s THE FARGO FORUM AND DAILY REPUBLICAN, MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 18, 1916.

THE LATE PASTOR RUSSELL As Known by Judge J. F. Rutherford of New York—Delivered at the Funeral.

Brooklyn, X. Y.—Charles Taie Russe l l was loyal to God, loyal to Chr is t Jesus , loyal to the cause of Mess iah ' s King­dom. He was loyal to the core—yea. loyal even unto death . God has declar ­ed in His Word tha t loving loyal ty to Him is the pr ice of grea tes t r iches . Vas ter Russe l l has rece ived h is grea t reward . I t i s a wonderfu l th ing- to re ­ce ive the approval of God. the grea t and mighty Creator of the universe , the a l l -wise , a l l -powerful and al l—loving: One. In His b«">ok, the Bible , God has made favorable ment ion of cer ta in men; and in every ins tance tha t favor­able ment ion has boon because of the i r loving loyal ty to Him and His cause of r ighteousness . When God 's record con­cerning the church i s fu l ly wr i t ten , the people wi l l f ind tha t Char les Taze Rus­se l l not only has rece ived favoraDle ment ion f rom God, but has been born in Zion—a member of the royal fami ly of heaven. < Psa lm lxxxvi i , 6 . ) The psa lmis t has assured us tha t th is I s es ­pecia l ly t rue of those who are fa i thfu l unto death . What a wonderfu l pr iv i ­lege i t wi l l be for the wor ld to have the rea l t ru th concerning mar tyrs to the cauac of r ighteousness!

We who have come in to c loser con­tac t wi th Pas tor Russe l l , and who knew him as he was . a re pr iv i leged by the 1/or t l to know these th ings in advance "•f the wor ld . Happy i s our lo t to thus be favored of God.

Lives of grea t men s tand as monu­ments in the ear th . S i lent lv they beck­on to those who are hurry ing on in the mad rush of human af fa i rs , and say , "Stop and learn wisdom".

The grea tes t man tha t has l ived s ince the Apost le Paul has passed f rom the ear th . We have come . t s ide th is eve­ning f rom the busy rush of th is grea t < i ty to pav t r ibute to the memory of Pas tor Russe l l . Let us in ca lmness and sobr ie ty seek to know why th is man was grea t , why we say wi th such as­surance tha t he had the approval of God.

God 's laws are f ixed and unchange­able . To a l l of His in te l l igent c rea tures l ie says , "Obey My laws, and rece ive My approval and bless ing . Take a d i f ferent course , and you wi l l fa i l to rece ive My bless ing ." Pas tor Russe l l walked wi th the Lord in harmony wi th His law.

Pas tor Bunnel l '* £e*rch for Troth . Near s ix ty- f ive years ago, a chi ld was

born in Al legheny county , Pennsylva­nia . His parents chr is tened h im Char les Taze Russe l l . His parents loved God and sought to obey Him. The parenta l inf luence was good for Char les . They t ra ined the smal l twig; and i t grew in the d i rec t ion of the Lord . Ear ly he be-(. ame a Chr is t inn .

Rut l ike o ther good, hones t , con­sc ient ious Chr is t ian men and women, h is parents had been taught th<» man-made creeds of the church nominal . Young Char les was taught tha t God i s f ; rea t an i l good, ye t tha t He had made a l l men inherent ly immorta l , and had provided a lake of f i re and br imstone in which he would e ternal ly torment a l l except a few whom He had predes t in­a ted should be saved. The hones t hear t . . f the lad revol ted agains t such a hor­r ib le th ing; and he in subs tance sa id . " I cannot be l ieve tha t there i s a lus t Mid wise God who would do such a th ing to a poor , unfor tunate human be­ing ." For thwi th he forsook the re l ig ion of the creeds ; but whi le he was inves t i ­ga t ing o ther re l ig ions , h is mind was turn ing to the Lord in an inqui r ing manner . Then he sa id . " I wi l l s tudy the Bible , and see whether or not i t teaches tha t God has such an ar range­ment ."

True to h is inborn charac ter , he hon­es t ly and prayerfu l ly searched the Scr ip tures . To his as tonishment and , io \ - he found tha t the Bible i s God 's t rea t Word of Truth : tha t ("Soi l has a t i rea t p lan of sa lva t ion , provided by i i im before the foundat ion of the worW, which shal l u l t imate ly resul t in the Moss ing of humankind. From the Bible l ie learned tha t God crea ted the fa ther <>f the human race—Adam, the f i rs t man - -a perfec t be ing , gave unto h im a per ­fec t wife , p laced h im in a perfec t home under perfec t condi t ions , and advised h tm tha t obedience to the Divine law would enable man to mainta in th is con­di t ion of per fec t ion; tha t Adam viola ted the law of (Sod and was sentenced to death : tha t he was then dr iven f rom his per fec t home in to the unf in ished ear th : tha t God permi t ted h im to l ive for 930 years a f te r he had been sentenc­ed to death ; tha t whi le undergoing th is sentence , Adam for the f i rs t t ime exer­c ised h is power and author i ty to beget chi ldren; tha t by the law of heredi ty a l l of h is chi ldren a re born in s in and shapen in in iqui ty , and hence a l l came under the ef fec ts of the jus t penal ty tha t had come upon the , fa ther—"that as by one man s in entered in to the wor ld , and death by s in , so death has passed upon a l l men, for a l l a re s in­ners" ; tha t u l t imate ly the whole human race would per ish ' f rom the ear th (death meaning des t ruc t ion) ; tha t man Is a soul ; tha t he does not possess one; tha t the soul cons is t s of the body and the brea th of l i fe—the l i fe pr inc ip le— and these be ing separa ted , the soul i s dead.

Hia Search Rewarded. Then he learned tha t God had lov­

ingly provided a plan of redempt ion of man f rom his condi t ion of dea th—that God so loved the wor ld tha t He gave His Only-Begot ten Son, tha t whosoever would bel ieve in Him should not per ­ish . but have l i fe ever las t ing—that Jesus , having a pre-human exis tence as a spi r i t be ing , was made human and urew to manhood 's es ta te , in order tha t l ie . by the grace of God. might g ivo His own perfec t l i fe whereby the pur­chase pr ice would be provided for the redempt ion of Adam and a l l h is race— that He died upon the cross and pro­vided th is pr ice—that He was ra ised f rom the dead, no longer a man, but now Divine , and tha t He ascended in to heaven, there to use the mer i t of Hte human sacr i f ice according to the wi l l of God—for the b less ing of mankind.

Fur thermore , he learned f rom the Scr ip tures tha t the Lord Jesus would re turn and es tabl i sh a kingdom for the b less ing of mankind; tha t in the in ter ­im between His resurrec t ion and His second coming, God has been and is hold ing an e lec t ion for the purpose of se lec t ing f rom amongst men those who Khal i be associa ted wi th Chr is t Jesus as members of the royal fami lv , and who, together wi th the i r Head and Master , wi l l be the ins t rument through which Jehovah wi l l b less a l l humankind wi th the pr iv i leges of l i fe , hea l th and hap­piness ; tha t the te rms of h is e lec t ion

a re tha t everyone who des i res to run for such a pr ime must be l ieve on the Lord Jesus Chr is t and consecra te h is l i fe—his a l l—to the serv ice of the Lord: tha t those who would prove fa i thfu l , t rue and loyal unto death would par t ic ipa te In the f i rs t o r chief resurrec t ion , and be made k ings and pr ies ts unto God and unto Chr is t and re ign wi th Chr is t for the b less ing of mankind.

This wonderfu l s tory of the love of God thr i l led the hear t of young Russe l l . He readily and Joyfully consecrated his al l to the serv ice of the Lord, and con­tinued faithful In that service even unto death .

Char les Taie Russe l l loved h is fe l -lownien . Seeing the grea t t ru ths con­ta ined in the Bible , he sa id , " I must preach these to my fe l low crea tures : I must use a l l my power to lead the peo­ple out of darkness , tha t they may sec the love of God." Vehement ly he de­c lared , " I f the Bible does teach tha t e ternal tor ture i s the fa te of a l l except the sa in ts , I t should be preached —yea, thundered f rom the housetops weekly , da i ly , hour ly ; I f i t does not so teach , the fac t should be made known, and the foul s ta in d ishonor ing God 's holy name removed."

With a s t rong physique , a fer t i le bra in , and a brave hear t , whol ly devot ­ed to the I .«ord , he consecra ted and used a l l of h is power to teach man the grea t message of Mess iah ' s k ingdom and the b less ings which i t wi l l b r ing to the wor ld .

Ear ly in h is manhood he possessed a for tune of n o mean s ize . He spent i t a l t tha t the minds of men might be en­l ightened and the i r hear ts made g lad . Ear ly in h is ba t t le for r ighteousness he spent , out of h is own pr iva te for ­tune , $40,000 in th is grea t c i ty of New York for the publ ica t ion and f ree d is ­t r ibut ion of a bookle t se t t ing for th c lear ly the t ru th concerning the doe-t r ine of the hel l of the Bible , tha t a l l might learn tha t Jehovah i s a God of I>ove.

Other Chr is t ian people , sadly aware of the fac t tha t they were not rece iv ing spi r i tua l food in the var ious churches to which they had a t t a c h e d themselves , h a d the eyes of the i r unders tanding opened by reading the i r Bibles in the l ight of the explanat ion thereof g iven by Char les Taze Russe l l . Gladly they began to suppor t h im and the r ighteous work in which he was engaged. With­out so l ic i ta t ion or invi ta t ion , they joy­ful ly brought for th the i r money and sa id , " W h a t can we do to have par t in th is g lor ious work which you have be­gun?"

More than th i r ty years ago, a con­gregat ion of Chr is t ian people formed a t Pi t t sburgh, Pa . , se lec ted Char les Tare Russe l l as the i r pas tor ; and he served tha t congregat ion cont inuously us pas tor to the end, be ing able , how­ever , to v is i t them only occas ional ly s ince the removal of the Watch Tower Bible & Trac t soc ie ty headquar ters to Brooklyn severa l years ago. He wrote and publ ished a ser ies of books—Stud­ies in the Scriptures—in six volumes, j which turned a great flood of light j upon God's Word. Millions of these j

have gone in to the homes of men throughout the earth, bringing glad- j ness to the i r hear ts . For more than th i r ty years he edi ted and publ ished a semi-monthly journal . The Watch Tow­er and Hera ld of Chr is t ' s Presence , whol ly devoted to the cause of Mes­s iah ' s 'Kingdom. Be i t known tha t th is i s the only publ ica t ion on ear th tha t has ever announced the presence of our Lord . The Lord Jesus promised tha t a t His second coming, which should be invis ib le to human eyes . He would have one wise and fa i thfu l servant whom He would make ru ler over a l l His goods to g ive meat to the household of fa i th in due season. Chr is t ians throughout the wor ld who are fami l ia r wi th the work of Pas tor Russe l l readi ly recog­nize tha t he has long been tha t wise and fa i thfu l servant of the Lord .

The work grew to grea t propor t ions ; and des i r ing tha t i t might be conducted in a sys temat ic manner and perpetuat ­ed af ter h is dea th , he organized the Watch Tower Bible & Trac t socie ty—a corpora t ion , the char ter of which was wri t ten by h is own hand and i s admit ­ted . by men who know, to be a most re ­markable document . Through th is channel he has promuTgated the mes­sage of Mess iah ' s Kingdom to a l l the na t ions of the ear th . Branches of th is socie ty have been es tabl i shed and are mainta ined in the countr ies of Great Br i ta in , Germany, F in land, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Swi tzer land, France , South Afr ica . Aust ra l ia , and in many other par ts of the wor l l . His publ ica­t ions have been t rans la ted in to th i r ty-four d i f ferent languages , and mi l l ions of copies have been suppl ied f ree to the people by means of money Joyful ly con­t r ibuted by those wi th , h im who love the Lord and His cause of r ighteousness and who are looking wi th joy to the es tabl i shment of His Kingdom.

Pas tor Russe l l t raveled and preached to the people throughout the wor ld . He was e lec ted pas tor of the congregat ion a t th is temple , and of the Brooklyn tabernacle , of the Lorndon tabernacle , of the Temple congregat ion a t Wash­ington, D. C. , the congregat ion a t P i t t s ­burgh. the Audi tor ium congregat ion a t Chicago, the congregat ion a t St . Louis , Los Angeles , and those* in many other par ts of the wor ld . These he v is i ted a t regular in tervals , to encourage and comfor t and help them. Dur ing the pas t few years h is sermons have not only been heard f rom the p la t form, but have been publ ished in approximate ly 4 ,000 papers ; and in prac t ica l ly every home of the Uni ted Sta tes and Canada Pas tor Russe l l i s known. He did a grea ter work for the cause of Mess iah ' s Kingdom than did any o ther man tha t ever l ived on the ear th .

Hia Dylne Hours. A few weeks ago he s ta r ted on a t r ip

to the Paci f ic coas t , preaching every evening, and t ravel ing throughout the remainder of the n ight and of the day. His las t sermon he preached to the con­gregat ion a t Los Angeles ; and being too weak to s tand, he sa t throughout the d iscourse . He lef t Los Angeles Sun­day evening on h is re turn to Brooklyn, and rapid ly grew weaker . Seven hours before h is dea th , address ing h is t ravel ­ing companion, Brother Menta S tur ­geon, he sa id , "Make me a Roman toga ." Using the bed sheets . Brother S turgeon made a toga , which Brother Russe l l put on h imsel f . He s tood erec t for a mo­ment , and then ly ing down on the couch in h is Pul lman drawingroom, c losed h is eyes , thus in symbol ic language speak­

ing of dea th . A grea t dea l of the Bible i s wr i t ten in symbol ic language , and I t was qui te appropr ia te tha t he should speak his las t message in symbols . I t i s in teres t ing here to know what a Ro­man toga symbolizes: Augustus' poet laurea te sa id , " f t I s by the toga tha t the royal na t ion i s recognized." The word toga means a cover ing garment (whi te robe) . I t was the off ic ia l robe of h igher magis t ra tes , pr ies ts and of persons discharging vows, and was worn on specia l occas ions , such as cele­bra t ing a t r iumph.

We are reminded of the las t exper i ­ences of the Apost le Paul , who t raveled wi th h is be loved companion Timothy, whom he ca l led h is son—not a na tura l son . but . as St . Paul s ta ted , he had be­got ten th is young man in the sp i r i t . Likewise Pas tor Russe l l begot Brother Sturgeon in the sp i r i t , in tha t he brought Brother S turgeon to a knowl­edge of the Divine p lan . Shor t ly before St Paul ' s dea th he wrote , " I am now ready to be of fered up , and the t ime of my depar ture i s a t hand; 1 have fought a good f ight , I have f in ished my course , I have kept the fa i th ; hencefor th there i s la id up for me a crown of r ighteous­ness . which the Lord , the Righteous Judge , sha l l g ive me on tha t day; and not to me only , but unto a l l them also tha t love His appear ing ." ( I I . Timothy, iv , 6-K.) Our dear Brother Russe l l not only loved the appear ing of the Lord Jesus , but above a l l men on the ear th he declared the presence of the Master . Brother Russe l l was a very modes t man and never exal ted h imsel f . I t was ex­ceedingly d i f f icul t to ge t h im to speak of h imsel f . He chose , therefore , a sym­bol which we could a f te rwards in ter ­pre t to speak prac t ica l lv the same th ing spoken by the Apost le 'Paul . By wear­ing the toga . Brother Russe l l in ef fec t sa id , " I have fought the good f ight ; I have t r iumphed and shal l be rece ived as a member of the royal fami ly of heaven."

What a wonderfu l example and in­spi ra t ion for the o ther members of the body of Chr is t th is s ide the vei l to ear ­nes t ly s t r ive to rece ive the approval of the Lord!

This evening we see here lying, si­lent in death, the body which he so fa i thfu l ly used to the las t . But he i s not dead! St Paul wrote . "Behold , I show you a mystery : We shal l not a l l s leep , but we shal l a l l be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." ( I . Cor . xv , 51-52. ) God 's Word poin ts out tha t the resurrec t ion of the sa in ts would take p lace a t the presence of the Lord and before the inaugura t ion of His Kingdom; and the Scr ip tures c lear ­ly teach tha t th is resurrec t ion i s now i i i p rogress : tha t our dear brother and pastor sleeps not in death, but was in­s tantaneously changed f rom the human to the d iv tne na ture , and i s now forever wi th the Lord—glor ious reward for a t rue and fa i thfu l servant .

I t had been announced tha t he was to speak in th is temple tonight . God had d i rec ted o therwise . Brother Russe l l had prepared a sermon to preach to you, and I am sure you wi l l be g lad to hear I t . The l ips of the body he used on ear th a re s i lent , but h is words ye t a re spoken. By God 's grace i t i s my pr iv i ­lege here to be used , and to speak for th to you the message which he le f t . My f r iends , g ive heed, i f you p lease , whi le I read th is message to the church and to the wor ld . Behold , how appropr ia te the subjec t : "The Morning Cometh and a Night

Also ." The n ight was long—Its Sorrows and

tears were many—God's promises a lone i l luminated i t—The morning here a t las t—A wonderfu l dawning— The day to be s t i l l more wonderfu l— Proofs a l l about us cons idered—A br ief n ight of t rouble se t t l ing down— Already begun in Europe—After it a glor ious sunburs t .

"Watchman, what of the n ight? • • • The morning cometh , and a night a lso ." I sa iah xxi , 11-12.

"The literature of the wor ld shows tha t in te l igent men have refused to bel ieve tha t the Divine pur­pose in the crea t ion of our ear th has ye t been a t ta ined. Con­t inual ly we f ine ref— erences to ' the morn-ing of the new day ' , to the 'golden age ' , e tc . , e tc . Yet not to the longings of men 's hear ts , but to the promises of our God, lo we look for rea l ins t ruc t ion on th is

" r tnc t r i . y subjec t . The Bible •Vs IOK- K.U J J iLL' most em phat ica l ly

declares tha t the en­t i re pen j t o f human his tory thus far has been a night t ime.

"The Prophet David explains, "Weep­ing may endure for a night, but Joy cometh in the morning. ' (Psa lm xxx, 5 . ) -Thus prophetically we are assured that there wi l l be a morning whose g lory , br ightness and bless ings wi l l fu l ly compensate for a l l the dark shadows of the n ight t ime pas t . Our text i s an­other prophecy a long the same l ine . The message of the Lord is , 'The morning cometh ' . S t . Paul wr i tes tha t up to h is t ime the wor ld had been under a re ign of sin and death, not under a reign of r ighteousness and l i fe . (Rom. v , 21 . ) He points out a lso tha t the day of the Lord wi l l come, and wi l l come gradual ­ly, stealthily, taking the world una­wares—'as a thief in the night* . 1 Thess . v, 1-6 .

"Al l of the apos t les assure us tha t i t i s not God 's purpose to permi t the re ign of s in and death to cont inue forever . They te l l us tha t the Divine program is tha t Mess iah , in the Father ' s appointed t ime, wi l l t ake to Himsel f His grea t power and re ign King of k ings and Lord of lords—put t ing down s in and every evi l th ing , upl i f t ing humani ty and grant ing a Divine b less ing vvhere for 6 ,000 years there has been a Divine curse . The Bible wr i te rs expla in tha t th is does not s igni fy a change in the Divine purpose , but tha t God had p lan­ned th is th ing in Himsel f f rom before the foundat ion of the wor ld ; and tha t a l though He had permi t ted s in to enter and death to re ign , He had made fu l les t provis ion for the Redeemer to d ie for our s ins and eventual ly to become the Restorer and Llfe-glver to Adam and his race—to as many of them as wi l l accept ever las t ing l i fe on the Divine

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te rms. . '"^he apostles tell us that during the night time', since Jesus' death, God has been doing a specia l work—selec t ing f rom mankind a specia l c lass , a sa in t ly few—'the church of the f i rs t -borns , whose names are wr i t ten in heaven ' . These a re not taken f rom anv one na­t ion or denominat ion . This ' l i t t le f lock ' , to whom i t i s the Father ' s good p leas­ure to g ive the k ingdom (Luke xl l , 32) . i s composed of a l l the sa in t ly fo l lowers of Jesus , who walk in His s teps in tho narrow way dur ing th is Gospel age . Thei r exper iences a re to qual i fy them for associa t ion wi th the i r Redeemer in His Mess ianic k ingdom. Thei r t r ia l s , the i r obedience , and the i r suf fer ings for r ighteousness ' sake are to work out for these a far more exceeding and e ternal weight of g lory . Suffer ing wi th the Master for the t ru th ' s sake in the present l i fe , they are to share His g lory , honor and Immorta l i ty in the l i fe to come. They are to be His jo in t he i rs in His Kingdom. Gal . i i i , 29; I I . T im. i l , 11-12.

The Kingdom Sunrise Wearing. "Amongst the Lord ' s people even, few

yet unders tand tha t Jesus d is t inc t ly teaches tha t the 'Sun of Kignteousness ' , which wi l l a r i se wi th heal ing in His beams and whose l ight wi l l cons t i tu te the new day, wi l l be composed of the church of Chr is t g lor i f ied—changed f rom human to Divine na ture by par t i ­c ipa t ion in the f i rs t resurrec t ion . Our Lord Jesus te l l s th is in the parable of the wheat and the ta res . He declares tha t in the end of th is Gospel age a l l of the wheat c lass wi l l be ga thered in to the heavenly garner , and tha t ' then shal l the r ighteous sh ine for th as the sun in the k ingdom of the i r Fa ther . ' (Mat t , x i i l , 43 . ) W r e must not th ink , however , tha t th is s igni f ies the church wi thout the Redeemer , but must re ­member tha t Jesus iB ' the Head over the church which i s His body. '—Eph. i , 22-23.

"How wonderfu l , how beaut i fu l , how appropr ia te a re the word-pic tures of the Bible! No one but the Lord knew of the grea t Divine p lan . No one but Him, therefore , could g ive these p ic­tures of i t s development . In var ious te rms and f igures of speech the Bible a t tempts to g ive us a l i t t le g l impse of the g lor ious condi t ions of tha t day . The new day and the k ingdom wil l be ' the des i re of a l l people ' . In tha t day the r ighteous wi l l f lour ish , and evi l -doers wi l l be cut off f rom l i fe . Dur ing tha t 1 ,000-year day of Mess iah ' s k ingdom, Satan i s to be bound, ' tha t he may de­ceive the na t ions no more . ' (Rev. xx , 2-3 . ) l andlordism wi l l come to an end; for ' t h e y shal l not bui ld and another Inhabi t ; they shal l not p lant and an­other ea t the f ru i t thereof , ' bu t ' sha l l long enjoy the work of the i r hands . '— lsa . Ixv , 22 .

"The ear th i s to y ie ld her increase . (Psa lm Ixvi l , 6 . ) S t reams are to come for th in the deser t ; the so l i ta ry p laces a re to be made g lad . The ent i re ear th Is to become l ike the Garden of Eden. I t i s God 's foots tool , and He declares tha t He wi l l make i t g lor ious . I t i s not to be burned up wi th l i te ra l f i re , as once we supposed. I t i s to ' ab ide forever ' . (Ecc . i , 4 ; Psa lm civ , 5 . ) 'He formed I t not in va in ; He formed i t to be inhab­i ted . '—lsa . x lv , 18; l*vi , 1 ; lx , 13; xxxv, 1 , 7 .

Wonderful Foregleama of Light. "The most wonderfu l th ing tha t the

Bible te l l s us respect ing tha t new day is tha t i t wi l l b r ing grea t in te l l igence and enl ightenment to every crea ture . The l ight of the knowledge of the g lory of God shal l f i l l the whole ear th as the waters cover the face of the grea t deep. ( I sa . x t , 9 ; Hab. I I . 14 . ) 'And they shal l teach no more every man his ne ighbor , and every man his bro ther , saying. Know the Lord: for they shal l a l l know Me, f rom the leas t of them unto the grea tes t , sa id the Lord . ' ( Jer . xxxi , 34 . ) Ul t imate ly every knee shal l bow and every tongue shal l confess , to the g lory of God.—Phi l , i i , 11 ; I sa . x lv , 23 .

"What an enthus ing prospect the Bible holds out before the church and before as many of the wor ld as can exerc ise a meature of fa i th to bel ieve! The wor ld indeed sees to some extent tha t grea t b less ings a re coming; but jus t what these are-and how they are to come mankind know not ; for ' the wor ld by wisdom knows not God ' . ( I . Cor . i , 21 . ) The wor ld ly wise have re jec ted the Bible , and do not t rus t I t as a revela t ion f rom God. Thus the •wise a re caught in the i r own craf t iness . ( I . Cor . i i i , 10 . ) Thei r boas ted wisdom ensnares them and bl inds them to the Divine revela t ion .

"Never the less , some of our grea tes t th inkers—Mr. Edison and others—are rapid ly see ing tha t the wor ld i s Jus t on the verge of the most wonderfu l in­vent ions and knowledge, which wi l l t ransform the face of the ear th and the people thereof . They are corrobora t ing the Bible unwi t t ingly ; for they bel ieve it not and know not the character of i t s messages .

The Uawuing Begum in A. D, 18741. "Let us not s top now to d iscuss the

darkness of the n ight and i t s weeping. Let us awake, and take note of the fac t tha t the dawning of the new age is a l ­ready here . For the pas t for ty- two years we have been In i t and enjoying many of i t s b less ings . But those b less­ings came so s tea l th i ly—'l ike a th ief in the n ight '—that few recognize the i r impor t . Some few have been ca l l ing a t tent ion to the fac t tha t we have been in the Mil lennia l dawn ever s ince 1874.

"Bible chronology qui te c lear ly teach­es tha t the 6,000 years s ince Adam's c rea t ion have ended—six grea t days of 1 ,000 years each, ment ionel by St . Pe ter —'a day wi th the lx>rd i s as a thousand years ' . ( I I . Pe ter i l l , 8 . ) Now the grea t seventh day, a l so 1 ,000 years long, has commenced. We have been enjoying I t s dawning. I t i s to be a grand day. What wonder i f the dawning be remarkable!

" I t may surpr ise some to be to ld tha t the pas t for ty- two years mean more to the wor ld in increase of educat ion , in­crease of weal th , increase of a l l man­ner of labor-saving invent ions and con­veniences , increase of safeguards and protec t ions for human l i fe , than did a l l the 6 ,000 years which preceded them— many t imes over . The wor ld has prob­ably crea ted a thousand t imes as much weal th dur ing these for ty- two years as dur ing the ent i re 6 ,000 years preceding. Yet these changes have come so grad­ual ly tha t few have not iced them.

Fulfillment of Prophecy Everywhere. "For ty- two years ago man labored

f rom sun to sun; today we are rapid ly approaching an e ight -hour day. For­

ty- two years ago near ly a l l the labor of the wor ld was done wi th sweat of face ; today i t i s near ly a l l accompl ish­ed by machinery . For ty- two years ago the sewing machine was Jus t reaching perfec t ion; today i t Is everywhere in­dispensable . So wi th the thousand household conveniences . So wi th near­ly a l l of our sani tary and p lumbing a r ­rangements . So wi th farming Imple­ments . Reapers and binders , mowers , au tomobi les , gas engines , e tc . . e tc . , a l l be long to these for ty- two years . In our c i t ies the modern conveniences a re wonderfu l . Solomon In a l l h is g lory never even dreamed of such th ings as the poores t human being In America may enjoy.

"Prophecies respect ing s t reams in the deser t and the wi lderness b lossoming as tho rose a re having fu l f i l lment—not miraculous ly , but In harmony wi th the Divine order of an increased In te l l i ­gence amongst men. Ar tes ian wel ls a re be ing dr i l led , i r r iga t ing canals con­s t ruc ted , not only in the western par t of the Uni ted Sta tes and Canada , but a lso in far -of f Mesopotamia . The re­sul t s a re marvelous . Land previous ly n o t w o r t h f e n c i n g i s v a l u e d a t $ 5 0 0 p e r acre today. The increase of knowledge has been supplemented by government­a l a r rangements for the d is t r ibut ion of tha t knowledge amongst the people . The soi l s of var ious loca l i t ies a re being analyzed a t publ ic expense; and the t i l le rs of the so l i a re g iven knowledge as respects what k ind of fe r t i l izers a re requi red to br ing sa t i s fac tory resul t s .

"Under these condi t ions i t does not surpr ise us to know tha t as much as 156 bushels of corn have been ra ised to one acre , and tha t 600 bushels of pota­toes and over a re not an uncommon record . I s not the Bible be ing ful f i l led ' . ' Who can d ispute these fac ts? What do they s lgf i i fy? We answer tha t they exact ly corrobora te the Divine dec lara­t ion which descr ibes our day: Many-shal l run to and f ro ; knowledge shal l be increased; the wise of God 's people sha l l unders tand: and ' there shal l be a t ime of t rouble such as never was s ince there was a nat ion . '—Dan. x i l . 4, 10, 1 ; Mat t , xxlv , 21 .

Inorenae of World—wide Discontent. "We are in the morning of our text .

Ah, what a g lor ious morning! How changed the human condi t ions f rom those of our grandfa thers! How thank­ful the whole wor ld should be*! Paeans of pra ise should be r i s ing f rom al l the people of the favored lands of c iv i l iza­t ion; and help ing hands should be out ­s t re tched to car ry the same bless ings to heathen lands . But i s i t so? Are the people happy and re jo ic ing? Are they apprec ia t ive of the new day—of the g i f t s of Divine Providence?

"No! In propor t ion as the b less ings of God have come, the d iscontent of humani ty has increased; and unbel ief , not only in respect to the Bible as the Divine revela t ion , but in many ins tanc­es in respect to the very exis tence of an In te l l igent Crea tor . Notwi ths tanding the grea t increase in the wor ld ' s weal th , and the fac t tha t there a re some noble souls who are us ing the i r share of the weal th In a pra isewor thy manner , never the less the genera l oper­a t ion of the law of se l f i shness prevai l s ; and a l l the legis la t ion which has been enacted , or can be enacted , fa i l s to re ­s t ra in the g iant ins t i tu t ions—corpora­t ions—of our day, fa i l s to h inder them from exploi t ing the masses in the in­teres ts of the compara t ive ly few.

"Did God know a l l these th ings? What wi l l He do about them? Wil l He br ing in the mi l lennia l b less ings , and r i sk tha t men shal l take for granted tha t they have won the secre ts of na­ture by the i r own wisdom a i l perse­verance , and forget God ent i re ly? Wil l they become more d iscontented? Would a mil lennium of d iscontent be advan­tageous What wi l l God do about i t?

The Dark Night Already Settling. "According to the Bible , God fore­

knew the condi t ions of our day as we are now reviewing them; and in our tex t He gives a key to the s i tua t ion— elsewhere in the Scr ip tures made very p la in . Through the prophet , God te l l s of the dark n ight coming—after the morning dawn had been wel l ushered in—a dark s torm-cloud jus t a t sunr ise . This dark hour i s descr ibed in the prophecy of Danie l , and a lso in tha t of our Lord Jesus , to be ' a t ime of t rou­ble , such as never was s ince there was a nat ion ' .

"Bible s tudents see th is grea t t ime of t rouble a l ready beginning in the le t t ing loose of the winds of s t r i fe in Europe . In the l ight of the Bible they perce ive tha t the resul t of th is present war wi l l be the grea t awakening of the na t ions —of the governments of the ear th—and increased knowledge and discontent amongst the people .

"The next phase of the t rouble , ac­cording to the Bible, is to be the 'great ear thquake , such as was not s ince men were upon the ear th , so mighty an ear thquake , and so grea t ' . (Rev. xvi , 18 . ) This i s not a l i te ra l ear thquake , but a symbol ic one—revolut ion . Then the th i rd phase of the ca lami ty—the darkes t of a l l—wil l be the symbol ic f i re of anarchy, which wi l l u t te r ly des t roy our present c iv i l iza t ion . Then, in the mids t of tha t most awful t ime of t rou­ble , Mess iah , the grea t King, .wi l l t ake His grea t power and wi l l exerc ise i t , wi th the resul t tha t the raging waves of the sea of human pass ion wi l l a l l be quie ted , the f i res of . anarchy wi l l a l l be extinguished, and the reign of right­eousness and peace wi l l begin . Aleaalah Will "Make All Things New",

"Cannot we see the wisdom of the grea t Crea tor ' s program? He has de­termined to permi t mankind to con­vince themselves of the i r own impoten-cy, of the i r need of a God, and of the fac t tha t there i s a God, and tha t His g lor ious purposes for humani ty a re re­vealed in His Word. Ah, i t i s no won­der tha t the Bible speaks of tha t reve­la t ion of the Lord as the ' s t i l l smal l voice of God ' , speaking to mankind through Mess iah ' s Kingdom! No won­der the Lord declares tha t ' then He wi l l turn to the people a pure message , tha t they may a l l ca l l upon the name of the Lord , to serve Him wi th one consent ' !

"St . Pe ter g ives us a viv id p ic ture of the new order of th ings in Mess iah ' s Kingdom. He says , 'The day of the Lord wi l l come as a th ief in the n ight ; in which the heavens shal l pass away wi th a grea t noise , and the e lements sha l l met wi th fervent hea t ; the ear th a lso , and the works tha t a re there in , sha l l be burned up; * • • the heav­ens , be ing on f i re , sha l l be d issolved.

* * • Never the less we, according to His promise , look for new heavens and a new ear th , where in dwel le th r ight -

j eousness . ' I I . Pe ter i i i , 10 , 12 , 13 . I "The 'new heavens ' wi l l be the g lor i -! f led church , cons is t ing of Jesus the | Head and His br ide c lass , se lec ted f rom

I the wor ld dur ing the pas t e ighteen cen­tur ies . The 'new ear th ' wi l l be the new

j soc ia l order under the cont ro l of the new heavens . There wi l l be no pa tch-

' ing of present ins t i tu t ions , but a c lean i sweep of them by the f i re of Divine

wra th preceding the es tabl i shment of the new order , where in onl^ tha t which i s r ighteous . Jus t , equi table , t rue , wi l l be recognized.

"We re jo ice tha t such g lor ious th ings a re coming—even though the wor ld must necessar i ly reach them through the t r ibula t ion of the t ime of t rouble . Happy are those whose eyes and ears of unders tanding are open now, and who are in such hear t re la t ionship wi th the I vo rd tha t He can make known to them in advance something of the r ich­es of ILis grace , and show them how the coming t roubles wi l l work out b less­ings for the human fami ly ."

Pastor Russell's Character. In th is dark hour upon the nat ioht f

le t the peoples of the ear th hear th is message and heed i t as one f rom the Lord . For for ty years Pas tor RusseTl has se t for th in h is wr i t ings tha t th is dark hour would come soon. He reach­ed th is conclus ion based upon the Word of the Lord . Behold , i t i s fu l ly conf i rm­ed by the events we see . Let the Chr is ­t ian" people of the ear th , therefore , awake to the impor tance of the hour and heed the message—"The Kingdom of Heaven i s a t hand!"

"Arise and shine; for thy l ight Is come and the g lory of the Lord ' i s a r i s ­en upon thee ."—Tsa. lx , 1 .

Enemies? Yes; he had some—God pi ty them! Jesus had enemies who re­lent less ly persecuted Him. I would not mar th is occas ion by reference to the enemies of Pas tor Russe l l , but I know tha t he would be g lad for me to speak anything tha t would he lp to open the eves of unders tanding of those who are b l inded to God 's purposes . Bl ind pre judice , based upon fa lse accusa t ions of enemies , has tended to keep some in the dark .

But persecut ions only s t i r red h im to grea ter ef for ts in the cause of the King of k ings , knowing, as he did , tha t such persecut ions a re evidences tha t the n ight i s drawing on when no man can work . Without murmur or compla in t , ear ly and la te . In winter and in sum­mer , in hea t and in cold , in season and out of season, amids t s torms and in sunshine , as a mighty g iant he fought on to the goal , never fa l te r ing or look­ing back. Truly , he d ied a hero , and died in the harness! "Prec ious in the s ight of the Lord i s the death of His sa in ts ." Truly a t the c lose of h is ear th— lv career , as such a hero , he could say:

" I have fought my way through; I have f in ished the work Thou dids t g ive me to do."

S i lent ly l i s tening we hear the re­sponse from the throne of the Ix>rd and Master :

"Wel l and fa i thfu l ly done; Enter in to My joy and s i t Down on My throne!"

I s h is work f in ished? Ah, no indeed. Of such fa i thfu l ones who die dur ing the presence of the Lord the Great Master sa id , "Blessed a re the dead which d ie in the Lord f rom hencefor th ; yea , sa i th the sp i r i t , tha t they may res t from their labors: and their works do fo l low them."—Rev. x iv , 13 .

The Presence of the Lord. The work tha t Pas tor Russe l l d id was

not h is work a lone , but i t was and i s the Lord ' s work . I t was Jesus who sa id tha t a t His coming He would g i rd Him­sel f and cause His servants to s i t down a t meat : and tha t He would come for th and serve them.—Luke xii, S7.

For for tv years the Lord has been present , feeding those who have been hunger ing and th i rs t ing for r ighteous­ness . For for ty years Pas tor Russe l l— tha t fa i thfu l servant of the Lord—has se t for th c lear and unmis takable evi ­dence of the presence of the Master . He nai led the banner of Chr is t ' s presence on the t i t le page of The Watch Towej - : and i t sha l l never come down unt i l the Kingdom is known in the ear th . The f lood of present t ru th has been r i s ing for mor« than for ty years , and i t i s r i f l ­ing h igher and higher . As wel l might the enemies of the t ru th seek wi th a common broom to sweep back the waves of the mighty At lant ic as to t ry to suppress the f lood of t ru th tha t i s r i s ing now. In sp i te of a l l the opposi ­t ion tha t can be brought to bear , i t wi l l cont inue to r i se unt i l , as the prophet dec lares , " the knowledge of the g lory of the Lord shal l f i l l the whole ear th as the waters f i l l the deep"; unt i l such t ime as i t wi l l not be necessary for any man to teach h is ne ighbor , saying. Know ye the Lord; for a l l sha l l Know Him, f rom the leas t unto the grea tes t . " —lsa. xi, ft; Jer. xxxi. 14.

The thousands of Chr is t ian men and women in the ear th today who have fought by the s ide of Pas tor Russe l l have not been b l indly fo l lowing h im. They have fo l lowed the Lord; they have fo l lowed Pas tor Russe l l only as he fo l ­lowed the Lord . Recogniz ing h im as the specia l servant of the Lord , have fought by h is s ide as h is bre th­ren looking to Jesus , the Capta in of the i r sa lva t ion; and having thus s ta r t ­ed in the f ight , they wi l l f lght on unt i l everv one of the Kingdom class has ga ined the v ic tory .

A Personal Tribute to the Pastor. I cannot pass th is moment wi thout

paying a personal t r ibute to Pas tor Russe l l . He was my f r iend, and a t rue f r iend indeed. I t i s wr i t ten , "A t rue f r iend loves you a l l the t ime." I loved h im; I know he loved me. Long before I knew Pas tor Russe l l , he had done much for me. Whi le I was engaged in t*he l aw prac t ice in the middle wes t , there came in to my off ice one day a lady, bear ing some books in her a rms. She was modest, gentle and kind. I thought she was poor , and tha t i t was my pr iv i lege and duty to he lp her . 1 found tha t she was r ich in fa i th in God. I bought the books and af ter ­wards read them. Up to tha t t ime I knew nothing about the Bible ; I had never heard of Pas tor Russe l l . I d id not even know tha t he was the author of the books a t the t ime I read them; but I know tha t the wonderfu l ly sweet , harmonious explanat ion of the p lan of God thr i l led my hear t and changed the course of my l i fe f rom doubt to Joy.

Whv should not I love h im? I know tha t he loved me. A l i t t le inc ident i l lus t ra tes th is : Severa l years ago he reques ted me to go on a miss ion of im­por tance . Af ter ta lk ing wi th h im I sa id , "Brother Russe l l , I fee l tha t I cannot do i t . " He answered, "Yes you can , by the Lord ' s grace ." I sa id , " I am wi l l ing to t ry ." "Go on," he repl ied , "and I wi l l p ray God to g ive you the wisdom." I went ; and having succeeded far be­yond my expecta t ions , I re turned and gave h im a repor t . Seated in h is s tudy, as I went over the repor t in de ta i l , h is face l ighted up wi th Joy; and l ike a loving fa ther he rose and put h is a rms around me, drew me to h im and kissed me, saying, "Brother , I love you very much." I have walked wi th h im: I have ta lked wi th h im: I have ea ten wi th h im; I have s lept wi th h im; I have been wi th h im through t r ia ls and t r iumphs; I have seen h im In s torm and in sun­shine . Amids t a l l of these I have mark­ed h is comple te Joy in the Lord , h is magnanimous hear t , and h is absolu te loyal ty and devot ion to the Lord and to Hi ' s cause . Gent le , k ind , fear less an* affec t ionate , magnanimous , s incere and f i l led wi th the sp i r i t of the I^ord , he was a giant of power in the wor ld . I count i t the grea tes t honor tha t I ha^e known to have had Pas tor Russe l l for my t rue and loyal f r iend, and tha t I have been pr iv i leged to be • a ssocia ted wi th h im.

I wi l l re la te to you an inc ident tha t throws some l ight on h is sweet re la­t ionship wi th the Lord . For more than a year pr ior to h is dea th he suffered a grea t dea l of phys ica l pa in , ye t never d id he murmur . His grea t des i re was to have the approval of the Lord and Master . He spoke the Master ' s name in loving te rms, and h is face l ighted when he ment ioned the Lord . A few weeks pr ior to th is las t i l lness , speaking to one whom he loved very dear ly and in whom he had grea t conf idence , he sa id . " I have had such a longing des i re to be embraced by the Lord Jesus , to th ink of mysel f as the woman, or br ide , and to have the Master press me to H' . s bosom. I have prayed earnes t ly to the Lord tha t I might exper ience th is sweet re la t ionship , and He has g iven me th is assurance tha t I do enjoy tha t sweet re la t ionship ." Truly the Lord loved h im much! Truly for h im to l ive was for Chr is t to l ive!

God 's Book i s wr i t ten for those who are loyal to Him. His promises a re to such. Among these sweet promises a re the words of the Master : "Be thou fa i thfu l unto death , and I wi l l g ive thee the crown of l i fe ." "These shal l be k ings and pr ies ts unto God ahd unto Chr is t and shal l re ign wi th Him." Long ago God caused the sweet s inger to re ­cord in His holy book, concerning the fa i thfu l and loyal fo l lowers of Chr is t Jesus , these sweet words :

"The k ing shal l Joy in Thy s t rength , O Lord; and in Thy sa lva t ion how grea t ly shal l J ie re jo ice . Thou has t g iv­en h im his hear t ' s des i re , and has not wt thholden the reques t of h is l ips . Se-lah . For Thou preventes t h im wi th the b less ings of goodness ; Thou se t tes t a crown of pure gold on h is head. He asked l i fe of Thee , and Thou gaves t i t h im, even length of days forever and ever . His g lory i s grea t in Thy sa lva­t ion; honor and majes ty has t thou la id upon him, for Thou has t made h im most b lessed forever ; Thou has t made h im exceeding glad with Thy countenance.'* —Psalm xxi , 1-6 .

Truly these words f i t t ingly apply to our beloved brother and pas tor !

Char les Taze Russe l l , thou has t , by the Lord , been crowned a king; and through the ever las t ing ages thy name shal l be known amongst the people , and thy enemies sha l l come and worship a t thy fee t .

We take the las t v iew of th is p iece of c lay tha t so fa i thfu l .v bore the ban­ner of the King. He has been a t rue , loyal , fa i thfu l ambassador of Chr is t . Thanks be to God, he has entered In to h is ever las t ing reward . The grea tes t des i re of our l ives i s tha t we, together wi th h im, may soon be forever wi th the Lord and par t ic ipa te in b less ing a l l the fami l ies of the ear th . God he lp us , as we here renew our consecra t ion , to keep i t fa i thfu l ly to the end.

We sorrow not for h im who has gone, because we know he has entered into his everlasting joy. For him we re­joice; but we sorrow for ourselves. Yet trusting in the Lord we will continue to f ight the good f lght of fa i th .

Exhortation to Faithfulness. My beloved bre thren—we who are

here , and a l l who are in the ear th— what shal l we do? Shal l we s lacken our zea l for the cause of our Lord and King? No! By His grace we wi l l in -c rease our sea l and energy, to f in ish our course wi th Joy. We wi l l not fear nor fa l te r , but wi l l s tand shoulder to shoulder , contending for the fa i th , re ­jo ic ing in our pr iv i lege of procla iming the message of His Kingdom. He has promised, " I wi l l never leave thee nor forsake thee ." "Fai thfu l i s He tha t ca l le th , who a lso wi l l do i t . " Then why should we for one moment doubt the outcome of His work and His cause! True , the enemy of dea th has taken f rom us a t a t ime when we did not ex­pect i t , our be loved brother ; and for th is cause we are bowed down. Yet we are not d ismayed, we are not d is ­couraged. Let us l i f t up our heads and re jo ice , for sure ly our de l iverance draweth n igh! "The Kingdom of Heav­en i s a t hand!"

Today we are beholding the death throes of the na t ions of ear th ; we are s tanding a t he por ta ls of the golden age . Everyone who has accepted the t ru th of God 's p lan , in the love of the t ru th , and who holds fas t in tha t sp i r i t , wi l l win . Let everyone look wel l to h is a rmor . Let us g i rd up the lo ins of our minds , be sober and hope to the end. He who has led us thus far wi l l lead us on . Remember , he who i s fa i th­fu l unto death shal l rece ive the crown of l i fe .

Uni ted in the sacred and holy bonds of heavenly love , as we journey the re­mainder of th is race course , may we in s incer i ty and wi th unders tanding s ing;

"Blest be the tie that binds Our hearts In Christian love;

The fe l lowship of k indred minds Is like to that above.

"Our g lor ious hope revives Our courage every day,

Whi le each wi th expecta t ion s t r f rMv . To run the heavenly way."

HAS NO AUTHORITY Minister Not Willing to Take Burden

of Hearing Kelly's Petition.

MADE BIG DETOUR

Interesting Incident in Trip of Chicago, Just

Arrived (By Associated Press.)

.\*ew York. Dec. 18.—The French line steamship Chicago, which arrived here today nearly forty-eight hours overdue

5rom Bordeaux, passed about 150 miles rom the point where, a wireless

message posted on board indicated, was the position of the German com­merce raider reported in the Atlantic.

According to passengers, the bulle­tin was put up Dec. 6, and to the sur­prise of the passengers was torn down

V1ftve minutes later. Then the Chicago dfletoured, and this* change of course,

ether with a heavy snow storm, accounted for the delay. The bulletin Recount gave the raider's position as Approximately 1,500 miles west of

^Bordeaux and in the Liverpool-New York steamship route.

For Quick Resiilts Use The Forum fftfaut Columns.

(By Associated Press.) Winnipeg, Can., Dec. 18..—Thomas

Kelly's petition for a new trial ad­dressed to the Hon. C. J. Doherty, min­ister of justice has been met with a denial. E. Anderson, K. C.., senior counsel for Kelly has received a reply from the minister which, in effect, says he minister has no authority to inter-

Jere in the matter, on the strength of the petition as presented, and that therefore he can take no action upon it.

THKEE TO THE PEN Convicted Men Taken from Devils

Lak#-—Roy Martin Must Serve Ten Years.

Devils Lake, N. D., Dec. 18.—Roy Martin, who received his sentence of 10 years in the state prison this week for the murder of Hank Gilbertson, was taken to Bismarck.

Conrad Peterson will spend eight months in the penitentiary for boot­legging, and Anton Tonka will spend one year for entering a store and stealing merchandise.

ASKS FOR REPLY Costa Rica Minister Told Answer to

Note is Being Prepared.

(By Associated Press.) Washington, D. C., Dec. 18.—Manuel

Castroquesada, Costa Rican minister, inquired at the state department yes­terday when an answer might be ex­pected to the representations made recently by his government concern­ing the situation produced in Central America by the ratification of tb9

Nicaraguan-American canal route treaty. He was informed that a reply was being prepared.

Costa Rica requested the United States to use its good offices to per­suade Nicaragua not to persist in de­fying the Central American court of justice, which held that Nicaragua had violated her contractual rights in entering into such a treaty without securing the consent of Costa Rica whose rights in the Sanjuan river are alleged to be involved.

WOMAN A HOLDUP 21-Year-Old Girl Alleged to Have Aided

in Highway Robbery Series.

(By Associated Press.) Chicago. Dec. 18.—Miss Myrtle Wil­

son, 21 years old. was arrested yester­day in connection with recent north side highway robberies. Fred Martin Is being held as her confederate.

Victims of the robberies charge that a man and a woman approached them, chatting apparently to disarm any suspicion. As the couple came abreast of the quarry the woman flung her cloak, carired over her arm, over the victim's head. The man then closed in, pinioned the victim's arms and held him while the woman searched him. , According to the police, Martin has confessed, implicating a second worn-tin, with whom he says he committed Similar holdups.

STATE STREET 8T0RE ROBBED. (By Associated Press.)

Chicago, Dec. 18.—Five safehlowers entered a state street store before day­light yesterday, choloroformed two watchmen, blew the safe and escaped with $1,000. They worked four hours before getting their boty together and left long after daylight after binding the watchmen to chairs.

NO "PEACE AT ANY PRICE" FOR GERMANY

That Is Position of the Conservative Party in the Reichstag*

(By Associated Press.) Berlin, Dec. 18.— (By wireless to

Sayville, N. Y.)—A caucus of the con­servative party in the reichstag adopt­ed a resolution which now is published, suys the Overseas News agency, de­claring that the peace offer made by the central powers is based naturally on a'program of concrete peace condi­tions. These conditions, the resolution continued, are unknown, but it con­siders it evident that no negotiations will be carried on in order to obtain "peace at any price, but the conditions planned should guarantee a peace which will safeguard Germany's fu­ture."

The preamble to the resolution de­clares that the peace offer is a matter of "highest historical Importance."

The resolution recalls the feeling of self-reliance expressed in the simul­taneous orders to the army and navy, and declares that it is probable that the entente, nevertheless, will inter­pret the peace offer as a sign of weak­ness. The conservative party, it adds, had suggested a demonstration of an unflinching will to win, which certain­ly would have been expressed by all parties with the possible exception of the extreme left wing of the socialists.

The resolution then recalls the an­nouncement of the imperial chancellor that the German nation through its chosen representatives will have an op­portunity to take a definite stafid on the question of the aims of the war, and concludes by staling that the con-

vantage gained by the blood of our brave troops will be made the basis of a peace, which, according to human understanding, will guarantee the mil­itary, economic and financial future of the coiintry."

ALL ARt INTERESTED. (By Associated Press.)

Havre, Dec. 18.—President Schol-laert of the Belgian chamber of dep­uties and Count Goblet D'Alviella, vice president of the Belgian senate, in transmitting to the congress of the United States and to the representa­tive assemblages of other neutral na­tions. the protest prepared recently by Belgian workingmen at a secret meet­ing in Belgium, say in part:

"Do the fortunate nations which re­main outside this terrible war not understand today that all people are concerned and that they are equally interested in condemning attempts to reintroduce into our civilization the most odious practices of barbarian in­vasion?"

"Perhaps an energetic protest from the conscience of all peoples, formu­lated by their natural representatives, might still be able to deliver the wretched ones who raise toward you their chained hands and to stop the slavers who are depopulating Belgium, after having ruined her."

POSTPONE HEARING. (By Associated Press.)

Indianapolis, Ind., Dec. 18.—Action in four suits filed in federal court here to prevent the enforcement of the Adamson railroad law set for hearing yesterday, was postponed by agree­ment of the attorneys. The agree­ments contain the same terms as oth­ers made In federal court districts where suits have been filed, and pro­vide for keeping accounts of wages of the men from Jan. 1, so ss to make back payments should the United

States supreme court decide the law constitutional. jo, ^ .

The suits here were filed by the Lake Erie & Western, the Big Four, the Pennsylvania and the Illinois Cen­tral. _____

He Was Brave. J«m Johnson, a colored youth, was

one of the survivors of the L»usitanla disaster and was mightily affected by the experience, so much so, in fact, that his continual brooding caused him to Indulge freely in alcoholic bev­erages.

This particular evening, his grief trifled, he gave way to his medicine and fell asleep with his head in a horse trough. Presently a copper strolled along and poked him.

"Never mind me," sobbed the con­vivial youth, "save the women and chi ldren . '*

Inexcusable. Up the street came the fire engines,

with many a clang and clatter. From another direction came the fire escape. Soon the hoses were busy and the crowd swelled so quickly that the young reporter from the big daily could get nowhere near the burning house.

But he was undismayed. With much agility he climbed a lamp post and surveyed the scene. A minute later he felt a tug al. bis ankle, and looking down, met the fierce glare of a special constable.

"Now, then, down you come, youn* man!"

"Oh, that's all right! I'm a reporter and I've got to do a description of the fire!"

"Nonsense—nonsense! Down you come! You can read all about the fire in the papers tomorrow!"

For Quick Result* Us* Th« Forum Want Columns. , »

ITALIAN EXPENDITURES IN WAR ANNOUNCED

Total of 12,000,000,000 Lire Spent on War From June 30, 1915, to

Nov. 30, This Year.

(By Associated Press!) Paris, Dec. 18.—In a statement be­

fore the Italian chamber of deputies yesterday, as reported in a Havas dis-pa.tch from Rome, Paolo Carcano, minister of the treasury, announced that Italy spent 12,000,000,000 lire on the war between June 30, 1915 and Nov. 30, 1916. Total expenditures in the fiscal year ended June SO 1916, were 10,625,000,000 lire.

Ordinary receipts in the fiscal year were 3,734.000,000 lire. From the sale of bonds 6,123,000,000 lire was realized. This left a deficit of 768,000,000 lire. The estimated deficit for the current year, ending June 30, 1917, is 3,262,-000,000 lire, which the finance minister said must be provided for by credits abroad and the sale of bonds.

Signor Carcano pointed out that the receipts of the last fiscal y«ar exceed­ed estimates by 933,000,000 lire.

Orange Omelet. Beat the yolks and whites of Ave

eggs separately, combine and season: and five tablespoonfuls of cream, in which has been dissolved two table-spoonfuls of cornstarch. Pour into a buttered omelet pan and cook slowly on top of the stove until the egg is set, then place the pan inside the oven to finish cooking. Spread one-half of the omelet with or.inge preserves and serve on a hot platter,

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