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SOME ITEMS OF INTEREST

THE WAR OBSESSION

"Does it not strike you that a most dangerous worldwide psychological condition is being created by the war in Europe? War is too rapidly becoming a fixed and normal condition; men and women are becoming too easily adapted to that condition.

"The people of the warring powers, not alone the soldiers, but the stay-at-homes, are accepting death on the firing line as inevitable and as good a way as any to die. The prayers for peace have been superseded by a grim determination on both sides to fight to a finish; to continue the war as the PERMANENT business of the nation. In the meantime crops are being raised almost normal, business is being conducted as usual, and even social functions are being resumed.

"The attitude of Europe is being reflected over here. While still persistently declaring our principles of peace, war in our heart of hearts does not appear near so horrible to us as it did three, two, or one year ago. Are we not being insidiously inoculated with the war germ?

"We may be forced into war, no matter how we struggle against it, but as a decent, Christian people let us not accept it as other than a horrible catastrophe. Without this country to lead in persistent efforts for peace a complaisant mental attitude toward war may soon become chronic all over the world; it is almost so in Europe now." —Cleveland Press.

"WITH THE SKIN OF MY TEETH"

—JOB 19:20.—

The following is a partial synopsis of the description of the teeth-membrane or skin, in "Tomes' Dental Anatomy," 1904, Fourth edition, London. It shows that Job and the learned of his day were far from being monkey-men. Until lately Job's words were considered a joke by dentists as well as others. The Bible is a wonderful book.

"Nasmyth's Membrane"

"Under the names of Nasmyth's Membrane, Enamel, Cuticle, or persistent dental capsule, a structure is described about which much difference of opinion has been, and indeed still is, expressed. Over the enamel of the crown of a human or other mammalian tooth, the crown of which is not coated with a thick layer of cementum, there is an exceedingly thin membrane, the existence of which can only be demonstrated by the use of acids, which cause it to become detached from the surface of the enamel. When thus isolated it is found to form a continuous transparent sheet, upon which, by staining with Nitrate of Silver, a reticulated pattern may be brought out as though it were made of Epithelial cells. It is exceedingly thin, Kolliker attributing it to a thickness of only one twenty-thousandth of an inch; but, nevertheless, it is very indestructible, resisting the action of strong Nitric or Hydrochloric Acid and only swelling slightly when boiled in Caustic Potash."