The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-07-09
TuE CAUSES OF NATIONAL
GREATNESS.
. s.rrou Preached I'm the First Pres
by,erian Church Of this City, ON JAY
an. 1869, by the Rev. ID. w. Fisher.

byferiau Chu y. ' cA'y' o
= a,n. 1860, by the Rev. ID. w. Fisher.
r,,r.--Ard il shall come to pass if thou shalt
,aarLan INTO the voice of the Lord thy God to
n,,aer,,e and to do all his commandments which
7 command thee this day, that the Lord thy God
will set thee on high above all nations Of the
earth-DeiteronoRy %: 1.
THE FOURTH OF JULY AND THE SABBATH.
The anniversary of our National indie
pendence this year falls on to.day-ths
Sabbath. 1t is greatly to be regretted
that in some paris of the land a portion
of the people nevertheless insist that it
shall be observed as pablo holiday,
with the usual professions and kindred
ceremonies. Even if this anniversary
had to be kept to-day, or not at all there
ought to be no question in our minds as
to the course TO be pursued. The Sab
bath has by far the highest claims. 1t
rests upon superior authority. The
command of God himself is Remember
the Sabbath day to keep it holy: SIX
days shalt thou labor and do all tiny
work: but the seventh is the Sabbath Of
the Lord thy God" 1t has existed also
for much longer time,-even from the
beginning of human history.
We concede in the language OF Christ
himself that "the Sabbath was made for
man, and not man for the Sabbath" so
that when his welfare demands sus-
pension of its claims to sanctlty IL must
yield. But the public celebration OF
the Fourth of July is work neither OF
necessity nor of mercy. Therefore II IL
could be kept at no other time 1t still
would be our duty when it falls on the
first day Of the week to allow 1t to pass
without the usual ceremonies. inns
duty, however, becomes thousand fold
stronger when by common consent IL
could as well be observed either on
the preceding or the following day
There is no longer the shadow OF an
excuse for the Dissertation OF the Sad
bath.
repeat therefore that it should be a
source of the most profound regret TO
all good citizens that any portion OF
the people of this country-how-
ever few in number, will insist
upon converting this into a holi.
day. Still it is perhaps best, III
this controversy is inevitable that it
should come now. We have welcomed
the poor and the oppressed OF all lands
to our shores. We have invited them
to join with us in plucking the fruit
which grows upon the tree of our llber-
ties. We had hoped that any of them,
into whose minds superstition and Inn
deity had instilled false notions in re-
gard to some of the fundamental insti.
tutions of Christianity and of free and
enlightened government, would leave
their errors behind them. " We have
been glad to observe that large num-
Der of our foreign born citizens have
heartily fallen in with our habits. If
there is a small part of them who will |
insist that they shall be permitted to
convert the Sabbath into Continental
holiday, it is better that we should now |
be acquainted with their purpose while |
their number is as small as possible. |
We desire in the most public and SOL |
emn manner to assure them that the |
masses of our people will yield only at |
ter they have availed themselves of all
legitimate means to prevent the success |
of the plans which they have devised.
Let us stand together, no matter how
we may be divided on othe + questions,
for the defense of what we believe to
be an institution of heaven as well as
one of the most precious inheritances of
the past.
| PATRIOTISM AND THE PULPIT.
| 1t will be a public misfortune if to
any extent the pulpit is to day pervert
| ed into a rostrum for the delivery of the
usual style of Fourth of July orations.
But there are many points at which true
religion and genuine patriotism touch.
| If the ministry choose to turn their at
tention to this field, while ignoring
partisan politics and national self-glori-
iication, no one has any right to censure
them or to complain.
THE PRESENT CONDITION OF OUR COUN-
TRY.
We have arrived at most important
era in our history as people. Our in.
fancy is past. We ought now to be
entering upon the rigor of our manhood.
If we are to have place of permanent
greatness among the nations and to be
blessing to the world, we ought soon
to rise to the height of our mission.
However, we are now in situation
which is calculated to awaken the seri-
Gus attention and even the apprehen-
sion Ofevery intelligent citizen. By the
war n mighty revolution has been
wrought upon the face of society. 1t is
now generally conceded that this revo-
luton, whether for good or evil, has
been accomplished. We have also re.
Gently added to cur domain a territory
large enough in itself for an empire. 1t
is altogether probable that before long
other acquisitions in other quarters will
be gained. Emigrants in unparalleled
numbers are coming from Europe. 1t is
almost certain, too, that the teeming
millions of China and other Asiatic
countries will soon Hood our Western
shores with an element the like of
which we have never before encoun-
tered. Under such circumstances it be-
comes US to inquire what we are to do
in order that our existence as o nation
may not be imperiled, but that our
course may be like the sun as it rises to-
ward the zenith of its glory. This is
question which ought to press upon
each of us. In republic especially the
welfare of the nation rests not upon any
one class of citizens, but upon every in
dividual of whom it is composed.
THE CAUSES OF NATIONAL GREATNESS.
If this country is to be permanently
great and blessing to the world it
will be the result OF several causes not
always taken into consideration.
Among them | need not cnumerate
wealth, extent of territory, or number
Of people. These are elements of vast
Importance. But we already enjoy |
them, and are almost certain to possess
them in a much larger degree. Let us
remember, too, that we may have all of
these things and yet like Babylon of
old utterly fail to accomplish any noble
end as q nation. Yes, we may live in
luxury; we may rule over a continent
and awe the world with our power; We
may count our population by hundreds
of millions, and still the day may come
when we shall be known only as one of
those wrecks which have been strewed
along the pathway of time,-recollected
TOO as people who had the greatest
opportunity ever voucbsafed to any ma
ton, aud yet who, In spite of the fairest
promise at the beginning, utterly failed