Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-09-29

war-paint, and Chinese and Japanese
go into wholesale massacres, and At
CHAN and Zulu hurl poisoned arrows, but
think Christian nations have gradu-
ally learned that war is disaster to VIC
tor as well as vanquished, and that
almost anything bought by blood is
bought at too dear price. l wish to
God this nation might be model OF
willingness for arbitration. No need Of
killing another Indian. No need Of
sacrificing any more brave Gen. Gus
ters. Stop exasperating the red man,
and there will be no more arrows shot
out from the adjustments. A general
OF the United States army in high re-
pute throughout this land, and who.
perhaps, had been in more Indian wars
than any other officer, and who mad
been wounded again and again in be-
half of our government in battle
against the Indians, told me that all
the wars that had ever occurred be-
tween Indians and white men had been
provoked by white men, and that there
was no exception to the rule. While
We are arbitrating with Christian ma
tons, let us toward barbarians carry
ourselves in a manner unprovocative Of
contest.
l find another ray of dawn in the
compression of the worlds distances
What slow, snail-like, almost impos-
sible thing would have been the world s
rectification with fourteen hundred
millions of population and no facile
means Of communication; but now,
through telegraphy for the eye and tel
ephonic intimacy for the ear, and
through steamboating and railroading,
the twenty-five thousand miles Of the
worlds circumference are shriveling
up into Insignificant brevity! Hong
Kong is nearer to New York than few
years ago New Haven was; Bombay,
Moscow, Madras, Melbourne within
speaking distance. Purchase a tele-
graphic chart, and by blue lines see the
telegraphs of the land, and by the red
lines the cables under the ocean. You
see what opportunity this Is going to
give for the final movements of Chris
tianity.
One more ray of the dawn 1 see in
facts chronological and mathematical.
Come now, do not let us do another
stroke of work until we have settled
one matter What is going to be the
final issue of this great contest between
sin and righteousness? Which is going
to prove himself the stronger, God or
Diabolus? Is this world going to be
all garden or all desert? Now let us
have that matter settled If we believe
Isaiah, and Ezekiel and Hosea, and Mi
cab, and Malachi, and John, and Peter,
and Paul, and the Lord himself, We
believe that it is going to be all garden.
But let us have it settled. Let us know
whether We are working on toward a
success or toward a dead failure. If
there is child in your house sick, and
you are sure he is going to get well,
you sympathize with present pains, but
all the foreboding is gone. If you are
in a cyclone off the Florida coast, and
the captain assures you the vessel is
staunch and the winds are changing for
a better quarter, and he is sure he will
bring you safe into the harbor, you
patiently submit to present distress
with the thought of safe arrival. Now
want to know whether we are coming
on toward dismay, darkness and defeat,
or on toward light and blessedness. You
and l believe the latter, and if so, every
year We spend is one year subtracted
from the worlds woe, and every event
that passes, whether bright or dark,
brings us one event nearer happy
consummation, and by all that Is in
exorable in chronology and mathemat-
les | commend you to good cheer and
courage. If there is anything in arith-
metic. if you subtract two from Ave
and leave three, then by every rolling
sun We are coming on toward a mag
nificent terminus. Then every winter
passed is one severity less for our poor
world. Then every summer gone by
Put your algebra down on the top OF
your Bible and rejoice.
II it is nearer morning at three
o'clock than it is at two, IL it is nearer
morning at four o'clock than it is al
three. then we are nearer the dawn oil
the worlds deliverance. Gods clock
seems to go very slowly, but the pendu.
lum swings, and the hands move, and
1t Will yet strike noon. The sun and
the moon stood still once; they will
never stand still again until they STOP
forever. If you believe arithmetic as
we'll as your Bible, you must believe
we are nearer the dawn. 1.-The day is
at hand"
Beloved people, preach this sermon
because want you to toll with the sun
light in your faces. ! want you old
men to understand before you die
that all the work you did for God while
yet your ear was alert and your foot
fleet is going to be counted up in the
final victories. | want all these young
err people to understand, that when
they toll for God they always win the
day; that all prayers are answered and
all Christian work is in some way
effectual, and that the tide is setting
in the right direction, and that all
heaven is on our side-saintly, cherub-
&C. archangelic, omnlpotent, chariot
and throne, doxology and procession
principalities and dominion, he who
hath the moon under his feet and all