The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-10-21
JUDGE THOMAS PLEADS FOR
PURITY OF CITIZENSHIP
Earnest Address of Distinguished Young JuriSt Be-
fore Large Audience Of Montgomery Young
Men Sunday Afternoon.


ton building Sunday afternoon at $3.50
O'Clock, Judge w. H. Thomas. of the
Montgomery City Court, delivered an
earnest and thoughtful address to o large
audience of young men on "A Plea for
Civic Virtue
The address of Judge Thomas was in
teresting throughout and he held the
closest attention of the young men.
Judge Thomas spoke in part as follows:
II suspect that IL any one class of our
citizenship best know what civic virtue
is. 1t is those in the Sunday Schools the
churches of the various religious denom-
olent organizations
Let us now look at our subject with
an understanding of what civic virtue is.
The word civic means public; ii Is from
the Latin civis, a citizen; that Is lone
who Is entitled to the full protection of
the laws in the exercise and enjoyment
OF his private rights. when not in con-
fiict with other public or greater private
rights. We at once perceive that the ex-
ercise and enjoyment of private rights.
are dependent upon the protection of the
law; and to this end social compacts or
governments were formed to enact these
needful laws and to give them force and
vigor by their impartial enforcement.
There is an old maxim that tho State ex-
lists for the individual and not the indi-
vidual for the State This Is truc in its
hroadest sense, only when lbertys sweet
Incense swells from a peoples heart burn
ing with patriotic fires, and not scorched
with an unholy ambition. not widowed
by egotisms blight, nor dead to the pub
lie veal or woe.
''All law Is a restriction: surrender
in some degree of a right that may have
tal ~ not 1aDoa nd cd Inv RET
Of aggregated interests and rights. One
illustration will make this plain. 1t is
unlawful to carry concealed about the
person certain weapons (this Is private
right, but the assembled wisdom and ex-
perience of ages has decreed that tnis
right be withdrawn that the weakness
of human passion may be guarded
against, that transports of rage may not
overthrow reason, and that our greatest
natural right may he protected. This de-
NAL of certain rights has its origin IN
necessity. Such rule was not necessary
to protect the life Of Robinson Crusoe
and his man Friday in their lonely is
land home. From the aggregations OF
rights comes the Law with its civil rela-
tions and duties.
Understanding In a general way the
meaning of civic relation II may not be
out of place to look Mt the WORD virtue,
"a used in the expression civic virtue.
From a consideration of the different uses
Of this word. we find 1t has eight or ten
different meanings. and 1t is only nee
essary to say that as used in TINS con-
nection II means natural and moral excel
lence: and the practice Of duty not only
in private life, but in relation to those
with whom we come in contact. 1t may
all be summed up In the term good citi-
zenship.'
what then are the duties of citizen
shin? We will remember that public
opinion is the measure Of duty, and It's
| unselfish discharge from public motives
Axes the standard of honor. Which stand
| ard Is not more than that peculiar rule
founded upon a certain state OF society
dictated by certain wants peculiar to IL
self, and by the. Application OF whicn
that people praise and blame. The duty
of citizenship in its legal sense Is the
wisdom of public opinion tested by expe-
rience. anu made known and certain by
constitution and statutes. 1t Is then the
duty of every good citizen to so direct
his actions. and restrict his wants as not
10 transcend the bounds fixed by con-
stitution and prohibitive statute; but MS
duty does not stop at a failure TO trans
gress a law. but must approach as well
'the standard of honor. Its highest as
charge Is In course OF cohoucl
that does not run SO nearly CON-