The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-10-26
The Blind Glasses.
ARE THEY FASTENING THE
COMING SOCIAL REVOLT
TION2

11oN
Rev. Thomas Dixon, Jr., Con-
tinues His Sermons on the So
cial Signs of the Times and
Warns the Plutocratic Forces
That Their Destiny Hangs In
the Balance.
The new series OF sermons on "The
Coming Revolution Is continued III As
ISOLATION Hall, New York, by the Rev
Thomas Dixon, Jr. The subject OF the
sermon which follows was "The Blind
ness of the Classes He declared that
in face OF the fact OF IL worldwide dIScOn-
tent and restlessncss among the masses
most startling in its character the strong
and privileged CLASSES face the fact with
blind adherence to their traditional
ideals. He maintains that the conser-
vativc powers OF state by their aggra-
yating course are Fastening n revOlu
ton that the plutOcrntic forces OF so
ciety with blind fatuity are Fastening
their own ruin, while the church throws
aside the scepter OF the world for the
privilege Of building gildcd 'steepl"d
clubs The text chosen was from
Isaiah i, ;, My people doth not con
slider"
REVOLUTION AND EVOLUTION.
We have seen III previous study that
the masses of the world are to-day i'll
condition of rcstlessnesS that can but
Indicate the approach OF revolution.
Revolutions have been avertcd from
violence in the history of nations and
their forces transformed into the vital
,..n,.l ,f., Int orrnmniIG bIpO no
same results. But this has only been
done when the powerful classes represent
ing the conservative elements Of society
have shown, the wisdom OfrecOgnizing the
approaching cataclysm and readiuSting
to the situation.
1t is very rarely that class power can
maintain itself in the face of threatened
change The trouble is, the moment
danger approaches, the threatened i'll
tercstS themselves seem smIttcn with the
blind determination to work their own
ruin.
Jerusalem of old did not know The day
of her divine visitation. There was an
hour when the Saviour was nigh. Her
destiny hung in the balance. She turned
II deaf ear to Him. And i'll her desoia-
ton there was left not one stOn" upon
another. Such seems to be the history
oil almost Ill established power.
THE EXAMPLE OF JAAEsH IL.
Macaulay says that James ii seemed
"bent on running himself, and any at
tempt to stop him only made him rush
the more eargerly to his doom. When
his throne was secure, when his people
We're submissive, when the most ObSe
QulOus OF parllamentS was eager to an
ticipate all his reasonable wishes, wheT
foreign Kingdoms and common wealths
paid emulOuS court to him, when it de
pended only on himself whether he would
be the arbitcr of ChristendOm, he STOPPED
to be the hireling of France. And wher
by series OF crimes and fOllies he had
succeeded i'll alternating his neighbours
his subjects, his soldiers, his sailors. his
children, and had left himself no refuge
but the protection of France, he wa
taken with fit of pride and determined
to assert his independence. That hell
which, when he did not want it, he haC
accepted with ignOminOus tears, he, now
when it was indispensable to him, threw
cOntemptuOusly away. He resented tn
friendly intervention which might hav
saved him. Was ever king so used
Was he II child or an idiot, that other
must think for him."
THE HANDWRITING on THE WALL.
Macaulay inquiry as toJames III NIGH
well be repeated to the ruling classes o
the closing days of thenineteeth century
Are they blind Are they idiots? Is i
passibe they can not see the handwrit
ing on the walls of every street in Chris
tendon marking the near approach @
their supreme trial? If so, they give NJ
sign.
Tho ainD,nnfc of cnnint
have sometimes, however, changed thei
positions most radically in an incredible
short time when once reused to the mean
ing of the movements about them. W
read in history that in May, 1915, Georg
Washing: on on his way to congress me
the Rev. Jonathan Boucher in the middl
of the Potomac. While their boats pause,
the Clergyman warned his friend that h
path on which he was entering nigh
lead to a separation from England.
IF YOU ever hear of my joining in an
such measure" said Washington "yo
have my leave to put me down for every
thing wicked" At the beginning c
1776, Thomas Paine published his pam
phlet Common Sense" \ copy of
reached Washington soon after tiding
that Norfolk Eod been burned (Jan. 1
by Lord Dunmore, as Falmouth tho,
tober, 1875, by ships under Admire
Graves. On january 81 General Wash
iugton wrote to Joseph Reed. a se,
more such flaming arguments as wer
exhibited at Falmouth and Norfolk
added to the sound doctrine and III
answerable reasoning contained in til
pamphlet Common Sense will no
leave numbers at loss to decide upo
the prOpriety of separation"
Mr.. Edward Bellamy, in commentin
on this his historic fact, APPLY says
There were many men in the colonie
who in 1875 saw far clearer than Wasl
ingtOn did what the outcome would b
and declared much earlier for the RevC
luton, but when Washington at las
came to see as they saw he led them al
Let us wait with patience for their acc es
sion to our side, where the logic of even t
and the disclosure of the scope and threa
OF the plutOcratic movement will sur ell
bring them in the near future"
Will these men know the hour OF thei
divine opportunity, or will they be nun
bered with those who have flung them
selves against the stars in their course
and been destroyed in their folly?
1hls Is the uncertain element in tn
present hour.
AS vet they don't comprehend tn
movement OF the age
In fact, the powerful classes of tn
present social regime seem bent upo
destroying themselves by blind adher
ence to traditions
FIFTEEN MILLION SOLDIERS.
We observe this:
flst-ln the ruling powers OF state tn
people have shown that they are almos,
ready to revolt against the army system