Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-09-28

like the drunken bout at the metropolitan
Opera House, New York, celebrating the
centennial Of Washington's Inauguration,
where the rivers of wine drowned the
sobriety of so many senators and govern
ors and generals, but banquet for the
poor the feeding of scores of thousands of
people of a world in which the majority
of the inhabitants havcSpever yet had
enough to eat. Not banquet at which
few favored men and women of social or
political fortune shall Sit but such n ban
uuet as Christ ordered when he told his
servants to go out into the highways and
hedges and compel them to come in" Let
the mayors Of cities, aud the governors of
states. and the president of the United
States proclaim whole week of legal hol-
iday, at least from Christmas day to New
Years day.
Added to this let there be at that inter
national moral and religious exposition
mammoth distribution of sacred literature.
Let the lending ministers of religion from
ENGLAND, Scotland, Ireland, France, Ger
many and the world take the pulpits of all
these cities and tell what they know of him
whose birth we celebrate At those convo-
cations let vast sums of money be raised for
churches, for asyums for schools, for col
leges, all of which institutions were born
in the heart of Christ. On that day and in
that season when Christ gave himself to
the world, let the world give itself to him.
WHY AMERICA?
Why do propose America as the coun-
try for this convocatiouy Because most
other lands have a state religion and while
all forms of religion may be tolerated in
many lands America is the only country
on earth where all evangelical denomina-
tions stand on an even footing, and all
would have equal hearing in such an inter
national exposition Why do | select this
cluster of seacOast cities? Auswer-By that
time-Dec p, l900-these four cities of New
York, Brooklyn, Jersey City and Hoboken,
by bridges and tunnels, will be practically
one, and with an aggregate population of
about 100000. Consequently 10 other
part of America will have such immensely
of population.
Why do now make this nomination of
time and place? Answer-Because such a
stupendous movement cannot be extern
ported. 1t will take seven years TO get
ready for such an uvcrtuwering celebra-
ton and the work ought to begin speedily
in churches, in colleges, in legislatures in
congresses, in parliaments, in all styles Of
national assemblages, and we have no
time to lose. 1t would take three years to
make a programme worthy of such a COM
ing together.
Why do | take it upon myself to make
such nomination of time and place? An
swer-Because it so happens that in the
mysterious providence of God, born in a
farmhouse and of no royal or princely de-
scent the doors of communication arc open
to me every week by the secular and reli-
gious printing presses and have been open
to me every week for many years, with all
the cities and towns and neighborhoodS of
Christendom, and indeed in lands outside
OF Christendom, where printing presses
have been established, and | feel that if
there is anything worthy in this propcsi-
ton it will be needed and adopted.
On the other hand, if it be too sanguine
or too hopeful or too impractical, I am
sure it will do no harm that | have eX-
pressed my wish for such an international
jubilee, celebrative of the birth of our I'm
/ manuel. My friends, such birthday cele-
4 blation at the close of one century and
reaching into new century would be
/ something in which heaven and earth
/ could join. 1t would not only be interua-
| tional, but interplanetary, interstellar, in
Reconsideration. If you remember what
occurred on the first Christmas night, you
49, '''''' - "'' NV " J'' No''''"NN W o''i
ine 'hoii noo' 'G'hielein was lilporU-
ca run "N',net Noii''' "'iu "neH 'he sur
iclO us usual sphere " ,'esi5 lia,c tne plrUh-
/ Plact d'l"9OroiloIiS IelU One vnrlll' tnere oe
on! '"'nS ''ue ""o"O o"' iTllS!oH' ~ ~ NAV
o'her worms arc sSnlPu.he'lc WIN uils
"oriu ana ia communication win IT, Inc
Elor.neu Ui heaven "ouiu ol'l III s''cll cele-
uratioi'' ne general IONS ClaC tol4eu 10 nave
/ the Woilu Ior hrls' "ouiu Jake part Ill such
JuDlIaIloii anu prolonseu asaehiplaSe' loe
upper SalierleS Oh T'ou universe would APP
plauu 'he Hce"e' WHe'neI we hedtu tne cap
/ OF the!r wings ana Tue SnouC OF their voices
/ OF ana hou near Vhehl.
Prophets VINO preuicle'' Ihe Messiah ana
apostles VINO talkec win NM ana martyrs
VINO uieu lor MIN "ouiu take part In the
scene, thouSh 10 our poor eye7lSht tney
might DE lhVlsloie. Inc o!u missionaries
WHO uleu III the inaIdriil sWainps OF Africa
orWere slruch uoWh ny egyptian typhus
or were butchered ao l-uchhoW, or, We're
siam ny hofneS'au ca'iiiioals' "o'io come