Looking at the world war through the Scriptures

Front matter

i V j^ '^ ^ ?. J- *, A^>^ H ;? FW fi *? (r »^ yt>».fiJ!l.flltM:IW.I*iiyflWII>^^ PI ^ M |^

I ticking at the World War I tiirough the Scriptures

,»y«vywsrfiw¥^«^^

Dedication

Mother dear, wherever heaven is I know that you are there waiting and watching for me. And I praise God that he gave me you to teach me to fear and love God. I remember your last words to me and they have guided me all of the years that we have been parted. And now I am ready when the time comes that we shall know as we are known and shall part no more.

• The Author.

NOTE

Introduction

In offering this work to the pubhc my greatest desire is that it may be understood and accepted in the spirit in which it is written.

I have tried to make the topics as plain as they can be. Not that I expect every one to agree with me. For I do not think that this would be possible of any writer. And too, I have tried to keep the observations of Solomon the wise man in mind. Which is that much study is a weariness of the flesh. The writer has tried to use only such material as is deemed necessary to make the work comprehensible.

Each writer of The Holy Bible has brought to light some new scripture meaning. It is the oldest book in existence. And also the newest book. Now I have reasoned within myself that if any part of the Bible is the Word of God, all of it must be, for if we give God credit for having as much intelligence as man, we know that any man who has written a book will not permit any one else to write in any thing which shall conflict with the author.

The second coming of Christ, the greatest of all events, has been foretold by many learned writers. We feel that the representatives of Christ should be allowed to speak as freely of His government of the world as do the representatives of the governments of men.

Christ said to the Jews, It is written in your laws, that the testimony of two men is true. St. John, 8:17.

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. 1 John, 5:9.

Surely the Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret to his servants the prophets. Amos, 5:7.

The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him ; and he will show them his covenant. Psalms, 25 :14.

And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. St. John, 8:32.

Jesus said unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me. St. John, 14:6.

It is upon the foundation of Christ Truth that we have builded all of our topics.

These are not my ideas, for long ago I learned that my own ideas were contrary to sound doctrine. I think that I have the Spirit of God.

VI

I have not in any of my discourses set any date as to when Christ's work shall be finished in every sense of the word. It is the writer's aim to point out the conditions leading up to this great Epoch.

I have tried to speak plainly, as possible. For regardless of what the average man may think and believe, the time is at hand when men must face the truth, and deal with facts. God is calling to men for an accounting of their stewardship of the world. And men must give an account.

Now to those who would examine me, I may say that my history is very briefly told, and is as follows :

I am by profession a Baptist. But my principles are fundamentally those of the good Samaritan, I believe in helping those who need help, as far as I am able, regardless to race, creed, etc.

Politically, I am a Republican, because some politicians are crooked, does not cause me to have nothing to do with politics, any more so than some ministers being crooked, causes me to keep away from all churches.

Fraternally, I am a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Society, United Negro Improvement Association and National Association Advancement Colored People.

By birth, I am a Georgian, bom in Atlanta, my mother was a member of the Underwood family of the city of Atlanta.

My mother's father was the son of Judge Underwood of Atlanta. I cannot say just how long ago, possibly seventy-five years or more, since the judge presided as such. The judge was a man of wealth.

The judge, so I have been told, lived with my great grandmother as his wife, and they were the parents of six children, or thereabout. The heads of the family are known because they did not deny their children. One of the children of this union became my grandfather, and he was raised and educated in the white college, which he attended in the days of slavery. And so he grew to the age of eighteen years without knowing that he had any so-called Negro blood in his veins. At that age he learned of this fact. I do not know just how, but I have been told by one of his children that he said that when he learned of this fact it so distressed him that he started to drown himself. However, he changed his mind, for he married my grandmother, who was a slave. But he bought her from her owners.

Vll

And so their children were bom free. My mother evidently did not have the ideas of the rest of the family regarding the color question, for my father was not only a colored man, but he was just as black as a man could be.

My grandfather never forgave my father for having married his daughter, although as far as I can learn there was nothing against him but his color. He was a member of the Congregational church of the city mentioned, and also a high officer in the pride of Georgia lodge, G. U. 0. Odd Fellows.

At the age of about seven years I remember looking upon his dead face for the last time. And after a few years my mother brought me to the State of California, where she died in a short while broken hearted and alone. But still I have a picture of her before the eyes of my miiid that has caused me to attempt this work. And that is the picture of one who tried to do good to all with whom she came in contact.

The spirit of good will toward all men that was in the heart of my mother, has been reflected in me to such an extent that I am never happy unless I am trying to make some one else happy.

It was the hand of God which led my mother to bring me to California, for I declare that if the State had been builded according to my plans and specifications I could not have liked it any better. I have lived here most of my life.

And too, I may say, that strange as it may seem, the color of my skin has not in any way been a drawback to me, for I have gone everywhere I wished to go. I think that this is largely due to the fact that I am not bothered by color blindness. I have never been able to feel that any one is better than I am because of the color of his skin. I know that I have superiors in knowledge. I believe that the entire contents of this work is true. And my only reason for writing them is that I have given my life to the service of humanity. And I have studied the great racie problem from my youth, and I find that it is fundamentally caused from ignorance.

I believe that it has been the wish of my mother that I study this question, for from the day of her death until I started to write I have always seen her at short intervals in my dreams. But since I started to write I have never seen her face in my dreams.

vin