The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1889-10-11

6lte OF 6ucn expOSlClOu-auu won
der not that some Ave or six of ou
cities are struggling to have II, for /
will give to any city to which II is as
signed an impulse Of prosperity for ,
hundred years-I say, leaving Il
others the selection Of the particular 10
cality to be thus honored, want to say
some things from the point of Chris
tian patriotism which ought to be said
and the earlier the better, tAat w
get thousands Of people talking in thu
right direction, and that will make
healthful public opinion. beg you
to consider prayerfully what I fee
called upon Of God as an American
citizen and as preacher of righteous
ness to utter.
STOP THROWING MUD.
My first suggestion is that it is moi
wise, as certainly it is not Christian,
to continue this wide and persistent
attempt of American cities to belittle
and depreciate other cities. It has
been going on for years, but now the
spirit seems to eliminate in this dis
cussion as to where the Worlds fair
shall be held, a style of discussion
which has a tendency to injure the
success of the fair as a great moral
and patriotic enterprise, after the To-
cality has been decided upon. There
is such thing as healthful rivalry
between cities, but you will bear
me out in saying that there can be no
good to come from the unoanny things
said about each other by New York
and Chicago, by Chicago and St.
Louis, by st. Paul and Mime
apolis, by Tacoma and Seattle, and all
through the states by almost every
two proximate cities. All cities, like
individuals, have their virtues and
their vices All our American cities
should be our exultation. What
churchesl What public libraries
What asylums of mercyl What acade-
mics of musicl What mighty men in
law and medicine and art and scholar
ship! What schools and colleges and
universities! What women radiant
and gracious and an improvement on
all the generations of women since
Eve! What philanthropists who do
not feel satisfied with their own chari-
ties until they get into the hundreds
of thousands and the millionsl What
Goods acres" for the dead, gardens of
beauty and palaces of marble for those
who sleep the last sleep! Now stop
your SANDER of American cities. Do
you say they are the centers Of crime
and political corruption2 Please ad
NIT the fact that they are centers of
intelligence and generosity and the
patrons of architecture and
sculpture and painting and music and
reservoirs of religious influence for all
the continent. It will be we'll for the
country districts to cease talking
against the cities, and it will be well
for the city of one locality to stop
talking against the cities of other To-
calities. New York will not get the
Worlds fair by depreciating Chicago,
and Chicago will not get the Worlds
fair by bombarding New York.
RELIGION SHOULD NOT GIVE WAY.
Another suggestion concerning the
coming exposition: let not the mate
realistic and monetary idea overpower
the moral and religious. During that
exposition, the first time in all their
lives, there will be thousands of
people from other lands who will see
4 country without state religion. Let
Us by an increased harmony among all
denominations of religion, impress
other nationalities, as they come here
hat year, with the superior advantage
If having all denominations equal in
he sight of government. All the
.ulers and chief men of Europe belong
e. the state religion, whatever it may
oe. Although our last two presidents
nave been Presbyterians, the previous
one was an Episcopalian; and the
;wo previous, Methodists; and going
'urther back in that line of presidents,
We find Martin Van Buren, a Dutch
and John Quincy Adams
| Unitarian; and mans religion in
his country is neither hindrance nor
advantage in the matter of political
elevation. All Europe needs that.
All the world needs that A mans
'eligion is something between him
elf and his God, and it must not, d.
'ctly or indirectly, be interfered with.
CIVILIZATION VS.. BARBARISM.
Furthermore, during that exposi-
ion, Christian civilization will con-
ront barbarism. We shall as a ma
ion have a greater opportunity to
make an evangelizing impression
,pon foreign nationalities, than would |
otherwise be afforded us in quar-
err of a century. Let the churches
# the city where the exposition is
leld be open every day, and prayers
'e offered and sermons preached and
loxologies sung. In the less than
hree years between this and that
worlds convocation, let us get bap-
ism of the Holy Ghost. so that the
tx months of that worlds fair shall
'e fifty Pentecosts in one, and instead
# three thousand converted, as in the
ormer Pentecost, hundreds of thou
ands will be converted. You must
emember that the Pentecost men
Toned in the Bible occurred when
here was no printing press, no books,
10 Christian pamphlets, no religious
newspapers, and yet the influence was
How many nationalities
we're toucheda The account says:
'Parthians and Modes and Elamites,"
hat is, people from the eastern coun-
ries; ''Phrygia and Pamphylia, that
J, the western countries; "Cyrene and