VOL. VI.
Professor Herron' Words at Lincoln
Which Waked the World-
A HEW 'MORAL POLITICAL VKIOS.
He Holdi up Christ as the Political
Ruler and Savior of the State,
Tbs Impending Danger
of Individualism.
1
,Udom "Which Will Avert Anarchy
At the suggestion of the honored
Chancellor of the University, I am to
speak to you, today, of a new political
vlijlon. I come to you conscious of the
reironslbllity belonging to every word
plken upon such a subject, on this
ccfcaslon, and in these anxious days of
clal strain and political change. Be-
auae of my knowledge of how much
eater are the hour and opportunity
an the thoughts and powers of the
oaker, what I shall say to you has
en wrought out in deep trouble of
)lrit. But the sense of my own inade-
uacy h,as been lout In the foith that
ere would be present with us the
ft or the roll ninir Christ, whose
jubject I am?ia whoee name I speak,
and to whose political wisdom and au
thority I am here to bear witness. For
my political vision Is the Christian
state.
The people are looking for a political
order that sha'l associate men In justice.
The old ways of political thinking and
doing have exhausted themselves. Our
present systems of human relations will
not endure the strain that is oomlng
upon them, Political constitutions now
saored will be consumed in the fervent
beat of the social trial, and present
forms of institutions will disappear.
Not since Augustus achieved the culmi
nation of the Roman empire in the
unity of a world of splendid misery, has
the race so felt the certainty and the
dread, the sorrow and the hope, of uni
versal change. The civilization of to
day is the camp of a vast unorganized
and undisclpliaed army, without lead-
rs and without method, yet profoundly
onscious of some conflict near at hand
which shall issue in a new beginning of
history.
I do not tear to have our civilization
full of trouble and complaint. I can
yiintal trA tt t rvt Vt I mama t no n r" 1 1 1 4liu n
-a have the present order of things ex
'VfJt without discontent. And the world-
vision of todav is construction, how
Itions may vet prove. Unorganized and
THE
GREAT
ORATION
' inharmonious as the forces of change!
j-Bow seem, they will be restrained by
uneir nutn in tue proviaunco ana de
liverance of the change, and unitod in
the living sacrifice of their noblest sons
upon the altar of their faith. Tbe
peoples are not angry, but rather in
sorrow and expectancy because of their
iraost conviction that only out of their
fravall and anguish can a better order
ofsoclety bo boro. The world is full of
discontent, but It 1 the discontent of
God with the degradation of his song
and daughters under the tyranny of
material dominion, Society Is moving
oulcklv toward revolution, but It U
t revolution from anarchy to order; from
f industrial slavery to social freedom;
from iH)llt'cal atheism to tha klnir.him
iVfCod,
The revolution comes as the soctal
cruawvu "i iu wurm. iuo race 1
"making Us social slf-dUcovery; It U
coming to It social telf-coneulouanes.
hrouah exntfrienoeaadautv.iri,,,. wl h
nowledge too tfoep for lot to and too
Istlil uhiloeoohv of soctetv. thd r.m
1U learning thai It U nut au aggregation
of lodhldual. but one body, one hu
manity, of which alt Individual are
member; that It t( not natural, but
violent, that thata inuiVu.r kliruil.t
Ci--if wun eacn omer ror piece ana lire
tithebodv. Men am ceailny la h.
?, and they can no look'er I per-
V) !!, that eoio petition rather than
f lL.l..l.lla li II,. I .. .. ,1 ....
a''d progress. The elvllUuioB that
now build upon the a.utnplou that
,un iro antagonist and not tucnilor
Kit ouetodul body l fundamentally an
Wchhal. The politic that remains V
VJ b1'U to the wakings cUI cemclou-
and movIbuc to make the holy
Atehwofdsof tne ja.t tho trpocrliy
M rmo of the rrvteot, the ihkIU-
clans who speculate in human life upon
the presumption that the people are as
Ignorant and without character as
themselves, will be but fuel for burning
in the day of wrath that is coming to
consume our trade politics and false so
cial philosophies as stubble. Society
must henceforth be the end of political
science and effort. Not Individual liberty
and the equilibrium of warring self-interests,
but the association of men in a
communion of justice 1 now the work
of the politics that would command the
patience and win the respect of the
people. The vision of brotherhood will
not pass away for it is heavenly. Poli
tics must obey that vision,. or the people
will try obedience without politics, and
a world-tragedy will have to be the
school in which the nations shall learn
their law and mission.
The state can have no ether meaning
than tbe interpretation and execution
of the raind of Ged toward the people.
Tbe state is ordained to be the visible
incarnation of the unseen government
of the world; tbe medium through
which the law and order of God are re
ceived and wrought out in progress. If
there is a purpose in history tbe state
must be the organ for the accomplish
ing of that purpose; the organ of tha
common inspiration and collective effort
of the people toward righteousness.
The state must be the incarnate con
science of the people; the manifestation
of the highest right of which the people
have knowledge In common; the organ
of their common consciousness of God.
There can be bo continuous develop
ment of a nation's life except its institu
tions progressively express the faith
and organize the moral reason of the
common people. ,
Tbe mission of the state Is not ful
filled in the liberty of tbe individual,
but in the association of men in a right
eous unity. Liberty is but a means to
the divine social end. If liberty Is not
fulfilled In unity then liberty was' the
consummation of the supreme design of
evil powers. And If liberty means no
more than to fight with each other for
material gain, if tho state can do no
more than foster a civilization founded
In such a freedom, then the evolution
of civilization from feudalism was the
irreparable ruin of the world. The
conception that freedom consists in the
protection of men from one another
rather than in their association with
each other can never bring forth any
order than that of tyranny and slavery.
The worshio of Baal and Moloch was
relatively no more degrading and de
humanizing than the conception of the
state as a commercial compact and
secular institution, with only police
functions to procure individual liberty
and protect property. If the state has
fundamentally and finally any business
that is not comprehended in the study
and organization of the highest right
known to man, and the redemption of
man from all known wrong, then the
state is a fraud aud a tyranny, and has
no right to exist and have authority
over man.
And thtre are nottwo klads of right,
one for tho state and another for the
individual. A first step toward social
Justice and political virtue ruuxt be ti e
emancipation of society from bondage
to tha evil iauulwatloa that there are
dltlortnt kinds of right. It there U a
principle of right anywhere in the uni
verse it Is right evtry where, or there
Is no universe of God aud can bo no
unity of man. Tuo wicked fancy that
there are dllToreut standard of rlht
for different spheres of life Is the c
oiiin of aaaroby; It Is the dutructlon
o( both t'thtcs and ord or. There U not
one kind of rlgM for tiod and another
for man; one for the church and mother
for trtu market; one for the Individual
aad another for tbe stair; one for men
acting amgly aud ariuthr for m n actleg
cotlcoilvoly at a cniuHmwea'th or a
financial vorptraU:n. Thure U not a
rellgli'iu i ialUy of rlghi dUtlnct from
a political or cooule (lua'tty of right.
if there It any right at all it tuul be
both untvral In operation aaJ uolvf r
iHy particular la afplloa'lon. Tho
will e! O hI caul bo auy dllt'rsnt vu
arlti from tie will of tia4 In the hvav
cos. Whr.itver principle of right U
authorial. fo tg a man's moral raoa,
in the lamuet cootetoumiM of hi bring,
U usojodirUd and no 1 eoionaudteg
whim he enters tha market, the stock
xjiiaifo, or the munlulpaUty a an
economic or social retldeat. it I aw my
brother's keeper a a rallgtou t&aa I
LINCOLN, NEB., THURSDAY. JUNE 21, 1894.
am equally my brother's keeper as an
economic or political man, bound to
make my place of buslnees the keeper
of my brother and the nation of which
lama member tho keeper of my
brother. If there is a moral law of
service in my conscience that compels
me to seek work for my brother that
he may ea n bread then that law is
equally authoritative when men act
collectively as a state, and the state as
a moral being Is bound to procure work
by whioh its citizens may find bread.
Except the state become the organ of
the moral law that is written la the
common moral reason, it cannot see the
political order that is the association
of men la justice. And the state baa
no other mission than the realization of
the unity of human life.
Now the mind, the spirit, that most
enlightens and commands the moral
reason of man is the mind of Chrltt.
But, in order to be honest with you to
whom I speak, I am obliged to say that
I do not mean ty this expression what
most of you would think me to mean, or
would yourselves mean, If I did not ex
plain myself. I am sure I do not mean
what is commonly meant la tbe church
es by this term. I am not speaking
theologically, metaphysically, or even
religiously, according to tho ecclesias
tical or thtologlcal conception of re
ligion. I do not stand before you as a
religionist, or a dogmatist, or a church
man. Nor do I speak as a political or
social doctrinaire. I am here as a po
litical apostle of Christ, but not for any
arbitrary purpose of Inducing people to
accept my religion. Because I seek a
kingdom of social right and order
among men, and because I believe that
assoclatloa in righteousness csn come
only through political organization and
action, do I speajt In the name of Jesus
as the only name given among men
whereby the state can fulfill Itself in
making society whole. I know of no
other kind of justice that will give
social peace, or truth that will give
political freedom, than tbe justice and
truth personalized and disclosed la
Jesus. And when I speak of society, or
tbe state, receiving the mind of Christ
as tbe mind of political action and
social unity, I mean the common faith
and will of men to fuse their differences,
Justify -their inequalities, universalize
their interests, and communizs their
efforts and alms, in making the quality
of right that was in Christ's mind and
actions the power and element, the
mind and spirit, of their association
and action. The mind of Jesus is the
mind to serve; the mind to make all life
a contribution to the common and uni
versal life in which all are to share and
become perfect. The righteousness of
Christ was his perfect sacrifice for man,
not for somo men but for all men; for
the world. The sacrifice of Jesus was
the perfect utterance of tbe eternal
mind of God, add the disclosure of the
whole moral nature of the universe. In
finite as is tbe unknown in Gcd and his
universe, the unknown cannot be differ
ent in nature from the right that was
in CbrUi:. Christ Is the heart and revt
latlon of all tbe unknown and known.
Ills sacrifice manifests the character if
all power and authority: of all govern
ment and law. Sacrifice la tho aoo a
ting power; tbe unifying force; the one
universal law. ItUtWougu sacrifice
that the unlvcne Is one; by no other
power thn that of sacrifice could tbere
bo a unlurst. Sacrifice Is the sot tal
law of gravity, In all the buaveaa, la
t ie organisation ot life upon the earth.
Society la the organized nacrltko of the
people, Ttio mini of CnrUt u the
one mind that has perfectly uud''rlood
bod ohoyed this fundamental and unl
vorial law of aodailoii. No other
law can found the prfvt state aud or
ganlzlho perfect ocU;ty.
Th greaU'tt political work or social
reform that ran l-nlay be undertaken U
t'lal of making knon the mind of
1'urltt to the i opl. Notwithstanding
l)efte habits of rvllgjou feeling and
doctrine that have boo aKHlaud with
tne thought of the mint ot Chrltt,
making rHg'o.u LVUiUuhy almost
the supreme htUele (a h way ot gel
ling tho -Kvifiin,f of Jiut I via the
world, tVre i vt;ry"tur adepcnti)g
anj li n (Irg coavlotlon that hi
mind la the mlnj that the tnlltallo
t f the world toml have l tuder U pro
cure social JuitlM. The kim slgnlf)
raat fact of tdra life I tho political
tailh to Jetu Chrltt that 1 rUIng roui
the waking soclit cotuclousnc of the
world with a divine instlnctiveness, as
natural at tbe turning of the babe to Its
mother,' this social consciousness Is
turning to the person of Jesus as the
social Ideal that can alone perfectly
satisfy man's social nature. The multi
tudes believe, though they cannot define
their belief, that the real Jesus Is the
one human life perfectly socialized.
With apathetic aud almost inarticulate
expectancy they are waiting to be guid
ed by that life Into the J aster order of
the eternal lite that men may have upon
the earth.
And to whom shall the multitudes go
for social right and political truth but
Jesus? .They are as sheep without
politioal shepherds, devoured by raven
ous political wolves. They are sick and
outraged with the weak social maxim's
and religious respectabilities of the
churches. They know perfectly well
that, sincerely as it Is Intended, much
of what Is taught in pulpits as Christ!
anlty could as certainly be affirmed to
be the political economy of the moon
as the teachings of Jesus regarding
hi' man life and society. The church,
related as it is to industrial unrighteous
ness, is Afraid to reveal the true Jesus
whom the unchurched and unsoclalized
peoples are asking to see. Ecclesiasti
cal Christianity has in its inmost con'
sciousnlss the shame and anger of a
conviction itcannot escape, that nothing
would be so disastrous to Itself as a
vision and understanding of tbe actual
Chriiton the part of the multitudes
who are crying for social jtutice. Both
Within and without the church there is
a deepening social feeling that Jesus is
nowhere so wickedly misrepresented as
in the commanding Institutions that
bear kl niine. These Institutions
stand for religion, but not for the prac
tice of Cb Hit's kind of righteousness;
they stand for respectability and prop
erty, but not for sacrifice and associa
tion; they stand for benevolence, but
not for the justice of tbe kingdom of
God. And It would be strange, yet no,
not strange, but the perfect continuity
of all the divine ways of the past, if the
social revolution should first of all
organize Itself int) a new crusade, so
morally glorious and triumphant as
scarcely to bear comparison with the
old crusades, to rescue the living Lord
Carist from his splendid tomb ot organ
ized Christianity. It would be stranger
still If the crusaders did not find that
themselves rather than the Christ need
ed deliverance, and that he had only
been waiting within the temple for the
gatherings of the people, that he might
come forth and show them tbe opening
heavens of purer truth, Into which they
wire at last abls to look with a vision
unclouded by political or social atheism.
There is not a school of religion, phi
losophy, or politics, that will not today
agree tbat the mind of Jesus Is the
right mind to have. Brahmin and Jew,
a noatic and theologian, Christian and
Mohammedan, will confess tbat the
spirit of Christ Is the best and most
unifying spirit tbe world knows. Many
will scorn his right as impracticable.
S rae will say tbat Gautama and others
taught the ethics of the Sermon on the
Mount before Jesus' time. By some the
authenticity ot tbe records ot his life
will bo denied. The theologian will
sternly direct us to the way of salvation
through metaphyiloi rather than right.
Vet if we could get men to forget
awhUi the things upon which they dU
ajree, If we would put away our parti
sanship and rid our tntod at tho pon
derous Irrelevancles ol theology, wo
would find universal agreement that the
mind ot Christ, It actually received and
praottMid at tho spirit of human actions
aud institutions, would procure thai
crfct J utlce which would secure per
(ol peace. I believe that the common
Coq louue of the world, yet slumber
tag an l undeveloped, 1 the o Jntciiut'
U)t of potential Chrl.tUntM, If we
a u!d Ijrce the lute and strife, the
vice and thame, the selfUhne and In
stitutional power, tho self-duoeU and
traudteleiit sincerity, the theology and
H.jptU'lM ot tbe world mind of Uii
Batmen vt would tin J tt to to a ChrUt
nlaJ. The mind of ChrUt 1 the dlv
uuxur ( the hldtSoa mind of humanity,
aud hi person the revelation t t our yet
uugrowa human r-. The waking
social outeloune of the world 1 the
v dulloa of the Christ tulnd; It U th
iaoe eomlng to a coiuetouuo of It
C&rUt nam,1 an! ChrUt detlny
Ju U tU fuhUUmmt, the objwtlv
revrlatloa, of the moral potcatlallty ol
' "
i
tbe world; his person interprets and
satisfies the world's common moral
sense. The one universal fact of human
hUtory is tbat humanity is conscious of
a quality of right potential within
which finds its perfect development
and incarnation in the moral nature
and person ot Jesus.
The state, then, must become Chris
tian If it Is to be the organ ot the social
unity whioh is the present search and
determination of tbe peoples, and which
it is tbe true mission of the state to
accomplish. .The state must have la it
the mind of Christ, in order to associate
men In justice. Except the state be
born again, except it be delivered from
pagan doctrines of law and government,
from commercial and police theories ef
its functions, It cannot see that social
order so just as to be defined as the king
dom of God. Unless the state believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and become
the organ of the Christ spirit In human
relations, it cannot be saved from the
wrath of tbe rising social passion.
I see nothing strange or unreasonable
about the proposal to make the wind
of Christ the mind of our legislation.
If such a mind as Christ's can Inspire
and direct the whole action of one man,
It is not Impossible or incomprehensible
that such a mind should inspire men
collectively and politically. It does not
seem mystical to me to believe that the
mind of Christ shall become the crea
tive spirit of political actions and ex
press itself In tbe statutes ot the state,
I believe that the kingdom of God Is to
be realized in the state rather than In
tbe church, and that it will be polltl
cally rather than ecclesiastically organ
ized. I look for a movement that shall
be a great political revival of tborlght-
eouiness of Christ; a movement tbat
shall have no other purpose than the
translation of the mlad of Christ into
the constitution and legislation of the
nation, and tbe making of bis mind the
national political sense. Such a move
ment would not begin with a declara
tion of Independence, and would raise
no cry for rights. It would begin with
a confession of the mutual dependence
of all men; and hssue a sacred call for
the fellowship of sacrifice. Association,
not individual liberty, would be the
movement's watchword and hope of
glory. It might be among tbe despised
things of the world la Its beginnings,
but it would fulfill the apostle's vision
of the mighty Michael and his hosts of
warrior angels casting out the great
dragon which symbolizes the worship
of material forces. And with the in
spired leaderbhlp of men who love not
their lite unto death, it would conquer
the nation, aud begin the Christian
state which would be the political real
ization upon tho earth of the divine
government ot the world which Jesus
disclosed. For Jesus Is the real king of
America, though the religious Phari
sees and tue political Sudducees say
that they have no king but the majority.
I. The Christian state will be the
organized democracy of the people.
Democracy is tbe political realization
of Christianity, It Is the order through
which faith in right manifests Itself in
the freedom of man. The old Hebrew
Idea ot God dwelling In the midst of
tbe people a coa.tltuted in a free com
rajQA'ta th cxpresies the facts and
forces of democracy. The true democ
racy U .ill better defined by the apo
to.lo term, "tbe communion ot th
Holy (Jtio.t," by which term 1 meant
the concord of iLe people In rlghteou
uuj; the government of the people by
a spirit tt unity within rather than t y
a dominion over them. UUtory is the
progressive dlotoure of the self gov
ernment of the people a the providen
tial design. ChrUtlaulty la Its fulfill
meat U th o!t government of the peo
ple through communion with God;
through the surrender of the emuon
will to the rtghleou will expressed in
ChrUt. The hlurlcl and providen
tial Idea la that U hI shall led the pro
pie by the spirit of right a his sea,
governing thvra lnpltallonlly rather
t ian leslltutionally. Iniiltu'.ton that
are democratic in favl w 11110 the orjran
of Intpltatiiut aud the avaat tt the
people, u'her tbaa the organ of dml
nation with the people lor tkclr ter
vaau. The end ot democracy U the
political rvdou'ipvloo and perfection ot
ou'iianlty la a government a:U unity ot
tbe aoet ot Uo4.
Nothing can b more presumptuous
thaa the literature which treat ot the
triumph or Ul'.ure ol democracy. As
f
i
NO. 2
yet democracy can scarcely be consid
ered to have been aa experiment. It
has not been tried. A government of
the people Is a dream yet to be realized.
There do not exist any truly democratic
Institutions. Wherein democracy has
been thought triumphant it has been .
the triumph of expediencies substituted
for democracy. Wherein it has failed,
something less than democracy baa
been the experiment.
We Americans are not a democratic
people. We do not select the repre
sentatives we elect; we do not make our
own laws; we do not govern ourselves.
Our political parties are controlled by
private, close political corporations
that exist as parasites upon the body
politic, and give us the most humiliat
ing and degrading despotism In political
history. Our legislation is determined
by a vast system rf lobby. Tbe people
know, though they cannot prove, that -our
legislative methods have become
tbe organization of indirect bribery and
corruption, from one end of tbe land to
the other. It is hardly an exaggeration
to say that the chief work of our state,
and natioaai legislatures In recent
years has been to obstruct, defeat, or
cheat the will of the people. We are
any thidg but democratically governed,
but are under tbe government of polit
ical and legislative bureaucracies that
dominate, plunder and oppress by an
Indication toat conceals both tbe reality
and the nature of the dominion, cor
ruption and oppression. Our American
senate is seriously reminding us ef thai
court of Tui8 XVI. The people
America today do not know bow to
utter their true political word, and are
no longer able to express their true
political faith through their institu
tion. The politicians who control
these Institutions are Ignorant ot what
the people really think and believe.
They are largely insensible to the rising
tide of social feeling and purpose that
will yet sweep away the foundations of
political faith and order, unless recog
nized and reoeived ai a national regen
eration.
We can no more stop tho progress ot
democracy where It now is, barely In
its beginnings, than we can take the
race back to the Garden of Eden. From
tbe Idea of the absolute monarch we have
progaosaed to the Idea ot representative .
Institutional government. But we have
only reached tbe half way house of p-
lltlcal progress. tVe shall have to move
on to the goal, whlci Is the fulfillment of
democracy in the direct self-government
of the people, with only such Institutional
organs as shall execute, and be responsi
ble to their will. Ia a pure democracy
the people will be their own legislators
and make their own laws directly, with
out any Intermediary legislative institu
tions. Tbere will be Institutions to re
ceive aad enforce the legislation of the
people. But representative legislation
and represantatlve government are as
distinctly two forms of government as tbe
absolute and tke limited monarchy.
There cun be no true democracy with,
representative legislation. And repre
sentative legislation has accomplished the
beginnings of Its own doom. There have
been few important measures before our
state or national legislature during tha
last decade which could have been de
cided with Intelligence and character.
with tlioroughuev and prompta,
wholly beyond the moral or intellejtual
comprehension of the representative
choen to legulate on tho people's behalf.
The jobbers In politic who make the
atUlr of the public well Mug their
political stock exchange strive to create
the impreloo that they represent the
actual political hiora's ot (he people, and
deceive the pw pie Into adUti iUt of litem.
trlve and a cei)trlUtloii of power.
Hit unbelief In (i-4 I no more f tUl to
freedom and projfr, to jutlee and
right, than unUlivt In the people, And
not the eetilralUv.lon but the dif?uloo
of power I the Us-hc ot hUtury and the
stfety ot the present. Only thr'jft, l.
coming the orgn of the cvtnmou faith
and a'tratl.tn, the nmaioa life, thd
My lit, tha url wH being, th com
aion wbuUue if the whole rvr.ple can
the ttate endure lha -nUl strata and
ilitn, aid prove !'. right to be, tiui h
tl can become ouly through the brgaul
latloti ot th d in rat y that will tcilt W
vally fulfill th i id-r of life !ua with
the birth of tho ChrUt mm.
If. ThuCbrU:..ti .tale will V the
otj-anbed woaoioy of the people, 1n
llil-ul fiuoua tae tfa'Ue lulf ouly
I'.WuaifcKl oa ik iMk'tl
