Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1889-12-03
Written for the O,fori D,mccrat
SOWING SEEDS.
S,, iri


II remains further to bc shown that
our cities are growing faster than the
country, aud the dangerous classes are
ccntraliylng therr.
In 1890 one-thlriieth ~ our Inhabitants
lived Ia citie. ~ 5000 aud over. in lsjO,
one-elghth: and In is>O. nearly one
fourth. During the half century pre-
ccling ls>O the population Ia the ciiies
increased more than four times as fasi
D.. that In the village. aud country. In
lSp1 there were Ouly siN cities IN the
United STATES that had q population ~
S.OJO ~ morr, aud In l>s0 there were two
hundred and clghty-.ix. In these ciiies
the immigrants CcniraliSe. aud there can
b. found all kinds II religion and ire
ligiOu. except the Mormon, not except
ing the wor-hiping ~ Idols aud burning
Incense. our ten large cities contain
only nine per cent ~ th. entire popula-
tion. but twenty-thrcc of the foreign.
While lees than One-thrl of the popula-
ton of the United states u foreign by
birth or parcniage, siNty-tNo per cent of
Cincinnati, sixty-three Of Boston, sixty
nlnc of Cleveland, elghiy-elght of New
York aud nlnety-one of Chicago, arc
foreign. Statistics show that there are
la these citie- more than twice a. many
.aloons per capita a. Ia the whole cOun-
try east Of the Mississippi River.
We have seen that the enginery for
evil has been multiplied In the cltie., aud
The important question arises, do We find
the restraining Influence Of municipal
law and the corrective influence of moral
ind religious training equally strOngt
~ to the government ~ the cities, u l.
only necessary to .ay their government
l. In the hands of the rum-selling and
law breaking portion ~ the community,
and a. to the moral aud religious iniiu-
enccs. We will turn on the light of sta
tIsiics tO show their status. In lssO
there was In the United states one evan
grlical church Organization 90 every SIG
~ the population. Ia Boston there was
one to l,0O0; Ia Chicago, one To 2,'rl !;
la New York. one tO 2,lG-. aud In ~.
ouis, one to 2.sOO. By this Ne SEE that
la the cities where there l. the most
urgent and pressing need, there arr only
one-hfih Ia one-thiri a. many churches
i. Ia the country at large. Including
rhurchc. of all sorts, ChlcagO had la
istO one to every 30 of the population,
aud In lsSO Only one to 3,trl. aud there
l. no evidence tending a. show this city
t0 be- an exception In this matter. The
I.ev. ". .. Cufts saws; II have discoy-
cred Ia the state Of New York city Of
JO. .OOO inhabitants, the majority Of whom
are English speaking, where there has
not been an English-speaking Protestant
church for twelve years. the only Prot
estant chunh having German services.
I have also discovered my citie- of TO-
90 Inhabitants In this state which have
but two Protestant churches each. and
many of these very small
There are to-day two directly opposite
opinions, both drawn from the scrip
tures. IN relation Ia the future political
destiny Of the world. While one believes
We are approaching the millennium,
where nations shall learn war NO more,
aud the spear aud the sword shall be-
made into agricultural implements, the
other believes that evil men aud seducers
-hall wax worse and worse. deceiying
and being deceived. How our young
heart. We're comforted and thrilled. more
than two score years ago, by good aud
piOus preachers holding up 10 our view
the near dawn of the Millennium by
the eye Of Imagination We could see the
reflection of the sun of Peace from be-
low the horizon; We could see the refiec-
iion ~ it, banners painted upon the blue
arch ~ Heaven and waving over all the
nations Of the earth. What pity that
the experiences Of life, between that
time and the present, should dispel those
fair dreams!
We have lived TO see great red lines Of
blood drawn over all the pages Of Euro
pesn history, aud great allied armies
pouring out deluges of blood upon many
fields of fate. We have lived TO see four
years Of bloody war nj home, converting
the vast domain between the Potomac
and the Gulf of Mexico into one vast
camp Of soldiers, expending upon one
aide alone more than two thousand mil