The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-08-12
In the Religious World
A Politicians Biggest Blunder

I 20 much. He made the politician's
sake Of cultivating the meaner
scr side OF human nature. and OF
ing 70 appeal 10 its nobler senti
hts. Jeroboam thought that an
sy. debased form Of religion would
G popular. and so he made pI,
ion tot II. thus tempting the people
Say from their allegiance 10 Je-
ovah
Satan's Nearest Kin.
The best friend Of evil this side
>. perditton. the man who Is nearest
n 10 Satan himself. is the man
10 deliberately tempts people to
wrong. Even the imagination Of
1 Milton or Dante has not devised
torment adequate TO those diabol
cGl creatures who Intentionally lead
heir fellows astray. Yet the line
d iempters did not end with Zero
aSam. The pitiless publicity OF our
ay has revealed whole classes Of
nen and women who seduce the I'M
Sary into sin. The entire hideous
\ hite-slaye trafic is made up of
such. So Is the drug business. So.
In considerable degree. Is the liquor
Business. Publishers and purveyors
of vile literature and pictures fan
into the same black classification.
rhe lad big Toys who teach evil to
younger boys are apprentices TO this
trade Of Satan One shudders as he
cortemplates the variety and num-
per ard might OF the forces who.
like old King Jeroboam, are leading
people into sin. Society cannot deal
too strongly with them now: and
they viii have 10 reckon with just
Judge hereafter.
Muddled minds may think that
history has been TOO hard on Jero-
beam, who was practical man.
facing novel and dificult situation.
All that he did. say they. was to
divert the stream OF -eligious devo-
ton from the old national shrine at
jerusalem. and 70 make worship cas-
ier By setting UP two symbols Of Je-
Eovah. in the familiar form Of the
bull. even as do the Hindus today.
Why not adapt the stern monothe-
ISM Of Moses to the popular fash
ions Of the day?
Very plausible, indeed. But aside
from the fast. happily uncompre-
bended by present-day western civil
ization. that along with this wor-
ship of the bull went idolatrous rites
OF vile RIGHTEOUSNESS, there remains
the tremendous truth that religious
ideals are the mother-matrix of all
other ideals. What a man thinks
about God determines that he will
think about everything else. To
corrupt religion is to pollute society
most seriously. Jeroboam commit
ted the sins of sins, In leading the
nation away from God. That was a
political and moral offense. as well
as religious heresy Some nations,
with iear-cleared vision. are now
| seeing that the only thing that real
ly matters IL mans relation 10 God.
"Ah, but expediency required this
concession" says Mr.. Worldly Wise
man. On the contrary. only deepest
religious devotion could have saved
the divided kingdom. II history has
taught any one lesson Il is that II
is FEVER right 10 do wrong. AS
George Eliot puts IT. Nothing In the
world Is worth doing wrong for"
Our own young country's history IL
married by the wrecked careers of
public men who preferred 10 be Do
icii rather than TO be true. Our
great men are they who have dared
TO be loyal to their ideals and 10
whatever he cost. Jeroboam be-
queathed TO posterity a name OF
odium. because he lacked the vision
and the courage to do right, In spite
OF consequences.