The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1917-08-03
In the Religious World
"YouNo MEN FOR WAR"

jeremiah. Zephaniah. Habakkuk.
and Nahum. bosides. I doubtless,
many others OF their Tx.
IL 10 To be doubted whether any
great refor mwas ever accomplished
without the stirring tones OF
prophet TO recall men 20 their duty
and TO point out TO them the
straight, steep path of noble en-
deavor
The social awakening. which his
torians will write down as char
acteristic OF our time. IL primarily
owing 10 the insistence with which
bigh-visioned spirits have cried aloud
against the evils OF our social, eco
nomio and political system. Some
OF these prophets OF the new day
won only cross: but what matter
so long as humanity wears the
crown. A similar company OF brave.
patriotic. God-fearing young men In
old Judah were mafnsprings in the
radical reforms wrought by the
young king. whose friends they were
and whose hands they upheld.
The Young Kings "Big Stick"
The bulk OF mankind choose the
easy way OF approyers. they tread
the beaten path. they go along
with the organization. Unpopularity
is the most hideous dragon their i'm
agination can conjure up: they
would rather be regular" than
right. True, after men or another
sort have made their regularity ir-
regular. they promptly swing over TO
the other side. but In the meantime
they are the most serious obstacle
in the way OF the members OF so
ciety. The conformers are the heav.
lest burden the unconformers have
20 move. They lift up their eyes in
horrifled self-righteousness AZ the
very mention OF critics; forgetting
that II Is by these critics OF things
as they are that the world becomes
what IL should he.
The rash and destructive impetu.
BUSINESS OF young King Josiah, whom
, they called wild visionary, sorely
disturbed the compliment spirits OF
man yof the convention loving dwell
ers in old judah For he carried
big stick" and swung II right and
left. Having seen his duty. he had
the courage 10 do (which is snf-
fcient description OF hero. The
young man would my old man
have dared attempt t@--undertook
The gigantic task OF purging judah
and Jerusalem from the high place,
the Asherim. The craven images and
the molten images His was the
courage that did not balk az a big
task. tho he had never heard that
the best secret " success for
young man is 10 link his life 10
some great and unpopular cause.
An out and out iconoclast was
Josiah. He smashed things. Affairs
and idols and temples went crumb-
ling beneath his blows. You can
not purify foul pond with violet
water: or cure cancer by soothing
lotions. SO Josiah scattered the
ashes OF tho idols upon the graves
Of their worshipers. and he burnt
the bones OF the false priests upon
their heathen affairs. Hard? Yes.
but It purged the land There is no
use OF trying 70 hang pictures over
pollution, Chinese fashion, instead OF
cleaning II up. Purity must pre-
cede power. Perhaps the broons
and scrubbing brushes and scrapers
that, are az work upon church and
state Just now are making way for
the long deferred great revival" A
minister was telling me about a re-
vival in his church. and asked him
how many accessions he had Not
one, but we got rid OF 20, and II was
great revival"