v/ , ,,, ..„.......,,, , I CI (,,.1::::'. ,.. —„.-, • "/.. -,p,-., — p,e, ./ „„,,.. V/.„, , "m,,t.t1,-: ,,,...•4.•,:,tf:f!,,,,,,,,,,y,,,Lfr'f::73-:4-;-174. 4..---..•-il'f!„e„. •..,. / c , 4:,:Lit:i 1 1 -..,,,e-;;;;;;'..k) - .4 %-, :,i, .. , „ , ,z. 0. • ..77:,,,,nr„,...s...• •,. Volume 61. Number 23 ,„,,......,:: ,/..,4. Price Id. r; • ;; ,,,,, ,1;::;.;;;;;14 ,,.;,,, p,..„.:1444; Warburton, Victoria. June 10, 1946 -:%%:1,-.,/ ,..:1:::::::—CI.,...__77'4:4°;'1A: 7 .,A 1(4 4$ ''' ZS THERE N HIS observations on current events No Way Out? H. G. Wells, world-famous historian and author, has made some of the most dynamic and arresting state- ments of his brilliant career. As reported in the H. G. WELLS AND THE FUTURE: public press, this seventy-nine-year-old publicist IS HE RIGHT OR WRONG ? asserts that "the end of everything we call life is • * Roy F. Cottrell close at hand, and cannot be evaded," also that "there is no way out, or around, or through." These gloomy forebodings arise from an entirely false concept of life, the world, and the universe. As an evolutionist, Mr. Wells has long denied the divine handiwork of creation and has left God entirely out of his reckoning. When the march of events demonstrates that such philosophy is wholly unsound, he declares that this is the end, "there is no way out." From human appearances this view is correct. But there is a God in heaven who still presides over the destinies of men and nations. We have also His inerrant Word which reveals that this very impasse in world affairs, bringing darkness and des- pair to the scholarly sceptic, is one of the divine tokens indicating the approach of history's crowning event. Christ's second personal visit to this world provides the way out. Scripture prophecy is positive and eloquent concerning our Lord's return, and these predictions are radiant with hope and assurance. Yes, "Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9: 28. It was on the eve of the crucifixion, when the faith. of His disciples was to be so sorely tested, that the Master directed their minds to the delight- ful homegoing in a land safe from all sorrow and trouble, and -His vibrant words constitute the supreme promise of Scripture:— "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14: 1-3. No, this planet is not to freeze up, dry up, or explode by atomic energy. Christian confidence H.M.S. Eagle, first of the greatest aireraft-carriers ever built by Britain, going down the slipway at Belfast. in the Master's return [Please turn to page 12. <<Registered at the G.P.O., Melbourne, for transmission by post as a newspaper.>> Man's Most Dangerous Myth A BOOK which deserves to be widely read and discussed is "Man's Most Dangerous Myth: The farreatTopitsRwiewer Fallacy of Race," by Dr. Ashley Mon- tagu. A statement on the jacket contains the germ of the whole book: "The show to what lengths of inhumanity and human beings and ourselves form the modern conception of 'race' has no basis to what depths of sadistic cruelty this most important of all the experiences in scientific fact, nor in any other kind myth will lead those who accept it. and situations of our lives. Never- of demonstrable fact. It is a pure myth, We must ask ourselves, Are we in theless, in our society human beings are and it is the tragic myth of our tragic permitted to enter into such relations era." danger of being infected with this same evil doctrine? Children at an early without being equipped with the most Dr. Montagu demonstrates that there elementary understanding of what they is no basis for the popular belief in age become "emotionally conditioned" to the differences in colour and form of mean. No attempt is made to supply "superior" and "inferior" races of man- them with the facts relating to 'race' as kind. The differences that are apparent the various families of mankind. It was the children of Germany, taught demonstrated by science; on the con- between the savage and the man of trary they are supplied with the kind letters are differences of education, en- from childhood the falsehoods of racial superiority, who grew up to be the of information which makes fertile vironment, and opportunity, not of ground for the development of 'race' fundamental powers and possibilities. fanatical apostles and warriors of Naz- ism. prejudices. One of the false beliefs that had a In home and school our children must "Prejudices early acquired are notori- part in bringing about the second World ously difficult to eradicate. What must War was the German belief that they be taught the unity of the human race. The suggestion is made:— be done is to see to it that instead of belonged to a superior race, the "Herren- such prejudices the growing personali- yolk." "Let us teach geography, but instead ties in our schools- are taught the facts "The fact that the Nazi 'race' theories of presenting the subject in the usual which anthropological science has mad represent the most ludicrous and vicious arid manner let us humanize its teaching available. Our children must be taught mythology that has ever been perpe- and furnish its fields with the living that a certain form of nose or a certain trated upon a people does not, as we peoples who inhabit the earth. Let us skin colour is in the physical scale of know, prevent these myths from func- teach our children what we know about values neither better nor worse than tioning as if they were perfectly true. 'If the peoples of the earth and about their any other; that the accents of different one asks,' as Bonger has done 'whether respective values for one another and people, their manners, their facial these partisans are even partially suc- for civilization as a whole. Let us appearance, their expression—like the cessful in proving their thesis, then the emphasize their likenesses and create clothes they wear—are not necessarily answer must be a decided No. It is interest in their differences, differences altogether biologically determined, that really no theory at all but a second- which enrich' the common heritage of they are, indeed, to a much larger extent rate religion. Things are not proved, humanity and make the world the richly than is customarily supposed deter- but only alleged.' variegated experience it can be. Let us mined by cultural factors. teach appreciation of the other person's The persecution of the Jews, the ex- "They must be taught that there is point of view, the more so since if it termination of vast numbers of men nothing in such characters which is iut-- and women who sprang from so-called is unlike our own it will require more "inferior" races, and the multitudes sympathetic appreciation if it is to be herently _objectionable. For it shoug, taken to Germany as slave-labourers understood. Relations between other be obvious that, though some of us may - not be particularly attracted to people who exhibit a certain type of physiog- nomy the cause of our dislike lies, not in their physiognomy, but in the values, the culturally determined ideas, in our own minds which have taught us to react in this way to the perception of such physiognomies. The causes of such dislikes must be looked for in the cultural background of one's intellectual being, not in the shape of the nose or the colour. of the skin of our neighbours. Physical differences are merely the pegs upon which culturally generated hostili- ties are made to hang, ending with the smug and empty conviction that a su- perior 'race' is one that you look like and an inferior 'race' is one that you don't look like." In His great gospel commission Christ set no narrow bounds within which His followers were to work. "Go ye into • New electric trolley introduced by the Southern • Railway in action at Waterloo Station, London. Quick service and cleanliness are keynotes of this picture. Page Two June 10, 1946 :: SIGNS OF THE TIMES all the world, and preach the gospel to whisky, and American beer. It was it is beyond our actual sight, and be- every creature." The gospel is a uni- while under the influence of alcohol that cause the sufferers are not personally fying element. Wherever it is accepted, he murdered the two innocent Japan- known to us. We are bound together pride and prejudice are set aside, and ese." in the web of humanity; we are all of men and women from every race are So it was drink again! Just one more one blood; and in a special sense we de one: "There is neither Jew nor tragedy chargeable to the manufacturers are indeed "our brother's keeper." Our eek, there is neither bond nor free, and distributors of alcohol. newspapers and radio keep us well in- there is neither male nor female: for formed of the plight of those in the ye are all one in Christ Jesus." Gal. Surely if Nathan the prophet were throes of want.