Licking Valley courier., 1917-07-05
GUMpTIoN, a~
Which is plain Common Sense, in United States
language, without Educational Furbelows.
BY L. Il. HOVERMALE.
Standing For a Principle.

it the practcng of that principle In ac very lew OF us
act in accordance with what say believe Il use the
words, "what we say we believe" advsedy for what a
man really believes he practices We ARE just what we
BELIEVE and amount of false reasoning can make it
otherwise If believes in American ideals ne en-
Enthusiastically supporting his country in the war Ii ne IS
talking such dsoyay that ought not to have enter
ed the struggle that do not individually owe to our
government heartiest support he acting reasonably
and is therefore not true American matter what he
may say concerning his individual loyalty.
When man says that he believes in Jesus Christ and
at the time puts in the most of his time openly serv
ing the devil we have right to question his sincerity IN
regard to his belief We practice what we really believe
and words that claim the opposite are but tnkng GYM
balls and sounding BRASS
The most charitable view take of the man who
drinks booze and votes for men who use to corrupt vo
ers in elections all the while claiming to be temperance
man. that he has deceived himself into thinking that he
believes in temperance. He don't believe in it.
A principle is not worth anything to you if it is not
principle that you will live up to- fight for and if necessa
H die for The average person does not grasp the
ing of the anathema so commonly used, "mprincpled."
Literally, the "unprincipled man is the who is de-
void of that belief in the good that would him to
live as good men live; it is without belief that would
be fegude to him. We have it from Divine authority
that man is what he believes: "By his fruits we shall
shall know him. for He knew that every .jat
exactly what he believes and not what he says he believes
The average man believes that it wrong to stea hence
he don't steal That idea fixed principle with him and
he lives according to that belief because there is no doubt
in his mind that he believes in the principle of honesty
And when we come down to rigid examination of
ourselves when we turn our eyes inward and examine
own souls honestly as we all must do if get right with
God find that lives good or bad as we believe
Of hot hoc
us guide There room for doubt in the matter
'He that believeth on Me keepeth My commandments
Nor will God excuse us for "hands off, policy We can
MT be neutral between God and the devil There is work
to do and he who shks denies his Cod To be Christian
we must believe, and believing we are willing to fight for
His The fig tree that Christ blasted and wthered
wasn't doing any particular HARM 1t just didn't do any
thing 1t was not standing for any principle The prn-
cpe of life in theg tree to bear fruit was destroy
ed because it would not do the work that it could do
who profess to be Christians refuse to do the work
that before that they can do-can they hope
for happier fate than that of the fig tree?
The only hope of the worlds betterment is through
the fundamentally of the Church. God only can reform
the world, and He works through His own people, 1t is
for this reason that plead with the Christian people Of
Morgan county out boldly and openly and end the
debauchey of the voters by whskey and their corruption
by money Is your belief in the principles of Christianity
strong enough to cause you to vote against the
money and LIQUOR in elections? If so then will you come
out publicly in your pledge to that effect? The local min
sters have organized fight for clean elections and arr
working hard to win. And it is only by cooperating will
them that the victory will come When the candidate
see the people OF God lined up for the battle they will no
try to corrupt the elections This is not fight to oefea
candidates who do use it, primarily but to prevent an
from using it. TO do this effectively the forces must
mobzod at once, so sit down at and write either
A. Fryman A. 0. Allison or c. NJ Summers, at this place
just 81 hereby pledge myself not to vote for any cand
date who moneyor whisky in the election" and sig
and mail it. postal card will do better than letter,
gives your stand for right publicity and encourag
others, And the more names they have backing ther
the more effective will be the whirlwnd speaking can
pagn these ministers contemplate later
Remember the fg-trees doom was for not doing tn
thing ought to have done. Your duty as Christian
as good citizen plain Does your religious principle
mean anything to you? DO you believe in them strongl
enough to LIVE them?
ode that believeth Qvethl not shall be damned"