The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-07-11

railroading. so that the shiverng prai-
ries may have coal at call and In
abundance, and the hot homes of the
scity cheaper bread and meat and fruit.
freer freedom, more remunerative la
/ Dor. more abundant life.
/ Highway to Heaven.
/ The Christian era was launched as
an agitation for better road. When
| John, the forerunner unlimbered the
| field battery of his mighty eioqnence.
4 on the bank OF the Jordan. his chal-
1 ienge was not TO greater ceremonial
devotion, to tighten up the cork
jackets of the elect, but to agrees
: sive broad, concrete funda mental po-
Iitical action. To save and TO prevent
the wastage of humanity. He did not
call his country TO more washings.
Hastings. public prayers They had al
ready washed the color out of their
religion, even az we nave done. They
had already tasted the red blood out
+ OF their atrophied convictions. as we
! do here They had already degraded
prayer to a bad habit, as some do now.
They had already tithed mint. anise
/ and cammin until the dry rot of
,nouldy Journalism had eaten up the
/ bread corn of civic virility. as even
now we do. They had i'm effect set
I up the working maxim vaat scapegoats
! esalt nation. and laid the foundation
/ OF the modern doctrine that a crime
that controls votes and pays a liberal
I rake-off to the revenue can be taxed
land protected as a business, with no
I great reproach to any people. They
! had made the degradation OF the
/ masses natural and automatic, as we
do today.
Hst-tff4 the f1fgTwayt'' That was
the Jordan statesueau's propo'aition,
Break up the bandit businesses that
prey on manhood. on the Kings high
way. Close up the lurking places of
1.-THE villa ges-the blind pigs''-where
/ human hyenas puff at piety and pity
and lie In wait TO catch the weak and
/ poor. Move UP the accent of the COW
lenant. from rams and new moons and
sa bhaths and assemblies and license
and nonsense, and, on the honor of
Ia godly man and to the honor of 8
manly God. make good as peculiar
democrats.
1.-THE Way of the Lord"
II was no accident that the eloquent
reformer whom Jesus called more
than prophet constructive
statesman--centered his appeal on
the way of the Lord" not new defi-
milton OF his indefinahle character,
not a new creed converting his UNI
fathomabte mind. mot a new liturgy
wherewith to worship In q church.
but the old way, laid out in nature.
charted In revelation. but ruinous and
iperilous. then and now, from lack o.
patriotic work and care--transporta-
ton facilities for order help, mercy.
| justice. peace. good will among men.
so that his covenant can he seen.
running with the land from the cap
| ital to the last outlying colony. from
tsic rivers to the ends OF the earth"
Make his paths straight Level down
the hard hsis Level up the rough
valleys Gather out the stones of
stumbling and offense. Make straight
living the line of least resistance
Make poverty monopoly. corruption.
ignorance, vice and crime abnormal
and difficult. Make the public policy
| a visihiy widesopen hospitality to
health. happiness and a fair chance
| all around. So that all fiesh---every-
hodv--~the weak, the poor, the reck-
less. the defective, as well as the
strong, the rich. the prudent, the
WE'LL born. shall hear wisdom cry In
the street" and see tsae salvation of
God. In the life line OF civil govern
rnent, in actual physical operation
before their eyes, their feet their inn
laaination and their will. Make temp
ltation. the snbtlest. busiest spirit of
Ifhe earth: cease to walt exclusively on
failure. and employ 1t as the servant
or more abundant life.
The road liz the most inclusive and
jfar-reaehing fact in the history OF
Lcivilization. and rae most constant and
comprehensive answer to all the ma