The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-02
AT ACTON PARK.
Jenckes.


and among them were those ever-vigilant per-
sons the candidates for county offices in this and
the neighboring county Of Shelby. The services
at Assembly Hall were better attended in the
morning than in the afternoon. After dinner
the cottagers sat upon their porches or swung in
hammocks in the shady places, while the visitors
sauntered through the shaded avenues or sat
under the trees. They did not 60 to church and
good sermon was delivered to an audience of
few more than hundred persons.
The morning sermon was deliv cred by Bishop
Mallalieu, of New Orleans, his text being,
Romans, xiii and 2.
The afternoon sermon was preached by Rev.
DIR. T. G. Carter, OF Chattanooga, Tenn, editor
of the Methodist Advocate.
Probably the best lecture Of the course thus
far was that delivered last evening by Hon. Will
Cumback, his subject being, christianity as a
Civilizng Force" He said: The Christian reig-
ion is the most powerful factor in the civilization
of the world and the elevation of the hu man race
The pure morality of the teachings of Christ
and their beauty reflected upon the ages for
nearly two thousand years from his own life and
conduct while among men have changed the
whole nature and purposes of the human race.
It has not only dispelled the dark cloud of ignor
ance and superstition that enveloped the human
family, but the human mild, stupefed with the
gross
the vices that seem inseparably connected with
it, has been awakened to better and fuller com
prehension of its powers, and aroused and stirred
to attain the higher and nobler manhood
that the Christian religion reveals.
AS result human life is longer and every way
happier The cruel savage nature has been
softened and subdued, and the deep and ugly
lines Of hate and revenge that marred and made
hideous the human face have given place to the
beautiful smiles of regard and love. The better
80 tc~~ lu;c
strength, and the Importance of their observa
ton have bapished many diseases that preyed on
humanity, and the rose of health has been
planted on the bloated and faded faces of
humanity Year after year more comfortable
houses are being built for homes. In every
betterment of the human family. With this las
also come a clearer and broader comprehension
of the rights of man. He has grown mentally
and morally, as we'll physically. He has
come to see and to know that the humblest peas
ant has the same right to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness as the proudest monarch on
his throne. This subtle and potent influence is
overthrowing despotism, breaking the chains of
slavery and sapping the very foundations of
tyranny and oppression
There is no culture that has touched man on
every side and bettered all his conditions as
Christian culture. A civilization without Christ
in it Is not worthy of the name Before He
came into the world there were vast empires
had reached high degree of art and architect
ure; had given them gorgeous palaces and beau
tiful cities. They had poetry and music But
what was the condition of the great mass Of hui
manty9 They were cropping their uncertain
way in darkness and doubt, with no just con-
ception of their own powers with little or no
knowledge of duty or destiny-almost as help
less and powerless to care for themselves as the
beasts of the field. And their mighty men,
their statesman and rulers, their monarchs and
,1ar1 hot.
the hands of their soothsayers and magicians, or
governed by the uncertain and meaningless ray
ings of priestess at Delphi. The lives of mill
ions and the destnies of empires were deter
mined by the direction that bird might fly when
some great enterprise was to be inaugurated. One
generation after anotner moved in the same dark
and hopeless path, and no light came to show them
a better way. Great masses of men were pinched
with hunger, and fell victims to famine or were
destroyed by the pestilence that walketh in dark
ness, or wasteth at MONDAY, or persisted on the
battlefield to crafty ths lust for power and do
minion of bloody despots, who claimed authority
to rule. This is not an overdrawn picture. The
profane historian will corroborate the statement.
The condition OF the heather world to- day shows
a like deplorable state of humanity. The learned
skeptic and the highly cultivated scientist, in at
tempting to write the history of civilization, OF
human progress, seek for other causes, and con-
struct theories about climate, and purer blood,
and higher nobility OF race and give these the
cries will not stand the test Of fair and honest
investigation. Let us take our own race the
noble Anglo Saxon-a race In all re-
spects bold and ggressive-presenting the
highest and best type Of humanity Follow back
the history of this race until you reach the point
where it had not heard of Christ with the same
climate the same blood flowing through their
veins and the same nobility or race, whatever
that may be; what do we findS We find barbara
ans dressed in the skins Of beasts they had them
cal al n n W viz inc
of the lowest vices and as ignorant as the NAKED
savageS at the equator or the barbarian at the
north pole. They had no history They had
done nothing to make history. They seemed to
emerge from the fog-bank of legend and my thol-
o2y.
It seems almost incredible that so noble
and mighty a people should have been
so low in the scale of being-a
people existing on the lowest animal plane ut
terly destitute Of any culture and refinement
that now so distinguish them, with little no
conception of human rights and almost without
any civil government From such a pit of
degradation has the Anglo-Saxon been elevated
Even human life had no sacredness, and by law
bloody murder could be atoned for by payment
of small sum of money. Yet the skeptic talks
hippantly about that indefnable something as
innate nobility of race that has brought the
AngloSaxon up. Why was it dormant SO long9
AS old as the tenth century, according to the
code of King Athelstan, the taking of human
was fixed by law according to the rank of
the person murdered One thousand five hun
dred dollars was the value of the life
of king; $3.50 Of prince. $400 paid for bishop,
5000 was the value of sheriff, 800 that of a
priest, and $l3 for killing an ordinary man.
Whether any value was attached to the life of a
woman am not advised, but we may presume
not.
ut is fair to conclude that it was not either
noble blood or the favorng breezes of temper
ate zone that has called into being this better
and higher order of manhood It is the inspira-
ton of the great truths of mans immortality,
the inhaling of the pure precepts and teachings
of sinless Christ, and the blood that
has wrought this revolution was the blood
shed on Calvary for the sins of the world
Where man has accepted Christ and made His
life and teaching his guide is found this nobler
manhood and purer civilization. Latitude and
longitude, race or cline, do not seem to change
or in the least degree modify the effect !.
At NJ today Rev Dr Fl McConnall