Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-06-24

doS gfnR among the sarcophagi. ana leaning
against tho columns. and stopping under tho
arches. and weeping In the waters whicn go
mournfui.y by as though they were carrying
tho tears OF all ages? Let the mummies
break their long silence and como up 10
shiver In the deso,afion AMI point to fallen
Cntrs and shattered statues and deiaced
sculpture resDonding: ''Thabes built not one
temple Of God. Thebes hated Righteousness
and loved sin. Thebes was star, but she
turned tn wormwoOd and has iallen.
Babylon, with her 251 towers and her
brazen gates and her embnttled walls, the
splendor OF the earth gathered within her
paiaccs, her hanging gardens buiit Dv
NabuchadnezZar to please his bride, Amytis,
who hat been brought up in mountainous
country and could not endure the Hat coun-
try round BabyIon-theso hanging gardens
built, terrace above terrace. till mt the height
OF 400 feet there were woods waving ana
fountains playing. the Yer lure. the foliage,
the glory looking as If mountain were on
the wing. On the .iptop a king walking with
hisqueen. among statues snowy white, look
ing mp at birds brought from distant lands,
and drinking out Of tankards OF solid gold
or looking off over rivers and lakes uoon na-
tions subiue and tributary. crying. us not
this great Babylon which have built3'
What battering ram smote tho walls! What
plowshare upturned tho gar,iens2 What
army shattered the brazen gates! What
long. fierce blast of storm nut out this light
which iliuminei the world? What crash OF
discord drove down the music that poured
from palace window and garden grove and
calle1 the banqueters to their revel AMI the
iancers TO their feet? 1 walk upon the
scene OF desolation to fin On answer and
Dick up pieces of bitumeu aHd brick and
broken pottery. the remains of Babylon, and
rs In the silence OF the night hear the surg
ing OF that billow OF DISSOLUTION which rolls
over the scene, hear tho wild waves say
ing: "Babyion was proui. Babylon was
impure. Babylon was star, but BY sin she
tn, ned to wornwood and has fallen"
From tho prosecutions OF the pilgrim
fathers and the Huguenots In other lands
God set upon these shores a nation. The
council fires OF the aboriSines went out In
the greater light OF n free government. The
sound OF the warwhOOp was exchanged Tor
the thousand wheels OF enterprise ant prog
ress. The mild winters, the fruitful sum-
msrs, the healthful skies, charmed from
other lands race of hardy men who loved
God aud wanted to he free. Before the
woodman's AK forests fell ana rose again in
to ships n,,sis and churches pillars. Cities
on thebankl OF lakes begin to rival cities by
the sea. The land quakes with the rush OF
the rail car and the waters are churncl
white with the steamers wheel. Fabulous
bushels OF western wheat meet on the way fab
ulous tons Of eastern coal. Furs from the north
pass on the river fruits from the south. Aud
trading in the same market Is Maine lumber
man ana south CarOilnu rice inefchhHt uuu
Ohio farmer and Alaska fur dealer. And
churches and schools and asylums scatter
light and love and mercy and salvation upon
ca. .0O0, ,0OJ Of people.
pray that our LatIon may not'copy the
| crimes Of the nations that have perished and
| our cup OF blessing turn to wormwood, and
like them we go down. am by nature and
| by grace an optimist. and expect that this
| country will continue to advance until Christ
| shall como again. but be not deceived.
| Our orly safety Is in righteousness toward
| God and justice toward man. II we forget
the goodness of the Lord to this land. and
break His Sabbaths, and improve not by the
dire disasters that have again and again
come to us rs n nation, and we learn saving
| lesson neither from civil war nor raging cpl
| demic nor drought nor mildew nor scourge
| of locust and grasshopper nor cyclone nor
earthquake; il the political corruption which
has poisoned tho fountains of public virtue
AMI beslimed tho high plases Of authority,
making free government mt times kissing
| and bywOrd in all the earth; II tho drunk
enness aud licsntiousness that staGccr and
biaspheme In the streets OF our great cities
as though they were reaching after
the fame of Cyrnth and a
Sodom arc not repented of. We will
vet see the smoke Of our nations
ruin; the pillars of our national anC state
when Samson pulled down DngOn, and
future historians will record upon the page
bedewed with generous tears the story that
the free nation OF the west nrose In splendor
| which made the world stare. 1t had
magnificent possibilities. 1t forgot God. It
hated Justice. 1t hugged its crime 1t
halted on fts high march. 1t reeled under
the blow OF calamity. It fell. And as 1t was
going down all the despotisms of earth from
the top OF bloody thrones beg n to shout.
"Aha, SO would we have it!" whilestruggiing
and oppressed people lookei out from
dungeon bars with tears and groans and
cries of untold agony. the scorn Of those
and the woe of these uniting in the exclama-
lion: "Look yonder! There foil aSgreat
star from heaven. burning rs it were lamp,
and 1t fell upon the third part OF the rivers
and upon the fountains of waters, and the
name of the star is called Wormwood!"