The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-10-23

country is neither hindrance nor advantage
in the matter of political elevation. AL
Europe needs that. All the world needs that
a mans religion Is someJnlng between nlm'
self and his God, and it must not directly or
indirectly be interfered with.
Furthermore, during that exposition,
Christian civilization will confront bar
barism. We shall as a nation have
greater opportunity to make an evange
fizing impression upon foreign nation.
alities, than would otherwise be afforded
us in quarter of a century. Let
the churches of the city where the
exposition is held be open every day,
and prayers be offered and sermons
preached and doxologies sung. In the
less than three years between this and
that worlds convocation, let us get q pap
tism of the Holy Ghost, so that the slz
months of that worlds fair shall be fifty
Pentecosts in one, and instead Of three thou.
sand converted, as in the former Pentecost,
hundreds Of thousands will be converted
You must remember that the Pentecost
mentioned in the Bible occurred when there
was no printing-press, no books, no Chris
tian pamphlets, no religious newspapers,
and vet the influence was tire
mendous. How many nationalities
were touched? The account says
"Parthians and Medes and Elamltes, u
that is, people from the eastern countries;
ePhrygia and Pamphylia," that is, the west
ern countries: "Cyrene and strangers OF
Rome, Cretes and Arabians," that is, the
southern countries; but they were all moved
by the mighty spectacle. Instead OF the
sixteen or eighteen tribes Of people reported
at that Pentecost, all the chief nations OF
Europe and Asia, North and South America,
will be represented at our worlds falr IN
1892. and a Pentecost here and then would
mean the salvation of the round world.
But, you say, we may have at that fair the
people of all lands and all the machinery for
gospelization, the religious printing presses
and the churches but all that would not
make a Pentecost; we must have God. Well,
you can have Him. Has He not been gra-
ciously waiting? and nothing stands in the
way but our own unbelief and incidence and
sin. May God break down the barriers! The
grandest opportunity for the evangel-
ization of all nations since Jesus
Christ died on the cross will
be the worlds exposition Of
1892. God may take us out Of the harvest
field before that. but let it be known through
out Christendom that that year, between
Nav and November, will be the mountain
of Christian advantage, the Alpine and
Himalayan height Of opportunity overtoP-
ping all others for salvation. Instead OF the
Gospel to other land by our own Ameri-
can missionaries, who have difficult
toll in acquiring the foreign language and
then must contend with foreign prejudlces,
what grand thing to have able and indu-
entail foreigners converted during their visit
in America and then have them return to
their native lands with the glorious tidings!
Oh, for an overwhelming work Of grace for
the year 1892, that work beginning in the
autumn of 1885,
Another opportunity, if our public men
see it, and tits the duty Of pulpit and print
ing press to help them to see it, will be the
calling at that time and place Of legal
peace congress for all nations. The conven-
ton of representatives from the Govern
ments Of North and South America, now at
Washington, is only type of what we may
have on a vast and a world wide scale at
the international exposition of 1892.
By one stroke the gorgon Of war might
be slain and buried so deep that neither
trumpet OF human dispute or OF arch-angefS
blowing could resurrect it. When the Last
Napoleon called such congress Of nations
MANY did not respond, and those that did re-
spond gathered wondering what trap that
willy destroyer of the French Republic and
the builder of a French monarchy might
spring on them. But what if the most popu-
lar government on earth-I mean the United
States Government-should practically say
to all nations: On the American continent,
in 1892, we will hold a worlds fair,
and all nations will send to it specimens OF
their products their manufactures and their
arts, and we invite all the Governments OF
Europe, Asia and Africa to send representa-.
tives to peace convention that shall be held
at the same time and place, and that shall
establish an international arbitration commits
sion to whom shall be referred all controver-
sizes between nation and nation, their decision
to be final, and so all nations would be re-
lieved from the expense Of standing armies
and naval equipment, war having been made
an everlasting impossibility.
All the nations of the earth worth con-
sideration would come to it, mighty men Of
sia and all the other great nationallhes,
Bismarck who worships the Lord of Hosts
and Gladstone who worships the God OF
Peace. and Boulanger who worships himself
The fact is that the nations are sick Of drink
ing out of chalices made out Of human skulls
and filled with blood The United States
Government is the only government in the
whole world that could successfully call such q
Congress. Suppose France should call 1t,
Germany would not come; or Germany
should call it, France would not come; or
Russia should call it, Turkey would not come;
or England should call it, nations long Jeal-
ous OF her overshadowing power in Europe
would not come America, in favor with all
nationalities, standing out independent and
alone, is the spot and 1892 will be the time:
MAY it please the President of the United
States, may it please the Secretary Of State,
NAV If pleaSa tina Cabinet NAV it nlaaSa tha
Senate and House of Representatives, may it
please the printing presses and the churches
and the people who lift up and put down our
American rulers!
To them I make this timely and SOL
emn and Christian appeal. Do you
not think people die fast enough with
out this wholesale butchery Of war? Do
you not think that we can trust to pneu.
monias and consumptions and apople1ies
and palsies and yellow fevers and Asiatic
choleras the work Of killing them fast
enough? Do you not think that the
greedy, wide open jaws of the grave ought
with hundreds Of thousands of corpses 8
year? Do you not think we can do something
better with men than to dash their life
out against easements or blow them into
fragments by torpedoes or send them out
into the world, where they need all their
faculties, footless, armless, eyeless? Do you
not think that women might be appointed to
an easier place than the edge Of grave
trench to wiring their pale hands and weep
out their eyesight in widowhood and child
lessnesss Why, the last glory has gone out
of war.
There was a time when it demanded that
quality which we all admire--namely. cour:
age--for man had to stand at the hilt of
his sword when the point pierced the foe and
while he was Staying another the other
might slay him; or it was bayonet charge.
But now it is cool and deliberate murder.
and clear out at sea bombshell can be
hurled miles away into city, or while thou:
sands of private soldiers, who havc no inter:
est in the contest, for they were con