The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-11-26

the word liberty" The scenes i'm
mediately following it were inde-
scribable. One who was in that land
told this week of multitudes of young
men in that country who within
! twelve hours of the granting of that
constitution spoke to thousands and
tens of thousand of what liberty
meant with an eloquence that stirred
the popular heart. The young man,
tall, soldierly, calm, but intensely in
earnest, who led the revolution that
resulted in dethroning the brilliant,
inscriptions Sultan, one of the
greatest rulers that ever sat on a
throne, spoke recently in one of our
Protestant churches-spoke from the
pulpit; then visited one of our mis-
sionary schools, and then said, and
the words are most significant:
" When we introduce an educational
system into Turkey, 1t will be mod
elled after the American school,"
China, that for centuries had lived
its life untouched by the outside
world, is looking to America to
guide her in her political, education
al, and religious revolution, for tits
nothing less than that of one of
Gods greatest miracles, that will
lead God only knows whittier!
The unselfishness of our govern
ment in returning the Boxer rebel
lion indemnity fund has touched a
chord in China's heart that vibrates.
Korea will first become a christian
nation of these eastern counties
Korea once the hermit nation. Japan
in spite of the yellow journals feels
the power of American ideals, and is
rapidly Incorporating them. No
wonder $50 men most of them busi-
ness men, the foremost business and
professional men have met in Scran-
ton to listen to the call from the
worldwide field, for the Kings busi-
ness requireth haste, and we must
strike while the iron is hot on the
anvil. Seventy-five such gatherings
of laymen are tobe held all over our
land that an army of invasion may
be sent to win these lands for Christ.
Meanwhile much hangs on our own
national life remaining true to the
ideals of the fathers. Not for our
own sake alone, but for the sake
of this wide world which, belongs to
Jesus Christ. And he is to, come
to his; own. verify belieVe BY the
way Of th&aBSs s. A. Do you rot hear
tie tyas aznp, tramp 81 the reat
tiispiSed iWsth thu pne
Il q & e e & 3 ss
kindled at Christ's cross that has
been fused the one church. Our
great peril as nation is that we
may lose our ideals, and so lose our
regenerating influence. There lies
our greatest national peril. This
dry-rot of commercialism honey
combs our free institutions and
threatens to bring to naught that
vast and critical experiment of de-
mocracy and representative govern
ment which, in the providence of
God, we are set to try for the human
race. Meanwhile, what Is the church
doing about the matter? Once in a
while she recognizes her duty and
faces it, but the church for the most
part preserves discreet silence.
Her watchmen refrain their voices
though the enemy march with ban
ners to assault the walls of the city
of God. The church has a disin-
tegrated conscience. 1t is long" on
piety, but desperately short" on
civic righteousness. What should the
church do? Just what its Master
and Founder did. He connected his
religion as Immediately with the
commonest and most secular affairs
of life as with its acts of piety He
made common honesty, justice,
truthfulness, and integrity as much
part of the service of God as pray
ers and sacraments. And the
Christian conscience still remains
the life and inspirations of all civic
and political reforms. If we will
only let it have a free course to-day
and not shut 1t up in any narrow,
ecclesiastical compartments of our
life, it will do the work of moral re-
generation for our political and COM
mercial world to-day. This is the
petI dllouhI CIHlSdl puDlhCOO vi IhO
Christian church to-day-to let the
Christian conscience out of the mar
row limitations where we too often
confine it, and give it it's rightful
sway over the whole common life of
man. The church is to teach men
to do business and to vote as they
pray, in the fear of God; to
go to the polls (as have often said)
or to the legislature halls as they
go to the sacrament-in the fear of
God. She is to speak as fearlessly
from her pulpit against the evils of
commercial dishonesty and political
corruption as she does against any
other evil, let it cost what 1t may in
patronage, in gifts, or in social pres
tige. And until she does, she will
not commend her religion as valid
or virile to this age and generation.
More than this, she Is to sound in the
ears of her young men of this genera