The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-13

The university Of Utah is a state in
stitution. The state as such, has nc
religion, and therefor the university
exists not to teach religion, but incul-
cate secular learning. The professors
| and pupils, however, have immortal
souls, they are responsible beings, and
whether they have religious convic-
tons or not, they have responsibility
to God. No man is complete outside
of union with God. He has a chain
upon every mans affections because
he has created him, given him all those
| noble faculties which distinguish him
| from the brute creation, and more than
all else, sustains him day by day. Now,
the great end of all religious effort, as
well as of every other true aim, is to de-
| velop character-indeed this is the
scope of all true teaching of every
| kind to make better men and women,
causing them to realize the relation
! they should sustain to God, the state
and each other.
| speak of the ideal citizen in his rela-
ton to the government. This in itself
is a great theme, which / must dis
miss with a very few observations.
Government is in itself a sacred thing.
1t represents law and order, it signi-
| fies authority and so it represents God,
who is the source from which all law
. i
of course be chaos and unhappiness.
Government is needed for its effect
upon the individual himself. We gen.
orally think of it as necessary for the
well being of society. This all admit.
1t is well to consider it in its effect
upon the citizen himself Law is
order. the violation of law is disorder.
No man can long stand before the
community as a violator of law and
maintain his self-respect. This may
be considered an axiom which cannot
be questioned, and if it can be thor
oughly ingrained in the minds of our
people, a great advance will have been
made. The duty of self-respect, there
fore, should be always and fully in
culcated. 1t is one of the most power
full appeals which can be made to an
intelligent mind, because it is an APP
peal to the best there is in any man,
to his reason, that which makes him
most Godlike. In a republic like that
under which we live every man is d
part of the government, charged with
the responsibility of maintaining
order, and enforcing the law against
its violators. Ones duty therefore, to
the state stands very high and is a
very sacred thing. The man who has
the highest conception of his Christian
duty, will feel very keenly the sense
of duty which he has to the state.
What we need to recognize is that
the individual man has a relation to
the state, not the church as cor
porate body. 1t has nothing whatever
to do with the state. 1t is a spiritual
body in the world, under the govern
ment of Christ alone. The state has
no jurisdiction over it, has nothing to
do with it, ought not to recognize it
in any way. 1t inculcates in its sub
jectS those principles which Will be
helpful to the state and never sub
versive. The church teaches men to
recognize the authority Of the state.
The powers that, taught oC. fauI,
are ordained of God. This 1 fully be-
lieve. I know of course that bad men
are sometimes in authority. That is
our fault, God permits ii for a pur-
pose, to show US how frail we are, and
how dependent upon him. If bad men
are in authority, we put them there
and the responsibility is ours. We talk
about the corruption of the govern
ment sometimes. The truth is, if there
be any corruption, it is the people
themselves who are corrupt, who in
stead of being independent self
respecting, can be flattered, cajoled,
bribed, frightened, who though they
may stand in the face of cannon, have
not the moral courage to stand up
for conviction intelligently formed and
right of suffrage not as the dis
tinguished badge of an intelligent and
free man, but as an article of mer
chandise which can be had for some
petty privilege or for the enjoyment of
some fancied honor. Every man is
responsible to God. and TO the state to
which he forms part for the manner
in which he exercises the right of suf-
frage. To this end he needs to be an
Independent thinker. If you will pause
and reflect a moment, if you will but
make the slightest observation you
will be surprised to find how little in
dependent thinking there is. How
many leave their thinking to others?
How many are too mentally indolent
to execute their brains. who are in
fiUenced by the prevailing sentiment |
which is in the air, who catch up and
repeat the opinions of others rather
than take the trouble to put a few
facts together, and base some con-
illusions upon them 1t were better |
to do ones own thinking !
and be wrong than lean upon |
others and be right. The reason for SO
saying is that he who learns to think
for himself will I5arforce come to right !
conclusions by and by, even though |
he may at first be wrong. In short, we
need to have to be men. The great |
thing for which Gladstone stood, as we |
have seen, was manhood. This is a !
thought for which in our relation to the |
state we need to contend. This is true
greatness. The only conception most |
persons have of greatness is distinction /
IN war in literature, the arts or scien-
ces, or perchance in the accumulation
Of wealth. 1t is a false standard by |
which we thus judge. In a day when
we are making SO much of distinction
we need to magnify the spirit which
animates those who would do as much |
as others were the opportunities theirs.
All honor to Hobson and the immor-
al seven who defied the enemy's
The Merrimac in the defense of their
name, for the emancipation
IF human slaves, but what of the re-
four hundred who We're as
eager to go upon the same errand?
Was there no heroism there? Shall
hey be forgotten in the din of applause
which we shower upon the eight? The
iesire and the disposition to do ones
,ull duty wherever God may place
lin, whether in a conspicuous position
II in such retirement that no one will
.ver discover what he has done about
[. Such elements Of greatness as will
.ntitle the doer to a high place in the
sight of Cod, if not in the applause of
nen. Then, lastly, in considering ones
iuty to the state, the element of pat
iotism must be counted upon. How
Tery much the love of country signi-
lesi Pessimists have been wont to
hink that the fires Of patriotism had
,urned low in American hearts; that
he pursuit of wealth had blinded them
o every noble impulse. How mistaken
UGH persons have been, as the events
f the past few months have showed ;
low inspiring has been the sight of {
men laying aside business and pleasure I
nd with glad heart responding to the
atoms call to arms. All honor to :
hose who have thus shown their love S