Evening star., 1924-09-22

nize or obey any authority, save his
own material inclinations. He never
rose above his appetites. Your So
ciety stands as a protest against this
attitude of mind.
But there are altogether too many
in the world who consciously or un-
consciously do hold those views and
follow that example. ] believe such
position arises from mlsconcep-
ton of theN meaning of life. They
seem to think that authority means
some kind Of an attempt to force ac-
ton upon them which is not for their
own benefit but for the benefit of
others. To mel they do not appear to
understand the nature Of law, and,
therefore, refuse obedience They
misinterpret tine meaning of indi-
vidual liberty, and. therefore. fail to
attain it. They do not recognize the
right of property and, therefore, DO
not come into its possession. They
rebel at the idea of service, and,
therefore, lack the Fellowship and CO.
operation of others. Our conception
of authority, of lawt and liberty, of
property and service. sought not to be
that they imply rules of action for
the mere benefit of some one else, but
that they are primarily for the bent
fit of ourselves. The Government
supports them in order that the peo-
pie may ENJOY tnefn.
Our American Government was
the result of an effort to. establish in
stitutions under which the people as
whole should have the largest pos
sible advantages. Glass and prlVl-
lege were outlawed, freedom and op-
portunity were guaranteed They
undertook to provide conditions un-
der which service would be ade-
quately rewarded, and where the
nj hei
and control their own government.
They had no other motive. They
were actuated by no other purpose.
If we are to maintain what they es-
tablished, it is important to under
stand the foundation on which they
built, and the claims by which they
justified the sovereign rights and
royal estate of every American cfti-
zen.
They did not deny the existence
of authority. They recognized 1t and
undertook to abide by II. and through
obedience to it secure their freedom.
| They made their appeal and rested
their cause not merely upon earthly
authority, but in the very first para
graph Of the Declaration of lnde-
pendence asserted that they proposed
to assume among the powers of the
earth a separate and equal station to
which the laws of nature and natures
God entitled them. And as they
closed that noble document in which
they submitted their claims to the
opinions of mankind they again re-
yealed what they believed to be the
ultimate source of authority by stat
ing that they were also appealing to
the Supreme Judge of the world for
the rectitude Of their 'inten-
tious.'
When finally our Constitution was
adopted, it contained specific provision
that the President and members of
the Congress and of the State Legis
latureS, and all executive and judicial
| officials, should be qualified for the
discharge of the duties of their office
by oath or affirmation. BY the stat
ute law of the United States, and ]
doubt not by all States, such oaths
are administered by a solemn appeal
to God for help in the keeping of
their covenants. l scarcely need to
refer to the fact that the houses of
the Congress, and so far rs l know
the State Legislatures, open their
daily sessions with prayer. The
foundation of our independence and
our Government rests upon our basic
religious convictions. Back of the
authority of our laws is the authority
of the Supreme Judge of the world,
| to whom we still appeal for their
final justification.
Reflect Nations Conscience.
The Constitution and laws of our
country are adopted and enacted
through the direct action of the peo-
pie, or through their duly chosen rep
resentatives. They reflect the en-
lightened conscience Of our country
They ought always to speak with the
true and conscientious voice of the
people. Such voice has from time
immemorial had the authority of di-
vine sanction. In their great funda-
| mentals they do not change. AS new
light arrives they may be altered in
| their details, but they represent the
best that we know at any given
| time. To support the Constitution, to
observe the laws, is to be true to our
own higher nature. That is the path,
and the only path, toward liberty. To
resist them and violate them is to
| become enemies to ourselves and in
| struments of our own destruction
| That is the path toward servitude
| Obedience is not for the protection of
| some one else, but for the protection