Publication date
12/1/02
Volume
23
Number
23
The WatchTower
Views from the Watch Tower
The Watchtower Magazines
/../literature/watchtower/1902/23/1902-23-1.html
 
 
(J55-356) 
ZION'S 
WATCH 
TOWER 
AI,LI!GH:£NY. 
PA. 
law 
and 
much 
advantage 
every 
way 
over 
them. 
If 
their 
knowledge 
of 
the 
Lord 
led 
them 
to 
kindly 
salutations 
and 
kindly 
actions, 
much 
more 
should 
the 
Christian's 
greater 
kno\\ 
ledge 
of 
the 
dlvine 
will 
and 
his 
anointing 
of 
the 
holy 
Spirit 
enable 
him 
to 
be 
kind, 
considerate 
and 
affectionate 
to­ 
ward 
others--doing 
good 
unto 
all 
men 
as 
we 
have 
oppor 
tunity, 
especially 
to 
the 
household 
of 
falth, 
Our 
Golden 
Text 
IS 
an 
exhortation 
to 
spiritual 
Israelites 
and 
is 
in 
full 
accord 
with 
the 
sentiments 
of 
this 
lesson 
as 
witnessed 
by 
the 
conduct 
of 
Naomi 
and 
Ruth 
and 
Boaz 
and 
his 
laborers. 
Let 
us 
with 
increasing 
light 
and 
knowledge 
and 
pnvilege 
make 
still 
further 
progress 
III 
all 
the 
fruits 
of 
the 
splnt 
of 
love. 
Fmally,-lt 
is 
unsafe 
to 
neglect 
to 
have 
the 
Lord 
for 
our 
God, 
and 
to 
neglect 
to 
make 
his 
people 
our 
people. 
Accept­ 
ance 
of 
the 
Lord 
means 
ultimately 
a 
change 
in 
all 
of 
life's 
interests 
and 
affairs 
if 
we 
would 
abide 
in 
his 
love 
and 
favor. 
The 
sacrifice 
of 
earthly 
thing:> 
may 
cost 
us 
tears 
and 
heart­ 
aches 
at 
firAt; 
but 
eventually 
we 
will 
be 
more 
than 
compen­ 
sated-as 
was 
Ruth, 
only 
in 
hlgher, 
spiritual 
biesslllgs. 
VOL. 
XXIII 
ALLEGHENY, 
PA., 
DECEMBER 
1, 
]902 
VIEWS 
FROM 
THE 
WATCH 
TOWER 
No. 
23 
THE 
CHURCH 
AS 
THE 
MAKER 
OF 
THE 
WORLD'S 
CONSCIENOE 
This 
topic 
is 
treated 
in 
a 
manner 
with 
which 
we 
sympa­ 
thize 
but 
do 
not 
agree, 
by 
Rev. 
S. 
Z. 
Batten, 
in 
an 
article 
in 
the 
A.mcncan 
Journal 
of 
SOC'lology. 
He 
asserts 
that 
money 
and 
military 
glory 
are 
the 
"false 
ideals" 
before 
the 
world, 
and 
mqUires 
whether 
or 
not 
the 
church 
has 
really 
spoken 
out 
against 
either 
of 
these. 
He 
thinks 
not 
and 
proceeds:- 
"In 
church 
and 
college, 
in 
society 
and 
in 
the 
press, 
rich 
men 
are 
honored 
and 
flattered 
and 
held 
up 
as 
models 
to 
be 
adored 
and 
Imltated. 
The 
influence 
of 
all 
this, 
as 
anyone 
can 
see, 
is 
to 
degrade 
the 
common 
morals; 
it 
is 
to 
set 
up 
a 
false 
ideal 
of 
life; 
it 
is 
to 
fire 
the 
imagination 
of 
the 
young 
with 
unholy 
and 
unworthy 
ambitions; 
it 
is 
to 
cast 
discredit 
on 
the 
poorcr 
and 
humbler 
workers 
in 
the 
kingdom 
of 
God. 
Every 
careful 
student 
of 
modern 
society 
declares 
that 
the 
reign 
of 
commerclahsm 
has 
come, 
and 
with 
the 
reign 
of 
this 
commer­ 
eiahsm 
there 
has 
come 
a 
sad 
confusion 
of 
moral 
values. 
This 
commerciallsm 
places 
moncy 
above 
life, 
and 
things 
before 
men, 
'Our 
whole 
society,' 
says 
Felix 
Adler, 
'is 
infiltrated 
with 
the 
money-getting 
idea.' 
There 
IS 
danger 
lest 
a 
commercialism 
utterly 
destitute 
of 
moral 
and 
spiritual 
conceptions 
shall 
usurp 
the 
place 
whIch 
should 
be 
held 
by 
truer 
and 
Christlier 
ideals. 
"Clo~ely 
akin 
to 
this 
is 
another 
false 
ideal 
which 
is 
set 
up 
before 
the 
people 
for 
honor 
and 
imitation. 
As 
every 
one 
knowA, 
the 
milItary 
ideal 
has 
held 
sway 
for 
untold 
ages 
over 
the 
nunds 
and 
hearts 
of 
men, 
and 
the 
great 
men 
of 
history 
are 
largely 
military 
leaders 
and 
conquerors. 
How 
far 
militarism 
is 
necessary 
in 
an 
imperfect 
and 
evolving 
society 
it 
does 
not 
concern 
us 
here 
to 
lllquire. 
The 
military 
captain 
no 
doubt 
has 
had 
his 
work 
to 
do 
in 
the 
world, 
and 
let 
him 
have 
his 
wreath 
ot 
laurcl 
leaves. 
But 
the 
mihtary 
ideal, 
it 
is 
needless 
to 
say, 
is 
not 
the 
Christian 
ideal, 
and 
the 
two 
can 
never 
be 
completely 
harmonized." 
Mr. 
Batten 
considers 
it 
the 
Church's 
duty 
to 
quicken 
the 
political 
conscience 
of 
the 
world; 
and 
considers 
it 
a 
dangerous 
sign 
that 
people 
have 
ceased 
to 
expect 
unselfishness 
in 
politics. 
He 
continues:- 
"As 
cvery 
one 
knows, 
a 
double 
standard 
of 
morality 
pre· 
vails, 
and 
men 
have 
one 
kind 
of 
right 
for 
their 
personal 
and 
family 
hves, 
and 
a 
different 
kind 
of 
right 
for 
their 
political 
and 
commercial 
lives. 
All 
such 
things 
as 
sentiment, 
conscience 
and 
love 
are 
ruled 
out 
of 
politics, 
and 
we 
are 
told 
that 
the 
Decalogue 
and 
the 
Sermon 
on 
the 
Mount 
have 
nothing 
to 
do 
"lth 
a 
political 
campaign 
. 
. 
. 
. 
The 
chancellor 
of 
the 
German 
rlllpire 
has 
lately 
declarcd; 
'I 
can 
not 
conduct 
foreign 
policy 
from 
the 
point 
of 
VlCW 
of 
pure 
moral 
philosophy. 
It 
is 
not 
ours 
to 
ask 
what 
is 
right 
and 
what 
is 
wrong. 
The 
politician 
i~ 
no 
judge 
of 
morals; 
he 
has 
solcly 
to 
m3intain 
the 
interests 
and 
rights 
of 
his 
country.' 
Another 
man, 
not 
himself 
a 
prac­ 
tica 
1 
politician, 
but 
a 
political 
philosopher, 
Professor 
Wil­ 
loughby, 
declare~: 
'It 
is, 
in 
fact, 
quite 
superfluous 
to 
show 
in 
this 
ag-e 
that 
from 
their 
own 
inherent 
nature 
divine 
and 
moral 
sanctions 
can 
have 
no 
application 
to 
political 
matters' 
So 
long' 
a 
~ 
such 
scntiments 
prevail 
in 
high 
places, 
it 
is 
not 
sur­ 
prj~ing- 
that 
they 
should 
appear 
in 
low 
places. 
And 
so 
long 
as 
such 
sentimcnts 
prevail, 
whether 
in 
high 
places 
or 
in 
low, 
that 
long- 
the 
church 
of 
Jesus 
Christ 
will 
have 
a 
most 
fiery 
and 
1 
elentless 
mi~sion." 
Inquiring 
into 
the 
church's 
attitude 
on 
social 
questions, 
he 
declares 
that 
"in 
our 
time 
the 
power 
of 
Christianity 
is 
to 
be 
proved 
by 
its 
abihty 
to 
create 
a 
Christian 
type 
of 
human 
so­ 
ciety," 
and 
adds:- 
"It 
is 
intolerable 
to 
all 
right 
religion 
that 
numbers 
of 
people 
should 
be 
miserable 
and 
needy 
while 
there 
is 
plenty 
to 
spare 
in 
the 
Father's 
house. 
No 
one 
who 
believes 
in 
Jesus 
Christ 
can 
believe 
that 
it 
is 
the 
will 
of 
the 
heavenly 
Father 
that 
one 
part 
of 
the 
human 
family 
shan 
go 
hungry 
and 
des­ 
titute 
while 
another 
part 
is 
living 
in 
luxury 
and 
ease. 
The 
most 
tragic 
fact 
about 
this 
poverty 
and 
ignorance 
is 
not 
the 
hunger 
and 
suffering, 
though 
these 
are 
sad 
enough. 
The 
sad- 
dest 
feature 
about 
It 
all 
is 
the 
waste 
of 
human 
life, 
the 
fact 
that 
the 
wonderful 
possibilities 
in 
these 
human 
brothers 
are 
never 
unfolded 
and 
realized. 
A 
social 
and 
industrial 
system 
in 
w?i~h 
one 
man 
con~rols 
~housands 
o.f 
lives 
and 
is 
possessed 
of 
ml1hons 
of 
money; 
m 
whiCh 
able-bodied 
men 
willing 
to 
work 
walk 
the 
streets 
in 
desperation 
looking 
for 
a 
job; 
in 
which 
thousands 
of 
women, 
owmg 
to 
oppressive 
labor 
and 
small 
re­ 
muneration, 
are 
under 
a 
continual 
temptation 
to 
barter 
woman­ 
hood 
for 
gain; 
in 
w~ich 
are 
tenements 
not 
fit 
for 
pig-sties 
where 
women 
fight 
WIth 
fever, 
and 
infants 
pant 
for 
air 
and 
wail 
out 
their 
httle 
lives; 
in 
which 
the 
sweater's 
den 
and 
the 
glOg-shop 
thrive-~uch 
a 
society 
is 
very 
far 
indeed 
from 
that 
order 
whirh 
God 
wishes 
and 
ordains." 
, 
, 
To 
the 
query, 
Isn't 
this 
a 
hazardous 
topic? 
he 
replies:­ 
"That 
may 
be; 
but 
hazardous 
to 
whom' 
To 
the 
preacher? 
All 
the 
real 
hazard 
to 
him 
arises 
from 
the 
fact 
that 
he 
is 
faithless 
to 
his 
trust. 
To 
the 
hearers? 
Would 
to 
God 
it 
were 
more 
hazardous 
to 
those 
Who 
are 
guilty 
of 
the 
monstrous 
wrongs 
which 
hurt 
their 
fellows 
and 
hinder 
the 
kingdom 
of 
God! 
. 
. 
. 
. 
"The 
ml~~ion 
of 
the 
('hur{'h 
is 
eVIdent; 
the 
('hun,h's 
ereOt'lI­ 
tials 
are 
clear; 
the 
need 
of 
the 
world 
is 
great. 
Nothincr 
could 
be 
more 
weak 
and 
pitiful 
than 
for 
the 
churches 
to 
conf:'ss 
that 
whole 
provinces 
of 
life 
lie 
beyond 
their 
interest. 
Nothing 
could 
be 
more 
cruel 
and 
cowardly 
than 
for 
the 
churches 
to 
say 
that 
they 
have 
no 
word 
to 
offer 
on 
the 
problems 
which 
make 
the 
peril 
and 
the 
opportunity 
of 
our 
time. 
Nothing 
could 
be 
more 
calamitous 
and 
short-sighted 
than 
for 
the 
churches 
to 
leave 
to 
outsiders, 
to 
unbelievcrs 
often, 
the 
discussion 
of 
cur­ 
rent 
wrongs 
and 
the 
leadership 
in 
moral 
reform." 
THE 
GENTLEMAN'S 
WRONG 
VIEW-POINT 
'Ve 
admire 
Mr. 
Batten's 
zeal 
and 
courage 
for 
the 
right, 
but 
discern 
that, 
like 
1~1any 
more, 
he 
is 
in 
trouble 
by 
reason 
of 
a 
misconception 
of 
the 
divine 
plan 
of 
the 
acres 
and 
the 
church's 
mission 
thereunder. 
t> 
The 
church 
should, 
indeed, 
"lift 
up 
a 
standard 
for 
the 
peo­ 
ple," 
the 
wOlld 
i-in 
her 
pUlpits, 
in 
her 
press, 
and 
in 
the 
"hv­ 
ing 
epistles" 
of 
her 
people. 
But 
she 
is 
not 
to 
blame 
that 
the 
world 
in 
general 
will 
not 
follow 
her 
precepts 
and 
example. 
Did 
our 
Lord 
himself 
or 
his 
apostles 
transform 
politics? 
or 
recon­ 
struct 
society? 
or 
ab?lish 
wars 
and 
injustices 
in 
their 
day? 
Assuredly 
not, 
UnsatIsfactory 
as 
is 
the 
condition 
of 
things 
at 
present 
it 
was 
much 
worse 
for 
the 
poor 
"groaning 
creation" 
then. 
(Rom. 
8,22) 
Were 
our 
lord 
and 
the 
apostles 
at 
fault 
then? 
By 
no 
means. 
Neithcr 
i~ 
the 
church 
to 
blame 
that 
pres­ 
ent 
conditions 
are 
what 
they 
are. 
But 
perhaps 
Rev. 
Batten 
would 
reply: 
The 
conditions 
now 
are 
different 
from 
what 
they 
were 
in 
the 
days 
of 
the 
apostles; 
-now 
we 
have 
what 
we 
can 
the 
"Christian 
World" 
of 
Europe 
and 
America 
and 
in 
these 
lands 
of 
"Christendom"; 
surely 
we 
should 
expect 
Christian 
methods 
in 
politics, 
finance 
and 
society. 
What 
folly, 
dear 
brother! 
Is 
it 
possible 
for 
us 
to 
deceive 
ourselves 
into 
thinking 
that 
the 
world 
is 
Christianized? 
Is 
it 
possible 
for 
us 
even 
to 
consider 
that 
the 
professed 
church­ 
membership 
is 
Christianized? 
Surely 
the 
term 
Christtan 
world 
is 
as 
much 
a 
misnomer 
as 
the 
term 
ChristIan 
Scientist. 
Call­ 
ing 
worldliness 
Christianity 
no 
more 
makes 
it 
so 
than 
calling 
black 
white 
would 
change 
it. 
The 
church 
"whose 
names 
are 
written 
in 
heaven" 
consists 
only 
of 
those 
who 
have 
the 
spirit, 
mind, 
will, 
disposition 
of 
their 
Lord 
and 
Master, 
their 
Redeemer. 
These, 
today 
as 
ever, 
are 
but 
a 
"little 
flock" 
as 
compared 
to 
even 
the 
nominal 
church, 
and 
are 
scattered 
here 
and 
there 
throughout 
the 
sects, 
whose 
BabyJonish, 
worldly, 
fleshly 
splrit 
troubles 
them. 
but 
whose 
wine 
of 
false 
doctrine 
deceives 
them. 
(Rev. 
14:8; 
17:2; 
18: 
3) 
Wherever 
they 
are, 
they 
are 
striving 
after 
and 
more 
and 
more 
attaining 
to 
the 
high 
ideals 
of 
their 
Teacher, 
whose 
word 
they 
hear, 
reverence 
and 
follow. 
During 
the 
absence 
of 
the 
Chief 
Shepherd 
the 
flock 
has 
become 
greatly 
scattered 
by 
[3112] 
(355-356) law and much advantage every way over them. If their knowledge of the Lord led them to kindly salutations and kindly actions, much more should the Christian’s greater knowledge of the divine will and his anointing of the holy Spirit enable him to be kind, considerate and affectionate toward others—doing good unto all men as we have oppor tunity, especially to the household of faith. Our Golden Text 1s an exhortation to spiritual] Israelites and is in full accord with the sentiments of this lesson as witnessed by the conduct of Naomi and Ruth and Boaz and ZION’S WATCH TOWER ALLEGHENY, Pa. his laborers. Let us with increasing light and knowledge and privilege make still further progress in all the fruits of the spirit of love. Finally,—It is unsafe to neglect to have the Lord for our God, and to neglect to make his people our people. Acceptance of the Lord means ultimately a change in all of life’s interests and affairs if we would abide in his love and favor. The sacrifice of earthly things may cost us tears and heartaches at first: but eventually we will be more than compensated—as was Ruth, only in higher, spiritual blessings, Vou. XXIII ALLEGHENY, PA., DECEMBER 1, 1902 No. 23 VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER THE CHURCH AS THE MAKER OF THE WORLD’S CONSCIENCE This topic is treated in a manner with which we sympathize but do not agree, by Rev. S. Z. Batten, in an article in the American Journal of Sociology. He asserts that money and military glory are the “false ideals” before the world, and inquires whether or not the church has really spoken out against either of these. He thinks not and proceeds:— __ “In church and college, in society and in the press, rich men are honored and flattered and held up as models to be adored and imitated. The influence of all this, as any one can see, is to degrade the common morals; it is to set up a false ideal of life; it is to fire the imagination of the young with unholy and unworthy ambitions; it is to cast discredit on the poorer and humbler workers in the kingdom of God. Every careful student of modern society declares that the reign of commercialism has come, and with the reign of this commercialism there has come a sad confusion of moral values. This commercialism places money above life, and things before men, ‘Our whole society,’ says Felix Adler, ‘is infiltrated with the money-getting idea.’ There is danger lest a commercialism utterly destitute of moral and spiritual conceptions shall usurp the place which should be held by truer and Christlier ideals. “Closely akin to this is another false ideal which is set up before the people for honor and imitation. As every one knows, the miltary ideal has held sway for untold ages over the minds and hearts of men, and the great men of history are largely military leaders and conquerors. How far militarism is necessary in an imperfect and evolving society it does not concern us here to inquire. The military captain no doubt has had his work to do in the world, and let him have his wreath ot laurel leaves. But the military ideal, it is needless to say, is not the Christian ideal, and the two can never be completely harmonized.” Mr. Batten considers it the Church’s duty to quicken the political conscience of the world; and considers it a dangerous sign that people have ceased to expect unselfishness in politics, He continues :— “As every one knows, a double standard of morality prevails, and men have one kind of right for their persona] and family lives, and a different kind of right for their political and commercial lives. All such things as sentiment, conscience and love are ruled out of politics, and we are told that the Decalogue and the Sermon on the Mount have nothing to do with a political campaign. . . . The chancellor of the German empire has lately declared; ‘I can not conduct foreign policy from the point of view of pure moral philosophy. It is not ours to ask what is right and what is wrong. The politician is no judge of morals; he has solely to maintain the interests and rights of his country.’ Another man, not himself a practical politician, but a political philosopher, Professor Wiilloughby, declares: ‘It is, in fact, quite superfluous to show in this age that from their own inherent nature divine and moral sanctions can have no application to political matters’ So long as such sentiments prevail in high places, it is not surprising that they should appear in low places. And so long as such sentiments prevail, whether in high places or in low, that long the church of Jesus Christ will have a most fiery and relentless mission.” Inquiring into the church’s attitude on social questions, he declares that “in our time the power of Christianity is to be proved by its ability to create a Christian type of human society,’ and adds:— “Tt is intolerable to all right religion that numbers of people should be miserable and needy while there is plenty to spare in the Father’s house. No one who believes in Jesus Christ can believe that it is the will of the heavenly Father that one part of the human family shall go hungry and destitute while another part is living in luxury and ease. The most tragic fact about this poverty and ignorance is not the hunger and suffering, though these are sad enough. The sad dest feature about 1t all is the waste of human life, the fact that the wonderful possibilities in these human brothers are never unfolded and realized. A social and industrial system in which one man controls thousands of lives and is possessed of millions of money; in which able-bodied men willing to work walk the streets in desperation looking for a job; in which thousands of women, owing to oppressive labor and small remuneration, are under a continual temptation to barter womanhood for gain; in which are tenements not fit for pig-sties where women fight with fever, and infants pant for air and wail out their little lives; in which the sweater’s den and the giog-shop thrive—such a society is very far, indeed, from that order which God wishes and ordains.” To the query, Isn’t this a hazardous topic? he replies: — “That may be; but hazardous to whom? To the preacher? All the real hazard to him arises from the fact that he is faithless to his trust. To the hearers? Would to God it were more hazardous to those who are guilty of the monstrous arangs which hurt their fellows and hinder the kingdom of od! .... “The mission of the church is evident; the church's credentials are clear; the need of the world is great. Nothing could be more weak and pitiful than for the churches to confess that whole provinces of life lie beyond their interest. Nothing could be more cruel and cowardly than for the churches to say that they have no word to offer on the problems which make the peril and the opportunity of our time. Nothing could be more calamitous and short-sighted than for the churches to leave to outsiders, to unbelievers often, the discussion of current wrongs and the leadership in moral reform.” THE GENTLEMAN’S WRONG VIEW-POINT We admire Mr. Batten’s zeal and courage for the right, but discern that, like many more, he is in trouble by reason of a misconception of the divine plan of the ages and the church’s mission thereunder, The church should, indeed, “lift up a standard for the people,” the wo1ld;—in her pulpits, in her press, and in the “hving epistles” of her people. But she is not to blame that the world in general will not follow her precepts and example. Did our Lord himself or his apostles transform politics? or reconstruct society? or abolish wars and injustices in their day? Assuredly not. Unsatisfactory as is the condition of things at present it was much worse for the poor “groaning creation” then. (Rom. 8°22) Were our lord and the apostles at fault then? By no means. Neither is the church to blame that present conditions are what they are. But perhaps Rev. Batten would reply: The conditions now are different from what they were in the days of the apostles; —now we have what we call the “Christian World” of Europe and America and in these lands of “Christendom”; surely we should expect Christian methods in politics, finance and society, What folly, dear brother! Is it possible for us to deceive ourselves into thinking that the world is Christianized? Is it possible for us even to consider that the professed churchmembership is Christianized? Surely the term Christian world is as much a misnomer as the term Christian Scientist. Calling worldliness Christianity no more makes it so than calling black white would change it. The church “whose names are written in heaven” consists only of those who have the spirit, mind, will, disposition of their Lord and Master, their Redeemer. These, today ag ever, are but a “little flock” as compared to even the nominal church, and are scattered here and there throughout the sects, whose Babylonish, worldly, fleshly spirit troubles them, but whose wine of false doctrine deceives them. (Rev. 14:8; 17:2; 18:3) Wherever they are, they are striving after and more and more attaining to the high ideals of their Teacher, whose word they hear, reverence and follow. During the absence of the Chief Shepherd the flock has become greatly scattered by [3112]

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