That the war was pointed out in times past is of small concern to us who are trying by every expedient of honor and humanity to keep out of the quarrel. What is altogether to the point with us is the idealism, the devotion to principle that will enable us to stand free. To maintain the status of common friend to each nation actively involved is pure humanitarianism. To remain the advocate of an honorable peace for each, a peace which no nation will desire to break, or failing desire will lack the temerity to affront, is the work at hand for America. Such is, and has been our problem all along.

There is nothing in the outlook to cause us dismay. God rules. This is the work of His eternal law, throwing back the forces that act lawlessly. There is one death for men who believe that it is appointed unto them to die once. With the passing of their souls there passes also the cause of death. Brave men are making the plains of Europe a shambles, but their blood poured out, a sacrificial offering for the sins of nationalism, shall atone for the nations and bring in the higher dispensation, a true patriotism, and ultimately a democracy of equality, a brotherhood uniting all peoples.

This is not a world war. A very small portion of earth's area is directly involved. A large number of the world's inhabitants are personally engaged, but not a majority. Not all of Europe is in the conflict. Little of great Asia is concerned. Africa is only relatively interested: Who shall exploit her? Outside of Canada, the New World is scathless. We are keenly aware of its world meaning. We are profoundly sympathetic toward the suffering of the helpless non-combatants. We are deeply touched along the ethical lines of the movement. But it is

not our war.

Governmental, commercial, social and mental ties unite the whole world in this era. The distress of one national group is in a measure the pain of all nations. The elemental passions warring in a blind fury of self-destruction is an

awful spectacle, a Doomsday Book opened before the eyes of the quick millions. But it is not a world war. Every European who calls it such speaks in the narrow dialect of bigotry. Every American who uses the phrase opens a door which true Americanism and sincere humanitarianism command him to keep shut, even to the outlay of his fullest strength and exercise of his manliest courage.

EXERCISING JUDGMENT

If our judgment is normal, then we are healthy in the eliminating region of the body. The whole region of elimination, not only the kidneys, but the other excretory organs, must stand free and normal, through our realizing that the judgment of God is in the world, a perfect justice, always eliminating the useless, casting out that which is not the expression of the highest, and retaining that which allows the light to shine. The reins stand for the inner, subtle feelings of judgment, the tender feelings of judgment. The kidneys stand for our belief in the ordinary processes of judgment.

If there seems to be overwork with the kidneys, and they seem not equal to that which has been brought to bear upon them, it is because in the thinking and in the feeling there have been unnecessary judgments, which are not of the highest-which are not just, not kind, not merciful. The commonest ways of this false judgment are being expressed in criticism, unkindness, sarcasm, cutting remarks, faultfinding, looking for the errors, picking out the weaknesses, and thinking over people's shortcomings.

The habit of criticising others may start with more or less good judgment and justice. But because of the belief in evil it is continually overreaching the mark until finally we see people who are full of acid thoughts picturing them out in the flesh, and having kidneys that are not able to throw off the false accumulations that are settling in the bones as hardness; a lime condition in the joints and a surplus of sugar in the flesh and blood.-Annie Rix Militz, in "The Renewal of the Body."

TEMPLE TALKS

BY THE EDITOR

HERE are two ways of looking at man. One is that he is the perfect creation of a perfect God; that he is not responsible for anything that he may do; in fact, that he does not do anything of himself, but that God is all, and everything that is done God does, and is wholly responsible for.

In

This view of man makes him a puppet, a mere mechanical toy moved about by a superior will. It presupposes a creator and a creation, each complete in itself. its last analysis it is the old orthodox idea of a personal God, making a personal man, and putting him forth in a prepared world, where he is tempted by a manufactured devil, and then punished for his verdant disobedience.

Dressed in metaphysical clothing this view appeals to a certain phase of reasoning, and many who refuse to accept the old time personal aspect of Deity arrive at virtually the same conclusion by mental jugglery.

They postulate a perfect God in Spirit who creates a perfect man. If God is all and he is perfect, they cannot see logically where there is room for imperfection anywhere. This leaves place for not even the appearance of error, hence that which seems to be is gravely declared a dream of error without a dreamer.

In mind they calmly deny away the manifest world as mortal delusion-and continue to strain every nerve to keep the dream going.

Every true metaphysician admits that a great truth underlies this view of the Eternal Goodness in the manifest and unmanifest; its weakness is in the conclusion drawn from the premise. This conclusion is not consistent, because it does not reconcile cause and effect. It deals with cause only in the ideal, and not finding effect up to its standard of per

fection, it declares it nothing--absolutely without source.

source.

He who accepts this idea of God unwittingly admits that man is not an essential part of Being.

If God is perfect in himself as abstract Mind without a manifestation, man and the universe are not necessary to his completeness, and they are, therefore, superadded conditions, barnacles as it were, below the water line of a being that is independent of them in every way.

The view that meets every point which may be raised is that man is an essential factor in a grand trinity, all of which it takes to make the whole of Being. Being is composed of Wisdom, Will and Consciousness. It takes all of these to make what we term God, and man stands in this God-head as Will. Ideas exist eternally in Wisdom; they are made manifest through Will, and the manifestation is called Consciousness.

Thus, man being the faculty of Will in the Supreme God-head, it is through him that the universe is brought into manifestation.

That which is brought forth is consciousness—a thing made. Now things made are the result of putting together different elements. All would be monotony, dead level, eternal sameness, if this were not true.

So if everything were always put together just the same way, here again would prevail a lack of interest. If the outcome of every motive and act at every step were definitely settled, existence would be without interest.

There must be in the creation of worlds, or states of consciousness, an ideal far beyond what has been realized.

Thus man is eternally at one with the Father in his divine essence as the Will, but when that Will is sent forth to carry out the ideals of the Father, Wisdom, a condition is set up, a state of consciousness called the soul, and its outer court called the body.

These are states or conditions which have been produced by the Will acting in time and space, and they are subject to laws inherent in Being.

If the Ego, or Will, which is man, has faithfully adhered to its Wisdom and carried out in its work the plans which are there idealized, it has created a harmonious consciousness.

This is Adam in the Garden of Eden. There is perfect harmony, and man is doing his part of the Divine work without friction. There are, however, many factors entering into the creation of a consciousness.

The one object is enjoyment. Being manifests its possibilities for the purpose of pleasure. Pleasure is the result of bringing together in right relation the potentialities of Being.

The Wisdom, Love and Substance of Mind are manifest in consciousness as Intelligence, Attraction and Sensation.

Eve represents Love, and the serpent, Substance. Thus when Love comes in contact with Substance, sensation is aroused in consciousness. Whoever indulges in sensation blindly and without restraint, eventually finds himself a slave and in the dungeon of sense darkness. The right relation between the factors in harmonious creation are not sustained, discord arises, and the consciousness of something wrong. This is evil. But the good stands ever in its place, in partial eclipse though it may be, through ignorance of the Will.

This realm of things made, or consciousness of condition is termed the soul. The body is the outer court of the soul, and an expert representative, in form, of the ideas which are revolving in the inner realms of its domain. The planet on which we live is a type of every man's soul.

The solid parts in the body, the electrical currents that permeate it from center to circumference, and far beyond, represent the passions and emotions of man, and the clouds are a fit symbol of the mortal thoughts that have been thrown out by the discords of unwise thinking.

All these are things, and are undergoing constant change. They appear to progress from lower to higher forms which men have observed and called evolution.