The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1896-12-11
RELIGIOUS THOUGHT.
Gems of Truth Cleaned From the Teach
ings of All Denominations.

God be praised for the mothers all
over the world who are prayerfully and
toarfully sowing in their children's
hearts the seeds which are to bring
forth the fruits of noble manhood ana
wo,oanhood- Rev. Kerr B. Upper,
Baptist, Philadelphia.
Chinas Needs.
The needs of China can best be con-
sidored in all their magnitude when we
consider the enormous death rate OF that
great nation. Twenty two minute, or
1900 an hour, die every day, with their
souls unsaved. Rev. D. W. Lelacheur,
Returned Missionary, at Lowell, Mass.
Our Interdependence.
None can save his brother. Every one
must enter into relation with God for
himself. And yet every man both re-
ceives and gives in social intercourse.
If entirely separated from our fellows,
we would soon cease to be what we are.
Half our faculties would lie dormant
for want of exercise, and the other half
would gradually die. Rev. W, d. Will
liams, Congregationalist, San Francisco.
God In the Constitution.
A nation which is favored with the
word of God is not justified in framing a
constitution or establishing govern
ment which is at variance with that
word. 1t should not be necessary to re-
mind our government of it's position re-
garding recognition Of Gods power and
position as king of nations, but the
facts show that it is necessary. Rev.
Nevin WoousiGe, Presbyterian, Pitts
burg.
Heaven and He'll.
Man in L., ignorance has essayed
with cha II a.t compass to measure hell
and heaven There aro 10 measurements
as we estimate things. He'll is not
place. 1t cannot be described. 1t is too
awful for that. No IL ne can we picture
or describe heaven No pen nor brush
nor sound GIN Like u sensible of its
glory. -Rcv. II. n. CCuGen, Chaplain
of the United States House Of Represent
atives.
A Deadly Snake.
Since the time CT Adam and Eve the
snake has been creature loathed and
feared by mankind. 1t is our natural
instinct to hate it, and it is also Gods
will that we do So But there are other
kinds of snakes also. In India 1000
people are killed each year by snakes.
In the United States 60, 900 die from
the effect of the bites of the chief mem
Der of the "old serpent" family-strong
drink. Four thousand dollars in bounty
is paid annually in India for killing
snakes, but in the United States, al
though the death record is three times
as great, the government fosters and
protects the liquor traffic. Rev. W. A.
Gardner, Christian, San Francisco
The World Grows Better.
The flood of ills around us fills some
hearts with dark forebodings for hui
mainly. Falsehood and iniquity are SO
widespread and so rampant that they
are tempted to fear that the world is
growing hopelessly worse, and that it
is useless to try to stem the tide OF error
and iniquity. But it is a tremendous
tonic to courage and hope to discover
that there is a vast army OF men who
see and love the right, and to know that
whenever men are strong and steadfast
for the right, in purpose and action as
we'll as in thought, the eternal powers OF
the universe are working with them,
and God will give them deliverance out
of perils and calamities. Rev. Charles
Fl. Richards Congregationalist, Phlla-
delphia.
Martin Luther.
Luther stood in minority of one
against the world. The necessity for re-
form measured the appalling difficulty
in the way and hushed into silence the
voices that cried out for liberty and
truth. In this dark night the peasant of
Thuringia appeared, carrying the torch
of God S word in his hand in the face
of frowning world. His bravery and
determination, his Gothic manhood and
heroism, shine out like stars in win
try night in the stand it took for truth
and Righteousness. 1t is easy now for us
to preach, to teach, to utter our convic-
lions of truth. 1t was not so when
Luther attacked the iniquities of the
church and led the way into the freedom
we now enjoy. Rev. S. H. Domer, Lu-
theran Washington.
The Mystery of the Inner Man.
He who wishes to learn the life of
flowers will go to botany; if one wishes
to learn the art of expression, he will
study grammar So we go to the Bible
to learn something of Gods interest to
humanity Yet that interest is great
mystery, as perplexing to the philoso-
pher as ever the Trinity has been to the
theologian. No human intellect has ev.
er been able to tell us why music has
only eight satisfactory notes. No one
has ever risen up to tell us why man is
delighted with the whiteness of the
lily. No one can explain why man in
Asia will cross seas and oceans to see
Americas great cataract. All that can
be said is that certain sounds and scenes
give pleasure. There is in these things
the power to crafty some hidden mys-
terious sense.-Rev. John Mathews,
Methodist, st. Louis.
A Crime of Women.
According to the Mosaic law, person
passing a bird s nest, either in the fields
or in the trees, should leave the bird,