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glory of God, but he saw it departing from the city.
Returning from the height of these visions the
prophet uttered in the hearing of the captives all
the things that the Lord had showed him.
He was next commanded in the sight of these
people to act as an exile going forth from, his coun
try. In answer to the inquiry of the people as to
the meaning of what he did, he foretold the capture
of the people and the princes in Jerusalem, and their
carrying away to Babylon. By the sign of his own
method of eating and drinking he was charged to
foretell the desolations which would fall upon the
inhabitants of Jerusalem. The people of Israel de
clared in proverbs the failure of prophecy, or the
distance of its fulfillment, and Ezekiel was charged
to announce that the things foretold would imme
diately be fulfilled.
The next movement in the prophesying was that
of a denunciation of false prophets and false proph
etesses. The evil inspiration of the former was de
scribed, and its evil effect declared. Their destruc
tion was foretold, and its reason made clear. They
had seduced the people by promising peace when
judgment was determined. The prophetesses had
been guilty of the same iniquity for the sake of hire,
and their judgment was equally sure.
Certain of the elders of Israel came to Ezekiel,
and he was instructed by Jehovah to declare to
them that while idolatry remained in their heart
the only answer of Jehovah to them must be that of
punishment.
This determined attitude of judgment was then
explained to Ezekiel, first by a statement of prin
ciple. In days of wilful and persistent corruption
men as righteous as Noah, Daniel, and Job could
not prevent the operation of vengeance, but only
save their own souls by their righteousness. The
application of this to the sore judgments against
Jerusalem would prove to the prophet how that all
that the Lord had done had been not without cause.
This final word as to the results of reprobation
leads naturally on to the part of the prophecy
dealing with the reason thereof. This reason is
first set forth under two general figures; secondly
in the form of a riddle; thirdly, as an answer to a
false excuse; and, finally, in a great lament.
The figures were familiar, because they had been
used by former prophets.' The first was that of the
vine, and the second that of the adulteress. As to
the vine the prophet declared its uselessness as a
tree, and its still more pronounced uselessness when
burnt; the intention of which declarations was to
show that the only value of a vine is in the fruit
it bears. The application of the figure was made
immediately to Jerusalem, whose inhabitants were
to be given to the fire on account of their trespass.
(Concluded in next Issue.)
The Prohibition Tight.
Newspaper files only a few weeks old furnish
some odd reading. I have just laid aside a copy of
the Alabama Baptist, printed about the time the
extra session in Alabama began. There appear va
rious expressions of anxiety about the prohibition
bill, and the Senate seemed to be the uncertain ele
ment. It looked so then, but when the vote in the
Senate was taken, every vote but two was for pro
hibition, and those two, we understand, voted
against the bill because it postponed its going into
effect too long. So, last winter the Anti-Saloon
League could scarcely get a showing in the paper,
and its meetings here in Atlanta, were attended
by only a small company of the “Ne ver-Give-Ups. ”
But the papers now show a measure of unanimity
against the traffic that has seldom, if ever, ap
peared against anything else, except in time of war
when the papers told about our enemy.
H *
Along the same line we read with keen interest
of the uprising of prohibition power in England.
The demand for relief is so great that the ruling
party of the English Parliament seems to recog
nize .that if that party stays in power, it must retain
the prohibition vote. To do that, it must begin to
give the prohibitionists something of what they are
demanding. “The Times and Freeman” in a recent
issue tells of the publication in the London Times
The Golden Age for December 12, 1907.
of a list of committees of those holding brewery
shares and debentures. That list includes a large
proportion of the well-to-do people of the realm.
These committees are organizing to fight the anti
liquor legislation. Those brewery shares and deben
tures have been for years a standing investment in
England second to none but consols. A few weeks
ago they were worth so much that over a hundred
millions of money had been invested in them. The
prospect of adverse legislation has so far depressed
them that they are now scarcely marketable at all.
While this state of things illustrates the power of
the prohibition movement, it discloses the fact that
the prohibitionists will have to fight pretty nearly
the whole financial strength of Great Britain.
R R
Sir Andrew Clark, a great London physician,
said: “I am speaking solemnly and carefully in
the presence of truth, and I tell you I am consid
erably within the mark when I say to you that
going the round of my hospital wards today, seven
out of every ten owed their ill health to alcohol. ’ ’
R *
The Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Times gives a re
port of a Thanksgiving sermon preached by Rev.
Marion Law, rector of St. Pauls. The feature of
the sermon is the demand that it makes, that we
should be especially thankful at this time for the
recent prohibition triumph, and it contains also the
very strong commendation of the Anti-Saloon
League. The field of conflict spreads down into the
East
* *
Prohibition is growing over on “the slope*” as
is seen by these news items copied from “The Cit
izen,” of Seattle, Washington:
This year an “open” or “closed” administra
tion policy is the issue in virtually every place.
Candidates have declared themselves either unquali
fiedly for or against better moral conditions. In
only one instance is it noted where both candidates
for mayor favor a “wide open” town.
Lewis county falls in line on Sunday closing.
Former Prosecuting Attorney M. A. Langhorne re
signed his position about the middle of October.
He was immediately succeeded by Attorney U. E.
Harmon of Chehalis, who was appointed by the
Board of County Commissioners.
Mr. Harmon is a representative citizen of his
community, is a worker in church circles, adheres
to the policy of honesty, equality and civic righteous
ness. He also knows the law. It is easy to under
stand why Lewis county now has the Sunday law
enforced. Extracts from a letter sent to all saloon
proprietors in Lewis county, indicate what may
be expected of Attorney Harmon.
Dear Sir: I deem it just and fair to state to you
personally the policy that will be adopted by this
office with reference to the liquor business in Lew
is county.
No one posesses a natural, inalienable or consti
tutional right to keep a saloon for the sale of intox
icating liquors.
It can only be done under license and this license
is granted upon condition. It is not too much,
therefore, to ask that the holder of the license obey
the law which permits him to engage in the business,
as well as to observe and obey the laws which reg
ulate and control the same.
I am calling the matter to your attention at this
time, hoping that you will be willing to co-operate
with me in law enforcement. I would much prefer
that you would do' this voluntarily. Such a course
will save litigation and a vast deal of annoyance
and expense. If you cannot sec your w’ay clear
io do this there will remain only one course for me
to pursue, viz., to prosecute those who are guilty
of the violation. Respectfully yours,
U. E. HARMON,
Prosecuting Attorney.
On the morning of November 7, Justice J. D.
Hinkle issued warrants for the arrest of 187 of
Spokane’s saloon men on the charge of violating the
Sunday closing law.
Now it seems certain that the saloon forces will
try to fight the movement especially by retaliating
upon legitimate forms of business and attempting to
shut up everything on Sunday.
The Origin of Profanity.
One proposition there is which needs to be stated
emphatically at his point. Words and phrases which
are amply sufficient for the understanding are often
altogether inadequate for the expression of the
feelings. The result of this mental dissatisfaction
with the communication of mere knowledge is most
conspicuously illustrated in the wide prevalence of
profanity. Into the discussion of this practice its
moral and religious aspect does not enter at all. It
is purely from the linguistic side that it is here to
be considered. So looked at, its existence and the
extent of the indulgence in it bear out the truth
of the principle just announced. Whatever intel
lectual justification there may be for profanity is
based upon the fact that men are aiming to state
strongly what they feel strongly. The habit is, in
consequence, subject to the general law governing
intensives. To a very great extent the practice of
swearing is specially characteristic of a rude and
imperfect civilization. With the advance of cul
ture profanity declines. It declines not so much
because men become peculiarly sensitive to its vic
iousness, but they do to its ineffectiveness. The
growth of refinement both in the individual and in
the community tends more to its disuse than all
the exhortations of moralists or the rebukes of di
vines. Much must always be allowed in the case
of particular persons for the influence of early
training and association. Exceptions are, there
fore, too numerous to lay down any positive rule;
still, it is safe to say in general that a man’s in
tellectual development is largely determined by the
extent of his indulgence in profanity. No one,
indeed, doubts its wide prevalence at the present
time. But compared to the practice of the past it
has been steadily, even if slowly, diminishing for
centuries. This does not prove that men are bet
ter morally or intellectually than they were. It
does show, however, that there exists now a higher
average of cultivation, which renders the habit dis
tasteful to increasingly large numbers. —Harper’s
Magazine.
R R
That Christmas Gift.
Just now hundreds of our. readers are casting
about for a suitable Christmas gift for friends and
loved ones. What better could you give them 'han
a year’s subscription to The Golden Age?
During the next year it is our purpose to make
The Golden Age better than ever, by improving the
present departments and introducing others of in
finite value and interest. In no event will the
standard of the paper be lowered, and the many let
ters of commendation which come daily to our desk,
lead us to believe that The Golden Age is serving the
purpose for which it was established. Ihis being
true, we do not know of any gift that would be more
appreciated by that friend, that relative, that loved
one, than a year’s subscription to The Golden Age.
As it comes each week it will remind the receiver
of the kindness and thoughtfulness of the sender,
and when the year has ended and the recipient has
taken an inventory of the pleasure and profit real
ized by reading The Golden Age on its weekly vis
its, there will be an indescribable expression of sat
isfaction and appreciation. We make the following
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If you will send us $5 and the names of three
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Be careful to spell all proper names and post
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office. THE GOLDEN AGE PUB. CO.,
Atlanta, Ga.
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