The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-11-28


what with America and Asia thus con-
naotsd, and Siberian railway, and . rail-
road now projected for the length Of Afri-
On, and Palestine and lc' sia and India
and China and Burma lntersected with
railroad tracks, all Of which will be done
before the now century Is grown up, the
way will be open to the quick civilization
and evangslisation Of the whole world
The old map We used to study In our boy.
hood days Is dusty and on the top shelf or
amid the rubbish Of the garrett, and 40 will
the present map Of the world, however
gilded and beautifully bound, be treated,
and an entirely new map will be put into
the infantile hand Of the coming century.
Gospel Widespread.
The work Of this century has been to
get ready. All the earth is now free to the
gospel except two little spots. one in Asia
and one In Africa, while at the beginning
Of the century there stood the Chinese
wall and there famed the fires and there
gllttered the swords that forbade entrance
to many islands and large reaches Of CON-
.tinent. Bornesian eruelties and FIJI is-
land cannibalism have given way and
all the gates of all the continents are
swung open with a olang that has been q
positive and gloSious invitation for Chris
tianity TO enter. Telegraph, telephone
and phonograph are to be oonsecrated to
gospel dissemination, and, instead Of the
voice that gains the attention Of . few
hundred or few thousand people within
the church wallis the telegraph will thrill
tho glad tidings and the telephone will
utter them to many millions. Oh, the in
finite advantage that the twentieth GEN.
fury has over what the nineteenth century
had at the startingl
In preparation for this coming century
We have time in the intervening years to
give some decisive strokes at the seven or
eight great evils that curse the world 1t
would DO an assault and battery upon the
coming century by this century II we al
lowed the full Flow Of present evils to fall
upon the future. We ought somehow to
cripple or minify some Of these abolnina-
tions. Alcoholism ia today triumphant,
and are we to let the all devouring mon
ster that has throttled this century seize
upon the next without first having filed
his accursed hide with singing arrows
enough to weaker and stagger hini We
have wasted about 2b years. How
sop While VIC have been waiting for the
law Of the land to prohibit intoxicants we
have done little to quench the thirst Of
appetite in the palate and tongue Of a
whole generation. Where are the public
and enthusiastic meetings that used to be
held 30 years ago for the one purpose Of
persuading the young and middle aged
and old that strong drink is poisonous and
damning? When will we learn that we
must educate public opinion up to pro-
hibitory law or such law will not be
passed or IL passed will not be executed
God grant that all state and national leg
islatures may build up against this evil
wall which will DO an impossible wall,
shutting out the alcoholic abomination.
But while we walt for that let us. in our
homes, In our schools and our churches
and on our platforms and in our newspa<
pers, persuade the people to stop taking
alcoholic stimulant unless prescribed by
physicians, and then persuade physicians
not to prescribe 1t II In all the dominions
Of therapeutics there may be found some
other remedy.
sary platform Of the National Temperance
society in Now York, deplored the fact
that we had left politics to do that which
moral suasion only could do and said on
that occasion, III some poor dsunkara,
wandering along this street tonight, should
sec tho lights kindled by this brilliant as
semblage and should come in and, finding
the character Of tbs meeting, should ask
for temperance pledge, that he might
sign 1t and begin a new career, do not
believe there Is In all this house temper
ance pledge, and you would have to take
out torn letter envelope or loose scrap
of paper for the inebriate's signature. I
found out afterward that there was one
such temperance pledge In the audience,
but only one that I could hear Of. Do not
leave to- politics that which can be done
now In 10000 reformatory meetings all
over the country. The two great political
parties, Republican and Democratic, will
put prohibitory plank in the platform
the same day that satan joins the church
and turns perdition into camp meeting.
Both parties want the votes Of the tratflck-
ers In liquid death, and II you wait for the
ballot box to do the work, first you will
have local option, and then you will have
high license, and then q first rate law
passed, to BIO revoked by the next legisla-
ture
Redeem the Nation.
Oh, save the young man of today and
greet tho coming century with tidal
wave of national redemption Do not put
upon tho cradle of the twentieth century
mountain of demijohns and beer barrels
and rum jugs and put to its infant lips
wretchedness, disease, murder and aban-
donment in solution. Aye, reform that
army of inebriates. "Ah," you say, 'it
cannot be done!' That shows that you
will be of no use In the work. 80 ye Of
little faithv' Away back in early times
President Davies Of Princeton college one
day found a man In utter despair because
of the thrall of strong drink. The presi-
dent said to him: "Sir, be Of good cheer.
You can be saved. Sign the pledge"
"Ah," said the despairing victim, II have
often signed the pledge, but have always
broken my pledge" But" said the pres
ident, II will DO your strength to keep
the pledge. I will be your friend and with
loving arm around you will hold you
up. When your appetite burns, and you
feel that you must crafty 1t, come to my
house. Sit down with me in the study or
with the family In the parlor, and will
be q shield to you. All that can do for
you with my books my sympathy, my ex-
perience, my society, my love, my money,
will do You shall forget your appetite
and master it," A look of hope glowed
on the poor mans face, and he replied,
"sir, will you do all thatf" Surely I
will" "Then will overcome" He sign
ed the pledge and kept It, That plan Of
President Davies which saved one man,
tried on large scale, will save million
men.
Alexander the Great made an imperial
banquet at Babylon, and, though he had
been drinking the health of guests all one
night and all next day, the second night
he had 20 guests, and he drank the hoalth
of each separately. Then, calling for the
cup of Hercules, the giant, monster cup,
he filled and drained 1t twice to show his
endurance; but MS he finished the last
draft from the cup Of Hercules, the giant,
he dropped In a fit, from which he never
recovered. Alexander, who had conquered
Sardis and conquered Halicarnassus and
conquered Asia and conquered the world,
could not conquer himself, and there Ia
threatening peril that this good land Of
ours, having conquered all with whom 1t
has ever gone into battle, may yet be over
thrown by the cup Of the giant evil Of the
land-that Hercules Of infamy, strong
drink. Do not let the staggering and