Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-02-25
SERMON TO JUNIORS.
Dr.. Starr Delivers q Striking Discourse
on The Nations PerilS.
FAITH OF THE CENTURION.
DIR. Taylor, of wake-Forest, Draws
practical Lessons from rhis Theme.
DIR. Mcnxers Tenth Annivers"ry-
other Services.

Rev. DIR. w. G. Starr Sunday morning
delivered special discourse to the as
sembled councils OF the Junior order Oh
United American Mechanics Of Richmond
and Manchester. His text was Psalm
cxliv., Is: Happy Is that people whose
God IS the Lord"
DR.. Starr dwelt in his opening upon the
great virtue OF patriotism. saying tnat ne
had TO 20 far to find that In the compost
ton OF our population there were eie-
ments not only un-American, but anu
American. In this connection DR.. starr
spoke OF the public schools and the heces-
sty TO make them distinctiyeiy Ameri-
can. He said that the use OF the Holy
| Bible in these institutions OF learning De-
came an American custom more than one
hundred years ago. He declared that the
ATTEMPT TO drive II out OF the school,
room was a sign Of elements OF disturb
ance which were hostile to the VIII OF
| that overwhelming majority which had
given life and character and destiny 10
the American republic.
Said DR.. Starr:
"The unwillingness OF thousands Of nat
uralized and unnaturalized persons in this
land TO allow the American flag to be
hoisted over their heads-and especially
over an American school-house-is TO be
watched with the keenest vigilance, ana
with the patriotic intent that the enemies
OF our country shall not strange II while
we are asleep. The uninterrupted influx
of an undesirable population from certain
foreign countries constitutes another
81 p
lief OF we may make up our minds 10
meet the issue at some not distant day.
when nothing but a collision of arms Will
be able to decide the question whether
this country Is to be governed by foreign
Interference or ruled by the descendants
of the sires who fought for the land In
l776 and intend TO keep II as their own
heaven-appointed heritage II II takes
river OF blood to secure their Liberties ana
their rights once more. In round num-
bers %. 900 immigrants arrived at the port
OF New York during the year 1895. For
ty-three thousand of these persons. over
Ia years OF age, were unable to read and
write, while 1900 of them had less tnan
$50 each when they landed.
ssThIs country has heretofore welcomed
good material for citizenship, but what
shall be said OF the alarming amount OF
Illiteracy and poverty represented by the
figures have given TO you? And IL Is Just
this record which is repeated year aiter
year"
The minister gave some pointed facts
| FOR his hearers to ponder over touching
| this matter OF immigrant voters.
HARD ON EUROPEAN CUSTOMS.
DR. Starr turned his discourse to the
intrusion Of certain European customs
and STYLES Of life, which, he said, threa--
| ened TO disturb the peace Of our country
| and inirre its morals. An attempt had
| been made TO Europeanize our social me-
] and our public life had already feit the
| effect OF 1t.
DIR. Starr paid his respects in no I'M
| certain fashion TO pool-selling and horse
! racing He said that the custom OF horse
racing came from over the sea, ana the
| trials of speed led to betting. The speaker
said horses raced not to improve the
stock or to develop agricultural interests.
but to shift money from the pockets or
| the simpIe-minded into the Golfers OF gam
| blers After while men saw that the
public conscience had been drugged. and
that some honest yeomen were more
anxious to raise a $4,000 horse than they
were to raise a Decent boy
"a movement was started" said Dr.
| Starr, ito arrest the evil. In less than
| three months pool-seliing was imported
|
| where dogs and horses made money Tor
the light-fngered gentry who care nothing
whatever for the poor brutes beyond the
| chance to rake In revenue"
TAKE CARE OF OUR COUNTRY.
In conclusion Dr. Starr said: LET us
henceforth take care Of the country
| where God has given US home, ana
meet every assault upon the civil and
religious freedom of our people with an
energy Of protest that will soon draw
| the line between those who are the enc
| mics Of our native land and those who
are its friends. Our first allegiance we
| owe TO that God who opened the gate
| of Heaven TO our fathers when they were
ready for translation, and IT is our duty
TO Intervene that supreme loyalty to the
Divine Protector of this nation with
| everything that concerns our civil en-
| gagements, our social friendships, and
our religious convictions. for happy is
that people whose God is the Lord 4"
DIR. Taylor mt Leigh Street.
| In the absence of Rev. DR.. Wright. who
is carrying on a meeting at Wake-Forest
| College, the president of that institu-
tion Rev. DR.. Charles Il. Taylor. filed
the pulpit OF Leigh-Street Baptist
church on Sunday. In the first prayer,
at the morning service. DIR. Taylor asked
| tndl the DltSSlIS Oh OOu iuibut rest upOh
the pastor in his meeting, and that his
labors might be attended with even
greater success than he had already ex-
perienced.
The subject Of the morning discourse
was Lessons From the Centurions
Faith" and the text "Verily. l have not
found so great faith, no not in Israel"
In the course of his sermon Or. Taylor
said: "The Bible does not give any
scientific definition of many Of the terms
with which we are most familiar. yet
we are never left In doubt as TO the
meaning of those terms. Thus we have
no definition of love or repentance, and
yet there is not Sunday-schooi scholar
here but knows the meaning OF the one
and the other. SO, also. with faith. In
picture after picture We learn better
than we could from any definition what
is the nature Of faith. 1t may be advan-
tageous TO US. then, to study carefully
this incident, and gather what lessons we
can from a faith so great that Christ
Himself marvelled at II.
AN ANTECEDENT OF FAITH.
First, 1 think we might notice that
there was in the centurion's heart
great want. This is always the ante