The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-08-04

VII t"lS. toNttS the GaTt-LEft udNS
Of his early manhood. There Is no
condition in life wherein one may do
wholly as he desires, and that Is
We'll, for We live in A world where
the welfare Of all must he considered
above the convenience Of the indi-
vldual. The highest liberty We en-
joy is that OF serving our time with
out restraint.
Chains always go with sin. That
is why there is a profoundly phiioso-
phical reach to the New Testament
word. IF the SOD shall make YOU
free. then shall you be free indeed"
a Life Platform.
l want to be free. with the pas
sionate desire of all the heroes and
patriots of history who have revolt
ed against tyrants chains. L coyet lib
erty. No man. no Institution, no or
g~anization. no party. shall put its
yoke on my neck. As | would shun
gross sin. SO | spurn any alliance.
any favor. any obligation which
would deprive me OF my highest man
hood right of liberty. | want to be
free to be my best self. | want to
to be free to do my best work l
want to be free to speak my utter
most message. | want to be free TO
strike the noblest blow. So | shun
slavery of every form, and seek free
dom. even with the intensity with
which l seek the face and favor OF
God.
While we may not rave liberty
from work, we may have what is bet
ter, liberty in work.
Only the pure OF the pardoned are
free from slavery to sin.
One of the tragedies of public life.
repeated whenever reform on Il large
scale is attempted. IS the way evil
men are able to silence some of those
who would fight for the public well
fare. This common maneuVer or
wrons-doers is called getting a line
on a man. They search his past for
some misdeed that he fears to have
brought to the light. They examine
his alliances and try to reach him
socially. If he owes money. they
call in his oans- If his business can
be hurt, they go after him in that
fashion. In some way they seek to
bind his liberty by a chain that will
hold. Corrupt politicians and other
law-breakers frequently have power
full alliances with banks which heir
them in thus putting the screws
+ on a man. l we'll recall a cOnSpicu-
: i#ouS VI Tins Nic
!, in a certain eastern city. There hac
been a public outrage by a politlca
!, gang-a peculiarly indefenSible anC
shameless act, which could not be
explained or migrated-and a citi
I zens' masS-meeting of protest Was
+, called. The most prominent cltl
{ zen of the community, a well-knOwr
philanthropist and Christian layman
q was announced to preside. Then, L
: the amazement Of everybody. thu
man declared, the day following. tina
, he would not preside and would no
support the movement of protest
The inner history of the incident i
simply his: That eminent either
: was the head Of q great corporation
: which had been receiving ~unwarrant
: ed favorS from the political ring II
control of the city. The politician
threatened him with the withdraw
of these unless he should come ODE
diently to heel. Though he subtitle
himself IN SO doing, the eminent citi
- zen obeyed; for he was not free. Hi
most precious possession, his man
: hood liberty. his American birth
). right. had been battered for a fey
q paltry favors which his company IA
IL no Ugh to receive. That inciden
has been duplicated a thousand times
1t is eloquent with admOnition I
d every young man to keep himself FIRE
l to follow his CLEAN. Better a fire
life of honest poverty than wealth
q slavery to dishonor. No other con
Sideration confronting a young per
- son is graver than this one of main
tanning his integrity. and thereby hi
= liberty. The dying words of John T
Cough were, Young man, keep You
* record clean"
u Frenzy tor national liberty. an
Willingness to risk life itself for tn
: reward, has not been lost from tn
:, earth. Freedom is still the gloriou
goal and watchword Of ancient na
y tons struggling for emancipatio
= and Self-government. This spirit
= the salt of the earth: its keeps OIL
a ganized society from decay. Such
ty 49, now osnaratio, "a nreserra
lie - h.,u5on, =, ;n;o,,r.. ,o,i.;o.
II conditions. This hard-earned heri