right kind—not translations of Western books—is desperate, and the nation is reading with feverish eagerness. A reactionary is spending several million dollars on propagating doctrines of Christianity in the Orient which will all have speedily to be unlearnt; are liberal Christians going to stand by and lose a unique opportunity to win this very brilliant nation?

Lastly, though much more might be said, Japan needs an artistic presentation of Christianity and she has not yet been offered it. “Art," says Dr. Anesaki, "is an international language," and he makes a strong plea for introducing his people to the great things of Christian art. They go in millions to art collections. Why not send a loan collection of Christian masterpieces to Tokyo? It would help mightily toward mutual esteem and understanding.

Missionaries again must pay much more attention to architecture; in some Japanese cities almost the only ugly thing one sees is the Christian church or the mission compound. It is a big question and can only be touched here, but it is one of great importance: why should we make good and devoted work unattractive to the eye? How great is the esteem in which Fenollosa and Lafcadio Hearn are held in Japan because of their appreciation of beauty. And how great and noble a service might a Christian Fenollosa not render at this time in Japan by interpreting his Faith through its art, and incidentally in China by saving to the Chinese their great art treasures in the name of Him who is the Lord of Beauty and of all good life? As the Eastern nations bring their rich gifts into His Kingdom it will become worthy of Him and more alluring to us all; and we cannot afford to win only those without artistic taste!

Such then must Christianity be to win Japan, broad as mankind in its enthusiasm, liberal in its spirit, artistic in its expression, and believing that the Kingdom of God will gain greatly by the accession of this brilliant people. In such a faith many missionaries are at work. Let us hold up their hands.

CURRENT EVENTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Can Protestantism Ignore Economic Issues?—We have heard much, of late, about the church and industry. Many are discussing the question as to whether the church has a right to lift its voice in matters which affect the industrial world, but back of the question of the church's right, is the question of the church's desire to speak in this field. Assuming without argument the church's right to speak, James J. Coale in an article "Protestantism and the Masses" in the Vale Review for October, 1921, addresses himself to the question of the church's present reluctance to enter this field. He finds the fundamental cause for the church's willingness to isolate herself from this important area of thinking and activity in the inherited ethics of the Protestant church, an ethics based ultimately on the sanctity of private property. Worship of thrift, admiration of accumulated wealth, has caught the Protestant church in a snare. She is committed to the point of view of the possessing element; her energies have been bent to hold this group. The results of this alignment on the side of property are complacency about the status quo of the social order and a commitment to the gospel of "Success." The model which Mr. Coale would set before the church for its action today is the step which the church took under Paul's direction in the first century of its history.

The New Testament brings out the fact that a drastic choice of human material for the growing church was several times forced upon the leaders of the church, and in each case, a radical course was adopted. Paul turned to the Goyim, the Gentiles, as the alternative to a narrow exclusive policy for which his colleagues contended. History affords few more stirring, more dramatic climaxes than this surrendering of individual prestige, social advantage and racial pride, for the sake of the great, unnamed, undistinguished masses. ... Is this the spirit of the Protestant church today? . . . . The cost of such a spirit is terrific, not in money merely but in the surrender of pride and prejudice. When the Protestant church is willing to pay the price, it will become an efficient instrument for social righteousness.

The question is not one of right but of will.

The Death of Two Veterans in the Field of Theology.-Professor G. Frederick Wright, of Oberlin College, died on April 20, 1921, at the age of eighty-four and Dr. Augustus H. Strong, formerly president of

Rochester Theological Seminary, died on November 29, 1921, at the age of eighty-five.

Professor Wright was appointed in 1892 to the chair of the harmony of science and religion at Oberlin. Educated for the ministry, he turned his attention during his early pastorates to the field of geology, and made some valuable researches into the glacial evidences of the extent of the ice age in North America. He was editor of the Bibliotheca Sacra from 1884 until his death, and was an indefatigable defender of conservative theological views.

Dr. Strong was for forty years (1872-1912) president of Rochester Theological Seminary, and the widely influential professor of systematic theology in that institution. He early published a textbook on theology which received constant revisions and enlargements, embodying an astonishingly wide range of reading. The orthodox theological position expressed in the first edition was never abandoned, though at one time the lure of a monistic philosophy seemed to be leading in the direction of certain significant reconstructions. Dr. Strong was a lover of literature and published several studies of the theology of outstanding poets.

Dr. Griffith Thomas on Missions in China.-A year ago at the Moody Institute, Dr. Griffith Thomas gave a vivid picture of alleged evangelical disintegration in the mission field in China. One of his statements was: "There are 248 missionaries in Shanghai and only 4 of these are doing evangelistic work."

The editor of the Chinese Recorder in the August issue of 1921 answers Dr. Thomas' criticism with the following facts: (1) that in 1917 there were actually 450 missionaries in Shanghai; (2) that the large number of missionaries in Shanghai is due to the fact that Shanghai is the center of missionary administrative and literary work in China; (3) that the survey of the executive committee of the Shanghai Missionary Association reports that there are at present 34 missionaries giving their whole time to preaching and teaching the Bible-in accordance with the narrowest definition of "evangelist"; (4) that in addition there are Bible Society workers, a translator of the Bible into Phonetic, Sunday-school lesson workers, and writers of purely evangelistic tracts; (5) that there are also many missionaries working in hospitals and schools.

In an article entitled "Modernism in China," in the Princeton Theological Review for October, 1921, Dr. Thomas furnishes a stirring account of what he found on his recent visit to China. He cites instance after instance of the teaching of liberal and critical views in mission

schools. It is self-evident to him that such views represent a perversion of Christianity, and he suggests three imperative duties which conservatives must assume: (1) People at home must be informed as to what is going on in China; (2) Mission Boards must be influenced "to send out only the right men"; (3) Missionaries should be provided with "the best books on the conservative side.”

The fundamental difference between the liberals and the conservatives is declared by Dr. Thomas to be found in the attitude toward the authority of Scripture. Doubtless this is true. But the analysis of the situation seems to indicate another difference which deserves consideration. Those who sympathize with Dr. Thomas demand the exclusion of all missionaries who do not agree with their conception of the Bible. The liberals make no such exclusive demands. They recognize honest differences of opinion, but believe that there should be a practical co-operation in Christian service. The conservative apparently attributes to the liberal his own exclusive attitude and then accuses the liberal of promoting divisions in the missionary enterprise. There is need for a closer examination of this point.

Can the Problem of Miracles Be Solved?-Without recourse to any new forms of argument, or the assembling of any new data, Mr. W. H. Bass, in the Pilgrim for October, 1921, has stated concisely and clearly what he believes to be the prime factor in the modern approach to the problem of miracle, namely, the recognition of the subjective element in the Gospel records. In brief, he contends that a twentieth-century man, if confronted with the events which the first-century man reported in terms of miracle, would undoubtedly give some interpretation suggested by modern views of cause and effect. The modern Christian is not obligated to accept an ancient interpretation, but may raise for himself the question as to what probably occurred. Mr. Bass's article, because of its brevity and directness, will commend itself to the many thoughtful people, for whom as Mr. Bass says, the presence of the miraculous element in the gospel narratives makes the character of Jesus unintelligible today.

The Ancient Faith and the Modern Churchman.-In an article under this title, in the Contemporary Review for November, the Right Rev. Bishop J. E. C. Welldon, D.D., discusses the Conference of Modern Churchmen, held at Girton College, Cambridge, England, last August. The speeches and sermons delivered at the conference have all been published in the September number of the Modern Churchman, the organ of the Churchmen's Union, and it is to the consideration of these

addresses that Bishop Welldon invites the attention of the reader. The view presented in the article is that of a conservative, who deprecates the formulation of new creeds as an indication of departure from the old faith, and whose examination of the attitude of the conference toward the personality of Jesus leads him to express the fear that the modern churchman "is prepared to surrender the essential power of Christianity." The article is of interest, however, to the liberal as well as to the conservative, in its clear statement of the issues under discussion between the liberal and conservative parties in the Church of England today. An interesting new formulation of faith, proposed at the conference by Dr. Douglas White, is quoted in the article:

I believe in God, the Father of all;

And in Jesus Christ, Revealer of God, and Saviour of men:

And in the Spirit of Holiness, which is the Spirit of God and of Jesus: By which Spirit, man is made divine:

I acknowledge the communion of all faithful people,

In beauty, goodness, and truth;

I believe in the forgiveness of sins, the glory of righteousness,
The victory of love, and the life eternal.

Three Essentials of New Testament Interpretation.-Professor H. L. Goudge's Inaugural Lecture at King's College, London, in March, 1921, is printed in the Church Quarterly Review for October, 1921. Entering upon his work as professor of New Testament exegesis, Dr. Goudge has formulated the principles by which he wishes his interpretation of the New Testament to be regulated: (1) the recognition of the unity and continuity of the Church's life; (2) the understanding of the unity of the canonical scriptures; and (3) the appreciation of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Failure to realize the corporate character of all biblical religion, and the growth of Christianity, as a social organism from Judaism means misunderstanding of the message of Jesus. An understanding of the progressive character of the revelation in the Old and New Testaments, must precede any real appreciation of the work of Jesus-especially his choice from all the Old Testament pictures of the Messiah of the gentlest one for his model. Of the gift of the Holy Spirit, Professor Goudge says, "It is the gift of the Holy Spirit which alone explains the New Testament, and we cannot understand it, unless in some measure, we share the writer's experience." Finally he says, "We come to the New Testament not primarily that we may judge it, but that it may judge us: and the more that this is what we desire, the better will our understanding be."