The record-union., 1894-08-22
CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP.
Rev. {. R. DHIe's Lecture Upon it
Last Night.
The Good Citizen Should See That His
Vote is Cast on the side of Mo-
rality and Progress.

1A6fs L. II. Dlll6 QSllNeTeu dtl 0lOqu6nI
lecture last night at the Congregational
Church under the auspices of the Chris
tian Endeavor Union of this city upon
the subject of Christian Citizenship"
There was fair house, which, in JUS
tice to the subject and matter of the dis
course, should have been crowded.
The speaker said that when the Prot
estants left the Catholic Church they
brought with them the idea that life had
two sides-the secular and the religious.
That was the old idea. but we know diff
ferently now.
Ii man is honest, if he is religious, he
is so all the time-in every fiber of his
body. If a man is consecrated he is al
ways so. The mechanics cap is as sa-
cred as the Bishops miter. God is as
accessible in the kitchen, the harvest
field, on shipboard. as be is in the lotti-
est edifice erected for his worship. He is
present with the saint as well when his
hand is on the throttle and ne speeds
over the country as when he is on his
knees.
The true Christian goes to the polls with
the same spirit as he prays with. Not at
the crack OF the party whip, for policy or
eXpedlency, can he be induced to degrade
himself and taisify his manhood. True
religion does not think it necessary to
put on black dress and molder away
in secret, but is active and makes itself
| seen and felt. Chris's injunction TO rem
| der unto Caesar the things that are CRsar's
means that we should discharge our duty
| as citizens as we discharge our duty TO
| God.
Jesus took an interest in politics and
lcp n bo iicr1,t Of 70
abuses intrenched in the laws and GUS
toms in his day. We need to bring reli-
| gion into politics and politics into rell-
| glon. II the sun shines into rat hole 1t
does not hurt the sun, but it spoils the
| hole for rats. If there was ever time to
carry religion into politics it is now,
when so many great problems are thrust
| upon us. We will either have TO answer
them or they will have the life of the Ma
ton. They cannot be solved by the bay
onets of soldiers or the clubs of police
men, bur must be solved by Christians.
We see the clouds rolling up which are
gathered by alien hands and which con-
tain the seeds of anarchy and despotisln.
| Unless Christian forces hold them IN
check the sun OF progress must go down
! in blood. Ii Christianity fails, America
fails; if America fails, liberty fails. I'm
less the country is given to Christ, it
must fail.
The public schools are the cornerstone
of the republic. Our fathers made them
So and they knew what they were doing.
Perish the hand that would overthrow
them. He said to the young people:
Hold them as sacred as you do the
prayer you learned at your mothers
! knee. Never forSake them"
One of the great problems that con-
fronts us is immigration. Our fathers
wished to build up nation, and they in
vited immigration. History repeats itself.
The ancient Britons invited the SaXons
over to help them against their enemies,
| the PctS and Scots. They came and abb
sorbed the country.
ears ago foreigners were few here.
! Now there are l2,OO0,000 of foreign birth
and 43, 0O0,0O0 of foreign birth and parent
age. They have majority, and rule in
our large cities. They bring bombs, and
something even more dangerous-igno-
rance. Our future existence depends on
whether we have the Gospel to hold in
check the ignorance and vice that is pour
| ing in upon US in two great streams from
the East and West. The statue of Liberty
IL New York harbor should have fam
ing sword in one hand. 1t is a shame
that this fine country should be made the
cesspool of European filth and scum,
who come here to despise and defy our
laws. The worst OF it is that we thrust
of the college President who has studied
the questions of the day is neutralized by
that of the low browed foreigner who
stands behind him, ignorant that we have
Constitution.
Many of our foreign citizens are patri-
otic and thoroughly American, some
times better than the native born, but the
average immigrant is otherwise.
The speaker then delineated the infiu-
ence of the saloon in politics and the
weakness and timidlty of business men
and church members when it came to ar
raging themselves against it. He said
the Society of Christian Endeavor was
the youthful David who would slay this
Goliath, and any particular religion that
compromises with the saloon must go
down.
The citizen who goes to the primary can
do more good than by going to the prayer
meeting. 1t is not figure of speech
when we call the American citizen d SOW
ereign, and the crown of freedom which
he wears is fearful responsibility If he
does not do his duty at the polls. Fifteen
per cent. Of the voters are venal, but
Christian men can control the situatio
if they would try. We must strive, not
only for good laws, but their enforce
ment.