Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1886-06-05

MARRIAGE "Nol" say all patriotic voices;
''our institutions were bought at too dear
price, and were defended at too great sac
rif1ce, to be so cheaply surrendered" Nor
says the God Of Bunker Hill and Independ-
ence hall and Gettysburg; 81 did not start
this nation for such a farce mo- CRY ten
thousand voices; ito Infidelity this land
shall not be marriedr
But there is another sutton that presents
his han for the hand of this republic He
is mentioned in the verse following my text,
where it says: "As the bridegroom rejoiceth
over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over
thee" 1t is not my figure. 1t is the figure of
the Bible. Christ is so DESTROYS to have this
world love Him that He stops at no humiia-
ton OF smile He compares His grace
to spittle on the eyes of the blind
man. He compares Himself to a hen
gathering the chickens, and In my text
He compares Himself to sutton begging a
hand in marriage Does this Christ, the king,
deserve this landl Behold Pilates hall and
the insulting expectoration on the face
of Christ Behold the Calvarean massacre
and the awful hemorrhage of five wounds
Jacob served fourteen years for Rachel but
Christ my Lord, the king. suffered in tor
ture thirty three years to win the love of
this world. As often princesses at their very
birth are pledged in treaty of marriage to
princes or kings of earth, so this nation at
its birth was pledged to Christ for divine
marriage. Before Columbus and his 40
men embarked on the Santa Maria, the Pinta
and the Nina for their wonderful voyage,
what was the last thing they dida They
kneeled down and took the holy sacrament
of the Lord Jesus Christ After they
caught the first glimpse Of this country
and the gun of one ship had announced
it to the other vessels that land had been
discovered, what was the song that went up
from all the three decksi Gloria In Excel.
SIS" After Columbus and his 100 men had
stepped from the ships decks to the solid
ground, what did they do! They all knelt
and consecrated the New World to God.
What did the Huguenots do after they
landed in the Carolinass What did the
Holland refugees do after they landed in
New England? With Bonded knee and up
lifted face and heaven Lesieging prayer they
took possession of this country for God.
How was the first American congress
opened' BY prayer n the name of Jesus
Christ From its birth this nation was
pledged for holy marriage with Christ
But where shall the marriage altar BET
Let it be the Rocky noun aims, when
through artificial and mighty irrigation, all
their tops shall be covered, as they will be,
with vineyards and orchards and grain
fields. Then let the Bostons and the New
Yorks and the Charlestons of the Pacific
coast come to the marriage altar on the one
side, and then let the Bostons and the New
Yorks and the Charlestons of the Atlantic
coast come to the marriage altar on the
other side, and there between them let this
bride of nations kneel; and then if the organ
of the loudest thunders that ever shook
the Sierra Nevadas on the one side, or
moved the foundations of the Alleghenes
on the other side, should open full diapason
of wedding march, that organ of thunders
could not drown the voice of Him who
should take the hand of the bride of nations,
saying: ''As bridegroom rejoiceth
over bride, so thy God rejoiceth
over thee" At that marriage banquet
the platters shall be of Nevada
silver, and the chalices of California gold,
and the fruits of northern orchards, and the
spices of southern groves, and the tapestry
of American manufacture, and the congratu:
lations from all the free nations of earth and
from all the triumphant armies of heaven.
.''.s.i; 30 Inv land shall be married"
Prize Essays and Plans
Mr.. Henry Lomb, of Rochester, N. ", offers
the following prizes for essays to the public
generally. Perhaps some of our readers
would like to compete: 1. The sanitary con-
ditions and necessities of school houses and
school life, one prize, $500; 2. The prevent
able causes of disease injury and death in
American manufactures and workshops, and
the best means and appliances for prevent
ing and avoiding them, one prize, $500; 8.
Plans for dwelling houses-(ul A plan for
dwelling house not to exceed in cost, exclusive
of cellar, $500 prizes: first, $780, second,
500; third, $50; fourth, $3.50 (b A plan for
a dwelling house not to exceed in cost, in
Guiding the cellar, 81 600 (prizes: first, $500;
second, 800; third. $50; fourth, s25l Ac-
commodations to be provided for families
consisting of five persons All essays and
plans for the above prizes must be in the
hands of the secretary, DIR. Irving A. Wat
son. Concord, n H., on or before Aug. Is,
1856