The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1904-05-27
CRUSADERS OF THE
TWENTIETH CENTURY

4 - 0o60lANo " AA1
TWENTIETH CENTURY.
Mr.. Herbert S. Bigslow. of Cincin-
natl. pastor Of the Vine st. CongIega-
tional church. in speaking Of the duty
of men entering the political arena,
said;
= Political science is the highest
education that can be given TO the
human mind. These are the words Of
one Of Englanl's most famous preach
ers, Frederick W. Robertson. They
will hardly be appreciated by that large
class of citizens who thank the Lord
daily that they are not as the poll
ticians are.
I'm the dictionaries. the politician,
like the statesman. is a man versed in
the science of government. In com
mon us age. however. he is the n an
who seeks the place of the statesman
without the statesman S qualifications
The aim of the statesman is to promote
great public policies. The aim of tie
politician is to further that policy
which will most surely promote him.
With the statesman, principle always
Will be first. The politician cares
nothing for principle. He will pipe
any tune to which the people will
dance.
1T may be useless to try to redeem
the word politician. Perhaps we
shall have to let it stand foI the name
of the man who exalts a selfseeking
policy above right principle, who re-
CARDS place and power, not as the
possible incident of life of public
service, but as ends to be sought and
won at all hazard to public good or
to private honor.
1.-The young man who thinks more
of success than of being right; who
cares more for the praise of Others
than for his own manhood; who allies
himself with the party which holds
out to him the greatest hope of power
who is willing to be a moral nonentity
if only the world will throw to him
the sop of undeserved recognition
who will silence the voice of conscience
within him in order that he may hear |
the empty plaudlts of the crowd; who, |
for the baubles of fame or fortune, is |
willing to put his neck to the yoke and |
foreswear his independence to think
and speak as man among mems |
there any deeper shame than this
degradation of the soul, is there any |
greater tragedy than such a career
pursuing its way through compromise
and insincerity, and ending in slavery
and defeat?
1t is the solemn duty of the young
men Of today to enter politics, but not
to become politicians. America needs
men in public life, who, like Crom-
wells soldiers, put some conscience
into their politics; men who have an
understanding of public questions;
who see how much human misery is
caused by the practice of false theories {
Of political economy, and who, for the
sake of humanity, will throw them
selves into the work of instructing the {
public mind and improving govern "
nent. !,
''Give us an army of men determined ;
o seize and use the political tools
which lie at hand to put an end to the
wrongs which breed poverty in the
j ght of plenty and cause the slums of
niesry and degradation to mock the
riumphs of civilization; give us an
rmy of such men and well write the
history of another French revolution :,
revolution which shall not be writ A
en- in blood nor so soon forgotten in e
realms of empire; by argument and
otes Wen storm the strongholds of
ignorance and political c
reed. This will be the character of s.
he crusaders of the twentieth century. q
he church can call men TO no holier a
lission.'' v