That the state, like the home and school, should incessantly give its benefactions without binding youth to service in return is an egregious blunder.  There should be some formal entrance into full citizenship, not only for those of us who, coming from other nations, must needs be “naturalized,” but for all whom the years bring from the fair land of boyhood into the great and sober responsibilities of citizenship.

When a Greek youth took the oath of citizenship, he stood in the temple of Aglauros overlooking the city of Athens and the country beyond and said:  “I will never disgrace these sacred arms nor desert my companions in the ranks.  I will fight for temples and public property, both alone and with many.  I will transmit my fatherland not only not less but greater and better than it was transmitted to me.  I will obey the magistrates who may at any time be in power.  I will observe both the existing laws and those which the people may unanimously hereafter make.  And if any person seek to annul the laws or set them at naught, I will do my best to prevent him and will defend them both alone and with many.  I will honor the religion of my fathers, and I call to witness Aglauros, Enyalios, Ares, Zeus, Thallo, Auxo, and Hegemone.”

Now, the minister may think that no great part of the improved training for citizenship falls to him.  He may be content to instill motives of individual piety, but upon reflection he must know that on nearly every hand there exist today great and insuperable barriers to his personal gospel.  Behind the walls which imprison them are millions who cannot hear his message and those walls will not go down except by the creation of public sentiment which organizes itself and functions as law and government.  The minister’s exercise of citizenship should not be reserved for heaven, where it will not be needed, but should rather get into action here and now.

This means a pulpit policy which recognizes the great dimensions of the Kingdom of God, and seeks a moral alignment of church and state that will draw out the religious energy to vital and immediate issues, and will necessitate within the church herself clean-cut moral reactions to existing vital conditions.  When the pulpit becomes sufficiently intelligent and bold to lay bare such issues the youth and manhood of the country will not in so large measure neglect the pew.  Wherever real issues are drawn men and boys tend to assemble.

[Illustration:  IMPORTED CIVIC TIMBER]

In the intricate social life of today a ministry devoted exclusively to plucking a few brands from the burning is somewhat archaic.  The individual soul in its majestic value is not discounted, but it cannot be disentangled from the mass as easily as was once the case, or as easily as was once supposed.  It was not so necessary to preach civic righteousness when “the gospel” was deemed sufficient so to transform the individual that all external limitations, ungodly conditions, and social injustices would yield to the regal ability of the child of God.