The - Plattsmouth - Journal
Published Semi-Weekly at
R. A. DATES,
Entered at the Postofflce at Plattsmouth, Nebraska, as second-class
matter.
$1.50 PER YEAR IN ADVANCE
Come, hustle up, don't loaf and fret,
Don't sit there looking surly.
But get a good, live move on you
And do Christmas shopping early.
:o:
Make up your mind, you people
that are able, to remember the poor
on Christmas.
:o:
It 1b Just possible that the latest
director of Dr. Cook may have a
screw loose.
:o:
The proof that women are more
clever than men consists In the fact
that few men can avoid matrimony.
:o: :
Trices are always highest Just be
fore Christmas. This year only the
temperature has been marked down.
-:o:-
Prosperity note: A careful exami
nation of the new calendars shows
there are tl fly-three Saturdays In
1910.
:o:
These are the days when young
Americans begin to search his and
her wardrobe for their longest pair
of stockings., .
;o:
Secretary McVeagh suggests that
there should be no more tariff re
vision until the people know how to
revise it. Would he have the pres
ent tariff iniquities remain In force
until a really competent congress Is
elected?
i
:o:
A debating society in a south Mis
souri town argued the question of
whether the commercial club makes
the town or the town makes the
commercial club. We think it is six
six of one and a half dozen of the
other. The general public have
about as much to do with a suc
cessful commercial club as the mem
bers of the club themselves.
;o:
Congressman Mngulro writes the
Journal that ho has arranged to con-'
tlnuo sending the Congressional Ue
Mord to the public library of this
city, and anyone Interested can per
sue tho doiiiRS of congress. Mr. Ma
gulre had the lU'cord sent to the
library nil during the special, ses
sion, nnd will have the same sent
to all the public libraries In his dis
trict during the present session.
:o:
Should Governor Shallenbergcr
decide to call a special session of
the legislature, would it not be a
good idea for him to consnlt tho
supreme Judges before hand?
Just ua they did with the Re
publican state committee, when
Judge Iliirncs appeared beforo that
miguHt body, desiring to know what
laws tho Democratic legislature
passed they wanted killed.
:o:-
Whlln there baa been much said
about early Christmas shopping, yet
there has been but very little of It
done. Of course, this Is due entirely
to the condition of tho roads und tho
inclemency of tho weather. However,
the good people of riattsmouth have
It In their power to lighten the burd
en and 'troubles of tho clerks and
merchants alike if they will do their
shopping now while the weather
makes it almost Impossible for the
farmers to .come to the city.
:o:
Our old friend Bowlby, of the
Crete Democrat, hits the nail right
Bquare, on the head In the following:
"We are opposed to a postal savings
bank law, for the reason that it will
place in the hands of tho general
government the party in power a
large amount of the currency of the
country, with which those in office
can Increase or decrease, as It Buits
their interests, the amount of money
In any section of tho country. Let
the money stay In banks and the
banks put up a guarantee fund to
make depositors safe."
The kind of economy the federal
administration may bo expected to
exercise has the strongest accent on
the second syllable.
Plattsmouth, Nebraska i
Publisher.
If, as Prof Fisher of Yale affirms,
man is worth $90 at birth, there's a
lot of him who would like to be born
again and get the money.
:o: .
Salt is an absolute necessity of hu
man and animal life. Sodium chloride
(salt) Is an essential element of the
blood. Life would be impossible
without it. The Taft-Payne-AIdrich
tariff bill therefore placed an in
creased cost of this as well as prac
tically all other necessaries of life.
Dealers are being notified that on
coarse grades prices have been In
creased 75 cents to $1.25 a ton,
while table and dairy grades are ad
vanced from $2 to 12.23 a ton. About
2,500,000 tons of salt are consumed
in the United States every year, so
if the average increase la but 50
cents a ton the trust will add $1,
250,000 to its annual profits. Air,
which is no more essential to life
than salt, still remains on the free
list. This is due not to any bene
volence on the part of the Taft-Payne-Aldrich
tariff promoters, but
solely to the fact that no scheme
has yet been successfully devised to
corner the air market.
:o:
HILL'S ANSWKK TO TAFT.
When President Taft cites the In
creased prices of farm products o
prove that high tariff Is not respon
sible for any considerable share of
the Increased cost of living, let him
go to James J. Hill for his answer.
There Is a reason, a natural rea
son, for the mounting prices of food
products. That reason is given by
Mr. Hill clearly, cogently, convinc
ingly. But there is no sufficient rea
son for the enormous prices of manu
factured products, except as it Is
found In such artificial causes as a
protective tariff which eliminates
competition from abrond, and trust
agreements which eliminate domes
tic competition.
Kood products are rising in value
because, as Mr. Hill graphically
shows, consumption and population
are increasing so much faster than
production. The demand is rapidly
increasing, while the supply, relative
ly, Is diminishing at an nlarmlng
rato. And the prices are fixed, In an
open market, by the law of supply
and demand. In this case, since pop
ulation Is bound to go on lncreai!ng,
and with It tho demand, the remedy
lies In increasing the Bupply. Mr.
1 1 111 Is the John the naptlst of that
remedy, crying his religion In the
wilderness. And ho Is rendering the
whole American people an Inestima
ble service in his preaching of this
gospel.
Hut conditions are radically dif
ferent In the Industrial field. Our
manufacturers are not decreasing,
relatively, as farm products are.
They aro increasing, relatively as
well as actually. While farm ex
ports are falling off, factory exports
are climbing at an amazing rate. In
manufactures, In a word, supply is
Increasing faster than demand, and
tho energies of our business world,
and of our federal government, are
incessantly devoted to finding and
developing foreign markets for the
surplus product. When the same
condition prevailed as to farm pro
ducts, when not only , this country
but the world was glutted with
wheat and corn and other products
of the boII, prices fell to near the
vanishing point.
Why does not this Bame natural,
logical tendency manifest itself now,
in the case of tho output of our mills
and factories?
There Is still another reason why
factory products should bo cheaper,
aside from that found in a relatively
Increased supply. That other rea
son Is n lower cost of production.
Most of tho processes of wnnufac
ture, formerly done by hand, aro
now done by machinery, at only a
fraction of the old cost. One man,
In numberless instances, does today
the work that a dozen or a score or
a hundred men were required to do
a generation or two past. Science
and invention, every day of the year,
are bringing forward Improvements
all calculated to improve and cheap
en and expedite manufacturing pro
cesses. This Is quite the contrary of
the condition that governs the pro
duction of food. As Mr. Hill shows,
In ten states there is a less produc
tion of wheat per acre than there
was ten years ago. The same labor,
the same or better machinery, cost
ing more money, produce less wheat
rather than more wheat Naturally,
wheat rises. But the same labor, and
improved machinery, brings forth
more factory product than was pos
sible ten years ago. Why, then, do
not manufacturers fall In price, or
at least remain stable? Why, in
stead of falling, have they actually
risen, an average of about fifty per
cent?
Tariff and trust furnish the an
swer. In conformity to natural law farm
products are rising, and must con
tinue at their high level, until the
remedy Invoked by Mr. Hill Is. ap
plied. And in defiance of natural law
factory products are rising, and will
continue to rise, as long as tho tar
iff Is used to make the American
consumer helpless while the trusts
tie him hand and foot and go through
his pockets.
Why is the steel trust paying fat
dividends on $600,000,000 or more
of water?
Why Is Standard Oil earning from
40 to 50 per cent on Its capitaliza
tion? .
Why are the New England cotton
and woolen mills earning as high
as 67 per cent annually?
Why are scores upon scores of
trusts Increasing their wealth so
rapidly that multi-millionaires have
become common as flies in August?
It is because, while American
genius, Invention, industry, favor
able conditions of all kinds, enable
them to produce a constantly in
creasing supply at a cheaper cost,
tariff and trust grafting enable them
to-dispose of their bigger and cheap
er Hupply at a higher cost.
There is the difference between
rising farm prices and rising fac
tory prices.
James J. Hill has effectively an
swered William II. Taft.
-World-
Herald.
:o:-
All th,ls talk about denting Gov.
Shallenberger for renomlnatlon is
entirely out of order. Outside of
Omaha the governor Is more popular
today than he was a year ago, and
there Is no possible show to defeat
him for a renomlnatlon, or even In
the general election.
:o:
Football has been placed undor a
ban In 'Now York City. The board
of education has passed a resolution
ordering that the game bo abolished
in the public schools on January 1.
This is an encouraging sign of the
times. Young America may, protest,
but young America does not always
know what la best for it. It would
be well if New York's examnle
would be followed the country over.
Football as a sport has nothing to
commend It. The fearful toll of
deathilt has exacted in recent years
should be the signal for its own
death warant. Trlze fighting as a
pastime Is far safer and fully as' ele
vating. -:o:-
I)r. Cook may be a fakir. But the
use of fakirs by his enemies to dis
credit Dr. Cook docs not prove that
he is one. When the figure of a man
unblushingly relates that he received
money for aiding to perpertrate a
fraud, he practically admits that he
Is capablo of committing unlimited
fraud, if paid for the act; and then
he can be bought to make a public
declaration that his confession has
been purchased. Such a creature will
sell his word, and then sell his own
contradiction of what he said, con
fessing that his word has been
bought, and then take money, for
reaffirming his first statement, and
continue the performance aa long as
he can find purchasers. The New
York Times Is infinitely bright.
Ooo
PEOPLE'S
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.
Ooo
Sunday, December 12. Pastor Rus
sell of Brooklyn Tabernacle preached
today from the following text to a
packed house: ,
"Work out your own salvation with
fear and trembling, for it is God which
worketh in you both to will and to do
of his good pleasure" (Pbillppians ii,
13).
The proper relationship between faith
and works and between God's work
and ours are matters apparently not
clearly understood by the majority of
Christian people nnd. of course, not at
all comprehended by the worldly. It
is not only worth while, but very Im
portant.,, that each Christian entering
Into covcuant relationship with God
should understand distinctly bis own
responsibilities, the assistance which
God is willing to grunt him through
the merit of Christ, und what Is re
quired of 1 1 i in individually in the mat
ter of good works. A great stake, a
great prize is Involved. Carelessness
or Ignorance might Jeopardize this
prize might lose .us a place uinongst
"the very elect." who shall be Joint
heirs with their Redeemer In his Mil
lennial Kingdom soon to be inaugurat
ed for the blessing of the whole world.
Mark well that we purposely avoid
the error which so long had beclouded
our spiritual vision. Note that we do
not say that a failure to be amongst
"the elect" would Bignify to be with
damned millions In eternal torture. No
such unreasonable proposition is rep
resented in God's Word. The question
of this Gospel Age is to gain or not
to gain eternal life mid glory and hon
or as members of the Body of Christ.
In a word, not pleasure or misery, but
life or death, is the alternative.
Who are addressed by the Apostle in
the words of our text? He is not ad
dressing the wilfully or ignorantly
wicked the world. He Is addressing
those who had been such, but who re
pented, reformed, turned to God and
saw a great light. They have seen
themselves to be sinners under Just
condemnation of the Creator, and hnve
seen also that Jesus, the Seut of God.
has provided reconciliation with the
Father through his blood his sacri
fice. More than this they have by
faltli accepted this proffered grace of
God, nnd through a full consecration
of their all, made acceptable through
their Advocate, they have been re
ceived of the Father as his spirit-begotten
children. They have been ad
vised that as children they are "heirs
of God, Joint-belrs with J rails Christ"
their Lord, their Head, their Redeem
er, in the glorious Millennial Kingdom
which tho Father' lias foretold shall
he his fur the blessing of all the fam
ilies of the earth. Rut all these bless
ings they have received through faith
and not actually. They must wait for
the actualities until they and nil of
their brethren of the same class, "called
of God In the one hope of their call
ing." shall have been tried, tested, per
fected. In diameter, in heart, "Copies
of God's dear Sou."
How God Works In Us.
Our text declares that we should
work out our own salvation, because
it is God that worketh in us. This
puts God's work first and ours subse
quently; Let us therefore consider the
matter In this order. How, iu what
sense, does God work lu his people
not in the world; not In the repentant
sinner; not iu the merely justified: but
in those who have passed those stages
of approach to God and. by ttio be
getting of his holy Spirit, hnve eu
tered his family as children, as sons?
"Behold what manner of love the Fa
ther hath bestowed upon us. that we
should be called the sons of God" (I
John lii. 1). "And If children, then
heirs; heirs of God, and Joint-heirs
with Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans
Till, 17t. How does God work In such
as have thus become his children
his sous?
We reply that he works In them
through bis spirit the spirit of the
Truth; the spirit of holiness; the spirit
of consecration; the spirit of sonshlp.
That Is to say, a certain holy power
or influence operates in and about the
sptrlt-begotten children of God lu har
mony with this relationship. It has to
do with all of their experiences In
life-home, family, business, Joys, suf
ferings, pleasures, sorrows.
But God's special way of dealing
with his spirit-begotten children . is
through their Intellects communicat
ing with them through the holy Serlp
Vures. As the Apostle says, "God who
spake In time past unto the fathers
by tho prophets hath iu theso last
days spoken unto us by his Son" (He
brews 1. 1). Tho twelve apostles whom
the Father speclnlly gave to him, he
particularly accepted as his representa
tive his mouth-pieces, the channels
through whom would come . to the
family of God the instructions neces
sary for their development lu holiness
the Instructions necessary for their
attainment of the hope of tbetr calling
glory, honor nnd Immortality In Joint
heirship with Jesus their Redeemer as
the spiritual Seed of Abraham for the
blessing or the world (Galutians III, ?'..
Our Lord Jesus refers to this work
of God In his pei-plo through his Word,
saying, "Sanctify thein through thy
Truth. Thy Word Is Truth" (Join.
CoO
PULPIT...
God's Work
and Ours.
oof
xvll. 17). St. Paul refers to the Scrip
tures as the power of God, saying.
"All Scripture is given by Inspiration
of God. .and Is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for. instruc
tion in righteousness; that the man of
God may be perfect, thoroughly fur
nished unto all good works" (II Tim
othy 111. 10, 17.
"Yt Art God's Workmanihip."
We have seen that God does a work
in his consecrated people, using his
providences In connection with the ex
periences of life, and that he specially
uses his Word for their Instruction in
righteousness. We are to remember
Incidentally that our Lord Jesus who
redeemed us and reconciled us by hi
bloed Is still our Advocate with the
Father and our Instructor us the Fa
ther's representative; that through him
we may be nil taught of God In the
School of Christ. Next we should note
the Divine method in this work of
grace being carried on' In our hearts
from the time we fully submitted
them in full consecration, in faith.
Our text declares that God's work. In
us Is divided Into two purts trill
and to do. Let us examine first
How God Works In Us to Will.
The will is the real person or ego.
The body is merely responsible as the
agent or servant of the will. With
the world the will and the body ure
usually at oho-syuipnthetlcnlly co-operative.
But in those begotteu of God's
Spirit as his children matters are dif
ferent. Their wills by consecration
are developed along lines quite antag
onistic to the natural preferences of
their flesh, so that the Apostle wrote.
"With the mind I myself serve (or
desire to servet the Law of God. but
with the flesh I Berve (or desire to
servei the inw of sin" (Romans vll.
2.r)i. Hence every spirit-begotten per
son has a warfare betweeu bis new
mind, with its holy aspirations and de
sires nnd its opponent flesh with Its
animal propensities, some good and
some bad. Hence the Apostle exhorts
all these New Creatures to "war a
good warfare" against their owu flesh
and to bring it into subjection to the
New Mind nnd to the Divine Law.
ne urges that we "Bring every thought
Into captivity to the obedience of
Christ" (II Coriuthians x. 5i. This, of
course, would mean absolute perfec
tion, so far as the New Creature would
be concerned and a complete dendness
so far as the flesh Is concerned. With
every thought captivated to the Lord
(he individual would never lu any
sense commit sin other than the sin
of ignorance or Imperfection.
God works in the minds of his peo
ple not along tlie lines of eimliirctiiciil
of the mind after the manner of Satan
nnd those who are subject to his de
lusionsby hypnotism, etc. God's op
eration is the very reverse of this. He
eni'njhtrns the mind to do his work. He
displays to our minds gradually light
and Truth, purity and goodness in their
true colore. In contrast with sin. Ig
norance aud defilement. And In the
same words he sets before us the great
prize of glory, honor nnd Immortality
and Jolnt-helrship with our Redeemer
in his Kingdom. The power of these
hope working in a consecrated mind is
wonderful. It can make the naturally
weak strong, the naturally timid bold
as a lion.
This operation upon the mind Is a
gradual one from t he time of our be
getting of t he holy Spirit until our
change not all n once, but gradually,
little by little, the Lord displays to us
one, feature after another of his won
derful Plan of salvation. Step by step
he shows to the appreciative and obedi
ent heart the riches of his grace, his
loving kindness. Ids tender mercy, the
boundlessness of Ids love and the ulti
mate out working of his Divine powers
for the blessing of all of his creatures
who will accept Ids favors on his own
terms. All the while he leaves us free
agents to will in harmony with his
proposition or to reject it. He will
coerce no one. Our Lord Jesus ex
pressed the Father's sentiment In this
matter, saying, "The Father seeketh
such to worship him as worship htm lu
spirit and In truth" (John lv, 'Zl).
How God Works In Ut to Do.
Endenvor to do right naturally fol
lows right willing. But this does not
signify that God completes a work
upon our wills first nnd then begins a
fresh work upon us, stimulating us to
do right to the best of our ability. On'
the contrary, as through his providence
and Word God exercised an Influence
upon our wills through the knowledge
of his Truth, little by little each new
point of Truth was expected to be ac
knowledged by efforts on our part to
do God's will to the extent that the
new will was able to control the Im
perfect body. We may safely con
clude that each step in right-icfffifly
must bo followed by a step In right
doing before another item of grace aud
Truth would bo granted as a basis for
additional willing nnd then additional
doing. Thus, as we walk by first put
ting one foot forwurd and then the
other repeatedly, so the New Creature
walks or progresses by first willing
and next doing the Lord's good pleas
ure to the extent of his ability.
As surely ns the right-willing Is the
result of Divine operntlou In the re
teallng of Truth, so also is tho right-
doing. Of the Dlviue Iniluence in our
hearts working lu us bom to uui n;;d
to do God's good pleasure, Sr. IVter
gives us a word rilit to the poiut.
saying. "Whereby are giveu unto in
exceeding great und precious iiumit.;
that by these ye might be partaker of
the Divine uature" (11 Peter I, 4i.
Work Out Your Own Salvation.
We have heard mauy improper pray
ers presented ut the Throue of Grace
by well-iuteutioned but misinformed
children of God. Many Christians re
quest God to do for them that which
he tells them they must do for them
selves. The one who asks amiss some
times leaves the Throne of Grace con
fident that God will do for him what
God has never promised to do for any
body, but has told us each must do
for himself. Many pray, "Abandou us
not in temptation, but deliver us from
the Evil One" and then walk straight
Into temptation, wholly neglecting the
directions of God's Word. Indeed,
many so neglect, the study of that
Word that they are uot aware what
are Its teachings, its counsels, respect
ing Satan and the temptations from
the world, the flesh aud the devil, to
which all must be more or less ex
posed for their testing and character
development.
Some pray to God to save them by
his Divine power and expect him to
work miraculously in them, while they
are giving the best of their time aud
talent and influence to business or to
pleasure or to self-gratification. Such
need to learn the meaning of our text.
"Work out your own salvation with
fear and trembling." They need to
learn the meaning of the Apostle's
words, "A'ccn yourselves in the love of
God." God absolutely refuses to deal
with us as machines. More than this,
he refuses to coerce, to push, to pull,
to drive, those whom he Is uow call
ing to sonshlp and jolut-heirship with
Christ in his Kingdom.
During the Millennium the world
will receive all sorts of pulling, push
ing, driving, "stripes." for their correc
tion in righteousness. to iunke them
all eventually see, to ultimately force
all to take their stand for light or for
wrong, intelligently. But now it Is
different. God is calling." "drawing"
and accepting through faith in Christ
as "members" of the Body of Christ,
only such as have a willing mind only
such as can be moved to energy and
devotion by the enlightenment of their
minds through the Truth. None others
are wanted for this "elect" class.
Those who rightly understand our
text could never have so misunderstood
the Savior's words to the dying thief,
"Thou shnlt be with me in Paradise."
as to suppose that he meant that the
penitent thief would be a member of
the "elect" Church, his joint-heir in the
Kingdom. Indeed not; Thnt thief had
not worked out any salvatlou! He
will Indeed be in Paradise eventually.
Paradise will be restored nnd the whole
earth become ns the Garden of Eden
under the Millennial reign of Christ
and his "members," the Churqh. But
he was not "begotten of the holy
Spirit." lie was not "transformed by
the renewing of his mind," that he
might prove the good, acceptable anil
perfect will of God. He never added
to his faith fortitude; and to fortitude
knowledge; and to kuowltdge temper
ance; and to temperance patience: ami
to patience godliness; nr.d l godliness
brotherly kindness; and to brotherly
kindness love, as t lie Word assures us
all must do who would make their call
ing nud election sure (II Peter 1. 10. 111.
AVe will not. however, discuss tho
tlief further, as we did so on n pre
vious occasion and that sermon Is in
print. I will be pleased to mail it free
on post card request.
The spirit-begotten children of God
must work out their salvatlou ns New
Creatures in Christ by growth In grace.
And growth In grace means growth in
knowledge not geueral knowledge, but
tho special knowledge provided by the
Lord in bis Word. It Is in full accord
with what we everywhere observe of
the wide-spread ignorance of the Word
of God, even amongst Christians, that
the Scriptures declare, "My people per
ish for lack of knowledge" (Hoseu
lv, O.
Development in heart, lu character.
Is necessary to fit us for the future
service ns "members" of The Christ,
associated Iu his glorious Kingdom
work. Our cull is to be kings and
priests that we may serve the world
of mankind. To prepare us for, that
service is the object of our present
call and the trials of faith and pa
tience, that by all these, character-likeness
of Christ might be developed iu
us. If we do these things we shall
never full aud nn entrnuee will be
granted us into the everlasting King
dom of our Lord aud Savior. If we do
these things henrtlly they will prove
that we are copies of (ho Lord Jesus
aud it is the Divine predestination that
only such as are copies of God's dear
Sou shall be his joint-heirs in the King
dom (Roma us Till, 17).
SEND A TEXT F03 A SFRMON
To Pastor Russell, Brooklyn Taber.
nacle, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Pastor Russell will be glad to have
a post card from such of our readers
as nre interested lu his weekly dis
courses nud have received some bless
lug from them. Suggest topics for
next year's sermons, and mention this
Journal.
Pastor Russell has laid in a supply
of little booklets containing the beau
tiful poem, "The Sweet Brier Rose."
He proposes sending ono of these as
his res)ine to the first thirty of our
renders heard from. To the sender of
the first card received aud to the send
ers of the three most Interesting cards,
he will Instead mall a beautiful cellu
loid book-mark, heart-shaped, bearing
two texts of Scripture and a photo
gravure picture of tho Savior, copied
from an Emerald intaglio found lu the
Vatican Library and supposed to have
teen executed in tho fourth cen'ury.
A
