Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1896-05-16

our various American ports! nat are
we doing for them? Well, we are doing
great deal for them. We steal their
baggage as soon as they get here. We
send them up to boarding house, where
the least they lose is their money. We
~swindie them within ten minutes after
they get ashore. We are doing great
deal for them But what are we doing
to introduce them into the duties Of
good citizenship? Many of them never
saw q ballot box. Many of them never
heard of the constitution of the United
States. Muny Ct them Lave no acquaint-
ance with our laws. Now, say, let the
government of the United States, SO
commanded by one political party or
both political parties, give to every i'm
migrant W no lands here volume, in
good type and we'll bound for long usage
"a volume containing the Declaration
of independence, the constitution OF the
United States and chapter on the spir-
it of Cur government. Let there be such
book OH the shelf Of every free library
in America While the American Bible
society puts into the right hand of every
immigrant copy of the Hcly Scrip
lures, let the government CT the United
States, commanded by some political
party, put Into the left hard Of every
Immigrant a volume instructing him
in the duties of coed citizenship. There
are thousands Of foreigners i'll this land
who need to learn that the ballot box is
not footstool, but throne-not some
thing to put your foot on, but some
thing to bow before.
Christian Patriotism.
But whether members of the national
legislature, crGeleeates TO one Of the ma
tional conventions, or private citizens,
let us cultivate Christian patriotism.
Oh, how good God has been to Us as a
nation! Just open the map of the CONT.
nent and see how it is shaped for i'm
measurable properties. Navigable riy-
ers, more III number and greater than oi
any other land, rolling down CT all sides
into the sea, prophesying large manu-
factories and easy commerce. Look at
the great ranges of mountains, timbercd
with wealth on the top and sides and
metaled with wealth underneath. One
hundred and eighty thousand square
miles of coal! One hundred and eighty
thousand square miles Of iron! The iron
to pry out the coal. The coal to forge
and 81 cit the iron. The land so con-
toured that extreme weather hardly ever
lasts more than three days-extreme
heat or extreme cold. Climate for the
most part bracing and favorable for
Drawn and brain All fruits. All min
erals. All harvests. Scenery displaying
autumnal pageantly that no land on
earth pretends to rival. No South Amer
lean earthquakes. No Scotch mists. No
English fogs. no Egyptian plaques.
The people of the United States are
happier than any people on earth. 1t is
the testimony of every man that has
travelled abroad. For the poor more
sympathy! For the industrious more OPP
portunity! Oh, how good God was to
our fathers and how coed God has been
to US and cur children! To him-blessed
be his glorious name! To him Of cross
and triumph be consecrated the United
States of America!
There are three great reasons why
you and | shculd do our best for this
country-tbrec great reasons: Our ia
Tiers graves, cur cradle, our childrcn's
birthright When l say your fathers
graves your pulses run quickly. Wheth-
er they sleep i'll city cemetery or coun-
try graveyard their dust is very precious
to you. 1 think they lived well and
that they died right. Never submit to
have any government over their tombs
other than that government under which
they lived ard died. And then this
country is our cradle. 1t may have rocked
us very roughly, but it was good
cradle to be rocked in. Oh, how much
we owe to it, Our boyhood and girl
hood, it was spent in this llossed coun-
try. never have any patience with a
man who talks against this country.
Glorious place to be born i'll and glo-
rious place to live in. 1t har been our
cradle. Aye! 1t is to be Cur children's
birthright You and I will soon be
through. We will perhaps see few
more spring blossoms, ard We will per-
baps see few more summer harvests,
and we will perhaps gather few more
autumnal fruits, but we are to hand
this government to our children as it
was handed to us-a free laid, happy
land Christian land. They are not to
be tranpled Ly dcspotism. They are not
to be frightened by anarchios. Wemust
hand this government to them over the
ballot box over the school desk, over
the church altar, as we have received it
and charge them solcmnly to put their
life between it and any keen stroke that
would destroy it.
And thou, Lord God Almighty, we
put, with thousand armed prayer, in
to thy protection this nation! Remem-
Der our fathers bleeding feet at Valley
Forge. Remember Marion and Koscius-
ko. Remember the cold, and the hunger,
and the long march, and the fever hos
tai. Remember the fearful charge at
Bunker Hill. Remember Lexington, and
Yorktown, and Kings Mountein, and
Gettysburg Remember Perrys battle
on the lake, and Hampton Roads, where
the Cumberland went down. Remem-
Der Washing ems prayer by the camp
fire. Renen. Der Plymouth Rock and
the landing amid the savages. Remem-
Der Independence hall and how much
it cost our fathers to sign their names.
Remember al the blood and tears of
three wars-1776, 1912, 1862. And
more than all, remember the groan that
was mightier than all other groans, and
the thirst that stung worse than all 9TH
Ell thirsts, ard the death that was ghast-
lier than all other dcatLs--the mount on
which Jesus died to make all men hap
py and free. For the sake Of al this hui
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