The Indianapolis journal., 1884-11-28
THANKS FOR GODS BOUNTY.
Thanksgiving Services at the Various
Places of Worship Yesterday.
Appropriate Sermons by Revs. Mcleod, Ma
rine, LIGHT Jencks and President Ever
est-General Observance of the Day.
AMERICAS STRENGTH.
DR. Mcleod at the Second Presbyterian
Church Tells Wherein 1t Lies.


The members of the several Presbyterian
churches, and of the Mayfower Congregational
Church united yesterday morning in their OBJ
servance of the day at the Second Presbyterian
Church. The audience room was tastefully
decorated and the music, under the charge of
Mr.. Max. Leckner, was especially fine Rev.
James Mcleod, the pastor delivered the sermon,
his text being Judges xvi, 6:
Tell me, pray thee, wherein thy great strength
lies
He said that this country is the Samson of
which he desired to speak. and the answer to
the question from our fellow-citzens would not
be uniform. We would have the conflicting
opinions of Republicans and Democrats, phi
lanthropists and saloon-keepers. hard d-money-
men and soft-money men, protectionsts and
free-traders, Christians AMI inf1dels, and for the
ills of the Nation each would prescribe a differ
ent remedy Our great strength does not lie in
our abounding wealth and vast resources.
Wealth is power, but it is not a permanent
quantity. Nor does it lie in our vast population
and its sterling patriotism. Without some
stronger bond all this might prove as powerless
as were the ropes which Samson broke from off
his arms like thread
Nor does the strength of our Nation lie in our
advanced civilization. Were not those old ma
tlons which now live only in history highly
civilized! Civilization is power, but in itself
considered, it only resembles the web that was
interviewer with Samsons locks in which lay
his great strength.
Our strength, as nation, lies just where
Samson's lay-in our fidelity to God. AS long
as Samson was faithful to God so long he re-
tanned his great strength He made many mis-
takes, but while he suffered for his sins and
follies, God rewarded him for his fidelity, and
he was strong But his fatal hour came. He
He a
harlots knees His strong locks were shaven
off. His mighty sinews relaxed and became as
weak as his morals; he lost his great strength; he
was cruelty Knocked and Sorey afflicted, and he
who was once mighty man of valor came to an
inglorious end. And what is a nation but col
lection of individuals, bound by some common
purposei AS is the character of these individ-
uals, so is the character of the nation. And as
moral weakness is the ruin of an individual, so
also will it be the ruin of a nation. The strength
OF a nation is in proportion to its moral power,
and lis moral power is in proportion to its right
eousness and its fidelity to God. We WILL there
fore, be-strong as a nation in proportion as we
are strong in the Lord. Nor do we doubt that
the nation that is out of harmony with God that
despises His counsel. that rejects His law, that
ignores His authority, must sooner or later have
lchabod written across It's brow.
All governmental power all national honor, is
vested in the people They choose from time to
time some of their number to whom they in
trust the administration of public affairs But
still belong to the people. They can rot rise
above them, nor 60 beyond them. OF the high
est, as well as of the lowest it may be truly said,
he is one of the people, nor is there on earth a
nobler rank. This being true, the people are vi
tally interested in the making of our laws, as
well as in their administration. Our persons. our
property, our homes. our peace, our happiness
and our very lives are involved in this matter of
government But we can all see that the righteous
administration of law in this country of ours is
no easy task. With such mixture of races, with
our elective judiciary, and with our universal
suffrage, good government is impossible un-
less we maintain a high moral standard
But if we are to believe the public press, the
standard of morals which some of our fellow
citizens have adopted seems TO be rather low
If the methods which said to prevail in
some quarters should by any possibility become
general then we may bid farewell to good gov
ernInent We may deplore it, but it is never
theless fact that there are large classes of our
fellow citizens who are the foes of good govern
ment. 1t is said that in our country there
at least 200, 600 tramps Many of them are vic
ious, lazy vagabonds and yet, suppose every
one of them voted at the recent election-per
haps some of them voted early and often. Then
too VIC have to deal with horde of Philistines
and of Canaanites and of Communists, who in
stead of being producers of wealth, are doing
all they can to destroy it In addition to this
we have among us large numbers whose notions
of government are decidedly un American.
They have come here from other lands and they
do not seem quite sa tisfied with the government
and laws of the United States. OF course they
have full liberty to return to Ireland, or to Ger
many, TO France, elsewhere. But instead
of emigrating to some freer (!) and happier (2)
land they choose to stay here and needless of our
laws, make laws for themselves. And the worst
of it is that are said tohave politicians among
us who court the favor and court the votes of
these lawless classes. Another point: 1t is said
to be no uncommon thing for party managers to
say: We must nominate German in order to
secure the German vote. or we must nominate
Ipch RI fha rich unfa
nominate Catholic to secure the Catholic vote,
we must nominate a saloon-keeper to secure
the whisky vote. Now, if this be true, it is all
wrong 1t is anti-American How much better,
and how much more patriotic to say: Let us
have the best man for this or that Office, what
ever be his religion, or his occupation, OF the
place of his birth. Let him be Irishman or
a German, or Catholic, but above and beyond
all this let him be a true and loyal American
citizen, who can claim the votes of his fellow
citizens, not because he is Catholic, or a Ger
man, an Irishman, but because he is qualified
for the position, and because he is an honest
man and a alaw-abiding citizen. If we are to re-
main a strong and mighty Nation, must have
only one government and one kind of govern
ment for all the people. The lawabiding, even
though they be weak, must be protected, and
the lawless, even though they be strong must
be punished And in order to do this the people
must to it that only upright, honest, and
competent men are placed in positions of honor
and power. We have high authority for believ
ing that when the righteous in authority,
the people rejoice but when the wicked beareth
rule, the people mourn If, therefore, we are
to preserve our good government, we must
choose righteous judges and righteous men as
our epresentatives-men who would suffer their
hands to wither sooner than touch bribe; men
who would scorn TO do a mean or unworthy act:
men whose voices and whose votes will always
be in favor of right and justice, of honor and
virtue Let this be done, then shall our strength
be preserved and then shall our land yield her
increase, and God ever our own God, shall bless