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Vou. XXXVIT BROOKLYN, N. Y., FEBRUARY 15, 1916 No. 4 VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER It would appear that our nation is entering the danger zone as respects the great war-conflagration of Europe. The war fever seems to spread. Our President, who has been so staunch a friend of peace, is manifestly being influenced by the prevalent spirit of pride and the demand that American rights shall brook no interference, Our President’s peace policy has been changed to a preparedness policy. And what could preparedness mean except that, if we had the largest navy, the Government sooner or later would become more proud and arrogant and wish to dictate conditions to other nations, and thus plunge us into war? From our viewpoint, the United States has a very respectable navy, abundantly sufficient for its own home defenses— especially when supplemented with the laying of ocean mines and with port fortifications, if any of the latter be lacking. What has America to fear? Do Great Britain and Germany, France, or all of them together, wish to destroy their best customer, from whose trade they make their largest profits? Nonsense! All the great countries of Europe are anxious for our friendship, and all of them should have it, with our influence exerted in the interests of their peace and welfare. Imagine an army of a million men crossing the Atlantic ocean! Imagine the number of ships required! Remember that the largest vessels can barely carry coal enough to bring them properly across the ocean without replenishment, Who can imagine the inability of the United States to meet any invading army, if we had no navy at all? We are not disputing that it would be a policy of reasonable worldly wisdom to be prepared for any reasonable liability of invasion. We are not disputing that it might be, in some respects, a wise policy to enroll the youth of the land and to require all to spend two weeks every summer in camp life. This would be both a recreation and an education, and with the inculcation of the thought that they are a peace army, and not an army of aggression, the influence might be favorable. VIEWS OF BIBLE STUDENTS The foregoing is what we might call a worldly view of the situation. Bible students, looking from the standpoint of the Word of God, see clearly that the present great war in Europe will, according to prophecy, so utterly wreck all the participating nations that they will have no strength for further combat, no gold reserves, called war-chests, for military purposes. War-smitten, bankrupted, discouraged, the nations will be many years in repairing the terrible losses they are now inflicting upon each other. Moreover, the Bible assures us that with the crisis of their trouble, coming through revolution and anarchy, the world will be saved from its own madness by the establishment of Messiah’s kingdom. “He shall make war to cease unto the ends of the earth.” (Psalm 46:9) The war-mad nations will ‘‘beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks .... and learn war no more.”—Isa. 2:4; Micah 4:3. But of course we cannot expect others than Bible students to see matters from this viewpoint. ‘hey must wait for the actual experiences which we foresee through the telescope of God’s Word. Failing to see from the Bible standpoint, yet wishing to carry forward his policy, which so far has been so very successful, our worthy President now seems in great danger of being misled by his past successes in the field of diplomacy. He is greatly endangering, not only the peace of our own land, but the breaking of all restraints of war throughout the world by insisting that Germany shall declare that she transgressed the laws of warfare in destroying the Lusitania. Germany’s plea is that the submarines, recognized and used by all nations, bring in a new question as respects international law in dealing with life. To maintain the respect and good will of the United States, Germany has offered to pay for the lives of American citizens lost on the Lusitania and has given assurances of her intention to hereafter abstain from sinking passenger vessels, even though they carry munitions of war; unless the passengers all be given first a full, fair chance of safely leaving the captured vessel. The attainment of such a concession is a great honor to President Wilson’s diplomacy. We greatly fear that he is about to wreck the entire matter by insisting that the German Empire shall say, “We confess that we were naughty.” Our President threatens that if Germany does not acknowledge that she did wrong, he will undertake to punish her by breaking off friendly relations between the two governments, etc. We see nothing to be gained by his course, but much to be endangered. Germany’s friendship and willingness to con (51-52) cede to our wishes may be brought to the snapping-point. Their friendly relationships sundered, what would there be to restrain the Germans from going any length they might please in what they recognize as a war for their very existence as a nation? The result might be to give every submarine commander liberty to sink any and every thing bearing the flag of Germany’s enemies. Moreover, the animosity undoubtedly would extend to the American flag. Furthermore, if not resented, it would be considered as more or less of an injustice, on the part of many Americans whose sympathies must naturally go, to some extent, with their blood toward their kinsmen across the water, waging battle for existence against a combined world in arms, To Bible students we merely suggest that, if the worst should happen, we should remember that God is at the helm, and that thus he will allow human pride and wrath to further work out the great troubles incident to the “Battle of Armageddon” and the inauguration of Messiah’s kingdom. Let us remember Jesus’ words, applicable to the present time, “When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.’’--—-Luke 21:28, BITTERNESS AND PASSION INCREASE In StupIes IN THE SCRIPTURES, Vol. IV., we have clearly pointed out the things now transpiring, and the worse conditions yet to come. We have said in so many words that this great time of trouble will manifest fully that the civilization of our day, of which we have so greatly boasted, is merely skin deep—merely a veneer. Already we have seen manifesta tions of this in various quarters, and our understanding of the Bible teaching is that these matters, so deplorable, will grow from bad to worse. National animosities will become personal animosities until, as the Bible foretold, there will be no peace to him that goes out, nor to him that comes in, because “every man’s hand will be against his neighbor.” (Ezekiel 38:21) Our Savior, in describing these matters, prophetically declares, “Unless those days should be cut short, no flesh would survive.” (Matthew 24:22) But we are glad that he also gives us the assurance that because of the elect (himself and his church in kingdom power and glory) those days will be cut short—Messiah’s kingdom will be set up. But we are not to expect the interposition of the Lord’s power to stop the great time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, until mankind shall have been greatly humbled to the dust and shall call upon the Lord in great trepidation. We are far from that condition of things now. Now the Germans pray to God that he will destroy England. And British prayers go up for the victory of their armies and the downfall of their foes. And so with the other nations participating in the war; each praying against its foes; each expecting God’s favor and blessing. Will it not be a very different story and will not very different prayers ascend when all nations shall realize their undoing and that the only succor they can hope for from any quarter, will be. through the interposition of divine power to stav the anarchy of that awful time which the Bible symbolically calls a devouring fire, and which our creeds have all mistaken to be literal fire? RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PREACHERS The following extracts from the Methodist Times purport to be faithful translations of some Gernian sermons recently preached. These sermons remind us of the infatuation unto persecution which once was general between the various sects. We had hoped that all such bitterness and acrimony were things of the past, yet here they are in all their evil malignity. Rev. William Burgess, the Methodist representative at Rome, furnishes the quotations referred to as follows: NO COMPROMISE WITH HELL “Pastor Zoebel, speaking in the great Lutheran church in Leipsic, said: ‘It is this deep consciousness of our mission that permits us to congratulate ourselves, and rest content with a heart full of gratitude, when our guns beat down the children of Satan, and when our marvelous submarines—instruments to execute divine vengeance—send to the bottom of the sea thousands of the non-elect. We must fight the wicked with every means in our power; their sufferings should give us pleasure; their crics of despair should not move German hearts. There ought to be no compromise with hell, no mercy for the servants of Satan—in other words, no pity for the English, French. and Russians, nor indeed for any nation that has sold itself to the devil. They have all been condemned to death by a divine decree.’ ” A WORK OF CHARITY “Professor Rheinold Seeby, who teaches theology in the Berlin University, preaching in the cathedral of the city, [5852]