Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-24

fully Is practiced by today; for other
wise all these red-taped safeguards OF one
against another would disappear. and men
would dwell together in perfect unity be-
cause of the truth prevailing.
st. John is an example to us of perfect
truth thinking, telling and acting. He
spoke the truth to rulers and Pharisees,
the publicans, the soldiers, and the people
in general, telling each group which came
to him what was lacking In each, and
warning them against the peculiar sin and
temptation of each. There was no hest
fancy, there was no letting down OF princi-
pies, there was no compromise, but only the
bald statement of the truth, the warning to
observe 1t, and the sure punishment fore
told If INDUCED In. And this was out of
love for their temporal and eternal well
being and welfare, and for no other pur-
pose.
And is this not needed In our everyday
life today in order to correct the petty and
great dishonesties, the graft and rake-offs
one encounters everywhere?
St Johr the Baptist delivered faithfully
the message given him from above. 1t was
opposed TO the world spirit, 1t brought him
prison and martyrdom; but he obeyed God
rather than men, and therefore constantly
spoke the truth without compromise and
without explaining 1t away He demanded
of men that they should receive 1t as 1t
was given him, or else take upon them
selves the responsibility of rejecting it; and
he hesitated not to tell them the result OF
their willful rejection or of their tampering
with 1t. He spoke the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truth, and, trust
ing in God, left the result in Gods hands,
not fearing what man could do unto him;
and as he was fearless in speaking the
truth, so it follows he boldly rebuked that
which contradicted the truth, even vice
Virtue is the practice of truth in act; so
vice is the result of that which is false.
Truths messenger. If he be faithful, must
necessarily rebuke vice. This st. John the
Baptist did. He rebuked vice not only in
the people, soldiers, publicans and high men
among the Jews, the Pharisees, but as the
messenger and herald of the King of kings
and Lord of lords ae also summoned King
Herod to give up his adulterous life and
serve his Lord and Master. Jesus Christ.
And need 1 say, my brethren. that we need
men today that will, in the spirit and after
the example of St John the Baptist not
only rebuke vice. dishonesty, impurity and
hypocrisy In the lower classes of society
and In the petty officials Of our Cities states
the vices and corruptions which we behold
only too frequently in men of high estate
and prominence. Is robbery less awful If
practiced by the wealthy, the high and
mighty than by the poor, the oppressed and
weak? Is impurity in the first or elite So
ciety to be tolerated by us, who spurn and
condemn II when found among peoples
whose physical surroundings are such that
We hardly wonder that there Is not more
OF 1t? Are we to hobnob with people lIv-
ing In adultery under the euphemistic
cover of a legal divorce and of so-called
remarriage and receive them into our
houses for our children to meet? Nay, the
sooner we become like st. John the Baptist
IN calling things by their right names and In
ceasng to cover them up by euphemistic
and lawful sounding terms, in stunning the
wilfully unrepentant and bad. In rebuking
vice by word and deed, wherever and in
whomsoever found the better, always being
careful not to Judge where the undoubted
evidence does not exist, and to remember
that cur sole purpose and motive Is not re-
venge or hate, but to do all we can to
bring the erring to repentance. When nee
essary, let US tell one another IN love the
truth boldly and fearlessly, even though
it hurt and be disagreeable. but let us not
tell one anothers faults to others except
where absolute necessity commands to
guard the safety of those others. We must
constantly speak the truth; we must bold
ly rebuke vice, and the third thing is that
we must be willing to suffer for the
truths sake. II need be.