The Danger in Perverted Power
By L. A. S.
SOME of the greatest evils that are known in the world come from the perversion of that which is good. It is of the highest importance that organizations and movements should be kept in their proper place, and the more good an organization or enterprise is capable of doing, the more essential is it that it should adhere strictly to the line of effort in which such good may be realized, and the greater is the evil which results from the perversion of its appointed purpose. Lucifer, in his appointed place, was the most exalted of the angels of heaven, and perfect in all his ways; but when he perverted the purpose of his being, he became the devil, the greatest menace in the universe to all that is good. The Christian church has ever been the greatest and most necessary institution in the world; but when in the early centuries the church went out of its appointed pathway and joined hands with the state, it brought upon the world the long night of the Dark Ages. Those who stand at the head of the great religious and church organizations of this day should be especially mindful of the danger that the great power and influence of these organizations may be unwittingly lent to the furtherance of unchristian enterprises. The high character of those composing these bodies, and the high purposes these organizations have in view, is no safeguard against this danger of the perversion of their power and influence to some unchristian end. In their great power for good lies also the greatest power for evil, for the influence of an organization is usually in direct proportion to the degree of prestige it commands from the character and standing of its representatives. The leaders and members of these organizations need to be reminded and warned of the fact that Satan accomplishes his worst deceptions in the guise of an angel of light. L. A. S.