The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-02
MANY MINISTERS
PREACHED POLITICS
Scranton Dlvines Are Surely Stirred
Aboui TCmsrlov's Election.
VARIETY CT PULPIT UTTERANCES
In but One Other National Campaign
Have Ministers Been So Emphatic
in Political Pulpit Utternnces.
Many of Yesterdays Sermons Had
to DO with the Great Battle Of the
Ballots.

There were but few ministers who
yesterday failed to include In their SER
mons or lectures something pertaining
to the great battle of the ballots to-
morrow There was an almost unani-
nous resort to sermons pertaining
wholly to Christian politics, the purity
of the ballot and the like. or else the
discourses contained subject matter of
greater or less extent merely suggested
by the election.
In past years the election has been
preceded by political utteranccs upon II,
but never, excepting the Lincoln cam
paign, have ministers been so emphatic
in the matter as now, 1t Is their be-
lief, evidently, that this is the eve Of
crisis. Certainly the divines are
stirred as seldom before to preach con-.
ciliation, for5earance, thoughtful voting
and the necessity of voting. In most
cases the preaching is Il general appeal
concerning every voters duty in helping
make politics clean, but there have
been a few instances whence the SER
mons have plainly indicated which
party the speakers believed to be the
most deserving of support
DIR. DIXON'S DISCOURSE.
A pronounced gold and Mckinley
ring was contained in the prelude to
the regular sermon by Rev. DR.. Joseph
X. Dixon in the Penn Avenue Baptist
church in the evening. Its subject was
"On the Eve of Battle" He said:
The issues which are to be decided
next Tuesday by the American people
pierce to the Very core and genius of
our institutions. The devil does not
own this world and God has not gone
Off on vacation. Right, truth, in
tegrity, freedom. will prevail on Tues
day next. But | would have every
man who hears me this night, and I
would could trumpet my words to the
remotest corns of this great lard-real
iZe in his deepest soul that God has
given him the divine right Of citizen
ship-to exercise that right is beyond
the privilege of angels in the glorious
hours of this closing century-not 10
exercise 1t or TO misuse 1t. is to betray
holy trust.
THE man who can vote and don't
vote in this critical hour of the nations
history becomes u traitor to the flag.
The man who votes against conscience
and reason, for Reputation and anar-
chy, and the destruction Of the Su-
preme court of the United States, allies
himself and his vote with the enemies
of good citizenship and good govern
ment. He sets himself in deadly an
tagonism to God in history. The cross
was planted on these shores and the
seeing eyes of the great Columbus dis
covered our coasts amid the singing OF
Christian hymn. The exile has here
found a place Of refuge-the poor and
downtrodden have here found a haven.
The man who votes for dishonest and
dirty dollar lifts the bayonet against
all this. He plants his feet on soil
with those men who the other day tore
hn a to in nf
great cities. spat unon it, trampled it
beneath their feet. | eXhort every man
here to stay out of the ranks Of these
modern icOnoclasts who would shatter
every idol of freedom, patriotism and
progress.
CAUGHT a SUN BEAM.
Frances Rance, in one of her novels,
tells how when the Lord of life made
the nations of the earth He caught u
sun beam, tied II with u bow of blood
red ribbon and casting 1t down to earth
1t became the French nation. He took
q heart of pure gold in lump of lead
and sent it rolling and humping down
wards and it became the English ma
tion. Then he took mask of velvet.
q spray of flowers, burst of song and
4 dagger and tossed it to the earth and
1t became the Italian people. Frances
Rance halts just here-but the march
of civilization does not stop here; the
poetry and flowers do not stop here.
When the Lord of life made this earth
He took IL stretch of infinite blue from
the unsullied sky, bar Of red from the
crimson west. He took the nure earth
mists that We're growing up a. morning
incense from the meadows ard gardens
of the month Of June-and when the
evening lamps We're lighted. He cul!ed
. I,. ,i,I,t l.. q
the night. He bade the angels weave
them into the grandest banner that
floats on land or seattle glorious stars
and stripcs-it floated down and down,
on aud on it came until America, the
child of the skies, was born.
That flag was fired upon at Sumpter
and the shot went round The world: ii
will he fired upon next Tuesday: 1t
every patriot do his duty. his whole
duty ano with new born lustre. born
of championshin for the right 1t folds,
rise and fall, honored of the
nations of the earth and bap-
tised in the smile OF haven. Armies
have marched beneath its sacred folds;
navies have thundercl under its
matchlcss sheen. u has been borne
triumphant to final victory in every
war this land has known; brave men
diving on the field have lifted their
glazed eyes to its shining folds. thanked
God for II and died content. The d.
vnest thing on this green earth is n
man. And | tell you in these days
man-stuff is scarce commodity The
divinest sa!e"uard to the veal of this
proud land we call our home is TIE
sac acrednesa and purity of the ballot.
How any man can stain this white bal
lot is beyond comprehension: how any
man can write q scar OF hell uooa his
soul either Ivy the sale of his vote or
the prostitution Of his ballot to unholy
ends Is saddcr than cypress and crane.
Then, too. every man who votes holds
g iiduciary relation to four Ot her people
than himself: no man can misplace his
ballot without affecting four other in
nocent people. Loyalty to the flag.
loyalty to our commercial interests,
loyalty to home and church. loyalty to
the land which has been deluged with
the best blood of fathers and brothers
demands our fidelity on Tuesday.
STORY ABOUT SETH GREEN