Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-12-11

10 prove God Is on the side OF this Nation
argue from the last eight or nine great Ma
tional harvests, and from the National health
OF the last quarter OF a century, epidemica
very exceptional. and from the great revi-
walls OF religion, and from the spreading OF
the church Of God, and from the continent
blossoming with asylums and reformatory
institutions and from an Edenization which
promises that this whole land is to be para-
disc, where God shall walk.
am encouraged more than I can tell you
as I see the regiments wheeling down the
sky, and my jeremiads turn into doxologies,
am that which was the Good Friday Of the
Nations crucifixion becomes the Easter
morn of its resurrection. OF course God
works through human instrumentalities, and
this National betterment is to come among
other things through sorutinized ballot
box By the law Of registration 1t Is almost
impossible now to have illegal voting. There
was a time-you and I remember it very
up and down on Election Day, and from
poll to poll, voted here, and voted there,
and voted everywhere. and therS was
no challenge, or II there were,
It amounted to nothing, because
nothing could 50 suddenly be proved upon
the vagabonds. Now, in every well Or
yanized neighborhood, every voter Is
watched with severest scrutiny. II am in
q region where 1 am allowed vote, must
tell the registrar my name, and how old l
am. and how long I have resided in the
State, and how long have resided in the
ward or the township. and II I misrepre-
sent fifty witnesses will rise and shut me out
from the ballot box. Is not that a great ad-i
vance? And then notice the law that pro-
hibits man voting IL he has bet on the cleo!
lion. A step farther needs to be taken and
hat man forbidden vote who has offered
Or taken a bribe, whether 1t be In the shape
Of a free drink. or cash paid down. the
suspicious cases obliged to put their hand on
The Bible and swear their vote in II they
vote at all. So. through the sacred chest Of
sur Nations suffrage. redemption will come.
God will save this Nation through an,
aroused moral sentiment. There has never
been so much discussion Of morals and i'm
morals. Men, whether or not they acknowl-
EDGE what Is right, have to think what is
hght. We have men who have had their
hands in the public treasury the most Of
!heir lifetime, stealing all they could lay
their hands on, discoursing eloquently about
dishonesty in public servants. and men with
two or three families Of their own preaching
sloquently about the beauties of the seventh
commandment. The question Of sobriety
and drunkenness Is thrust in the face of this
Nation as never before and takes a part in
our political contests. The question of Ma
ional sobriety is going SO be respectfully and
1eferentially heard at the bar Of every Legis-
ature, and every House of Representatives,
and every State Senate, and an omnipotent
voice will ring down the sky and across this
land and back again, saying to these rising
.ides of drunkenness which threaten to whelm
home and church and Nation, "Thus far
shalt thou come, but no farther, and here
shall thy proud waves be staid."
have not in my mind shadow OF dis
heartment as large as the shadow of a house
iy's wing. My faith is in the upper forces,
the upper armies Of the text. God is not
lead. The chariots are not unwheeled. If
nrt1 nnl nd
eyes in the cool, bright water fresh from the
we'll of Christian reform. it would be said Of
you, as Of this one of the text. "The Lord
opened the eyes Of the young man, and he
saw, and, behold. the mountain was full of
horses and chariots Of fire round about
Elisha"
When the army of Antigonus went into bat
lie, his soldiers were very much discouraged,
and they rushed up to the general and said
70 him, "Don'tyou see We have few forces
and they have 80 nany?" And the soliiers
we're affrighted at the sma'lness Oftheir mum.
Der and the greatness of the enemy. Anti
yonus, their commander, Strengthened HIM
self up and said, with Indignation and vehe-
nence, slow many do you reckon me to
oe?" And when we see the vast armies ar
rayed against the cause of scbriety 1t
nay sometimes be very discouraging, but I
Ask you in making up your estimate Of the
torres Of righteousness-1 ask you how many
10 you reckon the Lord God Almighty to be?
He is our commander. The Lord Of Hosts is
His name. have the best authority for say
ing that the chariots of God are 20 900, and
the mountains are full of them.
Have you any doubt about the need Of the
Christian religion to purify and make decent
American politics! At every yearly or
luadrennial election We have in this country
great manufactOries-nanufac OF lies
and they are run day and night. and they
turn out half dozen day. all equipped and
Axv to- fvrt oofl lfrS n Has ,V,l ,nI
lies. Lies private and lies public and lies
prurient. Lies cut bias and lies cut dag
onaL Long limbei lies and lies with double
back action. Lies complimentary and lies
defamatory. Lies that some people believe
and lies that all the people beiieve, and lies
that nobody believes. Lies with humps like
camels, and scales like crocodiles, and necks
as long as storks, and feet as swift as an an
telope's, and stings like adders. Lies raw
and scalloped and panned and steved
Crawling lies and jumping lies and soaring
lies. Lies with attachment screws and ruff
ners and traiders and ready wound bob
bins. Lies by Christian people who never
lie except during elections, and lies by peo-
ple who always lie, but beat themselves in q
Presidential campaign.
confess / am ashamed to have foreign.
or visit this country in such times should
think he would stand dazed, his hand on his
pocketbook, and dare not go out nights.
What will the hundreds Of thousands of for
eigners who come here to live think of US?
What a disgust they must have for the land
Of their adoption. The only good thing
about it Is many Of them cannot understand
German and Italian and Swedish and French
yapers translate it all and peidle out the In.
fernal stuff to the subscribers.
Nothing but Christianity will ever stop
such a food Of indecency. The Christian
religion will speak after awhile. The bill
Il ny5gate and low scandal through which we
wa lie every year or every four years must
~ rebuked by that religion which speaks
from its two great mountains-from the one
mountain intonins the commani, Thou
5 alt not bear false witness against thy
neighbor," and from the other mount max
ing plea for kindness and blessing rather
than cursing. Yes, we are going to have a
National religion. There are two kinds of
National religion. The one Is supported by
the State, and is a matter Of human politics,
an 1t has great patronage, and underit men
will struggle for prominence without refer
en 3 to qualifications, and its archbishop is
supported by salary of *75, 900 a year, and
there are great cathedrals, with ali the ma
of music and canonicals. and room
for thousand people, yet an audience Of
hlty people, or twenty people. or ten or two.
We want no such religion as that, no such
National religion, but we want this kind of
National religion-the vast majority Of the
pOoiiO COAVCIlCu huN NCNohSoi1cu--ouu ucu
they will manage the secular as well as the
religious.
Do you say that this is impracticable2 No.
The time is coming just as certainly as there
is God, and that this is His book and that
He has the strength and the honesty to fulfill
His promises. One Of the ancient emperors
used to pride himself on performing that
which his counselors said was impossible,
and have to tell you to-day that mans i'm
possibles are Gods easies. "Hath He said,
and shall He not do it? Hath He command
ed, and will He not bring it to pass?" The
Christian religion is coming to take pos
session of every ballot box, Of every school
house, of every home. of every valley, of
every mountain, Of every acre Of our Nation
~ domain. This Naton, notwithstanding
all the evil influences that are trying to de.
stroy it is going to live.
Nev0r since. according to John Milton.
when satan was hurled headlong flaming
from the ethereal skies in hideous ruin and
down. have the powers OF dark.