Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-10-02

tion Of cities, and see them light up a
whole continent Put them in long
rows, the hospitals, making a vast me-
tropolis Of pain and paroxysm. Gather
them in one vast assemblage, the mil
lions Of bereft from the st. Lawrence
10 the gulf, and from the Atlantic to
the Pacific beaches. Pat the tears into
lakes, and the blood into rivers, and
the shrieks into whirlwinds. During
those four years many good and wise
men at the north and south saw nothing
ahead but annihilation With such a
national debt we could never meet our
obligations. With such mortal antipa-
thies northern and southern men could
never come into amity. Representatives
of Louisiana and Georgia and the Caro-
linas could never again sit side by side
with the representatives Of Maine, Mas
sachusotts and New York at the nation
al capital.
Lord John Russell had declared that
we were "a bubble bursting national
ity," and it had come true. The ma
tions Of Europe had gathered with very
resigned spirit at the funeral Of our
American republic. They had tolled the
bells on parliaments and reichstags and
lowered their flags at half mast, and
even the lion on the other side Of the
sea had whined for the dead eagle on
this side. The deep grave had been dug,
and beside Babylon, and Thebes, and
Tyre, and other dead nations Of the past
our dead republic was to be buried. The
epitaph was all ready: Here lies the
American republic Born at Philadel-
phia, July 1, 1879. Killed at Bull Run
July 21, 1861. Aged So years and II
days. Peace TO its ashes. " But before
the obsequies had quite closed there was
an interruption Of the ceremonies, and
our dead nation rose from its mortuary
surroundings. God had made for it a
special resurrection day. and cried
Come forth, thou republic Of Washing.
ton, and John Adams, and Thomas JET
ferson, and Patrick Henry, and John
Hancock, and Daniel Webster, and S.
S. Prentiss, and Henry Clay. Come
forth" And she came forth, to BE-
stronger than she had ever been. Her
mightiest properties have come since
that SINE Who would want to push
back this country to what it was in
1860 or 1850? But, oh, what high
gate, what a strong gate, she had TO push
back before she could make one step in
/ advance Gate of fame! See Norfolk
navy yard, and Columbia, and Cham
bersburg, and Charleston on firel Gate
of bayonets See glitte1ing rifles and
carbines flash from the Susquehanna
and the James to the Mississippi and
the Arkansas! Gate of heavy artillery,
| making the mountains Of Tennessee and
Kentucky and Virginia tremble as
though the earth itself were struggling
in its last agony. The gate was so fiery
and so red that l can think Of nothing
more appropriate than TO take the sug-
gestion Of Isaiah in the text and call II
gate Of carbuncles.
God Save the Nation.
This country has been for the most
part Of its history passing through
crises. and after each crisis was better
eff than before it entered it, and now
we arc at another crisis. We are told on
| one hand that if gold is kept as a stand
ard and silver is not elevated confidence
will he restored, and this nation will
rise triumphant from all the financial
misfortuDes that have been affecting
us. On the other hand, we are told that
if the free coinage Of silver is allowed
all the wheels Of business will revolve.
the poor man will have a better chance,
| and all our industries will begin to hum
and roar. During the last six presiden
| tial elections l have been urged TO enter
the political arena, but | never have
and never will turn the pulpit in which
preach into political stump. Every
minister must do as he feels called to
do, and will not critcise him for doing
" hat he considers his duty but all the
political harangues from pulpits from
now until the Sd Of November will not
in all the United States change one
vote, but will leave many ears stopped
against anything that such clergymen
may utter the rest of their lives As a
general rule, the laymen Of churches
understand politics better than the
clergy, because they (the laymen) study
politics more than the clergy and have
better opportunity Of being intelligent
Oh those subjects. But good morals
| honesty, loyalty, Christian patriotism
and the Ten Con nmaIGmonts-these we
must preach God says distinctly in the
Bible, 1.-The silver aud the gold arr
mine" and he will settle the contro'
yersy between those two metals. II ever
this country needed the divine rCscue 1t
needs it now Never within my mem
ory have so many people literally
starved 10 death as in the past few
months Have you noticed in the news
papers how many men and women here
and there have been found dead, the
most mortem examination stating that
the cause of death was hunger!
There is not a day that we do not
hear the crash of some great commercial
establishment, and as a consequence
many people are thrown out OF employ
ment Among what we considered
comfortable homes have come privation
and close calculation and an economy
that kills. Millions Of people who say
nothing about it are at this moment at
their wits end. There are millions OF
people who do not want charity, but
want work The cry has gone up to the
eals of the Lord of SabaOtb, " and the
rrayer will be heard and relief will
comc II we have nothing better TO de-
peld On than American politics, relief
will never come. Whoever is elected to
the presidency, the wheels Of govern
, ment turn SO slowly, and a caucus In
, yonder white building ON the hill may
tie the hands Of any president. Now,
though we who live in the District OF
Columbia cannot vote, we can pray. and
my prayer day and night shall be; 70
, God, hear the cry of the souls from un-
, der the altarl Thou who has brought
, the wheat and corn Of this season to
, such magnitude of supply, give food to
, man and beast Thou who hadst not
where to lay thy head, pity the shelter
1. 10