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IN THE STATE>
VOLUME TWO
KU/IVE R TWEL VE.
WHAT WE THINK OF WHAT WE SEE
Both North and South Carolina have Presbyte
rian prohibitionists as governors. They met not
long ago. and there was no such remark made as is
reputed to have been made by the governor of one
of these states to the other governor, some years
ago, on a similar occasion. It will be “a long
time between drinks” with these gentlemen; but
they make no complaint about it.
•? H
Commander Peary is preparing to secure the
money to equip another expedition in* search of
the North Pole. He needs one hundred thousand
dollars, and interested friends should come forward
at once with the amount they wish to contribute.
After the Pole is secured, of course each friend
who assists in paying the freight will own an in
terest in it proportionate to the amount contributed.
There is this query, however: If Mr. Peary had
the hundred thousand, why should he need a Pole?
It
The Evangelical Ministers’ Association of At
lanta, Georgia, recently abandoned the belief in the
total depravity of human nature as being essential
to membership in that body. This was done after
a Ung and earnest discussion by the members pres
ent at the meeting. It is not meant that the minis
ters, by this action, commit themselves as disbeliev
ing in the doctrine of depravity; it simply means
that such a belief is not indispensable to mem
bership in the body. There is something encourag
ing in even this forward step. There is no ques
tion that, long ago, when it was necessary to
frame creeds and establish boundaries and formu
late phrases for use in determining the what and
why of religious faiths, a great and important
doctrine was sought to be covered by the phrase
‘ ‘ total depravity. ’ ’ But, reduced to its last analysis,
it is doubtful if any one has for a long time abso
lutely believed in absolutely total depravity. Viewed
in an everyday and ordinary light, it is hard to
conceive of man ever becoming totally depraved, or
to yield that human nature could grow to be so.
The truth contained in the doctrine is that man in
his natural state is unsaved, and therefore incom
plete. 'Without regeneration he deserved to be
classed as depraved; and therefore, some sort of
doctrine had to be framed to apply, and a phrase
must needs be coined to refer to it. The “total
depravity” was selected must, in all fairness, be
considered as unfortunate; as it has conveyed a
meaning to the ears of laymen never intended by
theologians. This action of the ministers is en
couraging.
We do not pretend to be a theological expert;
nor yet are we minutely versed in the history of
theological opinion; yet we have been seeing some
things going on in the field of theological controver
sy that have made us think. Here for a number of
years past all sorts of flotsam and jetsam have been
coming ashore from the troubled sea of religious
ATLANTA, GA., MAY 9, 1907.
Sy A. E. RANIS A UR, Managing Editor.
knowledge. One man insists that the Bible is a mere
conglomerate, that it has nuggets and precious
stones of divine truth held together by a cement of
tradition, doubtful and discredited history, and
that he must be allowed to knock off all the cement
before he can accept definitely the nuggets and pre
cious stones. Another says that it is impossible
for Moses to have written the books ascribed to
him, and which Jesus recognized as the writing of
Moses, because there were words used in these writ
ings that Moses did not know how to use. By
similar argument he proves that it took two or three
Isaiahs to give us his wonderful prophecy. This
same man, when confronted by the words of Jesus
endorsing the authorship of Moses and Isaiah, cool
ly tells us that Jesus of Nazareth was misinformed.
Again there comes to the'front the religious evo
lutionist. The word “evolution” has hypnotized
him and he begins to speculate on the way the world
got into being. He concludes that the only way
God could create the world was to start a bit of
protoplasm to working and after awhile it evolved
some other plasms more and more complicated until
actual living things came into being. And we are
asked to believe this, and to stand in wondering awe
of the operations of natural laws, ignoring the wis
dom and omnipotence of the Being who created the
laws and appointed the bounds of their activities.
There are monisms and creeds and near-ereeds al
most beyond numbering. But in many instances
the new doctrine is sprung and the criticisms of
Holy Writ voiced by a man who needs advertising.
The time is come, however, when this sort of thing
doesn’t pan out like it - once did. Life is short
these days, and most of the men who are really
worth while, are pinning their faith to the essen
tial teachings of the Book, accepting it as being a
true history of the life and teachings of the Sa
vior, and the one reliable source from which to
draw instruction and inspiration for right living.
And amid all the sound and fury of the criticisms
and discussions referred to, there is one triumphant,
steady and conquering note which comes from that
mighty host of consecrated ministers who “know
in whom” they “have believed.” So the conflict
between truth and error goes forward. The flail
of controversy is threshing out the wheat, and the
chaff is being blown away. The wheat remains.
The world is better and Christianity is more safely
and surely entrenched now than ever before in the
history of the race.
•3 *
One of the great and throbbing problems now con
fronting the people of the country is the all-im
portant one of how to secure pure milk. There
is no doubt that milk, as consumed in our cities, has
killed its thousands, especially among the infant
population; and now the powers of the Federal
Government, as contained in the Department of Ag
riculture, are turned to the discovery of a solution
of the problem. Up to date, about the only relia
ble means suggested to avoid impure milk is to
avoid milk altogether and simply enjoin the cow
from providing it. Heretofore the cow has been
regarded with respect and even with affection. She
has been hailed as the best friend; in fact, the
savior of many a family. There have been in
stances where the cow, without hope of adequate
reward, without food save such as she could secure
by excursions into the surrounding hills, heroical
ly constituted herself the main supporter of a
poverty-stricken family; going forth in the morn
ing to seek sustenance, and returning conscientious
ly at eventide to yield such dividends as were se
cured by her day’s browsings and ruminations. But
that all seems to be forgotten and the cow stands
in danger, so far as her milk functions are con
cerned, of being abolished. A contemporary in deal
ing with this vexing question, after discussing the
possible fate of the cow, suggests that the goat
be looked to for the milk supply. We hasten to
endorse this suggestion. We have always been a
friend of the unassuming and earnest goat. There
is a gravity of demeanor, a dignity born of medita
tion, pervading the goat such as is possessed by no
other animal of our acquaintance. It may be said
that the goat creates an atmosphere of its own,
which will impress even the casual passerby. There
»is nothing finicky and stuckup about the goat in
the matter of diet. It doesn’t have to be pam
pered; it is no mollycoddle. It will eat cans, dis
carded umbrellas, rubber footwear and similar
things. It is a friend of the drama and has been
known to stand for hours alongside bill-boards,
chewing and reflecting upon theatrical posters. Its
milk is rich, pure and wholesome. Its family rec
ord is unassailable. We favor the goat and
endorse goat’s milk. It is time that this deserving
domestic animal should get its deserts. It has suf
fered much; borne many slurs uncomplainingly.
We have even heard the name “goat” applied to
people who, through impulsiveness or warmth of dis
position, were given to breaking earnestly into the
affairs of other people which really did not con
cern them. What the application is, we cannot
see; for such butting as ti e goat may at times com
mit, is done strictly in the furtherance of its own
affairs, or in defense of the sacred rights of home
and property. Eyen the laws of the land have been
misconstrued against the gentle goat. It has re
cently come to our knowledge that a marshal of a
neighboring town arrested a goat and wanted the
owner to pay four dollars tax on him. When asked
his reason for claiming it, he cited a section fixing
a tax of “two dollars a front foot for everything
abutting on the sidewalk.” It is high t ; me that
justice be done. We believe the lion. James Wilson,
our Secretary of Agriculture, will give this matter
proper attention and that all will be well; but what
we really need is for Air. Luther Burbank to take
charge of the goat. Such little things as are now
objectionable in its personality eould he hither
banked away, and good traits supplied. We will
keep our eye on the matter.
TWO DOLLARS A YEAR.
FIVE CENTS A COPY.