Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-12-04
But so surely us the years come and go
we shall sing and shout it by and by.
DANCERS.

| p to this time our view seems to be
one wholly of sunshine and promise. l
would not belittle our mel cies, but he is
not wise teacher who sees only sun
shine where there are clouds, or only
the promise of fair weather where there
are tokens Of a rising storm. Any one
can see amid the Seething thought of to-
day, both in this country and Europe,
that humanity is in 10 immediate dam
ger of Stagnation for lack of thought.
The whole mass is Seething with pent-up
| life and woe to the government that
represses these aspirations. Just now
there is temporary repression in Eu-
rope, as indicated i'll recent elections
ultra mOntanisms is gaining what we
believe to be only temporary advantages.
On the whole, the tendency of European
humanity is up. We have dangers pc
culiar to Democratic Republic which
we do well to watch and carefully
guard. We need to give attention to
EDUCATION.
1t surely must be conceded as within
the limits of the pulpit on such an Occa
sion as this. to discuss the relation of
education to the State. These intelli-
gent laymen see how nearly related the
subject lies to the State. And if it is
related to the State, it is of most vital
interest to the Church. DemagOgues to
the contrary, the State has no friend like
the Protestant Church. And while there
is the present equilibrium of denomina-
tions the State has nothing to fear from
Professionalism at least.
For veal or woe, in this State every
male citizen over twenty-One has the
ballot, and can deposit that ballot with
out fear, or molestation. l am not pro-
posing to discuss universal suffrage;
havedoubted for years its wisdom ;and am
sure we do not guard it as we should. AS
it is, there is not single test in the way
of native or naturaliZed foreigner. The
taxpayer and the nOn-taXpayer, the pau
per and the semi-idiOt is marched to the
pOlls-and if he hasn't sense enough to
know how to vote, some friend kindly
puts freeman's ballot into his hand, and
when he is in reach of the mystic box,
another friend promotes the freedom of
the ballot by guiding his hand, and the
ballot is as potent Sthat OF the phllOS-
Opher or statesman. lie Is simply VO-
ting automatOn. | have seen things
perpetrated in the name of free ballot
that can be described by no other word
but shameless. Think of Il man voting
who is 50 drunk rs to be unable to walk
TO the polls unless supported 10y
two ward politicians; and then unable
to vote until his whIsky-palsied arm was
lifted to the ballot-bOX--and has ballot
as potent as any mans! Who will dare
say such thing is defensible? But
who protests? No one, whose voice IS
effective Is it not proper on this
Thanksgiving, to protest against such
methods? In the name of the State and
Nation, of which l am proud to be cit
iZen; in the name of the Church of Je-
sus Christ, whose honor | am represent
ing. | protest. And L do not hesitate
to add, that such a man should be dis
franchised until he becomes sober,
thoughtful citizen.
) Compulsory education will make such
things impossible. The e,.acated man
will not need the stimulus uf even one
dram TO rise to the height Oi the fran
chise. He will not need the escort OF a
dozen or twenty of his chumS 10 see him
exercise the rights of Il freeman. The
fact is. he will not tolerate Suc.l an eS-
cort.
The way to the ballot ought to be
hedged by some kind of an educational
, test-nOt to be applied to present voters
f; but to go into effect at some date III
2 the near future-nOthing will give teeth
+ to our education laws 50 easily as the In
: corporation of some such test i'll our fun
: damental law. This educational test
1 ought to be simple and practical-sucl
as reading, or what may be easily acqul,
red by any one, in this day of great adj
t vantages If parents knew Ignorance
S would disfranchise their son, there would
/. be some way found to furnish the educa
| ton needed. 1t would easily rid us OF
another class of notable incOmpetents-
e the seni-idiotic. The man who hao
sense enough to read would not be la
BILE to the charge of idiocy. And it might
turn caucus meetings from night schools
of vice and drunkenness into reading
schools.
At present we have compulsory edu,
cational law-with the compulsiOn left
: out-a kind ola law such as our Colum
t bus legislators send out when they meal
a to give us a name, and withhold the rea
!: thing asked. 1t is a marrowleSS, back
s boneless affair 1t might haye some ef'
+; ficiency, poor as it is, if it was even tOl
S erably well executed. 1t is as true as II
u Is GDctO IlIO POl SSAO Va AAANN-N-
n gence is no longer increasing i'll many Of
n our States. Recent information says Il
= is true of Ohio. Give us good educa
n tional law to force our negligent parents
h under penalty. to do their duty, and yot
e will have put an additional sa1eguarl
n around the ballot and the Nation.
f This whole educational question Il
e full of interest; and such themes as In
= | {. frin Aano rtD D0QntS
G in village and city schools, the lntroduc
s ton of textbooks on government, point
It ical and domestic economy on sub]ect
e that demand speedy thought and a fui
h and complete investigation. we com
5. mend their Investigations to the press
S school boards, and all who have an an
if terest in the future of Church and State
IL THE POPULAR DEFIANCE OF LAW.
: 1t is not source of thanksgiving tha
" our institutions are menaced by anothe
d evil of gigantic proportions. lmmens'
= fields of grain and cotton, enormous
. flocks and herds, singularly productlv,
g mines of gold and silver, iron and coal
y with the restoration of commercial
,e prosperity, may be only the arms of tn
If giant that will push us to surer 1nfamy
70 and a more irretrievable destruction
q Permanent prosperity and national hon
,s or are not found alone in the boundless
n ness of our wealth and resources. Ii w
,t part with our simplicity, our devout
20 ness, our recognition of God, and cloth
\ ourselves in the purple and fine linen
"a National Dives--and make it our bu
o. siness to eat and drink and be merry, W
20 shall court destruction that may tarry
10 but shall surely come.
10 When Israel done as many are doin
y. here. "The Lord was very angry wit
NJ Israel, and removed them out of hi
IF sight: there was none left but the trib
IN of Judah only" And afterwards, whel
m Judah endorsed the dOings of Manasse
-, bv their own lives, God said this o
~ IL. a.naon..r, AInr,n,anh Il inn nf In