The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-11-04

DC full OF boys and girls Playing in the streets
thereof. f.-Zechariah, viii, 6.
glimpse of our cities redeemed Now, eoys
una girls playing in tho streets are exposed
70 SO much peril that multitudes of them end
IN rum; but in the glorious time spoken of
IN my text the cities are to be so completely
purltied and evangelical that lads AMI girls
will be just as safe in the public thorough
iares as they are in their own nursery. To
arouse the people to the work before them /
preach this sermon about the dark shadows of
the city. The surgeon puts in the probe
10 the very bottom of the wound before
he puts on tho healing salve. There is
wise general does that. We want to count
all the foes OF darkness and admit that they
are courageous, and admit they are mighty,
and then come to the other truth, that the
Lord Ged of Joshua is mightier than them
all, and that He will make the sun and moon
OF this Christian dispensation stand still until
the last evil is extirTated. Printing presses
and pulpits now are chiefly busy in describing
the condition of the present time; bat will it
not be healthful this morning for all Christian
workers and all men and women who are
Tying to make the world better-and there
are thousands of them here-if we look for.
ward to the time when our cities shall be COM
pletely revolutioni2ed by the Gospel of the
Son of God and all SIN and all sorrow and all
suffering shall forever be done away, "and
the streets of the city shall be full of boys
and girls playing in the streets thereof"
Every man has pride in the city of his ma
tlvlty, or OF his present residence, if it be a
city distinguished for dignity and prowess.
Cesar boasted of his native Rome, and Vir-
gll OF Mantua, and Lycurgus of Sparta, and
Demoslhenes of Athens, and Archime les of
Syracuse and raul of Talsus l should be
very suspicious of mans character-I
should think there was in him basehearted-
ness If he had no JOY in the city of his birth,
or the city of his adoption no exhilaration at
It's moral progress or its commercial achieve
ment. | have noticed that man never
thinks well of place where he has not be-
haved well. Swa, tout did not like New
York, and Prof. Webster did not like Bos-
ton and the people who take a free ride in
the city van never like the city that furnishes
the vehicle! When | find Argos and Rhodes
and Smyrna all Gaining the birthplace of
Hc mer | conclude that Homer behaved well.
They liked him and he liked them. We
ought never to war on lau1able city pride,
or try to build ourselves up by trying to pull
others down. l ho7e Boston will continue to
point to its Faneuil Hall and its Commons ard
its sureri + educational advantages l hu-s
that Philadelphia will continue to point to its
independence Hall AMI its mint and its
Girard COLLEGE Its always bad sign when
people have no pride of city. Now, New
York is beautiful city, a lovely city. 1t
lies on both sides the river. The East River
is the main artery of this great throbbing
life In our time, or in the time of our chill
dren, there will be two or three or four
bridges across the East River. More and
more we will be one, so that when | sGeak of
New York mean everything from Spuyten
Duvyil Creek to Gowanus, and mean more
than 100000 POI u lation, and what blesses
that part OF the city that is on the other side
the river will bless this; what curses
that will curse this. Sin is gigantic,
and when it comes to the Hudson or the
East River it steps across it as easily as
you step across the figure in CARPET Gods
blessing has two wings, and one wing it puts
over that part of our city on the other side
OF the river, and the other wing of Blessing
it puts over us. In its infancy, the great me-
tropolis was let down on the bank of the Hu1-
SON. 1t was as feeble as Moses in the ark of
bulrusfes by the Nile, and like Miriam there
our fathers came and watched it. The royal
spirit of American commerce came down to
battle, and she lifted it in her arms and it
grew in strength and foreign shipping brought
gold and silver t. its feet and it street tched it.
SELF upinto a great metropolis, looking up to the
mountains and off upon the sea, the mightiest
energy in our American civilization Cities al
ways feel the impres of those who founded
them. Romulus left his impress upon Rome.
The Pilgrim Fathers will never release their
grip from New England. Will am Penn left his
splle OF lalr Geaing ana honesty III rhlia-
ceipn1a an any day on lts streeDs you may
SEE ms manners, you nay see MS moias' you
may see his hat and his wife's hat, and his
meeting house. So the Hollanders wto
founded New York city in which we live,
put their impress upon the city and it will be
leu 1or all IoloWlng generations What
southern epidemic IN whlch our physicians
nave not thrown themselves IN sacrhces
what fcrelgn land struck with famine and
our shlpS nave not put out with bread
stuifsE What national Struggle and car
| cltlZenS nave not poured thelf oloou INTO the
tlent hes; hat street OF Damascus or Bay
reut or Madras mas not resomnded with the
step OF our missionaries! What art gallery
and our painters nave not hung IN IL their
plctures' What department. OF SCIENCE or
literature IN while our scholars have rot
made their contributions need not speak
OF our common schools in which the chlldrs n
OF the cordwainer and the mechanic and the
glassblower ST side by side with the favored
children of fortune; or OF the insane asy-
lums or these islands where those who cut
themselves among the tombs are
clothed and in their right mind. Or
of the retreats for the deaf and the
dumb and the lame and the blind and
the willows and the orphans and the outcasts
Let us thank God fer the city of our resi-
dence. 1t is goodlY city. There are a
thousand evils TO be cured. there are a
thousand wrongs to be righted. Let us thank
God for whet has been achieved, and look
| forward to a glorious future. Let us toll
with the sun light in our face We are not
! fighting at miserable Bull Run defeat, but
in a contest which will be a complete victory.
We are net follow ng the rider on the black
horse down to doom and darkue and death !;
we are TO lowing the leader on the white
horse the moon under his feet and the stars
of heaven for his tiara. Hail conqueror.
hall Just as in a cold winter when we throw
our arms about us to keep our thumbs form
free ing it is Pleasant to think of the spring.
time that is soon coming, and just as on q
cold winter night we look up and see the
northern lights. the windows of Heaven il
lumined for some great victory, Just so from
the darkness and the suffering and the SIN or
our cities, we look np to the glorious light
that is coming The morning light, the morn
ing without clt uds And | say to all of you
who are toiling in Sundays hools, and all
those who are doing reformatory work in
renitentiaries aud al those who are preach
| ing the Gospe in almshouses, and all those
who are in any way trying to improve the
condition of the people Temporarily and
SPIRITUALITY say to them, the last fortress
of sin will be captured and will be cleansed
and will be illuminated. The victory OF
| Chr;et i,,t c;t &c tp ha or yOSItiy