Greetings to all and especially to the Young People of The Protes­tant Reformed Churches of Ameri­ca. As this is our first appearance in your newly established publica­tion we heartily wish you God’s blessing upon your paper and also in your activities during the com­ing Society Season. We hope that through the Grace of God we may be a help to one another during the coming year.

In our present age, the unfolding of God’s plan in the history of His Created World is rapidly taking place before our very eyes. This has been going on since the begin­ning of time but at present it has attained a greater speed than ever before. The guidance of Almighty God is strikingly revealed to us by developments in the gigantic strug­gle that rages on the Eastern Hem­isphere. Mighty forces are allowed to progress to certain limits in var­ious plans but are then caused to take up the struggle elsewhere so that at present we find two of the most ungodly powers of the world pitted against each other in deadly conflict. Many predictions and warnings about the approach of the end of time are emphatically called to mind by the rapid changes that take place in this struggle.

Changes are the word of the hour. So it seems at least if we scan the events of time since the Congress of the United States ex­tended the time of service for our conscripted men.

Alliance with Britain

Although passage was only by a very slight margin it seems to have given President Roosevelt the as­surance that he could enter into a closer and more active alliance with Britain. His meeting at sea with Winston Churchill soon fol­lowed. What actually was dis­cussed and decided by these allied leaders will only be revealed by events that happened immediately after and which will happen in the future. One thing is certain even now that our policy in the Pacific was changed immediately. Our outward attitude was changed so much that Japan found it expedient to change her front completely. Instead of continuing her pro-axis front she about faced and desired to mediate the Pacific troubles with President Roosevelt. She has carefully avoided the possibility of a dispute with the United States by allowing ships carrying cargoes of oil, which has been forbidden her, to pass peacefully through her waters to her age-old enemy, Rus­sia.

Alliance with Russia

Here again we find a difficult situation for many people to under­stand and which many do not favor at all. Our so called Christian nation allies herself with the un­godly Stalin Regime of Russia. When God so guides all things that two professing ungodly nations are pitted against each other to de­stroy one another, we align our­selves with one who has been try­ing to destroy religion and our democratic form of government, not only in Russia but also in our own country. This has been done especially by literary propaganda during the past decade. The out­come of such an alliance God alone knows.

The Greer Incident

During the past week, changes have also rushed upon us in our position in the Atlantic. The Greer incident gave the opportunity long awaited by the warmongers in our country as an excuse for actual warfare. Most naturally, of course, each accuses the other of firing the first shot. How true of our own childhood differences. When asked how the fight was started the ans­wer was always given. “He hit me first.”

Roosevelt’s Speech

President Roosevelt’s speech in which he made known that as Com­mander-in-Chief of the Navy he had ordered our forces to shoot first at any raider or submarine considered to be in defense waters gives us an active part in the hos­tilities. Who is to determine how far these defense waters extend? Some have already placed them in the Red Sea zone because our ships are carrying the so-called necessary supplies to Britain and Russia. It seems we are following some of the tactics of other countries of the world which we condemned severe­ly in the past. We are starting a fight without officially declaring war against the country or coun­tries we plan to attack. The out­come God alone knows. Let us trust in Him and continually seek His grace and Favor that He may lead us through these troublesome times. We also are by nature in the same condemnation as the rest of the world for we have forsaken God as a country in all our works and are worthy of the same punish­ments He has inflicted on the coun­tries of Europe and Asia.