VIII

THE ROARING LION

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”—1 Peter v. 8.

Thus far we have studied Diabolus under various titles and cognomens which deal almost exclusively with the secret side of his nature: the propaganda of hidden arts. The caption of this chapter will indicate quite a different proposition. This title swings him into full view, stripped of all deception and legerdemain. The lion walks up and down the earth, showing no quarters, making no apologies for his presence. When he roams in the forests, he is king; he allows no beast to interfere or question his rights, and none dare to do it. He kills, tears to pieces, and devours whatever he can catch; his roar strikes terror to all the forest dwellers.

The lion, therefore, is noisy; his approach is with loud demonstration. There is something in noise that weakens and frightens; the keen clap of thunder, the shout of an approaching army, the blast of ram’s horns, the loud proclaiming of the sword of the Lord and Gideon are historical examples of victories by noise. The lion is also powerful; no other beast has a chance in a match with him. One stroke with his mighty paw is death. He walks about conscious of his strength; an ox or a buffalo are no more his equal than a mouse contending with a cat. The lion is vicious; his going forth has one definite object—“seeking to devour.”

The lion presupposes that all the earth belongs to him; deer, antelopes, panthers, buffaloes, horses, cattle, etc., have no rights or possessions of which he feels under the slightest obligation to respect. The Devil does not come out in person: hoofs, horns, claws, bushy mane—the make-up of a lion, building up his kingdom by tearing down and destroying men and institutions opposed to him. He does these things, as a lion, by incarnating himself in men, evil combines, corrupt politics, vicious society, the liquor traffic, the White Slave system, etc. As he appropriates and embodies these institutions by entering in and possessing the men who are leaders, he no longer acts as a conjurer or snake, but a Lion. The fullness of the earth, and they that dwell therein, belong to him, to use, desecrate, prostitute, kill, devour, or destroy, just so he may best serve and satisfy his insatiable appetite. Cities are to be officered and governed, not for the peaceful protection of their citizens, but for plunder, boodle, and graft. Men who desire to be public servants in deed and in truth must fight “a roaring lion.” The man who steps to the front with a desire to question and curtail the exploitations of the “officials,” the “traffic,” the “gang,” places his life at once in imminent peril. Threats, black hand letters, pistols, poison, bombs, and torches are the instruments boldly used to destroy the man or men who do not believe that these human lions should be allowed to filch and devour the privileges and possessions of others.

We find our “adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour,” has three methods which he uses according to the exigencies of the case. It is first a “roar,” a bluff, or bulldoze: the threat of the “boss,” whether he be a political boss, an ecclesiastical boss, or a liquor boss, accomplishes wonders in coercion; it frightens and cowers the weak-kneed and backboneless. The crack of the slave-driver’s whip brought the obstreperous negro into humble submission. Men in office, in pulpits, in editorial rooms, have been awed into silence by the roar of men “higher up.” Then truth, righteousness, justice, and conscience are crucified; and behind the scene leering devils hold a jubilee of triumph.

However, the bluff and bulldoze will not always succeed; and when these loud, but mild methods fail, the boycott is ordered. Those who can stand undaunted in the presence of roaring threats will quail before the prospects of financial ruin. Employees are discharged, patronage cut off, positions given to others, preachers asked to resign. Somehow evil is so compactly organized, wires of connection are so completely in touch with every nook and corner, that the “boss” sits quietly at the switchboard and issues orders. The “big stick” and boycott have carried many elections; municipal, state, and national; they have made merchandise of sovereignty, and bargain counters of conscience. “Your clerk must take his name off that petition, or we will withdraw our patronage;” “His wife is an active worker in the W. C. T. U.—you must discharge him,” were the identical words overheard in a private office. Business and public men dread the boycott. Behind the boycott is our “adversary, the Devil.”

But the bluff and boycott by no means mark the limit when the self-assumed rights and privileges of the lion are questioned. Few can rise above the threat and intimidation; but the roaring activities of the boss will not always suffice. The lion in corrupt politics, in evil traffics, in priestly bigotry and intolerance, will not hesitate to stab, shoot, or burn to get rid of an offensive opposer. It is not necessary to discuss facts so well known as these; but we are investigating the sources; we want to locate the bacilli rather than examine the pustule.

We wish to reiterate a previous statement; the “roaring lion” is never heard if the still fight, the oily snake methods serve to a better advantage. The Apostle’s exhortation is timely: “Be vigilant, be sober”—be on the alert constantly, and be at your best, as an “adversary” who knows no boundary lines in his work of subjugation and destruction has declared war to the end.