The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1950-05-18

AiCQ' 4uS u I'LL 10, *&X<3
a lot of us just
talk. when it
comes down to POI
litical facts. the
people who get M. r...u.r
their rights rec
Iognized first are the people with
the most votes. The little people.
especially if they haven't too many
votes, are likely to be stepped on.
Cannibal Country
THIS IS NOT a new problem.
1 Long ago the prophet Micah
faced it, said some brave words
about 1t. He was a small-town man
living In a village near the Judah
Philistine border line. Judah was
at that time mostly rural.
The villages ere made up Of
farmers. who did not live on their
farms as we do but lived all to-
gether for protection. going out into
the country by day to work their
farms. coming back to the village
at night. None Of them owned very
much land. and few indeed were
rich.
There was inst enc big city IN
Judah. Jerusalem the capital.
Compared with the rest u the
country e was Immense and
enormously rich. New IL does
not take two guesses - know
how Judah, as . nation. was
run. Jerusalem ran II. The big
city was growing richer and
richer while the country grew
poorer and poorer.
The small farmers were losing
their lands and becoming tenants
or hired men GID. Micah even
talks Of the princes Of Israel. the
aristocracy, as cannibals. eating
the flesh Of the people.
Half Slave, Half Free
MO COUNTRY is a good country.
IN no country Is in a healthy con.
dition, il one part of it Is tearing
the other part down. If the strong
are living off the weak. the whole
nation grows weak. Micah saw
that exactly; indeed, he predicted
that because of the kind of country
it was, half oppressed and half OPP
pressing, it would be destroyed.
No enemy of his country, he did
not enjoy forecasting it's downfall.
But he loved people, he loved his
country neighbours; he could see
what was happening to people who
were being crushesd down into the
dirt, he knew that could net 60 on
and on without a smash. tAnd II
cameD
This has been the story yer
and over again In the history
of nations. When the few grow
strong at the expense Of the
many, when wealth is concen-
trated In q few cities, or In .
few individuals or families,
look out!
When this goes on for a long
time and becomes a sort of national
habit, the nation may not fall al
once but becomes a pushover foI
anybody who wants to take it. Why,
for instance, was the downfall Of
the .Nationalists" in China so
swift? It was because the Chinese
people had become convinced that
the political leaders and their
wealthy hackers we're in it for
what they could get out of it.
Why did so many Nationalist
troops fail to fight. why did they
surrender repeatedly without strik.
ing a blow? Because armies are
made Of common men, and the
common man has been taking I
beating too long. There Is very lit
tie patriotism in a beaten man.
We Have Our Own Problems
yIyE ARE FORTUNATE in that
w we live in more democratic
times and lands. 1t should never
be forgotten that democracy is .
fruit Of the Jewish Christian tradt
ton which the prophet Micah
helped to form. It was the prophet,
who plowed deeply the soil out Of
which democracy has grown.
Many Of the laws Of our land are
intended to keep the strong from
eating up the weak. The farmer,
the man out of work. the man with
the small job. the man with the
small business-they are protected
under our government. whether In
Canada or In the United States. az
they never were In ancient Judah.
To test whether we are treatins
others right. especially those whe
n weaker than ourselves, We
need first to ask these basic ques.
tons: Do these people get Their
share Of justice. and are we help.
ing them get It? Do we treat them
with mercy or do we only ''uss"
them for u own benefitf
Copyright BY. the international council
of Religious Education on behalf Of q
Protestant denominations. Released b
WNU Features.)