The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-07


UoFFER no apology for speaking upon
a religious theme for 1t is the most
universal of all themes. I am inter
ested in the science of government,
but I am more interested in re-
ligion than in government. l enjoy
making a political speech-I ahve made
good many and shall make more-but
would rather speak on religion than on
politics commenced speaking on the
stump when I was only 20. but l COM
.menced speaking in the church six years
earlier-and l shall be In the church even
after am out of politics. feel sure OF
my ground when I make a political
Speech but l feel even more certain of
my ground when 1 make religious
speech. While to me the science of
government is intensely absorbing,
recognize that the most important
things In life lie outside of the realm of
government and that more depends up
on what the individual does for himself
than upon what the government does or
can do for him. Men can be miserable
under the best government and they
can be happy under the worst govern
ment.
Government affects but part Of the
fife which we live here and does not
deal at all with the life beyond. while
religion touches the Infinite circle of
existence as we'll as the small arc of
that circle which we spend on EARTH
Mo greater theme. therefore, can engage
pur attention.
Man il a religious being; the heart in
stinceively seeks for God. Whether he
stinctively on the banks of the Ganges
prays with his face upturned to the sun.
kneels toward Mecca or, regarding all
space as a temple, communnes with the
Heavenly Father according to the Chris
tian creed, man is essentially devout
Religion has been defined by Tolstoy
as the relation which man fixes between
himself and his God, and morality as
the outward manifestation of this in
ward relation. Every one by the time
he reaches maturity. has fixed some re-
lation between himself and God and no
material change in this relation can take
place without revolution in the man,
for this relation is the most potent infiu-
ence that acts upon human life.
Religion is the foundation of morality
In the individual and in the group of in
Gividuals Materialists have attempted to
build up a system of morality upon the
basis of enlightened self-interest They
would have man figure out by mathe-
matics that it pays him to abstain from
wrong doing; they would even inject an
element of selffshness into altruism, but
the moral system elaborated by the mate
rialists has several defects First, its
virtues are borrowed from moral systems
based upon religion. All those who are
intelligent enough to discuss a system
of morality are so saturated with the
morals derived from systems resting upon
religion that they cannot frame system
resting upon reason alone. Second, as it,
rests upon argument rather than author
yty, the young are not in position to ac-
cept or reject. Our laws do not permit
young man to dispose of real estate un-
III he is IL Why this restraint? Be-
cause his reason is not mature; and yet
= mans life is largely moulded by the
environment of his youth. Third, one
never knows just how much of his de-
lcision is due to reason and how much
is due to passion or to selfish interest.
Passion can dethrone the reason-we
recognize this in our criminal laws. We
also recognize the bias of self-interest
when we exclude from the jury every
man. no matter how reasonable or up
right he may be, who has pecunoary in
kerest in the result of the trial. And,
Fourth, one whose morality rests upon
= nice calculation Of benefits to be secured
spends time figuring that he should spend
IN action Those who keep a book ac-
count of their good deeds seldom do
enough good to justify keeping books.
"A noble life cannot be built upon an
arithmetic; it must be rather like the
spring that pours forth constantly of
that which refreshes and invigorates.
Morality is the power of endurance in
man; and a religion that teaches per-
eonal responsibility to God gives
strength to morality There is power