The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-06-05
BY Rev. +. Brown,

For what nation is there so great, who
hath God so nigh unto them, as The
Lord our God j. IN all things that we
call upon him for And what ma
tion is there 80 great that hath statutes
and judgments so righteous as all this
law which set before you this day
9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep
thy soul diligently lest thou forget the
things which thine eyes have seen i,
and lest they depart from thy hea 1T
all the days of thy life, but teach them
thy sons and thy sons son,.-Deut. 4;
Z, SO.
The great prophet, emancipator, lead!
Grand law giver, the greatest mere man O.
man history, in rude age, had led out
IA rude people. brought up in hard bon
dage, 10 the strongest earthly kingdom.
A hoid of slaves, numbering not far
from 1000, 600, and through the life time
Of IA generation, dwelling in tents in the
wilderness, had reduced them to order,
given them trained and yrtuous rulers
and code OF laws that have TO this day
remained the foundation of enlightened
jurisprudence, wherever man stands
erect in his manhood and asserts and
maintains the God-given rights ofja yir-
tuous freedom. Standing with them on
the border of their promised inheritance,
himself at the last limit of u wonderful
life siX-ScOre years, the next day to be
yielded up on the mount OF VISION, AZ
ter with Diyineiy quickened eycsight he
had looked over the promised land, he
reitterates in their hearing the precepts
he had taught them, saying keep, there
fore, and do them, for this is your Wis
dom and understanding in the sight Of
the nations, which shall hear these
statutes, and say surely this great nation
is wise and understanding people.
Then follows the assertion Of the great
ness of this nation, not yet owning "A
foot of land or possessing a city, or hav-
ing any of the clements that in that age
constituted national greatness. Yet
with more than Philosophers vision,
with n phrophets eye, looking down the
vista of the future, he saw that they al
ready were, and were destined there
/ ter TO be greatest of nations in that
which constitutes true national great
ness. Not military prowess, for they
were not to multiply charlots and horses
or stores Of arms. Not extended terri.
tory; for their, widest domain in their
most powerful days did not equal III ex.
tent our own state Of Dakota. MOI
wealth. for they were to be plain agri-
cultural people and must not lend t.
each other on usury and he who made
a corner on their grain ''the people
should curse" Not commerce for the
Phenican was the master of the sea ;nol
learning for the Chaldean was the world
instructor in science; but their great
ness was higher than all this, the high
est moral grandeur, Jehovah, their Goo
was ligh to them, and no other natior
had statutes and judgments so righteous
as that law he had set before them
founded on the two great precepts, OF
which all that Is worthy to be called Law
is built-.Supreme regard TO God, enc
equal regard to all the rights Of their fel
low man. Not i'm the spirit Of arrogan
boasiing, but compa ring cur conditit,
as nation with the most favored Of tn,
great nations Of the world, we may ap
ply these reflections to ourselves, for IL
all the elements of true greatness, we
may ask what nation is sd great ~ Ant