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- T H F ft JI X** • —*^d L,B gA ß y) OogSW&.g jSI 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.