The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-07-03
Laying the Corner Stone of the
Methodist Church,

|
Methodist Church.
According to previous announcement, the
rbtmbership Of Che Methodist Episcopal
church, assembled at the site of the new
building, now in the course of erection, at
six o'clock last evening" for the purpose OF
laying the corner stone of the new edifce
The ceremonies were conducted by the
Rev. DIR. Parsons of Kentucky, to the ex-
clusion Of all the ministry of this city.
He opened the ceremonies by reading the
ritual of the church, appropriate to such
occasions. lie then proceeded to address
the large audience in attendance, referring
to the spirit of progress which had charac-
terized the American people from the
landing of the Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock,
and the Waldenses ON the coast of Florida.
From their affairs, he said, arose the smoke
of fincense. which ascended to the throne OF
the Eternal, and gave birth to the American
Union. which was the legitimate offspring
of the church. "Out of Zion has come
| forth the law"
lie remarked that the progress of our
lcountry Within the last centennial period
was amarked Of and striking character. Less
than one hundred years ago, the spot on
which they stood was bowling wilderness,
wherein roamed the bear, the panther, the
deer, the elk, and the red man of the forest,
around whose council fires were gathered
the painted warriors for the purpose OF
maturing their warlike schewes or smok-
ing the calumet of peace The lofty edifice
had now taken the place of the wigwam
and the dark forest had melted away before
the woodman's ax, like the snow flakes
under noon-day sun, and in its place
were found the cities that gem the land
as the stars do the evening sky.
The Indian had disappeared and taken
up his abode in the "far distant west" anC
with him had also disappeared the wild
animals, both having been supplanted by &
noble stock, and they appeared among us
now only as objects of curiosity.
From this lofty hight, the speaker drop
ped down into political harangue, better
suited for a Fourth of July occasion thar
the one in which he was engaged. lie
spoke OF the union of Church and State Al
being the appropriate relation which they
should ever bear to each other, and as tn,
relation which they now bore to each other
The Church, he said, was the mother o
freedom, and through her potent influence
l the shackes of the bondmen had been for
ever loosened by her divinely appointed
, agent. Abraham Lincoln. His proclamation
: was the AK which cut the cords by whicl
Satan's hold on the tree of liberty was for
ever severed; and the voice of God, a.
heard In the operations ef Grant and Sher-
man, had bafled the Devil in his works o.
treason against the Federal Government
The denunciations against the union o
Church and State in this country were boil
f silly and idle. The Church was the mothe
) of the State, and as the mother would no
) marry the son, neither would the son evel
desert his mother. He urged that thei
, destiny was one, and thus endeavored /,
! justify the Church in becoming an engin
of the State for political purposes.
The ceremonies were concluded by depos
iting a box filled with documents, &C., o
| the present day, so that in after years, i
| future generations should have occasion t,
remove them from the cornerstone II
which they were now deposited, they nigh
see what had been done by the people o
this day and generation.
1T seems to be a modern impossibility
: upon any occasion whatever, in which
) certain class of preachers are participants
i for narrow-minded partizanship and igno
rant bigotry to escape being dragged in a
= a leading element of discord and distrac
ton.