Democratic messenger., 1893-09-16

United States that Il; :. .I>s the
question: "Docs God tyey .,.s..,r prayer?
May the creature in reS~ the Creator"
Are not all these f. is encouraging to
every Christian and every ph;laithropist:
Besides that. the rising generation are
being saturated with gospel truth as no
other generation by this international
series Of Sunday school lessons. Formerly
the children We're expected only to nibble
at the little infan;ile Scripture stories,
but now they ere taken from Genesis to
Revelation, the strongest minds of the
country explaining the lessons to the
teachers. and the teachers explaining
them TO the classes, and we are going to
have in this country 1000, 900 youth fore
stalled for Christianity. Hear it! Hear
it.
Besides that. you must have noticed. If
you have talked on these great themes.
that they are finding ont that while
science is grand in secular directions
worldly philosophy grand in secular di-
rections, they cannot give any comfort
to soul in trouble.
COMFORT IN THE GOSPEL.
Talking with men on steamboats, and
in rail cars. find they are coming back
to the comfort of the gospel. They say,
Somehow human science doesn't COM
fort me when have any trouble, and
must try something else" And they
are trying the gospel.
Take your scientific consolation to that
mother who has just lost her child. Ap-
ply the doctrine of the survival of the
fittest" Tell her that her child died be-
cause its life was not worth as much as
the life of one that lived. Try that if
You dare. Go to that dying man with
your transcendental phraseology and tell
him he ought to have confidence i'll the
great "to be" and the everlasting now"
and the eternal what is it:' and go on
with your consolation and see if he is
comforted.
Go to that woman who has lost her
husband and tell her it was geological
necessity that that man passed out of cx-
istence, just as the megatherium disap-
peared in order In make room for q
higher style Of creation, and go on with
your consolation ani tell her that there
is possibility that lo000. .00o years from
now we ourselves may he geological
specimens on the geological shelf. petri-
fled specimens of the extinct human
race.
And after you have got all through
with your consolation. if the poor af-
flicted soul is not utterly crazed, will
send ont the plainest Christian from my
church. and with one half hour of pray
er and the reading of Scripture promises
the tears will he sta;d, and the conso-
lation and the joy in that house will be
like the calmness of an Indian summer
sunset. There win lie a glory flooding
the house from floor TO cupola. Oh. pno-
pie are finding out themselves-and they
I'LL have troubles-they find that philoso-
ply AMI science do not help them when
there is Il dead babe in the house. They
are coming back TO our glorious old fash
ioned sympathetic religion.
Oh, Young man. do not be ashamed TO
be found on the side of the Bible. Do
not join those Young men who in this
t!av put their thumb i'll their vest and
swa.gcY ahout the street and the stores
talking about tine glorious nineteenth
centnrc, about its light being sufficient
without any Bible and without any
Christ and without any God. The time
is coniing-wc may not live to sec it,
but should not hc surprised if we did
see it-when this whole country is to be
one great church. the forests the aisles.
the Allegheny and the Rocky mountains
the pillars, the chain of inland lakes the
baptistrics, and the worship the hallelu-
iah chorus to him who was and is and
shall he evermore. oh, come over to
the majority under the banner of
Emanuel.
Vernon was the son of an English
squire He was brought up i'll great
elegance. There was man working on
the place of the name of Ralph. Vernon
used to often talk with Ralph. After
awhile Vernon Went off to college and
came back with his mind full Of skepti-
cism. He talked his skepticism TO Ralph,
the workman. After awhile Vernon
went from home again. was gone for
years. came back, and among his first
questions when getting home was,
''Where is Ralph:'' .'Oh.' said the ia
ther, Ralph is i'll prison waiting for the
dav of execution"
Vernon FASTENED to see Ralph. Ralph,
looking through the wicket of the pris-
on, said: Vernon. how good you are to
come and see me. | am glad to see You.
| hardly expected you would come and
see me. don't blame You; | don't
blame anybody; only blame myself; but,
Vernon, want You to promise me one
thing. Will you:" Vernon replied. Il
will" Il want You To promise me never
10 talk skep,icisin in th" presence of any
body. You see it might do them harm.
When you used 10 say there WAS nothing
in the Bible, and it didn't make any diff
ference how we lived. we would come
ont happy at the last. somehow it had
bad influence upon me. AMI went from
bad 10 worse until am here. and must
die for my crimes.
By almost superhuman effort the SEN
tence was changed. and he was to he
transported to another country for life.
Tie ship going there WAS wrecked ON
Van Dicmens Land. Among those who
persisted was Ralph, the victim of Yer
mons sliepticism. Vernon tells the story
today with tears and a broken heart, but
it is too late. Oh. do not talk skcpticism;
do not talk skcrticisIn. L.; God he true.
though every man he found a liar.
The Cruiser Sank. Not the I;ox.
Admiral Tryon's dispatch box. which
was found foa;in" after tie Victoria had
foundered. was specially made 10 con-
tain tue code Of signals. OF course it
was desired to keep this code secret, SO
in o~icr to provide against the risks of
accidents the box was lined with lead
and perforated with many holes to in