Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1910-09-08
CHRISTIAN \
CITIZENSHIP
By REV. STEPHEN PAUISON
Pnt.b.rs. Pc

Text. our citizenship - IN heaven. =
In founding this republic our faith
ers established five institutions that
seemed necessary to the development
OF high order OF manhood. Since here
the common people were % be rulers
Il was plainly necessary 10 educate the
multitude. No inventor commits his
Invention into the hands Of an ignorant
man. and our fathers feared 10 trust
those powerful political tools. the bal
lot and free speech. into the hands Of
Ignorant and unframed men. So they
established the free school
4aey also founded the free press; be
lieving that the citizen should be made
acquainted with all that goes on in
Gods great world. that our people
should not be ignorant peasants but
citizens OF the world. The result Is the
Intelligent unity OF a hundred million
people and tho breaking down OF all
sectional differences.
They also established liberty and po-
lltical equality Not that all men are
equal in strength OF body or quality OF
intellect or power Of personality. but
that each man has an equal right TO
Justice and acknowledgment The
grass. he lily. and the oak are not
equal In usefulness. but are equal in
their right TO claim from soil and rain
and sun what they need for growth
and sustenance.
Our fathers emphasized the family.
recognizing that all subsequent rela-
tionshlps ara made or married in the
family circle They looked upon this
home as q miniature republic and they
looked to earnest mothers for the
sturdy ard honest citizenship OF the
future.
The founders Of the republic also be
lisved most emphatically IN a free
church. They decreed that the Lords
day should be a training day for the
soul and conscience that men might
grow fine and strong. and that great
and true convictions might be devel-
oped. For the measure OF power OF a
NAAAAA - AA1A w AA-t Af~1AANfN anu
wealth. but in tho quality Of manhood
produced.
We have today many problems be-
fore US. as there always will be great
problems before a growing and pro-
crossing nation; but our greatest need
Is Christian citizenship. We need
men who 1--we and act the principles OF
Jesus Christ in cur high Offices. in
places Of responsibility. In tho great
marts Of business. That Il viii be so.
n is not an idealist's dream. but will
be a realization - the future TO which
present Indications point
In a despotism where one family
rules. tho task q educating the rulers
Is simple. II means the teaching OF
the members OF a single family. In a
monarchy Il means the education OF a
few thousand Of the upper classes. In
a republic the great peril is moral tx
uorance among millions. many OF them
newly come to our shores. We have
established our public schools for the
training u the intellect. but unfortu-
nately We have eliminated morals and
spiritual knowledge from the class
room. Five or six hours every week
are given 70 mathematics for years,
because we must count money. and
weigh sugar and salt. compute coal and
measure land Years for the study OF
mathematics. not one minute for the
training Of a child's morals and char.
acter The president Of the National
Educational association affirmed in his
annual address that there are ten mil
lions OF young people under II who
never cross the threshold OF a church.
We teach children that two and two
make four. but not that II IS wrong to
falsify accounts We teach them that
fire burns in science. but not that the
boy who tries TO satisfy his desire for
pleasure with sin. is like one who
eats red-hot Goals. We teach the CIR
that hot water scalds. but We do not
tell her that there are passions which
INDUCED in will blight her very soul
Look at the falls filled with boys WHOM
we allow TO grow up like vandals. Con
slider the prisons crowded with youni
criminals Look at the moral insen
siblllty among our rich men and legis
lators. to whom truth and justice
should be sacred.
We breed our own dangers throug,
neglect We spend vast energy In tn
discussion OF the tariff on pig iron. a
II with il the republic would surviv,
Of perish: but We neglect the souls o
men. We spend hundreds OF million
/ digging mud out OF the rivers. Will
/ the mouths of our children spout mud
and the tenement houses ooze diseas
ard crime. Surely there never wa
l a time IN the history OF the republi
when the influence and work of IN
/ church was needed more than Il Is e
day. We have well known example
I OF how gladly people flock 10 tn
standard Of any man who shows hin
self a sturdy. uncompromising Chrii
tian citizen. And on the other han
we see that n man who is not Chri.
tian. though he may be exalted TO
high place. is soon weighted an
found wanting.
Our fathers laid well the fouads
tons. but their work cannot be pei
fected without the fidelity Of the son,
We have a marvellous heritage; W.
reap what we did not SOW. But 90,
forbid that We should prove faithles
the principles Of our fathers. q
let us on this day call the roll Of cor
vtction which lie deep-rooted in tru
citizenship; ana the first truth tina
meets US is that man must be
citizen OF the kingdom of God befor
he can be true citizen Of a Chris
tan nation