The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-10

have organized assassins, organized gam
hlers, organized thieves, organized
liquor sellers. In the name OF Heaven IL
Is not about time that we have organized
good citizens? This union Will be the
only salvation Of the State. IL some
| Common ground cannot be agreed upon,
| some platform which shall leave out the
| mooted questions, and shall insist on
purity as well as brains In government,
We may as well not be a nation. But let
us beware of surprising that u single
fellowship or organization can be the
salvation OF this country. The church
alone cannot do il. We often hear that
said, but il Is a mistake. No secret or
ganization can do IT,. What we wait Tor,
and what will come is an issue that shall
weld into one all the best elements of the
State. and men OF great capacity who
shall lead this united body.
But we pass TO the second question,
against what object shall Christ's man In
the state wrestle.
Not against flesh and blood. No for
eign nation will be likely TO attack this
country, since they can gain nothing by
il, even should they be victorious over US.
And it is not likely that we shall attack
any foreign nation. Ii is not a war with
weapons OF iron, that we fight; but
against the principaiities, against the
powers, against the world rulers of this
darkness, against the spiritual hosts of
W"lCkeuness III nlRn places.
That is, we are not ~contending against
brute strength. All great battles are es-
sentially spiritual. 1t does not need a
majority TO win, even In the state. The
moral effect Of the right principles IL tre-
mendous. Every form OF sin is not only
sin, but folly. Evsry man VINO does wrong
deceives himself. The devil is said to be
a good paymaster. That is not true. He
is a breaker OF promises from the begin
ming. Selfishness in the state knows the
weakness OF It's own arguments. Ii can
not withstand the powerful assaults of
truth. How difficult IL Is to overcome the
truth may be seen in the execution OF our
Savior. The Jewish rulers were more
thar two years attempting It.. Finally
when they had him. as they supposed, in
their power, the energy of his single de-
Tense, bade on the truth, was on the
point OF defeating all their plans. Three
Times the whole rage OF the ecclesiastical
government, the cries of the packed mob,
and all the machinery of the persecution,
balance when compared with the simple
word of Jesus, 81 am a King"
But we wrestle against wise enemies,
wiser i'm their generation han the child
rem OF light. We have a strange problem
before us; a great nation, the vast ma
jority of which Is undoubtedlyin favor OF
good government. and yet to a great de-
gree misruled, especially almost every
where in the large cities. Good men
make plans, and even pass laws. but all
things continue as they we're before.
But il is not TO be wondered at that
good government is so hard to obtain. IL
we ask ourselves the third question, by
about, we perceive that 1t will require
the whole armor of God. We need that
arrnor not less to preseve our country than
10 preserve our souls. Great privileges are
worth great efforts. In the preservation
and enlargement OF that nationality
which we possess / much mistake IL
there will not be brought forth a higher
and more enduring form of patriotism
than we now know.
1t is a fact that millions OF our young
men do not know the value of citizenship.
The boon which so many cross the sea TO
obtain is a birthright profanely and slight
ingly cast away by many OF us. WEat
we need is TO make citizenship cost more,
that IL may be valued more highly. Not
only must we seek to make the Daturali-
Zation OF an alien a more difficult matter,
so hat he shalt know how to use what
we give him, but we want to he able to
say with some degree of responsibility,
l am an American. We need 10 learn that
this possession of ours must be defended
not only against armed marauders, but
against sly thieves. Citizenship Is too
cheap to us as well as to the alien. When
we compel every alien to read the Con-
stitution in English, and to read il
through, at lesst for once when we oblige
him to pass ten years Of orderly life, un-
convicted of crime in our country, and to
present a like record from the country OF
his birth; then when he feels with the
centurion that with a great sum he has
obtained this citizenship, we can build up
a state able to put down the world rulers
of this darkness.
Al vAa sLA -.tIA.Al A1-as,aN ~
the nation shall take away the rights of
citizenship fro.n those who abuse them,
and also from those who will not use
them; when we insist that the man who
makes laws in English shall be able 10
think in English; when, in short, citi-
zenship depends upon education and
moral character, not only for the alien
but for ourselves, we shall put ourselves
I'm a position to become the nation of
destiny.