Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-12-08


cipation for inebriety. Intimation that
the virus of maddened canine, and can
Ger, and consumption are yet to be
baked by magnificent medical treat
ment. The eyesight of the doctor
sharpened until he can look through
thick flesh and find the hiding place
of the bullet. What advancement in
geology, or the catechism of the noun
tains; chemistry, or the catechism of
the elements; astronomy, or the cate
chism of the stars; electrology, or the
catechism of the lightnings. What ad-
vancement in music. At the beginning
of this century, combining ITSELF so far
as the great masses OF the people were
concerned, to a few airs drawn out on
accordion or massacred on church bass
VOL; now enchantingly dropping from
thousands of fingers in Handel's Con-
certo in B fiat, or Claimants Sonata in
d minor. Thanks to you, o Century!
before you die, for the asylums Of mer-
cy that you have founded-the blind
seeing with their fingers, the deaf hear
ing by the motion of your lips, the born
imbecile by skillful object-lesson lifted
to tolerate intelligence. Thanks to
this century for the improved condition
of most nations. The reason that Ma
poleon made such a successful sweep
across Europe at the beginning of the
century was that most Of the thrones
of Europe were occupied either by i'm
beetles or profligates. But the most
of the thrones of Europe are to-day
occupied by kings and queens compe-
tent France a republic, Switzerland
a republic, and about fifty free consti-
tutions, am told, in Europe. Twenty
million serfs of Russia manumitted. On
this western continent / can call the
roll of many republics. Mexico. Qua
temala, San Salvador, Costa RIGA, Para
quay, Uruguay, Honduras, New Gran
ada, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia,
Chilli, Argentine Republic, Brazil. The
once struggling village of Washington
to which the United States government
moved, its entire baggage and equip
ment packed up in seven boxes which
got lost in the woods near this place,
now the architectural glory of the
continent. and admiration OF the world.
The money power, so much denounc-
ed and often justly criticised, has COW
cred this continent with universities,
and free Libraries, and asylums Of mer-
oy. The newspaper press which. at the
beginning of the century was an ink
roller, by hand moved over one sheet
of paper at a time, has become the
miraculous manufacturer of four or
five, or six hundred thousand sheets
for one daily newspapers issue. With
in your memory, o Dying Century! has
been the genesis Of nearly all the great
institutions evaDgelistic. At London
Tavern, March Z, 1902, British and
Foreign Bible Society was born. In
1916 American Bible Society was born.
In 1924 American Sunday School Union
was born. In 1910 American Board of
Commissioners for Foreign Missions,
which has put it's saving hand on every
nation of the round earth. was born
at haystack in Massachusetts,. The
Woman's Temperance Society, and all
the other temperance movements born
in this century. Africa, hidden to
other centuries, by exploration in this
century has been put at the feet Of
civilization, to be occupied by COM
merce and Christianity. The Chinese
wall, once an impossible barrier, now
is a useless pile of stone and brick.
Our American nation at the opening Of
this century only slice of land along
the Atlantic coast, now the whole con-
tinent in possession Of our schools and
churches and missionary stations. Ser
mons and religious intelligence which
in other times, if noticed at all by the
newspaper press, were allowed only a
paragraph Of three or four lines, now
find the columns of the secular press
in all the cities, thrown wide open, and
every week for twenty-six years with
out the omission of a single week, !
have been permitted to preach one en-
tire Gospel sermon through the news
paper press. thank God for this great
opportunity oiOii ouo oiu SculuIy
You shall not be entombed until we
have, face to face, extolled you. You
were rocked in a rough cradle, and
the inheritance you received was for
the most part poverty, and struggle.
and hardship, and poorly covered
graves of heroes and heroines of whom
athe world had not been worthy, and
atheism, and military despotism, and
the wreck of the French revolution.
You inherited the influences that re-
suited in Aaron Burr's treason, and
another war with England, and Battle
of Lake Erie, and Indian savagery, and
Lundy's Lane. and Dartmoor massa-
ere, and dissension. bitter and Wild
beyond measurement. and African
slavery, which was yet to cost q ma
tional hemorrhage Of four awful years
and million precious lives. Yes, dear
Old Century, you had an awful start,
and you have done more than well
considering your parentage and your
early environment. 1t Is a wonder you
did not turn out to be the vagabond
century of all time. You had a bad
mother and a bad grandmother. Some
of the preceding centuries were not
fit to live in--their morals were SO
bad, their fashions were so outrageous
their ignorance was so dense, their in