Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-08-12

ana essential to the safety of the state,
and such schools should be flee from
ecclesiastical bias. These schools are the
power and pride OF our American institu-
tons. and they should have taught in
them only the English language.
Foreign languages taught in our
schools will pervert the true English Ian.
gusge and destroy much of our accent
which Is so essential to our English liter
ature. and the speaking correctly of the
English language. Every other language
save the English language should be
abolished from our public schools with
out al apology. You have no more right
| to teach the German or French language
| in our free schools than you have to
teach the Italian, Swedish. Norwegian,
Holland or Hebrew. All should be de-
barred from bringing their national Ian
guages into our English free schools.
| What we want to know in the United
States IS not how To read. imperfectly in
/ n dozen languages, but how TO read well
| in ono language.
Besides reading from the Bible as
text book in our schools. let part of the
time be spent in teaching patriotism.
love of country, love of our flag, love OF
Washington, Lincoln and all American
patriots. Tell the children what it all
means, and we will see the grsndest re.
suits, and ere long the most gifted pa
triots that the world has ever seen.
Orangemen believe, and so do l. that all
persons disloyal to this government or
inImical to our public schools or to the
Bible should be rigidly excluded from
governing them or teaching therein.
Orangemen believe they owe slle~
glance to the state, and no ecclesiastical
power has authority over nor should be
permitted to interfere with the relations
tof the citizen in the exercise of his moral
and civil rights. And any religious
power thus interfering should be pun.
ished rs perpetrating crime against the
state. Most of the Orangemen are Irish
Protestants. who, when they come TO this
| country, do not ask to have the Irish
American" combination. They consider
America good enough for nationality.
AMI Irish is left at the place from whence
they came. l am one of those who be
lieve that when foreigners adopt this
country as their own they should leave
behind them their foreignisms. There
should be no German Americans. Swede
American. English. French or Irish
American or any other prefix to the name
American. A nsturalized foreigner is an
American or he is not. and il he does not
so consider himself he had better re-
turn 10 his native country and abide the
remnant of his days, for this country has
no use for men who are only half Ameri
leans.
You no doubt are all familiar with the
history of the reformation in Holland.
where William the Silent lived and died
for the cause of freedom; also of the re-
formation in Germany and Switzerland
as well as in the British islands These
countries had the Bible; they were re-
formed through the truth.
| Every student of history aud every
candid, unprejudiced observer must ac-
knowledge that all the true greatness.
greatness of characteE which distin
guishes Great Britain from the Spain of
today, che owes directly to the word of
God. To you my friends the truth of
the gospel ought to be very dear, and you
ought to esteem it very highly for the
sake Of Christ who gave himself for you
In order TO enjoy the full freedom of the
truth you must not only have the Bible in
your homes and read it with your fam
lilies, but receive the truth into your
heart. that il may be vitalized in your
soul and make you free indeed
Having been made free in the largest
and best sense of the word, there re-
mains very much for every man made
free by the truth TO do. Threatening
clouds rise above the horizon of this re-
public. Some of them may not be larger
than mans hand-like the one Elijah
saw-but afterwards became q terrific
storm. There are those whose vision is
better than ours who tremble at the mag
nitude of the gathering clouds. There is
only one power that can dispel darkness,
and that is light. There are various
forms of worldhness and seltishness and
gh-handed wickedness rampant in our
land-Anarchism and Sabbath desecra-
ton in high and low places, and drunk
enness In the sight of our homes and
| churches. Also growing power of art
full hierarchy. claiming superiority to
every law on earth and the right to de
pose princes and kings. What shall we
say TO this monster claim, | say to you:
Live as q free man liberated to serve
God" Hold fast to the truth and seek in
every way to disseminate it. The future
of your country's honor depends on the
place which Is given to the scriptures.
For they are able TO- make us wise unto
salvation through faith which is in Christ
Jesus"