Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-05-15
ACKNOWLEDGE GOD.
DR.. TALMAcE WOULD AMEND THE
CONSTITUTION.

Gods Name Left out by a Mental Over
sight of Our Forefathers - Congress
Should Make No Appropriations For sec
tarIan sohools-Brlght Days to Come.
WASHINGTON, May 10.-Never was a
timelier or more appropriate sermon
than that preached by Rev. DR.. Talmage
this morning. The subject was Before
They Adjourn, " having reference to the
early dissolution Of congress- and the
text selected was Psalms cv, %, "And
teach his senators wisdom.
Senators in this text stand for law
makers. Joseph was the lord treasurer
Of the Egyptian government, and among
other great things which he did, &C
cording to my text, was TO teach his
senator's wisdom. And if any men on
earth ought to be endowed with wisdom
it is senators, whether they stand III
congresses, parliaments or reichstags OF
assemblies or legislatures. By their de-
cisions nations 60 up or down. Law
makers are sometimes so tempted by
prejudices, By sectional preferences, by
opportunity Of personal advancement,
and sometimes what is best to do is SC
doubtful that they ought to be prayed
for and encouraged in every possible
way instead Of severely criticised and
blamed and excoriated as is much OF
the time the case. Our public men are
so often the target to be shot at, merely
because they obtain eminence which
other men wanted but could not reach,
that more injustices are hurled at ou
national legislature than the people Of
the United States can possibly imagine
The wholesale belying Of our public
men is simply damnable.
By residence in Washington l have
come to find out that many Of our public
men are persistently misrepresented, anC
some Of the best Of them, the purest IL
their lives and most faithful in the dis
charge of their duties, are the worst de
famed. Some day want to preach ser
mon from the text in II Peter: They
are not afraid to speak evil Of dignitles
Whereas angels, which are greater IL
power and might, bring not railing ac
cusation against them before the Lord
But these, as natural brute beasts, made
to be taken and destroyed, speak evil o.
the things that they understand not.
| So constant and malignant is this wori
Of depreciation and standardization in re
gard to our public men that all over tn
land there are those who suppose tina
the city Of Washington is the center o
all corruption, while what with 1t
parks, and its equestrian statuary, an'
its wide streets, and its architecture
symnetries, and its lovely homes, it /
not only the most beautiful city unde
the sun, but has the highest style Of citi
zenship. l have seen but one intoxicate'
man in the more than six months OF m,
residence, and l do not think any mai
can give similar testimony of any othe
city ON the American continent
Gods Name In the Constitution.
The gavels Of our two houses Of ma
tional legislature will soon fall, and ad
iournment of two bodies of men as tai
ented, as upright and as patriotic
ever graced the capitol will take place
The two or three unfortunate outbreak
which you have noticed only make NOR
conspicuous the dignity, the fraternity
the eloquence, the fidelity which hav
characterized those two bodies during al
the long months Of important and anN
ions deliberation. Weput halo aroun
great men of the past because they wer
40 rare in their time. Oar senate an
house of representatives have five sue
men where once they had one. But
will not be until after they are dead tina
they will get appreciated The worl
finds it safer to praise the dead than tn
living, because the departed, having
heavy pile of marble above them' ma
not rise to become rivals
But. before the gavels Of adjournmen
drop and the doors of Capitol hill shut
there are one or two things that ough
70 be done, and let us pray God tina
they NAV be accomplished. More fore
bly than ever before, congress has bee
implored to acknowledge God in ou
constitution. The Methodist church,
church that is always doing glorior
things, has in its recent Wilmington col
. ference requested our congress to amen
the immortal document which has bee
the foundation and wall and dome
our United States government by II
, serting the words, Trusting in A
mighty God" II that amendment
made, it will not only please all Il
good people Of the country, but WI
, please the heavens twas only an owe
/. sight or mental accident that the Il
theirs who made the constitution did IL
insert diyinely worshipful sentenc