The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-05-07
The Law Of Liberty
Jas 125Whoso looketh into the perfect Law Of liberty
and continueth therein shall be
= blessed in his deed"

,ertinent America Day" SER
: deliyered by DR.. Samuel Van
IN ~ the Methodist church, Sun
e ~. Nav 2. Printed upon request
4 liz pensioners.
rss term, the law Of liberty" il
,slisious term. but is not confined
!. religious matters. 1t is a uni
sws,saI In it is involved not only
.s,sonal liberty and happiness. but
4. freedom and prosperity OF the
commonwealth.
There are divers conceptions OF
,,h.rty and law, almost as many
= The nationalities in our mixed
,onulation. These variations are
H. 70 antecedents, education. tradi-
.ion environment. Some of these
Jews are extremely erroneous and
.rhorosiye. Concerning liberty,
mere is a propaganda now abroad
20 unsound tl-at 1t threatens the
,ery liberties of mankind. And as
a law also. there is an attitude
which threatens the stability OF con-
s,itutions and courts, all institu-
tions and foundations.
I have an unbounded confidence
IN the future of our nation, our
civilization and our religion. This
confidence rests partly upon the
general proposition that right will
nrevail, and partly upon a basal
confidence in men. Society is bound
10 learn wisdom; by sure stages
Il will acquire knowledge, self-di-
rec,jon and power Tt will discern
and unroot the evils which dis
turb its peace and progress.
Peril OF Wrong Ideas.
THESE same erroneous ideas
Al 10 liberty and law. prevailing in
various sections of the world, are
among the most serious perils of
our time. The evidences Of their
presence are not far to find.
History does not precisely repeat
itself. but like causes produce like
effects. The causes antecedent to
the French revolution 1870 years ago
and the Russian revolution five
years ago, and the yearly revolu-
tons in Mexico, are much alike.
And some of these causes and
symptoms are painfully evident in
more settled states.
Dr.. Hills refers to Guizot's:
Guizot's discussion of the causes
that produced the explosion in Paris
In 1889: First, the people lost all
confidence in their leaders; then
there followed an explosion of law
essness; then came wave of
avarice and greed and love of pleas
ure; and fourth, the people desert
ed all the churches, published their
denial of God, gave up all laws con-
corning Sunday, set apart every
10th day for picnics, races, sports
and pleasure, with the theatres
open from in the morning to mid
night--a day of disgusting orgy
from dawn to dawn.
An able writer in the Atlantic
Monthly for May, says: Standing
as l stand, in the capital of Europe
-Paris-I sweep my eyes round
from this center and | see about
me world which dances and
makes merry in the midst of death
and destruction and the menace OF
tomorrow. In America there
Is this Observation-Disclosures is not
a graveyard. But the symptoms
are the same. There is a new world
disease: AN epidemic that spreads
from red Moscow to gaunt Vienna
to hectic Paris, to morbid Berlin
to London lively as galvanized
corps-and right to the states. The
diagnosis of the malady is not diff
fcult: crazy seeking after amuse-
ment; love OF display that runs
to eccentricity; there is wave OF
criminality, there is an unscrupu,
lous profiteering; cynical disre.
gard OF suffering; a mad desire tC
~set rich quickly; and reluctance
to do genuine work. Visit any cap
ital and you will find these things
This is largely legacy Of the war
1t is gloomy picture. but does
not represent the whole truth
There is much that is sound ir
present day society. If, as in the
bible story, whole city was saved
by a handful of righteous men, there