The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-05-14

| erty for other nations reads triumph or death
| in the triumph or death of liberty in America.
1t is an election day in the land. Twelve
millions or more of voters will within few
hours have pronounced judgment upon the
affairs of the great nation; as they decide so
will laws be enacted; SO will executive power
be put to use, in city, state and nation; and
as laws are enacted by the authority of voter,
and as executive power is used In the name of
voter, so will the nation be swayed for life
or for death, during succeeding years. Take
away conscience on an election day, let voters,
like the populace of old Rome, scramble for
food and pleasure; democracy will have given
UP the ghost and either an "imperator" will
trample upon American liberties, or anarchy
will light over the land its lurid fires. Ameri-
cans, fear not Conscience is on guard.
A great crisis arises in America, such as all
nations may sooner or later experience; such
as the enemies of democracy have predicted
as certain one day to put an end to American
democracy. Lord Macauley imagnes crisis
in America "The peril from which demo,
1t in season of hard times, when the masses
of tie people will make use Of their political
power to despoil the rich and disrupt society"
Americans, fear not. Macauley did not know
the people Of America; America Is safe; con-
science is on guard
What will foster conscience In the citizens
Of America? / answer, relig1on-the sense OF
a Supreme Legislator ruling the whole uni
verse. from the tinniest flower to the might
lest sun; ruling man ana aggregations Of
men. rewarding and punishing. Patriotism
is never so potent as when it is identified
with religion. The crisis for democracy will
come when comes the crisis for religion.
Evil days for America are those when agnos-
ticism and materialism are preached through
the land; when man is told that he is but
piece Of mechanism which no free will con-
trolls; that he Is but a grain Of dust, tossed
up for while in the air, soon to be driven
back into the common heap, having no re-
sponsibility, no hope, save what clay and
stones around him have. Fortunately for
America, deep in the hearts of Americans
lies the instinct of religion; Americans will
never believe that an infinite intelligence does
not rule the universe; that the soul Of man
Is not spiritual or immortal. They will never
permit that the Sabbath day be taken from
the service of conscience TO be put to the
service Of matter, or that it's church bells
cease their heavenly music. The enemies OF
religion are the enemies Of country and OF
democracy.
After making a plea for the moral
education Of the youth and condemn
ing sensational journalism, the arch
bishop closed as follows:
make her great; our hearts prayer Is: May
she be immortal, to bless during ages our
sons and their sons. and those that will be
born of them; to bless during ages all peo-
pies who may strive in their own land for
civil and political liberty. Let us work for
America but remembering that not In sciences
and arts, not in commerce and armies must
her trust be; but in men. Nothing more
significant and more worthy Of our heed
than the words Of our own Emerson, "The
true test of civilization is not the census not
the size Of cities, not the crops, no, but the
kind Of men the country TURNS out.