Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1894-05-10

the cotton bales, and among the
wheelborrows as among the locomo-
tives. The tallow candles saw the
same sins that are now found
under the electric lights. Home
spun was just as proud as is
the modern fashion plate. TWEEN
ty-five years-yea, twenty-five cen
turies-have not changed human ma
ture particle. say this for the en-
| enlargement of those who think that
our times monopolize all the abomina-
| tions of the ages One minute after
Adam got outside of Paradise he was
| just like you, Oh, man. One step after
Eve left the gate she was just like you,
Oh, woman All the faults and vices
are many times centenarans. YEA
the cities Sodom, Gomorrah Pompeii
Herculaneum, Heliopolis and ancient
Memphis were as much worse than oar
modern cities as you might expect,
from the fact that the modern cities
have somewhat yielded to the re-
straints of Christianity. while those
ancient cities were not limited in, their
denominations.
Yea, that generation which passed
off within the last twenty-five years
had their bereavements. their tempta-
tons, their struggles, their disappoint-
ments, their successes, their failures,
their gladnesses and their griefs, like
these two generations now in sight,
that in advance and that following.
But the twenty five years between 1869
and 1S94-how much they saw! How
much they discovered. How much
they felt! Within that time have been
performed the miracles of the tele-
phone and the photograph. From the
observatories other worlds have been
seen to heave in sight. Six Presidents
of the United States have been inaugur.
ated. Transatlantic voyage abbrevia-
ted from ten days to five and half. CHI
Cago and New York once three days
apart, now only twenty-four hours by
the vestibule limited. Two additional
railroads have been built to the Pacific:
France has passed from monarchy to
republicanism. Many of the cities
have nearly doubled their populations
During that generation the chief sur
viving heroes of the civil war have
gone into the encampment of the
grave. The chief physicians attor-
neys, orators, merchants have passed
Off the earth, or are in retirement
waiting for transition. Other men in
editorial chairs, in pulpits. in gov
ernor's mansions. in Legislative, sena-
torial and congressional halls There
are not ten men or women on the earth
now prominent who were prominent
twenty-five years ago. The crew of
this old ship of world is all changed
Others at the helm. others on the
lookout others climbing the rat
lines. Time is doctor who with po-
tent anodyne has put an entire gen
Grafton into sound sleep. Time, like
another Cromwell has roughly pro-
rogued Parliament, and with icono-
clasm driven nearly all the rulers, eX-
cept one Queen from their places. So
far as observed that generation, for
the most part they did their best.
CHASTITY exceptions, but so far. as ]
many of them gloriously we'll They
were 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.
1894 reverently and gratefully salutes
1860. One generation passeth, away,
and another generation cometh."
There are fathers and mothers, here
whom ! baptized in their. infancy.
There is not one person in this church's
board of session or trustees who was
here when l came. Here and there in
this vast assembly is one person who
heard my opening sermon in Brooklyn,
but not more than one person in, every
five hundred now present. OF the sew
enteen persons who gave me a, unanir
nous call when l came only three, l
believe, are living,
During the passage of the last gen
Grafton some peculiar events have UNI
folded, One day while resting at
Sharon Springs, n. V, 1 think it was
in 1870, the year after my settlement
in Brooklyn, and while wallingin the
park of that place, found,myself ask
ing the question, Il wonder is, theme is
any special mission for me to execute
in this world? If there. is, may God
show it to me!'' There. soon came
upon me a great desire to, preach the
gospel through the secular. printing
press | realized that the vast maiori-
ty of people, even in Christian lands,
never enter church, and that it would
be an opportunity of usefulness infinite
if that door of pu blication Were opened
And so l recorded that prayer in
blank book, and offered that prayer
day in and day out until tho answer
came. though in a way different from
that which had expected, for it came
through the misrepresentation and
persecution of enemies, and l have to
record it for the encouragement of all
ministers of the Gospel who are mis-
represented, that if the misrepresenta-
ton be virulent enough, and bitter
enough, and continuous enough, there
is nothing that so widens ones field of
usefulness as hostile attack, if you are
really doing the Lords work The
bigger the lie told about me,