Editorials

In the early days of the Christian church, while the bishop was the overlooker or overseer of a specific group of workers, the familiar figure of the shepherd was used continually to describe his duties. In fact the bishop's crook or pastoral staff was made like the shepherd's staff, that by the very insignia his flock might be reminded of his spiritual office.

WHEN the children of Israel begged of Samuel that he would give them a king to reign over them, they gave as their reason for such a desire, "That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. " Samuel warned them that if they insisted upon this they would eventually find themselves the servants of this king and that all they owned would become his property.

BEFORE they reached Marah the delivered Israelites had marched from the Red Sea for three days into the wilderness "and found no water. " As soon as they had pitched their camp at Marah murmurings arose, for the water there had so bitter a taste that they could not drink of it.

In the epistle to the Hebrews it is said of Enoch, "Before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. " This pleasing of God is a question of vast importance and one which cannot be considered too often or too earnestly.

When Mark Antony spoke from the rostrum in the forum anent the death of Caesar, and thence descended to gather the crowd about him while he excited them to revenge, he was stirring in them the evil passions which ere long set Rome ablaze. "Mischief, thou art afoot, take thou what course thou wilt!" he said, caring not to guide the storm bat only to have it rage.

At the beginning of what men call the New Year all the world teems with good resolutions. It is looked upon as a general accounting time.

There is a book which a century ago was credited with having the largest circulation next to the Bible of any published in the English language. It was of deepest interest to Bible readers and was looked upon as one of the great formative influences conjoining with the Bible in establishing the English tongue.

When centuries ago the angels sang to the shepherds the glad song of "peace on earth, good will to men," the listeners little realized the wonderful blessings which were to follow. Up to that time the world had been largely in darkness as to the marvelous nature of God as Love itself.

The ideal of business is service. The coordination of the efforts of men should result in enlarged advantages and blessings for all mankind.

The question has sometimes been asked: What constitutes a Christian Science practitioner? It might as well have been: What does it mean to be a Christian Scientist; for how can one be a Christian Scientist without practicing Christian Science? So soon as one first sees that Christian Science is the Science of the Christ, he understands that to be a Christian he must be one scientifically, and to be one scientifically he must be one practically; for one can only understand Science as he demonstrates it. Then the fact is that every one who has united himself with Christian Science and is endeavoring to be true to its teaching in any degree, has become a practitioner of Christian Science.