Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1896-05-16

enthrone the name of God in the constl-
tuition. We have HOW more reason for
inserting that acknowledgement of di-
vinity than our fathers had. Since then
the Continent has been peoplcd and great
cities from the Atlantic to the Pacific
built, ard all in peace, showing that
there must have been supernal super
yisal Since then the war of 1912, and
ours the victcryl Since then great finan-
cial prostraticns, cut of which we came
to greater prosperity than anything that
preceded. Since then sarguinary 1862,
1853, 1864 ard 1865, and notwithstand-
ing the fact that all the foreign despot-
islns were planning for our demolition,
we are a united people, and tomorrow
you will fnd in both houses Of congress
the men who fought for the north and
the south, now sitting side by side,
armed with no weapon except the pen,
with which they write homo to their
constituents who want to be appointed
postmastcrs The man who cannot see
God in our American history is as blind
of soul as he would be blind of body if
he could bot at 10 O. clock of ali uncloud-
ed noon see the sui i'll the heavens.
AS matter Of gratitude to Almighty
God, gentlemen CT the American con-
gress, be pleased to insert the four words
suggested by the Methodist conference.
Not only because Of the kindness of God
to this nation i'll the past should such
Il ,,,cc,.ti,-, 1,n, nfn b11t no.
cause Of the fact that we are going to
want divine interrosition still further
in our national history. This gold and
silver question will mover be settled IN
til God settles it. This question Of tariff
and free trade will never be settled un-
til God settles it. This question be-
tween the east and the west, which is
getting hotter and hotter and looks to-
ward republic of the Pacific, will not
be settled until CCd settles it. We
needed God i'll the 1870 years of our past
national life and we will need him still
more in the next 1870 years. Lift up
your heads, yc everlasting gates Of our
glorious constitution, and let the King
of Glory come in! Make one line OF
that immortal document radiant with
omnipotence! Spell at least one word
with thronesl At the beginning, or at
the close or III the center, recognize
him from whom az nation we have
received all The blessings Of the past
and upon whom we are dependent for
the future. Print that word God" or
Lord or Eternal Father" or "Rul-
er of Nations" somewhere between the
first word and the last. The great ex-
FOUNDER OF the constitution sleeps at
Marshfield, Mass, the Atlantic ocean
still humming near his pillow of
dust its prolonged lullaby. But is there
not some one now living who in the
white marble palace of the nation CD
yonder hill not ten minutes away will
become the irradiator of the constitu-
ton by causing to be added the most
tremendous word of our English vocab-
ula1y, the name of that being before
whom all nations must bow or 90 into
defeat and anlihilaticn-"God:"
Church and State.
Again, before re approaching ad-
;;ournment of our American congress, it
ought to be decidedly ard forever set
tied that no appropriations be made to
sectarian schools, and that the court
ship between church and state i'll this
country be forever broken up. That
question already seems temporarily set
tied. Iwish it might be completely and
forever settled. All schools and all II
stitutions as well as all denominations,
should stand on tic same level before
American law Emperor Alexander of
Russia, at his Peterhof palace, asked
me how many denominations of rell-
gion there were III America, and l re-
cited their names as well as l could.
Then he asked me the difference be-
tween them, and there 1 broke down.
But when / told him that no religious
denomination in America had any priv
ileges above the others, he could hardly
understand it. The Greek church first
in Russia, the Lutheran church first in
Germany, the Episcopal church first
in England, the Catholic church first
in Rome, Mchammedanism first III
inople-tEe emperor wondered
how it was possible that all the denom-
nations in America could stand Oh the
same platform. But so it is, and so let
it ever be- Let there be no preference,
no partially, no attempt to help one
sect an inch higher than another.
Washington and jefferson, and all the
early presidents, and all the great states
men of the past, have lifted their voices
against any such tendency. If school
or an institution cannot stand without
the prop Of national appropriation, then
let that school or that institution go
down. On the other side of the sea the
world has had plenty Of illustration of
church and state united. Let us have
none of the hypocrisy and demoraliza-
ton bern of that relation OIL this side
of the Atlantic. Let that denomination
come out ahead that does the most for
the cause Of God and humanity, men,
institutions and religions getting what
they achieve by their own right arm OF
uStlul1tSS tillu uCt ny liiO Law VI LUSH VI
government AS you regard the vel
fare and perpetuity of our institutions,
keep politics out of religion.
National Conventions.
But now thatI AM speaking of ma
tional affairs from a religious stand
point bethink myself Of tho fact that
two other gavcls will soon lift and fall,
the onc at st. Louis and the ether at
Chicago and before those national con-
ventions adjourn I ask that they ac-
knowledge Gcd i'll the platforms. The
men who construct those platforms are
here this morning or will read these
words. Let no political party think it
can do its dirty unless it Acknowledges
that Gcd Who built this continent and
revealed it at the right time to tie dis
coverer, and who has reared here
prosperity which has been given to no
other people. "Oh," says some one,