Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1894-05-12

Iouilu under the electric nights. Home
spun was just rs proud as is the mod
ern fashion plate. Twenty-Five years
yea, % ceIturies-Iavc not changed
human nature a particle. / say this foi
the encouragement of those who think
that our times Innnopolize all the abom-
nations of the ages.
One minute after Adam got outside
Of paradise he was just like you. q
man, One step after Eve left the gate
she was just like you, . woman, All
the faults and vices are many times cen
tenarians. Yea. the cities Sodom, Go
morrah Pompeii. Herculaneum, He'll
opolis and ancient Memphis We're AS
much worse than our modern cities as
you might expect from the fact that
the modern cities have somewhat yield
ed To the restraints of Christianity,
while those ancient cities Were not linn
tied in their abominations
Great Works Accom- plishcd.
Yea, that generation which passed off
within the last % years had their be-
reavements. their temptations, their
struggles. their disappointments, their
successes. their failures, their gladness-
es and their griefs. like these two gen
erations now in sight. that in advance
and that following. But the % years
between 1869 and lSyI-how much
they saw! How much they discovered
How much they felt. Within that time
have been performed the miracles of
the telephone and the phonograph.
From the observatories other worlds
have been seen to heave in sight Six
presidents of the United States have
been inaugurated. Transatlantic voyage
abbreviated from 10 days to 5ia. Chi
ca%1 n,.d New York, once three days
apart, now only - hours by the vesti-
bule limited. Two additional railroads
have been built To the Pacific. France
has passed from monarchy To republic
anism. Many of the cities have nearly
doubled their populations. During that
generation the chief surviving heroes
of the civil war have gone into the en-
campment of the grave. The chief ply
sicians, attorneys, orators, merchants
have passed off the earth or are III re-
tirement waiting for transition. Other
men i'll editorial chairs, in pulpits. in
governors mansions. i'll Legislative. sen
atorial and congressional halls
There are not 10 men or women on
earth now prominent who We're promi-
nent % years ago The crew of this old
ship of a world is all changed. Others
at the helm. others on the lookout, F"
others climbing the ratlines. Time is "a
doctor who. with potent anodyne, has
put an entire generation into sound
sleep. Time, like another Cromwell, has
roughly prorogued parliament, and with
iconoclasm driven nearly all the rulers
except one queen from their high places.
So far as l observed that generation,
for the most part they did their best.
Ghastly exceptions, but So far as knew
them they did quite we'll. and many Of
them gloriously we'll They We're born
at the right time, and they died at the
right time. They left the world better
than they found it. We are indebted To
them for the fact that they prepared the
way for our coming. Eighteen hundred
and ninety four reverently and CRATE
fully salutes 1869. ''One generation
passeth away, and another generation
cometh
There are fathers and mothers here
whom l baptized in their infancy.
There is not one person in this church $
board of session or trustees who was
here when came. Here and there in
this vast assembly is one person who
heard my opening sermon iii Brooklyn,
but not more than one person i'll every
500 now present. of the L persons who
gave me unanimous call when came.
only three, believe. are living.
The Major key.
But this sermon is not dirge. 1t is
an anthem. While this world is appro-
pirate as a temporary stay. as an eter-
nal residence il would be- IA dead fail
ure. IL would be dreadful sentence if
our race We're doomed to remain here II
Thousand winters and thousand sum
mers. God keeps us here just long
enough To give US an appetite for heav-
en. Had We been born in celestial realms
We would not have been able to appre
ciate the bliss. IL needs good many
rough blasts in this world To qualify US
To properly estimate the superb climate
of that good land where il Is never too
cold or too hot, too cloudy OF too glar
ing Heaven will he more to US than to
those supernal beings who We're never
tempted or sick or bereaved or tried or
disappointed. So you may we'll take my
text out of the minor key and set it to
some tune in the major key One gen
Grafton passeth away. and another gen
Grafton cometh.
Nothing can rob us Of the satisfaction
that uncounted thousands Of the gener
alton just past Were converted. comfort
ed and harvested for heaven by this
church, whether in the present building
OF the three preceding buildings in
which they worshiped. The two great
organs of the previous churches went
down III the memorable fires, but the
multitudinous songs they led year aft
er year were not recalled or injured.
There is no power in earth or hell to
kill IA haileluiah. Ii is impossible To ar
rest q husanna What satisfaction to
know that there are many thousands in
glory on whose eternal welfare this
church wrought nightly! Nothing can
undo that work. They have ascended,
the multitudes who served God i'll that
generation. That chapter is gloriously
ended. But that generation has left its
impression upon this generation.
A sailor was dying on shipboard. and
he said To his mates: MY lads, can
only think of one passage of Scripture,
The soul that sinneth, il shall die, and
that keeps ringing in my ears. The
soul that sinmcth, il shall die Can't
You think of something else in the Bible
To cheer me up" Well. sailors are kind.
and they tried to think of some other
passage of Scripture with which to con-
sole their dying comrade. but they could
not One Of them said: Let us call up
the cabin boy. His mother was Chris
tian. and guess he has Bible" The
cabin boy was called up, and the dying
sailor asked him if he had "a Bible. He