THE CANADA LUTHERAN. 3 the words of Asaph : "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee." We must free ourselves of all earthiness and not limp about on the crutches of riches. Jesus has promised heaven to those who are "poor in spirit?' Heavenly treasures are offered us in the church through the grace of Jesus Christ. And His is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever and ever.--Amen. PROHIBITION. In an article on "The Increasing Sweep of Prohibition" The American Lutheran Survey comments as follows : "The saloon has proven a chief source of corruption in politics. By its direct influence and prodigal use of money, the liquor traffic has stood in the way of social and industrial reform. It has played upon the weakness of human nature for sinister purposes. It has had a powerful grip upon a large part of the electorate and obstructed the promulgation of salutary legislation wherever it has had the power. "Then again, it will scarcely be disputed that the saloon is the cause of a great deal of the immorality against which the better element of every city and community has been struggling practically in vain. This immorality is not confined to one particular feature of evil, but ramifies in all directions, blunting and dulling the moral sense of entire communities. In defense society is being forced to take drastic measures against this great source of social corruption and decadence,--the liquor saloon. Arguments in favor of the saloon and the drinking habit will no longer stand the test of enlightened discussion. When the evil has become patent and clear to the majority of people, they will not take half-way measures, nor will they be satisfied with moderate restriction and limitation of the evil ; but they will do as the city of Winnipeg has done; they will take drastic measures to eradicate the evil, root and branch. Statistics of crime and serious offences directly traceable to intoxicating liquor cannot be argued away. Facts are stubborn things, and theorizing about the rights of 'personal liberty' and the moderate use of intoxicating liquors may do very well in at academic discussion ; but in the practical workings of society they count for nothing when the facts prove conclusively that the liquor saloon is the prime cause of many of the ills under which the community suffers. "The economic and industrial warfare of the community requires that this cause of waste and inefficiency be removed. Here, too, arguments for moderation in drink and the rights of personal liberty reduce themselves to an unwarranted individualism which does not comport with the evolution of society which may be clearly seen of all men capable of seeing anything. Individualism is an outworn theory. An individual has no rights whatever which conflict with the general welfare of the community. If he is a Christian, he will be glad to forego his personal liberty to the extent which is required in order that he may not be the cause of offense and ruin to others, and that society may not suffer for his mistaken notions of personal liberty. 'Personal liberty' talk in the presence of the liquor evil is beside the mark. The day is coming when the rights of society exclude the assertion of the rights of the individual when they operate to the degradation of society as a whole. The moment society suffers on account of the exercise of the personal rights of an individual, the individual had better duck and get from tinder or something will hit him in spite of his chatter about 'personal rights.' "Thus it comes to pass that causes, economic, industrial, commercial, political and social, are operating mightily, together with the cause of morality, in eliminating one great factor which for ages has been destroying human beings for time and eternity. It may be that the power of the saloon in the corrupting of politics has been a large reason for the sudden popular antagonism to the liquor business, or it may be flit economic reason, or the industrial reason--it matters little. The result cannot but be gratifying to all who believe in the removal of destructive forces and in the conservation of those things only which are constructive and are operating for the building up of society physically and morally."--American Lutheran Survey, April 5, 1916. LUTHERAN UNION. The Rev. Paul H. Krauss of Pittsburgh, Pa., has a timely article in the American Lutheran Survey on the possibilities for union among Lutheran Synodical bodies. He says: "The argument for the need of union is legend,--let us specify two. We have Rome entrenching herself in every city on this continent. She controls local and state governments, censors the public press, commands the attention and homage of even the leaders of the land. She is as mighty a foe of the Kingdom of God as she Continued on Page 10.