The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-08-03

MS heather wives: for even Kinp
Solomon could be swayed by his wife
Ihere was the extravaganza in per
sonar expenditure; and the rOyal
iIiagnlncence which was not matched
by the improvement in the condition
OF the people. This idleness and lux
ury OF the our begot a pampered
,i'iiileSS IN tne princes. Forced
labor, an evil Of which we know
nothing. drove the iron of bitterness
and resentment into the souls of the
masses Of tOilers.
In a word. instead of having led
the kingdom forward into greater
popular strength and democracy. Solo
mons reign really weighed on the
slue or reaction and absOlutism. The
national treasury was enriched, but
the people were Impoverished and,
iii fares he land. to Fastening ills
a prey,
Where wealth accumuIates. and mon
decay"
Solomon b~equeathed Rehoboam a
magnificent throne, but a weakened
will and a disintegrating state. The
old rivalry between the northern and
southern tribes had not been healed.
The people. as a people,. were less uni
ted. s~elf-cOnscious and p%urposeful
than ever before. Whereas the first
part of craftsmanship is to leave the
state stronger than one finds it. A
case in point is that of the late Pori-
fro DiaZ. of Mexico. who. as The
Springfield Republican points out. was
acclaimed AS the greatest living states
man a few years ago: but who. when
he recently died. was admitted to have
been a failure. He had enriched
and glorifed himself and his reti-
nue.. but he had not made Mexico
great and strong.
The People in Protest.
The volcano had been rumbling un-
der SOlOmon's dazzling throne. His
son was to De caught in its explosion.
When went north tC
Shechem to receive the sanction OF
the elders for his coronation, a depu-
tatiOn waited upon him and asked q
declaration OF policy. They asked fol
an easement Of their burdens. Oppres.
sion had reached the breaking point
Would the new king grant more pop.
ular rights?
A familiar picture that, isn't it
Resembles Runnymede and the Magma
Charta, doesn't it? And simila
scenes. less spectacularly staged, al
around the world in our own day
Throughout the centuries the choru.
Of demands for human right ant
justice have been growing stronge
and stronger. Today it is the domi
nant note in all social utterance. TIL
! old cry,
"God save the king!"
has given way to a new slogan.
, "God save the people"
, Many things may be forgiven i
q ruler, but not ignorance OF tn
: public mind. An official must kno,
: what the people-all sorts OF peopl
u ARE thinking about. There was
7 cutting edge OF irony and rebuke t
: the question which the gentle Jesu
u hurled at the leaders OF His nation
: Can We not discern the signs Of tn
I times?" Rehoboam was as needless c
the portents of his day as many
wealthy and ~aristocraic clubman {
= this present time is Of the significaY
s surge and sweep Of the social unre'
u Of the twentieth century. The world
unrest at this very hour is the mos
ominous, and. at the same time. hop'
full. sign on the days horizon. Pit
: the Rehoboams who a neither di
:. Germ nor direct it.
le Following Ones Own Crowd.
The sort OF crowd a person ru,
Will Is d pretty ClcdL IiiOOA u II
course of his thinking. That is wi
Judges, whose social contracts a,
!, commonly with the employing ar
IT investing class. SO frequently fav'
corporations in their decisions. The
"a viewpoint has been unconsciOusly CO
10 ored.
is Prince Rehoboam had kept con
- pany with a set Of young bloods WI
reflected and abetted his own sci
ishness and s~ensuality. They ma
se ! his atmosphere. To him. they re