University of South Carolina Libraries
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 194* THE NEWBERKx sun FAITH FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS By PAUL STEWART Pastor First Baptist Church Pelzer, S C. We are living in an age of trouble and uncertainty. These are the times that try men’s souls. The situation in which the world finds itself gives much grave concern to those who are vitally interested in the welfare of the human race. The hearts of many are failing them for fear. It seems to them that all is chaotic disorder; they wonder whether God has any plan, and whether He really cares. “Why doesn’t God do something?” is the question on many lips. Habakkuk 1:12-2:4 ought to give us some light on the above question. Israel, because of her sinful disbe lief and disobedience to God, came to a place of judgement. God was about to use the Chaleans to punish, or chastize, His own faithless people. The prophet was perplexed God al lowed such cruel ,a “bitter and hasty nation” as His instrument of chas tisement. He did not quetsion that his people had not sinned but he could not understand why God allow ed the wicked Chaldeans to commit such awful atrocities on His people. In addressing God, Habakkuk reaf- fiimed his faith in God. However, there was something that he could not reconcile with what he knew of God. To Habakkuk, God was the Holy One, the Everlasting. He also knew the wicked would eventually receive correction and judgment. He need to turn aside from them and let God speak His message to us. Let us climb up that we may see and hear. Doubt becomes a start ing place of faith when we see things from God’s viewy*oim. Hava you some problem, physical or spiritual difficulty? If so, take it to the “Tower of Prayer.” Take every thing to God in prayer. Many years ago I read in a paper George Adams’ story how Larry Lauder turned to God, like Habak kuk. Many sorrowed with him when his only son died upon the field, of honor, leaving him childless. The Sunday after the announcement of the tragedy Dr. Adams was preach ing in the city Temple, London, and Mr. and Mrs. Lauder were in the congregation. After the services they went to speak to the minister, whose heart went out for both. Their courage conquered the sympathetic feeling on. the minister ,and words of admiration rose from his lips instead. He said, “Harry, we are proud of the wonderful way you have born this blow.” The answer came back quickly. “When a man has been hit as I have been, there are only three ways open to him—drink, dispair, or God; and I am looking to God for the consolation and courage I now need.’’ We need leaders today who will not permit themselves to be lulled to aflse security or into deadening discouragement. Let us go upon the tower and watch. As God answered Habakkuk, He will answer us if we are ready to listen and abide His time. Habakkuk received a vision of DR. WILLIAMS’ WORK knew that God would not look upon j God’s truth which he was to write so plainly that everyone who read it would understand it and, in turn, run to others with the message. Let us make the message clear and plain. We should spread encouragement. There are so many gloom srpeaders. We find them in the church ,in the school on the street, and everywhere. Discouragement is very contagious. If allowed to start in the church, it will dishearten the members and paralyze the spirit of aggressive ness. But encouragement is also con tagious. Holy optimism will kindle a fire of enthusiam for God’s work. Faith in God who is greater than cijiumstanceS will generate hope and courage. God explained to Habakkuk that the wicked would eventually be pun ished and the righteous would even tually triumph. His answer to the prophet for his day—“The just shall live by faith.” (See Rom. 1-17, Gal. 2:11 and Heb. 10:38. These are the words that stirred Martin sin with pleasure. We must remem- eer that God does not make plans just for the moment, or just a day. His eternal plans are conceived and executed in. holiness and power. Habakkuk could not understand why God would use the wicked Chaldeans to punish His own peo ple, Judah, when Judah was better than the Chaldeans. God’s people through the years have had this same problem. Why should Christians suffer at the hands of unbelievers? Why should preachers suffer at the hands of sinning, critical, and faith less church members? Another question: Why does God allow evil to prosper at all? God will make bare His arm at the right time. Right must arise and truth prevail. The good will be rewarded-and the evil punished. There is a pay day someday. Livingstone, the great missionary who suffered hardships in dark Af rica said, “I do not call my priva tions ‘sacrifices,’ for I think the Luther and his followers to bring word ought never be applied to any thing we can do for Him who came down from Heaven and died for us.” Habakkuk did not give up in dis about the Reformation. It is the message for our day. We are saved by grace through faith. We are to live a life of faith. Trust God for pair. He took his doubts and ques-, everything! If this faith is real, tions to God. He said, “I will stand there will be beautiful living. Mr. upon my watch, and set me a tower. { Moody used to say, “A Christian and will watch to see what He will ought to wear the kind of face that say to me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.” The prophet found the answer to his ouestions when he get above his immediate en vironment. We live so close to our circumstances that it is hard to keep things in their true relation ships. In our troubles today we it would be worth going two blocks to see.’’ In the last chapter we see Hab- akkuk’s response to the enlightening answer of God was immediate and clear. Nearly all this third chapter is given to the expression of praise, thanksgiving testimony, and worship (From The Columbia Recrod) The service of Dr. C. Fred Wil liams to South Carolina over the last three decades has been notable, and the marks of it will be seen and felt for many years to come. Although Dr. Williams, on his own motion, is soon to give up his respon- aibility—and it has beer a very large one—as superintendent of the State Hospital, he will continue to serve the state in an endeavor to create at the hospital an important center of research in the field of phychiatry. By achievement and by length of service he is entitled to retirement, but he is a devoted servant of his life work, and it is the state’s good fortune that he will labor to endow the hospital’s research foundation with the means of expansion and greater service. It is a cause that should bring a generous response to the appeals Dr. Williams will make for it. It is doubtful if South Carolina could have found a man anywhere, so peculiarly, fitted for the task that has been Dr. Williams’ for 30 years. He is not only an eminent psychia trist; he has proved himself an able administrator, a builder, a sympathe tic physician to thousands of men- tally-sick persons and their families, and his warm and endearing person ality has been a tremendous asset to an essential institution and its mis sion. One of the best evidences of the widely-recognized success of Dr. Wil liams is not positive or visible. It is the fact that over his many years a complex and exacting task has been performed with a minimum of diffi culties. But on the positive side are the enlarged facilities, the advances in the treatment of the mentally sick, the strong administration and Dr. Williams’ continuous emphasis on research. It is fortunate that the hospital has in Dr. Coyt Ham one of its own physicians to assume the functions of superintendent as successor to Dr. Williams. Dr. Ham has been with the hospital only six years less than Dr. Williams. He knows it well and is calculated to be a worthy succes sor. Mr.Farmer We Have On Hand Now A Large Stock Of Nitrate of Soda and can let you have any amount you want. We shall keep a good stock on hand all during the season for your needs. We Shall Also Have That Good Scoco Fertilizer for you but would advise your coming around and discussing your fertilizer busi ness as to prices and analysis you will want for the coming season. The Southern Cotton Oil Co. R. A. FEAGLE, Cashier R. C. FLOYD, Manager of God. He humbled himself and prayed for a revival of himself and of God’s work. The ode in th elast chapter is considered one of the fin est of all literature. We are fold that Webster regarded 3:17, 18 as ' one of the sublimest passages of in- ! spire dliterature. J IBenjamin Franklin was present at an evening gathering when some of the guests asserted very strongly that the Bible was a book of decep tion and wholly lacking in literary merit. Being asked his opinion, Franklin told them he had with him an ancient book of rare excellence and, perhaps they would like to com pare its literary value with that of the Bible. They begged him to read it. After reading the poem they said, “It is wonderful.” “It is sub lime.’’ Then they wanted to know if the book had any other such pas sages. Smilingly, triumphantly, Franklin replied: “This book is full of such passages. It is no other that your good-for-nothing Bible. I mere ly read to you the prayer of the prophet Habakkuk.” The design of the prophecy of Hab akkuk is to confirm the servants’ of God in their belief in His power and his provisions as Ruler and disposer of all things. Faith brings us into union with the SOURCE of all life. Let us learn a lesson from this prophecy, for the story of Habakkuk is a story of religious faith sur mounting trouble and doubt. May we go singing, “Simply trusting every day.” WE WILL BUY—Your burlap sacks or any kind of old rags, also scrap iron and other metals. See W. H. STERLING. AUDITOR VTAX NOTICE Returns of personal property, new buildings, transfer of real estate, poll and road' tax, are to be made at the County Auditor’s office beginn ing: JANUARY 1, 1945 THROUGH FEBRUARY 28, 1945 All able-bodied male citizens be tween the ages of twenty-one and sixty are liable to $1 poll tax; all persons between the ages of twenty- one and fifty outside of incorporated towns are liable to pay commutation tax of $1. All dogs are to be as sessed at $1 each. All returns are to be made by School Districts. Your failure to make a return calls for penalty as prescribed by law. PINCKNEY N. ABIAMS, County Auditor LOANS ON REAL ESTATE AUTOMOBILES AND PERSONAL PROPERTY NEWBERRY INSURANCE AND REALTY CO. NED PURCELL, Manager TELEPHONE 197 Exchange Bank Building By SPECTATOR Shall the Federal Government have a right to impose unlimited taxes? Everyone concedes that the National Government has the full right to take anything, or, virtually every thing, in- order, to save the Nation from invasion and conquest. It be comes a matter of self-preservation then. But in time of peace we have city, county and State Governments to provide for as well as schools. It is apparent that the Federal Govern ment has encroached on local gov ernments for sometime. Today the Federal Government is. assuming, or plans for many local functions. There is now before the Nation a proposal that the Legislatures shall memorealize Congress to submit as an amendment to the Constitution a provision that in time of peace the National Government may not im pose taxes to exceed 25 per cent of over nicome. The same limit of 25 .per cent would also be applied to taxes on gifts. In the early days of our National life it was thought proper to keep the nation out of the local taxing field. The nation could not tax the individual; it did tax certain things like whiskey an tobacco; but there was no tax on the individual’s in come. The 16th .Amendment was proposed in 1909 with a limit of 10 per cent. That is the Amendment which permits Congress to impose an income tax. Only 2 per cent was contemplated at the time. The idea of 10 per cent was regarded as ri diculous, for no one exipeeted the Federal Government to take as much as 10 per cent! It is now 95 per ct. in some cases!! The idea of a limitation on the power to spend is not new in South Carolina, for in out State Constitu tion twe read: “The bonded deb of any County, township, school dis trict, municipal corporation or poli tical division or subdivision of this State shall never exceed eight per centum of the assessed value of all the taxable property therein. (Last part of Section 5 Article 10,) But the Constitution of the State says more on the general subject or con trol over the power of tax. Section 3 of Article 8 says: “The General Assembly shall restrict the powers of cities and towns to levy taxes and assessments, to borrow money and to contract debts . . .” Again we find in Section 7 of Article 8 the following: “No city or town in this State shall hereafter incur any .bond ed debt which, including existing bonded indebtedness, shall exceed eight per centum of the assessed value of the property therein.” So the idea of controlling the taxing power is one which this State has approved and adopted since 1895. Capital is timid; but Capital doesn’t imply only men of swollen fortunes; some of the greatest corporations of America count their stockholders among the hundreds of thousands of men and women of small means, who own ten to d hundred shares. Capital comes from everywhere. It would surprise you to know that Columbians hold thousands of shares in Corporation. KOHN-HICKS Mr. and Mrs. Hal Kohn announce the marriage of their • daughter Mary Birge to John Wilbur Hicks, Jr. Ensign, United States Naval Reserve Saturday, Feb. 10th, 1945 ‘ Boston, Mass. LOST—War Rationing Book No. 3 issued to C. A. Force. Finder please return to the War Rationing Board or C. A. Force at R. M. Lominack Hardware on Main St. TRESSPASS NOTICE—All hunting or otherwise trespassing on the lands of Mrs. Pat Mitchell or Mrs. Claude Summer is expressly for bidden and will be prosecute under the law. 31-3t AT FIRST SIGN OF A c OVD w 666 USE 1 Cold Preparations as directed “T4Z rnnstWer ?t a good reminder. sir. r This might be an excellent use for some of the barbed wire left over from the beachheads and barricades. Placed between a man and the War Bonds he s safely tucked away, it would give him pause . . . in case he was tempted to cash in a single Bond. It would make him stop and think . . . Step and think that those Bonds will mean in- Stop and think that holding War Bonds is as vital to Victory as buying them . . . and as vital to a secure future for the individual, a secure future for his country. Put your War Bonds in a safe place. And keep them there.. . . as you keep on buying more. Ten years from now, you’ll thank your lucky stars you did. The RED CROSS Drive Starts Soon; Let’s AH Co-operate OAKLAND PLANT Kendall Mills M0LL0H0N PLANT