The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-06-15


prudence. courage and self-eontrol
/ were commonplace In pagan morality.
I There Is nothing distinctive or original
In the exercise of such virtue.
I The supernatural virtues like mer-
/ cy and forgiveness. like faith, hope
I and love belong to an entirely differ
4 ent order. First they are not civic
virtues at all. nor ever can be. SIM
ply because If there should ever come
a time when all people were suscepti-
/ Bile to their powerful sway govern
1 ment as We know IL would be un-
necessary. The law nf the land can
compel us to go the first mile of
justice, hut never the second mile of
mercy. Justice gives man the right to
collect the last penny Of debt, but II
cannot compel me tn forgive the debt,
/ Civic laws can never force men to
faith hope and love. These are viz
lures which lie beyond the ken of
/ human enactments: they can never be
! enforced by external eompulsion
The question Is often asked: Can
t Christian ethics be forced upon man
as we know him, n complex of good
+ and evil passions. bF means Of human
! laws2 The wise answer To this queS-
! ton would be no. Confusion In this
matter is due to coufugudlng civic with
/ Christian virtue. EEcr II yuu were to
get state of society In which all
men were just and prudent and cour-
fageous and temperate YOU would not
have Christian @fsefe-t - he -tf1' g
/ tice of these natural virtues liz not Of
/ the essence of Christian moratlty
christian virtue belongs to . DOMAIN
above ana beyond t7e Jaw; II derives
us SanC'ioh NOT iFoia etNiG chacI'citiS
hut spiritual reiafleaShlps christian
virtue is not civic but personal virtue
| Even II you embed such virtue in
human laws you cord never enforce
~ because 10 an ditAlEhtehed 'htet-
/ ngence IL would appear unreasonable
10 n worldly mlnd. q NINA or purely
secular conceptions III must Always
seem uhfeaSohablF 10 Iehu without
proper security c4"aTdlN 70 turn
the nther cheeK, amt fathef sehutAen-
TAI to forgive an enemy me pagan
/ moTaIIsts e&hauste9 thef scorn III
aehoHnclnS the SINGULAR virtues ana
pracucea or the cary CHRISTIANS tof
this reason
Y NJ O. A. Celebration
/ The yo,,py Mon CHRISTIAN oss,oia.
tion m the ,4nivar4ifx- haId ttS ANNA,
rafnhrattn, tantobt r. ntrnr,,,,o,tt
Ia,6 fhn % cti,jtios ~ ~ a.eoctatio,,
aecardinp ~ mo s4e.geta,1.,a reno,
,s,ere tha ra,gaot OIL ,g,,st axto,sits, w.
~ ,'' ~ ~ -.
e,,,,ao,,t TOO, ,,+ir,,,..iI,,'
,s5jq,t,s ,,C,,.l ~, -, 49,. 49,.
-, 49,, 90 T.. ~, a+aetl.o -
fq4'g -
,r3, .t.r... ,,,,. ,.o,t, ,o.,
/ ~, ~, n - :, st"nIaatsia ~
- ,5sta,. ~ Nc e5,..5,,,b So rIhris
10, ch,,ro,, ptot,,,r'4 tfts s1tta<,.
- my Irc;sa ~ 49,. f,,, ;,
~ Maclach,an dtssussld soma If
no thnorios IN ras,.,s, ~ ~ ,,,ara 49,
cbnrnh dons ,nd sbn,,1d oIc,,,,, T.,
Modern life He sa{3 In na
~ az no cbnrcb ,rao ;tsa,f fro,,,
tho {ncuh,,s of unriehtao,,s wealth. 10,
! - dap,en1 or its rTo,,h.rs not ,raraIv
] doIea for charity btf instica rnercy
and truth in their settings man 10
man. LET II cease ~ water down for
+ polite. ana sensltiyo ears the Milan
words Of it's master. rav not up for
4 Yourself treasures ifnon earth where
moth and rust do corrupt, and where
! thieves break through and steal Let
I II preach the brotherhood of man. no.
+ aE the petty phrase al an idle hour
i hut the one thing needfuI of its daily
prayer, Thy kingdom come, as In
! heaven 50 IN earth IA To rise h0ye
/ The breath that utters 1t. and then,
+ hut not until then. will the church
/ cease to be a mere policeman Of so
eiety with q somewhat soiled and dirty
uniform, and become what il onc9 Il
was in the glad. strong, generous, Fl
t dynamic DAYS Of it's birth. the savior
/ of men ana the redeemer of the +
world.
Christ a Social Rcformcr
| 't'hirst Was If course more than j
+ a social reformert but lie was social 4
reformer. Tie laid down principles OF
human brotherhood which, if con- H
sistently applied viii, I believe. solve n
| progressively al the social problems 4
/ Of this or any other age. If He We're Il
on earth TO day do not imagine that