Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1896-09-19

the nursery.
Pulpit and printing press for the
most part in our day arc busy in dis
russing tho condition of the cities at
this time, but would it not be health
fully encouraging to oil Christian work
crs. and to all who are toiling to make
the world better, if we should for lit
tie whilo look forward to the time when
orr cities shall be revolutionized by the
gospel of tho Son of God, and all the
darkness of sin and trouble and crime
and suffering shall be gone from the
world?
Every man hos pride in the city Of
his nativity or residence, if it be q city
distinguished for any dignity or Prov
css. Caesar boasted of his native Rome,
Virgil of Mantua, Lycurgus of Sparta,
Dennosthenes of Athens, Archimedcs
of Syracuse and Paul of Tarsus l
should have suspicion Of base hearted
ness in nan who had no especial IN
tercst in tho city of his birth or resi-
dcnec-no oxhilnration at the evidence
Of lis prosperity or its artistic embellish-
ments or its intellectual advancement
a Noticeable Point.
have noticed that man never likes
Il city where he has not behaved well!
People who have had free rido in the
prison van never like the city that fur
nishes the vehicle. When | find Argos
and Rhodes and Smyrna trying to prove
themselves the birthplace of Homer, !
conclude at once that Homer behaved
well. lie liked them and they liked
him. We must not war Oh laudable city
pride, or. with the idea of building our
selves up at amy time, try to pull others
down. Boston must continue to point
to its Fancuil hail and to its Common
and to its superior educational advan-
tages. Philadelphia must continue to
point to It's Independence hail and Its
mint and It's Girard college. Washing
ton must continue to point to its Won
drous capitoline buildings If 1 should
find man coming from any city, hay
ing no pride in that city, that city hay
ing boon tho place Of his nativity, or
now being tho place Of his residence, l
would feel like asking; what mean
thing have you done there? What OUT
rageous thing have you been guilty OF
that you do ret like the placer
thinl; we ought-and l take 1T for
granted you are interested i'll this great
work Of evangelizing the cities and say
ing the world-we ought to toll with
the sunlight in our faces. We arc not
fighting N miserable Bull Run Of de-
feat. We arc on our way to final VIC.
tory. We are not following the rider on
the blaze: horse, leading us down to
death and darkness and doom, but the
rider OH the white horse, with the moon
under his feet and the stars of heaven
for his tiara. Hail, Conqueror, hall
know there arc sorrows, and there
are sins, and there are sufferings all
around about us, but US in some bitter,
cold winter day, when we are thrashlng
our arms around us to keep our thumbs
from freezing, we think Of the warm
spring day that will after awhile come,
or i'll the dark winter night we look up
and SEQ the northern lights. the win
dows of heaven illuminated by some
great victory, just so we look up from
the night of suffering and sorrow and
wretchedness in cur cities, and we see q
light streaming through from the other
side, and we know we arc OIL the way
to morning-more than that, on the
way to IS morning without clouds. "
l want you to understand, all you who
are toiling for Christ, that the castles
of sin are all going to be captured. Tho
victory for Christ in these great towns
is going to be so complete that not .
man on earth, or All angel in heaven, Or
a devil III hell will dispute it. How do
l know? l know just as certainly as
God lives and that this is holy truth. The
old Bible is full of it, If the nation is
to be saved, Of course all the cities are
to be saved. 1t makes great difference
with you and with me whether we are
toiling on toward defeat or toiling
Oh toward q victory.
a Glorious Time.
Now, in this municipal elevation OF
which l speak L have to remark there
will be greater financial prosperity than
our cities have ever seen. Some people
seem to bave morbid idea Of the mil
lennium, and they think when the bet
ter time comes to our cities and the
world people will give their time up to
psalm singing and the relating Of their
religious experience. and, as all social
life will be purified, there will be no
hilerity, and, as all business will be
purified, there will be no enterprise.
There is no ground for such an absurd
anticipation. IN the time of which l
speak where now one fortune is made
there will be hundred fortunes made.
We all know business prosperity de.
ponds upon confidence between man
and man. Now, when that time comes
of which I speak, and when all double
dealing, all dishonesty, and all fraud
are gone out of commercial circles,
thorough confidence will be established
and there will be better business done
and larger fortunes gathered and
mightier successes achieved.
The great business disasters OF this
country have come from the work OF
goddess spectators and infamous stock
gamblers. The great foe to business is
crime. When the right shall.have hurled
back the wrong, and shall have purified
the commercial code. and shall have
Numbered down fraudulent establish
ments, and shall have put into the hands
of honest men the keys of business
blessed time for-the bargain makers. l
an not talking an abstraction. lam not
making guess. am telling you God 8
eternal truth.
In that day of which I speak taxes