CAN A POLITICIAN BE A CHRISTIAN ?

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1388, 20 April 1915, Page 4

CAN A POLITICIAN BE A CHRISTIAN ?

“Can a politician be a Christian ?” was a question put recently to a number of well-known Americans. One of the best replies came from Mr Harold J. Hlnman, thus : “The original etymological meaning of the term ‘politician’ denoted simply persons engaged in public affairs. If you mean that, I can see no possible reason why a Christian cannot be a politician as well as an honest minister, business man or professional man, or engage honourably in any decent walk of life. I believe a great deal of harm has been done to the State and the nation by continually picturing the public official and all engaged in politics as a vulgar, contemptible class of political parasites. It has made it more difficult for men of self-respect to enter the public service. Instead of making it demeaning for a man to enter this service, it should be made a mark of honour, and our best citizens should be encouraged to take up the work. This can only be done by a reform from the bottom up, beginning with the workers in the election districts and at the polls, and when the substrata has been purified by encouraging our best citizens to interest themselves, there will not be the slightest difficulty in electing the right kind ol men to the highest stations in the public service.”