Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-04-18
At the Bar of Potential,
Purifying Public Opinion

the rest of the world thinks about it.
Both are very much concerned, espec-
tally for what the people of America
think upon the subject.
This force of the public opinion of the
world must and will become more and
more influential In his "Locksley Hail.
Tennyson brings this truth in view
his vision of the future when
ne wrote:
For I dipt into the future. as far
as human eye could see,
Saw the Vision of the world, and all
the wonder that would be;
Saw the heavens fill with commerce,
argosies of magic sails;
Pilots of the purple twilight, drop
ping down with costly bales,
Heard the heavens fill with shouting.
and there rain'd CHASTITY dew
From the nations airy navies Crap
ping in the central blue;
Far along the worldwide whisper Of
the soutnwind rushing warm,
With the standards of the peoples
plunging thro' . the thunder
storm;
Till the war-drum throbb'd no long
err. and the battle-flags were
furld
In the Parliament of man, the Fed
Grafton of the world
There the common sense of most
shall hold a fruitful realm
in awe,
And the kindly earth shall sIup,- o
Der, lapt in universal law"
Perhaps the great pot would have
been nearer the truth if instead of usine
the word common sense" he had EN-.
ployed the word ''conscience:" for al
men and all Mathis must in the enc
stand aquitted or condemned at the bal
OF the moral law. Nations rise or fa!
by their possession, or lack, of right
eousness. No people has ever beer
stronge enough to defy the moral law
and however rich and powerful moderI
nations may become none of them car
ever rise to such degree of strength
as to make them able to trample tn,
moral law under foot with impunity
The nation that sins shaft perish. Il
cannot be otherwise. The world will
judge and condemn mercilessly any PEG
pie who undertake to pursue their ma
tional aims regardless of the principle.
OF eternal righteousness.
These things being true. It must y,
obvious that ii is of supreme import
ance that the nations be instructed il
the moral law and be enlightened by tn
proclamation of the Christian religion
1t would be absurd to talk of the ma
tions of christendom submitting to tn
moral standards of the heather world
This can never be. The moral princi
pies of christianity are final, an,
q n
err standard. To the test of THE Ter
Commandments" and THE Sermon o.
the Mount" all men and nations mus
be brought. Jesus said that TIA
Father had committed all Judgment {
the Son., and it is a simple fact tina
all nations must stand in the presen
time before the judgment bar of Christ
by His teaching they must be approve
or condemned; by the truth which II
proclaims they must live, and in de
fiance of it they must inevitably die.
To the christianization of public opin
ion 1t behooveS every good man to ad
dress himself. Every one who care
for the welfare of his own people, or TO
the moral progress of mankind, shout
by precept and example seek to max
universally prevalent Sthe truth as it :
in Jesus. If christian truth We're re
spected by all men and all nations
there would be no need of arms and ma
vies: wars would cease to the end of tn
earth because wrong would no longe
existence anywhere on the face of tn
world Universal righteousness Is tn
only basis for complete national dis
armament Until the whole worI
is ready to do right, force must be EN-
pIoyed to put down wrong and sustain
righteousness. If the people will no
submit to the force of truth, they mus
be made to feel the truth of force. TIL
man who can do most for enthronini
the moral truths in the hearts of man
kind will do most for the pacificatio
of the world; for he will help create
majestic public opinion flaming witt
glory like the light which glowed 81
Sinais brow when God gave the Com
mandments to Moses.
Not only must nations as a Who'll
respect the public opinion of mankind
but sections and communities mus
take account of this great force. y
section and no community can in tn
present day live unto itself: and if an,
great evil is permitted to reign in an,
part of any nation. the people amonI
whom ie prevails will be made to SUI
fer for It. Not all of them may ap
prove it, nor even majority condon
the wrong: but all OF them must suffer
If a normal evil is allowed to persis
among them.
The people of the south will do vel
to consider this fact. The south ha
suffered much by the prevalence o
lynChing in our section. and in Geor
rr;, - - 10 in 70,