Democratic messenger., 1889-10-12

Of red berries, and while Columbus was
down in the cabin studying the sea chart,
Martin Pinson, standing on deck and look
ing To the southwest, cried: LAND Land!
Land!" And "Gioria In Excelsis" was
sung In raining tears on all the three ships
Of the expedition. Most appropriate and
patriotic and Christian will be commem.
orative worlds fair m America in 1902
Leaving TO others the discussion as TO the
site Of such exposition-and | wonder
not that some five or six Of our cities are
struggling to have II, for Il will give to
any city TO which Il Is assigned nm i'm.
pulse Of prosperity for 100 ycars-I say.
leaving to others the selection Of the par
ticular locality 10 be thus hon0rcd, want
to say some things from the point Of
Christian patriotism which ought Ia he
said, and the earlier the better, that we
get thousands Of people talking in the
right direction, and that will make health
fiil public opinion. beg you To consider
prayerfully what feel called upon Of God
as an American citizen and as u preacher
of righteousness to utter.
My first suggestion is that it's not wise,
rs certainly 1t is not Christian, to continue
this wide and persistent attempt Of Amer.
ican cities TO bcli,tle and dcprcciatc other
cities. II has been going on for years. bu,
not the spirit seems to culminate In this
discussion us to where the Worlds Fair
shall be held, q style Of discussion which
has tendency to injure the success Of
the fair as u great moral and patriotic en-.
terprisc, after the locality has been decid.
cd upon. There Is such thing as health.
full rivalry between cities. but you will
bear me out In saying that there can bc no
good 10 come from the uncanny things
said about each other by New York and
Chicago. by Chicago and 81. Louis, by ST.
Pau. and Minneapolis, by Tacoma and
Seattle. aud all through the states by nj.
most every two proximatc cities. All cities,
like individuals, have their virtues and
their vices. Al our American cities should
be our exultaiion. What churches. What
public libraries! What asylums Of mercy
What academies of music! What mighty
men In law and medicine and art and
scholarship! What schools and colleges
and universities! What women radiant
and gracious and an improvement on NIL
the generations of women since Eve -
What philantlropists who do not feel sat.
isiied with their charities until they get
into the hundreds of thousands and the
millions. What Gods acres" for the
dead gardens Of beauty aud palaces Of
marble for those who sleep the last sleep.
Now stop your slander Of American cities.
DO you say they are the centres Of crime
and political corruption: Please admit
The fact that they are the centres Of in.
telligence and generosity, and the might.
lest patrons of architecture, aud sculpture,
and painting, and music, and reservoirs
Of religious influence for all the continent.
Il will be well for the country districts to
cease talking against the cities, and ii will
Dc well for the city Of one locality 10 stop
talking against the cities Of other locr''
ties. New York will not get the "
Fair by depreciating Chicago,
go will not get the Worlds Fa,.
harding New York.
Another suggestion concerning the com
ing exposition: Let not the matcrialisiic
and monetary idea ovcrpower the moral
and religious. During that exposition,
the first in all their lives. there will be
thousands Of people from other lands who
will see II country without u state rclig.
ion. I.c; us by mn increased harmony
among all denominations Of religion i'm.
press other naiionalitics, rs they come
here that year, with the superior advan-
tage Of having all denominations equal in
the sight OF government. All the rulers
and chief men Of Europe belong 10 the
state religion, whatever il may be-. Al.
though our last two Presidents have been
PrcsbyieriaDs, the previous one was an
4
Mcthodisis; and going further back in
that line Of Presidents, We find Martin
Van Buren, Dutch Reformed; and John
Quincy Adams "a Unitarian; and mam's ;
religion in this country is neither hind.
rance nor advantage IN the matter of po.
liiical elevation. All Europe needs that.
/ al... IL hat 4 - rail-
ion is something between himself and his
God. aud il must not, directly or indirect.
~. bc intcriercd with.
Furthermore. during that exposition
Christian civilization will confront lar.
harsm. We shall as n nation have n
greater opportunity 10 make an cvangcliz.
ing impression upon foreign na,ionalities
ihnn would otherwise he afforded Us In n
quarter Of century. Let the churches oi
the city where the exposition is held lie
open every day and prayers be offered and
sermons preached and doxolosies sung.
In the less than three years between this
and that worlds cOnvOcation let us get n
baptism Oi the Holy Gh0si, 81 thai The siA
months Of that Worlds Fair shall bc iiily
Pcntccosis In one. aud instead of :.ONl
converted. as in the former Pcnlccosi,
hundreds of thousands will bs converted.
You must remember that the Pcniccost
mentioned in the Bible occurred when
there was no printing press, no books, no
Christian pamphlets. no religious ncwspa.
pers, and yet the influence was ircmcnd-
ous. How many naiionaliiics were ionc ''cd:
The account says; "Parihans and Mrlcs
and Elami,cs," that is, people from the
eastern countries; "phrygia and Pamphy
lia," that Il, the western countries "Cyrene
and strangers Of Rome, crctcs and Arab.
ians." that Is. the southern countries; hut
they were all moved by the mighty spec
tacle. Instead Of the III or is tribes Oi