The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-09-29

not like the drunken bout at the Metro
politan Opera House, New York, cele-
brating the centennial Of Washington's
Inauguration, where the rivers Of wine
drowned the sobriety of so many sem
ators and governors and generals, but u
banquet for the poor, the feeding Of
scores of thousands of people of world
in which the majority of the inhabitants
have never yet had enough to eat, not
n banquet at which a few favored men
and women of social or political fortune
shall sit, but such a banquet as Christ
ordered when he told his servants to Ego
out into the highways and hedges and
compel them to come In" Let the may
ors of cities and the governors of states
and the president Of the United States
proclaim a whole week of legal holiday
at least from Christmas day to New
Years day.
Added to this let there be at that in
ternational moral and religious EXPOSE
ton u mammoth distribution Of sacred
literature. Let the leading ministers Of
religion from England, Scotland, Ire
land, France, Germany and the world
take the pulpits of all these cities and
tell what they know of him whose birth
we celebrate. At those convocations let
vast sums of money be raised for
churches, for asylums, for schools, for
colleges, 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 tho world give
itself to him.
Why do propose America as the coun-
try for this convocation? Because most
other lands have state religion, and
while all forms of religion may be toler-
ated in many lands America is the only
country on earth where all evangelical
denominations stand on an even footing,
and all would have equal hearing in such
an international exposition. Why do /
select this cluster of seacoast citiesy
Answer-By that time-Dec. 25, 1900
these four citis of New York, Brook
lyn, Jersey City and Hoboken, by
bridges and tunnels, will be practically
one and with an aggregate population
of about 100000 Consequently no
other part of America will have such
imncnsity Of population.
Why do / now make this nomination
of time and place? Answer-Because
such stupendous movement cannot be
extemporized. 1t will take seven years
to get ready for such an overtowering
celebration, and the work ought to begin
speedily IL churches, in colleges, in leg
islatures, in congresses, in parliaments,
In all styles of national assemblages, and
we have no time to lose. 1t would take
three years to make programme wor-
thy of such a coming together.
Why do take it upon myself to make
such a nomination of time and place!
Answer Because it SO happens that in
Ge mysterious providence of God, born
in a farmhouse and of no royal or prince
ly descent, the doors of communication
are open to me every week by the sec
ular and religious printing presses and
have been open to me every week for
many years, with all the cities and
towns and neighborhoods of Christen-
dom, and indeed in lands outside Of
Christendom, where printing presses
have been established, and l feel that if
there is anything worthy in this PROPOSE
ton it will be needed and adopted. On
the other hand, if it be too sanguine, OF
too hopeful, or too impractical, am sure
1t will do no harm that have expressed
my wish for such an international jubi-
lee, celebrative of the birth of our I'm
manuel
Ny friends, such birthday celebra.
| tiUu at the close of ono oantI1ry s...a
Teaching into new century would be
something in which heaven and earth
could join. 1t would not only be inter
national. but interplanetary, interstel-
lar, INSTRUMENTATION. If you remem-
Der what occurred on the first Christmas
hight, you know that it was not Joy
confined to our world. The choir above
Bethlehem was imported from another
| -. ---..-.-- $500 >-- :
world, and when the star left its usual
sphere to designate the birthplace all
astronomy felt the thrill. If there BIZ
anything true about our religion, it is
that other worlds are sympathetic with
this world and in communication with
| it. The glorified of heaven would joir
in such celebration. The generations
that toiled to have the world for Chris
would take part in such jubilation ant
prolonged assemblage.
The upper galleries of Gods universe
would applaud the scene, whether WI
heard the clap of their wings and tn,
shout of their voices or did not hea
them. Prophets who predicted the Mes
I siah, and apostles who talked with him
and martyrs who died for him woult
take part in the scene, though to on
poor eyesight they might be invisible
The old missionaries who died in th
malarial swamps of Africa, or wer
struck down by Egyptian typhus, o
were butchered at Lucknow, or wer
slain by Bornesian cannibals would com
down from their thrones to rejoice tina
at last Christ had been heard Of, and S
speedily in all nations. At the first rol
of the first overture Of the 6rst day o
that meeting all heaven would cry
"Hear! Hearl'
Ayel Aye! think myself such a vas
procedure as that might hasten GU
Lords coming, and that the expectation
of many millions of Christians who be
lieve in the second advent might b
realized then at that conjunction of tn
nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
| do not say it would be, yet who know
but that our blessed and adored Master
pleased with such plan of worldwid
observance, might say concerning thi
wandering and rebellious planet, "Tha
world at last shows disposition to az
preciate what l have done for it, an
| with one wave of my SCARED hand Wi
bless and reclaim and save it."
| That such q celebration of our Lord
birth, kept up for days and months
would please all the good of earth an
nightly speed on the gospel Charlie
and please all the heavens, sanity
cherubic, seraphic, archangelic and d
vine, is beyond question. Oh. get read
for the worlds greatest festivityt Tun
your voices for the worlds greatest al
them. Lift the arches for the world
mightiest procession. Let the advancin