The Penn's Grove record., 1896-06-19
PENIS GROVE, N. j, FRIDAY. JUNE 10, 1896

against the columns, and STOPPING under the
arches. and weeping In tho waters which go
mournfuiiy by as though they were carrying
the tears OF all ages? Let the mummie5
break their long silence and come up to
shiver in the desolation aud point to fallen
gates and shattered statues and defaced
sculpture. responding: "Thebasb built not one
tompie of God. Thebes hated righteousness
aud loved sin. Thebes was a star, but she
turned to NORWOOD and has fallen"
Babylon, with her $50 towers n her
brazen gates and her embattled walls, the
splendor Of the earth gathered within her
pqlaces, her hanging gardens built by
Ne~buchadnezzar to please his bride, Amytis,
who ha been brought up In u mountainous
country and could not endure the fiat coun-
try round B~abylon-these hanging gardens
built, terrace above terrace, till at the height
of 400 feet there were woods waving and
fountains playing. the veriure, the foliage,
the glory booking rs # q mountain were on
the wing On tho .iptop n king walking with
hisqueen. among statues snowy white, look
ing up Mt birds brought from distnnt lands,
aud drinking out OF tanknrds OF solid gold
or looking of over rivers and lakes upon ma
lions subdue1 and tributary, crying, "Is not
this great Babylon which Ihave built?"
What battering ram smote the walls? What
plowshare upturned tho gardens2 What
army shattered tho brazen G9tes2 What
long. 1erse blast OF storm put out this light
which illumtnei the world2 What crash OF
dhcor1 drove down the music that poured
from pnlace window and garden grove and
calle1 the ~bauqueters to their revel aud the
dancers 10 their feet2 I walk upon the
scene of desolation to fini an answer and
pick up pieces OF bitunen and brick and
broken pottery, the remains OF Babylon, and
ms In the silence OF the night 1 hear the surg
ing of that billow OF desolatton which rolls
over tho scene, l hear the wild waves say
ing: "Basylon was proud. Babylon was
impure. Babylon was a star but by sin she
TUNED to NORWOOD aud has fallen"
7 From the prosecutions OF the pilgrim
fathers and the Huguenots in other lands
God set upon these shores a nation. The
council fires of the aboriglnes went out In
the greater light OF a free government. The
sound of the warwhoop was exchanged for
the thousand wheels Of enterprise and prog
ress. The mild winters, the fruitful sum-
mers, the healthful skies, charmed from
other lands a race Of hardy mon who loved
God and wanted to be flea. Before the
woodlands AK forests fell and Ense again In
to ships nipsss and churches pillars. Cities
on thebank3 OF lakes begin to rival cities by
the sea. The land quakes with the rush OF
tho rail car and the waters arc churned
white with tho steamers wheel. Fabulous
bushels OF western wheat meet on the way fab
uloustoDs OF eastern coal. Furs from the north
pass Oh IL IiNvf lEuild itOiu u SouLhs Auh
trading In the same market Is Maine lumber
man and South Carolina rice merchant and
Ohio farmer and Alaska fur dealer. And
churches and schools and asylums scatter
light and love and mercy and salvation upon
GO, 900, 001 of people.
1 pray that our nation may not copy the
crimes of the nations that have persisted n
our cup OF blessing turn to NORWOOD, and
like them We go down. l am by nature and
by grace an optimist, and l expect that this
country will continue to advance until Christ
shall como again. But be not deceived,
Our Only safety Is in righteousness toward
God and justice toward man. II we forget
the goodness of the Lord to this land, and
break His Sabbaths, and improve not by the
dire disasters TINT AVE again n egain
come to us rs q nation, and we learn saving
lesson neither from civil war nor raging cpl
demic nor drought nor mildew nor scourge
of locust and grasshopper nor cyclone nor
earthquakes; If the political corruption which
has poisoned the fountains Of public virtue
and destined tho high places OF authority,
making free government at times a kissing
and n byword in all the earth; II the drunk
enness and RIGHTEOUSNESS that stagger and
~blasphome 10 the streets Of our great cities
as though they were reaching after
tho lame of o Cyrjnth and q
Sodom. are not repented OF, We will
vet SEQ the smoke of our nations
ruin; the pillars OF our national anG state
eapitols will fall more disastrously than
when Samson pulled down Dagon, and
future historians will record Upon the page
believed with generous toars the story that
the free nation of the west arose In splendor
which male the world stare. 1t had
magnificent possibilities. 1t forgot God. It
hated justice. 1t Rugged Its crime. 1t
halted on its high march. 1t reeled under
the blow of calamity. 1t fell. Aud as II was
-. - 4 a. 80 I.-.s "a = a f.a,.
the top of bloody thrones began to shout,
"Aha, so would we have III" whilestruggling
and oppressed people looked out from
dungeon bars with tears and groans and
cries of untold agony. the scorn OF those
and the woe OF these uniting In the exclama-
ton; "Look yonder! There fell a great
star from heaven. burning as 1t were n lamp,
and it fell upon the third part OF the rivers
and upon the fountains Of waters, and tho
name Of the star Is called Wormwoodl"