Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1883-12-06
THANKSGIVING SERMON
BY Rev. r. ALEXANDER, ID. d.,
At st. CIairsviIIe, Ohio, No
Vember 20, 1883.


At st. CIairsviIle, Ohio, No
venber 20, 1883.
| TExT-II Chronicles xv-2. The Lord i:
with you while We be with him; and if We seek hin
he will be found of you, but if We forsake him. he
will torsake you.
1t is appropriate on this occasion of Ma
! tiOnal Thanksgiving TO take view of Our
/ situation as one OF the great nations OF
! the earth. Through clouds and sunshine
our ship of State has kept on its way
| through a hundred years of the past Last
Monday hundred years ago, the British
troops left New York in final abandon.
ment of the effort to Subdue the United
Colonies. Then the mighty work of build
ing up great Republic began in earnest
on this continent. From a feeble begin
ming there has been d growth in wealth
and power and resources on which the
world looks in amaZement. One State af-
ter another has been added-One million
after another, has been enumerated III the
census of the people, till it is claimed that
we have now more than sixty millions.
with the centre of population approach
ing Indianapolis. Stretching from ocean
to ocean, with territory as great as Chi
na, and with hundreds of thousands pour
ing in to our shores every year. no tongue
can fully describe the possibilities of this
country. What shall it be hundred years
hence? What shal; it be in 1900? 1t is
possible that in twenty Years there may
be one hundred millions of people here.
Ii ever people on earth had cause to
recognize Gods hand it is the people of
this great country. His care has been
over this country in ali her history, in the
settlement, in the formation of the gov
ernment, in the extension of it. and in all
the trials through which we have passed.
We can see the leadingS of His provi-
dence and trace His hand everywhere in
our history. Gratefully do we meet with
His people this day and recognize the
bountleS of His providence and grace as
the giver of all good.
The text carries us away to the days of
Asa when he returned flushed with victO-
ry over his enemies The prophet of God
met him and warned him that his future
success depended on the favor and bless
ing of God. The Lord is with you, while
We be with him, and if We seek him
he will be found of you, but if We forsake
him, he will forsake you" While we re-
joice in the past we must look to the flu
ture. Have we reached such a point of
prosperity that we can now be lndepend-
ent of the care and blessing of the Most
High? Has God led us so far, that we
now can go alone, There are problems
before us in this country, on the solution
of which our welfare depends. And we
cannot solve them unless God is with us.
We must walk in His fear, and by the
teachings of His Word, and seek His
blessing, and all will be well. Look at
some of these dangers, which as unsolved
problems, are before us as the living ques-
tions of to-day.
l. The NEGRO QUESTION is one of them.
Twenty years ago slavery was abolished
in this country, and the negro was set free
from the chains that held him for more
than two centuries. He came forth from
slavery amid the convulsiOns of the most
terrible of civil wars. The soil of our
country was drenched with the blood of
her sons and hundreds of millions of her
treasures were spent in that conflict.
When it was all over men breathed easier,
and said this disturbing element is now
disposed of forever" But the negro is
still here, in large numbers in the South
ern States of the Union, and after twenty
years of freedom, instead of four millions
we find nearly seven millions. 1t is fur
ther discovered that feeling of alienation
is growing between the two races in the
South. Twenty years have produced
great changes. The older slave owners
and older slaves have passed away, and
that former friendship between the whites
and blacks which was so remarkable in
the days of slavery, is gradually fadiug
out and becoming thing of the past.
The rising generation both of whites and
blacks is growing up, it is said, with "a
deep feeling of hostility to each other.
Then there are designing men ready to fan
the flames of discord, hoping to gain some
advantage from this jealousy and animos-
ity, In some parts of the South there
could be conflict of races, it is feared,
at almost any time. In the meanwhile
the blacks are increasing far more rapidly
than the whites, and with none of the
former restraints upon them, the youth
are giving themselves up to drunkenness
and all manner of evil. 1t is in vain that
men rail out at each Other-party against
party-Saying why this was done and why
was not that done? Here a certain state
of things exists, however it came about,
and what the end of all this will be, none
of us can tell. One of the difficult prob
lens of this country is the future of the
cOlored man and his condition on this
continent. What call for the highest
order of craftsmanship to manage this
difficult question: What wisdom and skill
on the part of public men to avoid the
dangers that seem to threaten us from
this quarter! Above all things, what a
call there is on the church of Cirist in
this land to act wisely and earnestly in
giving the Gospel to those multitudes. To
let these millions grow up in ignorance
and vice will not be a solution of this
question worthy of great Christian peo-
pie The churches of the South are poor.
and unable to do for these unfortunate
people what should be DONE They are a
charge on the whole church in this coun
try to seek to save them. The Gospel Of
Christ is the hope of the world and by its
power alone can the humble and degraded
be raised up, and fitted for usefulness.
Shall we look only to the heather of Asia
and Africa while there are those in heath
en- ignorance and vice at our own doors?
uOI III GIilS Ol
their own. accord, but they are here now
to stay, and our peace and security will
depend on the wise efforts we put forth
for their intellectual and spiritual good.
2. Another problem is the effect of
FOREIGN IMMIGRATION on this country.
From all parts of Europe, a steady
stream of immigrants flows to our
shores. They are attracted by our mines
and forests and factories and by our fer
tile plains and valleys. The overcrowd-
ed population of Europe finds here an
outlet and place where they can have
homes for themselves and for their chill
dren. In single year nine hundred
thousand of them land on our shores.
from all the different nationaities of
Europe and scatter over our land to be-
come Incorporated with our peopIe.
Still they come in greater numbers and
with no sign of cessation. They bring