The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1896-01-15

tiny and mission, aud no earthly
power could avert it.
Early in their history the Roman
fought for bis supremacy and much
was achieved by his doctrine of CO.
lonia and municipium. In that way
he studded the Roman provinces by
free towns and colonies as so many
garrisons for Roman supremacy. In
q colony he simply transplanted gen
uine Roman citizens in corgurous
communities, but by municipium he
simply engrafted this freedom in
alien communities for the same ends.
From this municipium we have our
municipal" regulations and their
various forms of local self govern
ment. In all his successful career
the Anglo-Saxon has defended and
lived and prospered in no small de-
gree by his adherence to this cold
municipium" of the Caesar fame. 1t
has become kind of heirloom in our
family and as such should be so
priced and defended. It claims an
ancestry of over two thousand years
and while during the dark ages it
suffered much at various times, as
the sunlight Of freedom shines
brighter this tendency Of our race
grows stronger and stronger.
God who knows man and his na-
ture best in his long preparation OF
the Roman republic for the end that
Daniel saw and so clearly sets forth
in this wonderful but short Book,
gave to tie Senate of Rome such
men as did make these changes on
all of the old governments that the
world had ever known, and the long
and wise course Of the Roman law
givers so rivited it into the very ex-
istence Of the republic that it will
ever be impossible to obliterate it.
This taken away, the public spirit
and enterprise Of any community,
State or nation departs, and it will
be we'll that this generation and peo-
pie do we'll to ponder and weigh the
consequences before too many inno-
vations be made to be again rein
stated by the public spirit Of our
progressive day. 1 think those pub
lie men who favored such radical in
roads on these historic grounds but
little understand the spirit Of our
people or the cause Of our political
revolution.
Christianity, or the government to
be set up in the days OF these kings,
is an aggressive government or it
could not break all others in pieces.
No religious sentiment will be long
aggressive in dead, lifeless civil
government, and hence it is neces-
sity to join life, tone and force to
the Christian aggression that a life
less civil community should be over
turned and one of zeal and energy
be brought forth.
I do not want to be understood as
advocating union of Church and
State, for that is as far from the Bi-
bic standard as the east is from the
west. But the history of the past
and the revelations from the Bible
90 to show that the Bible ideal gov
ernment is one with such life, form
and complexion as to give the great
est advantage for the moral and
spiritual sentiment to control the
destiny Of that people.
A government might give ample
protection to our lives and property
and insure to US civil liberty, as
that term is usually understood, and
not be a model government. It
could do that and be lifeless and non
progressive. A government might
encourage vice and immortality and
yet give By its laws ample protection
to life and property. But these must
be added condition of government
suitable and encouraging to vital
spirituality.
Daniel saw that stone cut out Of
the mountain continue to break and
destroy all the governments and as
it should never end and will continue
to break and destroy all environments
to its Jurisdiction. The condition
of people and the manner Of their
control have so much to do with their
moral condition and advancement
that there is a necessity in some
hand or power for an ability to
arrest that condition for the public
good.
The whole Book of Daniel shows
revolutions, either military OF civil,
is for mans elevation and advance
ment, not simply temporarily, but
bothtemporally and morally and when
only one can be achieved, the moral