Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1893-11-04
THE CORNER STONES.
DIR. Talmage breaches an Ante
Election Sermon.
The Need Of Pure Men In Ofice-The Eyil
OF breaking Amy of the Command
mcnts-Immoral Influence of
bad officials.

Rev. I. Dewitt Talmage, in his ser
mon ut Brooklyn just before the fall
elections, preached for the benefit of
voters throughout the country. The
text was from Exodus Xxx. Is: And
all the people saw the thunderings and
the lightnings and the noise of the
trumpet and the mountain smoking"
DIR. Talmagc said
On the eve of elections in the sixty
counties of this state, and in all the
counties of some of the other states,
while there are many hundreds of NOM
inecs to Office, it is appropriate and i'm
portant that preach this Before Elec-
ton Sermon.
My text informs you that the light
nings and earthquakes united their
forces to wreck mountain of Arabia
Petrea in olden time, and travellers to-
day find heaps of porphyry and green
stone rocks, bowlder against bowlder,
the remains of the first law library,
written, not on parchment or papyrus,
but on shattered slabs of granite. The
corner stones of all morality, of all
wise law, of all righteous jurispru-
dence, of all good government, 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 ma
tions were rocked in the cradle of
the twentieth chapter of Exodus. And
it would be well in these times of
great political agitation if the news
papers 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 existence,
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 if you remove
one pillar you damage the whole struc-
ture. / have noticed that men are par
ticularly vehement against sins to
which they are not particularly
tempted, and find no especial
wrath against sins which they them
selves indulge. Many questions are
before the people in the coming cleo
tions all over this land, but l shall try
to show you that the most important
ching to be settled about all these can
didates is their personal, moral charac-
ter The Decalogue forbids idolatry,
image-making, profanity. maltreat-
ment of parents, Sabbath dissertation,
murder, theft, incontinence. lying and
covetousness That is the Decalogue
by which you and l will have to be
tried, and by the same .Decalogue you
and must try candidates for office.
Most certainly are we not to take the
statement of red-hot partisanship as
the real character of any man. From
nearly all the great cities of this land
receive daily or weekly newspapers,
sent to me regularly and in compliment,
so see both sides-I see all sides-and
it is most entertaining and my regular
amusement to read the opposite state
ments. The one statement says the
man is an angel, and the other says he
is devil; and split the difference,
and find him halfway between. There
never has been an honest or respecta-
BILE man running for the United States
presidency, or for n judgeship. or for
the mayorality, or for the shrievalty,
since the foundation of the American
government, if we may believe the old
files of newspapers in the museums.
What mercy it is that they were not
ali hung before they were inaugurated!
If 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.
warn you against the mistake
which many are making, and always
do make, of applying different stand
ard of character for those in prominent
position from the standard they
apply for ordinary persons. However
much a man may have, or however
high the position he gets, he has no es-
pecial liberty given him in the inter-
pretation of the Ten Commandments.
A great sinner is no more to be excused
than small sinner. Do not charge
illustrious detection to eccentricity or
chop off the Ten Commandments to
suit especial cases. The right is ever
lastingly right and the wrong Is ever
lastinQly wrong. If any man nomi-
mated for any officein this city or state
differs from the Decalogue, do not FIX
up the Decalogue, but fix him up. The
law must stand whatever else may fall.
Icall your attention also to the fact
that You are all aware OF, that the
breaking of one commandment makes
it the more easily to break all OF them,
and the philosophy is plain. Any kind
of sin weakens the conscience, and II
the conscience is weakened, that opens
the door for all kinds OF transgression'
If, for instance, q man go into this