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THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NESS 835 than raw material for the state-builder. It lacks almost all the advantages which religion, education, instruction, political training, economic develop ment, and intercourse with progressive peoples have bestowed on its com petitors, and it is hampered with the vices which ruthless tyranny, work ing unhindered for centuries, succeeded in grafting on its impressionable soul.” There can be little question that Dr. Dillon’s opinion of the state of affairs in Russia is largely justified by the facts, and.it is evident from this as well as from other things that are well known, that Russia’s great need is the Gospel. No changes of political forms of government will bring any permanent help. The difficulty is with the people themselves. Nothing but the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ will prove the power of God unto salvation to them, not merely individually, but socially and politically. Many in America went quite wild with anticipation of great things when the revolution of 1917 took place, but all of us who knew Russia anticipated the very outcome that we now see. No real good could be hoped for for a nation that had treated the Jew, God’s chosen, people, for generations as the Russians have treated them; but we ought not to despair of Russia in spite of all that has come to pass, but we certainly will never help her now to that which she ought to become by the mere political schemes and mil itary schemes that Russia’s allies have in mind at the present time. The trouble is, all ranks of society in Russia need regeneration by the power of the Gospel. Nothing but the Gospel will ever effect any permanent uplift. A R E Our Public Libraries a Blessing or a Curse A great deal has been said in recent years about the wonderful prog ress made in America in our public libraries. Certainly there has been great progress made in the number of these libraries and in the size of them, but one sometimes wonders whether these libraries are more a blessing than they are a curse. That they have been a blessing to many there can be no question, but on the other hand, they have led to a great waste of time on the part of many people. When men had access to but few books they studied those books and mastered them. Now almost anyone anywhere in America has access to a vast number of books and instead of mastering a few books the average man, woman -and child skim through a wilderness of books, much to their intellectual deterioration. One good book eaten is better than many good books just tasted, and certainly better than the devouring of a multitude of poisonous or worthless books. It is a well known fact that a very undue proportion of the books in our public librar ies are novels of all kinds, good bad and indifferent. And it is also well
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