THE KING'S BUSINESS 1063 the front and at home. The other is that many have been rendered serious who had been thoughtless. They have been led to see the vanity of worldly things and have been led to a new interest in things eternal; therefore, oppor tunities have been offered of presenting the Gospel that have been" improved by many. But there seems to be little room for question, that morals as a whole have thus far sunken lower than ever before as a direct or indirect con sequence of the war. •
The chief commanding officer of the American forces in France, Major General Pershing, sent the following address through the New York Bible Society,- to the American soldiers: “Aroused against a nation raging war in violation of all Christian principles, our people
General Pershing’s Message to the
Soldiers.
are fighting in the cause of liberty. Hardships will be your lot, but trust in God will give you comfort; temptation will befall you, but the teaching of our Saviour will give you strength. Let your valor as a soldier and your conduct as a man be an inspiration to your comrades and an honor to your country. Pershing, commanding.”
Many Christian people have been doing a good deal of thinking on the question of cremating their loved ones who have passed away. We copy from the American
Cremation.
Lutheran Survey of September 12th, an article by Rev. B. E. Bergesen of Seattle, Washington, originally published in the Lutheran Church Herald. It states the case as well as anything w i have seen: Cremation has not met with the approval of the American people at large. In the cultural centers of the Eastern States it is--very little practiced. But as the custom ha_s grown in some quarters, especially on the Pacific Coast, it merits a moment’s thought. The Catholic Church refuses entirely to officiate at cremations. The Lutheran clergy as a rule refuse. Episcopal pastors often take a stand against it. It is largely the laxer churches like Baptists, Metho dists and others that are also lax in other matters—such as remarrying the divorced, etc.—which also are lax in this respect. It is true, that there is no direct command in the Bible as to the disposal of the dead; but the fact re mains, that the only time on record, where God directly did the disposing He used burial, not cremation (Deut. 34:5.}. It is also true that when God’s only begotten Son died, His disciples buried Him but did not cremate (John 19:42). These would seem to be sufficient reasons for God’s children to oppose crema tion. If children love their Father and have faith in His superior judgment they follow His example. If they don’t, they have lost faith in Him. But as there are other argumenté for the ancient Christian burial and against the ancient Heathen custom of cremation, let us consider them. (1) Sentiment. The very idea of burning the bodies of our dear ones like so much fuel is abhorrent to our finer feelings. It is true, that decay in the grave is also an uncomfortable thought in itself. But remember, that it is by God’s own laws
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