The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-07-29
LESSON on PATRIOTISM
ExpouAded BY Rev. G. l. Malice to the
S0as Of America.
EXAMPLE OF CENTURIES AGO
Present Day May Be Compared to Davtd's
Relations to Judsa-Eviis Which
Threaten Patriotism In the United
States-Ideas Foreign to America.

One Of the best patriotic sermon-ad.
dresses Of the year was that delivered
last night to Washington Camp. No.
342, Patriotic Order Sons OF America. In
the United Evangelical church, on Ca
pouse avenue. by the pastor. Rev. q.
L. Maice.
From the relations of Israel to Pal
estine he drew an apt and interesting
comparison, applying to that time OF
long ago certain conditions In our own
country during the present day. His
remarks were from Psalms. xvi. 8:
"The lines are fallen unto me in pleas
ant places: yea. have goodly her
| itage." He said:
The text Is from the words OF king.
a patriot and Christian. Hence David
was pre-eminently qualified to use 50
energetic language. expressive of his
state in life and which reflected the ex-
perience of every lsraelite who. as
people We're the most illustrious of all
nations. But however significant these
words are. as figurative Sf lsraers
glory in King David's time. they are
none the less applicable to us as
people whose national liberties ana
freedom are no less sacred than the
natural and spiritual resources OF Ca
naan We're to the Jews.
David's Language Considered.
Our highest conception Of David's
language Is by way OF comparison. In
our Imagination let US go back over the
pages OF history and behold the state
OF Israel 1910 years before pavid's time.
when their lives We're made grievouS by
heartless tyrant and the servitude OF
their Egyptian taskmasters. Look at
their forty years in the wilderness Of
Arabia. their conQuests with the heath
en- nations. 1t took many years OF
hardships. discipline and suffering to
prepare them to rightly appreciate the
worth of this heritage. And in view
OF all this. and that they were now in
undisputed possession of land whose
equal was not known for productive
ness. and under a system OF civil and
religious government far superior to
that OF surrounding nations, David as
their king and of the tribe OF Judah,
the only tribe that had not lost its
identity until shiloh come" might we'll
exlaim, Mine is a guodly heritage"
The Bible student never tires pc
rusing that part of sacred history that
relates to Israels glory and prosperity.
But that is only part of Israers history,
There is another phase, though not in
dicated in the text but necessarily
part of this introduction Solomon de-
clares that righteousness exalteth
nation. but sin is a reproach to any
people" When we acquaint ourselves
with Gods law, and upon which was
conditioned Israers peace and prosper
ity, we do not wonder when we learn
of their apostacy that the plowshare
Of ruin has devastated the fairest OF all
lands, and that Israers glory has de-
parted and over its ruins is written,
"Icha bod" Their decline and fall Is
as graphic as their rise and prosperity
Is real.
Due to Bad Influences.
Their degeneracy and overthrow was
due to two causes, viz: Unhallowed
association and contamination. The
first made possible and led to the Sec
ond When the Lord thy God shall
bring thee into the land whittier thou
goest to possess 1t, and hath cast out
many nations, thou shalt
smite them and utterly destroy them"
This was q positive command Of God
But in violation Of this as the first
step to their downfall. they were no less
guilty Of the second. Thou shalt make
no covenant with them, neither shalt
tiOu Auohu AuAiiid6Nc Wish
Thus becoming more and more like
them, losing their distinction as
holy people" Through intermarriage
and otherwise Jewish blood. love Of
God and country was slowly lost; their
patriotism and religious devotion was
gradually displaced by selfish idolatry
and their heritage fast becoming the
spoil of their enemies, until in Christ's
time they made the humiliating confess
sion that I'VE have no king but
Caesar"
What Palestine was to Israel. the
United States Is to US: and what Judea
was to David, Pennsylvania Is to every
Patriotic Son Of America. A goodly
heritage. handed down from one gen.
Grafton to another. A land for which
our forefathers lived, fought and died.
Every drop of blood shed in its de-
Tense adds to Its sacredness. Compare
It with any other and its equal Is not
found. A land Of peace and plenty,
with natural resources sufficient to sup
ply the worlds market with the neces-
saries Of life. With system Of govern
ment excelled by none. Yea, a better
land the sun never shone on than the
land OF the brave and free. And freer
people never breathed Gods pure air
than the American people. Never an
emblem Of any country 50 beautiful and
expressive as the Stars and Stripes.
The Nations of the Earth.
Look at the nations Of earth: Ire
land, in subsection; her rights denied,
and Germany taxed almost beyond en-
durance In order to maintain q large
standing army; England's toiling mil
lions fretting in contrast with royalty
and her rich lords and ease-taking
mobiles. "Oh! Glorious America! her
robes, the peoples will, her helmet
shining with liberty, her scepter law"
The greatest national pride OF every
Patriotic Son Of America rs that this Is
our heritage. left us by those who lie
sleeping careless alike of sunshine or
storm; in many instances nothing but
the pine. cypress and tanglewood to
moan requiem over their unknown
graves. Sweet be their sleep. unfad-
Ing their glory. imperishable their
fame" Having wkhin you the same
self-sacrifcing principles of love to
God and devotion to country, we may
well hope the future safety Of our
republic.
Our danger lies not SO much In this
that hitherto our doors were open to
our foreign neighbors (although the
time has come when we need to dis
criminate), but in our conforming to
ideas that are foreign to American
principles. There is an element com.
ing to our shores that has a perverted
conception Of our national liberty, and
whose influence Is demoralizing.
Your first duty as Sons Of America
IL to emulate the noble principles Of our
departed heroes, and to perpetuate
their achievements. Coming events
cast their shadow before them" WASH
ihgton must have foreseen the dangers
to which we are exposed when with
prophetic eye he looked down the vista
Of the ages and said: Beware Of for
eign influence"
Evils More Shameful Than Slavery.