The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-01-30
APPEAL MADE FOR
GOOD CITIZENSHIP
Or. Dickinson Discusses Politi-
cal Corruption and Remedy
IMPERATIVE CIVIC DUTIES
Expulsion of the Thieves from Gods
Holy Temple-cltlzen's Right to
Purify Government - Revival
of Local Citizens League. q
IMPERATIVE CIVIC DUTIES

~~-N~-~--~0@-f
of the First Baptist church, preached
yesterday morning on "Messianic Zeal
In Civic Duties" and made an earnest
appeal for better citizenship. He dis
cussed the power of the individual citi-
zen to cleanse politics OF corruption and
grafters. Owing to the weather, the
congregation was not so large as usual.
and DR.. Dickinson has been requested
to repeat the sermon. which he will
probably do.
His text was taken from John 2:17. as
follows: Ills disciples remembered that
it was written zeal for thy house shall
cat me up"
DIR. Dickinson said:
1t was the first passover of His Mes
sianic ministry. The voice from heaven.
Thou are my beloved son, in thee 1 am
| we'll pleased" still fingered In His soul.
He had often before been in His Faith
er's house since His first visit some
eighteen years ago, but never before as
| the Messiah of God. With what feel
ings He anticipated the passover scenes
in His journey thither we can only con-
| lecture. He comes to the Fathers house
as the heir of that house and the Lord
| of all 1t stood for There He would
teach and heal and manifest His glory
| by His signs.
His Messianic zeal burned as He drew
near to 'the place of prayer" But
when He entered the sacred courts He
hers the lowing of cattle, the bleating
CT sheep, the quarrels of the traders as
they dickered over their exchanges and
purchases 1t was a market place. a
house of merchandise, stock yard and
an exchange.
AS He witnessed this Dissertation of
the sacred enclosure His Messianic zeal
lit and burned with righteous indigna-
tion and making a whip of cords He
proceeded to drive out the sheep and
oxen, overturned the tables of the
money changers, scattering on the
q ound their coin, and commanded the
sellers of doves to take away their
cages and cease to make the Fathers
house a house of merchandise. IL murt
have been a manifestation of great zeal
for one man with a whip in his hand to
have so overawed this great coterie of
merchants and destroy their business
ir the time of greatest traffic. But one
man, In the right with the consciences
o. all the world to back him, is an i'm
mense power
christ's Authority.
As His disciples witnessed His holy
zeal they found in 1t line with the scrip
lures, and that 1t was written Zeal for
thy house shall eat nee up" But the
Jews, at first startled and yielding until
II was done, then Disguised because they
permitted themselves thus to be over
awed without a challenge, finally re-
covered themselves when 1t was too late
and demanded His authority for his
deed. But the deed needed no other au-
| thority than its own righteousness.
To purge Jehovah's house of profana-
ton and graft was right and proper,
| but why should this one man make 1t
His business to see that the right was
vindcated? Why should not He. like
the rest, look on while the evil was be-
Ing prosecuted and say it is an outrage,
but not my affair? Why does not
Caiophas and Annas and the temple
police stop this proclamation of the sa-
cred courts instead of allowing a sacred
public place to be appropriated for a
private thievish business These mer-
chants have no rights here, | guess
there must be some graft in this matter
TO Annas and Caiophas and the temple
government. Still 1t Is not my business
to protest True I am a citizen with a
citizens rights and duty to vindicate
those rights, but l am not very zeal
Gus citizen, and so rather than undergo
the trouble and loss nessary to vindi-
cate the community's rights, | Will let
the outrage go on with my knowledge
and without my protest.
Political Corruption Today.
There was a whole city of towards in
Jerusalem who were looking after their
own ease and profit, just as there are
In Birmingham today. Everybody zeal
Gus to buy, sell and get gain, but none
with zeal to vindcate the right.
Political graftefs will take charge OF
public institutions and desecrate our pub
he schools and other branches of public
service for their private gain so long as
we have a cowardly and selfish indiner-
ence in these matters.
1t has been publicly stated on the floors
of Congress that even our Judiciary are
largely given over to graft by padding
their expense accounts in a way not al-
lowed by law.
It is the duty of every grand jury In
these courts to investigate these expense
accounts and sndict every judge found
guilty OF this petty larceny. If We had the
right kind of citizenship on these turles
II would be done That tn g. in charge
of the temple OF justice should thus desc
crate that sacred institution is enough to
fire the zeal # citizenship TO a purg-
ing of VERY judicial seat. But in land
of graft like ours 1t will never be done
until such zeal is fired by the citizenship
Of Messiah.
Our country needs above every other
economic and political programme the cul-
ture of citizenship fired by honesty and
a hatred of graft. The voter at the polls,
the juryman in the box, the lawyer at
the bar the Judge on the bench, the
Senator in his seat has been inoculated