MARCH 1, 1915 



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The resolution has been referred to the Committee 

 on Foreign Aflfairs and ordered printed. It is the 

 outcome of a widespread agitation of the peace 

 movement and of memorials, circulated by the Chris- 

 tian fleraUl, which have been numerously signed 

 and inailod to members of both Houses and the 

 President within the last few weeks. 



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"tH?^ MAILKl) fist" OR "THE PIERCED HAND.''' 



Our lons"-tinie friend from away off in 

 New South Wales, Herbert J. Rumsey, 

 sends us a clipping: from the Sunday Sun 

 of Deo. 13. This edition of the Sicn was to 

 be mailed to tlie soldier " boys at the front," 

 and a Protestant minister prc])ared the 

 sermon from which I make the following 

 extract : 



THE SYMBOL OF THE GOSPEL IS A PIERCED HAND. 



The pierced hand is the symbol of I lie world em- 

 pire of Jesu.s. During the last few months we have 

 i'cen made painfully conscious of another symbol of 

 world empire — the mailed fist. 



We are looking forward to the time when the 

 peace of God which passeth all understandinsj will 

 fall on this shot-shattered world, when the daisies 

 will bloom on the battlefields that are now red, when 

 the birds will build their nests in the cannon's 

 mouth. There will come an abolition of militarism, 

 new and better international relations, a purged 

 national life, a splendid extension of the kingdom of 

 righteousness and peace and joy. Do you believe 

 it? Are you not fighting for it? To-morrow Bern- 

 hardi's law of might will pass, and the world will 

 learn a new but an old word, " Blessed are the 

 peacemakers." A recent illustrated paper contained 

 the picture of a ruined church smashed by the red 

 anger of the Germans. Underneath were written the 

 words, " The cross is not damaged." There among 

 the dust and ruin and horror of it all was the cross, 

 erect, unbroken, and sulilime. whicli thinss aic ;i 

 parable. We, like Constantine of old, see the cross 

 outlined above the clouds, and reverently cry, " Hoc 

 signo vincamos " — " By this sign we shall conquer." 

 So, above the smoke of battle rises mystically the 

 sign of a cross. Across Evrope's bloodiest fidd 

 there berkojui a pierced hand, and as from afar, yet 

 with a note of present confidence, there sounds a 

 >oice of triiimph. " I, if J he lifted vp. vnU draio all 

 men unto irn ." 



No one can read the gospels without reaching the 

 conclusion that -fesus anticipated a ministi-y that 

 should be wider than any Jewish limits. He who 

 is reckoned by some to have been a peasant in an 

 obsi-ure province in a far-ofT age, who \vT0te no book, 

 who built no church, who organized no army, who 

 left no court, foresaw a ministry which was to be 

 as wide as the world. As a peasant, Christ died 

 when, as mm reckon years, he had scarcely reached 

 his prime. 



Not a golden hair was gray 

 Upon his crucifixion day. 



Concerning his death, he said, " I, if I be lifted 

 up, will draw all men unto me." The great sayings 

 of Jesu.s have stood the test of all criticism, and 

 they tell us that throughout his earthly ministry 

 Christ had the outlook of approaching lordship over 

 all the nations. The teaching of Jesus consistently 

 pointed to the fact that his death and world empire 

 are forever associated. His death was to be the 

 secret of world empire. When the one grew vivid 

 in hi.'; thought there rose the vision of the other. 

 .Vnd that fact should be thought much of by every 

 man and every woman who is interested in the world 

 empire of Jesus Christ. So far as our present ex- 



luM-ioncc has gone, it must be granted that historic 

 Chrislianity answers all the ends of true religion. It 

 sweetens life; it creates saints; it inspires mission- 

 aries; it brings gifts of peace to dying hours; it 

 lifts men by the energy of its grace to better living. 

 It promotes righteousness, peace, and joy. It strength- 

 ens all the anchorages of morality. It brings light 

 amid the shadows of life, and, in the darkest valley, 

 the vision of the eternal God. Wherever the gospel 

 lins licen preached, men have learned a new pity for 

 liuiiiaii pain, a charity that cares for the helpless, 

 a patience that watches over broken and failing life. 

 The gospel supplies new moral ideals by which to 

 sliajjc life, new forces by which to touch life. 



May God hasten the day when the whole 

 wide world shall have so little use for 

 cannon that they may prove a safe nesting- 

 place for the innocent birds. 



.-<AX FRANCISCO AND THE EXPOSITION, ETC. ; FROM 

 OUR LONG-TIME FRIEND W. A. PRYAL. 



3Iy dear Mr. Root : — One of your correspondents 

 living in this state makes a very broad and unwar- 

 ranted charge against San Francisco, p. 44, that I 

 believe should not go unchallenged. I am a native 

 of that city ; and while I must acknowledge that 

 many things are done there that are reprehensible, 

 still it is not altogether the bad place that too many 

 narrow-minded persons are too ready to dub it. Pew 

 cities as large, and made up of such a cosmopolitan 

 population as she possesses, are more orderly, and 

 as well-managed, as the City by the Golden Gate. 

 It is a city of culture and refinement, even if there 

 is a large sprinkling of elements that cannot lay 

 claim to such designation. Of course, too often the 

 worst element in a community raises a lot of dust 

 that is disgusting to the better classes ; but I find 

 that the latter element is to blame, in the majority 

 of cases, in not correcting such abuses. If they 

 would take more civic pride, and vote as their best 

 interests dictate, there would be a better order of 

 things. I have noticed that in nearly all our big 

 cities, even in this elegant city of Oakland, many 

 loeople of refinement and culture refrain from going 

 to the polls on election day as they should, and voting 

 for suitable men for office, or supporting wise legis- 

 lative measures when they come up on either initia- 

 tive or referendum submissions. 



Under the old order of things too often bosses who 

 had their origin (and most times instructions) from 

 some saloon saw that their cohorts were rounded up 

 and voted to carry things for the bosses. In this 

 way most of the office-holders were unworthy men, 

 and many of the measures enacted were what they 

 should not be. But the saloon is "getting on to 

 itself," and it is no longer the factor that it was. 

 And this is a good thing for everybody. I have long 

 held that it should be a criminal offense for a bar- 

 keeper to use his place of business for political pur- 

 poses. It is a well-known fact that some saloons are 

 worth thousands and thousands of dollars to the 

 owners as rendezvous for a gang of politicians. This 

 should not be. Make it criminal for such goings on. 

 And perhaps, too. it would be well to close such 

 places for a certain period, say a week or more be- 

 fore a general election, and shorter for minor ones. 

 All this applies to places where out-and-out prohibi- 

 tion cannot be brought about. In time I believe men 

 will not want to be seen going into a whisky dis- 

 pensary, even if they are not prohibited from so 

 doinij. I believe, from what I see wherever I go in 

 California, there is far from being the intemperance 

 there used to be. This is brought about by several 

 i-auses. It must be said to the credit of some of the 

 saloon men that they will not sell strong drink to 

 men who are likely to over-indulge. But the great 



