The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-07-05
RUSH FOR WEALTH
IS DESTROYING
GOVERNMENT
Patriotic Clubs Indulge In Buncombe
and Citizens Refuse To Take Up
Simplest Obligations of Civic
Requirements Bishop Says.
Congress Takes Care of Rich and Uni
versities Turn ut Graduates
Fitted To Get Wealthy.
bishop CHAs. ID. WILLIAMS

NEW YORK, July 5.-The public
conscience is awakened today by tho
sermon delivered by Bishop Charles
ID. Williams. 81 the Episcopal diocese
or Michigan, an St Bartholomew
Episcopal church here. Sunday. His
sermon rang with singing rebuke to
the Sons OF the American Revolution.
the Daughters OF the American Revolu-
ton, the Colonial Danes. the Order OF
Clncinnatus and lad infiinitum," be.
cause they indulge in harmless patri.
otic buncombe. such as teaching kim
dergartens of foreign children to go
through flag drills and sing the Star
Spangled Banner while they refuse
10 take up the simplest obligations of
their citizenship. They wodld not soil
their dainty fingers with dirty poll.
ties even In the effort TO make them
clean" he said
we affect democratic simplicity
and appear to despise pride in aristo
cratic descent continued the bishop
but on the other hand organize so
cleties for just the opposite purposes
This false patriotism OF idle pride In
our past and blind confidence in ouI
future has. so possessed the popular
/
CHE our national character makes
himself a prey of popular fury and
scorn.
The greatest need OF America to
day Is a line of prophets to convince
us of our sins that are palpably mani
fest to all who are not wilfully blind
sins which have invariably through
ont the whole course of history
brought the decline and fall Of ma
| tons
Two Quotations His Text.
Bishop Williams took for his text
two quotations-one from John the
Baptist, the other from Jesus christ.
In both instances the prophet and
teacher OF old had upbraided the
Jews and in both the Jews had re-
piled that they did not fear taunt7
| from such sources; they were sons III
Abraham and that was sufficient.
Even on the anniversary OF the ma
tons birth and at the risk of being
counted sensational" Bishop Williams
said, II shall venture TO mention some
things wherein Americans commit the
sins against which John the Baptist
and Jesus Christ preached.
"One thing is that OF our wealth.
we are IuOIt GIuuNlN
than any other people on earth.
I'VE cannot tell the differnce be-
tween bigness and greatness.
"Bigness is material. You can
measure 1t with tape. Greatness 10
spiritual. It is that which God alone
can measure.
we call New York and Chicago
great cities Are the?
They are monstrously big
but have they the civic conscience
that is necessary to greatness Com
pare them with Athens OF old. with
some of the small cities OF Europe or
the present day, where real problems
of humaioty are being worked out
AS a people, we are big; in land.
we are big; in energy, we are big;
but In any OF these, are We great?
What are our national Ideals?
Have we any? | fear We have not.
I'VE are so individualistic that the
nation has hardly an existence.
Tee state seems To exist 10 take
care of persons-especially rich per
sons Congress- is just now spending
It's time looking after particular inter
ests II is the individual. and If he
is cared for the devil can take the
general public.