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The Presbyterian^Mfe South Vol. 96. No. 3. RICHMOND, VA.. JANUARY 18, 1922. . VIRGINIA'S Governor has made what some consider a very bold suggestion to the State Legislature. lie recommends that the Legislature take steps to have the State Constitution changed, so that before a man shall be inducted into any State office he shall take oath that, so far as he knows, he has not violated the prohibition law of the State and nation since the adoption of this proposed amendment, and will not violate it during his term of office. Of course there will be violent opposition to such a law on the part of a cer tain element of the people. But we believe it is a very sensible and practical suggestion. There is a well established precedent for such a law. The State has a law that has been in force for many years, which requires an officer to swear that he has not violated the anti-duel ling law. There are two very good reasons for adopting such a law. One is that every officer is sworn to uphold all the laws of the State. If he has been guilty of violating certain laws, he cannot hold such an office, the guilt been deter mined by the court. If a man is guilty of know ingly violating the law, he is not the proper person to enforce law. This proposed law leaves it to a man's conscience to say whether he has violated the law or not. If it should be proven that he has perjured himself, he would be dealt with as any other perjurer. The other reason for the law, is that it would place the office holders upon a higher plane, as observers of law, and would cause more respect to be shown this law as well as other laws. PEACE for the world may not yet be fully in sight, but the Conference in Washing ton has done much in the interest of peace. Even if it fails to come to any practical solu tion of the limitation of armaments problem, it has accomplished much. The discussion of the whole subject has shown that the limitation of armaments and of armies is both possible and practical. The question yet to be solved iB as to how this principle can be put into prac tice. If this Conference does not solve the problem some other conference will, for the world needs and the world is demanding reliei from the curse of wars past and future. CRIME in this country has increased tre mendously since the war, and various ex planations have been offered to account for the fact. It is interesting to see that the reverse is strikingly true in England. The Presby terian Witness of Toronto has this to say on the subject: "Contrary to a very widespread impression, crime in England has been declin ing since the close of the war. If the offenees of the year 1920-21 are compared with those of the year before the war, 1013-14, the de crease is extraordinary. Assaults have de creased from 8,660 in the year before the war to 3,312 in 1920-21; drunkenness from 51,851 to 8,752; offences against poor law from 4,275 to 1,122 ; prostitution from 7,052 to 2,958 ; begging and sleeping out from 15,019 to 2,539 ; while the more serious crimes of murder, man slaughter, burglary,- housebreaking, larceny, em bezzlement, etc., also show a remarkable de crease. The Commissioners of prisons attribute . this decrease to various causes ? better educa , ' tion, better working conditions, higher wages, larger savings, temperance, war pensions, juve nile courts, the disappearance of the extreme destitution of the days before the war. On the other hand, a new class of offenders has sprung up. The Governor of Durham Prison, speak ing of first offenders, whose number was 18,000, compared with 45,000 in 1913-14, say 3, 'Men and women of respectable antecedents and par entage, in regular employment and in no re spects associated with the criminal class, are taking to serious crime (embezzlement, fraud, false pretenses, housebreaking and robbery) with astounding facility.' He disputes the theory that lawlessness learned in the war is responsible for these crimes. The proportion of women among these offenders contradicts that theory. It is more probable that many who have been used to 'big money' and can no longer get it, steal to provide themselves with luxuries and amusements to which they have grown accustomed. On the other hand, some men who, learned motor-mechanics in the war are given to breaking into garages and stealing motors. There is a sort of adventure about this crime; and the men who practice it are 'usually intelligent and of fairly good educa tion.' " OUR Church has laid upon its Executive Committees heavy tasks in doing the work assigned to each of them. In each case the work is great, and in each case the demand for work is steadily growing greater. When our Church was touching but a few points in home mission work, that task did not seem so great. But as the needs of the country have been more fully investigated and the oppor tunities realized, the task has grown tremen dously. The success that has attended this work is a challenge to do greater work. The wonderful success in the foreign mission work and the great opportunities for effective work among the heathen is a loud call to the Church to do greater things. Similar conditions are found in all the departments of the Church's work. The task of planning and directing this work has been laid upon these committees. Can the Church expect them to succeed with the work, unless the means are furnished them? Shall they be required to make bricks without straw ? POLITICIANS, both in the Church and out of it, frequently try to use the Church to further their ideas. The Philadelphia Presby terian, speaking on this subject, says: "It will generally be conceded that the Church is charged with so witnessing to the truth by teaching and testimony that, under the bless ing of God, men shall not only be saved, but shall also exercise a preserving and purifying influence in social and civil life. It must ever lie remembered that the chief purpose of fhe Church and her message is to save men, and it is these saved men, and only these, who are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. There is a pressing tendency today, owing to unbelief and- secularism, to attempt to secure social and civil reconstruction without regen eration. This is due to that conception of man which regards him as the product of evolution through environment. He is to be corrected and advanced through external influences, and not by any inward divine influence. This plan and conception has been carried so far that strong efforts are being made to divert the Church from her divine commission and to use her as a political agency. This brings her representatives into relations where they have neither experience nor judgment. It requires them to deal with political methods rather than with principles of righteousness. This results in weakness, and is now producing a reaction to which we have called attention previously. The following is a criticism published in one of the Washington papers: " 'There is a great deal of criticism by Pro testant church people of the rank and file of the attempt to make of religious bodies political Churches in America to commit them to eco nomic, political and international programmes concerning which the masses of the membership of the religious organizations affected have not been consulted and upon which their opinions differ. Recently the members of the Federal Council, in session at Chicago, gave out an al leged Protestant political programme, covering Panama Canal tolls, the Irish question, the use of submarines, the cancellation of the debts of foreign nations to the United States, and kin dred topics. Every one knows there is 110 unity of opinion among members of Protestant churches upon these and other political issues, and the attempt to make it appear that a body of this kind can commit them in a demand upon the national government, is too clear a case of usurpation and is too full of the danger of re action upon the religious bodies thus misrepre sented, to make it desirable that there fhould be frequent repetitions of recent performances along this line. Churches and church people have a natural and proper interest in certain national problems of clear moral bearing, but the attempt to make religious bodies political blocs and to commit their membership cn con troverted political questions is one of the best methods that could be devised of inflicting ir reparable injury upon the cause of r?ligion. This applies to Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and to all religious organizations. Churches of all creeds should be kept free from political super-governments.' " MORMONISM is continually strengthen ing itself in this country. It is hard for most people in the eastern part of our coun try to realize how this nefarious politico-reli gious organization is spreading and entrench ing itself, especially in the West. And it is not neglecting the East. In a recent issue The Christian Statesman, says: "The ninth secret temple of Mormonism was begun early in Sep tember, 1921, at Mesa, Arizona. The poly gamous prophet Grant selected the site some time ago, and a large group of high dignitaries of the church attended the ground-breaking ceremonies. The church intends to rush this edifice and complete it within a year. It is to cost something over half a million dollars and is to be the most ambitious piece of architecture in Arizona. The other temples erected by the Mormons are given as follows in the order of their dedication: At Kirtland, Ohio, in 183(>; at Xauvoo, Illinois, in 1846; at Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1893; at St. George, U?,ah; at Mauti, Utah, at Logan. Utah: at Cardston, Alberta, and at Laie. Hawaii. These temples are all se cret, TTot being used for public services, but de voted to the administration of endowment ri tuals and celestial marriage ceremonies, with baptisms and marriages for the dead."