The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1895-02-21
AMERICAS FIVE GEMS.
A SERMON By REV. CHAS A. G..
THOMAS, OF GREENSBORO.
Delivered Nov. 25th, 1894, Before the
Junior Order of United Ameri-
can Mechanics. at That Place.
Published by request Liberty Councill

Pubis ned by request Liberty Council.
Rom. 1877: "Render therefore to all
their dues; tribute to whom tribute
is due; custom to whom custom; fear
to whom fear; honour to whom
honour"
The Order before me tonight is not
a prattling infant, neither is it a
grey-haired old man, but is in the
vigOr and strength of manhood. 1t
| was born in 1853 and has grown to a
membership of about 100000 distrib-
uted among 81 States in the Union.
1t is patriotic, fraternal and bene-
fetal organization. Its motto is
"Our Country" Its Creed, "Princi-
pies, not Men" The term "Junior"
has no relation to the age of mem bers.
| but is used to distinguish the Order
| from the O. U. A. NJ. The term Me
chanic" is not to be used in the
restrictive sense, but it embraces
| born in the United States or under
the protection of its flag is eligible to
membership, provided his character
is good, and he subscribes to the prin-
ciples of the Order.
THE OBJECTS OF OUR ORDER ARE
| 1) To maintain and promote the
| highest interests of Americans. To
assist them in obtaining work and to
encourage and help them in business
life.
~ To establish a sick and funeral
| fund.
| ~ To support the public school
| system to prevent Sectarian interfer-
| ence Herewith, and to uphold the
| reading of the Bible therein.
THE PRINCIPLES OF OUR ORDER ARE
| THE FIVE JEWELS IN AMERICAS S
CROWN
The moment l read the declaration
of the principle of the Junior Or
| der,' that very moment / found the
| fraternity for which l had been look
ing for years. Long before l read
these principles they had become en-
/ bodied into my life and had been
| enunciated by the Baptist denomina-
tion from its beginning. Two of
| these jewels, Liberty of Conscience"
and Separation of Church and State"
| are fundamental principles of the
| Baptist churches, without which they
| could not exist. Therefore | en-
| braced with pleasure an opportunity
| to become a member of such an order.
| The temporal benefits of our Order
are great, but the principles are great
er and must in the progress Of cur
country give this order place in the
/ front rank Of these institutions which
| have done so much to help humanity
| and to bring about the great teaching
| of the brotherhood of man.
THE FIRST GEM IN OUR GROWN is RE-
| sTRICTED IMMIGRATION.
This is the Land Of Freedom and
has been for century the refuge of
the oppressed and down-trodden of
other lands Such it will be SO long
as the bright sun shines uprn US.
| With open arms and happy voices we
| shall greet and welcome all immi-
| grants who desire to become part of
our nationality and TO give allegiance
| to our flag, but to the ignorant, vicious
and lawless who crowd here TO pratice
| communism and anarchism there is
not one foot of land to spare. Ameri
| Ca has been the most inviting field in
the world. 1t has become the Land
of Promise for all nations, and here
they have fiOcked in great hordes The
! fickle Erenchman with his free love
ideas. The freedom loving German
| with his ignorance of free government
The NihilIstic Austrian The Treach
erous ItaIian. The Revolutionary
| Russian The ignorant and lawless
hordes from parts of Europe flowing
|
| river. The 10th census gives the for
eigu born population as over 81 mill
| ions, with their children we
have about one fourth of our pop
| Ulation foreigners This element
in our country furnishes a
I large proportion of our criminals. In
! New England they have furnished 75
/ per cent. of the crime and in some
| Western cities over so per cent. They
| nr hn nrit " f,fh hro
and bar-keepers, "The Mormon Vote, !"
The Catholic Vote" "The German
Vote" and 1.-The Irish Vote" They
| furnish to US the great mass of igno-
rant and idle people which are found
in our great cities. In 1892 there were
600, 900 immigrants-only 9 per cent.
of these were skilled laoorers; and of
the thousands Of Romanists over IS
per cent. were illiterate. The safety
of our Republic demands that every
man shall be true American citizen.
Our government must be supreme
| The immigrant must leave the GUS
| toms and institutions of the Old
| world and accept the glorious princi-
Piles of the New. Restricted Immi
grafton" must be our watchwOrd if we
avoid the perilous quicksands which
are troubling the Old world.
THE SECOND GEM is DEVOTION TO THE
/ PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The public schools system is the
very corners stone of cur Liberty The
safe guard of our country. 1t should
be the boast Of every citizen. No
other nation has such system. The
schools are the aSsimilating power OF
the. nation. Here the rich and the
poor alike are upon the same level.
The heterogeneous mass representing
almost every nation, pass out of their
own nationalities and are rendered
homogeneous. They become "Ameri-
cans one and all" Our system OF
} Public School Education is the best
product of the civilization of the
Golden age. 1t is the very essence oil
the ideas and forces which have de
veloped our Government. 1t is the
| very plant bed Of our Doblest citizen
ship. The boast of Europe is her
STANDING Armies" Would to God
that they could stand in their quart
ers of peace until the end of time
The boast of America is the growing
armies of the public schools of ouI
land. We cherish the hope that the
day will soon come when the Stal
Spangled Banner shall float from
! every school house tOpand the Blessed
Word of God be read from every ros
trum and studied upon every desk
These schools must be defended from
non-sectarian influences.
J THE THIRD GEM is FREEDOM OF woR
SHIP.
We have read in the histories O.
Europe ssabOut the divine right O.
| Kings The Jr. O. IA. M. know,
| or1v ff, divine riul1f, of man IN sarv.