Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-05-17

Tie CONDITIONS In Palestine at
the time of Christ as they related
10 citizenship were not altogether
different from the conditions OF
today. Probably there never has
been O time when citizenship for
the man OF sincerity and principle
did not offer certain problems OF
conscience.
The more conscientious a man
is, the more deeply he thinks about
life, the more is he apt not always
to agree with his neighbors or to
approve Of the common will as ex-
pressed in particular laws. He may
be q law-ablding citizen and he
may approve In the main OF the
form Of government under which he
lives and Of the vast majority OF
the laws that that government
enacts, but every now and then is
sues will arise where his personal
habits or personal convictions are
at variance with some phase Of
government or some particular
law.
When Law Is Disregarded
A man born under q monarchial
form Of government. for instance,
may develop strong republican con-
victions. Because Of these he may
either become a rebel, or he may
In every possible way give formal
and actual allegiance to the govern
ment under which he lives. or. as
Stunning that some particular form
OF religion Is established by law,
he may not be able to accept that
particular form Of faith, and there
by he becomes q Nonconformist.
A whole group OF people In Eng
land have been known for centuries
as Nonconformists. They are self
respecting law-ab1ding people, so
noted for their conscientiousness
that "the Nonconformist cons
cience" has become a byword. either
Of honor or Of irony. like the
Puritan conscience" in America.
Here in our own land today the
chief issue OF citizenship concerns
rather q different matter, but a
matter that to many people, whe-
ther they be called "drys" or
VETS" is one Of considerable I'M
p~ortance. 1t Is true that no great
principal. such as relates to the
difference between q monarchial
and republican form Of government,
Is involved In the question or whe-
ther or not @ man shall drink
liquor or have a right TO do SO;
nor Is there any vital question OF
religious faith involved.
Nevertheless, there are people
who believe that the liberty to
drink intoxicating liquor Is a per-
sonal right. and who regard prohi-
| bition as an infringement OF
personal right. The Il who takes
that point OF view and who feels
very strongly about it Is apt to
think Of himself as resisting a law
for conscience sake.
Are the two situations the same?
| Can a man be a good citizen and
at the same time Be q nullitier Of
law? And assuming that there are
situations where a man mas strong
| conscientious convictions and takes
the view that he ought to obey
God rather than man-the view that
John Bunyan took. for instance,
when he went to Jail for - years
because he persisted In manifest
ing his religion in his own fay
can the notification Of law have
any moral validity where something
that does not involve moral duty
Is concerned?
Even the man who may assert
very strongly hts right to drink in
htoxicating liquor would hardly go
SO far as to say that Ii i his duty
to drink Intoxicating liquor. The
fact that multitudes OF men have
lived In good health under total
abstinence from intoxicating IL