The Newtown bee., 1898-10-21

the question, mat snail do with Jee-
US which is called Christ ?" is just as real
and just as important for you and me, as
it was for PLATE 1000 years ago. Some
of US have read, presume, those books
of few years since: "It Jesus came to
Chicago" "If Jesus came to Congress. -
But we may not deceive ourselves.
There is really no ''if' shout it. Jesus
does come to-day; not only to Jerusa-
lem, but He comes to New York, to Chi.
cago, to Denver, to San Francisco, and
to the little towns and hamlets along the
route. Wherever a question Of right
and wrong presents itself, there Jesus
stands on trial. AS | look back upon
that awful tragedy so long ago, / am
sure | would not have been with the rab-
Bile who shouted, "Awav with this fell
low !" But how is it to-day?
Jesus stands for the sanctity of the
home and the inviolable sacredness of
the marriage vow. Not long ago l had
| occasion to examine into the records of
the courts, and found that in the coun-
ty where have lately made my home,
J the ratio of divorce petitions to marriage
licenses is one to three and two-tenths
In other words, for every three marriages
there is one divorce. Where do | stand
on this question; question which
| makes lust synony NOUS with love, and
uses the marriage covenant as the amuse.
ment OF fancy or the sport of a 3sion?
Perhaps some one may say that | have
no right to use the statistics of q Colora-
do divorce court as an argument for the
necessity of high ideals on the sacred
ness of the marriage bond here in Con.
necticut. But let me remind you that a
stream will not easily rise higher than
its source. You do not need me to tell
you that the country from the Mississip
pi river westward TO the Pacific is pen-
pied by the soma and daughters of New
England soil. IL is Eastern capital that
is developing the rich resources Of the
West. Young men from the East herd
| the cattle on her plains, Eastern brains
are directing her great mining Industries !;
Eastern educators are in her schools !;
| the graduates of Eastern colleges are at
the bar, upon the bench and in the pulpit
Since this is true, l say If the divorce
mills of the Dakotas, Oklahoma and
Colorado shall cease to grind, it must be
because Of higher ideals of domestic
| righteousness deep rooted here, trans.
planted there.
A noted British historian said not long
since in speaking of the future poseibii-
tiles OF this country of ours, and his SEN
timents were.re-echoed again and again
by Gladstone I'm the opinion of many
good judges, the possible decay of Amer -
ica's family life through the extensive
multiplication Of divorces, is the darkest
| cloud upon its horizon" Jesus stands
for the sanctity of the home. Where do
[ stand on this question? What shall L
do with Jesus which is called Christi"
Jesus stands for purity. Am L pure
| myself; and would [ use my influence
when occasion offered, to abolish those
bells of .iniquity which from Boston to
Seattle are found traffieking In the soul
and bodies Of the Dung men and women
of the land? Do [ hear someone saw
that Newtown has cleansed her skirts of
sach pollution? Yes, to the persistent
determination of certain individual citi-
zens of the town it is due that
the landscape here is now free from
plague spots which had blotted it for
many generations. But you know per-
fectiy well that nothing but watchful-
ness can keep the enemy from your Dor
| ders; and that even within the gates.
immortality may be rife and the aCmos-
phere of the village street may be threat
| ened by foul coatsgion, unless men
and women taught by the mind of Christ,
themselves pure in character aud abso
lutely fearless of investigation, shall ex-
ercise themselves to see that the life of
the community il purified and sweesen-
ed by whatever power of cleansing and
leaVening lies in their hands. To be in
different TO this question, is to be indif
ferent to the question of our text. To
take definite and determined stand ON
| the subject OF personal and social purity
ia to answer Alright the question, aWhat
shall do with Jesus which Id called
Christi for Jesus stands for purity.
Again: Jesus stands for businef 8
integrity. Where am found on thar
propositionp Or is my head 80 aizzed by
q passion for getting gain, that am
ready to get it by such measures as Faye
neither the approval OF Christ, nor the