The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-10-18

II he could measure esrti's tears "a take
some guage OF the pangs Of aching hearts,
he would feel like closing his eyes and ears.
and fastening from such q world a. ours A.
one accursed and forsaken Of God. repeat,
then, a world Of suffering Is very terrible
and very solemn mystery.
There are many who will not believe In
punishments In the life to come, because
God Ia God Of love and mercy. But the
same God governs this world, death annihl-
lates nothing, repeats no law, changes no at
tribute OF God, aud punishment and suffer-
ing In that world will no more conflict with
love and mercy than they do here.
There are those who reject the idea Of the
atonement, the innocent suffering for the
guilty, as Inconsistent with the character Of
God. Go look at the brute. He has never
sinned, and yet we sec the strong frame
throb with agony. We can no more explain
the fact OF any suffering whatever than we
can the suffering Of Christ on the cross.
One OF the most familiar arrangements of
the fallen world IL, that one should bear and
suffer for another.
The familiar facts Of history show that
suffering inevitably follows sin as Its punish
ment, except where the atonement Of Christ
intervenes, and that IN every other case
wherever wrong has been done justice fol-
lows unerringly the path Of the wrong doer.
Over all that Old World the chariot Of God
was drawn, over empires, thrones, and pop
ulous cities, over the LOFTY and the lowiy
alike, aud forsakcu and forgotten graves
alone remain.
The facts Of this world illustrate the law
which demands that tie Innocent should
sometimes suffer with the guilty. The head
Of q nation makes q misstep aud the whole
population must suffer the penalty Of his
fault to the remotest frontier. To-day a
family Is in comfort, respected and happy;
tomorrow some shameful act Of one may
| involve all In disgrace and misery, which
only death can remove. Every day we sui.
fer on all sides from the wrong others have
| done.
In Jesus Christ we sec the perfect human.
lty going forth TO present II perfect example
Of willing suffering for others In love; of
emptying himself that others might be full;
Of becoming poor that others might be made
rich; Of enduring that others might be
spared, and when Justice demanded life as
q ransom for many, yielding that up will
lingly as the seal and crown Of the whole.
We often see In household some kind and
gentle spirit whose chief though. Is how to
make others happy, who Is ever ready 10
deny herself, checrfully suffering the sense
Of privation and emptiness that her friends
may lack nothing, and whose life Is one
holy ministry Of suffering In behalf Of those
around her.
Or observe that widow who, In her loneli-
ness, her poverty and helplessness, Is giving
her life slow consuming sacrifice for her
children. The spirit that nerves her up,
and keeps the life-tlde throbbing on In the
whitening veins, Is the same which urged
the Saviour to Calvary, except that with a
sublimity OF love he was ready to die for his
enemies. That wife Is an illustration OF the
solemn law Of suffering for others, who bears
without complaint the neglect, or GOODNESS,
or waywardness Of her husband. or conceals
his sin and shame and bears 1t, an aching
burden on her heart, suffering on In silence,
ever striving to press out a few fresh drops
Of love for him from the withered heart.
The atonement is based upon law whose
existence we all recognize-whose commands
we all obey In denying ourselves In love to
| make others happy; aud the scene on CAL
vary, instead Of standing isolated and unex-
planned, hnds its witness and approval In
those acts which, more than all others, rem
| der men illustrious.
Friends, what heavenly glory does this
subject shed over the mission OF suffering
| and self-denial and efforts for the sake OF
others. How sacred every such act be-
comes when viewed In the light of the Cross.
Ye suffering ones, whose eyes are familiar
with tears, and the heart with aching, who
sometimes are weary Of effort, and sick and
faint with enduring, cheer up, great hearts,
try OF suffering. Blessed are they that mourn,
for they shall be comforted." II you suffer
like Jesus, for others, you shall reign with
Him In glory. The fountains of the hearts
Which become dry with suffering here, will
aow again in heaven.
| sPIRITUALIsM AT HARMoSIAL HALL.
There are two societies OF spirituallsts In
this city, one Of which meets 10 Harmonial
Hall, In Parker's building, opposite the
Metropolitan hotel. Miss Ola DeVere, a
noted medium, occupied the rostrum, at II
O'Clock, a. m, and discoursed In the usual
style OF this sect. Starting from the stand
point OF Thought" US she entitled her
| theme, and around which she illustrated her
Views as to the splritualistlc philosophy, she
| talked In very energetic and lively way,
which seemed to hold the attention Of the
audience assembled, and especially interest
those who coincided with the sentiments she
was striving to Impress. She elaborated the
idea that the thinking mind Of the day was
compelled, by the prevailing education aud
| course OF thought adopted by institutions
and sects, to assume to believe what 1t did
not truly believe. She thought 1t was time
that this should be eradicated from our
midst. She contrasted the spiritual phe.
nomena OF the past with the present as
illustrated by this sect, and declared that we
would not know the former was true with
out the demonstrations Of the latter.
The doctrine Of spiritualism is that God
does not change. She enlarged on the sla-
very Of creeds, to which she seemed to think
the Americans were greatly subject. The
lady is OF foreign birth.l The mass Of the
English were slow to think; but when once
convinced they were hard to move. The
Americans were intelligent and quick to dis
Germ point, but they are towards in
thought and In daring to break away from
their creeds. 1t Is not the business OF spirit
ualism to make brains. The Church says,
stand by your belief, your conscience, and
this seems to be the general opinion Of the
people; they bow to its mandates In humble
submission. But | want to know IL there
Is not more dignity In being a master than
slave-in being master OF yourself instead of
yielding up your right OF thought. | am
prouder OF advocating spiritualism to-day
than OF wearing any title that could be con
ferred upon me. The spiritual manifesto
lions from Moses down to the present time
were the same.
The chain OF communication has never
been broken. But the spIritualism Of to-day
Is an advance from the old dogmas, because
II has been proven. We have the proof every
day, and the people who do not believe In Il
are not truly Intelligent. ITO this we did
| not audlbly object, but out Of respect to our
own self-conceit, we could not help but men,
tally dissent. Certainly we could not yield
TO conclusion as Notifying as this. The
lady enlarged and illustrated her subject In
various ways, occasionally exciting a smile
by sharp hit, and, In closing, with recita-
ton 10 verse. round OF applause followed.
After the lecture she professed to be the
medium OF communication from little girl,
and passed around the hall, addressing DIFF |
ferent persons with view of testing the sub
ject as to knowledge Of matters known only |
to the persons addressed. But, so far as any
endorsement OF those persons 10 concerned, |
none was made Of any account as to the con.
clusiyeness of the test.
Reference vas made to well-known de- |
ceased persons, including Gales and seaton |
and Mr.. Winters, stating wcll-known facts
concerning them. 1
After these services, what Ia called a
"children's lyceum" was revived for the
season. This was conducted by George B.
Davis, esq. whose office is termed conductor.
The other officers are termed "musical d.
rector" "leaders" and guardians" while
the children are divided off into classes
called groups" aud numbered In numerical
order. The exercises on this occasion were
characterized by short practical invocatlons
repeated by the conductor, followed by an.
DTODrlatp rpsDnuaaa from tha .oh.ni ~