The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1920-11-01

q
ship was a unique thing. 1t was ar
imperial privilege. 1t made a mar
one of superior race and put upor
him mark of nobility 1t asked to
be said of a Roman citizen that when
ever he went and whatever he did he
was still ad always Roman citizen
He could never forget it and he coulo
never be anything else. Our citizen
ship ought to mean as much to US
and we ought always to be conscious
of the nobility, the privilege and the
responsibility of it.
The Gospel enjoins upon US a lsfty
and enlightened view Of our political
privileges. 1t bids US cultivate in
our hearts profound and prayerful
interest in the social order LEGALLY
and in the world at large The poll
tics of Christian citizen always has
a moral and religious tone and colt r.
1T looks beyond the material to the
spiritual 1t is an impassioned long
ing and prayer for the establishment
of righteousness and truth It is a
hunger for justice, equity, reverence
and purity. 1t seeks the divine up
life of the nation and the moral clean
sing of the city. 1t seeks that the
nation should have righteousness as
the girdle of its loins, and that the
city should be beaxtified not only to
the eyes of men but to the all-seeing
and all-searching eyes of God. When
our politics is determined by such
motives as these, we are citizens as
becometh the Gospel. y
By the Gospel of our Lord Jesus
we are constituted our Brothers
keepers. We are told that the strong
Should bear the burdens of the weak.
We are told that he who lives unto
himself dies to all that is divine. "He
that saveth his life shall lose it. He
that loseth his life, the same shall
find it." Citizenship according to the
Gospel is x. is the citizenship of
brotherhood. 1t abolishes class dis
tinction (and class legislation)- 1t
bridges the gulf between labor and
capital it brings high and low, rich
and poor into one noble common
wealth of equality and love. 1t calls
upon the wise to be patient with the
of the ignorant, and
it calls upon the prosperous and
happy to bear with sympathy the
complaints of the wicked and the
poor. True citizenship demands Of us
a daily recognition of our kinship
with all those round about us and
daily recognition of our obligations
which extend into those in the utter
most parts of the earth. Their pains
are our pains; their diseases are our
diseases; their sins are our sins
ours to comfort, ours to heal, ours to
confess. We are to deal with the
sores and inmirmities of the social
order as our very own. And he who
loes this best and carries with it
most of the spirit of the cross does
pest fulfill this injunction of our text
We are taught by the precepts of
The New Testament, to pray for those
n authority over US. Which means
hat when we have the elecJing of
hem, we shall elect men VINO are
somewhat after the character of our
prayers. And certainly we ought not
,ut men into office who leave all the
praying for the rest of US to do. |
There are some things more import |
ant than party divisions or party
these are the moral
purposes of the men who fashion and |
execute these principles-we cannot |
lave in any true sense a true country
lnless we have the men in places of /
with whom righte- |
usness is the first consideration and /
he glory of God their chief end In
very public office from the humb1est /
o the most exalted we want men
With conscience, men who will think
nd speak and act as God and the
ruth within them shall dictate. In
elping to elect such men we make
ur citizenship as becometh the gos-
ell of Christ
This does not necessarily mean that
man has to belong to the church to
e worthy office holder, but it does
lean that the only man whom a free
eople have reason to trust conf
emily with their affairs is a man
Tho expects to answer to God for
he discharge of his public trust. 1t
blows as the night the day that a !,
ian will discharge his public duties
onscientiously if he walks in the
we and fear of God In religion is
1e only true safety and well-being
nation. It was said by George j
Washington that the man who ig- I,
ored morality and religion could lay !
0 claim to being true patriot, and
none but true patriots are
'orthy of public office and public
-ust.
But a practical problem presents |
self in the fact that we have not /
le privilege of voting for ideal char
cters, but must cast the ballot for