Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1873-08-28
SERMON
SERMON
Preached by Rev. =. H. Monroe, At the
Opening OF the ChiIEIcOIhe
District Conference.
Juiy SO. 1873.
Lrnbltshea By reanest of ,hs contarenee.1


Say rot, what is the cause that the
former times were better than these -
Ecclesiastes, 7-10.
Whatever opinion man may enter
tain of himself, lie may justly be
styled a murmurer. His trials are all
designed for his good, and are greatly
outnumbered by his comforts; yet
when chastened, he rebels against God
and says with Jonah, Il do well to
be angry He depreciates his bless
ings and magnifes his ills A slight
cold is the worst he ever had q fee
ole cough will tear his lungs asunder ;
simple toothache will certainly kill
him; an ordinary drought is the most
severe ever known a wet season 4
terrible calamity; and, if there is a
little rust, there will be no wheat
The general tendency is to lepreciate
the present hy comparison with the
past, Succeeding generations regard
the preceding one as superior, and
they imagine the world is degenerat-
ing. This habit of murmurng could
be better endured were it not q do wn-
| right reflection upon God, and an ar
raignment of his Providence
We change, but strangely imagine
the change is in our surroundings A
whole year seems no longer than a sin
gle month in our childhood. The
culinary art is constantly improving,
but nothing tastes so sweet as then
Yet our condition is perhaps, in every
respect, better than that Of our faith
ers, and hence it is sinful to be perpet-
ually saying The former times were
better than these"
I. Former times were not better
than these for the requirement and en-
joyment Of the domestic comforts OF
life. These comforts are derived
from the means of subsistence, So
cial pursuits, and commercial enter
prise.
L. Science has developed great
improvement in the theory and prac
tice of agriculture. The art of farm
ing is reduced to a science, and the
tilIer of the soil is promoted TO a ben
| efaCtor Of his race. Agricultural
journals have given the results of
great intellectual research ard prac
tical experiment for the benefit of the
world. The application Of fertilizers :;
the success of grating; and the i'm
portation Of superior stock, have
greatly improved the products of the
farm, both in quantity and quality
| There is wonderful improvement IN
impliments of husbandry. Compare
the modern plow with that of our
Fathers. and still in use in Oriental
lands. The sickle, the scythe, the
| fail, and tedious process of treading
out grain with the hoofs of horses,
are supplanted by the ingenuity OF
man, that has brought machinery to
his aid and the Reaper, Moving ma
chine and Thrashing machine, the la
bor-saving inventions have taken their
place. The break, hand card
Spinning wheel and domestic loom are
rapidly becoming things of the past.
II seems but yesterday since our
mothers, sisters, wives and daughters
by the slow process of the hand need
lie manufactured our garments. Mer,
chants are still doing business who
sold ordinary prints for Sl.50 per
yard, and received in exchange, pork
at 81. so per hundred and wheat at 81
cents per bushel. Thirty bushels o.
wheat or eight hundred pounds O
pork for calico dress! But science
has introduced woulen and cottor
factories, and other prints are now
sold at l21 cents: while wheat com
mands 81 so per bushel; and pork
Sc 90 per hundred. One bushel of
wheat will now procure 121 yards OF
calico; and 100 pounds of pork, As
yards. These factories have greatly
reduced the tolls of the housewife
and the busy sewing machine has been
the priced ornament Of the poor man:
parlor; its working the accomplish
ment of his daughters, and its hun
the sweet music Of the family circle.
2. Science has developed wonder
full improvement in social and com
mercial communications. Men arc
still living who remember when Mer
chants goods were transported from
Eastern cities on pack saddles, owe
bride paths, when wagons were ur
known in community The only We
hicle on the farm was the wood sled
The McAdamized turnpike was re
garded the consummation of Engi
neering skill. The siX-horse road wa
gon, with tinkling bells-the team
sters pride, and the glttering. flash
stage coach, the admired of all admir-
ers.
Water communication was etfecte
on our smaller streams by canoes an
skiffs, while the great fatboat-th
wonder of navigation, bore its prec
ious burden over the Ohio and Missis
sippi to New Orleans, when, on foo
through the trackless wilderness, af
ter an absence of three months, th
koatman returned successful to hi
home
But. how changed is now the scene
The pack saddle has sunken to decay
In the mountain le-path ther
grows thrifty oak. Our turnpike
are becoming carpeted with riches
green. Our road wagons are lost i
obscurity. The stage coach is crowc
ed back to the western frontier. An
n our cano IS and fiat boats are becomin
: mementoes of the past. Now, the raj
: road, with its bolts of iron, rivit
7 city to city, and town to town. I'll
J.. startling scream OF the locomotiv
s awakens the slumbering echoes of til
: mountains voice; and its boilin
: bowels, lasEcd into fury by its fier
food. drives with impetuous powe
the iron horse to do the bidding {
mans cultivated skill. The state
palace plows the channel of our nav
gable streams, and the iron hearte
steamship breaks through the mou1
tain pillows of the bold Atlantic.
Our fathers performed their jou
news on horse back. ut 40 miles