The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1921-11-09

Noi'i ASK youF Indulgence FOR few
moments upon that general subject.
1T is not my purpose or desire to ap-
pear IN the role Of a critic--for no one
processing the religion OF our Lord
and Master has been more lax in the
application Of its principles toward
civic duties than have been. A trans
grcssor myself-you can afford to al
low me to talk Of transgrcssions.
hope though, I will not produce the
effect which l once heard that good
minister produced. After power
ful effort to arouse his congregation
upon the evils of the day, he conclud-
cd his address with the declaration
that Hell was filled with chorus
girls, roulette wheels, poker chips and
beer bottles. A wag in the rear Of the
church was heard to cxclaim ooh
death where is thy sting, Oh grave
where is thy victory?"
we are taught from the catechism
that the chief end Of man is to glori-
fy God and enjoy him forever. The
human version Of this proposition is
that mans chief end is happiness. HUI
man laws as we'll as Divine laws, have
Tor their great end and purpose the
happiness of mankind. Society was
formed because man was so consti-
tuted that he could not attain his
great end, hapl ness, in a state of
lonely separation flom the rest of his
species. And the reason is--that he
was intended to live in society with
his fellow creatures. Nature, herself,
therefore, has established that society,
whose great end is the common advan-
t0ge Of all its members; and the means
OF attaining that end constitute the
rules that each individual is bound to
observe in his whole conduct"
The. efore, out Of this great purpose
his cropping after a state of happi-
ness, came the formation OF groups
and tribes and colonies and finally the
larger 'bodies-States and Nations.
God gave man first tho natural law
and then later to small part OF
the human race His revealed law.
There are countless multitudes Of
the human race" says our writer,
who have lived and died. and a very
small proportion have enjoyed the
night OF Ills revealed truth Yet to
none has he left himself without a
Witness In that he did good, and gave
them rain from Heaven and fruitful
seasons. filling their hearts with food
and gladness. If men have not fol-
lo"ed the paths marked out by His
natural laws, and have failed to glori
fy aim, 1t was not because they knew
dilm not, but because they became
vain In their imaginations, and their
FOOLISH hearts were darkened, so that
haVing changed the truth OF God into
lie, and worshipped and served the
creature more than the creator they
were given up to vile affections and a
reprobate mind" Tho natural law"
says another writer, "is plain enough
to leave men without excuse for de-
partures from it." We, however, are
doubly favored people. For, not on
ly are We favored with Gods natural
laws, but for centuries we have been
allowed the advantages of His re-
Vealed law as contained in the Holy
scriptures, Surely we have had q
solid foundation upon which to build.
Mans laws-that is-the rules OF civil
conduct commanding what Is right
and prohibiting what Is wrong--ought
therefore, to approach as near as 1t is
humanity possible to approach. the
laws which God has prescribed for his
people. For "society was ordained ofl
God, who created men with such wants
and affinities that they cannot exist
without 1t. And as society cannot ex-
1st without restraints, and some agen-
cy to enforce them, God ordained Gov
ernment also" Government ought to
possess wisdom to discern the real in
terests OF the community; goodness to
endcayor to pursue it, and power to
carry such knowledge and intention
into effect" Human rules of conduct
are necessarily imperfect, and are
undergoing change from time to time,
as the vagaries OF the public mind de- |
mand. Our Government Is q IDemoo- |
racy--declared to be OF the people, by
the people and for the people In |
other words under our form OF gov
ernment the majority is supposed TO |
rule, The will OF the minority must |
tnII II ~ i