Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-09-14

the CO1n0GEc1al cCIG, anu SEull have
Numbered down fraudulent establish
meEts and shall have D1lt into the hands
of honest men the keys OF business
blessed time for the bargain makers. /
am not talking I'll abstraction. am not
making a guess. I am telling you God S
eternal trath.
In that cay of which I speak taxes
will be a mere nothing. Now our bust
ness men are taxed for every thing. City
taxes, county taxes. state taxes, United
States taxes, stamp taxes, license taxes,
manufacturing taxes - taxes, taxes,
taxes Our business men have to make
a small fortune every year to pay their
taxes. What fastens on our great indus
tries this awful load? Crime, individual
and official. We have to pay the board
of the villains who are incarcerated in
our prisons We have to take care of the
orphans of those who plunged into their
graves through sensual indulgences. We
have to support the municipal govern
ments, which are vast and expensive,
just i'll proportion as the criminal pro-
clivities are vast and tremendous. Who
support the almshouses and police sta
lions, and ali the machinery Of munich
pal government? The taxpayers.
No More Crime.
But III the glorious time Of which I
speak grievous taxation will all have
ceased. There will be no need of sup
porting criminals; there viii be no
criminals. Virtue will have taken the
place of vice There will be no orphan
asylums, for parents will be able to
leave a competency to their children.
There Will be no voting of large sums
of money for some municipal improve
ment, which money, before they get to
the improvements, drops into the peck
cts of those who voted it. No oyer and
terminer kept up at vast expense to the
people. No impaneling Of juries to try
theft and arson and murder and Islander
and blackmail. Better factories. Grand
er architecture. Finer equipage. Larger
fortunes. Richer opulence. Better
churches.
In that better time, also, coming to
those cities, Christ's churches will be
more numerous and they will be larger,
and they will be more devoted to the
gospel of Jesus Christ. and they will
accomplish greater influences for good.
Now, it is often the case that churches
are envious of each ctiler, and denomi-
nations collide with each other, and
even ministers of Christ sometimes for
get the bond Of brotherhood. But in the
time of which I speak, while there will
be just as many differences Of opinion
as there are now, there will be no acer-
bity, no hypercriticism, no exclusive
ness.
In our great cities the churches are
not today large enough to hold more
than fourth of the population. The
churches that are built-comparatively
few of them are fully occupied. The
average attendance in the churches of
the United States today is not 400.
Now, in the glorious time of which l
speak, there are going to be vast
churches, and they are going to be all
thronged with worshipers. Oh, what
rousing songs they will sing! Oh, what
earnest sermons they Will preach! Oh,
what fervent prayers they will offerl
Now, III our time, what is called q
fashionable church is a place where a
few people, having attended very care
fully to their toilet, come and sit down
they do not want to be crowded (; they
like whole seat to themselves-and
then, If they have any time left from
of their store and from exam
lining the style of the hat in front of
them, they sit and listen to sermon
warranted to hit no mans sins and lis
ten to music which is rendered by
choir warranted to sing tunes that no.
body knows. And then, after an hour
and half of indolent yawning, they go
home refreshed. Every man feels bet
ter after he has had sleep.
In many of the churches Of Christ in
our day the music is simplS mockery.
I have not a cultivated ear nor a Guilt
waited voice, yet 20 man can do my sing
ing for me. I lave nothing to say
against artistic music. The 50 or So
I pay to hear any Of the great
queens of song are a good investment
But when the people assemble in reli
gious convOcation, and the hymn is read,
and the angels of God step from their
throne to catch the music on their
wings, do not let US drive them away
by our Indifference. I have preached in
churches where vast sums of money
were employed to keep up the music,
and it was as exquisite as any heard on
earth, but [ thought, at the same time,
for all matters practical I would prefer
the hearty, outbreaking song of back
woods Methodist camp meeting.
Let one of these starveling fancy
songs sung in church get up before the
throne of God, how would it seem stand
ing amid the great doxologies Of the re-
deemed? Let the finest operate air that
ever went up from the church of Christ
get many hours the start, it will be
caught and passed by the hosanna of
the Sabbath school children. [ know
church where the choir did all the sing
ing, save one Christian man, who,
tb7.o,, pl, ssrerSeverauca of tbe saints -