Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1865-03-09
The Future of our Ceupfry--The
Great Oration OF the Day--By
HIshop Simpson.

Bishop simpson.
On Monday afternoon, Feb 20tb, large
concurse ofpeople assembled in the spacious
audience room of Mount Union College, to
listen to the eloquent oration of Bishop
Simpson Of Philadelphia, Pa, on the Flu
ture of Our Country. God was praised in
stirring music, after which Rev. DR.. VIII
liams, Of Masilon, Ohio, addressed an
earnest prayer to the throne Of grace. The
Bishop was introduced BY Rev. DR.. Harts.
/ horn, President of the College, and gave us
a mastery nddeeply entertaining speech of
two hours and quarter. 1t is impossible
to give an idea OF this well-timed perform
ance to one who has not heard it; and we
propose TO offer to tho reader only brief
and fragmentary outline. After brief in
PRODUCTION expressive Of his appreciation
and regard for all educational agencies and
achievements, the speaker addressed him
self to his subject as follows:
All eyes are turned to the front; all hearts
are anxious for fathers, husbands, and sons,
who are fighting for us and may return no
more. What will the end be is the great
( inquiry Though we cannot prophesy. we
have some means Of knowing what shall be.
! We believe tomorrow mornings sun will
rise, for that is law of nature. There are
also laws for nations. God has revealed his
purposes in establishing governments. If
we know his mind, we can predict the result
/ God rsises or casts down governments, not
for the rulers, but for the people. We may
regard it as law that the government which
IL h. attra
and morals, is accepted of God. The nation
which does not do this, God will overthrow
Thus, Israel displaced the Canaanites.-
Egypt passed away, because it oppressed
Gods people.
There are several possible issues in our
present national conflict. One is, shall this
nation perish2 If so, the nation superse-
ding us must be better than ours. Has this
nation finished its mission? If we perish
now, God deals with US as he never has
with any other nation. No nation ever
perished in hundred years. Search his
tory, Egypt counted its growth and decay
by centuries. The same principle holds in
regard to Babylonia, Phenicia, Greece,
Rome aud in more modern times, to
France, England, Germany, and Russia
The age Of the world which God chose tor
our birth showed there was great mission
for us. We we're hidden till science and re-
ligion needed u.s. Other lands were dis
covered from temporal motives ours from
religion. Columbus was defeated in every
effort to get aid till he told Queen Isabella
J that the people of the new world would be
lost if they did not hear of Christ. Colum-
bus shall have ships, said the Queen, If l
have to sell my crown jewels. This was
three hundred years ago when the women,
, if they got anything into their heads, gen
. orally accomplished it. Laughter.
/ II we compare this nation to others, l.
t 1t has done more for humanity than others.
r 1t has severed church and State, and thus
S struck deadly blow at hypocrisy. 2. Ii
+ has educated the masses more than others
+ 3. 1t has educated and elevated women tC
!. positions of higher usefulness and honor
It 4. 1t has done more than others to elevate
o the humblest to places of honor and trust
S The hostler boy. the farmer boy. may be IL
" the highest offices yet. Who does not re
:. member Clay, the mill boy Of the slashes?
e Jackson was Of poor parents. And he hac
:. read Somewhere in history of ''rail-split
ter becoming President of the United
t States. Great applause. 5. This ma
e ton is open to all others. AS the bee gath
h ers honey from every flower, so we get oul
G population from every land. Reverentll
d speaking, God cannot afford to do witheu
America. We are not to perish in thi
struggle. ...
In the second place, shall we be divided
, Vice divides; virtue untes Virtue bring
r forth railroads, telegraphs, and all the i'm
!. prevements of civilization. Vice destroy
n these, The state of our civilization look
10 to union, instead of disunion. Then tier
"a is no natural line of separation. Dlvlsio
IA must be made by an impossible gulf, o
\. there will be perpetual war; Let US settl
d the question now, if we have to fight TO
m yme twenty years. Loud applause;
i. In the third place, shall we have mon
( archy? Some of US, perhaps, might con
sent to be governed by a Queen; or VI
=. might admit nobility provided we wer
I i, the mobiles, or we might~not object to larg
4. landed estates, provided there was 'oil' j
!, them. But monarchy in this country
impossible.
La the fourth place, shall the country b
,s preserved ? Yes, if we understand the III
- . dications of providence. God has long bee
% preparing us for this struggle. The Coas
survey gave us the souudings of almos
T. every bay and river in the land This wa
~ indispensable to US in the war. Ship build
,ee ,e ing had long been making rapid improve
,u -, meu,s. Thousands of miles OF railroad ha
W lust been finished when the war broke out
M and note how the lines run, not from MORT
* is to South, but from East to West. Tell
., graphic communication had just been con
-, y, pleted so as to be available so too of sep
VS. VS. ing machines aud agricultural implement:
b tb Did this merely happen so?
ha AS to money, gold and silver are foun
~, ',t in such abundance in California, Nevad
Il Idaho, and many other places, that our n
J.. tional debt, if it amounted to four tho,
N. sand millions, could be paid out Of the
~ mines, and there wonld be enough left
e, give fortune to every inhabitant of o.
10 land. The Bishop had visited these mine
~ and was able to describe the almost incre
ible wealth which they contain. 1t is I
.v markabie fact that an Irish priest had o
." tanned from Mexico title to much Of I
me gold regions of California just four days atl
a Fremont had taken possession OF 1t for {
tic United States. just at the right tune, u
of has opened to us rivers of oil F"
'" England and France doubtless had som
thing to do in fomenting this war. MAJ
W. leon had his eye upon California, Engla
or, and France were fearing that our nation v
be- becoming too large, but when our Monil
ON crushed the Merimac, they suddenly