Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1896-05-09

ment az our American congress IL ought
to be decidedly and forever settled that no
appropriations be made to sectarian
schools, and that the courtship between
church and state In this country he forever
broken up. That question already seems
temporarily settled. | wish il might he
completely and forever settled. All schools
and all institutions as well as all dcn0mi-
nations should stand on the same level he.
fore American law. Emperor Alexander
of Russia, at lis pcterhof palace. asked
me how many denominations of religion
there were in America. and recitcd their
names rs well rs could Then he asked
me the difference between them, and there
broke down. But when told him that
no religious denomination in America had
any privileges above the others he could
hardly understand 1t. The Greek church
first In RUSSIA; the Lutheran church first
In Germany; the Episcopal church first in
England: the Catholic church first in
| Rome; Mohamncdnnism first In Constan-
tinople The emperor wondered how IL
was possible that all the denominations In
| America could stand on the same plat
| form. But So Il Is, and So let il ever be.
Let there he no preference, no Partially,
no attempt 10 help one sect an inch higher
than another. Washington and jefferson,
and all the early presidents and all the
great statesmen Of tho past, have lifted
their voice against any such tendency. II
| n school or an institution cannot stand
without the prop uf national appropria
ton. then let that school or that institu
tion go down. On the other side Of tire
sea the world has had plenty Of illustration
Of church and state united. Let us have
none Of the hypocrisy and decentralization
born Of that relation on this side of the
| Atlantic. Let that denomination come
out ahead that does the most for the cause
Of God and humanity, men. institutions
and religions getting what they achieve
| by their own right arm Of usefulness and
not by the favoritism of government As
you regard the welfare and pcrpctuity of
our institutions keep politics out Of re-
liRion.
But now that am speaking of nation
nj affairs from religious standpoint, /
bcthink myself of the fact that two other
| gayels will soon lift and fall, the one at St
Louis and the other Mt Chicago, and be-
fore those national conventions adjourn
ask that they acknowledge God in the
platforms. The men who construct those
platforms are here this morning or will
read these words Let no political party
think 1t can do its duty unless 1t acknowl-
edges that God who built this continent
and revealed IL at the right time TO the
discovercr and who has reared here pros
pority which has been given 10 no other
people. "Oh, says some one, there are
people in this country who do not believe
In God, and Ii would he an insult to
them" Well, there ARE people in this coun-
try who do not believe In common dccency,
or common honesty, or any kind OF gov
eminent, prefcrring anarchy. Your very
platform Is an insult to them. You ought
not to regard man who does not believe
In God any more than you should regard
a man who refuses TO believe in common
decency. Your pocketbook is not safe a
moment In the presence of an atheist. God
is the only source of good government.
Why not, then say so and let the chair
man of the committee ON resolutions in
your national conventions take a penful
of ink and with bold hand head the docu-
mcnt with one significant whereas. =
acknowledging the goodness Of God in the
past and begging his kindness and protcc
ton for the future. Why. my friends, this
country belongs TO God and we ought in
every possible way To acknowledge 1t.
From the moment that, ON an October
morning in li92, Columbus looked over
| the side Of the ship and SAW the carved
staff which made him think he was near
| an inhabited country and saw also - thorn
and a cluster Of berries ttype Of our his
| tory ever since, the piercing SORROWS and
cluster of national joys until this hour
our country has been bounded on the north
south, east and west by the goodness Of
God. The llugucnots took possession Of
the Carolinas In the name Of God. William
| Penn settled Philadelphia in the name Of
| God. The Hollandcrs took possession OF
| New York In the name of God. The pill
grim fathers settled New England In the
name Of God. Preceding the first gun Of
Bunker Hill, nj the voice Of prayer all
heads uncovered.
In the war of 1912 an officer came to
General Andrew jackson ard said. There
Is an unusual noise in the camp: IL ought
to be stopped. General jackson said
What Is the noise:" The officer said, ut
is the voice Of prayer and praise" Then
the general said: God forbid that prayer
and praise should be an unusual noise in
the encampmcnt. You had better go and
| join them" Prayer at Valley Forge.
Prayer ut Monmouth. Prayer at Atlanta.
| Prayer Mt South Mountain Prayer at
Gettysburg. oh, says some infidel, the
northern people prayed on one side and the
southern people prayed on the other side,
and so IL did not amount to anything"
And ! have heard good Christian people
COMPOUNDED with the infldel statement,
when II Il as plain To me rs my right hand
Yes, the northern people prayed in one
way and the southern people prayed in
another way and God answered in his own
way, giving Ia the north the re-cstnblish-
ment of the government and giving to the
south larger opportunities larger than she
had ever anticipated, the Harvesting OF her
rivers In great manufacturing interests.
until the Mobile and the Tallapoosa and
the Chattahoochee are southern Mcrrimacs,
and the unrolling Of great southern mines
of coal and iron, Of which the world knew
nothing, and opening before her opportuni-
ties Of wealth which will give 90 I,er cent
more of afilucnce than she ever possessed.
and instead Of the black hands Of Amcri-
can slaves there are the more industrious
black hands of the coal and iron mines Of
the south. which ARE achieving for her fab
ulous and unimagincd wealth.
And there are domcs of white blossoms where
spread the white tents,
And there are pluws in the track where the
war wagons went,
And there songs where they lifted up
Rachel's lament.
Gods Country.
oh, you are "a stupid man II you do not
understand how God answered Abraham
Lincoln's prayer In the White House, and
Stonewall .Iackson's prayer in the saddle.
and answered all the prayers Of all the
cathedrals ON both sides of Mason and
Dixon's line. Gods country all the WAY
past; Gods country now. Put his name
In your pronunciamenio>; Eut his name ON
your cnsigns; put his name on your city
and state and national enterprises; put his
name In your hearts. We cannot sleep
well the last sleep until We are assured
that the God Of our American institutions
in the past will hc the God If our Amcri
can institutions in the days that are to
come. Oh, when all the rivers that empty
into Atlantic and Pacific seas shall pull on
factory bands; when all the great mines Of
gold and silver and iron and coal shall lio
laid bare for the nation; when the last
swamp shall he reclaimed, and the last
jungle cleared, and the last American dcs-