In an upper room in THE FUTURE Jerusalem in the presence of twelve intimates, chosen as missioners of His Gospel, more than nineteen hundred years ago Jesus Christ claimed the Future. The circumstances of His Cause, the condition of the age, was all against such claim. His situation was dire in the extreme. It seemed certain indeed that He must die and the little company of His followers be dispersed. What hope then of the Future for His message, His principles, His leadership?

Facing all this He was yet undaunted. More than that. He wove the dire event into His Claim. He made His death part of the method by which He would win out. Although He realized the immediate success of His enemies and could vision His followers scattered and hunted down, yet He did not allow them for a moment to think that He believed this would be the end. He assured them that there would be a "come back", a return of His spirit in power. He bade them be of good courage. It was the Father's good pleasure to give to them the Kingdom. He comforted them with His supreme faith that the Future could not belong to those in high place who had corrupted the morals and manners of their nation, to their time-serving priests, Caiphas and Annas; no, nor yet to Pilate and Rome's power.

NO. 7

In the intense silence, dread anxiety and awe of the little company, with sudden vision He took bread and wine and made them symbolize at once His death, and His faith beyond and through death, in coming spiritual achievement and victory. "Here is bread. Take, eat. It is my body that is to be crucified." "Here is wine. It is my blood that is to be poured out. Drink ye all of it." "Let this say to you, "The Cause is not dead."" "When you eat and drink, let it be in memory of my faith. My spirit will be with you. My God will strengthen you."

Has the Future ever ceased to belong to His principles of righteousness and love? Though He was and is bruised and broken by hate and selfish power, yet today as never before He sees the travail of His soul and is satisfied that God's righteous purpose will prevail. Blessed are they who live in this faith. Blessed are they who die for this faith. Living or dying the Future is theirs.

slowly. A premature interference in European affairs would, perhaps, have divided us as a people. Our government waited until it had the nation with it and it was undoubtedly wise to wait.

On the Atlantic seaboard and in some of the great cities further west, certain circles, as a result of business or social connections, of study or of foreign travel, are keenly alive to European conditions. Not so the majority of our people, particularly in the West and South. America is peculiarly provincial. To the average citizen of Kansas or North Carolina, Europe is very far away. It is the scene of ancient and mediaeval history, rather than of modern events. Many even of our privileged classes have been inclined to look on Europe as a a sort of perpetual "World's fair," rather than as a real part of the work-a-day world. Americans never have taken foreign affairs seriously. That was because, until very lately, foreign affairs were not really very important to our interests.

Gradually, however, America has been rousing to the issues of this war. Treatyviolation, treachery, conspiracy and deliberate cruelty on the part of the enemy did their part. We are, however, beginning to see something more fundamental in the situation. The words of the President of the United States have wonderfully stirred and enlightened the American people. The watchword is something much more basic than "Remember Belgium," or "Remember the Lusitania." "Making the world safe for democracy" is a principle that appeals to men, who could forget the Lusitania and who failed to visualize Belgium. The supreme menace of military despotism, overshadowing our young republics of the western hemisphere and the southern Pacific's islands and continents, is beginning to stir the hearts of the citizens of this land with fear and dread. Even the most radical journalists are coming to entertain a well-grounded fear of a

bad peace, a German peace, which should make it necessary for the western world to stand armed to the teeth for the whole of the next generation. The fear and the hate is entering into our blood. Action stimulates emotion. As the boys march away to the cantonments the people at home send their hearts after them. Every indication shows on all sides and throughout the country a great hardening of the will to win the war.

FACING FACTS

It would be idle to prophesy the future of the war. In war any

thing is possible. This war began suddenly. It is possible that it should end quite as suddenly and as unexpectedly. No sensible person wishes to prophesy. However, there is some advantage in facing the known facts. It will make it easier, not more difficult to adjust our minds to facts as yet unknown.

The present facts point to a long war. The situation of the enemy is very strong. If Germany were viewed as a fortress, the first object of the defenders is to keep the glacis clear and defend the walls. The second object is to re-provision the fort when necessary. Germany everywhere fights in enemy territory. The walls are held and the approaches far beyond the walls are commanded by the defenders. The collapse of Russia is the next fact to be considered. If the Germans are really going to control not only Serbia, Anatolia and Roumania, but also the Ukraine and the great grain-belt on the Black Sea and the oil wells beyond the Caucasus, it looks as though the fortress could be reprovisioned. This is not meant to discourage. The problems within the Central Powers must be piling up faster than they are with us. Nevertheless, the situation of the enemy today is such that we cannot look upon any of our problems lightly. It will do us good to face the facts and to grit our teeth. The facts so far as known seem to indicate a long

war.