Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-10-29
MORE PRECIOUS Than GOLD.

NhS phau II SoLu- ttth u ua1 GuAD GuS
goluen wedge OF Ophir."
God has made all things ia his uni
verse If two classes. First. Things
that are good in view OF something else
which they help to make valuable.
Second Things that ale good in them
selves. To the first class belong all
things material. These are not good in
themselves but good only as they meet
the ends of other things. They are
secondary, relative, depending for their
value upon other objects of Gods ore
alton. All material things and forces
and laws possess no value In themselves
they possess only a relative value as
they become useful to living creatures.
When we come to the animal Kingdom
We ind a marked difference. They
may not differ in their lowest forms Very
widely from tue vegetable, but they
have this fundamental difference, that
they possess sensibility-they are
capable of suffering pain on the one
hand, and enjoying good on the other.
That capacity fox suffering or for enjoy
ment gives them q value in themselves,
such as no vegetable can have. But
there are degrees of sensibility in the
animals. some are more highly organized
and therefore more susceptible to pain
or enIoyment. Hence they are OF greater
value. But above all the animals,
possessing ali that is valuable in them,
and infinitely more than any of them, is
man. So far there is TO md no link to
connect the lowest man with the highest
brute.
But above man there is nothing. His
interests yield tc His life is the
most precious thing in this world and
his soul the most precious thing in
eternity. All human law has it's center
and its deepest interest In human life.
Every avenue toward human life is
guarded by the flaming sword oil law.
And the higher men get in intelligence
the deeper their concern in the protec-
ton OF human life. And 50 deep is
this concern that when there is the
f~aintest shadow or suspicion that 6
human life has been lost by the careless.
ness or neglect il any one, q court of In
quiry is OF once instituted to probe to
the depths the reason for that death.
Men love liberty in these days above all
things it seems, and yet if a contagious
disease breaks out in q house, that is
liable to endsnger the lives of others
every person in that house is imprisoned
in it without privilege of habeas
corpus until the danger is past.
Where christianity goes there goes the
deeper idea of human life, the greater
protection for it. Christianity has put
a new value into human life, and the
prophecy of my text has been abundant
ly fulflied-''I will make a man more
precious than gold.' It is the genius of
our religion to increase the value Of men,
not only as regards their physical life,
but az regards their mental and moral
life. Christianity is now in deadly con-
hict with the old heather notion, still
prevalent in the world, that material
things are OF more value han human
good,
And to-day we are in a struggle here
in Yanktop, over the two opposing
theories, one that the good of the man is
OF far more Importance than any ma
terial prosperity that may some to this
city, as against the other theory that
material things are of more Importance
than the physical and mental and moral
life of the individual. And there are
men who openly say that they would
rather have seven to eight thousand
dollars in cash for the city, than to have
sober men for the city, and clean, honest,
pure boys for the CITY. There are men
who would rather have scores OF homes
emptied OF all happiness, emptled Of all
love, emptied of all purity, emptied OF
all hope, than to have q few store build
ings ta.se -.arily emptied. There are
men here who would prefer to be ruled
and dominated by drunkards and drunk
ard makers, than lift a finger in behalf
OF the christian doctrine that q man is
more precious than fine gold. Its The
old struggle, + say th6t christianity has
been making for hundreds of years
against the mcnstrous theory that {
wedge of gold is better than q man. And
in that struggle christianity has yet tt
score q single defeat, and it will not bt
defeated in Yankton county, ever
though the victory may not come tbi'
yea.. I am glad the distinction is 81
sharp and clear, that 1t is christianity
against heathenism, light against dark
ness, civilization against barbarIsm, in
telligence against cropping Ignorance
principle against passion, purity ageins
lust, prosperity against pauperism, LIT
against death. A man is free to ohoos,
the aide he will take, but he will tax
sides with eyes wide open, and Their
will be no doubt in his mind, nor in tn
mind of any one who knows him o.
which side OF the struggle he belongs
But christianity deems a man OF NOR
value than gold, because it sees in hin
an immortal soul destined to eterns
> life. Christ looks upon q man and see
not only what he is row but what hi
, history is to be in all the future. Tha
future history is to be either one
la. AaS moo and ain md ramnrr