The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-28
TALKS ON THE JUBILEE
LESSONS LOCAL MINISTER'S FOUND IN
THE BIG ENGLISH EVENT.
"Long Live Victorian Says Rev. DR..
G. n. Sims-Services I'm Honor of
the Late Oscar c. McCuIIoch.


as text the words from Isaiah xxxiii, S.
And wisdom and knowledge shall be the
stability of thy times" The pastor said
in part:
These words of the prophet fifty charac-
terlze the empire of Great Britain during
the long and illustrious reign of Victoria;
ana the celebration OF last week, comment
Grating the completion of her sixty years
upon the throne will pass into history as
the greatest event of its kind in the worlds
records. The procession OF dignitar1es OF
every race of MEN from every part of the
globe, all willing and loyal subjects Of her
Majesty, which passed through the streets
OF London could not have formed
under any other flag on earth. The
Queens message flashed at her touch
through oceans to distant islands and con-
tinents throughout the earth, carrying its
loving benediction to $50 100000 of subjects
in these tender words, From my heart L
thank my beloved people. May God bless
them, could have been sent by no other
ruler to so many subjects. The British
people have given their Queen demon
to make it a notable event in the history
of the century. So many lessons cluster
about the celebration that it seems appro-
pirate that We should give this hour to their
contemplation.
Sixty years ago Victoria a maiden of
eighteen, seated in the coronation chair,
supported by the stone of Scone, tabled
to have been one set up by Jacob Of old to
mark the place where the ladder OF God
touched the earth, received upon her brow
long years she has been true to her people,
her family, her Christian faith. Her
womanhood has been as illustrious as her
rulership, and all her influence mas been
for the advancement of intelligence, morals
and patriotism, and for the material pros
perity of her people.
the seas from other peoples, possesses
wealth of natural resources beyond the es-
innate of imagination. Its COAL its iron,
its tin, it's other minerals, together with its
agricultural possibilities were prophecies OF
greatness to be realized when the people
should rise to their opportunities. In
studying the greatness Of this wonderful
empire, the larger part of which has been
achieved since Victoria came to the throne,
we may rightly reckon the blood of her
people as one of the elements of her power.
The Saxon race has been above all others
the one, in this last century especially, TO
manifest a genius for the construction or
liberal government. England, Germany,
the United States are the Illustrations of
this proposition. The Latin, the Slay. the
Monaghan, the African races have SHOWN
no capacity for building great and perma-
nent empires. With all their splendid an
cient history, with all their achievements In
literature, law and art, the Latin races
have never been able to build governments
of free people. The Monaghan, facing the
past, has seen no future and therefore
has possessed no future. The African mas
continued to be a servant throughout the
ages; the Saxon race has been a race OF
conQuerors in every form of human strug-
gle 1t has tr1umphed in war, IN clVlIlza-
ton, in art, in commerce. in invention; ana
England was peopled by the Saxon race.
England has been in all the days OF her
greatness a Protestant nation. me open
Bible in the English tongue is the tounua-
ton of her greatest strength and her
grandest achievements. -
In 1854 good Bishop Bonner made the
Bible an open book throughout the homes
and churches of England. printing was
vet in its infancy books were scarce, news
papers were unknown English Bible read
ers read Gods book in the churches, ana
the common people gathered to hear Inc
Bible was read in the homes of the people;
1t was to the English people three hundred
years ago what the newspapers and DOCKS
of literature are to our people now we
wonder at the Bible phrases when appear
in the common language of the Purltans,
and their use has seemed to us a PharlStlc
formality, but in fact it was everything
which literature could be to the English
people. H.,
land has been essentially and constantly
Protestant, and in her Professionalism she
has grown to greatness. Steadily the form
of her unwritten constitution has been
modified and changed in the interest OF
larger liberty. Her House of Commons,
rising from obscurity, came to be her DOM
inant lawmaking power, and the House OF
Lords sank into comparative insign1hcance.
In 1858 the House of Commons became
the dominant English law-making power,
ard England has grown IN every t9 ;rni, r o.
stances prepared the way for the coming
of Victoria Four years before she ascend
ed the throne the slave trade in her colo
MES had been destroyed at an expense of
one hundred million Of dollars. The civil-
cation OF the world has changed since that
telegraph, the cotton gin, the telephone,
the sewing machine have TRANSFORMED the
material civilization of the world Inc
British empire to-day IS the greatest IN
the world, the greatest 1t has ever konWn.
Think a moment-that little island OF the
sea. only twice the size Of the 1 state tat a OF
tendencies, q population of three hundred
and eighty millions, six times that OF the
United States. Her flag floats over eleven
million square miles of territory. She has
had two hundred years of progress with
out bloody revolution. Religious and civil
rights have increased, the prerOgatives of
the throne have been curtailed, statutory
legislation has been perfected. the ballot
has been placed in the hands of the people,
taxation has grown more just and less bur-
densome, property has become more. secure
and crime more certainly and speedily pun
ished Every year has seen IN this great great
ratio is this true of the sixty years during
which Victoria has held the scepter. BY
commerce. by conquest by discovery, she
has constantly added to her vast posses
sions. Three hundred millions of the pop
ulation of India acknowledge her sway
and wherever the British flag has floated
the rights of men have been held more
sacred and the material welfare of the peo-
pie improved.
sons of her whole history. You may see
to-day well-preserved specimens of her
feudal castles and the ruins of many others
which have fallen into decay. You NAV see
to-day beside her shops and factories the
fra gments of the walls which defended her
ancient cities before the invention of gun
powder Her museums are full of fwar-
dinted armor which has become q quaint
curiosity. Her donjon keeps relate the
story of cruelty to prisoners, no longer
practiced. The old tower Of London is itself
an illustrative history of Britain under
going all the changes which have led up
to modern civilization.
England owes much to her Christian and
womanly queen Court life has been purer
because of her high womanhood. England
has been more religious because OF her
faith; homes have been more sacred be-
cause of her fidelity TO her family; handi-
craft has become more honorable because
every son of the Queen learned q trade.
England to-day has in many respects ma
terialized Christianity; charity is nowhere
so we'll advanced, education nowhere more
general. The Bible nowhere more re-
spected Christian faith nowhere more es-
teemed than in this beautiful island of the
sea. Peace and goodwill among the ma
tons has been fostered by her worldwide
commerce Her navy has driven piracy
from the seas Long live Victoria! faithful
Queen devoted wife and mother! sincere
and humble Christian!"
RELIGIOUS PROGRESS.