The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-08-08
THE KING CAN DO NO WRONG.

In the olden days, the people were persuaded to
believe that 'the king can do no wrong" great
many # the msophsticated of the olden days i'm
plicitly believed it. too. Now, happily the theory
is exploded. But in the explosion of that theory
and the advent of popular government, there has
grown up a belief in the supreme intelligence CT
the people. "The people can do no wrong" is the
modern vogue. And on this theory the world is
moving onward, with autocracy bowling to the vii
CT the people, but with abuses only less pronounced
The old idea that king is ruler has been dis
placed by one in which the governing head of q
nation is a servant of the people. 1t took years
and centuries for this idea to become accepted
partly through the stubbornness of the kings and
partly through the lack of facility of the people tc
accept a new idea. Even now there is a waning
influence which combats the theory but the popular
opinion has finally settled that question.
In matters of civil government it is probable
that there will always be two sides to questions arts
ing. While the two sides may be Numerically OPP
posed while the theorists who advocate each side
may be honest and animated by the highest mo-
tives, it IS plain that of the people on
the wrong side. And if men who, after years of
research and profound study of the problems of
political economy, pronounce Judgment one on one
side and another the other side of the questions
which the people are called upon to decide at the
polls the great faith in the judgment of the peo-
pie whose information in these lines is confined
principally. if not entirely to what they hear at
partisan political meetings. or read in partisan po-
htical newspapers, must be shattered.
But the problems of government are not alone
in showing the dangerous tendency of placing SUI
preme faith in the people If the progress of the
world is to be measured by what the people have
accomplished then, too, must that faith be shat
tered. The people have permitted great trusts to
grow up among them. If these are wrong. then the
people have been negligent of their duty. Practi-
cally everybody will protest against railroad
freight rate because they have been taught to be-
leve that all freight rates are extortionae. Very
few know anything about the actual cost of trans
portaton. At the same time vert few will object
to paying 80 cents for necktie or 10 cents for a
collar button They don't know how little these
things cost, perhaps; no spellbinder has taught
them yet.
But it is in the relative position in which the
physical and spiritual self is held wherein the err
ror concerning the infalhbility of the Judgment of
the people IS most keenly accumulated. With the
phenomenal development of the physical resources
of country, the tendency has naturally been to
exalt the physical over the spiritual It has been
truly said that we are souls and have bodies. The
body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. But what
be the judgment Of the people on this subject
Everywhere the spiritual is subordinated to the
physical. More time is devoted to the production
of fine raiment for the adornment of our bodies
than to the development of higher selves. We
build fine houses to live in and dethrone our con-
science to adorn them And in doing these things
but initiate neighbor. Fine houses ought
to be appreciated and bodies should be fit tenn
pies for the Holy Spirit, but the development of
that Holy Spirit should merit the sacrifice of all
else in the world.
But what are we to do? All faith is put in the
people. They are the kings of earth, and the king
do wrong.
The answer is plain. Dethrone the king. He
is usurper. The people have worshiped Nam
mon and neglected the king of kings Enthrone
God in the temple. God alone can do no wrong.