Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-12-14

lcan MIND and developing American char
acter. The love of money is indeed tht
the root Of all evil 1t makes the hear
callous by ayarice to grind tie faces 0
the poor. 1t makes men selfish and mean
ready to do anything that viii add to then
lIi-gotten gains. 1t takes from God His
holy day for secular toll and worldly prof
ITS. 1t sells the fires of death to misguid
+ ed, besotted men. 1t poises the dagger Of
the assassin, and fills the heart of man
with murder and treason 1t is this that
has bound four millions Of our fellow men
IN the unholy degradations of chattel
slavery, SO firmly that only swords and
shells and cannon balls can break their
chains. \ es, 1t is money. money! money
Money buys the man, and the golden sim
ews Of commerce bind him fast and riyet
his manacles Verify, we have forsaken
the Lord and turned to idols, and the
money king is cur god But Israel was
engaged in war for national privileges,
and even for national life We are in
volved in a similar struggle, and with in
terests at stake equal to and far exceeding
theirs. The grand old ship Constitution
weather beaten, battle torn. her oaken ribs
broken and her iron mail Scared by hos
tile cannon trained by traitor hands rides
the storm to-day, her flag proudly floating
and her noble hulk freighted with the
hopes Of humanity and freedom through
ont the world Not alone for ourselves
and our children do we struggle in this
great conflict The experiment of self
government and Constitutional freedom IS
on trial III Ugt While the proud. wealthy
merchants Of infdel France and hemon-
led, freedom-hating aristocracy of Eng
land have poured out their wealth to build
ships and arm men for the destruction of
a great. free nation and the building up
of despotism on a foundation of which
human bondage is the chief cornerstone.
the loyal, liberty slowing, laboring people
Of those countries, are watching us with
intenscst interest The eyes Of al men
whose hearts have even felt one pure, deep.
! genuine throb Of patriotism are and have
( long been turned toward us They have
I seen the light that burst up in this wes-
( tern world, growing brighter and brighter
as our glorious emblem of freedom gained
respect in every land; and now that trait
F or hands have laid hold of that sacred flag.
they watch with trembling and with PRAYER
+ If we fail-if this nation De broken up
and this grand experiment of self-govern
ment by a free people, end in great ma
tioua7 lrreck. the cause Of freedom and o
human rights is crushed and dead for
+ hundred years to come, Christianity it.
seIfmust suffer loss The state. It IS true
has not here an organic union with the
/ church, but is built upon it and united
with it by all those fbers tender anl
strong that unite the tree with its root
and now, if the growth Of almost a centu,
ry be destroyed by the overthrow of oul
political organization, though the root may
remain and eventually sprout again, tn,
fruit must be long delayed.
Israel, going forth in pride and sclfcon
idencc, had been defeated and put t
shame The Lord has disciplined us ais,
by defeat Our pride was very great and
the Lord has humb'cd US The history o
our reverses is written in blood all owe
The fields of war-seourgcd Virginia, and
recorded in tears throughout our Who'll,
land. Bull Run, Fredericksburgh anC
that long line of graves reaching far N
into the swamps of the Chickahominy
with the death shadows they cast over on
northern homes, will ramain as histori,
facts teaching the solemn lesson that
nation disrecarding the Sabbath and dis
honoring God, is weak even in GOO
cause
But Israel turned in their great nationa
peril and disgrace and called upon God
We have looked 10 the same source 70
help 1t is but n few weeks, since hum
bled bv defeat and by a protracted wal
VIC assembled to confess our sins with fas
ing and with prayer TO Almighty God 70
His favor upon our guilty and deeply cha.
tened land The cry of bereaved parent
and widowed mothers went up into tn
cars of the Lord Of Sabaoth. At TIE ca
of our President, himself taking the leac
the whole church Of Christ in these loy'
E states, bowed as one man, and with dec
pcnitenee and confession of sins PLEADED
] and not in vain for our country God q
of 4 heard the repentant cry Of his pee
ple-thc tide of war has been turned bac
and n succession of brilliant and impor
: tant victories has added glory to our Farms
! strength to our hopes, and fervency TO ou
{ petitions. Even. as of old, viii the pee
pie Of God have been Offering the Incens
{ Of humble prayer, the Lord has Shundcre
i with great thunder upon the foes of or
l- country and discomftet them and the
/ have fed before us.
20 While victorious Israel pursued the
: enemies, the prophe, Of the Lord set up
: memorial stone acknowledging the han
"a of God in their deliyerauce. - ta-da
i while the flag of cur country is beir