The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-01-18


God. There are no spiritual ideals that
fare vital, and capable of lifting a peo-
pie up, except the ideals set up in
| Gods book. In the preface of Wick
| lies old translation of the Bible are
the familiar words: This Bible is for
the government of the people, by the
| people and for the people The words
are often ascribed to Lincoln, but he
merely quoted them from the great
translator, and they are linked with
| the Bible as the true foundation of
government.
'2. This righteousness must be ex-
| enplified by both factors of the gov
ernment-the governed and the gov
erning. The principle of free govern
ment is that it derives it's powers from
the consent of the governed; there
fore, responsibility rests upon every
man for civic pride, community CO.
| operation, and for the exercise of q
| patriotic conscience. Christian patriot
| ism has been rightly defined as "disin-
/ terested devotion to the general well
| fare" Private citizens cannot shift
the whole burden of. responsibility for
| proper government to the shoulders
of public officials and then blame the
officials if there is failure and mis-
management. Louis Kossuth, the
Hungarian patriot, said to Americans
| long ago, in words prophetic:s "If
| shipwreck befalls your country, the
rock upon which it will split will be
| your devotion to private interests at
| the expense of your duty to the state
And two things are essential to those
who bear rule: a personal fitness of
moral and religious character. and the
conception of public office as a trust
of the people mad not as a private ad-
vantage. No. man is fit to rule any
community who has not a high moral
character, and whose moral character
is not sustained and inspired fly spir-
| itual faith. No man who has no perso-
nal relations with God can hold any
other man or community to any such
relations. and if God is the source of
righteousness it follows as the night
the day that He must. be known and
respected and magnified as such. The
man who has no vital spiritual faith
| has no true perspective of life. He
cannot see the material and the moral
in their right proportions and rela-
| tons
| This righteousness must also be
| applied to both functions of govern
ment. I say both, because there are
two which include all: The corrective
and the constructive. To the major
| ity of American people now the city is
the guardian and executive of all law
the national and the state, as we'll
as the municipal and the city officials
are in oath and honor bound to sup
| port every governmental establish
ment from the highest to the lowest
Law can never be enforced by penal
means and for penal purposes only
| There must be a righteous spirit of
/ correction and reform-a spirit that
| seeks to make the criminal into a
good citizen. There is that in human
nature that rebels against and defies
the vindictive execution OF penalties
! but which responds to lawful power
when it is exercised in just and cor
receive spirit. In thinking of the con-
/ structive function of government
have not in mind the building of
streets and public utilities, and the
successful conduct of the city's busi-
ness affairs. hese are important duties
to which the best judgment and bust
ness affairs. These are important duties
| be addressed, and men who have had
no adequate experience in private bus
| mess, and have not made a REASONABLE
success of thei rown affairs should not
be entrusted with them. But the larger
constructive task is that OF conserv-
ing and promoting those interests and
| influence that are fundamental to the
business prosperity, the social purity
ana the peace and happiness OF the
community. These are primarily the
moral' and intellectual interests, and
certainly no man who is neither moral
nor intelligent can be safely intrusted
with these interests.
In conclusion, a word of caution.
Be not deceived by men who boast of
their public spiritness and progress
siveness, and who advocate a wide
open town to attract people to it. and
seek to promote dirty or doubtful
amusements and methods of stinu-
lating business, as proofs of their pub
lie spiritedness. Such methods NAV
indeed attract people to the commun-
ity but they will not be such people
as will benefit it, and dirty amuse-
ments and advertising may result in
activity, but it will be the excitement
OF intoxication. All such things have
a reaction that duIIs the moral sense
and impairs the powers that alone can
develop a real, worth while city. Such
promoters are mistaken about their
progressiveness. for progress does not
lie in the direction of license and law
lessness. BY the blessing of the right
eous the city is exalted but by the
mouth of the wicked it is over
THROWN