The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-02-04
PRESENT DAY EVILS
.prRLIC OPINION" THE SUBJECT
OF REV. WATKINS SERMON.
PEOPLE NOT ALWAYS RIGHT.
yox POPULI DOES NOT NECESSARY
LY MEAN VOx DEL.

ODiniOn May Be Wrong, but 1t Is
AIvays Powerful Legislation
Alone VIII Cure No EviI-EnIight-
.ened Public Sentiment Must Sup
port the Law.
AT the Christian Church, on Bolton
,treet. yesterday morning, Rev. W. f.
watkins delivered a timely and interest
inc address on Public Opinion" taking
es his text First Kings 22:7 and s;
"1ticaiah! hate him, for he
doth not prophesy good con-
corning me, but evil" the utterance of
King Ahab concerning the one prophet
gbo had the manhood to speak as God
romman ded, and not as man desired.
Four hundred time-serving, popularity
soaking prophets of the kings liking had
lndorsed his project to take Ramoth in
Giead had taken what would now be
termed The popular side of the question.
and by their false advice encouraged
those in power in their iniquities.
only Macaiah, standing alone, but
strong in the consciousness of divine sup
mort. prophesied evil of Ahabs plan.
slorning dissimulation; refusing to cater
TO a movement, wrong in it's nature, but
popular with the ruling classes, the one
prophet governed by truth and principle
stood forth and denounced the kings
scheme There were the voices of the
four hundred against the voice of one,
but the one was the voice of God. Vox
populi was not vox del. AS Ahab lay
dying after the battle in which the false
prophets had given promise of success to
his arms, he realized, as many in after
generations have realized that, while
majorities may control and direct, ma
iorities are not necessarily in the right;
that public opinion, perverted and led
from healthy channels by lack of moral
education, may sanction evils that must
eventually react with direful conse-
uuences.
Public opinion is the expression
Of the views of the people,
Il is the voice of the people, but unless
1t is in accordance with divine laws it
can never be construed as Gods opinion
or the voice of God. The size of the
majority in favor of a measure, the over
whelming Endorsement that is temporarily
given to it, does not affect it's moral
status or the result of its operations
Four hundred to one in the instance IF
Ahab; four hundred falsely pronouncing
divine sanction on his expedition and
pronouncng divine blessings; but one hat
ed and despised voice lifted against it,
Ahab, wounded unto death, his forces
scattered his ambitious plan thwarted, is
a picture that has lived through all the
intervening ages as an illustration, power
full in realism; of a lesson that needs to
he
lie mind and the conscience of those in
high place, that the voice of the people
Is not necessarily the voice of God
Micaiah, standing before the throne, re-
fusing to be silenced by the clamorous
voices of the four hundred, declining to
bow to popular passions or prejudices, IN
different alike to kngly favor or con-
demnation speaking for the truth, for the
riht regardless of personal conse-
guences, is the one figure of the scene
that to-day stands out pre-eminent as
alone worthy of respect, of admiration of
emulation. Micaiah personiies the highest
manhood. He is the type of the true
prophet and teacher. The Macaiah of CO.
day is likewise hated by those whose
plans he runs counter to, whose views do
not control him, whose false theories he
condemns, and whose wrong-doings he at
lacks.
The voice of the people may be the voice
of God, when sound public opinion
speaks, but when low stand
ard of living and of think
ing prevails and public opinion ac-
quiesces therein, the voice of the people
may be that which rules, but the voice of
God it assuredly is not. Under existing
conditions the fact we have to reckon
with is that the majority will temporarily
carry the day. Hence the Importance OF
securing a sound, healthy opinion on all
matters of right or wrong. Chinese
proverb says that the people are the
roots of the state if the roots are healthy
the state will endure, but the roots can
never be healthy where public opinion is
Unsound.
OF one thing we can also be certain.
legislation alone will cure no evils. State
and municipal legislation may drive evils
inward so that they do not offend the
eve, but they continue their corrupt in
Huences, burrowing underground, llv-
lug, eating cancer still. Evil
In its hydra-headed form is on every
side of as We recognize its presence and
See its results. 1t is so fatally easy un-
der the circumstances to adopt
the stereotyped plea, every one
does it," or you can not
interfere with it," or you cannot put it
down" That is what human nature,
with Its love of ease and dread of unpop-
ularity suggests. 1t is an unmanly, unpa-
ulotlc unchristianlike attitude. Micaiah
SETS US different example. No hesitation
on MS part; no temporizing; no fear of
royal or popular disfavor. His position
the one that all true men should assume.
AS the Lord liVeth, what the Lord saith
unto me that VIII L speak" To men like
Mlcalah the world to-day looks for its
true leaders, for those who will beat down
the forces of evil in society and save it
from ruin; not to those who seek to first
hhd the voice of the people and then bow
opedlent to its caprices, subservient to
us wishes, wrong though they may be.
MS apathy, this Indifference this weak
ness on the part of many is one of the
saddest, one of the most discouragng
signs OF the times. Here in Savannah, as
elsewhere, we have need of the spirit of
Macaiah. not effervescent but permanent
~ our people, especially our young peo-
PIE and those of the better class, drink
more gamble more, disregard the Lords
uey more, every year. Is this to go on in
uenhltely? If 1t goes on very long, moth
ing can save us. No commercial activity,
10 growth of population, no financial
prosperity, can redeem u.s. for the city or
country that is intent solely on material
development, which is devoted to out
Ndrd growth and entirely careless as to
as inward life, is twisting ropes of sand.
say that what is must be-" and
what must be must be-" is an easy way
o"l oil the difficulty to some, but it is
NJ" christian way, nor the. way of a
Macaiah