ANOTHER year dawns, and to human sense many problems loom on its horizon; for the world of men as a whole is still far from being an ideal world. Many are looking ahead with misgiving and fear, wondering what another year will bring forth. Year after year begins that way to them. Sometimes a feeling of hopelessness seems to take hold of them, and then the outlook is black indeed. Will the cloud never lift? they ask. Will a solution ever be found to the material tortures to which mankind is seemingly subject? There is the other side, of course, the brighter side; for to humanity joy is not always doubtful, nor hope always a deceiver. But the world's problems will present themselves!
What is the nature of these problems? They might be divided broadly into two classes—those confronting the individual more particularly, and those confronting nations. Individuals—mankind in general—are constantly having to contend with sickness, sin, and lack; nations are as constantly contending with the dread of war, with sensualism, and with the necessity of having to supply the economic needs of their respective peoples. In the first class—that of individuals—how, as a rule, are the problems handled? Disease is treated by medical science, so called; sin by the religionist and moralist; lack by the philanthropist, often the religious philanthropist. In the second class, the effort to destroy the dread of war is being made by the humanitarian and the statesman, who are seeking to reduce armaments and to induce nations to settle their differences by arbitration. The moralist and educator are striving to curb the tendency to sensualism as shown in laxity of morals and in the freer use of alcoholic beverages in some quarters. And economist and statesman are devoting themselves to finding a solution, chiefly through material considerations, to the question of supply as it affects the nations of the world.
Can it be said that these problems are being satisfactorily handled? Do those who are dealing with them feel certain that they are seeing the way out, and the solution of the problems? On every hand there is doubt and misgiving. Medical science is not proving itself a panacea for disease. Sin appears to be as rampant as ever. Poverty is laying its paralyzing hand on great multitudes. And nations are grappling doubtfully with the evils within themselves, failing to suppress the selfishness which must be overcome before reason and good will can deal with their problems satisfactorily and solve them.
