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THE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
May 1925
this law. These figures include only the cases handled by the Federal officials. In addition to these there were many thousands of other cases handled by State and municipal officials. The tendency on the part of the courts seems to be to increase the prison terms. This will shut up many of the violators, and inspire greater respect for the law.” THE FLOODS IN CHINA A Peking correspondent of the London papers says that the floods of last year are of greater extent, more people are affected, and the losses will be heavier, than in 1917. The population of the province is 34,000,000. It has an area of 88,000 square miles, of which 50,000 are moun tainous and the remainder is cultivatable alluvial plain. Half this plain area is under water, and a great proportion of the remainder has suffered- very serious damage. It is obvious that the greater part of the population is centered in the plain, and it is probably safe to assume that the property of 20,000,000 people has been affected by the floods. Of this number nearly 5,000,000 must have lost practically everything they possessed, except their rights in land that will be covered with water for an indefinite period. The present floods, in. fact, are one of those major visita tions which throughout the ages have befallen China, checking the growth of the population, and instilling into the soul the fatalism which keeps it in subjection. — Exchange. ' COMING GREAT EARTHQUAKE Readers will recall that we have more than once called attention in this page to the prophecies relating to the great earthquake that is foretold in Scripture to be one of the features of the “last things of this dispensation.” Writing upon this, the Rev. P. Cachemaille states in the “Record” : “At the present time the nations of Europe are under regular governments, some as kingdoms with a king, others as republics with a president. But are these condi tions unalterable? What if revolutionary madness were to seize the peoples, as in France in 1789, and in Europe in 1848; and what if the militarylij-who should be the support and defence of the civil power— everywhere fraternized with the revolutionists? Then would all these governments be overthrown and swept away, as has already been done in Russia. An earthquake being the Scripture symbol of a revolution, then- would fully come to pass what as yet is only begun, Rev. 16:18:’ ‘Such an earthquake as was not since there were men upon the earth, so great an earth quake, so mighty.’ The heavenly bodies being symbols of the earthly governing powers, and waters being a symbol of peoples, then should indeed be seen ‘signs in sun and moon and stars; the sun darkened, the moon not giving her light, the stars falling from heaven; upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows; men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the inhabited earth; for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.’ Matt. 24:29; Mark 13:24; Luke 21:25, 26. This portrays a terrible rebellion, not merely against the powers that be, which are ordained of God, but against the Lord Himself and His Anointed: ‘Let us break Their bands asunder, and cast away Their cords from us.’ Psa. 2:1-3. Is all this really coming on? Only folly and wilful blindness will persist in putting aside these formidable warnings and in refusing to give them any heed. Yet all is most distinctly and emphatically foretold, and the fulfilments themselves have actually begun in 1918 with the terrible doings in Russia. Inces sant efforts, open and concealed, are everywhere being made, and especially in England, to bring about the like worldwide subversion of social order, and to substitute uni versal anarchy.’’^C hristian Herald.
LEAGUES VS. HOMES “We have reached a point where a father can’t talk to his son, until a father and son banquet has been arranged; a mother can’t advise her daughter until a woman’s league has been organized.” Thus and with much truth, in spite of the exaggeration, declared a speaker before a Chicago ministerial association not long ago. We agree with The Watchman when this paper adds: “May thè pillowless, homeless One of Galilee give us back the old-fashioned home.”—Walther League Messenger. COMMUNISTIC CRITICISM A cardinal principle of communistic agitators is cease less criticism of everything pertaining to government. It makes no difference whether the complaint is valid or in valid. They are instructed to use any pretext that can inflame opposition. This is why the Constitution and the Supreme Court have been so insistently attacked. The purpose is to create and intensify distrust. Thousands of their followers seldom or never hear anything favorable to American institutions. Those of alien birth, not able to speak the English language, hear and read only the mis representations about our Government. The Communist Workers Party mobilized its strength to “expose the fraud of American Education Week.” They denounced it as “Anti-Working Class ;Propaganda,” as “fed to the children of the working class for the purpose of preventing them from becoming class-conscious.” They charged that “the President has given the militarists a free hand during Education Week to pollute the public schools with lies about the profit system.” They called upon the workers “to fight to a finish the enemies who are this week using the schools to tighten their grip on the workers.” They are distributing thousands of leaflets entitled, “So viets vs. the American Constitution.” They denounce as “a lie that the Constitution insures life, liberty, justice or opportunity to anyone but the capitalist class.” Under present conditions of blanket “freedom of speech, press and assembly,” there is no escaping the abuse to which these malcontents distort every privilege. Only when outraged public sentiment reaches the tension limit will adequate laws against sedition be enacted for the relief of a country that has been long-suffering,*—not necessarily drastic but a protection of society from ingrates, morons, well-paid agitators and professional wreckers of govern ment.— Better America Federation. WHY NOT RAISE THE PENALTY? The Prohibition Commission is doing something for which wq are grateful, but it is evident that the penalty imposed for violation of the law is not sufficient. Why not raise it? We quote from an exchange: “Failure to enforce the prohibition law is sometimes charged against officers of the law and the courts. This does not seem to be borne out by the report recently issued by Prohibition Commissioner Haynes. This report covers the first ten months of the. present fiscal year. During that time there were 41,000 cases brought into court in which the charge wasi.the violation of the prohibition law. Of this number 35,000 resulted in convictions. Fines total ing $7,000,000 and prison sentences totaling 3,148 years, were imposed upon those who were convicted. This shows good work on the part of officers and courts. The only trouble is that the prison sentences are not what they ought to be. The violators of this law do not specially mind pay ing fines out of their great profits. Prison sentences alone will secure the observance of the law. Of the 35,000 con victed the prison sentences amounted to an average of les’s than one year for one in ten of those convicted of violating
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