Daily picayune., 1921-01-25
CONDENSED OUTLINE
 OF SERMON

l Condensed Outline of sermon on
 The Disease of Lawlassness and It's Cure" preached by Rev. J. A. Sage at
 the Methodist church last Sunday even l ing
 The text used was Isaiah :2-20.
 The prea cher commended Governor Me
 Rae for having issued his proclama tion
 calling on all the people of the state | to observe this day as Law and Order Day" He prefaced his discourse by saying that he had but little sympa l thy with the prevailing idea that we are in the midst of "crime wave" He
 strongly suspects that this popular no-
 tion was born in the minds of certain people who are working overtime to
 create sentiment against national pro
 .hibition He does not believe the sta =. ,cS will sl N IL. e'' ter per cent of crime now than has been shown Tn former years But. however this par
 ticular case may be it is a lainentable l fact that lawlessness has always been
 fearfully prevalent in our codutry. l Compared to some other countries no-
 tably Great Bri.ain. we are a iaw'ess
 nation The numhe.' Of homicide> rob. crimes which are committed "aca '. IT should cause us to hang our he.t,is in | shame
 But, the speaker asked, wher" shall
 we find the remedy for these things? Negatively, we will not find the cure of | la awlessness by simply demanding a stricter enforcement of the laws. This is needed and the inefficiency of mlny of our officers and courts amounts to little less than a public scandal. But at best courts and officials can only restrain the disease of lawlessness. they can never cure it.
 Neither will we find any substantial
 relief by multiplying laws on our stat ute books Our laws are not perfect and will doubtless be improved from tirue to time but however good they
 raay be made they will not remove the inward moral disease.
 How then may the disease he cared
 and society purged from the shame of lawlessness? First of all we must as teachers, preachers and leaders in sO- ciety endeavor to instill into the mnids of ull the people, and especially the children and youths. the correct ideas of the sacredness of law. We must teach them that the law is not mans burden but his boon. That all just laws are made for our protection. That DO man can violate law. any law, with out helping to break down the wall of protection which the law builds around our lives and our homes.
 We must cultivate sentiment which will demand that those who violate the law must suffer its penalties. There l is a maudlin sentiment of mercy which tends to justify both our courts in al l lowing the guilty to go unpunished and our governors in pardOning those who are not morally entitled to such elem ency. Eeven God himself will not par don guilty sinner until the demands of eternal righteousness are met through the penitent sinners accept ance of Jesus Christ who died on Cal | vary that it might be made possible l for God to be just and at the same time
 the justifier of those who believe in | his Son.
 Again, if we are to cure the disease
 of lawlessness we must place more em- phasis on the Bible which is the source
 of all law Our unfortunate sectarian l divisions will not allow us to under | take to teach the Bible in our public schools but it should be read these
 schools. and it should be more dili- gently taught in our Sunday schools and in our homes.
 But, most important of all we must seek to create conscience towards | God. The root of all lawlessness is | found in rebllion against God, and the
 main spring of all righteousness Is
 found in that spirit which Joseph re-.