The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1917-06-26
SERMON ON DUTY Of
AMERICAN CITIZENS

Some days ago Herbert 6. Hoover
tood administrator sem d letter t.
az eiergymen Ia the United states
afgihg them TO preach a sermon
sunday. June "A. on the conserya-
lion Of food. observing the dav 8. /,
Saving Day" In response 10 this
feqaest Father j. :. Eealey Of 81.
losepf's Catholic church delivered
the following sermon:
Launch out into the deep for 4
draught ~ Luke.
very few people grasp the real
meaning Of these words, In fact. the
general reader pays little OF no al
tention to them. His mind is taken
up with the great miracle Of the mar
Vicious drausht Of. fishes taken by
Peter. losing sight o. the main les
son c%onyeyed BY onf Lord which
was a reward for the obedience Of
Peter. He and his companions had
spent the night In fruitless efforts
TO catch d few fish, Weary and dis
gusted they returned to the shore.
We're washing and mending their
acts when the Master came and ask
ed him to move his boat out a lit
tie from the shore Sc that He might
teach the people with a little more
ease. The sermon being finished,
came the command to launch out
into the deep for a draught." Just
bear in mind that they were fisher
men whose business 1t was to study
and to know the effect of the tide.
the wind and the waves and the hab-
its OF the fish. Their life and the
life of their families depended on
what they took from the sea. You
may he sure that. had they seer a
possibility OF taking anything by re-
naming longer on the water, they
would have remained. There Is
nothing to be gained BY footing away
orr time here; so let us go home.
We may reasonably suppose that
these men looked at one another and
smiled at His simplicity when the
Master ordered them To east out their
nets. Poor man: what does he know
about fishing9 Even Peter went so
FAR as 10 demonstrate, saying Mas
ter. we have fished all The night and
have caught nothing This is the
usual way Of acting, No matter what
,topic may come up for consideration,
we all knew mofc than the other
man, especially If the other
man happens 70 be in an-
thoriy and has the right %
command. Tbca you may surely
look for opposition and the only rea-
ordinate prize which will not sub
loIt ~ the voice Of authority for fear
that he rlav lcse some little puhy
right to ttsihk end act for himself.
On second thought. Peter added
ohrt at tlv word / will let down the
net" Look at the result The re-
markable thing to take into consider
alton here is not the extraordinary
araught of fishes. contrary to all ex-
naetstions. but the blind obedience
of peter who lot down his net Just
baeause the Master told him to do 1t,
In like circumstances how many men
would do that to-day? Very few II
anv How 7oqny in the United states
wanla do liz verg few, if any.
know that many are ready TO
contradict me and say that am.
wFone am not wrong. The com
,nop tendency Of the age is to OBJ
Nose authority in almost every form.
,.tsteer religious or civil, Except
~ matters where the law canes IN
aad laws down d strict obiigation
a.,tb . threat Of prison bars for non
,,5iauea men are prone TO ques-
lam tine rieht Of authority TO direct
o,oIe what TO do: and even then
,sss sometimes 20 the limit we
na,e a rase in point right now IN the
lied states Of America, the
,n+rv is in a serious difficulty ana
.na has to count on the loyalty OF
cbi,dren to stand by her and see
tsa, eyerv effort is made so that the
NAV he fruitful for the future
a'a,f.re of humanity and the nation.
If q noble and generous re-
1"onsn 10 the appeal for assistance
,'nn stand back and question II
"rnt Of the government when they
are asked to register as citizens o.
~ carry arms and when asked
W beIp support the Red Cross or
y for the care of the wound
IN the battlefield. Taking 'nl0
t9orotlon the interest of the peo-