The Newtown bee., 1896-10-30
The Homo Circle.
houghtS Before Election.

A SERMON PREACHED IN THE NkWTOWN
 CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH SUNDAY
 MORNING, OCTOBER Is, BY THEPAsTOK
 REV OTIS W. BARKER.-rATBIOTI M
 AND RELIGION GO HAND IN-uAND.--EV-
 FRY DAY Is TO SOME LIFE AN ELECTION
 DAY.-''COUNTRT ABOVE rAKTI" Is
 THE RY EVERY WHERE TU-DAY.-AN
 IGNORANT VOTE Is A DANGEROUS VOTE
 PROVE ALL THINGS; HOLD FAST THAT
 WHICH Is bODU. .'.--LAWLESSNkSS THE
 GREAT EVIL OF THE TIMES.-THE REM
 EDY FOR ANABCHIsM: QUARANTINE
 IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE WHETH
 ER A MAN LOVES GOD.
 Text, Psnlus I,}I Q 6, ''Il forget thee, 0 Je
 rusulem, let my right hand forget her cum nlng, do mot reuembut thee, loi my ton guG cleHyc to line rOOI Ut my mouth, il pre- Ter not Jerusalem above my chlcl Joy."
 That was the song of homc-sick, heart, sick Israel. Israel, captive IsraeI, were down in Babylon. They sat upon the rivers brink. By them the water lowed but there was nU music In it's flowing, nU soothing lullaby iu It's ripping sound, With them were their harps, upon whose silVery strings they had often awakened sCralns of sweetest zOund; but their harps hung upon the willows by the TiY- CTS side-Jhe melody seemed to have been lost from the strings, the touch seemed to have gone from the uerYeless musicians hand. What was the trouble with Israeli An! the trouble was Israel were not at home; their feet pressed q foreign soil, their eyes looked up into d foreign sky. Israel had no song i'll that far-aWay land; for the sweetest song is that of country and of home, and country and home were not there. inc children of Israel were patriots, They were d re- liglOus peOple-religiOn was their disUin- gushing mark; they were lovers of their country as well-paJriOClsm was another marked trait in their national life. h. deed, if they were one, how could they help being the other, for true religion and true patriotism go .haud-in-hand The love of country which the children of Israel mad could never be destroyed. Muddy Jordan was always to them the dearest of rivers, contracted Jerusalem was always to them the fairesG of cities, hGdged-in Palestine was always to them the most entrancng of lands. The love of country which the children of Israel had, could not be destroyed. They were wasted by their enemies, but the rayaged country still glowed with the patriotic flame; down in Babylon 1t consumed not, and under the grinding heel of Rome it still lifted its noble head.
 Love of country is as noble d feeling as anlmates the human breast. The dwarfed Laplander, clad In his furry gar ments from head to foot, has had it; the South Sea Islander, basking in the glOr- les of tropical sun, has known what the emotion Ia the inhabitant of Erin's isle, ground down by centuries of poverty and stern rule, returning home has kissed his native sod. Love of country Is univer-
 b.. .aa aA ,es,S,, 3, rier hems it in 1t flOurishes as well among the icebergs as under the blazing sun. We can excuse a man who Is not gen. jus, we can have tolerance for him who does not subscribe to our creed, we can even learn to forgive the one who has op- posed us on the tented field; but for the 1 man who knows not what 1t means to l love his country's soil and honor his 1 eountry's flag we can only have feelings l of pity and disgust. IJ seems to me, my friends, ,that the les- son which the times call upon us to em- phasize Is the lesson of patriotism, devO- I Eion to the country that we love. This is the lesson which the political platform cannot monopOlize; ite note should be struck as well from the editors sanctum and from the sacred desk, "Country above party" that Ia the cry everywhere to day. The campaign which is now up- on us will go down in history conspicu- Dus for this one thing In 1t men, for con- giction's sake, for cOuntTy's sake, laid aside party divisions and party lines. There never was a time in the history of shis country before when SO complete a of parties took place. The fact that a man stands on one side to-day s no proof that he has always been on hat side before; the fact chat man ltands on one side to-day is no Indication hat he will be found ou that side four years from now. And let me say with smphasis here that I believe that men lage ranged themselves as we find them anged to-day because conviction has led hem there, because they are firmly con. { ginced that In standing where they do, hey are doing the best they know how { or their eountry's welfare and veal. la m not one Of those who stand ready to 2 enounce all those who differ from me as [ narchlsts and eonsplrators and frauds. q am not ready Co say that the right is all | n my side, 1 admit that on some Ques- c