The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-01-11

1
stance. On the day of election, the
public business is our business. And
thought to be regarded as sacred bus
iness-patriotic business, Christian
business. And because good men
with this fatal blot criminaIly neglect
the business which belongs to them,
our country trembles because the I'M
godly bear rule. l say criminal me-
glect," because he who stands idly
by with water in his bucket and let's
the house burn, is next of kin to the
assassin who set the flames.
Whose Fault?
Now who is largely to blame for
the public conscience which allows
of this disastrous Indifference to the
public veal and woe? name the
pulpit, the religious press, and in
part the platform and the political
press. The clergy from the good old
colonial days to these days, have gone
at politics with cross-bow and Ratchet,
spasmodically, like Indian savages,
from an ambuscade. The old New
England fast days and thanksgiving
days were special seasons for political
bombardment from the pulpit. Such
pure Philippines made many men angry
and few men wise. Good men in all
parties took exceptions to religious po-
litical sermons of this peculiar type.
And from that disastrous pulpit pol
icy grave antipathy against political
preaching has spread over the coun
try through the power of speech and
pen.
The clergy, too, have been negative
ly at fault because they have not stim-
ulated the patriotism of the people by
wise, non partisan discourses on pub
lie affairs. They should vigorously
insist on the application of moral
Christian principles to political action
all through, from the voter to the
Judge and jailer.
But the pulpit forgets its duty to
this country in its over-zeal of duties
for the after country, viz. an heavenly.
They are oblivious to the fact that
man is one step better prepared to
meet his God, if he has first patriot
cally taken steps toward his ballot
box. They are oblivious to the fact
that Gods favors in heaven are for
those who have first shown favors to
mankind on earth. They are obliyi
GUS to the fact that the same lips
which told us to "render unto God
the things that are Gods" also told
us to "render unto Caesar the things
that are Casar's."
He who divides the sword of Jesus
into two halves has one weapon that
will cut his hands and another too
short to meet the grand issues of his
times. Jesus requires a completeness
of obedience which embraces heaven
and earth. The Bible is patriotic
book. The government and land of
Israel were accounted sacred. And
duty to neighbor and to country have
equal sacredness with duty to God
and to angels.
The Solvent of Wrong.
Now, it is the Christian sense of
right and wrong, which will yet
comparatively clean our political
philosophy and disirtegrate the
priest lied and boss-led nationalities.
Through these, worst of fostering
corruptions, they starve our honor
and deplete our pockets. Gross ex-
travagances often work their own
cure, as the chemical fermentation
clarifies the wine. Good men will be
brought to the polls, and pure men
will be put into Office in self defence.
The successful suppression of bribery
has begun, as in New York city. We
have signs of success in Chicago.
Our neighbors have organized a
Civic Federation, and a Christian
Citizenship Association and innumer-
able lodges of the American Protec-
tive Association, Our little cities OF
Bloomington and Joliet have shown
how quickly corrupt gangs of politi-
clans can be overcome when good
men obliterate PARTY lines and unite.
Now, all these things are not the
sign of immediate success. And yet,
collectively they are Elijah's cloud,
no bigger than a mans hand. But
presently there shall be the sound of
abundance of rain. Solid political
education is abroad. The press be-
comes holder and more lynx-eyed.
The dry-rot of worms less and less
escapes detection. Though the
clannish and fraudulent "can outstrip
men they have no wings to fly from
God" An era of revival in patriot
ism is upon us. The waving "Old
Glory" from every roof-top of learn