Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-05-15

| gotten Son." The constitution would
have been a failure had it not been for
| the divine interference. The members
Of the convention could agree on nothing
until, in response to Benjamin Frank
| Inns request that the meetings be open
ed by prayer, the Lord God was called
on TO interfere and help, and then the
way was cleared, and all the states sign
ed the document, a historical fact that
all the rat terriers Of modern infdelity
cannot bark out of existence. know
that there was an exception to the fact
that the prominent men in those times
we're good men.
Tom Paine and Ethan Allen.
Tom Paine a libertine and a sot, did
not believe in anything good until he
was dying, and then he shrieked out for
Gods mercy. And Ethan LilC' fl n
one Of whose descendants have Cceiyld
within few days confirmation Of the
incident | mentioned in a recent ser
mon, as saying to his dying daughter
that she had better take her mothers
Christian religion than his own infdel-
ity. The article sent me says: THE
story has been denied by some Of the
Allen family, but the Bronson family,
some Of whom were with the dying girl,
affirm that it is substantially true, In
.uch matter one confirmation is worth
more than many denials. So says the
article sent me. There is no doubt that
Ethan Allen was the yulgarest sort OF
IN infdel, for, sitting in a Presbyterian
,lhurch, his admirers say he struck the
pew in front Of him and swore out loud
10 as to disturb the meeting, and no gen.
Sleman would do that. l do not wonder
shat some Of his descendants are ashamed
0f him, but Of course they could not
help il and are not to blame. But all
Che decent 1Nn Of the Revolution be-
heved in God, and our American con-
Eress, now assembled, will only echo
the sentiments Of the fathers when they
onthrone the name of God i'll the consti-
tuition. We have now more reason for
Inserting that acknowledgement Of di-
yinity than our fathers had. Since then
ihe continent has been peopled and great
pities from the Atlantic to the Pacific
built. and all in peace, showing that
here must have been supernal super
Visal. Since then the war Of 1912, and
ours the victory Since then great tinan-
rial prostrations, out Of which we came
10 greater prosperity than anything that
preceded. Since then sanguinary 1862,
1868, 1864 and 1865, and notwithstand-
ing the fact that all the foreign despot-
lsms were planning for our demolition,
We are a united people, and tomorrow
you will find 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 home to their
constituents who want to be appointed
postmasters The man who cannot see
God in our American history is as blind
Of soul as he would be blind Of body II
be could not at y o'clock Of an uncloud- |
ed noon see the sun in the heavens.
As matter Of gratitude to Almighty |
God. gentlemen Of the American con-
sress, be pleased to insert the four words
mpgested by the Methodist conference |
Not only because Of the kindness Of God
10 this nation in the past should such
teverential insertion be made, but be-
cause of the fact that we are going to
want divine interposition still further
In our national history. This gold and
silver question will never be settled un-
iii God settles it. This question Of tariff
md free trade will never be settled I'M
bill God settles it. This question be-
tween the east and the west, which is
getting hotter and hotter and looks to-
ward a republic of the Pacific will not
be settled until God settles it. We
needed God in the 120 years Of our past
national life, and we will need him still
more in the next l20 years. Lift up
your heads, ye everlasting gates OF our
glorious constitution, and let the King
of Glory come inl Make one line Of
that immortal document radiant with
pmnipotencel Spell at least one word
with thronesl At the beginning, or at
the close, or in the center, recognize
him from whom as a 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 "RuI-
pr of Nations" somewhere between the
FIRST word and the last The great ex-
, FOUNDER Of the constitution sleeps at
!. Narshfeld, Mass, the Atlantic ocean
still humming near his pillow OF
dust it, prolonged lullaby. But is there
not scme one now living who in the
white marble palace of the nation on
yonder hill not ten minutes away VIII
become the irradiator Of the constitu-
kion by causing to be added the most
Tremendous word Of our English vocab-
ularv. the name Of that being before
uhom all nations must bow or go into
r defeat and annihilation-'God
Church and State.
Again. before the approaching ad-
lournment Of our American congress, 1t
ought to be decidedly and forever set
tied that no appropriations be made to
; sectarian schools, and that the court
Ihip between church and state in this
: eountry be forever broken up. That
E question already seems temporarily set
lied. Iwish it might be completely and
: forever settled. All schools and all In
] ritutions, as we'll as all denominations
,hould stand on the same level before
I American law. Emperor Alexander OF
E Russia, at his Peterhof palace, asked
me how many denominations OF rell-
! aion there were in America, and re-
I ,lted their names as well as l could
I Then he asked me the difference be-
1 tween them, and there broke down.
e But when / told him that no religious
A denomination in America had any PRIV
: neges above the others, he could hardly
understand it. The Greek church first
I ln Russia, the Lutheran church first IN
Germany, the Episcopal church first
t IN England, the Catholic church first
I m Rome, Mohammedanism first IN
= Constantinople-th emperor wondered
n bow it was possible that all the denom-
+ nations in America could stand ON the
a nme platform. But so it is, and so let
: Il ever be. Let there be no preference,