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Show CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP. llcqticnt Plea by Archbishop farlcy for Higher Ideals and a Revival of the 03d-..'.' 03d-..'.' fashioned Cede of Honor. V(By Right Rev. ;Jphn:.M.- Farley, Archbishop of v - j "'' 2vew York, in' New York Herald.) His Grace, the Archbishop, in a recent interview, inter-view, said: ' - . "I believe-that the worship of money, which is going to such, amazing lengths among the American Amer-ican people, is a serious menace. To be sure that fspirit is not confined to America alone. I have 'found it in every eountry that I have ever visited, 1 fbut never, I think, so strongly as here. We see it I i upon every side. Nowadays men are not always I f judged by their character, .but too often by their J j possessions.-' Frequently the - question no longer I , how has a-man lived, but how much money he . 'llS. - ' ' : Of course this is no new1 thing. I remember. I years 'ego, while walking on Broadway, a man who i was an: utter stranger to me, introducing himself I in order-that ho might point out a well known millionaire mil-lionaire who happened to be passing. This was the only thing for which he was notable, and yet the mrnbtr indicated hini to me; was awed and I impressed to a degree. I think that this incident is fairly typical of our attitude toward the possos-I possos-I sor of wealth, and of recent years it appears to j have grown in a truly remarkable manner. Not that I mean to say that this spirit need give us any great alarm. Nevertheless, we must remember that some years ago such a condition I would have been an utter impossibility because, ap parently, we forgave a man anything so long as he was rich. Therefore, while the disease may not yet be serious, if its corroding influence be not checked in time, 'it is possible, that it may ultimately corrupt cor-rupt our entire national. life.. I It seems proper, then, especially at this time j J when ' we are- celebrating the holidays that mark l . ihf-. cpmic-'Tflbc.N,ew, Year, ta-pleatLfor a retuWrt-i ' ' " "to the old-fashioned code, of . honor in our public j J and business life. 'This, I believe, is a fitting time j j for repentance and a change of heart. One cannot I say anything more urgently in favor of this than j to draw attention to the phrase of which I have just made use an old-fashioned code of honor. Is I not that a singular nse of words ? Can honor ever I become bid fashioned? Yet one hears the expres- 1 " sion 'constantly. Surely we have drifted rather a 1 long way from the' proper standards when we are not struck instantly with its incongruity. It is, therefore, a most hopeful sign when we find menr in public life who are willing and ready to make great sacrifices, iu order thtat they may serve their country. The examples given us by the present Secretary of State and Secretary of War are most inspiring. There are two men who have -relinquished at least nine-tenths of their income I in order that they may devote their splendid abili- f ties to the service of the people and the noble cause f of good government. " I know -that neither of these I two high officials were prompted in accepting of- I -fice by ambition, but answered their country's call I o that they might be of use. Surely this is some- I thing every American can be proud of. The ex- .cmple tnese two great men have given us should I erve for the imitation of the rising generation, j I know that many of our men of wealth have ac- (cumulated their riches by earnest labor and well 1 won thrift, but we do riot discriminate and praise I these men alone. Wc praise all wealthy men be- cause of their wealth, and it is this attitude to I which l am taking exceptions.. I believe that a man I who steals through favorable laws is quite as cul- pable as a 'man who steals in defiauce of law. I believe that all will agree with me in that, and I still we go on admiring -and praising the men who j are constantly guilty of such an offence. More-I More-I over, we are every day condoning in our public af- fairs aetin-Jad deeds which would seem most j atrocious were they committed by individuals. We I all seem to "realize" that these things are true, and J still they are permitted to exist without protest. l There is, as I said before, no cause for serious J alarm in these things, oh at least not yet, for I be- I lieve that, as individuals," we have a high sense of I honor, but if our public life is allowed to become I corrupted it is only a matter of time before our in- i dividual life becomes corrupted. ' It is an axiom I that no government is better than its citizens, and I I believe that the inverse'is also true. ' !Let us turn our faces toward the new year, therefore, there-fore, determined to bring higher ideals in our na-, na-, tional life.' An old-fashioned code of honor, if you will, although there is an even more popular phrase for it Christian citizenship. Frankly, however, I this also seems to me to be a meaningless term, for I one cannot be a good Christian without being a ood citizen. That is one of the highest obliga-I obliga-I tions which the Church confers. .But by whatever i name one wishes to call it7let us demand that our civic life be purges! of this worship of gold, f The men who hold public office must be required J to show' as keen a sense of honor in their public 5 as in their private life; the" men who' are called upon f to solve our great problems, the men who are lead- '. ers in any walk of life must live up to the same I hiph standard honesty and high character in public life from men -who not only follow th! dictation of the people, but the dictation of their own conscience con-science well. . I am ii'rit '-pcssimistic with regard to our future. i during my lifetime I have seen our country grow to amazing greatness and power. I believe that it is destined to grow greater, more powerful still. No greater evidence of our strength could be asked than the calm good sense and moderation with which we have met the revelations which have shown us that our trust has been betrayed. We have faced these frequently in- the past. But a disease dis-ease recognized is only half cured. Unless we apply' ap-ply' remedies it is almost certain to return. I think that the remedy will be found in returning once more to the higher ideals with which the great men who built our nation were endowed. Let us respect the men who are poor, because they are-trying are-trying to achieve something for the public, welfare ; let us teach our young men that it is better to fail in a righteous cause than to succeed in an unrighteous un-righteous one; let lis no longer look upon money, or rather the possession of. it, as either an end or an achievement. 'There are many; I know, who do not do so now and from them we may gain both hope and help, but the feeling should be fl nn.nni- -mons one, and then indeed will our country be redy to fulfill its destiny." - ; :,:v...,, y-tf.: . .. |