National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-11-27
A DAY OF THANKSGIVING.
CCoafiauod from First Paes.)

n IN VI Lillian AAJO ' 4-NOt
CCoafiHUed from First PGgs.)
cut nisgivirg and fear, lest goddess
and wicked men may by s,ellth. ami
every other evil power gain mastery, witch,
though II cannot be lasting victory, oct NAV i'm
TFeaf measure paralyze our Chri:gs- strT Sys-Ia
AID enterprise. The railroads.&c. ennissaries OF
false science, the misguided philanthropists, the
eat and out intdel literature Of the day these are
working hard to OveTtuTn our religious systems,
and 10 thWart our schemes for larger spiritual
growth among eur scUutrymen. Bold attacks
aBOn prayer, and the book which inspires Il; IN
restrained hnrOads RPOn the saeredness of our
Christian Saboaths the public Meence OF the par.
Iiculsr sins which the gospel of the Christian
Church forbids with spiritual penalty, these help
20 show Us the tendencies or the men whose
schemes having Tailed on the other side OF the
Atlantis have GENE over % our free soil to plant
the SEEDS OF dtSeOrd and dislOyalty to the God OF
eur fathers and our cOURtry's God. Oh, country
men, tree-bOrn children Of the noble patriots Of
ether days, stock of the tribe Of Gods people, IA
FOfe1 with the highest hOnOrs and privileges o.
any nation under heaven, God is your witness
that by these breaches suffered to be made upea
me purity Of our freedom, we are ln 6ne OegIa
peat that If ever people had need TO be thank
sui, il is that the despOiling hand has not yet
touched the charter Of our liberties, and blctted
cut all that is in It to recognize the sovereignty
Of Il Cd over the land We love. II my voice cORlj
reach the millions would cry aloud from the
heights Of our lofty mountains and warn the c6Un-
try the threatening dangers that crOWditthtck
en- every side would stand on the stairs Of the
IT,
stood on the stairs Of the Castle Antonio, near
Ehe temple at Jerusalem, when the populace ran
together and shouted for his destruction because
he was Christian, and because they supposed he
had suffered IN Ephesian TO enter the temple
with him. would stand like him, even bound,
Tor the truths sake, and then would say, as he
said to the Jews, Il am man; a citizen of no
mean city" Proud as he was of Tarsus and the
province Of CiliCia, so am proud of my native
land and the city where / dwell; and so should
every true American heart be. Nor are we afraid
10 have the stranger share what we love SO we'll.
WeOpen 20 him the temple Of American indus
tries; We nlite him TO enter the glorious sane
mary Of our teCmiDg Western world; we bear to
him the gospel Story, and try to elevate and cheer
him and his children in their struggles with ad-
Tersity; we open to him the privilege Of suffrage,
and make him q CItiZen with us of no mean coun-
try, and we bid him God speed with loyal heart.
II is not this that troubles us. Oar temple is
fTee temple. 1t is not that stranger crosses the
thTsshOld Of our American home. Oh, no; God
forbid. They are welcome, and their dwelling
sail be sacred. But we lift our voice to-day anu
ask, shall America be destroyed by license, be-
eau men will pervert her claim for liberty?
Shall the hTebrands of European immOralities DC
oar adopted brothers adopt and tea'h our chill
dTen to adopt strange cuSi OmS and false systems
Of morality? And shall we, o American
fTeemen, suffer our God and his cause
20 be dishOnOred by ourselves or by others among
rs. God forbid it! We ask that Gods Sabbath
may be protected from the unhallOWed touch Of
the money maker, and the HcentiOus man. We
ask that the recreant spirit o.. the heroic Wash
ingten may be hOnOTed by US his COuutTymen
"
SeRbuTy, cOmpeers Of Washington, may now, as
u did then, prove loyal to the great interests Of
American truth and justice, purity and exalta-
ton ! . SIX that we may have a strong religious
PCWeT on our own shores; that our law may al
ways recognize the sanetIty Of religion and the
worship Of the God Of the whole earth. / ask
that Christians may not be tolerant OF the evils
Of society, and lend their influence to the upras-
ing Of immoral powers which shall by and by
destroy US II Christians wink at the infringe
meBts OF evil upon "irtue and moral order. then
look fer the result in the decline Of high princi-
PIES OF honesty among men, and in the crum bling
of political strength and greatness. ] tell you,
NY brethren, our country cannot stand upon a
rotten and WOrm-eaten foundation. We have
been . nation of mighty proportions, and l be-
lieye that our prosperity has iOurished upon
such integrity OF high principles as Our fathers
held. tell you American liberties cannot hold
cut against individual licence and Yiiiated pub
lie sentiment no more than the Roman empire,
with all its past record Of virtue and national
2TCR tness. could hold ont against the prOhigacy
Of its rulers ard its subjects when they fought
s gsiDSt the Christian church during the few first
centuries Of its struggles for recognition. II
history is any weight Of testimony TO facts it
surely asserts to the great fact that spiritual de-
cay IN any nation IS the sure pre-runner OF the
downfall OF that nation. The tribes Of Judah and
Israel began to decay with their first request for
a king. Imperial Rome fell when It BEGAN to
with their peculiar and impulsive inhdeIity, nave
never truly pTOspered, and never will until they
learn virtue and seek humbly for wisdom, until
they join political with religious fidelity, until
they cease TO tramplc upon the dOgmas of the
Bible and bow with submissive reverence to the /
tod Of nations and Of men. We are Americans
and free men-citizens of no mean land. at
home and abroad our American name is hOnOred.
and We stand before the world to-day the com
peers OF the mightiest powers o. the earth. Alter
nearly 4 century OF struggle, by public RcknOWl-
edgRent Of God, and by private fidelity to our re-
hgiOus duties, our American homes have become
pTOVerbial as models OF social cultivation and
christian simplicity. Task you, Christian friends,
shall our century close with dangerous Omcns Of
coming evil TO our land? Shall the American
hahn
mels Of foreign manners by giving his money
and his time 10 encourage obscene theatricals or
the speTatic displays Of music on Sunday nights,
which are dubbed religious concerts for the Dur-
pose Of responsibility? Shall the religion Of the
country become subordinate to the popular de-
nand for amUsements? l tell you, my hearers
II you prepared 10 assent to this then farewell
10 the glory Of our native land, for as sure as
there is a God in Heaven the hour that sees
America yield her Figus history to the flames Of
popular passion, that same hour will see the !
tanker Of decay eating into the yitals OF our !
strength and political stability. We /
shall fall as a nation when we begin TO lose cur
integrity as Christian people, and If ever had
10 thank God have to thank him to-day because J
we yet cling the sacred laws Of or fathers and
assemble as we do to-day by authority Of that
law TO recognize the sovereignty OF the Great All
wise Ruler OF the universe. II is with earnest
ness that eNbOTt you all to-day to thank God !
OT our civil prosperity, and to pray you have !
never prayed before that the Great Ruler Of the |
iestinies Of men will suffer no cause to impair /
DuT blessings as IeOplc or to bring upon US the |
u.
have persisted. We may Justly have the loyal |
pride Of Pau, inasmuch rs we, too. are ''ctlEens
BI no mean city Our influence, indeed, as a |
congregation may be only the drop in the !
bucket, but yet as a drop we may disturb the (
y hole quantity Of the water in the bucket. As /
single church, il We are strongly persuaded that
liOu honor shall be the loyal patriotism of our |
leaIts, and that he Christian faith shall be the /
arch Of our civil liberties can stand out boldly
and unhinchingly against the assumptions OF |
goddess and inter pCr1te speech, and witness |
with holy zeal 10 the fact that our native land
was built upon the cornerstone OF Christian !
TayCT-IhIt iJ was baptized in the blood OF
Christian patriots, and thai, as FOR ourselves aud
BUT households. we VIII serve the Lord rather |
than the false gods Of orr adyersaIies. However (
much men may differ in their party creeds Of |
politics, let them stand together unit FOR the
Christian virtues Of cur land, for her religious
nstliCtIOns- and FOR her systems of intellectual
md moral education. Being citizens Of no mem
.Ity. Jet us De watch!ul 70 maintain our honor
hat We lose not the star from the cJronet Of our
RATIONAL greatness.