaries in Turkey have been treated well, the awful destitu tion due to the war is almost unbearable, even the brave veteran, Dr. Shepard of Aintab, being disposed to return to America, if no help for the starving people is to be forthcoming. In Syria the wonderful Beirut Press is obliged - to discharge its trained men, a loss which they say cannot be made good for years to come. The missionaries are helping multitudes on the brink of starvation, the conditions of the wretched Syrians daily becoming more desperate.— H. P. B.
TT IS the custom of the missionaries to distribute Christian literature wherever the natives will accept it. One worker writing from Tokyo tells about a rather unusual experience recently, when one man refused to accept the literature. The mis sionaries had met him on the train and pleasantly tried to give him a few tracts, but he muttered angrily that he hated Chris tianity and “those miserable foreigners and their detestable ways,” and tossed the tracts out of the window. The train was at a station, and some workmen standing near eagerly grabbed up the papers, and when they saw what they were, began to quarrel with one another as to who should have them. The missionaries threw out another and larger supply. Thus the “hater” of Christianity unwittingly became a free dis tributor of Christian tracts.— Continent. An Englishman traveling through Ceylon describes in the London Telegraph a start ling experience that befell his hostess at a dinner in Trincomolee. The dinner was ex cellent, but when it was about half over I was startled by hearing my hostess tell the native servant to place a bowl of milk on a deerskin near her chair. Although she spoke as calmly as if giving an ordinary order, I knew at once that there was a snake some where in the room, for these creatures pre fer milk to anything else. As a hasty move ment might have meant certain | death, we all sat like statues; but for all that, our eyes were inspecting every nook and corner of the room. However, it was not until the milk was placed on the deerskin that the i snake appeared. And then, to our amaze ment, a large cobra uncoiled itself from my hostess’ ankle, and glided toward the bowl, where, of course, it was immediately killed. Imagine the nerve of the woman, although ■ she fainted when the snake lay dead on the floor. How many could have remained mo tionless under such circumstances? [And when we are confronted by the Serpent, our great adversary, we must use the same quietness in trusting our Lord Jesus to de liver us .]—From theyYouth’s Companion.
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