The Cecil Whig., 1886-07-10

as in the days of the fathers. The meth
DDS adopted by the pulpit in modern
days are different from the old. Some
times they are startling in their novelty,
perhaps may be offensive to good taste;
but believe they often bring the truth
which the pulpit has to teach more
clearly and clorely to the average mind
They have pretty much driven ont the
old lecture system, the pulpit discussions
as now carried on proving more exciting
| And it is to be noticed that the more
positive the doctrines preached from the
pulpit, the more of power belongs to him
who stands within it. Men have widely
| found out that you cannot build up n
system of faith by successive negations
any more than You can accumulate a
property by adding nothing to nothing a
million times. So, the more positive a
mans convictions, and the more sure and
invincible his grasp ON the great princi-
| pies and facts of the Bible, The more
power he has with the people who hear
him. In any time of great eA citement of
public feeling people now will crowd
around the pulpit as they did in the crisis
of 1861. Military men tell us that the
| lightly built earthwork is more effective
| in modern warfare than the ancient,
mighty walls of castellated granite-that
men lightly dressed as our modern infan-
try and cavalry do better battle than the
old knights could do in their heavy plate
armor. And the pulpit, as it row is,
without rubric or custom or ancestral
| tradition to give it sacredness, will be
more effective in the warfare against evil
than the pulpit of the past, lifted on
high and fenced with prerogative. The
minister, if believing and valiant, has
now only more complete opportunity
because men meet him now as man,
and not chiefly as an official.
And so, if we have tie h0me, if we
have tie press, if we have tie pulpu-all
working together Tor sound vigorous
moral life-certainly we have reason to
hope for the future. And there are signs
already appearing which justify that
hope; that in the nation there is now IA
spiritual life which is not survival from
the pasta relic of other years-but
fresh, energetic. of young vitality, and
with the morning star of promise on its
brow.
/. | may mention tie regard far right
institutions AMI tie established authority
Ct lac, which is as prevalent in the coun-
try as it ever was. There may OCCASION
ally be mob violence in the West and
Southwest; but generally respect for in
stitutions and law is prevalent through
out the land; and this is IA force almost
equally of conservation and education.
D. Then, it is certainly true that putri-
otic nGtrtioil and .joy were never brighter
and more universal among us than now.
Patriotism is sometimes a latent force.
1t seems to give place at times to mere
factional strife between parties, or sec
tions of parties; yet there it is, at the
A'cu VI CNCl StU SuNcIclSu,
only waiting to be summoned by emer-
gency to break out into magnificent ex-
hibition. This patriotic and joyful affec-
ton is not provincial among us now, as
perhaps it used to be somewhat. 1t takes
cognizance of the Nation as one of the
great States of the world 1t is glad on
account of its large responsibility; glad
of its grand powers. 1t is cosmopolitan
rather than provincial, but it is real and
mighty, and has the noblest prophecies
in it.
hro"ghoW the country for .jnst and high
character in those who are to be elevated
to office. This demand for high charac-
ter in candidates for high office seems to
be increasing rather than diminishing in
the country at large. No genius, no
culture, no experience in affairs can be
allowed to take the place of character.
Therefore, character is the point of first
assault. Therefore, character is the
thing always first defended, and most
energetically, too, by those who are the
friends of the candidate and the party.
You remember in the last Presidential
election how searching, incessant, and
oftentimes no doubt conscientious and
sincere were the assaults made upon the
character of each of the leading candi-
dates.
7. And then, too, never was there such
an educational enMu<auSm like that in our
country at the present day-for the pub
lie school, for the seminary, the academy
and the college-for women, as well as
for men, and the opening of the highest
opportunities of culture to them-for the
education of the black, as well as the
white; for the education of the Indian,
too, as at Carlisle and Hampton. The
public school system of this country
costs year by year about 800, 900, 600,
which is all gladly and gratefully given.
There are about 375 colleges and higher
seminaries in the land with 60, 900 pupils
in their various departments, and with
permanent property belonging to them
amounting to about $40, 900, 900. OF the
$1,000, 600 of the school population of
this country in 1880, nearly 100000
were enrolled in the schools, and the
average attendance was almost 6, 600, 600.
Illiteracy is steadily passing away from
even the darkest regions of the land.
s. Besides, pAslantnropic enterprise was
never more energetic, more determined
and self sacrificing than at present; and
great examples of benevolent gifts fre-
quently come to illustrate its spirit,
quicken its enterprise and widen its
range. We have institutions for the
poor-so many that the poor sometimes
almost get rich by availing themselves of
them. There are really now SO many H.
stitutions for the relief of poverty in our
cities that it is perfectly true that men
are encouraged to make beggary pro-
fession, and that vagrants live in a Sc
cure compe tency on the various institu-
establish claim. Then, think of the
immense provision for the insane-frOm
50, 600 to 81, 900 a bed in the great pal
aces for them, Think of the skillul pro-
vision for the deaf, that they may be
taught to read from the lips, and that the
dumb may artieulate; for the blind, that