The theocrat. [volume] (Zion City [i.e. Zion], Ill.) 1914-1949, 1919-04-26

has generally been to bring about political
reform through a new party, and spiritual
advancement through new church. Thus
has it been in the birth of every political
body and religious movement that has ever
blessed blasted world.
Nature does not resurrect the trees that
die in the wilderness, but she plants new
trees near by, and feeds and fertilizes
their growing bodies on the decomposing
particles of the ones that fall, and her US
age of political and religious bodies is al
ways on this principle This is the reason
for lions existence, and reveals the cause
also of its opposition.
What the general Christian church is
pining for, and what it needs, but does not
want is real, true men of this Voliva type
in her pulpits today. Not merely creatures
of this name described by Plato as "feath-
erless bipeds." We are cursed with too
many of that fawr1ing class now; the old
ship Zion is overloaded with her useless
crew of these gelatinous creatures. What
is needed is soul, mind and backbone. Men
who fear nothing but to offend against the
right; of dauntless courage and absolute
independence in thought, word and act
Men who have dropped the words "discour-
agement" and impossible" from their vo-
mopolitan spirit recognizes God as their
Father, Jesus Christ as their Saviour and
in Him every man as their brother and
every land their home. Men who ask
nothing of this world but the right Of tread
ing on it and dare to look to God for all
their supplies while Shaking their hands
from holding of bribes" Men who, from
the lowest stratum to the highest pinnacle
of society, are acquainted with the griev-
ances, woes and temptations of the OPP
pressed masses. Men who have graduated
in the school of adversely and have re-
ceived their degrees from the horny hand
of poverty; and who, like the original Bap
fist, are burning and shining lights, and
consider themselves merely voices in the
wilderness of this worlds woes speaking
for God and the right.
Men who have enough Of the granite
nature Of Peter, and the gentle affection of
| Barnabas, to be at once "sons Of thunder"
and "sons Of consolation" Men who know
! Christ independent of creed and purity, in
! dependent of party. Elijah-like and Argus
eyed souls, whose eagle vision can pierce
the fogs of popular deception, and whose
mighty arm can brush aside the silken veil
of sophistry. Men who refuse to be fright
ened by legislatures or popular opposition,
and who scorn to be gagged by greenbacks
or shackled by gold, and who laugh at the
thought of being hamstrung by fashionable
official boards Men whose composition is
mind, morals and mental, rather than much
of the mud that is current under the mis-
homer IMAM"
Men with muscles Of iron and nerves of
steel, in whose tremendous grasp baptized
iniquity whimpers like a whipped child,
social deformity groans at being forced to
behold its own photograph, while legislative
piracy, prostituted press and plutocratic
| money-changers roar like the "bulls of
Bashan" at being exposed to the wrath of
an over-credulous people.
Such a man is Wilbur Glenn Voliva,
Leader of Zion.
If ever the church and world too,
needed men of this mould, they are needed
in this fashionable, sectarian, press ridden,
! plutocratic, party-cursed age in which we
live. The baptized bigotry, fossillzed for
mality, and petrihed perfdy of this age are
we'll entrenched while truth, purity and
| Christian charity are exiles in the earth.
These White Knights of Truth must surely
keep their eyes on the morning star of
coming brighter age, and live where the
| glory of the cross Of Jesus Christ is all
the encouragement they need.
In this fact lies the strength Of Mr.. Vol
iva, as he is a special apostle of the near
dawning of this new Millennial Day, and
from this fact does much Of his persecution
come, inspired by the advocates of the old
order.
/ Where are the moral and mental giants,
| the Herculean heroes like him, who will
dare attack the constituencies editorial
| staff of intellectual prostitutes, who often
use their libelous sheets to vilify righteous
men and sound principles, and extol base
men, malicious tenets, and robbery schemes
in order to keep the good will of the con-
scienceless Barabbases and feelingless Shy
| locks, whose hired tools they are?
Where are the lion-like Luthers, who are
not afraid to burn the bulls of silly secta-
! rian bigots, and who dare defy the heartless
hierarch of their own and the universal
church if need be, in bold denunciation
of popular sin? Where are the daring
! Daniels, like him, who will stand alone
against the world and wrong for God and
/ the right? Where are the moral Simpsons,
who dare risk their lives in pulling the pill