Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1922-04-06
Church Notes and Comments
Mrs. A. F. Galloway.

which exists among many of oul
citizens. | hold it to be menace t,
the very liberties we boast ane
cherish.
I'm spite of our complete divorce.
ment of Church and State, quite il
harmony with our religious freedom
! there is an important RELATIONSHIPS
between church and nation, because
no nation can prosper, no nation can
survive, if it ever forgets Almighty
God.
| II have believed that religious
reverence has played a very influen-
tlal and helpful art in the matchless
American achievement, and | wish il
ever to abide. If / were to utter a
prayer for the republic tonight, it
would be to reconsecrate US in re-
ligious devotion, and make us abid-
ingly a Godfearing, God-loving peo-
pie.
II do not fail to recall that the
religious life makes for the simple
life, and it would be like divine
benediction to restore the simpler
life in this republic.
There is a good deal of loose
talk nowadays about the cause OF
the spiritual decentralization of the
community, which it has become
popular to attribute to the abnormal
conditions that were incident to the
war. But, in fact, the war is not
wholly to blame. Before the war
started or was dreamed of, we were
already realizing the tendency to-
ward certain moral laxity, shift
ing of standards, weakening of the
sterner fibers. l think we should dc
we'll to recognize that intellectual
and moral evolution of the COM
munity. 1t would be a grievous err
ror to allow ourselves to feel toe
confident that this is only tempo
rary and passing aspect. e
Take, for example, the matter
of regard for the law. Without Civ
ing too much weight to alarmist ex.
pressions, we must, nevertheless
recognize that there is very ap-
parent tendency to a lighter and a
more frivolous view of the citizens
relations to both the State and the
Church. We can hardly hope for a
restoration of the old ideals in re-
ligion and in moral conduct. So
long as this tendency to disregard
for the law shall cnotinue, it is alb.
solutely essential to the maintenance
of a secure society and to the attain
ment of a proper moral plane, that
the law should be recognized as
sacred and supreme. 1t should have
at its back, and enlisted in its sup
port, every element of the COM
munity that realizes the desirability
of sound, secure and stable institu-
tions. Disregard of one statute in
evitably must breed a lack of res
pect for the law in general This
tendency is obvious, and ought to
give the deepest concern to people
who have seen, in this world, the
fearful results that flow from this
breakdown of respect for the social
fundamentals.
Whatever breeds disrespect for
the law of the land, in any particu-
lar department of our community
relations, is a force tending to the
general breakdown of the social or
ganization. If people who are
known as leaders, as directing in
fluences, as thoroughly respected
and respectable members of society
shall in their respective communities
become known for their defiance OF
some part of the code of law, Their
they need not be astonished if pres
emily they find that their example
is followed by others, with the re-
suit that presently the law in gen,
eral comes to be looked upon as 8
fset of irksome and unreasonable re
straints upon the liberty of the in
dividual. = Our only safety viii
be in intoxicating an attitude of res
pect for the law, as on the whole
the best expression that has beef
given to the social aspiration ant
moral purpose of the community.
"Unless we can accomplish this
in the domain of citizenship, ant
thereby sustain enforcement, we ma.
well feel that the outlook is not en-
couraging for the achievement o
those loftier spiritual purposes t
which the church is devoted. : -
4 "Tho failures of the past invari