Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-12-22
present to the other continents this assert.

On the map which We will put on the
cradle OF the new century we must have
very soon railroad bridge across Bering
Strait, those thirty-six miles of water, not
deep, and they are spotted with islands
capable of holding the piers Of great
bridge. And what with America and Asia
thus connected and Siberian railway, and
a railroad now projected for the length of
Africa, and Palestine and Persia and India
and China and Burmah intersected with
railroad tracks, all of which will be done
before the new century is grown up, the
way will be open to the quick civilization
and evangelization of the whole world.
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 gilt
tered the swords that forbade entrance to
many islands and large reaches OF contin-
ent. BoInesian cruelties and Fiji Islands
| cannibalsm have given way, and all the
| gates of all the continents are swung open
with a clang that has been positive and
| glorious invitation for Christianity to en-
ter. Telegraph, telephone and phonograph
| are to be consecrated to Gospel dissemina-
tion and instead of the voice that gains
the attention of a few hundred or few
| thousand people within the church walls
the telegraph will thrill the glad tidings
and the telephone will utter them to many
| the twentieth century has over what the
| nineteenth century had at tie starting!
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 be an assault and battery upon the
coming century by this century If we
allowed the full blow of present evils to
| fall upon the future. We ought somehow
to cripple or minify some of these abomina-
| tions. Alcoholism is to-day triumphant
and are we to let the all devouring monster
that has throttled this century seize upon
| the next without first having filled his ac-
cursed hide with singing arrows enough
to weaken and stagger him? We have
wasted about twenty-five years. How so?
While we 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 whole gen.
GRAFTON. Where are the public and enthu-
siastic meetings that used to be held thirty
years ago for the one pursose of persuad-
ing the young and middle aged and old
| that strong drink is poisonous and DAMN
ing? When will we learn that we must
educate public opinion up to a prohibtory
law, or such a law will not be passed or II
passed will not be executed?
Seven or eight years ago on the ami
versary platform of the National Temper
auce Society in New York 1 dsplored the
fact that we had left politics to do that
which moral suasion only could do and
said on that occasion, 'If some poor
drunkard wandering along this street to-
night should see the lights kindled by this
| brilliant assemblage and should come in,
and finding the character of the meeting,
should ask for a temperance pledge, that
| he might sign it and begin new career,
do not believe there is in all this house a
temperance pledge, and you would have to
take out a torn letter envelope or a loose
lcar nf ran Tor in hri fn' ali
| ture." I found out afterward that there
was one such temperance pledge in the
audience, but only one that could hear
of. Do not leave to politics that which
can be done now in 10000 reformatory
meetings all over the country.
Oh, save the young man OF to-day and
| greet the coming century with tidal wave
| of national redemption! Do not put upon
the cradle of the twentieth century noun
tain OF demijohns and beer barrels and rum
Jugs and put to its infant lips wretched-
ness, disease, murder and abandonment in
solution. Aye, reform that army of ine-
briates. "Ah," you say, sit cannot be
| done!" That shows that you will be of no
use in the work. so ye of little faith!''
Away back in early times President Davies,
in utter despair because of the thrall of
strong drink. The president said to him:
"Sir, be of good cheer. You can be saved.
Sign the pledge" "Ah," said the despair
ing victim, II have often signed the pledge,
but 1 have always broken my piedge!''
But" said the president, 81 will be 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
| it, come to my house, sit down with me in
the study or with the family in the parlor,
and will be shield to you. All that I
can do for you with my books, my sym
pathy, my experience. my society, my love,
my money, 1 will do. You snail forget your
appetite and master it," A look of hope
glowed on the poor mans face. and he re-
piled, ''Sir, will you do all that?" "Surely
will" "Then I will overcome" He
signed the pledge and kept it. That plan
OF President Davies which saved one man,
tried on u 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 twenty guests, and he drank the
health of each separately. Then calling
for the cup of Hercules the giant, mon
ster cup, he filled and drained 1t twice to
show his endurance; but, as he finished the
last draft from the cup OF Hercules the
| giant, he dropped in q fit, from which he
never recovered. Alexander, who had con.
quered Sardis and conquered Halicarnassus
and conquered Asia and conquered the
|
is threatening peril that this good land
Of ours, having conquered all with whom
| 1t has ever gone into battle, may yet be
erthrown by the cup of the giant evil of
the land that Hercules of infamy, strong
drink. Do not let the staggering and
bloated and embruted host Of drunkards
go iEto the next century looking for insane
asylums and almshouses and delirium tre-
mems and dishonored graves.
1t has been a custom in all Christian
lands for people to keep watch night as
an old year goes out and new year
comes in. People assemble in churches
about 10 o'clock of that last night of the
old year, and they have prayers and songs
and sermons and congratulations until the
hands OF the church clock almost reach
the figure -, and then all bow in silent
prayer, and the scene is nightly impress
sive until the clock in the tower OF the
chur,h or the clock In the tower OF the
city hall strikes II, and then all rise and
sing with smiling face and jubilant voice
the grand doxology, and there is shaking
Of hands all around
But what tremendous watch night the
| world Is soon to celebratel This centurv