The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1893-11-17

text:
Some therefore cried one thing. and some
another; for the assembly was confrsedi end
The more part knew not wherefore they were
come together. fId they drew Alexander out
OF the nauititude, the Jews putting him forward.
Aad Alexander beckoned with the hand, and
would have made his defense unto the people.
But when they knew that he was Jew. all
with one voice about the space Of TIVE hours
cried out: Great Is Diana OF the Ephesians."
Acts T., 1874
Ephesus was upside down. 1t was
about the silver question. A~manu-
facturer of silver boxes for holding
heather images had called his laborers
together to discuss the behavior of one
Paul, who had been in public places
assanlting image-worship, and conse-
quently very much damaging that
particular business There was great
excitement in the city. People stood
in knots along the streets, violently
gesticulating; and calling each other
hard names. Some of the people
favored the policy of the silversmith;
other people favored the policy of
Paul. There were great moral ques-
tions involved; but these did not
bother them at all. The only ques-
tion about which they seemed to be in
terested was concerning the wages
and the salaried positions. The silver
smith and his compeers had put up
factories at great expense for the max
ing Of these silver boxes, and now, if
the new policy is to be inaugurated,
the business will go down, the
laborers will be thrown out of employ
ment, and the whole city will suffer.
Well, what is to be done? "Call a con-
vention," says some one; for in all ages
a convention has been a panacea for
public evils. The convention is called,
and, as they want the largest room in
the city, they take the theate7. Hav-
ing there assembled, they all want to
get the floor, and they all want to talk
at once. You know what excitement
that always makes in convention,
where a great many people want to
talk at once. Some cried one thing,
some cried another. Some wanted to
denounce, some wanted to resolve
After awhile a prominent man gets the
floor, and he begins to speak; but they
very soon hiss him down. and then the
confusion rises into worse uproar, and
they begin to shout, all of them to-
gether, and they keep on until they
are red in the face and hoarse in the
throat, for two long hours crying out:
"Great is Diana of the Ephesians Great
Is Diana of the Ephesians!"
The whole scence reminds me of the
excitement we have almost every
autumn at the elections. While that
goddess Diana has lost her worshipers,
and her temples have gone into the
dust, our American people want to set
up god in place of it, and they want
us all to bow down before it; and that
god is political party. Considering our
superior civilization, have to declare
to you that the Ephesian idolatry was
less offensive in the sight of God than
is this ill-absorbing American partisan
ship.
While there are honest men, true
men, Christian men, who stand in both
political parties, and who come into
the autumnal elections resolving to
serve their city or their state or their
nation in the best possible way, Ihave
noticed also that with many it is a
mere contest between the ms and outs
those who are trying to stay in and
keep the outs out, and those who out
trying to get in and thrust the ms out
And one party cries: ''Great is Diana
of the Ephesians!" and the other party
cries: "Great is Diana of the Ephe-
sians!" neither of them honest enough
to say: Great is my pocket-boolx!''
Once or twice a year it is my custom
to talk to the people about public af-
fairs from what / call a Christian
standpoint, and this morning l have
chosen for that duty. / hope to say
practical word. History tells us of a
sermon once preached amidst the high
lands of Scotland-a sermon two hours
long-on the sin of luxury, where there
were not more than three pairs of
shoes in the audience: and during our
last war a good man went into a hos
pital distributing tracks, and gave a
tract on ''The Sin of Dancing" to a
man both of whose legs had been am
putatedl But hope this morning to
present an appropriate and adapted
word, as next Tuesday, at the ballot
box, great affairs are to be settled
Rev. DIR. Emmons, in the early history
of our country, in Massachusetts,
preached about the election of
Thomas jefferson to the presidency
Rev. DIR. Mayhem, of Boston, in
the early days of the republic,
preached about the repeal of the stamp
act. There are times when ministers
of Christ must look off upon public af-
fairs and discuss them. We need go
back to no example Every man il,
before God, responsible for his own
duty. If the Norwegian boasts of his
home of rocks, and the Siberian is
pleased with his land of perpetual
snow, if the Roman thought that the
muddy Tiber was the favored river in
the sight of Heaven, and if the Lcp-
lander shivers out his eulogy of his ma
tive cline. and if the Chinese have pity
for anybody born outside of the Glow
cry kingdom" shall not we, born un-
der these fair skies, and standing day
by day amidst these glorious liber-
ties, be public-spirited? / propose to
tell the people very plainly what con-
slider to be their Christian duty at the
ballot-box.
First, set yourself against all politi-
cal falsehood. The most monstrous
lies ever told in this country are dur
ing the elections. ] stop at the door of
a democratic meeting and listen and
hear that the republicans are liars,
stop at the door of a republican meet
ing and listen, aud hear that the dem
ocrats are scoundrels. Our public men
microscopized, and the truth distorted.
Who believes tenth part of what he
reads or hears in the autumnal cleo
tions? Men who at other seasons of