The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-12
BLIND PEOPLE
THAT HAVE EYES
First 10 u Course Of Lectures BY Rev.
DR.. {. N. Giffin.
MORAL ASPECTS Of POLITICS
Voters Who See NOthing..SOme See
Through the Eyes OF Others and
Some See Only One side Ofu Ques.
tiOn..lgnOrance Of Party Principles
Stamps a Voter as Guilty as a
Ballot Box Stutlcr.

poets of the political campaign was be-
gun last night in Elm Park Methodist
chtrcn by the pastor. Rev. Dr. {. NJ.
Giiin. The tonic of his address was
Politics Without Eyes" While the
evening service always attracts Il par
ticularly large audience. the announce
mant of last nights subject drew to the
church thropg that filled the seats in
auditorium and gallery to overf!owing.
DR.. Gitiin announced that his topic
next Sunday night would he Politics
Without Conscience" and on the fol-
lowing Sunday, Politics Without
Il art"
The singing was fully in keeping with
the thought of the address. the two
congregational hymns being My Coun-
try. 'Tis of Thee" and
Lord, while for all mankind we pray
or every CLINE ana ccast.
q hear MS for our native land
The land We love the most.
DR.. Gitlin's text was "Blind people
that have eyes" Isiah Xiii s. There
was nothing i'm his discourse to indicate
which party had his sympathy: what
he discussed was more specially the po-
iitical blindness of so-caled intelligent
voters. He said:
My mother taught me that none are 30
blind as those that will not see. The text
of tonight suggests the need of the SER
vices of the prophet and not the occulisi.
1t might well be applied to our case at
present in our political condition. We ncr |
to know Il great deal about it. but a knowl-
edge that comes of boas,ing is not sense
Faith in Providence lis pious cant and
one of the most despicable forms of cloak
ing ones lack of knowledge. ] shall not
tonight enumerate the ratio of this blind
ness but will mention some of the classes
and If any one fits your case ! hope YOU
will profit by it.
ANOTHER BLINDED CLASS.
"One blind class sees through the eyes
of others. II Is better to be able to east
ballot intellgently for president than TO
be elected president by campaign tricks
want to say from Il Christian pulpit If
YOU vote through the eyes of another you
are nothing more than a cypher: | don't
know what Your reason would be for bein,
to be that.
Another blinded class is that which
looks through but one eye. He learns as
much as does the man from the echo of
his own voice. i should be ashamed to
be content with only reading my party
paper that Is left at my door. A man who
will not post himself on the beliefs and ar
guments of the opposition is worse than a
bgot: the word hardly describes the man
who goes it bind and, right or wrong.
swallows the whole thing. It's not the
VI Inf SoOI StnSt 10 lOIHl our
opinions before going into the jury box or
hearing the witnesses.
"The prayer 20 God. help us not to de-
spise our rulers and help them not to he
able to help us not 10 despse them Is not
wholly a bad one. Keeping your eyes
open don't mean listening only. for if you
hear YOU will not vote for any candidate
Study evidences and truth. If the devil is
father of lies he has lots of children at
election times. Its well for you to know
how To judge the candidate who was so
bothered about the mud-ilinging that he
didn't know whether he was running FOR
the presidency or the penitentiary. Look
all along the line and know of Il ticket
whether it's good head has not II bad tail
ANY platform that does not contain the
heart OF righteousness will never stand
for any legth of time. We can thank God
for that Its a case OF being on Gods
side-don't understand me not of Gods
being on our side: were doing Gods work:
Judgment of party principles, but If a
voter has II not, when he goes to deposit
his ballot his hand should be palsied: he
II man who votes knows as little Of the
| thing he is voting for as the man who does
not vote. Shame on us, of a nation which
was purchased at such u high cost.
TOO BUSY TO sEE.
There is class too busy to make us.
of their eyes. One OF them hangs cut a
| flag on holidays. and shoots Off skyrockets
busy to bother with politics or use his
perogative beyond the point Of walking TO
the booth. putting in his ballot and then
going home with the satisfaction that
whatever happened to the country he had
done his duty. What q spectacle! What
a use of the powers God gave you. rye
nothing to say OF party managers who
say what's the need of using your eyes.
there's nothing In II but the spOis? They
profess nothing else and preaching to them
would not do you any good. We want the
| country aroused. not by the practical cam
paigning. but in studying. There's too
many men who save the country by at
tending meetings nearly every night in
tn, week and there imbibe u great deal of
their countIy's product and stagger home
at Il late hour with not enough voice left
To say good night TO their lives.
"PolticS is as healthy as any art or
science and all citizens should be- poll
tirians in the sense that he knows what
an army of those; We want Cody polite
ians. enthusiastic ones. We. We do want
| enthusiastic politicians. The oil from Il
grmy torch in procession may be almost
as sacred as holy oil If the bearer of the
torch carries it in an intelligent hand
don't lose my mind ] may march in an
other before this campaign is over. They
are good, they are healthy: perpetual agi-
| tation will keep corruption out of a re-
public, and parades and the enthusiasm
that goes with them Is good form of agi-
tation If the paraders and enthusiasts
know what its all about.
"lf any of you, my brothers represent
any Of the classes | have referred to. you
are doing your country as much harm as
have 1t in your grasp to be as powerful as
the man you elect to office, but to do 1t
you've got to have a Cody idea of what
your ballot represents