The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-05-13

Mobiie. by the Reverend and Eminent Grand .Prelate. Stewart McQueen:
 Render unto Caesar the things we,Sn n osa the s1s sreat that His followers should do their du- ty towards the State. Tn . word. He gives us the essential principles of Christian citizenship. To be sure at x the time He spoke, there were no cit- izens in the world but only subjects. Nevertheless citizenship was to come through the application of His divine gospei to human life. The two 'eu- prerne doctrines which He revealed and which constitute the source of Chris- tian citizenship are the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. From them come the facts upon which are !, based liberty, the parent of citizenship. They are: Man Is God's child. He isl made in His image. His goods, his rights, are to be carefully protected the dignity of the individual Fur ther. God being his Father, all 0od's children are his brethren. members one of another, their burdens being mu- tual, their duties reciprocal. Slow. in- deed. has been the growth of these man infirmity. seifishness and sin--at last culmfnating in Christian citisen7 | shin. very slight knowledge of re- | cords dealing with the past reminds us that in ancient monarchfes the people were virtually slaves to their rulers The individual was utterly aps sorbed and merged into state. indeed' he existed solely for the state and for . the uses of the state. The only trace of, liberty (and very faint at thftI was in Greece and Rome. It was ex- ceedingly gradual. in it's progresn throughout the ages, growing faster among Latin races When at iengtn' it reached the shores of old Englano. 1t found its first congenial home. There it's roots struck deep into the son attained it's crisis early Tn the 'nir teenth century, for, at the battle oll l2unneymede, June, 1214, the men ot England. moved by righteous -indiE- nation. wrested from King John the Magma Charta. You are famiiai. VI course, with the history of the lwo greatest struggle TOT hps. and that time mean the Bremen ano American revolutions. Today we see Fl England and America the finest flower of Christian citizenship as the resul, of that age-long battle TOT lnoivioua, liberty, based upon the two sospol Nthe brotherhood of man. That result ftbe directS outcome of the revelation of God in Jesus Christi, is empooieo in the sublime truths that man nse ns inc right to life, liberty, property, tne nursuit of happiness. trial by his peeTs For alleged offenses against law ana order and a voice in the anatrs Siocai and extra locaL, of government. .,l
 Naturally we rejoice in this glorious heritage. We are profoundly sra,e.u for the almost unlimited oppHsnr tpsnn our Heavenly Father for His maniloIu blessings So far, so good. but nov are we turning to account tnis neIl tage? How are we dealing with tnese ing Eppotbs tbsse blessings We attach great importance to the exercise mn Il rights. Do we lay as great stress ap on the discharge Of aosasi Snr dav npout rights ' see a great deal about duties. M MMe need scant urging to look out TOT ,sar former; the trouble IS with ran ane having the Mo nower of citizenship. but we are very prone to forget its duties; F
 auentiy they are difficult ana ma cra ,nasars- tive. we often fail to reaiize la.h sane resnonsibility always goes along W,,al Wsnl power. They are moral . ana Saa ssn- srated slamsse in life or conduct without the the destruction of much that is best anu hoIliest in this world. ar. Being Christian citizens we owe % t,es to the state as truly as to the church. In this world. though the poP uIar idea is to the contrary our uu,y concern should 1Ss %s eee ee ina' mot merely in. ~rdividuals, isolated unitsseaen TOT n naiIv self We are members of Gods Iamny through Baptism, n,.,snsrs we aFe If thS com munity. members of the state. Ine dmties we owe the state are Just as real as the duties we owe we dod; dntv 1 apart from Him. We may not say cur sss ties to the state are as high ana ssc red as our duty, to Goa, pnt e,n assIisi Ir Ifis summary of the Law our Saviour dio not stop short with duty to Goo, ns went on to point out duty to hb nsismoo engirded with the welfare of the state, to which as Christian citizens we owe such solemn and exalted duties Ihey ties of prayer and praise tqsGod Tn HIS holy temple. He requires at our nanus the discharge of one as truly as Ine discharge of the other. Yes. and lie will hold us guilty as truly for neglect ing the one as for neglecting the oSn er Again, our social order being mpse complex, the struggle TOT rSi1 exlSi1nc9} }ban ever before in the history of the worid' inc duties of citizenship are more var
 jed in nature setorn and greater From this 1 it fol lows we should give careIui earness and continuous study, not only to tne function of governmennta na,.tons' Ms9n' os sus well with view to their interpretation anu the application of remedies where they may be needed. For they anect tne
 
 enforcement or enforcement or . law. more really in fact This IS SO because social and economic conditions largely, and too often entirely, deter. mine what sort of lives people sshalI lead from day to day. The lives they lead make their characters, and tneir characters, in turn, make their cltl- zenship But, 1t is not enough mere Iv 10 know social and economic conditions. We should apply that Knowledge, Lord Bacon, think 1t was, who said Knowledge is power" Sure ly he did not mean knowledge Is power in itself for it~is nothing Of the sort hut simply an inert force. True 1t is potentially a power-that is, 1t may hecome a power And 1t becomes a mower only as the personality of the man possessing it converts 1t into a newer: in other words. applies, uses It. So with our study of social and econ@ omic conditions. If we approach them in a purely academic spirit, aside from human sympathy, it is little snort or mockery But if we study them our hearts afiame with love for our fellow man study them with the view of ob- taining knowledge in order to apply It Sor the welfare of the State, civil so ciety. then knowledge is indeed power, and A power for good, and we, In so far, are faithful to the duties or Chris
 But in order to do this, we need to anDreciate, in some measure at least. inc real nature of human life and the