The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-05-26
AFRICAN IDOLS OF TODAY


day evening, May 10, 1911, at Temple
Theater.)
l do not intend, fellow hearers, to
discuss idols with the relation to our
Divinity, but to discuss them in such
a way as to demonstrate to you how a
few of the really petty things in our
daily lives affect our minds and char
acters. Not only indeed, are there a
chosen few who worship these idols,
but the daily life of our great and IL
lustrious nation is, more or less, affect
ed by them.
Man has always had an idol Through
the old Stone Age, the Iron Age and
the Bronze Age, these old sturdy, prim-
tive men always looked to some high
er idol.
This movement was carried on still
further during the ancient, medieval
and modern ages Of history, and today,
in this twentieth century era, with all
its discoveries and inventions and re-
markable progress, we have idol
worshipping to a greater extent than
ever before. From the dawn of history,
obscured in darkness, this idol wor-
shipping has been transmitted through
the ages to the nations of today, which
in their zenith of power and glory,
have revealed it in its worst defects.
The idols of Egypt, the mysterious
cradle of human nature, may be sum-
med up in the one word-culture. OF
this, Egypt has given us more than
any other ancient nation. 1t was in
her borders, along the banks of the
placid Nile, that many of our present
day sciences originated. 1t was Egypt
that invented a form of writing, knew
the value of medicine, developed the
science of astronomy and, thanks to
the yearly overflow of the Nile, began
our science of mathematics. Egypt is
also remarkable for having given many
laws, which the Greeks regarded as an
expression of highest wisdom and
fountains Of inspiration to their own
legislators.
The idol of the ancient Hebrew mon
archy was the one God. They did not
enrich the world by their contribu-
tions to art and science. Their mis-
sion was a much grander and more
beautiful one--to teach righteousness.
1t is in this people that we find to
more eminent degree than among any
other nations of antiquity, the germ of
our modern civilization and Christian
ity.
The highest idol or the Greeks was
beauty. Her creed was that of Keats,
that: Beauty is truth, truth beauty;
that is all We know on earth, and all
We need to know
The Greek beauty was worshiped
next to holiness, indeed they almost
made beauty and moral right the same
thing. This idol, along with many les
ser ones, made the Greeks a marvel
Gus people, yet of all their great works
we cherish only few ideals-ideals of
beauty in perishable stone and ideals
of truth in imperishable prose and
poetry.
The history of Rome is generally as
ISOLATED with that of Greece, yet the
ideals of these two nations were en-
tirely different. The idol of the Rom
ans was military glory and law CIV
ing. While the Greeks cherished all
that which was picturesque and aes-
thetic, the Romans loved to see an ex-
hibition of military affairs-all that
which represented the strength and
military genius of the country. Their
been surpassed. Her religions were in
vincible, her standards were carried
into the remote corners of the earth
and great Caesar did the general cof-
fers fill."
Rome has succeeded in impressing
the world not alone by her glorious
conquests. She has a most thoroughly
planned and satisfactory system of
!.
gave them to the new world and today,
in our own code of laws, are embodied
some of the Identical principles which
the old Romans used to employ
Among the present day nations, the
idol of Germany is, perhaps, most laud-
able. Her idol is education. The long
ing and hope and desire of the boys
and girls-the men and women of to-
morrow--is to be educated
The idol of the English nation of to-
day is somewhat similar to that of the
old Romans. This idol is to have a
large, ever ready, powerfully equipped
navy, and, by this means gain large
areas of territory for colonization pur-
poses. Every Englishman has a. desire,
naturally imbued within him, to see
the English navy outrank any other
national fleet. AS a result, not only
has the English fleet been steadily
growing since the time of Alfred in
the ninth century, until today, when
she has the most powerful navy of any
country on the globe. but she has also
succeeded in securing and colonizing
more land than any other nation.
Today, in our own illustrious country
OF America, we have idol worshipins
to great extent, but under a different
form. Our greatest and most potent
idol is money Numerous are the in
stances of men and women whose sole
purpose is to get rich, to hoard a pile
OF money, and make a lavish show with
1t. Still this is not altogether UNI
natural, as the greatest test to which
human nature can be subjected is
prosperity and riches. The housekeep-
er of today likes to be lavish and ex-
travagant. and the man in his office
has similar desires. Freedom from re-
straint, the lack of any other purpose
than to shine by a manifestation of
display and luxurious living, are cer-
tainly not conductive to character
building. Many mans character has
been weakened by subjecting himself
a. H.