River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-02-02
True
Patriotism
By REV. DAVID F. NYGREN
Pastor of Swedish Baptist Church
Hinsdale, Ill.

the servants Of God.-I Peter II, 16.
Just as at Christmas and at Easter,
we find many persons who revive
their allegiance to religion, so we ind
a strenuous attempt on the part or
many to resuscitate their sleeping pat
riotism, which they express In great
measure by fire and smoke, the her.
itage of our warning ancestors.
would first say that this ought and
ought not be so, all depending on
what we mean with patriotism. If
patriotism be of the right kind, We
would indorse it. If to be patriotic
means to be loyal, not to a mere sell
fish cause, but to a general high and
noble cause, then we indorse it. Our
dear "U. S. A." though large, is not
large enough. We would have the
whole world, nay, more, all the
worlds; yea, the heavens, too. AS
true servants we would be interested
in all the possessions of our Master.
Christianity does not encourge par
ticular patriotism in opposition to gen.
eral benignity. II it did, it would not
be adapted for "the world" The du-
ties Of the subjects of one state would
often be in opposition to those OF the
subject of another, and men might in
fiict evil or misery upon neighbor ma
lions in conforming to the Christian
law
Christianity is designed to benefit
not a community but "the world" The
promotion of the interests of one
community by injuring another--that
is, patriotism in opposition to gen
eral christianity utterly
rejects as wrong.
Still would not a doctrine of gen
eral patriotism be rational? We would
answer in the affirmative. And Chris
tianity does not appear to encourage
the doctrine of being "citizen of the
world and Of paying no more regard
to our community than to every other.
That opposes to the natural and Y1rtu-
GUS feelings.
If it were put in practise, it would
destroy confined benignity without eff
fecting cOunterbalancing amount OF
universal philanthropy. Who indeed
shall support and cherish and protect
child if it's parents do not?
That speculative philosophy is vain
which would supplant these dictates
by doctrines of generaf philanthropy.
1t cannot be applicable to human az
fairs until there is an alteration in the
human constitution. Not only religion,
therefore. but reason and nature, re-
ject that philosophy which teaches
that no man should prefer or aid an
other because he is his countryman,
his neighbor or his child.
This is an idle system of philosophy
which sets out with extinguishing
those principles of human nature
which the Creator has implanted for
wise and good ends.
He that shall so far succeed in prac-
Using this philosophy as to look with
Indifference upon his parent, his wife
and his son, will not often be found
with much zeal to exercise kindness
and beneyolence to the world at large.
But to cherish and support our own
children rather than others; to do
good to cur neighbors rather than to
strangers: to benefit our own country
rather than another nation, does not
imply that by so doing we must in
jure other nations, or strangers, or
their children, in order to do good to
our own. Here is our point Of dis
elimination which we will enlarge
upon presently-a point which vulgar
patriotism and vulgar philosophy have
alike overlooked.
I dare not stop by saying that the
right kind of patriotism would be to
do good to my nation, and by doing
this, not to do any menace to other
nations. That would just simply be
changing the Golden Rule to nothing.
By having this kind of an idea
would say: "Do nothing unto others"
Then a person in order to be a gen
eral patriotic" would need do moth
ing"
No, our Christian way is better; 1t
is the best. do unto others, etc"
That makes a man take off his coat,
turn up his sleeves and go to work!
Not only so good that one does no
harm; but so harmless that one must
10 good! Not only a negative in re-
gard to not doing harm; but SO strong
negative that one becomes a posi-
tive.
In the second place, I would say,
not that it ought, but positively that it
ought not be so, in regard to the way
we show our patriotism. AS we have
mentioned this expresses itself in a
great measure by fire and smoke, by
noise and a general disturbance; this
being the heritage of our warning an
| cestors.
The spirit Of true patriotism does
not find its expression in boosting of
success in wars which were fought be-
fore we were born.
Reason and experience both forbid
u.s." said the father of our country,
ito expect that national morality can
prevail in exclusion of religious prin-
ciple."
To be true patriots is to bring the
gospel to every creature, beginning in
Jerusalem, our own land, and then to
the uttermost parts of the earth
1t is related that when Columbus,
on his historic voyage, was approach
ing the shores of the western world,
a Pickering light was dimly seen
through the darkness by one of his
sailors. 1T may be- said Columbus,
that the faithful wife of some fisher