Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-11-10

dus Ak, Is.
My teNt informs you that the lightning,
and earthquakes united their forces to wreck
a mountain OF Arabia PetrBa in olden time
and travellers today finds heaps OF porphyr,
and greensboro rocks, howlder against bowl
der. the remains OF the first law library
written. not on parchment or papyrus. hut
On shattered slabs % granite The corner
stones OF all morality, OF all wise law. OF al
righteous Jurisprudence, of all good Govern.
| ment are the two tablets OF stone on which
were written the Ten Commandments.
All Roman law, all French law, all English
| law. all American law that Is worth ANYTHING
all common law. civil law, criminal law,
martial law, law OF Nations were rocked in
the cradle OF thetwentieth chapter OF Exodus.
| And II would be well in these times Of great
political agitation If ths newspapers would
print the Decalogue some day in place of the
| able editorial. The fact is that some people
! suppose that the law has passed out of exist
| ence and some are not aware OF some OF the
passages of that law, and others say this or
! that is OF the more importance, when no one
| has any right TO make such an assertion
These laws are the pillars of society, and II
you remove one pillar you damage the whole
structure.
l have noticed that men are particularly
vehement against sins to which they are not
particularly tempted and find ho especial
wrath against sins in which they them
selves indulge. They take out one gun from
this battery OF ten guns, and load that,
and unlimber that, and fire that. They
say, "This is an Armstrong gun, and this
! Is Krupp gun. and this is Nordenfeldt
five-barreed gun, and this is Calling ten
barreled gun, and this is a Martini thirty
seven-barreled gum" But | have to tell
them that they are all oithe same caliber,
and that they shoot from eternity to eternity.
Many questions are before the people in
the elections all over this land, but | shall
! try to show you that tho most important
| thing to be settled about all these candidates
ls their personal, moral character. The Dec
nloGue forhids idolatry, image making, pro-
! family, malt-eatment OF parents, Sabbath
! desecration, murder, theft incontinence,
| lying and covetousness. That is tho Deca-
| logue by which you and | will have to be
tried, and by the same Decalogue you and
must try candidates for Office.
OF course We shall not find anything like
! perfection. II We do not vote until we find
an immaculate nominee, we will never vote
at all. We have so many faults Of our own
we ought not to be censorious or maledic-
tory or hypercritical in regard to the faults
oiothers. The Christly rule Is as appropriate
for November as any other month In the
year. Judge not that we be not judged,
Tor with what measure we mete 1t shall be
measured TO you again"
Most certainly are we not to take the state
ment OF redhot partisanship as the real char
acter OF any man. From nearly all tho great
cities of this land receive daily or weekly
newspapers. sent to me regularly and in com.
pliment so | see both sdes-I see all sides
and it is most entertaining and most regular
amusement to read the opposite statements
! Tho one statement says the man is an angel
and the other says he is devil, and split
the difference and find him half way be-
tween.
There never has been an honest or respec-
table man running Tor the United States
presidency, or for a judgeship, or for the
mayoralty, or for the shrievalty since the
foundation OF the American Government, II
we may believe the old files of the newspa-
pers in the museums. What a mercy it ia
that they were not all hung before they were
inaugurated II a man believe one-half OF
what he sees IN the newspapers in these
times, his career will be very short outside OF
Bloomingdale insane asylum.
was absent two or three years ago dur
ing one week OF political canvass, and [
was dependent entirely upon what read in
regard to what had occurred In these Cities
and read there was procession in New
York OF 5000 patriots and a minute after
read in another sheet that there were II ,0OO
and then read In regard to another process
sion that there were &c, 900, and then read
In another paper that there were 60, 900.
campaign orator in the Rink or the
Academy OF Music received a very cold re-
ception-a very chilling reception-said one
statement. The other statement said the
audience rose at him. So great was the en-
thusiasm that for long while the orator
could not be heard, and it was only after lift
ing his hand that the vocferation began 10
substde Ono statement will twist an inter
view one way, and another statement will
twist an interview another way. You must
admit il is a very difficult thing in times like
these to get very accurate estimate OF u
mans character, and charge you, as your
religious teacher, [ charge you to caution
and to mercifuIness and to prayer.
warn you also against the mistake which
many are making and always do make OF ap-
plying different standard Of character for
those in prominent position from the stand
ard they applyfor ordinary persons. However
much man may have or however high the
position he gets, he has no especial liberty
given him In the Interpretation OF the Ten
Commandments. A great sinner is no moro
to be excused than small sinner. Do not
charge nlustri0us detection to eccentricity
or onop or the Ten Commandments 10 suit
especial cases. The right is evorlastingly
right, and the wrong is everlastingly wrong
II any man nominated for any office In this
city or State differs from the Decalogue, do
not fix up the Decalogue, but fix him up.
The law must stand. whatever else must fall.
call your attention also TO the fact that
you are all aware of-that the breaking OF
one commandment makes 1t the more easy TO
break all of them--and the philosophy Is
plain. Any kind Of sin weakens the con-
science, and If the conscience Is weakened
that opens the door for all kinds o. trans
gresslon. II, for instance, man 20 into this
political campaign welding scurrllity as his
chief weapon, and he believes everythingbad
about man and believes nothing good, how
long before that man himself will get over
the moral depression. Neither in time nor
eternity.
If utter falsehood in regard to n man, I
may damage him, but get for myself ten |
fold more damage. That is a gun that kicks. !
III, for instance. Is man be profane under pro- |
vocation he will commit any crime. | say |
under provocation. For, II a man will NAL |
treat the Lord Almighty, would he not NAL
treat his fellow man? If man be guilty Of !
malfeasance in office, he will Under proyoaa-
tion commit any sin. He who will steal will |
lie, and he who will lie will steal
II, for instance, a man be impure, 1t opens
the door for all other iniquity, for In that
one iniquity he commits theft OF the worst
Kind, and covetousness OF the worst kind,
and falsehood pretending to be decent
Ehen he Is not--and maItreats his parents by
disGracing their name, II they were good.
Ve careful, therefore, how you charge that
sin against any man either in high place O,
low place, either in office or ont OF Office
because when you make that charge against
a man you charge him with all vilalnies,
with all disgusting propensities with ali
rottenness.
libertine Is beast lower than the yer.
min that crawl over summer CARCASS
lower than the swine, for the swine has no
intelligence to sin against. Be careful then,
how you charge that against any man,
You must be so certain that Mathematical
demonstration is doubtful as compared with
1t. "'''
And then, when you investigate rhan on
such subjects, you must go to the whole
length OF investigation and find out whether
or not he has repented. He may hAvn been