St. Paul daily globe., 1892-10-17

Rev. w. S. Vail took the subject o.
the celebration Of the quodrocentennial
anniversary Of the discovery Of America
for an interesting sermon yesterday.
''What, aside from the political issues
of the day, is the one topic that is filling
the public mind?" asked the preacher
and answered that all would say. with
one consent, "The Columbian celebra-
tion." What are the memories that to-
day are filling the air? The picture of
Palos; the reconstructed images of the
curious crafts; the sight of men sailing
to an unknown sea in order to find an
unknown passage to distant land.
And then underneath all this the temper
of age that had waited long for the
light and was sighting the flash OF red
that Indicated the coming morning.
And then the spirit of adventure always
present in hnman nature-that endOW-
ment that seems to have no reason for
existence. but plays one of the most
important parts played at all in the
history of the worlds advancement.
And the speaker in giving this intro
duction gave description of Columbus
as he then was, his relation to the king
and queen of Spain and the appearance
of the strange ships as they moved
out of the harbor of Palos and fioated
away on an unknown ocean. "Are we
here to study Columbus in this connec-
ton? No." said the speaker, "but let
| this serve as a window that connects
the present with this view of the past.
We are not here to go into any elaborate
consideration of the past, nor to con-
slider the fact by itself; but to consider
the phenomenon of a hundred jubilee
meetings that are being held every
where, and to look at the fact that such
widely different views prevail as to the
purpose, the influence and the meaning
of it all as that meaning is indicated in
che present condition of the word. The
| speaker asked his hearers to go to one
banquet where a man of ability. SINGER
Ity and energy is speaking of it, and
emphasizing the declaration that it
was Gods opportunity for the Catholic
church; and this man points out the
zeal, sacrifice and energy of the mis-
sionary who planted the cross by South
ern rivers, amid Northern SHOWS and on
the prairies OF the West. Another man
comes before the New England society,
and as he speaks we have unrolling be-
fore us
Panorama of the OIden Days,
of the New England attempt to base
civil government on the law of Moses,
and all the peculiar ideas of the Plym-
outh and Salem and Boston settlements
come to us again. And this man points
out the organization of the public
school and the establishment of the
Puritan church. He speaks with great
pride of the zeal of those men in re-
ligion and education; of their subordi-
Of n tn IN
tereSts; of the general elevation of he
tone of the society developed in this
new governm/Ht. And there are still
others who %0ok upon this as an acci-
dent-like Lhe finding of gold vein
when you are seeking for game-but an
accident that opened the way for a
purely secular life. a purely secular
thought, apart from all religious
movements, and to an extent against
tim. Here is the phenomenon
want to consider 1t is not unlike
the appearance of two religious bodies
i'm convention in which each devontly
thanks God that he is right. 1t is not
unlike Cromwell and the Catholics on
the battle field, where the one cried
God is on our side,' and the other an
swered, God is with u.s. 1t Is not un-
like the Federal general Howard de-
voutly praying in his tent for the direc
ton of God, while the Confederate
general Jackson, member of the same
church. was praying to the same God
for victory. 1t is peculiar phenom-
enon, and it is nothing less.
Now" said the speaker, "Our eXpla-
nation and our attitude will depend on
certain fundamental ideas; and. while
we may not be conscious of these, they
| play the important part in our work !;
| and perhaps consideration of these
| will help us in our estimate of the
| whole problem.
"What do you believe is the attitude of
| Cod toward the world? But is that a
| proper question? That is the only
| proper question, because it is that that
is coloring your view. What is it in the
| Ieighborhood of the Great Salt Lake as
| gives the summer glory-the heavy sun
| light weighted with gold-the blue that
tips the mountains-the perspective SO
! far-reaching-the harmony that fills you
| with the same feeling that you have
| when vou hear music or read a rarely
imagin ative poem? What makes the
scene what it is? That you may not
| know. If you are seeking enjoyment,
| you do not care. But there is a cause.
or a number of causes. that your pro-
fessor of physics would delight in un-
| =
| are causes for these diyergenceS at this
| period of Columbian discussion, and
| your minds may well dwell upon them
for awhile. But do men have
Diferent Ideas of Code
! Certainly. Some men hold that He is
outside of the world i'll some elevated
| lookout, and is governing the world
| just as a general governs battle
that is, moving battalion here, resting
one there, preparing to surprise his
enemies i'll charge at the ford, stealing
around by way Of the mountain to rush
upon them without arOusing their sus-
picion in another place. In word,
| they hold the belief in a God who acts
| and moves as a general with an oppoS.
| ing army to conquer. And what infiu-
! ence does it have? 1t makes men par
tisan. 1t explains why there is Seem-
! ingiy great growth of some influence
| that is against the church; for is not
| Gods battalion rounding the mountain
| and will they not sweep down on these
| hordes by and by? And when YOU can
not explain thing in any other way. is
| it not easy to say that tod is getting
| ready with his GatlIng guns, ana lie
| will give hot shot to these pretenderS
after while? But vino are the people
| to whom this is directed? 1t is not di-
| recJeu 10 any people. ANY man WHO
| holds that idea that | have described
| will be likely To hold any and all of
| these ideas. He may be of one persua-
sion or another: the idea goes below ali
| persuasions. and it is comnion in the
! religious phraseology OF the church.
But now suppose we take a different
view of the character Of God and His
relation to the world.
| We may use the VOID Father as the