The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-02
MANS NOBLEsT PURPOSE,

Will so record it on Tuesday"
MANS NOBLEST PURPOSE.
In the First Presbyterian church
Rev. Dr. James Mcleod had something
to say of politics. His utterances.
were strictly non-partIsan. however,
and were included in his regular morn
ing sermon on Mans Noblest Pur-
pose" He said:
There Is a species of activity in our
land, that is the child of idleness and
| Incidence. 1t is an unmanly activity.
1t spurns manual labor. 1t has no use
for any useful industry. There
are not few whose whole purpose in
life is to secure some petty political
office. For this they will rise early and
sit up late, and toll hard all day, and
visit all the saloons in the ward or in
the city. If they would work half as
hard-as mechanics, or merchants, or
| laborers, or wOrkers--in some indus
trial field. they would be cminently
successful. But, instead of this, they
have cultivated an organized appetite
for office. and this is a prolific source
of Incidence.
"Ofiice-holding is no sin; nor is office
seeking, within reasonable and pat
riotic limits, to be despised. IF man
desire the office of a bishop he desireth
q good work. and if a man desire the
Office of President or of only con-
stable. he desireth good work, that
is, if he seeks it in a manly. patriotic
way. But when men crawl in the
ground and suppress their honest con-
victions, and appeal to prejudice and
! to passion, and are ready to lick the
hand that holds a vote-craven, vile
and filthy, that hand may be, then
Office seeking on the part of such. is a
man, ignOhle and disgraceful business:
| and such Office seekers ought to be
buried Il thousand fathOms deep under
the ballots of n self-respecting people.
1T is time, as we are told, that the
genius of our government directs the
attention of every citizen to politics.
but the turbulence of elections, the viOl-
ence of the press, the desperation of
bad men, the cunninS craftiness of
those who lie in wait to deceive. the
powerful inducements to political dis
honesty, the strong emphasis that Is
laid upon practical politics., and by
practical politics. Is too often meant
carry your point; be sure to win by
any and all means. fair or foul'-such
conduct is stencil in the nostris of all
decent people, and it is no wonder that
many decent men stand aloof from
politics.
But that is a mistake. That is not
|
pool. Good men, conscientious men,
Christian men, all true patriots ought
to take a part in politics. This is es-
pecially true in this land where uni
versal suffrage is a constitutional right
and privilege. If the pa triotic and
Christian men of this nation. of all
creeds and of all parties, would COM
bine and say: This one thing we will
do. We will purify the politics of our
III \ n
ceed. They can do it, and they ought
to do it without delay.
I'm the $,here of politics as in the
sphere of religion, Christianity is in
tolerant of Incidence. 1t loves honest
work. 1t hates a pious fraud. 1t re-
jOices in that that tolls and
battles and suffers. Manly virtue
needs no glasshouse in which to live.
1t needs no artificial heat to make 1t
grow and prosper. 1t does not fear the
pelting hail nor violent storm. Indeed
the storms of life only cause its roots
to sink deeper and to take a firmer
hold upon the Eternal. and thus draw
ing its sap and nourishment from an
inexhaustible source. 1t must needs
flourish and then the world.
DIR. GIF'FIN'S REMARKS.
DR.. Giffin did not have political SUBJ
ject for either of his two sermons,
though the thought of each was sug-
gested by the campaign. In the morn
ing he urged his listeners to weigh care
fully the question of whether there was
any doubt about their election to a spir-
itual life in the world to come He
cited the good that would follow the
same interest in attaining eternal re-
ward as in studying the chances OF
political candidates.
In the evening DR.. Giffin advocated
Christ as the candidate who had earned
the support of the ballots of the uni
verse and he made a general smile of
the present political strife and the ef-
for that should be made in the cause OF
the Savior.
REV. MIR. RACE SPEAKS.
Rev. ]. l.. Race, pastor of Cedar Ave-
nue. Methodist Episcopal church, deliv-
cred a powerful sermon yesterday
morning on the political situation. He
left no doubt as to which side he Is on
and what his opinion is on the question
of the day.
He said that the Chicago platform OF
the Democracy is from beginning to
end founded on dish0nor and repuda-
ton. Its main plank, the free silver
one, Is a proposition to debase the
money of the country for the interest OF
, few mine-owners and for their profit
, alone.
| L.. avt,nrtod btS oopUra0o <tov, <o TO-, r.