February 17, 1898
“Diamond Jubilee Memorial” The Present Truth 14, 7.
E. J. Waggoner
The following petition signed by 336,250 women of the United Kingdom, has been laid before her Majesty by the Secretary of State. None but women were allowed to sign it, and all signatures were of those over sixteen years of age. The petition, it will be seen, asks for nothing that can in any way affect the petitioners personally, but is concerned only with the welfare of others. There is no desire to curtail religious liberty, but there is a feeling that there should not be a class privileged under the name of liberty to exercise despotism. It is no wonder, however, if the followers of him who exalts himself above the law of God, should treat with contempt all human law.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 102.5
MAY IT PLEASE YOUR MAJESTY ,PTUK February 17, 1898, page 102.6
We, Your Majesty's loyal and loving Subjects, while thankfully acknowledging the goodness of Almighty God in preserving your valuable life, and extending your beneficent reign today. Beyond that enjoyed by any of your Royal Predecessors; and while further acknowledging the innumerable blessings which have been bestowed upon your subjects throughout your vast dominions, and the many humane laws which have been sanctioned by your Majesty for the promotion of their well being, happiness and freedom; desire earnestly to plead on behalf of a large number of women within these realms, who do not share in such freedom, benefits and blessings, as the rest of your Majesty's subjects are favoured to enjoy.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 102.7
Your Majesty's Memorialists venture to point out the following facts:—PTUK February 17, 1898, page 102.8
(A.) That since the early part of the present century 865 Convents have been established in Great Britain and Ireland, about 800 having been instituted during your Majesty's reign.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 102.9
(B.) That no public record of the number of inmates of these institutions is known to exist; but it is estimated that the women in these Convents must at the present time be not less than 20,000.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 102.10
(C.) That many young persons of tender age are induced in a moment of enthusiasm, and by means of false and highly coloured presentations of the character of a Nun's life-together with the promise of celestial records at its close,-to enter Convents, and find, when awakened to the dread realities around them, that they are involved in hopeless imprisonment.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 102.11
(D.) That with regard to the Structural Arrangements of Conventual buildings, many of them are surrounded by high walls, that both the entrance and the inner doors are trebly secured, and that the Underground Cells are known to exist; showing that all possible means are used for giving affect to the Canon Law of the Church of Rome, which inexorably insists that Nuns be made veritable prisoners for life. This law enacts; “That Nunneries be carefully closed and egress forbidden to the Nuns under any pretext whatever without Episcopal License,” i.e., of those who are deeply interested in keeping them where they are. Further on it is stated that “If a Nun of her own accord throws off her habit [desirous of returning to her natural life] no allegation should be heard, but being compelled to return to the Convent they must be punished as Apostates.” This Law is supreme in every enclosed Convent in Your Majesty's dominions.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 102.12
(E.) That the knotted cord disciplines are used more or less in all Convents, and the more austere orders use the steel spiked wire-whips, called Iron Disciplines, and other terrible instruments of torture.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 102.13
(F.) That Nuns, being under vows, are not Free Agents. The will of the Superior is in all Convents absolute, and all correspondence to and from the Convent is read by her or by one whom she may delegate; and all communications not approved by the Superior are withheld, mutilated or destroyed, as she may determine. Generally an Iron Grating, built in the wall, separates the Nun from her visitor, whilst close by stands another Nun, to hear every word, and spy upon every action passing between them. Thus, free intercourse is rendered impossible, and no Nun has the opportunity of making known to her friends without, any wrong from which she may be suffering.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 102.14
(G.) That Nuns have been transported from the British Isles against their will; your Majesty's Memorialists therefore plead that the deportation of Nuns from English Convents to affiliated institutions on the Continent should be made impossible without due registration and license from the Civil Authorities.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 102.15
(H.) That private Burial Grounds being attached to Convents, in which interments have been seen to take place at night, and having regard to the fact that there is no Specific Registration existing of the names and numbers of the inmates, the Convent Authorities have great facilities for avoiding the holding of Coroner's inquests, and for evading the provisions of the Burial Laws.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 102.16
(I.) That the Inspection of Prisons, Lunatic Asylums, Factories, Workshops, etc., has brought comfort and liberty to many thousands of your Majesty's subjects; while Convents in Great Britain, unlike those even in Roman Catholic countries, are exempt from any kind of State supervision.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 103.1
(J.) That your Memorialists are mindful of the benefits conferred under British Rule, upon your Majesty's Indian subjects by the abolition of a long established Religious rite, called Suttee, whereby Hindoo Widows, under the delusion that they would thereby attain eternal beatitude, immolated themselves from the funeral pile of their deceased husbands, causing hundreds of lives to be sacrificed annually, which abolition resulted in giving general satisfaction to your Majesty's subjects. They are therefore absolutely convinced of the necessity for equally stringent laws been passed to prevent practices not less unnatural and cruel and withal of life-long duration inseparable from Convent Life.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 103.2
Your Majesty's Memorialists therefore humbly pray that your Majesty may be graciously pleased, in the circumstances above stated, to cause a searching inquiry to be made into the system and practices of all Conventual Establishments within your realms, and to institute such public control over them, and shall preclude the possibility of any of your subjects immured therein, being deprived of the benefit and protection of your Majesty's laws.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 103.3
And your Memorialists will ever pray.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 103.4
“Back Page” The Present Truth 14, 7.
E. J. Waggoner
We have receive the first number of the Oriental Watchman from our Society's office in Calcutta. It is a monthly journal, about the same size as the PRESENT TRUTH, and devoted to the same work. We are glad to see it. May it be a voice in the Orient, telling the watches of the night till “the morning cometh.”PTUK February 17, 1898, page 112.1
“Trostermanden,”—The Comforter,-is the name of a neat, sixteen-page journal, just half the size of PRESENT TRUTH, the first three numbers of which have come to our table. It is published by the Seventh-day Adventist Society of Denmark, and is of course issued from Copenhagen. Both style and matter are excellent, and the paper gives promise of being a valuable factor in the work of proclaiming the Gospel message for this time.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 112.2
The Speaker is authority for the statement that the bishops have been conferring together with a view of making the Government Bill on Secondary education a Bill for introducing denominational teaching into these schools.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 112.3
Upon which it pertinently remarks: “When it comes to placing the technical training in the hands of the clergy, it is time to ask how much further England is to be carried in the direction of priestly rule.”PTUK February 17, 1898, page 112.4
Referring to the paragraph in the Queen's Speech, concerning the war on the north-western frontier of the Indian Empire, the Daily Mail says:—PTUK February 17, 1898, page 112.5
Not every one reading these lines form the Queen's Speech, delivered to her faithful Lords and Gentlemen yesterday, will be aware that for close on half a century we have been almost continually engaged in similar “little wars” on the Northern Frontier of India.... From the north has ever come danger and destruction to India.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 112.6
And then follow the details. The Bible student on reading this cannot fail to be reminded of the words of the Lord in Jer. i. 14: “Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.”PTUK February 17, 1898, page 112.7
“Why Use It At All?” The Present Truth 14, 7.
E. J. Waggoner
Why Use It At All? -The Church Times, in noticing the annual report of the Rev. Prebendary Bernard Reynolds to the London Diocesan Board of Education, says:—PTUK February 17, 1898, page 112.8
“Mr Reynolds has some excellent remarks to offer on the right way to teach the Old Testament. For example, the boy should be taught that the rainbow was a familiar object already when it was ‘elevated into what must be called a sacrament,’ not that it was first seen after the flood.”PTUK February 17, 1898, page 112.9
That is to say, that the boy should be taught that the Bible does not mean what it says; for language could not more clearly state the fact that the placing of the bow in the cloud was first done after the flood, than it is stated in Genesis ix. 8-14. God said, “I do set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud.” It is getting so that “Bible teaching” largely consists in warnings against taking the Bible according to its obvious meaning. If such “teachers” would simply warn people against the Bible as a whole, and not pretend to use it at all, it would be much better for the people, and for the cause of truth. It argues much for the hold the Bible has on people in general, that religious teachers feel the necessity of using it as a cover for their own speculations, even though they themselves have no confidence in what it says.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 112.10
“Busy Night and Day” The Present Truth 14, 7.
E. J. Waggoner
Busy Night and Day .—“The making of bayonets and swords for the British Army is proceeding at much more than the average speed at the present moment,” says a newspaper. The modern bayonet is creased in such a manner that it lets air into the wound when thrust into a man's body, thus being more deadly than a smooth blade would be. And the soldiers practice a motion in their bayonet exercises which teaches them how to give the blade a twist when thrust home in the human body. Just so coolly do men plan and scheme to kill their fellows.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 112.11
“What War Is” The Present Truth 14, 7.
E. J. Waggoner
Our readers must understand that whatever we have to say about war applies to war as war, and has no reference to any particular war as distinguished from any other; neither is it a criticism of any Government, or of its conduct of any war. As things are in this world, Governments must have war in order to exist, and the fact that war is what it is, and cannot be different and still be war, shows that everything in this world is wrong. With this explanation, made once for all, we give the following from the Christian, with the closing words of which we most heartily agree:—PTUK February 17, 1898, page 112.12
The demoralising the effects of war on all who take part in its fierce struggles is occasionally painfully evidenced in the letters sent home by the combatants. We had shocking illustrations of this in published letters of some of those engaged in the recent Matabele and Bechuana affairs. The present war in India furnishes some fresh examples. In one case it comes from the pen of the Chronicle correspondent. After describing the burning of some Aka Khel villages which ruined the homes of hundreds of non-combatants, some of whom paid our soldiers to end their lives out of pity (one old woman tried to burn herself with her home), this representative of Army sentiment goes on to say: “Everybody, from the General downwards, is pleased with the success of the day's operations. A hot bath, the snowy whiteness of the cloth and the brightness of the silver which adorned the mess-table, and a night between the sheets, were afterwards thoroughly appreciated.” Such callous disregard to suffering inflicted, in contrast to the glorification of the comforts of the British camp, while those poor people were left to perish on bleak hillsides, is painful reading. Any employment that can thus dry up the springs of natural pity for the vanquished must be of the devil.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 112.13
“What Will the End Be?” The Present Truth 14, 7.
E. J. Waggoner
Parliament opened last Tuesday, the 8th. One of the most striking features of the Queen's Speech was the following paragraph address to the Gentlemen of the House of Commons:—PTUK February 17, 1898, page 112.14
The Estimates for the service of the year will be laid before you. They have been framed with the utmost desire for economy; but, in view of the enormous armaments which are now maintained by other nations, the duty of providing for the defense of the empire involves an expenditure which is beyond former precedent.PTUK February 17, 1898, page 112.15
This country is about to expand an amount beyond all former precedent, to increase its armament, because of “the enormous armaments which are now maintained by other nations.” But each one of those other nations has increased its armaments to its present size, because all the other nations were increasing theirs; and when they see England taking this step, they, knowing that England does not intend to be behind any other nation in anything, will feel compelled to still further increase their armaments, lest this country should have too much advantage over them. And that will in turn lead to still further expenditure by this country, and so on. Can the end be anything else than a mighty crash that will break them all in pieces?PTUK February 17, 1898, page 112.16