The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1896-12-04

In 1915 American Bible society was born.
In 1924 American Sunday-school union
was born. In 1910 American board OF
commissioners for foreign missions. which
has put its saving hand on every Nation OF
the round earth, was born at a haystack In
Massachusetts,. The National Temperance
society, the Woman's Temperance society,
and all the other temperance movements
were born In this century. Africa, hidden to
other centuries, by exploration In this cen-
tury has been put at the feet OF civilization
to be occupied by commerce and Christian
tty. The Chinese wall, once an impossible
brick. Our American Nation at the opening
OF this century only slice OF land along
the Atlantic coast, now the whole continent
In possession OF our schools and churches
and missionary stations. Sermons and re-
liglous intelligence which In other times, II
noticed ut all by the newspaper press, were
allowed only paragraph OF three or four
lines, now find the columns OF the soc n lar
press in all the cities thrown wide
open. and every week for twenty-six
week, have been permitted to preach
one entire gospel sermon through the news
paper press. l thank God for this great
opportunity. Glorious old century! You
shall not be entombed until we have, face to
face. cxtolled you. You were rocked In a
rough cradle. and the inheritance you re-
ceived was, for tho most part. poverty and
struggle and hardship, and poorly covered
graves OF heroes and heroines OF whom the
world had not been worthy, AMI atheism and
military despotism, and the wreck Of tho
French revolution. You Inherited tho influ-
ences tnat resulted In Aaron Burr's treason,
and another war with England. and battle
OF Lake Erie, and Indian savagery, and
Lundy'S Lane, and Dartmoor massacre. and
dissention, bitter and wild beyond measure
mont. and African slavery, which was yet to
cost II National hemorrhage Of four awful
years and million precio us lives.
Yes. dear old century, you had IN awful
start, and YOU have done more than we'll,
considering your parentsge AMI your carly
environment. 1t Is wonder you did not
turn out to be the vagabond century of all
time. You hau bad mother and bad
grandmother. Some of the preceding CEN
turtles were not fl: TO live in-their morals
were so bad, their fashions were so outrage
Gus, their ignorance was 80 dense, their in
humanityso terrific. Oh, dying nineteenth
century. before You so we taSe this oppor-
tunity of telling you that you are the best
and the miShtieSt Of all tho centuries or tho
Christian era except the first, which gave us
the Christ, and you rival that century in the
fact that YOU more than all tho other centur-
les put together are giving the Christ to all
tho world. One hundred and twelve thousand
dollars, at one meeting few days ago con-
tributed for tho worlds ovangelzation.
Look at what you have done. thou
abused and deprecated century. All
the Pacific isles, barred and bolted
to reign, now all open, and, some of them
moro ChristianiZed than America. No more,
aS once written ovcr tho church doors in
Cape Colony, "DoSs and HottentotS not adj
mitted." The late Mr.. Darwin contributing
SO TO the Southern Missionary Society Cam
nballsm driven of the face of the earth. Tie
gates OF all Nations wide open for the gospel
| entrance when the church shall give up its
intellectual dnndyism, and quit fooling with
higher criticism, and plunge into tho WORK,
aa nf n IA, W ma pn1 a,tt
with the lifcboat to take the sailors of n
ship going to pieces in the Skerries. thank
you, old and dying century. All heaven
| thanks you, and surely all the Nations OF the
earth ought to thank you. put before your
eyes, soon to be dim for the last sleep, the
facts t-nNN ondou0. take your wrluklcd old
hnu ntl ~ il ia 80 '.,r ruulntion. l bathe
your ir>"." .! nr"w AMI ireSheu your parched
lips iron lnc iuun,;tinS OF eternal victory.
But NV text suS -eSts that there are some
things that this century ought to do before
he leaves VS.. "Thus saith the Lord, '.Set
| thine house in order. for thou salt die and
not live" We ought not to let this century
go before two or three things are set in order
For one thing this quarrel between LABOR and
capital. Tho nineteenth century inherited
it from tho eighteenth century, but do not
lot this nineteenth century bequeath 1t to
The twentioth. "What We want" says labor.
ITO set us right is moro strikes and more Wig
orOus work with torch and dynamite"
what We want. says capital, "ls tighter
grip on tn" working classes and compulsion
10 take what wag"r wo choose to pay, with
out rcfcrrnr" to th"tr needs" Both wrong
rs sin. Both defiant. Until the day OF iudg-
ment no settlement ot the quarrelit you leave
1t to British, Russian or American politics.
The religion Of Jesus Christ ought to come
in within the next four years and take the
hand OF capital and cnploye and say: "You
have tried everything else and failed. Now
try tho gospel OF kindness" No more op-
preston and no more strikes. The gospel Of
Jesus Christ will sweeten this acer-
bity, or It will go on to
burn the world up will crackle in the oars OF
wrathful prosperity and indignant toll while
their hands are still clutchng at each Others
thronts, Before this century sighs its last
breath | would that swarthy labor and easy
opulence would &C mo up and lot tho Carpen-
ter OF Nazareth ioin their hands in pledge of
everlasting kindness and peace. When men
and women are dying they are apt to divide
among their children mcmentos and ono Is
given watch, and another IA vase, and
another picture. and another u rope. Let
this veteran century before It dies hand over
10 the human race, with an impressiveness
that shall last forever, that old family keep
sake, the golden keepsake which nearly 1890
years ago was handed down from tho black
rock OF the mount Of bcntitudes, Therefore
all things whatsoever yo would that mon
should do to you. do ye even 80 to them, for
for this is the law and the prophets"
Another thing that needs to be set IN
order before tho veteran century quits us
is II more thorough and all embracing plan
for the woriis gardcnization. We have
been trying - savo tho world from tho
top, and il cannot be- dOne that way 1t
has got to b. saved from tho bottom. The
church ought to be only West Point To
drill soldiers for outside battle. What If n
military acaacmy should keep its students
from AZ" to age in the mcSsroom and tho
barracks? No. no, They aro wantsd ut
Mont"2uma ana CnapnHcp"r ana South
Mountain aul Missionary Ridge. and the
church is no place for n Christian to stay
very long. lie is wanted at the front. III.
IS nccdc in the desperate charge Of taking
the p"raprts. Tho las. great battle for
God il not to bo fought on the campus Of
Il college or the lawn OF church. 1t il to
be- fought 1T Missionary Ridge. Before