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JiO BAN ON “JESUS IS COMING” It has been repo rted from tim e to tim e th a t Dr. W. E. B lackstone’s book, “ Jesus is Coming” was one of th e books banned by th e Censor from th e libraries . in m ilitary camps. An article in the L ite ra ry Digest of October 12 gave in th e list of books barred from th e lib ra r ies, one en titled “Jesus is Com ing,” whereupon many who are opposed to th e tru th of th e second coming of the Lord jumped a t th e idea th a t th e gov ernm en t had th u s branded th e teach ing as “ pro-German.” However, the fact is th a t it was not Mr. B lackstone’s book a t all th a t was pu t under th e ban, b u t a curious pam phlet issued a t K an sas City. Mr. B lackstone’s book has been tran slate d into 26 languages and h as had a to ta l issue to date of over 500,000 copies. I t is w ithout doubt, one of th e strong est books published setting fo rth what th e Scriptures teach in regard to th e blessed hope. A le tte r to Mr. Blackstone from Major R. Hughes for B rigadier Gen. M. Churchill, director of m ilitary intelligence and chief m ilitary censor, says: “The book w ith the title ‘Jesu s is Coming’ which was included in our list of books barred from camps and which doubtless th e L ite ra ry Digest quoted is a tra c t pub lished by th e T ru th Publishing Co., K ansas City, Mo., under date of 1918. Evidently th ere has been some con fusion in th e identity of the book in question owing to th e sim ilarity in title .” GETTING AND KEEPING TRUTH (iod, who gives an eye to see tru th , m ust give a hand to hold it. W h at we have from God we cannot keep w ithout God; keep, therefore, th y acquaintance w ith God, or else tru th will no t keep h er acquaintance w ith thee. God is lig h t; thou a r t going into th e d ark as soon as thou tu fn e st thy back upon Him.-—Selected.
CAMOUFLAGED PROFANITY In th e Girls’ Companion, published by th e David C. Cook Co., of E lgin, 111., we observe the following expression: “ Gee, I wish th ere was something I could do.” I t is a singular th ing th a t people who are otherw ise scrupulous about avoiding pro fan ity will* freely use th is word “Gee.” We have even heard m inisters use it. The David C. Cook Co. is well known as one of th e biggest religious publishing concerns in the country, and th e fact th a t it would ad m it such a term into one of its publica tions, especially one intended for girls, shows how much carelessness th e re is on th e subject. “Gee” is simply an ab breviation of “ Jesu s” and you m ight as well swear by tak ing th e name of Jesus in vain as by using th is abbreviation of it. Everybody would be shocked if the G irls’ Companion had said: "Jesu s, I wish th e re was something to da,” and yet th e one form would be no less pro fane th a n the other. I t is no t su rp ris ing th a t when church people who pro fess to set a good example to others and who certainly should do so allow themselves to use pro fan ity in th is way. E very Sunday school teacher in th e land should impress it on th e children th a t “Gee” is as much sw earing as “ Jesu s” is, and th e m inisters should issue the same caution. People who use such camouflaged pro fan ity do no t realize th a t it is pro fan ity ; they consider it a harm less expletive. But if they are ig n o ran t of the facts they should be told of them and they should make it a point to avoid such fau lts if they w an t to be good. As th e P athfinder has pointed out before, practically all th e expletives in common use are euphem isms for pro fanity. They were adopted and perpet uated by people who did not have the courage to swear roundly b u t who wished to vent th e ir feelings by adopt ing something th a t sounded as n ear like it as possible.— Pathfinder.
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