IN its New-Year’s issue the New York Sun gives an excellent résumé of the condition politically and otherwise, of all the principal nations of the world. Two paragraphs are worthy of particular note by our people, as they put in such fair and truthful shape some points in which we are specially interested.ARSH January 9, 1894, page 25.1

The first paragraph of the whole editorial is as follows:—ARSH January 9, 1894, page 25.2

“1894

“It is customary to mark the opening of a new year with the expression of good wishes and of hopes of prosperity and peace. But a candid survey of the state of things in most of the civilized countries of the world does not justify an optimistic forecast of the twelve-month which begins to-day. There is, unhappily, no reason to predict any speedy revival of manufacturing and commercial activity in the United States; while in England, as on the continent of Europe, there is no prospect of immediate relief from the industrial depression, even should there prove to be no basis for the rapidly increasing rumors of approaching war. In no part of the world do the masses of the people seem destined to be better off, and in more than one quarter, they are likely to be worse off, at the end of the year than they are now.”ARSH January 9, 1894, page 25.3

This is undoubtedly true. And instead of our looking for better times, as thousands of people of the world will do, we should be prepared to do all that in our power lies while the times are no worse than they are. The times now are not as bad as they are because of any real scarcity of money, but it is because the money is hoarded. At the close of the last week in December there was the enormous sum of $202,000,000 on deposit in New York City banks alone. This is a sum amounting to more than three dollars apiece for each man, woman, and child in the whole United States. And as the Sun points out, there is no kind of fair prospect that this money will be put into circulation. So we say again the hard times now are not caused at all by any scarcity of money, but because of the hoarding of the plenteous supply of money. James 5:1-3 is fulfilled. The rich men have heaped treasure together and the rust of it as it lies thus hoarded is witness against those who hoard it, and it will soon eat their flesh “as it were fire.” God forbid that any Seventh-day Adventist should be found in this company of hoarders of money.ARSH January 9, 1894, page 25.4

The other paragraph of the Sun’s forecast is a very striking one for us, and is as follows:—ARSH January 9, 1894, page 25.5

“There is no European sovereign who will have more cause to watch the events of the new year with anxiety than will the Ottoman sultan, who knows that in any war to which Russia may be a party, Constantinople will be the principal stake for which the czar will play. It must be plain enough to Abdul Hamid that the defense of his capital is no longer possible, seeing that the Turkish fleet has vanished, and that the whole naval force of England in the Mediterranean will be needed for the protection of her own merchant vessels and of the short route to India. Even without the co-operation of the Russian squadron, which was lately at Toulon, there are enough Russian ironclads now ready in the Black Sea to overcome easily the obstacles that would be presented by the fortifications of the Bosporus-Times have changed since Russia was forbidden by the treaty of Paris to keep a single war vessel afloat in the Black Sea, and the Ports might as well prepare itself for migration to Brusa when the czar orders a naval assault upon the city of the eastern Cesars.”ARSH January 9, 1894, page 25.6

This is worthy of careful attention. And whether the Porta prepares himself for this or not, it is certain that we must be prepared for this important event; for “at that time shall Michael stand up [reign], the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: ... and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” The angel spoke long ago, and still his thrilling cry is: “Get ready; get ready; get ready.”ARSH January 9, 1894, page 26.1

A. T. J.

January 2, 1894

April 17, 1894