Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1908-12-17
Christian
CBy Joseph W. Folk. Governor OF Missouri.

tBy Joseph W. Folk, Governor OF Missouri)
This is still the law of Christian
citizenship. The good Christian
must be a good citizen, and the
more he carries the principles OF
Christianity into politics the bet
ter politics will be. A man in this
country who is too good to take
an interest in public affairs is too
good to be an American citizen.
The better a man is the more he is
needed. We do not need any pol
itics in our religion, but we need
all the religion we can get in our
politics. Behind every political
question there is a moral question.
Whatever the political question
before us, we may safely seek its
solution in the moral law. That
law is eternal, and it is Is univer-
sal as it is eternal. There is not
one law for the church and anoth-
err for the home; one law for the
pulpit and another for the pew;
one for the white man and another
for the other races; one for Amer
leans and another for foreigners.
Thou shalt do no murder; thou
shalt not steal; love thy neighbor
as thyself-these moral precepts
are universal in their application
They apply to church and COM
merce, to politics, to government,
to the affairs OF state and nation
and individuals alike. There are
no exceptions and there can be no
exceptions. Whenever these laws
have been violated, whether by
indi viduals or by nations, the sin
ner has received his wage.
righteousness exalteth a ma
ton, but sin is a reproach to any
people," Righteousness will al
ways gain the victory in the end.
It's triumph may be delayed, but
cannot be defeated. So great is
the power of truth that a few good
men are more than a match for a
host of evil. Ii there had been ten
righteous men in the city Sodom
would have been saved. Many a
city has been saved by a small
number who had the courage to
speak out and force the moral is
sue. One may think he can &C
complish little, but the man who
daresto attack wrong, even though
single-handed, has an influence
that cannot be estimated. One is
a minority, but one with the right
often constitutes a majority in the
end. Where a moral issue is
plainly made the majority of men
will not usually ally themselves on
the side of wrong. The good peo-
pie are in the majority, but they
are too often quiet and inactive,
while the other side are generally
so vociferous as to deceive many
as to their number. The major
portion of men do not lack
righteousness so much as the ma
joritY of righteousness-meaning
men lack courage. immortality is
always aggressive; morality is toe
often passive. 1t is not enough to
be against wrong; nj must be
actively against wrong if his in
fluences is to count. The devi
does not care how much one il
against him so long as he does
not do anything against him.
Christian citizenship does no
mean to be good inactively; i
means to be honest in action
There is a constant conflict be-
tween right and wrong in every
sphere of life. The right must al
ways be fought for; the bad mus
always be fought against. TIL
farmer sows his useful grain; i
must be cared for and nutured
while the thistle sowed by acciden
and cared for by chance, will flour
ish anywhere. A field neglecte'
will not grow up in wheat or corn
but in briars and weeds.
So in government, SO in GU
lives-the good comes only b,
cultivation and unceasing effort
wickedness is the fruit of neglect
True Christian citizenship is az
gressive; it is not afraid to sho'
its colors; it boldly challenge
wrong, and before it the forces c
evil melt away like spirits at tn
dawn of day.