Newspaper Page Text
162 THE PRESBYTERU
A CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.
In an editorial on January 5, entitled "Louisiana as
a Home Mission Field," we asked this question, "Is
there another State in the Union in which a paper, the
accredited, official organ of the archdiocese, would editorially
urge the burning of Bibles?"
The paper referred to, "The Morning Star," in its
issue of January 22, in language and with a spirit which
are cnaractenstic ot it, pronounces this a gross and wilful
misrepresentation. "The Morning Star's" attacks
upon everything Protestant, and especially its vilification
of everything Presbyterian, are so familiar to all
who see that paper, that nothing else was to be
expected of it.- A paper that will attack a gentle woman
will not be apt to stop at Church or doctrine or
fact, or to discuss in proper Christian temper and
charity any of the great issues between its faith and
that of intelligent people who reject that faith.
"The Morning Star" adds, "As the 'accredited
official organ of the Archdiocese,' it unhesitatingly and
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miv^Lirtiunruiv cuaraccenzes xne aoove statement as a
wilful, malicious and monstrous lie. It challenges the
Presbyterian to produce any copy of this paper in
which 'the burning of Bibles was ever urged' editorially
or otherwise."
We Accept the Challenge!
We produce "The Morning Star's" issue of May 15,
1909. In the third column of its editorial page, and in
-an editorial entitled "promiscuous Bible Reading,"
there will be found this language and advice:
"We arc informed that the Protestant sects are circulating
through the country parishes a French Bible,
and that they have succeeded in selling quite a number
of these corrupt and mutilated copies of Holy Writ.
\Ye are surprised that any Catholics should have
allowed themselves to be duped into buying these
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mioies, ior every L-atliolic ought to know that there is
only one version of the Bible that can be read and that
is the true and correct one, approved by the Church.
All others are spurious and should be shunned by every
^Catholic. Our advice to those who may have been
innocently trapped into spending their good money for
what they thought was an authorized Bible is to place
these books into a stove or furnace where they can be
utilized for kindling material."
We challenge "The Morning Star" to reproduce this
O llflta tinn ^ Jticf lira lii?? *- * *
-j ?y ii aw. jjivcn it, wimuui nuie or comment,
and let plain English readers determine for
themselves who has told the truth. If it will not do
so, without attempt at explaining away the meaning
of its words, without reservation or equivocation, it
will be apparent that it is not willing to be either fair
to us or honest with its readers, but that it is wilfully
maligning us and deceiving them !
"Our advice to those who may have been innocently
trapped into spending their good money for what they
thought was an authorized Bible is to place these books
into a stove or furnace where they can be utilized for
kindling material." ("The Morniner Star." in editorial
of May 15, 1909.)
The money-making gift is not magnified in the New
Testament, but the money spending grace is. Our
rgracious Lord knows and loves us wisely.
-
^N OF THE SOUTH February 9, 1910.
WILL THE SCATTERED NATIVE RETURN?
Many Bible students of the best scholarship, skillful i
interpreters and sound in the faith, have long' insisted
that prophecy assures us of the literal return of the ^
Jews to Palestine. The chosen people that for nineteen
centuries have been scattered among the principalities
and races of the earth are expected to be gathered
again to the land that was given them by covenant
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arc to return. It is at least an attractive thought that
the people and country that were made ready, in the
outworking of the Divine purpose, for the first coming
of our Lord, are to be prepared so as to have some
special and distinguishing relation to his coming again
in glory.
What a testimonial to the sovereignty of God over
the affairs of men, will appear before the eyes of all
the world if Israel is gathered again as a nation to
inhabit and possess the land of their fathers; when,
"He shall assemble the outcasts of Israel and gather
together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners
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lacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their
own land." Of the prophecy of which this is a part, a
high authority says it foretells "those glorious times
of the Church which shall be ushered in by the restoration
of the Jewish nation, when they shall embrace the
Gospel and be restored to their own country from the
several dispersions where they are scattered." "The
literal restoration of both Israel and Judah is clearly
predicted."
The persistent oppression and cruel persecution of the
Jews under the Turkish and Russian despotisms appear
to be a part of God's permissive decree in the fulfillment
of His purpose, and to furnish a partial explication of
the manner in which, and the powers by whom His
predictions shall be accomplished. For the outcome of
it all is, that in great numbers the Jews are returning to
Palestine, and already under their skill and industry
that impoverished land is resuming something of its
ancient resourcefulness and charm. The facts in the
case arc attracting the attention of observers and exciting
the deep interest of the students of prophecy. A
description of the changes that are in process and the
advancement already made, was published in the New
York limes and quoted by the "Christian Intelligencer
as follows:
"Letters from Jerusalem say that the proclamation of the
Constitution In Turkey has thrown open the doors of Palestine
to the incoming of Jews fro mall parts of the world. In
Jerusalem alone four-fifths of the population of 100,000 now
belong to the Jewish faith, while at Jaffa, Tiberias, Safed, and
Haifa Jews are reckoned by tens of thousands.
"Almost the whole extensive plain of Esdraelon has been
bought by them. Their prosperous colonioa
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m t>coiau?ua, and even further south to the outskirts of Egypt.
Thousands are escaping from Persia to find shelter and protection
in the Holy Land, while every ship from Odessa carries
hundreds of them.
"The valley of the Jordan, once the property of the ex-Sultan
Abdul Hamid, is being eagerly sought after by Jewish capitalists
and syndicates of Zionists, whose agents distributed all
over the land, are buying up rich properties of Mohammedan
offenders whose incomes since the revolution are considerably
lessened.
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i ne Holy City is essentially a Jewish town. Banking, &8
well as trade and commerce, is monopolized by Jews. The government
has found it necessary to organize a company of Jewish
gendarmes. Hundreds of thousands of pounds are sent annually
from Europe and America to enable the colonists to build