The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1896-05-20

insert a diyinely worshipful sentence.
They all, SO far as they amounted to
ANYTHING, believed in "God the Father
Almighty, the Maker of heaven and
earth, and III Jesus Christ, his only be-
gotten Son" The constitution would
have been O 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
cd the document, a historical fact that
all the rat terriers of modern infidelity
cannot bark out of existence. l know
that there was an exception to the fact
that the prominent men in those times
were good men.
Tom Paine and Ethan Alien.
Tom Paine, ibertine and a sot. did
not believe in anything good until he
was dying, and then he shrieked out for
Gods mercy. And Ethan Allen, from
one of whose descendants have received
within a few days a confirmation of the
incident I mentioned i'll recent SER
mon, as saying to His dying daughter
that she had better take her mothers
Christian religion than his own infidel-
ity. The article sent me says: 1.-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
such matta: one confirmation is worth
more than many denials." So says the
article sent me. There is no doubt that
Ethan Allen was the vulgarest sort OF
an infdel, for, sitting in Presbyterian
church, his admirers say he struck the
pew in front of him and swore out loud
so as to disturb the meeting, and no gen.
tleman would do that. do not wonder
that some of his descendants arc ashamed
Of him, but of course they could not
help it and are not to blame. But all
the decent men CT The Revolution be-
lieved in God, and our American con-
gress, now assembled, will only echo
the sentiments of the fathers when they
enthrone the name of God in the consti-
tuition. We have now more reason for
inserting that acknowledgement of di-
vinity than our fathers had. Since then
the continent has been peopled and great
cities from the Atlantic to the Pacific
built, and all in peace, showing that
there must have been supernal super
yisal. Since then the war Of 1912, and
ours the victory! Since then great fnan-
cial prostrations, out Of which we came
to greater prosperity than anything that
preceded. Since then sanguinary 1862,
1858, 1864 and 1865, and notwithstand-
ing the fact that all the foreign despot-
isms 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 IS he would be blind Of body If
he could not at 10 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-
eress, be pleased to insert the four words
suggested by the Methodist conference.
Not only because Of the kindness of God
to this nation in the past should such
reverential 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-
til God settles it. This question of tariff
and free trade will never be settled un-
til God settles it. This question be-
tween the east and the west, which Is
getting hotter and hotter and looks to-
ward republic of the Pacific, will not
be settled until Gcd settles it. We
needed God in the 120 years OF our past
national life, and we will need him still
more in the next 120 years. Lift up
your heads, We everlasting gates Of our
glorious constitution, and let the King
Of Glory come in! Make one line OF
that immortal document radiant with
cmnipctence! Spell at least one word
with thrones! At the beginning, or at
the close, or in the center, recognize
him from whCn as 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 "Rul-
er of Nations" somewhere between the
first word and the last. The great ex-
FOUNDER Of the constitution sleeps at
Marshfeld, Mass, the Atlantic ocean
still humming near his pillow Of
dust its prolonged lullaby. But is there
not some one now living who in the
white marble palace of the nation On
ycnder hill not ten minutes away Will
become the irradiator Of the constitu-
ton by causing to be added the most
tremendous word Of our English vocab-
ulary, the name Of that. being before
whom all nations must bow Or go into
defeat and nnihilaticn-''God:"
Church and State.
Again, before the approaching ad'
jourlanent Of our American congress, it
ought to be decidedly and forever set
tied that no appropriations be made tc
sectarian schools, and that the court
ship between church and state III this
country be forever broken up. That
question already seems temporarily set
tied. Iwish it might be completely ano
forever settled. All schools and all III
stitutions, as we'll as all denominations,
should stand on the same level before
American law. Emperor Alexander o.
Russia, at his Peterhof palace, asked
me how many denominations OF rell
gion there We're III America, and I re
The Shakers of Mount Lebanon, {
community of simple, honest. God
fearing men ard women, have pre-
pared The Shaker Digestive Cordla
for ,oany wears. and It is always the