The call of the North. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1923-1924, 1923-08-03
THE GREAT CRUCIBLE

Will
STATE
NSYLVANIA
), teacher to do, and therefore they hat
! exercised the rights Of American
citizenship, e Pluribus Unum, thu
Declaration of independence, Thomas
jefferson forever. -. ::
Your papers last night published q
story which should have been in large
type, double loaded, capital letters
on the front page, that hundred
students in one Of our western col.
leges were threatening to go on a
strike. Oh my friends think Of it'll
Why the Mexican situation is nothing
compared with that. A hundred stu
dents all about to 60 on a strike! Oh
my friends! Now that Is comical,
but there is another side. Those boys
that were on a strike there in Chi
cago, are to the extent of their num-
bers, the future citizens of that great
city of two million pepole, which has
to depend upon it's own citizens for it's
preservation, and it's lawfulness. And
how are they being trained for it? I
ask the question. If we were in a
monarchy, / should not have so much
concern, with a king and standing
army back of him. But we are in a
republic, and we do not govern by any
higher standard of law and respect
for authority and obedience than the
people themselves constitute. And I
doubt whether we can raise a higher
standard than is shown in the public
schools, and reflected in the homes
also.
Ignorant are Obedient
Why it isn't any trouble to get the
ignorant man to obey the law. I
saw policeman on nearly every corr
ner this morning, perhaps they knew
I was coming down here. Besides the
Jail, there are many precinct police
stations here that will take care of
the petty criminals, that will take
care Of the porch climber, and that
will take care Of the pickpocket. But
our question here in America is to
get the educated man to obey the law,
and not the little fellow,-not the
little fellow away down there, but the
great big man up there, he is the
man you are after.
By and by my friends we are going
to have such an awakening of civic
conscience right here in the United
States that the big man, the educated
man, and I will say even the rich man,
will acknowledge that it is just as
wrong to take a cent each from one
thousand persons, as it is to take ten
dollars from one person, and when
that time comes we shall have a
higher standard Of obedience and re-
spect for the law.
Now I have made what? I have
made three tests. And let me, be-
fore leaving this last test, say that
obedience is a habit. You can't put
it on and take it off, like you can a
garment. It has got to be by habit.
Now believing and teaching by par
ables, may I relate an incident? I
want to clinch my proposition that
obedience is habit. I went to the
Harvard-West Point football game a
few years ago, I hope I won't for
felt your good will and esteem by say
ing that patronize the football team
and go to football game, not that
I care which side wins, unless, of
course, my own college is playing, but
simply I want to see there twenty
two young fellows on the football
teams who are trained to obey; twen-
ty-two men, eleven on each side that
must obey. When the captain says
4-11-44, does some fellow say, "Hold
on there don't you mean 43h?" Why
they would put him out of the team
Immediately, it is 4-11-44, no more
and no less, like the suit of clothes
that cost fifteen dollars. It is exactly
that, and he must obey.
Is Obedience Rare?
Is obedience then SO rare? Why a
few years ago a man wrote little
pamphlet called, Carrying Message
to Garcia" What was it all about?
Five million copies, it is said, were
sold and given away. What was it all
about? Why, boy was told to do
something, and he did it. That is all,
he obeyed. He didn't ask, how, where
to, which Garcia, who is Garcia, which
Garcia,-he went and did it. Five
million copies!
Down here in Missouri a man was
elected prosecuting attorney, that was
all. He did his duty, that was all.
He obeyed. They came and made him
governor of the state, and came near
making him president Of the United
States. Why? Because he obeyed.
Twenty-Five fellows who have got
to obey, Now they were lined up
there on that West Point field, and
my sympathies were naturally with
Harvard. But something happened
that day which made me think a little.
With the teams lined up as / have
described them, q thousand eyes
fastened upon these twenty-five
young fellows, standing all tense, and