The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1890-03-06

for these things? Not one of you with
out divine help. But get that influenc
and the editors and reporters and put
fishers, whether Of knowledge on fooI
as in a book, or knowledge on tn
wing, as in the newspaper. Ipray God
men of the newspaper press, whethe
you hear or read this sermon, that yo
may rise up to your full opportunit
and that you may be divinely helpet
and rescued and blessed.
THE PRESS HELPS THE GOSPEL.
Some one might say to me: How
can you talk thus Of the newspape
press, when you yourself have some
times been unfairly treated and mis-
represented p l answer that in the
opportunity the newspaper press of thi:
country and other countries have
given me week by week to preach the
Gospel to the nations, l am put under
so much obligation that defy all edi-
tors and reporters, the world over, to
write anything that shall call forth
from me one word of bitter retort
from now till the day of my death.
My opinion is, that all reformers and
religious teachers, instead of spending
SO much time and energy in denouncing
the press, had better spend more time
in thanking them for what they have
done for the worlds intelligence and
declaring their magnificent opportuni-
ty and urging their employment of it
all for benefcent and righteous pur
poses.
Again, l remark that Henry w.
Grady stood for Christian patriotism
irrespective of political spoils. He
could have been governor of Georgia,
but refused it. He could have been in the
senate of the United States, but declined
it. He remained plain Mr.. Grady.
Nearly all the other orators of the
political arena, as soon as the elections
are over, 60 to Washington, or AL
bany, or Harrisburg, or Atlanta, to
get in city or state or national office
reward for their services, and not get
ting what they want spend the rest of
the time of that administration in
pouting about the arrangements Of
public affairs or cursing Harrison or
Cleveland. When the great political
campaigns were over Mr.. Grady went
home to his newspaper. He demon
strated that it is possible to toll for
principles which he thought to be
right, simply because they were right.
Christian patriotism is too rare a
commodity in this country. Surely the
joy of living under such free institu-
tlons as those established here ought to
be enough reward for political fidelity.
Among all the great writers that stood
at the last presidential election on
Democratic and Republican platforms,
you cannot recall in your mind ten
who were not themselves looking for
remunerative appointments. Aye,
you can count them all on the fingers
of one hand. The most illustrious
specimen of that style of man for the
last ten years was Henry w. Grady.
Again Mr.. Grady stood for the new
South and was just what we want to
meet three other men, one to speak for
the new North, another for the new
East and another for the new West.
The bravest speech made for the last
quarter of century was that made by
Mr.. Grady at the New England din
ner in New York about two or three
years ago. l sat with him that
evening and know something of his
anxeties for he was to tread on dan
gerous ground and might by one mis-
spoken word have antagonized forever
both sections. His speech was a
victory that thrilled all of us who
heard him and all who read him.
That speech, great for wisdom, great
for kindness, great for paci6cation,
great for bravery, will go down to the
generations with Webster's speech at
Bunker Hill, William Wirt's speech at
the arriagnment of Aaron Burr, Ed
mund Burke's speech on Warren
Hastings, Robert Emmet's speech for
his own vindication.
LET US BURY sECTlONALIsM.
Who will in conspicous action rep
resent the new North as he did the
new South? Who shall come forth for
the new East and W no for the new
west? Let the old political issues be
buried, let old grudges die. Let new
thories be launched. With the COM
ing in of new nation at the gates at
Castle Garden every year, and the
wheat bin and corn crib of our land
enlarged with every harvest, and
vas. multitude of our population still
plunged in illiteracy to be educated,
and moral questions abroad involving
the very existence Of our republic, let
the old political platforms that are
worm eaten be dropped and platforms
that shall be made of two planks, the
one the Ten Commandments and the
other the Sermon on the Mount, lifted
Tor ali of US to stand on. But there
is lot of old politicians grumbling all
around the sky who don't want new
South, new North, new East or a
new West. They have some old war
speeches that they prepared in 1861,
that in all our autumnal elections they
feel called upon to inaict upon the
country. They growl louder and
louder in proportion as they are pushed
back further and further and the
Henry w. Gradys come to the front.
But the mandate, think, has gone
forth from the throne or God that a
new American nation shall take the
place of the old and the new has been