Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-03-26
RECONSIDERATION
Rev. P. A. johnson Pleads For
Righteous Men to Act.
DELIVERS ELOQUENT SER M ON
At First Congregational Church Yes
terday Morning Pastor Tells of Cor
ruption in Municipal Affairs in Past
And in Present.
From Mondays Daily.

From Mondays Daily.
The startling revelations of corrup-
ton in municipal affairs in cities with
which we are acquainted is just as
much of an indictment against the pas
Sively good men as against the active
ly bad men. There are plenty of good
men in every city, but their goodness
Is of the passive order, and therefore
not worth pinch of dust so far as
efficiency is concerned said Rev. P.
Adelstein Johnson in sermon deliv-
cred yesterday morning at the First
Congregational church Rev. John
sons text was taken from the prophet
Jeremiah, 81, and the sermon was a
plea for the righteous men to align
themselves against the forces of cor
ruption and wickedness. Rev. John
son spoke as follows:
The Imperative Need of the city-A
Man.
run We to and fro through the
streets Of Jerusalem, and see now, and
know, ard seek in the broad places
thereof, il We can find a man, if there
be any that doeth justly, that seeketh
truth; and | will pardon her."-Jere-
miah, 81
There is story in Greek history of
one Diogenes, a cynic philosopher,
whose permanent residence was tub,
which belonged to the temple of the
mother of the gods. This eccentric
person had the greatest contempt for
all luxury and comfort. Practical good
was the chief aim of this philosopher
His disdain for literature and fine
arts he could not conceal. He laughed
at men of letters who spent their time
In reading the sufferings of Ulysses
while neglecting to bring relief to the
sufferings of their own time. Musi
clans who spent in stringing their
harps the time which might better
have been employed in making their
own discordant natures harmonious
he regarded as no better than fools
He rallied at public men who studied
how to enforce truth, but were inca
pable of practicing it, He was never
subdued or overawed by the greatness
of any person. When Alexander the
Great asked him how he could serve
him, Diogenes replied: you can stand
out of the sunlight" But perhaps the
incident most clearly associated with
this man is that of his prowline
through the streets of Athens with a
lighted lantern in hand in broad day
light, searching. as he said, for a
man. When the crowd gathered
& around him to see what he was hunt
ing for. he told them to get out of the
way, FOR he was not looking for pyg
mics. bnt for an honest man. Dioge
,.,;4l +1o
"An honest man is the noblest work
of God
Man Was Hard to Find.
But not only was an honest man hard
to find in Athens in the days of Dioge
mes. this tyne of man was scarce in
Jerusale-l in the days of jeremiah
For in tho text God bids the prophet
go through The streets of the city an6
seek for a man who executath judg
men. AMI soeketh faithfulness As
never before. the city had need of such
nan. But such a man was hard tt
find. y is an awful reflection upon the
cbaraetor of the city-the very city
of David-the place where Gods honor
was supposed to dwell-the city which
held the sanctuary of God-that in il
human being worthy of the name o
man was hard to find. If Thomas
Carly'a had been co-laborer with
jeremiah, he would probably hav,
written Of Jerusalem as he wrote o
England in the last century-descrih
ing tho population as so many mil
lions. mostly fools" This was echo
ing the sentiment of the old Latil
proyerb, 'Homipes permulti, viri per
pauci" of human beings
but mighty few men. 1t is NOT NOR
men the world needs, but more man
more manhood, more integrity, NOR
sincerity, more willingness to shar
the responsibilities of life.
The Search for Man.
The city of Jerusalem at this tim
was rapidly approaching it's fina
doom. The coming Judgment is vi,
idly depicted 1t is the old foe fror
the north, of which Isaiah has spoke
that is to be the instrument in God
hand to bring the deserved punish
ment The youthful prophet eXhort
earnestly to repentance. if perchanc
the future calamity. which he foresee!
may be aNerted. Speaking in in til
name of the people--for he is propl
ct OF the people-he gives expressio
to the terror which thrills throug
him as the alarm of war draws nea
Before him the vision of desolatio
embraces the whole land Jeboya
would gladly pardon Zion, had the n;
ton shown itself worthy of forgiv
ness; but all high and low alike al
corrupt. Therefore let the appointe
ministers of judgment complete the
task, and then follows vivid pc
trayal of the terrible and cruel inva
ers of the land. staying the inhabitan
and carrying the survivors into eXil
ldolatry the Cause.
Now all this evil according to II