The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-05
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
he BROOKLYN DIVINES SUN.
DAY SERMON.
inject. 1.-THE Ark Of the American
Covenant"

bject. "The Ark Of the American
Covenant"
TEXT: "Ttco cubits and half ,Oas the
bgth of it. and q cubit and q half the
eadth of It, and q cubit and q half the
fght of il. i."-Exodus x11vii, l.
Look at 1.-THE sacred chest Of the, an
bt wide and three feet high. 1t was
thin and out of pure gold. On the
D OF it stood two angels facing each
her with outspread wings. In that
cred box was the law, and there
pre- in it great many precious stones.
krried in front Of the host, the waters of
3 Jordan parted. Divinely charged, cost.
precious, momentous box. No unholy
nds might lay ho!d Of it. 1t was called the
K of the covenant. But you will under
and it was box, the most precious box OF
3 ages. Where is it now2 Gone forever.
BIT a crypt of church or museum Of the
prld has fragment Of it.
But is not this nation Gods chosen people!
ave we not passed through the Red Seai
Rve we not been led with pillar Of fire by
Ent9 Yes, the ballot box, the sacred chest
the nation, the ark Of the American cove
Int,
4rit is the law, in it is the divine and the
6man will, in it is the fate of the nation.
hrried in front Of our host again and again
Ae waters of national trouble have parted.
Lightly ark of the covenant, the American
kllot box! 1t is very old box.
In Athens, long before the art Of printing,
be people dropped pebbles into it to give ea-
Hession to their sentiments. After that
pans were dropped into it-a white bean for
le affirmative, black bean for the mega
We. After that, when they wished to vote
man out of citiz nship, they would write his
Bme upon she'll and drop that into the box
O'Connell and Grote and Golden aud Ma
&ulay and Gladstone fought great battles in
lie introduction of the ballot boxes in Eng
Ind, and to-day it is one Of the fastnesSes Of
hat nation. 1t is one of the corner stones Of
hr government. 1t is older than the consti-
|htion. In it is our national safety. Tell me
That will be the fate of the American ballot
|ox, the ark of the American covenant, and
Mill tell you what will be the fate of this
htson. Give the people once year, or once
four years, an opportunity to express their
|bliticaJ sentiments, and you practically
void insurrection and revolution.
Either give them the ballot or they will
hike the sword. Without the ballot box there
= be no free republican institutions. Mil
visiting in Italy noticed that on the sides
q Vesuvius gardeners and farmers were at
FORK while the volcano was in eruption, and
|e asked them if they were safe "Y, S." said
he farmers and the gardeners, lit is safe;
ll the danger is before the eruption; tnen
omes earthquake and terror, but just as
bon as the volcano begins to pour forth lava
N fool OF y.oct ic tho cnnnraScinp nf
|olitical sentiment, the suppression Of
|ublic opinion, that makes moral earth
uake and national earthquake. Let pub
(c opinion pour forth, and that gives
ktisfaction, and that gives peace, and
hat gives permanency to good govern
aent. And yet, though the ballot box is the
acred chest and tie ark of the American
ovenant, you know as well as know it has
IS sworn antagonists, and I propose this
aorning, in Gods name and as Christian
atriot to set before you the names of some
rk of the American covenant, the ballet
OK.
First, I remark, ignorance is mighty foe.
)ther things being equal, the more intelli-
ence q man has the better he is qualified to
xercise the right Of suffrage You have
,een ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty years study
ne American institutions; you have can.
'assed all the great questions about tariff and
ome rule and all the educational questions,
hd everything in Americen politics you are
bell acquainted with. You consider your
elf competent to cast vote next Tuesday,
nd you are confident. You will take your
or your turn to come, the judge Of election
yill announce your name, you will cast your
,ote and pass out. Well done.
But right behind you there will come
nan who cannot spell the name Of comp
roller, or attorney or mayor. He cannot
vrite, or if he can write he uses small Il"
or the personal pronoun. He could not tell
N which side Of the Allegheny mountains
)hio is. Educated canary birds, educated
lorses know more than he. He will cast his
'ote and it will balance your vote. His ig-
torrance is as mighty as your intelligence:
That is not right All men Of fair mind will
that that is not right. Until a
nan can read the Declaration Of Independ-
nee and the constitution Of the United
States, and calculate the interest on the
American debt, and know the difference be-
ween Republican form of government and
monarchy or despotism, he is unfit to ex-
Fcise the right Of suffrage at any ballot box
,etween Key West and Alaska.
In 1872 in England there were 9 GOO, 900
children who ought to have been in school,
There were only 1888, 900, in other words,
bout so per cent, and Of the SO per cent. not
more than Per cent. got anything worthy
he name of an education. Now, take that
'oreign ignorance and add it to our American
ignorance, and there will be in November
and thousands Of people who are
10 more qualified to exercise the right OF sui
rage than TO lecture on astronomy. How
ne these things to be corrected? By laws Of
,empulsory education, we'll executed. 60
~ for a law which. after giving fair warming
;or a few years, shall make ignorance
rhine. There is no excuse for Ignorance on
hese subjects in this land, where the common
chools make knowledge as free as the fresh
Iir OF heaven. would have board OF ex-
animation seated beside the officers OF regis
ration, and let them decide whether the men
Who come up to vote have any capacity 10
,e monarchs in a land where we are all mon
rchs. One of the most awful foes OF the
American ballot box to-day is popular lgnor-
nee. Educate the people, give them an op-
,ortunity to know and understand what
hey do If they will not take the educa-
ion, deny them the vote.
Another powerful enemy Of this sacred
hest the ark Of the American covenant, the
,allot box. is spurious voting. In lSeO, IN
there were q thousand names re-
orded Of persons who had no residence here.
md il there were a thousand attempted
fraudulent votes in the best city on the con-
inent, what may we expect in cities not 80
ortunate? What grand thing is the law OF
egistration! Without it elections in this
country would be farce. There must be
crutiny on this subject. The law must have
,eenest twist for the neck ofrepeaters. Some
hing more than slight fine and short i'm
,risonment. It is an attempt at the assassin
.tion Of the Republic when man attempts
o put in a spurious vote. In olden times
Ehen men laid unhcly hands on the ark OF
he covenant they dropped down dead. Wit
less Uzzah. And when men attempt to put
lnholy hands on the American ballot box,
;he ark Of the American covenant they de-
,erve determination.
Another powerful foe Of this sacred chest