The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-04
TOWER BUILDING" G" DR. JOHNSON'S TOPIC SUNDAY MORNING "The Tragedy of Mistaken
 National Ideals" Ably
 Discussed ECONOMIC CONDITIONS ARE TOUCHED UPON 'When Arithmetic of a Ma tion Never Reaches Fur ther than No. r Break
 CTS Are Ahead

VI D ZhAG 1NhkN4u
 From the subject Tower Building. the Tragedy of Mistaken National Ideals" Dr. J. w. Johnson, presiding elder of the Birmingham district, and the predecessor of the present pastor of the First Methodist church. preached a at the First Methodist church yesterday morning at II o'clock.
 Dr. Stuart was present, but owing to a weeks strenuous campaigning over the state in the interest of the prohibi- ton amendment, Dr. Johnson relieved him for the morning service, Dr. Stuart preaching at night.
 We have in the text the picture of a primitive people awakening to con flict," said Dr. Johnson. "and 1t is the same with nation as 1t is with a man, an awakening is necessary to a new life. Everything depends upon leader ship when the hour for the awakening comes, or revolution follows.
 When Kerensky was named as leader of the Russian empire I threw up my hat for joy, for I believed that he was the Moses to lead those people out of turmoil into democracy. but since that time I have regretted the damage I did to my hat. for Kerensky remind ed me of Sunday school superintend- ent that had at one time-he talked the thing to death.
 PROPER LEADERSHIP
 Fortunate is that people with the proper leader at hand when great na- tional crisis comes. In order to keep people together and to give every man a working outlet for his inventive ge- nius, they built skyscraper. a city with a tower and God appeared and was displeased with the tower, and this is the story of a primitive people.
 "No great life is flashed before us in its great beauty that is not domi- mated by some great ideals. We read of Abraham. who gave great new ideals to national life. I never tire of reading the life of St Paul and marveling at his achievements. his great ideals, for there was always one great thing that stood out before him at all times
 "The modern camera sweeps around and takes in everything, the whole hor- lzon, and this is a good thing for a camera. but it is a bad thing for man. man must be as the hunter. If he ex- poets to bag any game-he must aim and shoot at his mark.
 "Woodrow Wilson and Lloyd George are the two greatest men in the world today. They have high ideals, they have new national ideas to give their governments. Napoleon was the incar- nation of Caesarism; so with the Ger man Kaiser and the Czar of Russia. Caesarism has always fought Christi anity, and I believe Caesarsm Is today making it's last stand.
 ECONOMICAL CONDITIONS
 You adjust economical conditions satisfactorily and you put out of the way the probability of unrest and strife When the laboring people are of the belief that they are carrying the burdens of the holders of the wealth of the nation upon their shoulders, then there Is going to be trouble. When they get the idea of unfair distribution of wealth and improper economic condi- tions begin to pinch, then they will either immigrate or expand.-and when they expand that means war and all wars are economic wars. They first build tower.
 personality is another great ideal nations listen to their teachers Ncwspapers are great teachers. and never was there a time when the TO- sponsibility of an editor was as great as 1t is at the present time. Your pas- tor has been out for the week expos Ing some of the political camouflago of some of the politicians and editors of this state. These politicians and editors have said, let us build tower, and their name is confusion.
 "NVhen the arithmetic of any nation never reaches any further than number one, then the breakers are ahead. I have attended some political conven- tions and there was confusion. Too many had grown in personal esteem and cgotism-there was no one to fol- low and every one wanted to lead, and a policy of this kind. self glorification, always ends in confusion.
 SELF-GLORIFICAMON
 "Germany has had in mind for over 40 years just one thing-self- glorifica- ton. The Kaiser Is a very small man in statue, but every picture of him is so photographed as to make him ap- pear the biggest man in the photo- Er2pH, so tudt tHc iAiiiu VI tho PcoPiN of Germany will be nodded to think of him as a big man in every way. This Is the German kultur, and simi- lar word in our dictionary for 1t Is ef- ficiency.
 eve have made the great mistake that Germany has made--while we have trained the head and the hands of our people, we have neglected the heart and we have found out that the heart won't come along without teach ing.
 If Germany had waited just a lit- tie longer, she would have had us by the throat. for we even went to Ger many for our theology. Germany be- gan to worship her power. This is all right If it is not made the supreme thing A nations power is not in her wealth but in her real manhood. Not in standing armies, but in the moral character of her citizens
 "Take the spirit of little Belgium it is bigger today than all of the stand ing armies of Germany or the world The worship of power results in IT, reverance and lawlessness.
 T am seeing things that I never thought that I would live to see. daily see men separated from their coin, and they go smiling, happy over 1t. Thank God we are awakening to the fact there Is something greater than the almighty dollar in this world.
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 ATTENTION. MOBILES
 PANDORA TEMPLE
 We will have our ceremonial ses- sion at the Central High school on