The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1890-03-14
A Sermon on Government.

.
The Fort Worth Gazette in a
recent editorial shows sound wis
dom and an understanding of the
principles and power of christion-
ity that are not often manifested, if
known, by the leading secular pa
pers. Barring its overlooking the
method by which its reform is to
be accomplished and the mislead-
ing captain, Himself His Lever,
it sounds much like an editorial
from /, leading religious journal of
the American type. Here is an
extract:
''The plan proposed by such
modern reformers as Mr.. Bethany,
Henry George, Johann Most, and
others for the amelioration of the
race are incomplete. No equal
distribution of land, no communi-
ity of property, nor paternalism of
government, will accomplish the
radical change that these reform
ers expect from their theories.
There must be reform of man.
kind beginning in the heart of
man, a reform that christianity
terms regeneration, new birth.
By whatever name, it is radical
reformation, essential and helpful,
that is required for genuine philan-
thropic work"
This is the change needed. All
the schemes of Georgeison, the
beauties described by Bethany, or
the happiness of communism pict-
ured by Most, can not make man
happy. 1t must be wrought in
the individual, and through the
individual to the government or
systems of governments, whatever
they may be. 1t must consist not
not in the reformation of the
whole, as a whole, but in the re-
formation of the whole through
its component parts. What christ
ianity cabs regeneration is work
wrought in man." through the
of the spirit of God, man
of course, first being willing for
such work be done, and submit
ting himself to God to be wrought
upon. This is where its power and
are shown. Such con-
dition can be brought about only
uaI !. fe Insny ' as could S Clerks
I En- I;me. followed tbe~41S5 get off At
or I'm -;eo's toesito the a. -
10 Delniou4.o
i~hen he got his check, " as nc
1an y - at : table. where
calls this experience a leaven, !
which would spread; a salt, which
should permeate every part of So
ciety; q. light, which should ex-
tend throughout the world. To
show the necessity of this work,
and how futile are all other meth
DDS the Gazette continues:
Every physician knows that no
deep-seated ulcer can be healed by
closing the surface, that were it
possible to cover with clean,
healthy skin a foul putrefying
sore, the healing would be only su-
and beneath a fair sur
face would be fostering putridity, |
sapping the life, and that, sooner,
or latter, it would destroy with
deadly virulence. So in the body
polite; the deadly germ that
dwells in immortality, the foul
weeds Of idleness thriving in hot
beds of laziness. Ind scattering
seeds of discomfort, discord and
revolt, must be eradicated, and the |
ground thoroughly broken up, and
by careful tillage made to produce
a harvest of wholesome grain.
ANY social theory is of necessity
defective that looks only to out
ward conditions. Even casual
observer readily understands that
human beings living in filthy, i'll
ventilated homes, fed upon gar
bage and clad in ill-smelling rags
are likely to be vicious. Such
one will always contend that the
Tork CT removal to better sur
'ounding is the work of reforma-
ion, but in the structure Of the
word is the pith of the argument.
To remove is not to reform. In the
human plant as well as vegetable,
where there is a radical disease,
he cure is not effected by a pro-
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