The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-12-28
IDOLS.
BY KATHERINE WALKER.

Idol, what a small word, consisting as
1t does, of only four letters, and its defini-
ton is equally brief, an image.
Yet how important a part 1t takes in
the welfare of the nations, and the pro-
gress of mankind. It has played its part
in all history. whether sacred or profane,
In prose, in poetry and in song.
In the early ages, when the souls of
men cropping in utter darkness, were tried
and sorely perplexed when they felt the
need of some higher, more divine power
than had yet appeared, on which to lay
the burdens and oppressive cares, from
which to receive aid in times of war and
strife, in sickness and distress, then it
was that they turned to an imaginary
power, which they supposed in their
vague, unenlghtened souls to be the ON
nipotent One.
And for purposes of convenience, and
often for gain, some special object was
declared to be endowed with more than
human power, and that benefits would
come to those who worshiped at Its tenn
pie. This satisfied in some degree the
senses, but the heart, what comfort could
this bring to it? The heart was search
ing for the real, the true one, and the
llCdIl ~ lIC CeDlGT Ol I'LL.
1t seems to me, that this longing for
some superhuman power, argues the i'm
mortality of the soul. Thus, this Hide
fined conception of the great and good
spirit, caused the worship of Jupiter,
Minerva, Ceres and numerous others to
be originated. They did not believe at
this time that they were shining against
the true God they were only in error
These ancient heathens worshipped the
-
Grecian natures, bowed down to them,
offered sacrifices to them, ana If need be,
they poured upon the affairs, willingly,
the very life blood from their veins.
Still, how can we blame these ignorant
people? Did they not see some one great
in nature, some one who ruled the uni
verse, some one whose laws were obeyed
by the sun, moon and stars, who was
above and beyond them? We see IN every
blade of grass, in every pebble. behind
every star, a God.
Let us imagine our own heart, overflow
ing, expanding with love for the eternal
One, till 1t overwhelms our thoughts. 1
say there is no limit to worship, and
why should not primitive man be carried
away in wonder, in admiration and partly
in terror, on account of the mysterious
workings of the universe about him?
Worship is wonder, transcendent won
measure, that is worship"
These ancient pagans felt themselves
made better, lifted to a higher plane
through this reverence of the unknown
spirit.
IT is truthfully said, that mans re-
ligion is the essential part of him, what
regards him most.
Sometimes mans senses are dull, as in
the case of the children of Israel for
Uban 10 ha ina # In n
en- calf, his idea was not that the people
should worship the figure In itself, but
in its representation of Jehovah. But the
dull minds could see nothing beyond or
behind the craven image, they wor-
shipped the visible, not being able to con-
ceive the invisible.
Small wonder then that Moses, at the
sight of the Hastings in the valley, cast
upon the ground the tablet, the first line
of which read, Thou shalt have no 9TH
er gods before me-"
In later times when the powers Of man
broadened, when their fields of labor
grew wider, when the nations were pros
pering, and the people no longer felt the
need of aid from the craven images they
made idols of other than those they had
hitherto worshipped.
They forgot those first longings of the
souls in their insatiate thirst for money,
fame and ambition.
They took no more interest in the first
simple pursuits of man, they would go
farther, they would soar to greater
heights, they would henceforth be honor
ed, called great among men.
Do not think that I believe no aid
should be given to research, to the high
est development of mans powers, to the
broadening of his views, for what would
the other world be at the present time,
IL not for these very men?
True Christianity Is not selfish. But
have we not seen that man. who wor-
ships as all powerful. the brilliant metal
gold! The man who sells his soul for
money, we can see him now, his face
turnover. his form STOPPING. as in the
act of selling, his eyes narrow, his gaze
shifting his hands quivering to cover
the yellow coins-the very thought Is re-
pulsive. God save us from this idol!
Again, has not the love of power, and the
thirst of ambition, made many a wreck
on the voyages of life? The great Napo-
Icons aim was to conquer conquer for
ever, and he made his aim his idol. Self
and false ambition became his gods. We
all know how he drank of the bitterest
dregs in the cup of humiliation. while at
the lonely, rocky isle Of st. Helena.
He was like man who builds upon
cloud, his house. and he falls in con-
fused mass, never to return.
From that day to this, these same idols
have wrecked and will continue to wreck
the lives of men, until higher ideals pre-
dominate.
From the earliest times, there has been
sect of people, whose aims and ideas
have been, to throw down and cast away
idols. They style themselves icono-
clasts. This belief is either instilled into
them by others, or else conceived In
thought. They believe that their ideas
are true, the truth In fact that all else
is false, erroneous and idolatrous These
people began by destroying the images in
churches, they increased in numbers, and
endeavored to overthrow all forms of be-
lief, contrary to their own.
The question that arises is, shall we be-
lieve them? If so, there will be an unlim-
tied number of idols found in every land.
But shall research in the fields of mys-
terry be abandoned? Certainly not.
That error, or idols are abundant, is
painfully true. but they vanish before the
sunlight of truth, and an idol is nothing
to those who rightly know God.
Idols Of whatever kind are misleading
in results, and finally end in disaster.